GregP

Fantastic job. Plain "blonde" guitars really do it for me... the elegant simplicity of your design and exectution is great. How does one access the truss rod? Cover held on with magnets? Or did you forego a truss-rod and go old school?

My Guild has a carved (curved) back and no bottom bracing. Allegedly the shape of it provides enough structure that it's not needed. Dunno about that since their higher end guitars still had bracing instead (this is all back in the pre-Fender days, haven't followed them since forever) but it's definitely holding up and sounds great. Greg

We had the default phpbb "captcha" (the visual verification) installed and it didn't work. But we upgraded the captcha and now it works better. Dunno about invision, but phpbb has a lot of add-ons 'n' stuff. Also, an option to "delete all posts along with user" is handy... doesn't nuke the whole thread, just the individual posts by a known spammer. Delete the spammer and his posts go, too.

Man, I think that's absolutely NASTY as-is. But to each their own.

I'd have to listen to know how excessive the hum is, but it's very common indeed for guitars to hum more when you're not touching the strings. The very reason that bridges (and therefore strings) are grounded is to get the benefit of more silence when you're touching them. I don't know the science behind it... someone tried to tell me it's because you add yourself to the ground as an additional "shield", but I dunno about that. I just know that touching the strings on any guitar but the most seamlessly shielded ones will reduce hum.

I like the concept of the 'zero fret', though I don't seem to be in posession of one. However, I will say this-- there's something to be said for having access to the different 'sound' of the open string as a different colour in your tonal palette. An open G chord and a G barre chord sound different not only because of the absent B, but because of the sound of those ringing open strings vs. their fretted counterparts. Having that choice isn't so bad! And the choice of nut material will in turn affect the resulting open-chord or pull-off-to-open-string sound.

Does it have to 'level' when the pores are being kept open? I don't know much about finishing, but I thought the 'leveling' process referred to ensuring a completely glasslike surface. Since the pores are 'exposed' (?) anyhow, I'm not sure that this is part of the process.

That guitar is teh win. OK... I'm too old to say "teh win"... But that's one heck of a beautiful guitar!

Isn't that just standard Strat wiring, SS?

Yes, it's true. I guess the argument, IMO, can be presented 2 ways: 1. Is it physically possible and/or comfortable to use an instrument of that design 2. Does it give the musician an intrinsic benefit over other instruments in its class? The answer to #1 so far is: Yup, it's physically possible to do whatever the heck you want with it, but some skepticism remains over the ergonomics and comfort of it. The answer to #2 is so subjective that there's not going to be a conclusion, really. I lean towards agreeing with Wes at this point in time-- to the solo bassist (equivalent to the solo pianist, as per Jon's counter-argument) there's probably a lot that can be done. Arrangements that aren't possible with 5- or even 6-string basses. Since the examples seen so far are featuring primarily solo bass musicians, I have little choice at this point but to agree that there's probably a niche market for this instrument after all. I just don't think of those musicians as bassists anymore. When you're holding down the low end and maintaining the groove of the song (not necessarily needing to be flashy about it), you're in traditional bass territory. When you're using a 9-string and soloing in the upper registers, you're not really being a bassist anymore. Clearly, there aren't any physical limitations stopping you from doing both, but then you're in Stick territory. The 9-string bass strikes me as too much of a compromise in order to be able to claim to do all of those things. Anyhow, I guess I'm halfway there to changing my opinion, but I'm not really convinced yet. It's probably already evidenced in this and other threads that I don't value extra octaves as much as I value making the most out of the octaves you have. Even more off-topic from our off-topicness: as an example, I am completely indifferent to having 24 frets on a guitar, while some people see it as a "must-have." I think guitars sound like crap when played at the 24th fret (E-string, because there's no point having 24 frets except to give the E string an additional full-stop) in the first place, and most guitars make accessing those frets a chore. I also think that 7 strings is plenty for a guitar. I like violins to be violins, cellos to be cellos, contrabass to be contrabass... and though there is frequency overlap and the same playing technique, I wouldn't want to see a contrabass with an extended range... just let the cellos step in. Greg

In this case, the extended range that wasn't being used was the upper range, though. That's what I meant. I'm sure that you'll see that the only time he's in that upper range is for a brief little effect that would have been just as.. er.. effective! on a 6-string. His tone was great, too. Glad nobody's upset.

Frankly, I don't have the time to Google for every extended range bassist out there, and my final phrase ADMITS that I might just not have seen it in action. No need to get upset about it. One can't be an expert on everything, and I was wrong about the popping and slapping. That dude did a great job. But, he didn't use the extended range. And the lowest of the low notes was indistinguishable as a note. It was a percussive "thud" which is kind of neat, but in a BAND setting I imagine my drummer's kick is placing the thud at the right place. If you think that the point of this is to be in a band setting, why no videos of an ERB being played in a band? I'm sure they're out there. Didn't I already address the piano issue? <scratches head> I can't remember. As for the "comfort" factor, you are saying my exact words back to me-- why make an instrument that's uncomfortable? But that's what they've done in the case of some of the examples I've seen in this thread and others. Heavy? You bet. Neck that's wider than your fingers are long? Yup. So it's a good question. And whether or not a guy is 'capable' of playing the bass still doesn't factor in whether it's ergonomically efficient and/or truly comfortable. He himself (or other ERBassists, if not him) might say, "Damn this thing is uncomfortable, but it's the only instrument that makes it possible to play what I want to play." You say "ignorant" as though it's a bad thing. People are ignorant about all kinds of things. I have not hidden the fact that I know little to nothing about 9-string basses. Not to mention that I said it "seems" like a flawed design. I did not say, as you contend, that it "is" a flawed design. Be that as it may, including that new video you posted, I've yet to see a compelling argument for the utility of the extended range. He could have played that part with a 6-string. And I have my doubts (ignorant ones!) that in a band situation in particular, that any given ERBassist is using much of that range at all. In any event, I'm certainly not offended... if anything, I'm happy to get educated. Whether or not I think that most recent video demonstrates the usefulness of an ERB, I thought it was pretty cool. I hope you're not offended at my questioning the purpose of these things. If along the way you manage to convince me that they're useful, you will have scored a victory for your cause, and I will have gotten a little bit less ignorant along the way.

