View Full Version : For the guitar geeks among us...
thedonal
09-05-09, 08:56 PM
Well- it's getting quite musical for me again- I'm playing bass for a songwriter called Mark Villarosa (http://www.markvillarosa.co.uk/) and also starting to write songs again.
I played at an open mic night last Sunday- second I've ever done- last was a year ago february. And got a song finished (first time in over a decade) for it (plus a few covers). Was a really big thing for me. The song's not great- finished the words about an hour and a half before performing it...
Going to do another one next Sunday.
Also- as I promised ages ago but never delivered, here's a pic of most of my guitar collection-
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/6504/fiveguitars.jpg
Ibanez RG550EX (with Dimarzio pickups), Fender Strat Plus, Fender Montara acoustic, Washburn RB2502 bass and Epiphone Black Beauty.
Ironically, the bass is the only one that's not in need of some repairs.
The Ibanez has a cracked neck- not sure if I'll get it repaired or replaced.
The Strat plus needs the frets sorting out and some decent pickups (Lace Sensors suck!). Also, the strings aren't quite aligned at the bridge- they kind of move towards the bass side- I may need to get to get a custom bridge to get them into place- they're only 2 or 3mm off, but I'm sure it makes a difference to the tone at the pickups.
The Montara needs the frets sorting and new tuning heads.
The Epiphone needs the frets doing, some electrical work (new volume pots, at least) and either getting the pickups wax potted or replaced.
That said, they're all playable and work. I'm just waiting for someone loaded to say "Hey- here's a couple of grand. Get your guitars sorted out!". Not likely!!
First on the list, not pictured, is my Fender Hot Rod strat. Needs some wood in the body under the Floyd Rose as it's cracked and the trem won't work proply. Aside from that, it's a great guitar and I really miss it. I'll post a pic soon.
Well, I'd take the Ibanez!
Is the trem licenced or original?
ooh, ooh, and what books are those - always one for judging a book by its cover me & they look nice?
Nice collection! My parents wouldn't buy me a guitar when i was a teenager so i ended up building 2 at school. Still got them... they play pretty good considering one was a biology desk, and the other chemistry.
thedonal
09-05-09, 09:35 PM
Lol- nice on Ophic. Post us some pics!
Kinvig- the trem is an Ibanez Edge Pro. Not licenced from Floyd Rose as far as I know, but the same concept. It's a standard Ibanez bridge. I could really do with getting a Hipshot Tremsetter in the back of it- to stop it fluttering when I hit the strings hard and also to make the strings feel more 'solid'. Got one on the Strat Plus- works a treat.
My Hot Rod Strat has an Original Floyd. And rather good it is too!
thedonal
09-05-09, 09:36 PM
PS- books-
Neuromancer- William Gibson (had to buy it again- don't know where the last copy went!)
The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity- Daniel Reid. Great book on the Taoist approach to the whole health thing, really. Very interesting.
xXBADGERXx
10-05-09, 12:34 AM
PS- books-
Neuromancer- William Gibson
A guy ahead of his time :) ....... got the majority of his books and had to buy them again as people kept "borrowing" mine , "Count Zero" is my Second fave after "Neorumancer"
Here`s my weapon of choice :)
1 of only 20 in the whole world in this form
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v605/xXBADGERXx/xXBADGERXxsIcemanIC550.jpg
Ibanez Iceman IC550 prototype
The only guitar that I kept last year, after selling all the others for much needed funds, was my ESP Edwards Explorer. I bought it online & had it shipped over from Japan. Lovely guitar!!!!
EssexDave
10-05-09, 10:44 AM
Peavey wolfgang and a Fender acoustic for me.
i don't play as much as I used to, but slowly getting back into things.
thedonal
10-05-09, 11:02 AM
Nice guitars guys- and Badger- is that a Kawai K1 on the right hand side?
My first proper synth was a K1 mkII. Great machine- sadly lacking in filters.
What's the Wolfgang like, Dave? The only thing I wouldn't be into on Eddie's guitars is the blocked off Trem. I like my bridge units to be floating.
How's the neck on the ESP, Kinvig? I've really considered saving up for a custom ESP, based on the MH-1000 model. The main complaint I have on the Ibanez is that the neck is lovely to play, but quite flimsy. Hence the damage.
Mind you, I've read a lot about the new EVH Wolfgang and wouldn't mind giving it a go- could be a fairly viable alternative to a Les Paul, I reckon. I'd love one of those Gibson VOS Les Pauls- the 1960 model, but at £3.7K, I don't think so! Though the Classic Standard looks pretty good too- at much less...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v605/xXBADGERXx/xXBADGERXxsIcemanIC550.jpg
Ibanez Iceman IC550 prototype
I may have said this before but, I hate you!!! :p
EssexDave
10-05-09, 12:35 PM
The wolfgang is a very nice guitar. When I got it I thought it was amazing (I'd had a yamaha pacifica before)
Now, I've got it setup more how I like it, I only have two springs in the floyd rose (comes with 3 in)
Action has been changed slightly, and has been refretted once (but needs again after my cousin pushed it off the stand onto my weights and its dented 2 of the frets)
where abouts are you based donal?
xXBADGERXx
10-05-09, 12:41 PM
Can`t you use a Diamond stone on the Frets to tidy them up a bit ?
