The Most Important Accessory
As musicians we are all excited to some extent by add-ons. As guitarists and bassists we look to pedals, amps, special strings, magic cables where the electrons travel more efficiently in one direction than another and other hoopla.
BC (before COVID) I used to love going to guitar shops and in the brief period between lockdowns continued to do so. I would always see people trying out instruments, and other accessories and this is what is great about brick and mortar stores, you can actually check something out before spending money. Try that on Amazon, but I digress...
I do not have perfect pitch by a long shot. I could not make the sound of A 440 out of my mouth and while I might get close by turning a peg to the frequency of a high E string, I have no delusions that it would be on the money.
I'm not trying to sound like a dick, but if you think so, oh well. I hear lots of folks pick up a guitar and start going at it. There is an inverse relationship I find to the volume level employed and the level of skill. There's also an inverse relationship to the volume level and the tuning accuracy. For the love of Pete, or whomever you prefer, tune the darn guitar. No one wants to hear anyone bashing away on a guitar that is not at minimum in tune with itself and certainly not out of tune into that Mesa Rectifier at anything over 1/10th chat.
Decent guitar stores will make clip on tuners available to you on request. All that they want is that you give it back when you are done. I have seen people put loaner tuners in pockets and I will often ask if they are done with the tuner, could I use it please. Some look embarrassed and others look annoyed. It's happened to me that I have left with a loaner tuner which I promptly return, not because I am some kind of hero, but if I don't, stores will stop loaning tuners and I will have to endure more out of tune Nirvana at full blast.
The common ST-8 Snark. Impossible to beat for the price
If you got a guitar over the holidays and did not get a tuner, treat yourself. Yes there are free tuner apps available for your smartphone and they are almost as useful as mouthful of bees when you are in a busy guitar store. A clip on tuner such as the incredible for the price Snark series is something everyone should have at least one of. Get a few because they are under $30 and you will leave them lying around. Not only will you be able to stay in tune better, you also are getting free ear training so you learn what in tune sounds like. Heck you might keep one in your jacket pocket or bag along with a few of your favourite picks so when you find yourself in a guitar shop you are ready to go. I mark my Snarks up with a gold Sharpie so I know that they are mine.
You can certainly spend more on a clip on tuner if you want to. Petersen and tc Electronics both make nice ones at a higher price if you insist.
While some folks say that a looper should be the first item on your pedalboard, in my opinion, the first pedal should be a tuner. Digital tuners are everywhere, and because they are digital, unless the unit is made of crap parts, you do not need to spend a fortune. The case durability is probably your biggest concern and while it is easy to spend nearly $200 on a stomp box type tuner, you do not need to. If a Snark at $30 works, why spend $180 on a stomp box tuner? Personal choice of course. I have gotten the Petersen Strobostomp HD on sale a few times for about $150. I like it because the display is really big, I prefer strobe tuners, and it stays running whether you mute the instrument or not. Buy what you like, but no need to go overboard.
Peterson StroboStomp HD. A great tuner with selectable display colours
A tuner or collection of tuners are incredibly useful. They last until you lose them and are simple devices. Not super expensive and the difference between being annoying and behaving like a responsible musician.
Your First 2021 Gift for Yourself
If you are even marginally like me, you get pleasure from playing your guitar, regardless of where you fall in the continuum of skill. Sometimes however, a much loved instrument just isn't doing what you want, or feels "not quite right" to quote my English friends.
A new pedal, or new amp, or even a new guitar may take your mind off things for a bit but all are expensive to some degree or another, so consider a low cost investment in making that guitar great again.
How?
Get the guitar professionally set up.
I've been playing for over 45 years now and while I have built some skill in doing setups on all manner of guitars, it's safe to say that in that time, I have probably done over 200. Given the time required to become good at this skill, I would conservatively say that 50 have been decent jobs and still none as good as one done professionally.
A proper set up is a series of steps that go in a particular order and some of those steps involve tools that in the hands of an amateur can do more harm than good. Let me take you through the basic steps of a proper setup.
Get the old strings off and polish the frets. This is much more than using a rubbing stick from Amazon although at the minimum it doesn't hurt.
Check the frets themselves for flat spots and ensure that every fret has a proper crown that delivers minimal string contact. The more surface area of the fret that touches the string, the poorer the tone. That's why so many people struggle with the old Gibson "fretless wonders". If the frets are misshapen, or loose in the slot, STOP here and get your guitar to a trained and proven technician. If not, cover your pickups with masking tape and get yourself a set of fingerboard protectors. These come in different widths for different width frets. If you have a maple fingerboard mask off the fingerboard areas with low tack masking tape (like the blue painters masking tape - regular tape could lift the lacquer finish). Now GENTLY polish the frets with #0000 steel wool. This is going to leave detritus everywhere so put something that you can toss away under the neck first. When you do each fret one at a time, check it not only for lack of crown but for nicks and divots. After polishing and wiping, run your finger over the fret. If it does not feel perfectly smooth, STOP here and get your guitar to a trained and proven technician. You can play a guitar with damaged frets, but you may not like it, especially once you know you have damaged frets.
Side view of fretwire. Image courtesy Premier Guitar
The material used in fretwire varies. Stainless steel is most expensive and hardest to work. So called Nickel Silver has no silver at all and is typically 18% nickel and 82% copper and other metals. Popular fretwire suppliers are Dunlop, Jescar (not to be confused with Mandalorian Bescar armour - as far as we know) and Stewart-MacDonald. Stew-Mac is the best place to buy luthier's tools when you really want to learn and or make a mess of things.
If you do find flattened or damaged frets, your technician will be able to advise whether he or she can recover the frets using proper fret finishing tools or if it is time to have the neck refretted. Some people lose their sh*t when they think about refretting as if it will diminish the guitar. Does your car perform better with good brakes or bad brakes? A well played vintage guitar has likely already been refretted at least once. A refret job is not cheap, so think about the value of the instrument to you first. Also note that the type of fretwire used is one of the places where you find lower quality softer fretwire found on instruments made in the far east. Some builders are very specific about the fretwire that they use, but don't expect Dunlop or Jescar fretwire in a guitar built to sell under $500. I will talk about refret work in a different article.
A precision straight edge to determine if you have frets that are high or low. Image courtesy Stewart-MacDonald
Take a proper straight edge and measure the neck relief (amount of bow or lack thereof) with the strings off. If the neck has a lot of forward bow with no string tension, it's going to have more with strings on it. It takes time and experience to set the neck relief without strings and on many Fender guitars, you can only adjust the truss rod with the neck off. If when you check the truss rod, it is already tight and the neck is still forward bowed, STOP here and get your guitar to a trained and proven technician. The amount of bow that will work is going to be impacted by the strings that you use. Assume that if you are changing string gauges that some level of neck relief adjustment will be needed. If you are going from 0.010s to 0.009s there is adjustment required. If you are going from 0.008s to 0.011s more adjustment is required because you are increasing tension significantly.
Unbleached natural bone nuts. Image courtesy Stewart-MacDonald
The nut should then be examined for cracking and wear. A nut slot needs to allow the string to move without binding. If your guitar came with a plastic nut (many so called "bone" nuts are actually bone coloured plastic, yes F company I am looking at you) and you are sending the guitar in, you might consider having the nut changed to real bone (many players prefer the tone of bone although if you live in heavy distortion world, you probably won't notice a difference). Other options such as graphite or so called Tusq Ivory (a marketing name) exist. You want the strings to slide in the nut smoothly and ride in the slots enough so they don't pop out easily. Some guitars come from the factory with the string riding the top of the nut slot. This is a choice of course, but in my opinion, sub-optimal as I prefer the string to sit in the slot and do not care if the top if the nut is higher than the string in the nut. Your choice.
