GRAPHTECH Appreciation and Tutorial Thread

[.bong.]

Parang kulang yata sa height yung nabiling kong Graphtech, ano ba material ang ok gawing shim?  

[cayle]

Parang kulang yata sa height yung nabiling kong Graphtech, ano ba material ang ok gawing shim?  

sir bong, heto reply sa akin ng graphtech about this problem.


Cicayle,

Thanks for your email.  One thing you can do is use a small piece of wooden veneer the same material as your neck or fretboard and glue it in the neck slot.  That would raise the height of your slot making the nut taller.  This would be relatively simple and inexpensive.  Other than that I cannot think of another option other than purchasing a new nut.

If you have any other questions please contact me.

Best regards,

James Markus
Customer support.

[siore]

Parang kulang yata sa height yung nabiling kong Graphtech, ano ba material ang ok gawing shim?  

Nakow..  Sayang naman graphtech nut mo if mag-shim ka din.  Kung ok lang naman sayo, pde mo try ung isang ply na manipis ng plywood.  As long as happy ka sa tunog, at ndi mo iisipin na may shim sya later on, why not?  

@randymarsh
Bread knife??  Seriously???  Do you have six sizes of those in your toolbox?    Pa-share naman ng technique.  Hindi ba mahirap saktuhin yung slot width?

[.bong.]

sir bong, heto reply sa akin ng graphtech about this problem.


Cicayle,

Thanks for your email.  One thing you can do is use a small piece of wooden veneer the same material as your neck or fretboard and glue it in the neck slot.  That would raise the height of your slot making the nut taller.  This would be relatively simple and inexpensive.  Other than that I cannot think of another option other than purchasing a new nut.

If you have any other questions please contact me.

Best regards,

James Markus
Customer support.

Nice thanks! 

@ sir siore
sana hindi masyado maapektuhan ang tunog ng gitara ko, pag nilagyan ko ng shim yung nut. Kaya ko rin bumili ng graphtech, dahil maganda raw ito sa tuning stability ng guitar, second lang sa akin ang tone.

[r_chino18]

Nakow..  Sayang naman graphtech nut mo if mag-shim ka din.  Kung ok lang naman sayo, pde mo try ung isang ply na manipis ng plywood.  As long as happy ka sa tunog, at ndi mo iisipin na may shim sya later on, why not?  

tama.. malilimutan mo rin na may shim.. mapapansin mo nalang na hindi ka na nawawala sa tono..  
sir siore, have you already upgraded the nut of your Santana SE?  

@cayle
good job bro..

Nice thanks!  
@ sir siore
sana hindi masyado maapektuhan ang tunog ng gitara ko, pag nilagyan ko ng shim yung nut. Kaya ko rin bumili ng graphtech, dahil maganda raw ito sa tuning stability ng guitar, second lang sa akin ang tone.

hehe.. may ipPM ako sayo sir bong.. hehe.. pero pareho tayo.. tuning stability rin ang habol ko. second lang ang tone..

[masterchoxter]

hehe.. may ipPM ako sayo sir bong.. secret lang.. hehe.. pero pareho tayo.. tuning stability rin ang habol ko. second lang ang tone..

uy.. ano yang secret na yan ha? 

[maxi_musikero]

inggit ako!!!

bro, every penny i spent was worth it.  go for it!  parang christmas gift mo na sa gitara mo yung upgrade.  

[masterchoxter]

bro, every penny i spent was worth it.  go for it!  parang christmas gift mo na sa gitara mo yung upgrade.  

picture picture!

[r_chino18]

uy.. ano yang secret na yan ha? 

wahaha.. naquote agad.. minodify ko pa naman.. about yun sa pagshim..  lol.. 
mga diskarte.. hehe..

bro, every penny i spent was worth it.  go for it!  parang christmas gift mo na sa gitara mo yung upgrade. 

picture picture!

+1
picture maxi.. 
pagawain mo si sir jon ng tutorial dito.. nyahaha..

[siore]

r_chino, still the same nut (didn't I PM you on the PRSForums about it too?)    Got a US PRS nut, but it's almost the same, self-lubricating material din.  I almost wonder nga if graphtech would've been a better option for me back then, it certainly has a better price.    You guys take care in filing those slots.  If in doubt take to a luthier.  I messed up my stock Santana SE nut dati, and that's what prompted me to upgrade initially.

[masterchoxter]

will be posting news about graphtech and such from time to time in this thread...

