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Post by ux4484 on Jan 25, 2014 1:44:25 GMT -5
Here 'tis:
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Post by ux4484 on Jan 23, 2014 2:28:20 GMT -5
On many repeated attempts, the Celebrity is just too deep, and playing standing causes my left wrist to be at such an angle as to make my hand go numb. No such problem sitting with it. I'm sure if I lost some weight, it would help alleviate the problem. Though no such problem on my yamaha or any of the electrics. Now I'm thinkin' with my irig (And/or the micro cube), I should just give up on an acoustic, and go cheap/durable electric for travel. Possibly?... Peavey predator plus Korea Needs some cleaning, but can be had for $55 at a local pawn shop. The Bridge and tuners look like new.
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Post by ux4484 on Jan 23, 2014 2:02:21 GMT -5
At first I thought that disc on the leaf guitar was a resonator pickup, but then I looked up pics of it and realized it's just a wooden disc. I wonder how much neck dive those skate models have?
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Post by ux4484 on Jan 23, 2014 1:57:42 GMT -5
That's a good point newey, I was thinking efficiency of wiring and not of use. That would be better operationally. I'm hoping to not have to route the control cavity. I found a few affordable plates with 4 & 5 pos switches on them, and some even with the mini-toggles with a push/pull, but many of them are 250k pots. I'll probably just get a blank and build it up. I'm still scratching my head that Fender reversed the route instead of just going with a clean control plate shaped plunge, it's really not that much more wood to remove... And would have been much easier to sheild/paint (the "shielding" paint only goes up halfway from the bottom in the control cavity).
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Post by ux4484 on Jan 21, 2014 21:10:00 GMT -5
Finally decided on switching: one Mini toggle each for the neck and bridge, push-pull probably on the tone control. Mini toggles will be for S/P switching on each individual pickup and the push-pull will be for S/P switching for pickups combined. I outboarded this with jumpers already, and I'm pretty content with the variety of sounds. I may consider using a four position Tele switch to get that split coil in the bridge, but it was quite hummy outboarded. I was considering a Brent Mason type setup, but I think this has more options (and won't require any routing).
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Post by ux4484 on Jan 16, 2014 1:20:05 GMT -5
They seem to be in line with the new ones on Reverb.com
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Post by ux4484 on Jan 15, 2014 21:20:21 GMT -5
Commercially available solid-state switches are available with forward output impedances in the single digit ohm value.
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Post by ux4484 on Jan 15, 2014 21:10:19 GMT -5
Good point John, it's the same with any USB recording device, modeling pedal/amp you could buy today, but your investment being on the lower side of the scale (usually) most folks won't be too heartbroken 10 years from now. "I would look forward to 'sharing my settings with the world via the internet', or at least with the two other people who bought one." I'm constantly amazed at the abundance of shared settings for Line 6, Digitech, and even Fender (Fuse) for products costing a fraction of this guitar, I'm sure those four buyers will be very forthcoming ... If only for the post-GAS justification of the purchase. After having had tried the three above mentioned shared community resources, I always find them (the presets) lacking (intentionally I'm sure, as who really wants to share that special tone they spent hours dialing in). I just tweak them from scratch now. What I don't like about the Game Changer is the lack of having some relatively easy manual switching option (The reason I bought a Mustang III instead of a I or II). If it's just switching, why not a phone/tablet option? Wifi and a phone could be much more viable over the long haul, and give you a better gigging option (though I don't see this as a gigging instrument). I also don't care for the Wolfgang shape (The only guitar shapes from EB/MM that I really like are the Armada and the John Petrucci). I'd further this by saying MM might be better served by offering this as a option on any guitar, instead of a specific model. On a side note concerning forward compatibility, I was happy to discover that my Mustang III has more recording features with Windows 8 then it did with Windows 7. They're just not explained anywhere, you have to dig in your Windows setup to make them work.
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Post by ux4484 on Jan 13, 2014 20:06:40 GMT -5
Yeah, and on Gibby's website they say "affordable". ok, since when is 2800 USD "affordable" to any working musician? I think Gibson figures that if you're spending $2300 on a guitar, what's $500 more?
