dlloyd

[quote name='iceonaboy' timestamp='1375867609' post='2166575'] I personally think that Strat is overdone. It looks mingin! I reckon if you want to get an old looking guitar without putting it through years of "abuse", why not just buy a relic'd body from ebay? Theres loads going cheap enough [/quote] That's a real one.

[quote name='thefyst' timestamp='1375789475' post='2165555'] if i remember correctly nitro doesnt like UV much. Could try a sunbed if you want the effect of sunbleaching in a short space of time. [/quote] This would certainly work to yellow it, as well as the plastic fittings (pickguard and knobs) Yellowing is the bane of another, slightly sadder hobby that I used to have (honestly, used to), collecting Star Wars action figures. Original 70s/80s figures are often badly discoloured, particularly those with white plastic parts such as Stormtroopers. The UV in sunlight is the main culprit.

Matthew Wilder: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28KobNbbI2s"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28KobNbbI2s[/url]

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1375789430' post='2165554'] What he seems to be saying: Start with the correct (thin) finish Use a heat gun lightly on the finish to take the flatness off... don't go overboard or it will bubble Use a razorblade to simulate checking if you want it... study old guitars for that. Buff it to remove edges from checking Drop a bunch of keys on it over and over again (lightly) study old guitars for where to do that Drop a sock full of bolts etc on it (lightly) Spray/wipe with some sort of stain Buff to remove the stain from the raised surfaces Let a cigarette burn down in the headstock [/quote] If anyone wanted to know what checking was, here's a good example of heavy checking:

As a rule: MM1 = Axis MM2 = Stingray 4 MM3 = Stingray 5 MM4 = Silhouette MM5 = Baritone

OLP MM2 They are only "going" for a price on ebay if they sell. BINs of £200+ are not going to.

[quote name='funkybassman2020' timestamp='1375757787' post='2165250'] I'm a real slap-bass thicky and only just getting around to playing it. Seen a few slap bass lessons on youtube and pretty much they advise to play pull offs with the index finger. I feel more comfy playing the pull off with the forefinger and rather like the idea of having the index free as I hopefully improve. As it is really early days for me, is this advisable or better to train myself to pull off with the index? At the moment I'm working at getting the Dexter Redding line "The Awakening" mustard. It's all there but I fall to bits with the slap as my communication between thumb and fretting goes naff.... However, I have found the more relaxed I play, the better I get... Any tips gratefully received for this here slap bass thicky..... [/quote] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lIbvj2EBqM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lIbvj2EBqM[/url]

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1375787584' post='2165507'] I know this isn't contributing anything to this thread... but I just don't get relicing. Not the process of doing it - that I understand - but the reason why you'd want to do so leaves me bemused. [/quote] It's not just about faking mojo (although that is probably a large part of it)... some people genuinely prefer to play a beat up, worn guitar. They prefer the feel of it (less sticky finish for example) or feel less inhibited about the possibility of devaluing it if they accidentally put a scratch in the finish.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1375786796' post='2165494'] I'm sure it's all lovely information, but I've heard it said Gibson have only cared about the finishes for a long time, and build quality and set up has been very poor for many years. The LPs and the Alex Lifeson sig I've played recently were awful. [/quote] I'm not too worried about that in this context. For the OP, the Tom Murphy videos take a long time to watch and probably aren't worth it unless you're specifically interested in the history of the subject. What he seems to be saying: Start with the correct (thin) finish Use a heat gun lightly on the finish to take the flatness off... don't go overboard or it will bubble Use a razorblade to simulate checking if you want it... study old guitars for that. Buff it to remove edges from checking Drop a bunch of keys on it over and over again (lightly) study old guitars for where to do that Drop a sock full of bolts etc on it (lightly) Spray/wipe with some sort of stain Buff to remove the stain from the raised surfaces Let a cigarette burn down in the headstock

Part 4 Reassociation with Gibson... large scale relic jobs for Gibson, recreation of famous guitars (Dicky Betts, Duane Allman, Bob Marley, Gary Rossington... simulated breaks etc) Part 5 More about simulated breaks, cigarette burns 2:40 How to do it... intro... Part 6 How to actually do it... need side lighting Checking: Create lines with a razor blade (have to study how it happens for real) 6:00 Smooth it out (a bit cagey here)... buffing. 6:53 Belt buckle Part 7 More belt buckles 0.40 Bunches of keys 1:00 Bolts etc (in a sock) 1:50 Tuning fork for chips around binding 2:25 Oil, stains, etc.... simulated tobacco staining, buff it out to leave in creases

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1375710444' post='2164554'] Dreadful. I died after about 50 seconds. Not my own wrists I wanted to cut either. 'I appreciate you appreciating it, those who understand it' ??!! f***ing hell. [/quote] I've watched the first three videos now... there's actually some valuable information there, if you're patient. What we have to remember is that Tom Murphy is the go-to person for relic treatments on Les Pauls. He's addressing a bunch of his fans (custom Gibson collectors) who want to know about Tom Murphy... they're not necessarily after a how-to guide (although he does give it... very slowly) Part 1 0:00 Introduction... how he got involved in custom shop 6:00 Mentions faded finishes, first relicing project (blending a repaired section of a guitar with its existing worn finish) 8:00 Says that a razor blade staple of job (first hint of how he works) Part 2 0:00 - Checking on guitars... Stanley razor blade with tape pad to blend repair work with original finish on vintage guitars. Comparison of relicing with antique refinishing. Doesn't actually tell you how to do it. 5:00 Heatgun to age finish... better result for patina than steel wool simulates lacquer losing solvency... shows centre seams, etc. need for care Part 3 0:00 - Back to talking about him and his history, design of Historic Les Paul, demand for distressed look when working as a repairer outside of Gibson... eventual demand for distressed look in a new Gibson... concerns about cheesiness, cost, etc.

