IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Body Woods... And, Getting A GREAT Tone!
2. WICKED AIRBRUSH SERIES: Project U.S. Flamed Flag
3. Become A PYOG Affiliate
4. SPECIAL OFFERS FROM PYOG

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1. Body Woods... And, Getting A GREAT Tone!

I recently received this question that I wanted to share with you all:

My name is XXXXXX and i was lookin at your guitars n i was thinking of makin an exact replica of the kramer 5150. i saw one of your kits n i was thinking about buying one. but i would like to know if you could change the body from basswood to alder or poplar because im trying to get the same tone. and also can you send the neck unfinished??

If you can't do that then i just want to know if the stock model (basswood) sounds like the evh kramer 5150?

Seeing as I receive a lot of questions regarding the ready-to-paint guitars that I carry, I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to talk a little bit about sound - tone - resonance - etc.

However, before I give you my thoughts on sound and tone, I thought I would let you all know that I have been playing guitar for over 30 years and I made my own bodies for over 15 years. I've experimented with several different body woods, different pickups, different neck woods, and different amps, so I would say that I know a little bit about sound, resonance, tone, etc. And, I'm a player's player.

• EVERYTHING can affect the sound and tone of a guitar - the paint/finish, the neck, the pickup, the wire used for the pickup, the pot(s), the cable running to the amp, the strings, the bridge, the amp, the effects used, and finally, and most importantly, YOUR HANDS!

• For someone to say that they want a guitar that sounds like EVH's Kramer 5150 requires that they can PLAY like EVH - or, at the very least - that they're technically a very good player. On top of that, the person would need an amp that has the sort of gain that Ed used, and a pickup that won't squeal due to the relatively high amount of volume and gain you'd need to play at to make your tube amp sing.

• EVH, in his prime, could play ANY guitar through his rig and it would STILL sound pretty much the same. Sure, one guitar may have a bit more or less bottom end, or little more or less clarity or sustain depending on the wood and the pickup, but overall, it would still sound like EVH. What that says is, it's how Ed played that gave him a lot of his sound. It was IN HIS HANDS! (And, I'm talking about Ed in his prime - 1978 - 1984.)

• Just last week while I was visiting a friend back in Canada, I had the chance to A/B several guitars running through an old Marshall. Two guitars in particular were identical in every aspect except that one had a beefier neck - fatter - more wood. So, I guess it's not surprising that that guitar ALSO had a beefier tone! So, a beefier neck equals a beefier tone? If you don't believe me, try A/Bing two identical guitars where the only difference is the thickness of the neck. Judge for yourself.

• To take that a step further, identical guitars with identical necks can STILL sound very different. One neck may be quartersawn and another may be flatsawn - and, again, those can affect the stability of the neck and also affect the tone as well.

In all seriousness, I could go on and on about the subtleties and nuances of everything that can affect the sound of a guitar. But, the point is, so many things can affect the sound and tone of a guitar. For someone to say that they don't want Basswood tells me that they really don't know much about what affects the sound and tone of a guitar.

Several guitar manufacturers use Basswood because it's a good wood to use. Charvel used it for their EVH Art Series guitars. Charvel is world-renowned. If it was a crappy wood, they wouldn't have used it and risked their reputation.

The "Ready-To-Paint" guitars that I carry are excellent guitars and once again, I've A/B'd them against some name-brand guitars, and they definitely hold their own - both in sound/tone, and in playability.

 

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2. WICKED AIRBRUSH SERIES: Project U.S. Flamed Flag

Yes - this DVD is NOW AVAILABLE and you can get it at HALF PRICE BELOW!

Here are a few quotes I've received from people who purchased the DVD or received a test copy:

"Maestro - I received the DVD yesterday in the mail, no problems on delivery. I checked it out and if this is your first shot at producing a DVD, you definitely have a future in it. The overall content was right on, the information discussed was very detailed compared to other airbrush dvds I have seen. As a viewer and beginner to airbrushing, it definitely is worthwhile viewing, and I highly recommend it. Thanks for sending it and again, congratulations on a job well done." -- Joe

"John - I got your DVD. Man it's over the top!!! Great Job!! I can't imagine what it took to get this one together. I got to tell you - You make it look so easy to do that it makes ME want to go out and buy an airbrush tomorrow and start airbrushing! That's pretty cool." -- Paul

"You've done quite an amazing job on your DVD, man. The content is great, your explanations are easy to understand, and that second camera getting right in there and showing some of the detail work you're doing is right on the money! I think people will be blown away when they find out that you did all of this yourself. Congratulations on a fantastic product! -- Michael

 

 

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3. Become A PYOG Affiliate

If you have a guitar-related website, I'd like you to partner with me to help promote my PYOG books through my affiliate program. I pay 35% on every sale and some of my affiliates are doing VERY well. If you're interested, please sign up here.