Hello from another Greek!

[elavd]

Hello to all of you!

My name is Elias, I am from Greece and I am 29.

One month ago, I was surfing on youtube looking for some cool guitar videos.
I saw Robert's awesome guitar videos and after some days I decided to buy a Squier 51 for myself! (I loved the way the guitar sounded...later I realized that it was sounding soo good mainly beacuse of Robert's hands!!!:D)

So, I reached Robert's personal web page wich finally led me here with you!!!

I play the guitar since 1990, I am self taught and I play in a local cover-band called "Pettish Fish" (there are 2-3 videos of our band on youtube).

The last 2 years I "suffer" from G.A.S. and this sickness became worse since I've been wandering in music forums...:D
I buy something and when I have it on my hands, I am already searching for the next buy...

My gear appears on my signature...

My next plan is to build a black strat that will look like the one David Gilmour has:
http://www.gilmourish.com/images/blog_amster_2.jpg

I feel happy to find you all and I am sure that I will meet some new friends here!!!!

[duhvoodooman]

Geez, everybody must be posting to you over in Abraxas' thread! Anyhow, glad to have you here. Been reading about your Rockinger Strat with great interest. Enjoyed that clip of your band doing the Rory Gallagher number, too. Nice job there!

BTW, I have a black Strat, though not quite the same as Gilmour's.

http://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/strat_after.jpg

How do you like your Valvetronix amp? What are your favorite amp models?

[elavd]

Thank you duhvoodooman for your good words ;)

I use the Valvetronix amp mainly for practice at home...(My true love is my other amp, the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe). When I play on the VOX I use the AC-30 amp model...
By the way I liked very much the grill mod that you did on your Valvetronix ;)

Your guitar could looker more like Gilmour's if you changed the pickguard to a plain black, replace the tuners with vintage type ones and put a non-metallic nut. (Also the 2-point tremolo is not "correct" but...who cares!!!??? :D)

[tremoloman]

Hello to all of you!
My name is Elias, I am from Greece and I am 29.Welcome elavd!

Please post some pics of your black Strat when its complete. I'd love to see how it turns out.

Could you post a link to your videos on youtube? I'd like to check 'em out. ;)

[elavd]

Please post some pics of your black Strat when its complete. I'd love to see how it turns out.

OK I'll do it ;)


Could you post a link to your videos on youtube? I'd like to check 'em out. ;)

Here are my 2 videos:

Riders on the storm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6X6Elwu1PE) (The Doors)
Do you read me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA0yOjOqGoc) (R. Gallagher)

:)

[Robert]

Welcome elavd! Great to have you here! Do you still like the '51? I still like mine.

I'll check out those videos later.

You made me interested in Rockinger guitars - I'll explore this guitar idea further before I buy another guitar. Thanks!

[elavd]

Welcome elavd! Great to have you here! Do you still like the '51? I still like mine.
Yes I DO Robert!!!
I bought it thanks to your videos and I like it VERY much!!!

The only change I am going to do for the moment, is to put a concentric pot, so as to have a tone control.
Also, I shimmed my guitar and I achieved low action without any string buzzes. The shimming eliminated the saddle rattle too ;)



I'll check out those videos later.

Consindering of the way that you play the guitar Robert, I think that you will be dissapointed from my videos...:D

[Robert]

Hey, tell us more about that shimming!

Thanks for your kind words... we all just have fun playing, that's what it's all about! :)

[SuperSwede]

Hi Elavd.

Very nice videos!

[elavd]

Hey, tell us more about that shimming!
You can read some info here:
http://www.gregsguitar.com/make_easier.html

Shimming The Neck -- On guitars with bolt-on necks, you can place a shim beneath the neck in order to raise the level of the fretboard relative to the strings. Shimming can also correct the angle of the neck to the body. There are times when you can't adjust the action low enough by adjusting the bridge peices. In these cases, using a thin shim material like card stock beneath the guitar neck can correct the problem.

Shimming the neck can be tricky, but it's not difficult if you are used to working with wood. Be careful not to cross-thread the screws when you are replacing the neck. You may have to experiment to get the right height and angle, and this means removing and replacing the neck several times.

It may be a good idea to use a screwdriver to replace the neck, rather than a drill with a Phillips driver head. It's also best to remove the strings from the guitar before doing this. At least, loosen the strings completely so there is no tension on them.


Also some info from from Fender's official site:
http://www.fender.com/support/setup/othersetup.php

Shimming/Micro-Tilt Adjustment

Shimming is a procedure used to adjust the pitch of the neck in relation to the body. A shim is placed in the neck pocket, underneath the butt-end of the neck. On many of the American series guitars, a Micro-Tilt adjustment is offered. It replaces the need for a shim by using a hex screw against a plate installed in the butt-end of the neck. The need to adjust the pitch (raising the butt-end of the neck in the pocket, thereby pitching the neck back) of the neck occurs in situations where the string height is high and the action adjustment is as low as the adjustment will allow.

To properly shim a neck the neck needs to be removed from the neck pocket of the body. A shim approximately 1/4" (6.4 mm) wide x 1 3/4" (44.5 mm) long x .010" (0.25 mm) thick will allow you to raise the action approximately 1/32" (0.8 mm). For those guitars with the Micro-Tilt adjustment, loosen the two neck screws on both sides of the adjustment access hole on the neckplate by at least 4 full turns. Tightening the hex adjustment screw with an 1/8" hex wrench approximately 1/4 turn will allow you to raise the action approximately 1/32" (0.8 mm) . Retighten the neck screws when the adjustment is complete. The pitch of the neck on your guitar has been preset at the factory and in most cases will not need to be adjusted.

You can find also some info here:
http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/nckshim.htm



I did this shimming procedure, by using a piece of a phone card:
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f283/elavd/51_shimming.jpg

After placing the shim, I had to raise the saddles as the angle of the neck in regard with the body has changed. This had as result an increase of the pressure that the strings ask on the saddles. So the saddles stopped rattling and I avoided buying a new bridge ;)
I friend of mine told me that you can avoid the rattling saddles by unscrewing the saddles height screws and by putting some lubricant on them (vaseline) and screw them back on the saddles. I didn't try it but I thinkit will work.

The guitar played very well after the shimming! I think that it was slightly more open sounding without any buzzes (although I set it up for low action).

The only disadvantage of this method is that the tension of the strings increased a little bit, but not so much that it became annoying ;)

[elavd]

Hi Elavd. Very nice videos!

Thank you very much SuperSwede ;)

[tot_Ou_tard]

Yow!! Some Greeks! My son's fiancee (& her family of course) are Greek (from Kalamata)

Welcome!

[elavd]

Yow!! Some Greeks! My son's fiancee (& her family of course) are Greek (from Kalamata)

Welcome!

:);) Did you learn to speak any Greek words??

[tot_Ou_tard]

:);) Did you learn to speak any Greek words??
No but my son did.

At some point I might try to learn Greek, but I'd probably learn German first.

I've already taught myself to speak French & now I am too busy trying to teach myself to play the guitar.