Euphonic Studio Stringed Instruments

These instruments are some of my favorite playthings.  There's something really organic and analog about picking up an assembly of wood and steel and making music with it.  It's a nice change of pace from the hours of computer time I used to log every day.

1995 Epiphone Les Paul Plus

This is the first Gibson product I ever owned.  It's become a favorite.  It's great for practicing scales or whatever while watching Jon Stewart.  Lots of fun to play. 

I can't compare it with a Gibson Les Paul since I never owned one or played one for more than a couple of minutes.  There is a substantial price difference, though.

The guitar was built at the Japanese Epiphone factory.  This guitar has P-90 humbuckers on it.  One thing I've noticed is that compared to Fenders, the frets are very tall.  This is OK, but you have to be careful that you don't stretch the string sharp with too much finger pressure.  I'm not sure if this is a "feature" or just something they designed.

Epiphone Sheraton, year unknown

This is Epiphone's version of a custom shop Gibson ES-335.  Again, hard for me to compare them since I really haven't logged too many hours on a 335 and that was years ago.

I have this instrument set up with D'Addario Chrome semi-flat wound strings.  I wanted something to play on jazz tunes, and this really does fit the bill.  It's fun to play, and although it sounds great for jazz it's not quite as acoustic/electric as you might like.  There are better guitars for jazz if you are looking for a more classic sound.

I don't know anything about this instrument (other than it's great fun to play).  Korean Epiphone factories use to put stickers with the serial numbers on the back of the tuning head.  Well, it's gone.  I bought this from the good folks at Somewhere In Iowa, a great place to look at vintage instruments and have your guitars set up.

1990 Yamaha Pacifica 521

If this guitar didn't exist, I would find it necessary to invent one.

This is basically a copy of a Strat with some enhancements.  It has hot pickups in the bridge and neck position, single coil in the middle.  With the 5 position switch you can get lots of terrific sounds.

The vibrato is a direct lift from Fender. 

My '71 Strat had a narrower neck and it was solid maple rather than having a rosewood fingerboard.  The slightly wider neck on the Pacifica takes a bit of acclimation, but the instrument plays well and sounds great.  I'd play this on stage any day.

1975 Telecaster Deluxe

What can I say?

This is the instrument I played for most of my professional career.  I bought it from a guy in a soul band in 1976.  I've made a couple of modifications to it (nothing that can't be undone).  The leaf pickup selector switch that Fender put in these was notoriously hokey, so I put in an improved switch in the late 70s and I've never had any further problems.  Also, the pickups are mounted to the body of the instrument with long standoff screws rather than floating in the pickguard, which is the way they come from the factory.  This is supposed to give the guitar more sustain, which it may or may not do.  If I really need a lot of sustain I use a compressor stomp box.

 It plays and sounds great. 

Vega dreadnought, ca. 1975

Vega is the foreign manufacturing plant  (Netherlands) of Martin and this instrument looks and sounds a lot like a D-28.  It's been around the block a few times and could use some repair.  It still plays OK and sounds good, so I don't feel a pressing need to replace it.

This instrument is a factory second.  It must have been built after a weekend of Heinekens, because the flaw is that the name on the headstock was massacred.  It doesn't have any effect on the way it plays, it just looks silly.  It kind of goes well with the numerous cracks in the top from pulling it out of the truck in Minnesota winters and putting it on the stage with the heat vent blowing on it.

Bottoms up!

Washburn B-14

If you've never tried one of these, they are a hoot!  Inspired by a knockout concert performance of Allison Krauss and Union Station, I re-acquainted myself with bluegrass, this time as the banjo guy as well as mandolin and fiddle. 

This instrument came in with some adjustment problems, primarily head tension and truss rod.  By reading a lot of information on the internet I gathered enough courage to experiment with it and I believe it's fairly close.  The head needs to be looser than you might think but not as loose as it was.

I added a Shubb 5th string capo to it and it's really amazing what you can do with some different tunings.  It's really a lot of fun!  UPDATE:  I have been hard at work on 5 string and am now accepting students!  If you need some help getting started with your banjo, sign up for lessons at Euphonic to get you off on the right track!

Harmony mandolin

This isn't really that good of an instrument, but it's capable of playing in tune and the action is playable.  I've never played much mandolin, except on one memorable drive from Minneapolis to Glacier National Park in the early 80s.  (Hey, Maggi, I've got some special recordings of mandolin for you.)  The tuning is the same as violin, but the finger placement isn't exactly the same since you have to play behind the frets.

I'll leave the virtuoso mandolin playing to Ricky Scaggs and others of his ability.  But it's sure handy to have another authentic acoustic voice in Euphonic Studio's sound palette. 

4 and 5 string electric violins

I'm thinking about buying these.  I'm not done trying them out quite yet.  I have discovered that to create a listenable sound with these, you need an inline EQ and you have to roll off the high end considerably.  Add in a bit of digital reverb, and they sound quite passable. 

I cut a new bridge for the 4 string and I need to do that for the 5 string as well.

1974 Roth 8R and 1890s G. Bernardel

I've had these for years.  I got the Bernardel in 1961 for a birthday present (some present!) and I bought the Roth in 1980 from Wall Violin in Souix City, Iowa.  Mr. Wall has since passed on.  The Roth has a dark, sweet sound and the Gustave Bernardel is sweet, clear, bright, and loud .  The last repair technician who looked at it (Reck violin in Coralville)  remarked that he was very surprised at its volume.