***The Official Guitar Thread***
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John Sykes - RIP
Sad news that John Sykes has passed at the age of 65. An underrated player in my eyes. I played Slide it In and 1987 to death in my teens. Off to play along with Still of the Night!
Sad news that John Sykes has passed at the age of 65. An underrated player in my eyes. I played Slide it In and 1987 to death in my teens. Off to play along with Still of the Night!
Soldato
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RIP John Sykes 
Associate
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Having rheumatoid arthritis really puts a dampener on playing guitar. Bought new strings and fret board oil 2 weeks ago, to give both acoustics a spruce up, but still haven't got around to it.
So I mapped the guitar completely after the refretting:
Left shows the fret measured error to the 0.1mm, it will always be an incremental. The right shows the frequency error in cent to 0.1Hz accuracy.
It's important to take this as a rough rule of thumb because the error shows a couple of things:
* The temperament does what it should do - have a ramp up, typically this will be negative before about the 5th or 7th fret and positive after. A nut move will shift this.
* There is some intonation that is needed which should help reduce some of the frequency error
* The nut needs bringing forward about 1.5mm or so, then re-intonating.
A cleaner way is to look at the error per fret based on accumulation of the strings:
This shows that (colours of strings vary from the upper two graphs):
a) given some adjustment globally (ie the nut) that the general total error of each fret should be reduced.
b) oddities at frets 15 and 24 which indicate there's some funky business going on.
c) the colours indicate that the G and D strings are a little out, probably needing some nut tuning.
Edit:
So I’ve tuned at 2ns fret and rechecked the error and it reduces the error.
To test my idea of the nut change I put a hex key and it makes a hell of a difference in reducing the errors. Only the B and G strings need intonation.
I’ll retest with thr key tomorrow to check the error but the tuner seemed to think it was bang on (except B and G).
So it looks like a little nut adjustment in the next couple of days
Left shows the fret measured error to the 0.1mm, it will always be an incremental. The right shows the frequency error in cent to 0.1Hz accuracy.
It's important to take this as a rough rule of thumb because the error shows a couple of things:
* The temperament does what it should do - have a ramp up, typically this will be negative before about the 5th or 7th fret and positive after. A nut move will shift this.
* There is some intonation that is needed which should help reduce some of the frequency error
* The nut needs bringing forward about 1.5mm or so, then re-intonating.
A cleaner way is to look at the error per fret based on accumulation of the strings:
This shows that (colours of strings vary from the upper two graphs):
a) given some adjustment globally (ie the nut) that the general total error of each fret should be reduced.
b) oddities at frets 15 and 24 which indicate there's some funky business going on.
c) the colours indicate that the G and D strings are a little out, probably needing some nut tuning.
Edit:
So I’ve tuned at 2ns fret and rechecked the error and it reduces the error.
To test my idea of the nut change I put a hex key and it makes a hell of a difference in reducing the errors. Only the B and G strings need intonation.
I’ll retest with thr key tomorrow to check the error but the tuner seemed to think it was bang on (except B and G).
So it looks like a little nut adjustment in the next couple of days
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So I've refitted the nut and as you can see there's a bit of a high action at the moment, this causes the string to bend and go sharp - this is why you see all the large rise.
The errors on the upper frets go sharp a little too much.
The diagonal slope is simply what you seer from equal temperament (ie 12 notes per octave). All equal temperament guitars have this slope, mine is a little more emphasised due to the jumbo frets and the lack of finessing
Now after intonation.. guess which string I intonated:
Edit: I did continue and the graph is looking good.
There diagonal can also be helped by putting in some neck relief once I have the nut height sorted.
The errors on the upper frets go sharp a little too much.
The diagonal slope is simply what you seer from equal temperament (ie 12 notes per octave). All equal temperament guitars have this slope, mine is a little more emphasised due to the jumbo frets and the lack of finessing
Now after intonation.. guess which string I intonated:
Edit: I did continue and the graph is looking good.
There diagonal can also be helped by putting in some neck relief once I have the nut height sorted.
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not really a Megadeth fan but this came up on shorts...whatever Mustang's singing here sounds great!
edit - song is She Wolf and that live clip in the video sounds better than the single/album version!
edit 2 - maybe aye, maybe naw
edit - song is She Wolf and that live clip in the video sounds better than the single/album version!
edit 2 - maybe aye, maybe naw
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Some mod to then action height and we've halved the error:
If you look at the previous graphs, at fret 1 on this graph we'd be looking at an accumulated error of over 140 alone - now we're under 70.
There's a little adjustment I feel on the neck relief still and the nut distance again (this can be simply the nut is not intoned due to a slight tilt (I'd unglued again for this test).
Update: A further improvement now from correcting the scale intonation.
For each string - tune against the first fret, then adjust the nut to shorten the first fret, also shorten the scale to align with the octave fret by shortening the bridge to 12 and 13th but bringing the bridge forward.
in short in my case, the nut needs to move shorten the string and bridge likewise has to move towards the nut, this shortens the string scale length so the same note frequency is maintained but the positions of the string in relation to rhe frets changes.
Makes sense?
It’a but of a mind barf but it works. I just need to complete and record the difference. It sounds more musical so I know it’s right.
Next, the rear panel. When the strings get replaced I’ll look at any additional adjustments.
If you look at the previous graphs, at fret 1 on this graph we'd be looking at an accumulated error of over 140 alone - now we're under 70.
