warpdrive - Posted - 05/25/2020:  12:08:26

Thanks Bob
Hope all is well on this day of remembrance of those who gave all!

I'm doing well, and have been going up to Vernon McIntyres store, and playing with him alot...were knocking off alot of rust, it feels real good to play with a great rhythm player, makes you want to play.

Warp!

jlsorbit - Posted - 06/13/2020:  03:40:38

Where is Mooo (Mike) is? He hasn't been on BH since April. Is he OK?

Mike Rowe - Posted - 06/13/2020:  12:37:46

Somebody on the Hangout said he got fed up and left.

jlsorbit - Posted - 06/14/2020:  10:04:48

That's a shame. Thanks.

warpdrive - Posted - 08/19/2020:  13:45:12

Wednesday, August 19th,4:03,pm the west end, Cincinnati

Hello to all...its been awhile hasn't it...

Well, first and foremost I want to give my heartfelt condolences to the family of Steve Gulley...I was a big fan of his singing voice, and thought he was a great fit with Dale Ann Bradley...tis truly sad when a fellow cancer cohort loses the battle with the big C...I consider myself so fortunate to be doing so well with it...but none the less...speaking for myself...I feel the passing tugging at my soul when another brother or sister passes.
RIP dear brother!

Well ..things have been really popping here in the hood...in the form of gunfire that is....and yes, in case anybody was wondering , I am smack dab right in the middle of most of the shootings, and it's been quite the ride outside my apartment...but dont worry about ole warp...I've grown accustom to keeping my head on a swivel, and I keep my concealed carry skills just as ready as my banjo skills..but the gun fire is always amongst the gangsters, and hardly ever intentionally directed at innocent by standers...but occasionally they do get hit...I'm lucky I live on the second floor in the middle of the building , none of my windows have a straight access to the street..I just over look alley ways...but it does stay interesting, and the streets are pretty sporty right now to say the least.

I may be going back to driving again soon...I have to finish up some processing tomorrow as a matter of fact , but I only want to drive 2 or 3 days a week...leave myself plenty of time to lift weights and pick...

Speaking of picking...I was just up at Vernon McIntyres a couple of hours ago..WOW...he had 2 of the best banjos I've played in a coons age...
One of the banjos was a 1927 ball bearing...gold plated...Frank neat neck
As good a sounding ball bearing as I have ever played
The second...if I was a rich man...I'd have possession of now

A 1959 rb 550...yes I said 550...not 500...the hoop was engraved.
This banjo had been refinished and the parts buffed out...it looked like a shinny Corvette laying in the case...and drove faster and tighter
This banjo was nothing short of spectacular...it was freshly set up...and my only thoughts were if it sounds this good now...it would be something you just couldn't put down in a few weeks...I could hear that it will open up fast and i sure wish I could be the one to continue putting it through its paces...but I was glad to get to test drive it anyway...a great afternoon with banjos if I may say so.

Ok gang
As the thread title says..I just wanted to let yall know

I'm still alive and kicking..

Yall have a gooderin.
Warp!

BanjoLink - Posted - 08/19/2020:  20:24:04

Sounds like you are doing fine Warp ..... thanks for the update! Keep your head down!

warpdrive - Posted - 10/27/2020:  08:11:54

Tuesday, Oct 27, 10:22 am, the west end community, Cincinnati oh...

Good morning, hope all is well with the hangout community.

Seems that with the passages of time, I notice the reasons, for wanting to post, and or needing to post change in my everyday life, and I find myself amused at what does give me reason to pause, and take cellphone in hand and shout out a thought, or blurb.

First,...I'm doing well, my life is back to normal,and my health is better than it's been in several years...iv regained all my muscle back, and then some, and am back to chasing numbers in the gym, I've got some great gym rat buddies that are pushing me, both physically and spiritually, which is something I sorely needed.

Ive been driving truck off and on, and have no complaints on my job aspirations.

On the banjo front,.I'm still practicing several days a week of the evenings, and even went to a jam last month...still fighting with my hearing problem some...but I'm trying not to let it cripple me in social settings.

My inspiration for today's post came from one of the andy Griffith episodes that I just watched with our favorite mountain hillbillies the Dillards..alias the darlings.

