Dad3353

So the flight case needs to be protected by being in a flight case, which will need protection by being in a flight case, which will need protection by ... Zzzzzzz ...

Box carpentry is not that hard. Have you a buddy or brother-in-law that could help..? Wood cut by the local DIY shop... I modelled it first... Here is the top half, perched on our Ampeg ... Worth thinking about..?

Can't go wrong with this one, offered on our very own Marketplace section by a trusted member. Way below your target budget; is that so bad a thing..? Yamaha Pacifica Tele-type guitar, ungraded ...

Good afternoon, @Crappy Axe, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Good afternoon, @Oscarperguit, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

He may well be amenable to you sitting in whilst he goes through the check-up and rectification process, which could give some insight as to how to look after your (and your son's...) instruments. It might take him a little longer, to explain what he's doing, and enable you better to appreciate exactly what's involved in guitar upkeep. Just a thought..?

These buzzes could be because the action is a bit low, but there could be a whole lot of other reasons, too, such as a raised, or lowered, fret, a bit too much or too little 'bow' in the neck, imprecise finger placing... I could go on. The real solution would be to consult a competent guitar tech, or experienced guitar tutor, and find the real cause that needs addressing. Still, as you mention, it can't do too much harm to 'have a go' yourself, as long as you've a back-up plan if things get out of hand. Yes, the string height is set, all other things being equal, by the screws at each end of the bridge holding the intonation adjusters. A good-quality flat-bladed screwdriver is required, to be a good fit in the screw slots. Turning clockwise will raise the bridge; I would suggest only very slight adjustment at a time, of maybe a quarter-turn at each end. This will affect the guitar's tuning, so it will need careful bringing back to pitch before playing it again, to see if there's any improvement. Go easy on doing this; these screws are not used to being turned, and are subject to the tension from the strings. Don't force anything. Use your engineering 'feeling' to judge whether it's doable or not. If it's successful, and your buzzing issues solved, 'well done'; if not, put the screws back to their original position as best you can, and get help. No, it's not rocket surgery, and most competent folk would gladly show you how to check this, and other potential issues, whilst they sort it out. You're unlikely to break anything if you're careful, but be gentle with screwdriver blades, as it's easy to slip and take a chunk out of the guitar's finish, or your own hand. In any case, a good set-up for any guitar is a worthwhile investment; the basics can be done by oneself, once they've been mastered with an experienced guide. Hope this helps. Douglas

Can't go wrong with either, I'd say. Here's a video playing both... The big difference would be the golden hardware, and the push-pull coil splitting on the 2200... 'The Yamaha SA-2200 is a Japanese made ES-335 style semi-hollowbody electric guitar model first introduced in 1992. The SA-2200 is similar to the SA-1100 but with fancier appointments including gold-plated hardware, split block inlaid ebony fretboard and multi-ply body and headstock binding. The finger board has 22 medium gauge frets. Pickups are two Yamaha Alnico V humbuckers, which can be coil tapped using the SA-2200's push-pull tone knobs. The SA2200 has a stop tailpiece and tune-o-matic style bridge.'

Proper nut files are extraordinarily expensive, and the cheaper ones not really good at all for that job. If it's just to get rid of the 'jerking' of the string over the nut when tuning, a light sprinkle of graphite powder does a fine job. Some folk get the graphite from quality pencil lead, but it's easy enough to obtain. Amazon propose various versions, as a little flaçon of 50ml for 9€86, or a 1 litre tub for 10€10, and everything in between. Try that first, if unsmooth tuning is the issue..?

The 'biscuit' tone is louder and more 'brash', used more on 'standard' guitars. The 'spider' would be warmer, and usually found on lap-steel players' guitars (with their square neck profile...). I'd suggest looking at 'biscuit'. I don't think that 'tricone' would bring much to the party.

Define 'better', to include 'budget' in the definition. I can afford a lowly Takamine; I can't afford a Taylor (or Martin, or Gibson...), not to mention some very fine UK luthiers. I'm not sure that provenance is the key factor here; the price is a better (but not absolute...) indicator.

Originally, resonator guitars were invented for just this reason : cut through against competition from the brass section, without an amp..!. Worth a try, especially if the repertoire is suitable. One or two points to consider : many players use a reso guitar like a lap-steel; these models have a square neck profile, unsuitable for 'standard' guitar playing position. Look at models with a rounded 'C' or 'U' profile instead. Some models have a piezo mic built in, but more rarely with a pre-amp, which makes amplifying a little trickier, as either the amp has a piezo input, or an external pre-amp is required. The reso part of the guitar is fragile, so a stout case is needed for anything but home use. They're louder than a folk guitar, especially in the 'medium' frequencies, but won't fill a large hall unaided just the same. Trying a few models would be recommended; proces start at around £300 and go up quite quickly. On the other hand, it's not uber-effective, but a piece of felt over the accordion grill could be tried to mute it a little..? Some folk remove the grill, line the inside with masking tape or similar, then put the grill back. Choice of register has an effect, with some 'bassier' registers being less strident. Other than that, it's just playing technique to play with less volume. Hope this helps; sounds like a nice project.