Yeah, I know what you're getting at, I just can't agree that you're getting benefits. "Different" or "Extra" (in this case, strings) doesn't always imply any sort of improvement on design. Those guys on those 9-strings simply will NOT be able to hold down a standard walking bass line in the lower registers, or at least not without discomfort. The only way to reach the lowest notes in any sort of efficient way is with tapping. They won't be doing any popping or slapping down there, either. Despite the versatility "on paper," one guy played completely in a "classical guitar" way, and in the same octave ranges, while the other guy played completely stick-style, tapping his low notes. It goes without saying that it's "different strokes" kinda thing, but it still seems very much a flawed design. An instrument, like any number of other pieces of engineering, shouldn't try so hard to be all things, or it'll fail at some. You may get the ability to pop and slap, but if you're going to play it like a stick, a stick does a better job of being a stick, y'know? And a classical guitar does a better job of being a classical guitar. I don't see the true intrinsic benefit of the instrument having that extended range. Maybe I've just still never seen anyone (including those sample videos) fully exploiting what should be the design benefits. Greg

Heya!

I had a "SpinSaw" which is just like a rotozip... adjustable speed 'n stuff... piece of crap, as it turns out, but it still did a much better job with inlay than my genuine Dremel® did.

The Dan Armstrong plexi guitar has snap-in/out. The system uses 1/4" connectors from what I can tell.

I think those videos (even the second one) prove at least to myself that the instrument is exactly what I think it is. I think he'd have better control and tone with an actual Stick, too. Greg

That bass strikes me as horrific and as Wes says, unplayable. It makes me think of that Saturday Night Live skit that came out after Gilette announced the Mach 3. "Wait... it's the Mach 20! With 20 blades for extra-close shave" (or whatever). I suppose I could "reason" out why a 9-string bass is a bad idea, but I think most people will just look at that thing and automatically intuit that there are better ways to skin the extended range cat; ones that don't include an ergonomically problematic slog of engineering. It's like forcing a pickup truck into the racing circuit. Yeah, it has an engine, 4 wheels, and could be made to be pretty fast. But I suspect that the winner of the race is still the one driving the stock car or F1. Greg

The differences in placement for the neck pickup in 24-fret vs. 22-fret aren't related to harmonic node. The myth of the "harmonic node" has been dissected and debunked in numerous threads. Of course, there IS going to be a difference in tone, but it's not related to the harmonic node.

Ha-ryu-ken OLDTHREADBUMP! OK, not that old. Noticed someone talking about a Kahler in another thread, and I wondered-- are Kahler trems like this one very useful for pulling pitch UP, as well? My wee bit of Googling didn't turn any results up.

<murmurs something about being chopped liver>

Bienvenido, JP. Yo vive en Torreon, Coah (La Laguna!) por dos anyos... arriba Santos! I'm not sure what to say except, "ouch!" as well! But I'm a boring old fart, so don't mind me. Best of luck and welcome again! Greg

+1 to most of what's here, but +1 also to doing what's feeling right, within reason. I mean, my touch-typing posture is crap, and normal keyboards wear me out rather quickly. But with wrist support (supposedly "cheating") and an ergonomic keyboard (not "cheating" but not standard) I can go forever. I know it's a poor analogy, but the point is that if you find yourself using postures or techniques that aren't technically 'correct' but they produce less pain, who cares what the 'proper' way is? Follow your body's geometry. Let it do what it wants to do. To follow up on the analogy a bit, though, you might want to look into an ergonomic guitar of sorts. There are lots of nonstandard options-- fanned frets, body shapes that lend themselves to correct hand placement... shorter scale lengths... Robert Irizarry's blog has lots of info: http://buildingtheergonomicguitar.blogspot.com/ -- today's article is about a twisted fretboard! What an ergonomic keyboard does for my typing, an ergonomic guitar might help you with for your issues. My strongest advice for now, though, is: by all means, take even more time off and give yourself "physiotherapy"... do warmup and stretching exercises, but limit how long you go for... build up condition but don't push it. Greg

I know nothing about anything, but someone pointed me to these and asked if they were good. I guess my co-worker met this guy, had a conversation regarding the tuners, and filed it away to ask me about later. We looked at the website and I had no insight, but it seemed worth sharing: http://www.graftuners.com/home.html

I agree that even thicker might solve the problem-- this danged G just feels weird. Almost like plastic. Anyhow. I'm actually thinking of going LIGHTER in guage for the first time ever. I prefer heavier strings (and have used .011's mucho) for the majority of what I do, but lately I'm trying to broaden my horizons with more country-style licks and some semi-shred stuff. Even .010's are making it tricky to do some of the "bend while holding other strings, then bend one of those, too!" techniques from hot country playing. Er... IOW, I guess I AM a wuss! You got it right. <laff> Greg