Winston Psmith
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Posts posted by Winston Psmith
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I do a lot with Pitch Shifted tones within my Guitar Synths and MFX, but I don't tend to use Alternate Tunings?
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Smoke on the Water, Fire in the Sky . . .
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13 hours ago, Sharkman said:
Guitarfetish.com has seventy five pickguards for Strat, and all are priced under $22.
They also have a pre-wired pick guard for around $35, which is more than reasonable . . . if everything fits.
That's part of the problem - ordering after-market parts online for a Squier Guitar is a bit of a gamble; one size definitely does not fit all, and there is some really awful crap being marketed to people looking to upgrade their Squiers.
Practicality is the other side of the coin - I could spend a good bit of money on cosmetics, without really improving the Guitar. Any effort at serious improvement gets into serious money for better PU's, a new bridge/Trem system, Switchcraft pots & jacks - all money that would be better spent on the Guitars I perform and record with.
None of this is pressing, by any means. It's playable, it sounds good enough, if not great, and I'm having fun working on it. It's been a good distraction, and there is a definite value to having a working beater Guitar that I would take pretty much anywhere.
Ah, almost time to go be useful for the morning. Happy Fourth, to all my fellow Americans, and to everyone else, have a great start to your week!
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@Larryz- Boss Compressors aplenty in my Boss MFX, along with models of some other classic Compressors. I'll take your advice and try that.
As to upgrade parts - I may resort to soliciting random leftover Strat parts from friends, family, and Forum members. No matter what I'm looking at, outside of a new set of Trem springs for around $10, and maybe some pick guard-sized screws from the hardware store, it all adds up very quickly, for what are primarily cosmetic upgrades.
It also seems like there are a lot of non-standard measurements for a lot of Squier parts? Some things are as simple to deal with as replacement parts where the screw holes don't quite line up, others get more interesting, like Trem blocks that are too deep for the Squier's body cavity and stick out the back of the Guitar, or even 5-way switches where the switch plates are too deep for the body cavity, the kinds of things that make me very hesitant to put money into this Guitar.
FWIW, Fender did the same thing with the early run of MIM Fenders, such that you couldn't retrofit most after-market parts designed for "real" Fenders, especially not Fender-brand parts. Not a great marketing move, when one of the biggest attractions of Leo's design is the ability to swap out pretty much everything with a screwdriver.
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@Caevan O’Shite- Prices are still pretty high on that Real Deal pedal, especially considering that it's already been discontinued. IDK what it is with Pigtronix, but they seem to shed product lines almost as quickly as they release new gear?!?
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Tall, black, square-toed Frye boots for me, thanks, with the extra thick sole for rough terrain.
I LOVE the look of the Noodles, although I'm not sure I'd use it to its full potential? Might be worth trying with my Taylor. Somehow, the Taylor system really needs a boost, when it's plugged in.
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Mostly, I'm looking at cosmetics, like a new pickguard. I would probably swap out the switch and the pots to go with a new set of pickups, but for now, everything works, and that's good enough.
After I got my flowerpots put together and dropped off, I had some time to work on the Affinity, so here's the story so far . . .
I took off the strings, of course, then unscrewed the back plate to have a look underneath. All good, nice and solid, same thing looking under the pickguard. I did a good cleaning and polishing, everywhere. Side note - those "Lemon Oil" cleaners are quite good for cleaning crud off of metal and plastic parts.
Loosened, then tightened the Truss Rod to take out some of the relief, adjusted the height on the string saddles, tightened the screws attached to the Trem Block, tweaked and turned and tweaked and turned some more. Put on a set of DR Pure Blues .010-.046, and tuned it up. At this point, it's certainly playable, and with a little more attention, it should be more than just playable.
Plugged into one on my MFX, I could definitely hear some Belew-like tones coming through, distinctly Strat sounds, if not the beefiest. Turning the knobs and flipping the switch, I got no noise, no snap, crackle, pop, not even a bad 60-cycle hum.
