CHEAP UPGRADES for your ACOUSTIC GUITARS - What can you do for under $50?
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
- #PlateMate #bonebridgepins #guitardiscoveries
Robert Cassard shares two easy low-cost ways to upgrade any acoustic guitar - especially a vintage acoustic. Adding a Mitchel's PlateMate on the underside of the bridge and switching to bone bridge pins can make a surprisingly audible difference in resonance, brilliance and sustain. And you can install them yourself for under $50! Hear the difference for yourself as Robert A/B tests his 1964 Gibson J-50 by playing it Before and After the upgrades.
But Mitchel's PlateMate here: www.mitchelspla...
(Currently $19.95 + S&H)
Blisstime Bone Bridge Pins with Abalone Dot:
amzn.to/2sZIwIZ
($8.99 + S&H)
Robert Cassard shares guitars, gear and tips to make you a better musician.
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Hi, my name is Robert Cassard. I'm a lifelong guitar player, singer-songwriter, producer, and music fanatic. I create Guitar and Recording Discoveries videos with a simple goal: to make YOU a better, happier, more confident musician!
In 2018, after more than 40 years as a pro musician, I started sharing my experiences through easy-to-understand CZcams videos - giving you shortcuts to de-mystify playing, singing and recording.
My "day job" is as a video writer/producer/director. Often it's hard to balance my need to earn a living with my desire to share the pure joy of music through the CZcams videos I make for free.
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Interesting. Seems like it creates a slightly brighter sound with maybe more clarity between the individual strings, especially noticeable on the "Blossom" passages. Do you have an idea of which mod made the biggest difference? My guess would be the metal plate. How does the Plate Mate attach to the bridge plate? BTW, bone saddle?
Right, Steve. Definitely more clarity "between the strings" as you put it. It was a bit bright for my taste when I recorded this (the strings were brand new), but it mellowed to perfection after about an hour of play time. From previous experience with a late 1800's Martin acoustic, I think the PlateMate makes the biggest sonic difference. It comes with an adhesive strip to attach it to the bridge (kind of weak), but you can use museum putty if you want to be able to remove it later, or go ahead and glue it on if you want it to be permanent. Yes, bone saddle. I had the original "ADJ" adjustable bridge replaced when I added a Fishman Matrix pickup in the mid-00s.
BTW - bone bridge pins are so inexpensive, they fall under the category of "just do it."
Ya know, I was thinking that the increased brightness might be augmented when the guitar is plugged in...especially if using a piezo under saddle pickup. But you're right, seems like something worthwhile and inexpensive based on your results highlighted in your video. AND, it won't take up anymore space up in my house like another guitar would. :-) (Still lying in wait for one of those great old Nippon Gakki Yamaha's though. :-)
How old were the strings before the change? I'm trying to sort out what is just new string vs the upgrade. The older investments I've made in to switch the saddle and bridge with Graph Tech Tusq.
Definite difference. More clarity and bit of high end with the upgrades. Really good comparison video work! Thanks.
Glad you liked it, Steven!
It's hard to express how much I've come to love this guitar after these tweaks, and the original tweak of replacing the adjustable bridge with a fixed bridge and bone saddle.
Check out how it sounds on my video about What I Learned from James Taylor: czcams.com/video/YFThZipY-BY/video.html
Or when it's played with a rubber mute, and through an amp and reverb effects on my cover of John Lennon's song Julia:
czcams.com/video/oc21zgCnnlQ/video.html
@@RobertCassard I will! Thanks!
Definitely gave it more clarity but personally I prefer the warmth of the original. It would be cool if there was a wooden version of the Platemate for that added protection.
Cool idea, ducciboi. A good luthier could certainly make a plate like that. I was on the fence about my preference, but there’s good news after playing another hour or so on the new strings. The extra brilliance has mellowed enough that it sounds “all wood” again, and the added volume is down to +2db.
The bone pins and bridge plate PlateMate definitely made the guitar sound better. Great ideas and inexpensive. Nice. Thanks Robert!
Cassard sounds very French to me. My mother was a Cormier from Moncton, New Brunswick and she sent me to a French school in Moncton for 9 years. Because of that I did my degrees in French linguistics and then became a French high school teacher for many years...I am now retired from that occupation.
Thanks, Brian. Those small upgrades make a big difference as the strings age. The guitar retains a high-end brilliance quite a bit longer than without them.
Cassard is definitely French. J'ai une longue lignée d'ancêtres en région parisienne et en Bretagne.
Good experiment. I would say that changing anything should be done one at a time. You changed two things so which if any gave the result . Did you try with just the plate and the old plastic pins ? Might be interesting ? My old ears have never heard difference in pin changes I have done and didn't really hear any big difference in tone with the plate but maybe a bit louder but that's me just reasoning that better contact with the bridge should give better transfer. With this the result it should have been louder and with more sustained notes taking longer to decay but you didn't demo that . Give it a try ? Let us know ? Lastly as with any upgrade , if the player hears a difference then it has been worthwhile, that's all that matters .Well worth while video as always.
Oh wow, yeah I can definitely hear a difference. Thanks for the tips
Happy to help!
