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Everything posted by mettelus
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Before getting carried away with re-recording with some oddball setup, you very much can use pre-recorded tracks and do pretty much anything you want with them. Firstly, anything recorded from a single point (microphone, guitar jack, etc.) IS mono. Secondly, even mono tracks (one single wave form) get processed as stereo as soon as you put a stereo effect on it (just how DAWs work, they need to accommodate the stereo output an effect produces). Couple quick things: Is your track hard-panned to one side? Seems that way, and if it is you can bounce the track (in Track View, menu at top of left pane... "Bounce to Tracks") and choose "Split Mono" in the options to separate the left and right channels into individual tracks. One of them will have nothing in it (because your imported file was hard-panned to one side), so you can just delete that one. That will leave you with the remaining channel as a mono track. Side note: if recording directly into a DAW, the input (often "mono/left") and interleave (mono versus stereo) will affect what the track looks like as you record it. Again, you can change that even after the fact if it is truly a mono signal in the first place. Mono tracks will be processed "straight down the center," unless you pan them or add effects that change the left and right channels (reverbs, stereo FX, there are a lot that do this... most FX have a stereo output, not nearly as many are "mono"). The track can be left "mono" (often preferred) but the output will be in stereo (even if straight down the middle, since both sides will be the same). Easiest way to learn is to try extreme settings with things (knobs all the way to the right or left) and hear what it does. As you get more familiar you will understand things better that way. It might help us to get better clarification of what you are experiencing (both what the original files are, and how they look when you import them). I may have misconstrued what you said, but I also wanted to point out that it is more how you are working with what you have now and learning how things work (some things are "under the hood" as they say, so not always obvious to new folks).
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Guitar tuning - who woulda thunk? idea
mettelus replied to lawajava's topic in Production Techniques
The apex of the zero nut is in line with the tang of the fret, so if it is constructed properly it should be exactly on the end of the fretboard (no change). The StewMac link @Glenn Stanton posted above was the reference where he got it, but in that pic the tang is rolled forward slightly from back pressure by the nut (so is sort of a hybrid between perfectly vertical and the video in the OP). The zero fret has no barbs on the tang, so you can still fiddle with the shelf on the nut to adjust as needed. With softer fretboards, be careful cycling a nut in and out though... you can reinforce it some with superglue just to harden the nut face (I wouldn't glue that fret in, maybe a couple small drops on the nut; the strings do the grunt work holding a nut in place). -
I am pretty sure that is a permanent license for last year's version. In the past, when it was a "6 month subscription" only, that was stated pretty clearly in the product description. Corel has made offers of last year's version of things frequently in the past in hopes to get them to upgrade to the current version (so they are definitely valid serial numbers, but for last year's version). Side note: it also seems the "upgrade" to 2025 is subscription only... I cannot find a "one-time" upgrade price for 2025 (might be buried someplace, but not easy to find).
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Having to reinstall Windows is very rare these days. Windows has built in tools to verify system files are intact and will repair them as needed. I would always start there first if you ever have concerns that the system itself may be having issues (across multiple programs). This is a good reference article for using both SFC and DISM. Read down through that (it explains how to open the command prompt in case you are unclear). The two commands most important are for SFC (system file checker), which will auto-repair (it it can): sfc /scannow And DISM, which verifies your installed version of Windows with what it should be from an online version. To automatically fix any discrepancies the "RestoreHealth" switch will repair any discrepencies (you need to be online for the image to be compared): DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth That is also typed into the box insert in that article. That article has been useful, so they archived it, but also converted its formatting to "just text" which might confuse you, but it is still readable as an article. I boldfaced the actual commands you would type into the elevated command prompt window for you above (can copy/paste those into the command window also to save typing). **** I would start with the above first before digging into other things, or "deleting everything and starting again" (that is RARELY ever needed) *** Side Note: Going forward, a "disc image" of your OS drive is a better recovery method many times. Something to research when you have the time. It basically makes a Xerox copy of your C drive that you can restore if needed. There are free programs that will do images, and more accurate than Windows variants (rather than try to "undo" system changes, it actually replaces the C drive with a Xerox copy of itself when you knew it was "good").
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Just to be sure, did you check all of the plugin paths listed in 8.5 to ensure that they are also listed in CbB? Once those match, you may need to force a manual rescan (or even reset and rescan) to make sure they are accounted for. If they are installed on the machine, I am assuming CbB is just not seeing the proper paths.