Next you want to measure the distance between the string and the first fret. Your technician can recommend the proper distance for you and to measure this you need a proper technician's ruler to measure from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string. You may need a magnifier to see the measurement. A nut slot that is not deep enough makes fretting at the first harder and one that is too low needs replacing. If the slot is too high, you can try a nut file. If you do, I recommend budgeting for the file, and a nut replacement by a competent technician since your odds of messing this up the first several attempts are high.
Before you restring, clean the fretboard. If the fretboard is not maple or lacquered maple, you can use one of the popular fretboard cleaner oils. There are a zillion of them. I have found that my preference is the Taylor branded fretboard oil. Apply gently and rub it into the wood a bit with your fingertip then wipe off. If the fretboard is untreated maple, a damp cloth followed by a dry cloth is ok. Lacquered maple can handle a gentle damp slightly soaped cloth, followed by a clean damp cloth and then a dry cloth. You don't want a lot of water because it can cause the wood to expand and also contribute to corrosion in the frets due to the high copper content.
Graph Tech String Saver Classic Saddles for Stratocaster bridge. Lined with teflon - no binding! Image courtesy Stewart-MacDonald
Examine the bridge saddles for burrs and sharp edges. If they exist, they are going to contribute to string binding and increased risk of breakage. Cheap bridges have cheap saddles. You can use a needle file and and then a cream polish to try to smooth them out but if the saddles are chromed, the chrome is going to come off.
My personal custom set of Extra Light Balanced Tension strings used on my Explorer, Flying V, Moderne and some Les Pauls made by Curt Mangan.
Put new strings on. Strings are relatively cheap, so don't try to reuse old strings. Use whatever strings that you like, but if you want maximum life before you have to change strings, consider one of the coated strings from D'Addario or Ernie Ball, or if you like, custom strings from a dedicated supplier such as Curt Mangan or StringJoy. There are many fine string brands, but not all brands actually make their own strings. Choosing strings is the subject of a different article.
Bring the strings up to tune whilst stretching them many times. Stretch now and enjoy stable tuning or don't stretch now and spend the next two weeks constantly retuning. Your choice. If you do not know how to stretch strings, a quick way is to bring the string to tune, then pull up on it. Then fret every other fret and keep pulling up. Once all the strings are done, tune to pitch and stretch the strings again. As an aside, I've noticed over the years that PRS guitars come with properly stretched strings and are typically in tune right out of the box. I have not found that with any other maker.
Now check the action of the strings. This is commonly done at the 12th fret using your luthier's ruler. A common setting is .4 for the high E and .7 for the low E. The higher the action the greater room the string has to move because a struck string vibrates in a mostly round pattern with anchor points at the saddle and the nut. Too low an action is going to create fret buzz. If you play through a bunch of Metal Zones all the time, you won't care probably, but if you don't there you go. Most acoustic guitars do not have adjustable saddles, so if the action is still too high or low after setting the neck and nut, STOP and get your guitar to a proven and experienced guitar technician. On electrics, there are a variety of ways to adjust the action from single string saddle adjustments such as found on Stratocaster style saddles (note that Mexican and Japanese made guitars have saddles that usually need metric Allen wrenches whereas American made guitars typically have saddles requiring Imperial Allen wrenches), or dual string saddles such as on most Telecasters, or a single height adjustable bridge such as Gibson style Tuneomatic bridges. Loosen off the strings a bit before changing the action, down a few full tones, and then retune up after adjusting. Check and refine until you are happy and the guitar "feels good" to you.
You won't find these fellows to set your action or intonation, but this is where the work gets done.
Finally set the intonation by comparing the tune state of the string fretted at the 12th against the harmonic at the twelfth. Remember "flat forward sharp back" If the fretted note is flat compared to the harmonic, you shorten the length of the string between nut and saddle by adjusting the saddle towards the neck. If the fretted note is sharp, you need to lengthen the string to move it backward. Use a proper tipped screwdriver and do adjustments no more than ¼ turn at a time. Once you have the harmonic and the fretted note within a few cents, you are good.
I say this because it is not possible to get a guitar in tune at all places on the fretboard. It just doesn't work. You can get close and this is where intonation lives. If you have an acoustic guitar, you probably have no intonation capability natively. If your bridge floats as on many arch top guitars, use blue painters tape to hold it to the body when the strings come off otherwise you will be in intonation hell after restringing.
This has been a long article defining a BASIC setup. You can do most of it yourself with time and practice. If it sounds like a pain or too much work, that is ok. That's where you work with a professional.
I am very fortunate to be able to do so. My local guitar store The Arts Music Store has a pair of great techs in Kevin and Braeden. They are trained pros with many years of experience and thousands of guitars worked on. I trust them with working on my guitars as I have worked with Kevin specifically for years. He not only knows guitars but he knows me and what I look for in a set up. For the cost of a proper setup (about $75 or so, not including strings or any custom work), I get back a guitar that I can play right away.
COVID-19 has increased demands on techs as more and more people are playing now. Also many guitar stores offer a free setup on the purchase of some guitars and with the exception of PRS Maryland built guitars, I have never had a factory guitar regardless of purchase price that did not need some work done on it to make it ideal. COVID requires that instruments be in quarantine for a bit to protect the technicians and many are booked solid weeks out. If you only have a single guitar, that can be discouraging.
While you can buy instruments on line and often not from proper guitar stores, bear in mind that all guitars need maintenance just like your car does. Finding a good tech to work with is an investment that you make for yourself. It will save you time, money and frustration. There has only ever been one time where Kevin could not fix an issue, but he alerted me to a defect in the manufacture of the instrument and to their complete credit, Gibson gave me a full refund for the defective instrument which I applied immediately to a guitar that ultimately has made me much happier. That particular 1960 Reissue ES-355 has gotten even better with a set of Stormy Monday pickups from Tim Mills and his team at Bare Knuckle Pickups. Kevin installed those pickups and did the setup that the factory new guitar still needed to be awesome.
A good setup can make that old instrument feel new again. I own a 1993 PRS Custom 22 that had fallen out of favour with me. The original owner had changed the HFS pickups for PRS Dragon I pickups which I found to be muddy. I hired Kevin to install the Bare Knuckle PG Blues pickups in the guitar, and he called me to note that over the years, this guitar was in desperate need of a full setup. I told him to go ahead, and I can say with enthusiasm that the PRS that had fallen from favour plays better than it ever has since I bought it used in 1995.
Invest in a proper setup and enjoy your guitar more. If you are in the area of Newmarket Ontario, I highly recommend the team at The Arts Music Store.
Recording At Home
With my area back in full lockdown due to government mandate to attempt to control the spread of COVID-19, I have been reexamining the entire process of recording at home. I'd like to take it a bit farther than plopping down an iPhone or Zoom recorder, although they are excellent fast ways to remember chord progressions and riffs that you create.
I avoided recording for a long time, because while I love playing, I still think that I am a lousy player and wonder why I would ever record anything that I create. I don't play out, I suppose no one is these days, and don't bother to learn entire songs because I don't play out and don't work with a band. So I have had to force myself a lot to get this done.
I do a lot of video and audio work for clients and for podcasts and web shows so I have a bunch of kit and in talking to other musicians in the period when we could actually go into a music store, what I learned was that many folks avoided anything more serious than the smartphone was the perception of complexity.
I would like to help you gentle reader, to get past that.