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 27, 2013 18:26:12 GMT -5
Very nice, definitely traveling music. Did you play the bass line or was it Midi'd in? Very McCartney-esque. jangly
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 27, 2013 18:19:41 GMT -5
Buying..... This damnable PRS Santana SE. Sounds good, plays good, but I just CAN'T love it. Even stripped all the finish and epoxy from it, redid it in a tung oil finish, and still can't love it. I recently passed on a PRS SE double cutaway, and I have to say, it was easy to pass on because it was... sterile. No vibe for me.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 27, 2013 18:14:34 GMT -5
I get some looks in airports with the Hofner, as it looks remarkably like some sort of short-barreled firearm in its gigbag. But the bag has an embroidered "Hofner" logo on it, so guitarists ask me about it all the time. “K-Tone” (don’t be jealous) These two comments reminded me that Ktone is also the maker of the machine gun bass: Not even worth the trouble of TRYING to bring into an airport.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 24, 2013 21:04:10 GMT -5
A joyous Holiday from bitterly cold Chicago!
Time to take down the festivus pole.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 22, 2013 1:43:31 GMT -5
We did our xmas caroling tonight (as last weekend fell apart) since it's raining and near freezing here, we hit a mall that allowed us in as we weren't collecting money. By the end of our night, my left hand was completely numb with the Celebrity (standing mostly). I thought it was age, but when we got home and everyone wanted to sing a few more (non-xmas) songs, I thought I was through with my numb left hand. I decided to grab my Yamaha APX5... I had NO problem whatsoever playing for another two hours (standing or sitting). The thinner body and flat back made it seem I hadn't been playing at all for the previous three hours (maybe the few beers helped?). I think the Celebrity with it's almost dreadnought deep body is just a poor playing angle standing. Guitar center had a Koa apx500 ( Koa version of my guitar with a tuner). I think I should go with what works.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 21, 2013 4:15:40 GMT -5
Yea, I resisted. another one of his buds grabbed it a few days later. He asked me first I think because I'm more reliable financially (i.e. he would have got his money up front).
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 21, 2013 4:12:03 GMT -5
Well, I haven't been in there since, and they are closing at the end of the year, so I guess it doesn't really matter in the larger scheme of things. It was just bizarre. Their other locations are too far away for regular visits. This one was right in the middle of where my weekly errands take me and where my eldest goes to college, so it was a good time killer when she needed a ride.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 21, 2013 3:50:39 GMT -5
I think it would be fine fed into a truly neutral input, such as a PA, home stereo, or the 'cd/mp3' input on some amps. I had similar results with my iRig, though it sounds better plugged directly into the padded (active) input of my Bass amp than the mp3 input of either of my amps, and even then, it sounds much better with the bass emulations/effects than guitar. I have a nfc/BT receiver connected to my stereo, and the iRig did sound pretty good feeding that (allows me to "wear" it without being plugged into the stereo or tangling with earbuds while playing, but earbuds/headphones still sound the best with it. All of this is fine but... It reminded me of my old Sansui receiver that had a 1/4 mono/mic input jack on the front panel with it's own mixing level. The ONLY reason I replaced that receiver is I wanted one with A/V inputs (I "lent" it to one of my sisters only to never see it again). It was the perfect play along music receiver. It was a very good/clean input, and with the mixing level you could bring your volume to just under/over the music playing. Guitar was a bit dry into it (using my buds Rockman improved that substantially, remember those?), but bass sounded great in direct. My main gripe with most Mp3 inputs on amps is they don't have a level control, and most phones/Mp3 players can't drive it to a level to sound anywhere as good as playing bass into my Sansui used to. Going further back to the '70's, my old LLoyds Stereo all-in-one from high school (turntable/8track/tuner/amp, found in perfect working order on top of a garbage can.. only needing speakers)actually had an aux input (unlabeled and poorly installed) in the back of it. I bought a tweak-able turntable pre-amp from Olson electronics to use it similarly to how my later Sansui worked. It was workable, but like my iRig, sounded best with headphones. Funny, back then my buds used to make fun of me for not playing through an amp that was just a few feet away... but the convenience of playing along (and alone) through my stereo (especially the excellent Sansui) seemed an incredible boon to me (especially during my band days). I actually MISS that experience, and even though we have all these wonderful devices and equipment and even good sounding slow down/keep pitch utilities for similar training duty... that Sansui really nailed playing along with whatever was playing on your stereo in a close to live experience sound quality (at least for bass). And on THAT note: Have you tried it using the mp3 input? It appears to be fixed level according to the manual, though I imagine you can get under/over it with your guitar controls. Does the master volume boost all levels, or just the guitars?
