Dugz Ink

After flailing around with my bridge height and setup on-and-off for a couple weeks, I realised that I don't know enough, so I took this guitar to a guy who works as the guitar-tech for Guitar Center, and does setups for Nashville session players on the side. He said that the neck I have has a slight rise in it, from the 14th fret through the 18th fret. Then he asked me why I put such a cheap neck on such a beautiful body. I replied "Because I didn't know that this guitar would actually work. It's my first project... ever." Everybody at Guitar Center loved my guitar, so now I have the confidence to buy a really nice neck for it. (No, I'm not ready to build a neck; it will happen, eventually.) So, I'm off to the web sites for USA Custom and Warmoth to shop for a maple w/ ebony neck. You know... being told that your first project guitar could be worth $1000 (if you put a decent neck on it) is a pretty good compliment. It sure stoked my fire! D~s

Had to jump back in here... Bassman: that is so simple and smooth, it allows the eye to concentrate on the burl. No need for high-gloss super-deep finish. If it was a woman, she would turn you on wearing a t-shirt. Drak: yours at the other end of the spectrum... mean paint, killer hardware, and a nice twist on a classic body. This babe would be wearing a leather corsette with silk stockings. Know what I mean? D~s

No, I haven't quit working on this project; between the holidays and a severe bout with the flu, I didn't do anything for a month. I started working on it again, and now I'm to the point of lining up the pickups. After mouning the pickups (they're hard-mounted to the body) I put the strings back on (again) and started playing, just to see if I had any strange virbations or noises. Sure enough, there was a very clear harmonic, and it was loudest when I played an open G. At first I thought the problem might have something to do with the pickups... but there aren't any springs, so I was completely lost. And the sound wasn't just coming from one place; if I opened the control cover, I could hear the sound travelling down the hollow sound channel. What could be reacting to the G string frequencies? I finally found it. The distance from the nut to the tuning machine post was the perfect length to create a crisp harmonic to the G string, and the sound was literally resonating through the entire guitar. I attached the string trees (that I had purchased from Stew-Mac) and the problem went away. WOW! That says a lot about how much sound can travel from the head to the body! D~s

It was either Bassman's fretless, or Drak's bird. What a difficult decision! I must have scanned back and forth 6 times, and looked at them for over 4 minutes a piece. A love that fretless bass, but something about the bird took my vote. I can't explain... it just moved me a little more. I honestly wish I could cast two votes! D~s

Keep it clamped between bigger (straight) wood until you're ready to use it. If you can't do that, lay it on something flat with a fair amount of weight on top of it. This might not take out all of the cupping, but it should help. If you're gluing this to a back that is 1" thick, you'll be able to flatten it when you glue and clamp it to the back... provided it isn't too bad. Storing it like I mentioned should help to keep it from getting too bad. Isn't wood amazing? We kill it and cut it, but it still does its own thing. D~s

Please tell me if I'm wrong, but... The way this system looks to me is that you have an anchor, with springs and a lever connecting the anchor to a sliding tailpiece. If that's accurate, then.... I've read numerous articles that talk about applying pressure to the bridge/tailpiece to increase sustain. This rig looks like it applies some down-force to the bridge, but the tailstop just floats... basically suspended between strings and springs. So my newbie-mind is wondering how that could be a good thing. D~s

Guitar Tracks is a decent product, and it can run on fairly slow machines, but I don't think that's going to fix the problem. He has Audition, which is very stable software. I can't count the number of times that I've answered posts (on other forums) where the person said "Audition runs great, but [Cakewalk product or Steinberg product] is giving me trouble." That's why I didn't recoemmend any other software. I think he needs to start with basic hardware (DI box) and work his way up, improving what he can when he can. I could be wrong. I've been wrong before... but those occasions usually involved women. D~s

