Gigging an ES330 (Peerless Songbird)

[tomjackson]

It's not pretty but it works!

[Telerocker]

I like it, sweet guitar, just the chrome covers don't do it quite do it for me. I would prefer black covers on this one.

[Twinfan]

:lol:

Ghetto gigging!

[DoomBuggi]

Is this for the purpose of feedback elimination?

[tomjackson]

Is this for the purpose of feedback elimination?

Yes, it still feeds back but is just about controlable with the tape. 

[shobet]

Does filling it with rags work?

[tomjackson]

Does filling it with rags work?

Im sure it would but they would probably get stuck.  I wouldn't normally use this guitar at loud venues so just needed to use it as a one off while my tele is set up for slide and my strat in bits.  If I was going to gig it more i'd ram it full of towels but i like the hollowness of it playing at home so just use masking tape to get the gig done.

Expanding foam did cross my mind; fortunately my mind was sober at the time :D

[Telerocker]

Maybe you can cut some foam in an F-hole shape and make it black. Anyway, when it works, it works. It does look rock'n'roll this way.

[Ratrod]

There are better ways to reduce feedback.

Use less gain;
get a longer cord;
don't face the amp, keep it behind you and if possible keep some distance;
good quality, wax potted pickups.

[tomjackson]

Maybe you can cut some foam in an F-hole shape and make it black. Anyway, when it works, it works. It does look rock'n'roll this way.

Yes I think you can buy things like this. But tape is cooler!

[tomjackson]

There are better ways to reduce feedback.

Use less gain;
get a longer cord;
don't face the amp, keep it behind you and if possible keep some distance;
good quality, wax potted pickups.

I didn't use any gain, it's a non MV Princeton Reverb Reissue, on FULL!
No point in that, there was 8 of us and nowehere else I could of stood
See below
The pickups have been rewound by hand and properly potted

The tape is for body feedback as opposed to pickup squeel.  Without the tape it is uncontrolable but with it you can just let the body resonate when you want to.  I did face away from the amp most of the time but occationally I turned round so the guitar was about a foot from the front of the amp and just let it howl whilst holding the chords, it sounds very musical.

Ultimately, I'll go back to a Tele and use some pedal gain but it was nice to use a hollow body straight into the amp, but the tape is a must!

[Philly Q]

I can understand stuffing the body with rags/foam/cotton wool would "deaden" the guitar, but I'm surprised something as simple as taping over the f-holes would make such a difference.

I suppose it's like the difference between a BB King Lucille and an ES-335.

[Ratrod]

Ah, wait a minute I get it.

I was under the impression it was a semi with a center block but it is a full hollow body.

Could be it doesn't have sound posts. Sound posts connect the top and back of the guitar. Body feedback occurs when the top and back vibrate out of sync. Connecting them together with sound posts keeps them vibrating in sync, which prevents feedback.

Example of sound posts:


My 6120 has the even heavier trestle bracing that looks like this:

[tomjackson]

I can understand stuffing the body with rags/foam/cotton wool would "deaden" the guitar, but I'm surprised something as simple as taping over the f-holes would make such a difference.

I suppose it's like the difference between a BB King Lucille and an ES-335.

It's funny but even when I had my 335 I used to get feedback out of the f hole, you get a kind of puff of air/vibration on your arm when things get really loud.  I remember jumping the first time I felt it.
A you would imagine, a hollow body is miles worse, I think the tape just seals the air chamber which must damp it enough to take the edge of the body howl.  Either way it does help.

Ratrod, it does have small sound posts, I think it would be even worse without them and I can imagine a vintage ES330 would be a nightmare at the same volume.  But it was loud, only a 15 watt amp but it was on 10 and I was about 3ft away from it....

[Philly Q]

It's funny but even when I had my 335 I used to get feedback out of the f hole, you get a kind of puff of air/vibration on your arm when things get really loud.  I remember jumping the first time I felt it.

Thanks, I'll be prepared now should I ever get the opportunity to crank my 336.  :D