The tuners are decent, no need to swap them out for now. First real expense, once I'm fairly sure I'm going to keep it, would be an affordable HSC.
Clearly, this was a happy hobbyist's couch Guitar. There are no signs of abuse, but no real signs of basic care and maintenance, either. It doesn't look like he played it much above the 3rd or 4th fret, and really, it doesn't look like he played much at all. There isn't really any fret wear to speak of, and I don't think he really did anything to the Guitar short of maybe changing the strings? It's entirely possible he bought it used, in the condition I found it in, as far as the mal-adjustments go.
Long day ahead tomorrow, so I'm off to get something to eat, and try to get my usual 3 to 5 hours of sleep somewhere in there. No rest for the wicked . . .
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That mutant LP reminds me of the old Science-Fiction movie, The Beast With A Million Eyes. Not for me, thanks . . .
I was out working yesterday, bouncing between jobs, so got exactly nowhere on the Squier Strat. Today, I'm working at home, planting up a bunch of flowerpots for a client to set out this weekend, so I'll have some time to get to the Squier . . . I hope. For now, it's time to break out a big bag of potting soil.
Ah, before I forget, any suggestions for CHEAP Strat parts would be greatly appreciated.
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11-hole Pickguard! I like it!
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Every Synth should have a Patch named "Machine That Goes 'PING'!"
Right next to the "Krell Music" Patch . . .
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I like that! Nicely done. Any recommendations for affordable after-market parts would be greatly appreciated.
My day got somewhat derailed yesterday, so I didn't get around to dealing with the Squier, or any of several other things I wanted to do.
Early start today tending to clients, so I'm trying to get back on track, as always.
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1 hour ago, Caevan O’Shite said:
It might not be the most expensive machine in the hospital, but it is the machine that goes 'plink'...
Indeed . . .
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15 hours ago, Larryz said:
Congrats WP! I would love to hear a tape of you playing that Squier before you go adjusting those bridge saddles LoL! 😎👍
It's not really bad enough to be entertaining, or funny, just slightly off. The most interesting, or wrong sound, is the 1st String hitting the Treble Pickup, so right around the 20th fret, it just goes 'plink'.
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13 hours ago, Dannyalcatraz said:
I think I know of at least 2 such companies. Are you thinking of the one that has a “Naughty but nice” category?
Hadn't seen that listing on the site I'm thinking of?
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There's a company I won't name, that offers a variety of custom Pickguards, many of which feature Pin-Up Girl images, and old Horror/Science-Fiction Movie posters tending towards images of women in revealing outfits.
They also make a LOT of fun designs, abstracts, other images, colors, Swirl Art, Paisley, like I say, a lot of fun stuff, but if you want Divisive, they've got plenty of pickguards that'll get you thrown right out of your P&W group, and possibly lose you some friends!
If you're really curious, a search on custom pickguards will get you there soon enough.
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Thank you both!
It needs some serious attention, as almost everything that can be adjusted is slightly wrong. The Bridge Saddles are all lined up, side by side, like soldiers in formation, and they're all set at the same height, as well. The Treble Pickup is set so high on the side towards the controls that the 1st String hits it as I play up the neck.
The pickups work, and the sound is better than I expected, even before I do anything to it. The knobs all work, the switch is good, and the tuners are decent, not the super-cheap ones that you see on bottom-feeder import Guitars. I'm going to open up the control cavity and check the Output Jack, but there are no signs of damage nor abuse. FWIW, the Indonesian-made Guitars seem to be a cut above the Chinese-made Squiers, if only marginally.
Looking at used Affinity Strats on GC's website, it looks like I got a much better bargain than I realized at first. Time to do some useful things with it.
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Last week, I was looking at Used Gear online, and saw a cheap used black Squier Mini-Strat at my nearest GC. I didn't pursue it, because I didn't see a real need to buy a cheap Guitar right now.
Then, the other day, my SIL sends me a photo of a black Squier Affinity Strat, asking if I want it? Her neighbor is moving, and divesting a LOT of stuff, the Guitar included. I asked what he wanted for it, and waited to hear back . . .
