MegaSack DRAW - 6pm Christmas Eve - LIVE on our YouTube Channel
Cheers Adam for putting it together again I think I am in. However I am at my dads for is 90th birthday today, then I fly to Spain on Friday to ride my motorbike around a track (its a hard life)
So will have to pull my finger out.
I love it as its nothing like I would normally write/play 🙂
I'll spectate on this one. I wrote some lyrics then recorded and realised I couldn't sing them as hoped. E is at the very top of my vocal range and it's not a tune to be screamed over. An octave lower I was just droning. You'll note that when I sang Talkin 'Bout You on the bass thread I sang it in C like Chuck rather than E like Lennon. My effort on bass got muddled up with the already distinctive line you've used yourself, Adam. On guitar I've so far failed to do anything I like over the descending scale, my problem not yours.
Thanks for putting it up, it's made me concentrate rather than noodling even if I've nothing to show.
I've recorded the bass, it doesn't sound as bad this morning, mustn't be negative eh. 😉 Just one cycle worth: 28s, I don't know how much you'd want for the proper version.
@Edukator good job 👍. I'll put up a version with no bass and also one with only a click track in case there are drummers around. This might make things easier?
Well if it doesn't offend the composer's ears it can't be all bad. 🙂 Ta. I'm happy enough now, I ignore the original bass line, and just listen to the guitar and backing vocals. I think a no bass version would make it easier for anyone else who wants to do a bass part. You perhaps need to advertise on the "hitting things with sticks" thread and the bassists thread.
The Iconoclaster is born!
This morning, at 9:30, it was as thick as two short planks
At lunchtime, we have a body, with sculpting
And by 4:30, a reversed headstock neck, and a neck pickup recess that might take a P90.
Next week, fix the fingerboard (the fret slots are the only thing I'm leaving to my tutor) and truss rod and get the correct alignment for the bridge. Then it's the hard bit of shaping the fingerboard and neck.
Wow! Proper guitar building - not just the assembly that I usually do. No bridge pickup?
My Luther mentor says wait until I've test fitted the neck before aligning the bridge. I'm pretty pleased so far but as often said on here - it's a bit dusty in there. The router was going all day.
I'm admirative of anyone who manages to turn lumps of wood into playable instruments but I'm happy to pay Warmoth to do it better than I could.
That said I did enjoy sanding all the lumps and bumps out of the fingerboard of an old acoustic and giving it a compound radius. I did think of turning the old fat V neck into a more modern C but there's a reason the headstock on a 33-year-old mahogany neck hasn't broken off (yet).
Yes, Martin Dixon (M D Guitars) says I can manage a compound radius neck, but I think a) I don't really need one and b) it's just another point of potential failure so I'll just settle for a simple 12".
Merry Xmas:
Dear Father Christmas,
If despite my criticism of your dreadful pandering to consumerism you still think I've been a good boy and deserve a Christmas present, please don't give me a Fender Player Acoustasonic. However if you still have some of the old medium, heavy and extra heavy Fender picks with the stamped rather than printed logo, that'll do nicely instead. And if you've got a Custom Shop Nocaster with all its paint and nitro I'll leave some Jurançon, fromage de brebis and hay next to the stove pipe.
Ta, Ed'
Those Acoustasonics look cool, but I really don't want one. The aesthetic is awesome, but with onboard modelling and limited voicing, I feel like they'll be outdated and worthless in a year or five. Fine for jobbing musicians who need one for a certain gig, but I'm not convinced they make sense for the rest of us. Or maybe I'm missing something.
I’m admirative of anyone who manages to turn lumps of wood into playable instruments but I’m happy to pay Warmoth to do it better than I could.
Absolutely. I am quite 'handy' in general, but I can't fathom how you could make a fretboard accurately enough to sound good. Well done, look forward to seeing it finished!
@AdamT I'm in for the solo. Hopefully put something together before the weekend.
I looked at an Acoustasonic when I was hunting for something different. All the reviews led to the same conclusion as Superficial, great for gigs but they didn't make sense to me for home use.
Bought this instead.
@AdamT did you put a deadline on for the submission? Need to figure out the best way of recording from my Katana... Any recommendations for free software?