EssexDave
10-05-09, 01:31 PM
Not sure badger, not really my thing trying to rebuild my friends. I can't just file them down because I wouldn't have any frets left at all lol.
Its not too bad its fret 13/14 on 1st/2nd string - horrible and bends and if i falls in the grove when you play that fret then it sounds 1 tone higher pitch, but its not the end of the world.
I play my acoustic a lot more now though.
xXBADGERXx
10-05-09, 01:36 PM
You can put some tape over the fretboard , Low-Tac masking tape first then wind some insulating tape over it and use a Diamond File to polish the worst/sharpest bits out . If you slip or miss then you won`t gouge the Fretboard then . File a little away and don`t go mad with it , remove the tape and give it a whirl , your looking at softening the profile a bit so that the tone doesn`t change . It may help for the time being :)
EssexDave
10-05-09, 01:45 PM
Ok cheers, i'll have a look into it. :)
thedonal
10-05-09, 02:25 PM
You need to be damn careful when working on frets. That's how I messed up the Strat Plus. I did an OKish job on the Epiphone, but it still chokes out in places.
Even pressure with a carborundum milling stone across the lot and then fine smoothing work with fine grade wire wool or a needle file. Generally, I would pay someone to do it now. Some guitar shops have a Plek machine- it reads the fretboard with a laser and then shaves only exactly what's needed to something like 1/1000th of a millimetre. It costs though- about £130-140.
I tend only to use Charlie Chandler's Guitar Experience for repair work. Took my guitars to Chandler guitars, before Charlie broke away on his own. He's based in Hampton Wick (just outside Kingston-Upon-Thames). A bit pricier than your local shop, but they really do a great job there.
Dave- I'm based in Surbiton, Surrey...
ScottWilson
10-05-09, 04:19 PM
Oh, very nice! Liking your Strat. Looks like a Dulux Plus, am I right?
I tried one when purchasing mine, though it must have been a duff one as the neck had a horrid finish. Ended up with a Lonestar Strat. With that I speak highly of the Texas Special pickups. :)
thedonal
10-05-09, 09:11 PM
Cheers. It's just a Plus.
It's my workout guitar- it's got 11 gauge strings on it- makes the Ibanez feel like a toy when I get back to it and both are like that, the day after a serious bass session.
The lace sensors are fairly weak- I'm going to get some Hot Noiseless pickups in it at some point- hearing Jeff Beck swung that one! Plus I need to get the frets sorted and the strings aligned properly. Then it'll be ace.
ScottWilson
10-05-09, 09:20 PM
Ah, I thought with the LSR roller nut, it was a Dulux Plus. Oops!
11 gauge, jesus! I tried tens on mine and found it a nightmare! I've a Charvel-Jackson for my toy, as have you with your Ibanez. It's so soft with 09's and the Floydrose I'm a sucker for a Strat though and can't put it down :-)
I'll post a photo of my collection sometime. Guitars are fantastic, and one of my addictions.
I have a mexican strat with gold lace sensors in, I find it too bright for normal use, unless i start to roll a fair bit of tone off.
In my main strat (an ebay parts-o-caster)I have fender 57/62 pickups, a lovely low output clear pickup. Awesome for cleans, and ideal for boosting up with a tubescreamer.
I also have one with Texas specials in, thats great for some SRV action too, although playing it back to back with the 57/62's I pefere the 57/62's as I can get the loverly cleans, and then kick in the tubescreamer for that bit of extra kick.
11's are great strings, I tend to use them on all mine. Although I recently put some 10's and 9's on my guitars to try them. I might stick with 10's and 11's, but the 9's are too light for me :(.
My only regret is sending back the ES335 I had before christmas because it was the wrong finish on it. They have gone up in price by about 30% since, and it played loverly. D'oh!
I played with some 13s to see what they were like. Awesome sound but they damaged my bridge :mad:
thedonal
10-05-09, 09:40 PM
That's a b*gger. Did you tune down half a step- that'll take a bit of stress of the neck/bridge.
I had to adjust the truss rod on my strat when I went from 9 to 11 gauge- also had to set the tension on the trem up for it.
I'd say 11's are probably the heaviest you should get before you detune...
nope normal tuning. Everything else on the guitar can take it - its built like a concrete submarine pen - weighs a ton too. The action grub screws on the bridge pieces dug into the metal below a little - nothing too bad, but still - don't use 13s :D as stated before, my guitar is a little special :cool:
Lol- nice on Ophic. Post us some pics!
as requested... my very own personal home brewed axes
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3410/3525128188_5a67eecdc2.jpg?v=0http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/3524320725_3fd7f84052.jpg?v=1242118278
MCN_LiamM
12-05-09, 10:30 AM
Nice collection you got there.
