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Post by StratLover on May 19, 2005 14:23:46 GMT -5
I felt compelled to open up a thread that will allow us to gripe, complain, or otherwise let it ALL go. This will allow for a more focused set of threads and give those that need the help a lot less to read before finally getting the answers they need. ;D Correct usage of the English language needs to be used here and the respect of others, their opinions, views and stands on certain things are required at all times as well. So if you feel the need.............over a project that has got you down , or a piece of your equipment blows up in your face, , or you are just generally having a bad-hair-day. "Let the Nuts hear about it here".
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Post by bam on May 19, 2005 20:08:22 GMT -5
I think the last sentence should be "Let the Nuts™ hear about it here."
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Post by StratLover on May 19, 2005 23:31:34 GMT -5
AND IT WAS DONE------------thanxx "bam"
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Post by jdtogo on May 20, 2005 13:17:38 GMT -5
sounds like a great place to let it go . so I will start with strings . I have been looking for a set of D'Addario Electric Guitar Half Round Stainless Regular Lite, .010 - .046 . ok so I go to guitar center and the guy looks at me like i'm nuts ....we don't have them but maybe we can get them for in 2 weeks (2 weeks ! ) ok go for it . 3 weeks later no strings , no call . so I look on the internet yes alot of them ...but shipping is more then the cost of the strings . so to get one set of strings it would cost about 14.00 bucks . I know its only 14.00 bucks . but I just want to try them and for 5 bucks ok not out much ...... but 14.00 no way . so if any one has a place to buy them for me I would be glad to pay you for the strings and the 3 stamps to mail them . . somrtime when your looking for a sound ( tone) you need to try out new strings .
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Post by StratLover on May 20, 2005 17:24:45 GMT -5
Really burns a person up does'nt it "jdtogo". I got a couple of things off eBay for repair jobs and I have yet to receive them. Grrrrrrrrrr! AW BOLONEY! I'll get back to you on this one. I think there is a source for a 3-pack for around the $12.50 range, and $2.00 shipping charge. Heck if you don't like them, you can afford to either throw them in the "86" file or use them for fishing leaders at that price. ;D
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Post by jdtogo on May 20, 2005 19:45:15 GMT -5
Really burns a person up does'nt it "jdtogo". I got a couple of things off eBay for repair jobs and I have yet to receive them. Grrrrrrrrrr! AW BOLONEY! I'll get back to you on this one. I think there is a source for a 3-pack for around the $12.50 range, and $2.00 shipping charge. Heck if you don't like them, you can afford to either throw them in the "86" file or use them for fishing leaders at that price. ;D ok "StratLover" let me know for that price it would be ok .
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Post by wolf on May 22, 2005 17:10:25 GMT -5
I think everyone will agree with this one.
It seems as though all pickup manufacturers have a huge line of pickups (usually dozens) and yet there's just one generic description used by all the manufacturer's for all of their pickups.
"The 'Fly-by-Night 3000' was designed for the guitar player that wants a punchier kind of sound. We increased the low frequency response but without sacrificing those distinctive mid-range tones. And we took care to retain that high frequency "bite" that lets you cut through the noise for sizzling solos.
A high output, full-powered pickup for those that need that extra power when it's called for. Oh but don't get the idea that the 'Fly-by-Night 3000' is just some kind of screaming, amplifier-bending crunch monster. It can sweetly "sing" with acoustic precision yet still can get "down and dirty" with the best of them.
For those that want a smooth, full, warm sound that doesn't sacrifice the cutting, high frequency, glass-shattering attack and can still deliver on those precious and much sought-after mid-range harmonics, the 'Fly-by-Night 3000' is the pickup for you."
Does this sound like every pickup description you have ever read?
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Post by jdtogo on May 22, 2005 17:58:15 GMT -5
;D ;D ;D right on the mark wolf !
