When playing pro - every night

Post #243,321 by tuberculosis 2/2/06 9:17:47 PM Reply	When playing pro - every night One set only lasted one gig. "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush
Post #243,324 by jake123 2/2/06 9:35:10 PM Reply	Well, I never got to playing more than between fifty and a hundred shows a year, and you know, the pay wasn't so shit hot either, so between gas, eats, a spot to crash on non-gig nights, and strings, something had to give, and a lot of times it was the strings. Of course, I also play [link\|http://www.daddario.com/DADProdDetail.aspx?CodaID=588&ID=1&Class=AABA\|11 14 18 28 38 49] which a lot of electric guitarists think of as stoopid heavy, but which keeps me from popping the E string on an hourly basis, so that helped them last in the tone department. I'm actually considering throwing on something like [link\|http://www.daddario.com/DADProdDetail.aspx?CodaID=629&ID=1&Class=AABA\|12 16 20p 30 40 52], but every time I did before I always went back. 'Course, I'm not on the road anymore, so I'd actually have time to work my way up to the heavier tension on those strings. Heavy strings make for better tone. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #243,330 by Steve Lowe 2/2/06 10:37:23 PM Reply	Indeed That was one of the keys to Stevie Ray Vaughan's tone: heavy strings (.013's IIRC) and tune down 1/2 step. -- Steve [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu]
Post #243,331 by jake123 2/2/06 11:45:27 PM Reply	The other key was custom pickups they had more windings than regular pickups, leading to more signal. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #243,334 by Steve Lowe 2/3/06 12:55:58 AM Reply	and fingers -- Steve [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu]
Post #243,371 by tuberculosis 2/3/06 3:00:12 PM Reply	If I didn't change em - they'd break for sure And I play 10-46's I also need to re-dress the bridge on my axe (Original Washburn Hawk - brass through body bridge) periodically or it develops sharp spots and starts cutting them. Until I figured this out I broke strings often and got pretty good at working around any one missing string to finish a song. "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush
Post #243,435 by jake123 2/4/06 2:04:35 PM Reply	Go up to 11. I used to play 10s, and after realising that I wasn't making it through gigs without popping the E, I got the heavier guage strings. The other guitarist in the band thought I was insane, but after a couple of weeks getting my hands in shape for the heavier strings, it worked very well, and I stopped breaking strings. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #246,246 by tuberculosis 2/27/06 3:34:35 AM 8/21/07 5:53:20 AM Reply	Where do they break? The break point might need a tiny bit of rounding - my brass bridge needs that from time to time. Anyhow, I'm not in shape to play more than 10's just now, might go down to 9's for some stuff I'm about to do. "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 05:53:20 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #246,291 by jake123 2/27/06 4:59:54 PM 2/27/06 5:00:54 PM Reply	Either bridge or neck My penchant for hammering the shit out of my guitar, along with three and occasionally even four semitone bends was basically too much for the lighter strings. It wouldn't take me long to overcome their tensile strength, sometimes only a couple of songs. The big question for me has been whether or not to try switching up to 12 16 20p for the first three strings, but I've not actually gone and done it yet, though I've been thinking about it off and on for years. Most of my playing is rhythm playing anyway, and you just get a lot more tone out of the heavier strings. If I want to play something slick and fast, I switch guitars; my main axe is a '79 Strat, but I also have a '78 Ibanez Musician with fat frets and a wide flat neck that I can play much faster on. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n------------------------------------------------------------------- Edited by jake123 Feb. 27, 2006, 05:00:54 PM EST Expand All History
Post #246,296 by tuberculosis 2/27/06 5:53:37 PM 8/21/07 5:54:21 AM Reply	OK, I gotta ask what pic's do you like with the heavy strings? I've settled on small (jazz) format purple tortexes because I find they let me stay closer to the strings on leads, less movement, and I tend not to strum too hard because they are wicked stiff and will hang (I compensate by turning the volume up). Key downside, Townshendish windmills are simply unthinkable with such a pic. Given that resistance is proportional to pic stiffness + string gauge, I'm wondering if you're using thin or ultrathin nylon pics? BTW, my primary axe is a 77 Washburn Hawk, slim neck through body design with super jumbo frets, brass nut/bridge with strings thru bridge design. The strings always break on the bridge because of those two quick little 45's. "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 05:54:21 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #246,312 by jake123 2/27/06 9:11:17 PM Reply	Ultrathin nylon? Noooooo.... I use the 1.14 mm classic shape tortex picks. And yes, I do windmills with them from time to time, and rely on the strength of my fingers and wrists not to blow the pic out of the hand. Which goes a fair way to explaining why I was blowing the ten:) Actually, the trick is to let the pick float a bit when it goes across the strings when you're doing the windmill. That's