Graphtech current events:

Recent news:

Liquid Metal Guitars will be using Graphtech Black TUSQ nuts on all of their guitars. Check them out!




Old news:

Ibanez using Graphtech Black TUSQ nuts on various basses and electric guitar models (only on the high-grade/end models).


Manufacturers who use Graphtech parts:

Tom Anderson Guitar Works    
APS Custom Guitars    
Avalon Guitars    
Aria Guitars
B Band    
Boucher Guitars    
Buscarino Guitars    
Brazen Guitars
Breedlove Guitars    
iGuitar - Brian Moore Guitars    
Carvin Guitars    
Cole Clark Guitars
Cort Guitars    
Dean Guitars    
Ed Roman Guitars    
Ernie Ball Guitars
Fernandes Guitars    
Flaxwood Guitars    
Furch Guitars    
G & L Guitars
George Lowden Guitars    
Gibson Guitars    
Gilmour Guitars    
Godin Guitars
Great American Sound    
Guerilla Guitars    
Gypsy Rose    
Hagstrom Guitars
H.E. Design    
Hohner Guitars    
Ibanez Guitars    
James Trussart
James Tyler Guitars    
Jeff Babicz Guitars    
Jay Turser    
JJ Guitars
Kamaka Ukulele    
kanilea Ukulele    
L. Benito Guitars    
Lag Guitars
Larrivee Guitars    
Light Wave Systems    
Maestro Guitars    
Manne Guitars
Martin Guitars    
Mayones Guitars & Bass    
Michael Kelly Guitars    
Moon Guitars
Morris Acoustic Guitars    
Nick Huber Guitars    
Ovation Guitars    
Patrick Eggle Guitars
Peavey Guitars    
Prestige Guitars    
Radix Guitars    
Raimundo Guitars
Rainsong Graphite Guitars    
Reverend Guitars    
Richard Guitares    
Samick Guitars
Schecter Guitars    
Simpson Guitars    
Soller Guitars    
Sparrow Guitars
Swing Guitars    
Stephallen Guitars    
Stetsbar    
Stratage Guitars
Suhr Guitars    
Tacoma Guitars    
Taylor Guitars    
Team International
Timberline Guitars    
Tone Pros Sound Labs    
Trem King    
Warmouth Custom Guitar
Warr Guitars    
Washburn Guitars    
Wyn Guitars    
XOX Audio Tools
Yamaha Custom Shop    
Zion Guitars    


Artists who use Graphtech:

# Andrew Midgley
# Avi Bortnick
# Brian Kriley
# Burr Johnson
# Chris Buono
# Daddo Oreskovich
# Dan Arnold - The Qemists
# Dan Kinzie
# Dan Lawson
# Dave Eichenberger
# Dean Cascione
# Derick Sebastian
# [sausage] Dale, the king of surf guitar
# Fredrick Wallin
# Gary Daniel Cook
# Guthrie Govan
# Harvey Valdes
# Joe Miller
# Johnathan Craven
# Ken Jacobsen
# Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Reprise recording artist
# Kevin Kane
# Lance Reegan-Diehl
# Liam Black - The Qemists
# Marcus Henderson
# Mark Turko
# Matt Butler
# McKenna Andrews
# Michael Vangerov
# Mike Kerr
# Mitch Malloy
# Nick Pinchbeck
# OMEB
# Paul Bielatowicz
# Randy Bachman, Bachman Turner Overdrive, The Guess Who
# Ravi
# Ronny North
# Ryan Peake
# Sam Roberts
# Scott Szeryk
# Sebastien Lefebvre
# Steve Booke
# Steve Oliver
# Sylvester Vogelenzang De Jong
# Tallan Latz
# Tommy Bolan
# Toshi Iseda
# Ty Fyhrie
# Vinny Valentino
# Xander Demos
# Zubin Thakkar

[masterchoxter]

comment about the Graphtech GHOST system from Guthrie Govan:



"I'm very intrigued by the MIDI potential...I never realized such accurate tracking was possible!"
 (Guthrie Govan, Writer Guitar Techniques Magazine)

[r_chino18]

r_chino, still the same nut (didn't I PM you on the PRSForums about it too?)    Got a US PRS nut, but it's almost the same, self-lubricating material din.  I almost wonder nga if graphtech would've been a better option for me back then, it certainly has a better price.    You guys take care in filing those slots.  If in doubt take to a luthier.  I messed up my stock Santana SE nut dati, and that's what prompted me to upgrade initially.

oops.. sorry bro.. must have slipped my mind bout that.. invite sana kita na mag graphtech narin..  

before i went graphtech, i experimented if widening the slots on my stock nut would work.. so i widened them and for a while i thought it was ok and cured tuning issues.. but then, nung tumagal, hindi rin pala.. hehe..

thus i opted for graphtech..  


