GodBlessTexas

Try putting on a set of Elixer Nanowebs and see if it doesn't sound better. I haven't found an acoustic that doesn't see at least a little improvement in the top end with a set. I love acoustic guitars, but it's one of the few areas where I'm actually kind of snobbish but still value minded. I love me $150 Squier electric and even my 80's plywood warlock copy, but I'd kill to keep my Tacoma DM9 acoustic. One of my biggest pet peeves is acoustic electrics that sound like utter crap unplugged. They're dead; muted mids only with no treble and no bass. Just mushy mids. Yuk! Anyway, good on you for finding a nice one. I'd love to check them out, as I love a good value, but I haven't seen anything that indicates we get them here in the states. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Here it is. Lugs 2 and 5 are jumpered together, with lug 5 being the output lug. Also, I didn't put ground on the switch, but it will need to be grounded. Also, the middle position tone knob will need to be added to the circuit at the switch, not in the middle like it's represented in the diagram; it was just easier to draw it that way. This configuration allows for each pickup to be on by itself depending on the switch's location. I tried doing it in Visio, but it was easier to do by just hacking up the diagrams from Guitareletronics.com. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Yep, just got bought by Fender, and the rumors flying around are that all new Tacoma guitars will be built in Korea like the Olympia guitars were, not Washington state. I have no idea if that's true or not, but I wouldn't put it past Fender. Tacoma does a much better job of building acoustics than Guild, but Guild will likely be their high dollar brand. Tacoma will be their import mid-range brand. Sad, since they were the best bang for the buck in a US made acoustic. I don't know if it's intentional or not, as my Tacoma has a set neck. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

That's a rather odd configuration. Doing it with 2 vol and 2 tone is going to result in either one pickup not under tone/volume control, or two pickups selected at the same time with a volume/tone for that pair. You could convert one of those tones to a volume, which will give you one volume control per pickup and one master tone for all right before the output jack. I just got busy at work, but I'll see if I can draw it out in Visio or something before lunch. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

A standard 3 way SG-style switch is designed for two pickups only. You'll need this one instead. How many volume pots? How many tone? Those things are important as well, and with them I can give you a better idea of what your layout will look like. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Yep, that he is. He snaked an Ibanez RG570 with full EMG setup (81/S/85) for $135 from me twp weeks ago. The guy ended the auction early after I asked him a question about it, and never gave me a chance to bid. Not Ash's fault, but I was a little downhearted. It was the second time something like that has happened to me. GBT

No problem. Just sharing as others have. GBT

I've been doing a lot of research before building my own amp. I'm planning on doing the P1 as soon as soccer season is over, since it looks nice and simple. As far as when the amp becomes dangerous, it becomes dangerous as soon as you power it up and the capacitors become charged. There's enough stored voltage in them to cause the heart to flutter, which is bad news. Here are some links that might be of interest to you, including one on tube amp safety. Tube amp building/owning safety. Kevin O'Connor's tube amp books. Amplifier Chassis Pics for when you want to go beyond the projects on the web. A whole slew of schematics to use with the ACP link above. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Congratulations Jeremy. I wish you and your future wife loads of happiness, and good luck with the move. That's a lot of stress in such a short time, so be sure to RELAX!</frankie_goes_to_hollywood> Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

I'll start. I bought John Petrucci's Rock Discipline DVD last month, and I have to say that in that time I've noticed my playing, specifically my technique and accuracy, has gotten a lot better. Not perfect, or even where I want it to be, but noticably better. I even managed to finally get the hang of sweep picking, although I'm only able to do 4 string sweeps right now without tripping up my left hand. Still, it's pretty awesome, as I've finally been able to break down some walls in my playing that I thought would never happen. Of course, there has been a lot of frustration with some of the exercises, but I'm sticking with them. The only downside is that it's a cookbook of how to play better, but doesn't really talk much about what to play. I'm still looking for a book/DVD/Video that discusses more of the why of music. I can now play better as far as technique, but I still don't have much of a musical vocabulary to say what I want to say. Any suggestions on materials that will help me fix that? Unfortunately my schedule doesn't allow for lessons, even though I'd like to take them. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Yep, same here. It's 22gauge stranded copper and works just fine. I buy a couple of the three packs when they run on sale (red/black/green) and use the green for other projects. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