So this jam track thing then...
Please, if you’re a bit scared just have a go…..no judgement here. I can even do a private mix/render if you like?
I think this sounds like the sort of thing I might like to take a crack at, but I'm not really sure what the endgame is 🙂
Do we all send you bits of audio which you then assemble into a megamix of awesomeness? Or something else?
Bought this instead.
Nice. I'm trying to persuade myself that I don't need a resonator but can't seem to shake it off. Thankfully, none of the shops I've visited recently have had any on display. (Or maybe my wife managed to steer me away from the display...)
Amp headphone socket into the microphone input of your computer, benman, and use windows recorder.
However, if you've got a voice or instrument microphone you can plug that into the the computer with or without a preamp. That way you get your "live" sound. That's what I've done. It's hard to know how it'll sound in the mix, I suspect my recording might be a bit too clean.
We all send our bits of audio to Adam to assemble, Tom. He hasn't told us how many bars/seconds he wants this time. I've just sent one cycle, about 28 seconds worth but I can do more if he wants. I'll let him post his own e-mail address or send it people by PM.
@edukator Your comment about Fender stamped vs printed pick logos made me look inside my sweetie tin of plectrums. They have indeed changed to a printed logo, something I'd never noticed. Even the Custom Shop ones that I have are printed! I do have a couple of medium, stamped picks I can send you if you're short though - I've converted completely to the big, triangular Tortex ones. Why shouldn't plectrums be triangular, after all?
Do we all send you bits of audio which you then assemble into a megamix of awesomeness? Or something else?
That’s how we did it last time - I assume Adam will do the same again. Do have a go 🙂
@benman, doesn’t the Katana have a USB out? If so, you can probably plug that into your PC and record. If you’re struggling for an app, Audacity is free and will do the trick. Reaper is also free ish I think, and a lot more capable (but also probably more complex than you’ll need for this).
@superficial Yep planning to use the USB out. I'll have a look at Audacity and Reaper ta
I do have a couple of medium, stamped picks I can send you if you’re short though
That's very kind. I've still got 5 mediums which I only use for really fast strumming so they should last me a lifetime. I'm not in the habit of showering the audience in picks and I hide them when junior visits.
Thanks folks. I am in 🙂
Just had a quick go using Audacity and the Katana via USB. Easy peasy 🙂
Only been playing 18 months though, so my submission may not be the most polished or technically adept...
EDIT - I haven't actually sent anything yet!
I've now sent a guitar part in addition to the bass, Adam. It goes over your original bass line not mine. 28seconds again which means I hog 56 if you use both. How are other folks doing? I tried every scale I know on the guitar and ended up with simple root + 5th double stops.
Hi folks. Sorry for the lack of comms. I've been a bit unwell but feeling a bit better now. Thanks for the submissions so far. I'll check back in here if there are outstanding questions.
@AdamT I've sent you a PM asking for your email address to send my submission to.
I'm in. Adam I've PM'd you for your email address
Does anyone have any experience of swapping/rewiring transformers in guitar amps?
Its a Blackstar ID60 TVP and I need to convert to run on 120v. Took the back off to get a look at the model number on the transformer, but it doesn't seem to exist anywhere online.
You might like the sound at the lower voltage. 😉
I don't know about rewiring transformers but a step up/down transformer is a possible solution.
Google "110v to 220v step up transformer". For a 60W tube amp you'll need a step up transformer that will run at least 250W continuous.
Yeah, I suppose I could get an external box, but was hoping for a more permanent solution. It's not a valve amp, but I'm quite attached to it and it'll be expensive to replace in Canada.
I'm happy to have a stab at rewiring, just most of my experience is low voltage DC stuff, so not entirely confident.
I'm in for the recording too ! Will have a stab at the recording early next week. How many bars soloing do you need?
Just been doing a bit of modding to a cheap, single HB 'Strat' from Bax.co.uk
Original:
Really good deal for £69(!), in fact the frets and neck are amazingly good. The finish on the neck is a sanded down, natural finish, just how I like it.
