# 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:** 79
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1562 "2011-04-11T18:47:24Z")
Looks like loosening the truss rod a 1/4 turn is just what it needed. The buzz is barely noticeable. I-ll let the new strings stretch a few days and hopefully that will be the end of it. If not, just a slight more adjustment. Thanks all. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1563 "2011-04-11T21:32:37Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > Looks like loosening the truss rod a 1/4 turn is just what it needed. The buzz is barely noticeable. I-ll let the new strings stretch a few days and hopefully that will be the end of it. If not, just a slight more adjustment. > > Thanks all. Just be sure to make the adjustments in small increments and allow the strings to 'settle" in between tweaks. Side remark as to ashtrays on Teles: I think originally, they were there to act as shields against the unwanted noise that single coil pick ups are subject to. They also (in theory) had some small efect on the overall tone, as they were believed to interact with the magnetic field. At any rate, I could never hear any difference between on or off. When I finally got a Tele of my own, it didn’t even come with the ash tray, so go figure. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1564 "2011-04-12T16:49:01Z")
> **[Line 6](https://line6.com/effects-pedals/)** > > Create, record and perform with guitar in new ways. Line 6 has an interesting new thing out. Any opinions? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1565 "2011-04-12T16:59:25Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > [Line 6 | Effects Pedals](http://line6.com/m5/) > Line 6 has an interesting new thing out. Any opinions? Well, if I had a need or hankering to explore the occasional effect, that would be an efficient way to do it… ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1566 "2011-04-12T18:12:03Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > [Line 6 | Effects Pedals](http://line6.com/m5/) > Line 6 has an interesting new thing out. Any opinions? At a rare time in my life when I had more cash than common sense I bought[Guitar Rig 3](http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/media-center/?q=rig&t=Media&f=mediatype:videos%7Cyoutube§ion=browser&content=157) and it’s controller (it had a free upgrade to [GR 4](http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/media-center/?q=rig&t=Media&f=mediatype:videos%7Cyoutube§ion=browser&content=978), Woohoo!) and every once in a while I’ll light it up. I mostly use it for some rhythm guitar looping. But every once in a while I just explore all the [effects, amps, and cabinet combinations](http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/guitar/guitar-rig-4-pro/?content=928&page=952). I The cool thing about it is it comes with a bunch of preset sound banks which subtly allude to who the tone is patterned after. Banks like Star Spangled Jimi, Angus Bells, etc are dead giveaways as to what the copycat is. The bad part is that I spend all my time doodling with the different sounds and never really get down to practicing. So even though I have the cool little toy to fuss with I avoid it and usually just play my guitar plugged straight away into my little Blues Jr. Amp. Sounds good enough. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1567 "2011-04-13T03:26:56Z")
So I broke down and bought some better drums. Well, being a guitarist I bought some better fake drums. I got [Steven Slate Drums](http://www.stevenslatedrums.com/). So far I am rather impressed. I still haven’t found how to make the hi hats sound decent but it’ll come. The kicks absolutely rock. I got the Dream Theater kit and love it. I haven’t had a chance to play with it too much yet but so far it is awesome. Slee ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1568 "2011-04-13T03:59:56Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > No argument - and in terms of a good tool, I agree. I have come to think of guitars in different categories - e.g., the different between a guitar for home vs. a guitar for gigging. For gigs, I need a guitar that plays good enough-to-great, but has the features I need to make it through the set list. And I would prefer it not be “precious” in any way so I don’t have to think about it when I am playing and selling the song live. > > For playing at home, I prefer a guitar that inspires me to play more. Some combination of playability, tone - I can’t really explain it, but all the stuff I try on one of those guitars sounds like it _might_ work and is worth exploring. Some guitars are more “forgiving” perhaps or emphasize the right harmonics so notes are less-inclined to sound harsh and take you out of your groove? I dunno - but I know there’s a difference and some guitars make me want to play them more. With electrics, I have gotten closer to that by piecing them together with parts that conform to my