While six string guitars have been the standard in both electric and acoustic guitar for decades, we have seen some interesting options made available over the years. A few notables include the Rich Bich ten string designed by Neal Moser, and the seven string electrics that became very popular several years ago. While none of these options have made inroads at throwing the king six string off the top of the hill, they have gained notoriety in niche musical markets. I would be remiss not to mention the experiments by many companies over the years in making one off models with extremely innovative and even bizarre string combinations.
I recently witnessed one of the most interesting string combinations for acoustic guitars that I have seen to date. This guitar is one of several 35th Anniversary models offered by Taylor Guitars, and boasts a nine string combination. This Limited Edition guitar is simply called the "XXXV 9-String". A "Grand Symphony" body with a Sitka Spruce top, Mahogany back and sides, and Indian Rosewood binding make this guitar a visual treat while balancing the tone and clarity to perfection which can be heard through the Taylor exclusive Expression System® pickup. The 35th Anniversary fretboard inlay adds a touch of class and lets everyone know you are playing a very special guitar.
Where this guitar really stands out from all others can be seen on the headstock where you will notice a slightly larger size to accommodate nine tuning keys. The string setup is as follows. Both the high and low "E" strings as well as the "A" string are single. The "D' and "G" strings are doubled an octave apart, and the "B" string is simply doubled. This setup adds a rich full sound to the mid range while maintaining the tonal stability without getting to deep in the lows, or too trebly on the high end. It is a well thought out setup where Taylor's quest for great sound remains at the forefront.
I have seen a nine string setup used before, mostly in the Nashville country scene, but the setup I have seen the most is a twelve string guitar strung with only nine strings. At times I have heard the nine string setup where the high "E" is doubled, and the "D" string is single, but in this configuration, I have always felt the sound was somewhat lopsided on the treble side. Even with the amount of instruments I have seen in my job at GuitarGearHeads.com, this is the first guitar that I have seen that is built specifically for nine string use, although I am sure they have been on the market before. I would love to hear from anyone who has the opportunity to play one of these special Limited Edition Taylors. I am willing to bet it sounds as good as it looks.
Like the twelve string, a guitar like this will end up for most players as a staple to add texture and dimension to a few songs in their repertoire. It will most likely not be an everyday, every song guitar, although there always seems to be a few players who can successfully define their sound based solely on a guitar like the XXXV 9-String.
Recently I received a set of Boxwood bridge pins from Planet Waves. This was perfect timing since I recently broke a bridge pin on my "Greg Bennett Rio Grande". I had a spare to use for the interim, but it was black in color while the originals were white. While it worked, it just didn't look right. I also had the problem with the old pins in that some sat very low against the bridge and were wedged very tight in the pin holes while others stuck out to much giving the bridge an overall sloppy finish.
The set of wooden bridge pins from Planet Waves consists of seven bridge pins and a single strap pin for the bottom of the guitar. The bridge pins are fairly standard and should fit just about any guitar. The addition of an extra pin shows the consideration Planet Waves show for the guitar player. You get one extra in case you break or loose one, or for the rare case that you may have a seven string acoustic. The addition of a strap pin makes sure that your guitar has an all around consistent look.
I started by removing the strings and old bridge pins from the Rio Grande. This became more of a task than I anticipated since some of the pins were so tightly wedged. I broke the heads on a few trying to get them out, and ultimately ended up scratching the bridge as can be seen in the final picture. This was partly from not having the proper pin pulling tool, and partly because I was getting frustrated. The scratches however do not look as prominent on the actual guitar as they seem in the picture. To avoid my careless mistake, I recommend that you protect the bridge wood with a cloth and make sure to have a quality bridge pin puller on hand.
Before Picture
Once I had polished the guitar and conditioned the fretboard and bridge with lemon oil, I installed the new wooden bridge pins with a set of D'Addario EXP coated strings. The pins went in easily but establish a firm fit. They also set on the bridge in an even consistent manner giving a very professional finish to the look of the bridge area. I really like the small offset ridge on the bottom of the pin head that makes it easier to pull these pins without marring the finish, although you should still be cautious and protect the bridge wood. On the Rio Grande, I had to opt out of using the strap pin because of the plug jack in the end of the existing strap pin. I saved it for future use along with the spare bridge pin.