The Satellite comes with a Celeron processor. That's fine for "home computers", but they are usually too slow for recording audio. Even a 2.8gHz Celeron will choke when it tries to process that much "live" data. The fact that you're using the on-board audio (probably AC97) means that the processor is doing almost all of the work. The one thing that cannot be fixed is the hard drive; it's slow, and that will impede live recording. However, it should handle a single mono track. (If you're recording a guitar that doesn't have any effects, there is no reason to record it to a stereo file.) Also, if you're just plugging your guitar into the on-board sound, then you're using a crappy pre-amp. That won't cause the problem that you're describing, but it will add to it. At the very least, you should get an inexpensive DI box, like the Behringer DI100. If you are serious about recording on your laptop, and you have the money, I would strongly recommend buying an external audio interface that connects to the computer through a Firewire port. I would recommend at least upgrading to the M-Audio Solo, or maybe even the M-Audio 410; they'll handle the analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion, instead of making the computer do it all. (I belive that both can be used without a direct box or a preamp.) Your system may handle one of the USB2 interfaces, but I've heard so many bad stories from people who paid good money for USB audio interfaces that I cannot recommend them. They are less expensive than Firewire interfaces, so if you go that route, make sure that you can return the interface if it doesn't work well with your computer. Audition is a great program; that's probably not your problem. However, check the settings. When you click on the record button, Audition should ask you what sampling rate you want to use. If you select 22kHz or less, then your guitar is going to sound bad; you really need 44.1 or better to record electric guitars, and I strongly recommend 96kHz for acoustic guitars. (really low sampling rates will cause the audio to sound strange... you might even describe it as sounding out of phase.) Audition "records" the waveform as a temp file, but you can save it in any format. WAV is the biggest, but also the best quality. MP3 is the most common for internet files, because they are small and stream fairly fast... but you give up some audio quality. WMA is actually better quality and streams better than MP3, and the WMA files are only slightly larger than MP3s. (WMA will play on any Windows Media Player.) In summation... You need a decent audio interface for recording. If your audio interface doesn't work like a DI, then buy one. Record your guitar at 44.1, or better, in mono. Let us know if that does/doesn't help. D~s

If you place your order with Stew-Mac by 4pm Eastern Time on a weekday, your order will go out the same day. And there ordering system appears to be very secure. (I ordered something from an unrelated company and received 3 emails labelled "Your order" within 48 hours, and none of them were from that company; they were all generated by web-bots!) Stew-Mac is an excellent company, in my opinion. My first order included a bridge for my first project guitar. I thought it was a top-loader, but couldn't figure out how to make it work when it arrived. So I called Stew-Mac; it was a string-thru bridge. (The web page does NOT say that!) They talked to me about my project guitar, we discussed some options, and after I decided to keep this bridge, they explained how it needed to be mounted. Like the other person said, watch those "minimum order" charges... at ANY web site. You may be able to add on a $5 part and get free shipping... so you can save money AND get more parts, if you're careful. D~s

It's impossible to narrow it down without the following information: What laptop? (make, chip type, RAM, hard drive) What are you recording? (mic, guitar, direct, amp) What software are you using? (Sonar, Tracktion, Windows Sound Recorder) What audio format? (MP3, WMA, WAV) What data settings? (sample rate, bit depth) Any of those things can be a factor, because of the way they work... or don't work. Without the details, all we can do is guess... and hope that we pick the right thing. D~s

I had to sit down with the CAD and design what I thought a "Chet Atkins" solid-body acoustic should look like. I didn't add in any knobs, yet, but they would be where you could actually reach them while you were playing. Dugz Solid-body Acoustic design D~s

Thanks, Doc. This model will be a 4 string, so I'll buy one and try it out. BTW: I don't mind doing some experimenting, but I don't want to buy 378 pickups. D~s

Thanks for the info and the links. It was all useful. idch: The "teardrop/firebird hybrid" started as just teadrop, then I added wings, then I canted the wings. The wings will still be slightly lower than the teardrop section, so a true three-dimensional view won't look as much like the Firebird. As for the angle on that other guitar, I just try to keep as much wood as I can in the high-torsion areas while cutting out wood where I can for weight and (possible) acoustic affect. D~s

Well... one of these auctions is ending in about 5 hours... Anynody have any advice? D~s

Read and bookmark this site: RaneNote 110 It's basically everything you need to know about balanced/unbalanced wires and connections... and it has diagrams that are very easy to follow. D~s

While we were at Opry Mills Mall yesterday, my wife and I stopped by Gibson's instrument shop and tourist trap. While I was there, I got play the "Chet Atkins" SST model... and I wasn't impressed, which is a shame because I am (was) a huge fan of Chet's remarkable skills. The balance/weight didn't feel any better than my $150 Chinese Epiphone. (Of course, the quality was a lot better, but that falls into the "Well Duh" category.) The controls (which are mounted in the side of the body, near the neck) look neat and work pretty good... as long as you're not in a hurry. Moving either hand up to adjust the controls while playing would be difficult at best. I had really hoped that a guitar that had Chet's name on it would be better. But, wait... you can buy it now for the low price of $1200! (SSF) D~s