preferences. Cool. With acoustics, I have found that an old, well-made acoustic - a good one - is really fun to play for me. Would I sound much different on a $350 Tak? Nah - but it wouldn’t be as fun to play… That’s true. You won’t find many people that disagree; on an acoustic the woods and the finish and so on _do_ make a noticeable difference, and a more expensive instrument will almost always sound nicer. Depending on what sound you want, though. My mid-70s EKO Ranger 6 cost me $75 in a pawn shop, it has everything “wrong” in terms of the way a good acoustic is supposed to be made, and I love it. It’s an idiosyncratic and unique sounding instrument, very dark, and kind of “boxy”. Interestingly, those guitars now have a good reputation and are increasingly sought after for that very reason. They play well, and they do something that “good” acoustics don’t. They’re never going to replace Martins and other high-end acoustics, but they provide an interesting alternative to the traditional acoustic guitar sound. My “good” acoustic is a Takamine, a 1981 D-35 copy, which I got for free because it had been butchered and had holes drilled through the top. I filled the holes with wood putty and that’s my “upmarket” acoustic now. Nice slim neck, good for my half-arsed fingerstyle playing. I’d _like_ an upmarket acoustic, but it’s not really a priority. There are other things I’d like more, and I do fine with what I have. I’ll come back later and write about my electrics and amps and so on. ---
**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:** [April 13, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1569 "2011-04-13T14:26:03Z")
I hear nice things about Takamines. As far as that Line6 m5… I don’t know, something bothers me about it. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1570 "2011-04-13T14:33:24Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > That’s true. You won’t find many people that disagree; on an acoustic the woods and the finish and so on _do_ make a noticeable difference, and a more expensive instrument will almost always sound nicer. > > Depending on what sound you want, though. My mid-70s EKO Ranger 6 cost me $75 in a pawn shop, it has everything “wrong” in terms of the way a good acoustic is supposed to be made, and I love it. It’s an idiosyncratic and unique sounding instrument, very dark, and kind of “boxy”. Interestingly, those guitars now have a good reputation and are increasingly sought after for that very reason. They play well, and they do something that “good” acoustics don’t. They’re never going to replace Martins and other high-end acoustics, but they provide an interesting alternative to the traditional acoustic guitar sound. > > My “good” acoustic is a Takamine, a 1981 D-35 copy, which I got for free because it had been butchered and had holes drilled through the top. I filled the holes with wood putty and that’s my “upmarket” acoustic now. Nice slim neck, good for my half-arsed fingerstyle playing. > > I’d _like_ an upmarket acoustic, but it’s not really a priority. There are other things I’d like more, and I do fine with what I have. > > I’ll come back later and write about my electrics and amps and so on. My drummer-the-producer has a couple of EKO’s - a 6 and a 12-string. Laminate tops that have bellied out from the string pull; bad plywood sides and funky bridge/tailpiece setups. And you know what? They record beautifully. They play fine - nothing spectacular - and sound fine live. But stick a mic close up and play a finger-picky, light-strummy tune? Ooofah - good stuff. Tak’s from that timeframe have a great rep; lately their consistency has come under fire. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1571 "2011-04-13T19:58:33Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > I hear nice things about Takamines. > As far as that Line6 m5… I don’t know, something bothers me about it. Takamine are good - I have the solid cedar topped dreadnought. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1572 "2011-04-14T17:11:43Z")
Wandered into Guitarcenter as it was next to one of our facilities at work. Wandered out with a used Big Muff Pi for $40. Not a bad deal, and why not? It’s made in NYC, even. Also picked up the new Foo Fighters album, Wasting Light. It’s like they’re wrestling a big angry boar made entirely out of sweat, muscle, hair, and rock and roll. I strongly recommend it. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1573 "2011-04-14T19:36:40Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > Takamine are good - I have the solid cedar topped dreadnought. Amen to that… I HIGHLY recommend the [GS-330s model](http://www.guitarcenter.com/Takamine-GS330S-Acoustic-Guitar-100461893-i1148963.gc). ---
