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The Short-Scale Six-String Club Part 2- for the original six-string basses!
- Thread starter Bryan R. Tyler
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Sorry if my first post was negative...just felt let down...
Okay I still need to tweak some things but....anyone want a gently used schecter hellcat vi?
This guitar feels really good with these strings...sounds good but these are definitely humbuckers unless Kurt does amazing shielding (I can't even get one drop of hum..my hellcat must have a problem or something because it hums a little with these gain settings...
The pickups are a little muddy like the minis, but this guitar comes to life with my custom overdrive.
Okay I still need to tweak some things but....anyone want a gently used schecter hellcat vi?
This guitar feels really good with these strings...sounds good but these are definitely humbuckers unless Kurt does amazing shielding (I can't even get one drop of hum..my hellcat must have a problem or something because it hums a little with these gain settings...
The pickups are a little muddy like the minis, but this guitar comes to life with my custom overdrive.
It's definitely more comfy to play than the hellcat...it is also not glossy (which I think a glossy neck feels sticky).
Intonation at 12th fret is good across the board, need to adjust still but I am not done with the truss yet or the bridge height.
One problem is intonation at the first fret...way sharp, any suggestions?
This sounds great with heavy shredder distortion, btw.
Stays in tune with whammy action for the most part...but I am not an expert because I don't own a guitar with a whammy. It's kind of a cheesy effect, but looks cool if nothing else.
Might be able to adjust the pickups...They are almost as high as possible already...might also help if I remove the pickup plastic too...maybe that is kurt's super secret amazing hum shield...,
Intonation at 12th fret is good across the board, need to adjust still but I am not done with the truss yet or the bridge height.
One problem is intonation at the first fret...way sharp, any suggestions?
This sounds great with heavy shredder distortion, btw.
Stays in tune with whammy action for the most part...but I am not an expert because I don't own a guitar with a whammy. It's kind of a cheesy effect, but looks cool if nothing else.
Might be able to adjust the pickups...They are almost as high as possible already...might also help if I remove the pickup plastic too...maybe that is kurt's super secret amazing hum shield...,
Nothing from Kurt yet, but I am probably done adjusting for now, hope to record something tomorrow, my computer is being weird so I have been updating on my iPhone.
Despite the first impressions, I am fairly pleased with the guitar in a way that I never quite was with the hellcat. This isn't quite perfect out of the box, but I spent lot more time trying to get my hellcat right...and I still don't think it's there. The argus has a lot of potential, and if I had to pick only one, the argus stays. If I have to pick 2...then I need the 3 pup argus also.
Despite the first impressions, I am fairly pleased with the guitar in a way that I never quite was with the hellcat. This isn't quite perfect out of the box, but I spent lot more time trying to get my hellcat right...and I still don't think it's there. The argus has a lot of potential, and if I had to pick only one, the argus stays. If I have to pick 2...then I need the 3 pup argus also.
Intonation on the first fret can be an issue, I guess a Buzz Feiten tuning system would fix that, but i think it could just be the depth the nut slots are cut, the larger diameter Fender VI strings might help throw things off a little. Or maybe that fret needs adjustment? I bet a decent guitar tech could easily make the issue much less noticable, but I don't think it will ever go away completely. When I've played songs with capo on the first fret of my instruments, I've just accepted the slight out-of-tuneness (also I mostly played those tunes through my Clone Theory pedal, which kind of blurs the precise note via thick chorus)
I have a feeling that when most of these first batches sell, Kurt will use the feedback from buyers to help refine the next edition...
I think need to monkey with my hellcat a bit and see if I can get them comparable setup-wise, I am better at guitar setup now than I used to be.
What do you do if the pickup (cover maybe?) is loose feeling versus the other one? The bridge pickup felt a little loose on delivery and it still is (did adjust closer though and it does help make it more bright).
I need to do a head to head against the hellcat for sound and feel..this does sound much less muddy now I think...it is within acceptable range for me.
What do you do if the pickup (cover maybe?) is loose feeling versus the other one? The bridge pickup felt a little loose on delivery and it still is (did adjust closer though and it does help make it more bright).
I need to do a head to head against the hellcat for sound and feel..this does sound much less muddy now I think...it is within acceptable range for me.
Buzz Feiten is probably overkill... I think it may have to be with the depth of the nut slots combined with just the function of this instrument..just seemed like its a bit more noticeable now... The higher strings seem fine, its more like the low E and A where it is noticeable...leads me to believe that the nut slots may not be cut deep enough? Not something I have ever messed with.
I'd bring it to a tech if I thought it was a problem...except well all the techs here suck. I'm burnt out taking my guitars to a pro tech for a setup, they never seem capable of doing a good job, even when I give them clear, realistic expectations. I can handle the electronics side, and I've been learning how to do truss rod stuff...and have always done my intonation. The thing that made me want to learn is my Hellcat...the tech was obviously completely dumbfounded by how to set it up... Oh yeah that and dropping $60 every time...that's kind of annoying too
That is what it sounds like to me. If the string is too high coming off the nut pushing it down to the fret is enough to cause it to go sharp.
