The guitar corner

[jazzbo]

Interesting. I can't contribute any advice or comment. . . as I have never used a capo.

[Dan Gould]

10 hours ago, skeith said:

No that is not the one I use.   Mine is like this..never had a problem and it is much smaller....easy to fit in your case....never got why anyone would use anything else.

Thanks. I'll look for that design too when I go to Guitar Center this weekend. I can already see though that one appeal of the model I have is that it's a one-handed operation, grab the handle to release the pressure from the spring and move it or remove it. The spring also allows you to attach it to the top of the neck when not in use. This one looks like a two-handed operation, hold it in place at the fret, turn the screw to tighten so it holds. 

[skeith]

4 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

Thanks. I'll look for that design too when I go to Guitar Center this weekend. I can already see though that one appeal of the model I have is that it's a one-handed operation, grab the handle to release the pressure from the spring and move it or remove it. The spring also allows you to attach it to the top of the neck when not in use. This one looks like a two-handed operation, hold it in place at the fret, turn the screw to tighten so it holds. 

yes...your design may be easier to put on the guitar....but I much prefer my design.....allows you to adjust the tension very precisely....and they never break or at least not in my experience so far....also your design seems too big and doesn't fit in my guitar case compartment for supplies.

13 hours ago, jazzbo said:

Interesting. I can't contribute any advice or comment. . . as I have never used a capo.

Lon

 

for me the key benefit of the capo is that if you are playing with other musicians or singing along with your guitar, it allows you instantly to change the key you are playing in to adapt to other musicians or your singing voice....you don't have to figure out the chords or melody for the new key you are changing to.  Once I got one, I would never be without it....have one for all my guitars.

Edited May 27, 2016 by skeith

[Dan Gould]

2 hours ago, skeith said:

yes...your design may be easier to put on the guitar....but I much prefer my design.....allows you to adjust the tension very precisely....and they never break or at least not in my experience so far....also your design seems too big and doesn't fit in my guitar case compartment for supplies.

Lon

 

for me the key benefit of the capo is that if you are playing with other musicians or singing along with your guitar, it allows you instantly to change the key you are playing in to adapt to other musicians or your singing voice....you don't have to figure out the chords or melody for the new key you are changing to.  Once I got one, I would never be without it....have one for all my guitars.

I think it looks bigger than it really is, but I only have the soft-cover case and this fits easily into the big pocket.

As for the use of the capo I am confused. I am a far less experienced/skilled guitarist but do you apply the capo and then play the same chords as written? I thought you have to change chords accordingly.

To me the advantage is changing the chords to make transitions easier. A lot of pop/country tunes written in the key of E become easier as C#m becomes Bm, B becomes A. Pretty much all the chords are around frets 1 and 2 if you use a capo on the second fret.

And if you want to play Bob Seger's Night Moves, capo I is an absolute necessity to sound like the record.

[skeith]

54 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

I think it looks bigger than it really is, but I only have the soft-cover case and this fits easily into the big pocket.

As for the use of the capo I am confused. I am a far less experienced/skilled guitarist but do you apply the capo and then play the same chords as written? I thought you have to change chords accordingly.

To me the advantage is changing the chords to make transitions easier. A lot of pop/country tunes written in the key of E become easier as C#m becomes Bm, B becomes A. Pretty much all the chords are around frets 1 and 2 if you use a capo on the second fret.

And if you want to play Bob Seger's Night Moves, capo I is an absolute necessity to sound like the record.

I am just giving my personal experience but for me it is much easier to change keys on the fly using a capo then figuring out what the chords are in a different key like real musicians do probably instantaneously....so yes you keep playing the same chords in the same way you did without the capo on a higher fret with the capo on and you have changed keys without having to learn different chords for the new key.... I

Of course if you want to play like the record and the artist on the record is using a capo that's another reason.

And as I said, if you sing while playing guitar, it makes it easy to find the right key for you voice....just move that capo!

