GregP

The body on the latest one is pretty much "there". There are personal things that all of us could add that would make it have more 'panache' according to our own personal tastes, but from an objective perspective, it's a well-balanced and usable shape now. The headstock, I agree, is now something that could be addressed. I don't mind the 4X2 idea at all, I just find it a bit angular looking compared to the smooth curves of the body. Greg

Standard tele is not an AANJ, so I'm a bit confuzzled. I would say that you're better off not trying to get the neck binding to 'run into' the body binding. As you say, you'd have to somehow angle it from the neck because the fretboard sits higher than the body. I can't think of any way of getting the two to meet that wouldn't look a bit funny. At the end of the day, I think keeping the two 'heights' of binding separate would be the better option, but that's strictly an opinion. Greg

And AGAIN with the replying to myself. Also again for other people (possibly non-posting lurker-types, we know you're out there!! ) to be informed: The trem sold on MusicYo does NOT come with the headpiece. It's the bridge only. I'd consider buying one of those 'converters', but then you'd still have to jury rig or manufacture some sort of headpiece, I believe. Still looking like Speedloader... I like the profile of the Steinberger better, but what can you do? Greg

Unless it's an electric Kazoo: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ssPageName=WDVW In which case, the tone would be sweet.

It looks a lot better now, but I maintain that the upper "horn" (not really a horn, more like a bout) is too bulge-y. Greg

Yes! That's the one!! Good work.

eggzacly

Bumping my own thread again-- I just got notification today that the R-Trem is back in stock, and yes it even appears again on the website. So, I wanted to clear up that misinformation in case other people were considering purchasing these units. On a side note, the EZ-bender is also back in stock. B-bender for $30 US? Gotta get one... gotta get one... Greg

What the heck? I know for sure I typed out what AANJ stands for, but I must have accidentally deleted it when revising! I was going to take it as an opportunity to say it so that it wouldn't have to be asked. Wonder what happened? Oops! Of course, there ARE better solutions out there, fa' sheezy. Just saying that in terms of more or less 'standard' bolt-on techniques, this one actually works and feels great. Greg

An entire life can be made better with correct grammar and spelling, though. Sometimes the slightest typos can cost a company or you thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours. Plus, you wouldn't want to f*** up on written communication with a girlfriend. "I love you two" could be taken the wrong way.

Sucks. Hope it works out for you. ------ charm to are (instead of is) to barely (barley beverages, though... mm...) were to to then ? Sorry...

I hereby take credit for mentioning it discretely via PM about a month ago. Godin graciously explained that he simply wouldn't wanna bother Brian with such a trivial thing as fixing some off spelling. Good 'nuff for me. Know point naging him to much about it, I geuss. Greg

Horrible. Talented artist, for sure. But... well, horrible. Greg

I don't know that I'll ever be one for on-board special effects (ie. flanger, chorus, octaver), but bread and butter things like EQ and compression I could go for on-board. I have no fear of powered cables. I doubt it'd catch on beyond the studio, though. No phantom power with a wireless connection. Or is there? Greg

So, Just looking at plans and actual guitars that feature the Ibanez AANJ, I kept thinking to myself, "Bah, placebo effect. If you look at it, it's rounded off but really only gives you a centimetre more of non-heel. Whoop-dee-doo." I even wanted to post a few times on here asking (but actually insinuating, since I had made my mind up) what was so special about the AANJ and if at the end of the day it really mattered, or if people just liked it because it "seemed" to be a more elegant heel. Now, I shouldn't say that I had a "lesson learned" from this, because as you've noted, I did NOT in fact post such threads. The lesson was actually learned a long time ago not to just spout off without researching first. Unfortunately from time to time, research is theoretical and I still end up in debates, but that's the nature of being a talkative and curious kind of guy. This time, I KNEW that the answer to my question could be found at the music store next time I was in and remembering to check. As luck would have it, I remembered last time I was at Long and McQuade's, and I quickly hunted down an Ibanez (haven't a clue the model) with an AANJ. Let me tell you, it DOES make a difference. I'm not much for playing high frets, but even just hovering around the 17th fret, the 'placebo' effect kicks in, because when you DO go up into the absolute upper reaches, you KNOW that you're going to get the clearance that you so yearn for in other guitars, so you don't have to worry so much about adjusting your grip in "preparation" for playing those upper registers. All well and good, and there's something to be said even for pure mental confidence. But then when you actually DO get up there, it's awesome. It's not a gimmick, it works and it feels great. In summary: researching before spouting has once again proven valuable. AANJ IS awesome, it's not just for show. I'm a believer. Greg

The rhythm sound or the lead sound? A lot of the leads were harmonized between 2 guitars, no? I'm not a huge Maiden fan, but that's what memory tells me. Someone else can tell me if my memory is suffering from age-related setbacks. Greg

