The Difference a Pick Makes

Guitarists know that every piece of their equipment is of vital importance in creating their signature sound. While electric guitarists spend years finding just the right amplification and electronics that come together most pleasingly, acoustic artists spend more time experimenting with different tonewoods, fretboards, and often string combinations and bridge height. An interesting fact that many acoustic guitarists are well aware of is the different sounds that can be produced depending upon the material, size, and thickness of the pick used to create them. The pick is, apart from fingerpicking of course, the material that comes between a guitarist’s fingers and the strings, and its influence and importance should not be underestimated.

There are many different materials that have been used over the centuries in the manufacturing of guitar picks. Some of the earliest and most coveted picks were made from tortoise shells. Theses picks were known for their stiffness even when paper thin. Tortoise shell picks were also known to have lasted for many years, as long as the guitarist kept track of them of course! These picks are no longer made due to the international ban on their manufacturing in the 1970s, so guitarists will have to be satisfied with the non-organic imitators, and there are plenty to choose from. Celluloid is still used in pick making. It is also famously used in pin pong balls and hair styling combs. Their production is slowing due to their flammable nature, but can still be found. Many players enjoy the bright sounds produced by metal picks. The attack can be very aggressive and brassy; metal picks are often made of aluminum or copper and are found at most guitar shops. Japanese players are privy to the distinct sounds made from stone picks that are popularly produced in their country. These picks are quite expensive, going for nearly $20 a piece, but many players swear by their warmth of tone and durability. Most of today’s picks are made from a variety of plastics such as nylon. They, of course come in assorted colors, shapes, and sizes depending on the manufacturer. The thicker picks are usually most appealing to players that like to play at accelerated speeds because of the preciseness of their attack. A thinner pick does not have a high tensile strength, bending when coming into contact with the string and is unable to rebound quickly enough for the next strike. Plastic picks can have a brighter or a duller sound as well depending upon their thickness.

It is always good to try different picks made from different materials as part of efforts to find the desired sound. Most local guitar shops like Austin’s Strait Music Company have open containers of picks to try so get out there and put those picks to strings!

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of guitars and guitar accessories to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Choosing a Bass Amp

Playing bass guitar in a rock band can often be a thankless job. Thankless mostly, because bass players often go unheard beneath the screaming vocalists, the squealing lead guitarists, and the thunderous beatings of overzealous drummers. As a bass player, it is your right and responsibility to take your volume into your own hands. Allowing for enough volume, independent of PA amplification should be a primary concern. If included in the PA mix as well, so much the better, but an effort on your part to insure cut and volume is often a necessity.

The most important measure of volume for a bass player should be as compared to your fellow timekeeper, the drummer. The bassist and drummer can be viewed as a two-headed monster in a band, providing the integral rhythms upon which guitarists, vocalists, and keyboard players may build melodies and riffs. Drummer and bassist should have a nice mix between the two, allowing for clear articulation of the kick drum and of fingered bass strings in the lower registers. Bass players need much higher wattage than guitarists in order to produce a tight and cutting low end. As a rule, bass needs at least 150 watts to keep up with the 60 or so watts of a lead or rhythm guitarist and an un-miked drummer. If the drummer is amplified, another 50 to 100 watts is desirable to ensure your presence in the mix. The size of your speaker cabinet should be of special attention as well (Yes, size does matter!). A couple of 10 inch speakers are advantageous for their ability to carry the high end and provide the punch of trebles and mid-range frequencies. 10 inch speakers have less mass allowing their cones to move very quickly, providing punch and attack articulation. For low frequencies, especially the lower kilohertz provided by the B string on 5 and 6 string basses, a larger speaker should be considered. The larger amount of air that is moved by a 15 or 18 inch speaker will allow the large waves of the lowest frequencies to be heard and felt. A combination of both size speakers would be preferable, with many bass players opting for a couple of 10 inch and a 15 incher running in tandem to provide warmth and accuracy across the entire sound spectrum. Many bass cabinets also include a driver or horn that help provide well defined high frequencies by ensuring higher partials and overtones of notes cut through.

The best way to find the amplification you need is by trying all the many types and combinations that are made available at local music shops. Take your favorite bass down and play through a few setups and ask questions of the salespeople on hand. Local shops like Austin’s Strait Music Company stock all the major brands and have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that are willing to give you the straight low-down when comes to producing your deepest and baddest low end!

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of electric guitars and guitar accessories to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Replacing the Bass Strings on Your Bass Guitar

When bass guitar strings are new, they produce brilliant highs and resonant lows, and are extremely responsive across the whole tone spectrum inherent to their size and length. As strings age, the dust, grime, and oils from the player’s hands stick to the strings, dulling their response and tone. Oxidation can happen to bass strings as well, making their stainless steel makeup lose its brilliance in color and resonant response. Depending on how often a bass guitar is played, strings might need replacing as often as once every couple months for the professional player or as little as once a year (especially if kept in the closet).

Provided a player has found a brand of string and thickness that he or she is comfortable with, and unless experimenting with new strings to find new tones or response, we will take as a given that the same manufacturer and style of strings will be used when replacement time occurs. Because strings are tightened and continually placing stress upon the neck and body of the bass guitar, it is advisable to not remove all 4 (5, 6, or 7) strings at once. A balance should be kept in order to keep the neck straight and true and to make sure intonation is not affected because of a quick release of the stress that the strings provide when on the bass guitar.

