Guest Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Has anyone got a gold frequensator for sale. I want to put a frequensator on one of my Sheratons. Also I have been told Gibson Epiphone make a "Custom Made" cover for stop bar holes when people want to use another tailpiece or a bigsby. Where can I get one of those....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Summerisle Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Hey Joe, I know All Parts sell Frequensators: http://www.allparts.com/Trapeze-Tailpieces-s/150.htm Dunno if they ship to Schweeden however. Don't see why not... Edit: yup, they do ship overseas to "qualifying countries" and they also have a distributor in Sweden: http://www.allparts.com/help_answer.asp?ID=12#24 Sweden Gavle Musik Fabrik Utmarsvagen 7 S-802 91 Gavle Sweden 31 Tele: 011-46-26-100558 Fax: 011-46-26-1000580 info@gmf.se www.gmf.se Not sure about those "Custom Cover" thingmajigs for stop-bar holes. Doesn't TWANG make something in that line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 Hey LS good stuff. Would prefer, a slightly tarnished, secondhand one, taken from an Epiphone the older the better if you get my drift. The recipient in question is a 1987 model and a "brand spanker" could be a bit shocking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Summerisle Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 ...point taken. As a matter of interest, my missus makes and sells jewellery... If you want to age metal and make it look old and tarnished, then you need Liver of Sulphur (Potassium Sulphide). Nasty stuff, but works very well for this purpose: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver_of_sulfur Just in case you do end up stuck with a new tailpiece..(!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 Jeez LS, With your forum name, and the pagan reference I read earlier, and your recommendation of the the use of "Liver of Sulphur"...... I got a bit of a "Wicker Man" feeling for a second Thanks for the tip will sounds a bit severe to have lying around with the kids. If a new one might might attack it with some brown sauce that used to shine pennies when we were kids so might take the gleam of a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 Thanks Peter That is the best price I have seen so far, and I like the fact the say Epiphone Frequensator Tailpiece, rather than just a generic frequensator tailpiece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill67 Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 will that give it much of a different sound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthewk Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Yes. I did it to mine and it makes the guitar a bit louder acoustically, and the string lengths behind the bridge will ring while you're playing. It's not a tuneful ring because the lengths are not in a simple ratio to the playing parts of the string, but it does add a kind of thickness to the acoustic sound. Through an amp it sounds a bit more "alive", and overdriven the ringing tailpiece strings give you some pretty interesting break-up sounds. Definitely more character. And Joe - don't know if you got my return e-mail, but I am going to use a plug-cutter drill bit to make some maple discs and stain them to match the top of mine. Just as soon as I find an inexpensive plug-cutter ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 It must make some difference, I don't think you can change a guitar without some difference even if it is minute. I am after that Sheraton I look, more than anything. Any beneficial "character" to the overall sound of the guitar would of course be welcome. If anything detrimental to the overall sound of the guitar occurred it is not that difficult to put the stop bar back on. I want to give it a shot. Would like to get a nice gold engraved cover (not too keen on "custom made" on a stop bar hole cover) for the stop bar holes that just reads Sheraton that would be ideal for my tastes I think. Just looking at the photographs below it is very evident the difference in the quality of the early frequensators. Also I have seen some people have the short side on the treble strings GBE and some have the long side. Begs the question, how should it be ideally? And why did they change from that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Switching the halves of the Frequensator so the longer side is on the bass strings completely negates the supposed reason behind the design in the first place; i.e. to give more length to the bass strings and less to the treble, which allegedly improves tonal response on both. My hunch is that players who do it do so because the "D" string in many string sets is not long enough to reach the tuning peg with adequate winding room when strung the proper way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthewk Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Yes, the D is down to the core before it meets the tuner on mine, it's more than 30 inches from the bass-side tailpiece to the D tuner. No adverse effects on tuning though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 matthewk wrote: it's more than 30 inches from the bass-side tailpiece to the D tuner. Matthew have you researched to try and find a string supplier that can supply longer strings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Gibson L-5 Strings will reach with room to spare. I had the same problem with the D on my frequensated Emperor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthewk Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 The string reaches, so there's no issue for me. On a wrapped string, the core