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  • Twanger's Corner.

    Following some of my recent posts, I've had a few requests for this one, somewhere that the various twangers, strummers, pickers and fiddlers on here can compare plectrums, the thickness of our G strings (!) and other such esoteric and mundane matters of general twangness.

    So, whatever instrument you favour (except Bontempi organs and recorders, although descant Bb sink plungers are entirely acceptable and even encouraged Rob...), please don't just lurk, come on in and share your thoughts and musings with your fellow sufferers. You'll feel much better.....

    So, let's Rock (and indeed, Roll.) !

    Twanger.
    Attached Files
    Last edited by Brian Thompson; 23/11/2014, 01:05 PM. Reason: Suitable pic of Mr Beck attached.....

  • #2
    Unlurking

    Well ... today I'm having a great listen to the ultimate funky lady .. Candy Dulfer. Ok, not a twanger but Oh so gorgeous, musically too.

    Great band, great song and Candy ...

    Enjoy ..... hope this youtube link works.

    Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Au?erdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.


    WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO TOADAY???

    Comment


    • #3
      .....errr....

      Originally posted by Keith Bolas View Post
      Well ... today I'm having a great listen to the ultimate funky lady .. Candy Dulfer. Ok, not a twanger but Oh so gorgeous, musically too.

      Great band, great song and Candy ...

      Enjoy ..... hope this youtube link works.

      Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Au?erdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.


      WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO TOADAY???
      .....not quite what I had in mind for my thread Keith, but never mind (maybe read the original post again...)

      Brian.

      Comment


      • #4
        Fender Musicmaster Project - Part #1.

        To get things ‘rolling’ then (groan!), I thought I’d start by sharing with you a guitar project I undertook for an old friend and band mate of mine from back in the day. It contains a bit of ‘guitar engineering’ that may be of interest to all the ‘metal working types’ on here, as well as the twangers and woodworkers who like to dabble with a bit of guitar making/customising.

        My friend Hasu had always admired my old Strat (see pic 1 for a reminder) and had a battered old ’71 Fender Musicmaster that he wondered if I could do something similar with. I gladly accepted the challenge as I thought it would be a fun to see what could be done with it. Also, we disciovered it was the same year of construction so it seemed very appropriate to make a 'sister' for it!

        First a bit of back ground....The Fender Musicmaster was a ‘student’ (think ‘budget’) instrument, produced to bring Fenders in reach of the budding twanger of modest means, and although they were basic they had really good quality necks (as the more expensive models) and good fret work. This link gives a little more background on these models; http://www.gear-review.co.uk/reviews/musicmaster/

        They were usually finished in ‘solid’ colours due to the lower quality timber used, and as can be seen came with a single pick-up (single coil) and just a simple volume and tone control to suit – about as basic as it gets. Also the bridge was a cheapo pressed steel item with very limited adjustment and because the strings sat on simple threaded bar saddles, they were prone to breaking and even jumping out of the ‘thread’ during aggressive strumming (is there any other kind...?!) It also made getting a really good set-up pretty much impossible, and a compromise was the best you could hope for with the range of adjustment provided (see pic 5, attached below.)

        So, with this in mind I sat down with Hasu and we thrashed out a plan as to what he wanted to end up with, along with my input on what I thought I could achieve for him. Whatever I did though, I wanted to be able to return the guitar to ‘original’ at any time, as although they were budget instruments, it was still a classic Fender and would only appreciate in value. The guitar was in a bit of a mess though, to say the least, with heavy wear and tear on the body, as well as requiring a full fret dress and set-up, and the scratch plate was broken.

        Due to the state of the paintwork, and this wasn’t ‘playing’ wear and tear/honest patina, more abuse by previous owners, Hasu wanted me to strip the original black polyester finish and have a ‘natural wood’ finish instead. Again as lower quality timber was used for these guitars to keep the price down, there was no telling what the wood grain would be like until I stripped the body, and as it was black it didn’t bode well...However, Hasu was adamant that anything would be better than ‘as it was’ and if it was ‘orrible I could always refinish it for him in a solid Fender colour of his choice. As I would be doing a lot of work to the guitar for him, I decided that I wanted to have a crack at making a one-off bridge for him, that would provide full adjustment of the strings and allow me to set it up to get the very best out of it playability wise. This would really make the project worthwhile in my view, and virtually eliminate all the ‘budget’ features and make it much more than just a ‘cosmetic’ make-over.

