GregP

Dugz-- I get it now! I was thinking of electric guitars to begin with; hence my confusion. Cheers for this idea, then-- I've been wanting a new soundhole pickup, and this might do the trick! Greg

I agree about the OLGA tabs. I've found it even worse than 70% wrong. I can't handle all the incorrect tablature and even simple chords they have over there. Powertabs are definitely the way to go for the free stuff. If you happen to have some guitar magazines that you want the tablature from, but in electronic form (as you mention), you could do worse than: a ) scan the tab in black and white (saves memory) at about 300 dpi resolution b ) tidy it up in any old image editor with a crop and rotate function c ) insert as a graphic into an OpenOffice.org document d ) export as PDF Then you're sorted! I've been making a binder of my magazine tabs and lessons that interest me, and it's been working so far! I tried high resolution scanning and high resolution printing and I actually found the 300dpi and then printing in Draft mode to be the clearest, for the hardcopy! Greg

How do humbuckers factor into the equation? You can have strat, tele, Floyd, tune-o-matic, or any other style of bridge with any pickup configuration. After deciding trem/fixed, another question COULD be, what style of guitar is it? Greg

FYI, though, Ojala IS a word in Spanish, too! I'm not a native Spanish speaker, so without knowing your origin, I didn't want to presume to translate it in a way that you didn't intend it. But since I now know it's Finnish, I can say with at least a modicum of authority that it means to hope for something. I don't know its origin, and I'm not certain that it's natively Spanish. Could very well be an indigenous word. But I DO know that it was in very common usage in the area of Mexico in which I lived (Coahuila). Again, great inlay. I hope mine turns out half as well.

The two screws in the middle of either side of the pickup ring will do it.

My feelings aren't the ones I was concerned about. The internet has the power to create a community of people sharing information. Or, it can create a glorified schoolyard full of bullies. I know which one *I* would prefer.

Dude... seriously... baby steps. If your strings are hitting the pickups, there's only one solution. Lower the pickups. I'm beginning to suspect that I'm being trolled... though I've done my best to give the benefit of the doubt and be polite.

The title of the thread told you what the content would be. If you don't like those kinds of threads, it's exceedingly simple to not read them. And if you read it and smack your head and go, "crap! another one of those threads!" you don't HAVE to reply, especially if it's just negativity. Don't get me wrong, I'm the first person to join a conversation, but I just wasn't sure what the insult ("Grow a brain") was accomplishing. Furthermore, some people like to hear perspectives from all points of view, not always to make up their mind FOR them, but to help confirm that their decision was the right one for them. If he's decided, "What a headache, I don't know if I want to bother," but a bunch of people say, "Hey, what a great project! Fix 'er up!" he might change his mind. That doesn't mean he's an automaton blindly following a stranger's advice, it just means that he has more opinions to weigh his decision against. We all do it in our lives, daily. What a heck of a world we'd live in if all our decisions were made only with ourselves and our own perspectives in mind. Greg

Didn't mean to imply that YOU are wacky, though. <grin>

He already has a neck made for non-AANJ. Looking good so far! I'm interested in the router bit you used, so I'm off to research it. As for the alder body, it sounds like you're almost apologizing for it. I wouldn't. Alder is an awesome wood, and if it's the right wood for the job then so be it! Greg

Speaking of growing a brain... borge, what was the point of that? As for the question-- I say fix it up, but that's just me. I've never had enough guitars to conceive of selling any of them off. <grin> Especially if it does a different 'job' than any of your other guitars. Greg

<shrug> I agree. Don't roll your eyes at me, young man.

