Fretless

I don't have a mahogany guitar but I do have a mahogany ukelele bass which produces a lovely full tone. I wholly agree and approve of mahogany instruments.

That is a terrific contrast to the M-36, you really have chosen wisely.

That is a great story: you were thorough, diligent and yet open to a great guitar you had not considered. Wonderful! Now, what n+1 guitar are you going to buy with the money you saved not getting the EC?

Pickups that do not use batteries are called passive. Pickups that require batteries are called active. All preamps are active so need batteries. Many preamps are installed in the guitar (in the block that houses the volume and tone controls) because the cable length from pickup to preamp should ideally be short. There are external preamps which are used to improve the quality of passive pickups. In your guitar, if there are no batteries then you have a passive pickup. A battery compartment should be obvious, either because it has its own hole in the back or side of the body (anywhere on that round back on your Ktone guitar) or a small door on the control panel, which looks to me as though that is not the case on your guitar. If you are happy removing the control panel that will give you access to see what is going on inside (with a torch and maybe a small mirror). It may be that a soldered joint has dried out or a component has failed. Either check for yourself or get a local guitar technician to check, although I suspect that getting someone else to do it will be more expensive than the guitar as Ktone guitars are, unfortunately, not of high quality, which is perhaps why they are no longer made. If you have a good guitar you may feel it is worth repairing or replacing the electronics. Companies like K&K, Fishman and L. R. Baggs all make quality pickups for acoustic guitars. The challenge will be finding a control panel that fits your guitar - or a slightly larger one and expand the size of the hole to match. Do let us know what you discover and how you choose to proceed.

Nairon, The best use of your budget will be to spend 50% on gear and 50% on acoustic treatment for your room. More on this in a minute. The Scarlett Solo, 2i2 and similar 2-channel audio interfaces are great for home users because they are of high enough audio quality, audio routing in and out, and robustly enough made. These open the door to being able to use most of the microphones on the market. Choosing a USB mic negates the need for an audio interface but that will confine you to just that mic. It is not a wise route to go unless your total budget is so small that you cannot even afford good value budget equipment. Probably the most popular home recording mic is the Rode NT1-A. If your budget permits getting a bundle that includes a shock mount and (maybe separately) a microphone stand and an XLR cable, that will set you up for a good start. A second mic, when you are ready, will provide further recording options, be it one sound recorded in stereo or a second sound source, eg. voice and acoustic guitar. Headphones. My opinion is that bundled headphones tend to be cheap (and nasty). If you can afford a pair of BeyerDynamic DT-770, Sony MDR-7506 or something that appeals to you at that price and quality point then you will not need to upgrade them ever. When you sing or play, sound bounces around the room, creating reverb (which is lots of relections of the original sound) - a tiled bathroom more than a room with lots of curtains and cushions. Microphones pick up (ie. record) sound that reaches the mic. In an ideal recording environment you want to record the sound coming directly from the voice or guitar but not the reflected sounds. Because home rooms are small the resulting recording will have a small, boxy sound. This is why the wisest advice is to commit 50% of your budget to acoustic treatment. As you purchase more gear, also purchase (or make) more acoustic treatment. This will start blocking the reflected sounds, leaving a purer recording. Companies like GIK Acoustics sell ready-made traps (called that because they trap the sound like a sponge would trap spilled water). It is not difficult to make your own which can be much cheaper. I can explain if you are interested. Why should you trust me, someone you don't know? Don't. Read further and discover these truths for yourself. Everyone has their opinion, their favourite piece of equipment. Me too. Once you start to notice many people (not from the same cluster) recommending the same direction, you can be more confident of the path being suggested.

Over here in mainland Europe we are still in lockdown, as of last week it has been extended another 40 days. That makes it impossible to get out other than to the doctor or the nearest food shop. Still, that doesn't stop me looking forward to the day we can start to meet, rehearse and perform again. Keep well, keep safe, keep healthy, one and all.

You can usually change the valve (tube) in slot 1 to a less powerful one to get a quieter sound. I have done it in my Fender '57 Custom Reissue, changing the 12AX7 for a 12AY7 but I don't know what a 65 Deluxe Reverb can use, probably a 12AY7 or a 12AT7.

Handbrake is open source software and free. https://handbrake.fr/downloads.php

I used Handbrake to rip the DVDs (on my computer) so that I can have the course on my iPad.

I am late to the party, having just listened to all three entries. Well done all of you, that is some quality playing!

Hang on a moment Eduardo, I was thinking you had so many instruments between you but now you say your wife is not a musician. What is that telling us about the owner of all those instruments? By the way, that Guild is a wonderful guitar. Good choice!

My choice would be for my HSS strat as it has been the most enjoyably versatile guitar I have owned. Coupled with the Mesa Boogie which is in itself a versatile amp, the tonal possibilities I have at my disposal mean I can cover country (which really requires a Tele), jazz, rock, funk, pop and other genres with it. I appreciate Nairon is talking about his acoustic guitar and do not want to argue whether an acoustic is better than an electric as they serve different purposes. I started learning on electric and it is still my personal preference.

If you take one machine head out and make sure that the measurements of the replacement are the same as the existing one, they should fit just fine. Check not only the bore diameter but also the peg length, the height the string hole will be above the base of the machine head and the location of screw holes. For example, Schaller shows not only a photo of its machine heads (one model is on this page) but if you scroll down you will see the drawings withg all the measurements for you to check.

Over the years I have had about 25 guitars. Sure, you can try one out in the shop but I found that living with one for a year really helped me understand what I did or didn't like about a particular guitar, plus, I was free to do proper set ups, swap out nuts and strings and so on.