Video

@@JimB802 it sounds like your 2 way truss rod is jammed. If the neck has a back bow without strings AND has 004" relief at the 7th fret with the 1st and 14th fret depressed when strung up to pitch, it is likely the truss rod is jammed in the clockwise position (tightened against a forward warp). The good news is that 004" relief with strings up to pitch is not terrible and in fact is a common truss rod set up, especially for an acoustic guitar. If you are getting fret buzzing above the 8th fret, that tells me that you likely need a fret level and polish and/ you may need to recheck your truss rod relief calculations. While pressing down the 1st and 14th fret at the same time, measure the distance from the bottom of the string to the top of the 7th fret with a feeler gauge. It should be 004" or as low as 002" if it is a solid body electric. Let me know if your truss rod relief is actually 004" (as it sounds like it may be closer to 011" or more.)

I understand. It is unlikely that the glue used would loosen at 140 degrees fahrenheit (about what you might expect in a closed car in the sun). I think the problem that I encountered was that no glue or at most very little was used originally and the frets were not secured at all. And to be clear, I would not purposely leave an acoustic guitar sitting endlessly in a hot or freezing cold car, even if it is made from carbon fiber.

Apples vs oranges. The SC is a Les Paul type solid body electric, this guitar is an acoustic. You are on your own. 👍

Nato, often referred to as "eastern mahogany" is a wood grown in southeast Asia with similar properties to Mahogany in look and tone. It is not actually related to mahogany though but makes a fine, strong tonewood.

@@drguitar001 Got it. 👍

LOL, there was a time back in the late 1980s when folks were sending me guitars and basses from all over the US. It was exhilarating and humbling at the same time. You have a few different questions here. I'm not sure I would change anything from what I have already done. I left the original bridge pickup system in the guitar although I will probably never use it, so that might be a change I would make. In total, I installed a mini-humbucker pickup (Artec MHFA94) that was just $25). It had the right parameters (output and size) and I was lucky that it also sounded quite nice (that was luck as I could not get to hear it first). I then cut a new pickguard out of 1/8" flamed maple and stained it ebony then finished it in 6+ layers of shellac). I also made a tailpiece insert to spruce up the plain tailpiece out of the same flamed maple finished to match the pickguard. And then I replaced the poorly made original tuning machines with HipShot locking tuners in a satin chrome to match the metals on the tailpiece. I also installed a volume pot on the new pickguard and wired it to a output jack mounted on the side of the guitar next to the bridge pickup output jack. SO there was definitely some serious modification. I put Martin Monel (Retro) light gauge strings (12-54) on the guitar and set it up with easy playing low action. Of course, I did an advanced setup with fret leveling, crown and polish. I could have installed an much more expensive mini humbucker, but since I could not try any of them on the guitar, it did not make sense to me to spend $100+ on an unknown. As far as doing it again, I could but the guitar is no longer sold new (as far as I know) so you would be looking at a used instrument to start. It would take me about 2 weeks tops to do the work.

Yep. The addition of the 12 strings adds so much in overtones to the sound of the instrument that laminated back and sides does not seem to subtract from the fullness of the tone. 👍👍

It was not particularly difficult installing a mini humbucker and running a separate volume pot and output jack. As far as replacing the bridge piezo with a different one, that should also be pretty easy ONLY if you know that the new bridge pickup actually sounds better (how you want it to sound) before tearing out the original. Otherwise you could end up with the new one sounding as bad or worse.

@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs Great! Thank you for replying. I'm gonna give it a go! The bridge piezo isn't my favorite, but I love the smaller body of the Olympic. Dave Rawlings plays an original 1930's Olympic, and says the smaller body is good for cutting through the mix when soloing over a dreadnought for instance.

That is kind of a blanket statement. Rainsongs are essentially 100% carbon fiber while only the top of the Enya is 100% carbon fiber. Also, Enya have an adjustable truss rod, Rainsongs do not. So comparing the two is apples to oranges. In addition, Enya is a small fraction of the price of a Rainsongs ($600 vs $2000+). However, they do compare in some ways. Both are loud instruments. Both play nicely. Both are well constructed. Both have a wide, balanced sound. Both are nice looking instruments and both are impervious to weather changes. The Enya comes with a built-in tonewood amp, the Rainsong does not.

@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs Thanks for the info and video. @JimmyBmusic1 is having a problem and he lashes out sometimes. He blames the Enya guitar plant for leaching toxic chemicals into the environment and ruining his "manhood". I grew up next to Jimmy he has a micro penis and some personal problems. He wanted to say he is sorry, he is sorry for leaving stupid/useless comments. If he comments again it's best to ignore.