Lets begin with the lowest resonating string, E, on a 4 string bass guitar. Notice how the string is wound around the tuning post on the headstock, which direction is it wound around and how many times? This should be mimicked when replacing this string. Slowly turn the tuning key in the direction that loosens the string so as to not shock the neck with a quick release of tension. After the string is loose of the tuning peg, see how it is fed through the bridge at the base of the bass. Some bass guitars allow strings to be fed through the body and then through the bridge, while others are merely fed through the bridge. Again, take note, as this should be mimicked when putting on the new E string. While the string is off, it is good to take a rag and wipe off the grime that has collected on the fretboard before replacing the new string. Feed the new string through the bridge (and body, if applicable) and then through the tuning peg, holding it in place while winding the peg until enough tension exists to hold the string. If so desired, the E string an be tuned to E before proceeding, but just a relaxed tension is all that is necessary, fine tuning can be completed when all strings are replaced. This process should be repeated until all strings are in place, and then tuning can begin.

To find the bass strings and bass, for that matter, that suits your needs, it is in your best interest to try the different types offered at your local guitar shop. Austin’s Strait Music Company and other local shops stock many types and styles of bass guitar and bass guitar strings to choose from. Local stores are also a wealth of knowledge for musicians so get on down and ask and play away!

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of guitars and guitar accessories to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Acoustic Guitar Body Sizes

An acoustic guitar is a wonderful tool that allows a guitarist to express him or herself anytime and anywhere. Because no amplification is needed, a guitarist can create melodies and rhythms that can be heard by audiences of various sizes as the sound is projected from the resonating cavity of the instrument. The size of the guitar affects how loudly and deeply the resonant sound is.

Acoustic guitars come in various sizes that apply well to different situations, styles, and applications. A size that works well in accompanying a vocalist as well as for solo fingerstyle playing is the Grand Concert. It is smaller in size, so is very portable, and this compactness allows for a focus of tone that allows it to project well also. It works well for players with a slighter build without having to sacrifice tone or quality. The Auditorium size is a mite larger, allowing for more defined mids and lows, but still allowing for those smaller in stature to get their arms around it. For playing with others, the Dreadnought is a tremendous choice. It is larger and has the ability for more power and volume as well as possessing an extremely focused tone. The dreadnought is the most popular size acoustic guitar because of its unrivalled ability to be heard within an ensemble, especially with loud instruments such as fiddles, banjos, as well as other acoustic guitars. The articulation that a dreadnaught provides can be described as ‘punchy” allowing it to be easily heard and distinguished among other string instruments. One of the largest size acoustic guitars available is the Super Jumbo. Its large size allows for extremely pronounced low frequencies. Its bass is unrivalled by the other sizes because of the larger cavity it possesses. The power created by a super jumbo can easily fill a concert hall and cut through a large ensemble with ease. A super jumbo is also very “punchy” in tone as well as pleasing, warm, and vibrant with its ringing tones through the entire sound spectrum.

Acoustic guitars have long been the choice of flatpickers, blues players, fingerstyle players, and bluegrass players alike for their portability and organic sound. The best way to find which style and size is right for a particular guitarists is truly by trying them all on for size. Guitar shops like Austin’s Strait Music Company stock new and used models that are just waiting to be strummed, picked, and enjoyed.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of guitars and guitar accessories to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Distressed Guitars Versus Vintage Originals

Every guitar player wants to rock and look good while doing it; but not every guitar player has the time, energy, commitment, or playing prowess, to allow their instrument to reflect years of love and abuse. The prized instruments of famous rock guitar gods like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, and others, are weather-beaten and worn from many years and many miles of touring and playing. These instruments, nearly as famous as their owners, have retained their mojo, their spirit or soul, the intangible prowess and feel that has allowed them to spawn some of the singularly memorable riffs and grooves that have made their owners famous and wealthy. In the last decade, a new phenomenon has become a major player in the worldwide guitar market. An idea originated in Fender Musical Instrument’s Fullerton, California, Custom Shop, has really taken off. Newly manufactured guitars are intentionally distressed, stripped, and weathered, or broken in, in order to (hopefully) look like and play like the original vintage instruments they are modeled after. While the amounts paid for these instruments are high, $2000 and more for some, their prices are nowhere near the amount one would shell out for the original vintage instruments they are patterned after, with true vintage instruments often fetching $250,000 or more.

Who buys these guitars that have been artificially aged? The same people who enjoy retro-styled motorcycles, broken in jeans, and other similarly antiqued items. What could be better than a guitar that looks and feels like it has been played and loved for many years, but is essentially new, possessing the electronic advances that make newer instruments less prone to unwanted electronic buzzes, hums, or feedback, that often plague their vintage counterparts. Many rock stars have actually purchased these relic imitations to take on tour, allowing them to leave their original treasured instruments at home, protected and safe.

