In a little rowboat

Finally, because Japan has to be different, some American parts will not fit on MIJ teles. Luckily this doesn't affect electronics, but you can't put a MIA neck on an MIJ body without leaving a gap. I think that's the main one.

Metric system...

And dont forget about the the MIJ/CIJ models from the 80's/90's....they are stellar and compete or exceed most usa models from the same time...as a matter of fact, after the CBS days and for a short time, ALL fenders were built in Japan as the company had to build a completely new facility in North America...

I had a '69 reissue tele thinline ('86 MIJ) and it was a real tone master...

j

I had a buddy that did a lot of singer/songwriter solo shows (a la David Wilcox) and he had a ridiculous set-up, including the Pendulum preamp. (I'm guessing his acoustic rack, pedals, and electronics were worth over $8,000 - chump change to him, he really cashed out on the .com explosion. Too bad his rig was better than his music.) Any way, he let me play around with his set-up a few times and it was amazing.

 

I have a B-Band pickup system in my Breedlove and I use an L.R. Baggs blender/pre-amp. Here. It gets the job done and is certainly more affordable than a Pendulum setup. Looks like the price has gone up since I bought mine a few years ago. I think I paid $100.

Yea that mix pro is good...im using the Baggs Para DI and like it alot...

j

too big as in how? Too long, wide?? That doesnt sound right to me but im not intimately familiar with the ac15...the pins absolutely should be the same size...Ive not been a huge fan of EH tubes, but they are better than many

j

j

I've been looking for this but I can't find it. I know it's been mentioned before. It's a modified open G with some unison strings (I think there's two strings tuned to the same B, but slightly out of tune to give some dissonance.) I think it's been mentioned in this forum but the search isn't helping (since you can't use words 4 letters or less doesn't help)

The mod off of Open G is so that minor key scales are easier...i use to have that tuning written down....opps!

j

Martin / Fishman certainly make a big enough deal about the Aura thing. ("We custom designed these Aura settings for this guitar body and materials," etc.)

That claim is a load of crap...the onboard aura is the natural evolution of fishman's matrix systems...the electronics are the same in every aura installed guitar...

I assume we are talking about the aura ellipse vt system? First thing Id try is adjusting the voicing switch---its inside, check the manual for more details---if its on nat 2 it might be part of your problem

Piezo undersaddle pickups can be helped to some degree, but bottom .line is that USTs sound like USTs (although there is a tonal difference between ceramic and film pickups)..

one thing they dont tell you, on the aura ellipse, the tone slider is misleading, as the adjustment only scoops the mids, and doesnt act like a normal bass-treble pot would...the preamp circuit is 'tuned' to add a certain texture to the sound, and the compression you have experienced is likely due to this, as well as the 'voicing' circuit

One thing im thinking with your system in particular is that it sounds like it wasnt installed properly...and that your saddle isnt seated properly on the pickup element...this is common as the routing in the saddle slot isnt always flat and the pickup must have the proper pressure and angle on it from the saddle (which i assume is tusq, since we are talking about a martin---- if you have a plastic saddle please get rid of it and get a tusq, micarta or bone one made)...you might need a shim....so in your case id say take it back to the store and have their tech look at it...

in my experience, onboard preamps are inconsistant and seldom add much to a UST's sound...the best USTs ive had/set up go directly to a proper PA or board via DI, or go to some external device like a Baggs ParaDI (highly recommended) or a D_TAR momma bear or solstace, and then to the board

The fishman matrix 1 is pretty good, but i dont like much else in their product line...

FWIW the best pickup systems ive found for acoustics are the K&K Pure Western, closely followed by the Baggs M1a and several by Sunrise

nice job...how 'nashville' it looks

j

I know the one George was playing was one of only 2 made at the time.

yup....fender made a one off alll rosewood strat for hendrix as well, but sadly he died before they got it to him

j

i looks a bit like the powered DI that K&K makes for its pickups, and barcus berry made one like this too

at first i thought it was a wireless device haha

I dont know what the maker is, but its likely a blender for two pickups (under saddle and magnetic), or an impedance matching device that preamps into a proper DI to the board

ill keep digging

j

.

I'm looking to build one, and I am considering buying the book from this website: http://buildyourguitar.com/resources/lapsteel/index.htm

 

 

Any advice?

Matter of fact, i have made 2...the most important thing is to make sure the scale is correct, and proper break angle on the nut and bridge...ive used cedar and maple to success...consider string height and string gauge together (you can have a lower action with heavier strings, light strings make intonation difficult)...i recommend heavy flat wounds...

if you put the volume on the right near the bridge it is easy to use volume swells that sound a bit like pedal steel...

i used a lace sensor in one, p-90 in the other and they both performed well...

j

buy a seagull...........now

 

It's too hard for a beginer to know what to feel for, I wish I had help.

