Everything Guitar Network Shop Mods!Copperhead Audio Electronics CapacitorsUpgrade Fender Tube Guitar Amplifiers

Everything Guitar Network

Brevis...

Price: variable

Likes: clean up your amp sound

Dislikes: someone has to install ‘em

Wow Factor: clean, more open tone

More Info: Copperhead Audio

by John Gatski

  Like the hot-rodding of cars that has gone on for as long as there have been cars, guitar amp hacks and mods have been pursued for that ultimate “golden tone.“ Most mods from amp specialists or the tech-savvy do-it-yourself-er are designed to give that vintage tube tone from the 1950s-60s, the so called "golden age."

  The Copperhead Audio custom capacitors are designed, according to Owner Doug Weisbrod, to improve the tone of any amplifier — from a Fender Tweed to Silverface, to Marshall JCM’s and everything in between. Yes, even the new Fender reissues — such as the Deluxe, Twin and Princeton Reverb 65’s — are candidates.

 These custom cap kits were developed, according to Weisbrod, because amplifier mod/repair customers were constantly asking him if there were small signal capacitors available that would be upgrades for the stock capacitors.

CAE offers custom voicing caps in different values

  In the audio capacitor world, there are the “audiophile capacitors.” “orange drops,” stock replacements like “Illinois Capacitors,” and recreations of the “Fender Blues,” and the “Marshall mustard's.” That’s about it. The replacements are cheap metal film types and the recreations suffer from the same flaws as the originals. The “audiophile capacitors” are often poorly made, standard manufacture variety that offer little in the way of sonic improvements. They are just made from more expensive materials, that may offer some benefit, but they do not take advantage of construction techniques that will make them  the best in terms of sound.

  The effect of tone capacitors on guitar amp tone is significant, yet subjective. One kind of tone may be liked by one owner, but the next guy may not like it at all. That is why making a good cap that has wide appeal is tricky.

Bit by the Copperhead

  Capacitors are an integral part of many audio components including guitar amps. They are used in the power supply, phase coupling and tone stages of tube guitar amplifiers. Most capacitors are made from electrolytic, film and foil, metalized film, ceramic or mica.

  Copperhead Audio capacitors are made from a special material formula created by Weisbrod, and are claimed to the lower the Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR), Dielectric Absorption and Corona effect, all of which Weisbrod believes can negatively affect the sound of an audio circuit.

A CAE Fender amp "cap" mod kit

  Tone cap mods in guitar amps have been offered for many years, but Weisbrod said the Copperhead caps open up the midrange/treble sound of an amp — with a significant smoothing  — and the change tightens the bass to the point that you can turn up the tone controls to lessen the filtering effect when it is used extensively. Copperhead Audio capacitors also increase sustain by reducing ESR and mechanical distortion when the part is under load, Weisbrod added.

The upgrade

  So the guinea pig for the Copperhead mod was my 1966 blackface Deluxe Reverb (AB763). Doug had done a basic tune up, a year before, which was mostly filter cap replacement and a few resistors. With a Jensen Neodymium speaker and stock value tubes, the Deluxe Reverb sounded like a typical BF Deluxe, but I could never use the treble control to open up the sound because the midrange sound gets too hard. Most stock Deluxe Reverbs sound the same in stock form.

  With the Copperhead cap mod, Doug replaced all the tubes, and replaced all the tone and bypass caps with the Copperheads.  He only did just the reverb channel, since it is more widely used in the Deluxe Reverb amps. According to Weisbrod, my Deluxe Reverb amplifier was received with the original Fender “Blue” capacitors. Also original ceramic values of .47pF (Bright) and .10pF (Reverb Filter) were there. There was one non-original capacitor which was a .01uF “Orange Drop” at the phase inverter input. That should have been a ceramic .001uF.

  The Copperhead mod’s sonic improvement becomes more evident as you turn up the amp. In stock form, the congested dynamics of the 6V6’s limited output, combined with stock caps, made for reduced dynamics. The Copperhead mod’s sonic output was not so grungy.

  Ultimately, Weisbrod did two rounds of mods: Round 1 — the Fender “Blues” were replaced with the CAE Coppers. The non-original Orange Drop was swapped with a CAE Black .001uF. The ceramic .47pF and .10pF were replaced with Silver Mica. Doug said Ceramic and Silver Mica both have a gritty audio nature and have both been used by Fender over the years. Silver Mica has a lower ESR and, therefore, allows a bit more sustain. Silver Mica caps are also more expensive than ceramic types — which is why Fender prefers to use ceramics. Currently there is no film and foil improvement for these values — with the exception of the old Phillips film and foil polystyrene and aluminum capacitors. While these are better-sounding materials than Silver Mica or Ceramic, they have a variably higher ESR, since the leads are “laid in” rather than soldered — making the internal lead connection resistance rather high.

Initial impressions

  To make sure that the tube change was not changing the sonic variable more than the caps in the Deluxe, I listened to the mod with the old tubes and the new tubes. Other than taming some noise, the tubes did not make that much difference. After the first phase of the mod, I played the Deluxe with a number of guitars using my normal demo Wireworld Micro-Solstice guitar cable, the most transparent cable I have ever used (excellent high frequency extension and zero microphonics). Guitars included the first-year production Fender Mark Knopfler Stratocaster with Fender 60th anniversary ’54 pickups, a 2001 American Series Telecaster and a modified 2008 Gibson  Les Paul Studio (Seth Lover pickups and a Bumblebee Cap kit /CTS pot upgrade).

  Upon playing the Knopfler Strat, I immediately noticed a tighter, focused sound from the 50-year old Deluxe using the CAE caps. I could finally turn up the treble controls without it sounding so harsh. Upper-end detail from lead picking, as well as bridge pickup rhythm, was so much more apparent with the cap upgrade.

  On the negative side, the amp lost a bit of the compressed warmth sound that the blackface are noted for, and there was still a tinge of midrange grittiness. I enjoyed the openness and the ability to use the tone control, but I wanted back some of that 6V6 character. A delicate balance, to be sure, but I was confident that Doug could get me there.

Tweaking the caps

  On the second round, the Silver Mica .250pF treble input capacitor was replaced with a CAE Black in both channels.  Doug said that during this round of cap tweaking, he made a switch to the CAE Black .250pF, which he believed would cure the midrange grittiness of the stock .250 pF Silver Mica cap.

