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The Fret Files: the guitar workshop podcast

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

jazmunda

I look forward to listening to this over the weekend.

eddie dean

Quote from: The General on January 15, 2014, 09:43:00 PM
Ha ha.  Thanks.  I'm just being me. Trying not to get all tongue tied.

If it comes off like I'm doing a show in my bath robe from a La-Z-Boy chair,
I will have done what I set out to do.  No need to get worked up about guitars.

Heh.
I'd like to hear an all out brawl, like the political pundits have on talk radio!

Fender Strat vs Gibson Les Paul.

DiMarzio(passive) vs EMG (active) pickups.

A tone vs sustain debate.  To the death!

F-ing blood bath, cage match. Two go in. Only one comes out!
bwwahahahaha. ;D


eeieeyeoh

Quote from: eddie dean on January 16, 2014, 11:52:09 PM
Heh.
I'd like to hear an all out brawl, like the political pundits have on talk radio!

Fender Strat vs Gibson Les Paul.

DiMarzio(passive) vs EMG (active) pickups.

A tone vs sustain debate.  To the death!

F-ing blood bath, cage match. Two go in. Only one comes out!
bwwahahahaha. ;D

Have you lost your mind?

The creation of the person behind a guitar is the essence.

Do you also eat fecal matter?

ziznak

i hate les paul's except for the juniors cause they have a flat top... emgs active just the bridge.  Tone and sustain both need to be right there's no one or the other.  My tone is normally eq'd on the high end and I get my lows from good distortion and eqs.  If it's just some blues tho on the porch I'd grab a strat as well but I'm not too crazy on the single coils.  IF i grab the strat I'd go with the askew bridge pickup alone tho for leads and then link the neck and middle for chords/strumming.


oh and I've been rocking a warlock again... was like my excalibur back in the day. here it is amidst cat toys and Diggz on an unkempt floor

eddie dean

Quote from: eeieeyeoh on January 17, 2014, 01:17:34 AM
Have you lost your mind?

The creation of the person behind a guitar is the essence.

Do you also eat fecal matter?

ummmmmm. WTF?

Are you being vacuous & cunty on purpose?

ITS A JOKE!



The General

Quote from: ziznak on January 17, 2014, 02:02:44 AM
i hate les paul's except for the juniors cause they have a flat top... emgs active just the bridge.  Tone and sustain both need to be right there's no one or the other.  My tone is normally eq'd on the high end and I get my lows from good distortion and eqs.  If it's just some blues tho on the porch I'd grab a strat as well but I'm not too crazy on the single coils.  IF i grab the strat I'd go with the askew bridge pickup alone tho for leads and then link the neck and middle for chords/strumming.


oh and I've been rocking a warlock again... was like my excalibur back in the day. here it is amidst cat toys and Diggz on an unkempt floor
EMG's, Warlocks, distortion...
Ziz, I didn't know you were a hesher!

eeieeyeoh

Craftsman/womanship is not easily understood. Maybe I'll make an almond butter and pear jam sandwich.

ziznak

Quote from: The General on January 17, 2014, 12:21:56 PM
EMG's, Warlocks, distortion...
Ziz, I didn't know you were a hesher!

nah not that far back... I thought the heshers and dusty metalheads were cool when i was young n didnt know any better but that was before i came into my own time really.  Those are timbs in the pic not weeboks!

eddie dean

Quote from: ziznak on January 17, 2014, 02:02:44 AM
i hate les paul's except for the juniors cause they have a flat top... emgs active just the bridge.  Tone and sustain both need to be right there's no one or the other.  My tone is normally eq'd on the high end and I get my lows from good distortion and eqs.  If it's just some blues tho on the porch I'd grab a strat as well but I'm not too crazy on the single coils.  IF i grab the strat I'd go with the askew bridge pickup alone tho for leads and then link the neck and middle for chords/strumming.


oh and I've been rocking a warlock again... was like my excalibur back in the day. here it is amidst cat toys and Diggz on an unkempt floor




In my teenage days, I wanted a Warlock guitar, desperately!  It looked so unique, aggressive & completely  bad ass. It would've been perfect for playing thrash/metal songs I "tried" to play back then.
I had to make due with my Ibenez RoadStar II, which I was lucky to have,  and still do.

aldousburbank

Quote from: eddie dean on January 17, 2014, 05:17:54 PM


In my teenage days, I wanted a Warlock guitar, desperately!  It looked so unique, aggressive & completely  bad ass. It would've been perfect for playing thrash/metal songs I "tried" to play back then.
I had to make due with my Ibenez RoadStar II, which I was lucky to have,  and still do.
I had the Gibson "Flying V".  That's right guitar bitches!

eddie dean

Quote from: aldousburbank on January 17, 2014, 05:21:45 PM
I had the Gibson "Flying V".  That's right guitar bitches!

