Macca Texan 2004 , Help Red333!

[frenchie1281734003]

Hi guys, I own a lovely 1962 Epiphone Texan, which is both warm and punchy, However I have just got my hands on a "Macca" 2004 Elitist (Terada) Texan, with the Nitro finish to try out, and it is completely different in the tone department. Even with the same D`addario PB-12 strings, it is on the loud and quite brash side in comparison! I really want to like this guitar, as it is fabulously well built, with superb attention to detail, but the tone is leaving me cold.

 

Red333!!! I know you have two of these, do I wait for it to open up, as it looks as though it`s had very little playing time up to now, or do I change to a different brand of string?

 

What`s the tone like on yours?

 

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

Steve.

[pfox14]

Help me Obiewon Kenobie, you're my only hope

[Red 333]

Hi guys, I own a lovely 1962 Epiphone Texan, which is both warm and punchy, However I have just got my hands on a "Macca" 2004 Elitist (Terada) Texan, with the Nitro finish to try out, and it is completely different in the tone department. Even with the same D`addario PB-12 strings, it is on the loud and quite brash side in comparison! I really want to like this guitar, as it is fabulously well built, with superb attention to detail, but the tone is leaving me cold.

 

Red333!!! I know you have two of these, do I wait for it to open up, as it looks as though it`s had very little playing time up to now, or do I change to a different brand of string?

 

What`s the tone like on yours?

 

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

Steve.

 

Hey Steve,

 

I wouldn't describe either of my McCartney Texans or my Elitist Texan as brash. I would describe them on the warm side. As far as balance goes, the high strings are bit muted in comparison to the others overall; I would not describe them as sparkly. It's true of all three of my Texans, but especially with the McCartneys, probably due to the corrian nut, which softens the sound somewhat, and of course, the adjustable bridge.

 

I have one of the McCartneys strung with 13's, and the other two with 12's. The 13's seem to make a noticeable difference in overall volume, and bass too.

 

I use Gibson Masterbuilt Phosphor Bronze on mine (or Gibson J200 strings; essentially the same string with wound silk on the ball ends). These are the only strings I've ever put on them, so I can't predict the effect other brands or gauges may have; these are simply the brand and composition I've settled on for my acoustics. Some guitars definitively respond better to different brands, composition, and size, so you may have to play around with that to find what your new Texan guitar likes best. You'd think though, that your two Texans would sound more alike with the same strings, given they are built so similarly.

 

Of course, one is forty year old guitar, so it's broken in. In my experience, the Japanese Elitist acoustics do need to get played a bit before they wake up (I have an Elitist J-200, too). I can easily hear the difference between the McCartney I play more often and the one I keep as more of a collectible. Maybe yours does need some breaking in, as you say, since its been dormant for a while. Still, I find that a guitar's tone doesn't change radically once it's broken in--it just delivers more of its already apparent good qualities.

 

No matter how good the workmanship, there are always some guitars that never come to life, or have a personality unlike their brethren. You could have one of those. I'd try some different strings and give the guitar some breaking in time before you decide what you really have on your hands.

 

Also, I find that small adjustments in adjustable bridge make a difference in how my Texans sound, too. There definitely seems to be sweet spot where the guitar sounds best to me. To me, "brash" is characterized by a marked drop off in the low end, and the adjustable saddle set too low will definitively produce that effect.

 

Keep us posted. Hope everything works out.

 

Red 333

[frenchie1281734003]

Thanks Red, there`s a lot of sense in what you say. I tinkered around with the saddle again last night (Using an old 67 Rosewood saddle) and I think I`ve found that sweet spot! Next up I will try some of those Gibson Masterbuilt J-200 strings you mentioned, as others have suggested those as well.

 

I am coming around to the opinion that the Corian top nut may need some adjustment, as the three top strings sound like a cross between muffled and zingy when played open. I am actually a fan of Corian, as both my 62 Texan and J-100 Xtra have it as well, and both sound great to me, so I am not tempted to switch to a Bone option. Apart from that the guitar is fabulous!

 

Out of interest while I`ve had this guitar, I have noticed a couple of other minor details (Apart from those you`ve already mentioned in previous posts) that make the MIJ McCartney 64 Texan more accurate to his Texan than the Bozeman made models.

