Alnus Rubra
Loving nature’s wonders
No margarine here! Well done and congratulations 
NGD - Yes, another WL509, in Violet Blueburst!
- Thread starter shinksma
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shinksma
What? I get a title?
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Took it over to our bandmates' house last night to show it off during an informal band-practice / jam. Plugged it into my "tiny" gigging board, which went into an acoustic amp. My board has an amp emulator on it, plus the usual effects, such as Boss BD-2, and a few micro-pedals for delay, boost, etc. So it does a good-enough job of sounding like a normal guitar amp, at unplugged acoustic-guitar volume levels if needed.
We played one of our regular-rotation rock-influenced songs ("Lucinda", from our Transhumance CD, if anyone cares), and when I was playing straight clean strumming chords, it sounded nice, as expected, and when I took a couple of leads and I kicked in some dirt, it got nice and stratty-sounding with the neck pup in single coil mode.
The slightly longer than typical 25.25" scale didn't bother me, but I swap around all the time in scale lengths and instruments.
Definitely a brighter-than-normal guitar (I expected as such, what with the maple neck and FB), and I hope to explore more of its tones tonight!
I really need to take the time to compare it to my 305 (which also has maple neck and FB).
Oh, and the 10s that came on it felt like 8s - I've been playing a lot of acoustic guitar gigs recently, loaded with 12s, doing leads breaks etc with bends on all strings, so my hands are in pretty good shape.
We played one of our regular-rotation rock-influenced songs ("Lucinda", from our Transhumance CD, if anyone cares), and when I was playing straight clean strumming chords, it sounded nice, as expected, and when I took a couple of leads and I kicked in some dirt, it got nice and stratty-sounding with the neck pup in single coil mode.
The slightly longer than typical 25.25" scale didn't bother me, but I swap around all the time in scale lengths and instruments.
Definitely a brighter-than-normal guitar (I expected as such, what with the maple neck and FB), and I hope to explore more of its tones tonight!
I really need to take the time to compare it to my 305 (which also has maple neck and FB).
Oh, and the 10s that came on it felt like 8s - I've been playing a lot of acoustic guitar gigs recently, loaded with 12s, doing leads breaks etc with bends on all strings, so my hands are in pretty good shape.
Glide-bpm
We were small but we were slow...
I'll be gigging mine tonight! The other afternoon was just foreplay... tonight is the full blown affair!
shinksma
What? I get a title?
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Oh, one more thought - probably shouldn't mention it to my wife just yet:
The sounds I got out of the WL509 were very nice and stratty when using the single coil modes. If I can get a nice range of HB-type sounds by using the HB modes, and a blend of in-betweens, I might be tempted to want to play it out a bunch. But this guitar might be the first to which I assign the label "studio queen". It is just "too pretty" to take out right now. Maybe I'll get over that eventually.
So that means I need a non-pristine maple neck+fb and non-10-top maple top + Swamp Ash bodied 509 (or 513 I suppose) to beat around at gigs.
Hmmm.
The sounds I got out of the WL509 were very nice and stratty when using the single coil modes. If I can get a nice range of HB-type sounds by using the HB modes, and a blend of in-betweens, I might be tempted to want to play it out a bunch. But this guitar might be the first to which I assign the label "studio queen". It is just "too pretty" to take out right now. Maybe I'll get over that eventually.
So that means I need a non-pristine maple neck+fb and non-10-top maple top + Swamp Ash bodied 509 (or 513 I suppose) to beat around at gigs.
Hmmm.
Guitpicky
New Member
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- 617
Normally I wouldn't be a fan of the swamp ash back but with the maple neck it works really well. Cool top color and a good excuse to play in a dimly lit room with your vice of choice.
I'm thinking of inventing the "Gremlin". It's a microminiature light meter connected to an alarm that emits an audible warning "bright lights, bright lights!" when hazardous UV rays are striking the top of your guitar. If you choose to ignore the alarm Les will show up within seconds to confiscate your guitar, lock it in a case, and add it to his collection
I'm thinking of inventing the "Gremlin". It's a microminiature light meter connected to an alarm that emits an audible warning "bright lights, bright lights!" when hazardous UV rays are striking the top of your guitar. If you choose to ignore the alarm Les will show up within seconds to confiscate your guitar, lock it in a case, and add it to his collection
dmatthews
Dave's not here
I love it! Gorgeous!
Dancing Frog
Senior 513 Whore
That was one of the best quilts of the lot. I called it "the Joker" because of the big smile under the bridge. Congratulations.
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Dancing Frog
Senior 513 Whore
This is what I've got so far as to which tops have gone to which guitars.
#3 Haig- Blue Fade
#4 Bodia- Bonnie Pink
#8 Glide-bpm- Jade Green
#9 Shinksma- Violet Blue Burst
#10- Bonnie Pink Single Piece
Still yet to be revealed, #1, #2, #5, #6, and lucky #7. I am betting that the boat wake quilt (#1) is either the other Blue Fade or Violet Blue Burst.
I hope that Brian will give us our baby pictures when this is all done.
#3 Haig- Blue Fade
#4 Bodia- Bonnie Pink
#8 Glide-bpm- Jade Green
#9 Shinksma- Violet Blue Burst
#10- Bonnie Pink Single Piece
Still yet to be revealed, #1, #2, #5, #6, and lucky #7. I am betting that the boat wake quilt (#1) is either the other Blue Fade or Violet Blue Burst.