Loving your homemade guitars as well ophic. Especially the one on the left. That is cool as.
My collection (nowhere near as impressive):
Fender Jazz American (absolutely beautiful)
Yamaha RBX 270 bass
Dean acoustic bass
And my lone guitar is an Epiphone Les Paul Special.
Fender Rumble 100 bass amp.
Several bass effects and Digitech GNX5 for recording.
as requested... my very own personal home brewed axes
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3410/3525128188_5a67eecdc2.jpg?v=0
Did we wanna be Angus when we were younger? :p
Still, not a bad effort at an SG at all :smt023
It wasn't much of an attempt to copy anything at all - but it was loosely inspired by a Yamaha SG, not a Gibson :p
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/rs/pic/301295.jpg
thedonal
12-05-09, 12:00 PM
Them's nice guitars Ophic.
thedonal
15-05-09, 05:12 PM
Finally got round to this- here's my Hot Rod Strat. Made in (or should that be Maiden?!) Japan, but with some US parts- like the Floyd. They had two models- one with a 50s neck and one with a 60s neck. I think mine is the 60s model.
Came with a Dimarzio Super 3 at the bridge. I had a Seymour Duncan put in at the neck. Sounds lovely. Plays well.
It's a great guitar, but there is a fault with the wood- it's cracked under the posts that support the Floyd Rose- so one of them has shifted. I'm going to get that repaired at some point and get a tremsetter put in the back instead of the centre spring. Then I will be a happy D!
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2724/hrstrat.jpg
xXBADGERXx
15-05-09, 08:25 PM
There seems to be a hell of a lot of these guitars cracking with Floyd Rose setups ?
thedonal
15-05-09, 09:16 PM
Yeah- on that particular model, it was a bit of a flaw. Every time I mention it to my guitar repairer, he says pretty much the same thing.Not sure if it was the quality of the wood or just the way they routed the cavity to fit the trem. A real shame, as the guitar's great otherwise. Nice chunky frets too.
The bridge on my Strat Plus gets the same amount of abuse as a Floyd, but is fine.
xXBADGERXx
16-05-09, 12:24 AM
I`ve never been one for trems to be honest , I rest my hand on the bridge a lot and do quite a bit of damping with my style on faster sections so the need for a trem has never arisen , I have one on my Yamaha Strat and that guitar has spent the last decade in it`s case , the Gibson Flying Vee and Ibanez Iceman have been my main weapons of choice and they have fixed bridges .
thedonal
17-05-09, 11:00 PM
Just did my first gig with the band (playing bass)- was a prebooked open mic night at the Queen Boadicea in Islington. Went really well.
Was fun thumping back on the SV through London- took me back to the old days doing pub gigs up that way. Did miss a few turns though- the memory's a bit rusty!
Next gig is at Cafe 1001 in Brick Lane- Sat 6th Jun at 3:30 pm. Anyone local is welcome- it's free to get in and all that.
the white rabbit
10-11-09, 08:30 PM
I had an Ibanez of some kind when I was younger, and I failed to learn to play properly. A few years ago I sold a load of my stuff and the Ibanez and a shop gave me £200 for it. I think I was conned, but I didn;t check it out. Stupid.
Anyway, what might be a nice guitar for someone who is going to try and learn again? Nothing rubbish, as it's nice to have nice things and makes you want to try harder. But not stupid money either.
thedonal
11-11-09, 09:21 AM
I'm not very happy with Ibanez at the moment. They won't sell me a replacement neck for my RG550- it's a 2002 model. They're really, really tight over replacement necks- I really don't think that the design would change enough for a current RG550 neck to be impossible to fit.
Gonna have to get it repaired again. Still, that, a plek setup and a tremsetter fitted should come to the same cost as a new neck- so I could be doing myself some favours. Just need to take extra care of it in future...!
Needless to say, when I'm looking for a 7 string next year, I will not be going for this brand!
If I can find a John Petrucci Model for cheap enough, I may go for that instead. I'd love an ESP Horizon FR-II, but to get a custom 7 string built would prove quite costly...! (about £2.5-3K).
what's the problem with the neck? Totally broken or just cracked along the grain?
Alpinestarhero
11-11-09, 10:43 AM
mmmmm
guitar pornage
looks like i can come to yours and jam without lugging a guitar across london :grouphug:
thedonal
11-11-09, 12:23 PM
mmmmm
guitar pornage
looks like i can come to yours and jam without lugging a guitar across london :grouphug:
You're on!
I've also got guitar rig/amplitube on the PC, so we can have a proper jam!! I'm not the most accomplished metalist though (in terms of Rhythm- most metallica is too fast/too much stamina for me!!)
thedonal
11-11-09, 12:36 PM
what's the problem with the neck? Totally broken or just cracked along the grain?