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 19, 2013 11:01:57 GMT -5
During my recent travel guitar oddesy, I had a very odd occurance, when sampling guitars at Sam Ash, every guitar was tuned a half step down. I pointed this out to the manager, who tried to tell me it was impossible. I showed him with my tuner app (n-track tuner), and he practically yelled at me that all app tuners were garbage, and that every guitar in the store was tuned with the same tuner. I pointed out this was logical as they were all off the same amount. I then showed him on a Mustang IV , he called the built in tuner 'crap' (nice way to promote your products) and proceeded to show me the 'bench' clamp on tuner they used. It was an odd fold out model, but clearly when folded out, the +/- switch was at -1. He actually accused me of switching it to that. I'd never dealt with this guy before, but my regular guy I deal with came in for work and said to him without hesitation: "That tuner drops a half step when you fold it because the hinge is bad. " The manager stormed off with his hands in the air. Then the salesman told me they were closing the store because of Lease issues, and they were all being transferred to different stores. Still... Don't take it out on the customers. I'm thinking he tunes them down to reduce tension to make them seem easier to play, and was p d he was caught on it.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 19, 2013 8:05:47 GMT -5
I was considering one of those when they came out a while back, but then opted for an irig: www.ikmultimedia.com/mobile/products/irig/I too was amazed by the quality and range of sounds (for guitar AND bass) offered. While it does require you to be apple phoned, it works flawlessly with every guitar and recording app (including the NOW FREE Garage band). I DO like that the Vox frees you from attaching another device. Did you try it into a clean amp?
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 16, 2013 11:52:34 GMT -5
I was waiting until I had the proper time to attend to this since ash had spent so much time doing it.
I listened to it three ways: 1: On my phone, with earbuds (and more) at 70% volume (iPhone, not very loud) 2: Played through my phone via a cable into my Pioneer receiver with Venturi speakers. 3: Played through my PC via a cable into my Pioneer receiver with Venturi speakers.
1st off: there was no discernible difference between #2 and #3 once I got the volume levels set properly (same volume level with the stereo's volume control set 1/3 of max) I used my old iPod touch's tuning app to measure the level. This says something about the audio quality of phones more than anything, as it's virtually identical (to my ear) to my Dell desktop with a Sound Blaster Audigy card in it. So I'm leaving off #3 for the rest of the post.
In Stereo: 1: On the phone: The left channel was discernibly louder than the right channel I thought it was my aging ears,or the earbuds... but I switched the buds to opposite ears, and also listened with my daughters AKG studio headphones. The left channel has a lounder "wall of sound" level to it the right channel did not. This became very noticeable at the end with the decrescendo-ing riff. The right channel was less distorted and the playing dynamics (finger usage) was more noticeable.
2: On the receiver: I really thought with more amplification (and "air movement") things would become clearer... maybe a smidge, but mostly I noticed the above mentioned playing dynamics in the left channel at the end at bit more than with headphones. The "wall of sound" effect was also a tad more noticeable in the left.
Mono A/B: I'm not going to separate these two as my results were almost identical. I pretty much couldn't tell. I was listening for the differences I heard above, but only heard it m a y b e three times, and even then, it's a shot in the dark. I ran the timer on my iPod while listening (I didn't want the soundcloud waveform to color my findings). I noticed some slight differences around .27 (right to left?), again around 1.25 (left to right?) and around 1.41 (right to left?). I also tried using just one channel, it became even harder to tell any difference.
Even Having played for years with a tube rig (with bass and guitar), I'm hard pressed to tell which was which. For both my Digitech (RP255) and Mustang III, the biggest difference I notice is there is clearly a pattern to the sims and HOW they respond OH so consistently compared to a tube rig (something you would only notice if you used them all the time). A few years back, I would have said confidently the right channel was the tube rig (as the range of playing dynamics is more noticeable), but I have a few custom settings on my Mustang III that respond in just such a range (My Mustang "starts" with one called Dan's '67 that when playing my Strat I rarely move from). My previous Digitech (RP-300) was noticeable for it's lack of dynamic response... again, if it was a few years back, I would have said the left was the sim.
Having rebuilt and spent a lot of time working on and testing an AC30 back in 1979-80, the major thing I recall from it was it's playing dynamic response, It was good, but I recall the roll off to clean with lighter playing was not as smooth as a Fender Twin or even my own Knight Tube rig. That said, my shot in the dark is Left channel: Vox Right channel Sim. I do NOT stand by that guess.
Great planning and execution Ash!
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 12, 2013 6:59:59 GMT -5
You two can continue with your lovers spat after I'm done: If it was a window in which air was leaking from one side, and the pressure was even from the top of the sash, it would be because of lack of contact from the bottom of the sash to the frame. No amount of pressure can fix it. The gap HAS to be filled. Hence my comment, hence shim being installed with the same amount of pressure applied, the problem was fixed. There was no change in pressure applied, any lack of pressure was from said gap... Contact was the issue. Do I like being told I'm wrong like an errant school child? No, because I wasn't wrong... I let it go, because that's just how 4Real is sometimes... and his contribution here outweighs his (very likely oblivious) slights.
