Soundtrack Whiz Snuffy
Walden
Switching String Gauges
Measuring Humidity
Q There was a show on TV a while back called The Wonder Years. The show's best feature was the acoustic guitar background music, written and performed by a guy named W.G. "Snuffy" Walden. Who is this guy?
Geoff Altman
San Diego, California
A Snuffy Walden began his musical career in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by teaching himself to play the guitar, piano, and organ at the age of five. Although he couldn't read music, he embarked on his first tour, playing guitar with B.J. Thomas, at the age of 15.
After a brief college stint, Walden formed the band Stray Dogs, with whom he toured and recorded several albums. He also recorded with other bands, appearing on Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life and Chaka Khan's I Feel for You, among other albums. He moved to Los Angeles and became musical director for such artists as Chaka Khan, Donna Summers, Eric Burdon, Laura Branigan, and Rita Coolidge.
As a TV soundtrack composer and musician for such shows as Thirtysomething, The Wonder Years, Ellen, The Drew Carey Show, and Early Edition, Walden has received three Emmy nominations, and he has also recorded soundtracks for several films. There are no music books available featuring Walden's music, but the soundtracks to The Stand (on the Varese Sarabande label), Thirtysomething (Geffen), and My So-Called Life are available. For a rundown of some of the unusual vintage instruments he plays, see "Player's Choice," October '95.
--Bronwen Morgan
Q Recently I bought a new Martin SPD-16TR (dreadnought) with medium-gauge strings, which I consider a little hard to play (especially full bends). I want to switch to light-gauge strings, not only because I think they are easier to play but because they might ease the tension on the neck of the guitar. Will they cause any problems, such as fret buzz?
Renato Vega Carrillo
Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
A Generally, you should not have a problem switching from one string gauge to the next, although you may need to adjust the truss rod of your guitar to accommodate the new string tension. Problems can arise in making a more drastic switch, such as changing from extra-light strings to mediums. In a case like this, you may find that the slots in the nut are too large or that they actually grab the strings too tightly, making precise tuning difficult if not impossible. In some cases, the guitar's intonation also suffers, in which case it should be adjusted by a qualified luthier.
Please note, however, that certain vintage and smaller-bodied guitars should not be strung with anything heavier than a light-gauge set. The use of alternate tunings can also affect how much tension the strings put on the guitar. For example, open-E tuning will stress the instrument more than D A D G A D. If there is any doubt about the guitar's ability to withstand the tension of heavier strings, have it checked out first!
Finally, even though light-gauge strings are easier to play and lend themselves to certain types of playing, you should consider that they will change the sound of your guitar. Dreadnought-style guitars such as your Martin are usually designed for use with medium-gauge strings and often lose some volume with lighter strings.
--Teja Gerken
Q I've heard horror stories about leaking guitar humidifiers. Which one(s) do you recommend?
Tom Joseph
San Francisco, California
A Go to Radio Shack and buy the $25–$30
humidity and temperature gauge. Put it in your guitar case or mount it adjacent
to wherever your guitars are normally stored. Look at it every day for a week.
Then you will be ready to talk about humidifiers.
My point is that you can't do this by the seat of your pants. If you don't know how dry it is, you can't very well decide whether or how best to humidify. I have friends (mostly Idahoans) who throw half potatoes into their cases to humidify their guitars. Another friend of mine manufactures humidifiers from sponges and plastic soap dishes with holes drilled into them. Commercial humidifiers range from tubular rubber and sponge inserts to plastic-enclosed porous clay tubs, and their shared goal is to evaporate their stored water over a period of days.
If you leave your guitars outside their cases, as I do, you will need to humidify the room or the whole house. Inside the case, any commercially available humidifier will do a good job. For a very dry instrument you will need to keep the case closed for a number of days to allow the humidifier to do its work. Please remember to keep an eye on the Radio Shack gauge, so you'll know whether you're over- or under-humidifying. Otherwise you're flying blind, and it's easy to damage your instrument by going too far in either direction. Taylor Guitars also has an excellent tech sheet on the humidity issue. Call (619) 258-6957 for a free copy.
--Chris Proctor
|
|
|
|
|
|