        In addition, Hasu wanted more tonal flexibility than the single pick-up could give, so as he had a brand new DiMarzio ‘Dual Sound’ Humbucking pickup (remember those, twangers...?) we decided that would go on in the bridge position, along with a coil tap switch and a three way selector to switch between it and the original single coil neck pick-up, requiring routing the body out under the scratch plate to suit. It would also require a new scratchplate making in order to mount it, and as Hasu liked the black anodised alloy one on my Srat, I decided to make him one as well. I took my inspiration from some very early Fenders which had gold anodised alloy scratch plates (i.e. Dave Gilmour’s Strat # 0001) before they went to cellulose and then laminated plastic versions. This would give the guitar a much broader range on tones, with many combinations, i.e. ; single coil neck/single coil neck + single coil bridge/single coil bridge/single coil neck + humbucker bridge/humbucker bridge, with other options available with wiring mods. I would also fit uprated potentiometers for the tone controls, as well as a couple of other little ‘tricks’ I like to do with capacitors to maintain treble response at lower volume control settings.

        The bridge would be the centre-piece of the project though and the most work, and in the Part #2 I’ll detail the design and fabrication process. I bet you can’t wait....

        Brian.

        Pic 1; My own much modified '71 Fender Stratocaster, the inspiration for Hasu's project. (see post #18 for moreon this one; http://www.greeves-riders.org.uk/for...?t=4620&page=2)
        Pic 2; Early Fender Musicmaster advert (Note Hasu’s guitar was ‘full size’, not '3/4' model as depicted here.)
        Pic 3; Original Fender Musicmaster, in black, as Hasu’s was to begin with...but this one is mint!
        Pic 4; Early Musicmasters, with gold anodised aluminium scratch plates.
        Pic 5; Original Musicmaster bridge close up.
        Attached Files
        Last edited by Brian Thompson; 23/11/2014, 05:00 PM. Reason: Pics attached.

        Comment


        • #5
          Interesting brian, i did attempt the ....AXE... once, but due to having the wrong size fingers fitted, i thought best to call it a day...., but i do admire people that can play an instrument well....

          Comment


          • #6
            Cheers mate.

            Thanks for the supportive comments Dave.

            Hope you'll find Part 2 even more interesting...the metal work bit.

            Brian.

            Comment


            • #7
              Fender Musicmaster Project Part #2.

              Before I detail the design and fabrication of the bridge for Hasu’s Musicmaster, here’s some background information for the non-players on here to help you appreciate what’s what. I’ll try and keep it straightforward....

              Ideally, the strings on a guitar need to be able to be adjusted in the following ways to give the best ‘playability’;

              1.) Vertically (up and down), to set the height over the fret board (where you press them down with your fingers.) This is called the ‘action’. Too high and it’s hard work to play, too low and they buzz and rattle against the frets (the thin metal wires set into the fret board.)

              2.) Laterally (back and forth length ways), in order to tune each individual string ‘to the guitar’. This is called intonation, and is needed because the six strings are of different diameters so require different tensions to be ‘in tune’ relative to each other.

              3.) Fret board Camber; guitar necks are usually cambered from edge to edge in order to allow an easier time for the fingers to form chords and fret notes cleanly (by pushing and holding the strings against the frets.) Cambers have gotten ‘flatter’ over the years as ‘string-bending’ (deflecting a fretted string across the fret board to raise its pitch, popular in blues/rock styles) became more commonplace as a technique, but earlier guitars tend to feature a more pronounced/rounded fret board camber, mine and Hasu’s early ‘70’s Fenders being a case in point. As such, it’s desirable to be able to set the height of each string individually, not just to set a good playing height, but also to match this radius when setting the guitar up to play well.