Hi Joseph. You are correct that it does not sound like either a 000-28 or an HD28. But, as you said, it sounds pretty good and there is nothing embarrassing about the tone. However, I'm not sure you will like the full size X4 Pro as much. The full size one sounds more like a D35, in a bad way. The full size X4 has a very thick lower midrange and very fat bass. The bass is kind of cool, but the thick lower midrange gives it a muddy tone. In addition, it is lacking the sparkle/treble that the mini has (or any other decent acoustic guitar for that matter). I am on the edge of selling mine and getting a mini for myself. If you live near Philly, I would say "Come by and listen to this one before you put out $800 to see if you like it". Good luck with your decision! 👍

I didn't need a fretless acoustic and I purchased the guitar for my wife (she loves it!), so it was not mine to keep. Also, the Enya company wanted the guitar back. 👍

It would not be a good idea to make the lining of the guitar case wet as it would hold moisture against the finish of the guitar and could quickly ruin the guitar finish.

The K&K mini is a great pickup. The Journeytek pickup is very similar, a little hotter (more output) and a little deeper voice (slightly bassier). The real advantage is that the Journeytek pickups are MUCH cheaper (less than half the price). The tuners are the original tuners from the guitar (with the Seagull graphic imprinted on the back of each tuner). They seem to work pretty well.

@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs I never heard of Journeytek. I ordered the K&K from China because I live in Thailand.

@@kingrobert1st yep. Unfortunately not all guitar hardware is available everywhere on Earth. This is the online link I used to purchase them: www.amazon.com/Passive-Acoustic-Pickup-EP001K-Guitars/dp/B088K6431K/ref=asc_df_B088K6431K/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693366139103&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4967610320969767794&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007274&hvtargid=pla-980612391063&mcid=1a0ecc1d40953ed3a4433a5b01908884&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0MexBhD3ARIsAEI3WHKHnha9Hwy-Y6fjJ4x9re7SrffRmPVe0K8ksdvla9vWQJiyfDGXQ_waAr6cEALw_wcB&th=1

@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs Thanks...I'll bear that in mind.

Before then I had a knock off piezo installed which the luthier told me was his own make but they were very low gain and I needed to use a preamp. In the end they packed up. My guitar is 40 years old and has had a lot of pickups in that time. The K&K are way better than al the others.

Yep, southeastern Pa. Do you need some work done?

@@TheGuitarDoctor-zu3gs not at the moment but in the future im sure i will ! Im in Lower Bucks County

How can i get in touch with you ? You tube isnt letting me me send you my number

@@carlrickards6708 theguitardoctor001@gmail.com

No Bluetooth or "app" support. I'm not sure of the purpose of Bluetooth on an acoustic guitar? Connection to a Bluetooth amp or cell phone? Anyway, it does not have that type of setup. It is essentially a carbon fiber acoustic with built-in acoustic and electric effects (if you choose to use them).

Smart, whats that worth in shop cost?

Martin Retro monel strings, 12-54 gauge

I have favorites, but it really depends on the student and what type of music they are interested in. Folks will only practice if they are playing songs they enjoy. For acoustic music (steel string), Yamaha acoustics are hard to beat in this price range. Under $250, I would suggest the Yamaha FS800 as it has a smaller body size compared to the one above and is more comfortable to play (made from the same or similar woods).

Sounds like you did a great job! Do you have any videos of you playing it?

I bought an Olympic a few years ago for $300 at a pawn shop. I’d love to do some modifications on the electronics.

@@drguitar9532 I don’t really , my chops have fallen by the wayside. I was never a jazzman, but I get into a nice groove on the guitar. I don’t play out anymore once upon a Time.

I also noticed that the mic was very sensitive, but easily remedied by turning down the mic volume knob.

"Check, your truss rod with the strings up to tension". I mean that you should check your neck relief (truss rod) with the strings tuned up to pitch (as if you were playing the guitar). That is the only way you can be sure the neck relief (truss rod) is properly adjusted. 👍

Thanks, I enjoy what I do!👍

I installed the Artec mini humbucker. It was also slightly narrow, but I was able to bend the humbuckers wings just enough to fit properly. The pole piece bolts were too long and would have scratched the top, so I shortened them and put a thick piece of felt on the back of the pickup to protect the top from getting scratched. The pickup sounds good, fits securely and the guitar is protected. 👍👍