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I feel like I'm in the minority here so I'm probably going to get an earful for this but I feel like everyone is too fussy about their guitars. Experimenting with a million different strings. Using all kinds of fancy cleaning and polishing products. Playing accessories like sleeves, towels, stands. Exercise equipment?? I don't get it.....I understand rehab for an injury but beyond that I dunno........Granted my guitar is only about 1,000 bucks so how you store yours may differ but my guitar sits on my wall for 21 hours a day or so and the other 2-3 hours I'm just playing it. Once every couple of months I change the strings and give it a quick once over with a cloth, even this I put off till I REALLY have to cus I hate it, it takes away from playing time. Do I really need to do more then that to be a good player??? I kinda feel like all this is the equivalent of dudes in the electric world buying pedals to make themselves better players.......JUST PLAY THE DAMN THING! Anyways, rant over, do your worst. lol
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
Uhh, how is experimenting with which strings sound the best on a new guitar being fussy? I started that just a few months after getting the guitar, to find the right combination. I play them until they need changing then change them to a set I haven't used before to compare and find my favorite tone. I think I'm close. I think it's fun to hear the differences between sets. I don't think it's fussy. And I do play the thing, every day. Also, there's nothing wrong with trying to take care of the guitar when it's not being played, either.
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
I change the oil in my car regularly, my brother changes his ... When he gets a new car ... It's simple - All people are different. That's why the government is shutdown, because some of the people are <expletive deleted>'s
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to n85ae)
Well it depends on your guitar, if it's 10 000 worth of guitar it's easy to be fussy. There are at least three things I think a guitarist should do: 1- Find the right set or combination of strings because the tension needs to be right for the player, and with less importance, the sound and longevity of the strings 2- find the right string height 3- if you have guitar with shellac finish, wipe the sweat off at least occasionally.
Nuff fussin. It's not electric guitar and there's only not much one can do to "improve" your setup.
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
I think it's because as Eddie Van Halen put it, '...looking for that brown sound.' Ergo, someone hears Paco, Vincente, etc.. and love that sound and become fixated on replicating that sound. Hence the fuss about strings, string life, when to change them, humidity, wood types, hand position, etc..
To put it simply: It's a lot easier to mimic another player's sound as oppose to finding your own, which requires years of pain and suffering.
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
Hey Lenny, dear
The last strings I had on the guitar made me stop playing flamenco. Just try some Pyramid Flamenco HT if you want to leave the flamenco addiction.. yeah, they are that horrible.
Now Iam using regular d'addario EJ25C, very nice as always.
Iam also thinking about stripping at least the lower "shoulder" of the neck and reshape it, then finish it with tru oil. Anyways, seems like its a bit difficult to get Tru Oil around here.
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
Que onda guapo! lol
I get major changes to set up and action and I get taking a few string changes to see what tension works on your new guitar. Don't get when people spend more time playing WITH their guitar then they do playing it.
Imma say slap some D'Adario EJ's on it and be done with it.
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
quote:
Experimenting with a million different strings.
A few months ago I bought a new guitar second hand with a great sound. The vendor didn't know what the strings were, and had hardly played it, so hadn't changed them himself. When the strings that were on when I got it needed changing I put on a set I had handy. Didn't sound so good. Damn! I had to get back to that sound that made me buy it! So I had to experiment with about a dozen sets before I was satisfied I had the right set. The post I put on here with a picture of the trebles narrowed it down a lot, but I had already tried a bunch of sets by then. Now I have found the set I think is best that's it, experiment over.
quote:
Once every couple of months I ..... give it a quick once over with a cloth
I bought one of those guitar cloths too for the first time, seeing as this was a proper mega-bucks guitar. My first three flamenco guitars never got a wipe with a cloth!
I think what you see on the foro is everytime someone wonders about strings or humidity they post, and you see a whole lot of posts about strings and cloths and humidity etc. but that doesn't mean that everyone is obsessing about that all the time. It's like the news, all you see is the bad news, crime, accidents, disasters, makes you think that is all there is out there. You never hear about the millions of people who went to the store and cooked a nice dinner and watched a bit of TV.
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
Luthier Strings. Inexpensive and good sound. The classical gold bass are nice as the windings are fine gauge and don't grind down the nails. The trebles are excellent. And PDL and Angel Romero (or is it Pepe) swear by them. Honest!
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
I love the guys with twenty guitars who never practice. Most of all when they are dreaming about the next one....................WHOREMONGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
quote:
I love the guys with twenty guitars who never practice. Most of all when they are dreaming about the next one....................WHOREMONGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!
