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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 11:55 am
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Some of us are just heavy handed as any guitar I play will need a dressing sooner or later as I really like to dig in. But a tip that will save your frets some time is to make sure you clean the bottom of your strings very good. I see guys who just run a cloth up and down on top of the strings. I pinch each string individually and run the cloth up and down just about from bridge to nut and you would be shocked as to what comes off the bottom. If you dont clean the bottom the dirt and crut gets hard and will start cutting into your frets.


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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 5:58 am
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After all the years of playing that I've logged in,I still have a tendency to really bear down on the frets when I'm digging in on lead lines....and now in my older age my fingers are paying for it.
I think that you can work on technique all your life and still have room for improvement.Most guitarists should at some some point in time realize that playing through an amp that is touch sensitive if you have one,and fretting techniques such as light playing and really digging in can produce some very interesting dynamics in your tone.
I think that makes sense to some I hope.


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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:53 am
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Rebelsoul wrote:
I think that you can work on technique all your life and still have room for improvement.Most guitarists should at some some point in time realize that playing through an amp that is touch sensitive if you have one,and fretting techniques such as light playing and really digging in can produce some very interesting dynamics in your tone.
I think that makes sense to some I hope.


Makes perfect sense to me mate. I still have to force myself to lighten up after 24 years at it. Your right about the amp too, having a clear amp that lets the sound of the guitar through is a absolute prerequisite for me. On my own I (and I'm sure others too) have a tendency to pile on the gain, delay or reverb. Non of that does you any good when trying to hear yourself. The worst offence of mine is the wah pedal. I've got four of em kicking around. Theres nothing worse/better for masking sloppy playing.
:oops:
I now have to go and slipper myself and send myself to sit at the foot of the stairs. :lol:

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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 9:11 am
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Ah, so that's the secret to masking sloppy playing - the wah pedal. Gotta get me one of those real quick then..


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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 9:25 pm
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I think that Niki's idea of sloppy playing and other peoples' idea might be very different. I have listened to several of his records and have found his playing to be distinctly perfect. OCD makes for a very talented artist. :lol:


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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 9:29 pm
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I like the medium jumbos on up to the 6100's. I got big ole sausage fingers and if I'm playing fast and light, the strings tend to slip out from under my fingertips when I bend notes.

The wear on maple necks comes from fingertips (strings, nails, etc...) rubbing away the old thinner finishes. Newer necks are practically dipped in polyurethane and will not show wear for decades if ever without performing some relicing. A lot of players, myself included, regard this wear as "mojo"; a sign that a player's put miles on his instrument and that the guitar has stories tied to most of the dings and chips and neck wear.

Also, I can't stand to have my fingernails longer than 1 or 2 mm at the most; it's uncomfortable and can lead to split nails (pulling the nail off the nailbed), a condition Stevie Ray Vaughan was known for teating with superglue.

Level, well dressed frets and a well adjusted truss rod have more to do with action height than fret size. I, like Niki and others here prefer a little higher action than stock; it eliminates buzzy strings and seems to make the guitar sustain and generally sound better.

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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 8:30 am
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Joelski wrote:
I like the medium jumbos on up to the 6100's. I got big ole sausage fingers and if I'm playing fast and light, the strings tend to slip out from under my fingertips when I bend notes.

The wear on maple necks comes from fingertips (strings, nails, etc...) rubbing away the old thinner finishes. Newer necks are practically dipped in polyurethane and will not show wear for decades if ever without performing some relicing. A lot of players, myself included, regard this wear as "mojo"; a sign that a player's put miles on his instrument and that the guitar has stories tied to most of the dings and chips and neck wear.

Also, I can't stand to have my fingernails longer than 1 or 2 mm at the most; it's uncomfortable and can lead to split nails (pulling the nail off the nailbed), a condition Stevie Ray Vaughan was known for teating with superglue.

Level, well dressed frets and a well adjusted truss rod have more to do with action height than fret size. I, like Niki and others here prefer a little higher action than stock; it eliminates buzzy strings and seems to make the guitar sustain and generally sound better.
I am on the same boat.Smaller hands with sausage fingers.Give me a modern C neck with low action and the string slips out when I bend sometimes.My favorite neck is the SRV with 6105s.It makes bending a breeze and I adjust my pressure for slides,but the profile is just right for my hands.