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That is more likely a "safer" assumption, since a discharge will occur through the path of least resistance (and the conductor heights matter). I live in the woods here and had a strike that hit one of the tallest oaks on my property (about 75ft from the house) that left a 6ft tall gash near the base and has caused it to lean over the 15 years since. What you absolutely do not want is the tallest conductor to be an antenna (Little House on the Prairie scenario is bad one), or in the absolute worst case to be the tallest thing standing....
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If you search around, there are videos with varying degrees of accuracy with the solo. Even playing live Eddie embellished it over the studio version. This is another that is pretty spot on and done to a backing track of the song (is also YouTube, so easy to download). Quick edit: Sorta funny, but the very next video that came up after that one walks through the finger spread you mentioned above. He actually focuses on just that section and walks through it in detail.
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A different approach to what you are doing (learning the solo): You can download videos (or extract the audio from one) with 4K Video Downloader (FREE version, or similar). Using a video player like VLC Media Player (also free), you can adjust playback speed (Playback->Speed->Option of your choice). While this doesn't allow for fine-tune dialing in of a speed, it is usable. With audio only, RiffStation can still be downloaded (link is in the OP, that was unlocked for everyone when they discontinued development), and it not only has fine tuning with speed, but also an audio microscope on the one tab to allow you to zero in on the frequencies you want to hear (so separating stems is rarely necessary). A couple additional notes... tabs are not always accurate... I had someone playing Def Leppard's "Rocket" once and asked what they were doing... "The tab has pulloffs in it!"... "Um, those notes ring, so they are not pulloffs... adjust those first two notes up a string and try it." Lightbulb moment for them. Especially on slow speed you can hear nuances in performances... let your ears and fingers guide you. Also... a video of the performance is prefered for slowing down... Orianthi has a nice one done adhoc in a radio station that shows her playing well. She was slated to play guitar for Michael Jackson's final tour (but didn't because he died), and he always commented on her playing that particular solo.
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+1, that was my reaction with the price too! I was already looking at Triple Shots for mine, but not sure they truly fit either since Seymour Duncan has nice spec sheets on them and the installed rings are a smidge wider... just enough to make the screw holes not match but close enough that filling/re-tapping could be an issue. I need to take a contour gauge to the top of it on my first string change against their spec sheet first (not sure on the arch either). No real rush, is more that the guitar is so nicely made that upgrading the electronics would be fitting. Mine had a little too much relief when it arrived too (was just a quarter turn adjustment). Were the electronics okay in it when it came (the f-hole design again... a bit harder to check them)? Side note on mine... that pickup switch is HUGE... like .5" x 1"... I saw that and thought, "You gotta be kidding me!" Yours may be identical... with an F-hole design working on the electronics can be a PITA, but if not modifying it, no worries.
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+1 to this! I still have (multiple copies) of PSP 5 and have it set as my default editor. It has 90% of the features I use as is, is so small (17.4MB!) that is can be put on thumb drives to fix things on a work laptop, and opens instantly! The guy who coded it (JASC) was my next door neighbor when I was in MN, and the fact that it was "future-proofed" to access available memory made it even faster as computers evolved. It is funny how you can look at a 30-year old piece of software and suddenly realize how few of the added features actually get used. I never get excited about updates to Word! There have only been a handful of bug fixes I miss when I happen to sit down at a version of 2003 (not seen a version earlier than 2003, but that was when the major file format change occurred anyway).
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The Software Subscription Bubble May Be Set To Burst
mettelus replied to kitekrazy1's topic in The Coffee House
Rebelle just announced yesterday that they are going to the same model that Splat had (1-year window of updates from purchase point). The downside of that model is folks can wait for a feature they actually want before buying in and catch up to everyone else in one go. The bean counters need to get a better grasp on reality sometimes. They almost gave away Rebelle 7 Pro (even to new users) for $30 (normally $149) and seem lost about "what happened??" A couple problems with that model is developers feel compelled to release "something" each month, and keeping track of who is on what version just becomes a circus. We all know how that turned out with Splat... -
Ouch, that is why they chose version 12 then, I guess... I didn't catch that aspect of it
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CorelDRAW and Pinnacle (I think) are the only two apps still being developed by Corel. PaintShop Pro, Painter, and VideoStudio all got put on "hiatus" after the 2023 edition "while they figure out what to do going forward." Not sure if anything has been done with WordPerfect or Roxio, but AfterShot Pro has been unchanged for years now. The Humble Bundle for MOHO struck me as very odd, since that is version 12 (is now 14) and that version was before it it was bought (back) by Lost Marble in 2020!! I am not even sure what is going on with that one, but it "should" be able to be upgraded. It is not even close to being current though.
