General McAllister was cheap.

... but classy.

Browsing eBay several months ago I found an unfamiliar but instantly interesting Tele bridge pickup: a Kinman General McAlister, part of their "Warrior" series.  With a few days remaining the current bid was under $15.  Associating the Kinman name with very pricey pickups I lowballed a $20 bid and forgot about it.  A few days later I was informed that I had won it for under $18.  I had to wonder why I scored a Kinman for a mere $18.

I researched Kinman's Warrior line and the General McAlister specifically and found damned little info outside of kinman.com.   Apparently Warrior was a line of "non-noiseless" passive pickups offered only in the UK and Australia.  That is all I learned - no pricing, not one customer or industry mag review anywhere, not a peep on any forum.  

My prize arrived in timely fashion.  Inside the mailer I found the unopened factory jewel box,  an attractive retail package suggesting a quality product.   I tossed it in my boneyard box to wait for my next Tele project. 

Several moths ago Kinman's web site had a link for the Warriors line which led to an empty page.  I composed this entire blog entry on the assumption that Kinman was providing no information.  Today I went back there to find a full line of Warrior pickups displayed: http://kinman.com/warriors/products.php  and had re-write everything here accordingly to avoid looking even stupider than usual.  Although prices are provided for Kinman's flagship noiseless pickups, no prices are published for the Warriors and only 6 dealers are listed: 5 in the UK and 1 in Oz.  With no pricing info I still don't know if I stole this.




The next Tele project has begun.  The body has been ordered and should arrive early next week.  Today I started wiring the control plate, planning the headstock graphic, and mounted this pickup. 

With the jewel case opened and the pup fondled and visually inspected, every detail speaks of high QC standards.  The bright red back plate is stamped "WT-7" and marked with the following information in sharp high-detail lettering:

Kinman Warriors
www.kinman.com
Non-noiseless Tele  Right 7-14 Plain G
General McAlister Nov-13

"Right" for right-handed guitar.  The "7-14" indicates that the pole stagger suits fretboard radii in that range, with flatter configurations available on special order.  I'm impressed that they provide that information as well as specifying that the pole stagger is optimized for a string set with a plain G.  I wonder if there was a "vintage stagger" option for use with a wound G set.

Kinman also impressed me in the finishing of the lead wire.  (apologies for the lack of a  photograph).  Rather than just giving an ample length of chopped-off coax they've pre-split, tinned, and trimmed the ends.  The shield conductor is stripped, gathered aside, twisted, tinned, and trimmed neatly.  The core conductor then continues for about 3 more inches under its own insulator where it too is twisted , tinned and cropped neatly. All the dirty work is done and this pup is ready to be grounded to the volpot and soldered to the switch.  If this is a lower-priced line showing such attention to detail, I can begin to appreciate they level of quality this company offers.   Apparently you really do get something in return for the big ticket on a Kinman.

Kinman promises me that I "haven't heard the true sound of" my strings until I've heard them with Warriors.  We've all heard that kinda thing before, but this evident build quality leads to high expectations.  Magnet/poles are Kiman's proprietary Alinco 5. 

In a departure from tradition the backplate on this pickup does not appear to be brass.  As far as I can tell it isn't metal at all, it seems to be one piece with the bobbin.  I've applied such scientific test routines as tap-n'-listen, scratch-with-fingernail, examine under magnifying glass, and the ol' magnet-tease routine.   Best guess: bobbin and backplate are of a dense high quality plastic-based compound.  If there is metal present, it is extremely thin.

I've never seen a Tele bridge pup bobbin that appears to be wound so full.  This bear is full up with good formvar-and-cloth insulated wire.  It measures 7K ohms, which isn't particularly high, but that coil sure is chubby.  I suppose that thick insulator makes the coil look larger than it is, like a kid in his winter coat.

Kinman.com describes the sound of this model as "thicker Telecaster twang country, take no prisoners" and in the hierarchy it is placed after the vintage model but before the model that drops words like "Texas" and "SRV".   All of this leads me to expect something like what is often called a "60s overwound" Tele sound, but with a bit of high-tech modern clarity similar to the pups I used to buy from Bill & Becky Lawrence.  The apparent non-metal backplate is a wildcard.  Honestly I can do with a little less treble bite than most T-bridge pups offer so the lack of a brass plate doesn't scare me, but I usually like to hang somewhere in the "Texas" or above range meat-wise.  The "Odin's Warrior" model in this series is advertised as having a "door-slam attack".  I want onea those!

This unit will be mounted on a poplar body with 250K pots and a .47 tone cap, so hopefully that is a recipe for raising hackles without breaking glass.  We'll find out. 

