Kiwi
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Posts posted by Kiwi
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On 09/11/2020 at 01:25, EdwardMarlowe said:
I'm interested in hearing from people who gig about the relative importance of form and function. For example, friends who have played in pro bands have often mentioned the importance of having the right 'look' - both for themselves and their instruments - for niche scenes. No reason why you couldn't play rockabilly on a Dean ML through an AC30, for example, but a large chunk of that scene's potential audience will switch off if you don 't have 'the look'. Same for very many scenes. I do wonder how many people in these parts who actually gig choose gear and/or stagewear with audience expectation in mind?
I don't think look has anything to do with function, it's got more to do with marketing and memorability as you suggest.
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On 28/05/2021 at 16:05, EdwardMarlowe said:
Almost everything I've ever done I've had a little bit of a rush. I've been teaching law for twenty years now; in about twenty minutes I'm going online to do a lecture for a class in Beijing on Chinese Data Protection Law - been teaching this for over a decade now, and I'm legit getting an adrenaline rush right now.
*ears prick up*
I didn't know there was such a thing...-
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11 hours ago, EdwardMarlowe said:
What intrigues me is the idea as to whether a really great plywood guitar could me made.
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.-
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23 minutes ago, EdwardMarlowe said:
I do recall having mixed experiences, but I'm not fully ready to rule out the possibility that many of them were crap because they were budget, starter guitars built down to a price, rather than because of the plywood. (The Taylor pallet-wood guitar springs to mind here.) Not unlike the three-bolt neck on a 70s Strats got the blame for lesser quality in that period, when in reality it was far more to do with CBS's poor attitude to QA. A lot of high end semis use ply / laminate, partly because it's easier to mould, yes, but also because it's apparently less prone to feedback... What I keep coming back to is that with a Strat especially, the pick-ups are mounted in plastic, ultimately - the pick guard, which surely reduces the significance of the wood....
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.
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On 27/01/2021 at 05:00, TheRiddler said:
1) It's lockdown, therefore lessons will have to be online, possibly from an app / YouTube. I realise this isn't the best way to learn, but I'm not looking to become the next Brian May, just have a bit of fun
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.
On 27/01/2021 at 05:00, TheRiddler said:2) I'm left handed, and when air guitaring, I play left handed. I assume I would need to buy a left handed guitar? Is that even a thing. or do other lefties just use a normal guitar and learn that 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.
On 27/01/2021 at 05:00, TheRiddler said:4) Under that setup would I need an amp, or can I just plug a normal headphone into the output?
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.
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On 07/04/2021 at 16:19, EdwardMarlowe said:
Me, I'd love to see a high quality, solid body electric guitar.... made from plywood.
I still remember instruments from the late 80's with plywood bodies. They were terrible...
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3 hours ago, Skinnyman said:
That’s the odd thing as I would consider myself to be a bit of an extrovert (or show-off if you prefer).
Extroverts get their energy from other people, introverts get it from within themselves. Introverts can find intense socialising exhausting while extroverts thrive on it.
3 hours ago, Skinnyman said:I just find it odd that I (usually Mr Confident) am so affected by the prospect of playing a guitar in front of strangers. I’m sure it will pass and I’ll be back to being my usual smug, obnoxious, over-bearing self but right now this is strange territory for me and it feels…unsettling.
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.
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On 19/05/2021 at 17:04, Skinnyman said:
I’ve been lucky. I’ve never suffered from stage fright or nerves or performance anxiety (or is that one more of a bedroom thing?).
Anyway…
I’ve been in plays, I delivered speeches at conferences large and small and I’ve played bass at hundreds of gigs - and I’ve never suffered with nerves. A little extra adrenalin pumping round the system perhaps, and maybe the need to pee a bit more than usual beforehand but nothing that would affect my performance or even be noticeable.
I’ve now taken on Second Guitar duties in the band and so, for the first time, I’m playing guitar in front of other people.