After Picture
Since the Rio Grande is a beautiful guitar that consists of all wood construction including the inlayed ovangkol pick guard, the addition of wood bridge pins really complimented the overall look of the guitar itself. Wood being a natural product resonates better than plastic, so the use of wood for bridge pins makes sense not only in the look, but in the tonal aspects. I did notice an improvement in the sound of the guitar, although not hugely significant. Any advancement however is welcome when it comes to tone. This is a simple yet effective way to affordably upgrade your acoustic guitar. Check out these bridge pins at http://store.daddario.com/category/148546/BridgeEnd_Pins
Carved top guitars have always held a special place for me. There is just something about the contours of the top that give a guitar a classier look. That is not to say that guitars that are not carved tops don't appeal to me. In fact some of my favorite guitars for sound and pure playability are G&L ASAT models from both the US and Tribute series. What a great guitar it would be if I could just own the ASAT sound and playability with the classy look of a carved top body! Now that would put a smile on my face!
That is exactly what happened at the 2009 Winter NAMM show when we walked into the G&L booth. Hanging on the wall were a few new G&L Tribute models due to be released this year. The guitar that called my name was the "ASAT Special Deluxe Carved Top". A beautiful flame maple top that is available in two finishes (3-Tone Sunburst and Clear Gloss). Both are equally awesome in their visual appeal. Also available in the carved top models are the "L-2000 Carved Top" bass (available in 3-Tone Sunburst with Maple Fretboard and Clear Gloss with Rosewood Fingerboard), and the "L-2500 Carved Top" in Clear Gloss with Rosewood Fingerboard and Satin neck finish.
Something that kind of stood out to me is the fact that G&L Tribute Series guitars have to my knowledge always been copied off of the specs of their US model line. This is the first time that I know of that a G&L model has been introduced directly through the Tribute Series. If these guitars take off the way I think they will, I would look for them to be available in the US Line in the future with far more finish and custom options. They certainly got my attention, and I can't wait to see if I can get one for review in the near future. I just may have a new all time favorite guitar.
So, I open my e-mail today and see this sweet looking reissue of the 1962 Wilson. It’s got a Mahogany body and soapbar P90″s. Unfortunately, from the MSRP this little lovely looks like she’ll set you back a few greenbacks!
Check out Epiphone’s page on this beauty for the details!
So, I get the new Musicians Friend catalog - and as usual save it for later when I’m barbecuing on my deck with a cold brew. I mean what is better than new gear freshness and the smell of cooking meat over an open flame?
In this edition there wasn’t anything amazingly new - but something caught my eye that I had not seen before. The 5th Avenue Series by Godin. Apparently, the series just won Guitar Player Reader’s Choice award. Even better…it only has a street price of $699! That’s fantastic.
I have never been a real fan of guitars that are built to look like they have seen many years of abuse. Fender's Custom Shop Relic series has been around for awhile now, and at the NAMM Show they introduced their Road Worn Series which allows players with a more modest budget to own one of these time tested looking guitars. I had the chance to look at these guitars at the show in January, and I will admit that I can see the appeal of these guitars for a player who likes this style. My personal opinion however is that if I am going to have a beat up guitar, it is going to look that way through real aging and playing.
With this in mind, I would like to share an experience I had at the G&L booth during the same show. We stopped in to see our friends at G&L and look at their new offerings for 2009. While we were waiting, we decided to look around at the guitars on the wall. Each guitar had a tag next to it with model name and other relevant information. Every so often however was a guitar or bass which looked like a very aged classic, but these guitars did not have a model number tag or any other information. As we were looking at these guitars, I figured that G&L had pulled out some real and true classic guitars from the past and had peppered them throughout their booth a look back at the history of their guitars. I remember thinking that this seemed like a very nice touch, but never did it occur to me that these weathered looking guitars could possibly be a brand new model set that was being introduced as the "Rustic Series" by G&L guitars. I would soon find out that this was exactly what these guitars were.