The distressing process entails everything from whipping the instrument’s bodies with belt buckles, administering industrial solvents to the paint, and taking sandpaper to the fretboards. Some, like the replica of Clapton’s “Blackie”, are even burned to replicate cigarette burns from the original. The value of these artificially distressed replicas keep going up, with collectors buying them as quickly as they are produced. Whether a vintage original or a replica is what you desire, local guitar shops like Austin’s Strait Music Company stock many options for those looking for a new or “new-to-you” axe that will provide years of enjoyment and opportunity to add one’s own “mojo” into to the mix.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of electric guitars and accessories to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Analog Stompboxes Versus Multi-Effects Processors

Gone are the days of guitarists plugging their guitar into their amplifiers and just playing. While clean or high-gain distortion playing used to be the norm, most guitarists rely upon sophisticated gear in order to achieve the “drill through your face” distortion or “cloudy dreamy” chorus that makes their listeners beg for more. While a decade or two ago, most artists brought along one or two analog stompboxes to augment their tone, more often today, artists have custom pedalboards chock full of expensive boutique pedals or all-in-one multi-effects units, floor or rack-mounted, on their (or their soundguy’s) person for every gig.

Most stompboxes have a dedicated, single feature. An individual box might add chorus, distortion, flange, or any such effect to a guitarist’s tone. The amount of the effect added with a stompbox is easily regulated with simple twists of a couple of knobs, being very user friendly, but only just so adjustable. Most stompboxes run on 9 volt battery power, but many manufacturers offer AC powered “pedalboards” that allow often up to ten or twenty individual boxes to be placed within its friendly confines, all powered by one single outlet, saving batteries and hassle. The advantage of the individual stompboxes is that you can “chain” them together, and only use the effects you want in that chain by simply “stomping” the effect you would like to employ. Moving boxes to different locations in that “chain” can affect the sound by one effect being employed first, second, third, etc, with many possibilities for tone creation. Disadvantages for using stomboxes chained in a pedalboard are mostly expense. Individual pedals cost between $75 to $200 each, depending on their rarity or vintage production, and pedalboards themselves start at well over $150 for a reputable one. Many musicians have taken to building their own pedalboards, to save some cash. Just think how horrible it would be if your custom pedalboard, with nearly or over a $1000 of effects pedals housed inside, was stolen or lost. Finding all of those individual pedals again might be impossible, and definitely costly.

Multi-effects units have become an attractive option for musicians. They sound, react, and are manipulated differently of course because they employ silicone chips to produce sounds digitally instead of the analog transistors used in stompboxes. A multi-effects unit is a good way to get all the sounds you want (and some unnecessary ones of course) and house them within one easy to carry unit. Disadvantages of these units include the tedious knob turning and button pushing necessary to modify effects in order to employ a single effect. Usually, effects are paired together within these units to make their signature sounds, and this could be a deal breaker for the sound purists out there. Another disadvantage is that some modules will lose the presets you’ve created if there is a power outage or battery failure; imagine that happening in front of 1000 spectators! A guitarist can purchase these units for often around $100 to $500, so they are definitely the “more bang for your buck” option.

As always, guitarists should scoot on down to their local guitar shop for hands-on experience. Respectable stores like Austin’s Strait Music Company have employees with so much knowledge and experience with all sorts of guitar accessories and are happy to give advice, as well as provide opportunities for trying out all the equipment.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of electric guitars and guitar accessories to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

What Makes a Good Guitar Speaker Cabinet

Guitarists are known for searching for many years to find the right conglomeration of ingredients to achieve their ultimate, individualistic, signature guitar tone. Of course, professional guitarists rely on a singing tone to separate themselves from the overwhelmingly majority of “hack” guitarists and cover band “wannabes”. All guitarists know that their tone originates with the instrument in their hands, and that their amplifier plays an extremely important part in converting their kinetic energy into sounds, but how many guitarists ever think about the construction of their speaker cabinet? Since this is the last line in the chain of offense when it comes to tone production, as much time and effort should be afforded searching for the unique cabinet that suits your tone and playing style best.

A discussion of speakers, drivers, and speaker cones, will be left for another article, the purpose here, however, is simply to discuss the different aspects of speaker cabinet construction that give each individual cabinet an inherently different tone. The type of wood used is reflected directly by the tone produced. Some popular wood choices are particle-board, MDF, plywood, mahogany, maple, birch, and poplar. MDF (pressboard) and particle-board are chosen for three simple reasons: they are cheap, readily available, and relatively stable. Since these woods are not particularly special nor naturally occurring, they exhibit sounds that are flat, non-organic, and less responsive. A flat, non-organic sound can be described as lacking of vibrance or life. These woods are used in the cheapest cabinets, with more funds funneled towards (hopefully) better speakers for the sound. Higher end, more quality built cabinets rely on tried and true tonewoods with their own particular sound qualities. As with guitar bodies, maple, birch, and poplar exhibit warm and vibrantly bright tone. Mahogany’s tone color can be described as slightly darker and warmer, and very pleasing.

Because most guitarists place their heavy amplifier head on top of their speaker cabinet (when not in a mutual combo assembly), stability and strength of construction is so important. Most manufacturers use glue to join their cabinet walls together, but higher priced, boutique speaker cabinet makers often go even further, many offering finely crafted dovetail joints for strength and long-lasting assembly. In addition to woods used and construction details, cabinets can be either open backed, closed backed, or ported. Open backed cabinets have the rear of the cabinet and speakers somewhat exposed, resulting in a sound that is more surrounding and enveloping, while exhibiting higher mids and trebles, with somewhat diminished bass. Closed back design promotes a high bottom end, with lows being dialed high and very responsive. Ported cabinets allow sound to be funneled toward the closed back and then projected through vents in the front or rear, allowing for punch and articulation of lower frequencies.

