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Post by nkforster on Mar 25, 2017 15:06:49 GMT
It's not clear to me that a fan fretted guitar will have better intonation than a regular guitar that is intonated properly. It is already possible to get within a cent or two of equal temperament on a regular guitar with a regular scale. And you can't get any closer than that. Wolf notes are related to how the body moves or reacts, and not clearly related to scale, fanned or otherwise. These are two separate issues Andy on a low Wolf notes are related to how the body moves or reacts, it's "modal" behaviour, and not clearly related to scale, fanned or otherwise. These are two separate issues Andy on a regular run of the mill low output guitar. Whether it be handmade or factory-made. Intonation and "modal behaviour" are only related with high output instruments, which rules out 99% of what's out there. It is possible to improve both on a guitar: the worlf note and the intonation. Both require totally different actions by the luthier. You should be able to find someone to sort out the intonation. Very few folk will know how to find or shift a naughty mode. n www.nkforsterguitars.com
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Post by nkforster on Mar 25, 2017 6:10:41 GMT
Intonation is influeced by tension, so yes. Most of us don’t notice. If we did, we would avoid the guitar altogether. For dadgad, the main culprit is the B string tuned to A. The amount we intonate that string should be different. So yes, if we intonate specifically for dadgad, we can achieve near perfect equal temperament for those strings, with that set up on that guitar. Everything we play will be equally out of tune in every key. If we then tune up to standard, we will no longer be able to achieve the same compromise. We will be unequally out of tune in every key. But we usually ignore these compromises, and it’s a good idea to. If we don’t, we get obsessed and stop thinking about music, blaming the guitar when the issue is our obsession over intonation. We have to be practical. Look at how many tunings Martin Simpson goes through. Every one is a compromise, and it doesn’t matter. What matters is the music. If it’s a great guitar, good chance is it might have a strong wolf tone. Remember me quoting Stefan, quoting Bream “Equal guitars = no magic, unequal = magic.” So we’re not talking about the maker messing up, we’re talking about players expecting luthiers to go beyond the laws of physics. But the common place to find it on a guitar is around G. The trick is to shift it between scale notes. No. Read their stuff and they will tell you themselves. It’s another compromise. They are trying to achieve “meantone” which differs from “equal.” It will mean some positions and keys will be closer to “Just” temperament (the holy grail) at the expense of others. I got obsessed with this topic around 2009, and realised after a lot of research that there is no solution other than trying to achieve "equal" temperament. The luthiers to Google on the subject are Greg Byers and Mike Doolin. Both wrote long papers/articles on the topic. I published a more “lightweight” version HERE. Nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com
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Post by nkforster on Mar 24, 2017 19:10:13 GMT
Big topic this Robbie. A short answer is most guitars have an uneven frequency response. But according to boffins like Trevor Gore, if one of the three main soundboard modes the placed inadvertently, directly on a note from the equal tempered scale, that note will react quickly, then die. A dead spot or "wolf note." I might be wrong about that as I'm no scientist, but that's my recollection. Good news is, it is possible to shift a naughty mode.
As for something being "perfectly intonated", it isn't, never was and never will be. It's not possible on a guitar. The best you can hope for is to get close to equal temperament, which means you're perfectly out of tune in every key. And to achieve even this compromise you MUST intonate but saddle AND nut. If you don't, you can't. The easy way around this is to make a warm, woolly quiet sounding instrument where the errors are masked. But the louder you get, the more these things can stand out. And yes, you can intonate for a specific tuning - a saddle/nut for DADGAD looks different to a standard one. I used to set Ian Stephensons B string so it was flat - he bends it into tune and how much he bends it depends on the key he is playing in. Not everone has this skill, but Ian really likes it like this.
If a guitar has a strong wolf note this can actually "pull" the intonation out further. Sometimes you can hear the guitar fight with itself as the note wavers. Fascinating.
