Yeah, I hate that ringing even if the pickups are not hearing it so a higher action is better to my ears among other things.


He picked it up acted like he was about to play it and said it had a slight bow. Nothing that can't be fixed.


Oh, I did ask them about the 10-20cents towards sharp (I did manage to get them flat to 4 or 5 cents sharp though) and I was asked if that was by ear. I said no it was by tuner and they all, almost in unison, said that was bad. They all said you need to go by what you hear more than the tuner due to pressing of the strings etc... (like you said but I already knew anyways). What I did tell them is when the F and G (1/3 fret 6th string) sound odd the tuner will say they are odd and the E string has gone and gotten out of tune again. Happens on the A a little as well but that low E is causing me fits.


Hopefully the tech can get it all working and around 2 my time (he is only there until 3 (10-3 M-F) I will pick it up in better than new condition.


See where I originally had the tech set it up was in a VERY loud and busy place and in 15 mins he had it done but this guy will take his time.


Oh, I asked about the springs and he said I don't need 5 since the bridge was flat on the body and he could go back to 2 if I wanted so it would float a little backwards as well and I said no. He said having it the way it is now allows it to stay in tune a little better and I know that for 100%. When it had only 2 and I switched up to hybrid strings you could not intonate low E. The saddle was as far in as you could go and the bridge was screwed down as far as the 2 screws would allow (inside the body) so no way. Way too much headache there so the guy said he would leave the 3 on it then.

 

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I don't actually use a tuner (Well, very rarely - I received one as a gift several years ago after never owning one in the past. I don't know if that was a generous present or a hint...). I just never bothered buying a tuner when I first started playing (I couldn't afford one) so I had to make due without and got along fine ever since. What I learned after doing it on my own without a tuner is what those people in the guitar shop were talking about - it's not such a good idea to tune an open string (not fretted) in relation to a fretted string as it is very difficult to get the two to be perfect. using open strings is much more reliable.


There are two ways that I tune open strings, actually one or the other or a combination depending on the guitar and how much noise is around me.


My preference is to tune in fourths: For example, I pick the open low E string immediately followed (but not at the same time like a double stop) with the A string. I listen to how the strings vibrate - if there is wavering, one of them is out of tune. Since I tune low to high, I adjust the A string in that situation until the wavering stops (it will slow down the closer you get to having the two strings in tune with each other). Working up to the A and D then the D and G leaves you stopped at the B string which is not tuned to a fourth above the G. For this, I then go and play the 5th fret harmonic of the low E string and tune the high E string to that and then I go and tune the B string a fourth down from the high E string. Lastly, fret the fourth fret of the G string to compare it to the B and I may have to go and readjust from there (usually, I'm off on the G from the D or the high E from the low E); that G and B comparison is how I can tell if I got the whole thing right or not.


Using harmonic are another way to tune if you don't like working in fourths but still want to tune using open strings. Start by playing a harmonic on the low E string at the fifth fret and play the 7th fret harmonic on the A string; the notes should be the same and, again, the wavering will slow down and eventually stop the closer the two strings are to being in tune with each other. The rest of it goes like the tuning to fourths where you continue to the G string then work out the high E to the low E using the harmonic and so forth.


Tuners are great though (when I remember to put a battery in mine). They do make tuning much quicker and easier and I find the easiest way is to, once again, tune using open strings without fretting. One of these days, I'll need to buy a bypass box that switches in my tuner so I don't have to unplug the guitar from the rest of the mess just to tune up with it.


Different guitars can be more or less difficult to tune as well. I find Fenders to be more difficult than Gibsons due to the how close the tuners are together (I sometimes bump adjacent tuners) and the gear ratio. My Telecaster with it's imperfect intonation is the most challenging; I could have the 6 saddle modern bridge that came with it as an option installed, but I like the old style bridge that came on it from the factory and it's a part of it's charm; besides, it never bothered Keith Richards.


I would definitely stick with the three springs; two is too light and five would probably be entirely too stiff.


