# The Great Ongoing Guitar Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 31, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172 "2010-01-31T23:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 40
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/781 "2010-08-18T14:02:32Z")
I recently finished resurrecting an old Kay electric guitar. A friend of mine rescued it on its way to the dumpster & gave it to me. Here is how it came to me. [![](https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/wedgehed/Kay%20Value%20Leader%20Project/kay1.jpg?t=1282139094) ](https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/wedgehed/Kay%20Value%20Leader%20Project/kay1.jpg?t=1282139094) Here it is now. [![](https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/wedgehed/Kay%20Value%20Leader%20Project/020.jpg?t=1282139164) ](https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/wedgehed/Kay%20Value%20Leader%20Project/020.jpg?t=1282139164) The pups, pots, & switches come from an old Teisco. The pickguard design is inspired by the Harmony Roy Smeck model. I cut the control plate from a brass kick plate. [![](https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/wedgehed/Kay%20Value%20Leader%20Project/011-1.jpg?t=1282139304) ](https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/wedgehed/Kay%20Value%20Leader%20Project/011-1.jpg?t=1282139304) I just finished soldering in the electronics yesterday and everything works! It sounds pretty good. I just need to get everything dialed in for playing comfort. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/782 "2010-08-18T15:44:04Z")
> [@wedgehed](#): > > I recently finished resurrecting an old Kay electric guitar. A friend of mine rescued it on its way to the dumpster & gave it to me. Wow, that’s quite a makeover. I like the emblem on the headstock, nice touch. The fingerboard changed from blonde to black; did you paint/stain it? The fretboard markers and other things look the same, so I assume you didn’t replace the neck. ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/783 "2010-08-18T15:53:28Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Wow, that’s quite a makeover. I like the emblem on the headstock, nice touch. > > The fingerboard changed from blonde to black; did you paint/stain it? The fretboard markers and other things look the same, so I assume you didn’t replace the neck. Thanks. I dyed the fretboard black. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/784 "2010-08-18T16:00:35Z")
minor hijack - can anyone recommend a decent entry-level ukelele that is not a toy? ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/785 "2010-08-18T16:26:11Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > minor hijack - can anyone recommend a decent entry-level ukelele that is not a toy? I don’t know what is considered entry level for ukes, but you can get an Eastwood Airline Uke for around $350. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lV89NFLBxTM/hqdefault.jpg "Eastwood Airline electric ukulele prototype?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV89NFLBxTM) ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/786 "2010-08-18T18:53:22Z")
Actually wouldn’t mind knowing about the uke myself, friend wants one after he moves. $350 is a bit high. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/787 "2010-08-18T18:58:13Z")
I just found Tommy Emmanuel’s [investiture](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwe4Va9fkHM) into the Order of Australia on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/788 "2010-08-18T21:46:52Z")
> [@wedgehed](#): > > > [@phungi](#): > > > > minor hijack - can anyone recommend a decent entry-level ukelele that is not a toy? > > I don’t know what is considered entry level for ukes, but you can get an Eastwood Airline Uke for around $350. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV89NFLBxTM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV89NFLBxTM) Ignoring the uke, which I have no comment on as I know diddly-squat about ukes, there’s a few interesting looking guitars in that video: - The one hanging in the corner that looks like half a guitar. - The teardrop shaped white one with three pickups. - The bass guitar with the hole in the headstock. - The gold (lefty?) ‘strat’ with a Gibson-ish ‘mustache’ headstock. - Seems to be a Dan Electro or similar on the right, partially hidden by the combos. Anyone ID these? ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/789 "2010-08-18T22:05:06Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Ignoring the uke, which I have no comment on as I know diddly-squat about ukes, there’s a few interesting looking guitars in that video: > > - The one hanging in the corner that looks like half a guitar. > - The teardrop shaped white one with three pickups. > - The bass guitar with the hole in the headstock. > - The gold (lefty?) ‘strat’ with a Gibson-ish ‘mustache’ headstock. > - Seems to be a Dan Electro or similar on the right, partially hidden by the combos. > > Anyone ID these? You can find some of them at the [Eastwood Guitar site.](http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/790 "2010-08-18T23:12:12Z")
> [@wedgehed](#): > > You can find some of them at the [Eastwood Guitar site.](http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/) Ah, I didn’t realize they were all Eastwoods. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/791 "2010-08-25T10:30:38Z")
[Boomerwang](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=575614) wants to talk about alternate tunings. ---
