Midday Meal Report - Monday 6/14/2010

[Ken Baker]

Happy Monday! It’ll be Weekend Eve soon enough, so kindly keep your grumbling to yourself.

As it is, today is Q2 Tax Day Eve! <grumble…>

Lunch will probably be a salad of some sort.

Innovation in the industry

Innovation in the stringed instrument industry seems pretty hard to come by these days. Everything seems to be a re-hash of existing designs with few truly new pieces hitting the street. Got a wild-ass idea that might even be marketable? Something really new and different? NOT G&L specific. Maybe a Theremin using the guitar strings as antennas. Wait - that's a rehash. But it's a wild-ass rehash!

Is there a doctor in the house? Monday Edition

Anyone have any physical stuff going on that affects, or may affect, your playing? Hands, arms, feet, etc. Old age and Twin Reverbs (or SVTs) are assumed. Anything you care to talk about? Got a fix? What’s the doctor have to say?

I’ll check back in later on today.

Ken…

[sirmyghin]

Innovation and electric guitars. Not really something I want parsay, stuff like the VG strat, synth guitars, variax thingers by line 6, etc just do not appeal to me, I want a guitar. Odd body shapes are definitely out for me too, and are generally hardly original. You have some weird pedals like the moogerfoogers but effects seem to be the most 'changed' thing. I just don't see what improvements can be made over what we have in guitars.


Physical stuff, my bass playing was affected by de quervains (thumb tendosynovitis), was supposed to be chronic but enough exercises and whatnot, particularly from a book called 'pain free' straightened that out. My wrists get out of whack and need attention, have had an RSI or 2 from labour on them too. I am a young guy too, but I believe there is a big link between RSIs and proper posture, the worse your posture ,the more you get em. Posture is in the clear nowadays except for my long spreadsheet sessions. Ergonomics is more the bandaid on bad posture and even it is a crock, just wears in the most comfortable, slowest destruction paths, the end is still the same.

[Spot]

Happy Monday. Here in Seattle we have been in the rain for 8 months now and the dreary season has been dragging on about 3 weeks past what it normally does. Saturday we got a clear 77 degree day just to tease us while we slide into another week of light rain and “sun breaks.” Not sure how much more I can take.

Guitars like most forms of music are pretty much in the re-hash phase as most everything within the decent parameters has been created and copied. Some guitars like Robins are so out of fresh ideas they have tried mixing Tele feature with Strat style guitars, PRS offers a single coil – vibrator bridge model and a p-90 soap bar/fixed bridge model, Fender has even mixed their own models with the JagStang, Epiphone made a Strat knock-off with an Explorer headstock, Reverend makes a triple p-90 Flying V – seems to me every combination of all the available options of every major body style and electronics has been combined at some point. A few really reached out and succeeded with some innovated and functionally unique designs like the original Steinberger’s and the Parker Fly but on the whole I haven’t seen any mainstream “revolutionary” guitars since I started playing in the late 70’s.



I keep wondering if I’m ever gonna develope some form of arthritis in my wrists but to date the only serious medical issue I’ve had as a direct result of this hobby is significant hearing loss. Years of playing too loud without proper ear protection and being at ear level with cymbals has just destroyed me. My last visit to the audiologist a few months ago was 80% loss in the left ear and 30% in the right. I hear a continuous whooshing noise when I’m in a quiet environment and 5 minutes into practice at normal volumes everything gets muffled and I have trouble distinguishing tones to the point I can’t tune my guitar without a tuner. As a musician I’m screwed, as a husband it goes in handy now and them. If I’m in a mood and I want to get a rise out of my hot little wife I always repeat things she says back to her wrong. She will ask something like “Do you know where the checkbook is?” and I’ll say louder than necessary “DO I WANT SOME FISH & CHIPS?” or “Didn’t you see me waving at you?” “PEE WEE HERMAN IS SHAVING WHAT?” or “Can you take the dogs outside” “NO THANKS, I’M NOT HUNGRY.” Sometimes she gets so frustrated she just stops asking me things. Another one I like is when we’re laying in bed watching the news. I turn the TV up as loud as I can bear it and after a few minutes she's yelling right next to me “For the love of god, can we please get you a Miracle Ear?” That’s the funny side, but the grim reality is even though I’m now using good hearing protection, play quieter and less often than I used to the deterioration is still progressing. I’m sure at some point I will be wearing hearing aids and it’s possible I may not be able to distinguish notes at all and have to give up playing guitar.

[replyman]

Q2: I hear you...

Innovations in stringed instruments?

1) How about a touch sensitive neck?

2) A track in the "swimming pool" design that allows a pickup to be shifted from bridge to neck?
I'm actually working on this one. Provisional, etc...

No ailments, yet. Just need more sleep...

[Muleya]

Well, I tend to be somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to guitars...don't get all excited about new shapes or synth/robot/digital/you-name-it stuff. I had a Charvel Surfcaster for a number of years, and that's about as avante garde as I get!

