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Topic: New Weissenborn |
Tim Tweedale
From:
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
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Posted 6 Dec 2003 7:36 pm |
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I just received my 6 string mahogany Weissenborn from Neil Russell of Celtic Cross yesterday. It sounds wonderful. Super sweet tone, really loud punchy attacks, harmonics and hammer ons, and really well balanced from spacious low end to sparkly high. I've been using a Kay jumbo up til now and I must say that the scale length being shorter by an inch makes a huge tonal difference. I'm using a Fishman Rare Earth humbucker pickup and plugged in to my fender amp and also my JC120 it sounds great.
Next goal; install a hipshot so I can quickly switch between tunings (anybody tried the hipshot w/ a Weissenborn or other acoustic?).
No buzzes either... although I specially asked Neil to cut slots for each string as they were sliding around a bit on the saddle when I first came to look at the guitar, so that may have pre-emptively solved the problem.
Hey... I was also thinking it would be a really good idea if there was an area here where we could upload soundclips of our instruments so that we'd be better able to understand nuances of tone. I for one am very interested to hear how some other Weissenborns sound like Scheerhorns and Bear Creeks and superiors. Is that possible?
-Tim |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 6 Dec 2003 8:27 pm
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Congratulations!! I hope you'll stay happy with it for a long time! 
Have you tested the Rare Earth? I'm asking because I'm considering getting one or two of those myself, for my Celtic Cross and Superior. I use Sunrise and Duncan MagMic now.
But,- hipshot on a weissenborn? Seriously?
A 'soundclip' section is a good idea I think, although it won't have much purpose for comparing instruments, too many outside factors that come into play. All would have to be recorded with the same microphone under quite similar circumstances if it should be 'fair'.
Steinar
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www.gregertsen.com
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Tim Tweedale
From:
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
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Posted 6 Dec 2003 10:25 pm
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Hi Steinar. I'm not sure what you mean as to whether I've tested the Rare Earth... I've used one in my Kay acoustic lap guitar for about four years and I've always loved it. As for the soundclips area, you're right that a lot of factors like quality of microphone and recording gear would affect the sound, but it could still give the general idea. I still have some old soundclips of guitars I no longer have which I recorded by just using the built in mic on my computer; pretty bad sound quality but it still fully brings back the personality of the instrument.
-Tim |
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Travis Bernhardt
From:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 6 Dec 2003 10:53 pm
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The best I've seen on the web for pickup comparisons is http://www.dougyoungguitar.com/pickuptest.htm (which has sound files for the Rare Earth on it). I think the recordings are pretty accurate, and represent fairly well the basic character of a given pickup. The only caveat is that although the recordings give a pretty good picture of the highs and mids, it's hard to make out the differences in the bass between the different pickups. At least that's what I found--you may feel differently.
Oh, and of course these sound files don't really give you the "maximum potential" for the kind of sound you COULD get out of a given pickup with a good pre-amp etc. David Lindley gets a way better sound out of his Sunrise equipped guitars than the guy on this site (again, especially noticeable in the bass). But, like I said before, I think the files do give a pretty good picture of the basic "character" of the various pickups (not that I've heard ALL of them in real life, but the ones I have heard...).
-Travis |
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Travis Bernhardt
From:
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 6 Dec 2003 10:55 pm
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Oh yeah, and I think the Hipshot on a Weissenborn idea is crazy too. 
-Travis[This message was edited by Travis Bernhardt on 06 December 2003 at 10:57 PM.] |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 7 Dec 2003 3:31 am
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Tim,- it was 5:30 on a Sunday morning, how articulate can you expect me to be?
I guess I meant if you had any opinions on it's soundcharacter and if you felt it did justice to the Russell guitar. I got mine with a Pick-up The World but soon found out that it was so sensitive that it would never work in a louder live setting so I changed it for a Sunrise. Which has a sound all it's own, which is kinda cool, but it's so huge, heavy, and ugly on that good looking guitar, so I guess I'm still looking for an alternative (these things never stops, do they?).
I'll check the website Travis mentioned.
Oh, and I'm with you on the soundclip idea, I just meant that it would never be a 'fair' shootout.... Remember that when you listen to your recordings of your old guitars, they also bring back the memories and how you remember hearing them when you played them acoustically. They would never sound the same for someone who didn't know those guitars, if you get what I mean.
Take one example,- if you listen to "Waltzing Elisa" on my webpage, it's the Celtic Cross playing the melody (Superior playing the chords), recorded with the PUTW pickup. Do you 'recognize' the sound of your own Celtic Cross in that?
Steinar
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www.gregertsen.com
[This message was edited by Steinar Gregertsen on 07 December 2003 at 03:37 AM.] [This message was edited by Steinar Gregertsen on 07 December 2003 at 03:42 AM.] |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 7 Dec 2003 3:54 am
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The only caveat about the Fishman Rare Earth pickup is that the single coil model is extremely noisy. I sold mine for this reason. I'd definitely get the humbucker. The custom blend model combines a lav-style mike and blend knob with the magnetic pickup.
http://www.fishman.com/products/displayProduct.asp?product=6
[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 07 December 2003 at 05:38 AM.] |
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Greg Simmons
From:
where the buffalo (used to) roam AND the Mojave
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Alan Ames
From:
Jefferson City, MO, USA
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Posted 7 Dec 2003 12:20 pm
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I think the Hipshot Trilogy tailpiece might be great. I would want to have the luthier, that made the guitar, to give the final word. You can see Jerry Douglas holding a Scheerhorn with a Trilogy tailpiece at resonatorguitarist.com. I am building a lap steel with a 8-string Trilogy.
I am interested in hearing clips of other instruments, too. You can hear mine on my CD at http://www.cdbaby.com/alanames. The first clip "Deep Eddy Blues", is a cheap K & S Hawaiian made in Mexico, but it is pretty good. I have a Bear Creek ordered but February is the due date. |
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