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TerryLiberty
Lokahi
USA
207 Posts |
 Posted - 01/02/2012 : 1:21:41 PM
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You guys! No fair!
Now you've got me looking at guitars again. I found a Seagull Maritime solid wood Folk model, usually $700.00 for $500.00 brand new at the local music store. Man, am I tempted! BTW, 1.8" nut.
Gotta sleep on it. |
Terry
Olympia, WA
Forever a haumana |
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GuitarVlog
Akahai
USA
60 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 3:56:09 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Ambrosius
Huh, - technician? What's wrong with myself? A steady hand and expert with a file :-) I can make a nut.
By all means do it yourself if you have the skill and the tools. I carve my own nuts and saddles and have nut slotting files. A single Pippin file can work for almost all string widths. Frets.com has tutorials for carving both nuts and saddles. I think you can find tutorials on YouTube too.
You do want to make certain that you have enough space between the 1st and 6th strings and the edges of the fretboard. Playability might be reduced if either of those have a tendency to slip off the edge. Keep in mind that the 1st string may bend slightly when you execute a hammer-on so there must be a good allowance between the string and the edge of the fret board. A guitar with a wide nut is also made with a wide fretboard.
For bone, I usually purchase through eBay from this vendor in Taiwan. See Parts > Bone Nut & Saddle.
http://stores.ebay.com/Taisamlu-Musical |
- Keo |
Edited by - GuitarVlog on 01/02/2012 4:00:31 PM |
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GuitarVlog
Akahai
USA
60 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 4:04:38 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by TerryLiberty
I found a Seagull Maritime solid wood Folk model, usually $700.00 for $500.00 brand new at the local music store.
Bring your regular guitar to compare. If it doesn't bring you anything substantially different that you like in both tone and playability, then you'll just have bought a $500 wall-hanger that will collect dust.
Hopefully that will partly douse your sudden affliction of gear acquisition syndrome.
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- Keo |
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TerryLiberty
Lokahi
USA
207 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 5:07:32 PM
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Keo:
Thanks for the thoughts. Good advice on comparing guitars. I did decide to sleep on the decision so hopefully I'll be a little clearer headed in the morning. Of course one of the symptoms of GAS is muddled thinking and a willingness to hand over plastic money to eager store clerks. We'll see how this goes.
Ambrosius:
Let us know how things go. |
Terry
Olympia, WA
Forever a haumana |
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GuitarVlog
Akahai
USA
60 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2012 : 5:38:13 PM
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He mea iki Terry.
GAS is a strange kind of thing. I once suffered an interest to buy a banjo. Ya, I do love Appalachian folk an' Bluegrass and da kine, but I realistically don't have the spare time in my days to learn old-time frailin' or Travis-pickin'. After the GAS was gone, I was just left thinking, "Wat da heck waz dat?!!"
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- Keo |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2012 : 03:27:01 AM
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Take you guitar in and compare...
I took my Martin in one day to check out another Martin that I though sounded just fabulous. Problem was, in a side-by-side comparison (in the same setting) mine turned out to be superior in every way.
Definitely take your existing guitar in to compare. You may be amazed at how much your mind may want a new guitar to sound better.
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Bob |
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Ambrosius
Lokahi
132 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2012 : 05:56:51 AM
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quote:
I found a Seagull Maritime solid wood Folk model, usually $700.00 for $500.00 brand new
Well, if I found an offer like that, I'd jump on it, and not bothered adapting a new nut. The problem is I can't. I'm not living in the middle of guitarland, but in the middle of nowhere  . Maybe twice the prize pluss, some 1300 - 1500 USD? My shop has Seagull on their dealership, but not in the shop. If they give me a fair trade with my A&L AMI, I'll go for it "blind", just trust the good words on Seagull on the net.
Otherwise, I'll go for Vlog's method. Crafting a new nut on the A&L. |
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GuitarVlog
Akahai
USA
60 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2012 : 06:16:27 AM
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quote:
Crafting a new nut on the A&L.
Actually, I was under the impression that you were going to craft a new nut for a newly-acquired guitar with at least a 1.75" nut width. You won't get much more space with a 1-11/16" nut width even if you use graduated spacing between the strings.
As I mentioned earlier, if you move the 1st and 6th strings too close to the edge of the fretboard, you can encounter playability issues.
Is there some reason that you prefer a smaller-bodied guitar? Or maybe what you want is a shallower-bodied guitar? OM bodies are the latter and they still give good bass response.
BTW, I came across this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDrTZgBb3f4 |
- Keo |
Edited by - GuitarVlog on 01/03/2012 06:19:53 AM |
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TerryLiberty
Lokahi
USA
207 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2012 : 08:53:04 AM
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Ambrosius: Yeah, The Seagull is a pretty sweet deal but I've decided not for me. Gotta keep playing my Eastman archtop (1.75" nut) and keep looking. The Eastman plays beautifully but it's a jazz box and doesn't have the rich acoustic sound of a good flattop. The killer on the Seagull purchase was that there is no cutaway and no fret markers past #12. I'm just learning to do false harmonics and it's pretty hard to locate them without fret dots when you need to. The guitar sure had a sweet, open sound. Someday my prince(ess) will come.