It's a v shaped crack- not near the guitar right now, but I think it's along the grain.
The repair was pretty good first time round (though it took them a couple of attempts to find a glue strong enough)- but obviously another knock is very likely to open it up again.
It's not really major- so the guitar is still playable, but I'd rather have the neck in the best possible condition.
I've been advised on a guitar forum that some people do break Ibanez guitars down for parts on Ebay, but I'd be a little worried about getting a counterfeit...
All this aside, I had a nice discovery with my Strat Plus the other night- the strings were running at an angle across the neck with the 6th string being right up to the edge of the fretboard at the 22nd fret, showing the bridge and nut were misaligned. Thought I'd have to have a custom bridge sorted for it.
However, I found that the neck had shifted out of position- so have muscled it back into place.
So now my dilemma is this- I have some money appearing in my November payslip in a couple of weeks (a year's worth of Xmas club savings).
I could either-
Get the Epiphone plekked (£135). This would just about be totally sorted then- just not with snazzy pickups. But it does sound great as is (a touch fizzy right at the top, but otherwise very sweet sounding).
Get the Ibanez sorted- about £120ish for the repair, £135 for plek and a tremsetter installed (£36 plus fitting/setup). About £300 in total. This guitar would then be totally sorted.
Get the Strat Plus plekked (£135) and new pickups and electronics upgrade £170ish. It would then be totally sorted.
Get the Hotrod Strat repaired- £? About 200ish I reckon and ttremsetter installed and setup £36 for the part, plus fitting+setup. So probably about £300 in total. This guitar would then be totally sorted.
Before I go getting a new guitar (I'd like a Gibson LP Traditional and a 7-string shred beast too), I really ought to sort my existing guitars out. Even though the cost of this would get me close to a 6 string Horizon-FR II! They're gorgeous they is.
I'd like a THD hotplate for the amp too- but they're £250, so might have to wait...
The money will need to cover insurance/service/new fork internals on the bike first and foremost. Plus an iPhone if I decide to go with the 16Gb model. And Christmas pressies. And I need a bass compressor (EBS model- £125). Plus it'd be nice to have some over to enjoy socially (Xmas beersoclock!).
I'm getting quite a bit of cash, but have to wait on what the insurance is going to cost (I guess I could ring CN and get an estimate, for planning purposes).
This is good though- I'm costing up and planning, but just doing the usual thing and spending money before I've got it!!!
It's a v shaped crack- not near the guitar right now, but I think it's along the grain.
The repair was pretty good first time round (though it took them a couple of attempts to find a glue strong enough)- but obviously another knock is very likely to open it up again.
Right then what you want to do is get some clamps (whatever you need to hold the crack closed), some old school Araldite (not the rapid stuff) and a hair-dryer.
Smother the Araldite around the crack, pushing it in as far as you can whilst holding the crack open as far as you dare. Then get the hair-dryer and use it to heat and blow the glue into the crack - should be able to penetrate much further than using other means, as the heat makes the glue runny. Once you're happy the crack has a good coating of glue, clamp into place, wipe off excess and leave for at least 24 hours.
I'm not sure of the finish applied to Ibanez necks so this may need touching up afterwards.
This tip comes courtesy of the guy who builds Robert Fripp's guitars.
thedonal
11-11-09, 05:46 PM
Cheers Ophic- due to lack of clamps and confidence that I'll get it right, I think I'd rather hand it to someone else to do. At least if they get it wrong, I've got some comeback!
I fixed mine this way after a very hard knock - this must have been about 10 years ago. It hasn't come apart yet and its had a few more knocks!
phi-dan
11-11-09, 07:56 PM
not heard of using araldite before (I'll keep it mind for next time), I have done a few with white glue tho.
For touching up the finish, I've heard superglue does a good job on small dings and hairlines.
white glue? is that the PVA stuff? its really not that strong. For normal gluing of wood i'd recommend a powdered resin glue, such as Cascamite. That stuff really doesn't come apart. But for getting glue deep into a crack, epoxy and a hairdryer is best method i've ever used.
speedplay
12-11-09, 11:28 AM
white glue? is that the PVA stuff? its really not that strong. For normal gluing of wood i'd recommend a powdered resin glue, such as Cascamite. That stuff really doesn't come apart. But for getting glue deep into a crack, epoxy and a hairdryer is best method i've ever used.
I was gonna add cascamite but you beat me to it.
Really good stuff and has been round for years.
Super hard and easily finished too, not bad for a milk based glue ;)
Theres now an EVA pased wood glue that expands just like "crazy foam" too that seems to be the joinery choice at the moment.
milk? so is "powdered resin" a posh way of saying "evaporated milk"?
speedplay
12-11-09, 12:27 PM
milk? so is "powdered resin" a posh way of saying "evaporated milk"?