The worst! I know a guy like that in the electric world. Has every guitar, amp, and pedal I ever wanted and can hardly put together a power chord.............ugh, makes me wanna die.....
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Lenador
The worst! I know a guy like that in the electric world. Has every guitar, amp, and pedal I ever wanted and can hardly put together a power chord.............ugh, makes me wanna die.....
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to aeolus)
Agreed, put luthier golds on a week and a half ago and the basses are nice and bright. Really liking them. Not sure if I prefer them over the Felipe condes but maybe. Perhaps I will spend the weekend changing strings back and forth without playing much. Gold or silver, gold, silver. Ah, gold.
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Sr. Martins)
quote:
Iam also thinking about stripping at least the lower "shoulder" of the neck and reshape it, then finish it with tru oil. Anyways, seems like its a bit difficult to get Tru Oil around here
tru oil is a poor choice as it can be sticky unless very properly applied and the feel is not great. Shellac would be a better choice and if you know any luthiers they can do it for you for around 100 euros. It depends on what kind of guitar you are modifying. BTW I have no idea what you mean by the lower shoulder, what would be the benefit of stripping it?
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to tele)
Many guitars have tru oil/danish oil on their necks.
Ive been also considering shellac but Iam not sure if it is a good choice to use on mahogany. Just want something that wont be sticky and protects from humidity.
Those are what I call shoulders.
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Posts: 3446
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
I had Richard Brune appraise my best flamenco guitar while I was considering buying it. While he had it I asked him to raise the action a little with a new saddle. He was the U.S. distributor for Hannabach strings, and spoke highly of them, so I asked him to put on a set.
The Hannabachs didn't play in tune for me, so I changed them for the strings I had been using on my '67 Ramirez 1a flamenco for decades.
After playing the guitar for about six years, I laid off playing for about five years due to left hand problems---I thought. Mainly it turned out to be due to hearing problems. I had to thrash too hard to get anywhere near the sound I wanted. After I got the hearing problems fixed, I started practicing again a few months ago. I put back on the lower saddle the maker had originally supplied.
That's all the fiddling I've done for 13 years, except to change the bass strings when they wear out. The trebles seem to last forever. They get changed maybe two or three times per year.
Mainly it turned out to be due to hearing problems. I had to thrash too hard to get anywhere near the sound I wanted. After I got the hearing problems fixed, I started practicing again a few months ago.
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to guitarbuddha)
Today is Friday, and the celebration shall do with fish , though appreciating the reason! Good news. -
Just yesterday I was shown a video of a popular guitarist who now is paralyzed and can´t move a limb. My reaction: "A musician who can´t use his hands anymore; what horror!"
Always feeling with people who ( have to) cease playing, and in contrary case glad to hear of fellows who get away in the end. One tends to put himself in those other player´s shoes, aware that there could always come something in between just as much for oneself.
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Ruphus)
Altough in the end if one enjoys being fussy and if it helps to get the desired feel for your guitar then why not? A good flamenco guitar is work of art that deserves good care.
Posts: 15242
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
My guitars get put through the ringer and badly abused as well. As much as I love em I should probably take more time to care for them outside of playing the sht out of them.
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Leñador)
Yep. Totally agreed. I embarked on a "which strings sound best?" quest once and settled on the 2001 LaBella Medium (or sometimes medium hard) Tension strings for all of my guitars. I don't do any of that humidity stuff either -- my guitars are kept in hard cases in my room, which tends to be at a more or less stable temperature/humidity year-round.
The only thing I am fussy about is changing strings -- since I play so much, and sometimes on the rougher side, I prefer to change strings once every three weeks or so (sometimes more often). Otherwise, the response starts to dull and I just get frustrated with the sound.
Posts: 15242
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Why is everyone so fussy???? (in reply to Bulerias2005)
quote:
The only thing I am fussy about is changing strings -- since I play so much, and sometimes on the rougher side, I prefer to change strings once every three weeks or so (sometimes more often). Otherwise, the response starts to dull and I just get frustrated with the sound.
I noticed this too when I was in my 20's to early 30's, and the same deal with the guys I play with in that age range. Somewhere around 35 or so this thing slows down (ph in the fingers or whatever) and strings last longer. Trust me, it's weird but true. I recommend, to get more life, take the strings off when they get dull and flip em around or put em back on slightly pulled toward the bridge side so the worn down spots are off center from the frets. Strings sound like new for a couple days. You can keep doing that till they break or you run out of string length and get some more life out of em.
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lol 
, though appreciating the reason! 
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