**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:** [April 16, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1574 "2011-04-16T23:41:07Z")
After messing with the Big Muff, I began to understand pedals. So I, uhm. > **[Guitars | Musician's Friend](https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars)** > > Shop the best selection of popular guitars: ✅ guaranteed low price, ✅ free shipping, ✅ 0% financing, ✅ 8% back in rewards. Hell. Four pedals, $99? Not boutique, but well made and certainly worth messing with to learn what they do. Also, the Telemaster’s back from the shop with the new bone nut (I can’t tell the difference. Well, it’s white. And not broken and repaired) and with .010s on. Which makes a big difference in feel compared to the .009s on the Subhuman. Feels good. Sounds good. Man, I love this guitar. ---
**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:** [April 17, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1575 "2011-04-17T15:38:01Z")
Foie Gras Is Evil wants to know about [The Fine Line Between Technical Proficiency and Emotion](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=604997) . ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1576 "2011-04-20T14:26:38Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Not yet. UPS tracking says it’s been in Shrewbury, MA -\> Hodgkins, IL -\> San Jose, CA, where it sits now. I’m thinking I’ll see it on Monday or Tuesday. I’ll snap a couple pix and write quick impressions when I get it. I’m looking forward to those “dogears” 🙂 . Did this make it to you yet? I’ve got one sitting in my cart, but I thought I’d wait and see what you thought before I pulled the trigger. Didn’t make it to the Taylor factory, sadly. It would have required skipping some sessions of the conference I couldn’t really miss. Stupid gainful employment. ---
**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:** [April 20, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1577 "2011-04-20T14:30:59Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > Did this make it to you yet? I’ve got one sitting in my cart, but I thought I’d wait and see what you thought before I pulled the trigger. It did, and I’m pretty happy with it. I’m working on a writeup now that I’ll post here, but my schedule has been hectic so I haven’t had much time to finish it. Pull the trigger. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1578 "2011-04-20T17:00:37Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > Amen to that… I HIGHLY recommend the [GS-330s model](http://www.guitarcenter.com/Takamine-GS330S-Acoustic-Guitar-100461893-i1148963.gc). That’s the one I have. Very nice, and great “bang for the buck”. ---
**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:** [April 20, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1579 "2011-04-20T17:12:33Z")
[http://digital.premierguitar.com/premierguitar/201105\_1#pg2](http://digital.premierguitar.com/premierguitar/201105_1#pg2) Latest Premier Guitar covers the Fender Pawn Shops that are getting such attention, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who we’ve mentioned before. Interesting article. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1580 "2011-04-21T16:28:02Z")
Here’s a brief writeup on the XV440 guitar that I just got from Guitar Fetish. I’d listened to **E-Sabbath** proselytize [Guitar Fetish’s instruments](http://www.guitarfetish.com/Xaviere-Electric-Guitars_c_116.html) quite a bit, so when I saw one on clearance, I bought it on impulse. It arrived a few days ago and I’ve been familarizing myself, so here’s a brief writeup. What I bought was a sunburst [XV-440](http://www.guitarfetish.com/XV-440-Guitar-Solid-Mahogany-Alnico-Dogear-P90s-60s-Style-Burst_p_2225.html), basically a sunburst Les Paul Jr clone – slab body, single cutaway, with P-90 pickups. I’ve never owned a guitar with P-90’s before, and I’d heard **WordMan** extoll the virtues of them, so that was definitely in my head when I ordered the guitar. The XV-440 makes a very good [first impression](http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn66/squeegee64/Xaviere/IMG_3821.jpg). The sunburst is [quite pretty](http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn66/squeegee64/Xaviere/IMG_3824.jpg), maybe a bit clown-bursty, but I like it a great deal. The fret markers look pretty cool as well, tiny little crosses. Here’s the guitar [sitting next to my Blues Junior](http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn66/squeegee64/Xaviere/IMG_3834.jpg), and [hanging next to my AD Tele](http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn66/squeegee64/Xaviere/IMG_3828.jpg). I think it’s a very sharp looking instrument, and it feels solid, substantial and comfortable when I play it. This guitar was on clearance for $135 (!), marked down as blemished, so the first thing I did was look for the blemish. You’ll love this: the blemish is on the headstock. [Here’s](http://www.guitarfetish.com/assets/images/XV300_HDSTK.jpg) what the headstock should look like, and [here’s mine](http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn66/squeegee64/Xaviere/IMG_3838.jpg). I had thought I’d bought a “Xaviere” guitar, but mine is only a “Xaviei e”! 