After finding this out, I took a closer visual inspection of these guitars, and in all truth, these guitars are unbelievable in their attention to every last detail. The hardware has been tarnished so well that it leaves you believing that it must be very old. The wood showing where paint had been rubbed off looks incredibly aged making you think that the paint must have rubbed off years ago exposing the raw wood to the elements. The Rustic Series truly look like museum pieces that belong behind glass in a guitar hall of fame.
Later in the day while at the Fender booth, I took another look at their Road Worn and Relic series. While I will admit that Fender also did a good job on their guitars, and I give them credit for coming up with the original idea of a worn guitar look, I just do not find them quite as convincing as the guitars G&L is putting out. In truth, the Rustic Series had me actually thinking that I might like to have one of these worn guitars in my collection. To date, these are the most real looking of the used and abused looking guitars I have seen to date, and I really don't think anyone is going to be able to do better then this.
I would later learn that the reason these guitars did not have tags with model number and information was because they were a last minute addition to the booth, and tags were not made because they originally were not going to be there. This actually worked in the favor of G&L since the lack of this information is the key that fooled me.
If you’ve ever used a guitar tablature program to transcribe anything - you know how tedious it is.
I’ve always wanted to be able to just play and have the notes automatically be interpreted and noted, requiring only tweaks from me to correct mistakes, etc. What’s also cool is to be able to emulate ANOTHER instrument through VSTI (like Bass, Cello, Saxiphone, Clarinet, Banjo, Mandolin, etc.).
Advances in software have made this possible if you owned a MIDI capable guitar like one of the Godin’s or Gibsons with this ability - or a guitar retrofitted with HEX pickups. However, what I really want is to be able to play ANY guitar (read that as “not having to buy another guitar just for MIDI”). I’m sure there are other solutions out there, but I noticed a cool little device from Sonuus - distributed by Peterson Strobe Tuners - that is a Universal Guitar-to-MIDI Converter.
I have to admit - as long as it has good accuracy this may be just what I’m looking for:
On February 7th, 2009, Clarence "Leo" Fender received the Technical Grammy® Award for his at a special invitation only award ceremony. The award was accepted by Leo's wife Phyllis Fender. I had the great opportunity to sit down with Phyllis for an interview at the 2008 winter NAM show to talk about Leo Fender. During this interview, I wanted to focus on Leo the man rather than Leo the guitar builder. Phyllis gave me some amazing insight into Leo's life, which included a very humble man who never understood what all the fuss was about. According to Phyllis, he could be found in the factory sweeping floors and working right alongside his employees. He was a man who understood that his success was based on the work of many people and not just himself.
G&L’s Fullerton Staff
On April 17th, the G&L factory held a special lunch for the employees to celebrate his Technical Grammy®. This was a great opportunity for all who continue Leo's legacy to share in this incredible and very deserving award. Among those who attended were Phyllis Fender (Honorary Chairman of G&L Guitars), and Dave McLaren (Vice President of BBE Sound, Inc, and G&L Guitars). The Grammy Award is in the hands of G&L Guitars for a short time before it is to be turned over to the Fullerton museum. According to Chris Locke of BBE Sound, Inc., "It is our belief that Leo would have wanted the staff to enjoy the award, as it was just as much a part of their efforts as his own".
Furthermore, at the 2009 Winter NAMM show, G&L Guitars worked with Phyllis Fender to unveiled two limited edition guitars to celebrate what would have been Leo Fenders 100th birthday. The "C.L.F. Centennial ASAT" guitar, and the "C.F.L. Centennial L-2000" bass strike a perfect balance between vintage and modern, with features that tell the history of design for G&L Guitars.
Both Centennial models will feature a custom pearl white blonde finish call "Sentimental Blonde, which is complemented by black hardware. These guitars incorporate many of the most coveted aspects of Leo's early G&L instruments including the Heritage "C" shape neck profile with 7.5 inch radius, and the "Magnetic Field Design" pickups that have been skillfully hand wound with NOS 42 gauge plain enamel wire.
