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milod

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Everything posted by milod

  1. Or... possibly as with cameras, some tiny difference from a US model and a different model number of set of serial numbers to keep distribution patterns straight. <grin> But if you're talking under 20, your money, heck, both could be okay. For example, I don't much trust or care for the Washburns I've seen around where I live but - a 2-fer for under your 20-75? If they're functional and don't have bad necks or such, I'd buy 'em. m
  2. All I'm gonna say is good luck - since you get to see 'em, at least you're not buying a pig in a poke as we say here. Heck, if the price is that low you might wanna haul both of 'em home anyway. m
  3. Yup... MIJ is made in Japan. I can't speak to this particular guitar, but in the 1970s some of the Japanese guitars were equal to any mass market guitars made in that era. Period. OTOH, some were continuing the 1960s trend of pretty horrid stuff apparently made from the wood of cheap orange crates or shipping pallets. Unless the Washburn is old-old-old, you'll be getting an Asian piece that may not have the care of some 1970s MIJ guitars, I think. OTOH, it may be quite nice for your needs if the price is right - and the marque is well known. I guess I'd say to play 'em if you can, and look carefully at construction. Very carefully. Then if the price is right... m
  4. I did a bit of a web search too - and it appears that it's a recent brand of questionable origin with no claimants to it - which makes it likely it's something of a store or small importer brand unless there's a small luthier somewhere in North America making acoustic and AEs - which doesn't seem likely. Another possibility might be that it's a small brand for non-North American sale. The lack of a web site seems telling. m
  5. I've a hunch that the esonic stuff is somewhat under-engineered. That's apparently brought a batch of unhappy folks on the forum - but I dunno how many others have done quite well with it. Conceptually it's a good idea that combines some of the best of the piezo type thing with a mag pickup that was all I could get in the olden days anyway. Seriously, though, I don't think any of the sexy bells-and-whistles preamps I've seen as up to the general build quality of the guitars that they're cut into. They're plastic, for heaven's sake, with pots and wiring and stuff that wouldn't last long as a bit of automobile control systems. That includes all brands, although I 'spose you could put a $400 AE rig onto a $100 guitar and argue otherwise. And I still think most of us are better off thinking about our AE decisions first - and we'll be less likely to be disappointed. Buy an AE and you're getting a pretty tender instrument compared to the average mag pickup "electric." Buy an acoustic and add some kind of "electric" element and you're likely to pay a bit more and you're very likely voiding the warranty. Neither solution is perfect, IMHO. I've done both. But note my last 3 have been Epi AEs, one went back with a neck problem and its replacement and my two others seem to be doing well, including the double-pickup jobbie. I'm not a shill for Gibson/Epi - but I'm also not one to howl when reality doesn't match perfection because I never expected it in the first place. m
  6. I'm with Retro... hope all is okay for you.

    m

  7. I think sometimes I'm less picky than some. But in other ways, perhaps I'm a lot more picky than some folks might consider. In the olden days I added soundhole or specially-designed mag pups for flattops or archtops that didn't come with, or were designed for pickups. At most on the flattops I'd drill and reinforce a hole for a jack. Then somewhere in the early 1970s I got two of the first AE guitars I'd ever seem - an Ovation Electric Legend steel and a Country Artist nylon. Both played well and still do. Depending on how they're played, I think they do as well as a lotta new stuff. I've got a regular esonic on my inexpensive PR5E and had one with the reeeally inexpensive parlor version the PR4E. I got exceptional "gee that sounds good" from people who make their living playing or recording other people. I haven't tried the esonic2 "out" yet 'cuz the guitar needs some major setup, but what I hear from the amp sounds pretty decent. One thing I always worked toward in the old days when I was adding pickups is that I didn't change or damage the wood any more than absolutely necessary. My mag pickup on the 12-string does not come out the endpin, though, and there's a hole in the side for the cord because that's my preference, but I still feel guilty about the extra hole. With the Masterbilt, although it's not considered an expensive guitar, I think messing with the basic design is an error. I'd say basically the same thing regardless of brand or design. E.g., why cut another hole? Why rip off a little mag pickup to expose what? Do you leave the little radio box on the top of the guitar or kludge up a patch for it? Do you remove everything that's there and then kludge in what's next? Leave the hole for the little radio control box? Cover it with silver tape or??? I dunno. I'm not in love with the 2. I see drawbacks in both the the design and the overall "quality' of build on the thing. Many may not have been installed well in the factory. Whatever... But... I'd rather see you buy something else if you're going to spend the same amount of money on a kludge as on a new AE. That's what I'd do if it came to that. Of if you feel you want something unavailable as an AE combination, buy a new straight acoustic and add what you want, 'cuz it may not cost any more than trying to get a decent "upgrade" and rebuild what's there. m
  8. Actually there was a spam message the mods took out. My major "pro" thing on here has reference to maintaining the least messing with the wood of the guitar - on the believe that the least intrusive solution probably is best even if the pickup isn't "best" by one opinion or another. m
  9. K... It's a lot easier for me to get this type of pix. The one in my profile is in the Bighorn mountains near where the Johnson County Cattle War was fought - and just a few miles from Ft. Phil Kearny, epicenter of the 1867-68 Red Cloud War. The revolver is an 1851 Colt replica; the vest standard for US military in 1860-80 or so. The hat an old hand made Star of the West, Rapid City, SD.