So far I've swapped in a Wilkinson 'hot' humbucker (read 14k ohms), chrome pickup ring, chrome knurled volume knob, a new graphite nut, and Wilkinson locking tuners (the originals were garbage).
Yet to fit is a nicer, through body bridge (though the original is actually pretty nice) + string ferrules, and I'm thinking about fitting a kill switch.
What is the status of the jam? I am back from Spain this week so will probably have time to do something. I have had a bit of a noodle over it but not recorded anything yet 🙂
Jam status is that I was a bit poorly and I'm generally lazy, so I've not done much lately. It's absolutely still on though and I'm about to mix in the submissions so far.
Phew, then there's still time for lazy folks like me? Great stuff... I'll get on it!
I have something but need to re-do it a bit more in the groove as timing is not perfect. Its only minor pentatonic based so worry its a bit boring.
Spent a couple of hours learning the solo from The only ones another girl yesterday. Fun one to play & maybe one for my little covers band to learn ( which was the motivation)
If you're interested its a modded squire VM Jazzmaster. New Pickguard & witch hat knobs, mustang bridge, Creamery P90's in JM pickup covers straight into a little vox tube amp
Noice! I liked that. Love that song.
Yeah, I love that song, too. I tried learning the solo but decided it was harder than it sounded!
Interesting about the guitar - looks great BTW. I'm going to look at a cheap Squire CV Jazzmaster hopefully later this week...
Its not super hard just needs quick fingers!
The Squier JM's are really good value and they make a great platform for customising.
Theres a big rabbit hole to go down on offsetguitars.com !
I've got a couple of other JM's - a CIJ fender with american vintage pups and a vintera JM too. They both have the classic more chimey JM sound. For the squier there was no point having another sounding similar so i got Jamie at the creamery to make some P90's in JM covers. Gives it a slightly grittier thicker sound. Sound great with a bit of dirt.
I'll try and take a family photo for you later!
Ooof, they're nice. The one on the right is the best looking IMHO, but stick a tort guard on the blue one and that'd be my perfect JM right there.
You got any Jags?
The blue has a tort guard but its quite dark unless the sun is on it. Been toying with buying a brighter one!
This is what it looks like in better lighting
I do have a jag.
its a VM squier with a nicer bridge and fender 65 vintage pups in it. Sounds lovely actually! The squiers are great guitars for the money!
Also i;m a gear slut so have an orange gretsch hollow body with tv jones internals ( think stray cats) and a dark cherry epiphone 335 with Bare Knuckle PAF humbuckers as well
Wel played on the previous page, ceepers. Joyful soloing. A question though, are you sure the intonation on that guitar is right up at the 15th fret?
i probably need to check it!
It might just be lazy fingering though!
Very pretty guitars. Not sure I’d own one (I’m a Strat lover) but they look great and will sound excellent.
I grew up as an indie kid so my guitar heroes were j mascis, Adam Franklin from swervedriver, Robert Smith, Kevin shields from MBV and Ray from Teenage fan club who all played jazz masters or jags at some point.
Never owned a strat although I can appreciate how Hendrix / Mayer /SRV made them sound. They were a bit “dads music” when I was a kid so I’ve never aspired to one even though they are a classic design.
The JM’s just have a lovely chime but with more roundness than a strat if that makes sense? Especially in the front and middle positions.
Eek, I've taken my brave pills and recorded something for the jam. AdamT, I've messaged you for submission details.
Continuing the Jazzmaster love-in, this one looks amazing. I don't know if losing the rhythm circuit is a bit annoying, but having serial/parallel options is cool.
Hope the image works...
... and a link: https://www.andertons.co.uk/brands/fender/jazzmaster-guitars/fender-limited-edition-player-jazzmaster-olive-green-matching-headstock
Jazzmaśters are the best 🤪
Unless you've got fat fingers. I find that I have trouble fitting my fingers in a few frets earlier on shorter scale.
currently negotiating for a Mustang on FB market. short scale is where it's at!
also currently lusting after one of these
https://www.thomann.de/gb/epiphone_jared_james_nichols_gold_glory.htm?glp=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-qGNBhD3ARIsAO_o7ymUMet_BSjK9JR_LPpagzMS30F6zVSATc2_pcXOITfVFSSO_Aa8Rm4aAmq_EALw_wcB
I find that I have trouble fitting my fingers in a few frets earlier on shorter scale.