I do believe so old chap ;)
But then "scotch glue" was a nicer way to say "some old nag" too
apparently its urea formaldehyde. I believe that's closer to wee than milk :?
speedplay
12-11-09, 02:04 PM
apparently its urea formaldehyde. I believe that's closer to wee than milk :?
Ive got a really old tin here that states its got a percentage of powdered milk in it :confused: weird.
But this tin is well old, was my dads before I had it away.
might be a cheap way of making it whiter, so it shows up less against light woods. Otherwise its a sort of yellowy colour when dry.
speedplay
12-11-09, 03:02 PM
might be a cheap way of making it whiter, so it shows up less against light woods. Otherwise its a sort of yellowy colour when dry.
Might be.
So what should I mix in to use with yellow woods....?
;)
thedonal
12-11-09, 07:52 PM
Well- I think I'm going to get the Strat Plus sorted first.
The IBZ is still playable for now- may take a staged approach to that- ie get the repair done one month, the plek and tremsetter etc done another.
garrystr
12-11-09, 09:46 PM
Cool stuff, I love guitars, got a few myself, not anything special, a bit like my talent. There's one with 6 steel strings and a hole there's one with 6 steel strings and a wire, there's one with 6 steel strings a wire and a hole, there's one with 12 steel strings and a hole, there's one with 3 steel strings - 3 nylon strings and a hole and there is one with four fat strings. :smt120
As stated, I'm no expert, have been trying to teach myslef to play the bass, not sure I am doing the slapping and popping thing properly, any tips? :smt088
speedplay
12-11-09, 10:11 PM
Pop and slap bass rocks :)
Its the reason I still have my old primus albums!
thedonal
13-11-09, 08:33 AM
I've been twiddling about with a bit of slap recently- mainly for fun, but I've been requested to use it in a couple of songs in the band.
I'm trying to work out CongaBass by Eric Serra (sorry- at work, but have a look on youtube for this- from the Luc Besson film Subway).
hi donal, nice collection. especially like the ibanez.
these are what im currently using
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii317/rossbarrett/acousticguitar.jpg
this one here http://www.crafterguitars.com/gallery_acoustic/glxe_3000_rs.php
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii317/rossbarrett/gibson.jpg
this is ok. feels tight compared to the fender though. never really got on with this guitar but keep it alive for certain solos.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii317/rossbarrett/strat.jpg
and my baby. this is my main axe. I do most of my gigs with this guitar. a present from my late grandfather. She is a Ash strat with Aged Cherry Burst finish. It has 4-ply beveled vinyl pickguard with aged plastic parts and three Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Strat pickups with S1-switching.
It has 4-ply beveled vinyl pickguard with aged plastic parts and three Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Strat pickups with S1-switching.
umm... wot? :p
thedonal
13-11-09, 10:54 PM
Nice guitars Ross- is that an Epiphone LP? I know what you mean- the short scale length on them feels a bit claustrophobic sometimes- but they're great guitars to swing from your hips- the neck radius really works for that! Aha- Pagey style pose-rock! Nice.
The Ibanez needs to be slung fairly high (unless you're a 100ft tall, like Steve Vai, frinstance!)- cos the neck's so thin and the fretboard so wide and flat...
That Strat is gorgeous- how to the Samarium Cobalt pickups sound? What amp do you use? I'm still umming and ahhing between them and Noiseless Hot for my Strat Plus. The cherry burst is stunning- I still think, much as I still like them, the standard 2 or 3 colour sunburst on Strats are a bit heavy on the black around the outside. Give me a Les Paul with a Heritage Cherry burst on it and I'll worship the guitar as much as play it!!
Anyway- what kind of stuff do you do? What are you really into as well?
I may have some backing tracks that would be good for you.
I am down at the coast this weekend- but with the weather and needing to chill and see the folks, I don't think I'll be able to get across to you- I'd rather book it specially and come with useful gifts (more will be revealed!).
Anyway- the ride down after work was scary enough- the A31 in the rain is an experience!! Even though I got some fairly decent rain repellant for the visor, it still doesn't help with spray- especially with oncoming headlights! "Help! Where's the road gone?!". Was glad to get here in one piece!
Nice guitars Ross- is that an Epiphone LP? I know what you mean- the short scale length on them feels a bit claustrophobic sometimes- but they're great guitars to swing from your hips- the neck radius really works for that! Aha- Pagey style pose-rock! Nice.
The Ibanez needs to be slung fairly high (unless you're a 100ft tall, like Steve Vai, frinstance!)- cos the neck's so thin and the fretboard so wide and flat...
That Strat is gorgeous- how to the Samarium Cobalt pickups sound? What amp do you use? I'm still umming and ahhing between them and Noiseless Hot for my Strat Plus. The cherry burst is stunning- I still think, much as I still like them, the standard 2 or 3 colour sunburst on Strats are a bit heavy on the black around the outside. Give me a Les Paul with a Heritage Cherry burst on it and I'll worship the guitar as much as play it!!