@masterchoxter

nice feeds.. 

[anoemous]

ui, musta na bro?  

to begin with, i changed my nut 'coz the stock nut gave me constant tuning issues.. i like to do string bends most of the time kasi.. the change in tone was just some sort of bonus for me.. what i was really after with the graphtech nut was for the tuning stability..

after installing the nut, i wasn't surprised that the tuning issues were gone.. totally gone..  
but i was surprised that it played a big factor sa sustain ng gitara and clarity of notes.. parang mas defined at pronounced sila compared sa stock nut..

wow that's nice bro, i'm planning to buy a graptech nut pag may budget na to resolve the issue of my squier 51, kaya nag PM ako sayo dati kung anong brand yung nut na binenenta mo

[maxi_musikero]

picture picture!

wahaha.. naquote agad.. minodify ko pa naman.. about yun sa pagshim..  lol..  
+1
picture maxi..  
pagawain mo si sir jon ng tutorial dito.. nyahaha..

i already took the photos a few minutes ago.  will upload them in photobucket tomorrow sa office kasi mas mabilis ang internet.  

unfortunately, i was not there when Jon was installing the Graphtech saddles, nut and string tree.  i left my new set of strings at home and went back to get them.  pagbalik ko naka-install na lahat strings na lang hinihintay.  we used the slotted nut but he still did some modifications to it.  untouched yung unslotted nut.

[masterchoxter]

i already took the photos a few minutes ago.  will upload them in photobucket tomorrow sa office kasi mas mabilis ang internet.  

unfortunately, i was not there when Jon was installing the Graphtech saddles, nut and string tree.  i left my new set of strings at home and went back to get them.  pagbalik ko naka-install na lahat strings na lang hinihintay.  we used the slotted nut but he still did some modifications to it.  untouched yung unslotted nut.

still... you rock!

[masterchoxter]

wow that's nice bro, i'm planning to buy a graptech nut pag may budget na to resolve the issue of my squier 51, kaya nag PM ako sayo dati kung anong brand yung nut na binenenta mo

click on the sig and we're good to go! 

[st_anger]

Parang kulang yata sa height yung nabiling kong Graphtech, ano ba material ang ok gawing shim?  

try your old credit card, atm card or yung tinatanggalan ng sim card

[masterchoxter]

 P r o d u c t  S p o t l i g h t  -  S t r i n g  S a v e r  S a d d l e s



   String Saver saddles are made with a unique combination of materials made to enhance tone and eliminate string breakage. A string resting on a metal saddle binds and locks the string in place. As the string vibrates, it stresses the string on a specific point producing metal fatigue and then string breakage. Each String Saver saddle is impregnated with Teflon, the slipperiest substance on earth.  This eases the grip between the saddle and string, spreading the stress over a greater portion of the string just enough to drastically reduce string breakage. Teflon is 500% more slippery than graphite and is impregnated throughout so its lubricating properties will never wear out. Artists such as Kenny Wayne Shepherd and [sausage] Dale are proud endorsers of String Savers and Kenny has even included them on his signature model guitar.  

   There are two styles of String Savers available: Originals or Classics. String Saver Originals are made entirely of our String Saver material and will give you an even balanced tone.  String Saver Classics are steel saddles embedded with a String Saver insert and are available in four finishes: Gold, Chrome, Black and brushed Stainless steel. Play with Confidence with String Saver saddles.

Click below to find out more about String Saver saddles.

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GraphtechGuitarLabs/cb0a6dc637/39bdc6cdef/8a1d81d978/CategoryID=3

[masterchoxter]

A r t i s t  S p o t l i g h t  -  D a d d o  O r e s k o v i c h



  At the young age of six Daddo Oreskovich began studying classical guitar and piano. Later, Daddo was encouraged by friends to apply to the Berklee College of Music and study the electric guitar.  He graduated in 2004 with a degree in Guitar performance.

   Daddo's formulates cohesive and expressive compositions, which ultimately represent his personality and background. He incorporates classical and traditional Eastern European music elements and instrumentation with modern progressive sonic expression.  His debut alum "The Other Side" features amazing symphonic arrangements and vibrant melodic ideas.

 "Graph Tech helped me improve my tone, intonation, sustain and my musical expression," says Daddo.