Unique construction and woods along with speaker choices are instrumental in the tonal differences present in various manufacturers’ speaker cabinets, and should be closely observed before purchasing. Knowledgeable salespeople at local guitar stores like Austin’s Strait Music Company are able to answer questions, pointing musicians in the right directions, and allowing them ample time and opportunity to try all sorts of combinations in their quest to find the perfect tone.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of electric guitars and guitar accessories to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Guitar Neck Choices

A guitar, like many other musical instruments, is a finely crafted assemblage of many individual parts coming together to (hopefully) create beautiful melodies and harmonies in the hands of a gifted musician. Specific tonewoods are chosen and picked especially for their resonating qualities in an effort to make the body ring and vibrate pleasingly with the notes produced by the strings. In a previous article, the effects and qualities of popularly chosen body tonewoods were discussed and detailed. In this article, the aim is a dialogue concerning different aspects and considerations to be mindful of when choosing the type of neck for your favorite guitar.

The neck of the guitar is usually composed of a different wood than the fretboard or body. Most commonly necks are made from mahogany or maple. These two woods are known for their beauty, stability, and ease of carving. Newer companies have been experimenting with other materials than wood for neck construction. Graphite and carbon have become popular because they are extremely lightweight yet possess enormous strength and resistance to bowing over time. Necks have a metal rod inside the neck called a truss rod that must be adjusted periodically in order to keep the neck straight and in tune. A neck is constantly subjected to the stress put upon it by the strings, so a strong straight neck is direly important. In addition to the wood or other material used for the neck itself, necks are available in different neck shapes and widths, and some might feel more ergonomically natural to your hand or playing style than others. The variations of neck curvature can be anywhere from a gentle “C” to a more angular, almost “V” shape. Depending upon your style of playing and hand size, the neck’s curvature and width is definitely something to experiment with. A wider neck would possess a larger space between each string; a thinner neck the opposite. The way in which the neck is attached the body can affect the tone and sound of the guitar as well. Cheaper guitars have a bolted on neck. The body has been manufactured and a suitable neck has been bolted on. This is an easy and inexpensive process versus the more labor intensive, neck-through design used on many high end, custom guitars. Most players swear by neck-through construction claiming that the neck feels much more like an extension of the body and possesses much more sustain and tone because of this relationship.

In a subsequent article, fretboard construction will be discussed, and its effects on guitar sound will be outlined. In order to get a feel for the different necks described in this article, it is essential to get down to a local guitar dealer like Austin’s Strait Music Company and try all the different guitars they have in stock. One will feel just right in your hands, promise!

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of electric guitars and guitar accessories to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Guitar Fretboard Construction and Alternatives

As noted in previous articles, the guitar is an amalgam of many individual parts working harmonious and congruently to produce sweet sounds. Along with the choices, styles, and different wood components of a guitar’s neck and body, it is important to note the differences of the fingering or playing surface of the neck: the fretboard.

The fretboard, or fingerboard is the piece of wood or other material that provides the surface of the guitar’s neck upon which fingering is done. As fingers press the string to the surface of the fretboard, the length of the string is shortened, resulting in a higher acoustical pitch being produced. Unlike string instruments such as the double bass, violin, or cello, most guitars, fretless ones being the exception of course, have their necks embedded with nickel or stainless steel strips called frets which have been placed at proper intervals to provide a change of an upward half step movement as one fingers towards the body on the instrument. The mathematical ratio used for this placement results in equal temperment, allowing for a correct and even division of the octave into 12 half step intervals. Cheaply made guitars such as those made for children as toys do not possess this equal temperment and are not suitable for true playing since the rules of a tunable neck will not apply. The woods used for fingerboards on guitars and string instruments vary, and each possesses its own distinct sound and feel. Many guitars possess a maple neck and a maple fingerboard existing as one piece of wood. This construction is well known in Fender guitars, and many players swear that the sound of the maple fretboard in conjunction with the maple neck possesses a brighter, more cohesive sound and sustain than models that have a maple neck and a fretboard made of a different wood, namely rosewood. Rosewood is a very popular wood because of its brighter, more pronounced attack when compared to maple fretboards. Rosewood is often paired with necks made of maple or mahogany. Gibson is well known for its ebony fretboards that are paired with the mahogany-necked SG or Les Paul signature guitars. Ebony is the wood used for fingerboards of violins and other string instruments. As ebony is the densest of the three woods most often used (rosewood, maple, and ebony), it stands out as having the brightest sound and most articulated attack. Other materials used in fretboard construction are graphite and carbon fiber composite. Listeners and players might note their precisely articulated sound, if a tad more “manufactured”.