I'm working on the plans for my bass guitar project and looking at various types of pickups. I would like a "vintage" looking pickup that is fairly rectangular... but most of those appear to be "neck" pickups, and this is going to be closer to a "bridge" pickup location. I also want to use the K&K "Big Shot" piezo on the same guitar... but don't know what I need to know to pick the right "match". Here are some pickups that have caught my attention on eBay: "Vintage Gibson" "Gibson Humbucker" "From Ibanez Roadster" "Gretsch Filtertron" All of those look good to me, but I want something that sounds good... and I have no clue. I will be playing a lot of Country, some Blues, and maybe some Rock. SO, the big questions: 1) If I use a "neck" pickup in the bridge location, how does that usually sound on a bass? 2) What should I watch for when selecting a magnetic pickup to mix with the non-amplified piezo? Any information, links, or advice are appreciated. D~s

It depends on which drum machine and which software. Some drum machines have the latest samples, and the pads allow for more realistic (read: human) programming, so they can sound better. But some of the new software offers enough options that you can make each tom and cymbal sound exactly the way you want. What my friend likes about the R-8 is that it also has MIDI outs, so he can use it for programming the beats, and send the MIDI signal to the sampler plug-in... which is running inside of Pro Tools. As for programming beats into Home Studio, just start with the basics. I always start with 2 bars, and add in beats using the Notation View. Then I copy the beats that are in the first two bars, paste them into bars 3 & 4, and tweak some of the beats in bar 4. Then I copy the beats in bars 1-4, paste them into bars 5-8, and tweak some of the beats in bar 8. If you're not a drummer (I'm not), that's the best way to put down some beats. D~s

That's cool! And I hope it A) works out for you guys, leads you to bigger and better things, C) showers you with money and babes, or D) all the above. D~s

I've never used any drum-loop software; it still seems too limiting. I usually program the beats by hand, then play them back using one of my soundfonts. (I've had some good results and compliments when I use a "Tama Rock Star" soundfont.) My best friend uses Redrum and Sampletank (plug-ins), and he can do such a good job with those that he almost never uses his Roland R-8 drum machine anymore. Of course, none of the software stuff can come close to sounding like a really good drummer... but software won't drink your beer or smell strange. D~s

It's definitely cool, but after cruising through his directories, it's apparent it was built by someone else... so he only gets 20 points for buying a cool guitar. Have you listened to his music? Some of it sounds like Bach on acid, and some of it sounds like Van Halen a lá 1714AD. Wild stuff! D~s

