Ask Terry McInturff anything that you want to...right here

[gassyndrome]

Terry - in all your time behind a work bench can you pick out one truly magic guitar that you've had the pleasure of handling/playing/working on? The one you would take to a desert island (that had a nice amp selection of course)....

Kudos on this great thread!

Simon.

 

[jjkuz]

"Used to" ask Terry?? LOL, I know he is a busy guy.

 

[SK Guitars]

(on the subject of pickup ring's effect on tone)

Provided that the ring material is of a non-ferrous material, these rings will bring no important contribution to the sound of the guitar....

In closing I will say this...anything which changes the acoustical nature of the electric guitar will also affect it's amplified sound....even if you play metal with loads of gain at the amplifier.

As always I'd love to hear from other builders about things like this.

That's the best way to encapsulate the subject.

I made traditional four screw pickup rings (like a Les Paul) from both wood and plastic. Then, I fabricated a new, less conventional type from aluminum that didn't mount to the face at all, but rather, was glued to the pickup cover and articulated up and down within cavities on the face. There's a photo of these rings earlier in this thread.

Having used the Seymour Duncan P-Rails in all of these...I can't say I heard an appreciable difference in tone with any particular pickup/ring assembly.

 

[Terry McInturff]

Many apologies to all for the fact that Ive been tardy answering some Q's; Ive been extremely busy, however your Q's are important and are greatly appreciated.

jjkuz:

Sorry it took so long for me to answer you sir.

The original Schaller Nashville bridge was developed to address three challenges associated with the ABR-1, thus:
> The Nville has a greater range of saddle travel, helpful if the bridge isnt in the ideal location
> The Nville has threaded inserts in the body, reducing the chance that the bridge will start to lean
> The Nville is much less likely to deform under string pressure

In short, the Nville is sturdier than the ABR. Better made, too, if one has an original Schaller unit.

The Nville has, say, a "steelier" tone. This may not appeal to everyone as an improvement.

I really do like the sound of the ABR. If one places it correctly, and the posts are well installed in the top, and the stop tpc isnt kept screwed-down all the way, they will give good service.

Converting to an ABR requires plugging the stud holes in the top, and great touchup work. Doing so may give you a somewhat "woodier" tone. Hard to say if such a conversion is best for everybody.

bilbal.....YES! I have been in touch with Seth and have a project well underway for him. Seth is a great player and human being!


gassyndrome...

Gosh...Ive played so many guitars. I hesitate to say how many, many tens and tens of thousands. It is almost impossible to single one out, especially for electrics.

Id have to say tho that for acoustics, for me, it would be the late '30's Gibson J200...the original style with rosewood back and sides. Close runner up would be a certain 1938 D-28.

As for electrics, too hard to answer.

 

[drbob1]

Hey terry. A couple of questions. Ive been repairing and restoring guitars for 20 plus years and i have recently started building from scratch. (Past 3-4 years) My problem is that i am horrible with paperwork and keeping records . Any suggestions about what is important to document durring a build and what type of notebook to use?

I also put my signature on the back or front of the headstock like you, but unlike you i have made waterslide decals instead of actually writing it. What type of pen do you use that can take a clearcoat.

Forgive me for stepping in here, but I'd recommend doing it with a dark pen on regular 8 1/2 X 11 paper. You can put each build in a sleeve and put that in a binder. But the really cool thing is that you can scan each project in as a PDF and store it in 2 or 3 separate computers/thumb drives/external drives and keep it backed up forever (we do my wife's sewing projects like this).

 

[Terry McInturff]

Forgive me for stepping in here, but I'd recommend doing it with a dark pen on regular 8 1/2 X 11 paper. You can put each build in a sleeve and put that in a binder. But the really cool thing is that you can scan each project in as a PDF and store it in 2 or 3 separate computers/thumb drives/external drives and keep it backed up forever (we do my wife's sewing projects like this).

drbob, no need to ask forgiveness, sir! EVERYBODY"S contributions are solicited, and appreciated.

Especially when such good advice is offered, as you have done. A great idea and many thanks.

 

[Clutch21286]

Terry - I have a belated question. How much of the tone of a Les Paul is effected by the thickness of the mahogany body? I am planning a build and I have considered a thinner body to save weight. Thanks in advance for any comment.

 

[Terry McInturff]

Terry - I have a belated question. How much of the tone of a Les Paul is effected by the thickness of the mahogany body? I am planning a build and I have considered a thinner body to save weight. Thanks in advance for any comment.

No, thank YOU for your question.

There's no way that I can answer to MY satisfaction, given time and space limitations. A thorough discussion would involve the role that the acoustical nature of the guitar plays in the amplified tone (it plays a very important role!).

That acoustical nature is also the nature of your question, wether you realised this or not. With a thinner back, the maple/mahogany ratio is changed=diff acoustical nature. But using an inappropriate piece of mahogany at vintage thickness will also be less than ideal.

If your basic desire is to reduce the weight, it's easiest to suggest that you stick with the trad blueprint specs, and to find a piece of mahogany that not only has the weight you need, but also has the tonal character that you need for the sound you'd like to build.

And of course there's the whole "weight relief" thing...boring or slotting away wood to lighten that wood.

More complicated of a Q than you'd thought?????