Not dogging Seagulls...you could get into alot more...you havent really mentioned what you want do go with it...do you aspire to do open mics, write songs, woo chicks...i would recommend getting an acoustic, electric really is a very different instrument...

Best advice ( as groo said) is to spend a day and tool around with as many guitars as you can, just have some quality time on the sales floor until something fits a bit. Dont let salesmen do it for you, or even have him wait on you...its surprisingly easly to get talked into something.

Best things to consider when shopping is how it feels in your hands and on your chest (comfort)and whether you like the way it looks (if you arent charmed by your new guitar, youll be less likely to play it enough to learn). Worry about sound quality and projection when you are more experienced...you might not really jump into guitar right away...

After shopping for a while, dont be afraid of used guitars (personally, ill never buy another new one)...after you get an idea of what youre into, you can save a lot of money...ive been playing and buying for years, and most online retailers and ebayers are extremely reputable...

Have fun thats what its for...

j

Yeah, I was thinking bending it might be a bit of trouble -- but I was considering it. God forbid I have to take that tremolo apart. Jazzmasters are really cool, but kind of an ornery instrument.

Yea really esoteric guitars...i feel the same way about Gretschs

j

So, I've recently gotten a Jazzmaster (as I mentioned in a couple threads). I have a tremolo arm problem. The tremolo works just fine, but I feel like the angle of the actual arm should be greater. I only have about 1.5" of distance between the tip of the arm and the body. This really limits the amount of "tremolo-ness" I can perform. In looking at other examples -- Nels Cline, etc. -- it seems like their tremolo arms stick up higher or have a greater angle, allowing for the arm to travel toward the body further. Any help would be appreciated.

This might be an adjustment to the floating trem inside the guitar, not a bent or custom arm (i tried in vane to locate a custom made arm anywhere online)...a custom arm could be machined pretty easily, but bending a stock arm would be a real bitch

There are many vintage foreign market guitars that had various types of arm ('60-'70's teiscos come to mind, and they might be substituted for stock fender)...

j

Good assessment...a few thoughts...

As mentioned, tubes break up at a point, adding not just 'distortion', but harmonics and overtones that can be quite delicious

20 watts of tube will take you leaps and bounds beyond 20 watts solid state in volume and power to cut through...

All tube electronics dont run as efficiently (resulting in heat), but yield some natural compression and increased string response

Youll get better volume and tone control from your guitars electonics with an amp with tube preamps

There are several manufacturers that have produced hybrid amps (tube preamp w/solidstate power out, and vice versa), although im not a fan, they are another animal

Most tube amps require more maintenance and the occasional retube...however most tube amps are easier to work on if they go bad...

Best if you take 2 amps of same wattage, one tube, one ss, and play them next to each other

j

Speaking of which, I have a Casino; what kind of replacement tuners are people putting on these?

Same for any gibson/epi/fender/whatever, you can never go wrong with grovers, $100 very well spent (lennon put gold grovers on his casino)

I understand the aesthetics argument, i have some high ratio klusons i like on my SG because they look cool

tone is generally not affected tuners directly--tone and sustain come from the materials of a guitar from the nut down, not above---but good quality tuners are essential to keep the proper tension and break angle on the strings past the nut (the reason for string trees, headstock angle, and various peg heights on tuner machines)...big heavy tuners can certainly weigh down the headstock, making some guitars feel top heavy when playing, but should make no difference on sustain, etc...

j

speaking of visual sound, i a pretty big fan of the jeckyll and hyde...if your only working with a single OD and dist, this is a really handy tool...but, im always looking for different flavors...

j

I would recommend you try to find a couple tunes that people would think are outside of your primary genre. For example, I sometimes like to play a cover of "Time After Time" because it's not what you'd expect in the middle of a folk-rock set.

 

But then again, I'm very picky about covers and stuff. I feel like when you play a cover, you are sort of duty-bound to make an effort reinvent the song somehow or else you're just making money off someone else's song, ya know? But if you play "Straight Outta Compton" on your pedal steel, or go superacoustic on a Megadeth song, then you're OK because you're bringing your own perspective to the song. Which to me is more of a compliment to the songwriter than just a straightforward cover.

 

Obviously this doesn't HAVE to happen with a song that's outside your genre, I'd be lying if I said I've never done a Ryan Adams or Wilco cover. However, I do think it's helpful to try to look for something different and make it your own. I think an easier place to start than gangsta rap or metal is actually to look at reinterpreting some of the slower 60s tunes a la Motown, "Whiter Shade of Pale" and songs like that included.

