Fuzz Guitar Show - now with a lot of pictures

[Logrinn]

Thanks for the pics! Some cool stuff on display for sure. I liked the 2 string bass, perfect for a Presidents Of The United States Of America cover band!

I first came across this idea when I heard of the bass player in D.A.D (Disneyland After Dark - a danish rock band) playing a bass with just two - or even just one string!

 

[amigarobbo]

I like that swirly two string bass!

Yes, just the right amount of strings for laying down a groove :icon_biggrin:

Yeah, for Stanley clark, for us normal bass playing people it's still overkill.  :bananaguitar:

 

[mayfly]

Thanks for the pics! Some cool stuff on display for sure. I liked the 2 string bass, perfect for a Presidents Of The United States Of America cover band!

I first came across this idea when I heard of the bass player in D.A.D (Disneyland After Dark - a danish rock band) playing a bass with just two - or even just one string!

That's where I've seen that!

 

[Cagey]

Some people's kids...

 

[Axkoa]

Why do you bring that here Mayfly, there are kids here.

 

[arealken]

Uh oh..I think I'm having another  flashback

 

[Cagey]

Just put the file down real slow-like, back away and put your hands behind your head...

 

[Logrinn]

Just put the file down real slow-like, back away and put your hands behind your head...

Or ...

Never drink while you're doing fret work!

 

[amigarobbo]

Just put the file down real slow-like, back away and put your hands behind your head...

Or ...

Never drink while you're doing fret work!

Am I exposing my ignorance here, but wouldn't those true-tempered frets only work in one key, and you'd need 12 guitars with the frets in slightly different shapes,A bit like diatonic harmonicas?   if you want to be totally in tune?


Still, 12 guitars eh?  :cool01:

 

[stratamania]

The idea with true temperament frets is that each string will intonate as well as possible for each note along the length of the board. Theoretically, if notes are combined into chords whatever the key they will be in tune far more than standard frets regardless of key.

Also in western music, as you know we have twelve notes per octave. Each pitch is an average for each key (well or equal temperament), as mathematically the different keys would have slight differences between notes, e.g. a G# would not be exactly the same as an Ab ("true" temperament). 

So this would lead us to most tuning being a compromise on most instruments using equal temperament.

Back to frets, the true temperament frets are a bit of a misnomer as although they intend to provide better tuning for each string at each fret it has to be back to an average for each note and it's enharmonic so it is not totally true in terms of temperament. Even if it could be you would still be slightly out of tune with a keyboard using an equal or well-tempered tuning.

So all tuning is a compromise and especially so on a fretted instrument. 

 

[BigSteve22]

The idea with true temperament frets is that each string will intonate as well as possible for each note along the length of the board. Theoretically, if notes are combined into chords whatever the key they will be in tune far more than standard frets regardless of key.

Also in western music, as you know we have twelve notes per octave. Each pitch is an average for each key (well or equal temperament), as mathematically the different keys would have slight differences between notes, e.g. a G# would not be exactly the same as an Ab ("true" temperament). 

So this would lead us to most tuning being a compromise on most instruments using equal temperament.

Back to frets, the true temperament frets are a bit of a misnomer as although they intend to provide better tuning for each string at each fret it has to be back to an average for each note and it's enharmonic so it is not totally true in terms of temperament. Even if it could be you would still be slightly out of tune with a keyboard using an equal or well-tempered tuning.

So all tuning is a compromise and especially so on a fretted instrument.

Couldn't have said it better myself. In fact, I probably couldn't have said it at ALL! Thanks for the primer Brother, always learn something here......
:icon_thumright:

 

[stratamania]

Thanks...

 

[amigarobbo]

I think I was getting the True-temperment, which as you correctly say is equal-temperment, but a bit better, I was getting it confused with:

[youtube]XT4oOYj4SwQ[/youtube]

Which would only work in one key. I think.

I'm glad I can't hear just out of wack the guitar actually is...

[youtube]NEjekEOMWmg[/youtube]

 

[stratamania]

Those are both good videos and describe quite well the overall issue with the tuning of fretted instruments, the True temperament fret is an approach to address that.

One of the reasons I like playing on scalloped boards is that it becomes possible to control a lot of subtleties of the notes. It's also very easy if you are not used to them to make the guitar sound awful a bit like in the second video.

 

[BigSteve22]

It's also very easy if you are not used to them to make the guitar sound awful a bit like in the second video.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks the guitar in that second video sounds off~  :sad1:

 

[stratamania]

It's also very easy if you are not used to them to make the guitar sound awful a bit like in the second video.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks the guitar in that second video sounds off~  :sad1:

That wasn't quite what I meant.  I was meaning how the notes are fretted can help the intonation and he mentioned that in his video. Of course, some of the guitars in the second video did sound out but I think that is what he was demonstrating.

It looks like I mixed up my first and second sentence. Ah well, a sentence for all seasons

 

[DustyCat]

Spalted Tree Trunk! (the first pic)  :icon_thumright:

I'm also a fan of scalloped boards for their high wire/trampoline/bounce house feel: spongier.

Also if you don't quite grab a note with the strongest part of your finger, you can finagle it a little bit because with the space under the string there are simple more angles that you can swoop in on.

Yeah there have been times when I came in a little too hot on a note, or squeezed it a bit sharp with too much pressure, but if that happens...if you can let that string ring out, and relax into intonation, those fractions of a second when your note was sharp can give an expressive quality to the music (a certain eagerness shall we say!) as the number of vibrations/length of string slows down/lengthens back to the proper intonation of the desired pitch.

But I don't know who is squeezing out minor thirds without bending (by pressing so hard). With .09's or .08's gauge strings maybe. Gauge .10's+ you will not be squeezing minor 3rds unless you also bend at the same time.

26 minutes eh, I'll have to check that video out when I have some time.

 

[Cagey]

I used to get a bit of that when I first started using 6100 fretwire because it's so tall. But, you get used to it and it ceases to be any kind of problem. That is, unless I give my guitar to somebody else to play. They'll wonder where I learned to tune, and why they can't get it there, until they finally give it back all whacked out :laughing7:

 

[DustyCat]

I think I was getting the True-temperment, which as you correctly say is equal-temperment, but a bit better, I was getting it confused with:

[youtube]XT4oOYj4SwQ[/youtube]

Which would only work in one key. I think.

I'm glad I can't hear just out of wack the guitar actually is...

[youtube]NEjekEOMWmg[/youtube]

Riveting video Amigarobbo.  :icon_thumright:

I was glued just about the entire 26 minutes, and went back at certain key points to catch things I missed.

I'm disappointed at what I'm hearing regarding the Earvana Compensating Nut.

I thought it would be simple. Just move the nut back slightly at certain strings (*cough* G string *cough*) to allow that G sharp to mellow out, flat a couple of cents back to pitch...

...but now I'm hearing 10 cents sharp at the extreme upper range of frets?  :sad:

I got a neck on the production line as we speak...GD6100, Full Scallop, TUSQ Black Earvana

...guess I'll be the guinea pig this time around  :-\

 

[stratamania]

Personally, I find the Earvanas, work well. As do the similarly compensated nuts on the Musicmans.  It's at the lower frets where the intonation of the G and so forth suffers. When you combine that with playing chords it does eliminate a certain amount of out of tune-ness.

Then as long as you have the strings correctly intonated at the 12 fret, for example, I would take it being that much sharper higher up the neck with a pinch of salt. Usually that high up you are playing faster solo type stuff in any case and not harmonized notes that may clash and as a player that's easier to deal with via touch and technique than out of tune with each other lower chords.

As mentioned earlier all tuning especially on guitars is a compromise.