Wattup yall. I own an older equator standard, when David was still making like an acoustic, and have been trying to brighten the thing up. The v30's was a huge step in the right direction, but still missing that almost metalicky pop that Trey gets.
Curious if anyone has made and or bought a fixed intonation brass saddle similar to the DOC.
From research seems as though this was a huge improvement on attack and tone clarity from Doc 1 to Doc 2 and so on. Curious why I havent seen more brass saddles out there on equators?
I have seen countless of posts about: pedals, picks, amps, speakers, and strings all directed at trying to find Trey's tone. Just a little curious about starting at a guitars most fundamental tonal properties, nut and bridge saddle. Scale length is huge when added all together. No expert, but this is what I have gathered over the years. Looking to replace my equator bone bridge with a brass one. I know RM Olson makes one, but not the same width as the Doc. Looks to be 3/16" wide.
I own an equator and I've thought about replacing the bone.
A good luthier should be able to pull the bone out your bridge piece and make brass inserts and file them.
Also my equator wasn't bright either until I changed the wiring and pickups.
I put in Lollar and mini switches and it changed the tone significantly from 2 wire SD 59 that came from David.
I have thought about the saddles influence on my last archtop as well. I've always wondered if it would improve the bite on the shorter scale. Now that I have the longer scale I haven't thought about it as much. But it's always in the back of my mind.
I could be wrong but I think those saddles Olson sells are a different material. They are brass. And alot of people assume Docs have brass saddles. But I was under the impression Paul uses phosphor bronze which is what acoustic guitar stings are made of wrapped around steel. Now if you ever compared brass strings vs phosphor bronze strings on an acoustic there is a big difference imo. Phosphor sounds 100% superior. Again my opinion.
And again, don't quote my on this. Lol
Quote from: seriesnuns on July 15, 2016, 03:33:05 PM
Also my equator wasn't bright either until I changed the wiring and pickups.
I put in Lollar and mini switches and it changed the tone significantly from 2 wire SD 59 that came from David.
Did you put Lollar imperials? How exactly were they wired?
Concerned about pulling the bone and putting in the bronze....Sure it would be fine, but David has a thinner Saddle than a doc, and I swear it bows slightly in the center. Part of me feels as though the saddle needs to be thicker like Pauls', as do not bow slightly when plucked.
You can buy a chunk of high quality AAA phosphor bronze and bring it to a good luthier to carve out a saddle to put where the bone was. I was about to do that and then I bought a new Taylor. I'm still going to do it just not right now. So that means you have to get it done first and tell me how it goes! Haha JK
Quote from: Helping Friendly on July 15, 2016, 03:35:52 PM
I have thought about the saddles influence on my last archtop as well. I've always wondered if it would improve the bite on the shorter scale. Now that I have the longer scale I haven't thought about it as much. But it's always in the back of my mind.
I could be wrong but I think those saddles Olson sells are a different material. They are brass. And alot of people assume Docs have brass saddles. But I was under the impression Paul uses phosphor bronze which is what acoustic guitar stings are made of wrapped around steel. Now if you ever compared brass strings vs phosphor bronze strings on an acoustic there is a big difference imo. Phosphor sounds 100% superior. Again my opinion.
And again, don't quote my on this. Lol
Double checked Pauls' site....he lists brass. Like the idea of phosphor. I have also considered trying to fit a PRS nut on there. Sounds as though a PRS nut would also help in brightening up the overall tone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3o2FHxz9O8
Quote from: Helping Friendly on July 15, 2016, 03:41:45 PM
You can buy a chunk of high quality AAA phosphor bronze and bring it to a good luthier to carve out a saddle to put where the bone was. I was about to do that and then I bought a new Taylor. I'm still going to do it just not right now. So that means you have to get it done first and tell me how it goes! Haha JK
It shouldn't be that much harder for a luthier to just make a whole new bridge out of ebony and then the saddle as well. Show him a picture of Paul's and say you want a replica. Much easier than replicating a whole Doc
Hmm. I know I've read in multiple places it was PB. But if it says it on Paul's site then.. Yea I think I like the idea of Bronze better anyway. Lol
When I had an Artinger, Matt had used fret wire for the fixed saddle. That worked nicely. The type of material does seem to make a difference. Some bridges nowadays are made with zinc while older versions were steel, for example, and the steel ones sound far better. I agree with the idea of having a new bridge made from scratch rather than modifying the existing one. Who knows, you might want to go back to stock.
