Ed Packard, may we hear more?

Jerry Clardy · From: El Paso, Texas, USA * R.I.P.

Ed, may we hear about your new guitar that Tom Baker made for you? The measurements, unique features, tuning, whys and why nots, etc?
Jerry Clardy

Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

And please may we see some pictures?

ed packard · From: Show Low AZ

Jerry; The description and reasoning is in the thread "New Psg, Photos". The tuning is essentially the E9 as used in the E9/B6 but extended to E69/A6/B6/13 series and lowered to C69 because of the longer scale. This is covered in detail in the mailings from the thread "Chord Location".

Per; I will send you photos.

AS for the Texas show, maybe.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I saw the beast! It's huge. The 30 inch scale has an amazing sound even in headphones. the changer/tuner is brilliant - the strings are simply tied down at one end, and you tune the strings and the pedals at the changer. Tuning for the string is part of each changer finger.

Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

Wow, that is one impressive machine. I feel a GAS attack coming on...

jim milewski · From: stowe, vermont

an amazing machine

Roy Thomson · From: Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada

Congratulations Ed and Tom!
Thanks Ed for sending the photos.
My questions:
Why the 30" scale considering the
trade-off in the weight factor?
What is the weight?
What is the feasibility of producing
a D10 with a 24 or 24 1/4 " scale incorporating the same design?
What about a single 10?
Cost factor?
Finally,,,,when do we hear a sound clip?

I expected nothing less from you Ed. Very impressive!!

Roy

Jerry Clardy · From: El Paso, Texas, USA * R.I.P.

Ed - In your "Locating Chords" thread you mentioned that your design would have repositonable pickups. Is this a part of the new guitar?

ed packard · From: Show Low AZ

Thanks folks for the interest in the new instrument.

The mechanisms are modular and can be applied to S10's, D10's, S12's, D12's, 14's or anything else.

The neck length can be anything that one cares to make it. I chose 29.730" (the 25" neck extended by several frets) to keep the same string gauges and tensions, get a C9 basic tuning structure, get the worst case for the pedals/levers/changer/tuners, and check (confirm or deny) the effect of string length on sustain between the same instrument with different string lengths; the sustain/tone measured with Spectrum analyzer will be continued.

The body length is 35.0", ..my D10 Sho-Bud is 33.5".

Roy, I am not into performing/sound clips etc., ..my playing would just demean the whole PSG world!!!

The pickup plates need to be modified to fit, and the knurled knobs on the tuner fingers are in the mail, so they were not shown in the pictures. The fiber optic & LED fret markers are in the design mode. Adding a digital tuner under the neckplate is also in the works.

The two pickups are both tapped. They can be used individually, or together; that makes for a real variety of tones.

Active electronics will be added (use it either way) with high impedance to the pickups so as not to loose the highs when using a 500K (or lower) pot pedal for volume, and line driver so the pedal and cable plus effects units/stomp boxes/amp input im pedance/cables don't deaden the tone available. This is from the guts of a "box" that I did up years ago and some have seen it hanging (via velcro) on the end of my previous axes.

As for weight, ..frankly Scarlet, etc... I use a wheeled case anyway. As setup (no case) it feels about the same as my D10 Sho-Bud. I don't have a bathroom scale around,..another thing I don't care about. Tom brought it on the airplane, ..I don't know about the UPS etc. shipping, ..Tom would. You can reach Tom At:
sierrasteelguitars@earthlink.net
or 503-759-3155.

Another "goody" is also being added. A shoulder strap with sheepskin covered flat hooks for moving the instrument around the room/hall/stage etc.. Got tired of watching two guys carrying the instrument, one walking backward; or one chap getting a hernia trying to do it by himself.

String top planarity is not one of my hangups. With the added length (1st fret = 1.669") I don't find as much of an issue as with a 24+1/4 neck. My E9 is at fret 4 on this monster. If that is an issue with some, recall that the changer/tuner can be used on the players right also (if desired), then one can use smaller editions of the Strat string saddles on the string terminator block and adjust string tops or bottoms to suit themselves, ..also for those that want to try string length adjustment for intonation, they can do that also.

If the bottom of the strings are made in plane then rods as capos are useable.

The bridge (rod on the string terminator block) may be changed in material and configuration (tube etc.) and be changed without retuning, ..this for tone/sustain control, ..a hardwood dowel would give a banjo etc. as an extreme example.

All that is left that resembles the original Haw' Guitar are a few string gauges; hence Tommy labeled it the "Electric Concert Harp".
The PST 13 label is because of my 13 series necks via changer activation, ..chord count/type/location shootout anyone?

These mods can be put on wood units with microphone stand legs, and color is of no consequence to the performance (except for dark colors on a flatbed in the sun at supermarket openings!). The mechanical mods do not care if the neck is wood or aluminum, ..I just prefer the drop/in/on neck so that I can have circuitry in that area for various reasons such as signal chain modification.

The two pickups shown in the emailed photos are a DiMarzio, and a Danny Shields.

The absence of a wood or aluminum neck is of small if any consequence as the aluminum rails that hold the neckplate would make up for them. I did loosen the rails and monitor for a pitch change, ..none was found with my Korg DT1 tuner.

This unit should have the fastest string change in the west/east/north/south/Europe/etc. as no pretensioning (use finger and thumb), wrapping, or other gymnastics are required.

No rollers are used as the amount of motion (string stretch) at that end is insignificant (as I measure and calculate it) because the ratio of string length to played string length is 31.6" to 29.730" and the amount of added stretch to raise the 0.11 string one halftone is about 0.020" at the changer end. It is 0.000" at the string terminating screw so it is not much 1.00" away from the terminating screw (the rod bridge).

There are no sharp bends or wraps on the string, ..just shallow angles.

The changer rods have been constrained so that they will not escape the bell crank slots whenn strings (all if you like) are off the instrument.

All tuning is at the changer end I like it at the players left because, there are no picks on that hand, the string stretch motion is behind the bar, the motion is away from the pickup area, and the changer rod density is also out from under the pickup area.

Don Christensen converted my photos and sketches into hardware, Tom Baker figured out how to assemble a "backwards" instrument and make it look and work well, ..in all, a fine execution of a difficult and different task!!! Thanks chaps.

Can't think of anything else, ..if you can just ask.

Jerry C; On this unit I chose to use two pickups instead of a "repositionable" one. More tone combinations that way. Not a big problem making a pickup slide along the neck with the neckplate rails used in this unit/design.

Photos if you request by emailing me.

[This message was edited by ed packard on 19 January 2005 at 10:22 AM.]

ed packard · From: Show Low AZ

B0b; This "huge" machine is 1.5" longer, 3.5" narrower, and 0.250 " taller (body bottom to neck top) than my Sho-Bud Professional.

One more "function" related point, ...The changer modifications allow using the changer as it was (string ball in finger slot) or as modified (changer tuner integrated. The string term inator plate can be made interchangeable with the previous tuner if desired = two ways to go. This would leave the chn ager on the players right, and the tuner on the players left.

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