NGD - Tribute ASAT Semi-Hollow!

[ellengtrgrl]

Well, the NOS Tribute ASAT Special Semi-Hollow arrived at work today! I got a chance to play it unplugged during a break, before I bought it home. I plays pretty good, and will hopefully play even better after I replace the strings and do some setup work on it. Here are a couple of photos of it, that I took at my desk at work:



As the photo below shows, this is an old logo Tribute. The serial # is 05027370, so I assume that it's a Korean made one from Feb. 2005.



I'm off to change its strings!

[Fumble fingers]

Looks great !! ...... I just love the big MFD

[ellengtrgrl]

Thanks!

I ended up deciding that I wanted to play more, than change the strings! Sooo, I kind of went nuts playing my ASAT, and lost track of time! The guitar played like butter, and large MFDs? They're THE BOMB! Nice, warm sounding cleans, without going into Gibson territory. Best of all, nice, chunky sounding distortion, without the mud! I ended up running through some of the metal numbers I've played off and on, for in some cases, over 20 years! Such raging tone! I've gotta make some recordings, and put them up on my Sounclick page! I can't wait to get a set of 11s on it!

[jediguitarist]

Love it!!

[KenC]

Congrats! That's a sweet guitar. I look forward to hearing the recordings.

Ken

[gitman001]

I'm glad you're digging the large MFD's! Thats a great looking Tribute.

Scott

[ellengtrgrl]

Thanks guys! Tonight I WILL change the strings. If I can, I'll do some set-up work (but I think that will have to wait unitil the neck settles down from the extra string tension). I'd describe the sound as being extra beefy sounding single coil, but with none of the quack that P90s can often have.

[bloodied_fingers]

That is GORGEOUS.

HNGD

[gaxeman]

11's?! You rock girl! I can barely handle 11's, and I probably have you by 100 pounds!

[Ahryn]

Right on, and 11's too!

It's going to kick all sorts of ass

[blargfromouterspace]

I can't wait to get a set of 11s on it!

Good work Ellen!!! I have 11s on all of mine, changing up from 10s has been the best, easiest and cheapest improvement I've made to my guitars

[ellengtrgrl]

I used 10s for a very long time (since the early 80s), but a couple of years ago, I decided to give 11s a try, to see if they's help my playing style. They helped a lot. Like Steve Morse, most of my single note lines are double picked. To top it off, I play with the rounded corner/butt end of the pick (per a suggestion from my uncle [Guitar Generation #2 in the family], and an article I had read about Pat Metheney in "Guitar Player Magazine"), the stiffer feel 11s give me, better suit my picking style. I feel I have more control (especially when I play fast single note lines) - I don't seem to dig in/mush out on speed runs. While the stiffer string tension means bluesy bends aren't as easy to do, in 34 years of playing (I started playing in earnest in 1979 at age 15 [I don't count age 6, when grampa {who along with running a greenhouse was also an acoustic guitar luthier} made me my first guitar, since he died, and my uncle went into the Air Force, leaving me without anyone to teach me guitar), bends have never really been a huge part of playing repertiore.

I will admit that my left hand got a little sore at first, but over time that went away, so that ended up being no big deal. After all, many acoustic players use 12s! I also have a wonderful Guild 12-string acoustic. Compared to that, fretting a 6-string electric with 11s is peanuts! It also helps that I usually tune my electrics down a half step.

[louis cyfer]

i found that using a sharp pointed pick (instead of the rounded corner that i used to use) gives me much more precision on the attack, and a much better tone as well. harder to play with a sharp point, but the results are worth it. i would like to hear some of your stuff. maybe post some links?

[blargfromouterspace]

....the stiffer feel 11s give me, better suit my picking style.

Ditto. Used 10s for years and in that time went through sooo many different amps and effects getting my style of sound together, without so much a thought to changing string gauge and the effects they'd have on my playing. The catalyst for me was buying the Korina Jr, I felt it wasn't working as good as it could so strung it up with a stiffer set and hey presto. Now that I'm used to them and have them on all mine, I think I need to put a set of 12s on the Jr so that it feels 'tougher' than the rest

I play a lot of country and blues, so bending is a big part of what I do. I didn't find it too difficult to make the change, it doesn't take a lot more force to bend them a whole-step. Beyond that I feel a notable difference, but that works too - big bends like that should sound and feel like you're giving it everything!

[cuzwilly]

I went the other way on string gauge played 10s for years with a wound g. Got my WR tribute a few years ago it came with 9s played it for a while
with 9s. changed to 10s set up the guitar. just didn't seem to sound like I wanted so went back to 9s . Now I have 9s on all my guitars except my
Nighthawk. It don't like 9s. My playing style has changed from rock and blues. The guys I play with play what I guess you would call Honky-tonk music so trying to learn steel guitar licks is easier with 9s I think.

[ellengtrgrl]

i found that using a sharp pointed pick (instead of the rounded corner that i used to use) gives me much more precision on the attack, and a much better tone as well. harder to play with a sharp point, but the results are worth it. i would like to hear some of your stuff. maybe post some links?

These are some sound clips I've made to showcase the sound of various guitars I've had over the past few years. There isn't necessarily a ton of shredding (I got bored with shredding a long time ago - most of the time it sounds overindugent to me ["hey look at me!, ain't I the greatest?!"] - I prefer to play for the song), but they do a pretty good job of exhibiting my general style- it's kind of punchy sounding. Most of the clips were done on the fly (Soundclick frowns on covers), due to a lack of free time, so there are a few clams. Here you go:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=940762

[The Black Page]

Like Steve Morse, most of my single note lines are double picked. To top it off, I play with the rounded corner/butt end of the pick (per a suggestion from my uncle [Guitar Generation #2 in the family], and an article I had read about Pat Metheney in "Guitar Player Magazine").

Steve morse,using the side of the pick & metheny all in a row
I've been using the side of the pick since '83. not sure where I got it from (i think as a spin off from brian may & the coin?) but heard morse,Stevie ray,metheny among others had all tooled with it as well.you are bang on regarding the smoothness you can get vee sar vee speed picking using this method,however there is a sacrifice in tone IMO.
I use Jim Dunlop 2mm exclusively.i get excellent economy of motion from them,anything under 1.5 feels like bread clip
what picks do you use Ellen?

[ellengtrgrl]

For decades, I used Jim Dunlop .73mm Tortex. But 3 years ago, I tried out the .73mm Ultex Standard. I liked them so much, that they've been my pick of choice ever since. They're nice and stiff, with just enough give to deal with my tendency to dig in at times.

[louis cyfer]

For decades, I used Jim Dunlop .73mm Tortex. But 3 years ago, I tried out the .73mm Ultex. I liked them so much, that theyve been my pick of choice ever since.

i like the ultex, but i tried the coolpick beta carbonate, and it is much better. it has a silicone grip on it, otherwise the same material as the ultex.

[ellengtrgrl]

For decades, I used Jim Dunlop .73mm Tortex. But 3 years ago, I tried out the .73mm Ultex. I liked them so much, that theyve been my pick of choice ever since.

i like the ultex, but i tried the coolpick beta carbonate, and it is much better. it has a silicone grip on it, otherwise the same material as the ultex.

I've heard of those. I usually don't have problems with picks slipping off of my thumb and finger, but the ultex-type material has me interested. Is the grip away from all of the edges. or just the pinted end?l

[louis cyfer]

there is room all the way around the grip.

[ellengtrgrl]

there is room all the way around the grip.

Cool! Thanks for the info. I might get a few, to give them a try.