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I have had instances (and even done it myself) where finish had creeped into the truss nut cavity. Freaked myself out because I had bound one nut (and later thought it was a rod issue and was afraid to torque it enough to break it loose), then a luthier laughed at me and said, "It is damn near impossible to break a truss rod, you worry too much!" Have you tried backing that nut out all the way with no tension on the strings (this will also let you see the max relief you can get sans string guage)? If I ever pull the nut out completely I do the beeswax thing to the threads and outer surface just so it functions as expected afterwards. They shouldn't require undue torque to move for sure. The one I just got did have some overspray on the end of the nut, but it hadn't creeped into the cavity (was recessed); seems the ones that give me grief have a portion of the nut barrel exposed.
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A few quick pics for those interested. How it is shipped, plain old cardboard box: The fret access (why I bought it!). The heel of my hand is against the cavity cut on the back of the guitar, so my pinky it parallel to the 24th fret: The front/tremolo - A couple things with this pic... first, you can see the bow on the pickup mounts (they are flat-top mounts on an arch-top guitar)... and second, after actually playing this, I am not so sure that tremolo is a knockoff, but rather a "special buy" from the Wilkinson factory in South Korea. The arm on that tremolo is unique to only two models of Wilkinson that I could find (no plastic end cap). I have never been a big fan of trems, but this one is tight and keeps tune even through some pretty serious usage (that shocked me actually): Have a few others of the front, back, and fretboard, but they are identical to the advertisement. I couldn't get a good picture of the cap edge, but the "binding" IS the flame maple cap peeking out the sides. Overall review of this from getting to run it through the ringer just a bit: Construction - Surprisingly nice, for the price this is extraordinary! A flame maple cap alone (raw) costs more than half of this guitar. Frets - Exceptional.... first guitar EVER I have not had to touch the frets on at all. Pickups - More than adequate. They have "average" output, but also have all 4 coil wires exposed, so could be coil split easily. For tinkerers, the cavity has enough room to work, so mods and pickup replacements would be straight forward. Fret Access/Playability - Exceptional. The neck is slightly thicker than I prefer (just me), but the access, sustain, and playability (because the frets are done RIGHT) makes this stand out right away. Nut - Average. The nut is bone, but was (fairly) high on the low string side. It "could" be played as it was, but not ideal. Fortunately that nut came out without needing to do much more than run a utility knife down the headstock edge (I didn't even need to tap it out). Hardware - Average overall. Tuners are fine. Mounting rings "should" be arch-top variants and they are not incredibly rigid; i.e., the pickups can be moved around inside that mount more easily than they should be. Knobs are plastic, but also easily replaced. The mounting rings, knobs, and tuners are a straightforward upgrade if desired. Tremolo - Above average (not quite sure how to rate tremolos TBH, since I do not cater to them). Again, not quite sure now that this is a knockoff. It has three springs installed (makes the initial tuning a lot of fun), but once tuned it stays there. Definitely usable, but not run it for extended periods yet. Since it comes back to expected tuning, I guess that is all that really matters. Finish/look - Exceptional. Some of the details are taken from the PRS line (exposed cap edge). The fretboard is not finished, and this may very well be intentional, since it would let folks stain that ivy inlay as they see fit. If the fretboard was finished, modifying/customizing that vine would be a significant challenge. Issues - The only issue I had was the bad coil connection on the one pickup (so I may very well own a RETURN, no idea). The "salt environment" (if true) means to check/verify everything (even in the cavities) if you get one. As my issue was something I couldn't see (under shrink wrap tubing), I would advise pulling shrink wrap off so that EVERY solder connection can be visually verified. Although this manufacturing defect was easily fixed, it would be catastrophic to some.
