I’m going to put some nickel covers on a couple of humbuckers I have, and the instructional vid I found shows that you a) put a dot of adhesive gunk on the top of the humbucker and put the cover over it, then b) solder the sides of the cover to the metal base of the humbucker in a couple of places. Which begs the question: is the soldering merely to mechanically adhere the cover, or is it important to electrically connect the cover to the pickup? I’m guessing the former, since a 'bucker works fine sans cover.
Re - archtop: I dug up this guy’s video trying to explain archtops, and it was brief and interesting. My reaction: wow, what he’s playing is a much ballsier instrument than what I was expecting just from hearing the word “archtop”, and his commentary about pick attack vs tone was informative.
I play an archtop. It’s a cheap Ibanez Artcore hollowbody, but it’s a hollowbody with an arched top. You could even call semi-hollow guitars like the ES335 “archtops” and I wouldn’t argue: their tops are arched too.
Are you using the term to mean one-piece arched tops, exclusive of laminated arched tops like the ones I just mentioned? ETA - or do you mean just archtop acoustics?
Anyway, I can think of lots of players who use archtops for non-jazz music. Gretsches, for instance, are rarely used for jazz. All those Gibson ES models can be used for all kinds of music aside from Jazz. Ted Nugent used Gibson Byrdlands right through the 70s.
I’ve said it here before; I like a sound that’s comparable to jazz players of the pre-fusion era (clean, articulate, effect-free) but I don’t play jazz and couldn’t play a jazz standard if my life depended on it. I like my harmonic content much simpler.
Shakester - yep, to clarify, I am discussing archtop acoustics, where the guitar is braced for acoustic play - a bit lighter - vs. braced to have pickups mounted on the top like an ES 335 or ES 175.
Now, further, you discuss laminated tops within that context because lam tops are typically used for semi-hollow electrics and hollow-bodies with pickups mounted on them. Now, in the case of my old Kalamazoo, it has a laminated top, but is an acoustic guitar - it was an inexpensive model. This guitar, and it’s Gibson-labeled equivalent, the L-48, were starter models. It just so happens that this particular guitar, for whatever reasons, sounds freakin’ great - it smoked a bunch of other archtops I tried there. So I got it cheap - they aren’t particularly collectible.
squeegee thanks for the link to that video - that guys’s 1935 L-12 is very similar in design to my less-blingy K-zoo. Of course the L-12 has a solid top and other great features - it is a Cadillac to my Chevy Metro.
But the responsiveness of the archtop in that clip is helpful. I can’t geek out for a long time right now, but I can get started, so I will post a few thoughts and can pick it up later as appropriate:
Archtops have a more focused midrange - they have clear lows, but not big lows like a big strummy flattop. When you play one when your touchpoint is a flattop, you will likely think that the archtop as a nasal tone, which is because you aren’t hearing the lows you’d expect.
Archtops are not designed to sustain long - flattops that ring for a long time after you strum the chord are very desirable. Rosewood as a body wood is prized specifically for that reason. But archtops are designed to have a clear, big up-front note that decays quickly. This is because: a) you’re typically playing clusters of jazz notes in your chords, and long sustain increases the likelihood that the notes will clash - you want the notes to stack up cleanly; and b) archtops are used to play driving jazz, four-to-the-bar rhythms, so you are playing bop-bop-bop-bop, and having notes sustain just adds noise.
Here is a youtube video showing how to do Freddie Green comping - FG was Count Basie’s rhythm guitar player and essential to the band’s sound. This guy does a good job of bangin’ out a straight 4 rhythm which showcases how this type of archtop was used.
Archtops were meant to be banged on - Freddie Green played HUGE archtops - 19" lower bout was not uncommon - with the strings way off the neck and of a huge gauge - all so he could bang solid downstroke rhythms that could be heard by the piano, bass and drums in a large setting with no amplification.
I have to run, but I will leave you with a modern acoustic archtop virtuoso, Julian Lage. He’s been in the public eye since he was maybe 11 and is truly a wunderkind. Here he’s playing one of the Holy Grail archtops, a late 1920’s Gibson L-5. Just freakin’ amazing. I haven’t met him, but he hangs out at one of my favorite guitar shops when he is in the NYC area…
Typically it is not adhesive but wax, the same that you would use on the coils.
You do this to prevent the cover from moving in relation to coils as you play or it may become “microphonic”
The wax will hold them quite well as will the solder but the solder is mostly to prevent weird electrical interactions and to “ground” the cover with the baseplate. It isn’t within the electrical path but it can cause issues with the eddy currents IIRC.
Upthread, our friend Gargoyle WB recommended I buy the Rocksmith game, so I did and I’m having a lot of fun with it, as I wrote before.