So, you might think the answer is to make a guitar with a perfectly even response, where no modes or frequencies dominate? This is possible. And some folk are striving towards this. But I've played guitars made with this in mind and they are about as exciting as a trip to the post office. Imagine playing a recording of a guitar through your hifi. It's the 80s. You've got a graphic equaliser in your hifi. Do they still? Anyway, I seem to remember they did then. Now push all the sliders to the top. Nice sound? No, not really. That's what it will sound like.
I remember a conversation with Stefan years ago and we were talking about dead spots. He quoted Julian Bream who (I think) was comparing very "even" German guitars to very "uneven" Spanish guitar which he much preferred. The quote was along the lines of "You can have "even" without magic, or magic with "uneven" but you can't have both, and I prefer magic."
Me too.
I don't know if this guitar you've been playing has any of this magic, as some guitars have neither. But hopefully, I've helped you understand what might be going on.
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Post by nkforster on Mar 24, 2017 17:43:20 GMT
Here she is:
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Post by nkforster on Mar 22, 2017 17:13:57 GMT
This is Travis Pickin' The things that's distinctive about it is it's thumb and forefinger only. It's a lovely way of playing and a lot more simple that what Chet Atkins went on to do when he heard it. Merle is one of my all time favourites - there's such humour in his playing. And I've a soft spot for singers who can't sing! Nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com
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Post by nkforster on Mar 22, 2017 6:57:42 GMT
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Post by nkforster on Mar 20, 2017 21:25:50 GMT
It looks worth a try. It's not expensive, and it all comes down to the electronic gubbins which might be decent. Is it an acceptable artificial sound? Because most pickups aren't. If it is, and the feedback control works, it's a winner for the price. No fitting! Nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com
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Post by nkforster on Mar 20, 2017 17:43:39 GMT
I've tried almost every pickup there is, and the K&K minis are the best of the cheaper ones. Miles better than most undersaddle pickups. The amplified sound is fine (none of them are great) but most importantly the effect on the acoustic tone is minimal. I fit either them or DTar's which have a decent preamp. But the DTars are getting harder to source so I fit a lot of K&K's. Nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com/
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Post by nkforster on Mar 14, 2017 17:18:16 GMT
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Post by nkforster on Mar 10, 2017 9:19:47 GMT
An instrument is worth what someone will pay Robbie, no more, no less. Whenever folk come up with "it's not worth that!" They are right - to them, whatever it is isn't worth that. But to someone else, it might be. Also "It's not worth that" is often the first line folk use when they are interested. It can be an automatic reaction to get the price down. Me wife does it - as soon as she sees something she'd like, the first thing she shouts (and it is usually a shout that the person selling it can hear) is "HOW MUCH???"
I would expect to see the value of old Sobells level out if they've not already. For years they hardly ever came up for sale used. But now the generation of players who bought them in the 70s and 80s are now in their 70's and 80's, so more come up for sale. It's supply and demand. The more folk who want them and the fewer there are the higher the price. But now the number for sale are increasing, so the price starts to go down. Add to that the quality of these older instruments varies greatly. And there are many more makers now.
So, what something sells for depends on how many there are for sale, how many want it. And how much money they have. Supply and demand.
n
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Post by nkforster on Mar 8, 2017 20:18:50 GMT
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Post by nkforster on Mar 7, 2017 19:57:15 GMT
Like a snooker cue.
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Post by nkforster on Mar 7, 2017 19:55:44 GMT
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Post by nkforster on Mar 6, 2017 20:26:50 GMT
Just blown away by the work on the neck, beautiful. Correct me if I am wrong but do the 8 string mandos have a 34mm nut? If so I would be very tempted. You can have 34mm if you like. Send me a message via me website and I can send you a price list. n www.nkforsterguitars.com/contact/
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Post by nkforster on Mar 5, 2017 20:46:29 GMT
Bloody lovely Nigel. How much for one of these then? Just a minor point of pedancy- these look more like "s" holes than "f" holes! Robbie I have no upper price limit Robbie. That's the NK Forster cast iron guarantee! Send me a new email and I'll send you a price list. Yes, you're double right - you are a pedant, and yes they are "S" holes. I never thought of that. n
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