Interestingly, the audio interface wasn't the big issue for many people that I spoke to, their concern was getting the sound to the interface and how to buy and how to place microphones. This is an important thing for studio recordists for certain, but maybe less critical in getting started, so for the moment, I am going to skip miking amplifiers and acoustic instruments entirely, but will come back to it in a future article. The reason for this is the plethora of microphone options and that choosing an ideal microphone is highly dependent on your use case. Alternatively if we start with the end in mind, you might be farther ahead.
The DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
Sounds complicated. It's just software. Software designed for a purpose, like photo software or even a good spreadsheet. Ease of use is paramount, and while there are very high end products that are used in professional studios, maybe you don't need all that.
I'm a Macintosh user and will keep my article Mac oriented, but be certain that if your computer runs Windows, there are good options for you that I will talk about further along in the article, including how to get them at no cost.
Let's start with FREE. Meaning the software either comes with the machine or is available at no cost. Since we are talking Macintosh, we are talking about Garageband. I see Garageband poo-pooed often, mostly by people who have never used it.
Garageband comes with a number of defined project starters. Think of them as templates, but remember that even if you choose the simple Songwriter template, it does not mean that you need to do something for all the tracks. What is useful is the variety of drum tracks and different kits IF you want a drum track and a) are not a drummer or b) are a drummer with a kit but without a stack of microphones and mixing board or c) have a set of electronic drums that has an output to a recording interface. I am not a drummer, it's not a talent that I have, although I do like to play drums from time to time. Sometimes I just want a simple drum backing track to play against. Sometimes not and Garageband makes it easy to include or not include a track. The default setup includes a grand piano. I am not a piano player and while I have a keyboard USB interface to make sounds, I don't do piano music, so I just turn the track off. Off is a very powerful tool as it removes a lot of confusion and complexity.
The Audio Interface
Focusrite Solo Studio
Next we want to get the sound from your guitar into the computer. This does assume that your guitar has a pickup of some kind. Most guitar pickups are high impedance so you need an audio interface. Don't get scared. Think first about how many tracks that you will record at the same time. Garageband allows you to have a ton of tracks but you do not have to record them all at once. If it's just you, all you need is an audio interface that has a single input that can handle a high impedance signal and a low impedance microphone. While I use interfaces from Universal Audio for my client work, they are rather pricey, so let's start with something proven, with a very decent microphone preamp that plugs in via USB and is inexpensive.
There are lots of audio interfaces. I am going to cut through all the noise and get you started with a simple yet really nice sounding interface. It is called the Focusrite Solo Pack Mark III. Here's a link to where you can buy one online from my friends at The Arts Music Store.
Low cost point of entry. Focusrite SOLO with microphone, headphones, mic cable. Just add a boom microphone stand
The unit is is Focusrite's Scarlett range and includes the Focusrite Solo USB interface, a pair of monitoring closed back headphones and a decent condenser microphone that you can use for vocals, miking an amp or an acoustic guitar. The only thing missing is a microphone stand. Find a boom stand that fits your budget and you are done, and if you don't need the microphone right away, you can wait. The entire kit sells for about $329 CAD at the time of writing.
The audio interface connects to your computer via USB. Sure you can spend more for Thunderbolt interfaces, but then your computer has to have Thunderbolt. Every computer has USB and it's a single interface so you really don't need massive horsepower. There is an input that takes a high impedance signal from a pickup with it's own gain control and a low impedance input with dedicated gain control to capture the signal from a microphone. There is a headphone jack with it's own level control for monitoring. If you happen to have a microphone or add one in the future that needs what is called Phantom Power, basically +48v to drive the microphone, that is built in as well.
The USB connection is USB-C, so you can use it with your computer or if you have one of the appropriate iPads, with the tablet as your recording platform as well. On the back are two ¼" outputs for connection to powered desktop monitors if you have such things. You don't need monitors to get recording done, but they are nice if you want a higher fidelity playback, and you can use them as your computer speakers as well because the SOLO is a bi-directional interface.
One of the things that I like about the SOLO is that setting it up involves plugging it into the computer or iPad. No drivers to fuss with. It just works. The SOLO will appear as an input source and an output target automatically. It does not get easier.
If and when you do use the microphone the SOLO includes the Focusrite AIR function which modifies the preamp response specifically for use with microphones to provide a more open and full sound. You can certainly do this in Garageband but pushing a button is so easy.
The SOLO also includes what are called plugins. Plugins are tools used by your recording software to allow you to enhance your recorded sound. I encourage owners to invest a bit of time to download the Focusrite Collective and RED plugins. The RED equalizer and compressor are really nice. No rush to do this, but know that your investment yields access to some very useful tools
Hey Windows users, or Mac users who don't want to use Garageband. Your SOLO purchase also gives you Pro Tools Lite and Ableton LIVE Lite, two very fine DAW offerings. You will have to register online, do the downloads and then install the software but it's pretty easy.
Easy Recording
Ok back to recording. You have your SOLO plugged into your computer and Garageband (or whatever) running. Choose the SOLO as your audio input and audio output. Plug your guitar into the SOLO and plug in the headphones. Enable the track where you will record your guitar by making it ready to record. Then adjust the input level so the meter floats between -12 and -6dB. At 0 the signal will start to clip (distort) and you do not want that when recording. Garageband comes with a number of guitar amplifier emulations so if you would like the sound of a different amp, click the amp and choose a different one from the comprehensive list. One of the things that I like about Garageband is that it gives you on screen controls for your virtual amplifier so you can tune your sound the way you want it.
Once you are ready, you can press the record button. You can set your bpm and a metronome will provide you a click track to stay on time if you wish. It will even count you in if you would like.
This isn't tape, so if you make an error, just take a break, count yourself in again and do another take. No need to continuously start and stop because this is digital audio. You can cut and move a track as you wish. If you have a perfect part and just want to keep repeating it, perhaps as a rhythm track, copy / paste works for this. In this way a solitary musician can build up a pretty rich piece of music on your own by recording different tracks.
Save your work regularly as you would with any digital file. Remember, storage is cheap, heck you can get a 4TB USB drive for well under $200 these days, so record to your heart's content.
So Get Started
You don't need 4 or 8 concurrent track recording. You don't need to spend thousands on an interface and more thousands on microphones and even more on a DAW. For most of us, the no cost / low cost options are going to do the job beautifully and simply. While I have very high end UA gear, I still have Focusrite interfaces in daily production because they are simple, low load and do a great job.
If you are locked down as I am, you can shop online for your interface. Use the link above to get your Solo Mark III recording kit from The Arts Music Store. They ship all across Canada. By the way, I am not compensated in any way for recommending the store. I have been shopping there since the early 1990s and find them to be a great shop with great people who are all very positive and having a superb customer focus.
Talk to you again soon.
The Humbucker Secret
Ok, I really didn't know that this was a secret but apparently it is.
You get the greatest range of tones, and dynamics when your humbuckers aren't nailed at 10.
The caveat of course is that you want to hear everything which probably means you aren't playing death metal or running your signal through a chain of Metal Zones or whatever. If you like that sort of thing, go for it, but the secret won't matter to you.
No matter what kind of amp that I plug humbuckers into, I set the amp volume with the volume pots on the guitar no higher than 8. Some guitars have better volume pots than others so your mileage may vary as it will depending on how hot the pickups are. The hotter the pickup, the more you might want to dial the volume down for maximum tonal range and complex overtones. For example, on my 335 with Lollar Imperials or the 355 with Bare Knuckle Stormy Mondays, setting the volume knobs at about 8 really deliver incredible range. I have an older MusicMan AXIS Sport with really hot pickups and for that I roll the volume off between 6 and 7 if I want the maximum tonality.
