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Post by b4nj0 on Feb 3, 2020 7:18:28 GMT -5
This isn't boring frets- it's great (or nutz!)
May I enquire? are these of two layered spiral construction or multi layered flat?
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Post by b4nj0 on Jan 24, 2020 19:05:40 GMT -5
The rubber bulb sucker gets a thumbs up from me too. I can't control the recoil on those piston types.
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Post by b4nj0 on Jan 24, 2020 10:09:43 GMT -5
I use a Peterson V-Sam and Strobostomp. Both are excellent, especially the latter. Once you become accustomed to strobe tuners you usually don't want anything else. I do feel that taking into account the asking prices, Peterson do rather "Trade on the name", but they are far from alone there. I believe most "Pro" guitar "techs" use strobe tuners, but that may just be a même.
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Post by b4nj0 on Jan 17, 2020 5:29:43 GMT -5
I have one of the Guitar Centre "Guitar of the Month" Gibsons from 2007. It's the Zebrawood Firebird. It's a beast and love it, but it clearly came to me unsullied from the manufactory (via someone else that couldn't get on with it) and I have to say the thing was disgraceful. I have played around with it and it's a little better. I swapped out the hideous chrome for nickel hardware. You can see obvious clones on DHGate that look awesome (albeit the maple winged one they also did that year) for a fraction of the Gibson price and I really don't believe they could be set up any worse than my USA instrument. Being just one guitar (and the only Gibson I possess) my 'bird is an unrepresentative example of Gibson quality, but I think you can guess where I'm going with this ...1/10 of the price? Hmmm. I agree that you should audition a few and choose the one that speaks to you personally, and any wise person would concur in my view.
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Post by b4nj0 on Jan 7, 2020 4:06:39 GMT -5
I really dislike the way Tapatalk slides in advertisements that look superficially like posts. I keep falling for it.
I still use the original Proboards Android app, but there are many problems with it and despite paying for the "Pro" version of it to be rid of adverts, they ceased to support it about four years ago. I use several work-arounds and it is tiresome to say the least but it's still preferable to Tapatalk.
What really gets me is when threads and posts collapse to just the first line in the Proboards app, and when I select the option to view in a browser, the low-lifes throw up a nag screen to cancel my ad blocker. I think it's related to displaying some of the larger images.
I'll go with a browser if the Proboards app fails completely because I dislike the Proboards lack of support. They took the money soon enough. If I paid up for ad-free Tapatalk, they'd just stop supporting that down the line.
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Post by b4nj0 on Dec 30, 2019 12:40:30 GMT -5
I've experienced some of those mega cheap-o switches. I bought several batches on eBay from the land of the rising yuan. It was a bit of a lottery- with some the thread stripped on the facia nut while tightening, with others the toggle fell off and even the whole switch disintegrated on a couple. My failure rate was about 7 out of 10, and I keep wondering about the survivors. Given that those switches are all likely to be made in the same factories, I would now look upon all of them with distrust. They all look alike to me and it's no surprise. Years ago they looked pretty much the same, but they definitely weren't.
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Post by b4nj0 on Dec 22, 2019 9:19:53 GMT -5
Have you excluded the pig tailsby measuring right at the eyelets? If as you say no output on a tap test and testing open circuit, look at those eyelets for a break. You may get lucky but you'll need even more to reconnect it. I'd need a magnifying glass! Otherwise, I guess it must be open somewhere in the winding. Thousands of turns but which one where? I kind of think that having established that much then I'd be filing it under "B" for bin but other folk are more determined than me. I too have a circa 1980 SD 1/4 pounder, so perhaps it's a ticking time bomb?
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Post by b4nj0 on Dec 18, 2019 14:19:24 GMT -5
Someone ought to explain that to lightning.
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Post by b4nj0 on Dec 12, 2019 3:18:28 GMT -5
It is sometimes held that a car battery is in essence little more than an enormous capacitor. Well anything with opposing polarities held separate satisfies that criterion and low leakage capacitors are indeed used for short term memory retention, but with all that in mind, I always thought of the Leyden Jar (or more simply the "Jar") as an earlier (if not the original) measure of capacitance? I shall revise that impression if the Jar was also a unit of electromotive force. This demonstrates to me that I'm not immune from holding unfounded ideas! Step forward Mr. Leyden!
