Intro

[RDS]

Hello- RDS here. I've been playing guitar and bass guitar for over 40 years. I do my own repairs (within my skill level) and mods . I've built 10+ electric guitars and basses from aftermarket parts - mostly Fender style. I have played professionally since 1977. I own mostly Fender bass guitars and several 6 string electrics. I have two friends that build guitars. One has built over 200 acoustic and electrics and another has his own line of electrics that he contracts bodies and parts for. They are busy guys and I pick their brains as much as I can . So I'm here checking things out to increase my knowledge.

Have a great day........

[westhemann]

Welcome.Did you know the Raven is so intelligent that it can recognize a human by our facial features after only seeing us once?

[ScottR]

Welcome RDS. It sounds like you've got a rich background; I'm looking forward to hearing your take on the doings around here. The evidence of the last couple of days notwithstanding, we will do our best to answer your questions.........I think you asked a couple while we were all out for the weekend or something.

SR

[ScottR]

Welcome.Did you know the Raven is so intelligent that it can recognize a human by our facial features after only seeing us once?

Is that another way of saying if you've seen one human, you've seen them all?

SR

[westhemann]

No,they did an experiment where they captured several ravens on a college campus while wearing Mike Meyers masks(the killer,not the comedian),then released them after annoying the crap out of them.

Months later the ravens were still dive bombing everyone who wore the masks...but not just any mask,only the Michael masks...and left everyone else alone no matter what mask they might be wearing,as long as it wasn't the Michael mask..

Not only that,but other ravens who were never involved in the capture also joined the dive bombing,suggesting higher communication as well as great memory and facial recognition.

Also,flocks have long been known to avoid certain areas for years after even one of their number has been killed there with a gun,taking great detours.

I myself have walked out doors as a kid with a wooden mock up of a rifle and had the crows merely look at me even as I pointed it at them only to walk back in,grab my pellet gun,and have them fly away as soon as they saw the real gun.

There is no fooling a crow/raven.Experiment on your own...they are extremely intelligent.

Not only that,but the old story of the crow that raised the water level of the vase high enough to drink by dropping in pebbles is true.The same college ran an experiment with a crow/vase/pile of pebbles and two out of three crows immediately started putting in pebbles...in some cases turning the pebbles so they would drop in even though they seemed to large for the opening.The third crow still figured out the pebble trick,but it took him a few minutes of eyeballing the vase and the pebbles to have it click for him.

[Prostheta]

Shame that when humans have long become extinct, there are insufficient accessible fossil fuels for the Corvids to kickstart another industrial revolution.

Oh, welcome to the board RDS! Sorry about the mental cases.

[westhemann]

If you are not mental,don't have a substance abuse problem,or don't have ADD,you are not a proper musician.

All three at once makes you great.

[westhemann]

Oh,btw...the Corvids are way too smart to start an industrial civilization.Obviously they will learn from our mistakes and continue to kick it old school.

Besides,what use is there for all that stuff when you can fly and have no natural predators?

[Prostheta]

I'm sure that Dumbo would predate those crows if push came to shove.

[RDS]

I did not realize that Ravens were so intelligent. Very interesting. I wonder about Crows now.

[westhemann]

Crows and Ravens are equally intelligent,according to the research.

[sdshirtman]

RDS are you thinking of a scratch build soon?

[RDS]

I don't have a "shop" . My buddy from High School has the equipment. All I have to do is draw up the plans and he would make the body and neck for me. He's a builder. If I was to scratch build - he would be the guy actually doing it for me. So he would be considering doing a scratch for me!! HA! He's busy. He has built many guitars. Recently he built a copy of Mark Farners' (Grand Funk Railroad) first acoustic guitar and it was presented to him (Farner) on his 65th birthday. Nice. It's a really different type guitar. The neck bolts up flush-- the fretboard stops at the edge of the body and the bridge is moved accordingly. I guess Mark really enjoys it from what I hear.

For my build I would go with a "V" neck bass . Hard Rock maple. I like the Padauk(spell check) bass I have and I might consider that for the body wood. It's light and has good resonance going on with it. I like the reverse P with J like Ibanez does. I'm more about sound than anything when it comes to bass. I wouldn't want any paint on the bass.

Another interesting thing might be the "Step" chamber I've been hearing about. A tuned chamber in the body that is supposed to produce tons of sustain. My other builder friend is working on a patent for his design on that. He already has built guitars with the chamber.

Edited February 25, 2014 by RDS

[Prostheta]

There are many conversations about the validity (generally, a lack of it) of the term "sustain" and chambering on the forums. Unless it is something radically new and truly effective, I don't think a patent is worth paying for unless you spend more marketing it also. Perhaps we'll discuss this in another thread sometime!

[RDS]

The guy who is doing the chamber says his is tuned a certain way. He gets into the Physics of the concept and can explain it to a point then he stops. I have thought about it and I tend to think that an amplifier will have to come into play. I can achieve long sustain on a couple of my basses standing in a certain spot or touching the body against the amp. I'm thinking that the chamber helps this effect and hopefully would smooth it out. Maybe? He describes it as being similar to the Fernandes sustainer. We'll see...right?

[Prostheta]

Sounds like he might be selling you up on something that is in fact nothing new or original. Cavities are more useful for weight relief until the body gets to the point where it is more cavity than body. Things like Thinline Teles were invented purely because Fender had less of the lighter Swamp Ash available for example. The performance of the instrument was a secondary aspect from what I am aware. Brian May's Red Special is very heavily chambered to the point where it is nearing acoustic territory.

Who knows? Let's see his patent if it is approved and not thrown out as being too generic or not unique.

[westhemann]

Those "tuned chambers" are pretty common,like Pros said.In my opinion it is just another aspect of voodoo intended to sell instruments that has no real benefit.

Funny how when Gibson started chambering LPs everyone hated it,but when a private builder calls it a "tone chamber" it all of the sudden becomes a thing.

[RDS]

I do understand about what you guys are saying. I weigh the ideas on both sides . It's a curiosity . The tuned chamber my friend is doing is vented behind the bridge.

I think there are lots of possibilities with sound. Sonic cannons and whatnot. That's going deep. I know we are not talking electric sound generators.

Maybe off topic--- Our band played at a new (wooden) community ampitheater. A fairly large one. We showed up early of course to set up and do sound check. It was very quiet at that time in the afternoon. I was standing on the stage near the middle looking down tuning my bass that was plugged into only my tuner- so there was no sound. I heard two people talking in normal voice. Their conversation went on for a few minutes. I could hear perfectly what they were saying. Just two women chatting. I glanced up to where I thought the voices were coming from and no one was there. They sounded like they were 10 or 15 feet from me. I looked around and then up the hill and there they were at least 150 ft away from me sitting near the middle of the area. I was hearing them plain as day. It was great. Later I was thinking how the technology of the ampitheater was figured out a thousand or more years ago.... I think they had wooden stringed musical instruments back then too. For all I know and the way my head is wired-- I kind of think anything is possible. I'm also able to figure most times when some stuff just ain't gonna' fly..........WAIT.....that reminds me of the Wright Brothers... oh boy here we go !!! HA!!!

Edited February 26, 2014 by RDS