 

[Dan Gould]

45 minutes ago, skeith said:

I am just giving my personal experience but for me it is much easier to change keys on the fly using a capo then figuring out what the chords are in a different key like real musicians do probably instantaneously....so yes you keep playing the same chords in the same way you did without the capo on a higher fret with the capo on and you have changed keys without having to learn different chords for the new key.... I

Of course if you want to play like the record and the artist on the record is using a capo that's another reason.

And as I said, if you sing while playing guitar, it makes it easy to find the right key for you voice....just move that capo!

 

Nothing helps my warble but thanks for the tip!

[six string]

On May 24, 2016 at 6:41 AM, Dan Gould said:

Question for the experts: My capo seems to wearing out after a few years use. I get too much buzz especially at frets 1 and 2 and adjusting the spring doesn't help. I assume this is normal ... 

I see several at Amazon for $10 or less and others $20 or $30. Are the higher priced ones significantly better or longer lasting? 

I have the same capo (Planet Waves) so I'm wondering why you haven't adjusted the tension on your capo which is why it is what  

that design is for.  The little round nob with the PW icon is what you turn to increase or decrease the tension.  I don't have any issues with mine and I've had it for years now.  It looks bulkier than that other model pictured from another company but the dimensions can't be much different.  It might look bigger because of the design and the magnified photo.

[jazzbo]

Oh I get the advantage of one and understand the use. I don't sing along, and I don't play along with others on the guitar. I just haven't had the need for one. 

[six string]

On January 7, 2015 at 5:57 PM, BFrank said:

Have we talked pedals yet? Here's my current collection.

 

I've had the Boss Looper for a few years, at least, but it's really intimidating to use. I recently got the HardWire Delay/Looper thinking I could do some simple loops with that and get more comfortable with the process. It also has a nice variety of Delay effects. Picked it up CHEAP from Musician's Friend and sold my old DigiTech DigiDelay for about the same price.

 

The Fat Sandwich I also just grabbed at a bargain price from MF. Sounds great..........and VERY fat!

 

image by BFrank229, on Flickr

 

Are you familiar with Robert Keeley pedals?  His compression boxes are some of the best in the business imo but the pedal that really surprised me was one called a Dynatrem.  It's a tremolo but a lot more.  I have been able to get all kinds of cool sounds including what sounds almost like a reverse/backward tape effect.  It's pretty complex as pedals go and I'm not one to use pedals much outside of some compression or overdrive sometimes, especially if I'm playing low volume but it's a lot of fun.

 

https://robertkeeley.com/product/dynatrem/

Edited May 27, 2016 by six string

[Dan Gould]

2 hours ago, six string said:

I have the same capo (Planet Waves) so I'm wondering why you haven't adjusted the tension on your capo which is why it is what  

that design is for.  The little round nob with the PW icon is what you turn to increase or decrease the tension.  I don't have any issues with mine and I've had it for years now.  It looks bulkier than that other model pictured from another company but the dimensions can't be much different.  It might look bigger because of the design and the magnified photo.

Of course I have turned the knob it does not tighten further.

[six string]

45 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

Of course I have turned the knob it does not tighten further.

I hope my comment didn't come off snarky or anything.  It wasn't meant to be.  I'm surprised you've run out of room to tighten it which males me wonder of you have a smallish guitar neck.  I use mine on both electric and acoustic guitars (Taylor, Fender and Yamaha) and I've never had that issue.

[Dan Gould]

51 minutes ago, six string said:

I hope my comment didn't come off snarky or anything.  It wasn't meant to be.  I'm surprised you've run out of room to tighten it which males me wonder of you have a smallish guitar neck.  I use mine on both electric and acoustic guitars (Taylor, Fender and Yamaha) and I've never had that issue.

Don't worry about it ... I don't think the neck is especially small. I'd probably play better if it was.   But the spring is definitely engaged as far as it will go and its not giving the same results as before.

[Dan Gould]

On 5/27/2016 at 8:24 PM, skeith said:

No that is not the one I use.   Mine is like this..never had a problem and it is much smaller....easy to fit in your case....never got why anyone would use anything else.

Saw this at Guitar Center, $20, and figured what the hell. I really don't know why my old one stopped functioning (and to be clear the real problem was on the first fret where the strings are highest) but this works perfectly and I actually like the two-handed positioning. Thanks for the recommendation!