The body wood also matters and while I know that there are folks who say that body wood does not contribute to tone in an electric guitar, all I can say is you're doing it wrong. Since you don't have a lot of room to wander in the wood, we spend little time on it here.
With single coils, the output is typically less strong and so you probably will not find this secret makes much of a difference, but if you have stacked singles or noise reducing singles, there's another magnet in there somewhere and the secret may fit for you. I have an old Fender Eric Clapton "Blackie" with Lace Sensors and it is one of those guitars where rolling off the guitar volume and lifting the amp a bit does make a difference. Mind you, those Lace Sensors and the rest of the electrics are headed for the bin now that I have received a new set of pickups mounted in a scratchplate with new electronics from Tim Mills at Bare Knuckle.
Back to your humbucker equipped guitar. If you want to see if you can get more out of the instrument you have, there's no harm in trying out this little secret. The worst thing that can happen is that you don't hear a difference. My experience with good pickups into a nice tube amp or into a Kemper then into the DI, I do hear a difference to the positive.
The Influx of new cheap pedals
I am a fan of Josh Scott, founder of JHS Pedals. He is passionate about his work and the people that he employs at JHS. Forty people, pedals made in the USA. A pretty wide range of options, often based on a popular pedal from the past, but extended to be something more than the inspiration. For this, a buyer pays a fair, but not low, price and for the most part, seems to like the pedal. I own a few products from JHS, preamps, switchers, a really cool box that goes in the effects loop to reduce the volume of the amp without needing a big chassis or complex modelling, along with a couple of more traditional pedals. The build quality is excellent and while I have not loved one or two, overall, I am inclined to encourage folks to give them a try.
I am also aware of some Internet based hate a thons pertaining to Mr. Scott. I have never met the man, but have friends who know him. If you hate him, your business, I don't care and it has nothing to do with this article.
Recently JHS released their 3 series. These are what one would call basic circuits in a plain white box designed to hit the $100USD mark. I am in Canada, so by the time they get here, it's more than just US-CAD exchange, and the deal is less outstanding. While being basic circuits in plain white boxes, these sound very good and are made in the same factory, by the same people. In business this is recognized as simplification and margin reduction in order to gain volume.
The COVID pandemic has to a large extent helped the guitar and effects marketplace. Sales of guitars, effects and amps are up in every shop or online only seller that I have talked with. Pickup makers like Bare Knuckle are busy. The only big concern for independent stores is how much stock they have to buy now in preparation for the next phase / mutation of the COVID virus.
We can agree that there are already more pedals out there than any one player can own. Some, like those from Strymon, are expensive, state of the art constructs. Others are ridiculously priced remakes of pedals from the sixties that were noisy, tone sapping, volume sapping junk, but they were "vintage man" and fortunately for owners of the original stuff there are more than enough people with lots of money who will sacrifice a vital organ to get a mid sixties whatever because they think it's better. I'm ok with this. I have some really old pedals that I don't use, that I can scuff up and call vintage and sell to someone on Reverb or eBay and then buy a couple of brand new pedals that work and sound a lot better.
If you want to see a great comparison of vintage and new, head over to this episode of The JHS Show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJYxsG0N0nk&feature=emb_logo
It was successful because it induced either dark laughter or apoplexy depending on your level of delusion about old capacitors and resistors.
Now about those cheap pedals. They are coming from Asia, with a lot of them coming from China. There are folks who will not buy from China for emotional and political reasons and in that to each their own, but not buying goods made in China is pretty darn tough. Yes the people get paid less. Yes the quality control is not there (yet). Yes they may use components of lower quality or consistency. However since the average buyer is chasing the last dime, none of this matters to the majority. Your super expensive Apple or Lenovo computer is made with components produced in China and may actually be built there. If you have a smartphone, it's coming from Asia. It's all pretty to kvetch about China but sorry to tell you, that ship has sailed.
A Chinese manufacturer called NUX is in the market offering inexpensive, read cheap, pedals. Construction quality is meh, there is nothing special here, and the circuits are copies of other circuits done elsewhere for years. In China there is no such thing as copyright or patent protection. Not just China of course, but that's another conversation. The NUX stuff hits a price point and could make it possible for a buyer whose circumstance prevents buying a TC Electronic or ElectroHarmonix pedal to get a decent sounding pedal for not a lot of money. This should not cause fear for good makers, but in all the yap about free markets, there is also a lot of yap about protectionism. As Robert E Heinlein wrote, "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch", or to paraphrase you cannot have a free market while creating protectionist policies.
I credit Josh Scott for his attitude here. He understands that the person buying a cheap product is not the person who would be buying a JHS pedal today. However, if that person enjoys their pedal, and plays more, that person may at some time choose to upgrade to something better. My box of old stuff is there because that's what happened with me. Delivering pizzas in my teens didn't generate enough spare cash to buy higher end kit, so I went with what I could afford. And back then, it was all good. When I decided it was no longer what I wanted to hear, I replaced it, and that has continued for 45 years.
Now Amazon in the US has added guitar pedals to their AmazonBasics lineup. This line recognizes a marketplace for low price commodities. That pedals are to some extent a commodity is excellent news for the music industry. It means that there are lots of people playing and buying guitars who want effects. The AmazonBasics stuff is made by NUX. They sell for less than the NUX branded boxes which are identical. The difference is that you might get decent packaging and a bit of support from NUX and you won't from Amazon beyond a flexible return policy and a low price.
I understand that there are people whose heads explode when you say Amazon. Ok, they hate Amazon, everything about the company, its practices, its business model and would like to burn Jeff Bezos. Here's an idea. Instead of twisting one's shorts into a private part crushing tourniquet, don't deal with Amazon. Don't shop there. Don't support the business. Move on and enjoy life. Your ranting on some forum on the Internet will not change anything and it's bad for your blood pressure.
Am I going to buy an AmazonBasics pedal? No. Because for me, as an alleged musician, a pedal is not a commodity. I much prefer the Cornerstone Gladio made in Italy to anything from effects monster Boss, let alone a Chinese made clone of someone else's design.
Heck I will pay more for nicely soft non-tearing toilet paper, so I guess even that is not a commodity.
I choose to buy Duracell batteries. I have tried the AmazonBasics. It did not go well, and I will never buy them again. However, for the young person who needs a stack of 9V for their pedal array, they will get the job done. Maybe poor consistency and with a higher failure rate but when they cost about 25 cents a piece instead of two bucks a piece, that's going to be ok with some folks.
If you think an AmazonBasics effects pedal is a horrible idea, don't buy one. But don't give a bunch of grief to the ten year old kid cutting lawns all summer so he or she can get a couple of effects on the floor. That kid could be the next Hendrix, or the next person who just plays for his or her own pleasure and in either case, it's not your problem nor your business.
The Whole Relic Thing…
I've noticed that the vast majority of instruments coming out of the Gibson and Fender Custom Shops are delivered with fake aging. This is probably true for other makers as well, but it is these two that I have been thinking about a lot lately.
I have learned from Lee Anderton of Anderton's Music in Guildford, Surrey that when they order custom shop instruments on spec for sale through their retail shop or their wide reaching web store, that they are pretty much guaranteed to sell out if these instruments are what the industry likes refer to has having a relic treatment. Different levels of this aging are available from something as gentle as NOS (new old stock) such as one would encounter in a guitar that spent its entire life in a case in an environmentally controlled environment to the "heavy relic" where the instrument looks like it spent the last half century being played behind chicken wire while an audience of drunks and fools threw beer, food and bottles at it, and then the player casually dropped it several times a week.
