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The Fret Files: the guitar workshop podcast

Started by The General, January 11, 2014, 12:11:00 PM

aldousburbank

Quote from: The General on January 19, 2014, 12:55:06 AM
Good subjects.  I'm realizing that there really will be pretty much endless subject matter.  I initially thought of this as a podcast for other luthiers, but I see now that it really won't be going that direction.
I think it's pretty non-denominational. My neighbor is a Methodist and he still liked the show.

The General

Quote from: aldousburbank on January 19, 2014, 08:17:42 AM
I think it's pretty non-denominational. My neighbor is a Methodist and he still liked the show.
Exactly.

aldousburbank

Quote from: The General on January 19, 2014, 11:47:06 AM
Exactly.
Although I am devout in my own beweefs that Gibson saves, and Les Paul is her only true prophet!  Strat/Telecaster posers are going to guitar hell where Eric Clapton reigns, except for Hendrix, who shall escape the twangy bonds of Fendergatory, 'cause he's the man and junk.

The General

Quote from: aldousburbank on January 19, 2014, 01:15:33 PM
Although I am devout in my own beweefs that Gibson saves, and Les Paul is her only true prophet!  Strat/Telecaster posers are going to guitar hell where Eric Clapton reigns, except for Hendrix, who shall escape the twangy bonds of Fendergatory, 'cause he's the man and junk.
Clapton.  Feh. 


eddie dean

Quote from: aldousburbank on January 19, 2014, 01:15:33 PM
Although I am devout in my own beweefs that Gibson saves, and Les Paul is her only true prophet!  Strat/Telecaster posers are going to guitar hell where Eric Clapton reigns, except for Hendrix, who shall escape the twangy bonds of Fendergatory, 'cause he's the man and junk.

2 things:
1. Guitar Purgatory , at worst,
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan & David Gilmour disagree with your biased views. :)
BOOM!

The General

I like a Les Paul if LES PAUL is playing it,
otherwise...
It's Fender for me. All the way.

Jimmie and Stevie Ray
Buddy Holly
Albert Collins
Bill Frisell
Muddy Waters
Roy Buchannon
Jeff Beck
Jimmy Bryant
Jimi Hendrix
Steve Cropper
Buddy Guy
Danny Gatton
James Burton
All Seem To Agree.

Albert King gets a pass, with his crazy Gibson Flying V.
A, because he is the baddest of the bad. 
And B, because it's wired out of phase to where it sounds more like a Telecaster anyway. 

The General

And, also, because I've really outed myself here by starting a podcast, I suppose it doesn't hurt to post this... one of my most cherished pictures... The day Jimmie Vaughan was in town and needed some emergency work done on his Strat.  Jimmie is probably my favorite living guitar player.  What a class act, that dude has more feel and tone in his little finger than what's in most guitar players entire bodies.  His phrasing and note choice are top notch.  I've always much preferred his playing to his brother's.  I love Stevie Ray, but I can only listen to so much of it before I feel like I'm getting beat over the head with a guitar.  We had a great conversation, it was like we were old friends.  He talked me into trying flatwounds again, and I haven't changed back since.

[attachimg=1]

aldousburbank

Ok, I was just Quick Karling. Fenders are dangerous weapons in the right hands.   ;)

The General

Quote from: aldousburbank on January 19, 2014, 02:51:18 PM
Ok, I was just Quick Karling. Fenders are dangerous weapons in the right hands.   ;)
It's all good.
I love so many Gibson players too.
They're just a little dainty for me.  ;)

ziznak

I really don't have any problems with any specific guitar companies.  Just like anything else there's just some guitar's that I do not prefer to play mostly due to non-flat body issues.  I hate the curved body, raised pick guard and overall weight of the les paul.  But I love how it sounds so I have played them despite this. 


