mikhailgtrski

Very nice, Phil. Thanks for sharing.

I had given up on a slotting jig due to the less-than-accurate nature of my cheapo Craftsman tablesaw. This concept solves that problem.

Mike

Mike....I'm about undertake a similar fretboard removal and replacement and I'm more concerned about damage to the guitar body from the steam heat treatment. Do you or any other readers have any tips to offer? Regards, Sarge

Sorry, no. We just leveled the board and did a re-fret. That bad epoxy job on the Epi inlays cleaned up real nice... we'll try the fingerboard replacement later.

Hiwatt DR103 (DIY clone)

DIY 400 watt dummy load

Hush Super C

Alesis Q20

Marshall 8008 Valvestate (solid-state re-amp)

Marshall 1936 2x12 cab w/ Celestion G12H-30s

---coming soon: Hiwatt 4x12 (DIY clone) loaded with WeberVST custom Thames (vintage Fane clone)---

Boss volume pedal

Vox wah

ART Ultrafoot midi controller

MusicMan HD130 2x12 combo (practice amp, or for when there's no room for the big rig)

Boneyard:

Lexicon Signature 284

Marshall JMP-1 preamp

ADA MP-1 (DOA)

Digitech RP-1

MXR Dynacomp

but the change does have real impacts.

...a lot more than I expected.

Since the camera is AWOL, here's a rough sketch:

edit: This has me wondering, what does one of those 1-piece bridges (ala PRS or old Gibson wrap-around) "feel" like? With no string length to speak of behind the saddle, would they respond more like a locking (floyd) bridge? I haven't played enough of them to become familiar with that style.

As it so happens, last weekend my digital camera decided it had taken enough abuse and won't talk to me anymore...

BEFORE - Best I can do for now is this old shot (imagine it mostly finished, with ferrules):

AFTER - it's basically identical to Myka's, except for the ferrules.

I found that decreases in break angle seemed to require you to pull the strings a greater distance to bring the string up a step in pitch, but didn't really seem to require as much force to move them(that was just what I percieved, I couldn't get a reliable measure of the force required). Actually I remember Godin mentioned how much different his guitar with a heavy break angle at the headstock(like 18deg.) felt compaired to the one with a slighter break at the headstock(I think he mentioned the slighter angle felt more loose and he had to even raise the action a bit, maybe he can comment as I am just trying to remember an old thread).

I remember that thread, couldn't recall what conclusions you came to. Your description sounds exactly like what I'm noticing... and it does seem like I'm getting slightly more fret buzz now, as if the strings are flopping just a hair more than before. Perhaps it's just that there's less force required to to pull the string across the saddle with a shallower break angle?

I'm sure Perry can tell us exactly what's going on... if he wants to.

How much of a change was there in the angle of the strings as they went over the saddles? Maybe a ruff estimate of before and after in deg.

Very rough guess... before, about 30°, after, maybe 22°.

The break point on the stopbar is 1/4" + off the body. The distance between the TOM and the stopbar is the same as on a Les Paul.

I'm having the same overtone and brightness issue with one of my guitars with the string-thru/tom combination. I don't notice it through an amp, but it is highly noticable when playing acoustically.

Seems like I could hear some of the overtones through the amp... one certain note had a distinct ring to it... nice sig line, BTW

I think the decrease in tention happend because the string got shorter (even if beond the playing scale length). Its overall mass has decreased and so it needs less tention to get to the desired pitch.

...except the string is the exact same length as it was before. It's still a string-through.

I would think its a result of lifting the strings off the body. The vibrational energy was in direct contact with the body via the ferrule. Now the energy is absorbed by the stopbar and evenly distributed over a wider area.

Yeah, that makes sense with regard to the tonal improvement, not so much with the different feel.

Some newb came in here and said once that the string doesnt have an effect on the sound, if its not between the nut and saddle. So, you all must be wrong...

I finally got around to making the brazilian rosewood "stopbar" thingy for my PRS clone (similar to the TOM/string-through setup on Myka's).

Up to this point the strings have been breaking over the saddles and going straight to the ferrules. The string section past the saddle on the G has been producing some unwanted sympathetic overtones on notes played around the 10th fret, and the guitar has been overall just a little brighter than I expected.

Anyway, after fitting the "stopbar" there were several rather noticeable changes: 1) the bad overtones went away (shifted about an octave up the neck and aren't a problem anymore). 2) The overall tone is richer and better balanced, and the low strings have developed a nice Les Paul-ish roundness that wasn't there before. 3) It now plays/feels more like a shorter scale instrument (it's 25 1/2")... as if the tension has been decreased a bit, and the strings feel like they have more give. 4) Not sure, but it seems to have just a tiny bit more resonance. The sustain is just as good as before.

#1 was expected, the rest are pleasant surprises. I'm guessing that the change in feel is due a combination of the slightly reduced string length between the bridge and the stopbar, and a slightly shallower break angle over the saddles. Perhaps the rosewood has something to do with it as well?

Interested to hear your experiences and theories...

Mike

+1 An Avatar is a much, much better value than a Behringer.

The corners need a little attention, but it's pretty much done...

top back

A quad of Weber Thames is on the way, now to build a 4x12 cab to go with it.

The 220v plugs over here are NEMA standard - different than UK or Europe.

Exactly what type/amperage receptacle are you plugging into? 20 amp? Straight blades or twist-lock? It makes a difference. Home improvement stores usually only carry 30A (dryer) and 50A (range) plugs, but you might get lucky.

