Dad3353

Spring..? Late coming. Early Summer..? Far too hot; no rain. Late summer..? A couple of very wet weeks, then sunny spells, then thunderstorms. Hot for the season, and expected to continue thus for a few weeks more. Exceptional pollen count, I've learned, which explains my lingering hay-fever. T'will pass; all things do.

Your buddy is correct, the bridge on this model is, indeed, slanted, with not enough travel for the intonation to be adjusted for 'lefty' stringing. It can be corrected by a decent luthier, and it's not a particularly difficult job. It would imply, however, removing present bridge fixings, plugging the holes and re-drilling for the other angle before refitting the bridge. The nut, of course, is simple enough and would be done at the same time. The only 'downside' would be the visible plugs where the present fixings had been. Is it worth doing..? I can't give any recommendations for workshops that could do this (I'm in France...), but the first step would be to choose a tech and get a quote. I wouldn't expect it to be too onerous, and the result would be a guitar that you could be proud of, with the plugs as 'badges of honour'. A quick search shows well over a score of workshops in and around London; you have a wide choice before you. If the instrument 'speaks' to you, it would be a shame to sell it when it could be tailored for you. Your call; let us know how it goes, please..? Meanwhile... Have a splendid day. Douglas

OK, it's not all in the fingers. The Little Grey Cells play a part, too.

There's nothing to change on most guitars for stage use, except for one's personal satisfaction. They're almost all 'fit for purpose', in the right hands.

Progress has been made with colour televisions, telephones, computers and recording equipment, too. There's no reason why guitar manufacturing should not improve.

Don't forget that she has a capo on the guitar at he second fret, so what she plays sounds a whole tone above an 'open' guitar.

1 - It's all in the fingers. 2 - Have a look at Lace pick-ups, they have some original concepts with excellent tones (Our Eldest built his guitar with those; they delivered beyond expectations...). 3 - Idem Filtertron pick-ups, for another 'colour' (Gretsch, TV Jones..?). 4 - It's all in the fingers.

In that case, contact Bergen Backline; they will know who to confide your guitar to. No personal experience of them, but they are reputable, with wide contacts. Worth a visit..?

Neither good nor bad, if used very, very sparingly. A couple of drops on a soft cloth (old, clean tee-shirt, or kitchen roll..?) and wipe it on, count to three slowly, then wipe it off. Guitars don't need regular oil changes like internal combustion cars and motorbikes. As with many things, less is more. Wipe it on, wipe it off and get back to practising. (Clean hands when playing, and wiping down the strings afterwards, are a Good Thing. That's really all a guitar or bass needs...).

'... Contains only 100% highly refined, ultra pure, white mineral oil (petroleum distillates)...'

Sorry to disappoint, but I'm old, and don't really know what an 'app' is. I did a quick search and found a couple of twenty-second glimpses, but don't really see how it helps to play music. If it's working for you, carry on; that's the main thing. I learned through many hours with the Mickey Baker Complete Course in Jazz Guitar... ... It's still available (Amazon, and elsewhere...) at a very reasonable low price. Worth every penny; I've worn out several copies over the decades, and still go back to it. Can I offer my standard word of encouragement..? 'It's the first forty years that are the hardest, after which things sometimes tend to get slightly easier.'

I've never used, or even been tempted to use, oil of any kind on any of my guitars or basses. I do clean them upon acquisition and after heavy use, using a very tiny amount of Dr Duck (I have had the same bottle for a couple of decades now, and it's still over half-full; really only a drop or two at a time, for the whole guitar or bass...)...