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Okay, she is done (yay). @DeeringAmps the PUP issue was sort of a manufacturing "oopsie" and not obvious, but what was very obvious was (very isolated) corrosion in the cavity when I popped the back plates off. Nothing major, but was on the threads to the tremelo spring plate screws (2) and pot stems (I pulled one and seemed to be on the aluminum only). Something to check when you get yours. Mine might be a refugee that swam to the US to get here, but my only assumption from seeing that is that the IYV factory (or wire harness assembly) is in a salt-air environment (near the ocean). Anyway... there are both positives and negatives from me delving into the guts: The humbuckers are 4-wire, so can coil split them if desired without replacing them. Without punching more holes in the body (very little room for extra pots anyway), either push/pull pots or Seymour Duncan Triple Shots (my preference) would be the way to go. The humbuckers are potted and nice and shiny, so no issues with them. The soldering was all done properly to the pots (no corrosion on anything but the pot stems and trem screws). Way more ground connections than I would do, but no harm, no foul. I start checking resistances and was getting flaky readings on the pots and the PUP... so was going to pop that PUP out and do coil/polarity checks... BUT... The coil connection (white to green) on the PUPs was shrink wrapped (I thought that was a nice touch actually), but then pulled the one off to the bad PUP and it was not soldered, only twisted. Of course I untwist it and aluminum oxide rains out of the wires. Grabbed the soldering iron, snipped those ends off (not a "lot" of extra wire in there for playing, but had enough), and soldered them. Checked the other PUP and that one was soldered, but I resoldered it anyway just for good measure. I ran it to the amp before buttoning it back up to check, and all is now GOOD. Bottom line, between that one connection not being soldered and the salty environment, it was causing massive (and erratic) resistance spikes. None of the rest of the guitar shows any salt damage whatsoever, so this could be that they "prefab" the wire harnesses where the salt can get to them. No idea, but wanted to bring your attention to that. Will post pics when I get a chance later but she is DONE (at least till I get a wild hair for some mod)... ZERO fret work required (that alone is worth an honorable mention).
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Stroke of luck, setup got completed tonight (neck PUP still outstanding): Nut - The nut had finish against the headstock side, so I ran a utility knife down that to separate it (is also the lower side). Fretboard side is unfinished, so I turned it around and said, "Now if you will just bend over for me..." and it flopped right over! Wasn't expecting that (never works on women), so I figured fine, I will finish the setup tonight. The nut is actually bone (was obvious once out), and was only too tall on the on the low E (0.031") end, the high E was fine (0.012"). I took the low E side down to 0.022" and put the nut back in without any glue for now. Truss rod - I actually added a 1/4 turn of tension before measuring the nut. This link is a good reference for the proper order with things, but I don't quite agree with the values given 100%. Intonation - The saddles were actually loose (weird), so set intonation and tightened them down. Set the pickup heights to where they should be. Played it for a bit after and got another kicker with the electronics... On the bridge PUP (only now), the volume and tone knobs work as expected (tone knob was obvious with the PUP at the right height). With the switch on both or neck, the tone knob also acts as a volume knob. Maybe I didn't fully test the mid position previously (more than likely), but the neck pickup is definitely wired wrong. The neck output is higher raising that PUP height, but that wiring needs to be redone. Ran out of steam for the evening so will tackle that one later on.
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Sequoia, Samplitude, and Music Studio are now part of Boris FX.
mettelus replied to kitekrazy1's topic in The Coffee House
I fall into this bucket for sure. Mocha Pro is also a subscription-based product, and Premiere is almost reliant on them.... another nail in the coffin since Resolve Studio includes both (essentially) as a one-time buy. This is akin to owning Melda's MCompleteBundle... how many new plugins entice you after owning that? Just a word of caution with making assumptions over industries being siloed (this is very rare actually). More complex ones will often absorb/overtake others, especially if they fall into a subset. A couple stupid anecdotes... I have worked with DSP in the GHz range, so engineers in that field consider audio frequencies "child's play." Similarly, I asked for a driver update to a system once and the guy said "I can get those to you tomorrow." I followed up with, "Damn, you should help the folks with audio interface drivers." Very few people I work with know my hobbies (and most only remember "cars"), so he gave me this "As if" look... that made me chuckle and say, "Yeah, keep your day job." I just thought that event was particularly comical because he redid drivers to a complex system in a day, when some audio interfaces cannot even make their own. Audio will always be a subset of video in terms of complexity. You can have audio without video, but it is very rare to have video without associated audio. As things flesh out, do not be surprised by what happens. FairLight already includes... ARA , VST3 (and AU), multi-track recording (even instrument tracks) but ONLY 2000 of them!, ADR (people buy ReVoice for this), track layers (aka take lanes), automation, audio repair tools (people by RX/SpectraLayers for this), Dolby Atmos, and video<->audio synchronization tools (how many here have complained about that one?), amongst others. I often tell folks to focus their money wisely, so when debates on DAWs occur, I typically steer towards, "And you 'need' a DAW... for what exactly?" New (especially younger) folks I steer down the video path instead... they are going to gain more marketable skills on that road for the future, including audio skills. -