© 2014 Raymond Bowers

Warm & Cozy Forevermore (the story of truss rod covers)

Truss rod covers - a small part taken for granted by many. A truss rod cover in your world may not be adventureous, but they have a different existence in the world of Mr. Weller & The BPF.  

In 8 steps, not so many words, and several enlightening illustrations I'd like to share with you my typical experience with a truss rod cover.

 

 

 

 

 

1. Hmmm ... I need to tweak this neck a little. *gets tools, makes adjustment*

2. I won't put the cover on until strings are at tension & I do action and intonation, just it case it needs a tweek.

3. I'll let it settle for a few days, it might need another tweek. No hurry.

4. Weatherman says there is a storm coming.

I won't put the cover back until after the storm.  With the weather changing it might need another tweek. 

5. I'll just put the cover carefully here on the desk until I put it back on the axe.

6. * a few days pass* Guess I'd better tuck this away in my parts box so it doesn't get knocked on the floor.

7. * a couple of months later* Hey as long as I'm changing strings again I'll just put the cover back ... crap ... waddeyedoo with that damned cover?

8. Hell it looks pretty cool just like this.  If I never find that cover, so what? I bet it only dampened the resonance anyway. Being without doesn't hurt anything. Well, except maybe the resale value but I don't ever wanna sell this guitar anyway! I love it!

9. (a few weeks pass)  "For sale: Yamasamijohnsoneagilepinezburn guitar, great condition, well maintained, missing truss rod cover. 74 cents OBO"

In everyone's life there is a mythical limboland where runaway sock singles roam free.  In my personal limboland each sock contains a truss rod cover and some tiny screws.  Sounds kinda comfy and warm - I'm a little jealous.

A Growing Family

I recently headed off to Guitar Center with a gift card burning a hole in my wallet, as mentioned in the previous edition of this blog.

I had been alone behind the closed glass door in the acoustic room for over an hour, fondling every visible budget-priced solid top.  The Fender CD140S (which I eventually bought) was the front-runner so while I re-tried others I parked the Fender on the counter instead of letting it scamper back into the herd.

A 40-something staffer came in, probably to quietly assess my sincerity and decide whether I was loitering.  I’d seen him there often but had never chatted with him.  Leaving the lower bout of the guitar on the counter he tilted it up into playing position and tried a few brief fingerstyle passages.  Apparently he’d heard me messing with the old elevator mainstay “GIrl From Ipanema” earlier, because without a word he started comping the prog.  I noodled on that just long enough to make it clear that I recognize the situation but I suck at improv, then I stopped playing and made eye contact.  The conversation went something like this:

“I thought that was pretty articulate for a $200 guitar.”

“Yes, it is.  These are new here, I hadn’t played one. The best $200 acoustic we have used to be one of the Yamahas, but I think this one is better.”

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna take that one home.”

Then the magic started.

He picked up the intro to “Dance With Me” by Orleans.  I expected him to play a couple of bars then stop, but he did not. I felt a sorta psychic “green light” signal-vibe.

Vocals in 3, 2, 1, ... I was there!  

“Dance with me, I want to be your partner ...... “

I hit it.  So did he.  

Dead-on harmony, precisely pitched, perfectly leveled just slightly below my voice, and expertly soft on the edges. Clear assertive vowels and gently ambiguous consonants with an unobtrusive vocal timbre marked not just an accomplished vocalist, but an adept vocal support player.

The climax of the tune approached, where the melody rises on the lyric “I can take you where you want to go...”.  Between lines I quickly muttered “I can’t hit this!” as the looming note rapidly bore down on me. When we got there I chickened out and knocked the peak off the melody, finding a lower chord tone to replace the one unreachable note.  He moved with me.  Magic?  Expertise. Expertise that creates magic.

We ran the entire tune - it isn't very long.  He extended his hand across the counter with a big smile, and we shook hands as friends.

These two minutes were gut-deep profound.  It was beautiful, it was exhilarating.  This is it, guys.   This is why I do music.

Truly I do not play just to make noise - not even noise that I like.  It isn't about me making music for me.  Many claim this motive, and I wish them well.  For me every moment playing at home is a rehearsal,  It is all about performing.  But being the introspective geek, I can’t stop the self-exam at “it is about performing”.  That’s not the bottom of it yet.

The playing is about performing.  

 

The performing is about communicating - about touching people, about connecting with people.  

 

One way or another, bone deep, for me music has always been for the purpose of connecting with people.  

At first it was about earning approval from my Father.

Later in life it was about earning approval from my schoolmates. I couldn’t be the football star, but if I sat in the stone foyer and played guitar soon a cluster of my contemporaries would gather - many of them with girlish figures.  

It has been about the joy between team-mates when the band NAILS a cookin’ tune.