These guitars were on display at the 2009 Winter NAMM show, and we had the opportunity to get a first hand look at both models. The contrast of the black hardware on the Sentimental Blonde body immediately caught my eye as we walked into the G&L Booth. They will be available in a limited run of 50 guitars in each style, and shipping of these instruments is estimated to begin in June of 2009. I am sure they will go fast.
In closing, I would like to point out that I have seen many companies that are so focused on the current economic conditions; they forget to celebrate their current achievements. In my humble opinion, there is no time more important for a company to recognize and share these important accomplishments with this employees and customers. Once again G&L Guitars shows they are a first class company by sharing their milestones with their employees and their customers. www.glguitars.com
One of the great benefits of the NAMM show is the opportunity to see not only new products from well known companies, but also the chance to meet people who are just beginning to make a name in the industry with a new company. In January I had the pleasure of meeting Larry Post who was showing his brand new product at the GuitarGuard(TM) booth. Larry is the CPO (Chief Protection Officer) at GuitarGuard(TM), and his product is an eco friendly sleeve for your guitar which protects the finish. Larry was very excited and passionate about his product, so he gave me a sample to take home and test out.
The GuitarGuard(TM) product is a very durable sleeve that fits over the back and upper bout of a Strat® of Les Paul® style guitar body. Larry told me that other body styles will be available in the future, but for now these two are the only ones available. This skin protects the finish on your prized or coveted guitar from the scratches and abrasions that can happen with constant use. The fabric used on the GuitarGuard(TM) is extremely durable, and is billed as being waterproof, scratch proof, and dent proof, as well as gig proof. The material reminds me of the substance used in wetsuits. There are holes in the skin for the strap pins, and this holds the GuitarGuard(TM) in place so that it will not slip or come off while you are playing.
I received the Strat® style GuitarGuard(TM), and decided to put it on my G&L S-500. I noticed right away that the skin was very tight on this guitar, but the body is a little thicker and heavier than most Fender Strat® models. It did fit, but was a little harder to put on than I expected. I decided to try it on my American Deluxe Stratocaster® and the results were a much better fit and ease of installation. The GuitarGuard(TM) conforms to the shape of the body including the contours on most guitars. With the skin on, the Fender still fit in the molded case, although it was much tighter, however, the G&L did not quite want to fit in the case with the GuitarGuard(TM) installed.
For the most part, the front of the guitar remains uncovered, and access to all of the playing surfaces and controls remain easily accessible. My biggest concern however was whether the GuitarGuard(TM) was going to affect the resonance of the instrument itself. Surprisingly, I could not discern any affect on the overall sound of the guitar. This is pretty incredible for something that seems like it could have a smothering affect on the guitars body.
My assessment of this product is for the most part very positive although I feel I would be remiss to not mention two minor details. First off, the fat that it is a relatively tight fit on some models. Secondly, because the GuitarGuard(TM) takes some space on your strap pin, it is hard to attach straps that have thicker fabric or leather at the strap holes. This can easily be overcome if you use the Dulop Straploc® system which I highly recommend anyway. I would have to say that the GuitarGuard(TM) is a great product for anyone who wants to preserve the condition of their guitar while still being unafraid to take it to a gig. www.guitarguard.net
Strat®, Stratocaster®, Les Paul®, and Straploc® are Registered Trademarks of their respective owners and are not affiliated with GuitarGuard(TM).
As many of you may remember, my last (and best) guitar purchase was a deal I got on eBay for a sweet 24-fret Les Paul DC Standard. I got this baby for a grand straight up, and it came in perfect condition. To date, it is still my favorite guitar (although it shares considerable time with my G&L ASAT Semi-hollowbody with Seymour Duncans!).
The only trouble is that it came in a beat up case (not in the “beat up vintage” sort of way, more like the “beat up crappy” sort of way). I’ve lived with it for awhile, but ultimately decided that my baby really deserved to ride around in a bit more style.
I looked a number of options, including a used Gibson case on eBay - but ultimately decided to go with a case from Gator Cases. Looking all around, I just decided it was the best deal in terms of quality and visual appeal. It even included the old style “flamingo” color interior!
Funny thing now is - I’ve actually had a more compliments about the case lately than the guitar…which boggles my mind, but at least it validates my decision!