is the part which needs to be under tension - the wrapping is there to add "mass per unit length" so you can tune up with a playable tension and still get low notes. That's why a wound G string and a plain G sound different - on the plain G the entire thicker string is under tension, whereas on the wound G, a thin inner core carries the tension and behaves differently when fretted or struck. Since the core on my D string has appropriate tension on it, the fact that the wrappings don't reach the tuner is unimportant. They need to reach the nut, of course, without changing thickness, but past there, it's not a problem. Certainly the guitar stays in tune and is well intonated without issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Just playing devil's advocate here...but I think the frequensator is a REALLY lousy design especially with a TOM bridge. If you like the look that's one thing but a stop tail is a much better performer on thaty guitar IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 Layboomo wrote: but I think the frequensator is a REALLY lousy design especially with a TOM bridge what kind of bridge did the Sheraton I have what kind of bridge does a Riviera have........are all Rivieras lousy performers.............???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Well IMHO yes a stop tail is better on a thin semi hollow for quite a few reasons and probably has a lot to do with the classic 335 layout. With a full hollow design and a deeper Jazzbox with a floating bridge and a steeper string angle you have a different animal all together. Just because someone famous played the design doesn't mean it was a GOOD design! The trapeze tail on the early Les Pauls was a terrible design as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 Layboomo wrote: Well IMHO yes a stop tail is better on a thin semi hollow for quite a few reasons and probably has a lot to do with the classic 335 layout. With a full hollow design and a deeper Jazzbox with a floating bridge and a steeper string angle you have a different animal all together. Just because someone famous played the design doesn't mean it was a GOOD design! The trapeze tail on the early Les Pauls was a terrible design as well.d'oh! Context is everything, I have two Sheratons I see my 89 Sheraton as my "classic 335" I have ordered a new assembly made with gibson braided wire, all switchcraft switch and jack and 500k CTS pots and vitamin t capacitors and two hand wound PAF clones 7.0k neck and 7.9k bridge, unpotted with period correct magnets and coil wire. My 87 Sheraton I want to resemble the frequensated Sheraton 1 it will have minis split coil and be a completely different animal to my 89 Sheraton. I would agree with you if I only had one Sheraton and I wanted it to be like a classic 335 I would have a stop bar. However, I am fortunate enough to have a nice "classic 335" style Sheraton and a frequensated with minis (split) Sheraton. This is why I bought the second Sheraton for $375....to mod and make different to my other Sheraton. I don't see any point in owning two identical guitars.... There are plenty of thinlines with frequensators out there (in their hundreds of thousands) if it was such a lousy design it would have disappeared into obscurity. But no they are bought readily and enjoyed and going by what I have recently read on this forum sounding great. Also, I am sure if an original Sheraton 1 with frequensator and original minis became available for a bargain price in a January sale and the 6000 members on this forum were standing in the cold outside waiting for the store door to open my guess is someone would be killed in the crush. Some bad design.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 I never said it wasn't popular! If you like the look and many people obviously do then go for it, but there are some draw backs to that design is all I'm saying. It does look cool I agree,but I personally don't like that much string behind the saddle because you get all that plinky sympathetic vibration stuff happening........happens with my JP too and it really bugs me sometimes. Hell the TOM bridge itself is a lousy design and look at how many of those are out there! Now I'm really in trouble! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 27, 2010 Author Share Posted January 27, 2010 Layboomo wrote: I personally don't like that much string behind the saddle because you get all that plinky sympathetic vibration stuff happening. granted that is probably why one of my favourite guitarists Dennis Coffey does this to his Gibson Byrdland. Easy fix for a session guitarist in the studio....better than changing the tailpiece. Layboomo Your JP sounds sweet and your "Stormy Monday" sounds sweet too..... Point taken will set this guitar up as I want it, and then give you my honest opinion when it is finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 Hey thanks and good luck with it........I'm sure it will look and sound awesome when you are done. Have you heard about these http://www.comptonbridges.com/ ? The Gretsch guys seem to LOVE them! I have yet to try one but they sure look nice and his design theory is right on IMHO. They say even on a non floating bridge guitar the intonation isn't an issue and the benefits are quite dramatic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 27, 2010 Author Share Posted January 27, 2010 Layboomo That is indeed a beautiful bridge design would like to try one of those on my Joe Pass I am sure it would work great on a floating bridge. Might not work for intonation on a Sheraton being fixed. http://www.comptonbridges.com/brassbridges Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.