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Post by fredkinbom on Jun 22, 2010 20:05:04 GMT
Fred, more importantly, that is Pascal Mesnier's Style 1 Tricone on the floor. I would know that guitar anywhere! And of course Fine Resophonic #1 right behind it - what a fantastic guitar! Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Jun 22, 2010 14:47:25 GMT
Ah - I am happy for Mike! Last time I had the pleasure to visit Mike, this dobro was on the workbench - you can see it (back and sides - in the background, at the top of the pic) on the photo below. Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on May 21, 2010 13:17:51 GMT
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Post by fredkinbom on Apr 28, 2010 15:31:32 GMT
In my home recording set-up, I am very pleased with my Oktava MK-012s (matched stereo pair, small diaphragm condenser mics made in Russia) for recording my acoustic Weissenborn guitars: www.oktava-online.com/mk012.htmGreat mics for the money! I am also happy with the SE Electronics SE2200A large diaphragm condenser for recording vocals. In the studio where I recorded part of my album we used a € 6,000 1950s Neumann U47 (I think it's the U47 - a valve mic) for my vocals. While the Neumann no doubt is a better mic (and is still going strong after 50 years, something I doubt my SE2200A will be), I am still happy with the quality of my home studio recordings. As for the SM57 and a reso, I think that sounds great - I A/B-ed it with my condenser mics for recording reso and my ears preferred the sound recorded with the SM57. Great mics! Cheers, Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Apr 23, 2010 15:11:23 GMT
Honeyboy, That looks like a good capo! Another good option is those made by Martin Gross in Germany - they too are "anchored" between the strings and fingerboard - something that gives much better sustain than the ones that are suspended clamped around the strings. www.martingross.com/capo.htmHave a good weekend everyone! Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Apr 23, 2010 15:05:50 GMT
Hi Mel, Thanks for those words - I am glad you enjoy my album and found it inspiring! About the angled saddle - Paddy Burgin's great high-end Weissenborns HAVE angled saddles. He obviously has a reason for this. I have always found on lap guitars that the 6th string has to be tuned slighly flat to not sound sharp when "fretting" a chord with a straight bar higher up the neck. Maybe this is because the thicker gauge string is pressed down slightly more by the bar than the thinner strings - I don't know. Anyway, the Burgin has less of a need for this and it is the best sounding Weissenborn when "fretting" the wound strings high up on the neck that I have played. So unless you perceive an audible problem with the angled saddle on your Republic, I see no reason to change the saddle angle. Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Apr 23, 2010 0:11:45 GMT
Hello, I have used Newtone Alohas on my Weissenborns (and old Oahu student guitars before I got my first Weissenborn) for 4 years or so and am an endorsee since about a year back, and I would like to add that Malcolm and Neil at Newtone can wind custom gauges if you ask. I use Alohas with custom gauges on both my 25" scale Lazy River and my 27.4" scale Burgin baritone Weissenborn. Here is a video of the Burgin baritone Weissenborn with .017-.072 (!) Aloha strings - huge sound (and a big guitar too : On an old Oahu squareneck I had, there were some 1930s-40s special tuners, where the string was inserted into the tuning post and then wound around it. As Newtone Strings due to their round core cannot be cut before having been tuned up to pitch (they would unravel) I first thought I could not use Alohas on this Oahu guitar where the strings needed to be cut to length before they were inserted into the tuner posts. I mentioned this to Neil and Malcolm and they offered to make me custom length strings to fit this guitar! So this is a small company who makes a great product with care and listens to their customers' needs - something rare these days. About starter acoustic lap steel guitars, I would recommend putting a nut riser on a regular acoustic or looking on eBay for an old Oahu acoustic rather than getting a cheap Weissenborn copy, especially if you can't "try before you buy". I loved the tone of the Oahus I had (still have one - a 1930s student guitar I bought for $81 , whereas I have tried some cheap (and not so cheap) Weissenborn-style guitars with a very uninspiring sound. That way you can get going without spending much (about $6 in the case of a nut riser) and if you get hooked on acoustic lap steel (which is very likely ) you can then put your money towards a better Weissenborn. Just my opinion. All the best, Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Feb 7, 2010 19:49:24 GMT
Thanks for the support Ken and Mel!
