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Post by surfguy13 on Aug 4, 2022 7:07:16 GMT
In terms of freeing up the thread to get the batteries out you clearly can't use anything like WD40... In normal circs I would use Plusgas (much better than wd40) to free a stuck thread, something I did recently with an old Sony ecm50 lavalier inside which the battery had indeed leaked out. Application with a cotton bud can avoid accidental dousing but, to be honest, I think careful aim with the spray will be enough precaution and your only going to use a little - possibly several times. It's weird but I have never heard of Plusgas and have just had a look at it. Amazing stuff and designed specifically to free anything that is seized......I will have to get a can! I mentioned Servisol because it is specifically designed for use around electronic components and therefore would not cause any issues with the electronics inside the mic. However, although it is a lubricant it is not designed to free rusted surfaces so Plusgas may be a better option. Just be very careful when applying it and as shufflebeat wisely says, maybe spray onto a cotton bud and re-apply where necessary. Good luck!
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Post by surfguy13 on Aug 3, 2022 11:49:13 GMT
In terms of freeing up the thread to get the batteries out you clearly can't use anything like WD40 but it might be an idea to squirt a touch of Servisol all around the thread and leave it for a few hours before trying to unscrew? It's not the best option for lubrication but it won't damage any of the delicate electrics or the sleeve of the mic. Otherwise you could try using 2 slightly damp cloths on either side of the thread to get a better purchase?
Wish you the best of luck, these things can be incredibly irritating. One last thing, it doesn't have an extended guarantee by any chance? Some mikes have up to 5 years.
Guy
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Post by surfguy13 on Jul 22, 2022 11:40:07 GMT
I have noticed a massive rise in the number of used classical guitars for sale in recent months. Not the £25 wonders that you see everywhere but really very nice quality guitars and relative to steel strung acoustics, for sale at very reasonable prices. A guy near us has been selling off quite a few, mainly luthier-made guitars, and they even tempted me to dip my toe in the water. I even considered giving him a call with a view to going over and trying one or two until I looked a little more closely at the specs and most of the nut widths were 52mm!!!! Prices for luthier-made classicals with all solid woods seem to be in the region of £800 upwards but, more often or not, around £1000. Most have hard cases and are in really good condition. This seems to be fairly representative and the guy selling this has loads of classicals for sale, some very inexpensive: www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/nick-branwell-classical-guitar-/1437164214
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Post by surfguy13 on Jul 20, 2022 7:15:46 GMT
For some reason my above comment seems to have ended up in the quote box?! Sorted! Thank you! I'm sure it was user error....................!!
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Post by surfguy13 on Jul 19, 2022 9:27:38 GMT
For some reason my above comment seems to have ended up in the quote box?!
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Post by surfguy13 on Jul 19, 2022 7:15:12 GMT
Hi, FWIW I made this video back in 2017/8 when I was still recovering from cancer treatment and suffering shoulder issues due to losing about 50lbs in as many days along with muscle mass. It isn't normally an issue for me. see the simple folding chair. The important aspect is to have your upper leg parallel with the floor so the guitar is held just by your picking hand inner elbow (your antecubital fossa) - but you knew that disdn't you? Totally agree.....it is so important to have your leading leg, or ideally both legs, parallel to the floor. As I mentioned in my post on this thread a few days ago, I use an old Victorian kitchen chair and it is perfection. The chair is the ideal height for me at 5' 11" and both my legs sit parallel to the floor. Not only is it much better for your posture, particularly if you play a lot seated, but it is also the perfect ergonomic position to play comfortably without stressing your arms, shoulders or neck. This is particularly the case if you play a dreadnought as you have to get 'over' the guitar when you play seated and if you are not sitting upright this is much harder and will often cause neck and shoulder pain. I found this to be particularly the case with my old PJE 12-fret dreadnought.
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Post by surfguy13 on Jul 14, 2022 5:31:25 GMT
For me it has to be Joe Walsh. All the way back to his days with the James Gang he has been an exceptional slide player and has done some really top notch tutorials. Interesting. Are the tutorials electric or acoustic? The few that I have seen have been electric but according to my slide-crazy friend in France there are JW acoustic tutorials as well. Just had a quick look and I couldn't find any but he's a great acoustic player so I suspect there will be.
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Post by surfguy13 on Jul 13, 2022 7:42:30 GMT
For me it has to be Joe Walsh. All the way back to his days with the James Gang he has been an exceptional slide player and has done some really top notch tutorials.
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Post by surfguy13 on Jul 12, 2022 6:19:20 GMT
I have never found anything better than an old victorian kitchen chair. It was just marginally too low so my wife made a cushion for it and it is now spot on. My take on chairs/stools is that they need to be pretty much exactly the right height to ensure that your feet are firmly on the ground when playing. Too high and you are trying to balance on the front of your foot and too low and your knees are higher than your thighs. I bought a beautiful old French architects stool years ago with a steel ring for your feet and a micro adjustable seat so you can lock it in at exactly the right height but......I just never use it. Looks great and is really comfortable to sit on but I still prefer the old kitchen chair!!
