Tone Tone Tone!

One thing I just noticed though...this has a bold on neck...from what I gather these can be difficult to keep in tune and they have to be adjusted alot. I have always prefered set necks...

Am I wrong for feeling this way?

Thanks

I have a blue one, and it's beautiful. And all it needed out of the box was tuning.

It is totally solid, sounds awesome, and was cheap. Everybody should have one.

The flats are smoother on my fingers, and they sound warmer that regular rounds. I think they are D'Arddio or whatever. I was surprised at what a difference these strings made. Playing in Am or Dm will make you cry.

I didn't mean to knock the blue one, by the way. I just got one with a bad finish, and I was afraid to order another one in blue, so I went for the sunburst.

That settles it....I'm gonna throw some flats on this thing. I assume they're also less "screechy"? That's probably what Dagwood was alluding to.

One thing I just noticed though...this has a bold on neck...from what I gather these can be difficult to keep in tune and they have to be adjusted alot. I have always prefered set necks...

Am I wrong for feeling this way?

Thanks

Mike, I don't know much about the bolt-on vs. set necks, but this thing stays in tune wonderfully. And, by the way, I think the tuners are 18-1 Grovers, and are silky smooth.

mikepse, that's what i was worried about also. the set neck types i tried $350-$400 were all pretty comparable as far as sustain goes. mine stays in tune pretty well so far.

i think the point is tho that for $150 you really can't go wrong :wink:
the real plus in my eyes tho was that the washburn pups 421 (neck) and 423 (bridge) were really a lot better than i thought they would be and i can't see replacing them.

I recently put D'ad Chromes (11s) on my Artcore, and I have mixed feelings about them. Tonally, they are very dark and I think I prefer something brighter. However, they feel great, and they don't squeak at all. Also, they sound very cool with overdrive - bluesy in a dark, forbidding way.

I'd like to try 1/2-rounds but can only find them in 10s and 12s. 10s are too light as I use this guitar for drop tuning and need the higher tension, but I find 12s difficult to bend. I will probably go back to nickel roundwounds when these wear out.

One thing I just noticed though...this has a bold on neck...from what I gather these can be difficult to keep in tune and they have to be adjusted alot. I have always prefered set necks...

Am I wrong for feeling this way?
Yeah, you are. Bolt on necks behave pretty much like set necks do.

I don't have any set neck guitars, so I can't say from experience. Aren't all Fenders bolt-on?

None of my stuff goes out of tune more than expected, I guess, but I tune before I practice anyway. I usually don't have to adjust anything...

Oh, and no issues with not digging the blue finish. I think mine is beautiful, but I didn't pick it out. There are no flaws I can see. None.

And, I must reiterate: with these new strings it sounds amazing! I was half-heartedly considering a pickup change, but now I see no need at all.

I am not employed by Washburn ir Oscar Schmidt. For the money you cannot find a better guitar. You could spend way, way more and get less.

And, I must reiterate: with these new strings it sounds amazing! I was half-heartedly considering a pickup change, but now I see no need at all.

I've read many times in these forums that each guitar wants a certain type of string, and that you should experiment until you find the right match. It sounds like you've done that! 8)

Similarly, I put skinny-top/heavy-bottom (10-52) strings on my '51 this morning and am amazed at the overall improvement in playability and tone. I was considering getting new saddles because of some instability, but the heavier gauge strings sit much better.

Still going to play some more with different types on the Artcore, but couldn't be happier with the way the '51 is set up now.

And, I must reiterate: with these new strings it sounds amazing! I was half-heartedly considering a pickup change, but now I see no need at all.

I am not employed by Washburn ir Oscar Schmidt. For the money you cannot find a better guitar. You could spend way, way more and get less.

I'm looking foward to getting some flats put on mine as well. Did you mention what brand of strings are on yours now?

I agree that it is a great guitar for the money. No buyer's remorse whatsoever.

They are D'Arddio [sic] semi-flats, .10's-.46. I think. I don't have the package, sorry! :oops:

What's cool about the whole thing is I know next to nothing about strings, etc. But twistedlefty said he had them, so I figured what the heck? When I dropped the guitar off, I mentioned flats, and my buddy at the guitar store walked over and grabbed a package of strings and said, "You want these." And that was it.

Never underestimate or underappreciate having a local shop with ethical people you can trust, and know what you like to play, etc. It has kept me going in the right direction since I started--as has this forum, by the way.

Thanks again, twistedlefty! You rule! If you are ever in Reno the prime rib is on me! :D

They are D'Arddio [sic] semi-flats, .10's-.46. I think. I don't have the package, sorry! :oops:

Never underestimate or underappreciate having a local shop with ethical people you can trust, and know what you like to play, etc. It has kept me going in the right direction since I started--as has this forum, by the way.

Yeah, I don't have that :cry: I wish I did.

Scott R,
Look for D'Addario "CHROMES".

Thanks for the tips. I'm going to check my local store tonight. I ccould get them from MF for less, I suppose, but I'm impatient.

Ok, after some extended playing and knob tom-foolery, I have a few observations:

With these strings the guitar has a tendency to be VERY dark. I love it, as it adds to stuff in minor chords and alternating hitting the E and A on the downstroke. The sustain is actually surprising, and lends itself to high-note "overlays" that is really fun. It sounds way more complex than it is to play, if that makes sense. You might not dig it if you don't like minor stuff.

Before the guitar sounded almost like an acoustic clean. Now, that is gone. The guitar has more "ring" to it. I think that this is a good thing, as before it didn't seem to sustain as well. The guitar isn't as warm in a "homey" sense anymore, it is warm in a darker sense, as I mentioned.

Turn the bass way down on the amp and it has really good twang. Not as good as a Tele, of course, but would be servicable for rockabilly in a pinch, I guess. Really good for brighter poppy stuff like the Pixies or early Beatles. Not jangly, though.

It still distorts surprisingly well. It has a really nice wall of sound feeling. Turning the bass back up gives it the ability to really "chunk" out, and palm muting is super easy after the action adjustment.

There is now a HUGE difference between the bridge and neck pickups. I have been mainly playing with the selecter in the middle, and it is wonderful. The range of sounds this thing can generate is really mindblowing. I probably haven't figured out half of them yet.

The only downside I can think of is the guitar has more of a tendency to feedback now than before, but this isn't a bad thing necessarily. I have been playing with that, too, and you can do some neat things with it. If your amp volume is high and you go from neck to bridge with the strings ringing look out! Be ready on those knobs, boy howdy! Once I messed with it I can actually use that on purpose to really nice effect.

I am now going to have to get a better amp to really be able to explore the tones I have available. Any recommendations? :D

There is a downside, though. My practices haven't been as productive as they could have been because I was playing with the guitar more than working on excercises.

Gotta go play with it some more, in fact. This thing may actually be the devil..... :twisted:

Before the guitar sounded almost like an acoustic clean. Now, that is gone. The guitar has more "ring" to it. I think that this is a good thing, as before it didn't seem to sustain as well. The guitar isn't as warm in a "homey" sense anymore, it is warm in a darker sense, as I mentioned.

The darker sound is the lack of as many harmonic overtones in the flatwound string notes. Regular acoustics with round wound bronze alloy strings produce notes that are very harmonic rich, providing a very full and complex timbre.