Members JerseyGuy Posted June 17, 2007 Members Posted June 17, 2007 I've been out looking all over NJ and Pa for a new mid-to-high end 6, with help from some very nice advice from a post here (my first ever) a few weeks ago. I played one of those Martin Roger McGuinn 7 strings, and while the price was out there near Pluto, or at least Jupiter, the sound is pretty amazing. It has one octave on the third string and does sound very much like a 12 but you can do clear bass runs and alternating bass fingerpicking. I can't make my one purchase this one (Larry OM-5 my current fave but someone told me to find an Alvarez Yairi Masterworks DYM95C with the Aura pickup), but a thought does occur to me and I'd like to hear from you. I'm thinking of adding a string to a 6 not by adding another pin-hole, but simply running the sting through the bridge with the ball end at the back of the bridge. Is there a decent priced 6 (less than 600) that has a bridge that's thick enough to run a ball-end string through and a peghead that's large enough to accommodate another tuner? Or does anyone else do the 7 string? Right now I took five strings off my old Taylor 655 12 and it sounds luscious, but I'd like to get 12 back on it. Thanks, folks.
Members F-holes Posted June 17, 2007 Members Posted June 17, 2007 I'm selling one of these. If you are interested, PM me. I live in Ocean Grove, just South of Asbury Park. So you can even check it out personally.
Members JerseyGuy Posted June 17, 2007 Author Members Posted June 17, 2007 I'm selling one of these. If you are interested, PM me. I live in Ocean Grove, just South of Asbury Park. So you can even check it out personally. Can't tell from the photo, where is the 7th string please?
Members F-holes Posted June 18, 2007 Members Posted June 18, 2007 Can't tell from the photo, where is the 7th string please? If you click on the thumbnail you'll get a bigger picture. It came stock as a Low B. I've been using it for open C tuning(CEGCGCE). I live in a cottage about the size of a two car garage with my wife and about 30 instruments, including a piano and an upright bass. I have to sell a couple of instruments due to space considerations. Plus, the brakes on my van burned up today and I don't have the money to pay for the repair.
Members DeepEnd Posted June 18, 2007 Members Posted June 18, 2007 I'd find a decent low-end 12 and do what you're doing with your Taylor 655. Alvarez, Washburn, Ibanez, and Yamaha all make 12-strings in that price range and you shouldn't have to worry about excessive tension from 7 strings as opposed to 12. Add Takamine if you're buying used. At one time I took the octaves off the E and A on my 12-string and made a 10-string.
Members Freeman Keller Posted June 18, 2007 Members Posted June 18, 2007 There was a rumor that Martin was going to make a more affordable version of the McGuinn, but I don't see any reason you couldn't convert something. Fill and redrill the headstock (maybe use some mini Grovers), cut an new nut, drill an extra pin hole and maybe ramp the existing ones to get the spacing you want. I think I would try to use as wide a fretboard as possible. I'll also add that when I saw Richard Starkey from Martin play an HD-7 I thought, interesting, but pretty much a one trick pony. Give me a good old growly 12 any day.
Members JerseyGuy Posted June 18, 2007 Author Members Posted June 18, 2007 Very nice suggestions from DeepEnd and Freeman Keller, hadn't thought about just getting another 12. Thank you very much. F-holes, your Ibanez looks like it's just seven strings instead of 6 and an octave matched to the third. How do you tune it? And sorry to be so dense and non-compter-literate, what do you mean by PMing you? Although it would be easier to re-configure (just nut and bridge) it because the tuners and peg holes are already there, I'd be a little worried about running the octave to the other side of the peghead.
Members KATMAN Posted June 18, 2007 Members Posted June 18, 2007 I had a old 12 string once that was made a nine string.Had single bass strings and double treble.If you strummed,you'd get a 12 string sound,if you wished,you could run bass strings.Very cool,I wish I could find another like it.
Members Freeman Keller Posted June 19, 2007 Members Posted June 19, 2007 bingo! http://www.shadetreeguitars.com/ARTICLES/hi_lo_prinzi.html
Members JerseyGuy Posted June 19, 2007 Author Members Posted June 19, 2007 F-holes, your PM quota is full. Freeman, thanks very much for the link -- he's right and very creative. The trick is to find a wide enough fretboard at the nut and a bridge than can take another pin -- amazing how many don't have enough wood behind the six bridge pin holes.
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted June 20, 2007 Members Posted June 20, 2007 Ventura made a 7-string knock-off of the McGuinn Martin...a buddy of mine had one in his music store for a while...seems like it was around $300.
Members mikeSF Posted June 21, 2007 Members Posted June 21, 2007 bingo!http://www.shadetreeguitars.com/ARTICLES/hi_lo_prinzi.html Cool!! great conversion project. looks top notch too.
Members Fred Fartboski Posted June 21, 2007 Members Posted June 21, 2007 I'm selling one of these. If you are interested, PM me. I live in Ocean Grove, just South of Asbury Park. So you can even check it out personally. Is that the AJ 307CE?
Members Freeman Keller Posted June 21, 2007 Members Posted June 21, 2007 Cool!! great conversion project. looks top notch too. My gosh, Mike, just listened to the clips on your page - really, really nice. I think we have a seven string expert lurking here.
Members mikeSF Posted June 21, 2007 Members Posted June 21, 2007 My gosh, Mike, just listened to the clips on your page - really, really nice. I think we have a seven string expert lurking here. really? where?! [looks around] i switched a couple years ago (using low-A) and am really enjoying the new harmonic content afforded by the 7 extra notes. The doubled 3rd string(McGuinn) concept is certainly a very different 7-string application than mine, but a fascinating idea. Anybody have a clip of some strumming using the McGuinn guitar?
Members Fred Fartboski Posted June 22, 2007 Members Posted June 22, 2007 Yep! I bought one several years ago but never play it. I just never took to that extra string.
Members F-holes Posted June 22, 2007 Members Posted June 22, 2007 I bought one several years ago but never play it. I just never took to that extra string. I thought I would like it because I have two five strings basses that I favor. But the tight string spacing isn't the ideal for someone like myself who does mostly fingerpicking. I have a Squier Double FatStrat 7 string which pretty much fills my need to use that option much better.
Members JerseyGuy Posted June 28, 2007 Author Members Posted June 28, 2007 Okay, folks, thanks again for all your suggestions. Here's what I'm going to do. I found a used Washburn D47 Navajo to do the conversion that Freeman linked to above: add a banjo tuner and a new bridge pin and build a new nut. Alas, I decided that it sounds way too nice and looks way too gorgeous (sycamore sides! and made in the USA) and just don't think I can bring myself to alter it. So I kept looking and I found a damaged Parkwood 310M with a crack in the top and a slightly lifting bridge. Sounds nice, not overwhelming but it will do perfectly fine. Bridge plate and braces seem intact. I'll remove and re-glue the bridge and fill the crack and add the new bridge pin and banjo tuner. The saddle is compensated but the space for the third string is wide enough to add the octave without making any changes. I'll then build a new nut -- spacing is going to be interesting, but as configured now there's plenty of room on the outer parts of the fretboard at the nut so I can make the spacing a little wider than the factory did. I've built a Stew-Mac banjo from a kit many years ago and several dulcimers but have never worked on a guitar. It's going to take some time, but I'll post some pictures and give you a report when I'm done. I really appreciate all the attention you gave to this. I'm getting addicted to this forum.
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