rags

Hey guys,

I was out at my local vintage store the other day, and happened to eye an old acoustic guitar in the back. I figured it would be some no-name clunker, but upon turning it around I realized it was a vintage Nippon Gakki Yamaha FG-110...it looked to be in pretty okay shape, the action was a little high but the price wasn't, so I bought it on a whim figuring I could flip it for a modest price if need be.

However, I took it down to my shop the other day and they confirmed my fear; it needs a neck reset to be fully playable again. They said there are a couple of adjustments they can make to make it a bit more bearable, but the action is literally about twice as high at the 12th fret as it should be.

So the question is, would it be worth trying to make a few small changes and playing it as is, or should I just consider it a lost cause and try to make a little money off of it? I just can't justify spending almost five times what I paid for it on a neck reset, considering I mainly just want to use it as an around-the-house guitar...figured you all would have some opinion on this kind of matter.

I feel like it is likely either a problem with the ohms or the reverb...luckily I just found another small powered mixer on craigslist for cheap, so I guess it's time to just bite the bullet and get rid of this thing.

Hi,

I have a Kustom KPM4080 PA that I have been having problems with. It's this one pictured below:

A friend lent it to me so I had something to use for practicing with the boys. However it recently stopped working right, and I'm not the in financial situation (see: college) to be throwing down the cash for a new one. I know it's not a high quality unit, but I'm hoping there's something I can do to fix it. It will power on, but no sound will come through any of the channels. If I unplug it and plug it back in, it will power on and work fine for a few minutes but will then suddenly go mute again. I took it apart and poked around to see if anything was loose or something and hit it with some compressed air, and when I put it back together it was doing fine for about 20 minutes...but then it went quiet again and I had to once again unplug it to get it to make a meager few minutes of sound. I am currently only running one microphone into this. Does anyone have any suggestions about what to do to remedy this problem?

An update: we've had a typical North Carolina December so far, with really fluctuating temperatures, and I don't think the conditions have been the finest for guitars. I've noticed one of them in paticular (the Martin, augh!) being sharp after a while, and maybe it's just me worrying but it looks like the soundboard is moving a little under the bridge. The action is definitely off, I just had it set up a month or so ago.

I'm considering running it down the street to the tech to see if he can assuage my worries.

Sounds a hell of a lot like growing up around here.

Yeah, I've got them all mounted up on the walls...my roommate has an asshole cat that doesn't mix well with unstable objects. I'll just play it by ear and see how it goes.

I live in western Raleigh, right by NCSU campus.

So, the back story is I moved into an older apartment building this summer, and brought my guitars along. During the summer, it was blistering hot in NC, and thusly didn't use the heater any. But it's starting to get chilly, and I'm wanting to seek refuge from those frigid mornings. I've been afraid the steam furnaces we have here in this building might not be good for my acoustic guitars, I haven't used them too much...especially after finding my Martin severely out of tune, which has never happened before. I thought it might be messing with the amount of humidity in the room.

The guitars are on the opposite side of the very large room, but should I maybe remove them from the room for the winter? Or do you think that maybe they would be okay in their cases? Thanks.

I did check the fuse, so it's not that...only other thoughts are a bad switch, wire, or motor. I was hoping to diagnose this without having to drop the $$$ on a mechanic.

If I have manual windows, why can't I have a manual sunroof? That would suit just fine, I think.

Anyone familiar with these sorts of things?

I have a '91 Toyota Corolla, which I love to death. It happens to have a sunroof. What it does not have, however, is a working sunroof. Now, these Carolina days are what you might call "mighty fine" to be riding around with your manual windows and your sunroof (which is electric, by the way) wide open. But alas, I can't quite catch all this nice air because the sunroof does not, for whatever reason, work.

And my question is...by some odd chance, has someone else shared my pain of a broken sunroof? And if you did, did you perhaps find out why it didn't work?

It would be great if I could have this thing for the nice season.

Thanks for all the great comments! Its been treating me great so far.

I just have to get it feeling a little bit softer and get the endpin hole reamed out for a jack, and I'll be good to go. I might have some recordings of it, if I get them to do a soundboard recording at a gig next week.

I've got the chords to One by One, but I'm wondering if anyone knows the little fingerpicked bridge Jeff plays in the Sunken Treasure DVD? I'm struggling to search "one", "by", or "one" on here, due to the search engine's somewhat short-spelled criteria.

If anyone happens to have it figured out, the help would be appreciated. I know the progression is C Bb Am F, if that helps.

Today, I finally picked up my first real, great guitar. I was looking around for a Martin 000-15 for a LONG time, to no avail...there were none in any local shops, nor in any of the 2000 Guitar Center stores(according to the sales rep). I would have had to wait a month for Martin to make more, and they would only have...3.