Aren’t you mixing it up with a mustang?
According to the Fender website my pro II JM has a scale length of 25.5” (and needs a longer case than a tele or a strat).
Yeah, JM are same scale as Strat/Tele. Mustang and Jag are shorter.
Which is part of the reason I think I'd like a Jag. I've never played one but the shorter scale length is one of the few things I prefer about my LP over Fenders.
Yup, I'm wrong and mixing up but with a Jaguar not a Mustang.
Jag, mustang and duo sonic are all the same scale length. Its slightly shorter again than the gibson standard.
That green player jm is nice. I'm not sure that many people use the rhythm circuit anyway, i do use mine a bit with the band but i find it more useful on the jag as theres a bigger difference in tone compared to the neck pickup on its own on the lead circuit. I think the player JM's have a slightly shorter bridge to tailpiece distance which improves string break angle but isnt vintage correct and messes with sonic youth style behind the bridge noise making if those things are important.
The purple andertons squire JM with the gold guards are lookers too. I think the original TVL sig JM is my all time fave looker. I love the oxblood
For all the arrivistes, photo of my pair of JMs back on page 47 🤪
and a fine pair they are too!
I’m lucky in that my ‘ultimate’ JM is a three colour sunburst. After seeing Tom Verlaine’s in the Foxhole video on the OGWT moons ago.
I’m not fussed that the pro II isn’t ‘vintage correct’. The only thing id like to change is a S1 style ‘internal’ push/push switch for the bridge pickup voicing.
I’m also not a fan of matching headstock. Just don’t like it personally... 🤷🏼♀️
The purple andertons squire JM with the gold guards are lookers too. I think the original TVL sig JM is my all time fave looker. I love the oxblood
They do a purple + tort Jag too. Looks ace!
My local shop has an Orange Johnny Marr Jag, which looks amazing. But it's about 6x the price of a Classic Vibe...
Did it. I’m now the proud owner of a classic vibe JM.
The action was ridiculous (high) when I got it with the bridge slammed, so I had to shim the neck. I did that with a tapered (sanded-down) Clubcard. Keeping it real. It actually worked really well.
Cleaned it up, new strings, truss rod adjust, intonation. Now it’s sorted.
Mini review. It feels really nice. The neck feels great and plays well. No sharp edges and apart from a couple of v minor visible imperfections, it feels just as good as my MIM guitars. Feels stratty to play. The body is 3 piece which you can spot if you look closely but the finish / grain are lovely. The pot covers feel a bit cheap and the selector switch is a tiny bit crackly but aside from that this seems like a bargain for under £200. Serial number dates it to Sept 2020 so it’s pretty new. I don’t think I’ve properly played a Squier since my mate’s one from the 90s (which was pretty awful), but they seem to have come along nicely.
Haven’t really had a chance to play it much yet though. If I have time I’ll record myself playing some Jazz. That’s what they’re for, right??
Yep definitely Jazz…..
Can’t beat an offset plus a Big Muff…….
Incidentally, if any of you are Dinosaur fans, the new documentary freakscene is available on Prime now and is well worth renting for a fiver!
Very pretty, plus the amp of champs! Great home setup.
Creepers thanks for that, i will give that a watch.
Have any of you replaced plastick pickup rings with wood ones?
I hate the plastic bits on my les paul studio, and as i am just a rubbish beginner with more cash than sense and skills at playing i really fancy replacing the plastic parts 🙂
I've always been wary of replacing plastic with wood - It just feels like 1970s British hot-rodding, where they'd take lovely classic Lotus Cortinas and put purple deep-pocketed velour upholstery on them. Those classic guitars are classic for a reason. 🙂
You'll just end up with something that looks like a pine dresser...
Ooh, that was a bit of a rant, sorry. You do whatever you fancy! Though as a fellow 'throw money at guitars' player, I'd be looking at pickups, bridge hardware replacements, tuners and that kind of thing, first before wooden knobs and pickup rings...