This is what a 15A 250V NEMA non-locking plug looks like: here

Well, a cranked up 15 watt tube amp can rattle the windows too.

As I see it, your options are:

1. A really low wattage EL84 Class A tube amp - 3 watts or so. Still loud, and they don't have the punch or headroom of a bigger amp, but you can crank them.

2. An attenuator (Weber MASS, Ultimate Attenuator, Hotplate)... lots of "big amp guys" use them. Some of them (Hotplate) mess with your tone if you turn them down too far, but it's better IMO than not being able to get your power tube distortion. And at some point the speakers don't get enough power to keep them happy, but that issue applies to any lower-volume solution.

3. An amp with a master volume, but then, again, you're not getting the most out of the power tubes.

4. An isolation speaker cab - might not be practical for your situation, but it will let you play the amp LOUD.

5. A dummy load/power amplifier "re-amp" setup.

I use scenario #5 with my Hiwatt 100 and it sounds great. Very little difference between the re-amp and going straight in to the cab. But you do have extra gear to lug around.

For your situation, I would recommend trying the Weber MASS. I've heard very good things about them - they don't trash your tone as much. The Ultimate Attenuator might be better, but it's really a dummy load/re-amplifier in a box (and much more expensive).

My $0.03

Mike

for example when i play the intro to the spirit of radio, the high E pulls off the neck, making a high pitched noise... almost like the string is too close to the edge of the fretboard.

Either the string spacing is off or the fret ends were angled/rounded off too much... or you are dragging/pulling the string too far sideways when you perform the pulloff. Or all three.

Try keeping your fingers more perpendicular to the fretboard, and use more of a "bouncing" motion when you perform the hammer-on/pull-off vs. letting your fingers slide off the edge of the neck.

I can make my high E do that (especially with that riff), but it's not a problem if I play the thing right.

Even though we operate in a country where people often make very little money, we pay our workers and artists about three times the going rate. This is because we want to keep our good people and also because it is the right thing to do.

We also help our workers with cash when they have problems, medical, family ect.

They also get good a good bonus for major holidays and we buy the meals while they are working.

Andy, very cool.

+1

DePaule = excellent quality + great service.

I'm 35, but I stopped feeling different as I aged, at about 19. Not a bad thing at all.

(Eh, except when I participate in any kind of physically demanding sport... in which case my body reminds me I'm not in fact 19 anymore.)

I resemble that remark, except +9 years...

Only three more years 'til the last kid graduates high school ... my wife and I started early.

Well, let me ask this: is there a significant difference between nitro spray cans and acrylic spray cans in this respect?

Nitro might have a higher VOC content... but I think you'll be fine. Just ventilate well and often, and avoid any arcing events while there are concentrated fumes about.

Once you've evacuated the fumes you should be ok to turn things back on. Shouldn't take more 10 minutes or so, but it's best to keep the ventilation going while the nitro gasses off. Just plan on a slightly higher electric bill.

Ideally you'd have a spray booth with sealed light fixtures, explosion proof fan, etc...

But if you're careful, and spraying just one guitar, you can get by with tarping off the room and providing some sort of continuous forced ventilation. The main thing is to keep any arcing devices (switches, thermostats) outside the spray area. Overhead incandescent lights shouldn't be a problem, unless you've got dodgy wiring or bad sockets (in that case don't sleep in the house either ). It's tough to inspect the finish with only natural light.

(Now, if les pompiers have to show up, you didn't hear any of this from me...)

Mike

George L's are the best I've tried. I A/B'd several, including a Planet Waves and found that the G-L had better detail and a bit more high end clarity... a little more "air" to it. They're supposed to be low capacitance cables. Whether you hear the difference or not probably depends a lot on your amp. It's kind of a subtle thing.

Of course, sometimes you might want a "bad" cable to attenuate some high end - like Hendrix' Strat plugged into a JTM45/100 with everything set on "10".

That is really sad news.

I had only a little contact with Unclej, but Scott's description of him sounds exactly like the guy I imagined. A true gentleman.

Johnny sold me a very nice brazilian rosewood board a few months ago and said, "make something pretty with it".

Thanks, brother. I'll remember you when I'm carving that neck.

Rest in peace, and God bless.

Mike

Eats Traynors for breakfast. Marshalls for lunch.

(just kidding) :D

Thanks for the kind words, guys. I'll try tracking something a little more coherent... maybe when I re-learn how to play.

It really does sound much better in person. That was recorded with two tubes pulled, which is a little different sound than the full 100 watts. I have to use the loadbox for that, at least until I have a cab that can handle the whole smash.

Mike

Well, FWIW - here's a little bashing and noodling and general slop... iWatt demo

Inputs jumped, both @ 10

Bass @ 5.5

Middle @ 8

Treble @ 4.5

Presence @ 4.5

Master @ 9

RFT/Siemens EL34 (2 tubes pulled)

Siemens ECC83 @ V1-V3, Mullard CV4024 @ V4

Marshall 1936 cab w/ G12H-30 Anniversary reissues

Close-mic'd SM57 slightly off-axis

A wee bit of eq/compression/reverb added in ProTools

Warmoth PRS clone w/ SD '59 humbuckers + vintage singlecoil

A little experimenting with settings & mic placement would likely provide a better representation... along with a more qualified operator.

There's some hum/buzz on the brilliant channel that I have to chase down.

Mike

Every can of nitro lac I've ever bought (and that's a lot )...is yellow (some may call it amber).

True dat. Behlen's says "pale yellow nitrocellulose lacquer" right on the tin.

I'm guessing ferrules.

No way... ferrules take 6 hours!