Anyone else infatuated with their Acoustic?

[Larry Mal]

Here is an article about shaving the bridge.

But here is the relevant stuff to me:

We’ve talked about neck resets before. The neck is removed and the angle it attaches to the body is altered so that the string action can be reduced. 

The problem is, on many guitars, a neck reset is a big job. And, sometimes, it can be difficult to justify the expense. In an ideal world, we would reset the neck on any guitar with this problem. It's not always an ideal world, though. 

Is there an alternative?

It’s possible to shave wood from the top of the bridge. This lowers the wooden part so that a saddle can protrude more, giving more scope for lowering the action while still maintaining a reasonable break-angle for the strings.

Now, this is a very tricky situation. 

If you’ve got this sort of problem on a guitar worth a couple of hundred bucks, go for it — shave away. It’s not a big deal. 

However, if you’ve got a guitar that’s valuable, or that has collector appeal, or that you just really like, you really want to consider the ramifications of this one. Shaving the bridge can potentially impact the instrument’s value—many buyers don’t look on it kindly. 

A neck reset is one thing, but a shaved bridge is a deal breaker to me.

Like I showed in the other article from the other post, you want there to be an incline from the neck to the top of the bridge, this allows for the strings to have a lot of pressure on the saddle, a lot of break angle.

But now the bridge is not where it was designed to be, so even if you reset the neck, the incline from the neck would be too high for the bridge, so that relationship is broken until there is a new bridge added.

[JSett]

I wouldn't.

So, the bridge was sanded ("shaved") in order to get the action right because the neck is pulling up. But the neck isn't done pulling up, and some day it will need to be reset. That's just the deal with steel string acoustics.

However, now you have a situation in which the bridge also needs to be replaced should the neck be reset. It was a borrowing from Peter to pay Paul situation.

Indeed, all the particularly old acoustics I've owned over the years have had a reset or been due one at some point soon. I've always tried to buy ones that have had it done already.

My current acoustic ('73 FG-160) is getting to that stage now. Frets are wafer thin and the saddle is down as far as I can take it yet the action is still very high as you go up the neck. Damn thing is 50 years old next year so that's no surprise, but worth so little a refret and reset is throwing good money away really.

Ergh. Sometimes guitars can be utterly infuriating.

[Larry Mal]

Sucks about your Yamaha.

I get around the whole situation by just not buying very old acoustic guitars, personally. I forgot all my own advice on that '75 Guild and sent it back pretty quickly in favor for a 2012.

I know we are all conditioned to view old instruments as "better", but I haven't really found that to be true.

And the problem is, you take a person who has an old guitar, and they do a neck reset and all that stuff, are they going to turn around and sell it? Maybe, but what you see a lot is people unwilling to sink that kind of money into an old guitar and so they pass it along without necessarily disclosing this stuff.

And while it's fun to rehab an old guitar, you take this Guild, and it's $1400 (I guess I'll use my currency) plus another $300-500 for a neck reset and I don't know what a new bridge would cost, another $200-300? And that's just what we know about.

At the end of all that, are you going to have a guitar that sounds a lot better than a newer guitar? Some people say so but then again some people refer to guitars as girls so you really have to come to your own conclusions. And of course there's always a lot of fun in having old guitars that isn't there with an off the rack thing from your local guitar store where they might also refer to guitars as chicks or something.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go play my favorite guitar "Jailbait".

[sal paradise]

Just gonna say this. Laura Marling’s only real vintage guitar is a 1980 Martin M38, and I remember reading that it’s in storage in London because she’s afraid to travel with it.

If you’ve heard the sounds she gets out of 3-4 different styles of acoustics at her solo shows, I guess it’s true that the romance of vintage acoustics probably is just aesthetic.

[Larry Mal]

Maybe not just aesthetic but very different. Hard to say.

I was playing a 40's J-50 a while back and I was struck by how different it sounded from my modern Gibsons.

Dry as a bone, almost no sustain nor resonance of any kind. Could have just been this guitar, but other older Gibsons had that same kind of thing also that I've seen. I'm no expert, though.

My 1975 Guild I had recently sounded exactly like new guitars sound, though, so go figure.

[marqueemoon]

Yeah, I think the can has been kicked down the road as far as it could be with that guitar.

[Larry Mal]

I would have bought this Guild had it been available to me.

I mean, I basically did, I bought the mahogany version. But New Hartford Guilds are very good.

[garyptaszek]

I wouldn't.