Or pedals…………
You can never have enough pedals!
😂
Thinking about it, its the pickguard i have issues with, i made a new one of black stained wood but that looked wrong next to the plastic pickup rings, most likely will leave it as it is as it does look really nice, its the smokehouse burst i got.
I put a roseeood PU cover on my Junior tribute and in my opinion that improved looks massively.
I don't think wooden pickup rings would look right at all. That Smokehouse one is a bit unusual because it's got black (plastic) pickup surrounds. I reckon it'd look more traditional with the usual cream plastic surrounds but I also think it looks great as is.
Pedals sold this week
Strymon Time Line
Strymon Riverside
strymon Tap favourite
Spectrum
Bondi FX sick as pink
Pedal Bought
Stymon Deco midnight edition
Mythos Blace Fleece
Bondi FX sick as black
Was playing a 6;string baritone last night.
Essentially a guitar tuned like a bass?
Quite interesting, not sure if I like it.
Need to try through the old Orange, bass 4*12 and fuzz pedals...
If it was tuned like a guitar but an octave lower it wasn't tuned like a baritone guitar. A bass is guitar tuning but an octave lower, baritones are something else. I've never been tempted by a baritone as it would require learning specific stuff. A bass 6 is easier in that anything you play on guitar can be played on it:
https://www.fender.com/articles/tech-talk/the-bass-vi-baritone-guitar-or-bass
Pedals sold this week
Strymon Time Line
Strymon Riverside
strymon Tap favourite
Spectrum
Bondi FX sick as pinkPedal Bought
Stymon Deco midnight edition
Mythos Blace Fleece
Bondi FX sick as black
I'm through a pedal phase at the moment. Put Schaller locking Tuners and an EMG Dave Gilmour pickup set on my Am Pro II Strat and am just playing the heck out of itinto my Waza Air headphones.
I do occasionally spend time tweaking sounds on the BOSS GT1000 but at the moment I've lost the urge to tweak.
I do know the urge to splurge will return though.
In fact I've got a bunch o stuff I ought to get in the classifieds to make room.
I’ve never been tempted by a baritone as it would require learning specific stuff.
Would it? I've only played one once, for about 2 minutes. It was a Chapman (maybe one of THESE?) and was tuned to BEADF#B - I.e. everything 5 semitones lower than standard tuning. It felt like a normal guitar to be honest. I'm not sure what strings it had, but they were far closer to guitar strings than bass strings. In fact, if you didn't play often you could probably be tricked into thinking it was just a guitar, perhaps with a slightly different scale length.
I quite liked it - it definitely sounded different enough to a standard guitar that it could make you play different riffs. But as I say, I didn't have enough time with it to really get a good feel for it.
Essentially a 6 string tuned to E but an octave lower.
My pal also had an 8 string which I found.... Confusing
I suppose you could put a capo on it, Superficial. 😉 I learn things in a key I can sing in so anything on a baritone needs relearning. If you normally play in a song in G you'll need the same chords as if it were in C. That's not too hard to relearn, however things in C become F which is a chore.
Edit: that's a bass 6 in my book, yourguitarhero. 30" scale and an octave below a guitar. It's a bass not a baritone.
Oh I get you now. Yeah, I really struggle to make my brain convert chords from guitar to ukulele, although I can noodle on it just fine.
Edit: that’s a bass 6 in my book, yourguitarhero. 30″ scale and an octave below a guitar. It’s a bass not a baritone.
Yeah, that's my understanding too. But the website calls it a baritone!
Out of interest, if a Baritone guitar is (for the sake or argument) a 4th lower than a normal guitar, is a normal guitar a tenor instrument? Google seems to suggest a 'tenor guitar' is something different altogether (4-string) and an alto guitar is a weird thing tuned much higher.
It doesn't play like a bass - much smaller gauge strings and narrower neck so easy to play chords on.
That Subzero neck is 44mm at the nut and my Jaguar bass is 38mm. The scale length is identical at 30". You can put whatevcer strings you like on either, I like light strings in general but things get a bit floppy with very light strings on a short scale. It's a bass 6, a short scale six string bass, but definitely a bass. 🙂
