Kiwi

I give you Toto2020. Steve P left, according to Luke, because of ongoing and unnamed tensions on tour. Luke has grown a stoner beard and Joseph Williams has stolen 20kg in body weight from David Paich. Plus with the backing musicians it's more like a review than it's ever done in the past. But more than that, what has happened to Luke's tone? His guitar used to sound so thick and warm, now it's like a wasp trapped in a bottle. BRING BACK GREG, LEE and SIMON I say.

I've sent the neck and bridge off to Canada for the body to be cut and routed. When it comes back, I'll do the carved top and sealing. Speaking of which, I've been mulling over the excess amount of spare parts I've accrued and realised that there's almost enough for two partscasters...if I buy more spare parts apart from the pickups and bridges. Alder or mahogany bodies and mahogany or flamed/birdseye maple necks here are about US$60-80 each.

Ooh, pics was already posted. Is it an S2?

Pics please!

I can sell you a set of PRS Mira pickups...a much cheaper way to release the gas.

Yes the chorus setting on the Space Echo is lush. Really warm and sweet sounding.

No Klon?

If you could have a dream set up, money no object, what would you get? The limits are three guitars, 5 effects (including multi effects or preamps), one amp and a cab or two combo amps. The only constraint is that you MUST be honest, no diving straight for the '58 Les Paul sunbursts or Dumble ODS because you can. You have to be a genuine fan of the kit. Here's mine: Guitars: Customised Martyn Booth Signature HSH Suhr Modern Carved Top (HSS) with sustainer and midboost PRS Single Cut Archtop Effects: Dunlop Crybaby Wah Effectrode PC2A compressor Amptweaker Tight Rock Pro Kemper Profiler head (non powered) Boss Waza Dimension D pedal Amp: Mesa Boogie MkV 1x12 combo Roland JC120 combo What's yours?

Solution really depends on the guitar. 1) Is the neck straight? Check neck bow and make sure the neck is straight by using either a straight edge or by sighting down the neck from the headstock (less reliable than a straight edge). If it's too curved twist the truss rod a quarter turn clockwise, it shouldn't need more than that. If there's a backbow then turn the truss rod a quarter turn anticlockwise for more bow. If you need to do more than half a turn then take it to a luthier as you'll have a serious neck bow issue. Next, you'll need to check string height. Lower the strings until you get fret buzz and then raise the string saddles by a half turn each screw until the strings just start to buzz in some places but not others. 2) Where is it buzzing? a) If it's buzzing above the 12th fret and you've already straightened the neck and it's a bolt on neck then you'll need to adjust the neck angle. Take the neck off and remove a shim or replace it with one that isn't so thick. For Fender/Musicman microtilt necks, you won't need to remove the neck or slacken the strings, just tweak using an allen key in the hole in the neck plate. Otherwise, reattach neck, tune strings to pitch and check for buzz in the same places. You should notice a difference. If it's neck through or glued in then get a luthier to look at it. b) If it's buzzing below the 3rd fret then your nut is too low. You'll need a new nut and cut string slots in it that are slightly higher than the ones at present. It's best to take it to a luthier as it needs super thin files and good eyesight. c) If you're getting buzz on single frets then you'll need a fret level - get a reputable luthier to do it because if you take off too much metal from the frets the guitar will need a complete refret. d) If you're getting buzz on one side of a set of frets further down the neck and then on the other side further up the neck then you'll have a neck twist. The prognosis isn't great but a skilled luthier might be able to steam the neck straight or replace the fingerboard and install stiffening to correct the twist. It won't be cheap. Otherwise, is it comfortable? Is there fret buzz relatively consistently across the whole fingerboard? If so, raise the string saddles until the buzzing just disappears and your guitar should be 80% set up. With the exception of intonation.

I had a go on the A5 basses and loved how they felt and sounded. Just never had a purpose for one in my collection.

Godin make some lovely stuff.

A set of PRS SE low mass locking tuners arrived last week. Along with a set of Graphic piezo saddles. They'll go with the Graphtec acoustiphonic and hexpander circuits.

I don't think it's bunk but it really depends on terms of reference. If someone just wants an instrument to make a noise, well...yeah. A piece of driftwood will do that...or cardboard...or concrete. All it proves is the importance of rigidity. If someone wants to talk about the influence of structural rigidity, mass, density and dampening on timbre then I think there's plenty of room for discussion. But there's also a lot of misinformation out there as well...like the influence of species. At the end of the day, I'm aware that a number of manufacturers like Dingwall and Ernie Ball (and maybe PRS) just weigh a piece of wood from a desired species and if it's within acceptable range, it goes into an instrument. Their instruments, on the whole, are remarkably consistent in sound given how variable wood can be in its characteristics.

Looks and sounds amazing. So clean and pure. If I had the disposable I'd probably get one along with that PRS Custom 22 with the 10 top...dreams are free in the meantime.

I don't think look has anything to do with function, it's got more to do with marketing and memorability as you suggest.

