Mike Hoodenpyle

Have to agree with MGood1. Also, I'm seeing two different guitars in the custom shop front and back pics. One is a cutaway, the other isn't.

@NeilES335 The FSR you describe sounds like the Sweetwater-exclusive version, so you won't find one of those to try if that's the case. I haven't tried humbuckers yet, but I get a really nice, smooth jazz tone with tele and strat neck pickups.

Mystery solved. In short, it was static electricity build-up in the pickguard. When I was practicing last night, the static and hum started again. At some point, I inadvertently touched the pickguard while I wasn't playing, and the static came through the speaker. So I touched it again in a different spot and got static again. I started rubbing the pickguard, and the static would occur and then stop, so I just rubbed the entire pickguard with my fingers, pressing down a little firmly, and both the static and hum went away. I've never heard of anything like that, so I did a Google search for "static electricity pickguard" and found several videos where others had experienced the same thing. Their fix was using a dryer sheet like you mentioned @Eracer_Team-DougH, except it worked for them, and they demonstrated in the video. They mentioned the cause was playing in a carpeted room in sock-feet. I usually have socks and house shoes on, so maybe I've been getting the same effect. When I had played earlier in the day and thought blowing out the output jack may have been the cure, I was about to go out on an errand, so I had shoes on. No static that time. That would also explain why I couldn't reproduce the issue at the store. So, it looks like the short-term fix is to rub the pickguard, with or without a dryer sheet, whenever static electric builds up. The long-term fix would be to add some shielding and/or better grounding under the pickguard.

I've been thinking it's a wiring or ground issue, but the tech didn't find anything wrong, and it didn't make the noise with two different amps in the store. Very mysterious. That said, I may have partially solved the problem. I blew out the output jack with compressed air, then had a practice session of about 45 minutes, with almost no static/crackling. I guess I'll feel better about it if I have a few more sessions with little or no noise. The hum is still there, though, so I still have an issue to resolve, but at least I don't hear it while I'm playing. Thanks for your thoughts, guys.

Yes, it does it on the Princeton and a Super Champ XD. Not as bad on the Super Champ, but it's still there. I've tried adjusting the knobs on both the guitar and amp, wiggling the cable, etc., and nothing has an effect.

Got a problem with my new Tele. I'm getting static and excessive hum (with noiseless pickups). The static isn't constant, but is intermittent. It's also not at a steady volume, but increases with the amp volume. I've tried different cables, moving the amp to a different room, and a power conditioner, and nothing has resolved the problem. I've also tried three other guitars with the same amp/cables, and I have no static/hum with those. I thought it was probably a ground or some other wiring issue, so I had it checked out. The tech could find nothing wrong, and we tried it with two other amps there and had no issues. I'm at a loss as to what to try next. Anybody ever experience something like that?

Neil, Input 1 is full sensitivity for most guitars. Input 2 is lower sensitivity, intended for guitars with hotter pickups to give them a cleaner tone. You can also plug in two guitars at the same time. Per the manual, the sensitivity for both would be the same when used at the same time, though it doesn't say if they would be full or lower sensitivity. The cleans are pristine. I absolutely love the tone. Yes, by "headroom" I mean you have to crank it up pretty loud before it starts to break up. That works for me as I generally prefer clean tone. If I want overdrive, I'll use a pedal (Boss BD-2 Blues Driver to be exact), and get some crunch at much lower volume than the natural amp break-up. To me it's a perfect amp for playing at home if you want cleans. It sounds really sweet a low volume, but it can also get plenty loud. I don't gig, but I do play in church. It would be plenty of amp for that, and probably for most small gigs. Larger gigs too if you mic'd it. I highly recommend it. I A/B'd it against a '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb and liked the Princeton better. YMMV. Check one out if you get a chance, and happy shopping! Mike

Added a Ltd Deluxe Thinline Tele to the stable. Very sweet guitar. Light weight and a great neck. I really like the fourth position, bridge and neck in series. Gives a very rich, full boost. Also added a Ltd Edition '65 Princeton Reverb. Western tolex looks kinda cool, but wasn't really a strong selling point for me. The 12" speaker was a plus. Amazing cleans with plenty of headroom. Happy early birthday and anniversary to me!

That's a beauty!

Congrats on your purchase! I bought one last year to use at church. I wanted something versatile and inexpensive I could just leave there and not have to carry an amp back and forth twice a week. It fills the bill perfectly.

Thanks very much @IanD

I've always liked "Longhaired Redneck," and even better, "The Ride."

Neither does Laurence Juber. My two favorite fingerstyle players, and neither uses nails. LJ doesn't use a thumb pick, either.

@CapM Thanks very much! I’ll bet you’re right. I just plugged my guitar into my interface and recorded into Garage Band. I didn’t notice if the track was stereo, just assumed it would be mono since I only used one input. Then I couldn’t figure out how to make it come through both speakers. I’ll check it out when I get home and see if I can switch it to mono.

@DianeB @matonanjin Thank you both so much!

@gotto @Dave White @columbo Thank you all very much!

@Oldjock Thanks very much!

@NeilES335 Thanks very much!

This is mostly my arrangement, but I did borrow a couple of ideas from Steve's recording he posted a year or so ago.

Superb. Great composition, great playing and great sound. I recorded Classical Gas on a tele a couple of years ago, so I know what a challenge fingerstyle on an electric can be.

That shape is quite a stretch in the lower positions. Of your two options, I'd say option 2 is better. Another option is to act as though you're barring the first three strings with your first finger. Pull your elbow a little closer to your body in the process, lay your first finger over the first three strings, then grab the other three notes as shown on the chord diagram. That makes the stretch a little easier for me. Just make sure you don't actually play the first two strings. Also, since it's moveable and you can play it anywhere on the neck, work on it first in the higher positions where the stretch isn't so difficult. As you get more comfortable with it, move it into the lower positions and keep working on it. On the bright side, that's probably not a shape you'll ever use other than in the course, so don't stress over it too much.

I bought an American Pro last year, natural finish with a rosewood board. Absolutely love it. Great tone as you would expect if you like teles, but the neck may be my favorite feature. It's like it was made for my hand. I'm not familiar with a Pro Plus, so I can't offer a comparison.

Try playing the D chord with an A bass (D/A), then walk down to the Em playing A - G - F# - E.

Very nicely done, Kevin and Isa. I liked it a lot!

Thank you all very much! Mike