If it is an early one, it may be Japanese.

[quote name='iceonaboy' timestamp='1375704701' post='2164441'] I want to slit my wrists after watching that! What a waste of 8 minutes of my life! [/quote] There are another six parts after that. Perhaps not the most engaging public speaker... but as far as I can gather, he knows his stuff. (I couldn't watch it)

They were Charvel's budget range around the early 1990s. Similar to the Squier situation. They were viewed as beginner guitars.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGaLB2I2GFE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGaLB2I2GFE[/url]

If I remember correctly, the Hohner B2 is made in the same factory as the Steinberger Spirit. The main difference is the logo.

What did you get? I have three ukes, A soprano cheapy, a Fluke tenor and a fairly expensive Kala baritone that is awesome, solid acacia. The photo is still on the Southern Ukulele store website:

[quote name='Rusco' timestamp='1375307271' post='2159680'] Hi all, wondered if anyone else has experienced this issue ? I took my new American Special P to my local music shop for a basic setup. Turns out the neck was like a banana however to adjust the truss rod they've chamfered the edge of the pick guard hole with a knife saying 'the special fender tool would not fit otherwise'. Not happy but before making a scene I wondered if this is normal ?. I was going to mail Fender but haven't been able to find an emil address as yet. Cheers.. R [/quote] If they're inexperienced enough to think you need to carve the pickguard to do a setup, I would question the setup itself. Unacceptable.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1375196688' post='2157986'] Worth a watch if you are interested in Partch and his use of atonal instruments, this is a documentary on the making of Hal Wiliner's Mingus tribute album Weird Nightmare. [/quote] Nice one... will watch!

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1375197731' post='2158003'] In my day it was "Father Charles goes down and eats bacon". I don't remember a mnemonic (!) for the flats, I think I just had "BEADG" learned by rote (at that stage of learning we didn't need to know about C flat and F flat). But when I saw "ends battle" I had to rack my brain to remember how I learnt it... once the circles of fifths and fourths are absorbed it becomes second nature and the mnemonics can be discarded. And then there's Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (or Fruit), and Good Boys Deserve Fruit (or Favour) Always... Have fun! [/quote] All cows eat grass...

One of the things to be wary of is to not look at the price of a 1954 Fender Strat and assume a modern instrument will go up similarly in price over the next 50 years. In 1954, Fender sold far fewer instruments than they do now. They were hand-finished and cost a lot more than they do (in real terms) today. A standard stratocaster listed for $249.50, which was around £100 in those days. Taking inflation into account it would have cost the equivalent of £2,300... (not that you could get hold of one in the UK due to a trade embargo that lasted until 1959). They're expensive now partly because they were expensive and rare back then. A closer equivalent to modern standard Fender prices would have been the cheaper Danelectro models that listed at $69 in 1954... approximately £700 in new money.

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1375012026' post='2155670'] ...a few things seems to going decimal, money, measurement and we only really have twelve notes at the moment a sort of imperial system if you want... and that is a fudge of sorts (equal temperment) I wonder what a 10 note system [i][b]would[/b][/i] sound like....I'll google that, someone must have done a video for that [/quote] There are very good harmonic reasons why we settled on 12 tones in Western music... some other traditions ignore tonality altogether (Gamelan music for example) and a lot of composers have experimented with other tuning systems. Harry Partch is a good example... he went for a 43 tone unequal system: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYdmNTgPM3A"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYdmNTgPM3A[/url]

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1374857599' post='2154174'] You are correct the [u][i][b]'key signature' [/b][/i][/u]would have me believe its in A major what with those F#, C# and G#s. ....now if only they wrote..... [/quote] Ah, but they have! Honestly, it makes not one bit of difference if you treat it modally or as A major... the bassline should follow the harmonic progression and take any passing tones from the key centre. Which should have exactly the same effect.

It's E mixolydian. It resolves to an E, but the key signature would have you in A major.

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1374820046' post='2153524'] As a theory and reading nooobie I cant help thinking the way music is transcribed could be so much easier by the simple addition of two things at the start of a piece....sort of this is generally the gist of whats coming next. 1. The key....yes i know there are sharps and flats at the start....but that doesnt tell me the key....could be C major or A minor for example. 2. The mode.....possibly more useful. [/quote] Music isn't usually modal. The key is a piece of cake to figure out. I learned it using the time honoured mnemonic: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father The first line is the order in which sharps appear on the key signature: F, C, G, D, A, E, B. The second line is the order in which flats appear on the key signature: B, E, A, D, G, C, F. To get the correct key, you just have to know that C major has no sharps or flats. Key signature with 5 flats... the flattened notes will be: Bb Eb Ab Db Gb (Battle Ends And Down Goes) The key will be: (Charles) Father Battle Ends And Down = Db major (as we already know the D is flattened) no sharps or flats? C major 1 sharp = G major 2 sharps = D major 3 sharps = A major 4 sharps = E major 5 sharps = B major 6 sharps = F# major 7 sharps = C# major 1 flat = F major 2 flats = Bb major 3 flats = Eb major 4 flats = Ab major 5 flats = Db major 6 flats = Gb major 7 flats = Cb major Major or minor you ask? Easy... look through the music... are there a lot of accidentals through the piece? Particularly towards the resolution points? Minor melodies/harmonies tend to sharpen certain notes to give more tension to cadences, so if you see a lot of sharps or naturals, you'd probably be safe to say it's minor. To work out the correct minor key, you just go down a third from the relative major Db major by the key signature, but lots of accidentals telling you it's a minor? D, C, B... Bb minor