BUT, I wouldn't go to the point of saying there's nothing more that can be done. I'm sure there were people thinking or saying that before Les Paul and Leo Fender hit the scene. And who knows, even though I tend to be a traditionalist, someone may just hit on the thing that will cause me to part with some cash to obtain one!

I have some repetitive motion issues...at this point they are all pretty minor, and I do take efforts to keep it that way...try to watch my posture, do stretching and that kind of thing. Problem is, working on a computer all day tends to aggravate the same kinds of thing playing a guitar does! <grumble...>

[Brock]

2) A track in the "swimming pool" design that allows a pickup to be shifted from bridge to neck?
I'm actually working on this one. Provisional, etc...

You might find the Gibson Grabber to be informative (if you haven't seen one):
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/imag ... 4ab9f4.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Grabber

-Brock

[replyman]

Yes, saw that one. My design comes from a completely different direction. Have a few others in the works to. A great patent attorney helps. Although I like to patent search and the design aspect of it. Just a hobby...

[repoman]

I've got a touch of tinnitus. Usually not a big deal but it does flare up once in a while where it is really noticeable.
I had surgery to repair my left eardrum a couple of years ago. Scar tissue from previous injuries lead to substantial hearing loss in that ear. Since the surgery I'm at about 90%.

Problems with the left wrist make it painful if I'm not careful about posture/angle/etc holding a guitar. Depending
on which doctor you ask it's either tendon damage from a mt bike accident or arthritis or both.

And I also have all thumbs on my left hand. Makes it difficult to play without sounding like s*&t. But I don't think
there's any medical cure for that.

Jeff

[Ken Baker]

Happy Monday. Here in Seattle we have been in the rain for 8 months now and the dreary season has been dragging on about 3 weeks past what it normally does. Saturday we got a clear 77 degree day just to tease us while we slide into another week of light rain and “sun breaks.” Not sure how much more I can take.

Got a friend lives down the road from you in The Gorge. He's feeling it too and REALLY wants to get out and do some miles on his bike.

That’s the funny side, but the grim reality is even though I’m now using good hearing protection, play quieter and less often than I used to the deterioration is still progressing. I’m sure at some point I will be wearing hearing aids and it’s possible I may not be able to distinguish notes at all and have to give up playing guitar.

Now that sucks, even if the word play with your wife is funny as Hell. I've been pretty lucky in the hearing department. I play with a bunch of old guys in support of the Orange County High School Of The Art - a couple shows a year. Rehearsals are no problem because the space is small and we naturally keep the volume in check. The shows are another thing and my right ear gets all beat up from the snare.

================

1) How about a touch sensitive neck?

2) A track in the "swimming pool" design that allows a pickup to be shifted from bridge to neck?
I'm actually working on this one. Provisional, etc...

Touch sensitive on the fingerboard? Sounds intriguing.

Sorry to say, but the sliding pickup thing has been done - at least on the bass side and by multiple vendors. The Gibby that Brock mentions is one. I recall (I think) a Steinberger knock-off that had one that slid 4 inches or so. You might have a problem with prior art unless you can make it real specific. Good luck, though.

================

I've got a touch of tinnitus. Usually not a big deal but it does flare up once in a while where it is really noticeable.
I had surgery to repair my left eardrum a couple of years ago. Scar tissue from previous injuries lead to substantial hearing loss in that ear. Since the surgery I'm at about 90%.

Problems with the left wrist make it painful if I'm not careful about posture/angle/etc holding a guitar. Depending
on which doctor you ask it's either tendon damage from a mt bike accident or arthritis or both.

And I also have all thumbs on my left hand. Makes it difficult to play without sounding like s*&t. But I don't think
there's any medical cure for that.

I have a touch of tinnitus that comes and goes as well. It does seem to ramp up with stress levels, but I can't plug in to anything physical such as blood pressure. My ears could be ringing like a clock tower and my BP is normal. Maybe it's mental...

I hear you on the left hand full of thumbs thing. It's a world I'm very familiar with.

================

I've got the arthritis thing going on with my left thumb. I'd been able to live with it up until a couple months ago, but I've had my basses cased up since early May and I'm starting to gather info on reconstructive options. Kinda scary. Got a prescription the other day for Voltaren Gel, a topical NSAID/analgesic, and the stuff makes a HUGE difference. I'll probably get a 4 banger out and see how it feels in a few days, but I should probably pull the batteries out of the 5 strings for a while.

Ken...

[darwinohm]

Great to see you as LR Ken. Innovations??? Anyone who uses a guitar will need a refret job at some time. I think that the neck is the candidate for improvement. I have been watching a Parker Nitefly Southern for four months. I bought it last week and wanted to put some time on it before I gave a report on it. This has a Maple neck, enclosed in carbon fiber with a composite finger board and Stainless Steel Frets. This is an awesome neck. The frets are not pressed into the neck but are glued to the fingerboard with a perfect half moon crown. This guitar has about 2.5 Thousands of relief, extremely low action and plays perfectly with no buzz anywhere. I have never had such a perfect neck on a guitar. It is also swamp ash and is extremely light. I also played my Ernie Ball John Petrucci this morning and it was perfectly in tune and I was amazed at the feel of the neck. I hadn't played it for a couple of months. I wish that all guitars had stainless steel frets. My candidate for improvement is with neck technology.