4real: We've ALL seen the MANY posts on the miraculous JDL device. A full run down is not required each time. A link to a post is all that's required, and... It's kind of overboard for a thread that was already dead.
GD: You DID only need one post to address all three issues on this.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 10, 2013 3:34:36 GMT -5
I would guess there is a gap under the saddle now that the shims corrected. Try putting one or two back in. Piezo is all about contact.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 10, 2013 3:31:27 GMT -5
Problem is... Performance is this Saturday.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 10, 2013 2:34:11 GMT -5
Saw the SE, it's dark red. It's in perfect shape (couple years old, dot inlays instead of birds). Told him he could Craigslist it for more than that, he doesn't want the hassle. Such a steal , but I'm sticking to my guns. Unless of course he should happen to suggest it to my Mrs... The neck feels strangely like the Ovation (width and string spacing). Less "vibe" than my Fenders, but way more than any Les Paul I've held... And with that slightly longer than LP scale, more comfortable for my hands. Just can't justify it after cleaning house last month.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 10, 2013 2:19:48 GMT -5
Lotioned them up good today, tried the rubber fingers. Good on the thumb, not so much on the other fingers. The thumb is the worst, so it'll stay covered, the other two got "Krazy". I've got to start forcing myself to use the ring finger.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 9, 2013 16:42:09 GMT -5
Considering it was designed to close human wounds, I think it's pretty compatible... and it's sterile.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 9, 2013 11:49:48 GMT -5
So, my wife decides that we're going to do Christmas caroling this year with a group of chorus people from high school. Also decided was that I am going to play accompaniment. I have a set of family Christmas songs that we always play around the tree every year, but we had add a few more songs other people want to do. As this is a perfect trial run for the durability of the Ovation as the guitar I've been using. To keep the volume down during practice, I've been finger strumming instead of using a pick and also fingerpicking some songs that require it. Everyone involved seems to think that sounds a lot better with the songs. Here's the hitch, for the first time in my life I'm developing calluses on my right hand fingertips, they're so close to the fingernail and both of them are quite hideous (not fully developed) I'm thinking of using some old rubber fingertips to alleviate it getting any worse (dry cracking skin near the nail) has anyone tried this? In the past when the calluses on my right hand have faded, I've use crazy glue to put on the tips to harden them until they came in. This will be my back up if the tips are unwieldy.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 9, 2013 9:38:59 GMT -5
I tried electrics on my Washburn Rover (10's wound 3rd), with such a small body, they sounded even MORE banjo like, so I went back to D'Addario acoustics (EJ 10's), but even went up to EJ 16's (12's) to make it sound less tinny... Didn't help much, but anything brass sounded better than the electric's. I also put electric's on the 3/4 Yamaha student model my girls tried, it made it very playable and quieter (straight acoustic). If your going for that zouki sound, electrics could be your best bet. A co-worker of mine had an electic zouki and a '65 Twin Reverb... He was freakin' AMAZING.
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 9, 2013 9:21:10 GMT -5
GD, A lot of truss rods have a stopping point, it's a very prickly situation when you max it out. My luthier guy won't buy a used axe for his shop until he checks to make sure that the rod is NOT maxed out, bound up, or flopped. You can try putting it at the max, and play it for a few days like that (to let everything settle), and then see if you can tweak it some more (losen first, then adjust). The worst thing you can do is have it spin. (Flop) in the neck cavity as you'll likely never get it as tight as it was before it spun. If you search the forum, you'll find some excellent discussions (and pics AIR) of truss rod designs and limitations.
I own the predecessor of that acoustic (APX 5), and I'm at a loss as to why you'd tweak such a reliable acoustic (of thinline acoustics, it's one of the best sounding ones for the $$$).
You also have intonation to think of, changing that relief will change the action, which may throw it off. Even with the uncompensated saddle mine has, it's so good I won't mess with it (it is my one guitar that above mentioned luthier sets up).
That said, have you already tried lighter strings (oh... I see you have another thread).
Maybe you should look at a low end Ovation that already has an electric-like neck and near shred like action (REAL USA ovations ship with a pack of shims for the saddle).
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Post by ux4484 on Dec 7, 2013 10:00:34 GMT -5
Heh... Still...
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