 

1). The string bushings on the Terada version are spot on with Macca`a (and my 62) whilst on the Bozeman model, they are like "Fender" bushings.

 

2). On the Bozeman made Texans the fretboard goes all the way up to the sound hole, which would be right for my 62, but is not a feature on McCartneys actual 64 guitar. So again well done Terada.

 

Two other very small detail which aren`t right on the MIJ`s, and hard to spot, are the addition of a very thin Mahogany heel cap! I think this may be a legacy of the 65 Elitist production run as those had plastic heel caps, but its not a feature on my 62!

 

Plus the pickguard is wrong in tonal colour, and the pattern appears to be printed, nothing like the originals or Bozeman reissues.

 

As for the bracing, that looks very much like my 62, from what I can see and feel.

 

I know you love the details Red.

 

Steve.

 

P.S. when I get a chance I`ll post some pictures.

[Red 333]

Thanks Red, there`s a lot of sense in what you say. I tinkered around with the saddle again last night (Using an old 67 Rosewood saddle) and I think I`ve found that sweet spot! Next up I will try some of those Gibson Masterbuilt J-200 strings you mentioned, as others have suggested those as well.

 

I am coming around to the opinion that the Corian top nut may need some adjustment, as the three top strings sound like a cross between muffled and zingy when played open. I am actually a fan of Corian, as both my 62 Texan and J-100 Xtra have it as well, and both sound great to me, so I am not tempted to switch to a Bone option. Apart from that the guitar is fabulous!

 

Out of interest while I`ve had this guitar, I have noticed a couple of other minor details (Apart from those you`ve already mentioned in previous posts) that make the MIJ McCartney 64 Texan more accurate to his Texan than the Bozeman made models.

 

1). The string bushings on the Terada version are spot on with Macca`a (and my 62) whilst on the Bozeman model, they are like "Fender" bushings.

 

2). On the Bozeman made Texans the fretboard goes all the way up to the sound hole, which would be right for my 62, but is not a feature on McCartneys actual 64 guitar. So again well done Terada.

 

Two other very small detail which aren`t right on the MIJ`s, and hard to spot, are the addition of a very thin Mahogany heel cap! I think this may be a legacy of the 65 Elitist production run as those had plastic heel caps, but its not a feature on my 62!

 

Plus the pickguard is wrong in tonal colour, and the pattern appears to be printed, nothing like the originals or Bozeman reissues.

 

As for the bracing, that looks very much like my 62, from what I can see and feel.

 

I know you love the details Red.

 

Steve.

 

P.S. when I get a chance I`ll post some pictures.

 

Interesting observation about the nut. I hope you're able to get that fixed. I'm with you, I have no disrespect for Corian. It produces a tone with a certain character, for sure, but it's not unpleasant in any way.

 

I don't remember taking note of the heel cap. I'll take a look at mine after the weekend. Beside having the plastic cap you noted, the entire heel on the non-McCartney Elitists is an extension which is joined to the neck. In other words, the neck and heel are not entirely one-piece, like on the McCartney.

 

The pickguard on the Elitist definitively has a printed pattern--it's very easy to see the dots. The McCartney's guard is much more natural looking by comparison, and also darker. Again, I don't remember taking note or being surprised that it is a printed pattern, so I'll have a closer look at it after the weekend, to verify whether our guitars share that feature. It's almost certain that they do, but like the heelcap, the pickguard didn't leave as big impression on my memory as some other features.

 

It is pretty amazing how accurate the MIJ McCartney Texan is to a vintage '64. Terada did a wonderful job. The attention to detail and the final finish work is better than most of my Gibson acoustics. That little area below the end of the fretboard? On my Gibsons, I always have to polish it out as best I can myself, as they leave it gunked up with lacquer and masking tape residue from Bozeman. On the MIJ Tedara Elitist/McCartney Texans, it's as smooth as glass--and not because they join the neck to the body after each is spayed with nitro separately (which is how some manufactures build), as far as I can tell. Tedara just spent the time and effort to make it perfect before the guitar left the factory. The fretwork is also crazy good, isn't it?