  After a week of tweaking the Deluxe, Doug returned it to me for good. And wow, what a difference the final selection of tone caps made! As mentioned, the bass was much tighter, yet full,  to the point where you could actually turn the control to  “5.” The same with the treble control. The high-mid and low-treble opened up, as I could hear more string/pickup harmonics, yet it retained the vintage tune smoothing that we all love in a Fender BF.

  Upon playing the Knopfler Strat, I immediately noticed a tighter, focused sound from the 50-year old Deluxe using the CAE caps. I could finally turn up the treble controls without it sounding so harsh. Upper-end detail from lead picking, as well as bridge pickup rhythm, was so much more apparent with the cap upgrade.

  It took me a while to dial in exactly where my favorite tone control positions needed to be with different guitars — since the old settings no longer applied. Instead of treble between 2 and 3, it could now run at 4-5, depending on guitar. The bass I could now run at 5 without the flabby tone that the old caps imparted. This also improved the lower-mid’s impression.

  On all guitars, the opening up the top allowed me to hear more of the guitar, and less of the filter effect of the stock cap amp circuit. My Yamaha SA-2100 ‘335 clone, with Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbuckers, really came alive with the Copperhead mod, less midrange edge and more air, yet still classic tube.

  The Mark Knopfler Strat — with the limited edition Anniversary 54 pickups, the best set of Strat pickups ever made (IMHO) — rang like a bell with the cap upgrade. BTW, the Copperhead mod’s sonic improvement becomes more evident as you turn up the amp. In stock form, the congested dynamics of the 6V6’s limited output, combined with stock caps, made for reduced dynamics. The Copperhead mod’s sonic output was not so grungy. Shall I dare say, the old Deluxe was, er, articulate. If you swap out the 6V6’s for a set of 6L6’s and rebias (which I did try), the dynamics improve even further.

The verdict

  The Copperhead capacitor modification for the vintage 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb reverb channel resulted in a nearly perfect balance of vintage, yet truer-to-the-guitar/pickup tone, than the stock, replacement tone caps that were in the amp. The parts cost, excluding new tubes, was $240, the labor was another $200. But that is with Copperhead Audio doing the actual work. Do-it-yourself-ers can save the $200, and according to Weisbrod, those who are handy with a soldering iron and can read a schematic, it is pretty easy to swap out the caps.

  All types of guitar and pickup combinations revealed the improved sonic transmission of the Copperhead Cap mod, including the Les Paul, a P90-equipped SG Special, Gibson L5 jazz guitar, and Telecaster. The upper-end harmonics of my Mark Knopfler Stratocaster showed a marked decrease in mid harshness, but yet had a more-open top-end without being edgy. You could turn up the tone control and let through more treble. Equally impressive was the dynamic tightening of the bass, which also allowed me to turn up the bass tone control.

  Kudos to Copperhead Owner Doug Weisbrod for coming up with an inexpensive way (if you do the work yourself) to improve the tone of classic and modern amps. I can’t wait to try the mod in a modern amp, such as an Orange or Marshall. This cap kit is an Everything Guitar Network Grade A Award winner.

  Copperhead Electronics is located in Manassas, Va. The web site is http://www.copperheadaudioengineering.com. Phone number is 540-439-3162. ©All original articles on this site are the intellectual property of the Everything Guitar Network. Any unauthorized use, via print or Internet, without written permission is prohibited.

Guitar Pedal Review!Gizmo Audio Sawmill Plus,RIPSAW Distortion Pedals

Everything Guitar Network

Brevis...

Price: $180 each

Likes: deeper OD and distortion tones

Dislikes: no internal battery connection

Wow Factor! USA-made pedals nail the OD

More info: GizmoAudio

by Matt Rubenstein
  These made in USA guitar pedals that were sent to me for review - the Sawmill Jr. medium/light overdrive”, and the “RIPSAW” high-gain distortion, are both the brainchildren of Charles Luke, president/designer of Georgia-based GizmoAudio.

  A wise man once said that “necessity is the mother of invention.” And these pedals are, literally, inventions – as the Sawmill Jr. is a patented design. And, because Mr. Luke, an engineering graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology, could not find the sound from the current crop of OD’s that he was hearing in his head, his invention was also a “necessity.” And considering that there are hundreds of different overdrives available on the market today, being awarded a patent on an overdrive design is, by itself, an impressive feat.

Features

  Both the Ripsaw and Sawmill Jr. are priced at $180 (direct order from the GizmoAudio web site.) , and are similar looking, high-end pedals. The key to the Sawmill Jr.’s signature OD sound is its MOSFET design, containing both internal bias for the locating the MOSFET’s “Sweet Spot” and circuitry for canceling non-musical intermod that allows for breakup that does retains the the guitar tone’s upper-end harmonics without the excessive “smear” that most pedals exhibit. The medium range OD features a 15V internal power supply for high-headroom. The controls include Drive, Tone, Bass Cut, and Volume.

 The RIPSAW is similar in its design and control layout, but it dishes out much higher amounts of drive for full-on distortion. Both pedals need external (power from a pedalboard or standalone wall wart DC power supply).

The audition

  For this review I used a Carvin Bolt hardtail “Strat” loaded with Lollar Tweed low output single coil pickups. I ran it into a Rivera Pubster 25, 25 watt 1 x 10 combo. I would consider the amp a Fender Princeton/Deluxe Reverb hybrid spin based on the power section of 2 6v6 power tubes. I ran the amp clean. This clean, fundamental set-up provides an easier way to isolate and identify the sound, and gain, coming from the actual pedals - as there is only negligible gain coming from the guitar and amp. I also kept the tone controls on the amp at Noon across the board - again, in an attempt to isolate the actual sound of the pedals. 

  Initially, there were a few design elements of these pedals that I felt were a little idiosyncratic, and created a slight “learning curve” in placing them on my board, and dialing them in. First off, the Input and output jacks are reversed from the typical location on pedals with top jacks. I was still able to wire them up side by side with 8” patch cables – which would be the most demanding scenario for patch cable length.  But the pedals were a little tight next to each other. But this could be easily remedied by running slightly longer patch cables (basically anything 9”or longer would be perfect), or by running either one of them between conventionally wired pedals.

  The Sawmill Jr. overdrive is a very versatile pedal that can, on a busy pedal-board, serve as both an “end of the chain” clean boost/tone sweetener/light overdrive, as well as a post dirt “refinery.”