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Post by b4nj0 on Dec 8, 2019 13:50:04 GMT -5
I was left with no option than to use a Weller 100 Watt gun to change the gold cover in favour of a nickel one on a P90. When I reassembled it there was no audio output and you can guess what I first thought? However, I had approached it with the logic of a degausser which works by decaying hysterisis loops as you gradually move the magnetic field away from the head, so I held that gun stationary when I finished the soldering. In the end it turned out to be a switched amplifier input socket used on the guitar by the maker and the tab I really wanted was obscured from view beneath wood. It rang out OK but no sound <when plugged in> which really had me scratching my head. From my unrepresentative experience I would hazard a guess that you may be OK, but the general approach still ought to be one of avoiding soldering guns near magnets.
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Post by b4nj0 on Dec 7, 2019 12:29:15 GMT -5
The amp guy.
RMS is "root-mean-square" (or more properly "square-mean-root" ...)
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Post by b4nj0 on Dec 7, 2019 8:17:45 GMT -5
The YouTube video was pretty good and the guy spoke a lot of sense, but I thought he confused average with RMS at one stage?
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Post by b4nj0 on Dec 6, 2019 16:28:14 GMT -5
Entropy. Dust unto dust. Everything succumbs to the Second Law of Thermodynamics eventually (even radio active isotypes have a half life) and magnets are not immune whichever brew they're distilled from. If we look at it from a human perspective, it seems fair to guess that some magnet types would retain their strength for longer than others and I think that is what your question implies? I don't keep such league tables in my head but Google will no doubt assist there. As I think you suspected, knocks will speed up the process.
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Post by b4nj0 on Dec 6, 2019 16:17:05 GMT -5
I always assumed digital multimeters are very high impedance since they don't load the circuit under test. Moving coil meters are of low(er) impedance. Good examples of the latter are AVO 8s which are 20K ohms per volt and although they do load the circuit a little, often we can ignore it. (This doesn't apply to AVO 7s which are (from memory) 1K ohm per volt.
El cheapo moving coil meters frequently hover around 1K ohm per volt too (well they always used to) and like the AVO 7 do need consideration for circuit loading. I'm thinking of those 5 bucks Radio Shack abominations.) For general guitar work pretty much anything is useful (or at least better than nothing) but digital meters can be so inexpensive that unless there is a perceived need for reading unstable measurements, there's little point in a moving coil meter. Bearing that in mind, look for a digital bar graph facility in any digital meter (and ideally a display peak lock facility too.)
My own preference would be for an old Fluke 7X series- preferably a model 77, but like all old and venerable gear, they do command an unrealistically high price on eBay. It would lack many of the capabilities of modern DVMs but that wouldn't be a consideration for me. I have used an old (and accurate) Robin 4.5 digit non auto-ranging meter for well over 20 years. Unusually it came with a traceable calibration certificate which has long since expired. It's worth noting that "digital" doesn't automatically imply accuracy.
I never get out my trusty AVO 8. Stupid batteries inside those old warriors!
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Post by b4nj0 on Dec 3, 2019 3:43:45 GMT -5
Has the thought of trying an ultrasonic bath crossed your mind? They sound as though they'd be a bit techie and expensive, but they can be had for very low dollars on eBay, priced dependent upon capacity and we'd only need a small one for this purpose. There's a cleaning fluid for them too but we don't want to introduce anything else into the mix. Jewellers use them to clean tiny crevices in jewellery. Horologists use them for wristwatch parts too. Just a thought.
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Post by b4nj0 on Nov 26, 2019 6:36:41 GMT -5
The Sperzel staggered height tuners are supposed to remove the requirement for string trees. I found that it didn't work and reluctantly had to screw in a "tree" on a Warmoth neck. A good idea in theory. I also like the (several) string windings to help increase the break angle over the nut. I guess there's just as many ways to swing a cat.
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Post by b4nj0 on Nov 23, 2019 8:33:05 GMT -5
I base my approach as an evolution of the Leo-type Kluson slot method. I thought how can I duplicate that on conventional capstans? I allow 1.5>2 times the space between machine heads extra, make a 90° bend and snip off the rest. Then make the short length after the bend sit flush to the capstan (instead of disappear ing down that coaxial hole) and take up the slack. This never slips and ensures the spike is prevented from accidentally stabbing a finger. It looks really neatly finished too. I do struggle with slotted headstocks, any tips gratefully received.
It is of note that Trevor Wilkinson designed "locking" tuners by putting two holes through the capstans at a right angle to each other. This is just so simple and it works perfectly. It also proves that old adage about the engineer being the fella that can achieve something for a dime that any fool can do with five bucks. I still like Sperzels though.