not a great description, but the idea is that you let the pick take the appropriate angle when it first hits the strings, without it actually moving so much that it ends up going flying (though I've done that my fair share of times and then some). You also want to choke up a fair bit on the pick when you do that, because There Will Be Slippage when it hits the first string; you just have to make sure that the slippage is small enough that it's still resting between the forefinger and thumb after the slippage is done. Mind you, I've got to admit I don't do as much windmilling as I did when I was a younger man. Heavy picks + heavy strings + pounding the snot out of it = tone heaven. The Ibanez is a neck through body guitar, but the strings don't go through the body. Like yours, the bridge and nut are brass. Seems there was a lot of that going around in the late seventies and early eighties.... Oh, and no, I'm not a metal player; straight up rock, blues, folk, and country. Heh, I used to tour with a country band, playing my strat through my marshall. You just have to set up the amp right and it can be quite acceptable to all but the most trad of country fans... but they tend to spit on anyone not playing a tele anyway. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #246,346 by tuberculosis 2/28/06 2:14:00 AM 8/21/07 5:54:59 AM Reply	As far as I can tell as you get older (and better), you tend to shorten the strap, use heavier strings, stiffer pics,and stop running around like an idiot. :-) I've ended up liking my axe fairly high (think jazz dude high almost - so I can get around the neck better) even though I play pop, rock, funk, and blues. (I too have worked country but I did it with a Mesa Boogie MK III Combo and my trusty Washburn - good country brand name). "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 05:54:59 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #246,394 by jake123 2/28/06 2:33:34 PM 2/28/06 2:34:18 PM Reply	Guilty of all but the first I still keep the guitar pretty low, esp. compared to most of my buds (who've mostly moved on to jazz playing). OTOH, when I do performances, I tend to be a wee bit more high energy than they are... Mind you, I've moved into singing a lot more, so most of what I do is cranking out the chords; when I'm lead playing, I don't have to cuddle up to a mic so I can change my posture to suit. My guitar's centre is a couple of inches below my belly button... of course, when I first started at sixteen it was practically down by my knees. Yeah, I forgot; I also get a big charge out of vamping on a good groove, but it's hard to play really good funk while you're singing, so I tend to keep it Very Simple Stoopid. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n------------------------------------------------------------------- Edited by jake123 Feb. 28, 2006, 02:34:18 PM EST Expand All History
Post #246,328 by bepatient 2/27/06 11:37:21 PM Reply	I actually like 11s played 10s for a very long time (9s gave me trouble with action on trem and bends). Had a tendency to lose the low e and moved to 11s. Nice string stability for me and doesn't really hamper my speed (BUT...my speed has never been my strong suit) [link\|http://www.deanmarkley.com/Strings/Electric/BlueSteelEl.shtml\|I like these lately] If you push something hard enough, it will fall over. _{Fudd's First Law of Opposition} [link\|mailto:bepatient@aol.com\|BePatient]
Post #246,338 by Steve Lowe 2/28/06 1:13:19 AM Reply	I've just installed some 10.5s Note that I don't have any string breakage issues - just talking a tone perspective here. D'Addario make a .0105-.048 set which I've been using lately on my Les Paul. I went from .010-.046 on the LP to these .0105s because I was thinking the little heavier string would sound fuller on full chords through a very cleans amp, yet still give some britghtness and strign definition for lead work. they feel great, too. On my tele (clone with Fender pups) I've been using the .010 - .052 D'Addario nickles. Those light top, heavy bottom strings really helped to give some bottom end oomph to the usually thin sounding tele twanger. On acoustic, it's .012-.053 80/20 EXP coated lights. I like the brighter tone of th 80/20 vs the phosphor bronze for fingerstyle work. I'm usually adding a lot of arpeggios, suspended pull offs, and runs between chord changes - as opposed to straight strumming all the time. -- Steve [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu]
Post #246,360 by bepatient 2/28/06 9:35:27 AM Reply	My "lawsuit" acoustic likes 13s I've tried everything to get it to set up to lighter strings...but it just sounds 'right' with bronze 13s. I use [link\|http://www.mguitar.com/strings/display_set.php?display=35\|Martins] for the acoustic. For those not familiar with the lawsuit guitars ([link\|http://www.takamine.com/?fa=detail&mid=1065&sid=351#\|pic of mine]), the Japanese manufacturers came to the US and simply stole the design of the 3 most popular acoustic brands of the time (Martin, Guild, Gibson). If you'll notice, the lettering on the top of the pic is "standard" Martin script font. (even says "Takamine and Sons" instead of CF Martin and Sons) From 10 feet, I'm playing a Martin. Feel is darned close also...and I paid $130 new, compared to the Martin it was ripped off from that was nearly $500. (age...those martins are now 800-1200). In the mid 80s, these manufacturers were sued by Martin and Gibson and lost, and thus were forced to change designs. If you push something hard enough, it will fall over. _{Fudd's First Law of Opposition} [link\|mailto:bepatient@aol.com\|BePatient]