Anyway- what kind of stuff do you do? What are you really into as well?
I may have some backing tracks that would be good for you.
I am down at the coast this weekend- but with the weather and needing to chill and see the folks, I don't think I'll be able to get across to you- I'd rather book it specially and come with useful gifts (more will be revealed!).
Anyway- the ride down after work was scary enough- the A31 in the rain is an experience!! Even though I got some fairly decent rain repellant for the visor, it still doesn't help with spray- especially with oncoming headlights! "Help! Where's the road gone?!". Was glad to get here in one piece!
lol.....must be nuts riding in the rain.!
Im using a marshall 250 x and a pod x3live pedal (this is awesome). the pick ups sound superb especially around the 60s stuff we do. not much suited to a lot of modern numbers but the pedal takes care of that for me.
Mainly covering a whole host of stuff currently from beatles to kings of leon. im more of a indie rock fan love the killers / kaiser cheifs etc. one thing i have always wanted to get into tho on the guitar is a little iron maiden etc just to get the feel.
be good to arrange a day to jam about and get my pc set up for recording. i can then carry on with my own stuff. have u got a list of backing tracks you could send me and i can forward mine to you.
thanks D
thedonal
14-11-09, 10:14 AM
:) Yeah- but we've got to challenge ourselves at some point (that's what I told myself on the scarier parts of the ride, anyway)!
Stuff I've got is mainly Beatles, Stones, Oasis, Blur, Bowie. Got some other stuff- Zep, Ocean Colour Scene and stuff-backing tracks I made. We kind of went for the less obvious stuff sometimes- I made a track for I Am The Resurrection, but the jam at the end is an edit, rather than exactly like the album, so may be a little tricky to learn. I also did the Seahorses Love Is The Law and merged it with a bit of Whole Lotta Love at the end- it fits really well and a great point to show off! But again a little out-of-the-norm...
I'll try and send you a list when I'm back home.
I just downloaded some ace Pink Floyd tracks- Money (complete with Sax Solo!) and Comfortably Numb are great tracks to play along to as well as See Emily Play. Check out www.gilmourish.com (http://www.gilmourish.com) if you like the Floyd- there's a whole load of stuff there- recorded backing tracks as well as midi files.
thedonal
26-11-09, 01:05 PM
One is rather excited.
A set of Fender Noiseless Hot pickups have arrived today.
Got a few more parts to turn up- CTS 250k pots and wire and I will be up to my eyeballs in soldering fumes!
are they slim humbuckers in a single coil casing?
thedonal
26-11-09, 01:41 PM
No- they're single coil pickups still. They have shielding either side of the pole pieces to get rid of noise (I guess the Lace Sensors they are replacing have something similar too).
Asides from that, they're wound to be slightly hotter than standard strat pickups and have a slightly fatter sound too, allegedly.
They were designed specifically for Jeff Beck- so if you have a listen to some of his newer stuff, you'll probably get an idea of how they sound.
I plan to do before and after recordings and eventually get a site together with articles to show what I've done...
ScottWilson
26-11-09, 10:41 PM
Hi guys.
Here's what I'm playing at the moment.
On the left is a 1996 USA Fender Stratocaster. It's one of the original Lonestar models with the Texas Special neck and middle pickups, sporting a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbucker at the bridge. I love this guitar as it just oozes blues on the neck yet still allows screaming lead breaks on the bridge.
On the right is a 2009 USA Fender Telecaster. This is one of the new Highway One Upgrade models. A spotter will see that it's styled like a 70's guitar with the black Fender logo, "ashtray" back plate housing the bridge pick up and only three string saddles instead of six. I've always wanted a Tele and what warmed me to this was the "Grease Bucket Tone control". Dodgy name, yet it takes off treble without adding bass which doesn't make it sound "muddy".
Hope you like :-)
http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww126/scottyrocks_photo/0022.jpg
thedonal
26-11-09, 10:48 PM
Oooh- very nice.
I'm currently watching Jeff Beck Live at Ronnie Scott's, just to help the anticipation along!
ScottWilson
26-11-09, 10:52 PM
Warming up until you drop your noiseless pickups in, or have you done that already? :-)
thedonal
26-11-09, 10:57 PM
Nar- need time to do the before recordings first...
Will get started on Saturday after Spanner Man works his magic on my forks...
ScottWilson
26-11-09, 10:59 PM
Please keep me posted when you drop them in. I'd be really interested how you get along and the difference in tone and body.
thedonal
27-11-09, 08:47 AM
I think it's the braided electrical wire I got for it that's going to make the biggest difference! :D
I'm a tart- I know...
thedonal
02-12-09, 08:03 PM
I've got my new pickups in. And very nice they are too. Much fatter sounding than the Silver Lace pickups and a bit hotter too. Almost in humbucker territory, but not quite.
