That's awesome. My 7 year old has just gotten into playing bass in a big way. I gave him a 70s Japanese bass with a 24" scale (a bass, not a tenor!) for Christmas. I intended it more for learning to care for an instrument than for learning to play. He was frustrated to the point of tears last week over not being able to fret notes cleanly, so we sold it back to the store and picked up an old Fender Musicmaster that had been refinished (and priced to match). He has a couple of songs down already - "Tracks of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson and "Gates of Steel" by Devo - and has been plugging away at Bob Marley's "Stir it Up". I have to say I enjoy listening to him just as much as I enjoy playing.Philby wrote: My 7 y.o. is becoming an avid photographer of birds and cars, so recently we've started going out looking for stuff to photograph on the weekend. That's been a lot of fun.
. It's still a wonderful guitar though, maybe is it a matter of niche as said by Boogie Bill.
Philby wrote:S-500. And the output is strangely low, yet most reviews comment on how hot the output is.
Thanks Nick. That was interesting.NickHorne wrote:I did once measure the field strength of my WR's Z-coils, with a Hall-effect probe.
I measured at 2, 3 and 4mm from the tops of the poles, and the results were virtually identical to the same measurements taken on the Lindy Fralin blues specials in my strat, both for field strength and for change-with-distance.
This suggests that, as far as the strings are concerned, MFD's look much like Alnico5 Fenders.
And also explains why I like my Z-coils set up similar to a strat, distance-wise, otherwise I get a bit of a loss of sustain (stratitis). I've also taken to backing the middle pup off a long way; I don't much like a middle pup on its own, and only use it in combination. I've found this improves the lifetime of notes even further, and also feels better for picking.
The "Hot" rep of MFD's may come from the extended top and low responses, and the way that they're more efficient at generating juice from the strings' movement and have less losses.
I use the tone pot on my G&L pups! I use its whole range, not just the ends like on most other guitars.
Well worth the re-learning time; great pups and guitars.
Thanks for chiming in Meow and Nick. Nick, your observations mirror my own. The small MFD's are no hotter in terms of output than any of my other vintage style S-type pickups. In fact, they may be slightly lower when adjusted to the same heights above the pickguard as a normal S-type p'up. As Meow said, the reputation for being hot may have come from the powerful ceramic magnets used. But coupled with far fewer turns of wire, the overall output is about the same as a vintage p'up, though with much less noise and enhanced highs and lows.meowmix wrote:Thanks Nick. That was interesting.NickHorne wrote:I did once measure the field strength of my WR's Z-coils, with a Hall-effect probe.
I measured at 2, 3 and 4mm from the tops of the poles, and the results were virtually identical to the same measurements taken on the Lindy Fralin blues specials in my strat, both for field strength and for change-with-distance.
This suggests that, as far as the strings are concerned, MFD's look much like Alnico5 Fenders.
And also explains why I like my Z-coils set up similar to a strat, distance-wise, otherwise I get a bit of a loss of sustain (stratitis). I've also taken to backing the middle pup off a long way; I don't much like a middle pup on its own, and only use it in combination. I've found this improves the lifetime of notes even further, and also feels better for picking.
The "Hot" rep of MFD's may come from the extended top and low responses, and the way that they're more efficient at generating juice from the strings' movement and have less losses.
I use the tone pot on my G&L pups! I use its whole range, not just the ends like on most other guitars.
Well worth the re-learning time; great pups and guitars.
What about the Rune Stone, Darwin!!??? - eddarwinohm wrote:Gdub, missed this last night. Favorite G&L? I like all of them but my main go to in the mornings is my Classic S. Always unplugged which is what I mostly do at home. I am amazed at how many T type players that will not play a S type because of the center pickup. It is in the way for many players. It doesn't bother me but it is a show stopper for many. Plugged in I am a fan of the new alnicos. They are just plain good vintage sound. It is interesting that Jos mentioned his least favorite was the special build Hog Bluesboy. I had one and it was also my least fave. It is hard to expaline why, but I just couldn't connect with it. The neck never felt good and I have never had a G&L neck that I didn't like. I have U, V and different necks and like all of them. I must admit that I have played plugged in very little since I sold my Custom 15. I really miss it. I going to look at a 77 Fender Vibrasonic tomorrow morning and if it is what it appears to be, It may be the ticket to my fix. I miss that super clean tone from the Custom 15.
Passions?, Music has always been my passion but I seem to have a passion for everything I do. I just enjoy everything. had lunch yesterday with a several friends I hung around with in the 60's, all successful guys in their lives and no one would have predicted that in the 60,s. was gigging and these guys were following us around and all that we thought about was fun! I guess I just had a passion for life. I also found out that the lead player from our original band passed away last weekend. I talked to him 3 weeks ago and he wasn't doing well. Anyway, I still have that passion for life. You can't beat it! Thanks for stepping in Gdub, I miss the lunch reports when they are not done.-- Darwin
Yeah, a cold one or three. Probably overdue! - eddarwinohm wrote:Sorry Ed, I didn't mention that and didn't realize that it is a passion but it is. I just had lunch with 3 other researchers yesterday and it was a blast! Maybe it is time for a cold one! Glad to see you checking in Ed!-- Darwin