Well, that game was for my computer, so I drug a couple of my guitars in here (1 bass and 2 electrics) and got started.
Then I got to thinking that this is also sold for the XBOX360, and there’s a lot more room in the den with a bigger screen, and well, last night I bought the game for the XBOX, new, for $28.00 plus shipping - $32.00.
Yup, so now I have two games and my wife only knows about one.
So I was wondering, Gargoyle, old buddy, ol’ PAL, would you mind just this once taking one for the team?;)
I’m kidding of course. I have the best wife in the whole world when it comes to my GAS and with my $400.00 a month allowance, I get to buy pretty much anything I want after I pay what few bills I’m responsible for. Also, since some of that money goes for little “Just ‘Cause I Love Ya’” surprises, I have very little trouble. I just thought that you guys would think i was being a little extravagant.
In my defense, I had not seen the game that cheap until last night.
I’ve been working on Justin Sandercoe’s beginning guitar lessons for the past 2 months and I just discovered playing along with Youtube videos. It feels amazing to play with Elvis. I even made a lame youtube video of my playing rhythm to “That’s Alright”.
For those of me who is mentally challenged, is there an “official” link to “youtube guitar play along”? I put that into google and all I got in addition to Nars’ cool video was a section that had a lot of videos deleted for one reason or another.
By the way, Nars; I did attach a short, “cute” comment and I was gentle.
Seriously, I agree with WordMan: you’re doing it right!
Thanks guys. I’m enjoying this more than I would have ever imagined and that’s even without the prospect of groupies.
Quasimodem, there’s nothing official that I’m aware of. I just found an original recording on Youtube and played along with it and recorded the results. Making a youtube video out of it takes a couple of more steps but it’s all pretty easy. I followed these instructions because there was no software to download.
Thanks for explaining, Nars. What I thought you meant was “play along” in the sense where all the instruments were removed except the rhythm guitar, as I’m sure you know. The reason all those others I stumbled on were removed, I suspect, was because of copyright infringement.
Quasi: Search on YouTube for “guitar backing” and similar. Mostly you’ll get blues or some songs w/o lead guitar to play along with, but you’ll also find some full songs with all the guitars removed and you can play your rhythm to those.
Also check out the Amazon MP3 stores for “play guitar with”, and you’ll pull up a few albums like “Play guitar with the Beatles”, “Play Guitar with the 60’s”, and so forth. These albums mostly have two versions of each song, one with guitars to learn from, and one sans guitars to play along with.
Fascinating - but probably the least likely place I’d check out. Playing a lead note for note - which is kinda required for true Gilmour worship - is just not my thing. I never even nailed down the intro to Johnny B. Goode. As long as I know the basic outline of the thing, I will fake it from there.
I might be interested in a backing track I can improvise over; not sure. I have mostly been focusing on trying to “fill up the sound” myself - finding a way to sell a rhythm groove and either alternate with lead fills, a la Stevie Ray Vaughn, or do both simultaneously by using pick+fingers or slide…
Wow! Awesome, squeege, thank you! I have some play along cd’s for drums, so this is a great addition with which to practice, and there are so many different styles and keys!
I’ve been listening and playing along to some ever since I found your reply!
Well, I was using the royal “you” re Gilmour solo backing tracks, not urging you specifically at them. And you know what? I love learning a solo note-for-note – its fun to play it, and when learning one I often also learn riffs etc that I can use in other situations. I’ve got a pretty good ear, and long before internet tab sites I worked out quite a few on my own, and love a good challenge learning another. Not that I’d argue against just improvising a lead all your own, that’s the whole idea, but you can do both, and write your own solo to, say, “Money” or “Sultans of Swing” or whatever. The backing track is your oyster.
Sorry if it came across like I was somehow saying that learning a lead note-for-note is a bad thing. It isn’t - for the very reasons you describe above. I was just posting out loud about what might work for me.
Figuring out what keeps you playing - lessons, access to tabulature, youtube vids, tryig a different guitar or three - it’s a unique thing. Learning great solos is a great way for the people who love doing it.
Finally got a replacement Candy Cola Strat from a shop up on the peninsula – Gelb Music. Small place, but they tuck a ton of good guitars into their store (seriously, their inventory blew me away), and it was a pleasure dealing with them. And my new Candy Cola Strat is totally minty, perfect head to toe, and a pleasure to play. I’ve decided to name it Ruby, after the color.
Too funny; I grew up 1/4 mile from Gelb. Went to Sequoia High which is basically across the street. Got a few pieces of gear there along the way. Good luck with Ruby!
I am continuing to dig my old archtop. Very different vs a flattop in ways I am finally feeling like I can grasp.