I started with Home Studio, and upgraded to Sonar. Neither one of those will produce audio from MIDI commands. You can use a soft-synth (software synthesizer) like Microsoft's GS Wavetable Synth to create sounds, but that's all they are... sounds. They barely mimic real instruments. And they have hideous latency (delay); you can hit a key on a keyboard, and it can take up to 1/4 of a second before you hear the soft-synth through your computer. (If you can play in spite of a 1/4 second delay, you're better than I will ever be!) If you have a Sound Blaster or Audigy sound card, they have on-board soundfonts, but they are there for game-players; if you use them, your songs will sound like... well... video game music. However, latency is less of an issue. I use an inexpensive "plug-in" program called SFZ+, which was put together by a guy who calls his comapny rgc:Audio. (We've exchanged a few emails since my purchase; I think he's in Argentina, and he's a really nice guy.) He has a freeware plug-in, called SFZ, but that is only available as a VST plug-in. Some versions of Home Studio, Sonar, etc. only work with DXi plug-ins, and all of the Cakewalk products work best with DXi plug-ins, so I spent the money (about $65) to purchase SFZ+, which is available as a DXi. I use SFZ+ to trigger soundfonts, which are files assembled from multiple samples of instruments. For instance, I have a soundfont of a 17' Steinway concert grand piano. The man who restored that piano sampled every note, three times, and assembled them into one 336Mb soundfont file. When I use it to produce my song demos, I am literally using the actual sound of his Steinway to create my piano parts. I'm using the M-Audio "Audiophile 2496" PCI sound card on a 2.7gHz Athlon, and latency is too minimal to notice... at any sampling rate. Here's a link to an R&B song demo that I produced; eveything you hear is a soundfont, except the vocals (duh) and the "spanish guitar" that is in the bridge. You don't have to use SFZ+; there are other programs, like Kontact, Kompact, and V-Sampler... but they cost a lot more money, and I'm a cheap SOB. Here's how to use it. (The same method will work for any similar plug-in.) 1) Open (or create) your MIDI project in Home Studio. 2) Insert (create) 1 audio track. 3) On the audio track, right click in the "FX" bar. 4) Roll your mouse over "DX Instruments" then select the plug-in. (I select "rgc:audio sfz+".) 5) Go back to your MIDI tracks and set the "Patch" bar to "None." 6) Click on the "Output" bar of each MIDI track and select the plug-in. (I select "rgc:audio sfz+".) 7) Go back to your audio track, double-click on the plug-in (I double-click on "rgc:audio sfz+") to open the plug-in GUI. 8) Assign a soundfont to each MIDI channel. For instance, if my piano is on MIDI Channel 1, then I open my Steinway concert grand soundfont and assign that to Channel 1... and so on. 9) Press the "play" button. If you want to record those tracks, I recommend inserting another audio track, and recording your MIDI triggered tracks (in real-time) to that track, then exporting the audio track as a WAV, MP3, WMA, or Real Audiuo file... whatever works for you. Personally, I record each individual MIDI track as a seperate audio track, then apply the audio effects (reverb, EQ, etc.) to those audio tracks before mixing them down to my final audio file. NOTE: If you need free soundfonts, go to Soundfonts.it and Hammer Sound. (The soundfonts on Hammer Sound are reviewed and rated by the users.) If you want the Steinway soundfont that I use, go to Sound Creations to download it. For more sites, stop by Synth Zone. If you haven't figured it out, let me say that I've been doing this for a while... and I spend a lot of evenings on Studio Central advising people and answering home recording questions. If you have more questions, feel free to post them here, or cruise by SC. (PG is a great forum, so I don't want to pull people away this forum, but SC is dedicated to recording issues... so you may want to frequent both forums.) D~s

BigD: I wish you had asked earlier; there was a similar bridge on eBay about a week ago. And when I say "similar" I don't mean "kind-of-the-same-but-not-really." I mean that, as best as I can recall, they were nearly identical. (If my memory serves me, the intonation "peaks" weren't identical, but very close.) I was thinking about bidding on it, but then I found a very old Mossberg bolt-action shotgun at a pawn shop; it was fairly cheap because it needs to be restored. I figured that, if I bought yet another project gun PLUS a bridge for a project guitar (that I'm not ready to build), my wife would shoot me with one of my guns. (Thankfully, she likes the shotgun, and wants me to fix it up for her... so I'm not ducking and dodging #6 shot... yet.) Other than eBay, I haven't run into any other place that sells/sold anything identical. D~s

As Lovekraft accurately pointed out, this "will cancel any signal they have in common"... but that doesn't mean that two pickups completely cancel each other out. Because of the seperation between the pickups, they pickup different vibrations at the same time. Since teh placement of the pickups affect the effect, you have to experiment to see how your guitar will react. On my first project guitar (which is nearing completion) I put together a poor-man's patch bay, and tried every possible wiring combination that I could come up with using 2 humbuckers that have split wiring. In the end, I decided to throw in a DPDT switch that will allow me to reverse the phase on the bridge pickup; that creates a cool semi-hollow sound, especially when playing a lead rift on the higher strings. I'm using this in combination with a blend pot (instead of an A/B/etc. switch), which will allow me to increase/decrease the effect of mixing the neck pickup with the inverted bridge pickup. D~s

Well... the "front" pickup is the one that is farthest from the bridge... so if you use the same orientation then it would be the end farthest from the bridge. But there could be some technical reason that you should call the other end of the neck pocket the front... like referencing it from the heal of the neck? I have no idea. I'm just a lost newbie. I'm still trying to figure out why the "first" string is the one that is farthest from the player's face. And that's the only way I know to reference it, because the highest string (in the playing position) is the lowest string (tonally)... and vice versa. DOH! I knew I should have built a zither. D~s