Hey everyone..
New here, but it looks like a good site. Maybe I can get some help on two questions:
1. I've got a Takamine EG530SC that's a little less than a year old. It replaced an Alvarez jumbo acoustic that I really enjoyed playing, but the neck got a little warped. The Tak is a nice instrument but I just broke out the Alvarez and noticed how much brighter it sounds. The difference is night and day, and I just restrung both with the same strings (Martin light gauge). On the Tak, the high end just gets drowned out by the bass. I love the full sound, but I'd like to bring some treble to the mix. Any suggestions? Different strings? Different guitar? I'm willing to trade it in if it's "just like that."
2. The Tak fingerboard also seems more "tacky" and my fingers don't slide up and down nearly as easily as with the older Alavarez. Any oil or something someone could recommend? I've got Fingerease, but I'm hesitant to use it because it "gunks up" the strings. With the lack of high-end I've got already, surely the Fingerease couldn't help. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Adam
If youre talking about being plugged in, max out the treble on the eq. For unplugged, i dont think you can fix that, but im not sure, somebody else can help you. Try Fast Fret for the fingerboard problem, its like 5 bucks at musiciansfriend. and you should annually put some Danish or lemon oil on the fingerboard. Try buying some Elixers to, i dont know if thatll help, but they sure are good strings (and dang expensive for poor people like me. :evil: )
Stairway to Freebird!
I'm talking about acoustic playing.
Is Fast Fret about the same thing as Finger Ease?
Also, I'll give the Elixer strings a try. I've had a couple of people mention them to me, so it sounds like they're a good bet.
Please excuse my ignorance. I've played for several years, but only on an 'on again, off again" basis. Generally the "off again" far outweights the "on again," but I'm trying to change that and get more consistent about practicing.
Thanks..
Adam
Sounds like you have a foreign substance on your fret board. You could take off the strings and clean it with mild soapy water and a old tooth brush. Dry it off well and rub a small amount of lemon oil on the fret board. As for the lack of treble response, I don't thing different strings are going to help much. Your probably stuck with that.
Tim Madsen
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.
"What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep forever." -Axel Munthe
i thin fast fret is the same, i dont know. but give what he said a try.
Stairway to Freebird!
As far as the tone you might try bone or graphite nut and bridge saddle. As far as the fretboard is concerned, I wouln't be surprised if it left the factory without a proper fret-dressing. I would consider spending 30-60 dollars to get the fretboard prperly dressed and the action set properly. Just my opinion but it's just common for company's to cheap out that way to save money.
As far as the tone you might try bone or graphite nut and bridge saddle. As far as the fretboard is concerned, I wouln't be surprised if it left the factory without a proper fret-dressing. I would consider spending 30-60 dollars to get the fretboard prperly dressed and the action set properly. Just my opinion but it's just common for company's to cheap out that way to save money.
I've never bought into the bone nut idea, it just doesn't make sense to me. First off it could only have an effect on open strings. If you use a capo or barr chord the bone nut or any other nut are taken out of the equation. Even with open chords the only strings that might be effected by the nut are the open ones. The bridge saddle could possibly have an effect on the guitars tone but I'm skeptical about that also. The Luthier at my local guitar store told me that bone is all hype. He said that if there is a difference between bone and tusq, that the human ear can't hear it. When a man who could make a nice piece of money off of me by selling me a bone nut and bridge saddle tells me it's a waste of money I tend to believe him. To me tone is most effected by the shape of the guitar, the thickness and type of wood, the bracing and the strings. Just my opinion, I've certainly been wrong before.
Tim Madsen
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.
"What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep forever." -Axel Munthe
^ he's right, i have played a seagull m6 with a tusq nut and a bone nut and theres basically no difference in sound.
Stairway to Freebird!
I'm not saying bone or graphite are the answer and when I said bone I was thinking tusk or artificial tusk in that same line. Regardless, he owns the guitar now. Ruling anything out isn't necessarily helping to resolve the problem. I think bone or graphite nut and saddle is still worth a shot. It couldn't hurt and it shouldn't cost all that much. Maybe $20 at the very most. He's not going to go out and get the bracing changed now is he?