There's a little adjustment I feel on the neck relief still and the nut distance again (this can be simply the nut is not intoned due to a slight tilt (I'd unglued again for this test).
Update: A further improvement now from correcting the scale intonation.
For each string - tune against the first fret, then adjust the nut to shorten the first fret, also shorten the scale to align with the octave fret by shortening the bridge to 12 and 13th but bringing the bridge forward.
in short in my case, the nut needs to move shorten the string and bridge likewise has to move towards the nut, this shortens the string scale length so the same note frequency is maintained but the positions of the string in relation to rhe frets changes.
Makes sense?
It’a but of a mind barf but it works. I just need to complete and record the difference. It sounds more musical so I know it’s right.
Next, the rear panel. When the strings get replaced I’ll look at any additional adjustments.
Last edited:
Soldato
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I'm learning Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla. It's the Nadia Kossinskaya arrangement which has some horrific stretches, but otherwise seems playable.
I tried the Richard Dyens arrangement too, but that is pretty much impossible!
This is the one I'm aiming for:
I tried the Richard Dyens arrangement too, but that is pretty much impossible!
This is the one I'm aiming for:
Name one of his tunes that everyone has heard of. Yeah he's cool but I don't get off on the directionless widdling no matter how flash it is. Coverdale replaced John Sykes with Steve Vai and then a procession of beautiful young men who could do all this stuff. I'm old and find Bernie Marsden and Mickey Moody more interesting to listen to - they wrote good songs!how cool is Joel Hoekstra?
I stopped being a Whitesnake fan when Marsden, Moody and the rest of the old crew went
Man of Honour
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I first saw Coverdale on the Deep Purple Burn tour and I was impressed however I couldn't get into a band that he named after his own willy
About 10 years ago my best mate talked me into trying out for a Whitesnake tribute even though I wasn't much for their music.
He'd found a drummer and bass player and I'd be on keyboards/guitar.
The singer had advertised to form a band and my mate said 'he sounds amazing'.
We turned up and I knew the bass player and drummer very well, the drummer joined my band last November and sadly died 4 weeks later
Coverdale lookalike looked the part and we kicked into Here I Go Again, we all looked at each other thinking is this Coverdale's Grandad.
Song after song that I'd wasted so much time on was awful but it was great playing with the other 3 guys.
We finished, Coverdale drove off and then we all had a go at my mate who got us there.
I said "You told us he sounds amazing" and he said "I meant on paper, he really bigged himself up"
Getting there. The issue is anything near 5 cent is (with jumbo frets) literally pressure or movement in the finger on the string putting more/less tension on the string. Thicker strings make this even harder to get consistent readings.
My previous readings have been the best reading out, however in this reading it's basically ping it and see:
The only real issues now are:
* prep the nut for the slight differences - gluing it should help stabilise the movement too.
* sort out the upper fret
* finish the fret dressing - they could do with a little more angle I think.
Other than that there's little more todo.
My previous readings have been the best reading out, however in this reading it's basically ping it and see:
The only real issues now are:
* prep the nut for the slight differences - gluing it should help stabilise the movement too.
* sort out the upper fret
* finish the fret dressing - they could do with a little more angle I think.
Other than that there's little more todo.
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was just thinking he was more on the musical side of widdly shredders, bit of showmanship too! don't know too much of Whitesnake members history but I like Sailing Ships even tho I have pretty much no interest in Steve Vai...all about production I guess...
not had anything I've really wanted to learn for a while so was looking at backing tracks, relearn some improv licks/shapes etc, should be more more satisfying!....this track came up...again the solo here sounds so good (to me)! sitting with the guitar and Transcribe slowing it down trying to figure it out is my zen!
I saw Whitesnake about 12 years ago when they were co-headlining with Journey - Coverdale was awful, they cranked the volume up so all you could hear was distortion and he just croaked his way through the set, utterly terrible. Luckily Journey were amazing and the sound was fantastic (they actually turned the PA volume down), so it wasn't a wasted night.I first saw Coverdale on the Deep Purple Burn tour and I was impressed however I couldn't get into a band that he named after his own willy
About 10 years ago my best mate talked me into trying out for a Whitesnake tribute even though I wasn't much for their music.
He'd found a drummer and bass player and I'd be on keyboards/guitar.
The singer had advertised to form a band and my mate said 'he sounds amazing'.
We turned up and I knew the bass player and drummer very well, the drummer joined my band last November and sadly died 4 weeks later
Coverdale lookalike looked the part and we kicked into Here I Go Again, we all looked at each other thinking is this Coverdale's Grandad.
Song after song that I'd wasted so much time on was awful but it was great playing with the other 3 guys.
We finished, Coverdale drove off and then we all had a go at my mate who got us there.
I said "You told us he sounds amazing" and he said "I meant on paper, he really bigged himself up"
Man of Honour
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Yes over the last couple of decades they've had to keep tuning down for him so he could reach the notes but a few years ago he put his hand up and said he can't sing any more.
It's about time Jon Bon Jovi did it instead of ripping people off.
My mates wife was streaming Bon Jovi from Manchester and I'm messaging him asking if it was as bad as I could hear on the stream, he said worse but none of the women can hear how bad it is
Mind you he also touches on it in a documentary he made last year.
Man of Honour
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I've always wanted to know if BAX are reliable and trustworthy