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OLD
KRAFTSMAN
QMy grandfather purchased
this Old Kraftsman archtop guitar in 1942. What can you tell us
about it?
Stephen Spring
South Charleston, Ohio
AThe Old Kraftsman label was a house
brand for the Spiegel mail-order catalog company. Like Sears and
Roebucks’ Silvertones and Montgomery Ward’s Sherwoods, these guitars
were manufactured by other companies and branded with Spiegel’s
trade moniker. Spiegel purchased most of its stringed instruments
from Chicago manufacturer Kay, and for a short time in the ’30s
from the Gibson company. The date of purchase, the squared-off shoulders
of the upper bout, the shape and location of the f-holes, and the
peghead contour suggest that this very nice entry-level archtop
was made by the Kay company. While these guitars are not highly
collectible, many of them are good players’ instruments, and the
street value ranges from $250 to $500.
—Paul Kotapish
NYLON
STRING TENSION
QHow do I choose among
the different tensions available for nylon strings?
Sally Caruthers
Oakland, California
AUnlike steel strings, which
are labeled by gauge, nylon strings are categorized by tension,
ranging from extra low to extra high. The right set of nylon strings
will depend on the instrument they’re being used with as well as
the feel and sound you’re looking for. A guitar with a very lightly
braced, ultrathin top will most likely sound better with low-tension
strings, while one that’s built heavier may need higher string tension
to drive the top efficiently. A low-tension set will offer easier
playability than a tighter set, and players with a heavy right-hand
attack are likely to prefer a harder tension than those who pick
softly. Experimentation is the key to finding the ideal set for
you and your guitar, and with very few exceptions, a high-tension
set won’t damage an instrument optimized for a lighter set.
Few steel-string pickers would think about going through the trouble
of selecting individual bass and treble strings from different manufacturers,
but this is a common practice among serious nylon-string players.
The reason for this is the greater difference between the wound
bass strings (which consist of thin metal wire wound around a nylon
filament core) and the plain trebles (which are solid nylon). For
example, some trebles are thinner in diameter than others, and some
companies (including Savarez) offer sets with wound second and third
strings, which can really help with volume and tone.
Many nylon-string players change their bass strings more frequently
than they do their trebles, and some even say that the trebles sound
better as the material hardens with age. D’Addario is one of several
manufacturers that offer specially packaged sets with extra basses
for this purpose.
—Teja Gerken
BELLY
UP
QI’ve
noticed that the top of my guitar is bellying up behind the bridge
near the low E and A strings and not near the high E and B strings.
Is this normal?
Scott Blanchard
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
AIt is possible that you have some real
trouble there. In a healthy guitar, the bulge behind the bridge
usually takes the form of an overall dome when viewed in reflected
light. Sometimes the bracing inside simply shows through the top,
with slight lumps revealing the location of the brace ends. Such
warping is not at all dangerous or problematic. A pronounced wrinkle
in the top behind the bridge, as you’ve described, is often a sign
that the X-brace has come loose from the top. The major cause of
this is excessive heat. In a hot car, the temperature can get to
about 175 degrees Fahrenheit, and most guitars are made with glue
that loses strength at 120 degrees and fails completely at around
150 degrees. If you’d like some detail on this subject, read "The
Loose Cross Brace Top Wrinkle" on my Web site at www.frets.com.
Then take your guitar to a competent luthier for an examination
and diagnosis.
—Frank Ford
PICK-ME-UPS
TIP SHEET
Got any great guitar tips or discoveries that you’d like to
share? Send them to Tip Sheet, Acoustic Guitar, PO Box 767,
San Anselmo, CA 94979. If we print your tip, we’ll give you a year’s
free subscription, gift subscription, or subscription renewal.
Here is this issue’s winner, submitted by Tommy Lovelace of
Rockport, Texas.
Whenever I get a flatpick broken in and playing just right, it
gets scratches and nicks on the edge that make it hard to use. I’ve
discovered that a diamond-surfaced fishhook sharpener will restore
and smooth a worn pick’s edges so that it plays like new again.
The sharpener also works great for reshaping brand-new picks. I’ve
had good luck with the EZE-LAP fishhook sharpener (www.eze-lap.com),
which is smaller than a ballpoint pen and fits right in my guitar
case.
—Paul Kotapish
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