The General

Quote from: eeieeyeoh on January 19, 2014, 04:53:59 PM
I'm just trying to remember if this was written over 40 years ago.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
Which reminds me,
though I'm not generally a fan,
this might be my favorite Eric Clapton work ever.
And it was recorded with a Les Paul.  So there ya go.

eeieeyeoh

Quote from: The General on January 19, 2014, 05:02:57 PM
Which reminds me,
though I'm not generally a fan,
this might be my favorite Eric Clapton work ever.
And it was recorded with a Les Paul.  So there ya go.

I heard that too.
But didn't know if true.
I only witnessed w/Bonnie&Delaney on stage and couldn't believe how many legs could dance w/cheers of joy.
That was a long time ago.
Don't remember if some special Strat was used.
Bonnie was the star. More depth in voice I've ever heard.
They weren't even the highlight band. Somehow I ended up tripping on top of a PA cabinet on stage to see what the perspective was looking out during final act. I don't know how my ears didn't get blown out.

Quote from: The General on January 19, 2014, 02:39:15 PM
And, also, because I've really outed myself here by starting a podcast, I suppose it doesn't hurt to post this... one of my most cherished pictures... The day Jimmie Vaughan was in town and needed some emergency work done on his Strat.  Jimmie is probably my favorite living guitar player.  What a class act, that dude has more feel and tone in his little finger than what's in most guitar players entire bodies.  His phrasing and note choice are top notch.  I've always much preferred his playing to his brother's.  I love Stevie Ray, but I can only listen to so much of it before I feel like I'm getting beat over the head with a guitar.  We had a great conversation, it was like we were old friends.  He talked me into trying flatwounds again, and I haven't changed back since.

[attachimg=1]

That's awesome!

I've always wondered if he used a telecaster at all on the first thunderbirds album. He's holding one on the cover but everyone tells me it's a strat on the recordings.

Here's another question. How much fretwork is too much? I worked in a guitar factory for about a year, and got to the point where I was doing about one neck every hour. All of the necks had awful flat spots on the fretboards and needed heavy radius correction, which led to me inhaling lots of rosewood. After this of course there would be barely any fret slot left, so I'd end up cutting those deeper and I'd have to crimp frets by hand after cutting them to length otherwise they would pop up. These little steps would add up to sore hands. And then flush filing the fret ends, is so difficult for the first few strokes because it's  so bumpy and makes your wrist bones rattle. And if you slip, the freshly clipped fret ends leave the outside of your fingers looking like a half-eaten pastrami. That shit hurts! I have to say it was a really satisfying feeling to start leveling frets and see a perfect uniform line across each fret. But then would come the beveling. And if you'd slip once at this point, it would be time to rip frets out and start over. And then the crowning and crowning and crowning, and ruining my wrist some more, and then dressing wasn't so bad after I figured out what the hell I was supposed to be doing. And polishing, your wrist gets screwed some more. And scraping glue off between frets kills your thumb and index fingers.

It did not seem healthy working there or doing that many fret jobs. I knew it was the beginning of the end of my time there when wrist pain started to wake me up at night/some mornings. A friend that stayed there longer is now on medical leave with issues from doing frets. The shitty thing is that everyone there was a musician of some sort, and a good number of them were throwing their hands away. I wouldn't ever imagine that someone doing repair work would need to do this many jobs in a given time period. They didn't have us bussing frets, they were making us do every little extra step. And it didn't seem fair that we were doing work that would normally cost people hundreds and barely getting peanuts for it.

Is this normal to you?! And just how poisonous IS rosewood when you sand on it?

Thanks

PS glue ate holes in all of my shirts that year


The General

Quote from: guildnavigator on January 19, 2014, 06:51:07 PM
That's awesome!

I've always wondered if he used a telecaster at all on the first thunderbirds album. He's holding one on the cover but everyone tells me it's a strat on the recordings.
Indeed.  Thanks for sharing my glee over it.  At one point in the conversation, we looked down and noticed that we were wearing identical cowboy boots.  I felt good about that.  I got invited to that night's show which I watched from backstage, about 30 feet from Jimmie. 

