GregP

The "You Really Got Me" wasn't exactly right-- you had the intervals of the main notes correct, though, which is a good thing. That's OK, Van Halen didn't do it right either, and he knows it; but he did a cool version. The Amazing Grace was so short and muffled that I only listened to it once, so I don't know if it was right.

You're getting better by the day. Your sense of rhythm is definitely improving. I -always- want to hear you playing over a backing track of sorts, though; as its hard to tell sometimes just with a solo instrument! Maybe I'll make up a tutorial some day... or maybe not, because it'll take me 5 pages to say what could have been said in 1.

No definitive answer from me, but I would imagine that they use the same OEM parts (tuners, bridges, etc.) in any case. Greg

I agree about the appearance of the pickups, with the big "Bartolini" across them; however, if they give you the sound fidelity you were after, then it's more than a justifieable trade-off. Thanks for the bit on making your ebony pickup mounting rings (I believe you called them covers, which confused me for a second, though it could have looked interesting!). I was planning on making some of my own, and it hadn't occurred to me to do it as a walled 'box'-- I just have a semi-thick hunk of ebony I was going to shape. As for the rest-- there are 2 other things that I didn't absolutely love-- First, the elongated headstock. It suits the guitar better than a 'Gibson'-style one would have; however, I still see it as being a bit long. What I DO like, though, is that it has its own look, which is more than I can say for my own or many others around! Second, the flamed headstock veneer and tailpiece. I like how solid black draws attention to the subtle beauty of spruce. I found the flamed wood looked a bit 'much', and didn't marry the spruce as well as something understated might have. For proportion, other than the headstock, I like it. I think you've created something unique, and something that's balanced, to boot. Sure, it's smaller than standard archtop design, but it was never meant to be a traditional archtop replacement, and I think its own aesthetic and your vision are successful. Despite my criticisms, I would cheerfully brag about this guitar to anybody who I happened to bump into... at a gig... at a music festival... at my local grocery store... ! Greg

Sure, But I have a smaller bit and will do it in multiple passes. Rant noted, though. As for why make instead of buy? I guess if quality is your BIGGEST concern, that's certainly one perspective. Another is that I probably won't be making guitars that surpass mass-produced ones for a while... but I still enjoy the process. Why should you buy a guitar from me (I know it wasn't me--Greg--me, but for others like me)? You shouldn't. I'm doing it for myself and possibly as gifts for friends. I'll gladly refer potential customers to the commercial luthiers who frequent this site.

Nuke-tastic! Er.. Not feeling entirely eloquent today.

If you think you 'need' the special router bit for Stewmac's truss rod, then I also have a special Robertson-head screwdriver that you really need for... er... special 'guitar-grade' screws. Only $60 shipped. Let me know if you're interested. Greg

-Yamaha Pacifica tele-style... dunno the model number, but it's cheaper than the Mike Stern one. -Godin LG (with P-90s) -Guild D-25 acoustic -Yamaha ?? acoustic... on loan, so I couldn't check the model number, but it's a budget guitar

Also, why do you need the info so quick? If it's something you're building for yourself, you should take your time and do it right. If it's something you're doing for someone else as a gift, they'd appreciate the extra time more than if you gave it to them exactly on their anniversary/birthday/whatever. If it's something you're getting PAID to do, and have been given a deadline... well, frankly I don't think you should be doing it at all. Even before I started building a guitar, I had a few of the basic concepts of guitars IN GENERAL in my head. eg. that the 12th fret is the halfway point... Good luck, Greg

I'll try to simply re-state what has already been said, and add one new bit of info: First the new bit: I believe a flying V is 24.75" scale. Let's assume for a second that it is. [edit: I posted during Wes' post... it may well be 25.5"! ] Then, Rhoads56's bit: on your TOM, turn the screw so that the high 'E' saddle is as far forward (toward the headstock/nut) as possible. The contact point (the top of the saddle) will be either 24.75" away from the nut, if you measure it that way, or 12.375" away from the 12th fret (the 12th fret is the halfway point...) if you measure it that way. Then, as per Wes' post, to get the most intonatable bridge possible, angle the bridge back a little bit, moving the post of the bass side like 1/8"-3/16" or so, keeping the post on the treble side where it already is. Greg

I think the Fly is wonderful. It sounds good, feels good, and plays well. Of course, that's just one man's perspective. Greg

Sweet baby jingles... It depends on the guitar, dude. For all of those questions. ;-)

Great bass, and great letter! You may feel Tom Anderson's mind, but I feel Hyunsu's mind. You are an inspiration with your hard work and your dedication to being a student of crafting guitars. Greg

Everybody has their own learning style. Myself, I'd rather learn a song than a scale any day; however, I do value various lessons from Guitar Player that have helped me learn the pentatonic scale all over the neck instead of just in one position. Haven't gotten around to any other scales yet. Maybe in another decade.

Well, it's like this-- The nut and the bridge are still attached to the wood.