*ears prick up* I didn't know there was such a thing...

If you're talking about using construction grade ply then it really depends on how far it's short comings could be compensated for in the other components. Things are different for guitars compared to say, basses. Less string tension so potentially guitars could use cheaper materials with less compromise on sound given for most guitars a lot of the character comes from the pickups. I'd say slap a set of EMG's on a ply body with a carefully laminated neck of say soft mahogany with some maple for structural stiffening and a richlite fingerboard and it might sound OK.

I think we're talking about different kinds of ply. One one hand there's construction grade marine plywood and on the other there's high quality laminate from exotic woods. The two are pretty different in most respects. I can pick up a bass and tell just by playing it acoustically whether it has a cheap ply body because I lived with two of those basses for five years. I came very close to buying a switch guitar once. The original Parker Fly was laminated as was the neck on a Kubicki bass. I think there are limitations with plastic 3d printed guitars due to the structural qualities of the thermoplastic used but with metallic sintering there might be some opportunities. It's quite expensive to invest at the moment though.

This is the most important part. Even more important than having a teacher. If you're not relaxed and engaged in what you're learning to the point where you forget time is passing then your learning isn't at it's most efficient. (Seriously.) So it's important to pick songs to practice that have some significance for you, either because you get a buzz from them or because the learning process is meaningful in some way. Whatever way works for you. It might be more logical to use a left handed instrument, although there are lefty players who play with the instrument strung for a right hander - low notes on the bottom edge and high notes on the top edge of the fingerboard. Having said that, I'm a lefty and I learned to play right handed mainly because I learned to play drums right handed. Sometimes I wonder what it might have been like to learn left handed but it's opened my world up to a much greater choice of instruments than I might otherwise have been able to access. For three and four above - a headphone amp is pretty cheap. Although you might want to invest in a cheap, secodhand multi effects unit like a Zoom G3 because not only will it have a headphone out but you can tinker with effects and see what each one does and how they mix. That'll get you even closer to sounding like the records you like and they're less than eighty quid secondhand.

I still remember instruments from the late 80's with plywood bodies. They were terrible...

Extroverts get their energy from other people, introverts get it from within themselves. Introverts can find intense socialising exhausting while extroverts thrive on it. The intellectualisation technique will help as well as preparation. Then just surf the wave of adrenaline on stage and take each minute as it happens. There's only so much you can do.

It's a flight or fight response because you feel threatened by the audience. It's a bit like swimming though, it takes practice and a lot of tenancity if you're not naturally extroverted. I had similar issues like you but had some training on public speaking at work and learned to distract myself from negative emotion by intellectualising the problem. Knowing your audience and feeling comfortable with them really makes a difference. I tend to arrive early to an event and scrutinise everyone as they enter, usually from afar. Those that make eye contact with me as they come in are top of my list as people to make eye contact with as I'm talking as they typically are alpha types and leaders. So if I win them over by acknowledging them and playing to them, there's a good chance I can win the room. Passion and energy also counts which usually isn't difficult to generate given the adrenaline. Preparation and knowing your subject is critical for confidence and, lastly, just accept that you will make mistakes. There's no avoiding it, just deal with them as graciously as you can. Same applies to performing on stage but you have the luxury of not needing to speak as much (if at all). If all else fails, just fake it until you make it. Be the success you want to become. Worst gig I ever had was depping for a blue band called Soul Kitchen in the place of Jim E Sims. I had two weeks prep time for 14 songs and one rehearsal while still holding down a day job. The blues songs weren't straight forward either due to sudden stops and starts, changes in time signatures and keys, extra sections like pre-choruses and I made a total hash of it. Literally a living hell on stage as I attempted to busk my way though the parts I was less familiar with. The band were very gracious about it but I swore blind that this would be the last time I ever depped and it was. Best gig I ever had must have been with my function band. There was one night when the on stage mix was perfect. I knew all the songs and liked them, the audience was buzzing and we were on fire. Stuff happening like that is what we all live for as musicians but experiences like that won't come without taking risks.

Below a certain level of expenditure, you'll either have more work to do or have to make compromises. Probably the easiest way is to buy a Chinese made Squier tele from an online retailer and modify it to your taste. All the correct wood is already there and the hard stuff like fretslots and neck pockets will have been done for you for less cost than it might cost to have a luthier do one of those jobs by itself.

There are loads of products already out there that I think should be more mainstream. The Wilkinson VS100C vibrato bridge for example. Or any number of innovative modular pickup systems. It's not the guitar or guitar makers that are the problem, it's the retro-obsessed market. One part of it is retired middle class professionals with cash to burn. Another part of it is young players with no clue about how gear works beyond brand names. But the net result has been a market that eschews technology and innovation (in guitars, less so in effects ironically) as if it's an anathema to 'authenticity'. The only real innovation in guitars that I can see is in prog metal. They've re-embraced headless guitars and active pickups.

I'm going to need a spray gun or equivalent for decent coverage. An airbrush just isn't going to cut it unforunately.