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Post by Marshall on Aug 9, 2023 10:10:48 GMT -5
I'm going to put the Blackbird Savoy up for sale. It's not working for me. I bought it used. I'll put it up far sale on Reverb probably. It's wood-like sounding, but more like a brash ladder braced sound instead of a X-brace wood sound. Also, if I was going to keep it I'd swap the piezo pickup for my SBT/Mag combo. Except there's a small "brace" right down the Center of the underside of the top. Passes perpendicular to the saddle where the SBT would go. A new Baggs HiFi pickup would fit, but that's not the way I want to go.
Plus I've had issues with the neck relief. Too high action up high. Ive tweaked the truss rod and that helps. But I think the saddle could be lowered. So, I adventure to lower the saddle a smidge to see how that works. Here's where the problem arose.
When loosening the strings, I found the B string ball end and end wrap actually dug into the synthetic bridge material. It was a BITCH getting the string end out. I had to cut the string and really work the stinkin thing with tools to finally get it to let go. So then I had to dig through my parts bin for an old 16 ga steel string. I had put a new set of Elixirs on it before and didn't want to break up another set. I found a new shiny 20 year old Guild steel string that fit the bill.
Then I took the saddle into the basement and took off about 1/16 inch. Put it all back together and strung it up. I cranked the truss rod another 1/4 turn. It works nice enough. Much improved. I want to make a video/audio recording of it for the sale.
That all took an hour and a half.
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Post by david on Aug 9, 2023 11:27:33 GMT -5
I gave up on non-wood guitars after a CA Composite OX, a CA Composite Legacy, and a Rainsong. I still like the idea and some CAs sound good to me, but the neck profiles never suited me. Sorry it did not work out, but thank you for the vicarious adventure.
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Post by coachdoc on Aug 9, 2023 14:01:22 GMT -5
I borrowed a Rainsong for a trip to my sister’s on St. John. It was a smart idea did well during travel and while on the island.
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Post by Marshall on Aug 9, 2023 15:45:02 GMT -5
Along these same lines, I ordered a Joytar J2.  They're cute and cheap at $399 on Amazon. Free returns if you don't like it. |
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Post by Cosmic Wonder on Aug 10, 2023 21:40:52 GMT -5
And my $325.00 Seagull keeps punching way above its weight.
Mike
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Post by james on Aug 10, 2023 22:32:45 GMT -5
I recently bought my nephew a cosmetically very messy old Seagull for that sort of money. Great sounding/playing guitar for the price.
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Post by Marshall on Aug 10, 2023 23:07:01 GMT -5
Early Seagulls did a weird 1 7/8" wide neck. Pissed me off. A great quality starter guitar. Then they put a WIDE neck on the stinkin thing so beginners (women? children?) had to struggle (and often fail) at playing barre chords.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
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Post by Marshall on Aug 10, 2023 23:31:45 GMT -5
The Joytar, when it comes, will be the 60th guitar I've owned in my life. At present I own 8. 3 are electrics. I've been searching for a synthetic guitar that I can actually like. At present I have a RainSong, a Blackbird Savoy ekoa guitar, and the soon-to-arrive Joytar. Only one of them will survive the coming onslaught.
The Joytar intrigues me because in the video below, at 14 sec into the vid, it shows regular X-braces cast into the top.
Plus the thing is cheap @ $399 and, when bought from Amazon, has free returns if you don't like it. No questions asked.
The RainSong is a strong one piece top. it has much more sustain and less punchiness than I like. Still, I could live with that, but the 20" radius neck irks me no end. I can play it, but it's and adjustment.
The Savoy is more wood like but not versatile enough.
Maybe the Joytar will work for me. Maybe not. Either way one of them will survive.
I have a 3 hour outdoor gig this Saturday. Under a tent. The weather should be good. I'll bring the wooden Nick Lucas this week. Earlier in the year I did the same gig with the RainSong. I'd really like to have a guitar I could leave in the trunk through changing seasons and climate conditions. But it's got to be something I can play without compromise.
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Post by Marshall on Aug 10, 2023 23:33:39 GMT -5
Here's a review of the Joytar. It sounds pretty good, it you believe the video.
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Post by drlj on Aug 11, 2023 8:00:55 GMT -5
I always wonder if they find any of those guitars floating in the ocean with the bottles and sporks.😊
I am leery of “guitars” with cutesy names. Funtar, Yumtar, Giggletar, TickleMeElmotar, Barbietar.
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Post by millring on Aug 11, 2023 9:35:15 GMT -5
A good player can make a YA AHA sound good. A bad player can make a <insert favored boutique guitar> sound bad.
The rational mind knows that the way a guitar looks doesn't matter to the sound. But it does matter to the mind.
I heard once of a fiddler who was playing a contra dance. She had a new-fangled electric violin -- perfect to be heard above the din, and sounding for all the world as good as her acoustic fiddle. During intermission she was asked to retrieve and use her "real" fiddle. To the dancers the music didn't look right.
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Post by drlj on Aug 11, 2023 9:37:32 GMT -5
Doc Watson never worried about how things look.
I close my eyes when I play quite a bit.
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Post by Marty on Aug 11, 2023 9:41:29 GMT -5
One of my old clients got Joytar and had me check it out. Bridge placement was way off. When he went to return it they told him to keep it and they sent him another one. It was slightly better.
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 19,889 
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Post by Dub on Aug 11, 2023 11:08:56 GMT -5
Doc Watson never worried about how things look. I close my eyes when I play quite a bit. I’ve done that, and it can help. I don’t look at the fretboard anyway, all I can see are the dots on the edge of the fretboard. But looking away so don’t see my hand or the guitar’s neck at all can be very helpful sometimes. |
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Post by Marshall on Aug 11, 2023 16:26:38 GMT -5
I’m all in ( so to speak) |
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Post by millring on Aug 11, 2023 16:45:17 GMT -5
I’m all in ( so to speak) The headstock pops off. |
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