Ken - did the mp3 work fine the second time I sent it?
Cheers,
Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Feb 4, 2010 23:04:10 GMT
Hello everyone, I have a new digital download single available as from today: This single - "Many a Man" (a tune played on my MM Blues ) / "Igelkott" (a different version with some beautiful fiddle) - is released to raise money for a good friend of mine who had a motorcycle accident last week. Thankfully he is alive and will recover eventually, but he has broken his right leg in four places and also his left hand. He is a self-employed tradesman and he will not be able to work for 6 months at least. So, we thought that "every little helps", and Jim, Sam and I recorded "Many a Man" on Tuesday night, and have now made it available as a digital download directly from my website, to raise some money to help my friend out. The two-track single costs only £1 and all proceeds will go to my friend, to make at least a small but positive difference in his unfortunate and difficult situation. "Many a Man" is a previously unreleased song featuring resonator guitar (upright, not lap style), double bass and cajón, and it is backed by a version of my lap slide tune "Igelkott" with the great Nick Pynn on fiddle, that was recorded during the sessions for the "Hedgehogs & Elephants" album. My sister Anna Kinbom made the cover artwork over in Stockholm today. So here is a song recorded two days ago, mixed today, and with artwork finished today in another country, available for you to download - modern times! Here is a short youtube trailer for the single: To buy the single, please go here and use the PayPal button, or click directly on the PayPal link below. The two songs will be e-mailed to your PayPal registered e-mail, or any other e-mail address you wish (just mention it as a note with the payment). www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8SZNQWUKXQTQLI hope you will enjoy the music! Many thanks for the interest and support! Thanks a lot Michael for allowing me to promote this release here on your forum! (Please feel free to forward this link to friends who may be interested.) All the best, Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Sept 10, 2009 9:03:36 GMT
Mais mon chèr Pascal - le Picon: c'est BOOOOOON! ;D
Hope to see you both soon!
Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Sept 7, 2009 22:01:56 GMT
Thanks everyone! Here is a live recording of the same tune, played with my new little trio: The MM Blues is miced with an SM-57 pointed at the cone, and it has a Barcus-Berry Hi-Tek pickup that went through a K&K Pure preamp and was blended with the SM-57 in the mix. Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Aug 8, 2009 19:26:29 GMT
Here is a tune played (and sung and "danced" ) today on my MM Blues. A lovely sounding guitar. It has its stock cone, which I think sounds great. The only upgrades are StewMac tuners and a maple biscuit and set-up by Mike Lewis (and a wooden truss rod cover). The strings are over a month old, but I personally prefer strings that are not too fresh. (Michael and Robin - are maple bridges stock now? IMHO, this would be something well worth smacking another tenner on the retail price for.) Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Jan 22, 2009 20:23:43 GMT
Hi Michael, Glad you enjoyed it too! Yes, with as many variables as a reso has to its sound, it's really nice to know that the guitar is tweaked to its very best. Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Jan 20, 2009 11:59:39 GMT
Nice little demo Fred. Seems like you had another successful little trip to Mike L !! Best Mark Hi Mark! Glad you enjoyed the demo. Yep - Mike Lewis made an already great sounding guitar perform its best in every aspect! Cheers, Fred
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Post by fredkinbom on Jan 20, 2009 1:42:36 GMT
Someone asked me for a little sound sample of my MM Blues, so I put this little demo video together this evening, including some lap steel, some upright, some acoustic and some plugged in (I put a Barcus-Berry Hi-Tek humbucker on it): uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr00uUv2-J8Hardly professional and including some sloppiness, but someone asked for a sound sample and that's all it is. Fred
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