Manufacturers don't have time to fanny around with fussy methods so they go around the capstan once, tuck under and in so doing trap the string. Sharp stabbing points, no thanks, but who keeps manufacturer's strings on the instrument for long, so whatever.
I love Sperzels me. I have them on around six instruments. They are superb examples of American engineering and ingenuity at its best. Zero detectable back lash and ergonomic function. I still allow at least two turns on Sperzels because I swap tunings frequently and repeatedly moving that first bend through the hole in the capstan flexes the string in a way that leads to premature failure. Just one turn ensures that can't happen. If just missionary position standard tuning is only ever deployed, then pull through, lock and twist is fine, and on stage in a panic you can swap out in 15-20 seconds- it can't be beat. Is all.
I don't subscribe to this string stretching stuff. Why would you treat your fingers to a cheese cutter experience when you already have a machine head to do the exact same thing? For me, this settling in is all about slight and barely visible curves in the strings each side of the fulcrums. Look at new strings and you can just see it. The string undergoes elastic deformation at first and then it gives up the struggle and exhibits plastic deformation with abrupt changes in string path. We can speed this up by pushing the string down each side of the nut and the saddle(s). This works.
I use some strings (Newtone resonator) that are wound on circular cross section cores, and these you don't cut to length prior to installation or they unravel slightly and appear dead. Once again, a little right angled bend stops the unravelling and still allows fitting to a slotted Kluson. DR Strings do some round core strings, but the instruction not to trim is hidden being printed on the inside of the cardboard packet. That's plain dumb and needs calling out.
All my acoustics are routinely left in preferred tuning CGCGCD and this takes a lot of the tension off. I have done this for at least twenty years and I have zero bellying behind the bridges. I've never had to contemplate a neck reset either, even on my Tacoma Guild F512. It's no trouble to tune up to standard and never unstable as a result. While related to tuning stability, this of course is for another thread,
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Post by b4nj0 on Nov 19, 2019 9:48:02 GMT -5
Henry Juskiewicz's next project ...
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Post by b4nj0 on Nov 18, 2019 6:23:24 GMT -5
Well I'm not clear on this but that's exactly as it should be. I'll say again though, good to have you back C1. I hope your circumstances continue to improve.
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Post by b4nj0 on Oct 16, 2019 10:02:48 GMT -5
It's a fine line between the actions of Photochucket and those bottom feeders that encrypt files and demand bitcoin to restore them. Both are holding a metaphorical gun to folks' head. Photochucket has just conjured up a way to do it legally, but the ulterior motive is pretty much the same. I fear that they are just the vanguard trail blazers.
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Post by b4nj0 on Oct 13, 2019 7:42:20 GMT -5
Could it be that reTrEaD was closest with his cable offering? You say you're using a "jack to jack" as you always have done. I've suspected all along, but now I'm leaning heavier towards the possibility that your "jack to jack" is a TS cable and the input you always grab on the mixer is a TRS which is perhaps carrying phantom power? Can you confirm that the mixer's phantom power is off? It could be fighting against the battery power on the preamp? As I said- I think this is what reTrEaD was alluding to, but a rare case of where a picture didn't replace a thousand words? Apologies if I've surmised incorrectly.
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Post by b4nj0 on Oct 11, 2019 13:14:13 GMT -5
I thought of that too SG, but he *did* write that it's working fine into an amplifier input ...
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Post by b4nj0 on Oct 11, 2019 2:17:58 GMT -5
That 45-50% rule of thumb seems to be fairly de-riguer (not to mention good common sense) and stands the test of time, but my Yamaha Pacfica 912 has 36% body and 64% neck and she plays and sounds real beaut. Yamaha even used it as a USP for some reason.
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Post by b4nj0 on Oct 5, 2019 13:32:55 GMT -5
Watch out for cavity depth with Super Switches. They are problematic with some Asian Leo types sporting low-dollar thin bodies, so it's worth checking out before hand. Also, I've heard tell of reliability issues with them, but I've used two Super Switches with Mike Richardson's design and had no problems.
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Post by b4nj0 on Sept 2, 2019 5:24:15 GMT -5
Could it be the same method as those Fender "flame" finished guitars that fooled everyone at the time?
I watched a video series on everyone's favourite clip repository where the guy used the fabric and lacquer method. It wasn't as straightforward as you'd think and as noted lots of clear had to be layered on over the top. I'm not that struck on Paisley finishes per-se, but the timber and colour choices (lack of lilac tones!) in your new squeeze make me look on them anew because your's really does work very well indeed. Nice!