I noticed both tonally and visually in this episode that Doug wasn't playing his infamous bowtie inlay banjo..but a much cleaner and slightly crisper but yet warmer sounding fiddle cut peg head arch top....and I wondered
" how many of other pickers like me notice subtle changes like that in our heroes choices of what they play?"

I could make out a side resonator shot that from the stain, it was too my eyes..a maple resonator...and at least for my ears...the sound was very clean and pleasing...Doug's tune, and dueling banjos,and banjo in the holler just jumped at me with a clarity that I didn't seem to notice quite like that before.

I then wonderd...
What makes a person choose a arch top over a flat head ?....frankly, I love them both but I must admit..I prefer Doug Dillards style and tonal presentation over that of Ralph Stanley's, and when I think of playing a archtop..its only for the purpose of emulating recorded archtop songs...in other words...I dont consider playing flatt and scruggs or jd Crowe or osborne brothers material or other traditional bluegrass material on a arch top banjo...its always on a flat head... ain't it strange how we categorize things this way?

Ok gang,...I've got some errands to run, and my hope is after our lives return to a somewhat more normal post virus society and festival and jams start back up...I am going to make an effort to venture outside the city of Cincinnati and meet some of you nice people...at least that is my hope...

Till the next time, I remain
STILL ALIVE AND KICKING..
yall have a gooderin...

Warp!

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 10/27/2020:  08:22:06

Warp, Great to hear from you. Been meaning to call you this last week but covid feeds procrastination. going in for a little stitch to fix tomorrow. Glad you are playing as you are.
ken

warpdrive - Posted - 10/27/2020:  08:25:21

Hey ken,
Hope your needed fix isnt serious, and your back out swatting tennis balls again soon.

Take care...
Warp!

arnie fleischer - Posted - 10/27/2020:  11:04:49

Happy to hear you're doing so well, Kevin.



I have an old Gibson archtop conversion that I acquired close to 40 years ago. It's a 1928 TB-4 pot (the rim, 2-piece flange, stretcher band, resonator and archtop tone ring are original except for a couple of hooks). Frank Neat made the current neck in 1998. It's a fine old mahogany banjo (my favorite banjo wood) and I play it often.



Over the years I've found that I can draw the same kind of tone from that archtop that I do from my flatheads. Not the exact same tone, obviously, but the same kind of tone. It's not at all harsh or trebly, but has a distinctly warm edge that I really like.

I firmly believe that you always sound like yourself no matter what kind of banjo you play. 



 

Edited by - arnie fleischer on 10/27/2020 11:06:13

warpdrive - Posted - 10/27/2020:  11:14:33

Arnie,
I whole heartedly agree,
Once you establish your natural hand timming and attack...you will always stay consistent to what your brain interpretation tells your ears and hands.

For me..when I pick up a archtop,...if I'm playing a Dillard tune...I try for that tone...if it's how mountain gals can love, I back up close to the bridge...and throw tone out the window..lol

Warp!

Benjamin Pedigo - Posted - 10/27/2020:  14:11:54

Kevin- I wonder if a choice of playing an arch top is based on the luck of the draw when finding a banjo. I think I could learn to love an arch top if I ran across a style 5 or 6 that I could afford. Good point on adapting your playing style to the unique sound of a particular banjo.

warpdrive - Posted - 10/27/2020:  16:40:22

Hey Ben

Maybe as a beginner banjo enthusiast., luck of the draw..archtop vs flathead availability might apply,
But I believe as a person matures in there playing they can and do make a conscious choice of a sound they are trying to obtain.

I am a bit more abstract in my love of the banjo in as much as I love several different stylist as much as scruggs, osborne, reno,and crowe, but oddly enough, Doug Dillard is my stand out favorite on archtop, and I just think his tone and drive were up there with the great flathead players of his day, he just cuts like a razor..smooth and clean.

Thanks for the responce..

Warp!

Dustyman - Posted - 10/27/2020:  16:58:51

Kevin
I recently came across you on YouTube playing a Hatfield banjo at Arthur's shop . Now I know why they call you Warpdrive ! You play so fast !
Nice and clean too , a rare combo . I have several banjos but always seem to choose my RK 35 . I’ve been Jonesing for a new banjo , how does the Hatfield compare to your RK 35 ?

warpdrive - Posted - 10/27/2020:  18:19:59

Hey Vince,
Welcome to my thread.

