Lightnin' arrives

[Deleted]

Bloody marvellous instrument...looks and sounds terrific. Feels heavier than I imagined and slinging it over my right leg for the first time it nearly slid off onto the floor so have to keep the neck down and level to compensate for the heavy bottom end. Feels more secure if I play it classical style on me left leg for the moment. Maybe I'll experiment with hanging some weights off the headstock so that it balances without me having to hold on to it much! I'm not going to play well if I have to spend some effort just trying not to let it slip...wrong kind of sliiiiiide geetar

Not much point in banging on about how it looks because it looks exactly like it does in the photos...i.e. stunning.

It is loud just using my finger nails... and LOUDER with metal finger picks. These are gonna take some getting used to. I've already managed to flip off the thumb pick twice by getting it caught up in the index finger pick

Methinks I will be having a lot of fun with this.....maybe even play some music (he he!)

Jay

[andys]

Seriously, making the headstock heavier is nothing new. You can actually buy a brass clamp that fits on your headstock, particularly on electrics where it has a small effect on sustain apparently.

I use a Dunlop clamp capo, and when not being used it lives clamped to the headstock of my MM Blues. Maybe doing this would help redistribute the weight of your Lightning

[Deleted]

Thanks andys....those brass clamps......do they have a trade name and where might I get one?

Jay

P.S. has anyone tried one of these on an MM?

[Deleted]

The clamp is called "FatFinger"...about £20-30 I think. They weigh about 3 ounces +...an ordinary woodworking C clamp will do exactly the same thing but might be a bit clumsy! They are on sale out there on the interweb.

I'm always rather sceptical about claims of improved sustain and tone etc. and am sure a lot of this sort of improvement is the placebo effect (electric guitarists in particular always seem to be in search of sustain and tone by whatever magick and mystic lunacy that happens to drift thru' their transome), but obviously a big weight added to the headstock will alter the vibrations of the instrument somewhat..mind you the biggest weight you add to most guitars guitar is 200lbs of wobbly gristle and bone...added in various degrees of death-grip tightness.

A few ounces at the headstock might improve the balance a bit, I'm not sure it's enough to make a real-world difference..but my advice is if you try one of these, ALWAYS take the clamp off when you put the guitar in the case for. That 1/4 pound of metal will really increase any whiplash effect if the guitar gets bumped or dropped, and could do a real good job of snapping the headstock from the neck (I don't mind doing the repairs, but fair warning).

[robn]

Hi Jay,

Great to see that you are enjoying your MM Lightning - and the more you play it the better it will get

I really ought to post something on my website about holding these guitars. Michael and I discussed this topic when it came up a while ago and niether of us could remember it every being a problem for us I think that it is one of those skills that just creeps up on you and you forget that it is a learnt skill.

So I trawled the tinterwebthingy looking at videos and clips of reso players - and had a dawning realisation of what they do in common. Firstly, there are a few who use the "classical" method. But there are an awful lot more who balance the guitar across the right leg. What the right leg players all have in common (including Michael and me) is that the guitar does not sit across your body. The headstock is angled out at about 45 deg. The guitar balances perfectly in this position. In fact, it is a little headstock heavy and the right arm coming over the guitar just holds it snug. Also in this position more of the back of the guitar is free of the body so the volume and tone open up.

Scroll down the "Michael Messer Guitars" page on this website and you'll see photos of Michael and Louisiana Red holding the guitars in this way. Look how far out from the body the headstock is.

This is a very comfortable playing position, but like everything it takes a little getting use to. I would be inclined to work on just getting the "feel" of the guitar (don't expect that to happen overnight) before considering adding headstock weights.

Robin

[Deleted]

How long did your's take to come Jay?

My MM Blues has only been on order less than a week and I've already got one eye permanently trained on the door for any approaching courier...

I just hope Robin takes pity on me!

Hint, hint - cough! Campbell, Kent

[Deleted]

I was joking a bit about the hanging of weights off the headstock .....now it seems to me that I can manage if I hold the guitar out front ( a bit like threatening someone with a gun (or in this case a small hand held cannon!) and pointing the headstock downwards a bit. Trial and error for the next few days.

That would be useful Robin....to include some tips on holding the baby correctly on your w-site. I looked at some photos as suggested but they vary quite a bit. Have to ignore the publicity shots showing guitar pointing towards sky There is one of MM on his site which looks to be real....the busking one where he is bent over the guitar which is pointing downwards a bit. LR can be seen playing with the guitar balanced on his right leg crossed over his left.....don't fancy that one!

zwitter........I was v. lucky. I spoke to Robin on the 4th and the guitar arrived yesterday on the 9th.....must be a record! When I spoke to R. he mentioned having "a second" available and when he described the fault it sounded like something I could easily live with so I bought it. It is not like it would qualify as a "Frankengeetar" or anything . As suggested by MM I would recommend anyone to talk to R. to see if he has another one of these. He's not gonna sell anyone a dog now is he......gets the guitar quicker and saves a bit of cash too!

[Deleted]

I did that too - spoke to R on the phone on 4/5th Feb and bought a 'second'.

He did say it could be up to 4 weeks which is fair enough.

Doesn't mean I'm itching to get my hands on it any less though! ;D

Not been this excited about a guitar in years.

Got them old 'waiting for the Blues' blues...Best I think of other things until it comes!

[Deleted]

When I was waiting for my classical to be built and shipped (waited months) I managed to learn to enjoy the waiting........if you haven't already got MM's DVD then I would get it and study it in the meantime. Also check out some other stuff and then when the goodies arrive you'll be better prepared. It'll be hear before you know it.......1 week gone already!

Jay

[robn]

Jay was pretty lucky last week

I'd just finished a guitar and on final inspection I noticed a blemish that I had missed before I started the set-up. I'd just put the guitar down and was thinking about marking it up as a second and putting it in the store when Jay called !

It still put me a guitar behind shedule

Robin

[Deleted]

Cheers Robin, I shall be patient and wait my turn!

Good things are worth waiting for after all...

Plenty of time to listen to a few things in the meanwhile!

Regards
Zwit

[Michael Messer]

Hi Jay,

My apologies, I appear to missed this thread up until now.

I am very pleased that you are happy with your MM guitar and thank you for letting us know.

Shine On
Michael

[Deleted]

My pleasure.........isn't this a great forum.........
Jay