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Pickups
and Preamps
Q I have a Seagull S-6 Plus
equipped with a Dean Markley Pro-Mag Grand Acoustic pickup. When
plugged directly into my amp, the level is very low compared to what I
get with my other guitar, an Epiphone Emperor Regent with a single
humbucker. Do I need a preamp or some other "in-between" box?
Alan Hutcheson
Mesa, Arizona
A
It sounds like your Dean Markley pickup’s
output isn’t as hot as the one on your Epiphone. If your amp has
separate Gain and Volume controls, you might try experimenting with
their respective settings. Otherwise a preamp is likely to solve your
problem, in addition to improving the pickup’s sound. Most
manufacturers of acoustic pickups offer stand-alone preamps, any of
which should work. If you’re on a low budget, you could try a simple EQ
pedal such as the ones made by Boss and DOD. Inexpensive used pedals
are often available, and they generally provide enough gain to work as
preamps as well. Another option is to have a luthier install an
internal preamp such as Fishman’s Powerjack, which would eliminate the
need for outboard gear.
––Teja Gerken
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Rhythm Instruction
Q Are there any books
available that teach rhythm guitar playing?
Jake Messenger
Escanaba, Michigan
A Rhythm guitar is a huge topic. A
few books take a general approach, but most deal with specific styles
of rhythm guitar, such as swing, Celtic, blues, etc. Rhythm
Guitar: The Complete Guide, by Bruce Buckingham and Eric
Pascal, is a hefty book that covers a lot of musical styles. It’s part
of Hal Leonard’s Musicians’ Institute series. For more information, log
on to www.halleonard.com.
Accompaniment Basics, from String
Letter Publishing (Acoustic Guitar’s publisher),
deals with several styles of rhythm playing, including folk, country,
and rock, and features lessons by such teachers as Happy Traum, Dix
Bruce, and David Hamburger. You can try a sample lesson from the book
at www.acousticguitar.com/lessons/traum/accomp1.shtml.
For blues rhythm, try Blues You Can Use
Guitar Chords, by John Ganape (Hal
Leonard), which focuses on chord theory, progressions, and voicings.
Though it’s generally directed at a blues audience, it also touches on
R&B, jazz, and rock. For more specific blues rhythm, try Robert
Calva’s Texas Blues Guitar (Hal Leonard). For jazz
rhythm, Mickey Baker’s A Complete Course in Jazz Guitar, Vols.
1 and 2 (Music Sales, www.musicsales.com), has taught
jazz rhythm and voicings to countless guitarists since the ’50s. And
for Celtic rhythm, try Celtic Backup for All
Instrumentalists, by Chris Smith (Mel Bay, www.melbay.com).
––Andrew DuBrock
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Fret Styles
Q I bought a Santa
Cruz OM, a beautiful instrument with great tone. The frets are high and
pointed on top, making the OM feel stiff and difficult to play. Would
you advise having the frets dressed to make them lower and the OM
easier to play?
Robert Eustis
New Orleans, Louisiana
A Fret height and style of
crowning is really an issue of personal comfort and playing style. When
you look at the list of fret styles available, you can get a headache
just thinking about all the variables! The Santa Cruz Guitar Co. uses a
gauge typical of older Martin guitars: the fret wire falls into the
medium to narrow range. For some players, these frets feel just right;
for others, they’re just plain wrong. In any case, the fret tops should
be gently rounded, definitely not flat, so the intonation point comes
from the center of the fret. I wonder if the points you are seeing are
not the fret tops, but the pyramid style of fret end dressing for which
Santa Cruz guitars are known.
The fret gauge on your guitar may not suit you,
but it’s more likely that the problem is a nut that’s too high. When
you say "stiff action," I immediately start to question the nut and/or
saddle height. Check out the frets on instruments you do feel
comfortable playing and then discuss fret gauge and height as well as
action and general setup with your local luthier. It may take a refret,
but he or she should be able to get you the tone you love and the
playability you seek.
––Rick Turner
Beginners' Tip: Sore
Fingers
If you’ve just started playing and your fingertips
are killing you, you might try using lighter-gauge strings: lights are
much softer to press down than mediums, and silk-and-steels are even
softer still. Coated strings like Elixirs, though more expensive, also
do not dig into your fingertips as hard as regular strings do. Another
consideration is action: if your strings are higher off the fingerboard
than they need to be, some inexpensive setup adjustments might really
help. Be sure to pace yourself while you play, too. Short, daily
practice sessions are better for building calluses than one marathon a
week.
––Jeffrey Pepper
Rodgers
Send Questions, tips, or
observations to Acoustic Guitar’s online discussion
forums at www.acousticguitar.com
or write to Dear A.G., Acoustic Guitar, PO Box 767,
San Anselmo, CA 94979-0767.
Excerpted
from Acoustic
Guitar
magazine, June 2001, No. 102.
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