As well as the material used for the fretboard, detailing inlays and position markers differ from one guitar manufacturer to the next. These can be as simple as painted plastic to extremely ornate mother of pearl designs. Inlays should be chosen according to aesthetic taste for they have no affect upon guitar tone. To get the feel for each fretboard material and find your druthers, it is best to visit your favorite local guitar shop like Austin’s Strait Music Company, pick up every neck you can get your hands around, and get to fingering. You’ll be able to notice the differences described straightway and make a well-informed decision when purchasing.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of electric guitars and guitar accessories to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Bass Guitar: Fingers, Picks, or Thumbs?

Beginning bass players often need a little guidance when approaching the large fretted, wide necked, and heavy handed instrument that is the electric bass guitar. So you’ve got it, now, how do you play it, right? Well, first, the strap needs to be adjusted for comfort and placement on your chest; usually beginners enjoy the bass a little higher on the chest for easier ergonomics and find that sightlines are better with the bass at a closer adjustment when getting used to the size of the frets and length of the neck. Many professional players in jazz and funk styles find that a higher placement allows for a better field of motion when using advanced techniques as well as higher proficiency during passages requiring more intricate, dexterously fingered playing.

Now that the bass feels comfortable around the body, how should it be played? Short answer: anyway you please. Long answer: there are a myriad of options. Bass players switching from guitar may find that the pick will be an excellent choice. However, thinner picks often must be traded in for thicker ones when attacking the thick cords of roundwound steel that make up the thick strings of a bass guitar. Once the right pick is acquired, let the picking and strumming begin! Now, of course, the bright sound resulting from the attack of nylon on steel by the pick will not work for every situation, and that is exactly why your right (or left, southpaws) hand has fingers and a thumb! You can float your hand over all the strings as you play, but that can get tiresome after awhile. A great place to rest your thumb when playing finger style is on the edge of the pickguard or on the string nearest you that’s not being played. Some bass players even place a block above the lowest sounding string to rest their thumb on as well, while others have a block on the other side (away from the player) to rest fingers when thumbing (not to be confused with slapping) the bass strings in the thumb technique used by players such as Sting. Slapping is a technique pioneered by funk bassists of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, most notably Larry Graham and Louis Johnson. The thumb is used to strike the strings in a hatcheting, tomahawk sort or fashion, often paired with a plucking (away from the bass) of other strings with the forefingers. All styles of playing require the player to do much more muting of strings than in traditional guitar playing. This can be achieved either with the palm or the upper divisions of the forefingers after thumbing, fingering, picking, slapping, or plucking.

Bass guitars can be played in all of the above ways, and new innovative techniques are coming to the fore each year by new virtuosic players bringing low down playing to new heights. Picks, cables, and basses, are all available at preferred local music shops like Austin’s Strait Music Company that are excellently stocked for outfitting musicians of all types and abilities with the gear they need.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of electric guitars and basses to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Electric Bass: The Choice of the New Generation?

In a rock and roll rhythm section, the drummer and the bass guitarist provide the essential foundation over which the electric guitarist (lead and otherwise) and vocalist can provide melodic movement and main thematic material. Take the mighty Led Zeppelin for instance; Jimmy Page and Robert Plant’s virtuosic exploits were made possible because of the sure and true foundation provided by the locked in groove of drummer John Bonham and bassist John Paul Jones. An excellent bassist must have the ability to be a seamless extension of the rhythm of the drums. Perhaps better described, drummer and bassist should be the two-headed monster, inextricably bound by beat and groove.

Everybody knows the guitarists and the singers get the girls (exceptions and apologies of course to the many female artists like Joni Mitchell and Ann Wilson who “get the guys”). You never hear of the offstage antics of the Rolling Stones’ Bill Wyman, only of Sir Mick’s latest conquest (continuing to sire new heirs in his late sixties). Bassists have been painted as workmen over the years, playing their basses with precision (pardon the pun), but always staying out of the way of the fleet fingered, show-stopping guitarist noodling away stratospherically above. Case in point, can anyone think of memorable lines offered by Van Halen’s Michael Anthony? Without his sure foundation would Eddy’s slick lines be possible or could they get any monkey, strike that, Wolfie to do it? Okay, maybe Michael Anthony isn’t the best example, known mostly for his accomplished background vocals, not for his prodigious counterpuntal basement bass lines, but the point should be well taken. Bass playing has not been the choice of most young men and women growing up in America because it has been painted as boring compared to guitarists’ exploits. Name one bassist who has set their rig aflame or smashed it. Okay, I’ll give you Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, any others?

What America’s youth need to remember when thinking about picking up a bass or a traditional guitar is that guitarists are a dime a dozen. An excellent bassist is in high demand, because so many are simply “want to be” guitarists. A bassist in a rock and roll band might not be glamorous, but he or she is nonetheless essential. This is a call to all youngsters, get down to your local guitar shop like Austin’s Strait Music Company, and pick up a sweet bass guitar. Feel its heft in your hands. Plug it in and give that low E a good pluck or thwack. You won’t be sorry. You might not be on a course to move mountains like Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile, but you’ll most definitely move hips and booties if you hone those chops just right!

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of electric guitars and basses to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Choosing Drum Set Cymbals

For a new drummer, choosing the right kit is daunting enough even without thinking about the necessary accoutrements (cymbals, hardware, stool, etc.). This article purports to discuss several things to keep in mind when choosing cymbals explicitly, hardware et al discussions will have to wait! Though there are only basically five types of cymbals per se, they come in all shapes and sizes, not to mention tones and colors (sonically).

