Is This Beautiful (looking) Guitar Worth Saving?

[bartbrown]

Well, first off, "Jamorama" is pretty good, though I've only made it to about lesson three. It's kept me practicing, though! It has a lot of resources for such a modestly-priced package, and almost everything's downloadable, for much less than the physical materials.

My fingertips are beginning to callus, but boy, I still have a VERY hard time getting three of my fat digits within the same fret without muting at least one string. If anyone can give me a hot tip, I still haven't quite figured where the rest of my tuning (left) hand is supposed to be -- sometimes it's hung over the topside of the neck, sometimes it's pushing straight into the neck. Sometimes my hand is all cramped up, as I try to occupy seemingly impossible spaces with my fingertips, sometimes it's quite relaxed.

I have to say that the neck on the Squier '51 is remarkably shallow, which helps a LOT, as do the light-gauge strings and easy action. So far, all I've heard is very soft strumming, as I haven't found my groovy powered headphones with 1/4" guitar plug. I have a clean, used Crate practice amp -- 15W -- on the way; again, thanks to eBay, where I also picked up a Floyd Rose (probably copy) locking trem for my Cort project.

Please indulge me again with your advice regarding this tremolo and some associated hardware, first for the Cort: the machine heads on the Cort are pretty crappy and corroded, so I'm going to replace them. One of the only things I'm not totally happy with on the Squier '51 are the tuners, which feel "soft" on tuning, and don't seem to stay put all that well, even with the solidly-mounted bridge. That got me thinking about locking tuners and/or locking nuts for the Cort, and probably for the Squier as well. First dumb question: if I use locking tuners on my Cort with the locking trem, is it worthwhile to chew up the neck with a locking nut,, or is that just overkill?

Of the locking tuners available, I find the Planet Waves Auto-Trims the most interesting. What would be my best choice among a list including the Planet Waves, Grovers, Schallers, Sperzels, you-name-its?

Now, I know I probably seem pretty whacked-out on this Cort project, but I'm an information-vacuum (because so much enters my brain, and so little of it stays in there). If a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, then more must be worse, as I've strayed all over the Web, picking up bits and pieces that probably don't fit together all that well, but here goes: As the pots and switch are crudded-up beyond use, the pickguard got torn up trying to remove a recalcitrant screw, and the pickups are all wired up with Joan Crawford's wire coat hangers, my cruises around the web have led me to a couple discoveries: Mighty Mite pickups and "loaded," pre-wired pickguards. Stop me if I've gone too far, but I'm thinking about an HSS configuration (on a BWB pickguard), with a Mighty Mite Motherbucker at the bridge (and a push-pull "coil tap"), and the same company's Alnico 5 single-coils in the other two? Would a Motherbucker and two "hot rails" be too goofy for words?

After the Cort, I'd like to build -- as in make everything but the neck -- a bass. Tomorrow the world!

Thanks for your patient indulgence...

Bart

[soapbarstrat]

I hate locking nuts !!!!

Put on a floyd type locking nut, and say goodbye to the ability to fine tune the individual strings heights at the nut. And trust me, I've been working with the damn locking nuts for almost 20 years, and if *you* can find one with a *perfect* radius (as in, set it up so the high and low E's are right on the money, action-wise, and all the other strings also have optimum action at the same time (hell no, there will be at least one string that will be a little higher than needed)), then go for it. (and let me know who makes this out of the ordinary locking nut).

Sure, put some locking tuners on it, and then replace the nut, with something like Hipshot's "zero friction nut" material.

I've played through plenty of Crate amps. I toured the Crate factory when I was considering working there. Not time for any pickup upgrade, until you make a noticable upgrade from that Crate amp.

In case you didn't know, your Crate amp cabinet was probably dipped in a tub of water-based black paint, and the plant manager said " oh yeah, happens quite a bit", when I asked " doesn't doing that cause the particle board to warp and even come apart ? "

[justinF]

I hate locking nuts !!!!

Put on a floyd type locking nut, and say goodbye to the ability to fine tune the individual strings heights at the nut. And trust me, I've been working with the damn locking nuts for almost 20 years, and if *you* can find one with a *perfect* radius (as in, set it up so the high and low E's are right on the money, action-wise, and all the other strings also have optimum action at the same time (hell no, there will be at least one string that will be a little higher than needed)), then go for it. (and let me know who makes this out of the ordinary locking nut).

What about the kahler behind the nut locks?

[jaycee]

Hi Bart if you still looking for a guitar course I recommend this one

http://www.guitar-academy.com/

I have had a few over the years but this is by far the best.

prices include VAT and worldwide postage

Download £14.99 - €22.00 - $28.00

CD-ROM's /DVD £17.50 - €26.00 - $33.50

Buy Now

[bartbrown]

Hi Bart if you still looking for a guitar course I recommend this one

http://www.guitar-academy.com/

I have had a few over the years but this is by far the best.

prices include VAT and worldwide postage

Download £14.99 - €22.00 - $28.00

CD-ROM's /DVD £17.50 - €26.00 - $33.50

Buy Now

[bartbrown]

Hi Bart if you still looking for a guitar course I recommend this one

http://www.guitar-academy.com/

Thanks for the URL -- I'm having a hard enough time with Toe-Jamorama, but when I work my way successfully through THAT (I figure I'll be about 103), I may try the guitar academy product. Meanwhile, to ease my painful fingertips, I was fortunate enough to win another eBay auction, this time for a Zager (Martin) ZAD50 acoustic dreadnaught with a K&K Sound Systems Pure Western Mini 3-transducer pickup. Denny Zager (of one-hit wonders Zager & Evans) personally modifies each guitar with his EZ-Play™ "String Science" setup. Here's the site blurb:

<< Guitars are modified by Master Guitar Luthier Denny Zager to play easier than any other guitars made. The EZ-Play modification process involves:

* Lowering the strings closer to the fret board so you no longer have to press hard to form chords.

* Widening the stance of the strings so there is more space for your fingers, while keeping the neck shallow so its easy for all hand sizes.

* Modifying the saddle, bridge, neck, nut and bracing in harmony to amplify the tone and resonance.

The result is a guitar that is 50% easier to play with a sound that competes with guitars costing 5 times the price.>>

I don't know about 50%, but it is certainly a lot easier to fret for a tender-fingered novice, so I can make mistakes for a longer time on this guitar than any other I've tried! Better than that, though, is that this thing -- which IS actually a modified Martin -- has the most beautiful tone, plugged or unplugged, stays in tune like a rock, has yet to produce a single instance of fret buzz, and is a beautiful piece of work. Plus, I got an autographed picture of Zager & Evans! Well, it's only signed by Denny Zager, but that';s who REALLY made the big hits for Z&E. Let's see... there was "In the Year 2525," and... uh... hmmmm...

I hope I don't get my bowels split open for posting a pic of a hollow-body guitar here, but at LEAST it plugs right into my thunderous Crate MX15R -- another eBay deal, which arrived totally dry, clean, and not yet waterlogged. I was shocked at how much volume you can get out of the little bugger, and when you shift it into overdrive, it's grunge-thrash Armageddon! When I can master the licks on The Replacements' cover of "Black Diamond," I will have reached Nirvana!

Bart