which nuts??? what string gauge??? push-push or mini toggle?

[cnotold]

Hi all, am currntly planning to cure my second hand washburn p4 custom shop (its'a a les paul style guitar - nuno bettencourt used it in early 2000)since she is in very critical condition. symptoms are as follow;

1. i prefer lowest string action as possible, but there are severe fret buzzs
2. nut has been replaced by the previous owner and its too low!!!!
3. it's duncan 59's(both front and rear) doesn't sound like 59's anymore.
4. a chip at the front end!

so i decieded to send her to charlie chandler since I've been told that he is one of the best around with plek system for crowning and fret dressing.

before i send her to him, i have few questions to ask to you guys.

1. there are different kind of nuts availble, graphite, ivory, brass etc... do they sound much different from each other? if so could you share your knowlege with me?

2. I currently use 9s for the strings. since i detune my guitar to e flat, i wanted to install 10's in her but i've been told they grind your frets down a lot faster than 9s. is it true?

3. i am thinking about getting rebell yell when it comes out, and thinking about wiring it in pararel for spliting coils. would you rather go for push push on both volume and tone controls or would you install mini toggles for switching? i've been told that push-push has reliability issue?

I would appreciate if you guys could share your experience and knowledges with me. thanks!

[jt]

:D Personnaly i use Bone or Graphtec nuts. Solid & i personnaly think it helps with note definition. It`s true that alot of plastic nuts these days are alot better than they used to be. It`s a personal taste thing.

I use 10 - 52 gauge GHS Boomers & i can`t say i`ve ever heard of thicker guage strings wearing the frets down faster. And even if they do it`ll still be years & years before you`d need to look at doing a re fret.

I have Push Pull pots on 2 of my guitars. [ Coil Tapping ] I find there not a problem & utterly reliable. But it depends on how much abuse you give them. I had selector switching on my strat, & found it awkward i much prefer push/pull pots, but again it`s a personnal preferance thing.

 :D  8)

[Searcher]

1. there are different kind of nuts availble, graphite, ivory, brass etc... do they sound much different from each other? if so could you share your knowlege with me?

They sound a little different, yeah.  It's hard for me to say exactly how much, because, while I've played several different kinds of nuts (well, I played the guitars actually, but you get the idea), they were in different guitars.  Graphite nuts have an advantage other than sound, and that is the fact that they provide less friction and the strings stay in tune a bit better.

2. I currently use 9s for the strings. since i detune my guitar to e flat, i wanted to install 10's in her but i've been told they grind your frets down a lot faster than 9s. is it true?

I wouldn't be concerned about this.  Stainless steel strings apparently wear your frets down a bit faster as well, but I use them and don't have to do refrets all that often.

3. i am thinking about getting rebell yell when it comes out, and thinking about wiring it in pararel for spliting coils. would you rather go for push push on both volume and tone controls or would you install mini toggles for switching? i've been told that push-push has reliability issue?

It shouldn't have any more issues than any other electrical component of your guitar.

[monkeywalker]

i have never heard that heavier strings wear down the frets easier and i have never experienced it.

 if you play alot,the frets will wear quicker than if you don't play alot, i wouldn't wurry about string guage.
just try some different guages and see which you prefer.

most people go for graphite or bone i would say.

personally i would go for mini toggle switches over push pull, i find them easier to use but as Jt says, its just down to what you prefer.

however if you wanted a toggle for each pup it would mean routing new a new hole to accomodate one of them.

[cnotold]

thanks for all your replies monkeywalker, Searcher, jt. I would take your advice to ignore the myth of 'heavier strings wear down the frets easier' theory.

just a thought about a volume pot though. There are guitarists like paul gilbert, nuno bettencourt who only has 1 vol, no tone. when they roll down the vol. it cleans up distortion and make it sound almost single coil pickup, quite twangy sound without losing much volume. (steve vai does it in tender surrender music video as well) What's the trick behind it?

i know there are product such as Q-Filter (http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/Pickup_Window/Q-Filter.htm) to reduce impedence to make humberker sounds like single coil but i don;t thinkg vai or gilbert use them.  :?

[monkeywalker]

well assuming that you just have a volume and no tone, the tone will be full all the time as there will be no option to take it down.

you get this single coil sound out of alot if not all humbuckers on the overdrive channel of an amp with the volume down. BkPs do it, i use that method quite a lot, volume down on guitar, volume up on the amp and like you say it sounds quite twangy.if you take the volume down to about 4-5 you should get that sound

i know that doesn't explain why but you should be able to achieve this sound quite easily when you want it mate.