Sometimes it is about affirmation from a nameless audience.  It may be applause or other emotional reactions.  It may be inquiries about my gear or the riffs I played. Over the years of course there has been the attention from women.  Yeah that is a thrill, but when some pimpleface with his jaw open says “Dude! Can you show me that thing you did?”- that may be equally as profound on a different plane.

Through my life guitar has been about connecting with people in all of those ways, but on this day in Guitar Center it was about discovering a brother in 120 seconds.  A brother who grew up in an entirely different time & place with a different color skin. There are many ways in which we have not, and perhaps never would, connect.  Wondrously, though, when music blossoms hearts and minds connect regardless of other factors. 

So that is what this installment’s title means - my family grew when I discovered another brother.  Because of music, I have many.

Thank you, Reginald.  I’ll see you again.  Do you know “Black Water”?

Where there was smoke there is timber.

Just less than a year ago I bought a used Carvin amp from Guitar Center.  Despite bring highly allergic to all sorts of optional insurance, on a whim I spent the extra $20 for their 1yr used gear warranty.  In the end it was a good choice.

About 6 months passed and the amp had a failure. Having forgotten about the warranty, I shrugged my shoulders and stuffed it in the closet.  Some 3 months later I stumbled upon the warranty paperwork accidentally.
 

Following the instructions I went to warranty website and filled in all the requested information including a brief description of the problem.  Completing the forms took less than 5 minutes.  I had been told to expect to be directed to a local shop for repair, or possibly provided with a shipping label to send the amp to a more distant facility. The thought of shipping a 2X12 combo amp wasn’t appealing, even prepaid.  I clicked “Submit claim” and in seconds I was notified that my claim had been approved.  They would be meeting their warrany obligation by refunding my money in full with a GC gift card.  

I was very pleased with this disposition of the issue. Suddenly I had a couple hundred bucks and it could only be spent at Guitar Center! Woohoo!
 

I havent had a decent solid-top acoustic since my ancient Guild jumbo disintegrated.  My 37-year-old Epiphone is priceless - dripping with love and history but when it comes to tone or tuning stability ... not so much.  I thought perhaps if I found an solid-top acoustic that spoke to me for $300 or less, I'd give it a loving home. What I chose may surprise you.
 

I played plenty of uninspiring instruments.  No matter how much I hear about 00s, 000s and parlour guitars having a “balanced tone”, to me they all fall short.  Time after time I only get a thrill from the sound of a dreadnaught or jumbo.  My price constraints limited me to the scummy underside of the real-timber soundboard world and although I’m no elitist I stil had personal standards for sound and feel.
 

Squier really offers a lot of interesting and attrative electrics guitars at the $299 price point - it seems to be their sweet spot these days.  It wasn’t long ago that a Fender Standard series unit wasn’t as well made as these.  I was about ready to give up on the acoustics and go fondle some Squiers when I picked up the Fender CD140S.
 

This model has a solid mahogany top with glossy finish.  I’ve never cared for matte finishes, although I appreciate the fingerprint resistance.  I was glad to see the gloss on this one.
 

I suspect that the dark streaks are stain - they didnt need to bother on my account.
 

Blk/creme/blk/creme/black top binding and a thin but attractive faux abalone rosette are among the body appointments. A mahogany neck, board that appears to be rosewood, MOP dots, a contrasting darker glossy headstock facade and MOP logo round out what my wife thinks is a very attractive package, while I give it a visual rating of “OK-ish”.

The nut is cut well and allows for smooth tuning.  It and the compensated saddle appear to be made of one of the high-density composite super-plastics so widely available.
 

Any Fender acoustic I’ve tried in the past was tepid at best but to my surprise this guitar speaks with much of the articulation and dynamic range expected from a decent solid top.  Bass is robust but not overwhelming and treble isn’t lacking to my ears.  Overall the guitar sings with a broad-palette and a warm, round, pleasant voice.  I consider it a good buy for $199.
 

It has given me motivation to work on my vocal chops again.   

********

Other things gained on this trip: 1 side note, and one memorable story.
 

My vote for the coolest new $299 electric goes to the Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster.  I’m not sure why they call this “modified” because they faithfully reproduced the worst parts of this model, the parts I wanted most to modify on my Dad's 63 Jag - the floating bridge and those saddles with the narrow-notched barrels.  I don't see "modified" here, Squire seems to have copied the venerable J-mas warts and all. I wish they had gone with a string-through, TOM & stop tail or even Strat trem but despite this I was really diggin' this guitar. The one in CAR resonated noticeably better than the white or sunburst models also hangin' around. This photo doesn't do it justice.

I want it.  I shouldn’t want it. I want it.

Also on this visit, a great moment between 2 strangers.  I had an experience right there in GC that to me epitomizes one of the deep joys music can bring.
 