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Post by b4nj0 on Aug 24, 2019 5:55:15 GMT -5
I can see that too, but I reckon Mary Kaye must be rotating in her grave.
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Post by b4nj0 on Aug 7, 2019 1:59:02 GMT -5
..."Would that be "Yasgur's Farm", perchance?
Max Yasgur owned the farmland where Woodstock 1 was held. The band Mountain (Leslie West) even wrote a tune about the place and event, on the 1970 album Climbing." ...
And dear Joni name-checked it in her eponymous song about the event too. Sorry if I confused you regarding Yasker's / Yasgur's farm SG. I was certainly confused by my own ears, but I somehow managed to get by being so addled these last five decades ;<D
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Post by b4nj0 on Aug 6, 2019 7:15:11 GMT -5
No Jimi, no cigar. Call it sumptin' else.
From time to time I go and see tribute bands. Generally speaking they're pretty good or at least far less disappointing than the wrinklies, if only because they're only too happy to trot out what the punters expect to see and hear. I'm kind of surprised that any of the performers from Yasker's Farm would even consider becoming involved with it.
Another day, another dollar. At least Ms. Hendrix won't get a chance to milk it like everything else ...
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Post by b4nj0 on Jul 27, 2019 17:40:45 GMT -5
Some thoughts: did you ease off the strings for transit? Also- ensured that the strings cannot bump on the case innards? Such impacts are not conducive to cone health! My cone measures 8 thou' in thickness.
Internal mics on resos can be very boomy and piezos don't really capture the reso *tone*. Well a Highlander gets part way there but I don't think you'll be aiming for one of those. Check out Sixtus pickups. I have a DPA installed inside mine and I confess it's a work in progress. If you do go the internal mic route like I have done, It'll work far better above the cone just beneath the cover plate. Try playing notes and putting your thumb over the "F" hole circles- you'll soon get why an external mic is the way to go.
In my admittedly very limited experience, the best way to amplify a resonator is with a good ole SM57 and the skill to know how to "work" the mic.
I'd be interested to know whether it has a neck stick and requisite "mushroom" supports. Also whether the cone is spun or stamped. The break angle over the biscuit can be fairly critical to driving the cone or choking it. In that light, "understringing" on the tailpiece should be avoided if only by mistake ... As well, disturbing the cone should be avoided which means restringing one at a time. If all strings have to come off when you want to go inside, gradually release the tension on the strings equally. Same when stringing up again. Sorry if this is teaching you to suck eggs.
If it sounds as good as it looks you're onto a winner. When I first got my reso I think I barely played anything else for a couple of years. They can be very beguiling. Enjoy it John- they're a lot of fun.
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Post by b4nj0 on Jul 27, 2019 4:19:06 GMT -5
Several years ago I went along to an Autographica event at a Heathrow Airport hotel. I queued for an hour and paid £60 to grip and grin with Beano sporting his Nomex jacket. What a gent in the purest sense of the word. What a simply lovely man. Made my day /decade etc. Rest in peace Alan. With a signed photograph safely under my arm, and a couple of snaps on my "smart" 'phone, I was almost elated with the frisson. I had a little video clip too but I deleted it in a drunken moment. I paid a little more to attend his lecture /Q&A afterwards which was also brilliant. I had just left Bruce McCandless signing photos for folk and was headed for the lecture theatre when I encountered Beano on his way too. We chatted along the corridor until some minders propelled me away at the last moment in front of the stage door. Those of us that were around at the time of the moon missions (I was twelve and well aware of the enormity of it all) were left with a lifelong wonder at the achievement. Those were indeed heady times. Everyone needs an angle I guess, but I feel genuinely sorry for BIMLACs.
There on the other side of the hall from where Beano signed my photograph was Buzz scribbling away. He wanted several hundred for his scrawl and should you be unlucky enough to rock up with a photo' already benefitting from Neil and Michael's moniker, the price spiralled up to around £700. I gave him the swerve on principle.
On the day I embarked upon my seventh decade, SWMBO bought me a Speedmaster. It all makes sense to me, rather like joining up the dots. I have a friend that lives near New Oyunz and who worked as an engineer for the *real* NASA (his words). For me it's better than great to exchange ideas with him.
After Neil died, his wife was interviewed and one thing she said was "when you look up and see a full moon, give a little wink for Neil" (my memory- not a quote) and I always do that now.
Great thread. Sorry for wittering on a bit ...
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