The five basic types of cymbals to choose from are ride, high-hat, crash, splash, and china. Besides these five types, there exists an inordinate amount of effects cymbals that provide every metallic, ringing sound a musician could ever dream up or want in his or her sound arsenal. Many musicians believe that when selecting cymbals, you should start with finding the right ride, and then buying other cymbals to complement it. Rides come in sizes varying from 20” to 22” in diameter, and thicker rides can be described as “dark” or “warm” while thinner rides are often heard as “crisp”, even “bright”. A good ride for jazz playing can be described as having a lower, darker sound that shimmers when struck. A darker sound helps allow your ride to blend with the other instruments while also having a distinct tone that can cut, especially when striking the bell. A brighter ride cymbal can be kept as a backup when a brighter, more cutting sound is needed dependent mostly on style and ensemble. The crash should possess a slightly higher pitch than the ride and usually comes in 16” to 20”. These are also offered in thick or thin, with the same rules applying to the sound quality. A thicker crash will have longer sustain and could get in the way of the other instruments’ entrances, while a thinner crash creates a nice “wash” of sound and then trails off, getting out of the way so a nice quality ensemble can be achieved. A good ear should be able to find a nice crash that will compliment the sonic qualities of the ride selected. A good pair of high hats can round out your kit, and will naturally cut through helping provide the rhythm of your ensemble.

Many musicians swear by hand hammered cymbals over ones that are machine cast. All cymbals are made from bronze, so material choice is not an issue. Many beginning drummers find that the pre-assembled sets are a nice way to go, with manufacturers guaranteeing the cymbals are “sonically matched” with each other. The truth is, to find the right cymbals, a drummer should play a lot of cymbals, observing not only the initial “crash” of the attack, but the upper and lower partials of the sound that resonates; a great cymbal sounds pleasing when struck quietly, and that continues to be the best way to observe all the nuances and overtones of the sound produced. Music stores like Austin’s Strait Music Company stock cymbals in all sizes and are happy to hear you while your time away, striking this one and that one, until you zero in on just the right cymbal to complete your kit’s distinctive sound.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of drums and cymbals to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Electronic Pickups Affect Bass Guitar Sound

As with standard electric guitars, the sound captured by the pickups is extremely important in the tone achieved for conveyance to audience or recording. There are basically two different ways in which the pickups on bass guitars use electronics to capture the sound produced by the strings. Most electric basses use magnetic pickups to capture the sound created from string vibration. The other main type of pickups is non-magnetic.

Magnetic pickups possess magnets that create a magnetic field that is interrupted and fluctuates by the vibrations created when the strings are picked or plucked. These fluctuations produce electrical current in the metal coils within the pickups, creating an electrical signal that is then sent to the bass guitar amplifier for processing and amplification in order to be converted back into an acoustic sound signal. The magnetic pickups work in basically the same way as the coil within a dynamic microphone converts sound to signal, minus the diaphragm. Pickup arrangements come in various styles, each purporting to get the most sound out of bass string vibration. The main difference between magnetic pickups found in electric basses can be observed by the number of magnetic poles (4 or 8) and the number of coils found within the pickup itself (single or double). The tried and true methods created by Leo Fender when he designed the first electric bass have been mimicked in assorted ways over the years, with most basses possessing one or two pickups, usually one nearer the bridge for a brighter sound and one nearer the neck joint for warmth. A dual coil pickup is called a humbucker and possess two rows of exposed magnetic poles while the single coil pickup possesses just one. The other type of magnetic pickup, the soapbar, gets its name by its design (it looks like a bar of soap) and does not possess visible poles.

Types of non-magnetic pickups are piezoelectric pickups and optical pickups. Piezoelectric pickups use a transducer crystal to convert string vibrations into electric signal for the amplifier. Because vibrations are captured non-magnetically, non-metal strings made of materials such as nylon or rubber may be used. These different materials when used in bass strings provide a much different tone than produced by metal strings, often mirroring the sonic qualities of a double bass, especially on fretless models. Optical pickups use an L.E.D. to track string movement optically. This arrangement allows for high volume production without the annoying white noise or interference generated by traditional magnetic pickups at high volumes.

The best way to find the right pickup arrangement for a given bassist is by playing every kind of electric bass one can get their hands on. Local music stores like Austin’s Strait Music Company stock basses that are representative of all styles and brands to provide every bassist with a wide array of sounds and tones to choose from.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of electric guitars to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Capacitor Microphones for Sensitivity

No sound recording engineer, novice or professional, owns just one microphone, due to the fact that in every situation, a particular type of microphone would be optimum. In an earlier article, the advantages of the dynamic microphone were discussed. Its construction merited use in louder volume, close proximity situations with brilliant results. For more delicate situations, with sound producers of lower volumes and involving tones possessing all parts of the sound spectrum, capacitor microphones are the choice of professionals because of their ability to successfully capture all the nuances of such delicate, often acoustic instruments such as guitars, violins, and the human voice.