Luckily, I scored a beautiful 00-15 off of Craigslist, and got a really good deal on it. Plus, it's a 1999, so I'm pretty sure it's all mahogony. This thing plays like a dream, I hate putting it down to even type this right now.

I'm going to put an LR Baggs M1 in it, then start taking it out on the usual rounds. Easily one of the best buys I've ever made.

Usually not a sound guy, it's whatever girl is working the bar that night.

I have a Para DI too, but I hate switching guitars. Plus I do have to crank the gain a bit for all of my passive pick-ups, wouldn't mind a bit more pre-amp before that.

But other than that, it's amazing. Adds just the amount of control to add depth and color, but really brings out the sound you need.

Yeah, what's the word on those? They seem pretty competitively priced compared to the Pendulum ones. That seems like it would be especially nice when switching to different guitars onstage.

Is it the same one he plays during the Sunken Treasure DVD? During Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down and Family Gardener?

I could only dream of owning a guitar like that.

If it's the one I'm thinking of, I believe it is a pre-war 00-18.

J. Mascis Jazzmaster?

Food Lion plays Impossible Germany every now and then.

Heard some Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire before there, too; not bad to chill to when you're havin' a quick smoke in the back or something.

Hey,

My theory teacher convinced me to play for the school's Jazz band ensamble, which I'm pretty exciting about doing. But, I mainly play acoustic and only have 1 electric, and that's a Squier Strat (not bashing it, I love the little thing to death) and the teacher suggested something that naturally has a more bluesy or jazzy sound to it. I've been toying with the idea of getting myself a new present lately, and was thinking about a new electric.

I've played semi-hollows before several times at stores, and have heard stories about their tone. I've play an Epiphone Dot, which I remember liking the feel of, and a cheaper Gretsch, which was also nice. Any suggestions from everyone? I'm looking at about $400-500 to spend, not including case or anything like that. I want something that's nicely built, has a good sound and feel, and that's handsome but not really flashy. Anyone have any experiance?

Also, any experiance with pedals in this situation? The teacher mentioned them...I'm not sure if I'll need an amp, I may just be playing into a PA. But would I need something like a volume pedal, or a little overdrive for a harsher sound? I need to talk to him more about this honestly...

^^^ That's what's up, thanks!

Has anyone got anything for this? I searched around and found a little, but it doesn't seem quite right. Sounds like it might be in Drop D? I dunno. Anything you got would be helpful, thanks.

Okay, just so everyone knows...no, I am not about to plow my car into a tree.

And, yes, I came to an internet music forum to talk about things. But honestly, probably one of the best ones around, especially for talking with some good people. So I personally feel no problem with that.

If I were personally in a worse state then yes, I'd probably consider going through with the medicine. But I'm just someone who's finishing up his last year of school who jumps ten feet into the air when he hears a car horn and is afraid of dogs. As a learned behavior, I have my ups and downs, and just tend to focus too hard on the downs sometimes.

As of a few days ago, I am not taking the Zoloft anymore, and left a message with the doctor. I'll be seeing her in a few days, probably, to discuss it with her. I am going to continue to be going to counseling, and will seriously consider the aspect of meditation (will talk to the counselor about this). I've felt fine the entire time, and am kind of proud of my decision.

Also, I would like to thank everyone on this interent music forum for your opinions and concerns. Maybe liking Wilco is linked to being good people? Perhaps so.

Okay, I mentioned in another topic that I was going to see a psychiatrist for some anxiety issues I've been having. I've been going to a counselor lately as well, but I wanted to look into this as well.

After talking with the psychiatrist and telling her everything, she suggested that I start taking an SSRI. I wasn't too keen on this, mostly because of all the nasty rumors about them. She asked if anyone in the family took anything, because that would give us a good starting place. My mother took some, so I had to ask her...the doctor reccomended Zoloft, since it was working for my mother.

I went to IHOP (yum!), picked up my prescripition, and went home.

I'm on a very small dose right now, just to be checking to make sure I'm not paticularly prone to any of the side effects...I've only been taking it three days. I know it is going to take a few weeks or months to start taking effect, but...I've been thinking a lot over the last few days, and I'm not sure this is what I really want. I think I'd much rather be able to deal with my problems on my own or with others, then have to rely on a pill and messing with my chemistry. I'm not really fond of how these specific medicines work, and feel like in the end I'd be a lot better off without them.

Basically, does anyone have any experience with SSRIs? Specifically, if I were to stop taking them after just a few days on a tiny dose, that would not have any real adverse effects? Any thoughts on the subject would be great...I don't see the counselor until next week and the shrink again for a few more weeks, and wanted someone elses opinion.

NC? I like NC.