  The other idiosyncrasy I discovered was the way that the volume control was tapered on the Sawmill Jr. With the gain dimed on the Sawmill, the tone at Noon, and the volume on “0”, the pedal was still mildly boosting the signal. This ultimately did not matter at all to me as even at this setting, the pedal was still giving me just the right, subtle volume boost I wanted. And I found the most useful drive settings to be between 12:00 and 3:00 anyhow, and at those drive settings, unity gain is easily achievable, if it is even desired.

  And finally, neither one of these pedals take batteries. But let’s face it, unless you are powering a Germanium Fuzz-Face with a carbon battery to get that extra 5 to 10% out of it, there simply is no need, or want for that matter, to use batteries to power pedals anymore. And these pedals also have unusually high power requirements for analog drive pedals, so a battery is really a non-option here anyhow. But, above said, the sonic attributes that both these pedals bring to the table far outweigh these slight, and very easy to deal with; just niggles.

Cutting with the Sawmill Jr.

  “Touch sensitivity” is undoubtedly a term thrown around in many pedal companies’ marketing jargon, and also a term that gets endless play and discourse on guitar gear forums. But, that said, The Sawmill Jr. Medium/Light Overdrive is certainly touch sensitive. With the gain at 3:00, the tone at Noon, the volume set to unity gain, and the bass cut toggle “off”, a gentle pluck of the guitar string yields absolutely no noticeable distortion. And as you start to dig in more, you notice various shades of mild “grit” that stay quite true to your fundamental tone – along with a slight thickening, as well as a touch more sustain. I found the subtle thickening ideal for my single coil equipped guitar. But if this particular effect is not desired, or if you use humbuckers, the “bass cut” toggle switch will afford you a different voicing. 

  While obviously not the same, the Sawmill Jr. can have a similar effect on your sound as a high quality, subtle, transparent compressor.  You hear more “information” coming off your fingers and your pick, and you get a bit more sustain - just like a compressor.  In fact, I would say that the Sawmill Jr. would be a good choice for guitarists who have been through several compressors before finally coming to the conclusion that sometimes, you just don’t want your pick attack “limited”, at all, by a compressor - like yours truly. 

Inside the Gizmos

  As far as overall gain range is concerned, I would place the Sawmill Jr. between a clean boost and a light overdrive. For example, it has less gain/saturation range than a stock Tube Screamer. And while the Tube Screamer, with its midrange emphasis, excels at “pushing” other pedals and amps - the “mid-flat” Sawmill Jr., really shines when being “pushed”.  The Sawmill Jr. made any dirt box I ran into it sound either equally as good but just different, or just flat out better. When running an original whiteface Pro co Rat into the Sawmill Jr., the iconic grit of the Rat smoothed out, the touch responsiveness improved, there was more sustain, more focus, and there was more body. It also had a very similar effect being pushed by a Keeley Modded Boss DS-1 

  One of the many guitar sounds this reviewer has chased over the years is Sir David Gilmour’s soaring Big Muff fueled lead guitar sound. And part of Gilmour’s “secret tone sauce”, in addition to having Pete Cornish on retainer, is that he ran his Big Muff into an overdrive/boost pedal - most notably the B.K. Butler Tube driver, or the Colorsound Overdriver.  But the “wrong” overdrive after a Big Muff, regardless of how you dial it in, can make the Big Muff sound “choked”, unfocused, and messy.  But this was certainly not the case with the Sawmill Jr. It really shines in this application. Placed after the Big Muff, the Sawmill Jr. smoothed out the grit without choking the sound, increased its focus, thickened it and made it sound even huger, and increased the touch sensitivity. 

RIPSAW tears it open

  The RIPSAW distortion pedal has a similar tonality to the Sawmill Jr. overdrive. But they don’t sound the same. I heard a slight midrange emphasis on the RIPSAW that I didn’t hear from the Sawmill Jr. Not anywhere near the pronounced iconic “mid-bump” of a Tube Screamer, but more of a subtle “seasoning”.  And this reviewer found that subtle mid-bump to be just what the doctor ordered when pushing the Sawmill Jr. The RIPSAW also happens to have the same exceptional “touch sensitivity” as the Sawmill Jr. And in regards to gain range, the RIPSAW is capable of considerably more gain than the Sawmill Jr. But I would still not classify the RIPSAW as a “high gain” distortion.   I would consider my Big Muff, my Rat, and my modded DS-1, high gain distortions. And all of these pedals are capable of considerably more gain/saturation than the Ripsaw. But if you want sublime, singing, mid-gain distortion – look no further than the RIPSAW.  

  I would consider my Big Muff, my Rat, and my modded DS-1, high gain distortions. And all of these pedals are capable of considerably more gain/saturation than the Ripsaw. But if you want sublime, singing, mid-gain distortion – look no further than the RIPSAW. 

  One of the most desirable guitar sounds this particular reviewer has ever heard, is the sound Larry Carlton achieved on his seminal “Larry Carlton – Last Night” live album. During that phase of his career, Mr. Carlton was not using his trademark Gibson ES-335. He was using a single coil EMG loaded Valley Arts hardtail “Strat”, into his Dumble amplifier. And just as the creator of the RIPSAW refers to the sound of his pedals as “clean distortion”, that is precisely how I would describe Larry Carlton’s sound on this album. And while myself, being a mere mortal, will never be able to play like Larry Carlton, I was able to enter his amazing “sonic arena” with the RIPSAW in my set-up. And then get even “closer to the stage” running the RIPSAW into the Sawmill Jr.

The verdict

  In summation, these GizmoAudio OD's are two unique, and great sounding drive pedals. The Sawmill Jr. overdrive is a very versatile pedal that can, on a busy pedal-board, serve as both an “end of the chain” clean boost/tone sweetener/light overdrive, as well as a post dirt “refinery.” Throughout my own, personal pedal odyssey, these are two tricks that very few ponies can pull off at the same time. And the Sawmill Jr. overdrive can pull off both these tricks with aplomb. And the RIPSAW distortion truly provides what its creator claims as “clean distortion.” By itself, it occupies a very musical, and hard to find, place in the “distortion spectrum.”  And when “pushing” the Sawmill Jr., just like everything else, the RIPSAW sounds even better. Overall, both pedals get our Everything Audio Network Grade A Award.