The short of it is, he gave me the Guitar, and a slightly worn Digitech RP80 MFX, because he was just happy to have someone use them.* The Guitar needs a good bit of attention, but overall, it's not bad, and for free, it's well worth the price of some new strings. There's nothing wrong with it that some basic care shouldn't address. According to the Guitar Dater, it was made in 2004.
Funny thing - the Guitar has a small sticker on the pick guard, with a graphic that looks like a flame, which I recognized from a set of stickers I'd gotten at RobotFest, up near Baltimore, a few years back. I have a larger version of the same logo on an old MacBook.
The folks giving out the stickers are called Baltimore Hackerspace - they're essentially a group of dedicated gear-heads, not a bunch of Black-Hat hackers. Still, it's not a logo you'd see just anywhere, so I have to wonder how this Guitar, with this sticker, came around to me?
Oh, yes, the RP80 had a VERY loose Expression Pedal, but after a quick tightening of the side screw, all's well. Beyond that, it works, so I got a new used MFX to go with the Affinity Strat.
*We did, however, buy a sectional couch from him, so he still got some $$$ out of the deal.
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18 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:
My deep dive into tech is my home studio rig. The paradigm is different, I can spend time tweaking since I'm not on the clock or working with anybody.
Just one of many infinite rabbit holes, we choose our own obstacles 😇
Well understood; that's why my live Novparolo rig is down to one pedalboard, and one Guitar. I always know what I'm bringing, and I always know what to expect from it. No unpleasant surprises.
Much like you, my Music Room - it would be hubris to call it a Studio - is my Mad Scientist's Lair, for experimentation, and recording. Most of the gear that lives in here never goes out for my live sets. Like desertbluesman says, maybe if someone were paying me.
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3 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:
You've spent the time and money to get a system together that works for you because that's important to what you are doing. I got no beef about that, it just isn't me.
Most of the time at home I play an acoustic guitar or a solid body electric not plugged in.
No beef here, either, brother, you nailed it: I went through the effort to acquire all this gear, and learn to use it, because it's essential to what I do.
I still feel bad, and possibly somewhat defensive, when I read an account like yours, where someone has a high-tech rig that just isn't working for them, and that experience, in turn, helps to color the listeners' attitude regarding high-tech rigs; "Why would anyone bother with all that stuff, if it doesn't work?" A fair question, except, well, it does work, and you don't have to be Adrian Belew to use it . . .
FWIW, when I'm sitting out in my backyard, I don't haul any of my EM gear, I bring my Taylor or my old Alvarez, plain and simple.
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19 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:
I've watched exactly one friend attempt a live performance with a guitar synth, he has a Godin nylon string (sort of looks like a Tele) and it has the Roland synth output with individual strings each getting their own signal and conversion. He was trying to play and futz around with his laptop at the same time. It didn't seem to be effectiive or fun.
I have a Fishman Triple Play, currently installable on a Tele (the pickup/transmitter components are easily removed. I use it occasionally for MIDI sounds when recording since I suck at keyboards.
It's never occured to me to try it for live performance, the package taken as a whole is too much of a PITA, set up, playing and tear down are all extra steps I don't want or need. When I play live, I just want to play, screens, stuff on the floor, hate all of it!!! 😇
I've been playing Roland Guitar Synths live, for years now, with either a Godin Freeway SA (Graphtech GHOST Hexpander system) or a Brian Moore iGuitar i21.13 (RMC Piezo system), and have never had to drag a laptop with me? Before I got either of those Guitars, I was using a PRS SE with a GK-3 Pickup attached, and before I got that set-up, I'd been using an older GK-2a Pickup on various solid body Guitars.
My live Novparolo 'board is a Pedaltrain 1 in a HSC, with a Roland GR-20, and three Guitar pedals (OD, Chorus, Analog Delay) in the S/R Loop for the Guitar signal. Set-up and breakdown are quick and easy, just like with any self-contained, pre-wired pedalboard. I plug in, power up, and I'm good.