I even managed to do it with next to no swearing (except when a bit of hot solder leapt of the iron at my finger!). This I think is due to
A) My experiences rewiring the Epiphone
B) A properly tinned soldering iron (And those Maplin Soldering Stations are far better than just a soldering iron imho)
C) A bit more patience in general.
I did manage to wire my neck tone pot backwards, but it still works. Orange Drop capacitors really improve the sound on the tone control too- far smoother and the same for CTS pots- stiffer (oo-er mum!), but a far smoother control on the volume/tone.
I will be posting pictures when I can be @rsed and maybe a recording.
Once again, a very happy D. Now to get the frets levelled and it'll be lovely!
Oooo pics donal please. And some sound!
thedonal
02-12-09, 10:48 PM
Willdo on the weekend- got a busy week from tomorrow...
ScottWilson
02-12-09, 11:50 PM
Good skills! Pleased you're liking the change! You've got me interested with the "almost humbucker.........but not quite" comment. These Noiseless pickups i've got to hear! Quick reminder, are they the ones with the staggered pole pieces with the silver "Noiseless" logo?
With Blueto:- pics and idea of sound requested, please. :-)
thedonal
03-12-09, 12:39 PM
There are 3 types of noiseless - they all have the 50's style "Noiseless" logo-
Samarium Cobalt Noiseless- used on the deluxe range and some others- normal output as far as I've read
Vintage Noiseless- Designed to sound like a late 50's strat as far as I know
Hot Noiseless- As I have- designed specifically for Jeff Beck- he wanted more sensitivity to play quiet and loud as well as more output and a fatter tone.
The Almost Humbucker I think refers to the fatness of the sound- but then I'm comparing them to the rather spiky sounding Silver Lace I used to have. These ones aren't quite so shrill and have more 'body' to the sound.
ScottWilson
10-01-10, 10:53 PM
I'm thinking of getting a set of these for my Tele, as it currently hums like crazy when driven. Not sure which kind though. Liking the idea of the vintage though the samarium ones would be more fitting, I think.
How're you getting on with your in your Strat?
thedonal
11-01-10, 10:41 AM
Hi,
The noiseless hots are ace in the strat- I will get round to recording it for the edification of those interested- it's at Charlie Chandler's at the moment for a Plek setup.
They're pretty much hum free- though the lace sensors were too.
Not sure the hots are available for the Tele- but I think the vintage and SCN are- SCN will be louder, I think, than the vintage, but both will sound great if mine are anything to go by.
ScottWilson
11-01-10, 05:47 PM
Thanks for info. The hum drives me bonkers, so looking at the samarium set as you're right, no Hot's for the Tele. I use the Tele for ZZ Top, Pat Travers, Queen, that sort of thing so thinking the Vintage may be a bit of a down step, tone/grunt wise. The pickups currently in the Tele are described as "hot", which I tend to agree with, though jeeeez are they noisey!!! More research needed, me thinks. Or maybe I could find a model that sports a set as standard and give it a demo?!? Yep, more research required. :-)
Good hearing you're getting along with your set!!!
Wideboy
11-01-10, 06:30 PM
my strat.......... sold :smt090
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m97/Gavino5/strat.jpg?t=1263234151
my ibanez........ now sold :smt090one of my regrets :(
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m97/Gavino5/Ibenez.jpg?t=1263234222
and my old faithful squire :thumleft:..... still owned and much loved
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m97/Gavino5/Photo0055.jpg?t=1263234598
Cymraeg_Atodeg
11-01-10, 07:42 PM
Found this thread after someone pointed it out to me...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y229/bloodangel99/004.jpg
Squier Double Fat Strat (had 10 years now)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y229/bloodangel99/005.jpg
Fender Acoustic (had about 3 years)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y229/bloodangel99/007.jpg
Ibanez RG7321 (had 3 years too)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y229/bloodangel99/008.jpg
MusicMan Silhouette Special Custom (late 21st Birthday Present, had 2 years)
anyone know of a jackson dealer i want a custom paint jobbie doing either that or a dean getting it online would be asking for trouble especially custom.
thedonal
12-01-10, 06:26 PM
Thanks for info. The hum drives me bonkers, so looking at the samarium set as you're right, no Hot's for the Tele. I use the Tele for ZZ Top, Pat Travers, Queen, that sort of thing so thinking the Vintage may be a bit of a down step, tone/grunt wise. The pickups currently in the Tele are described as "hot", which I tend to agree with, though jeeeez are they noisey!!! More research needed, me thinks. Or maybe I could find a model that sports a set as standard and give it a demo?!? Yep, more research required. :-)
Good hearing you're getting along with your set!!!
Maybe pop into a shop and ask if you've got a decent bunch you can talk to nearby (attitude in guitar shops generally varies- Charlie Chandler and co are great- helpful and friendly with loads of top level experience).
Picked my strat up yesterday- well happy with it. The frets are like new- it plays like new and the action is noticeably lower than before. The Plek machine is a revolution for guitar setup! Will shove a mic in front of it later in the week.