I’m just not gonna tell you now. *evil grin* You can read about it in the next installment of Mr. Weller & the Ballpark Franks.

Some Days You Bite the Bear ...

and some days the bear bites you. 

I'm talking about that big, hairy-assed bear of "Value for your money"

Some folks hold “you get what you pay for” as nearly divine wisdom, certain as gravity.  Others have a more hippie mindset and feel “The Man is rippin’ us off!", seeing upmarket items as mostly snobbery and name-brand price gouging.

Each ideology has merit, yet each is also an oversimplification.  You can’t expect to get a Rolls for the price of a SmartCar, but bargains really do exist and part of the hefty price tag on that Rolls (or Gibson) is undeniably for the prestige.   

Given time the oyster of the human mind will build a glistening pearl of obsession around any irritating grain of truth. Either of the extreme opinions above has a hard knob of reality at the center but can be taken too far. Sanity lies somewhere in between.  

Finding that middle ground is a matter of personal value/choices.  Which compromises are acceptable for monetary savings?  How much money is the next little improvement worth?  You can’t answer those for me, or vice-versa - we just do what fits ourselves.

I tend to err on the cheapskate side (as if THAT is news - laugh if you wanna).  Part of it was my upbringing, an absorption - or perhaps miscarraige of - my parents’ depression-era frugalilty.  Sometimes I get real bargains, sometimes I get junk. I usually have fun and when I do turn a bargain into a gem it makes me happy.  Maybe it is a bit like gambling?  I prefer to think of it is hobby-level craftsmanship.  I still probably spend less money than many drinkers.

Anyway, all this pseudo-deep talk is just setup for today’s story.  

I recently played in cheapskate alley and came out scratching my head.  Ya lay with markdown dogs, ya get up at the flea market ... or something.   No worries, very few George Washingtons were harmed in this tale of embarrassment.  

My friend Jason Lisle called my attention to donnerdeal.com  where he bought an OCD clone OD pedal for only $30, shipping included via slow boat from China.  Jason is pleased, he describes the pedal as "Scary good", - so  Ol' Ray 'Hotdogfingers' Scrooge-McWeller hurried off to Donnerdeal to see what else they have.

I found a 3 ply white pearloid/b/w Strat pickguard for $8 & free shipping via slowboat.  Not even Steve Gadd could beat that price.  With a couple of Strat projects pending and so little money at risk I decided to test the donnerdeal waters.  

*cue the sound of my dead presidents zinging across the internet*

I was warned in advance that delivery may take up to three months.  It took about eight weeks.  Fair enough.  If I had been in a hurry I would have just had to shell out more than eight bucks.

It arrived in a manila envelope, the item inside cocooned in thick Styrofoam sheeting and cello packing tape.

I was mentally prepared to find quality problems like rough edges, delamination, cheap-looking pearloid, incorrect shape, or hoonozewhat.  To my surprise the thing looked great!  The mother-of-toilet-set outer ply is deep and glossy looking, neither too vague nor too busy.  Outer edges are cleanly beveled and all of the cuts are tidy.  The holes for the potentiometers (POTHOLES! .. I love it. Expect me to call them “potholes” forever hereafter) even had the small  locator tab(?) holes.

Nitpicking: the foil shielding was only over the control cavity not the entire guard, but I’ve spent more for pickguards with none at all.  The foil wasn’t cut out at the switch slot although it was pre-trimmed everywhere else.  My first impression was that for eight bucks I had scored a very good buy.

I hung it in my mad La-BOR-a-tory.  A few days later I sat down to load it with some Fender Custom Shop pups and that is when I found a problem.  The stupid pickup holes are too small !  An uncovered Strat pup will pass through the hole but the covers will not. The hole seems to be shy in both dimensions.  

At first I scowled, then I chuckled.  Do they have kyoot riddle Strat pickups in China?  I’ve bought many Strat pickguards but this is the first time pup slots have been downsized. (Shame, too because this guard has such nice potholes *grin*)   All of you "get what you pay for" diehards have permission to shake fingers and cluck tongues at me for the next hour. 

As for Donnerdeal, the score stands at:
1 "Me so happy" in the effects department 
1 "WTF?" in pickguards.  

I’m not about to mail this back to Shanghai for an $8 refund, I’m just going to use a different guard for now and eventually either scrap it or try to enlarge these holes. I’m not exactly sure yet how I’ll enlarge them. 

If I use abrasives it will take forever.  

If I use a blade I’ll make them ugly.

If I use the Dremel I’ll make them even uglier - faster & with more panache.  I may even injure myself!  As plan like that is much more my style.  Besides, a Dremel is a power tool!

Dremel it is.  I’ll write when my hands heal.

© 2013 Raymond Blowers