Admittedly, even at best, a Guitar Synth rig is not a Plug-&-Play system; there's a good bit of tweaking at first to get everything right, and even then, there are likely to be a few compromises. Still, once you have everything in order, a properly set up Guitar Synth rig shouldn't be any more difficult to use than a good MFX system, or a large-format pedalboard, IF you've spent the time to get to know your rig. If not, why would you bring out a rig that you can't manage, for a live performance?
There's a piece of advice I used to give to inexperienced workers, when I was doing commercial landscaping, and it applies here, as well. If you're working too hard, and not getting the results you wanted or expected, you've either got the wrong tool for the job, or you're not using it properly.
Not to be unsympathetic, but I really don't know what your friend was trying to do, that proved so daunting. If he was using the laptop as his Instrument(?), that's really the long way around, and may have been much, if not all, of the problem.
Using any outboard MIDI device, including a laptop, with a Roland/Yamaha/Axon/RMC Hex Pickup requires converting the signal from the 13-pin Hex Pickup connection to MIDI data, which process is invariably slower than going directly from the Hex Pickup to a Roland GR, or an Axon Blue Chip with a built-in sound card.
Alright, enough of that. Happy weekend, all!
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9 hours ago, Dannyalcatraz said:
The difference between the undeniable flexibility of a Variax and a pickup swapping system-especially one like this- is that the latter gets you the precise pickup qualities you want because you’re actually using those pickups.
You also get to put them in the Guitar of your choice, as opposed to settling for the next closest thing that has a Variax system built in.
I think part of the issue with systems like the Variax is the price of admission, but that's only part of it: I think a lot of Musicians still hating wading through menus and sub-menus on their computers, much less on little LCD screens. Like I said in the "Cool New Effects" thread, when we were discussing the new EHX String9 - functional Guitar Synths have been around since the late 1970's, but they're still pretty much a fringe market. Roland VG-series "Virtual Guitars" are easily 30+ years old, and still, not much in the way of market penetration. Even now, I see more ERG's than Electronic (as opposed to Electric) Guitar rigs.
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I remember the venerable Dan Armstrong Lucite Guitars, with pickups that slid into the body, no re-wiring required - those had even been re-issued at least once or twice - and somewhere I have a vague recollection of something like a clip-on Pickup switching rig?!? The idea being that instead pulling out your wire clippers and soldering iron, the pickups/completed pickup harness had clips for some sort of solderless connection, not quite like plugging in a 1/4 Guitar cable, but the same sort of idea, a quick-change Pickup system.
Looking up "Solderless Pickup Harness" just now, I found a handful right away, so the idea is still out there, if not exactly mainstream.
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I remember that model - came with a hellacious rack-mounted interface, as well. The HEX PU is a version of Roland's original GK-1.
Ibanez very likely came up with that model because they were already making the Guitar Controllers for Roland's earliest lines of Guitar Synths. At the time, it was WAY beyond my price range, so I never got to try one.
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@KuruPrionz- My Roland Guitar Synths all have a "Hold" function, with various Modes, that allow me to hold or sustain tones, pretty much as long as I have my foot on the Pedal. Works very well.
There was one trick from the very early days of Guitar-Synth rigs, to help with tracking, and to balance string dynamics - stringing the whole Guitar with .010's, tuning all of your strings to E4, and using the Pitch Transpose function within the Guitar Synth engine to set the "pitches" of the strings. Doing this resulted in all of your strings being the same thickness, at the same tension. There may even still be a few player using that method, although it means that you can ONLY play the Synth sounds.
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NUGD! Squier Affinity Strat from????
in Guitar Forum
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I think it was Washburn(?) who made an A/E Guitar with the Nut pre-cut for Nashville Tuning. Very pretty sound, with the right Guitar.
For now, I've got it as close to where I want it as I can get it, without starting to invest in after-market parts. First up would be a new set of Trem Tension Springs.