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Post by Rob Hanesworth on Apr 3, 2023 12:48:21 GMT -5
Thom Bresh used to tell Merle Travis’s story about being asked by a young boy what kind of strings he used. Travis’s comment was “Well GIT-tar strings of course. What kind of strings did he think I would use?” Paul McCartney expressed a preference for the long shiny guitar strings.
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Post by drlj on Apr 3, 2023 12:53:30 GMT -5
Thom Bresh used to tell Merle Travis’s story about being asked by a young boy what kind of strings he used. Travis’s comment was “Well GIT-tar strings of course. What kind of strings did he think I would use?” Paul McCartney expressed a preference for the long shiny guitar strings. And thick. He said he wanted the strings to be thick.
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Post by james on Apr 3, 2023 13:47:00 GMT -5
Here's a Kostal with Elixirs. Same tune, different sonic colours. OK. What's with the funky nut on that guitar? Why is it carved out between the strings? Is that supposed to do something ? Just for looks? Dunno really. I've seen them on Erwin Somogyi guitars and on those of a couple of luthiers who have done apprenticeships with him. Evan has previously said that they are a feature of some classical guitars. Someone on another forum asked a luthier. - "Well I spoke with my luthier last night about the scalloped nut. He said it did not have any affect on the instruments tone. He did mention that some luthiers scallop the bottom of the nut to reduce mass which I believe was mentioned earlier in this thread. The reason for the scalloped nut is actually for convienence. As Steve is cutting the nut slots for the guitar and checking the string height he places the string in the adjacent scallop to keep it from getting in his way".
www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56451
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Post by John B on Apr 3, 2023 13:53:51 GMT -5
Nah, it's because it looks cool and is a pretty decent amount of extra work to get it to look good. If that kind of detail is lavished on a nut, the rest of the guitar must be pretty spectacular. No unsanded bracework in there.
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 19,915
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Post by Dub on Apr 3, 2023 14:11:12 GMT -5
While on the subject, why would a builder (or player, for that mater) choose a zero fret over a nut?
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Post by Russell Letson on Apr 3, 2023 14:30:15 GMT -5
Dunno--but it's traditional on Selmer-styles. On the other hand, my Michael Dunn has a scalloped nut. His one-time apprentice Shelley Park, on the other hand, uses a zero fret. Michael has also been known to use a two-element saddle, like the one on this Mystery Pacific:
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Post by drlj on Apr 3, 2023 14:45:07 GMT -5
While on the subject, why would a builder (or player, for that mater) choose a zero fret over a nut? Del Langejans started putting a zero fret on his guitars a few years after he built my guitar. I never liked them but he swore by them. The couple of guys I knew who had Langejans guitars that had them seemed to like them. I always equated a zero fret with a cheaper guitar but that’s certainly not always true. Zero frets do seem to wear quicker than the other frets because the string is always riding on it. My Langejans does not have a zero fret. It was made in 1996. I think he started putting them on all of his guitars about 2005 or so.
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Post by david on Apr 3, 2023 15:18:45 GMT -5
I am currently using 3-year-old Elixir nano phosphor bronze lights on 6 acoustics. But my J-45 has 2-year-old Martin DR lights. You have to look hard to find aged strings like this. But I have some, pre-stretched, in both 25.5 or 24.9 scale lengths, if you want to buy them.
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Post by james on Apr 3, 2023 16:46:27 GMT -5
The only zero fret guitar I have is the Fylde Oberon. The maker, Roger Bucknall wrote a little about his thinking in using them. Struggling a bit with copy/pasting. Here’s a link. www.fyldeguitars.com/zero-frets.html
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Post by Marty on Apr 3, 2023 17:09:29 GMT -5
Scalloping a nut is a old classical guitar thing. Usually done on the top surface between strings but it can be done under each string on the inside face or even all the way through, not recommended unless the nut is glued in place. This is done to lower the mass of the nut. While I've done it I have no opinion as to if it works. What I should do is make two nuts, one normal and one scalloped and have a session of Pass the Guitar with some of my classical players.
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 19,915
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Post by Dub on Apr 3, 2023 17:51:18 GMT -5
Dunno--but it's traditional on Selmer-styles. On the other hand, my Michael Dunn has a scalloped nut. His one-time apprentice Shelley Park, on the other hand, uses a zero fret. Michael has also been known to use a two-element saddle, like the one on this Mystery Pacific: While on the subject, why would a builder (or player, for that mater) choose a zero fret over a nut? Del Langejans started putting a zero fret on his guitars a few years after he built my guitar. I never liked them but he swore by them. The couple of guys I knew who had Langejans guitars that had them seemed to like them. I always equated a zero fret with a cheaper guitar but that’s certainly not always true. Zero frets do seem to wear quicker than the other frets because the string is always riding on it. My Langejans does not have a zero fret. It was made in 1996. I think he started putting them on all of his guitars about 2005 or so. The only zero fret guitar I have is the Fylde Oberon. The maker, Roger Bucknall wrote a little about his thinking in using them. Struggling a bit with copy/pasting. Here’s a link. www.fyldeguitars.com/zero-frets.htmlRoger Bucknall's explanation makes sense to me. I asked the question because the zero-fret idea seems logical to me. Most guitars I pick up have the action at the first fret set too high. I'd like noting at the first fret to feel the same as any other fret. I think the string should be just high enough above the first fret to prevent buzz. Nuts can be cut to achieve this but it's time-consuming and subject to wear. On the other hand, a zero-fret (done per Bucknall and using a very hard material) should allow the first fret string height to be consistently correct. I know the cheap GSO makers did that because it eliminated having to make and fit a nut correctly but when they did that they compensated by putting the saddle and perhaps other frets in the wrong place. <grin>
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Post by Marty on Apr 3, 2023 18:00:12 GMT -5
Steven Stills played bass on a few songs on the CS&N album. A interviewer asked him how he got his bass tone and what kind of strings he used. Stills just used what was laying around the studio but he told him the secret to his bass tone was BBQ sauce.
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Post by coachdoc on Apr 4, 2023 20:01:29 GMT -5
What string gauge do you dudes and dudesses use? I find I am favoring the lighter or hybrid gauges rather than the mediums I used to put on my guitars. I use True Mediums a lot & have lights on a couple others. Playing finger style on mediums is not “digit” friendly. I can do it, buy why bother? I have a feeling most of you favor lights? Is this a sign of aging or just good sense? GOOD SENSE !
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Post by millring on Apr 4, 2023 20:11:07 GMT -5
I am currently using 3-year-old Elixir nano phosphor bronze lights on 6 acoustics. But my J-45 has 2-year-old Martin DR lights. You have to look hard to find aged strings like this. But I have some, pre-stretched, in both 25.5 or 24.9 scale lengths, if you want to buy them. Sounds very close to home. I can't actually remember the last time I changed strings. They aren't broken yet. I have a very cool compensated saddle made by Greg Kent (used to be at Front Porch in Valparaiso. Now I think he's on his own if he hasn't gone back into machining biz). Instead of the geometrically compensated saddles I see most of the time, Greg carved a curved compensation. It's a small detail, but it sure delighted me when I first saw it. Oh, Greg's the one who did the whole bridge conversion from the adjustable Gibson saddle. The saddle detail was just the icing on the cake.
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