I've also heard that he used a Tele on that first album, though I've never confirmed it.  I may have missed my chance.... though if he and I cross paths again, I'll be sure to ask. 

The General

Quote from: guildnavigator on January 19, 2014, 07:21:47 PM
Here's another question. How much fretwork is too much? I worked in a guitar factory for about a year, and got to the point where I was doing about one neck every hour. All of the necks had awful flat spots on the fretboards and needed heavy radius correction, which led to me inhaling lots of rosewood. After this of course there would be barely any fret slot left, so I'd end up cutting those deeper and I'd have to crimp frets by hand after cutting them to length otherwise they would pop up. These little steps would add up to sore hands. And then flush filing the fret ends, is so difficult for the first few strokes because it's  so bumpy and makes your wrist bones rattle. And if you slip, the freshly clipped fret ends leave the outside of your fingers looking like a half-eaten pastrami. That shit hurts! I have to say it was a really satisfying feeling to start leveling frets and see a perfect uniform line across each fret. But then would come the beveling. And if you'd slip once at this point, it would be time to rip frets out and start over. And then the crowning and crowning and crowning, and ruining my wrist some more, and then dressing wasn't so bad after I figured out what the hell I was supposed to be doing. And polishing, your wrist gets screwed some more. And scraping glue off between frets kills your thumb and index fingers.

It did not seem healthy working there or doing that many fret jobs. I knew it was the beginning of the end of my time there when wrist pain started to wake me up at night/some mornings. A friend that stayed there longer is now on medical leave with issues from doing frets. The shitty thing is that everyone there was a musician of some sort, and a good number of them were throwing their hands away. I wouldn't ever imagine that someone doing repair work would need to do this many jobs in a given time period. They didn't have us bussing frets, they were making us do every little extra step. And it didn't seem fair that we were doing work that would normally cost people hundreds and barely getting peanuts for it.

Is this normal to you?! And just how poisonous IS rosewood when you sand on it?

Thanks

PS glue ate holes in all of my shirts that year
Oh my goodness.  Yes, brother, I hear you.  And I feel your pain.  I have permanent shoulder damage from crowning, filing, and sanding, and polishing.  I try to stretch before during and after tough jobs, but I don't do fret job after fret job after fret job.  I'd say I do an average of one refret per week, while I probably do 25-30 setups and other assorted electronics work and odds and ends repairs.  If I only had to do fret work, I wouldn't last long.  I'm surprised that a guitar factory (which company?) didn't have machines doing the work.  Most factory made guitars are machine fretted.  Even during the golden age of electric guitars 50-60 years ago they had machines to do the brunt of the work, and probably before that even. 

I think all wood dust is considered carcinogenic. This is from OSHA:
"Exposure to wood dust has long been associated with a variety of adverse health effects, including dermatitis, allergic respiratory effects, mucosal and nonallergic respiratory effects, and cancer. Contact with the irritant compounds in wood sap can cause dermatitis and other allergic reactions. The respiratory effects of wood dust exposure include asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and chronic bronchitis."

Add to that bone dust, solder fumes, glue fumes, paint fumes, metal shavings, and power tools and I guess I have a very dangerous job.  I wear respirators, masks, and gloves all the time.  Damn guitars.

saucerlike

I've been reading various guitar forums for years but you guys have some good insight on things I've not heard before like the injuries associated with guitar work.  I've never done much besides setups & soldering; didn't realize it was that involved.  I'd hate to lose playing ability like that and inhale carcinogenic dust at the same time.  You'd think the company would require better safety measures, but idk...

On the Gibson vs. Fender thing, I can't save money or I'd have had a Gibson by now.  You just can't cop some Gibson-ish tones with a 25.5" scale (at least with the gear I have), I know that plays a part in the overall characteristic of their sound.  My Casino can get close but it needs a pickup change and I'm petrified of doing work on a hollowbody.  Any of you have a 12 string electric?