[skeith]

2 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

Saw this at Guitar Center, $20, and figured what the hell. I really don't know why my old one stopped functioning (and to be clear the real problem was on the first fret where the strings are highest) but this works perfectly and I actually like the two-handed positioning. Thanks for the recommendation!

You are welcome Dan....glad that it worked for you.

[BFrank]

On 5/27/2016 at 10:08 AM, six string said:

 

Are you familiar with Robert Keeley pedals?  His compression boxes are some of the best in the business imo but the pedal that really surprised me was one called a Dynatrem.  It's a tremolo but a lot more.  I have been able to get all kinds of cool sounds including what sounds almost like a reverse/backward tape effect.  It's pretty complex as pedals go and I'm not one to use pedals much outside of some compression or overdrive sometimes, especially if I'm playing low volume but it's a lot of fun.

 

https://robertkeeley.com/product/dynatrem/

Interesting. THANKS for the tip! Nice retro look, too.

[7/4]

I use a Kyser capo when I need one. More of a clamp.

http://www.kysermusical.com/store/electric-guitars/

Handy for checking intonation quickly or, as I found out lately, nice to use in the middle of the neck and limit the guitar to more of a mandolin range.

 

 

.

Edited May 29, 2016 by 7/4

[Dan Gould]

Does this apply to anyone here?

 

[BFrank]

49 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

Does this apply to anyone here?

 

[Brad]

Interesting story about some very expensive guitars. 

How 10 high-end guitars on their way to Hong Kong wound up in Anchorage classrooms

[sgcim]

If that happened in the inner city HS I taught at in NY, the kids would have found a way to break in to the storage room where they kept them and steal them before the first semester was finished. 

[EveryMann]

Great thread! I have skimmed through many of the pages today to while away the idle moments here at work (shhhhh).

I've cashed out of my high-dollar guitars long ago, keeping only a Frankenberry guitar I made out of parts from City Lights Music in the 1980s, and for sake of sentimentality, the very first (1970s) Telecaster I bought second-hand back in high school.

And this 1965 Mosrite bass.

I'm not much of a bass player--and the only amp I own now is a little 1960s Ampeg Jet--but it's relaxing to pull this out every few months and wheedle out some Tommy Cogbill runs through those ancient flatwounds that date back to the Clinton administration. It has an interesting history and I have some old emails I exchanged with Andy Moseley where he remembers this one being custom-ordered in 1964/65, and they ended up making 3 guitars and 2 other basses in this color out of the same can of paint. Maybe not a concentric-knob Jazz Bass in terms of value or playability, but as for coolness, it's the barometer by which all else is measured.

PS-- Here's the Frankenberry I made in the 1980s. Coffin case made by someone named Strang Rodstiehl, current whereabouts unknown.

[7/4]

1 hour ago, EveryMann said:

Great thread! I have skimmed through many of the pages today to while away the idle moments here at work (shhhhh).

I've cashed out of my high-dollar guitars long ago, keeping only a Frankenberry guitar I made out of parts from City Lights Music in the 1980s,

City Lights in New Brunswick, NJ? I used to drop in there quite a bit. I must have bought something there, maybe an Epiphone Granada.

[EveryMann]

2 minutes ago, 7/4 said:

City Lights in New Brunswick, NJ? I used to drop in there quite a bit. I must have bought something there, maybe an Epiphone Granada.

Yup--Easton Avenue in New Brunswick. I still have copies of his Black Sun Tabloid quarterly mailings stashed away somewhere.

[7/4]

3 hours ago, EveryMann said:

Yup--Easton Avenue in New Brunswick. I still have copies of his Black Sun Tabloid quarterly mailings stashed away somewhere.

I did for years...all gone now. I grew up in North Brunswick.

[sgcim]

It's too late to to bid, but Walter Becker's 'collection' was just auctioned off at a Beverley Hills auction house, if you hadn't heard about it. WB owned 650 guitars and close to 400 amps. Certifiable GAS!!!!!!