I have seen these relic instruments, and also the real thing, the real thing being an instrument well played by a musician or musicians for decades, not with intent to damage but where actual wear and tear has worn through finishes, where there are dings and dents and perhaps the odd beverage or dozen has hit it accidentally. I have played and handled instruments from the fifties and sixties, played regularly through their lives and with rare exception, none of them are in truly execrable shape.
This happens with parts as well. I bought a second set of Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups for a reissue 1963 SG because I like the sound of the set installed in my 1971 Les Paul (a Norlin era Deluxe, modified by the original owner to take humbuckers). When the pickups arrived, they sounded great, but the covers looked like they had been dug out of a collapsed basement bar. I really hate that look.
I recently saw an interview of the blues great Walter Trout. He's an amazing man, with a wonderful attitude who still plays his original 1973 Stratocaster. He loves the guitar. It looks like warmed over shit, and to some extent has probably aged the way it has because it's a proper CBS era Strat from when quality control were two words that never went together. Sidebar, anyone who tells you that they have a "vintage" 70s Fender is putting lipstick on a decade of instruments where vintage means old guitar that was crap from its build day. I was there then. There is nothing vintage about a late CBS instrument or a Norlin era Gibson for that matter.
Mr. Trout believes, and so do I, that a guitar, like a person, earns its scars through real life, not through makeup and prosthetics. I have argued on multiple special orders with Gibson that if they dared VOS (vintage old stock) my order, I would refuse it. Many times it took months to resolve even though the fakery should have taken more time and cost them more. Gibson in the early 2000s was a very customer disoriented company, and may be getting better although their constant babble about authentic and iconic sets my bullshit meter to breaking.
So I am one of those people who isn't interested in a relic instrument. I will buy and have bought old instruments that have suffered their aging. The ones I paid for, I determined had earned their stripes. Others were just old junk, and I expect someone else bought them.
This fake aging foolishness came about during the first boom in "vintage" guitars, a marketing term to attempt to assert that anything old was more like unobtainium than just an old guitar. Norm Harris of Norm's Rare Guitars actually brought awareness of the facility of older instruments very much to the forefront. Nothing wrong there. If you want to pay through the nose for an old instrument not necessarily built better than one from the current excellent options, that is entirely your business. Mr. Harris does have some truly lovely vintage pieces, albeit at prices that will forever be outside my range and return on value.
When the boom started a lot of people who were not musicians started buying old guitars not to play but as investments or pieces of art. The strings were not touched, the instruments went into display cases and were hung on walls. As happened with old motorcycles, a bunch of people with money but no true passion drove prices up by making these things collectable.
The makers were troubled to see all this money changing hands and none of it going through their own hands. So they built guitars and started fake aging them to give the buyer the illusion that he (mostly he) was getting an instrument that had been through the wars. Did this make the buyer feel that he got a better instrument? Perhaps, although the reality is more likely that it served to puff a deflated ego. I have encountered the vintage owner more than once who alluded to owning a really old guitar, when it was only a new guitar made to look old. I understand a love of older, simpler things, such as old cars, or old motorcycles or old instruments. Most of these are used by the owner to drive personal pleasure from them, not to play show off to a bunch of other show-offs, although that is not uncommon. Some may like the idea of collecting up 1950s vintage furniture of real wood and interesting design, but the market for yellowed and cracked 1950s vintage linoleum has not broken out yet. So why would you buy a perfectly good instrument and then pay extra to have someone abuse the finish with acids, hit the body with chains to dent it and rub charcoal into a fretboard after sanding the finish off? Does the instrument play better?
There are some who say that an aged instrument is popular because buyers are afraid of damaging a new pristine instrument and are more comfortable with something is already broken in. Please sign me up for when the same people want a new car that looks broken in. I will be happy to help them out to make their new vehicle look like it survived a tour in a war zone. Said this way, it sounds really stupid, and that's because it is stupid.
I have old amplifiers where the Tolex is worn and torn at the corners from having people bang the cabinets into stuff, likely too narrow doorways of too many clubs. One old Marshall head has duct tape on the back plate to remind the owner of the impedance settings because the original lettering was long gone. It plays well, although it is a bit noisy and like most real old Marshalls, needs to be cranked to the point of deafening and police summoning to breathe well. Thank goodness for the Universal Audio OX, I just wish it had two speaker cabinet outs...Marshall 100 watt heads are meant to sit on top of two 4x12 cabinets. Just saying...
This nuttiness even exists in pedals. The original ToneBender was popular in the 60s with players who wanted something different. The componentry in it might have a value of about six bucks, although new old stock germanium transistors, that I call roulette transistors because they are not predictable, are getting harder to find.
I cannot imagine that if Jimi Hendrix were still alive he would still be playing his old Fuzzface. He showed innovation all the time, so it is unlikely that fifty years later he would still be using those old effects. That Jimmy Page used an old ToneBender in It Might Get Loud, is not an indicator that this is the only tool he still uses.
Do you need to go buy a vintage (aka old) tube amp to get a good tone? Of course not. Collector extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa, who actually owns the amps that people aspire to, will tell you that you don't have to have tubes to get a good tone. If you like the feel of tubes, good for you, but there is little rationale to spend twice as much for tubes over solid state if you cannot tell the difference over YouTube (and no, the limitations of bandwidth mean you cannot actually hear a difference). Otherwise why would so many players be skipping amps entirely to go direct to the board with amp emulators and speaker IRs? Why is the seemingly most popular amp these days the Boss Katana? In full disclosure, I own the lunchbox version and while I have issues with the user interface and the need for a bluetooth connected smart phone to actually leverage the capability, and the idiocy of using AA batteries instead of a lithium power pack, it's a pretty awesome little practice amp with incredible versatility when connected to a smart device and wonderful tone for its size.
I very much like guitars built today to the specifications of their aged predecessors. I own a number of reissue Les Paul guitars that are built like they were in the year that the reissue is meant to exemplify. They are all different, and I went through a number of iterations of a specific reissue to find one that felt right on many occasions. I very recently played five different Gibson Custom Shop 1960 Les Pauls with the v2 neck profile to find one that I could bond with. How fortunate for me, that any age fakery was minimal because that guitar sits in a stand beside other guitars and gets played regularly. Yes it was stupid money and while I do not think it is necessarily a better guitar than a modern Les Paul, I bought it specifically because I was born in 1960 and will never afford an actual 1960 Les Paul.
Some makers are taking this rebuilding old instruments pretty far. I can now go into a guitar shop (thank goodness the Internet has not killed actual guitar shops) and pick up a reissue 1970s Fender, with bullet truss rod and three bolt neck. I can only hope that the buyer does not get an accurate 1970s CBS Fender replica for their dollar. Perhaps Gibson will remake early Norlin era Les Pauls with the resonance killing sandwich body and bursts sprayed by those legally blind. Or perhaps they already did so. I do see a lot of 1970s era Les Paul Customs (painted because there was no figure to the tops and the paint conceals the horrible sandwich bodies) on Reverb for ridiculous money. The original Les Pauls from this time were really horrible, why would you want to pay six times what it cost new for a what was a pretty lousy guitar? Oh yes, so you can have a "vintage" guitar.
I have another idea. Go try out a bunch of guitars. Find one that feels right under your fingers, that appeals to you and that suits what you like to play. Forget what the marketers and the advertisers and the YouTubers say. You can do it. They aren't helping. Then buy it and let it get old along with you. That's how you get a real aged instrument. As you see at the top, it worked for Rory Gallagher.