  Matt Rubenstein is a guitar player, and resident pedal reviewer at the Everything Guitar Network. He also spent 20 years in the pro audio industry.

Acoustic Guitar Review!Taylor 614ce Grand AuditoriumAcoustic-Electric Guitar

It's a dirty job, but someone has to review these nice guitars

Brevis...

Price: $4,198

Likes: rich sound, amazing playability

Dislikes: USA guitars are quite expensive

Wow Factor! maple never sounded so good

More info: Taylor 614CE

by Bob Kovacs

  It is hard to resist the Siren song of a new guitar. The look, smell, touch, feel, sound… all are intoxicating to a guitar fan. The new Taylor 614ce maple body acoustic/electric hits all the right marks with those sensations, making it a pleasure to hold, play and admire.  I played the Taylor 614ce for a month, and was able to use it at least one live performance. It plays like a dream. Made in El Cajon, Ca. Taylor 614ce has a list price of $4,198.

Features

  The Taylor 614ce is a grand auditorium guitar with a cutaway that gives access to higher notes on the neck. Size-wise there are a couple of slight differences between the shape of the 614ce and a standard dreadnaught guitar: The 614ce is just a bit thinner (by about 1/2 inch) and slightly more pinched at the waist than a full-size dreadnaught guitar. These are not a big differences but you will see them if you look. Taylor refers to the size as “Grand Auditorium,” but it is nearly identical to a full-size guitar in sound and handling.

  Like many guitars today, the 614ce is electrified. In this case, it uses Taylor’s Expression System 2 electronics that has three pickups in the saddle, a pre-amp circuit board inside the guitar and a 9-Volt battery at the base of the guitar next to the strap button. There are three controls on the forward edge: volume, bass and treble, each with an identical knob and center detent. The pre-amp has a phase-reverse switch that can be reached through the sound hole.

  A big feature of the Expression 2 system in the 614ce is that it has three pickups, one each for the E/A, D/G and B/E strings. There are small adjustment screws for these pickups, but the two-page manual for the Expression system cautions against anything other than the most careful adjustment. It does say that you can change the timbre of the sound by adjustment, so really picky players do have some room for tweaking to tailor the sound.

New bracing and maple back/sides make this guitar sing

  The top of the Taylor 614ce is sitka spruce that has been processed with what the company calls “torrefaction,” which ages the wood by warming it to provide a seasoned sound and less tonal change over the life of the guitar. Taylor says that the finish on the top is unusually thin, which causes less dampening than usual guitar finishes.

  The sides and back of the 614ce are dark-stained maple – in the case of the guitar I received, the maple has a beautiful tiger-stripe quality. The fretboard is ebony with variegated plastic inlays on a hard rock maple neck. (Taylor calls the fret inlay material “Grained Ivoroid Wings.”) The neck has a truss rod that can be adjusted through a removable plate on the head.

  The 614ce has nickel-plated Taylor tuning machines that otherwise resemble Gotoh tuners. The nut is made from Tusq and the saddle is Micarta. The guitar comes stringed with Elixir Phosphor Bronze HD light-gauge strings.

  One of the more interesting construction features of the Taylor 614ce is the bracing on the inside of the guitar’s back. Instead of being perpendicular to the neck of the guitar, they angle at quite a noticeable slope. Taylor calls this bracing design “Advanced Performance with Relief Rout.”

  The Taylor 614ce comes with a snug-fitting hard case that has five latches to secure the lid. Inside, there is soft padding that cushions the guitar. The storage compartment is fairly spacious – you won’t run out of space to carry a couple of spare picks with this case.

The audition

  I may have worded things above in a way that makes it sound like I wasn’t impressed with the Taylor 614ce. However, this is a beautiful guitar that plays and feels like a premium instrument. Everything about it is well built, and it exudes an aura of fine construction and quality materials. The spruce top has no flaws, and the maple on the sides and back is perfectly matched. It works together as an attractive package.

  The bracing and internal construction are neat as a pin, with no excess glue anywhere. The three sound controls (volume, bass, treble) on the forward surface of the guitar turn with a pleasant tactile feel. The tuners – which I seldom had to touch because the 614ce held its tune so well – feel just right. They make it easy to find the sweet tuning spot.

  And “sweet” just may be the best one-word description of the Taylor 614ce. The action on the neck was low enough to minimize finger pressure, yet without a hint of buzzing. My hand wrapped around the neck as though it had been there for years – it’s a completely natural feel for me.

  Most guitar players will say that different guitar brands have their characteristic sound, and Taylor is no exception. To me, Taylor guitars always had a strong bass that took nothing away from the treble tones. If anything, this 614ce extends the richness of the brand’s bass, while somehow making the top end sweeter as well.

And “sweet” just may be the best one-word description of the Taylor 614ce. The action on the neck was low enough to minimize finger pressure, yet without a hint of buzzing. My hand wrapped around the neck as though it had been there for years – it’s a completely natural feel for me.

  I’ve also found that my favorite guitars transmit the instrument’s vibration to my body in a pleasing way. The Taylor 614ce has that sensation. It’s hard to describe, but it feels like the guitar is talking to my chest when I’m playing it. In the case of the 614ce, it was saying, “Yes, this is what you’re supposed to do.”

  The Taylor 614ce sounds great when noodling around the house, or even taking out on the front porch to share the tone with my neighbors. However, I wanted to get some experience playing it in front of a crowd, so I went to the local folk club’s weekly gathering to see what others thought of the sound. This was an all-acoustic night with no amplification, so the goal was to play and sing loudly – usually my forte. The room was packed with 80 or so people, most of them musicians who know the sound of a good instrument.

Beautiful striped maple embody this Taylor

  When it came time for my performance, the 614ce had no trouble filling the room. Granted, the rules are that no one can talk when someone performs. However, singing along is encouraged, and most of the room sang along to the familiar songs I played. It was a fine experience, helped in part by the Taylor 614ce’s good projection and balanced tone. The guitar’s sound got only positive comments when the night was over.

  Of course, that didn’t test the pickup quality, so I plugged the 614ce into a PA system at home. There is an amazing amount of volume, and the three knobs worked exactly as I expected. The plugged-in sound of the Taylor 614ce is more naturally “acoustic” sounding than either of my other two guitars with pickups. However, it still isn’t quite the same natural sound quality you get when you mic a guitar properly. It is quite usable though, and no one will mistake the sound of the Taylor 614ce with that of a Fender Telecaster. The 614ce’s plugged-in sound is clearly in the acoustic range, and about as close to a natural acoustic guitar as I have heard from a built-in pickup.