 

[paintguy]

Terry, ever bleach wood or maple tops? Curious on how to do it to possibly whiten some very yellow maple.

 

[walterw]

> The Nville is much less likely to deform under string pressure

In short, the Nville is sturdier than the ABR. Better made, too, if one has an original Schaller unit.

forgive me for quibbling in this thread, but quibble i must!

i see just as many bowed-in-the-middle nashvilles as i do ABR-1s. more probably, because there's more of them out there on newer gibbys.

also, while the design of the nashville is arguably "better" in terms of the mechanics of the moving parts, to my disappointment they all seem to have the molded pot metal saddles, with no milled brass saddle option like the ABR-1.

i'm really happy with callaham's steel ABR-1 on my two gibsons, both for the structural strength and for the tonal fatness it seemed to add.

 

[Terry McInturff]

forgive me for quibbling in this thread, but quibble i must!

i see just as many bowed-in-the-middle nashvilles as i do ABR-1s. more probably, because there's more of them out there on newer gibbys.

also, while the design of the nashville is arguably "better" in terms of the mechanics of the moving parts, to my disappointment they all seem to have the molded pot metal saddles, with no milled brass saddle option like the ABR-1.

i'm really happy with callaham's steel ABR-1 on my two gibsons, both for the structural strength and for the tonal fatness it seemed to add.

LOL!!! Quibbling is within the "rules" when presented ia considerate way, such as you have Walter! I invite differing opinions, always.

Walter, are the bridges you mention genuine Schaller, or the Taiwanese copies? In my repair days I didnt see this prob with the Schallers.

Having said that, I will certainly defer to your opinion; you are a busy restoration man out there in the field, and I have not been for many years...and those Callaham bridges look great!

 

[gigs]

Terry,

If you were given $1M US to invest today, with the requirement of not taking any money out for the next 10 years including re-investing any dividends, etc... and you are 10 years away from living off that as your main source of income...

... what would your portfolio look like?


ooops... obligatory guitar related question... What string gauge do you use?

 

[Terry McInturff]

Terry, ever bleach wood or maple tops? Curious on how to do it to possibly whiten some very yellow maple.

I have and it can work if:

1) The bleach is fresh and strong
2) The discoloration is not mineral stain or heartwood in nature.

As you probably know, the bleached layer is very thin and will sand-thru quickly. Rare to achieve a super-blonde result....but let me know how you do!

 

[Terry McInturff]

Terry,

If you were given $1M US to invest today, with the requirement of not taking any money out for the next 10 years including re-investing any dividends, etc... and you are 10 years away from living off that as your main source of income...

... what would your portfolio look like?


ooops... obligatory guitar related question... What string gauge do you use?

LOL!!!!! I love it!!!!!! I'd follow the advice given in the movie "The Graduate" of course. Plastics.

D'Ad 10-46 on my products, and either 10-46 or 9-42 D'Ads on my personal performance guitars. D'Ad 12-56 on my acoustics in general.

 

[gigs]

Terry, (this is my last question for the day)

Door #1 opens.... it's SRV's #1 strat

Door #2 opens.... it's recently discovered and unopened book by Stradivarius "Secrets to violin making"

Door #3 closed

You have 5 seconds to decide... SRV's #1 strat, Stradivarius secrets or what's behind door #3.

GO.

 

[Terry McInturff]

Terry, (this is my last question for the day)

Door #1 opens.... it's SRV's #1 strat

Door #2 opens.... it's recently discovered and unopened book by Stradivarius "Secrets to violin making"

Door #3 closed

You have 5 seconds to decide... SRV's #1 strat, Stradivarius secrets or what's behind door #3.

GO.

LOL!!!! Door #2 BY A LONG SHOT!!! Easy choice!

 

[randomhitz]

Forgive me if this has been covered. I've always wondered why it isn't popular to put a high pass filter on the neck pickup so one can jack up the bass control on the amp to get a fatter bridge sound without turn the neck pickup to total mud. Have you ever had any experience with this approach?

 

[Terry McInturff]

Forgive me if this has been covered. I've always wondered why it isn't popular to put a high pass filter on the neck pickup so one can jack up the bass control on the amp to get a fatter bridge sound without turn the neck pickup to total mud. Have you ever had any experience with this approach?

Ive never done that but it's a neat idea! It might be a bit tricky though, to design a high pass that would work with just anybody's rig and would yield what YOU want; voicing one for an individual's rig is tiotally do-able but not long-distance. Id want to hang out with you and your gear in order to tweek the filter.

Perhaps a slightly finessed low pass (ie, something a bit better than the trad tone control) for the bridge pup would be easier??

Great question sir.

 

[soli528]

Perhaps a slightly finessed low pass (ie, something a bit better than the trad tone control) for the bridge pup would be easier??

Crazy thought... I wonder who makes something like that.

 

[walterw]

Forgive me if this has been covered. I've always wondered why it isn't popular to put a high pass filter on the neck pickup so one can jack up the bass control on the amp to get a fatter bridge sound without turn the neck pickup to total mud. Have you ever had any experience with this approach?

(hand raised from the peanut gallery) because the tradeoff is that the two pickups run together don't blend the same anymore.

duncan actually does this on their over-the-top hot invader pickups, adding a series cap internally wired to the neck pickup to take bass out of it.