Capacitor (also called condenser) microphones use electrostatic energy to capture sound from a given producing object. The electrical charge produced by the freely fluctuating diaphragm and the backplate provides the sound signal transference to amplifier rather than current magnetically produced as in a dynamic microphone. Because no metal coil is involved, the diaphragm has the ability to be much lighter and exponentially more responsive to more delicate, quieter sounds. This lightness and responsiveness lends to a better reproduction of the originally produced sound than that of its clunkier counterpart (the dynamic microphone). In order to be so responsive, capacitor microphones are very high impedance and require power to provide the electrostatic charge as well as amplifying the sound captured. This power can be generated by a microphone preamp or a mixing board, allowing the diaphragm to move freely and effortlessly with a constant charge applied. This eliminates the need to increase the gain that could adversely affect the sound captured by adding noise as well. Something to keep in mind when choosing the right capacitor microphone is the size of the diaphragm. Capacitor microphones come in large and small diaphragmatic options. The larger diaphragm microphones have seen increased popularity because of the added resonance the larger diaphragm produces especially when capturing the nuances of the human voice. This warmth of resonance can make voices livelier and fuller, adding depth and distinction to vocal tracks.

While dynamic microphones have the ability to withstand use and abuse, the delicate construction of its capacitor cousin requires a lighter hand. The lighter more delicate diaphragm positioning allows for the higher frequency response necessary and might motivate the owner to purchase a case for his or her often more expensive and definitely more responsive capacitor microphones; their tough dynamic brethren will be happy to share the gym bag with the cords, pedals, and such. Local music stores like Austin’s Strait Music Company stock many choices of dynamic and capacitor microphones to satisfy every musician’s needs and budget.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of recording and pro audio gear to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Guitar Amplifiers: Solid State Advantages

This article is in response to the previous article posted claiming that tube amplifiers dominate over solid state amplifiers in achieving best sounding tone. Solid state amplifiers need not be short-changed in order to tout the greatness of the tube. Solid state amplifiers do possess many advantages and remain a viable choice for many guitarists and bassists alike.

Solid state amplifiers are almost always less expensive than tube amplifiers, both at time of purchase and in terms of maintenance. This makes them a very attractive alternative for the beginning as well as seasoned guitarist alike. Tubes must be replaced, depending on the load put on them and the frequency of playing. If a guitarist plays at loud volumes several times a week, especially without allowing adequate time for the tubes to warm up before cranking the volume up, tubes might need replacing within 3 months. With the usual 3-4 times a week performing or practice sessions, with proper adherence to warm up times, tubes still must be replaced anywhere from 6 months to once a year for optimum performance. This yearly maintenance can cost a guitarist approximately $10-$15 per tube on the low end, with most tube amplifiers utilizing 4 or more tubes. For example, the coveted sound produced by the popular Fender Deville amplifier uses two Groove Tube output tubes ($70 - $130 for a matched pair) and 3 Fender preamp tubes ($10 a piece). That’s quite a hefty price tag if all tubes need replacing at once!

Another advantage the solid state amplifier has over its tube counterpart is portability and ease of transport. Because tube amplifiers employ glass vacuum tubes at the heart of their power, they need much more space for these glass cylinders and require much more care when hefting their heavy weight to and from the trusty band van. One misstep could result in a trip to the guitar store immediately if replacement tubes aren’t part of a band’s gear box; the show must go on, but won’t go on if tubes are damaged because a sticky fingered roadie had an unfortunate accident with the guitarist’s boutique tube powered amplifier. Because solid state amplifiers employ transistors instead of tubes, they are much lighter, more durable, and need much smaller cabinets to hold a higher rated power plant than their portly, tube-powered cousins.

New advances in solid state amplifiers allow for guitarists to dial in the precise tone they’re looking for without breaking the bank in the process. Well informed and friendly sales associates at local guitar shops like Austin’s Strait Music Company can help guitarists of any and all skill levels find the solid state powerhouse they need to keep on rockin!

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of electric guitars and guitar amplifiers to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Guitar Amplifiers: Are Tubes the Best?

A large part of getting just the right tone from an electric guitar happens when the signal from the instrument is amplified. True, the original tone is an amalgam of the tone wood selected for the guitar’s body and the electrical pickup technology employed, but the tone generated in the amplification process is definitely not to be understated or underemphasized. Most guitarists tend to lean towards tube amplification over transistor-based, solid state technology, but for what reasons, and are these reasons with merit?

Tube technology has been the choice of famous and novice musicians alike for decades, because its technology has been present the longest. Vacuum tubes were used in the first radios and televisions to provide power for sound amplification. Tubes are basically light bulbs, possessing a filament inside that must get warm in order to perform their duties. When musicians talk about their tube amplifiers, they inevitably mention the “warmth” of the tone produced. This warmth arguably comes from the true heat that is being generated by these tubes, a naturally emanating warmness generated from current through filament that can be heard in the guitarist’s resulting tone. A tube sound can be described as possessing this “warmness” throughout the entire spectrum of guitar sound, resulting in mellow, “creamy” treble sounds that experience a “punch” or focus when strings are struck harder, while continuing to display thick bass sounds from underneath. Who wouldn’t enjoy a warm sound that seems to vibrate and grow to fill the space of a given room? When guitarists first discovered the ability to overdrive tubes, achieving a clipped or distorted sound from the speakers, tube sound became immortalized. Guitarists found that more distortion could be added gradually as the gain knob was turned up, creating a more saturated, dirty sound across the whole sound spectrum. The amount of available drive that a particular amplifier can handle without overextending itself is called “headroom”. This allows a guitarist to pump up the gain in order to overdrive the signal without experiencing electrical difficulty because of the increased power to the tubes. While tubes arguably provide the best tone possible, this tone does not come without a price. Tube amplifiers cost substantially more than their solid state cousins. Also, since the tubes themselves are made of glass, some care is necessary when loading and unloading tube amplifiers, though new advances are making them more durable than ever. Warming up a tube amplifier is necessary before playing, but ask any of the well informed sales associates at Strait Music of Austin, and they’ll surely say the same: tube amplifiers sound warmer, fuller, and resoundingly better than solid state, and are definitely worth the extra money in the attempt to find that killer tone!

