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Signal
Loss
Q Does it degrade the
pickup signal at all to run it through extra stages, like an electronic
tuner or a volume pedal?
Frederick Newman
Chicago, Illinois
A This is a tough call.
In general, the fewer the stages, the better the sound. Tuners generally
have buffered inputs that are parallel to the signal and should
not load the signal down. Some effects have hardwired bypass switches
so that the signal only goes through the electronics when the effect
is on, but some run the signal through a stage of electronics even
when they are off. Volume pedals can have a sound-altering loading
effect on signals depending on the source. The effect isn’t
too bad on preamped pickup signals; it’s a bit more noticeable
on unpreamped magnetic pickup signals and even more so on unbuffered
piezo pickup signals, which really need preamping before they go
through anything more than a few feet of cable. Even "passive"
components, such as cable and volume controls, have an audible effect
on signals.
I recommend that you use your ears as test instruments. Try using
the fewest stages of electronics possible, then add one thing at
a time and see if you can hear insertion losses or signal degradation.
Audiophiles with high-end stereo systems are so concerned with loading
the signal that they sometimes forego tone controls. The best tack
is choosing the right pieces of gear to begin with so they do not
require a lot of tweaking or audio Band-Aids to sound right.
—Rick Turner
Guitar Careers
Q I’m fresh out
of high school and taking a couple of years off to hone my guitar
and writing skills. How do I get started as a magazine columnist
or a guitar player? What town should I bum around in to be discovered?
Nashville? San Francisco? Los Angeles?
Greg Johnson|
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A The first thing you should
realize is that bumming around any town is not the way to pursue
a musical career. It takes hard work and a strong commitment to
your art to make a living in the music business. The competition
is as fierce and plentiful as it has ever been. Moving to a "music
town" will just increase the competition. It’s all too
easy to become infected with the "grass is always greener"
syndrome. Prince, R.E.M., and Nirvana all managed to do pretty well
staying put in their respective hometowns of Minneapolis, Athens,
and Seattle. Try to stay where you are and build up your audience.
Book as many gigs as you can, start a mailing list, set up a Web
site, put out a self-produced CD or tape, and learn how to promote
yourself. Then increase your home turf by going on the road, at
first to places you can drive to easily. Booking agents, managers,
and record companies want to see that an artist is able to make
a big splash in a small pond before committing time and money.
As for writing, apply the same concept. Send in sample reviews
or stories to the local publications in your area. It doesn’t
matter how small the papers are or whether they pay anything. Once
you’ve been published you will have "clips" and can
call yourself a writer. Other publications won’t know that
the Tinytown Gazette has a circulation in the two figures
and can only be found in barbershops and laundromats. As your writing
improves with practice, you’ll get more jobs. You can also
try getting an internship at one of these local publications and
offering to write for them.
The good news is that you’re young. Sleeping on floors and
surviving on beans and rice is somehow much easier to endure before
your hair starts turning gray. If you’re committed to making
music your life’s work, you won’t care. And the rewards
will be worth it. Plenty of musicians live satisfying lives pursuing
their art in a small but meaningful and self-supporting way. They
never get "discovered." And they are often better off
for it.
—Scott Nygaard
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; dear.ag@stringletter.com. 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 Peter J. Ben
of Lincroft, New Jersey.
Ever have trouble stringing an instrument that uses loop-end strings
because the loops keep slipping off the tailpiece? Try hooking the
string to the tailpiece, pulling it up the neck, and holding it
snugly at the fifth fret with a capo. You will then be free to deal
with the strings and tuning pegs at your leisure.
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