A qualified repair person can fix that in no time, and it really shouldn't cost too much at all.
You could probably do it yourself if you had the right size files and were careful. Just make sure the slot slopes a little bit toward the headstock so you get a good contact point for the string.
Long ago, before I did my own setups, I would take my basses to techs.
In fairness, none of them did sucky work. They did great work for the way that THEY liked an instrument set up. Not the way I liked it. It's like someone making a great pair of shoes but they fit their feet, not yours.
The best thing about doing your own setups is that they fit JUST RIGHT.
(and thanks for your reporting on the Argus, kslight it's greatly appreciated!)
And the good news keeps on coming. My bass VI build is now underway. Just got this pic from Steve Cyr. We've been hashing out the details, and now we have actual build progress. 
Buzz Feiten is probably overkill... I think it may have to be with the depth of the nut slots combined with just the function of this instrument..just seemed like its a bit more noticeable now... The higher strings seem fine, its more like the low E and A where it is noticeable...leads me to believe that the nut slots may not be cut deep enough? Not something I have ever messed with.
I'd bring it to a tech if I thought it was a problem...except well all the techs here suck. I'm burnt out taking my guitars to a pro tech for a setup, they never seem capable of doing a good job, even when I give them clear, realistic expectations. I can handle the electronics side, and I've been learning how to do truss rod stuff...and have always done my intonation. The thing that made me want to learn is my Hellcat...the tech was obviously completely dumbfounded by how to set it up... Oh yeah that and dropping $60 every time...that's kind of annoying too
Yup. The nut slots on mu MIJ Fender VI weren't cut deep enough either. Manufacturers default to being conservative on this.
I used a rat-tail file roughly the same diameter as a low E string at one end and tapering down to a fine point at the other (available at most real hardware stores) to carefully deepen the nut slots as low as they could go without vigorously over-played open strings buzzing any worse than equally over-played fretted notes do.
When filing nut slots please observe the slight downward angle on the headstock side of the nut AND remove material a few light strokes at a time, then check your work with a tuned string, and then repeat the process until the desired depth has been achieved. Nut plastic is very soft.
+1 on doing one's own instrument setup. An instrument that's set up by someone else often fits like a mitt. An instrument which is set up by oneself will wear like a glove.
The tail-piece on your new 'VI doesn't have Fender's TremLoc but otherwise I'd expect that it's the same: Invalid Link Removed.
It's good that the pickups in your new Agile VI (I don't like the name 'Argus') are quiet. I suppose that means that I can stop harping about RWRP on the toasters.
Now. About those Strat pickups in the Agile Argus LPB...
And the good news keeps on coming. My bass VI build is now underway. Just got this pic from Steve Cyr. We've been hashing out the details, and now we have actual build progress.
ah, another beasty about to be born!! excellent!
And the good news keeps on coming. My bass VI build is now underway. Just got this pic from Steve Cyr. We've been hashing out the details, and now we have actual build progress.
A freshly de-barked 'VI!
Are you going to get the neck from USACG?
What are you going to use for pickups? If you're going with Jags, may I recommend Invalid Link Removed? I've got them in my MIJ' and they have that make-ya-wanna-play response.
If you do go with these be sure to have Curtis pot them. The Fender VI is a noisy beast! 'Sympathetically vibrating tremolo compression spring, string after-lengths, and rattling switch bats.
Speaking of which, I read somewhere that a wee drop of [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (Invalid Link Removed) applied to the switch's stem will keep its plastic bat from rattling due to string vibration.
A freshly de-barked 'VI!
Are you going to get the neck from USACG?
What are you going to use for pickups? If you're going with Jags, may I recommend Invalid Link Removed? I've got them in my MIJ' and they have that make-ya-wanna-play response.
If you do go with these be sure to have Curtis pot them. The Fender VI is a noisy beast! 'Sympathetically vibrating tremolo compression spring, string after-lengths, and rattling switch bats.
Speaking of which, I read somewhere that a wee drop of [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (Invalid Link Removed) applied to the switch's stem will keep its plastic bat from rattling due to string vibration.
I have talked to Curtis about his pickups. Right now they are the front runners. Steve is making the neck for me as well. Going with flamed maple and rosewood board. I should say that this is going to be one of 2. This one is no nonsense other than the flamed neck. The second one is planned to be a bit more flashy. Probably swamp ash and flamed or spalted maple top. Blocks and binding on the neck, and I'm considering using P90's for pickups. As of right now it's only a plan, but I'll sell a few basses to get it, so no reason it won't happen as of now.
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