Was the same for me. I kept blowing off that search link and wondering why it kept popping up. I finally broke down and started reading reviews about them... I always read the 1 star reviews first and keep asking myself, "Is this 'issue' something that I cannot fix?" None of them mentioned fretwork or structural issues (all I really care about), but even then I blew it off thinking it was a "Prime Day" thing and I could log in later and say "Oh well, I missed the boat!" That didn't happen, so the "I can always return it" became my fallback excuse for trying it out. The nut issue is more me being OCD, but the PUP issue is not. Just keep that in mind. I am a tinkerer by default anyway, so not intimidated by much, but some folks have a cow if they cannot unbox something and immediately go on tour with it. I joked with Grem about his nut that "They might have just grabbed folks off the street and said 'glue these in there!'".... For my PUP issue, they might have grabbed folks of the street and said "Solder all the lose end wires to 'something'!" The neck PUP on mine would "effectively disable it and warrant a RETURN" for many, so that can help with your "Must resist" 😁
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+1, I am in PRS country here (an hour or so drive from corporate) but never owned one. An old friend of mine has two McCarty's... he is going to have a cow when I show him this when I finish it up. As I was measuring the scale length I kept thinking to myself, "Please, PLEASE, be 24.594!" LOL. His are both gold and for some reason I absolutely hate that color on a guitar. Seeing Gibson or Fender guitars in live venues in this area is pretty rare because of the PRS dominance here. I always knock the nut out and file down the bottom edge to get the proper heights, leaving the top edge intact. Not sure if you remember what happened with Grem, but his shattered when he knocked it out because it was literally slathered with glue (and glued on 3 sides)... total overkill. A chunk of that was my fault because I led him down that path (but NEVER seen what he experienced)! Even the leftover fragments gave him grief because of the amount of glue used This nut is wider than I am used to, plastic, and 3 sided contact, so I am bracing myself for a "hefty dose of reality" when I go to knock it out. Worse comes to worst, I will just slot it and crush it, then replace it with a better one.
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Two things to check with this. First, all links that are present in file preferences should be set there (no need to make a junction). Second, there have been instances in the past where installing a new version of software will actually break an existing junction or point it to the wrong location. In those cases, try to break the junction manually, then remake it and see if that solves the issue (it should, I cannot remember a situation where it did not).
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Sequoia, Samplitude, and Music Studio are now part of Boris FX.
mettelus replied to kitekrazy1's topic in The Coffee House
Resolve is expanding into the DAW realm at an accelerated pace, it seems. Most of that exists in the FairLight module (not available in the FREE version), but Resolve Studio remains a one-time payment for life. As it already supports VST3 and limited MIDI/audio/instruments in FairLight, I would not be surprised if that ends up absorbing DAW users as it fleshes out, especially since the FX included with Studio (both video and audio) negate the need for a lot of 3rd party plugins. I suspect the OP is a sneak peak at what is coming down the pike. It is becoming more uncommon to work audio that is not linked to video "in some way" (posting to YouTube, etc.), so video editors are starting to lean into the "all in one" solution. As far as video editors are concerned, DAW functionality is merely a subset of what they do, so their playing space is becoming "Which video editor is also a fully functional DAW?" Having seen acquisitions with (sometimes quirky) "bridging" between apps, that battle might end up being a simple competition between Adobe and Blackmagic Design in the coming years (I would wager on Blackmagic Design winning, because their hardware line is already very well established). -
LOL, sorry Tom!! 🙄 I forgot to mention the guitar is friggin' gorgeous, so maybe that makes up for something?? On a serious note, structurally the one I got was "almost" spot on out of the box, and I always assume there is going to be some tinkering involved with things I haven't had a chance to examine yet (go figure). After my last post I was wondering if this guitar DOES have a "tone" knob and the neck pickup is wired to it directly (?) ... will know for sure in a few days when I set aside time to dismantle it, but the wiring/pots/PUPs almost always fall into the tinkering bucket. Be sure to let us know what you think when they arrive! I was almost laser focused on the "through-body neck" so got what I wanted and then some. I was actually a little concerned to post this, because after I posted on that LP kit I did from StewMac 4 years ago, Gibson went after them and made StewMac stop carrying that kit 😞 LOL, IYV sells their LPs for cheaper than that kit was and they are already assembled and painted!!! Amazon, go figure... even as I clicked "Place Order" I was thinking, "If it is a POS, I can always return it for free!"
