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Grain
Runout
Q
I purchased
a new Gibson Advanced Jumbo and noticed that the two sides of the
topwood don't match—one is slightly darker than the other.
Does this difference in tint affect the sound of the guitar?
William
Norton
Palm Desert, California
| A
What you
are describing is not a question of tint but rather the visual
effect of a phenomenon known as grain runout, which occurs
when the grain does not run straight through the length of
a piece of lumber. If you place two pieces of wood with different
degrees of runout next to each other, they will reflect light
differently, creating the impression that one is darker or
lighter than the other. (For an illustrated explanation, go
to www.frets.com)
It is an almost strictly cosmetic matter–grain runout
would have to be extremely pronounced to have any significant
structural impact–so you should decide whether or not
to keep the guitar based on whether or not you like how it
looks. If you are not pleased by the appearance now, chances
are it will eat at you, and you might regret that you failed
to return it for that reason. If you do decide to return it,
by all means make it clear that the grain runout is an issue
for you, so that the dealer will look out for it in the future.
Such feedback can be useful for both dealers and factories.
If the grain runout appearance is not offensive to you, rest
assured that it will not have any particular impact on the
tone or aging process of the guitar. Some of the world's greatest-sounding
instruments have spruce tops that most of us would judge as
visually unappealing.
—Frank Ford
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Grain runout on a vintage Martin. |
Tortoise
Tones
Q
I've heard great things about tortoiseshell picks. I
realize they are no longer available commercially, but I've also
heard that some people make their own. How is that done?
Jennifer Whitebook
Carson City, Nevada
A
Let me start by saying that if you don't use tortoise picks
now, I wouldn't recommend getting used to them. Many tortoise and
turtle species (including the hawksbill turtle, long harvested for
tortoiseshell) are on US endangered and threatened species lists,
and more than a dozen are banned from trade by CITES (the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
Needless to say, they shouldn't be slaughtered and harvested for
guitar picks. There are very good plastic alternatives these days
from D'Andrea, Clayton, Dunlop, and many others.
That said, tortoiseshell has a certain hardness that helps create
a crisp, clear tone, and since it is so hard, a slightly thinner
tortoise pick will have the same response as a thicker plastic one.
Shell picks also create a nice click that defines a note on recordings.
In addition, one tortoiseshell pick lasts me about a year, whereas
a plastic pick wears out after about three 45-minute sets.
If you must get ahold of a tortoiseshell pick, you can legally
recycle the material used on jewelry and knickknacks in days gone
by. I have fashioned picks from pieces of shell I found on vintage
belts, bracelets, and earrings, as well as the centerpiece of an
old wicker fan. If you decide it's worth destroying a collectible
to make a guitar pick or two, you'll need such tools as a fine-tooth
coping saw, files, sandpaper, and a vise to achieve the desired
shape, thickness, and flatness.
In a recent blindfold test, I chose a Tortis faux tortoiseshell
pick (originated by luthier John Greven, www.grevenguitars.com),
assuming it was real tortoise. It sounded great to me and felt good
too. I have no idea how long it will last, but it's something you
might want to check out.
—Jim Nunally
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Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Q
I am new to playing and am now learning chords. My problem
is that I have to stop strumming when I make the transition from
one chord to the next. I can land the chord but not quickly enough.
Do you have any suggestions?
Chuck Moore
Crittenden, Kentucky
A
Practice. Practice. And did I mention practice? Seriously,
if there is one thing that guitar teachers agree on, it is that
we learn most effectively by isolating a small problem, creating
a simple exercise, and repeating and repeating and repeating it,
as slowly as we need to, until we get it right.
If you are having trouble going from a G chord to a C, slow it
down and do that single change over and over until you think you
are going out of your tree—and at that point you
will have it. Some other tips: Visualize the chord shapes. As a
way to burn the whole chord shape in your memory, teacher and author
Carol McComb recommends holding the shape, scrambling your fingers,
holding the shape, scrambling your fingers, etc., until your fingers
spring into action the instant you see or think "D" (or
whatever chord you're working on).
Aim for the bass string (the lowest note in the chord) first, because
that is the one you hit first when you strum. When you are moving
to a G, for instance, if you get your finger down on the third fret
of the sixth string quickly, that will buy you some time to get
your other fingers in place.
Look for places where you can leave a finger in the same place
during a chord change, or maybe slide it just one fret, rather than
lifting all your fingers off the fingerboard and replanting them.
That'll keep you anchored during the move.
Finally, make sure you are keeping a steady tempo rather than pausing
and then lurching ahead at the chord change. A metronome can help
keep you honest; set the click as slow as you need to in order to
play evenly and smoothly through the change, then speed up the tempo
in small increments.
—Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
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Excerpted from
Acoustic Guitar magazine,
April
2004, No. 136.
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