              Further, as each of the strings is progressively thinner (from thick to thin), they each require a little more clearance sequentially in order to vibrate freely and not buzz against the frets, with the thickest strings needing the most as they are ‘slacker’ when tuned to pitch. Imagine a skipping rope suspended at each end at the same height. As the rope ‘rotates’, it describes an elliptical pattern because it’s loosest in the middle. In reality, the string also goes up and down and let to right within the ‘elipse’, so it’s crucial to get this right to get a nicely playing and clean sounding guitar. The neck can also be adjusted via an internal device called a truss rod to give a small amount of relief (or ‘back bow’) to facilitate this. The tension from the strings wants to pull the neck upwards, and the truss rod attached inside the neck can be adjusted to give a corresponding force to pull the neck back down ‘straight’ again. In practice, you need a good straight and level neck, with around 10 thou of ‘up bow’, more correctly known as ‘relief’.

              Right...still with me.....?! The ‘original’ bridge on Hasu’s guitar immediately presents problems with all this due to its crude and basic ‘budget’ design. Here are the main problems;

              1.) There are three saddles for the strings to sit on, made of crude threaded bar. Because the strings are effectively sitting in the grooves of the threads, they can jump out quite easily when strumming, and after wear has occurred the sharp edges produced will eventually start breaking strings (the thinnest string is only 9 thou in an average set, so a bit delicate if abused too much....twang!!!! )

              2.) Because each saddle supports two strings, all the adjustments required for a perfect set-up as outlined in 1-3 above go out the window. The reason this is the case on the original bridge is because you need to anchor the end of the string somewhere and really it needs to be in-line with the run of the string. If you look closely at pic 1 (see attached below) you’ll see that there just isn’t room for a hole to anchor the end of the string (via a ferrule built into the string windings at its end) as well as the screw needed to move the saddle back and forth laterally to adjust the intonation. It should also become clear that the ‘pared’ strings can only give at best a ‘thruppeny bit’ action, instead of the smooth and slightly tilted overall curve (across the top of the string face, relative to the fret board) as detailed earlier.

              So.....after much head scratching and scribbling on the back of fag packets with biros.....this is what I came up with (see attached, pics 3-5. Original bridge shown in pics 1 and 2 for reference.)

              The bridge now has SIX individually adjustable saddles, as well as full lateral and vertical adjustment. This was the first prototype, so note home made grub screws in the saddles for height adjustment. I’d ran out of allen head ones at the time, but what the heck....and I owned a very small flat headed screwdriver so not to worry....) It also utilised the original mounting screw positions so no new holes had to be drilled into the body to bolt it on, sticking to my original desire to be able to put things back to standard if it all went Pete Tong....(or the guitar became extremely valuable in original form, albeit far less ‘playable’...!)

              The key to it all is those saddles, something I’m very proud of, and in 44 years of playing I have never seen them replicated (until now....???) In order to have the string anchor point in line with the string, as well as providing the lateral movement required for ‘intonation’ adjustment, my idea of making those ‘stepped saddles’ gave both the six holes required for the string anchors, as well as six holes ABOVE them for the intonation adjustment screws. The rounded channel at the rear of the of the bridge was made to allow the string ferrules to sit nicely against the bridge when under tension. The channels for the springs give a nice smooth playing surface under your hand as well as keeping everything nicely lined up.

              As the saddles all sit in a ‘pocket’ they cannot be deflected so the strings cannot go out of alignment. I was also able to add a thin stainless bar to pass the strings under to increase what’s called the ‘break angle’ as the string goes over the top of its saddle on the way to its anchor point at the rear of the bridge. This holds the string firmly against the saddle top and improves tone and sustain. Although not fitted in these pics, you can clearly see it on the final version (see Part #3), although you can see the two small threaded holes for the grub screws(one each side) that hold it in place on the side of the bridge.