The General

Quote from: saucerlike on January 19, 2014, 08:18:01 PM
I've been reading various guitar forums for years but you guys have some good insight on things I've not heard before like the injuries associated with guitar work.  I've never done much besides setups & soldering; didn't realize it was that involved.  I'd hate to lose playing ability like that and inhale carcinogenic dust at the same time.  You'd think the company would require better safety measures, but idk...

On the Gibson vs. Fender thing, I can't save money or I'd have had a Gibson by now.  You just can't cop some Gibson-ish tones with a 25.5" scale (at least with the gear I have), I know that plays a part in the overall characteristic of their sound.  My Casino can get close but it needs a pickup change and I'm petrified of doing work on a hollowbody.  Any of you have a 12 string electric?
Yes electronic work on the slim electric hollow archtops is quite a pain.
No twelve string electric currently, but I've had a few. 

If you still post on guitar related forums, spread the word about the podcast if you think about it.  I should really do that.  I have an account at the TDPRI though I rarely post there anymore.

eeieeyeoh

Quote from: saucerlike on January 19, 2014, 08:18:01 PM
I've been reading various guitar forums for years but you guys have some good insight on things I've not heard before like the injuries associated with guitar work.  I've never done much besides setups & soldering; didn't realize it was that involved.  I'd hate to lose playing ability like that and inhale carcinogenic dust at the same time.  You'd think the company would require better safety measures, but idk...

On the Gibson vs. Fender thing, I can't save money or I'd have had a Gibson by now.  You just can't cop some Gibson-ish tones with a 25.5" scale (at least with the gear I have), I know that plays a part in the overall characteristic of their sound.  My Casino can get close but it needs a pickup change and I'm petrified of doing work on a hollowbody.  Any of you have a 12 string electric?

I'd say ask GE Smith. I went to High School w/the guy that wasn't into writing lyrics. He did play a High School assembly in auditorium after graduation w/Eric Cartwright and other good musicians.

The acoustics of the Sherman Theatre now stinks after Berkowitz added stage flanking catered box seats creating Helmholtz resonators that absorb frequencies and boost nonsense. @ row 14 center, Steve Vai couldn't figure out the Berkowitz nonsense. Great show w/more talent on stage I've seen and heard in >decade though. IDK how Berkowitz became a non-profit volunteer organization locally. From what I've observed, the Berkowitz organization has an acoustic engineer at the controls of house sound behind a mixing console that has no idea what an amplitude and phase certified playback system of 40 yr old recorded music sounds like. Most likely a beer and wine selling Jew won't change direction to give music it's due to an audience. I'm sorry Mr Berkowitz, but your representation of the Bismarck for over a decade since I first listened has sunk what hope I had since Steve Vai. I was one of the last out of the audience, didn't want to hear exchanges between "acoustic" engineers, walked away, knew a lot of work needed to be done to approach Carnegie Hall, and only God knows how Pappa John got his violin playing from the back wall. That takes talent beyond what I'll ever have, no matter how hard I was tripping back in early 1972 w/Hot Tuna during that concert. YouTube doesn't even come close to eating dinner w/Papa John decades later.

The company I was working for was called AXL guitars. Some of the models were really good guitars. I also worked on some of their "Recording King" acoustic guitars, some arch top hollow body stuff branded "The Loar" Here's a video of me playing one of the Loars:
http://youtu.be/Hq5L8BUtij0

Lloyd Loar worked for Gibson in the 1920s. He designed a bunch of shit that's still around today. You never really hear people go on about him. More of a mandolin guy I guess. I always thought that those Loar Archtops had a cool heritage and wanted one badly. Never pulled the trigger, got to play them too much and lost interest. They are dirt cheap too.

analog kid

Nice guitar, nice playing.

Really good discussion too.

b_dubb

Quote from: aldousburbank on January 19, 2014, 02:51:18 PM
Ok, I was just Quick Karling. Fenders are dangerous weapons in the right hands.   ;)
QuickKarling ... is that like an angry, paranoid version of Rick ROlling?