The verdict

  The Taylor 614ce is an expensive guitar, so we should expect that it will have quality construction, fine sound and excellent playability. The 614ce definitely met my expectations in this regard. Only you know if you have the disposable income for a really fine guitar – if you do and you are in the market, the Taylor 614ce will not disappoint.

  What I liked most about the 614ce was that great feedback it gave my body when I played. In my experience, the best guitars have that kind of feedback, and that puts the Taylor 614ce right up there with the best I have ever played. The Taylor 614ce most certainly gets our Everything Guitar Network Grade A Award.

  Bob Kovacs has been playing guitar for 40+years, and has several performance videos on YouTube. Be forewarned… he usually favors novelty songs. 

Acoustic Guitar Review!Eastman E20D Solid-WoodDreadnought Acoustic Guitar

Everything Guitar Network

Brevis...

Price: $1,500

Likes: traditional build, open dread sound

Dislikes: sunburst finish a little blotchy

Wow Factor! classic tone at 1/4th the price

More info: Eastman E20D

by John Gatski

  Let's face it. The world economy is bringing products to the US that we once thought would be impossible to make elsewhere. Twenty years ago, a high-end, Asian acoustic guitar was somebody’s dream. But today, the guitar market has changed. Low-end guitars from China and Indonesia are as common as USA-made Silvertones were in the 1960s, but also there are more and more top-class guitars being made in China.

  The Eastman Instrument Company has been making premium jazz guitars, mandolins, cellos, violins, and woodwind and brass instruments for decades, and began producing quality jazz guitars in the early 2000s. In fact, I wrote a review on Eastman’s first hollow body single pickup jazz guitar back in in 2003. It was bit rough by today’s company standards ,but it played nice and was a full, carved solid wood archtop.

  Today, Eastman Guitars has a full line of upper-end guitars, including acoustics. These guitars are designed to rival Martin, Gibsons and other USA-brand, top hand-produced acoustics. Based on my review of the E20D dreadnaught, these guitars are pretty darn good, especially when you can can buy them at 1/4th the price of a USA-brand equivalent.

Features

  The E20D acoustic is a full-sized, solid-wood, dovetail neck, dreadnaught — similar to D28 Martin upper-end models. It features solid, Adirondack spruce top, solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, 1940s traditional style, 5/8th-inch, scalloped X-bracing, ebony fretboard with snowflake inlays and herringbone/plastic body binding. The glued-in, dovetail neck is solid mahogany with a 25.5-inch scale length. Body width is 16-inches and body thickness is 4 and 23/.32-inches thick The rosewood veneered headstock gets Gotoh vintage style open back tuners.

 Because of the extra emphasis on the midrange/low treble, the E20D is an excellent fingerpicker for a dreadnaught. Some dreads are not great fingerpickers because of the extra mid-bass. The E20D, however, has a rich, percussive character.

  The E20D also sports bone nut and saddle with a carved ebony bridge. The guitar comes standard with Diaddario EXP light gauge strings (.012-.053) and is shipped in a nice case. In the case, is a stick on pick guard you can attach yourself — if you want to lessen the chance of scratching the top with a pick. I left it off. since the pick guard does have some sonic mute effect on the treble. The E20D is offered in a natural finish and the E20D-SB sunburst model, which I received for the review. There are also other dreadnaught, jumbo and parlor-sized Eastman models.

The audition

  The E20D reminds me of recent Martin reissues that pay homage to by-gone eras of the classic acoustic guitars. The E20D is closest to the Martin D28 Marquis or HD-28V Adirondack Edition — with their forward-shifted, scalloped bracing — which dates back to the late 1930s and solid Adirondack spruce tops, which is harder and relays a crisper, midrange and low treble with a tight, authoritative bass. In fact, the E20D looks a lot like the D28 Marquis in sunburst.

  Upon closer inspection, the E20D bracing is not quite like the Marquis standard “golden era” X-bracing that crosses once inch from the soundhole. The E20D braces cross about 1.25-inches behind the soundhole.

  The E20D’s top has that customary Adirondack wide-spaced grain and its apperance was accentuated by the thin, nitrocellulose lacquer finish. However, the E20D-SB test sample finish had some irregular blotching in the sunburst, which is not as attractive as blemish-free top-graded tops, but the aesthetic does not affect the sound.

  Inside, the perfing and braces looked professionally glued in and uniform, with just a smidgen here and there of excess glue. The saddle was little taller than I normally see from a top-grade Martin or Gibson acoustic, but the action was setup to compensate for it, and the action felt nice with the light strings.

  The Eastman E20D really showed its power. It is very close to the tone of a D28 Marquis — with a slightly brash midrange and low treble but plenty of volume.

  The E20D was a fresh guitar, and as such, needed time to season before I did any serious playing. Its initial tone was fairly loud, but a bit constrained as the wood was still quite “wet” The inside was very dark and damp looking. Thus, I left it out of its case for several months, playing it only occasionally.

  After four months, of “drying,” the Eastman E20D really showed its power. It is very close to the tone of a D28 Marquis — with a slightly brash midrange and low treble, but plenty of volume. Now I have played some D28 Marquis’ that were not as open as others. The broken-in, seasoned E20D was quite open under full strum, with perhaps a little less bass volume than the best Marquis, but enough volume to play with a Bluegrass band, and a bit of top-end sparkle. It reminded more of late 1950s D28 in sonic texture. Though not as midbass pronounced as an Adirondack-top Martin, the E20D bass performance, nonetheless, was quite good, a tight mid bass that was in balance with the mids and treble.

My Tester Eastman E20D

  In my sound SPL level test, using an AudioControl RTA, I measured the E30D sound level at full strum with a large triangle fender medium pick. With the light EXP strings, I got 96 dB at 1 meter. Plenty loud to keep up with a banjo or other acoustic instruments. The loudest acoustic I have ever played was a Martin D28VS at 99 dB.