If you go back two years on my thread, you will find a series of vids of me living in mountain view Arkansas , and those vids I'm playing my wore out rk 35.

The rk 35 I made work, it is a bare bones professional grade banjo, and because I've played for 46 years semi pro, and road pro, I could make it sound better than most would think it capable...that being said...

The Hatfield is a real pro ax...good parts, good tone, plenty of power to spare, it's not hard for me to break the speed record and make sonic booms when I hit the warp factor.
I have it set up pretty tight, and run light guage strings .
My Hatfield sounds a bit different because I requested a straight grain maple neck, the tone is very dry,and some what bright, and a good sustain with nice highs up the neck, the fourth string when played In drop c and double c, will vibrate your mid section,,
It still is opening up being 18 months old, and I need my frets dressed in the worst way...its a great banjo, and I am very happy with it.
Thanks for the question,
Anything else you want to ask...here I is.

Warp!

Dustyman - Posted - 10/28/2020:  07:21:19

Warp
What other banjos did you consider before having Arthur build you one ? The Davis Vintage Tones have got my interest.. before that I was thinking Hatfield ....
Thanks

warpdrive - Posted - 10/28/2020:  08:02:01

Vince,
My Hatfield was a gift to me raised in a go fund me during my chemo and homeless crisis in the early months and summer of 2019...
Many many hangout and non hangout members at the orchastration of my friend ken, Hydinger came to my rescue knowing my rk 35 was in such a state of dis repair, and they had followed me in this thread, and simply wanted to see me continue my playing and posting.

Arthur gave a generous discount to start things off, and the other members did the rest

It truly was, and is one of the greatest blessings of my life...relived each and everytime I pick the Hatfield up.

As far as your question of considering other banjos...I've owned over, a hundred in my 46 years, and played I bet over 1000...

Arthur has a good track record in the banjo community, and I like and share his ideas of how to build a banjos pot assembly..loose fitting the tone ring, and from the get go..he k
Let me choose my neck wood and color...so in a way...I got a custom banjo.

Arthur's banjos are not that un similar to those of frank neat, or yates,or any other boutique builder...and he comes in I believe a bit less expensive.

I have played a good number of other banjos, since acquiring the Hatfield in late July of 2019...it stands up to most every other banjo I encounter...but in my defense...
I have a very good right hand, and I can find the sweet spot very quickly on any banjo...
Just ask ken Hydinger, he heard me hammer on his Hatfield for 2 hrs going down to Arthur's house...I think he lost some hearing on that trip..lol

Seriously, I honestly dont believe that there is anyone else on the hangout with more different banjo brand experience than me...no bragg..just fact,..and yeah, I may be a bit jaded about my Hatfield, but that is not clouding my judgment,
Arthur's banjos are as good as the other leading boutique builders...your just going to have to play a bunch of different ones for yourself...oh yeah...another big factor...
Every good gun slinger knows what he wants and requires of his weapon...the banjo is no different...personal set up comes into play..at least at my level

I am very sensitive to head tightness,.bridge responce, string height and action..note decay and sustain..
These banjos don't play themselves you know

Feel free to ask me anything...iv been around the block a time or two..

Warp!

arnie fleischer - Posted - 10/28/2020:  08:45:37

quote:

---

Originally posted by warpdrive

I have a very good right hand, and I can find the sweet spot very quickly on any banjo...



These banjos don't play themselves you know







 

---

These two sentences say it all.

Edited by - arnie fleischer on 10/28/2020 08:46:17

warpdrive - Posted - 10/28/2020:  08:54:59

Thanks for the support Arnie,
I worry that I come off as condescending, but I have alot of experience in the questions ask of me, just stating it in itself could be construed as braggidocious...anyway, if I am wrongheaded, some one will hold my feet to the fire I'm sure.

Warp!

arnie fleischer - Posted - 10/28/2020:  09:01:26

Kevin, my experience doesn't compare with yours, but in close to 60 years of playing, I've come to realize that a good player can draw out whatever any particular banjo is capable of delivering, and a not so good player can make even the best banjo sound terrible.

It's all in the right hand.

warpdrive - Posted - 10/28/2020:  09:16:25

You know Arnie, there is a deeper fact in your observation...at least to me...that is..

One shouldn't put too much into a particular brand simply because a certain legend has stayed with it for so long, and not switched brands alot in there careers.

