Re: Thames guitar, after 2 months.
- From: MeatmartUSA <dsi123@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 21:49:03 -0700 (PDT)
On Apr 8, 2:41 pm, John Nguyen <johnnguyen5...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi gang,
Followed is my impression on a Thames guitar, cedar and IRW, after 2
months.
The sound is very consistent and even accross the strings. The sound
is warm if a little dark. Very fast attacks, particularly on the
treble side. High notes on the treble E-string produce clear, round,
and pleasant tone. How do I know? I played every notes on the guitar
with chromatic scales on every strings a few times a days to break it
in.
So many variations of shade and timer can be produced from the bridge
to the fretboard above the sound hole. The exploration of new sound
to me is almost as much fun as playing the guitar.
The oversize (lengthwise) bone saddle is a must have to adjust the
action to your liking and to a particular type of strings used. It's
so intuitive and commonsense that I'm surprised it doesn't become a
standard. Probably because it looks out of place, aesthetically?
I'm on the third set of string now, using the EXP D'Addario bass
string and Titanium Treble, normal tension. That's the lowest tension
on D'Addario, I think. A little warning here: the TT sounded harsh in
the first 2 or 3 hours after installed, but stated to mellow down and
sound very sweet afterward. So don't throw out those TT strings just
yet!
The big fat fret size helps the LH quite a bit. One doesn't (at least
I don't) have to be hard on the LH to get the sound and the precision.
However, I have to adjust my glissando a little bit to get used to the
high fret. No big deal here. It actually made my glissando lighter.
About the volume, Ahhhh! The volume! It's very strong and held up well
against my teacher's cedar Bernabe, a cannon in and of itself. But
that's not the high point. It's the pianissimo playing that turns
heads. The clear sound seemed to carry far and hang in the air
forever.
The premium Gotoh tuning gear is smooth and precise. Could an Alessi
or a Fustero be much better? I don't know, but I doubt it.
The 640 mm scale fitted my left hand like a glove and made playing
much more comfortable, especially for a few stretches in Lauro's
music.
Coming back to earth after my irrational exuberance, I must say I
spent much more time on the guitar compared to before, everyday at
least more than one hour, even more in the weekends. No, I still keep
my day job, and I have no illusion for a guy approaching 60 to become
a virtuoso any time soon, but this guitar does make playing much more
enjoyable. Time is short, and there is no guilt in indulging a little
while making music, hehe!
Cheers,
John
Thanks for the report. Technical guys tend to give more useful info
than musicians! A musician would say something like "it's the best
guitar/strings I've ever played!" This just gets me all
frustrated. :-)
I'm typing this on an iPad, which I think could very well be the
future of computing - it's the best Apple product I've ever had! :-)
.
- References:
- Thames guitar, after 2 months.
- From: John Nguyen
- Thames guitar, after 2 months.
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