              Remember I said it was the first prototype......? Following a trial fitting and string-up on the guitar, I found that the area behind the saddles felt a bit odd under my hand as it was too narrow.....DOH!!!!! There’s a technique called ‘palm muting’ where you use your palm to slightly mute the strings to give a ‘chunky’ sound, but the bridge need to be longer in order to fit my hand more comfortably. But it all worked really well apart from that, so on the final version (as you’ll see in Part #3) the area behind the saddles was been lengthened making the whole bridge longer overall, but it now felt perfect under my palm and I could ‘chunk’ away happily. I was also pleased that the overall shape followed the original 'style' reasonably well, considering it's fairly radical redesign.

              Result. Eventually. Took around twelve months, off and on, start to finish. I had gigs to do......

              In Part #3, I’ll relate the final build details and show you the finished guitar and bridge. If you’re still awake that is.....

              Brian.
              Attached Files
              Last edited by Brian Thompson; 30/10/2016, 11:03 AM. Reason: Pics attached.

              Comment


              • #8
                Fender Musicmaster Project Part #3, The Final.

                ....and finally....here's the finished guitar.

                Prior to french polishing the body, I carved a forearm contour on the top and a corresponding beer belly one on the back (the original body was just a flat 'slab' - not so comfortable), as well as routing out the hole for the additional humbucker pickup followed by mucho sanding. It may not be the nicest peice of wood, as mentioned earlier, but it's better than I had originally feared before stripping the old black finish. I think it has 'character'. (At this point it was all going so well Hasu wasn't concerned about 'originality' anymore....hence why he let me 'carve it up', and it really does make it more comfortable to play.)

                Scratchplate cut out of sheet ally, drilled, filed then anodised gold. Finishing touches to the bridge were filing a compound radius towards the rear top of the sides to make it feel really nice under the hand, then out with the mops and a proper polish.

                Then it was pretty much plain sailing, wiring it all up, and the final set-up. Any loose frets were seated, then stoned level and re-profiled the 'traditional' way, with a small three corner smooth-mill file with the nose and edges ground smooth and round so as not to catch the wood (plenty of masking tape...!)

                A little attention to the neck mounting area to get a really good, tight fit, then bolt it all togther and set it all up.

                A couple of finishing touches were the brass neck position pickup cover and phospher bronze control knobs for a bit of contrast to the polished brass. The only 'bought' components for the entire build were the additional DiMarzio bridge pickup, pots, wiring and capacitors and some new chrome fasteners here and there.

                Hasu was blown away when I presented it to him, especially as I didn't charge him a penny.... It was a labour of love for a lovely old guitar and a good mate, and it was a lot of fun to do. And it's 'one of a kind'.

                Hope you enjoyed reading about it.

                Right then......where's my mate Marcelle34A got to....there's a mighty fine curly maple acoustic lurking in his cupboard that I want to hear all about, not to mention our Jonah's Banjo collection.....

                Brian.
                Attached Files
                Last edited by Brian Thompson; 23/11/2016, 11:02 PM. Reason: Pics attached.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Brian Thompson View Post
                  .....not quite what I had in mind for my thread Keith, but never mind (maybe read the original post again...)

                  Brian.
                  Mmmmm .... I'll get my coat

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Bikes, Guitars (and Cars)...a brief history lesson.

                    I've always been fascinated by the links to bikes (and cars) and musicians.... they just seem to go together throughout modern history, and contempory culture is awash with connections. Even Harry Styles of 'No Direction' (ahem..) want's in these days (hope he doesn't hurt himself...much!), and even David Beckham is jumping on the bandwagon...(but he plays football, not music....oh well, you know what I mean...)

                    Going back to the early days of rock 'n' roll, it wouldn't have happened without the visionary pioneers that gave us the instruments that we take for granted today. Everybody knows about Leo Fender and his revolutionary Stratocaster that changed the face of popular music (http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=808). But go back a little further and a guy called Paul Bigsby, in my opinion, deserves a lot more credit than he usually gets for his outstanding contribution(http://www.bigsby.com/vibe/about/history/).