Most people don't recommend your typical construction-grade pine, but I've heard of people using different pine species. I'm sure there must be other suitable woods to be found in your part of the world. Don't have enough expertise to recommend one, though. Greg

Any reason to not consider using normal phantom power along a balanced cable? 48v too much juice? Greg

Then you didn't need to solicit our opinions! Shoulda just stormed ahead with it and weathered the comments when they started coming. "NNnooooo, why would you do that to a perfectly good piece of mahogany!" Godin's version still looks god-awful, IMO. The upper right... what the heck is it called... bout? Where a Les Paul's toggle would normally go... Is too big and weird-shaped. It's a very unbalanced-seeming guitar in general so far. Build it if you like it, though. I don't anticipate many people liking my headless whenever I get around to it. Greg

I have a tube preamp, but I wanted to save it for running the clean signal. It's just that the pres in my mixer can get kind of noisy, though I suppose since the part is meant to be redundant and sort of a 'backup plan' I can probably settle. It's what I used to use before I got the tube pre, and it worked "OK". In the digital world, I have some warming plug-ins, but more importantly I use convolution plug-ins for emulating cabs and real spaces. I agree that the raw sound of the GDI21 is pretty "DI distortion pedal" sounding, but with the right impulses, it comes back to life. No isolation box here, but when it's the right time of the day I can still mic my little 30-watter. Greg

On the other hand, you're not playing classical guitar in classical playing position. Putting your thumb in centre behind the neck is certainly more comfortable and easier when properly seated and using a guitar with a wider fingerboard. Not much point making yourself play quasi-classical when it's not classical music or a classical guitar. Not one of the guitar players I admire plays in a 'classical' way. How you supposed to do a double-and triple stop bend in classical position? I know you're accomodating all playing styles, and I'm not trying to respond directly to you, Churchyard, but in general I don't think it makes sense to try to use a technique that's not appropriate to the instrument or genre. Greg

The design's getting there with idch's revision. I would have the lower horn reflect the shape and feel of the upper bout a bit, giving it integration. I tried mocking it up in Paint Shop, but I can't get smooth mouse curves so I gave up. I get frustrated quickly and easily this late at night. Greg

Nope, it's not a consideration for me. First, I don't buy the premise that an electric is just an acoustic amplified. I'm one of those arses who doesn't even believe in all the hype surrounding wood choice. Yes, I'm smart enough to know that the wood's mass and resonance WILL have an effect (two very dissimilar woods will produce different results); however, I don't believe certain wood choices make the world of difference that some people claim. On top of that, though, and since we disagree on the above point, this is probably the one that I should simply be responding with ( ) --> the body itself will still have the mass of a normal Steinberger L-type guitar. Without the attachments, the rest of the body will look identical to an L-type. The wings won't be particularly bulky, so I don't think they will have enough mass to dampen the vibration of the main part of the body in the event of a slighly weak clipping technology. After all, I'm not worried that my body and my soft, vibration-damping lap seriously undermines my guitar's tone when I'm playing from a seated position. If there IS any damping to be had (and I'm sure that scientifically speaking there IS going to be a little) it won't be any more than my soft body pressed up against a guitar would accomplish. On the other hand, I do NOT believe that even with an awesome technique, that the 'wings' will impart any significant mass or tone enhancement to the guitar. I don't think they'll make it sound worse, but I don't think they'll make it sound better, either. I've a very big believer in perspective. As a math teacher, one of the things we get to teach is the manipulation of data to present a strong case. I could take a graph of the time it takes for a guitar body's vibration to die out, both with the wings and without, and I do imagine that there could be a measureable difference, for sure. But on one graph, "zooming in" on the tail end, I could make it look like there's a significant difference. On the other hand, if I "zoom out" of the graph, you'd see how insignificant the difference is. There could be all kinds of arguments, and you hear all kinds of voodoo around magazines, other guitarists, and this very forum, but I don't buy into it. It would not be beyond the scope of imagination that someone could say, "The wings will darken the tone slightly, but it'll be balanced off by a snappy maple fingerboard, and the pickups of choice will exert less magnetic pull on the strings, increasing sustain also." It's exactly the kind of thing that could be said, and people would buy it. Greg

Agreed. They ARE pretty cool, though, in my opinion. Can't say I have the urge to own one of my very own, but if I saw it in a store, I'd certainly take a closer peek. Neato. Greg

Looks like Gibson/Steinberger have pulled the R-type trem (the cheap one) that they sold on MusicYo, leaving only the $700 and the $450 models. So if/when I ever get around to this project, it'll be Speedloader I guess. I was leaning in that direction anyhow, to be honest. Hope Speedloader strings become less expensive, and that the idea catches on. It seems to have not caught on very rapidly yet. Greg