Nice!
I considered buying a Gibson Explorer several years ago. When I tested a few out, they were terribly awkward, uncomfortable heavy beasts. My understanding was the extra lumber and bulk would help to increase sustain and/or  resonance. I didn't notice a huge difference, but I only played for 5 or 10 minutes.
I was distracted by the Deep Purple and Nirvana wana-be's playing through Marshall half stacks at concert volumes. It's hard to get a good feel for a guitar at a busy music store when some 16 year old kid is murdering  the "Smoke on the Water" riff.

b_dubb

I used to have an '63 Epiphone Rivera with honeyburst finish. Sold it back to the dealer I bought it from for a small profit. Awesome guitar.

My all around favorite was my tokai replica of 62 Telecaster. Made the mistake of letting a friend borrow it. Fucker sold it on ebay. If that guy ever turns up in a ditch with a bullet hole - and he probably will - I'll be the first suspect they talk to. What an asshole.

The General

You guys and your stories...
I had a '59 Strat that I bought for $3000 in the late 90's and sold it after a few years for $3500.  I thought I was soooo smart.  Woo, I made 500 dollars.  Sheesh. 
They're worth 20k now.


ziznak

Quote from: The General on January 17, 2014, 11:46:00 PM
By the way, if the mood hits you...
https://www.facebook.com/thefretfiles
[attachimg=1]
nice logo concept.  something about seeing mother of pearl in a fretboard... love it.  The warlocks shape lets you sit with the guitar pretty easily actually.  I always liked the V and explorer body shapes.  V's slide down my leg if im just sittin playin.  I like SG's on stage but I played a warlock and a 7 string LTD model mostly when i was playin live. 

So what about FX?  Anybody got a boss metal zone or use line6 stuff?

aldousburbank

Quote from: The General on January 17, 2014, 11:42:18 PM
You guys and your stories...
I had a '59 Strat that I bought for $3000 in the late 90's and sold it after a few years for $3500.  I thought I was soooo smart.  Woo, I made 500 dollars.  Sheesh. 
They're worth 20k now.
OMG no no no!


ziznak

listening to episode 1 now.  I have a question.  I want to give my warlock a similar finish to this noodles(offspring) signature from Ibanez. 

I don't think it sold well so I can't really comment on the guitar that much but I wanna know about the finish.  How hard is it to do this and can I use electrical tape?  How much do you see the tone of the guitar changing with such a finish?  I guess it depends on the tape and how thick you put it on?  What clear coat to put on top of it? 

tell yer wife she's a trooper not taking any meds during childbirth... thats gotta be rough man she's hardcore.

The General

Quote from: ziznak on January 18, 2014, 01:01:46 PM
listening to episode 1 now.  I have a question.  I want to give my warlock a similar finish to this noodles(offspring) signature from Ibanez. 

I don't think it sold well so I can't really comment on the guitar that much but I wanna know about the finish.  How hard is it to do this and can I use electrical tape?  How much do you see the tone of the guitar changing with such a finish?  I guess it depends on the tape and how thick you put it on?  What clear coat to put on top of it? 

tell yer wife she's a trooper not taking any meds during childbirth... thats gotta be rough man she's hardcore.

Thanks, yeah, my wife is a real trooper for sure.

Hmmm... well, judging from the picture it looks like tape or something.  Interesting look, but honestly, I think if you put tape all over your guitar and then clear coat over it, you will regret it.  It's not going to help the tone, but you've probably already got a pretty thick poly finish on that guitar anyway, right?  Homespun DIY lifehack punkrock finishes like this seem to always go awry.  You can always spot a guitar that was the victim of a weekend art project, it will never look pro.  I get scores of dudes that bring me their guitars after they ruin their finish, and it's an expensive fix that is usually not worth the cost.  Since a professional refin will run in the $400-800 range, I say stick with the color you got. 

Just my 2 cents.
Break out the tape.

ziznak

The original sig series used duct tape... i think electrical is too thin and will pick up fuzzys n shit.  I have some duct tape here... and I was thinking of doing like one layer of either rectangles or squares... I think if i use a slight shingle pattern on them, I can record before and after to see if the tone really changes much...  I doubt it will. I can see how it feels and looks and It's not like sealing them on with lacquer... so i can pull em off with just some slight finishing clean up if i need to reverse it.

My old warlocks back was a collage of local band stickers and random beer labels.  I'm a punk finishing vet right?

hey how long do the screws that mount the pickups have to be?  can I like just buy them online somewhere?

The General

Quote from: ziznak on January 18, 2014, 04:46:55 PM
The original sig series used duct tape... i think electrical is too thin and will pick up fuzzys n shit.  I have some duct tape here... and I was thinking of doing like one layer of either rectangles or squares... I think if i use a slight shingle pattern on them, I can record before and after to see if the tone really changes much...  I doubt it will.
I doubt it will either. 