  10. No, the spam had to do with some sort of "here's new television shows." Had nothing to do with guitars or guitar people or guitar people's perspective even on television shows. m
  11. Okay... ditto on just getting the same guitar, used, and at a pretty decent price tag. The eSonic2 works fine on mine - there are other issues, but... The way it strikes me is that it could easily be replaced by the esonic without messing much at all with the wood and its various holes on the guitar for the pickup system. Personally I'd leave the nanomag right where it is instead of messing with removing it. It's your money, your guitar. I'm also guessing - just a guess - that you almost could leave the bridge pickup intact and just mess with the wiring of the "new" preamp. I'm not particularly bothered by the dual pickup thing, I guess, because I date back to an era when a mag pickup was how things were regardless that some companies tried to hide the whole thing except for teeny metal dots at the end of the fingerboard ... and big volume and a tone control knobs on an otherwise nice-looking top. And... I've done the mag soundhole pickup thing for some 40 years with different guitars and pickups. The reason I'd personally just go with the eSonic is simply because it should fit perfectly in the holes and stuff already on the guitar, but with fewer wires. My guess is that 80 percent of the problems with this setup is a matter of what look like really light-gauge wires and stuff. I see nothing wrong with the concept nor the sound, myself. Are there better rigs out there? Probably. Are they drop-ins on this guitar? I doubt it very seriously. Are they worth the money? I think it's probably a matter of you pay your money and take your choice. Ads on everything proclaim they're better than anything else, so... m
  12. One of the younger forum members - I'm more than 4 times as old - but one looking to learn and grow just as I am.

    Glad you're "here."