I hope that Brian will give us our baby pictures when this is all done.
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gush
Where is that speedo pic
Very nice!!!
Andrew Paul
The cat's meow
OMG !! That’s F’N gorgeous!! Congrats!!
jfb
Plank Owner
This is such a smoking run of guitars. It is also so cool to see a bunch of them end up in the hands of forum members. I know this is just the start of this list. There are a few people here that I am certain bought one of these. Like the rest of you I am anxiously awaiting the reveals.
Congrats on the new guitar, buddy! Really looking forward to hanging again at the next Experience!
Glide-bpm
We were small but we were slow...
I popped the cherry on mine last night... She's a play out guitar all the way.
Buddyofof mine that plays lead in another band came top see us... "oh my God... That guitar has all kinds of overtones, etc... That thing screams..."
Normally, he's hesitant to come up and sit in for a song or two. He jumped all over it last night. "Dan, you sure you don't want to play my 408 Private Stock instead..." "no... Give me that green goddess..."
Buddyofof mine that plays lead in another band came top see us... "oh my God... That guitar has all kinds of overtones, etc... That thing screams..."
Normally, he's hesitant to come up and sit in for a song or two. He jumped all over it last night. "Dan, you sure you don't want to play my 408 Private Stock instead..." "no... Give me that green goddess..."
Dancing Frog
Senior 513 Whore
Not surprised. It's the closest sounding production guitar to the Guitar of the Month 509. Has all the magic that that one has. A real holy $#!~ guitar. Got nearly the same reaction when I played out with my Autumn Sky. That's why I had to get another when the opportunity arose, and why I was willing to buy two to get this run off of the ground. It's too bad that I only was able to complete half the run of the last show on that one. It popped a fret, and I had to finish the run with the GOTM. Fixed now, but it was a bummer at the time.
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shinksma
What? I get a title?
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2014
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Bold my emphasis.
Popped a fret?! I've never had that happen (knock on wood), and can't imagine it happening on a guitar so new! Or is that when it is most likely - the fret didn't get set in properly, and if it's going to pop, it happens within a few dozen hours of playing?
Glide-bpm
We were small but we were slow...
I had a really good show night with this wonderful addition to the family... No regrets, even though I thinned the herd a little...
Dancing Frog
Senior 513 Whore
On maple necks with maple fretboards, high humidity environments can cause the neck to swell. If the frets aren't set in properly or there is an extreme back bow of the neck, the maple fretboard will try to spit out a fret. I heard a story about one really inexperienced luthier who adjusted the neck of a Strat too much giving it so much of a back bow that seven frets popped out of the guitar.
The majority of cases that I have heard involve a design flaw. The Parker Fly is notorious for losing frets. It's frets have no tangs and are held by glue. Unfortunately, the glue that Parker chose couldn't stand up to certain environmental conditions like those seen in the Caribbean.
In my case, the fret probably didn't have enough glue under it. It would have passed all the QC; but once it was subject to the dank basement atmosphere that the theater had due to all the rain we'd had that week, it was more than the guitar could take. One side of the seventh fret got loose. I could complete the show that night, but it buzzed to all hell.
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shinksma
What? I get a title?
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2014
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- 5,310
@Dancing Frog , thanks for the information! Good to know...
shinksma
What? I get a title?
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2014
- Messages
- 5,310
Last night my wife and I had a little mini-jam session, her on the (rock'n'roll) drum kit, m on the WL509. She plays percussion in our band (Irish drum a.k.a. Bodhran, tambourine, cabasa, etc), but is not as familiar with a regular drum kit - she's been practicing some recently, so this was a good time to work it out some more. I played through a Boss HM-2, sometimes with a TS-9 clone into it, into a Boss DM-2w for some light delay, into the Archon clean channel, and occasionally some additional delay in the loop.
I started by having us play along to some Pink Floyd - a few tracks off of the Delicate Sound of Thunder CD set - Comfy Numb, Sorrow, and Yet Another Movie - stuff with fun guitar solos and interesting drums tracks. So first off, before I decribe the guitar stuff: once she got into the rhythm, she did a great job playing drums to those songs (YAM is challenging, since the drum track as played on the CD is minimal in areas). She really wailed away on the outro solo to Comfy Numb, a great song for cymbal crashes and wild drum fills.
But that 509! Wow, it nailed all the stratty sounds I wanted! And so easy to play, I could run up and down that fret board so smoothly!
This guitar rawks!
We also played Wish You Were Here (not to the CD), and then just jammed to some random rhythm stuff I put into a looper. Got to experiment with the HB modes there. More great stuff!
I'll say it again - this guitar rocks!
I started by having us play along to some Pink Floyd - a few tracks off of the Delicate Sound of Thunder CD set - Comfy Numb, Sorrow, and Yet Another Movie - stuff with fun guitar solos and interesting drums tracks. So first off, before I decribe the guitar stuff: once she got into the rhythm, she did a great job playing drums to those songs (YAM is challenging, since the drum track as played on the CD is minimal in areas). She really wailed away on the outro solo to Comfy Numb, a great song for cymbal crashes and wild drum fills.
But that 509! Wow, it nailed all the stratty sounds I wanted! And so easy to play, I could run up and down that fret board so smoothly!
This guitar rawks!
We also played Wish You Were Here (not to the CD), and then just jammed to some random rhythm stuff I put into a looper. Got to experiment with the HB modes there. More great stuff!
I'll say it again - this guitar rocks!