A Live Introduction to Boucher Guitars
Last night, February 4th, 2020, I attended a "clinic" at The Arts Music Store in Newmarket Ontario where the store hosted Boucher Guitars and their ambassador JP Cormier.
Before I get into what I saw and heard, a word or several on JP Cormier. I first saw JP a couple of decades ago in Nova Scotia. In his show he played guitar, fiddle and mandolin and absolutely blew me away with his talent, stage presence and humour. Tenure has made him a bit more direct, but he is absolutely amazing and if you would like to learn more about his music go to https://www.jp-cormier.com You can also find his music online on Apple Music if you are a subscriber. Chet Atkins, yes THAT Chet Atkins called JP one of the most important guitarists of his generation. No argument from me.
Back to the guitars. The website for Boucher Guitars is https://boucherguitars.com (surprise!). It's possible that you may not have familiarity with the brand so let me help you out. Boucher was founded by luthier and player Robin Boucher. The factory that produces hand-made guitars is located in Berthier-sur-Mer in the Canadian province of Quebec. While many folks hear Appalachian and immediately think of the Appalachian range in the United States, the range starts in Canada and the town is right there. One of the greatest tone woods coming out of Appalachia is the Red Spruce aka Picea Rubens. While most of us have heard of Sitka Spruce, and Engelmann Spruce, Red Spruce is much rarer and has a very different tone, at once more dynamic and more even across frequencies. You will find red spruce used in the tops of custom shop builds from other makers at substantial cost, or as the default top in ALL Boucher guitars. Does it sound different? Oh yes.
In the clinic session, JP played an assortment of Boucher guitars. They do three lines; Studio Goose, Bluegrass Goose and Heritage Goose. I have heard some dimwits take the company to task for using the word Goose in the names. There is good reason for doing so, explained on the company website. At least they never use the words "authentic" or "iconic" in their messaging.
The Studio Goose and Bluegrass Goose lineup have similar body style options and even similar wood choices for sides and back, but differ in their bracing patterns. The reality in my opinion, is that either line is perfect for any use, but the joy is in the playing and finding the one that is the most "you". The Heritage Goose line is built to feature only the small body acoustics, the 000 12 Fret and the Parlour 12 Fret. More on these later.
JP Cormier with a Bluegrass Goose Dreadnought before clinic start. The Arts Music Store Assistant Manager Ryan Ainsworth introduced the clinic and welcomed the guests.
Dreadnought style guitars are very popular and you can find this body shape in both the Studio Goose and Bluegrass Goose lines. Studio Goose Dreadnoughts offer the buyer the choice of African Bubinga, American Walnut, Brazilian Mahogany or East Indian Rosewood. Bluegrass Goose Dreadnoughts offer the buyer the choice of Brazilian Mahogany, East Indian Rosewood, Madagascar Rosewood or Brazilian Rosewood. That last one is NOT a typo.
JP Cormier with a Studio Goose OM body. I think that this one had Rosewood back and sides but hard to tell from the crappy iPhone image.
Jazz and finger style players often prefer the OM (Orchestra Model) size bodies. The Studio Goose OM line offers the buyer the choice of African Bubinga, American Walnut, Brazilian Mahogany or Canadian Curly Maple. Bluegrass Goose OM guitars offer the buyer the choice of Brazilian Mahogany, East Indian Rosewood, Madagascar Rosewood or Brazilian Rosewood.
Those desiring a classic Jumbo body will find these in the Studio Goose family. The Studio Goose Jumbo line offers the buyer the choice of African Bubinga, American Walnut, Brazilian Mahogany or Canadian Curly Maple.
Players desiring a 12 string can find OM size bodies in Brazilian Mahogany, Dreadnought bodies in East Indian Rosewood and Jumbo bodies in African Bubinga and Canadian Curly Maple.
JP Cormier with a Heritage Goose 12 Fret with Bubinga back and sides
The Heritage Goose line is smaller, limited to the 000-12 Fret and the Parlour 12-Fret. I am a fan myself of the small bodied guitars but have been challenged in the past that their voicings were unassuming. I was completely blown away by the power of the voice of the Heritage Goose guitars. The 000 family is available in African Bubinga, Brazilian Mahogany, East Indian Rosewood and Canadian Curly Maple. The Parlour guitars are available in African Bubinga, Brazilian Mahogany, East Indian Rosewood and Canadian Curly Maple. All the guitars in the Heritage Goose collection are built with classic design slotted peg heads.
Boucher Guitars also offer a variety of customization options and player packs. These include different finish options, electronics options and are well detailed on the website. You can also order your Boucher with a Venetian cutaway. These are handmade instruments, so you can get what you want, so long as you are not expecting assembly line delivery.
JP made the point that he doesn't bring his own Boucher guitars for clinics because the Boucher recipes are so consistent. He says he can pick up any Boucher instrument of the same body and tone wood build and it will sound the same as another one. He played every instrument using only a microphone in front of the sound hole, even if the guitar had a pickup installed. Many of us have already noted that a mic'd acoustic sounds better in general than one with an active pickup. JP does recommend the optional K&K pickups over any of the powered alternatives.
No Jumbos or 12 strings were available at the clinic for attendees to try out but that did not seem to matter to the 100+ musicians who came out. There was enormous enthusiasm to try the guitars out and the single example of the brand new JP Cormier Signature Heritage Goose 12 Fret with Cutaway was sold during the intermission. Rumour has it that is is the first one that was made available for public purchase. (JP has number 0 and Robin Boucher has number 1). The buyer will know if his is indeed number 2 when he picks it up in a week or so. Cannot imagine who that buyer might be. :D
JP Cormier showing his signature series Heritage Goose 12 Fret with cutaway. This guitar was bought during the intermission.
I had been looking to try out the Heritage Goose 12 Fret or a Parlour regardless. I like the small bodies but wanted to check on the tone as experience with other very small bodies had been interesting but not fulfilling. I have never heard anything that sounds like the Heritage Goose guitars and I was front row and heard the native guitar and not the PA tone.
I confess that I also really liked the Dreadnought and OM models. I already have a number of dreadnoughts from Martin and Gibson and like them very much, but I have only one Martin 000 and a single Taylor OM style. I may find myself on a waiting list for a Bluegrass Goose OM in Brazilian Rosewood sides and back. Of course I would have to pay for the aforementioned Signature first. This guitar thing gets expensive.
Jacob Lauzon and JP Cormier
JP also brought out a newer Boucher ambassador, Jacob Lauzon who he met at a clinic last year. The two players are amazing together. Jacob also did a song with his friend Alanna, both playing their personal OM series instruments.
The conclusion to this article is pretty simple. If you love playing guitar and you are considering a professional grade acoustic such as a fine instrument from Martin Guitars or Taylor Guitars, or perhaps one of the Gibson acoustics from the Bozeman Montant factory, you are cheating yourself if you do not play a Boucher before making your purchase decision. There are a few good dealers of Boucher and obviously I heartily recommend The Arts Music Store in Newmarket Ontario. I have owned Martins and Taylors for a long time and love them very much, but I am comfortable saying as a generalization, I get more for my money with a hand made Boucher than either of these other very excellent lines.
The only way to know is to play one yourself. The sound is killer and remember that if you want a pickup, go for the K&K option. Tell them that I sent you, with the guidance of JP Cormier.
Goodbye to a Long Awaited Friend
This post has little to do with guitar. I am simply devastated by yesterday's (Jan 10th) announcement of the passing on January 7th, 2020 of the man who in my opinion is/was not just music's greatest drummer, but also its greatest lyricist.