A good, professional setup can make a world of a difference on a guitar. I *try* to take mine in once a year to have it done right and don't often mess with them myself in between. Sometimes I don't even realize that they needed the work done until I get them back and it's like "Wow!"

 

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Well, being a computer tech guy at heart (hey imma guy and I do love gadgets so what can I say, heheh) I use the tuner as my God but being told I am worshiping a false God does make me a bit edgy.


My old friend who is now completely blind did it like you are talking about when tuning but as I have read you are just making sure you are intune with yourself not with the outside world. They say to use the tuner if you do a gig so I bet you would tune one string and have it in tune then do the rest based on that one string. Seems that would be the best combo.


Here is the guitar I have and in 2 or 3 years of playing I will surely upgrade.

 

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Damn! I had this long post with links and everything but wasn't logged in!


Yes, I tune by ear when I just want to get the guitar itself in tune. When I was playing with other musicians and didn't have a tuner, I would get a note from one of them (preferably a low E or A) then tune from there then check the note with them again after I was done.


I do believe that a tuner is the best and most efficient way to tune and I don't use mine very often out of pure laziness and simply not needing to be perfectly in tune with anything else. An exception to this is if I am learning a song from a CD where perhaps the band wasn't tuned perfectly with a tuner or they are tuned down a half or whole step or whatever so I tune as best as I can to the CD. An alternate method would be to use software, but I prefer to listen to music over my stereo for learning songs. Though, with a tuner, the same principle applies as if tuning by ear - tune using open strings. Guitar tuners are set up to do that and, while I'm no expert on tuners, ever one I've seen that is specifically for guitar has readings for EADGBE.


That Squier should be good for you for a while; while it's not a higher end Fender guitar, they don't put out junk and those guitars are certainly good for the money. Later on when you decide you want something else, you'll be faced with a disease and want everything under the sun. And then, of course, there are amps and pedals...


I've finally settled most of my guitar appetite over the past couple of years now that can and currently own a Gibson Les Paul Custom, Gibson SG Junior (like the old style ones, not the nasty looking ones they're selling now), a Fender 52 resissue Telecaster, a Fender 57 reissue Stratocaster (sunburst finish) and a Reverend Slingshot. I also have some of my older guitars which I can't seem to part with even though I rarely take them out of their cases.

 

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Well that sucks.


I have a V-Amp2 (much love for this thing OMG it freaking rocks) and a 25W Fender Amp (25R as I don't care much for the newer ones with digital everything). When I know more and can play better I might get a tube amp as I just love the sound.


As far as Guitars go I dunno as I am in a quandary. See I love humbuckers but Fender is not known for Humbuckers (why I was shocked and bought this squire strat) Les Paul is. So, I might actually be heading to Les Paul/Gibson land when I know more.


As I was writing this reply I received the phone call from the tech. OMG he did a tremendous amount of work.


He had to file the nut down (I had a feeling about this part). He had to shim the neck (UGH). He had to titghten the winding posts (WTH?) and he reset intonation.


Off to go check this baby out now as he said it plays 100% perfect now and he spent almost an hour on it so it should. He said the action is perfect now and he said the nut is why the sharp was happening because (factory mind you like the shim in the arm) the strings were so high up at the nut that I was having to bend them just to get them to the fret so there is why I was 20 cent off.

 

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I've never checked out any of the modeling devices but they're supposed to be pretty impressive.


Fender amps are great. I agree, when it comes to amplifiers, simpler is usually better and the 25R is certainly a straight forward amp. I also agree that tubes are IT when it comes to getting great guitar tone (depending on what you like, of course). I own two Fender amps - a fairly new Blues Junior and an old 1966 Champ I bought on Ebay. I also have a Mesa Stiletto which is a ridiculous amplifier for my purposes; it's much louder than I need since I just play as a hobby but... ridiculously loud can be good too.