Some googling and came across this vendor
http://www.comptonbridges.com/home
Looks like you need to send him your specs and it will be made to order. Then just get a bridge base from his vendor....
I am thinking about having the bone saddles copied into brass for the Equator Standard I have. Third Coast Guitars in Chicago would be doing the work -- quoted me $150 for materials and metalwork. They need to hang on to the guitar to make sure to match the nut and fretboard radius correctly. So, if anyone if buying a generic one, I would keep in mind that it probably won't fit as perfectly as it could without being setup for the actual guitar it's going on.
Wattup yall. Was able to touch base with Brooks Cobb, and the man does damn fine work. What appears to be the closest thing to a doc I have seen so far. He quoted me around $120 as well. Deciding to go back and forth between a local guitar tech and Brooks. Couple different ways it appears as though the radius can be set up....you can have a flat ebony piece and set the brass pieces with puddy epoxy and set final radius with the notches for the strings. Or you can have a rounded ebony piece with the brass is set in at that angle followed by the notches for the strings. The key seems to be setting the notches at an angle so the strings dont sit flat on the brass. Pauls' bridge appears to be flat and the brass matches the neck radius. Like the equator bridge, the trebble and brass sides are stepped to offset for the string width.
Another thing Paul mentioned about when Trey was looking to change up the tone between Doc 1 and Doc 2, was to bring out more "brilliance and sustain" in his notes. Excited to see if their is a difference. One final notice is the differences between the bottom pieces. As yall know there are flat bottom pieces that are in full contact with the top sheet, and their are arched pieces. It seems as though you want to stick with the arched piece, as this will increases the movement of the top sheet....aka aids in more sustain.
Can you guys PLEASE report back after you make the change? Some quick before and after clips would be amazing. I'm sure there are a ton of equator owners that are curious about the upgrade. I know I am. Let us know how it effect the tone and sustain.
Bumpin a line here......
Did any of you guys swap the bone for brass yet? I'm dying to know the results????
Working with brooks now to get one done. Unfortunately the bridge posts are not standard. My goal was to keep the base and swap out the top. Turning out to be a tad more complicated. Will update you when Ive got er done.
Sweet. I look forward to the results!
I know you guys are talking bridges but check out these knobs I just ordered to compliment my pickup rings.
https://m.imgur.com/pTL0Vk2 (https://m.imgur.com/pTL0Vk2)
https://m.imgur.com/EHNZvmI (https://m.imgur.com/EHNZvmI)
Nice. Did you get them from Dknob.com?
Post a pic when they're on the guit. Def want to see it.
Yes they are from Dr Knob. The pickup rings are from LMII
He made these super fast. Like overnight. He also asked for a picture of my guitar top so he could match the Koa best he could.
They're being delivered today so I'll have some pictures later.
(http://i.imgur.com/JZfMd2Gl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/TgTfxB8l.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/JBXXdwFl.jpg)
They look great. I need to tighten them a bit more. My allen key I have is a bit large
Hey man,
What kind of a case is that? The ones I have that came with the equators aren't great so I was thinking about replacing them.
Ameritage custom case. Took about 3-4 months to get, built like a tank. My biggest complaint is how heavy it is.
Looks sick!!! Curious if you have had any issues with your old Standard sounding muddier and less crisp. Curious if you switched out your PUP and wirings.
Quote from: trunkyfunk on August 09, 2016, 06:44:38 PM
Looks sick!!! Curious if you have had any issues with your old Standard sounding muddier and less crisp. Curious if you switched out your PUP and wirings.
Me too! I'm in the process of new wiring and new pups. I'm doing it because of exactly what you are asking. I hope it fixes it on my mini.. I'll let you know. I won't have the pup for another 2 weeks probably .
Let me know the word and how it turns out. I need to dig into my old red stripe combo amp and see if my capacitors need replacing as well. I hear that can add to the muddiness as well.
Tru. I will. Did you always have this problem? Check the volume pot on the guitar. Make sure David didn't put a 250k of something lower than 500k. On one of my guitars that I wanted brighter I put a 680k pot and that did the trick. You could try a no load tone pot as well. All this will brighten things up.