 

Is the rosewood saddle you found an old one, or is someone making them over there? Here in the States, there's at least one person who is making ceramic saddles, but I've yet to try one. This person posts on the Beat Gear Cavern, a forum for Beatle-related instruments, music, news, etc. Another person on the forum published a link to a Chinese manufacturer (I think) that made bone saddles for the adjustable bridge, but only sold them in wholesale lots. I'd like to find a retail source for that, and give it a try.

 

What number is your guitar? I have 6 and 69.

 

Thanks for the info on the bushings. I did not know that!

 

Looking forward to your pictures.

 

Red 333

[frenchie1281734003]

Hi Red,

 

This Texan is one of the few unlabelled over runs (Or possibly pre-production guitars, due to the 04 serial number of 040007). The reason I think it may be a pre-production guitar is because back in 2008 Serial number 040006 was sold on Guitar museum by someone who supposedly got it from a Gibson employee in Nashville!

 

http://www.guitar-museum.com/guitar-39997-1964-McCartney-Reissue-Epiphone-Texan

 

The Rosewood saddle I`ve put on it at the moment is from a 67 J-45, and it has taken a bit off the brightness, but it still lacks the "Punchy, sprangy" sound of the 62. Perhaps I am asking a bit too much too soon

 

I agree about the fretwork, although the original Texan`s frets are just a little fatter. Also a good piece of Brazillian for the fingerboard and bridge would have been nice too, or perhaps Madagascan considering how much the original retail price was for these reissues.

 

Thanks for the heads up on "Beat gear cavern" site for the saddles, my 62 has a bone one, and I like it. I have tried a Tusq saddle on my 62, but it was just too zingy, but I`ve yet to try a ceramic one on it.

 

Steve.

[Red 333]

Hi Red,

 

This Texan is one of the few unlabelled over runs (Or possibly pre-production guitars, due to the 04 serial number of 040007). The reason I think it may be a pre-production guitar is because back in 2008 Serial number 040006 was sold on Guitar museum by someone who supposedly got it from a Gibson employee in Nashville!

 

http://www.guitar-museum.com/guitar-39997-1964-McCartney-Reissue-Epiphone-Texan

 

The Rosewood saddle I`ve put on it at the moment is from a 67 J-45, and it has taken a bit off the brightness, but it still lacks the "Punchy, sprangy" sound of the 62. Perhaps I am asking a bit too much too soon

 

I agree about the fretwork, although the original Texan`s frets are just a little fatter. Also a good piece of Brazillian for the fingerboard and bridge would have been nice too, or perhaps Madagascan considering how much the original retail price was for these reissues.

 

Thanks for the heads up on "Beat gear cavern" site for the saddles, my 62 has a bone one, and I like it. I have tried a Tusq saddle on my 62, but it was just too zingy, but I`ve yet to try a ceramic one on it.

 

Steve.

 

Hmm. Mine are T050006 and T050069. I was able to look at the pickguard. They do not look printed. They do have the mahogany veneer on the heel cap.

 

My Elitist is T0404026. It has the printed guard.

 

Since yours has an 04 serial number (like m Elitist), and was probably, as you say, a prototype, perhaps it has the Elitist guard.

 

Can't wait for pictures.

 

Red 333

[frenchie1281734003]

I`ll try and get the pictures up tomorrow Red (Too technical for me, so my son uploads them, and he is out tonight, but it`s the twin of the one I linked to in the previous post (040006). I wonder if mine and 040006 were used by Gibson in their advertising campaign? The reason I say that is because those Macca Texans were obviously non Bozeman made, and didn`t carry a label, plus the advertising campaign had started by October 2004.

 

See this from Gibson, no label or serial on back of h/stock, but just like mine, including pickguard!!

You will have to scroll down for the photo`s.

http://www.epiphone.com/News-Features/News/2006/The-Limited-Edition-Paul-McCartney-Texan--Video.aspx

 

Steve.

[frenchie1281734003]

Here`s some pics of the non Macca Texan Red, I thought I had taken more! Oh well.

 

 

Close up of Mahogany heel veneer cap.

 

Headstock front.

 

Close up of pickguard (The pattern and colouring just look wrong to me compared to my 62).

 

Here is the pickguard on my 62, notice the difference in colour and pattern. Also the grain on this Top is wider than on the MIJ, I wonder if that has something to do with the tonal differences?

 

And this photo of the 62s front, how`s that for a completely faded sunburst!

 

Steve.