The General

Quote from: analog kid on January 20, 2014, 03:42:15 PM
My crappy playing on a crappy guitar with crappy sound.

Epiphone Wildkat with Pod HD500
Ain't nothin crappy about it.
Although, I know it would sound better without the pod.
I like a 'straight into the amp' sound.

b_dubb

Quote from: analog kid on January 20, 2014, 03:42:15 PM
My crappy playing on a crappy guitar with crappy sound.

Epiphone Wildkat with Pod HD500
I like that guitar.  I thought the playing was very nice. Some interesting stuff there. Sans crappy if you ask me.

Unrelated: My friend has a friend who has the body of a bikini model but the social graces of a cement truck driver that dropped out of the first grade.  As nice as it was to look at her it was just grating to hear her horribly tasteless jokes and complete sense of propriety.  One day Tamara moved to Wisconsin.  Which left us sans Tamara.  I've often thought that Sans Tamara would make a pretty decent band name.

analog kid

Quote from: The General on January 20, 2014, 03:53:30 PM
Ain't nothin crappy about it.
Although, I know it would sound better without the pod.
I like a 'straight into the amp' sound.
I have a Blackstar HT-20 at the moment, but the chrome pup covers are muddy through it. I could improve the guitar a lot with new pots, caps and wiring, but I have to pull this through the f hole, build a new harness and shove it back in through the f hole. I'd take it to a tech, but there aren't any in my area.

Quote from: b_dubb on January 20, 2014, 05:30:35 PM
I like that guitar.  I thought the playing was very nice. Some interesting stuff there. Sans crappy if you ask me.
Thanks b_dubb. One can get a Wildkat brand new on ebay for $300. It's a lot of quality for the price, but I see a lot of people buy them and get rid of them soon afterwards, because everything stock on them is shit and they're hard to upgrape.

saucerlike

Quote from: analog kid on January 20, 2014, 08:34:59 PM
I have a Blackstar HT-20 at the moment, but the chrome pup covers are muddy through it. I could improve the guitar a lot with new pots, caps and wiring, but I have to pull this through the f hole, build a new harness and shove it back in through the f hole. I'd take it to a tech, but there aren't any in my area.
Thanks b_dubb. One can get a Wildkat brand new on ebay for $300. It's a lot of quality for the price, but I see a lot of people buy them and get rid of them soon afterwards, because everything stock on them is shit and they're hard to upgrape.

I wouldn't mind having a Wildkat just for the bigsby.  No problem with cheap guitars here, I'll be buying a Squier Jaguar with part of my tax refund this year.  I've been meaning to record some clip to post for awhile but I'm just too lazy.  I've got a little Vox Amplug, it sounds pretty good (I think) run into the computer for recording purposes. 

eddie dean

Quote from: analog kid on January 20, 2014, 08:34:59 PM
I have a Blackstar HT-20 at the moment, but the chrome pup covers are muddy through it. I could improve the guitar a lot with new pots, caps and wiring, but I have to pull this through the f hole, build a new harness and shove it back in through the f hole. I'd take it to a tech, but there aren't any in my area.
Thanks b_dubb. One can get a Wildkat brand new on ebay for $300. It's a lot of quality for the price, but I see a lot of people buy them and get rid of them soon afterwards, because everything stock on them is shit and they're hard to upgrape.

Inexpensive guitars are great!  Nothing wrong with that. Some are better than others as far as quality and sound. One thing that bugs me about these instruments is they tend to go out of tune pretty easily. You end up spending more time tuning than playing.
Nice playing AK!

analog kid

Thanks. Epiphones have pretty good stock tuners and the quality of their guitars has increased a lot just in the last five years or so. Epiphone communities have a complex about them though. The discussions about their adequacy compared to high-end guitars are never ending. b_dubb mentioned Rivieras, which I'm a fan of those and wouldn't mind owning one. I wish I could afford a higher end guitar. I've never even played one and my playing would probably sound pretty awkward through good equipment.

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