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Rickenbacker-Style
Q I have an Ovation 12-string
guitar and was wondering if stringing it Rickenbacker-style would
enhance the bass response.
David Dean
Lincoln, Illinois
An Ovation Legend
12-string.
A I’m assuming that when you say "Rickenbacker-style,"
you mean reversing the order of the regular and octave strings in
the double-string courses. You may get a little more bass response
that way if your style uses a lot of downstrokes. Try it out and
see how it sounds. If you decide to make this your permanent setup,
you’ll need to have a new nut made and you may also have to get
the guitar’s intonation adjusted.
—Teja Gerken
Copyrights
Q I wrote
a song around a poem by Robert Frost. How can I go about getting
the rights to use the poem in the song? I contacted one publisher
and they said that they don’t allow this. Is there anyone else I
can ask? It’s one of my best songs and I’d love to record it.
Elizabeth Stephen
Boston, Massachusetts
A The length of time a copyright endures
depends on when the work was published. Copyright protection for Robert
Frost work published prior to 1978 extends for 95 years. Most copyrights
extend for 70 years beyond the life of the author. If the publisher
you contacted holds the copyright to the Robert Frost poem in question,
you have no choice but to accept the refusal or to gently appeal for
special permission. For more detailed explanations of copyright law,
visit the U.S. Copyright Office at their Web site, lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/,
or call them at (202) 707-3000. You might also want to read Stephen
Elias’ excellent book Patent, Copyright, and Trademark (Nolo
Press).
—Joan Murray
Removing
Bridge Pins
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 Robert Jordan of Westlake Village,
California.
I have trouble removing my bridge pins by hand, and I’ve discovered
that a shoelace makes a safe and simple tool for removing tight
pins. I use an eight-inch piece of medium-thickness, rectangular
rawhide lace, but any sturdy lace or string should work.
Loosen the string completely and remove it from the tuning machine
at the peghead. Make a simple loop in the middle of the shoelace
and wedge it between the bulbous top of the bridge pin and the flat
surface of the bridge in which it is sitting. Pull the ends of the
lace to tighten the loop around the neck of the bridge pin and lift
carefully. This gentle but firm leverage will loosen a stubborn
bridge pin every time.
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, December 2000,
No. 96.
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