🙂 The guitar has a Gibson scale neck, 24 3/4", so it feels pretty slinky with 10’s on it. From **E-Sab** ’s description of his “Les Paul”-style Xaviere ([this one](http://www.guitarfetish.com/XV-500-Two-Tone-Rocket-RedBlack-Chrome-Crunchy-pats_p_1251.html), I think), I was expecting a very thin guitar neck. What I got was a neck not all that different in width/carve from my Tele neck, in fact slightly wider, and it feels comfortable and not dainty. I think someone with big hands might find it too skinny, but it felt fine to me. The frets are medium, not jumbo, not skinny. One big flaw in the frets is that the outside edges are not well finished, and in fact feel quite sharp in places. [Here](http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn66/squeegee64/Xaviere/IMG_3842.jpg)’s a picture of the fret edges; see that “arch” bevel on the frets? The top of that arch is the trouble spot, and needs to be smoothed somehow (suggestions welcome). As shipped the guitar’s action was too high, so I dropped that right away and put on a new set of strings. To my surprise, the guitar was pretty close to being intonated, the exception was the D string, which was moderately out. I need to go back and actually intonate the guitar correctly, but it was so close to just-fine that I haven’t gotten around to it. This is probably the least tuning stable instrument I own, which isn’t saying much because my other guitars have totally rock-solid tuning. With this guitar, I find that when I pick it up, tune it, then play for a few minutes, one or two strings will be a bit out. If I tune again at that point, the tuning stays pretty stable. It’s not a big flaw and I can live with it, but I’d be interested if new tuners or something else would make the guitar more tuning-stable. The guitar sounds really nice into my Blue’s Junior, or especially into a Fulltone OCD to the Blues Jr. I like to play it with the pickup selector in the middle, and blend the two pickups. With both pickups at maybe 3/4, tone about the same, I get a nice woody to thick crunch that cleans up pretty well when I turn down the guitar. The P-90’s are wonderfully articulate, and respond to changes in pick attack very well. They seem to be pretty high output, higher then my Schecter’s pickups (which seem to aspire to PAF tone, not metal), and I’d rather have a lower-output, cleaner pickup, but I can work with these. My only misgiving is that the pickups can be a bit muddy on the low end, which is probably because they are high-output. I’m provisionally naming this guitar “Sir Hums-a-lot”, and it does hum quite a bit. I don’t know if it’s normal P-90 noise and it just goes with the territory, or if it’s something I can fix. I haven’t owned any straight-up single coil guitars in forever, and my Tele has noiseless SCN pickups, so maybe this is normal. In my past experience, single coili noise would change as you moved the guitar around a room, in and out of RF pockets (e.g. nearby televisions). The XV440’s hum sounds like 60hz noise, and is a steady, unchanging volume. Maybe this is fixable – there is no shielding in the [control well](http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn66/squeegee64/Xaviere/IMG_3840.jpg) or [pickup switch](http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn66/squeegee64/Xaviere/IMG_3841.jpg), so perhaps I can get out the copper tape and make that better. I have not removed the P-90’s from the guitar, but I wouldn’t expect there’s opportunities to fix noise there except in the wiring that goes to the rest of the guitar. Anyway, assuming I can mitigate the hum, I give this guitar a moderate thumbs-up. It’s a blast to play. **Pros** : good looking, solidly built guitar, very playable, good thick tone, nice neck, and low-$$$. **Cons** : sharp fret edges, muddy low-end, hummmmmmm. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1581 "2011-04-21T23:25:09Z")
Welp. Yes, shielding will probably help. But it’s also a fun feature of P90s, as I understand. I may be wrong. The P90 on the 585 I have also hums in the same manner. The humbucker does not. I would be interested in learning about rectifying. I think your friendly local luthier can help with the frets. Or some incredibly fine sandpaper and a little patience. Wordman? As far as the tuning: You may want new strings on it, it’s set up for .010s, if I guess right, and then you want to stretch them. They’ll stabilize a bit. The neck may also be adjusting to the current climate. Or not. My Danelectro Cool Cats showed. Four. CM-2 Metal II, CF-2 Fuzz V2, CO-2 Drive V2, and CC-1 Chorus. I bought the Mouse Killer Pack. Four for $149. Except I found it used. $99. Eh, worth a shot. They came in original packaging. Opened, though. Demo units, I guess. The instructions are in them. The batteries are in them… plastic wrapped. I thiiink I lucked out. Now if I wasn’t so tired, I’d be using them. I am so beat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=78) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=80)