It'll only make a difference unamplified. The extra space may end up being a bit more acoustically resonant. Not likely enough to make it worth your trouble. Either way, the pickups are just suspended by screws and springs off the pickguard itself. Removing a bit of wood won't change that fact, and the amplified tone will be identical. You may find a dissenting opinion, but frankly I think it falls into the same realm of voodoo as half the other wacky 'tone recipes' that people concoct. Greg

No experiences, but I think it's a wicked-cool idea. The only concern I have (which you've already addressed) is the life of the fretboard and its reparability in the case of accident. Greg

That price breakdown seems about right. Instead of the software, though, get a proper soundcard (Audiophile 2496 or EMU0404 for example) which include software. In theory, you CAN use the on-board sound these days. There are a couple of handy little programs around that give ASIO capability to on-board soundcards, which means low-latency monitoring, so you could start off with the on-board and add the 'proper' sound card later. I wouldn't recommend it, though, with a clear conscience. It really depends on what you want to get out of it. Or, let me put it to you this way: - You CAN get a system that will do everything the Tascam can do and more, for cheaper or the same price. - HOWEVER, it is very easy to find yourself on a slippery slope for computer-based hardware, as well. You say, "well it's only $40 more to get an extra 256 MB of RAM" or "I should get this second hard drive that's been recommended" and end up with a pricey system. SO, At the end of the day, I'm really all about computer-based recording. It'll give you the flexibility and power to do studio-quality work. But I understand that to get there, you need to spend probably double the cost of the Tascam, just as a starting point. Since money is an issue for all of us, it's still worth considering. If you really believe that the Tascam will fit your needs, I say go for it. Factor in a way to get drum tracks into it before making your decision, though. I used an old tape-based Tascam 4-track portastudio for years, and I had a hell of a lot of fun with it. The model you're looking at is already 100 times better than what I used. Greg

No doubt there's a teeny tiny bit of truth to it all. If you have a single-coil pickup aligned directly under where the node is, there is technically no 'vibration' there, and the signal WILL be a bit muted (only when you play an open string). Worrying about such a thing is like worrying about if Mr. Christie's has put enough chocolate chips into your cookie, though. Sure, you reach into a bag and take one out, it'll have more or less chocolate than the next one. But will you REALLY notice the difference? Definitely not once the string is fretted. I mean, if there was a point to be had, it would be moot anyhow, because depending on the fretted note, your pickup will become located at a node for SOME note or another!! Also to consider: 1. A humbucker will pick up from 2 different physical locations. It seems to me that Mr. Roman favours humbuckers, so it's a 50% moot point. 2. The magnetic field is in no way as surgically precise as that. It's silly to focus on this one open-string note 'muting' when the 'muting' is likely only about 2% or so, and only for an open note. 3. That tone might be desirable, the same way that out-of-phase pickups produce a desirable phase for some people. Putting pickups out of phase will 'mute' far more frequencies than pickup position will! I mean, I've NEVER played a 21- or 22- fret guitar and though, "Shoot! That note sounds so dang MUTED!" Have you? Less tone voodoo, more tone common sense. That's my vote. Greg

Vulite - the bridge area physically produces less output because the vibration of the strings is less wide. So yes, if you take a neck pickup and put it in the bridge position, it'll be measureably lower in output. Or more accurately, the pickup stays the same, but the string vibration at the bridge contribute to generating less output. thedoctor - not all pickups are f-spaced, but some are. In many cases, a bridge pickup and a neck pickup will have identical spacing. In some cases, companies make more accurately spaced polepieces. To be honest with you, although I'm sure there IS a tonal difference between spaced and unspaced pickups, I've always wondered if, given the size of the overall magnetic field generated, it's as substantial as some people might think. However, for tone junkies, even the smallest change is noticeable, hence there's still definitely a market for it. Greg