And I’m bricking it. Even just at rehearsal. OK, once I’m a couple of songs in, things get back to normal but at the start I am shaking like the product tester at Ann Summers to the extent that I can’t even finger basic chords.
Hopefully, this will pass as I build confidence but it’s a very unusual and unnerving feeling and I don’t care for it one bit!
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.
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On 18/05/2021 at 02:32, Arnold Layne said:
The plan is to make myself a replica of Syd Barretts mirrored esquire but the budget is quite small do it won't be a real 62 esquire that's for sure . Any suggestions welcome.
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.
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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.-
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19 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:
For my model 'planes, I've had good results with a modest airbrush compressor system, or a 'pistol-grip' sprayer, available from several Far Eastern sources for under $50. Better yet would be one with a 'tank' compressor, for around $100. I've upgraded my system since (and even then, the very good compressor I bought was not ruinous...), and still use the original airbrush 'pen'. Worth a look..?
I'm going to need a spray gun or equivalent for decent coverage. An airbrush just isn't going to cut it unforunately.
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3 hours ago, Dad3353 said:
Try that first with a bit of gash wood; Our Eldest had to do it almost a drop at a time, as it goes off very quickly once it's on the wood. You may be luckier, of course, but if it goes wrong, there's no going back, so I'd recommend a 'dry run'.
Of course. I bought some Dip Your Car pearlescent white effect coat last night. Also some blue flourescent powder to play around with as an experiment too. I've also found a decent supplier of aerosol spray can solid white for the base coat. But for the pearl and flourescent powder, I'm going to have to find a delivery system that isn't paint in a can based. There are some disposable systems that use ompressed air in a can with a small paint jar which might be worth looking at. Failing that, a local body shop it is. I'm also going to have to get some tools - a rasp, orbital sander, a finger plane, scrapers and a work bench of some description to hold the whole lot steady as I'm working.
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16 hours ago, ezbass said:
I can just see me using this as a finish and then spending a week in hospital
. I can barely use Superglue in repairs without sticking my fingers together.
Yeah CA sticks to anything with humidity including skin. I have super glue remover for small spots but I'm probably going to flood the wood with it from a half litre bottle and push it around with a sponge brush before the first coat soaks in completely. It shouldn't dry immediately but definitely an outside job, as you say.
18 hours ago, Dad3353 said:Our Eldest did the same, using CA as a finish for his first electric Build ...
Nice job!
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I couldn't find a fabricator in China who was willing to make less than six bodies. So, ironically, I'm working with a new luthier in Canada called Rosche Guitars. You might already know him on BC as Chopthebass.
Getting the measurements into CAD for the bridge proved very complicated. It wasn't possible to measure how the front and rear bridge routs lined up without using the manufacturers routing templates. This was important because the bridge locks itself in place with the vibrato arm anchoring into a special backplate. So Ian and I agreed that sending the bridge and neck was the best solution.
The neck and bridge are packed to send. Just waiting for the pickups to arrive. I'll be carving/scraping the top myself and sealing with CA Not sure how to finish yet, I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Maybe I can find a friendly paint shop somewhere or I'll use aerosol cans. I did have pearl white in mind though, or maybe a metallic ice blue.
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The customised guitar low pass filters arrived today from Lustihand. I was surprised at how compact they are!

A set of gold locking tuners arrived last week for about 16 quid and a set of solid aluminum knobs in black are also on their way.
The CAD drawing for the body is also done after a lot of reviewing and translation. I'm currently talking to fabricators about a build price.
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On 05/03/2021 at 05:14, Fatladattheback said:
Two nano + One for utilities and overdrive into the front end and one for mods in the effects loop. Also easy to build one acoustic board as needed. Sorry about the rug...it’s not very rock and roll.
We have a similar floor...
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Today I ordered a version of the dual low pass filter by Lustihand that has been customised for guitar. After a bit of research we identified that the Alembic sweep filters used on the Aria went from 350Hz - 6Khz. I did a spot of investigation with my EMG strat and a parametric eq and that chime setting seems to need boost around 5KHz. The filters I've ordered will match the same (custom order) and there will be the same 9dB of boost that goes into the bass circuits. I may modify this later if it proves to be too noisy.