Fender and Gibson aren't the only good guitars out there. There are some manufacturers and builders who make guitars with a humbucker in the bridge and single coils for the middle and neck (traditional 80's hair band setup). While not quite the same thing as an actual single coil pickup, you can get a guitar with pickups set up for coil tapping where one coil of the humbucker is deactivated to give you a similar sound of a single coil pickup. There is also the difference between a Telecaster and Stratocaster, each with their own kind of single coils and this Strat and that Strat and the other 5,000 variations of the Stratocaster and THEN there are also P90 style pickups (which I love too). Of course, you can also just go crazy over the course of a couple of years and buy one of these guitars, one of those guitars, one of... etc.


I think what you should do is stick with what you've got and, in the mean time, pay attention to recordings of guitar players whose sounds you like and investigate what they play. After a while, you can make a good informed decision as to what other kinds of guitars you might want. Keep in mind that your tastes may change over time too. I played guitars with humbuckers ONLY for years until one day I decided that I wanted a Stratocaster (the beginning of the flaming credit card) and now I love single coils. I still love humbuckers and my Les Paul is an extremely nice guitar (if a bit too heavy) but now I can choose the guitar I feel like playing and hearing and I think I have enough of a selection to keep me quite happy for a while (until I want a Gretch or a Rickenbacker or a Jackson or a PRS or a Tom Anderson or a Hamer or a BC Rich or...).


It sounds like the tech did a throrough examination of your guitar and I'll bet it's a huge improvement over where it was when you took it to the store. I have yet to buy any kind of new guitar that didn't need some degree of adjustment when I first got it. An improperly cut nut is on the outside of things that usually need to be done, but it's not unheard of even if it just needs some slight filing because the strings are catching in it (possible related problem you might have been having with tuning) and his explanation about the slot not being deep enough certainly makes sense.

 

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Wanna try modeling? Buy some clay.


I work in a guitar shop, as a tech/salesperson... I have yet to hear a modeling amp that I like.


If its not all tube, I dont wanna waste my time with it.


pffft.. maybe its cause I'm an old fart... I dunno.


Ive been playing for 25+ years, gigging for 20.. tubes rule. (well.. for an old fart like myself)

 

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Well, I tried it and man oh man it is a world of a difference. I could visually see the difference as soon as I held it in the shop.


He said he loved the sound coming from my guitar and was amazed at how well it sounded and played. He said to not be discouraged because the stuff he did to my guitar he has had to to on 1500 dollar ones and imo that is just sick.


He said I might have to return in the winter when it starts to get very dry here but I will know when the time has come when it starts to ring.


When I went looking for a starter guitar I had several in mind but Fender I grew up with. Hell I grew up with Jimmi playing on the radio and the Who. Pink Floyd (David Gilmour is the one I wish I could play like) was king so I knew I wanted a Fender.


I did pick up a Les Paul but ugh too heavy and the cost made me say no for it to be a first or even a second guitar. Of course my wife fell in love with Martins but ahem, OUCH, holy hand grenade of expensive but her playing idol is Eric Clapton I think.


I really don't know what will be the next guitar but that should be in 3 years I think.

 

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Yep, it is because you are an old fart. BTW, how old are you? I am no whipper snapper myself.


Seriously though it is akin to CDs versus vinal.


Anyways, if I were gigging I would do the pure analog route (meaning tubes etc...) but for sitting in my room and no need of this 25w amp getting me thrown out of my apartment it rocks and was the best 99 dollars I ever spent. I looked at the pods and pffft over priced to me.

 

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I'm not admitting to anything when it comes to my age but I've been playing for quite a while too and played in a few bands years ago.


My job might involve computers but I like my guitar stuff pretty low tech - tubes and analog effects. I wouldn't turn my nose up to some digital reverb or even delay (as long as I can roll off the high frequencies in the repeats) but there is something so much more tangible about analog effects pedals and tubes. Plus, with tube amplifiers and particularly those with tube rectifiers, you get that nice, thick compression when you turn them up that you just can't get with solid state. I'm pretty sure the rectifier tube in my Champ is why it sounds so much more rich than my Blues Junior as I replaced the stock speakers in both amps with Weber Vintage Series speakers and especially since the the Champ has a 10" speaker while the Blues Junior has a 12" speaker. Go figure. Though, I'll say that I would much prefer to carry a solid state amplifier than a tube one - heavy!

 

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