Just had a peek at that recorder, and judging ONLY by specs (ie. not practical usage) I can't see anything to recommend it. For the version with the effects, you're looking at $450 street price. That gets you 16-bit / 44.1 kHz audio quality only, 8 tracks only (I'm sure you can bounce, mind you, but bounce is destructive and can't be undone), no integrated drum machine (so now you have to find a way to get drum tracks onto it), a difficult interface for editing and mixing (a small LED display?) Ironically, the only thing I see going for it is the fact that it has SPDIF (digital) output, so it could be used as a mixer still, once you make the move to a computer. Let's say you went with computer and soundcard. It could easily become more expensive, for sure. But you'd be sorted out for anywhere from $400 (the same price as the Tascam, but with no real upgradeability or future life, take it as it is [just like the Tascam]) to the sky's the limit. For what's considered a competent modern setup with power, upgradeability, and more power than some 'real' studios have (obviously not the top dogs, but local studios can't afford to continually upgrade their equipment and get by for years with 'old' technology) you can spend about a grand and be quite happy. With the computer, you'll also have the option to program your drums and other instruments (orchestral, even, if you dig it!) OR use loops if that's your bag (drum track with variety and humanity is possible in 10 minutes using something like the inexpensive discs found at Beta Monkey. I don't mean to brow-beat you. I just think if you're really willing to limit yourself to the tiny amount of power available on the Tascam, then you could just as easily limit yourself to an outdated (but still capable) computer setup. And then if you're serious about doing it, you can always upgrade the computer and bring the soundcard and mixer along with you to the next machine. Greg

Exactly right. Make it Chiquita-like and 23" or 24" scale so that you can still tune it normally, AND lose/reduce the headstock and you're in mini-guitar heaven, I'd say. Greg

If you want short scale but playable in standard pitch, you could try creating your own custom set of strings. They'd have to be thick strings to even have a hope, though. I can't imagine the results would be all that satisfactory, but if you're willing to use short-scale and transposed, you could at least give it a try before saying, "nope, didn't work" and then putting on your standard strings for a transposed scale. Greg

How is this chassis mounted to the guitar?

The 4th harmonic talk is just jiggery-pokery. Yes, there will be a different tone between 21- and 24-fret instruments, but it's not centered around the 4th harmonic. The pickups, in different locations, are turning the string's different vibrations into different harmonic information period. The location of the 4th harmonic is only relevant for an open string, after all. Or, in other words: We all know there's a difference between the sound of a bridge pickup and a neck pickup, because of it's location along the scale. That's all that's happening when the neck pickup position's changed... there's a slight difference in tone which some may prefer and some may not. I'm sure Ed Roman has some pseudo-science about it on his site somewhere... Greg

Real studios use computers. On the Tascam, you will never have even close to the power and flexibility of a computer. You won't be able to install AutoTune (or BetabugsAudio's free version) if you want to use it for vocal tune-ups. You won't be able to zoom in on a waveform and do minute changes. You won't have a selection of thousands of free and cheap effects, plus thousands of more commercial ones if you decide to buy some. I've never known anyone to go from computer to portastudio, but there are people who go from portastudio to computer (I'm one of them, but it was a very different portastudio back then!) and then you have to transfer all your music over. I can think of a million reasons to go computer, but only one reason to go Tascam: price. How much is the Tascam unit going to run you? When people are talking about the computer specs, and if it's "powerful enough", they are thinking in terms of more than 8 tracks. If you're happy with 8 tracks of audio, an ancient used computer for $200 will work. I'd still recommend getting something newer than that, but even the cheapest new Dell will be able to handle more tracks of audio than the Tascam.

Helpful idea for the lugs, but he needs/wants to solder to the back of the pot, too.

I gotta say, Mazz... it's not likely to happen. I know you said you have no job, but the surest thing you can hope for is to come up with $99 plus shipping to get yourself a Saga kit, and even that will cost extra if you want to paint it up and all that good stuff. In order to get the kit, you'll probably need a guardian who has a credit card and is willing to order it for you. There are great tales of people building guitars from salvaged wood and fabricated parts, but even those stories usually involve at least having access to some decent tools. Lots of people buy guitars and never take the time to learn them. Get your guardians to poll relatives if you have any that you know of-- aunts, uncles, even friends of the family... someone's likely to have a guitar for you to learn on! One of my guitars is on loan to my girlfriend's younger sister right now for that very reason. Greg