Banjo building in the last 20 years has really become a science and within certain financial boundaries, a very level playing field...way better in my opinion, than that of yours and mines generations of banjo heros.

Warp!

Benjamin Pedigo - Posted - 10/28/2020:  09:18:10

Talking about Doug Dillard- did he have a Bella Voce? I’m thinking that the majority of these models would have a raised head- 2 piece flange. I heard that he used a 1/2” bridge but not for sure.

warpdrive - Posted - 10/28/2020:  10:41:37

Doug did have a bella voce , I was told that it got stolen...I dont think that any banjo defines a picker, case and point, every time you change a part out like a neck wood or rim or tone ring you supposedly change the sound of said banjo..supposedly

But yet there are documented vids and recordings of great pickers, playing different banjos, and they most always sound the way they did when we originally became enamored with there sound and style,
There is alot of psychology involved with why we love and hear what we hear when it comes to banjos,
Many people listen with there eyes...

Warp!

Benjamin Pedigo - Posted - 10/28/2020:  11:25:51

Kevin- do you recall if Doug used a 1/2” bridge? I always liked listening to him.

Benjamin Pedigo - Posted - 10/28/2020:  11:34:35

Kevin- you are right - the banjo does not define the picker. Do you think the picker defines the banjo?

warpdrive - Posted - 10/28/2020:  14:55:22

Ben,
I'm not sure about the bridge height that Doug dillard used...but I would not be surprised to find out he used a taller bridge considering his hand length

I absolutely know the picker makes the banjo sound good...and when you get into the high caliber boutique banjos that are available today,
The differences become very subtle and hard to detect

I personally can attest to at least three different times I was sitting watching jd, and thought how great his old pre war was sounding, only for him to tell me...nah, that's ronnie's old 1, or 11, or it was a rich and taylor with a frank neat neck,

My point is...the man,with the hand, that's were the metal meets the meat.

Warp!

Dustyman - Posted - 10/29/2020:  01:41:36

Kevin
Why straight grain maple for the neck .

warpdrive - Posted - 10/29/2020:  04:47:33

Vince ,

I was out on the road in the banjo community for about 10 years, I met, and became friends with alot of good banjo pickers....one was my friend charlie cushman..the foremost authority on banjo tone, and set up.

One day after leaving his house..he had done a set up on a banjo I had,and was picking at the time...I threw a CD he had gave me he had recorded I think called

5 string time...or banjo time...anyway...it was full of instrumentals he had recorded, mostly with a old 3 he owned, and I knew the banjo, and charlie had let me play it several times out in different venues we were both booked at.

On that same CD full of instrumentals..there were cuts he did with curtis mcpeaks banjo

" BETSY"...

The tone of that banjo just jumped at me,.more of a crack, and the third string wined like a crying baby



When asking charlie about the particulars of that banjo...one of the things that stood out to me was it had a straight grain maple neck, or as charlie called it, "sugar maple", which is different sounding, but a sound that I like , so when the opportunity came to choose my neck wood,..I asked Arthur if he would do my banjo in straight grain maple..

He did...and I'm happy with the outcome.



Warp!

 

Edited by - warpdrive on 10/29/2020 04:49:13

Dustyman - Posted - 10/29/2020:  13:42:40

Thanks Kevin
I’m pretty sure the RK 35 has a straight grain maple neck . You said your 35 was banged up , so it was damaged beyond repair ? What happened to it ?

chuckv97 - Posted - 10/29/2020:  13:53:16

Up nawth here, and in the northern states too, I suppose, hard maple trees are also called sugar maples. Thayz the ones that are tapped for the sap to make maple surple,,,,as R. Miller sang :-)

warpdrive - Posted - 10/29/2020:  14:20:59

Vince,
I sold my 35 for a couple hundred dollars,
I needed the money, and truthfully, it needed more work than it was worth, the finger board was wore plume through in spots, and every fret needed replacing, the tencil strength was shot in the head,
Just add up parts and labor...you can buy a near new used one for what it would have cost to put it in shape..
That was one rk 35 that had been road hard, and put away wet.

Warp!

warpdrive - Posted - 10/29/2020:  14:25:40

Vince,
The rk 35, is a straight grain maple neck..but..
It's a 3 piece neck...big difference in the sound vibration transference,
But they are a good fast neck...slimmer than the 36, and better sounding in my opnion

Warp!