Last edited by budglo on Tue May 11, 2010 9:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 8:59 am
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Love my medium jumbo!!! That's just me and my comfort though!!! :wink:


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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 9:33 am
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Ceri wrote:
skysc wrote:
If the finger doesnt touch the fingerboard ... then why on some stratocaster ( particuly old one ) the fingerboard is all dirty and look thrash and some other look new.

nikininja wrote:
Bad or overly heavy technique a hell of a lot of the time... Honestly try pressing the high E string down to the fretboard, use your fingernail to fret it, or even a capo. Then try playing the note your attempting to fret down to the board. It will be bent quite sharp, you'd certainly hear it.

'Bout the size of it.

I actually can press the e string to the wood at lower positions just with the flesh - if I try hard. So on one of my oldest fingerboards I assumed that was why I had gouges out of the wood in some positions, never mind dirty marks.

However, Forum user Orvilleowner pointed out that in normal playing the string doesn't touch the timber, and further that the gouges and most other damage come from fingernails. I examined my left hand more closely than I'd previously bothered - and he's absolutely right (of course).

It is also a valid comment that this is bad technique. To be fair to me, none of my younger guitars show signs of that wear, even though some of them are pretty old now too. That can only be because my technique (and fingernail care) improved after the beginner phase, without me even realising! Phew...

Cheers - C

Cleaning your guitar, especially the strings after every use will extend the life of your fretboard more than you can imagine.

A friend (who incidentally--not coincidentally-- isn't allowed to play my guitars,) who doesn't clean his strings, and they are gross, is the one who complains his fretboard is wearing out.

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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 9:56 am
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Twelvebar wrote:
Ceri wrote:
skysc wrote:
If the finger doesnt touch the fingerboard ... then why on some stratocaster ( particuly old one ) the fingerboard is all dirty and look thrash and some other look new.

nikininja wrote:
Bad or overly heavy technique a hell of a lot of the time... Honestly try pressing the high E string down to the fretboard, use your fingernail to fret it, or even a capo. Then try playing the note your attempting to fret down to the board. It will be bent quite sharp, you'd certainly hear it.

'Bout the size of it.

I actually can press the e string to the wood at lower positions just with the flesh - if I try hard. So on one of my oldest fingerboards I assumed that was why I had gouges out of the wood in some positions, never mind dirty marks.

However, Forum user Orvilleowner pointed out that in normal playing the string doesn't touch the timber, and further that the gouges and most other damage come from fingernails. I examined my left hand more closely than I'd previously bothered - and he's absolutely right (of course).

It is also a valid comment that this is bad technique. To be fair to me, none of my younger guitars show signs of that wear, even though some of them are pretty old now too. That can only be because my technique (and fingernail care) improved after the beginner phase, without me even realising! Phew...

Cheers - C

Cleaning your guitar, especially the strings after every use will extend the life of your fretboard more than you can imagine.

A friend (who incidentally--not coincidentally-- isn't allowed to play my guitars,) who doesn't clean his strings, and they are gross, is the one who complains his fretboard is wearing out.

:oops: :lol: Hee-hee - yes, I distinctly recall back in beginner days having some truly disgustingly filthy strings! I think I was so delighted when I got good enough not to break them every five minutes that the objective then became to make them last as many months as possible. Clean the guitar sometimes - wassat?

To be absolutely clear, this is all longer ago than I quite care to admit. Things have moved on a little... :lol:

Cheers - C


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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 10:32 am
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Sorry for the late post, I haven't been on in a few days. It really is a matter of choice. I have 2 Fenders with jumbo frets and 1 with the medium-jumbos. My experience is that I don't have to press as hard with the jumbos. Bends are a little smoother with the jumbos to me. Each of my guitars get played equally. Just depends which one I just happen to pick up. I do have heavier guage strings on the ones with jumbo frets is the only difference in their set-ups.

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