Post #246,377 by tuberculosis 2/28/06 12:30:43 PM 8/21/07 5:55:42 AM Reply	Yeah, I remember them they had a synthetic backed Ovation clone as well but it had icky frets (not smooth, rough kind of machined - I think the neck was actually aluminum with wood or plastic blocks inlayed between the frets to "fake" a fretboard). They did make some nice low cost woodies. I have a small format mid-'60's era Gibson LG-1, it was my dad's and is a great road guitar. Small format likes lighter strings I think. "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 05:55:42 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #246,395 by jake123 2/28/06 2:38:12 PM Reply	I'm not a big fan of ovations Something about the sound is not right to me... and I hate trying to do sit down playing with them. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #246,403 by tuberculosis 2/28/06 3:10:23 PM 8/21/07 5:56:06 AM Reply	They're only good sounding plugged in thru speaks "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 05:56:06 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #246,405 by Steve Lowe 2/28/06 3:12:55 PM Reply	Through the PA, not a guitar amp unless, of course, it's a full range acoustic amp. Even then, though, I don't much care for the sound - and opposing curves between my belly and the back of the guitar are a problem. I used to have an Ovation 12. -- Steve [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu]
Post #246,461 by Meerkat 3/1/06 6:36:29 AM Reply	ICLRPD: They did make some nice low cost woodies. (new thread) Created as new thread #246460 titled [link\|/forums/render/content/show?contentid=246460\|ICLRPD: They did make some nice low cost woodies.] Two out of three people wonder where the other one is.
Post #246,379 by Steve Lowe 2/28/06 12:34:10 PM Reply	Lawsuit axes could be great I played with a guy in high school that had an Ibanez Les Paul copy - and boy did they copy. That was one sweet guitar, and even reading the headstock logo you'd almost think it said 'Gibson' due to the way they did the Ibanez logo. -- Steve [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu]
Post #246,389 by bepatient 2/28/06 1:55:28 PM Reply	Plays and sounds as good as the Martin original Its 25 years old and still plays, looks and sounds fabulous. If you push something hard enough, it will fall over. _{Fudd's First Law of Opposition} [link\|mailto:bepatient@aol.com\|BePatient]
Post #246,404 by tuberculosis 2/28/06 3:11:26 PM 8/21/07 5:56:09 AM Reply	Wow - almost nothing I have still "looks" fab the road takes its toll. "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 05:56:09 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #246,406 by Steve Lowe 2/28/06 3:14:50 PM 2/28/06 3:24:23 PM Reply	Some large pics inside - you've been warned Yeah, I'm showing off :) All-original '57 Les Paul Custom - seen the road with both my Dad and me. Is now a family heirloom and worth more than some small countries. I cherish this guitar. [image\|http://users.frii.com/slowe/images/57.jpg\|\|\|\|] This was my dad's acoustic, a '63 Gibson J-50 - also been on the road, and a cherished family heirloom: [image\|http://users.frii.com/slowe/images/j50.jpg\|\|\|\|] Since the LP above rarely leaves it's case and never leaves the house, this is my main electric player, an '03 Les Paul Studio: [image\|http://users.frii.com/slowe/images/lpfull.jpg\|\|\|\|] I don't have any pics of my Larrivee acoustic, my tele clone or my full electric rig with pedal board and amp. -- Steve [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu] Edited by Steve Lowe Feb. 28, 2006, 03:24:23 PM EST Expand All History
Post #246,529 by tuberculosis 3/1/06 8:59:42 PM 8/21/07 6:00:48 AM Reply	Sweet I knew a guy with a '50s era cherry colored Les Paul but it had what we would call the SG body style. Really warm sounding with those PAF pickups. "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 06:00:48 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #246,347 by tuberculosis 2/28/06 2:16:19 AM 8/21/07 5:55:01 AM Reply	I've played those - I like them too I don't like vanilla nickel. Like Ernie Ball Slinkies - love what he did for the industry (standardized gauges), but the nickel seems to corrode fast. And I play 11.s on my acoustic. "Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect" --Mark Twain "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses." --George W. Bush Edited by tuberculosis Aug. 21, 2007, 05:55:01 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #243,335 by static 2/3/06 1:15:58 AM Reply	I used to know someone who was like that. He was really hard on the strings, though. I also got to see him where he forgot to re-string before a gig. And one broke mid-song... fortunately it was during a middle-eight so the bassist and the drummer kept vamping whilst he changed the string. He also kept up his patter, tuned it in and resumed the song! Guy's name was Paul Colman. You [link\|http://www.paulcolmantrio.com/\|may have heard of him]. Wade. "Insert crowbar. Apply force."
Post #243,336 by Steve Lowe 2/3/06 1:23:44 AM Reply	I have They've only recently been an item over here, but i understand they've been hot around Australia and New Zealand for a number of years. -- Steve [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu]

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