Just curious if your volume pot is in front or back towards the rear.
Mine original had it reversed. And it was muddy. I would get the electronics double checked.
Since were on the topic of volume pots....Been trying to do some research to see if I have a pot issue or a ground issue. I attached some youtube links with the hum that I am getting through the pickups. Changing the volume levels, and not getting any crackling when I, just more hum. All dimmer switches and fans are off in the house.
Checked the pots in the amp, and they all still look good. Went through the tubes and all seem to be good.
Plugged it into the blues jr. and got the same hum.
Curious if anyone has any insights....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IONnSKlaYhQ
There is also crackling when I put my graphite Adamas pick on the string....while the plastic pick does not crackle.
Ground issue?
Absolutely a ground issue with guitar. Maybe the strings became ungrounded or somewhere else in the guitar.
I would pull it out and find the issue or rewire it completely
Love the color or your equator by the way. What kind of wood is it?
I also have issues with adamas picks. you have to be conscious not to let the pick rest on the strings or they ground out. I have heard stories about static electricity being stored in them and letting them sit on dryer sheets can help. I haven't gone to that extreme yet.
I've used those picks for years without issues. Weird stuff. Maybe some of them have a pulse? Lol
Thanks for the help. Somehow my grounding switch got moved to the off position on the amp intensifying the noise. Still have a ground issue I believe and will take it to the tech once the new brass bridge arrives!!! I am intrigued by the dryer sheet scenario. Its hard to come by a fresh smelling pick these days ;)
I grabbed a buddys humbucker guitar and we were getting a similar hum. There is a good chance that the wiring of the house long with other EMW? are being emitted and picked up by the pick up.
This noise did drastically decrease once I got a 7 channel bypass switcher control pedal. The boomerang seems to not play nice in the chain.
Which version Boomerang do you have? I got the newest one and it's pretty quiet. I've heard the older ones are noisy though.
Unfortunately hums and buzzing could come from alot of sources. Especially with a big rig. Best to start simple and gradually add effects to find the culprit.
Have the older one. Saw on the forum and a boomerang forum that you can "jump" the input and output with resistors....http://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/boomerang-noise-question.942935/
My solution was just putting into its own loop with my bypass pedal switcher. Cant hear it while its on or playing. The new ones look sweet, and I've heard it kills the noise....but cant commit to the price of it at the moment. I do love the pure fact that the new is full on transformer status, with all the given sidecars and add ons. Optimus Rang?
The thing is crazy though an dhow much you can do with it. Seems like the new ditto looper gets close, regards to similar functionality, but at a better price. From reviews it seems like quality can be an issue time to time....aka not working for some reason or another.
Did we ever finish the saddle project? Still waiting... Still waiting...
So I guess Boomerang isn't making sidecars anymore, something about trying to sell the company - I emailed a few times with no luck - any of you folks got a lead on a sidecar? I want one for mine so bad.
Buffered, I've been looking for a sidecar too. On the boomerang website it listed Burlington Audio as a distributor. I called them and they said that the President of the company passed away and that is the reason they're selling the company. Also, it's unlikely they will be producing anymore.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dallasmorningnews/obituary.aspx?pid=174327691
What a bummer.
I'm really sorry to hear that.. whoever buys the company better make one!
I remember speaking to the creator back when I got mine a some years back and numerous times since. Very nice dude. I believe his name was Mike? I actually still have the number saved in my phone under Boomerang. Tempted to call and see what's what. If the guy I talked to is the one who passed that makes me sad. He was such a nice guy and always helpful. I think I even brought up Trey once because I wanted to know if I could get that "once" mod, but he told me my Rang III had it built in already and told me how to make use of it. He was well aware of Trey and phish which was cool. Always willing to help that dude was. Man I hope he is still around :'(
Sorry for the delay yall. Been going from one wedding to the next these past couple of weeks. Still waiting on brooks. sent him all the measurements, even double checked the measurements over the phone with him. Havent heard from him in a couple weeks now. Hope he is ok. If I dont hear from him soon, there is a local luthier close by who said he would be able to put one together.
Happy holidays yall. Sorry for the delay on this, but this definitely took longer than I originally thought. So I got er done!!! I had a local luthier/guitar tech make one. I was able to grab a couple pics. He basically took the same outline of the equator bone saddle and made a brass version. He mad the total height of the bridge so that it sits directly atop the base piece. Mainly the guitar sounds sick....and in my ears, the way the thing is supposed to sound.