Dustyman - Posted - 10/29/2020:  15:40:55

Thanks Kevin
Back to your Hatfield. Standard scale length neck ?

warpdrive - Posted - 10/29/2020:  16:53:59

Vince,
My Hatfield is standard scale, loose fit Hatfield ring atop a cox rim,
My only regret is I wish I'd had the finish left off the back of the neck, the lacquer is pretty thick, and really sticky in the heat.

Warp!

Dustyman - Posted - 10/30/2020:  05:45:35

Do you mind if we talk about frets . My 35 and RB 250 have smallish kinda squareish frets , they feel like speed bumps when I slide down. I have a neck I picked up off the Hangout with what I think are Stainless Steel , a little thicker , rounder and much smoother to slide across .

warpdrive - Posted - 10/30/2020:  06:50:51

Vince,
I'm a huge fan of stainless steel frets.
I think they give a much cleaner and crisper tone,
Many people under estimate the amount of tone that is derived from the left hand in the notation of playing and pulling tone from the banjo..it truly is at least 50% of the proposition in ...especially..SCRUGGS STYLE BANJO..
I put emphasis on scruggs style..quite simply
There are many many performers offering up there licks of the week, and are masquerading as scruggs lick teachers,
But there are a few of us left, that know just as one of my mentors told me many years ago
" close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades "
There are many many facets in the quest of trying to get good and pleasing tone from a banjo..especially scruggs tone during his hey day years.

Warp!

arnie fleischer - Posted - 10/30/2020:  11:14:43

Kevin, your comment about the importance of the left hand really interests me.



I had a break in my playing that lasted about a dozen years. When I started to play seriously again, about 25 years ago, I primarily concentrated on my right hand, learning all over again to control the spaces between the notes. It took me quite a while to realize that some of the issues I was working on, which at first I thought were right hand issues, were really left hand issues. I was rushing my left hand positioning, and as a result I was screwing up my timing. It finally dawned on me that my left hand always had more time to move around the fingerboard than I thought. Once I realized that, my left hand started to relax and I was able to get both hands in sync.



This kind of thing may not be what you were thinking of regarding the left hand, but speaking just for myself, it was a real eye-opener (or should I say, ear-opener).

Edited by - arnie fleischer on 10/30/2020 11:16:03

warpdrive - Posted - 10/30/2020:  12:09:09

Arnie,
That hand timming, not timming in itself as It relates to keeping time, but the hand timming as in rolls, or pattern timing, and how the left hand must shove the notes in between and in the middle of what the right hand is doing, that is what even the most advanced of banjo players struggle with,..only a handful ever achieve it.

I was also referring to the deliberateness of the left hand and how hard the fingers hit the feet board...

My friend Jim yarboro down in gun barrel city Texas said I was the only banjo picker he knew the needed a fret job every six months, and I'm still hard on frets, and am needing mine dressed now.

Warp!

Dustyman - Posted - 10/30/2020:  15:35:49

This makes me think how Jim mills plays . Hard ! But when my right hand in “ in shape “ I play hard too !

BanjoLink - Posted - 11/01/2020:  09:09:07

One of my good friends from who I see every year at a banjo gathering described the way he picks a banjo and mandolin the same way a boxer trows a punch. He doesn't pick at the string but picks through it ..... the same way a boxer does not punch at the body (or head) but punches through it, like the target is on the other side of what they are punching at,

warpdrive - Posted - 11/01/2020:  09:34:05

John,
That boxing analogy is exact..
Not about how hard you hit..its about how good you hit..

Warp!

BanjoLink - Posted - 11/01/2020:  13:35:12

quote:

---

Originally posted by warpdrive

John,

That boxing analogy is exact..

Not about how hard you hit..its about how good you hit..



Warp!

---

10-4 Warp .... you nailed it ...... as usual!

ceemonster - Posted - 11/08/2020:  20:50:25

RE "sugar maple," known as harder than "red maple." Some traditional bluegrass mandolin players and certain luthiers swear by Adirondack (aka red spruce) top, sugar maple for back and sides, as key ingredients for classic Monroe-esque "Loar" mandolin tone.

