This is what happens when you are in stage 4 COVID19 lockdown - NVGAA

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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Stratelejazzuar
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Re: This is what happens when you are in stage 4 COVID19 lockdown - NVGAA

Post by Stratelejazzuar » Thu Sep 24, 2020 9:53 pm

Welcome to the L-48 club! I bought a '63 about 3.5 years ago and it's great. It's simple and elegant at the same time. :-*

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sookwinder
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Re: This is what happens when you are in stage 4 COVID19 lockdown - NVGAA

Post by sookwinder » Fri Sep 25, 2020 12:11 am

Wow … I never knew you had one or maybe didn't appreciate it at the time.
Having been someone who didn't like acoustics 4 or 5 years back (because the nut width on many I had played were way too big for what my piano player hands were used to) it has been a steep curve to truly understand the vast array of acoustics that are available these days.(both modern and vintage) Even so, until recently I never really had any idea how acoustic archtops sounded or even "how they played".

Does your L-48 have an original tailpiece? (nickel)
relaxing alternative to doing actual work ...

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windmill
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Re: This is what happens when you are in stage 4 COVID19 lockdown - NVGAA

Post by windmill » Fri Sep 25, 2020 4:02 pm

Have your thoughts changed now you have had it for a while ?

What sort of music are you using the guitar for ?

Strumming or picking ?

Finger picking or using a pick ?

Thanks

:)

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Re: This is what happens when you are in stage 4 COVID19 lockdown - NVGAA

Post by Stratelejazzuar » Fri Sep 25, 2020 5:03 pm

sookwinder wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 12:11 am
Wow … I never knew you had one or maybe didn't appreciate it at the time.
Having been someone who didn't like acoustics 4 or 5 years back (because the nut width on many I had played were way too big for what my piano player hands were used to) it has been a steep curve to truly understand the vast array of acoustics that are available these days.(both modern and vintage) Even so, until recently I never really had any idea how acoustic archtops sounded or even "how they played".

Does your L-48 have an original tailpiece? (nickel)
I believe mine has the original tailpiece. Looks just like yours. It's been on there for a while. THe tuners on mine had been replaced with some grover or waverly butterbean style. they work just fine.

I was really craving one of the Waterloo WL-14 ladder braced models, and somehow started watching archtop videos on YT and liked the sound better. And I happened to find a deal on one on thE bay just when CITES started up... but thanks to global shipping being it's own thing, my L48 went to Kentucy, then over the border to Ontario Canada with no issue. ;) 8)

I don't think I've posted it on OSG. I haven't really been on the forum much in the past few years... strangely, my GAS has decreased.... coincidence? lol ;D

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Re: This is what happens when you are in stage 4 COVID19 lockdown - NVGAA

Post by sookwinder » Mon Sep 28, 2020 10:09 pm

When I bought this L-48 I also ordered a pickup from KRIVO PICK-UPS who are located in Portland Oregon.
https://www.krivopickups.com/
https://www.krivopickups.com/store/p8/M ... tar..html/
https://www.krivopickups.com/store/p7/C ... tars..html

I ordered a PUP that is for normal steel/nickel electric guitar strings (given that some people fit these to L-48s and that there was a set of flatwound 12-50 Thomastik Jazz Swing nickel strings fitted to the instrument). This PUP gives a jazzy flavour to the sound.
I also bought a PUP that is for all metal strings: phosphor-bronze, nickel, Monel, and Argentine (silvered copper) strings and this PUP has an acoustic sound/feel.

Notwithstanding the fires in Portland that stopped production of the PUPs for a week or so and the intermittent flights that are heading down under to Oz due to COVID-19, the PUPs arrived today. I am very impressed by these PUPs both with regards to their sound and the quality of the build/design.

I have only tried out the "acoustic" pickup so far and the sound … sounds like an acoustic with a bit of grunt behind it. I played it through my reverb unit into a 68 VibroChamp (what I had in the lounge room plugged in) and could not be happier. This PUP has a different from my other acoustic guitar pickup (Fishman Rare Earth Humbucking PUP) in that it has a smoother attack. Each will have their uses depending upon what needs to be recorded.

As you can see in the photos the PUPs are 6mm high and KRIVO provides a little jar of what seems like industrial blu-tak that allows the PUP to be secured to the body of the guitar without damaging the instrument. Obviously one could permanently mount the PUP to the guitar but I have no desire to screw or cut into any of my vintage instruments.

I am going to make up a thin/light but stiff bracket that will allow me to blu-tak the PUP and centre it across the sound hole in a flattop, but as the photos show for an archtop there is no need to do anything but get out the blu-tak and play.

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Re: This is what happens when you are in stage 4 COVID19 lockdown - NVGAA

Post by Stratelejazzuar » Tue Sep 29, 2020 7:43 pm

Those look cool. I'll have to keep them in mind if I ever want a pickup for my L48. A couple people told me I should put a pickup in mine, but there's no way I was going to do that. If I wanted and archtop with a pickup, I'd have found an ES-125 or something :D

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