Brighter
"More Brilliant"
Less Muffled
I dont have any sound clips, as I think they would turn out shitty anyway (I have an older blue snowball microphone and dont know exactly how to set it up by the amp to make it work best)
My guitar tech was also interested in making more of these if anyone was interested. I also cant seem to figure out how to upload an image, it just give me the [img] thing.
Cheers
I would be interested. How much did it cost?
I would be interested as well
It ran me $125. can yall walk me through how to upload an image and i can post em.
Quote from: trunkyfunk on December 28, 2016, 01:36:15 PM
It ran me $125. can yall walk me through how to upload an image and i can post em.
You have to upload them to a 3rd party site like imgur, then paste the HTML link given from the 3rd party website.
I have a few of the ebony pieces with the slots cut and can supply a piece of 1/8 brass for someone
able to work the brass with a dremel tool. I use a metal cutoff blade. First I grind the ends round and then,
I am able to grind a 14 inch radius then lightly file. Next use 220 - 320 - 400 - 600 grit and finally polish
with 1000 then 2000 grit.
The stud spacing in mine are 2 7/8 - You may have to drill the stud holes out a little but I think
most are pretty much a standard size. PM me if you need one.
(http://rmolsonguitars.com/languedocguitar10.jpg)
(http://rmolsonguitars.com/3LanguedocGuitarResized.jpg)
(http://rmolsonguitars.com/6LanguedocGuitarResized.jpg)
(http://rmolsonguitars.com/8LanguedocGuitarResized.jpg)
Quote from: rmolsonguitars on December 30, 2016, 07:58:30 PM
I have a few of the ebony pieces with the slots cut and can supply a piece of 1/8 brass for someone
able to work the brass with a dremel tool. I use a metal cutoff blade. First I grind the ends round and then,
I am able to grind a 14 inch radius then lightly file. Next use 220 - 320 - 400 - 600 grit and finally polish
with 1000 then 2000 grit.
The stud spacing in mine are 2 7/8 - You may have to drill the stud holes out a little but I think
most are pretty much a standard size. PM me if you need one.
(http://rmolsonguitars.com/languedocguitar10.jpg)
(http://rmolsonguitars.com/3LanguedocGuitarResized.jpg)
(http://rmolsonguitars.com/6LanguedocGuitarResized.jpg)
(http://rmolsonguitars.com/8LanguedocGuitarResized.jpg)
Cool story bro
Hey Trunkyfunk. I'd be interested too. Where is your luthier based?
Luthier is based in St George Utah. He basically made a brass version of the equator one...Similar to Roberts but higher in quality. My builder made the piece mate with the bottom plate for optimal transfer of energy. I would be happy to pass him along. PM me and I can help yall out. I looked into Roberts', and his seemed hastily built and varying in quality. It seems as though you need tall brass, to allow for greater clearance on the strings to the tail piece.
Trunk- your pm box is full. I would be interested in a saddle for sure. You can just email me. Maybe some pics too if you have time. I would be very grateful.
My address is Jerzey2222@yahoo.com
I ordered a saddle from the guy in Colorado. I'll let everyone know my thoughts when I get it. I'll post pics also. Peace and love.
Wanted to bump and old thread.
I purchased a used ollandoc recently for a parlor guitar. It had a tune-o-matic bridge, i bought a bridge from phred. Brought it to a luthier who had to grind the ebony down and he also slotted the bone.
Tone is noticeably better/different. Pretty happy the way it came out.
(https://i.imgur.com/KBW7bXYm.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/W2TcYDtm.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/A1HVg99m.jpg)
I only used the brass saddle bridge in the current Ollandoc's
Also, do not use a tailpiece hinge. We now use a stainless steel bracket.
Sweet guitar Series... think I talked to you on reverb about it... I was the annoying one :)
so this david dude has stolen a bunch of money from people and disappeared. Sorry not sorry. This guy was a real piece of work from what 10 years ago. Anyway, there are a bunch of these guitars now - like a bunch of small archtop languedoc style guitars on the market - please be smart and do not send your hard earned money to a third world country. Good chance youll never see it again!
Glad everybody is enjoying their guitars. Do not support shady crooks.