Quote from: ziznak on January 18, 2014, 04:46:55 PM
hey how long do the screws that mount the pickups have to be?  can I like just buy them online somewhere?
The pickup height screws or the mounting ring screws?
The pickup height screws are almost always machine screws, and there are varying lengths, sizes, and then there's metric vs. standard thread sizes.  Unless your pickups don't have mounting rings, and then they are likely mounted directly to the guitar via special wood screws.  It's definitely not a one-size fits all situation, unfortunately... welcome to my life. 

Guitar parts must be the least standardized thing on the planet. 
No two company's parts seem to be compatible.

I get almost everything from Allparts...
http://www.allparts.com/pickup-screws-and-springs

ziznak

yeah well guitar center must have just grabbed any old height screw cause I tried to lower my bridge pickup a smudge and boom I heard the pickup spring pop.  I've got a shit ton of random screws n what not laying around but nothing like this.  It's not a big deal for me but I do sometimes like to use that pickup so.... I'll see what i can't dig up on yer link thanks man.

This looks right tho... I guess a humbucker is a humbucker?

http://www.allparts.com/GS-3012-001-Nickel-Slot-Head-Humbucking-Screws_p_4724.html


ziznak

fankyew sir.  better to have and not need than to need and not have I always say so... I'll cut it if I have to.  This being a "bronze" (cheap) series my guess is it wasn't made here.  Gotta look at it when I get in tonight.

saucerlike

Really enjoyed your 1st podcast.  I didn't realize how many people here played, I've been a hobby player for several years and enjoy it, but still self-taught & sloppy.  I suppose it makes sense I'm a fan of Sonic Youth (noisy & out of tune) and Jazzmasters.  I'm sure you're aware of the quirks of setting them up, I actually like the stock bridge.  Also have an Epi Casino (cheap model), a strat, 2 Jazzmasters - a Fender CP with '62 AVRI pups and a stock Squier VM which I prefer to the Fender.  Anyways, looking forward to your next show.

The General

Quote from: saucerlike on January 18, 2014, 11:52:49 PM
Really enjoyed your 1st podcast.  I didn't realize how many people here played, I've been a hobby player for several years and enjoy it, but still self-taught & sloppy.  I suppose it makes sense I'm a fan of Sonic Youth (noisy & out of tune) and Jazzmasters.  I'm sure you're aware of the quirks of setting them up, I actually like the stock bridge.  Also have an Epi Casino (cheap model), a strat, 2 Jazzmasters - a Fender CP with '62 AVRI pups and a stock Squier VM which I prefer to the Fender.  Anyways, looking forward to your next show.
Fabulous, thank you. 
I like Mustang bridges for the Jazzmasters, but the stock bridge works fine if you set them up right.  They especially work fine with heavy strings, which they were designed for.  Sounds like you've got some nice guitars... I go for the old stuff but I can't afford the high end ones.  I stick to Danelectro, Harmony, Kay, Supro, and I have some that I've made.  I'm spoiled though, where I work... I routinely work on guitars worth more than most everything I own put together.  I guess I don't need to own them if I get to play with them all day.   :)

eddie dean

Proper pickup height  and individual pole height(if that is the correct term for humbuckers with individual screws for each string) adjustments is a good topic to discuss on the next show. IMHO.
Basic bridge adjustments for proper intonation would also be good.
Tips and tricks for general guitar setup.

The General

Quote from: eddie dean on January 19, 2014, 12:43:33 AM
Proper pickup height  and individual pole height(if that is the correct term for humbuckers with individual screws for each string) adjustments is a good topic to discuss on the next show. IMHO.
Basic bridge adjustments for proper intonation would also be good.
Tips and tricks for general guitar setup.
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.  Which is fine.  As long as I can get listeners... I'm happy.  But I didn't think the average player would want to listen that much.  I drive a car every day but I don't listen to 'Car Talk.' 

That being said, I don't generally encourage DIY guitar repair for the average player.  The most expensive repairs I do are often the un-botching of botched DIY repairs.  People bring me basket cases, literally guitars taken apart, in laundry baskets...  You should see the bad repairs I have to undo.  I see guitars wired up with AC plug wire, like they just cut the cord off the vacuum and said "this will work."  I see guitars wired up with no solder of any kind, just about 2 spools of electrical tape holding things together.  "I tried to fix it myself," they say.  "I just wanted to change the pickups," they say.  I won't even start about the stripped truss rods and homespun refrets.  Yikes.

I'm also realizing that it may be difficult for me to not come across as a guitar snob.  I am a guitar snob, after all.  So I'll aim for this: likeable guitar snob.  That'll work.

BobGrau

soo many words and phrases I don't understand... I like it.

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