Hey guys! Iam in my second build and I have a problem. It's a fretted 25 inch and... I want to know what would be the perfect string height for playing with both technics: slide and fingers?.
And... another thing: my build has a piezo + single coil pickup, what strings are best for a good tone and sound by both electronics? What tuning would you recommend?
Thanks
Replies
Hey folks, for those interested-
Here's a link to some resources on the subject I had honestly forgotten about over the years...... LOL (OFS)
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/group/intermediatebuildingtipsandtric...
Juan, I am going to disagree somewhat with the perfectly good answers you have gotten so far, yet say at the same time they aren't wrong...... People can and have done it, I just cant recommend it for the beginner builder or anything less than a fairly skilled and experienced player.
After some extensive (and in retrospect, optimistic) experimentation, I would warn that this could be a bad idea. I have tried building a few guitars with the intention of making them useful for both styles, and found the best results I got were nothing more than a bad compromise at either. With one caveat that I will explain later.
First off, as suggested, unless you are very good at slide playing with a light touch, as suggested, you will find slide playing frustratingly hard if the string height is low enough for fretting. And the slightly high action needed in an attempt to compromise makes fretted playing almost as frustrating.
Secondly, I feel the best slide setup is often achieved with slightly heavier gauge strings than you would choose for fretted playing. This further aggravates the situation.
I would suggest the best simple solution is to build separate guitars for each purpose. And by the way, the slide build is far easier in my opinion than getting one setup right for playing well fretted. It has its challenges, so i am going to suggest considering going the easier route first time.
But heres my exception, if you have your heart set on building one for both styles: Make it easily convertable. You can make or acquire a piece that slips over the nut, and if needed, use either a second bridge, or a part that slips under it to raise it a bit, and the change over could be almost a simple as a retune.
Hey Mark! Thanks for the feedback.
Truth is... yeah I am a beginner, but I want to take my chances in building. It's my second build and I want to have experience in both building and playing.
I have another cbg that is acoustic and has frets, And is not the best but not the worst hahhaha. For this second build I use a modified fender bridge (I done some experimental things on the bridge to achive the scale and other esthetic stuff. So... I can lower the string height as desire :)
This is a google pic of the bridge... I am not in home to take a photo of the modified bridge.
2008_Fender_USA_Stratocaster_(lefthand)_-_Synchronized_tremolo_brid...
String height for both fretted play and slide play is tricky. Strings that are too high will pull the fretted note sharp -strings that are too low will get a fret clack when using a slide. What I do is set the string height 3/32nds above the first fret - doesn't pull sharp when I fret and I can play with a slide with a light touch and not get fret clack. Learning to play slide takes a while, learning to play slide at that height with a light touch takes a while longer. This why most people use one CBG/Guitar for slide and one for fretted play. Could always make a double neck, one fretless and high string height for slide and one fretted.
So, for my first build, I should build it fretless?
If you intend to play with a slide, It is my opinion, that for the first time builder, the critical parts of locating, installing frets, and setting up a nice playable instrument can be an obstacle to a successful result. There's plenty of other issues to learn and overcome the first time.
I'll add that it of course depends somewhat on your expectations, but IMO, the precision required to get good results is intimidating to many novice builder, with good reason. It is not easy.
It can be done, and I don't want to discourage anyone, but leaving out that portion makes for a much easier, quicker project with more chance of success. And you can play it while you plan and build the next one, two.........