Dad3353

I cannot say how much (or little...) my vintage Hofner Verithin weighs; every time I put it on the scales, it floats up to the ceiling. ...

Not all hollow-body guitars are lightweight..! Check first.

Are these numbers perhaps fingering suggestions ('4' for pinkie, '1' for index...)..?

Would you then be reading both leftie and rightie topics, then, or missing out on the rightie stuff..? We would be reading both, too, so would still see the 'it's not available to us..!' stuff, but just in a different topic. Hmm... Disclaimer : I'm rightie, but play drums 'leftie'. I don't have any issues reading drum forums.

What is this 'lead' of which you speak..?

I doubt that a change of strings alone will change the characteristics of the guitar all that much (I use Elixirs, too...). If the pre-amp in the guitar isn't producing the 'native' tone of the instrument, I'd look towards changing the pre-amp (radical, I know, but...). As a 'stop-gap', try using an acoustic guitar emulation pedal, feeding the Taylor into it..? Just checking... Is the Taylor going into a piezo-friendly system..? Piezo's, even good ones, can be harsh if fed into a straight 'intrument' channel. Maybe a buffer needed..? Hope this helps.

Do you have a sound-hole plug..? That will cut down some of the resonance. A bit more of a faff, but you might try using a mic on the guitar, and have the electro just as 'support' for the mic (so low volume...). Change the orientation of the combo (if it's behind you, put it in front, facing you..?). Sometimes (extreme cases...), a 'lesser' guitar comes across better (it's a funny ol' world...). Hope this helps.

Good morning, @warwickhunt, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share (but you knew that anyway, didn't you..?).

I had a 'Shaftsbury' version of that guitar back then (well, I say 'I'; in fact I bought it for John Mac, our 2nd guitar at the time, as he couldn't afford one himself. It ended up in my parent's attic, and goodness knows what happened to it...). I'd not recommend a paint job, prefering to let it wear its battle scars with pride, whilst keeping it from gathering more. It's possible, and relatively easy, to touch up the bouts, but it'll be difficult to match the black's lustre. Let it age gently and peacefully.

Good evening, @Syemon, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. Hmm... Bass Hat, eh..? They're a right shifty lot over there...

One 'trick' for 12-string guitars is to tune down a tone, and use a capo permanently at the second fret. This reduces the extreme tension of the twelve strings, and thus the risk of having the bridge pull the table into a 'belly' deformation. Just sayin'.

I can help you with that, in very large doses. Of course you're right (as I wrote above...). There is a built-in, designed, luthiered curve to the top of your guitars. They have not evolved since new, and have been so built by craftsmen to stay that way, giving excellent playability and tone for... Well, even longer than that. I still stubbornly maintain that, in my experience, that's a lot of curveture for a flat-top acoustic. Nothing wrong with that, for those guitars, so enjoy, and for decades to come. Why are they built that way..? That's for their conceptors to answer, but they did it that way for their own good reasons. As I stated, my modest Takamine has a bow of maybe 1mm each side, hardly noticeable until a straight-edge is applied. No, it hasn't moved, and will not do so. Why isn't it bowed more..? Because that's the way this model was designed, s'all. Next time you're off to a guitar shop or exhibition, take a straight-edge with you and see how Martin, Gibson, Ovation etc are all different. Many will be flat, others maybe slightly curved, maybe as much as your models. It's very slight in most cases, and I'd still, by eye, call 'em 'flat'.

No, not at all; the proof is before your very eyes. If it's curved, it's curved. My real point is that, if curve there is, it's very slight, and your '1/2"' seems like one heck of a lot for a 'flat-top' guitar, that's all. If after a dozen years it's not budged, then it's fine. I doubt very much that there's much real 'acoustic' reason; it's far more likely to be strength, rigidity, longevity (all of which contribute to its tone, naturally...). If the bridge and string tension are not deforming the table over time, consider it to be a Good Thing and enjoy the instrument for what it is. The three manufacturers that you've cited are not 'one-off' custom builders, so it's not a question of having a luthier 'do his/her thing', and all three certainly know how to build very fine guitars. My own guitars (and basses...) are, for the most part, arch-tops, so I'm very used to the 'violin' concept of luthery, with their distinctive form and curves. Compared to any of those, our acoustics are 'flat', but, as I mentioned, when measued with a straight-edge, there is a very slight, but regular, bow to the table. Take it as being deliberate, then, for whatever reason the designer had in mind, as long as it's not changing. When I see a folk guitar, to my mind it's 'flat', and that's what my tired eyes see. Science (measurement...) tell me it's not an 'absolute', but I still call 'em 'flat-tops'..!

Our Eldest is a luthier, and I have spent many years (no; decades...) as music shop technician and player of guitars, of many types. I have yet to come across any acoustic folk guitar (often called 'flat-top' guitars; I wonder why..?) with anything but a virtually flat table, unless it's been pulled away from flat by string tension. If it's not flat, it has changed from new; they are not made that way (maybe a couple of millimetres, but no more...). The internal bracing keeps it flat and stiff, whilst maintaining an ability to resonate, and perform its role as a tone generator. If your guitars have a 'belly' at the bridge, I'd say that they have had this caused by string tension, exacerbated by damp, maybe. Removing the strings does nothing; this 'bellying' occurs over a long time, and string removal doesn't give any opposing force to bring the table back to flat, so it stays 'bellied'. Does it do any harm..? Only a luthier could say, by inspecting beneath the table to see if the bracing has been affected. It can come unstuck (in extreme cases, split the bracing wood...), or the bracing may, over time, 'follow' the hump (rather more rare...). In general, it's not a Good Thing. Anything more than a few millimetres would be, to me, cause for concern. It's easy to measure (I've just done it, with Our Eldest...) on my Takamine, using a steel rule across the table, just behind the bridge, and there's about 1.5mm at each edge of the table. That's while strung, of course, but I wouldn't expect it to be any different unstrung. The essential thing is : does it change over time..? If, year in, year out it's constant, don't fret it, but if the measurement changes, get it looked at, to find the cause, get it fixed, and fix the cause. Your 1/2" sounds really excessive, to me, but if it's not changing, just measure it each year as a check. Hope this helps.

One (too...) often sees acoustic (folk...) guitars with a 'belly' at the bridge, where the bracing has not been sufficient, or the instrument subjected to damp. The string tension can pull the (normally flat...) sounding table at the bridge, giving a 'hump' effect when viewed from the side. It's a sign of a poorly-designed guitar, or one having been abused. The sounding table of an acoustic (folk, or classical...) guitar should be flat, from new and forever. I've never seen any guitar of the sort with anything other than a flat table. Arch-tops, as has been mentioned, is another kettle of fish altogether, and the clue is in the name.

Are you sure that you don't live in a hive..? Have you checked..? It's easily done, you know...

Be careful what you wish for... ... ... ... Ooo look, a bee..!

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

Good evening, @Crusoe, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

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

An excellent product. I have had one for a few years, now, and have just bought a second one, they're that good. Good luck with the sale. (and 'No, sorry', my bank won't like me buying a third one, although I'd be tempted otherwise..! )

CaskCaster..?

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