 

Just an idea to kick around. I really love getting to hear a great, original cover.

Great advice...just how id put it...theres nothing better than sitting in a audience and hearing someone do a cover version that makes you stop for a second, realize what it is, and go "oh, cool!' Take a song and make it your own...

My girlfriend told me to say that she likes Tori Amos' version of the police's 'wrapped around your finger' as an example

j

nice stuff man...

j

Oh great....i was already trying to decide between a prines'n'custard and a wolftone chaos...and you do this to me!

Yea he nailed it...especially the addictive part...

The vibrola is only 4 screws to the body, and 4 small screws to the coverplate...a breeze..

Soldering is something that takes a little practice, mostly learning how not to burn yourself...but replacing electronics is something a novice can do...and the fulfillment you get from designing your own guitar is hard to find elsewhere

Make sure you get at least a 40 watt iron, or youll go nuts waiting for the flux to melt...

Happy to field any other questions you have on it, good luck

j

I started to advocate that earlier but I'm one of those who believes that a bridge and the way it's attached to the body is a pretty significant factor in the amount of resonance and sustain a guitar has.

 

It's really got to be something to consider heavily. I would like to add a bigsby to my 1980 heritage series Les Paul but am worried how it will effect it tonally.

Alot of people complain about a loss of sustain with bigsbys, but i think thats nonsense, just listen to neil young...i know its best to get the USA made versions

I'm thinking about adding one to my SG. I was worried that when I got my Jaguar I wouldn't play my SG but I still do so it's all good. And then I found 5 dollars.

I tried the bigsby on my SG, ended up hating it...Id recommend finding a reissue maestro vibrola...it look super cool, and really plays better with fewer tuning issues...unless youre going to relentlessly divebomb...this one is mine...

When you guys upgrade to a new trem. make sure you consider a replacement bridge...i use a roller and have had fabulous results

j

I know that putting tremolo on a hollowbody is a good way to crack your guitar. Is there any danger of a bigsby cracking the top of the semi-hollow Dot, or will the placement over the solid center of the guitar take care of that risk?

So long as you mount it per the instructions, you shouldnt have that problem...semi hollow 335s and even totally hollow casinos have bigbys that function perfectly well...in your case, the body block inside your 335 supports the stress of the trem...male sure you order the correct size...off the top of my head, it would be a b-6

j

I lived in Memphis for four years, and in all fairness, it doesn't take much to get you shot there.

 

Seriously, though, I will not be dealing with these folks again once my order is completed. I would have tried to just cancel the order, but I am truly terrified to think about how much they could screw up trying to refund the money into my paypal account.

yup!!

FWIW when things like that have happened to me, i have had my bank do the work for me...they have a pretty active fraud dept., if you have your bank card or account on file w/ paypal, call your bank...

j

Via Chicago Artists...do me a favor, google yourself and see if this has happened to you...

I was searching for a piece of press written some time ago...I googled myself and stumbled across a website selling/listing advanced tickets to my scheduled shows...i know not where or who has started this, and it is certainly without my approval or knowledge...what i have found out is that its a scam, that the idea is not to actually sell tickets individually to my shows, but to list them as a tease to the many third party ticket brokers and sites that buy tickets in bulk to various shows in various cities to scalp or hold later...there are many other local and national acts listed in various manners on this particular website...I since have been advised by legal counsel that this is not uncommon in the internet world...

i have emailled the contact on the site in question and havent heard back, but it is obvious that someone who knows me or my schedule is involved...could be someone on myspace, could be someone in the press or a club owner...not sure about the next move, but if it has happened to me, its happened to others...as it stands, the most guilty party in my case appears to be someone involved with a local venue, i cant say with any factual basis, but there is something suspect id rather not bring out into the air until i'm certain, particularly because i dont want to get sued...anyhow, Im trying, selectively to alert my friends and gather info as well...

if you have been involved in such a situation, protect yourself, and if you feel comfortable and can legally, pm me

j

Of course, I asked them how they intended to rectify the mistake, and the guy responded that he would send a letter to the old address and ask them to forward me the order. Before I could even respond to this ridiculous idea, the guy had another brilliant one and asked if I knew the people who now lived in my old apartment, because maybe I could just give them a call myself and arrange to pick it up.

 

I now have very little confidence that the engraving on the neckplate will even have correct spelling.

Either of those ridiculous ideas could get you shot where i live...

I dont know how much you paid to get the work done, but in my experience, best to cut your losses and try somewhere else...not worth risking a coronary trying to get satisfaction from idiots...

j