Lunch Report For Friday, August 23, 2013

[Boogie Bill]

Well, TGIF, everyone! You made it!

Not sure what I’m having for lunch, but it may turn into one of those days when I have dinner for breakfast, and breakfast for dinner.

We have a little Mexican restaurant near us, just a little hole in the wall, and they have become known for their tamales. We picked up a couple of extras, so pork tamales might be breakfast today, and who knows…dinner might be a bowl of Cheerios! LOL!

Ever get you stomach turned around and have salad for breakfast and pancakes for dinner?

Hey, pizza is good anytime!



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Thought I would touch on amps just a bit today. Don’t want to get too involved, but I’ve noticed over the years that yes, there may be “1,462 gee-tar pickers in Nashville” like in the old song by Lovin’ Spoonful, but that equates to about 2, 942 different ways to get the job done.

I like my Mesa amps—channel-switchers with a great lead tone. These and others like it are very popular these days. Other players prefer single channel amps that feature a great clean tone with lots of headroom—and get their distortion tones from pedals—often using as many as four or five boosts, ODs, distortions, and fuzz boxes on their pedalboard. A third camp prefers a small, low-powered amp that can be turned up to produce overdrive, and then they get their clean tones by simply rolling back their guitar’s volume control. And I suppose there is a fourth group that simply plays clean all the time, like some of the country twangers and the jazz cats.

I’m not so concerned with what specific gear you’re using—though please share if you want to—but what I really want to know is which of these four basic systems do you use most to get your tone?

And here’s the bonus question: how did you arrive at that place? Was it a particular piece of gear that swayed you? Is it a matter of convenience, or finances, or the influence of your favorite guitar god, or….???

What is the logic behind your system?



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Most of us on the board have more than one guitar, and many of us use different strings on the various guitar. For example, I like the Fender Super Bullet 3250L (9-42s) on my G&L guitars with the DF Vibrato. But, when I switch to one of my Les Pauls or 335s, I opt for D’Addario XL strings in 10-46—a simple matter of tension vs. scale length.

I’m playing more leads with the band I have now than I did with the G/G/B/K band I had 15 years ago (and hopefully my playing has gotten better!) Over the years, my setups have changed, string height is definitely lower and I have less relief in the neck.

I do most of my own setups, and what I realized the other day is that I’m using about the same action (string height) on all of my electrics, no matter which string, what gauge, string length, neck profile, etc. The acoustic guitars are a different ball of wax, of course, but within that type—yep, all very, very close.

So how about you? Does your Gretsch play the same as your ASAT? Does your jazz box feel the same as your Comanche? Why, or why not, are they the same?

Who does your setups? Do you use a luthier or tech, or do it yourself? Do you set it exactly, with a ruler, or do you go more by feel?

Have your setup specs changed over the years? Why”

Again, not inquiring so much about the string details or brands—but I want to hear about your logic, your approach to your guitar’s setup.



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I have three G&Ls with birdseye necks, and they are beautiful--two in natural satin, and one with a Gun-Oil Tint. They look like the “before” pics in a ProActive commercial!

A topic of conversation on one of the other forums I read concerns the advantages of the quarter-sawn neck over a flat-sawn neck. My understanding is that G&L offers the option, at extra cost, of a QSN; the birdseye figuring is also as extra cost option. Additionally, G&L shortened the warranty period on the figured necks.

One would think that the QSN would be a stronger neck, less resistant to warp, bow, and twisting.

But, is it necessary on a guitar with a truss rod and 10-46 strings?

If you were to order a new G&L, would you want the strength of the QSN? Is it worth the premium price to you?

Or do you prefer the beauty of the birdseye neck—and warranty be damned?



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Thank you for tuning in this week and reading my posts. I appreciate and respect your comments, and I always learn a lot when I do the Lunch Reports. I hope you did too, or least something made you go, “Ah…!!!”

It really is a special honor to serve you.

So as I ride off into the western sky, singing “Happy Trails To You…”, I’ll leave it to you guys to gently pull the faders down as we segue into Brock’s reports next week.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Bill

[louis cyfer]

i used to do method #2, after i got rid of my mesas, but since i got the two rock custom reverb signature v3, i mostly use method #1. sometimes one pedal to get a slightly broken up tone on the clean channel. the od channel does not require a pedal at all.

i used to use the fender bullets, and curt mangan pure nickels, but now i only use the thomastik infeld power brights, 10-50 on s and t style guitars, and 11-52 on the washburn lp and the 335 dot. a huge difference. i used to do my own setups, and including refretting and level and dressing. until i found a tech that is unbelievable. i don't think 99% guitar players have ever experienced a well setup guitar. the difference is incredible. i am using heavier strings now, gone from 8's to 10's, but about the same action on all the guitars. my specs have changed somewhat, i have a fallaway on the frets from the 16th fret and up, it really makes it buzz or fret out a lot less, even on big bends on 7 1/4" radius necks. it is nt perceptible by the naked eye, but makes a huge difference. i use almost no relief, .002-.004.


qsn necks resist shifting from weather changes, regardless of truss rod and string size. if you travel a lot with your guitar, it will save you a lot of setup and truss rod adjustment. if you stay local, or just play at home, it won't matter much. i stay away from birdseye necks, the flaws and the loss of stability are not worth it. i will pay the upcharge for qsn and stainless frets.

[blargfromouterspace]

Breakfast for dinner is one of my favourite things, especially if there's poached eggs involved.