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Post by wolf on May 22, 2005 20:39:55 GMT -5
jdtogo Thanks ;D
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Post by bam on May 22, 2005 21:01:18 GMT -5
I'm seconding jdtogo ;D ;D ;D
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Post by StratLover on May 22, 2005 21:16:43 GMT -5
I third that fellas! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Post by GuyaGuy on May 23, 2005 3:29:11 GMT -5
hey, wolf, i happen to HAVE the "Fly-by-Night 3000" and let me just say, it does all they say it does. just make sure you get the older model that they don't make any more, because the new ones NEVER sound as good as the ones that they don't make anymore! ;D
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Post by wolf on May 23, 2005 13:43:28 GMT -5
GuyaGuy No the new pickups, amps, guitars, picks, strings, ferrules, tuners, pickguards, bridges, capacitors, potentiometers, guitar straps, guitar cords, fret material, fingerboards, and headstocks are NEVER like those originals which are no longer made. I have heard of a company in Redondo Beach that makes a Vintage copy of the "Fly-By-Night 3000". To achieve that precious tone they had to manufature the same wire used in the original. They even went so far as to make their own copper smelter to ensure the wire would be preceisely the same as the original. They also made their blast furnace to exact specifications so that they could make magnets that would have the same exact percentages of metals as in the originals. They even built their own magnetizer to reproduce that same complex magnetic structure found in the original. They sell for $5,000 each ($9,500 for a matched set) - but hey you can't put a price on the pursuit of vintage tone can you? ;D
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Post by StratLover on May 23, 2005 19:08:04 GMT -5
Vintage tone is priceless, but there is a limit on what is reality for gosh sake. I think it is wonderful that this pup is being reproduced; but for what cost? The cost of a "WHOLE NEW FACTORY" and at that price they will probablly start turning a profit in about 10 years or so. Therefore it's really not cost effective in my opinion to acheive. Find an origional on eBay for a whole lot less for gosh sake!!!
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Post by wolf on May 24, 2005 1:05:46 GMT -5
StratLover In reality, it is almost insane what some guitar companies will do (for a price of course). I happened to notice that the Fender Custom Shop is offering a limited edition 1954 Stratocaster. "Every aspect of the original is replicated......." And since it is a limited edition, order yours while supplies last for a mere $3,780.00. Yes, they are practically giving these away.
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Post by GuyaGuy on May 24, 2005 1:26:00 GMT -5
StratLover, in case you didn't catch on, wolf and i were just joking, carrying on his critique of PU marketing and how crazy the guitar gear market can be. (unless you were joking, too, in which case the joke is on ME!)
but seriously, wolf is pretty much accurate with his PU description. i've wondered in the past why they bother writing copy when it all reads the same. maybe they don't; maybe they just swich it around a bit--a bit of cut & paste.
and i'm often bewildered by how some companies sell pickups. they'll advertise a HB as having the "classic '57 sound" but it'll have a ceramic magnet. and they'll have 5 or 6 other models, all of which nail that "classic HB sound."
at some point while pickup-shopping, i thought to myself, "isn't a pickup just a few magnets with some copper wire wrapped around em?" and i answered myself, "yes. yes, it is." that's when i decided to buy a set of mighty mite strat PUs, which are some of the cheapest alnicos money can buy. i got em for $11 each new on ebay. and basically they equal any strat pickup i've heard. obiously that's a matter of taste/needs/style/degree of tone deafness/etc., but the truth is, it doesn't take much to make a PU. now, i'd be willing to pay extra for some thing that is hand-wound, nails the exact sound i want, is patented and only made by one company like kinmans. but in general EVERYBODY makes the same pickups, more or less. they all do exactly what wolf's ad copy says (or so we're to believe). they all try to nail that "vintage tone." well, at least 75% of em do. so, why are a lot of em so expensive? i don't know. but if they ARE, the company can at least EXPLAIN why they are worth the extra $, how they actually do sound different from other PUs, and why i shouldn't buy mighty mites, which are 1/4 of the price!
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Post by bam on May 24, 2005 2:06:57 GMT -5
uh, wolf, about the '54 Strat replica..
.. I think I've read somewhere that "..even the wore-off neck finish and the rusts onthe metal parts are faithfully replicated"
..triple :lol:
and Guya, I deftly agree with you. They're all "magnets with some copper wire wrapped around em". The matter lies only within the number of windings and the type/size of magnets and poles/rails, right ?
Well, let's move on to the next joke..
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Post by StratLover on May 24, 2005 8:20:34 GMT -5
OK here goes......Once upon a time there was a guitarist............LOL ;D Seriously guys if more people would realize the facts you two have just so profoundly stated, we could do a lot more JOKING AROUND. I recently found a site that has all the goods to make your own pups. I sent for the literature and should receive it soon. I have done just about everything except winding my own pups and if it seems remotely decent, I think I'm going to give it a try. I need to do a little more research on the values of such pups that were mentioned and who knows.............it might be in building your own.
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Post by wolf on May 24, 2005 11:10:42 GMT -5
StratLover Of course I realize you were just joking around. I just decided to cite a real world example of how crazy the guitar world can get. Who knows? Maybe in 2055, the Fender Corporation will release a limited 50th anniversary reissue edition of the Fender 1954 Stratocaster 2005 reissue. "We did our best to ensure that all parts were faithfully manufactured to guarantee you will have an authentic imitation of a 50th anniversary copy of the 1954 Strat. In that way, you know you are getting the real thing."
Oh and since you returned to the subject of pickups, here's something I completely forgot. If it's a single coil, it "still can deliver that humbucker sound". And if it's a humbucker, it's "versatile enough to cry with the sweet single coil sound of the Fender Strat."
