steve V. johnson
Aug-12-2004, 7:42pm
Today I picked up a Fylde Touchstone OM from the post office, sent on to me by Paul Lawrence, as advertised here on the Cafe Classifieds.
The b/s are sapele wood (looks JUST like mahogany on the Fylde Octavius I used to have, which is great, pretty red), the top spruce, the board and bridge are ebony and the bridge has a bone insert. The nut is standard Fylde plastic with a zero fret. I'm liking it a lot but we haven't really gotten to know one another just yet.
The body is pretty large for the 20+15/16" scale, so it has a pretty punchy bottom, tho it doesn't go terrlbly low. There's a little oddness with the intonation on the G course... I removed the cast tailpiece and fitted a couple of black felt pads: One between the tailpiece and the top and the other on the bottom of the forward rim, the piece that touches the strings. The Allen tailpiece on my Crump has one, so I emulated that on this one.
It came with pretty heavy strings, .052, .038, .024w, .016. I changed out to the G & D sizes as on the Crump (which has a 24.5" scale), and the heavier A and E, which are .048, .038. .024w, .016. The A & E are good, the G & D might balance better by being smaller.
The neck width at the nut is 1.5", really wide for this scale, and the string spacing at the saddle is pretty wide. Also, even with some truss rod massaging, the action is pretty high. I'm not a fiend for low action, since I mostly play chords, but this one is a tad stiff...
There isn't much height on the bone saddle, so I haven't a lot of room to lower it, so the obvious alternative is to take some of the bottom off the ebony bridge. I'm not really very eager to do that. I'll try and take a bit off the bottom of this bone saddle. I have other bone bridge blanks, so I may just start anew... That way I could bring the string spacing a bit closer together a bit.
The tailpiece is ball-end only and has ten holes. When I put the new strings on it I left the two center holes open, but if I change the saddle and course spacing, I'll use the center holes and leave the two outside open... Of course.... I wonder... about re-fitting it with an Allen tailpiece..... (<GGG>)
This one has had an undersaddle transducer pickup in it, so it has a hole thru the ebony bridge and the top (aaaaacckkkk!!! I hate that...) and it appears to have a 1/4" endpin jack, but i haven't unscrewed it to look yet. I don't see any wires inside, so the person who put the pickup in took it all with 'em. 'S okay, I wouldn't use a UST anyway. In the pickup thread I gush about the PUTWs, so that's what I'd use anyway.
The sound has loads of overtones, and is deep and clear. I'm impressed! It also sounds really young, like the top hasn't really limbered up yet, but then I am most accustomed to the cedar top of the Crump, which was live and warm the day I got it, so I owe this one some patience and Quality Play Time. <GG>
That will really start at our Friday Irish session tomorrow.
Wow... I've really rambled here... Sorry if I've over done it...
I'll make and post some pix soon.
Thanks,
stv
The b/s are sapele wood (looks JUST like mahogany on the Fylde Octavius I used to have, which is great, pretty red), the top spruce, the board and bridge are ebony and the bridge has a bone insert. The nut is standard Fylde plastic with a zero fret. I'm liking it a lot but we haven't really gotten to know one another just yet.
The body is pretty large for the 20+15/16" scale, so it has a pretty punchy bottom, tho it doesn't go terrlbly low. There's a little oddness with the intonation on the G course... I removed the cast tailpiece and fitted a couple of black felt pads: One between the tailpiece and the top and the other on the bottom of the forward rim, the piece that touches the strings. The Allen tailpiece on my Crump has one, so I emulated that on this one.
It came with pretty heavy strings, .052, .038, .024w, .016. I changed out to the G & D sizes as on the Crump (which has a 24.5" scale), and the heavier A and E, which are .048, .038. .024w, .016. The A & E are good, the G & D might balance better by being smaller.
The neck width at the nut is 1.5", really wide for this scale, and the string spacing at the saddle is pretty wide. Also, even with some truss rod massaging, the action is pretty high. I'm not a fiend for low action, since I mostly play chords, but this one is a tad stiff...
There isn't much height on the bone saddle, so I haven't a lot of room to lower it, so the obvious alternative is to take some of the bottom off the ebony bridge. I'm not really very eager to do that. I'll try and take a bit off the bottom of this bone saddle. I have other bone bridge blanks, so I may just start anew... That way I could bring the string spacing a bit closer together a bit.
The tailpiece is ball-end only and has ten holes. When I put the new strings on it I left the two center holes open, but if I change the saddle and course spacing, I'll use the center holes and leave the two outside open... Of course.... I wonder... about re-fitting it with an Allen tailpiece..... (<GGG>)
This one has had an undersaddle transducer pickup in it, so it has a hole thru the ebony bridge and the top (aaaaacckkkk!!! I hate that...) and it appears to have a 1/4" endpin jack, but i haven't unscrewed it to look yet. I don't see any wires inside, so the person who put the pickup in took it all with 'em. 'S okay, I wouldn't use a UST anyway. In the pickup thread I gush about the PUTWs, so that's what I'd use anyway.
The sound has loads of overtones, and is deep and clear. I'm impressed! It also sounds really young, like the top hasn't really limbered up yet, but then I am most accustomed to the cedar top of the Crump, which was live and warm the day I got it, so I owe this one some patience and Quality Play Time. <GG>
That will really start at our Friday Irish session tomorrow.
Wow... I've really rambled here... Sorry if I've over done it...
I'll make and post some pix soon.
Thanks,
stv