As lovekraft stated, it depends on what is in there. Usually my only gripe on most cheap imported guitars is the electronics, so I replace all the electronics in a clean sweep. I just put an EMG S set in my Squier Strat, and it's just about perfect now. Of course, with all the upgrades I've put into it, it's well into the price of a Mexican Fender, which is an overall better guitar (thicker body, slightly better feel), but oh well. I fell in love with the feel of the guitar when I picked it up the first time, so to me it is worth it. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Actually, yes, I did read the entire thing. But no... I don't exactly see where you said "there was no point in paying for that guy for a wiring harness when you can do it yourself". I still can't see where you said that, so I would appreciate it if you would point it out to me... my old eyes would appreciate it also. Then you might want to look again. First, it starts with: Then I wrap it up with... I read that several times... and I still ain't got a clue. I would appreciate it if you could explain it to me so next time I can see the crystal clarity of it all. Someone asked it if was ok to harvest capacitors from existing gear they've got. I said there was no reason not to do it that I know of, other than the fact that capacitors are so cheap that I didn't see the point in doing it unless you wanted to. I get the impression you're intentionally being a troll. I'm observant like that. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

I don't think so... capitalism ain't about screwing people. Capitalism is an economic theory where prices for goods are eventually reduced through competition. Did you actually read the entire thing, including where I said there was no point in paying for that guy for a wiring harness when you can do it yourself? I thought it was clear that it was sarcasm. Read in context, it should be crystal clear. You did read the rest of it, didn't you? It's only screwing someone if they pay it, and I don't know if you've noticed, but guitar players get screwed all the time over tone voodoo they've been brainwashed into believing. It's silly how superstitious guitar players are. Retail prices were all taken from several online stores, including universaljems.com for the same parts. I didn't say that's what I paid, nor is it what I do pay, only that's what a lot of places charged. I can wire a guitar for less than $10 for one volume and one tone. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Yes. Use a drill press or other accurate means of drilling to drill out the holes to the size of your dowel, then coat the dowel with glue and insert into the hole. Allow to cure as long as the glue you use suggests, and then cut them down to nearly flush with a flush cut saw and sand down the rest. It's very simple, if time consuming while waiting for the glue to hold. You can use either maple, birch, or poplar dowels. 1/4" in diameter is about as big as you want to go, smaller if possible. Remember the Alammo, and God Bless Texas...

Throwing "guitar scale length" without the quotes into Google provides a wealth of information as well. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Sure. I've done this a couple of times. Just drill out the holes in the neck the depth from the back of the neck to where the fretboard and neck material meet (not through the fretboard!) and then plug the holes with glued in dowels. Very easy. Wha? Do what I said above. It's the easiest and best way to fix your problem. Rememeber the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

+2. Nothing in that auction is going to be better than what lovekraft described. That guy is just looking to prey upon the "vintage is better" crowd. In some ways vintage is better, but not in the terms of electronics. Let's see a cost breakdown: 500k CTS pots - $3.75 each retail = $7.50 total Switchcraft jack - $2.50 retail = $10.00 total Cloth wire - $3.95 for five feat. This guy used about 8" total. so $3.95/60" = $.065/inch = $.054 = $10.54 total Malory .022uf 150 cap - $1.85 retail = $12.39 total He gets $10.60 bucks for a couple of minutes of soldering, and another $8 for shipping, which he'll pay $3.50 to USPS for Priority Mail where they provide the shipping box. So that's a total of $30.99 shipped, with a profit of $15.10 in profit; capitalism at work! And most likely, looking at the amount of harnesses he's selling on eBay, he probably buys his pots, wire, and jacks in bulk at a significant discount over retail. Nothing against him though, it's just not worth the money he's asking, especially for the 4 pots harnesses he wants over $60 for. And there's no reason not to harvest caps if you want to, but they're so cheap that there's no reason to unless you want to. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Yes, that sounds abour right. Hot from the pickups to the selector switch input lugs, output lug to the output jack. Ground from the pickups and switch to the jack since you can't do star grounding on a pot. That should work. Also, don't forget to ground the bridge. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