Perhaps an Eastman AC322ce?
Good luck in your pursuit. I hope it works out.
Regards. |
Terry
Olympia, WA
Forever a haumana |
Edited by - TerryLiberty on 01/03/2012 11:28:01 AM |
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Ambrosius
Lokahi
132 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2012 : 10:46:13 AM
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quote:
Actually, I was under the impression that you were going to craft a new nut for a newly-acquired guitar with at least a 1.75" nut width. You won't get much more space with a 1-11/16" nut width even if you use graduated spacing between the strings.
The shop gave me a fair price to change from the A&L AMI with a 1.72 inch nut to a Seagull Coastline Folk with a 1.80 inch nut, so I'll let my files rest. They did actually have a Seagull with the same neck as on the Folk, so I tried it. To me it made a difference. |
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Ambrosius
Lokahi
132 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2012 : 11:00:01 AM
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quote:
Yeah, The Seagull is a pretty sweet deal but I've decided not for me. Gotta keep playing my Eastman archtop (1.75" nut) and keep looking. The Eastman plays beautifully but it's a jazz box and doesn't have the rich acoustic sound of a good flattop. The killer on the Seagull purchase was that there is no cutaway and no fret markers past #12. I'm just learning to do false harmonics and it's pretty hard to locate them without fret dots when you need to. The guitar sure had a sweet, open sound. Someday my prince(ess) will come.
That was a "SWS Maritime", - I had to go for the "Coastline", a lower grade. The importer didn't have the Maritime on their list. |
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Doug Fitch
Akahai
USA
80 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2012 : 2:46:07 PM
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Hi, I hope this message finds you all enjoying 2012 and your guitars!
I've often had 1 11/16 nuts changed out to 1 3/4". When it works it works fine. I like this wider spacing on steel string guitars, especially when playing slack I want to do pull-offs and hammer-ons. I have a nylon string guitar and I purposefully looked for one with a narrower nut closer to this measurement. I've found that the more I play any one instrument the easier it is to switch to another with different dimensions, go figure. For example, I just finished recording a new CD (all trad. kiho'alu) and used 6 different guitars: steels, 12 string, nylon, resonator with narrow spacing, and a tiny little guitar that was very narrow. Good fun and I was nicely surprised that it wasn't that hard to adapt to these different axes.
Hope that's somehow useful. Aloha! |
Doug Fitch
fitchdoug @ yahoo.com
www.dougfitchmusic.com
http://youtube.com/user/dougfitchmusic |
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Ambrosius
Lokahi
132 Posts |
Posted - 01/05/2012 : 11:31:38 AM
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| Thanks Doug. Kind words from a mighty fine musician which will be to inspiration. "Jus Press" was written mr. Kaapana's hat on a YouTube video. |
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TerryLiberty
Lokahi
USA
207 Posts |
Posted - 01/05/2012 : 1:56:25 PM
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Ambrosius and the ohana:
Well, it's done. I'm now playing a Seagull Maritime SWS and really enjoying the wider neck (1.8" nut). Current case of GAS is pretty much relieved (as is my wallet).
I'll have to say that without this forum and the commentary from all who contributed I wouldn't have known how important a wider neck was. Thanks, Ambrosius for bringing up the question.
Regards. |
Terry
Olympia, WA
Forever a haumana |
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Ambrosius
Lokahi
132 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2012 : 12:37:35 AM
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quote:
Well, it's done. I'm now playing a Seagull Maritime SWS and really enjoying the wider neck (1.8" nut). Current case of GAS is pretty much relieved (as is my wallet).
I'll have to say that without this forum and the commentary from all who contributed I wouldn't have known how important a wider neck was. Thanks, Ambrosius for bringing up the question.
He he, - so you did it after all. Congrats .. I am waiting by the phone from the shop. My Seagull should arrive today was promised (but you know). Your Maritime SWS is of a higher grade than my Coastline, and the petty is I had to pay 6000 NOKs for it, eq. some 1000 USDs. So the 500 USDs should be a real good deal, at least compaired to mine. I guess freight to Europe, customs, taxes etc. etc.
For my part, 1.72" vs. 1.80", - well I'm a 6'2" man and I've never heard my fingers are unusually tiny compared to the rest of me, and I have no hope they shall shrink neither. If there is no space, there is no space. I guess, strumming, you does not notice that much if you mute a string in a chord, but picking, it might just be the one you shall have, the muted one.
As I type, - the shop called. The Seagull has arrives, so off I go. |
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Nut width