  The Eastman neck/fretboard has the Martin feel with easy to fret and pick. My fingers never felt cramped. The guitar’s high saddle was compensated by a medium action, Thus, the string tension was m manageable. When I switched to Martin SP light/medium strings, the pinch to the fingers was more noticeable. If I played these strings, or true mediums on a daily basis, I would plane down the saddle a bit.

  Because of the extra emphasis on the midrange/low treble, the E20D is an excellent fingerpicker for a dreadnaught. Some dreads are not great fingerpickers because of the extra mid-bass. The E20D, however, has a rich, percussive character that gets more pronounced if you have a bit of extra fingernail.

The verdict 

  In this increasingly global world of commerce , the Eastman Instrument Company has learned how to compete in the musical instrument realm. Its jazz guitars and acoustic guitar line, such as the E20D tested here, is faithful variation of a USA-made dreadnaught with just a bit of extra mid/treble sparkle to give it is own character. After a few months of seasoning, I was impressed with its playability, quality setup and feel. Best of all for the customer, this guitar is only $1,500. A dovetail, lacquer-sprayed Martin D28 Marquis will cost you about $5,700. There are of course, less expensive Martin with different fretboard and bridge materials, and the mortise/tenon-attached neck, such as the HD-16 Adirondack ($3,199), but feature wise, the D28 Marquis and the HD-28V Adirondack, ordered through the custom shop, are the intended competitors.

  Don’t get me wrong. Heck, I love Martins, and I have saved up the extra cash many times to buy various top-end models, including a John Gatski-custom OO-28V and my beloved J-40 standard, as I love USA-made instruments. But if you can’t afford the American brand, there is nothing wrong with looking at an Eastman. They are excellent acoustic guitars, and there electrics ain’t too shabby either.

©All original articles on this site are the intellectual property of the Everything Guitar Network. Any unauthorized use, via print or Internet, without written permission is prohibited.

Acoustic Guitar Review!2014 Taylor 810E Acoustic Guitar:“Rebraced Dreadnaught SeriesNets More Bass, Overall Volume"

Brevis...

Price: $4,000

Likes: Bigger bass volume

Dislikes: prices keep going up

Wow Factor! A more balanced dread’

More info: Taylor 810E

by John Gatski
  Over the years Taylor guitars have developed a reputation as an acoustic guitar that has a great cutting presence, with a tight, focused bass. They have become quite popular as “live performance as well as recording guitars. But vintage acoustic buffs often lament about Taylor’s perceived lack of low-end power, versus the venerable Martin D-28 or a Gibson Advanced Jumbo dreadnaughts that have plenty of bass oomph.

  Well, this lack of low end is no longer the case with the Taylor’s new 800 series dreadnaught (810, 812, 814, 816 and onboard pickup and cutaway versions) . A redesigned, Taylor bracing pattern now adds much more authority to the low end — without sacrificing the punch, present midrange and high-end sound Taylor is known for.

  As part of an update of several models with reworked bracing and ultra-thin finish, the Indian rosewood/sitka spruce top 810 dreadnaught series is the best version of the popular dreadnaught that I have ever auditioned. And I have played numerous Taylor dreadnaughts — from the early ones to various recent standard and customs.

  Trust me the 810 can be played with a Bluegrass band, Rock, Country, etc. and not get lost. And you will notice a significant bass boost. The sample I auditioned had enormous power that got louder, when I switched to uncoated strings.

Features

  The 810 series includes the non pick-up, standard non-cutaway 810; the non-cutaway 810E, with Expression internal pickup/preamp system, tested here; and the 810CE (cutaway), which also is equipped with the Expression pickup.

  The 810 series features Taylor’s standard, bolt-on, tropical mahogany neck with a 25.5-inch scale length. The comfortable, satin-gloss neck’s width is 1-3/4 inches and features a varigated ebony fretboard. The 16-inch body is comprised of solid Indian rosewood and a two-piece, solid sitka spruce top with fantastic uniformity in the grain across the two pieces. The company’s ultra-thin, 3.5 mill UV cured polyurethane finish protects the body, but allows it to move to provide impressive volume.

"The new 810E is the best sounding Taylor dreadnaught guitar I have even played and worthy of our Everything Guitar Network Grade A Award!"

  Of course, the key to the new 810’s performance is the advanced performance bracing. This bracing optimizes top vibration in the lower and middle frequencies to greatly increase volume. The combination of the forward shifting of the X-bracing, that was done ten years ago, with the newly implemented “relief routing” in key braces, produces a much louder bottom end than the last 810 that I played in 2008.

  The new 810E test guitar produced a loud mid- and low-bass without being boomy, and the overall volume is significant. In my opinion, the bracing changes make it a better balanced dreadnaught. This guitar would have no trouble staying with a brash banjo players or an aggressive fiddle player in a Bluegrass band.

The 810CE: a cutaway version with electronics

  As found in the new 800 Series Taylor guitars, the 810 features rosewood pickguard, Tusq/micarta saddle and Ping nickel tuners. The setups on Taylor guitars are always excellent with perfect action and intonation up and down the neck. My tester was no exception. For $4,000, I expect these niceties from a made-in-USA acoustic guitar, and Taylor delivers.

  The Taylor 810 Series, as with most Taylor guitars, comes in a well-padded, heavy duty, case to protect your precious guitar. I have noticed in recent years that other guitar companies are starting to cheap out on the cases. Not Taylor. In fact, they still make their own cases.

The audition

  I first tried the Taylor 810E with its stock Elixir coated strings. Upon its first play, I could tell the bass authority was much enhanced over the older Taylors. I have played. Yet the midrange and treble were not lost. It seems that the increased bass, with a mild increase in midrange volume, makes the 810, a much more balanced dread — at least in my book. I have played some Martins that have had too much bass bloom — where the bass overpowers the top end, but other Martin models, such as the 1950s Brazilian rosewood/sitka top D28 produce a loud bass that is perfectly matched by the top end.

  The Taylor reminds me, in essence, of a late 1950s D28‘s projection and tonal balance with an authoritative bottom end. I won’t say that an 810 sounds exactly like a ‘59 D-28, but the new 810 does exhibit a desirable balance of tonal balance with significant volume on the bass without bass boom — a trait of the old D28.

