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Post by slasher on Jan 29, 2014 11:48:06 GMT
Sorry Clydeslide, my Moon is of course a 0003 not 003 as I mistakenly posted previously. It is as Moon's website apart from a slightly wider neck.
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Post by slasher on Jan 28, 2014 13:55:46 GMT
At one session I attend there is a chap who plays a twin neck guitar-style Appalachian dulcimer. I don't know where he got it. At another session there is another Appalachian player who builds and plays his own. Also we have a hammered dulcimer player. Same surname, but totally different instrument, like a nude piano!
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Post by slasher on Jan 28, 2014 13:40:52 GMT
I have a Moon 003 in standard tuning using Elixir 12's and a Stanford dread in DADGAD using 13's. Saves messing about tuning and re-tuning one guitar with the related stresses to both guitar and strings (and me!).
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Post by slasher on Jan 27, 2014 15:36:59 GMT
I sold a very nice Yamaha LA-8 on ebay with plenty of interest. The payment came through, the guitar was well packed in a guitar shipping box and sent off. The carrier lost it. I had to refund the buyer and then get the lost money out of the carrier, with a great deal of difficulty. The carrier started with "How do we know what was in your shipment" and "How do we know how much it was worth" Fortunately I was able to prove my purchase of the instrument and its sale price. So selling was'nt a problem but I would only do "buyer collects" or "meet half way" if ever selling another guitar. Once bitten!
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Post by slasher on Jan 23, 2014 14:30:38 GMT
Dave+Keith Thanks for your input. It is one reason why I joined this site, so I could benefit from the (usually greater!) knowledge of others. Interesting that there seem to be so many guitars that are not well finished in this area. A friend of mine on this bridge pin topic said "If it aint broke don't fix it" but if that idea had always been followed we would all be playing very small "gut" strung guitars. Cheers!
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Post by slasher on Jan 23, 2014 10:56:50 GMT
I bow to Dave's knowledge as a luthier re well-fitted bridge pins, but most sold are slotted and are not easily removed just using fingers. Guitar shops sell loads of bridge pin lifting devices because so many bridge pins are jammed-in and cannot be removed without the leverage they provide. It is very easy to change a single string, provided you remember to keep the tube with your spare strings in your case. As for breaking a string and having the tiny washer rattling about, well you do the same as when you drop a flat pick in--turn your guitar upside down and get it out of the sound hole! I know a large number of players who hardly ever break a string. Hav'nt broken a string myself in fifteen years.
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Post by slasher on Jan 22, 2014 11:44:31 GMT
It is not the weight of the bridge pins that concerns me. It just seems a crude method of attachement. I always play from above without even a pinkie touching the top! Why get that nice top moving and then dampen it?
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Post by slasher on Jan 21, 2014 14:39:01 GMT
Yep, that is the system. I thought I would give it a try as it costs little and am happy so far. The actual kit is probably worth about 30p, but I thought that the price is worth it for the idea of anchoring strings in this way. I've always thought that building these fantastic "boxes of sound" that we love, made strong and light, but then use bridge pins to attach the strings seemed odd, some sort of pinless attachment always seemed a good idea.
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Post by slasher on Jan 17, 2014 14:37:53 GMT
Alt tunings, deffo a good excuse for more guitars! I have a 2nd guitar kept in DADGAD. A pro guitarist I used to see quite often had two as mine when performing. He reckoned that changing to dropped-D on the standard tuned guitar and changing the DADGAD to Open D were both easily done so he had in effect four choices of tuning quickly available. He did think that major retuning was not good for the stabilty of guitars and strings. I also find it annoying if a professional spends a lot of time tuning/retuning to various alt tunings as I've paid to hear him play, not tune, and feel that as a pro they should simply have more guitars on stage.
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Post by slasher on Jan 17, 2014 14:10:23 GMT
I borrowed a Fender Strat and amplifier some years ago. Quite fun, indeed a blast, but I don't think the family were impressed. So unless I was to join a loud band I could not really see the point. I was in a folk band for a while but we were fully acoustic. I once attended what was described as an "Acoustic Night" locally, only to find that absolutely everyone plugged-in*. Only acoustic and squeezebox for me.
*including instruments that could only be played plugged-in---solid bass, keyboards....
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Post by slasher on Jan 13, 2014 15:38:59 GMT
I'm not using bridge pins on my guitars at the moment. The system I am trying uses aluminium alloy washers threaded onto the string. Tensioning the string then holds the small washer tight against the bridge plate. When I started using this method I cut-down some cheap pins to pop into the holes to make the guitar look "normal" but I've stopped doing this and just leave the strings appearing from the holes apparently unattached, which gets some funny looks. This system appears to give more sustain and more stability when tuning, especially with a new set of strings.
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Post by slasher on Dec 16, 2013 15:37:58 GMT
A very long time ago (late 60's) I saw a guy in a pub playing what he described as a "Guinessophone". He produced a set of bottles of Guinness and took the tops off. He then drank differing amounts out of each bottle so that when struck each produced a different note. He then played them with a pair of pencils! Totally barmy, but most amusing. Much more fun setting-up for a gig than most kit. Perhaps I'll stick with the melodian as my "other" instrument as the older I get the less tolerant I am of hangovers!
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Post by slasher on Dec 11, 2013 15:32:00 GMT
I used to be in a band formed a few years ago from a session. We did a gig a month for about 18 months. As most of us had never played other than solo/session before it was quite an experience and fun for a while. Amongst the gigs we played was a local retirement/nursing home a couple of times. They have recently been in contact to ask us to perform again for Christmas. Our leader did'nt have the heart to tell them that the band was no more. So after discussion we have re-formed "For One Night Only" on Thursday 12th December the "Misspent Youth Orchestra" ride again! Guitars, mandolins, fiddles, squeezebox, dulcimer, whistles and mouth organ. Folk, country and Christmas songs. We might not be good, but we will be LOUD, as there are ten of us!
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Post by slasher on Dec 6, 2013 12:26:38 GMT
Yes too true, at one session I attend there is a hammered dulcimer. Now that takes a lot of tuning, but it does tend to stay in tune for quite a while once "in". My melodeon is in tune, and I have a pal who plays piano accordian who is a real pro and his instruments are spot on. Ah,those horrible situations where someone seems not to realize quite how far "out" they are and plough-on regardless with a tune while everyone else gradually ceases playing!
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Tuning
Dec 5, 2013 11:29:53 GMT
Post by slasher on Dec 5, 2013 11:29:53 GMT
I have always found tuning difficult, "tin ear syndrome"! I can get there eventually though. My main guitar, a Moon 0003 tends to stay in tune with itself for long periods. I check it with a clip-on at sessions. Clip-ons are brilliant for large sessions as everyone can be in tune together very quickly.
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