I have a hearing loss in the midrange (common to musicians) and have hearing aids. They work well but harmonics from strings will cause the feedback/noise canceling circuit to squeal. I have a setting that turns off that circuit and music sounds great. It has restored my hearing so I hear my wife and grandaughters. It has also helped me with the mixing part of recording. It is not easy to get old but it sure beats the alternative. I moved 3 yards of landscape rock today and have 2 more tomorrow. I am sore but at my age I am lucky to find the wheelbarrow. Life it still damn good. So have a great week and I always like these lowenders for lunch reporters. They are on the shakey side and they can fool the best!!!!!--- Darwin

[replyman]

I'm looking through various patents and the language used in the description. I still have enough to go on and a business partner whom is also a lawyer. He's saving me a lot of money and I'm learning in the process. He has a few patents too.

[jazzrat]

I have been down the Parker route and can appreciate them for sure. In general I tend to like the traditional designs.
To that end I was bugged about never having enough down-pressure on the G string without adding a second string tree.
Not an option for guys that want to keep a vintage guitar stock. So I drew up a string tree that spans all the trebles
with one screw hole. Kinda goofy and not sure I'll ever actually build one but it was fun to draw.



Medical stuff. Life is grand but I was diagnosed with a primary immune deficiency a couple years ago.
Explains a lot arthritis kinds of symptoms I've had for some time.
Can't take the meds because they further reduce the strength of the immune system.
Just had my second Carpal surgery which is a complication of the stuff.
I'm just very pleased to still be able to play and work and enjoy my family.

[zapcosongs]

A Salad? That explains a LOT ;+) - ed

btw, I was unaware that we can say "ass" here.

Cool!

[bassman]

The Grabber bass is a great reference to past innovation. It really worked, sliding the pickup, that is. I had one but I foolishly sold it back in the 70s but I know the guy who has it. He isn't selling, of course.

I recently played the $3200 Gibson Grabber II. The differences are the neck is now glued in instead of bolt-on, the headstock is flared so the strings are no longer tuned in a straight line, but skewed to the sides and the pickup is now chrome. It was fun and the one I played is marked down to $999!
This used to be Gibson's entry level bass.

The area of innovation I think is still unexplored is pickup design. Have you ever heard an Alumitone pickup?
Made by Bill Lawrence and supposedly a very different technology at work.

Wear ear plugs. I wear them in my band most of the time and I am glad I do. You will lose hearing incrementally if you don't and not notice until it is too late. If your band is that loud you are not going to miss much by wearing ear plugs.

[Brock]

So I drew up a string tree that spans all the trebles
with one screw hole.

Great idea. Did you ever fab one? If so, was thickening the tree metal necessary (due to leverage)?

[jazzrat]

So I drew up a string tree that spans all the trebles
with one screw hole.

Great idea. Did you ever fab one? If so, was thickening the tree metal necessary (due to leverage)?

I fabbed one up out of aluminum just to see if it works....it does. Stamped metal would have to be heavier than stock.
Chris Greene that runs the Fender Forum lives here. He has contacts and offered to submit it but it would have to have
all the patent stuff done and I just don't have the time or inclination to take it on.

[sirmyghin]

The area of innovation I think is still unexplored is pickup design. Have you ever heard an Alumitone pickup?
Made by Bill Lawrence and supposedly a very different technology at work.

I kind of want to try those just to say I did. The LOOK cool.

1) How about a touch sensitive neck?

I am not sure I understand at all what this is supposed to mean. Aren't the strings already touch sensitive?

[zapcosongs]

"1) How about a touch sensitive neck?"


"I am not sure I understand at all what this is supposed to mean. Aren't the strings already touch sensitive?"



I think that basically, the harder (or lighter) you press down, the stronger (or weaker) the signal. While this most obviously (to me) would be useful with respect to controlling volume, there's no reason that the sensitivity couldn't (also) be applied to a variety of one or more effects. - ed

[replyman]

For the "sliding pickup" idea, I still haven't found a current patent that operates similarly. So, still working on that one. The touch sensitive neck idea would be to add emphasis, volume, an effect, etc.

[Elwood]

For the "sliding pickup" idea, I still haven't found a current patent that operates similarly. So, still working on that one.

I imagine you've seen the Westone "Rail"
http://www.westone.info/rail.html

...and I believe Jack Cassidy's Alembic #1 had a sliding pickup:
http://www3.alembic.com/img/hist_jack1.jpg

Here's a better picture but still not that clear as far as how it works:
http://www.alembic.com/club/messages/41 ... 1144935206

[replyman]

I'm still looking... Those are great examples and the Westone Rail looks interesting.

[sirmyghin]

The touch sensitive neck idea would be to add emphasis, volume, an effect, etc.

an odd idea, what of those of us with feather touches Would be tricky not to have bends not drown out other stuff then. I can't say I want more jobs for my left hand to do