Sounds a bit like "The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)" by Big Wreck, though Ian Thornley uses a stereo tremolo effect in his. The Oaf is a great song, so yours didn't sound bad to me, either. Keep at it, I say. Even though you've been playing for 3 years, if you stick to it there will inevitably come a time where you will really decide to go balls out and learn stuff. OR, you will eventually realize that your rhythm has gotten better. I can't over-emphasize the importance of playing with other musicians. I wouldn't be where I'm at now if I didn't have a friend (a better guitarist, too, which was important to me at least) to play songs with. It made it more enjoyable by far, and also pushed me to -listen- more carefully to the importance of rhythm and dynamics. If it hasn't been mentioned on another thread yet, get yourself a metronome or some backing tracks to practice with, and let your right arm/wrist BE a metronome as you play. As for feel... well, everyone has their own feel. No point in trying to 'force' feel out of yourself. Everyone will have their own opinion on this, but I wouldn't worry about feel until your technique improves. I'm not saying it has to be 'perfect', but in order to bring feel to a part, you USUALLY have to know it well enough that you're not concentrating on 'playing' it anymore and are able to divert that energy into getting its 'feel' right. Unless the feel you want is confusion and chaos, in which case you don't need to know the part at all. Above all else, I gotta give you mad props for your positive attitude. You are able to listen to criticism as something that's positive and constructive, and you don't seem to let it get you down. That's HUGE, and I really respect you for it. Greg

I second the Yamaha suggestion. I am a huge fan of their stuff. A friend of mine has been "making do" with a Yamaha acoustic (bought it for $300 CDN) for well over a decade, and even though he's now an incredible guitarist and plays primarily acoustic, he hasn't wanted to get a new one. Au contraire, he is planning to refret the Yamaha!! I personally think he should go a BIT better than his 10-year old budget Yamaha, but it's a testament to his bang-for-the buck that he's gotten out of them. Myself, I got an even cheaper Yamaha for a 'campfire' instrument, and sometimes I choose it over my Guild. That said, I've been very interested in Tanglewood recently. Greg

Binding. Isn't it obvious by the name of the thread? It can be anything... it's often made with celluloid, which is a plastic that has acetone as its solvent. Nice work can be done with wood, too. I don't think there are any 'rules' for what it should be made with, there are just more common materials.

I hate to break it to you, Darren, but nickels aren't made of nickel. I did you a step better, though-- I took my chrome guitar slide and my nickel hardware (TOM and tuners) outside into some natural light. The nickel was definitely the one that was yellower, while the chrome was bluish. Greg

I have no idea for me, but I could have sworn someone on a tutorial here or elsewhere said they can do a neck profile (don't think that included fingerboard and fretting, and definitely not finishing) in 45 minutes. That'd be nice.

Glad to see you're in a constant state of development. That means you can finish a working prototype in only a few months, give the blueprints to the ProjectGuitar members, and then move on to selling it for hundreds in the world market. ;-) Seriously, though, I'm impressed with the speed of development and look forward to hearing about each new discovery, even when I only understand about 25% of what you're all saying. Greg

Sure, it's not a stretch to imagine that the neck resists (or if you want to be bold enough to say "prevents") warpage. The problem is all the rest of the voodoo claims that go with it. How much more 'instant' can note response BE on a guitar? Give me the softest, crappiest, least stable woods, put a string between them attached by 2 nails, and I guarantee that when you pluck the string you will still get an 'instant' response. There IS no latency in real-world physics. I've also never noticed 'dead spots' on necks, but I'm willing to admit that there COULD be notes which, when fretted at specific spots, are a little less shimmery than other notes; as long as manufacturers are willing to admit that this probably has more to do with the overal resonance of the guitar and the sympathetic frequencies it's 'happy' with than with the structural integrity of the neck. I mean, just because, for example, a 'G' fretted on the 3rd string 12th fret is a bit 'dead' doesn't mean that the spot under your finger is a bit dead; and while the neck may certainly be a factor (just due to the structural nature of a neck, it's likely the most important factor in the guitar's resonant frequencies) overall, it's not that there's some 'out of alignment' section of wood under there. Again, just to make sure my point isn't missed here-- I have no doubt that the structural integrity is better, but when you get into the rest of the claims on tone, we're getting into territory that we cannot simply attribute to the neck improvement as a matter of course, without finding specific evidence to back the claims. As for Ed Roman bashing-- well, the problem with that website (I know nothing about the man himself) is that there's a lot of complaining about the 'major companies', but then the site uses a lot of the same rhetorical techniques to fleece potential customers and provide them with less than complete information. It's the pot calling the kettle black, to use a cliche.

My experience is that it's the other way around. Of course, what the heck do I know?

The only comparison I have for that is that I used to have a hot rails pickup in the bridge of my Strat, and now I have an SD L'il '59 in the bridge of a Pacifica. So it's not exactly a/b... 2 completely different pickups on 2 completely different guitars. I liked the sound of both. I don't think you'll find anyone saying anything like "rails have more output" or "rails are more trebly" or anything like that, since the coils have more to do with it than the rail or pole-pieces. But many people WILL agree about the even sound during bends, as per Wes' post. Myself, I don't have discerning enough ears. I never notice drop-offs during bends on any of my pickups in any of my guitars. Greg

Teachers are people, too. <chuckle> I never understood how people think we all share a personality. Long before I ever decided to become a teacher, I'd been playing guitar, singing, and worshipping at the altar of Jimi.