I was aware that Neil Peart's health had not been good. I was not aware of the three plus years he was battling brain cancer. I did know that he was in chronic pain as a result of being an incredible drummer for over 40 years, driven by incredibly high standards.
There have been many Twitter and elsewhere tributes to Neil. The majority of them refer to his irreplaceable talent as a drummer. All accurate. Fewer recognize his incredible lyrics that for many people, so I understand, told stories of their own lives that they could not say themselves. Some lyrics provided listeners with targets to aim for, as well as offering reminders that it was ok not to be cool, not to fit in and to go your own way.
Much was made of Neil's early adoption of the principles of Objectivism and his use of concepts from Ayn Rand's Anthem and The Fountainhead in his songs. Much later, he was quoted as saying that he had changed to become a "bleeding heart libertarian". Many critics and writers took this as a refutation of objectivism. The reality is that a bleeding heart libertarian is a not-unreasonable characterization of many of Rand's protagonists. Libertarianism is an outcome of Objectivism. Caring about letting others lead their own lives is part of Romanticism. Those who have a massive hate on for Rand, either don't know or choose to ignore her philosophy text, The Romantic Manifesto.
Disagree if you wish, your choice, and that's the whole point. I'm wearing a "Who is John Galt?" shirt as I write this, so you have a good idea where I stand.
Neil once wrote that he could not "pretend a stranger was a long awaited friend". This is both indicative of his quiet, shy and private nature, as well as his conviction not to be inconsistent in his life. While I have met and spoken with both Alex and Geddy, I never got to meet Neil. In my younger years, I wrote to him. I never received a response, but that has always been less important than the writing of the letters in the first place. It's funny to say that while we never met, I always felt that he was a great friend, albeit at a great distance.
Neil's work did not change my life, but his elocution and thoughtfulness did give me opportunities to see things in different ways, and to learn many things that I had not understood. For these gifts, I am eternally grateful. Neil's autodidactic nature reminded me that one could learn without necessarily attending a school or following a set curriculum. Indeed, I have come to believe that following your own course of learning, exposing yourself to multiple approaches can be superior to a single structure.
One of the most poignant lyrics Neil wrote is in the song Losing It. I am glad for him, that he never arrived in the place identified in that incredibly sad song.
I did cry last night, as I sat playing along with the songs on A Farewell to Kings. It seemed the right record to listen to because Neil Peart was a king of sort to me. He never chased that role, and never claimed it. One of the many things that made him a king.
My thoughts and best wishes go out to Carrie and Olivia, and to Alex and Geddy. We have all lost a great man.
What Does Balanced Tension Mean?
When I first heard Dan Steinhardt of That Pedal Show talk about his use of balanced tension strings, I became curious. To my science trained mind, it sounded like it meant that each string would exercise the same amount of tension on the guitar regardless of string gauge.
When I started looking at tension charts, when the makers published them at all, it became clear to me that most string sets, including ones that I liked and even preferred, did not have this balanced tension thing happening, so I started doing some research.
I found articles that were qualitative but not quantitative and I wanted to see numbers and science to stand up the claims, and I also wanted to purchase a set of balanced tension strings to see if they felt different or sounded different to me.
I ordered a set of D'Addario NYXL Balanced Tension strings in their 11-50 set. I had to go through Amazon, because none of my local shops stocked balanced tension strings, thus my first learning was that this was not something in particularly high demand.
I had to restring my old PRS CE22 as I decided to use it for some upcoming lessons that I signed up for. As happens, the strings on it were old but still sounded fine, a tribute to that last batch of PRS branded strings that I had used.
But, I had a scientific experiment to perform! First step was to find the documentation on how to best use the very old style PRS winged locking tuners. Lots of gripes and YouTube vids, but PRS does an excellent job of maintaining support documents and I found the official instructions on one page quickly. Suffice to say, that they were all I needed and I was reminded once again of how awesome those PRS winged locking tuners are.
Note that the package specifically states Balanced Tension. These are the 10-46 set. I could not find an image of the 11-50 set that I used in my experiment
Opening the package revealed, surprise!, guitar strings in a sealed pouch wound in pairs, just like every other D'Addario package I have opened in the last little while. The strings did not feel any different when mounting them to the guitar. They tuned up quickly and after a couple of stretches, have held their tune very well. Whether this is the nature of the NYXL build, or a combination of that and the locking tuners, I cannot tell. It's good enough to know that the string change was fast and easy and that the new strings once stretched are holding tune well.
The strings do feel different. Not in terms of slipperiness but more in terms of bending. The G, B and E strings require about the same amount of effort to bend, which is different from my experience with non-balanced tension strings. I suspect that with practice, that this might mean that bends will be more consistent. The bending of the E, A, and D strings were also very similar but heavier than the high strings as one might expect. My common high E is a .010 and for this set I went to an .011, again based on the opinion of Dan Steinhardt, who was using the 11 - 50 set on his red Telecaster some months back. It does make the E a bit tougher to bend, but as my intent for the lessons is to learn more jazz chording and chord inversions, I thought it might be worthwhile to give the nominally heavier string a try.
I found a video from a custom string maker called StringJoy out of Nashville. The video presenter offered a spreadsheet for download that allows you to enter some information such as scale length and string gauge that uses mathematics calculate the string tension, which could be handy if the maker does not provide this information. It also makes some assumptions about string weight, which is going to differ from maker to maker based on string construction, so I am going to call it close but not exact, except for StringJoy's own strings, which I admittedly have not tried. Their online web calculator is at https://tension.stringjoy.com
D'Addario offers a web based application that allows you to see how you could achieve balanced tension based on your own entries or starting with one of their existing packages at http://stringtensionpro.com It's interesting, but I missed how one could order a set resulting from the app.
As some of you know, I have been moving to Curt Mangan strings recently. That company does not have an interactive tool but does produce a string tension chart that is very usable. What I liked about these folks is the ability to build your own custom set very easily and to add your name and even a logo directly to the package.
In building packages for electrics, I used the PRS scale length and built a set of Curt Mangan strings based on the Monel construction with gauges, 10, 13.5, 17, 26, 36, 48. For my acoustics, I again used the Monel construction with gauges 11.5, 15.5, 20, 30, 42, 56 I admit to be really taken with the Monel acoustic tones and recently put a set of Curt Mangan Monel strings on my '57 Black Beauty and am really pleased with the tone. This Les Paul is very heavy and I think that the 10-46 standard Monel strings are good on it because it can be a bit boomy because of the excess weight, as it is nearly a 12 pound guitar.
The strings I install the Les Paul R7 Black Beauty
Hopefully this short explanation of what balanced tension is and why you might be inclined to give balanced tension strings a try has been interesting to you.
Play on!
Acoustic String Considerations
I'm looking at what has been posted and I see that it is all related to electric guitars. Fair enough, but I also play acoustic and most of my peers do as well, some more than others of course.
As I have been studying and experimenting with electric guitar strings, I have also been doing so with strings for my acoustic guitars. This may be a larger area for discussion than even electric.
I had typically looked at acoustic strings as just being an enabler for the sound of the guitar, influenced by the woods used and the construction type. Most of the acoustic strings in the market are either Phosphor Bronze or 80/20 Bronze. Folks seeking a brighter acoustic tone would choose 80/20 and folks seeking a more mellow tone would choose Phosphor Bronze, presuming that they or the seller knew the difference. I have not completed any course of study when it comes to nylon strings so I'm leaving them out for the moment.