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 11/09/2020:  05:23:43

quote:

---

Originally posted by warpdrive

Arnie,

That hand timming, not timming in itself as It relates to keeping time, but the hand timming as in rolls, or pattern timing, and how the left hand must shove the notes in between and in the middle of what the right hand is doing, that is what even the most advanced of banjo players struggle with,..only a handful ever achieve it.



I was also referring to the deliberateness of the left hand and how hard the fingers hit the feet board...



My friend Jim yarboro down in gun barrel city Texas said I was the only banjo picker he knew the needed a fret job every six months, and I'm still hard on frets, and am needing mine dressed now.



Warp!

---

Warp,

a question, .. how much does the left hand have to do with the fret ware?

ken

warpdrive - Posted - 11/09/2020:  05:45:13

Ken,
Judging by how fast I ware them down, I'd say alot.

I've known alot of good banjo pickers, that there touch on the fret board was much lighter than mine, and they didn't need there frets dressed or replaced as often as me,

I just note with authority

Warp!

warpdrive - Posted - 01/09/2021:  16:24:16

January 9th, 2021, the west end community,

Hello to all, and happy New year.

Well i hope everybody has had good holidays, and glad to be into the new year.

I have stayed busy during the last 60 odd days since my last post in my own thread.
My ex girlfriend penny ( mom to bernidine and andy) ask me to house and dog sit over the Christmas holiday so her and earl could go to tennessee and see her mom down in Oneida..that is just south of stinking creek for those of you familiar with north west Tennessee.
I was glad to so...i wasn't going to arkansas and you know me...love to be with dogs...although i still get emotional cause its the last home me and the babies shared..but there ashs are in the bookcase..and i always feel there spirit.

I tell ya, this may not be a bone chilling winter so far..but my 60 year old bones are ready for spring...it cant get here soon enough...this old building holds in the cold as if it were an ice berg...the apartment below me is vacant now..and there is no heat from there to keep my floors warm..when my feet get cold...im cold..i guess im going to have to find a heated throw rug...if one exists.

So...how is everbody in banjo land?...i must admit i don't keep up with all the threads..i peruse them , and answers the ones i feel i can contribute too, and the rest i just ignore or shake my head at in amazement...my taste in what does interest me is probably ....well...just odd...for instance

I always look in the classifieds at what is for sale...especially a quality banjo and most everything jim britton puts up and has a video for...i think no one could do better than anything jim puts up...

Then there is...too me...the crazy stuff...for example
The proto type 1984 model earl scruggs model that earl himself owned.
Now for a collector...probaby a good deal...but too me..i don't get it.
Earl...to my knowledge never recorded anything with it...or to my knowledge..has any public playing on it...although he is said to have played it...still to me...just not that collectable...but i tell what would be..
The ESS BANJO he used on the american music shop with marty stuart...that was a new banjo...and in my opinion..one of the best performances earl gave in his later years before he got feeble...that would be a collectable banjo...
I must admit...i would have liked to have had a looksey and play his 49 classic from his estate sale as the 49 classic is my favorite earl banjo.
His mystic is still something that no matter how advanced i get...there is no greater satisfaction than trying too and sometimes getting so close to that earl tone...you'd swear his ghost is standing next to you just nodding with approval.

I was tickled to pieces to see ricky Skaggs , and marty stuart and Allison brown re enact bill and Lester and earl on heavy traffic a head with the orginial instruments...and you could a ring in earls banjo that hasn't been heard in decades...it sounded as though it had a good set up and i thought Allison did it proud.
These are things i find interesting and entertaining now a days...yall drop me line now and then and let me know whats floating your boat...
Till then...
Im still alive and kicking
Yall have a gooderin

Warp!

chuckv97 - Posted - 01/09/2021:  18:05:56

Good to hear from you, Kevin. Be well.

Eric A - Posted - 01/09/2021:  18:37:27

Thanks for the tip on that Skaggs, Stuart, and Brown thing with the old instruments. It's on you tube. They also did Blue moon of kentucky.

I'm tryna be objective here, but the sound of Earl's Granada nearly brought me to tears.

phb - Posted - 01/11/2021:  07:11:07

It would be insteresting to hear their opinions on the instruments. Were they given a new setup? I heard that Earl set up his banjos to have a rather high string height which could feel awkward for other players. Stuart, on the other hand, gets a lot of string buzz from Lester's Martin. Might be set up very low.