It came down to Doug and Jazzclub for me, although I liked all the guitars in the GOTM this month. I dug the drop top tele, but it just didn't speak to me like the others did. The Odd Boy is my kind of guitar, a total mutt, and I like the idea behind the project, but it wasn't in the same league as the Zipper or the Total Custom. Jazzclub, I'm not a big fan of the body shape, but the guitar looks gorgeous overall. The headstock/body carves are just awesome. It's an odd shape, but overall it comes off well as a package. I had a hard time not voting for it. Doug, I loved everything about the total custom vibe. The buckeye, the carved brass pickup rings, the awesome biohazard inlay, and most of all the mercury dime knobs. When it comes down to it, I asked myself which one I'd rather own, and every time it was Doug's total custom, so he gets my vote. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

No problem. Just trying to give back what I can. I didn't know that. I'll have to buy from someone I don't like the next time I intend to return something. One guy at the local GC has been pretty good to me, so I try and throw him a bone now and again, but I'm not a big fan of the rest of the staff. Athlon 1Ghz (ooold machine from 2000) with 768MB of RAM. The system requirements list a PIII 500Mhz minimum with 128MB of RAM. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

It shows up as a preferred audio device, and I selected it in the device configuration menu of Cool Edit. It was only connected via the USB cable. I also had it run to my soundcard's line in via the headphone out on the GuitarPort, but that was just so I could listen to myself as I played and then playback the track via Cool Edit without having to switch headphones or inputs. The actual recording was done over USB. Yeah, that should work. It's got a lot of neat training tools (metronome, lessons, tracks from GuitarPort Online) and recording is done with it sound pretty nice. Insane is pretty good, and was one of my favorite models on the GP. The POD XT sounds a little better, but the GP is still very good. The software is free, though you need to register to get to the download section. It's required for the unit to work. As far as dongles, the hardware component (the red box with the knob) is the dongle. As long as you have it, the software will work and you're golden. Line6 is very good about resale of their gear. I removed the hardware from my line6.com/guitarport profile when I sold it, and the guy who received it had no problems registering it to himself and getting it up and running. Buy one from GC if you have one locally, try it out, and then return it and buy one used. The retail is less than $100 before tax, so it's not much more than buying a decent pedal. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Ronnie, welcome to the board. You might have better luck with the product's technical support people.

I'd take the SZ over the C1, but I am an Ibanez fan. I have played both. The SZ's I've played have all been really nice guitars, and the sustain is just amazing on them. To me they feel perfect if that's the kind of guitar you're looking for. The only thing I don't like on them is the goofy inaly on the bridge. I think the Schecter C1 looks better, but the Ibanez plays and sounds better to me. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

I just sold mine last month on ebay when I got my POD XT Pro. For the money, I think you'll be hard pressed to come up with a more robust package than the Guitarport. And you don't need riffworks unless you just want to use their software. You can use the GuitarPort as a windows recording device and send it into any audio package, including windows audio recorder. I used it with an older pre-Adobe copy of Cool Edit Pro in multi-track mode. As far as tone goes, it's good. I'd record some sound samples for you, but as I said, I don't have it anymore. The only reason I got rid of it was because of the Pod XT Pro. Then again, riffworks is nice and just about idiot proof, so there's not much of a learning curve. And the built in drummer is kinda nice too. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...