  Daddo's most recent achievements include winning Premier Guitar Magazine's Premier Guitar Challenge.  He was selected as the top electric player with his song "The Temple." In addition to this great honor he also won the "Guitarist of the Year" Los Angeles Music Award. Visit Daddo's website at: http://www.ddomusic.com

Click here to read more on Daddo Oreskovich - http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GraphtechGuitarLabs/cb0a6dc637/39bdc6cdef/4e901a0789/ArtistID=13

[masterchoxter]

 T e c h  T i p  -  I n t o n a t i o n



   Setting a guitar's intonation compensates for the fact that you have to stretch the string a little towards the fingerboard to fret a note. Just like doing bends, this unavoidable stretch increases the pitch of each note slightly, and compensation is required to make the guitar play in tune all over the neck. Because of the guitar's action, as you play higher up the neck, the strings are higher off the fingerboard, so you have to stretch them more to fret the notes. Without compensation, the higher up the neck you play, the more the fretted notes sound sharp, and the more sour chords sound.

   Compensation for this stretch is achieved by making each string slightly longer than its theoretical length, offsetting the increase in pitch caused by stretch with a decrease in pitch caused by greater length. Thicker strings produce more increase in pitch for the same amount of stretch, and so require more compensation than thinner strings. On electric guitars, three strings are wound and three are not, so this results in the familiar stair-step pattern you've seen on electrics.  Acoustic string sets usually have four wound strings and two unwound, so acoustic compensation looks like Graph Tech's PQ-9280-C0 (http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GraphtechGuitarLabs/cb0a6dc637/39bdc6cdef/251d0ed394).

[.bong.]

try your old credit card, atm card or yung tinatanggalan ng sim card

Thanks sir. 

Meron na yung friend ko na ibibgay ng pang- shim, kahoy daw. Pero mukhang ok nga yang suggestion mo 

[cayle]

Alright...so here's a short review of the Graphtech nut installed in my Ibanez RG321MH. If you notice masterchoxter's graphtech thread at the classifieds, there are two links to the Seymour Duncan User Group Forums. One of those threads was created by me, in order to make up my mind for the Graphtech stuff. I made it even before chox carried Graphtech. Guitar nuts are sometimes overlooked by players when they upgrade their guitars. A properly cut and set-up nut could cure most tuning issues...Graphtech did it for me...


First, teh tuning stability....

My RG already had Sperzel locking tuners, which i thought could cure the tuning issues. It did what it had to do, but there was still something that kept me out of tune. The strings were still binding at the nut. Everytime I tune the guitar, there's that "clicking" sound coming from the nut...so i decided to replace the nut back then... I opted for Graphtech nuts.  After installing the nut, tuning stability went smooth. This time, I had no problems with the tuning stability of my guitar. I just pick it up, and i play.

Second, teh toanz....

I noticed that the fret buzzes were reduced. It could be due to the nut height. I had a rounder tone, even with my modded Satchurator which used to be a bit piercing. With the stock plastic nut, i remembered my sound to be a bit thin. After installing the black TUSQ nut, notes were clearer even under high gain. Sustain was also improved. I really noticed the improvement in sustain when i played it clean. Definitely made my Ibanez sound better.

So what more can i say? Get yer Graphtech nuts now!  

[maxi_musikero]

i purchased the Supercharger kit from masterchoxter during the first batch of Graphtech orders.  i had it installed by Jon of Elegee two days ago along with the general set-up (action, intonation, pup height, etc.) of my strat. 

FINDINGS:

-  the clean tone sounded a whole lot better - chox termed it "more glassy" but i would term it "acoustic-y".  every note can be heard clearly when i fingerpick and the clarity is retained when strumming.
-  the dirty tone became fatter and had more body - the change in nut and saddle material definitely brought out the real strat tone in my guitar.  what's surprising is that the SC tone sounded more round than before.
-  the guitar keeps it's tuning well - included in the set-up is a new set of hybrid gauge strings.  considering that the strings still need adjusting, i was surprised that it remained in tune even after Jon did those awesome bends and licks when he tested it.
-  sweet sustain - it was like playing through a sustainer pedal, when in fact i just had an OD when i played through it.  the note rings and the vibration is still felt in the guitar body. 

PHOTOS:

String Saver Saddles




Black TUSQ XL Slotted Nut



Black TUSQ XL String Tree



Other Photos - with matching black pick.   

[arkeetar]

congrats maxi 

astig!!!! target ko na rin magpaganyan hehe 
pagnagkaroon na ng budget haha