Charlie also gave me a tip on how to improve my recent wiring efforts on the Black Beauty- will get on with that in the near future, but not relishing the idea of setting to it with a soldering iron again!!
thedonal
12-01-10, 06:26 PM
BTW- nice guitars gents. Wideboy- why did you sell those other guitars?!!!
I must say- I'd have to be in serious (Dire?!) straits to consider selling a guitar now.
thedonal
12-01-10, 06:28 PM
anyone know of a jackson dealer i want a custom paint jobbie doing either that or a dean getting it online would be asking for trouble especially custom.
You could look on the websites perhaps- they should list dealers (or the importer, who will list dealers).
ESP seem fairly geared up for custom work- I'd love a custom Horizon 7 string with a Floyd Rose in it. Drool etc.
allantheboss
12-01-10, 06:32 PM
I have a beautiful acoustic Tanglewood. My 2nd most prized possession.
Wideboy
12-01-10, 06:34 PM
BTW- nice guitars gents. Wideboy- why did you sell those other guitars?!!!
I must say- I'd have to be in serious (Dire?!) straits to consider selling a guitar now.
i hardly played them :(, i always and still do prefer the squire for some reason :confused:, i find it easy to play than any others
thought it was a bit of a waste to just have them on the wall, hopefully the bloke i sold them to has put them to good use
thedonal
12-01-10, 06:49 PM
That's fair enough then. I couldn't imagine getting rid of any of my axes now. I love them all that much. And one by one, they will all become as good as they can be again!
The Strat is totally sorted now- except the neck tone's still wired backwards. It works though- I might get a kn0b made with tone written backwards- just to make a feature of it!!
Wideboy
12-01-10, 06:50 PM
something that's been pondering me for a while now. A few years back i stuck a chisels through my left hand....... more than once :oops: and as a result i have bad dexterity (really im just **** but this way i sound cooler :cool:), i struggle to stretch from fret to fret and allocation of my fingers on frets, i nudge and lightly tap other strings, not much but enough to be herd. Is there anything i can do to the guitar or buy anything to reduce this being picked up?
allantheboss
12-01-10, 07:02 PM
On classical guitars, strings are further apart on the action (distance from fretboard) is larger than on western guitars, so there will be less accidentally touching of strings/stings onto frets.
But with this changes the style in which you might play..
I don't know if you're a beginner or not, but when I first started I had the same thing, and lost it, along with other dexterous problems, with lots of practice.
Wideboy
12-01-10, 07:07 PM
On classical guitars, strings are further apart on the action (distance from fretboard) is larger than on western guitars, so there will be less accidentally touching of strings/stings onto frets.
But with this changes the style in which you might play..
I don't know if you're a beginner or not, but when I first started I had the same thing, and lost it, along with other dexterous problems, with lots of practice.
no i been playing since i was seven, i used to do it before the accidents but it was rare so to speak, now i do it alot
Cymraeg_Atodeg
12-01-10, 08:10 PM
something that's been pondering me for a while now. A few years back i stuck a chisels through my left hand....... more than once :oops: and as a result i have bad dexterity (really im just **** but this way i sound cooler :cool:), i struggle to stretch from fret to fret and allocation of my fingers on frets, i nudge and lightly tap other strings, not much but enough to be herd. Is there anything i can do to the guitar or buy anything to reduce this being picked up?
You spell "dexterity" right, but, then spell heArd wrong!? :confused:
Also, usually punturing quite a active part of your body is quite likely toopset nerves, muscles and tendons. Scar tissue formed in the healing of the woulds could lead to your fingers going where you don't want them to (on the fret board that is...)
Wideboy
12-01-10, 08:19 PM
You spell "dexterity" right
spell check ;)
well thats not good then, i not the next tony iommi then :(
Cymraeg_Atodeg
12-01-10, 08:31 PM
spell check ;)
well thats not good then, i not the next tony iommi then :(
No spell check, just observation...
Wideboy
12-01-10, 08:56 PM
no thats what i used lol..... it makez i aper interigant
back on topic before we get slapped
You could look on the websites perhaps- they should list dealers (or the importer, who will list dealers).
ESP seem fairly geared up for custom work- I'd love a custom Horizon 7 string with a Floyd Rose in it. Drool etc.
basically what i want is a replica of a guitar criss oliva was playing in the early 90's and it was a jackson i'll try the site for dealer's cause i need to show them what i want.:D
scrap that just got me a eddie van halen guitar it's amazing.
thedonal
16-01-10, 09:10 PM
Ooh- nice. The new model looks gorgeous. What colour? The sunburst version is lovely.
it's a peavey wolfgang special evh unsigned so it's a rarity of a very limited run until they got the machine to burn the signature in i can't quite describe the colour close to sunburst though but with a different king of finish the action on it is so good though tottally blow's my ibanez out the picture.
vBulletin® , Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.