Bob Borzelleri
Mar-06-2009, 10:56pm
The first thing I did when I bought my recently obtained Godin A8 was change out the strings to a set of Ted's JazzMando's.
The second thing I did was remember how much of a pain it is to change strings on a stamped tailpiece. Then I started looking around and decided that the stock tailpiece was resting on the top of the A8. Since the unplugged volume of the A8 is pretty much limited by the degree to which the top can move in conjunction with the resonance offered by the routed chamber(s) in the body, it didn't make sense to allow the tailpiece to apply pressure to any part of the top much less most of the area where it sat.
So I ordered a Allen TR-2 tailpiece and tonight I hooked it up. Randy has good detailed instructions on bending the tailpiece (I used bronze to avoid plating cracks from bending, although I know that people have bent the plated models without incident). Shaping the tailpiece to the A8 took all of about 5 minutes.
While I expected to hear some difference in volume, I got that and a lot more. My wife came by while I was trying out the new setup and mentioned that she was surprised at the significant increase in volume and that the tone sounded both brighter as well as more clear and distinct. Funny thing, that is what I was thinking, too.
Where the Godin used to be loud enough to practice unplugged, it now sound loud and good enough that I don't even begin to think that there is a compromise in practicing with it over any of my straight acoustic models.
I think I might spring for a couple of Allen's for my resonator guitars, too.
The second thing I did was remember how much of a pain it is to change strings on a stamped tailpiece. Then I started looking around and decided that the stock tailpiece was resting on the top of the A8. Since the unplugged volume of the A8 is pretty much limited by the degree to which the top can move in conjunction with the resonance offered by the routed chamber(s) in the body, it didn't make sense to allow the tailpiece to apply pressure to any part of the top much less most of the area where it sat.
So I ordered a Allen TR-2 tailpiece and tonight I hooked it up. Randy has good detailed instructions on bending the tailpiece (I used bronze to avoid plating cracks from bending, although I know that people have bent the plated models without incident). Shaping the tailpiece to the A8 took all of about 5 minutes.
While I expected to hear some difference in volume, I got that and a lot more. My wife came by while I was trying out the new setup and mentioned that she was surprised at the significant increase in volume and that the tone sounded both brighter as well as more clear and distinct. Funny thing, that is what I was thinking, too.
Where the Godin used to be loud enough to practice unplugged, it now sound loud and good enough that I don't even begin to think that there is a compromise in practicing with it over any of my straight acoustic models.
I think I might spring for a couple of Allen's for my resonator guitars, too.