Geo
-
Posts
1,097 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
News and Information
Tutorials
Product Reviews
Supplier Listings
Articles
Guitar Of The Month
Links and Resources
Forums
Gallery
Downloads
Everything posted by Geo
-
Three More Strandberg Ergonomic Guitars
Geo replied to Strandberg Guitarworks's topic in In Progress and Finished Work
The Strat version is genius! Amazing look you have there. My only suggestion is that aesthetically, the head might look better if it somehow blended a "normal Strat headstock" and "headlessness", if you know what I mean. I know you're just using a Squier neck for now, but it just came to mind. -
It's probably the pot. I would just replace it. They do weird things when they break.
-
Pure class with a little bling..... aww yyeeaaahhh!!! Great work.
-
Some Questions About Oil Finish (danish Or Tru)
Geo replied to ShadesOfGrey's topic in Inlays and Finishing Chat
Just leave the cavities unfinished, then you don't have to worry about whether the tape will stick or not. -
Interesting discussion! That article really clarifies things. I think I'm going to try better shielding in this guitar. Side note... the "ungrounded noise" I'm getting is definitely a buzz, not a hum. 120Hz and harmonics of that. I don't hear any 60Hz, and I would, because I keep my lows cranked on my amp, hehe. I should add: I get a crackly sound (i.e. intermittent buzz) when sliding to a different position on a string, with my playing hand off the strings. Again, this seems to indicate that the coating is intermittently preventing me from being grounded (whether I am a capacitor or an antenna. )
-
I think this sums it up. I am an antenna collecting and radiating EMI. If I'm not grounded, I'm live, and feeding EMI into the guitar. If I'm grounded, the EMI all goes to ground, hence the lack of buzz. The strings being grounded is just the simplest way to get my big antenna ass grounded. I could wear a wrist band with a wire connected to ground and the guitar would never buzz, even with my hands off the strings (ignoring single-coil hum etc.). That's my understanding anyway (basically what Elmo is saying).
-
I believe so. Touching the portion of the string between the ball end and the bridge saddle removes the buzz, so the coating is not on the whole string, just the playing portion.
-
My understanding is that the coating is preventing my body from joining the ground circuit, allowing me to act as an antenna radiating interference into the guitar (same scenario as with an ungrounded bridge). The entire metal string is grounded--I know this because the ball-ends are touching the bridge, and because touching the tuners removes the buzz. It's the coating on the playing length of the string that keeps me from touching ground. The wraps at the far ends of the string are not coated, and touching the far ends of the string removes the buzz.
-
+1, just keep the glue out of the fret slots.
-
Good score on the wood, I'm jealous! Fender necks are flatsawn maple. Quartersawn is more stable with changes in humidity/temperature. It's up to you, but if flatsawn maple works on millions of guitars, you should be fine with that. Regardless, you're set with neck blanks for a few upcoming projects there.
-
Yeah, either the nut or bridge will have to move. If you do your research and plan it all out on paper, there's no reason it shouldn't work. Does it sound like a lot of unnecessary work? Would keeping the 25.5" be simpler? Yes, but you want to learn, so I say go for it. You'll definitely learn a lot.
-
Just to continue this investigation... as the strings are breaking in, the buzz is getting quieter. Perhaps the coating is breaking down and I am making more contact with the grounded part of the string.
-
Good luck! Take your time. Shoot for perfection, but don't expect it!
-
Personally, I would start over and use this board for something with a wider neck (if I understand your problem). It's just easier to make something right the first time rather than trying to make it fit something else.
-
No, I know what you're saying. That was my exact thought--there must be some part of the string that ISN'T coated and thus could be grounded. Well, yes, the core of the string is grounded by the ball-ends (this is a traditional P bridge). I know this because touching the tuners eliminates the buzz, as does touching the string behind the saddle, where the playing wraps end. The kicker is, the part of the string that you play on is coated, so even though the core is grounded (and I'm sure the wraps are too), the coating is coming between my fingers and the grounded metal of the string. There is no solution, other than scraping off the coating between the pickup and bridge, or getting normal strings.
-
Nice video! I was wondering how you would actually play that thing. I would just play it sitting down. Then you won't hurt yourself. You could have a lot of fun with this using multiple amps.
-
Me, either. And I honestly don't think it's really possible. Even if the shielding is perfect, your body is still an antenna picking up all that junk. The moment you touch the strings (if the bridge isn't grounded), the junk goes into the strings, the pickup will pick it up through the strings, and the shielding isn't going to do any good... or that's my theory. Forgot to add... I heard back from Elixir:
-
Probably true, but I have never been able to shield a guitar to the point of eliminating all noise. Usually I just get it to a low level I can live with, and part of that is grounding the bridge. It honestly isn't too bad; when I start playing and gettin' funky , I don't really notice it. I think in a band setting, with cymbals sounding in the same freq range, it should be fine.
-
Have a little more faith in your jigsaw! Just make sure you use a new blade. I find that 10 TPI (teeth per inch) blades work best for cutting hardwood more than ~1/2" thick. The blade should be about 3" long. I use an old Black and Decker jigsaw (so old it's orange, not black!). It's gotta be from the 80's. It hasn't failed me yet (although I have heard stories of them exploding). I have cut out about 5 guitar bodies and neck profiles with it--probably gone through about that many blades. The trick with the jigsaw is not to push it. Let the teeth do the cutting, not your arm. If the saw gets stuck and you see black sawdust, back off, you're burning the wood. Go slow, practice, and leave about 1/8" around whatever cut you're making, because the saw won't cut perpendicular to the top surface of the piece (the blade swings from side to side).
-
Fancier Scarfs - Adding Laminates
Geo replied to Johnny Foreigner's topic in Solidbody Guitar and Bass Chat
Nothing wrong with using poplar as neck wood. I've made several necks from poplar, and never had one twist, bend, or break. I don't see why a piece of poplar couldn't be used in this situation Ditto, I have a poplar-necked-guitar that's been fine so far (a year and 4 months old). Needs a truss-rod tweak with changing seasons, but what guitar doesn't, where I live? -
Exactly what I've been thinking. I just wish I had thought about this before spending $45 on them. Interestingly, I haven't had this problem at all on my electric guitars, which are currently strung with Elixirs. Oh well, live and learn.... Thanks for the help.
-
I tested the string with my multimeter. Set to the 20k range, with a probe on each end of the string (playing part of the string where the coating is), I read infinite resistance.
-
Didn't realize that isn't a normally marked fret... I thought you were complaining about double versus single dots... sorry, it's been a rough morning!
-
I hope you guys are joking....
-
Thanks! The body is actually fairly large and it balances just fine. Probably an optical illusion with the pictures. I wish I had known that before I dropped $45 on those strings. What's weird is that if I press the string down about 1/4", between the pickup and the bridge, I become grounded and the buzz goes away. So it must be stretching it and letting my skin touch a deeper part of the string that is grounded.