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Still waiting for this to dry out (has spent days in a humid environment, but only a few hours in a climate controlled environment). I played it about half an hour to check it out further, and here are a few more quick observations: Knobs are just volume controls (that caught me off guard actually.... will check pot setups later on), and plastic. One comment I read previously was the pickup mounting rings are for flat-faced guitars and therefore bowed a little (outward as you face the pickups)... this is true, but not really noticeable. Seymour Duncan Triple Shots have an arched variant, and that will yield 4 more switches as I think about wiring options (with two knobs I prefer volume/tone on the master output, so have sort of bought into a wiring mod from the get go). Sustain is exceptional. I kept doing slides on the high E to the 20th fret just because the sustain was over 10 seconds. I seemed to keep zeroing in on that aspect. The frets are done right (#1 concern with any guitar). They need polishing, but no issues anywhere with them (even the edges are done right). Nut isn't as atrocious as I first thought although it still bothers me. It is out way more on the low end, but because it takes so much motion to detune a low string it isn't really noticeable (more a playability issue). (This one was a surprise) The neck pickup is rather weak. Although they recess pickups during shipping, it is significantly weaker than the bridge PUP (they seem to be the same pickup, but not sure). I didn't adjust height on them yet, but the bridge sounds rather good, and that dominates in the mid switch position; just the neck alone is not so great. This could be a soldering issue, so will dig into this more as things settle out... it may actually be linked to the "two volume knobs" (never seen that before??). Switch is reversed to what I am accustomed to, but simple to fix. Scale length is 24.875. I am used to playing 25.5, so anything shorter feels like putty. I thought that was an oddball length (was expecting 25 actually), but it plays well. Fret access on the upper frets is a dream. No heel to wrap your hand around and that was really my goal with the neck search in the first place. I may get a surprise when I get around to checking the wiring (sort of expecting that now), but with the bridge PUP only it is playable "as is."
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@T Boog, this one is probably going to cater to you on here most, but I wanted to share for anyone interested. Past few months I have been on this quest for a through-body neck to build a custom guitar (just the neck), and while searching a particular "IYV" guitar (IP-300-TSB) kept popping up (Amazon of all places!). I sort of blew that off at first, but it popped up so frequently I finally opened it. There is a nice video by "Gear Report"(the 2:25 length one) that caught my attention for a couple of reasons... 1) the depth of that neck cut on the back is fairly extreme, and 2) the "binding" on the guitar is actually the exposed flame maple cap (PRS also does this with a few of their models). Those comments made me sit back and think about that further... the neck pocket doesn't even exist on PRS guitars... a flame maple cap alone (raw) is over half the cost of that guitar... and the company making them probably has the same engineers making the SE line (sad, but true). Since that review mentioned "on the heavier side" I Googled that and said "roughly" 10 lbs... not quite ideal, but not terrible. I actually blew off looking at it again since I thought it was a "Prime Day" deal, but came back a week later and it was still on sale (still is now even), so I ordered one. It just arrived, so wanted to do a quick assessment: That neck cut is so deep, I can butt the heel of my hand to it and lay my entire pinky across the 24th fret. Definite win there. Sure enough, it has a full flame maple cap (one review said it was a veneer) and it is exposed instead of binding on the edge. The guitar is supposedly CNC'd, and I think even the frets are. They need to be polished but are perfectly seated and leveled perfectly. The fretboard is unfinished, so can actually stain that inlay to whatever suits you. Will think about this one a bit. The NUT... not sure why people do this... that nut is plastic (not a huge deal), but is SKY HIGH (is a stock nut, just slapped in so was not trimmed down at all)!!! It is also wrapped on 3 sides, so getting that out might be a challenge (Grem had this issue when fixing one of his old guitars). Will come back to that one when I get time to tackle it, but that is priority #1, then can set the rest up. LOL... a PLEK machine cuts the nut while doing the frets... they could have done that on a CNC machine too!!! Tremelo - knockoff, of course, but fully functional (another reason the price stuck out for this guy). The neck Is a C-shaped neck profile... a little thicker than I prefer, but not a big deal. Weight - 8 lbs on the nose. I guess I will consider that a "win" because I was expecting 10 lbs. I didn't even plug it in (not too concerned about the pups anyway) since I won't really stress test it till that NUT is done properly (or replaced) so I can set it up properly. Potentially might swap tuners down the road, but otherwise the hardware is fine. I will know more once that nut is done, but the fret access is something to drool over. I will update this as I go with it, but "IYV" seems to have one of everything (one review of them cautioned that guitars are done in lots, so a particular model may "come and go" and you need to sort of track them if a particular model sells out).