I've also revised the circuit diagram because the output from the low pass filter is active rather than passive. So one of the changes will be the replacement of the blend pot with two inputs from the pickup selector into the summing amplifier before it reaches the integrated volume. I also have some 2 pole 6 position rotary selector switches so that just leaves tuners and knobs. I can't seem to find a chickenhead knob anywhere on the Chinese e-commerce sites. Plenty of oven knobs though...
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On 26/02/2021 at 23:40, Pea Turgh said:
Fender did one for a trade show in the 60’s, apparently. I thinks there have been custom shop recreations, too. Maybe he had one of those?
Yes I had a Guitarist mag when they ran the fold out posters which featured this guitar one issue and there was no wood in it's construction - everything was 100% lucite. Nile has said on FB that his was made from perspex by some small (at the time) operation called "Guitarman" that operated out of a music store on 48th street NYC.
Bernard actually had a matching bass which is in Nile's possession now:
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15 hours ago, EdwardMarlowe said:
Oh, I dunno.... you had the Pixies, The Vaselines, the Dead Kennedys, lots of cool stuff.
Unless...
You're not going to admit to liking the Smiths, are you?
I am! I spent 1990 in fine art school where I was subject to alt rock constantly by my thoughtful classmates. Over many months I gradually learned to develop a total loathing of it and, funnily enough, of fine art school also. Detachable Penis by King Missile was tolerable only because it was slightly interesting.
15 hours ago, ezbass said:Now I think that would’ve been great as it’s my favourite musical era. I clearly remember seeing Duran Duran on TOTP with Planet Earth and thinking that we’re going to be huge. Then there was hearing Simple Minds for the first time (I know the first 2 albums were ‘79, but it wasn’t until ‘84 that I discovered them) and early U2.
I like Simple Minds, are they cool? I wasn't into the new wave thing although I'll reluctantly confess to having owned a pirate shirt at one point...without lacey frills [ahem]. But those days were all bass, I didn't really get serious about guitar until about maybe 7 years ago.
In 1987 (I turned 17 then) had a term of paid bass lessons in September and my first lesson was a couple of days after Jaco died. My bass teacher showed me the newspaper clipping, and I didn't know who he was. So we did a lesson looking at Portrait of Tracy and he showed me how to play a few lines of Donna Lee before Mark King took over my interest for the next few years. Before then the first song I'd ever learned was New Years Day by U2 but that wasn't on guitar.
So, on reflection, at 16 I was only just getting serious about bass and letting go of drums. And I discovered L42 which I suppose was life changing in the sense I obsessed about them for the next 7 years or so. But it wasn't guitar related.
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I'm not cool enough to participate in this thread. I was a teenager in the eighties.
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I think Nile Rodgers has one, he used it for the Get Lucky video. But his has a clear pick guard.
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it really depends on the direction of the connections and how much slack there is in the wiring. There's going to be a lot of twisting.
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It's legible but...well, funny you should mention the black ink...I can do any colour your heart desires though. Fuchsia perhaps?
I was working on the schematic up until midnight and made some major changes that means (thankfully) I may only need 2 pole not 4 pole and I'm probably going to ditch the reverse phasing for now as it might not be needed. The whole point of doing this was to get my head around the switching arrangement as a form of escapism over CNY to stave off boredom. It worked. I've also been tweaking the body a little more and worked up two alternative designs using a Kahler 4200 X trem bridge, one has a glue in neck and the other is through. However there aren't any CAD blocks out there of the X trem so it seems like I'm going to have to buy one and work it up myself just like I did with the Wilkinson VS100. But Kahler's installation instructions are a whole load more helpful than Wilkinson's and drawn up in CAD.
Things we'd like to see in guitars?
in Guitars
Posted
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.