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Post by surfguy13 on Jul 1, 2022 6:28:06 GMT
This looks like an excellent tuner and I'm a big fan of anything D'addario. Just brilliant that it is rechargeable, I hate buying all those batteries to feed into my Snark and it's surprising just how quickly it gets through them.
My old (red) Snark has been going for as long as I can remember and it battle worn and scarred but still provides extremely accurate tuning. Prior to buying the Snark I had tried out loads of clip on tuners and most were fairly poor but the Snark was a revelation. I am loathe to retire it when it's still working as it should but the D'addario looks like a great option and I think I shall have to buy one.
I recently got my old Boss TU-3 tuner out and spent a bit of time comparing it to the Snark. I found the Boss really too sensitive which makes tuning irritatingly slow and at the end of the day, once I had tuned the guitar with the Snark, the Boss confirmed it was perfectly in tune. The TU-3 is considered to be a really accurate tuner so hats off to Snark.
Thanks for the review, it's just great to be made aware of new guitar-related stuff.
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Post by surfguy13 on Jun 27, 2022 7:51:26 GMT
It's great to have paid off a large part of your debt and also I don't think you'll regret going back to one really good guitar again. I have only one acoustic and that works fine for me (although I must admit to have a yearning for a 2nd guitar!). Martin's V series are really excellent guitars and if you are going to have only one guitar an OM has to be it.....a perfect compromise. Good luck and enjoy the Martin!!
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Post by surfguy13 on Jun 16, 2022 7:36:27 GMT
Hi talking about (almost) matched sets, I had some time and sunshine this afternoon so I took a coupler of snaps .... but I can't see a way to upload them direct 9not on a website). can any me advise? hi, thanks for advice that images must be hosted - not crazy about that so, its Y/T vids or nothing sadly. Hi, the whole uploading photos thing is a nightmare but.......I went over to Imgur to host photos a few years ago and it is not only an excellent hosting site but they have made uploading photos to a forum or anywhere else really easy (also a doddle to upload your photos to the Imgur site). On Imgur you can just go to the photo, right hand click on it, and choose 'copy image link'. You then go to the forum where you want to upload the photo, press 'control' and 'V' at the same time and that's it! Incredibly easy. Edit......I have just gone into my Imgur account to double-check it's still the same as it was the last time I used it! I just went into 'my images', clicked on a photo, and immediately all the download options appeared on the right of the photo so you literally just choose which option you need. You can still right click on the photo as I mentioned before and paste it onto a thread. I love your Collings DS2H. The body looks incredibly deep in the video and must sound huge. I had a Patrick James Eggle 12-fret Kanuga which is a round shouldered dread with a slotted headstock which was almost identical to your Collings. I don't think there is anything out there that sounds like a 12-fret dreadnought. Personally I found the combination of large body and 12-fret neck a little difficult to navigate, particularly above the 9th fret but it sounded sublime. I keep hankering after a 12-fret again but I think I would go with a smaller body size.
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Post by surfguy13 on Jun 11, 2022 8:07:29 GMT
Lovely.....as a matter of interest what years are they? The 12 string looks really well used, bet it sounds wonderful. Are they 35s?
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Post by surfguy13 on Jun 2, 2022 11:50:01 GMT
I think the rationale behind the dolphin bracing is to make it as light as possible but the height still gives enough strength. Probably takes much longer to profile them. The tops are still done the same way, just the back braces have changed on newer Avalon guitars. Mine are all new logo. Lowden necks (45mm) are slightly chunkier than Avalon (44.5mm), but I prefer the Avalon profile. I’ve played a Lowden like the one you mentioned - very nice but pricey. I can WhatsApp you photos or videos if you want to private message me? Can do so tomorrow, but will be away for a few days from Friday. Sent you a PM......
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Post by surfguy13 on May 31, 2022 8:09:24 GMT
Hi @vinny
I really do appreciate this information! Given that you have both Lowdens and Avalons, and with a variety of wood combinations, it seems like the Dolphin bracing isn't going to give me significantly less bass. That really was the million dollar question.
It's interesting that the Dolphin bracing is tall and thin; my Oxwood OM has very tall and thin chamfered bracing which sounds very similar to your description of the Dolphin bracing and has the most wonderful bass, particularly given that it is mahogany/spruce.
I had a 010 way back when in the really early days of Lowden and didn't get on with it so well but that was probably more to do with the physical size of the body and also that it was spruce /mahogany. I doubt that would be an issue now. I briefly had an S23 too, also in the distant past, and likewise didn't get on with it so well and I suspect that was because it was the first cedar top I had ever had on an acoustic. I now quite like cedar!
It's interesting that you have a Avalon with spruce/cocobolo.....I was quite recently offered an F series Lowden with redwood/cocobolo and what an amazing depth of sound it had. Not sure how much was to do with the redwood top, another first for me, or the cocobolo back and sides but was extremely impressed.
Are any of your Avalons the older models with the original logo? This Avalon 32D is 2006 and has the old logo. Not sure whether that makes any difference at all?!
Thanks again for clearing up the question of Dolphin bracing, sounds like it is no better or worse, just different.
Guy
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