The major string makers typically offer many (too many?) choices in this regard, and then there is the choice over buying coated or uncoated strings. Like the tonal delivery, this is very much a personal decision. I prefer coated strings because they last longer with my skin oils in most cases. All my Taylor guitars came equipped with Elixir strings, a popular brand of coated strings, and while they are very popular, they do not work for me. Elixir has done a great job of education on the value proposition of coated strings and I appreciate this. In my experience, I get a fuzzy something on the strings. I am honestly not sure whether the strings use the Polyweb or Nanoweb coating so I have been looking elsewhere. Coatings have an impact on tone an on string feel.
In addition to the blend of phosphor and bronze, some strings incorporate materials other than steel in their construction. For example, the D'Addario Silk and Steel strings use a silver plated copper wind, interwound with silk that produces a very mellow tone because of the damping effect of the silk.
For a bit brighter sound while staying mellow, we encounter silver plated copper wraps without silk such as the D'Addario Gypsy Jazz sets. Still very mellow and like Silk and Steel, well suited to finger style players.
If you like playing slide on your acoustic guitar, you might consider flat top strings where the Phosphor Bronze wrap is polished to be smooth so you don't get those extraneous noises when using a slide. I wish that I had realized this years ago, because I am not accomplished at slide and I find the sound of the slide on regular wound strings to be ear-jarring. Slide is a whole other learning opportunity with all kinds of different slide materials available. Regardless of the slide construction, in my opinion, a smoother string sounds better to my ears.
The traditional Phosphor Bronze blend tends to fall in the middle between mellow and bright. This is likely why this blend is so popular and a good choice for guitarists who have not yet come to a specific string type for their use cases. They are available coated and uncoated from a variety of vendors.
Makers like Ernie Ball offer an Aluminum Bronze option which uses a special blend of Aluminum and Bronze that gives more bottom and top end. I have never tried them but if you find your acoustic sounds too midrange punchy, this may be a viable option for you.
D'Addario calls their Nickel Bronze their premium uncoated string. They fit between Phosphor Bronze and 80/20 Bronze on the brightness scale. Again, I have never tried them as I tend to stick to coated strings given my amazing ability to kill uncoated strings in no time at all.
Could these be Monel?
80/20 strings use an 80% copper and 20% zinc wrap and deliver a very bright tone. Some makers, Ernie Ball for instance, offer wound strings where the steel core is brass coated before the wrap is applied. Only you can determine whether this makes a difference for your desired tone, but know that if you want bright tones, 80/20 is the way to go.
Interestingly the popular 80/20 was only developed in the 1930s, by John D'Addario Sr and famed luthier John D'Angelico. Prior to that there was another construction type, one that is exhibiting a resurgence. This construction is called Monel.
As I started looking into Monel, I discovered that construction was not completely clear, with some vendors invoking the "secret sauce" story. Fortunately custom string maker Curt Mangan is very clear. Monel is a blend of materials, 67% nickel, 30% copper with the remainder made up of iron, manganese, carbon and silicon. Monel is not new. The data tells us that Monel existed earlier than the more common 80/20 and Phosphor Bronze string but was replaced because it was more expensive to build Monel strings. Martin Guitars offer Monel strings in their Retro line as do Curt Mangan and Rotosound. Curt Mangan also notes that Monel is sometimes known as Nickel Bronze, so those premium D'Addario strings mentioned earlier may actually be Monel.
On a side note, if you have not heard of Curt Mangan, you might want to go online and try his strings. His set for the Rickenbacker electric 12 string is the best that I have ever played.
Mangan's Monel strings are available on either a hex core or round core. I have not played either yet and could not tell you what a difference that makes. I have however, placed an order with the company and will know more once I get the strings. In addition to the acoustic strings, I also ordered a couple of sets of electric strings because I enjoy trying things out.
You may be wondering why I would go to an uncoated string like Monel's when I have already said that I can kill uncoated strings really quickly. Well the composition of the strings are naturally corrosion resistant. More expensive to make, but may last longer.
The other reason that I want to try Monel strings is that as you have gleaned so far, all strings we have discussed so far impart some colour to your guitar. Some minor research will reveal that different tone woods respond very differently as do different body styles. The story behind Monel is that they are the most colourless strings available, neutral rather than particularly warm or bright. I have guitars made with a variety of different tone woods and even with traditional strings, they sound different, and I am really super curious about what I will hear differently, if anything, by going with neutral strings that add no colour. Some folks have said that they do not like the sound of these strings while others love them. I will find out for myself and so can you.
Thanks for reading and play on.
Stress Relief
Maybe you never get stressed out. Maybe every day is just perfect and nothing annoys or upsets you. That would be cool, but it's not me. And that's one way that playing guitar helps enormously.
Sometimes it's just the sound and mood that gets created that contributes. While big bodied jazz boxes are certainly not all the rage these days, there is a magic therein.
My ES-175D is from the early 90's. It took me a while to get in a groove with it. It's after all a "jazz" guitar and except for some chords and a short solo from Take 5, my jazz skills are near invisible. I've recently been spending more time with it since adding the Fender 65 Blackface Twin Reverb to my playing area.
The ES-175D is commonly referred to as an archtop. Gibson has done all manner of archtop guitars over the years. Mine is equipped with the stock humbuckers that came with the guitar in the early nineties. I love the sharp point on the florentine cutaway, and the big deep body has a lot of natural resonance. Held to the ear, its tone is warm and liquid.
I have the ES-175 strung with D'Addario Chromes. My setup is the 11-50 gauge set. Chromes, if you have never played them, are flat wounds and fall into the mellow category of strings.
My preferred mellow strings, the D'Addario Chromes
For some time I was not excited about the tone that I was getting from the guitar into my existing amps. It wasn't bad, certainly a better player could get better tone, but when I got the Twin Reverb, things changed for me and the guitar. Instead of fighting with the amp and guitar controls, I could just sit and play. There was the big airbox warmth and mellow ness, without losing all the spark of the bridge humbucker or the high strings with the neck humbucker. If ever an amp and a guitar went together, this pair seemed to be it.
THE amp to use with the ES-175
As regular readers will have noticed, I am a serious pedal geek and I wanted to see what I could do with minimal pedals. I limited myself to only two pedals for this exercise and am very happy with the results. Of course, I am using the fabulous reverb built into the amp, so that should probably count as one, but I don't count it. The only pedals are a TC Electronics Polytune 3 in stroboscopic mode and my fave Cali76 compressor.
My go to compressor on the Fender Twin
I have too many compressors. Diamonds, an Empress and a pair from Origin Systems, the Cali76 and the Stacked. I also like the basic compressor from Robert Keeley, but in all my testing, nothing pairs with the Fender Twin like the Cali76. It's just so good. It's compression without squishiness while delivering sustain for days, particularly in conjunction with a hollow body guitar.
Putting all the pieces together, I get this warm, voluptuous tone that encourages the development of interesting chord progressions and new riffs. I lack the skill to write music out, and my sight reading skills are quite poor. So I sit with a little Zoom recorder and when I come across something that I like the sound of, I hit record, play the bit a few times and then add some voice reminders of key, what chords, I am playing, the starting notes and any patterns involved. This helps me a lot with getting the approach down, because while I know what I like, I suck at writing out a rhthym so recording it makes sense for me, and might for you as well.
By keeping things simple in the sonic change, the work falls back to me and my fingers to get the job done properly. In my recent stress relief sessions that has worked out well, and I have been able to create some stuff that I find interesting and may end up going somewhere. After an hour or so, I realize that I have not been conscious of the passage of time, that my blood pressure and heart rate has relaxed. What stress was troubling me has subsided and I am in a better state.
It's written that music can calm the savage beast. Not so sure how beastly or savage I am, but the tone from this combination is absolutely a winning ticket.