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Post by StratLover on May 24, 2005 13:09:55 GMT -5
Nothing is going to replace the OLD SCHOOL hand made instruments, prior to the assemply line method, when everything from the body to the fret specs to the number of windings on PICKUPS were determined solely by HUMAN HANDS and ABILITIES. No matter how hard they try, mass production, computer driven tooling and even the Custom Build Shops of today: "The art of guitar manufacturing is becoming a rare trade that only a select few are truly capable of doing from raw materials to finished product." I cherish my older instruments with a passion, and I am fortunate enough to have been able to acquire them prior to the prices for such instruments skyrocketing as they have over the last 6-8 years.
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Post by jdtogo on May 24, 2005 14:08:01 GMT -5
they even found some old paint in the back room from 1954 hey its the real thing .
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Post by StratLover on May 24, 2005 19:31:19 GMT -5
Ha HA HAaaaaaaaa ;D ;D ;D
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Post by GuyaGuy on May 25, 2005 0:48:10 GMT -5
Maybe in 2055, the Fender Corporation will release a limited 50th anniversary reissue edition of the Fender 1954 Stratocaster 2005 reissue. there was the reissue of the jagstang, the jaguar/mustang that kurt cobain co-designed. the text ran something like: "due to the popular demand of this model, fender is proud to reissue the jagstang only 4 years after the original production ceased." let me also point out that it's a reissue of a new guitar that's basically a faux vintage model. welcome to post-modernity, kids! StratLover, are you getting jason lollar's book? i recommend it. it shows not only how to build a winder and how to use it but also what specs different PUs have.
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Post by StratLover on May 25, 2005 7:50:15 GMT -5
Send me alink or post it because I am convinced that I can build pups, I just NEED some more knowlege prior to the actual undertaking.--- - - --- I'll check the 2 book stores here, but I am certain they won't have it or be able to order it either.
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Post by GuyaGuy on May 26, 2005 1:30:00 GMT -5
lollar's site is here: www.lollarguitars.com/and the book is here: www.lollarguitars.com/winding_book.htmas it shows, it's out of print. the only place i've seen it for sale is stewmac: www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/Electronics:_Pickups/Basic_Pickup_Winding.html (stewmac offers the schatten winder but it's pricey.) i haven't tried pickup building, but, based on what i've read in lollar's book and elsewhere, it shouldn't be difficult for someone like you with a foundation in guitar electronics and w/ an idea of how the PU specs affect tone. i've even read of people winding them w/ a record player. (takes a while though!) so it's not hard really, just a question whether it's worth the time and effort for you, cuz it's more than is required for wiring and electronics tinkering. i think it just has to be one of those things you actually get a kick out of!
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Post by StratLover on May 26, 2005 12:39:22 GMT -5
Very COOL-- --Thanxx for the info!!! I plan on giving it a real go.......who knows I might be able to make a few bucks at this--- ---
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Post by jdtogo on May 28, 2005 7:43:23 GMT -5
is this something that would cost alot less then buying some . or is to get that right tone or just for the fun of .... I think it would be fun more then anything .
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Post by bam on May 28, 2005 23:40:03 GMT -5
.. I think it depends. Lots of people REALLY gets lots of fun in DIY, while lots of others not. Who knows if he (Stratlover) will be the Larry DiMarzio of our era ? :lol: .. At least you could start by preparing the pickup setup for now so that the tone will be as original as possible, in case if in the next 100 years your company will reissue your reissue '54 pickup reissue. (in our humour tastes, I think such thing could happen). hey, that's all joke !! (pardon me) No flames at all, ok ? ;D ;D
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Post by GuyaGuy on May 29, 2005 2:05:23 GMT -5
it's an investment to start--maybe a $100 for lollar's books and for parts for his winder. usually insulated copper wire is only sold in bulk, so that can be expensive. stewmac's started selling smaller spools. eveerything else is fairly negligible price-wise. the main thing is whether it's worth YOUR time and effort. and whether what you make will be any different than the 100's of PUs already out there. it's gotta be a labor of love!
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Post by StratLover on May 30, 2005 12:09:17 GMT -5
"jd" fun as well as function.........-- -- "bam" your too much-- -- Your humor and charasmatic wit is refreshing to say the least---;D ;D ;D--- 54 reissue of a 54 reissue............sounds like ALL of the big 5 and their hype!!!--- --- "Guya" thats what I have found, plus the potential parts for the mock-up, for a total of around $200.00 out the door, or through Cyber-Space.---;D--- Not too bad for what I am looking to do.-- -- It is only a long shot, but since I have spent a number of years SEARCHING for that true tone of the early days, and have an example of just about EVERY pup out there, I feel pretty sure I could NAIL IT in 2 or 3 tries. True labor of LOVE-- --
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