The new  810s get increased power via enhanced bracing

  After several days of paying the 810E with the Elixir phosphor bronze strings, I changed to D'Addario phosphor bronze, medium strings and the sound was even better, That powerful bass and crisp highs now had a more pronounced midrange punch. Flat picked notes using a Fender triangle medium were loud and clear, as were aggressive strumming. Versus the old model, the 810 has a significant dynamic range bump, without compressing under hammer strums. Volume-wise, I measured 95 dB at full strum with the test mic at one meter. This guitar can be loud.

  But as powerful as it can be with aggressive strumming/picking, the 810E was a pussy cat for fingerstyle playing. Yes, the bass was a bit louder than the old models, but you still get clarity and definition with finger-picked notes, as Taylors have always excelled. For extensive finger picking, I would go down to light strings for easier playability, but even with mediums, I got a great tone, though a bit tougher on the finger tips.

The 810E's Expression pickup controls

  Plugged in, the 810E, offers Taylor’s Expression System acoustic electric tone, which I have always liked. It is not so etched or shrill on the treble strings and records smoothly. To my ears, the enhanced bracing does not make so much of a difference plugged in. Which is typical of onboard pickups; they kind of take away some of the wood’s natural acoustic character. A really good microphone, such as the Shure SM-81 or Audix SCX-25, really showcase the mic’s true tone.

The verdict

  Overall, I am quite impressed with the new package found in the Taylor 810. As a result, the Taylor 810 picks up volume in the low to mid bass without being boomy, and there is a bit more midrange punch as well. The result is a better balanced, Taylor dreadnaught guitar, louder playing volume, yet the top end is still pure Taylor. The bracing does not make it sound exactly like a Martin, Collings, Santa Cruz dreadnaught, but the enhanced design gives the Taylor tonality a desirable volume boost in the low end and midrange. The new 810 is the best sounding Taylor dreadnaught guitar I have even played and worthy of our Everything Guitar Network Grade A Award!

©All original articles on this site are the intellectual property of the Everything Guitar Network. Any unauthorized use, via print or Internet, without written permission is prohibited.

Acoustic Guitar Review!Martin Grand J-28LSESolid Wood Baritone

“Amazing Volume From Martin Baritone"

Brevis...

Price: $3,999 Retail

Like: Real loud, intoxicating bass

Dislike: bigger strings, bigger callus'

More info: Martin J-28SLE

by Ty Ford

  The Martin Grand J-28LSE baritone acoustic guitar is a cross between a bass and a guitar. The body isn’t particularly bigger than typical jumbo-sized guitars, but the neck is slightly longer to accommodate the longer scale. It does not look that unusual. You might just think it is just another full size acoustic — until you play it and hear how much volume it projects.

Features

  The Martin Grand J-28LSE is termed a Grand J, 14-fret model which is slightly larger than a the normal J series (J40). The key to its distinctiveness is the 27.5 inch scale neck, as opposed to the typical 25.4-inch scale of modern dreadnought and typical jumbo acoustic guitars. Longer scale gives you a wider octave spectrum of notes from which to play, including lower-than-standard bass notes.

  To accommodate the longer scale and to drive the top, the Martin J28LSE is set up with bigger strings — .70-.014. In contrast, typical dreadnought strings run .56 to .013. Martin supplies the guitar with Martin Lifespan strings .014 to .070 strings for baritone tuning, which are made for Martin by Everly Music, under the Cleartone banner. The Cleartone strings are treated with an ultra-thin layer that resists contamination from finger grime and oxidation, yet has less of a dampening effect on the string tone. 

  The J28LSE body is made from solid East Indian rosewood and the top is a solid sitka spruce. Finished in Martin’s standard, gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, the natural sample sent to me was an excellent example of a finely made, made-in-USA guitar. The top is designed with Martin’s standard ''X'' bracing and progressively scalloped tone bars. The fingerboard is ebony. The modified, low-oval neck is made from “select hardwood” (usually mahogany or Spanish cedar) and finished in the satin. The neck is thinner than my 1969 D28S neck and feels comfortable. Fifteen frets to the body, twenty-one total, no cutaway. The fingerboard width at the nut is: 1-3/4-inch; the fingerboard width at the 12th fret and bridge is 2-1/4 inches.

  To capture the big sound of the J28SLE while plugging in, the guitar is equipped with a D-Tar Wave Length Multi Source pickup system comprised of an under saddle pickup and a small omni mic mounted at the lip of the sound hole. There are two controls. One varies the volume of the mic, the other is a master volume control for both. The AA-battery compartment is inside the sound hole, which requires moving the fifth and sixth stings to change the battery — a negative in my book. I think every acoustic guitar built today should have batteries accessible without dropping the strings. Martin does so on its Performing Artist Series.

Getting acquainted 

  When you first pick up the J28LSE and start to strum, the first thing you’ll notice is that the strings are bigger. When you start playing it, you are immediately intoxicated by the increased bass response of the guitar. The Martin SP LIfespan 92/8 phosphor bronze strings that come with it run from .014 to .070 are significantly heavier than the normal mediums I use. Martin’s Tim Teel also says you can run with standard mediums and tune to “E” to “e” to have the more familiar feel, but the baritone setup is where you get the power.

 When you first pick up the J28LSE and start to strum, the first thing you’ll notice is that the strings are bigger. When you start playing it, you are immediately intoxicated by the increased bass response of the guitar.

  With baritone tuning, the slightly longer scale means those first four frets are wider requiring more finger stretch. The fingerboard is 1 3/4” at the bone nut. A little wider than a D28; more like my 1969 D28S. The larger gauge of the strings and their tension has a lot to do with the massive sound, as does the construction of the instrument.

As a result, even if you capo up to the second or third fret, this guitar sounds a lot more massive than a regular six string tuned E to e. Using a capo on the fourth fret or above, however, takes away the real mojo of the open or low-fretted fifth and sixth strings.

  At first, I though that players who are used to lighter strings would be put off by the bigger stringed J28LSE, but my friend local actor/singer Pete Papageorge (petepapageorge.com) stopped by to take the baritone for a spin. Though he normally plays lights on his acoustic, he said he quickly got used to the string tension and longer scale.

The audition

  Normally, I am fingerstyle player and don’t use finger or thumb picks. The day after playing for several hours, the outside edge of my playing thumb was tender from working the bigger strings. New calluses formed as I continued to play.

