The place to discuss, post photos, video, and audio of the G&L products (US instruments, stomp boxes, etc.) produced after 1991, including the amps & gear we use with them.
It has been very quiet on the forum and I have been doing my fall tweaking of truss rods and waxing.
This is what a guy my age lives for. Being able to look at these works of art. I did check my 88 Fender Strat Plus and this guitar is amazing for its age, truly collector quality. Not a mark on it, no fret wear and like the day it was shipped. A document of time.
I also checked the truss rods on most of them and as true to form, the Rosewood fretboard necks needed more adjustment than the Maple fretboards. This time of the year in Minnesota the fretboards have reached the maximum bow and will start to flatten out again and by March will reach maximum flatness. This is a yearly cycle and as predictable as the seasons of the year. They are oiled with lemon oil and all polished and Ginny is happy as there is now no dust.
But, here is what's compelling. When looking at all of them close up, the G&Ls really stand out. I sometimes forget how beautiful the wood grains are. I only have Three with solid paint and the rest are transparent with swamp ash bodies. The exception being the F-100 Return with the Mahogany body and Maple Cap, a whole new level. Boy, are they awesome! There isn't a flawed one in the bunch. I know that some of you have a difference of opinion but the builds since 2007 are awesome. My recent Suhr is a quality guitar but it doesn't have the wow factor of my G&Ls. I recently figured out that I have twelve different brands and I love them all, but the G&Ls rule and the bonus is that they really play too boot! Think I will have another cold one on that!!!!
I picture myself having this day to day routine by the time I get retired.
You know, playing guitar, buying and selling a few, keeping the collection in shape, taking the motorcycle for a spin (not a Goldwing, but my BMW, there we differ), having all the time in the world. I love traveling through Europe on that thing. I am happy right now, but it's always nice to have something to look forward to. As long as we stay healthy, we'll get there.
And yes, I agree about G&L today. They are at the top of there game right now.
Good stuff. G&L is highly enjoyable. The tone is amazing and the neck and body feels just right to me. I have an Ibanez guitar which I am about to sell and it is also well crafted but the neck just does not do it for me. I used to think that Ibanez solid body guitars were it for me but after messing around with G&L, I became a convert.
By the way, I need to learn how to adjust the truss rod. I can't even tell if it needs adjusting or not. It seems alright but maybe I am not looking at the right spot perhaps. This is something that I need to work on for my future G&L guitars. (Yes I plan on buying a couple more in the future)
Jos, I would love it if you could join me for some!
Ribsspare, I use a StewMac straight edge and measure the clearance at the 7th fret. That is the precise way of doing that and I check it before a gig. Easy to do and you will be surprised at how well it works.-- Darwin
I couldn't agree more..I just recently acquired a 2011 ASAT Special..IT RAWKS!! I bend like crazy especially on the upper frets, and all she does is scream like crazy and always stay in tune..Plus she's a beauty!! What more can a guitar player ask for?
Sorry, not Darwin here, but hopefully some use!
Darwin's seasonal tweaking is my favourite part of guitar maintenance.
I agree how very well made G&L's are by comparison, and my WR neck is extremely stable.
I run my necks fairly straight; using the string as a straightedge (capo 1st, fret last, measure 7th or 8th) I measure a small relief of about .005" - and capo'd at first fret, action is 2mm across the board at the 17th (perhaps a whisker less at the treble side). This is with .010 - .049. I find I need the 2mm up top to speak clearly (I do most things with fingers rather than pick, and can maybe be a bit forceful), but if I do a setup for the 2mm, that has more bow down below, all is not clear up at the top end. Also, I find my relief setup is just right for clarity down below; less is no good, but more is not needed.
I eventually made myself do the adjustment until I felt comfortable all over the neck, and only then take the feeler measurement, not the other way around. But now, of course, it's helpful to have the number in order to set up easily. I do fancy Darwin's straightedge tool.
All really personal stuff, I believe, and nice, like a well-adjusted chain on your bike....
That's a very small relief indeed. Interesting. I just checked, and I have at least the double, ,010" or more... I will experiment with a straighter neck later today.
I use the string as a straightedge as well, but perhaps I'll order a real fancy straightedge.
Well-adjusted as a chain on my bike it won't be, because it has a shaft drive (no more dirty hands!) But I know what you mean.
You're going to raise all the saddles too, presumably, to restore the action height? Otherwise it will obviously be horrible.
Before you dive into all this because of something I posted, please be sure you have all the action measurements too in case you want to retrace your steps...
Setup changes are so interactive! Please log those 17th fret action heights first, so you can reset to it regardless of the truss / relief setting.
Also, my wound strings are 28 / 38 / 49, and I'm sure my setup won't work with anything lighter.
Ivo, I like .004 to .005 relieif. With the relief that low you have to set it occasionally as the seasons change.If a person were to have it set once a year in this climate I would set it to .008 in Aug/Sept and it would be okay year around as you have maximum bow during that time and by Jan/Feb it has leveled out maximum for the year. I set the high E to .045 to .050 at the 12 th fret and the low E at .060. I have to shim some of the necks to get that so the saddles don't bottom out. At those settings, they really play sweet for a light picker.-- Darwin
Ok, I brought the relief down to .005 and adjusted the saddles to .050 at the 12th.
Intonation was still perfect.
This is a very nice setup, I don't know why I used the double refief. I will see what it does during the seasons.
Nick uses a slightly higher action, with his 2mm at the 17th, but he's a heavy picker. I'm doing all kinds of picking, sometimes very soft, but I can violate the strings sometimes using my fingers, when I really want some power. We'll see how this holds.
But I know what you mean. 