**Author:** ![Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ee7513/32.png) [@Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kim_o_the_Concrete_Jungle)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/792 "2010-08-25T12:49:12Z")
I was recording a song the other day with my hollow-body electric. It was a pretty simple set-up – I had a mic for my singing, and I was recording the guitar direct-in through my Vox Tonelab as usual. However, I underestimated how loud the guitar was, and it bled quite a bit into the vocal mic. So on the final track, the guitar ended up about 40% direct through the amp simulator, and 60% bleed into the vocal mic. It’s actually a pretty cool sound, very different from the amp sound alone. Here’s the clip: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmeq2\_1o2dQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmeq2_1o2dQ) So there’s something for you to think about. You can mic the actual guitar as well as the amp. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/793 "2010-08-28T02:13:56Z")
[Daddypants](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12848998#post12848998) wants to know about the earliest use of the crunchy guitar sound and power chords. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/794 "2010-08-29T18:39:00Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > [Daddypants](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12848998#post12848998) wants to know about the earliest use of the crunchy guitar sound and power chords. Link Wray maybe? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/795 "2010-08-29T21:49:54Z")
> [@Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](#): > > So on the final track, the guitar ended up about 40% direct through the amp simulator, and 60% bleed into the vocal mic. It’s actually a pretty cool sound, very different from the amp sound alone. > [snip] > So there’s something for you to think about. You can mic the actual guitar as well as the amp. Nice piece. And also an interesting tone, almost banjo-like. I guess if you don’t want the bleed, a workaround would be to record the guitar first, vocal second. But I’d say it worked out okay in that vid. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/796 "2010-08-29T23:21:32Z")
That was my contribution, but the crunchy guitar sound isn’t just him. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/797 "2010-08-30T02:39:13Z")
Ahhh, OK, it was just a wild guess anyway. On another note, I decided it was time to get a small “practice” amp, so I got a Crate GTD15. It’s rated 15 Watts into a 4 Ohm speaker, and has a 8 inch speaker, headphone output, and a speaker out jack, for hooking up to my 2x12 cabinet. There is an “overdrive” channel, but that is not exactly spectacular - at least not to someone who spent his formative years on overdriven tube amps. I haven’t had a chance yet, to see how well it takes pedals and effects. ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/798 "2010-08-31T02:15:15Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Actually wouldn’t mind knowing about the uke myself, friend wants one after he moves. $350 is a bit high. I’m not a world-class uke player, but I can play them fairly well. And I think the cheap ones sound pretty good if you mic them properly. If you want acoustic, it will cost more, but I’m certain you could get a very nice one for much less than $350. As an aside, I’m thinking of converting a uke to mandolin tuning - a mandolele, or a ukulin. Anyone else see potential in this or other hybrid instruments? ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/799 "2010-08-31T02:37:02Z")
After much hemming and hawing, I’m getting a 6-string Baritone Classical Guitar. It started life as a ‘regular’, luthier-made instrument, but its box has always had a very deep voice. And so… When I wrote my friend Ed Klein about a price for a baritone, he suggested re-fitting the nut and saddle on this instrument and adding a [Schatten](http://www.schattendesign.com/HFN-CS-Artist.htm) pickup. Despite him giving me a serious break, it was still more than twice the budget; I was heartbroken and I thought for sure I’d have to turn him down. It came down to - I need an instrument for this voice and classical guitar project (“21st Century Troubadour” is the working title…) that has the same resonance and response as my regular classical, but down a fourth. (B-E-A-D-F#-B) I’ve got my laminate top Yamaha strung that way, but it’s a beater and it sounds like it. I’ve played other student/entry level instruments, and they haven’t had the depth nor the response. I could take Sergei deJonge’s lutherie course, but I haven’t got the time for a few years. And a custom built guitar would be easily more than four or five times the budget. What clinched the deal was that Ed had let me borrow the instrument for a few days. I made my wife listen while I played the same Marschner song on the beater and on the new guitar. We then had a long talk about the upcoming recital, the possibility of touring it as a package deal, the possibility of recording it… The end result was, I emptied the Swear Jar and there was the down payment. 🙂 Teasing; the end result is, it’s a big risk, but I need the right instrument for this project or it’s not going to work anyway. Gulp. Besides, the kids’ college funds were just sitting there… Le Ministre de l’au-delà - Woodshedding. Do Not Disturb. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/800 "2010-08-31T12:38:03Z")
How exciting is that? Congratulations \*\*Le Ministre \*\*- can’t wait to get a full report. Boomerwang - there’s a long history of banjo ukes, mando-cellos (8-strings-in-4-courses) acoustics and electrics, piccolo short-scale basses and the like. Just because there are standard formats doesn’t preclude other combos and most have been tried… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=39) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=41)