So, the bridge was sanded ("shaved") in order to get the action right because the neck is pulling up. But the neck isn't done pulling up, and some day it will need to be reset. That's just the deal with steel string acoustics.

However, now you have a situation in which the bridge also needs to be replaced should the neck be reset. It was a borrowing from Peter to pay Paul situation.

Indeed, all the particularly old acoustics I've owned over the years have had a reset or been due one at some point soon. I've always tried to buy ones that have had it done already.

My current acoustic ('73 FG-160) is getting to that stage now. Frets are wafer thin and the saddle is down as far as I can take it yet the action is still very high as you go up the neck. Damn thing is 50 years old next year so that's no surprise, but worth so little a refret and reset is throwing good money away really.

Ergh. Sometimes guitars can be utterly infuriating.

Those old Yamahas are famously difficult to work on do to their neck joints. Vintage acoustics are like vintage cars right?

[JSett]

I think you're right. Buying a vintage acoustic is a minefield and is just going to cause me trouble in the future. I like to keep hold of acoustics and actually cherish a nice one way moreso than electrics (which I flip-flop on a lot, as you all know).

I've done a fair bit of research this evening and think I've come to the conclusion that I should probably just stick with what I know... Yamaha.

I've loved this FG for ages and they do a nice MIJ line that seems to have almost the same specs but with just a slightly smaller body (which is what I've been looking for)...the FSX5 Red Label.

I might see if there's one in a shop within a reasonable distance and go test one out IRL.

[Larry Mal]

Shit looks like we cost the forum a Guild sale.

[tammyw]

Am I missing out a lot by not having an acoustic guitar? I don't think I've actually played one since the turn of the millennium.

[Dok]

Well, I'm certainly looking forward to a review of your first Gibson ever. Hell of a place to start!

Not ready to review the guitar yet, but I can review a set of strings that I just installed. They're the Martin Retros, which I initially bought a few years ago for my CEO-7 after reading several favorable mentions on forums. Well, I hated them on my CEO-7 and just figured they were the wrong strings for that particular guitar, and boy were they wrong. Still had another set sitting around since then and recently read someone else plugging them for the J45, and since the J45 is going to the shop soon I figured they'd be a good set to burn if I didn't like they way they sounded. And wouldn't you know it, I don't like the way they fucking sound. They sound like my dog's asshole. They sound like all the opposite things I want guitar strings to sound like. Great strong fundamentals with lots of sustain? Nope, not here. Tinny, shrill high end with little to no dynamic range? They have a TON of that, if that's your thing.

I know that string preferences are super variable and personal to each player, but holy cow I cannot find anything to like about these strings. Nothing worse than spending 30 minutes restringing a guitar only to find out you installed six pieces of shit of varying gauge. Oh well, at least this will inspire me to take the guitar into the shop sooner instead of keeping it around with these pieces of shit on it!

[Larry Mal]

Am I missing out a lot by not having an acoustic guitar? I don't think I've actually played one since the turn of the millennium.

I find an acoustic is just a part of me. I play it and things happen that I didn't know would happen. I grab one all the time and it's like I go on little journeys inside of myself with what happens. I can't explain it.

[Larry Mal]

Well, I'm certainly looking forward to a review of your first Gibson ever. Hell of a place to start!

Not ready to review the guitar yet, but I can review a set of strings that I just installed. They're the Martin Retros...

Are those "Monel" strings? I haven't used them. I know it's an old alloy not used so much these days.

Acoustic guitars change a lot with strings. I tend to use the John Pearse 80/20s, but I put them on the Guild F-30 and they really aren't doing it there. It's not terrible.

I was playing around with the Pure Nickel strings a while back, and of course the Phosphor Bronze are most popular these days.

But there's a lot to explore with strings. On my electrics, I don't care much, D'Addario what have you in the gauge I like is always fine. But with acoustic strings the brand changes a lot of things and so does the alloy (sound, feel and tension).

[Dok]

Well, I'm certainly looking forward to a review of your first Gibson ever. Hell of a place to start!

Not ready to review the guitar yet, but I can review a set of strings that I just installed. They're the Martin Retros...

Are those "Monel" strings? I haven't used them. I know it's an old alloy not used so much these days.

Acoustic guitars change a lot with strings. I tend to use the John Pearse 80/20s, but I put them on the Guild F-30 and they really aren't doing it there. It's not terrible.

Yes, they are the Monels. I really don't get it! I like the JP 80/20s too and also the Phosphor Bronze strings, as well as the D'addario EJ16s, which are also phosphor bronze. That's what the shop I go to uses and they sound great to me on all my guitars.