  Because my finger nails seldom last and regular maintenance is too fiddly, I trim them and play with flesh. That results in a softer sound. After working with a flat pick and enjoying the attack, I tried a National medium on my thumb. After getting used to it, I was very pleased. Clean, clear and punchy. The J-28LSE sounds larger than life. The 4th, 5th and 6th have a lot of power. I found myself sort of waiting for my thumb to hit the sixth string to savor the big low note. Boom! What fun!

The old and the new: D28SL and J-28SLE

  As a vocalist, I’m a baritone and the best key for my singing voice, melody depending, is “A.” I’m used to singing the the same notes as the fifth and sixth string notes on my guitar. “A” baritone guitar goes even lower; to a “B” or “C“ below the “E” to which guitars are normally tuned. So, if you play a first position “E” chord on a baritone, what you get is a “B” or “C“ chord, depending whether you tune from “B” to “b” or “C” to “c.”

  This down tuning difference caused me to rethink songs on my list. If the baritone is tuned “C” to “c,” when I play a first-position “A“ fingering, I’m really playing an “F.” So I had to transpose some songs or learn to play them with differing fingerings; not very efficient. What it did do nicely is put some songs I like to sing in range, without having to use extreme capo positioning. So, some gain, some loss. Caution: After playing the J-28LSE for a few days, my D28S, which most folks tell me sounds great, felt small and sounded thin.

Comparisons

  Appalachian Bluegrass here in Baltimore had both the Taylor six-string and eight-string Baritone on the rack, but no Martin baritones. I made an appointment with Tim Kolberg and stopped by with the Martin baritone to check them out and see how they compared. After spending about half an hour with the J-28LSE, I switched to the Taylors. When I switch to my old Harmony 12-string, it normally takes a while before my right hand gets used to the double strings. I felt the same sort of awkwardness with the Taylor eight string, but it did have a very rich and complex sound.

  The six string Taylor felt good, but the action was slightly higher than the Martin and I think the strings were slightly lighter gauge. Both Taylor guitars were brighter than the Martin; Taylor bright, if you get my drift. After playing the six string Taylor for about twenty minutes, both with and without the Bose system that Appalachian Bluegrass has set up, I switched back to the Martin. There was the big Martin bottom, and it was also obvious that the Taylor, with its tone controls centered, sounded scooped in the mids and smaller.

  Tim and I thought maybe if the bottom on the Martin wasn’t quite so big, the sound would be more balanced. Maybe with a .065 instead of a .070 on the sixth, a .048 or .050 instead of the .054 on the fifth and maybe a .038 to .40 instead of a .042 on the fourth and the low end would tuck in some.

The J28LSE body is made from solid East Indian rosewood and the top is a solid sitka spruce. Finished in Martin’s standard, gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, the natural sample sent to me was an excellent example of a finely made, made-in-USA guitar.

  Martin only offers one set of big strings, so, at Tim’s suggestion, I contacted D’Addario to search for alternative sizes. If you like experimenting with string gauges, D’Addario makes a very complete line of single and three pack Phosphor Bronze strings from .020 to .070 that you can buy online. They were kind enough to forward me Phosphor Bronze .039, .047, .049 and .064 for this review. Swapping out to lighter fourth, fifth and sixth strings did make for a more balanced sound that was easier to record, but I have to admit, I sort of missed the big low end.

  I noticed that the .070 and .064 sixth strings were a little quieter than the other five; more so with skin than with a pick. I’m not sure if the strings’ frequencies were below the resonant frequency of the body or something else. I restrung with a set of Keyser PowerCore Phosphor Bronze (KA230) Mediums that run .013 to .056. I use those strings on my D28S Martin. I tuned “E” to “e,” as Tim Teel of Martin had suggested. The J-28LSE sounded noticeably brighter than these strings ever sound on my 1971 D28S, probably because of the scalloped tone bars. Not high-strung bright, but definitely brighter. All strings were equally loud.

Recording the beast

  I found that the J-28LSE’s huge low end was too big for my usual recording methods, swapping my Schoeps CMC641 microphone when placed eight inches from the body. Next I tried a Neumann U 89i, in omni mode, to reduce the proximity effect. The J-28LSE was still huge, but I could get the mic closer. That, however, still didn’t give me a sound I liked. Bottom line: I think this guitar needs a little more mic space than others. Pulling back the mics to about 16-inches to 18-inches worked best.

  As I continued to work with the J-28LSE, my performing style began to change. I capo’d on the second fret and used the fingerings that I knew to try to bring some of the songs back into my vocal range. I could hit the notes, but many were in the bottom of my register and below the power range of my vocals. That meant I was singing softer and with less force. After a while I realized that I liked that a lot more than my “regular” voice on some songs, which, to me, can be a little harsh, even as a baritone.

Taking more than one guitar to a gig is a chore, but you can eliminate the extra case by using the J-28LSE and a capo. Capo’ing on the 4th fret brings a C tuning back up to E with 12 frets to the body. 

  Flat pick strumming the J-28LSE required a new touch. I usually use medium picks for the folky, strummy stuff, but lights worked better because mediums overworked the 4th, 5th an 6th strings making the low end sound jumbled and muddy. If you’re flat picking is less folky and more bluegrass, picking out individual notes, you’ll do just fine with a medium pick with the Martin. If you’re used to banging the chords out for rock, you may have to pull back and/or use power chords rather than full chords because you may overplay the very responsive low end strings. Just switching to a Fender Light flat pick cleaned up the bottom and made the guitar sound a lot brighter.

  Taking more than one guitar to a gig is a chore, but you can eliminate the extra case by using the J-28LSE and a capo. Capo’ing on the 4th fret brings a C tuning back up to E with 12 frets to the body. Unless you are currently playing up the neck a lot with a cutaway, this is a very workable solution to the too many guitars conundrum; give your regular guitar (and the bass payer) the night off and just take the J-28LSE and a capo.

The verdict

  The Martin Grand J-28LSE baritone acoustic requires adjustments to your regular playing style to maximize its advantages over a regular jumbo or dreadnought, but it is a great sounding and nice playing guitar. It offers new playgrounds in tonality, string choice, pick choice and key choice. It’s definitely worth a trip to the store to have a Grand J-28LSE in your hands —  so you can find out for yourself, but watch out! That low end is very intoxicating.

  Ty Ford is an accomplished musician and professional;l audio recording engineer. be reached at www.tyford.com

©All original articles on this site are the intellectual property of the Everything Guitar Network. Any unauthorized use, via print or Internet, without written permission is prohibited.