Shawn... Excellent, and real progress. I approve the cadence (several moderately short sessions, rather than longer ones...); I think that that, in itself, is helping. It's fairly easy to fit a strap button to the heel of the guitar; it's a pity that the 'tied to head-stock' method didn't please, as you already have all you need for that. Having the guitar 'hold itself' will bring much better feeling for the left hand, and also allow the right arm to relax a little, bringing the confidence that the guitar isn't going to crash to the floor. It really will help a lot, you'll see. If I may suggest, as a little 'light relief' from the intensity of chords and strumming..? Could you try to play the strings individually, note by note..? There's two simple exercises that will always stand you in good stead. Try, for instance, starting on the 6th string (the low 'E'...), playing one note at each of the first four frets (so 'F', 'F#', 'G', 'Ab'...), using the four fingers one after the other. That's 1st fret, Index, 2nd fret Middle, 3rd fret Ring, 4th fret Pinky. Then play the same notes, but in reverse order, so 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and relax. Same again for the 5th string 'A', one finger per fret, up then down, 4th string etc... This will 'teach' each finger to obey your brain and play the note, and increase dexterity in a useful way. If the stretch for the fingers is too much at first, do the exercise in the same way but from the 7th fret for a while, until the fingers realise that it can be done. Go down, fret by fret, until it works easily from the 1st fret. As a bonus, it would be extremely useful to call out loud the note that's being played, so that the note names and their position on the fingerboard become ingrained. That's optional, but very useful later on. The second useful 'single note' thing to try would be to play a major scale, note by note. The scale of 'C' major, for instance, can be started on the open low 'E', then 'F' (1st fret...), 'G' (3rd fret...), 5th string open 'A' , 'B' (2nd fret...), 'C' (3rd fret...), open 4th string 'D', 'E' (2nd fret...), 'F' (3rd fret...), open 3rd string 'G', 'A' (2nd fret...), open 2nd string 'B', 'C' (1st fret...), 'D' (3rd fret...), open 1st string 'E', 'F' (1st fret...) 'G' (3rd fret...), 'A' (5th fret...), 'B' (7th fret...), 'C' (8th fret...). This will help in 'hearing' notes, and help the fingers to play at all points of the fingerboard. Just a suggestion; keep on with the 'Justin' modules, too; it's just a way of 'ringing the changes' in a useful way. 'Enough..!' I hear you cry. OK; until the next video... Have a splendid day. Douglas

Take both to your luthier, then, so that he/she can see what you're after.

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

Yes, re-fretting is easy, for experienced guitar technicians..! It can be done 'at home', but results can be disappointing, especially if one doesn't have adequate tools for the job. Best done, for the first (and second, and third..!) time on a neck with no particular value. What would 'slightly larger' frets bring to the party..? If it played well before, have the same fitted, and it will play well again. Remember the old adage : 'If it ain't busted, don't fix it.'

I'm assuming from reading your post that you're not going to try re-fretting yourself (a wise decision, I'd say...). You don't give your location, but there must be a reputable guitar technician somewhere close enough. Show him/her the guitar, and they will advise as to the best course of action, probably with several options, depending on budget and result requested. It may just need a fret dressing, or it could be a complete 'good as new' job; you decide on what seems the best choice for yourself, guided by competent professionals. Good luck with it; let us know how it goes, please..?

Good morning, @miahat, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Paul... You might be in luck, then; try to contact The Repair Studio, Mark Adams, at 4 Caer Berllan, Llangefni, Wales LL60 6ND for advice.('Phone zero seven, followed by ..817 479374...). No personal knowledge of his services, but if he can't do the job, he'll know someone who can, I'd hope. Worth a shot..? Douglas

Good afternoon, Paul... Ah, memories of my Watkins Westminster amp, over half a century ago..! Happy daze..! As these amps are now very collectable, I think I'd recommend confiding the amp to a specialist who knows what he/she is doing, and respects the vintage nature of the amp. I can't see your location, but I have two addresses (there may be others...) that are experienced in this field. One in Nottingham (Champ Electronics, hoping he's still working..!), the other in Wiltshire;(Vintage Amp Services...). They can get your amp back to its best performance, maintaining its value as much as possible. Either would, I'm sure, be able to estimate repair costs. The alternative would be to sell the amp 'as is', hoping that the buyer understands that it's a vintage amp, with all the foibles of its age, and will, in any case, need to be attended to. If you intend to keep it, of course, it's a 'no-brainer' : get it fixed by the experts for another fifty years of loyal service. Hope this helps. Douglas

OK, the videos are working, but take forever and a day to display (far too big, probably...). I can now see and hear the 'clean tone a chord' video. and can see that you're going far too fast down the wrong track, so we'll have to start from basics. First thing : have your thumb placed in the middle of the back of the neck. This will enable your fingers to point down onto the fingerboard, not across the strings. You will need to have each finger able to point down onto any one individual string, and the thumb on the back of the neck will help with that. Have you tried to follow and practise the 'How to play chords' video that you posted..? That very first lesson shows how to play an Em7 chord (only one finger required, no barre chords...), then an Em chord (two fingers...). Could you try that exercise and post your video of that, please..? Each string should sound clearly, when playing each string, slowly, one after the other. You'll need to be able to do this to make progress, and once you've got the idea, progress will come all the more quickly. Over to you... Douglas

I don't understand what you mean. I use a PC, and have done for many decades, and videos, correctly posted as were your previous ones, show up. Post your videos in the same way as your original ones and I'll see them. It's not an issue at my end. Over to you...

The videos are not working, I'm afraid. Can you do them again, please..? I'll delete the duff posts once the good video is up...

That'll be that much less time spent practising, then.

Most of the books I buy from Amazon are sold as 'second-hand', at a very low price, compared to new. Might be worth watching out for this ^^^^ title (there's none at the moment; I've looked...) to get a Good Read at reasonable cost..? Just a thought...