Electric Explorations

Hi folks,
Hey all you mando-geeks! Can you identify the instrument from this picture?

Attached Thumbnails

 

Ok. I think I got the Flanger dialed in

Settings (l to r):
• Manual (tone center): 11:30
• Res (resolution; amt of effect in output signal): 9 o'clock
• Depth: 1 o'clock
• Rate: 10 o'clock
• Mode: Generally set to Standard, but I can give it a quick flip to Ultra for sick flange.

The effect is a nice wash that imparts a sort of a wahwah effect if you strum the strings dry (no chord or notes).

The best way to find the ...

I have the Chorus unit dialed in. Got a Pretenders/Heartbreakers kind of chime to it now. My wife is happy with it.

I was doing some fingerpicking on the Altered Tele and it sounded great. Just going from Tele to Chorus to amp with nothing else on it. I thikn this box likes the broader tonal range of a guitar sized instrument rather than the narrowed range of the Mando(la)bird. But then again it could be the pick ups.

Settings:
Rate = 11 o'clock ...

Thanks to my wife I was able to replace the old Digitech Stereo Chorus/Flanger with a pair of Boss pedals that fit better into my Boss pedal board. She got me a CE-3 chorus unit and a BF-3 flanger unit.

So the signal chain goes:
1) input to BCB-60 pedal board
2) TU-12H tuner
3) SD-1 overdrive unti
4) CE-3 Chorus
5) BF-3 Flanger
6) RC-220XL Loop Station
7) output to Ampeg J-12T

The board is cleaner and prettier (the metalic ...

Attached Thumbnails

 

Good Morning.
Lots to do today. Need to set up the Christmas tree and holiday decorations, do a little shopping, and host my weekly practice session before cleaning up the house, packing, and leaving for an overnight stay in Santa Cruz.

But I wanted to get my thoughts about my signal chain down down before embarking on the above errands.

All of my electric instruments go through the same chain. It's short and the purpose is just to add a little sonic diversity ...

You know what? A Telecaster weighs a heck of a lot more than either an F5 or a Mandobird. Three hours of playing while standing gave me a burning sensation between the shoulder blades. I'm very glad I didn't alter a Les Paul.

I'm thinking about the signal chain now. I love the amp, need to have it serviced though.

More on that later.

Daniel

As you may have read in this little diary, I have been pounding away on an altered Tele in preparation for a gig with a rock/pop band.

It's a lot of fun, but also a lot of mental work. Getting used to a tuning is no small task, even if the intervals stay the same as most of the other tunings I work in. I mean, where's the G chord if you're tuned DAEBF#? And where is the nearest four fingered closed position C major scale to that G major chord? Never mind that the scale length ...

Took the Altered Tele to band practice last night, and used it in tunes on which I normally play mandolin (acoustic). It performed well. It's naturally quite different than my Vessel F5, but the advantages are numerous.

1) It's audible in a full band situation; no SM57 required.
2) It goes through the same signal chain as my Mando(la)bird.
3) It has greater range than a guitar.
4) It's more versatile than the Mando(la)bird, it can cover some of my mandolin duties, ...

Some detail about the instrument and the experience...

My mid-80s Fender Squier Telecaster is not stock. I mean besides the fact that it has only 5 strings. I think it has an alder body, I know it has a one-piece maple neck. The neck is amazing, I am never getting rid of this guitar.

Around 1992 I yanked out both pickups, bought a stacked humbucker, wiring kit, and controls from Carvin Guitars and installed, the humbucker in the neck position. It took a little work ...

I've had my favorite solid body electric guitar, mid 80's Fender Squier Telecaster, tuned in fifths for a few years now (CGDAE), but
1) never had a regular use for it and
2) never really liked the low C, it was too low for the scale length I think.

Recently I slapped a capo on the 7th fret and played it GDAEB. Ahhh, nice. But a little limiting given the length of the neck and the poor intonation. Compromise, tune DAEBF# and capo at the fifth fret. Better. But it occurred ...