I like a single channel amp and a decent distortion pedal. Hasn't failed me yet. I would like to get a two-channel amp again, but it would have to be perfect to usurp the current setup.

I have different setups on my guitars - I keep it pretty low on the Classics, it feels right for that type of guitar. The Jr feels better with a slightly higher action, as does the SC2.

I went for a quarter-sawn neck on my LB100, my Bluesboy and Jr also have quarter-sawn necks, and they're very solid feeling compared to the others, not that the others are flimsy. I have no doubts that on a standard guitar that a regular flat-sawn neck is fine. Was it worth it on the bass? Time will tell. It wasn't a huge premium and I was happy to pay it.

Great week as usual, Bill!

[darwinohm]

Good questions this week Bill, greatly enjoyed your reports. Lunch for me is also unknown but it will shake out soon.


What is the logic behind your system?

I love clean and have owned several amps over the years. The one I just got is going to be a favorite no doubt. I am just deciding between the Big Ben or the JBL. As a gigging bass player, I think that headroom is important for bass to really get it all out there.


Who does your setups? Do you use a luthier or tech, or do it yourself? Do you set it exactly, with a ruler, or do you go more by feel?
Have your setup specs changed over the years? Why”

I do my own setups. I like low action, very little relief and all my guitars are set up pretty much the same. They also play very well for me. I do adjust the neck relief frequently (as I use them) and am a soft picker. As for strings, I have used D'Adarrios for some time 10-46. I have some Teles that have 9-42. I used Fender bullets for quite a while and have
experimented with Ernie Ball but they seemed to have a shorter life. I usually but 10 packs at a time so I probably go through 30 to 40 sets a year. I like to change the guitars I don't play much once a year.


If you were to order a new G&L, would you want the strength of the QSN? Is it worth the premium price to you?
Or do you prefer the beauty of the birdseye neck—and warranty be damned?

I would probably order a quarter sawn neck. I think overall they are more stable. I have a BE which will be clear coated next week to bring out the grain. I do like stainless frets and I have to say that of all my guitars, my Parker Southern seems to have the most stable neck and it is spectacular to play with the ss frets. I love the looks of a BE neck but would I pay the upcharge? Probably not but the QS is a given considering the upcharge is minimal. Thanks Bill and staying tuned for Brock! -- Darwin

[Ldavaz]

Good job this week!

Amps:

I primarily play clean and loud through a Roccaforte and a Fender amp, but play out with an old Mesa Mark III pre-set using the guitar controls to adjust volume and tone. I only occasionally use a Barber Tone Press on the lead channel of the Mesa and no other pedals, though I have bought, tried and sold them all. Whatever it is you are trying to do with sound, there is an amp for that. Pedals sound like pedals to me. Speakers/cabs are the next frontier for me, and I wish it were easier to find what you're looking for with those.

Strings/setup

I use the D'A xl's 10-46 on all my guitars and set them up myself exactly the same. When it's time to dress the frets, I take it to the luthier, but I always copied the luthier's setup, so no difference. It is surprising how many people with lots of nice guitars never set them up.

I am also surprised that neck dynamics would make any noticeable difference and have never thought about the last question.

[KenC]

It's been a great week Bill!

We do "breakfast for dinner" quite a bit, usually pancakes, waffles or grits.

For guitar tone I'm pretty simple most of the time: a G&L into a Fender tube combo. The Blues Junior can give me some crunch at low volumes, but the Bassman Ten needs a pedal to get anything other than sparkly clean. I always have some reverb dialed in on the Blues Junior, but the Bassman may get an analog delay on the shortest setting. I will often throw a Moogerfooger Ring Mod in front of these amps to get some subtle tremolo.

I go straight to the amp with my bass most of the time. The Bassman Ten sounds wonderful once it reaches halfway on volume. Depending on the bass and how much time I want to spend setting up, I may run through a good compressor and a Moogerfooger Lowpass Filter to smooth the signal out and thicken the sound. The strings are really what I count on for tone with basses, and I continue to experiment with different brands and wrappings.

I do use other pedals with the bass if I'm in the right mood (especially filters and auto-wahs). I've also been on the hunt for a decent bass overdrive that could let me approximate the sound of being pushed when it's turned down. That is probably the hardest pedal to find, IMO. There are plenty of bass distortion pedals out there - including two or three that actually sound good - but nothing I've found so far that can do light overdrive without completely losing the bottom end.

As I've posted before, I arrived at my Bassman Ten by pure chance. The summer when I was 17 I saved up $400 working construction, and spent in on a mid-70s Strat and a Peavey amp. The Strat didn't sound good through that amp, so after a couple of months I went back to the store and asked what they had in the way of bass amps. I traded the Strat and Peavey for the Bassman Ten on the spot, and have never looked back. That's been thirty years now...

I do my own setups. I rely on feel and sound more than any tools, although I sometimes use picks as feeler gauges. Most of my instruments feel about the same to me in terms of the setups. I haven't changed specs over time, but I do think I've gotten better achieving what I'm after. With all the practice I get, I should be getting better!

I have one G&L with very heavy birdseye in the neck. It's a blonde '98 ASAT Classic with a satin neck, which is now pretty smooth and glossy. Whenever I buy a new G&L, I will absolutely pay extra for a QS neck. That won't be so much for durability as for looks. If flamed maple was an option, I would pay for that. I figure a QS neck upgrade would give me the best chance of getting flame.

I don't think there is anything inherently weak or unstable with flatsawn necks. This one is flatsawn, and has been going strong since July 14, 1980:





Ken