                    Although it was Otto Rickenbacker than created the first 'solid body' guitar, affectionately termed the 'Frying Pan'(http://www.dawsons.co.uk/blog/ricken...potted-history), it was really Paul Bigsby that made the first modern looking electric solid bodied guitar as we know it today. Paul was really into his bikes, and even raced at Daytona. Among his many innovations was his famous Tremelo Bridge, which influenced the sound of modern music beyond all recognition and way before Hank Marvin and the Shadows...! His guitar design also influenced Leo Fender's Stratocaster design, especially the single cutaway and six a side headstock and tuners arrangement, with it's shape based on the treble clef.

                    Then we have the great Leo Fender, who also loved bikes and cars, and his genius (and that of his partner George Fullerton) was to adapt automotive design and production methods to guitar manufacture. Les Paul was another 'car guy' that had a profound influence, both in terms of design and his outstanding musical legacy in so many areas.

                    In the modern era, my all time favourite player (of all time!) Jeff Beck builds some of the finest hot-rods you'll ever see, and he does all of it himself. If he hadn't have made it in the music industry, he would have done it full time and probably ended up just as famous for that instead, like his great pal Roy Brizio.

                    I think bikes and cars have 'driven' rock 'n' roll in more ways than one, as I hope these brief examples will show. Yes indeed, we have a lot to be thankful for, and those guys have a lot to answer for....!

                    Thanks for a lifetime of inspiration to them all.

                    Pic 1: Otto Rickenbacker's 'Frying Pan'.
                    Pic 2: Paul Bigsby's 'Solid Body' Guitar.
                    Pic 3; Paul Bigsby's Tremelo Bridge.
                    Pic 4: Paul Bigsby and a Crocker Motorcycle.
                    Pic 5; Jeff Beck and his Deuce Coupe Hot-Rod.

                    Brian.
                    Attached Files
                    Last edited by Brian Thompson; 24/11/2014, 08:34 PM. Reason: Pics and links attached.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Pop Pickers...

                      Originally posted by Keith Bolas View Post
                      Mmmmm .... I'll get my coat
                      Cheer up Keith....I started this thread as a place where the twangers on here could talk about their instruments if they want to, as there are quite a few of us on here.

                      I reckon a new thread on 'what's your favourite tune/what are you listening to today' would be a great idea, go for it and I'll join in.

                      Don't forget...starting a new thread is allowed you know....

                      Brian.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Chord Of The Week!

                        Before I sign off for a bit on this one and let the other twangers out there have a go, I thought I'd post this for you. Can't say I don't do anything for you....

                        Have fun guys, and no, it isn't impossible...you just need to streeeeetch...! Am 11, a beautiful chord, sounds lovely with a touch of 'verb and chorus. It's a good one to get your fingers working and I've given two voicings with this in mind. Go easy with the second version though....no cold hands!

                        (Left hand fingering under chord boxes, interval 'spelling' below that.)

                        Any other offerings then twangers....?

                        Brian.
                        Attached Files

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Brian Thompson View Post
                          Before I sign off for a bit on this one and let the other twangers out there have a go, I thought I'd post this for you. Can't say I don't do anything for you....

                          Have fun guys, and no, it isn't impossible...you just need to streeeeetch...! Am 11, a beautiful chord, sounds lovely with a touch of 'verb and chorus. It's a good one to get your fingers working and I've given two voicings with this in mind. Go easy with the second version though....no cold hands!

                          (Left hand fingering under chord boxes, interval 'spelling' below that.)

                          Any other offerings then twangers....?

                          Brian.
                          .That Bert Weeden told lies.He said any idiot could play guitar within a week but 51 years after buying my guitar I still cant play anything !!!!!!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            You can`t just give up after only 51yrs stuart...give it time....
                            To play a good tune you must have a good ear for chords, i tried it, but found i was better using my fingers....

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Were all still learning....!

                              Hi Stuart,

                              I know the feeling.....I get it every time I watch someone like Paco De Lucia or Jeff Beck play....!!

                              But then again, it's the journey not the destination....

                              Brian.

                              Comment

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