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of electric guitars and guitar amplifiers to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Pricey Guitar Cables: Worth the Cost?

Electric guitar players search for many years, striving to find just the right guitar that provides just the right tone they desire. Most prefer tube amplifiers for their axes, because of the purity of tone and the clarity and ease of manipulation tried and true tube technology provides. After emptying their wallets and pocketbooks at their local music stores around town, does it make sense to plug a sub-standard, economy 1/4” cord into the boutique setup they’ve searched and searched for? The answer is a resounding “NO!”

Cheaply priced guitar cables are cheaply made. The inner cable is usually made from a less expensive, thinner gauge copper that will lose its integrity and fail at the worst possible moment whether it be on stage or in the recording studio. This thin copper cable also does not support the frequency response that a thicker gauge, copper cable provides. Since tone is an issue with all guitarists, attention to the entire frequency band should be essential. What’s the point of paying top dollar for the twelve-band equalizer on your favorite amplifier if the cheap guitar cable used merely supports the middle tone partials of the guitar’s broad frequency range? The thickness of the surrounding casing of the cable can be marginal in inexpensive cords as well, allowing for any twisting or bending of the cord at right angles to interrupt the signal immediately and irreparably without soldering the inner cable together again, costing much time and effort.

Most professional guitar players agree and would never use a cheaply made instrument cable on the road or in the studio, happily paying higher prices for higher quality cables because of the purer tone that the higher quality constructed cables provide. The amount paid for one, often lifetime guaranteed, guitar cable far outweighs the headaches incurred by choosing a less expensive, poorly made cable. Well-stocked retailers like Strait Music of Austin, Texas, carry many various options of guitar and instrument cables. When your favorite music store employee steers you in the direction of the higher priced instrument cables, it is not because they want to charge you this higher price unnecessarily. The higher quality cable is simply the better choice. Perhaps you enjoy often returning to your local music store, buying replacement cables; there are always friendly salespeople there who enjoy talking about guitars and amplifiers as much as you do. But if you’d rather enjoy playing and making music with your friends, a higher priced, better-made cable is the obvious choice.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of instrument cables and other guitar accessories to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

A Little Electric Guitar History

Though inventors and engineers have been creating electric instruments like music boxes and player pianos since the 1800’s, the first amplified instruments were not created until after the development of the radio in the 1920’s. The first instruments considered for electric amplification were stringed instruments like the viola and string bass. Lloyd Loar, an engineer with the Gibson Guitar Company, designed an electrical pickup that registered the vibrations of the strings with a magnet and coil on the bridge. This electrical signal was then passed on to an amplifier, which rendered the sound.

Oddly enough, Gibson was not the first company to produce a commercially advertised electric guitar. It was actually the Stromber-Voisinet Company who mimicked Lloyd Loar’s design to create the fist commercial, amplified electric guitar in 1928. Though this was a working model of an “electric” guitar, the signal was very week, and it was not until a new innovation came about that the electric guitar we know today actually arrived. The magnet and coil located in the bridge was not direct enough to receive full vibrations from the strings, so engineers began creating pickups that registered the vibrations directly from the strings. In 1932, George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker produced the first, successful electric guitar, known as the “Frying Pan.” This innovative Hawaiian model was designed to be played flat on the lap, and it was an immediate success with Hawaiian musicians. However, this instrument continued to be used for a similar Hawaiian instrumental style. It was not until the electric guitar was captured by the imagination of Charlie Christian in 1939, that the electric guitar took on a unique style, all its own.

Over the next ten years, many artists and guitar makers alike began experimenting with new electric guitar designs. Most of these designers continued with the same pickup devices but experimented with mounting the pickup differently. A widely known acoustic guitarist known as Les Paul, built an electric guitar on a four by four piece of pine wood, and he called it “The Log,” and soon thereafter, Leo Fender introduced a solid wood body electric guitar in 1950. The guitar grew in popularity and only two years later, Gibson created a similar styled guitar that was endorsed by Les Paul. These guitars had fantastic sustain and fewer feedback problems, and they quickly grew to extreme popularity.

From there it can be said that the rest was history. Guitarists from the 50’s and 60’s mastered this new instrument, making it an everlasting icon of American music and culture. New models and designs are virtually limitless, countless musicians have made the electric guitar sing in so many different ways, and it is truly a symbol of American innovation and exploration.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, the best electric guitar dealers Austin has to offer. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.