    m

  13. Hi Andy... Yeah, I'm still at work. By the way guys, I do an average of around 3 1/2 pots of coffee a day and some folks claim they need a knife and fork to consume my coffee. I wasn't kidding at all about the peanutbutter toast and the relaxation of facial muscles. It's kinda a zen thing in a sense 'cuz you unclench your teeth and you'd be surprised how much tightening of facial muscles affect everything from breathing to sinuses. Meanwhile the toast puts more blood to the tummy 'stedda the brain. m
  14. Two slices of dark bread peanutbutter toast. And OJ. Then deep breathing and relaxing my face muscles. I think that sounds a bit odd, but it's surprising how much effort we put into face muscles and that helps keep us awake. m
  15. From all the responses with slightly different, but equally serious buzzing complaints, I'd say that perhaps the first thing "we" should do is check to see if doing some little minor thing might solve a big problem... I've frequently heard of the bridge "wire" difficulty. Can't recall what the solution was, but it was in the Gibson area. m
  16. running down the list of "lounge" topics... Right now this instant? A batch of Chris Ledoux and I'm darned if I can tell you if it's rock, country or cowboy stuff. m
  17. Gee... I have no idea about an Ibanez guitar from the Patent Infringement era. <grin> Not only were they awesomely made... they last as well as any guitar, perhaps better than most. That came as the big surprise that takes a long time to learn about. Korea, btw, came into things a lot later than Japan. In '87 it was still pretty "third world" feeling in a lotta ways. I would have been happy driving in Seoul. By 1995? No way for me to think of driving there; it was a different place entirely. That rapid economic ramp-up in Korea has been, in ways, a miracle of bootstrapping. Regardless what one may think of some South Korean politics, the hard work and skills of folks there have been something else. I don't have any Korean guitars, but... I'm betting they weren't all that good when they began manufacturing the things, and got increasingly better both in materials and workmanship as time went on. m
  18. I don't know if your strings are hitting the pups... look close... But I had a similar problem on the 175. Heavy strings, light strings... No diff. It buzzed when I played and it even came through on the amp. Oddly what solved it was checking the pick guard where it actually was touching the bridge pup/assembly. I put on a little piece of felt on the pickguard where it rests on the pup/assembly. The felt I used is such as ladies put on the bottom of little porcelains that go on the shelf. They're awfully inexpensive for a batch of 'em. Made sure then that there was no actual contact between the plastic/metal of pups/assembly and the pickguard. No more buzz. m
  19. RTH... It's a strong possibility, at least from a language perspective. I have no idea who may have manufactured any Korean Epi pickups. But I do have some experience with the Korean language and transliteration from Korean into English. A perfect example of different transliterations is in reference to Korean kick-punch martial arts. Some write it one word, Taekwondo, some as Taekwon Do, some as Tae Kwon Do... Yet functionally it's like "karate" which also unquestionably was at least two words often given different translation, but still two words, more or less Kara and Te. But coming from Chinese characters gave the option of differing translations. m
  20. Korean writing - "Hangul" - clusters letters into syllables. So... It's entirely possible that the "translation" simply followed Korean writing. Daiwoo, for example, is written in two clusters for the syllable "Day" and the syllable "Woo." Hangul is phoenetic, but: For example: Gib(u) sun ... or Eh Pee poe n(u). (There's no "F" or "V" in Korean except in borrowed words and so usually a "p" gets substituted.) It's so phoenetic that I added the "(u)" because if you really listen to yourself say "Gibson," there's almost inevitably a "U" sort of sound between the B and the S. For what it's worth, my own first name is written in three syllables in Hangul, and almost could function as an entire "Korean" name. Just a thought... m
  21. Another factor that kinda bugs me... I had a "competing" Dot type I got a super deal on "used" that sounded fine at home but... at a gig with another guitar and bass, it just didn't cut it. I guess you could say "muddy" if you want to. Did a swap for a new Dot that supposedly has the new Epi switch and pots. I think there is a very obvious better sound - but without a scope I don't know really how you can quantify the result. m
  22. Gaolee I'm about as far from being a babe in arms as anyone on the forums and I rather appreciated getting the little tool set and other stuff even though yeah, it's largely for kids. The point I think some of the guys are making, though, is that the stores that don't give you what came with the guitar are functionally stealing from the total cost/value of the package. If they do that, it says something about the integrity of the store and/or its staff. That is, I guess, what bothers me. I've seen at least one Epi second sold as a "first," we've talked on the forums about problem guitars being put back up on the wall as "new," etc., etc. To me it all starts, and is reflected by, the store that doesn't give you what came with the guitar. In some cases that even includes the stuff you and I may never use like a low-quality cord and strap, or stuff we may want such as a gig bag or hard case. So... a $1,000 guitar where you don't get the hard case, strap and cord and wrench set may only be giving you functionally the value of $800 at retail. m
  23. Dancinbaer I think you got scrod - yes, that's the pluperfect indicative. <grin> With all the moaning in favor of various sorts of retail stores, I think today's retail environment ain't what it used to was. That last sentence may not be grammatical, but I think it expresses a truth. m
  24. Rip...

    Some friends here on the forum talked me into putting up these 3 to give them an idea of some of what I do.

    I think it's different tone on each piece, but the same guitar and amp. Just different settings.

    It may give an idea of different sounds from the same basics. Humbucker, 30-watt Kustom acoustic-electric amp run directly into the computer.

    ...

  25. I lost the end of your note - 400 character max - but no, Bismarck is a long way away. Darn it. Eric S was from an day when journalism still was "fun" for 25-hour days. Perhaps unfortunately I've lived past that era.

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