Definitely brighter and clearer after the changes
For sure, Randy, thanks.
I could definitely hear more clarity. It sounded much brighter to my ears.
For sure, Tyler. Do you like the extra clarity or prefer the mellowness before the upgrades?
@@RobertCassard yes I like the clarity sounds great. However, personally I like a little warmer sound. Just depends on the person and use of the guitar.
@@tylerwillison4962 After about 60 minutes of play time, the strings' brightness mellowed enough to be absolutely perfect. My ultimate judgement is that these were VERY worthwhile upgrades!
Hmmmm! Imma have to pick these up for my guitar. I'd love to hear these same mods with the addition of a slotted bridge with unslotted bone pins.
What a thought, groadybones! Your guitar might just wake up, walk into the kitchen and start making you breakfast....
I put open back Waverlies on my J35.....nice improvement.
Good idea. The old 3-on-a-plate tuners are fine, but there are certtainly better options!
Great video, Robert. I think I like the warmth prior to the plate mate but in order to protect the bridge I'm going to try it out since I already have some damage that I need to ensure doesn't get worse. Will be putting it in my Taylor 324ce. I love the current tone but it is quite a 'dark' sounding guitar so I might be able to live with the difference. It's encouraging you've mentioned the mellowing in tone since the strings were played for a bit. Will be interesting to hear in person.
Now that I’ve lived with the PlateMate for quite awhile, I’m SO glad I put it in my J-50! It sounds a little overly bright for about 30 minutes after changing strings (even coated strings). But after that, the tone is perfect for many hours of play. Come back and tell me how it sounds in your Taylor and if it brightens it up a notch.
Dude, best video ever! Thanks you guys.
Wow, thanks, Matt. Sometimes it's the little things... 🌟🎼😎
Thanks!!! Very informative!
You’re so welcome, Angel. I hope it helps bring an old guitar back to life. Listen to how my Gibson J-50 sounds now, even with strings a few months old: czcams.com/video/YFThZipY-BY/video.html
Actually did a lot more than I expected
I think so too, Pluggzzy!
Thanks for this video. I hadn’t heard of the Mitchell PlateMate but I just ordered it and both brass and bone pins for my 81 HD-28. It’s already glorious but why not try some cheap upgrades and see if I like them. :) thanks again!
Glad it was helpful, Iselin! Come back and tell me how you like 'em. For me, following these upgradesm my Gibson sounds a little bit bright when the strings are brand new, but with these upgrades, it sounds brilliant and perfectly balanced for MANY hours of play as the strings age.
You forgot to mention the New Strings which I'm sure made the biggest difference.
Shouldn’t be the case. Both the pre- and post-upgrade strings are Elixir Nanoweb Light Gauge. From my notebook, the pre-upgrade strings had been approximately 3 play-hours old. I tried to match that 3 hours of play time on the new strings prior to demoing the post-upgrade sound. In general, it takes me about 10 hours of play time to hear a significant difference between “old” strings and new ones with Elixirs.
Wow what a difference!
Yeah, Dylan. I recommend these options especially for guitars that sound a bit “dark.” They make any guitar sound significantly brighter and more brilliant.
Wow, the mods really cleaned up the sound, sounds like a real guitar now 👍
LOL a "real" guitar! It's been a few years now since I made those mods and overall, I love 'em. Check out the tone of the J-50 in a recent video like this one about what I learned from James Taylor: czcams.com/video/YFThZipY-BY/video.html
@@RobertCassard yeah, I was just having a dig at the typical Gibson muddy, thuddy tone, all in fun, I adore the slope shoulder dreadnought shape though and have one from a different maker, I'll check out the link 👍
@@fourocker huge slope-shoulder fan here as well. Nothing muddy-thuddy about this Gibby ever since I replaced the adjustable bridge…
@@RobertCassard I'd have to agree totally from what I heard in the video, well worth the effort 👍👍
@@fourocker Thank you - I agree 100%
Hi Robert , interesting vid , I mite try them both on my old red. Label fg300 although see sounds sweet as a nut already 🎙
They’re easy upgrades and you’ll know quickly if you like the changes or not. The PlateMate is the most obvious and significant. Makes the guitar brighter and louder. It pairs well with coated strings, which are a little more rolled-off on the high-end. Have fun and stop back to tell me how you like em!
Definitely sounds much brighter after the upgrades
They sound even better as soon as the new strings have a little play wear. The edgy brightness gives way to a much longer period of gorgeous, ringing sustain.
Night and day difference in comparison with the original one in my opinion for the price!
Do you have any tips on increasing bass response as theres manyier methods to get better highs and mids?
Hey, Brad. glad you like the upgrades. These upgrades do increase bass response, but it may not seem so obvious because they increase ALL the frequency ranges. If you’re looking to add more bass in the balance, my suggestion is to try moving to slightly heavier gauge strings, or moving to a custom set where only the bass strings increase in gauge. Small differences in the gauge of bass strings make an audible difference!
Hmm. Sounds better, but I'm not sure yet. Do you have something in yellow, perhaps short sleaved?
I like your fashion sense, Chris. It’s all about the colors!
🤣
Yeah, I'm just weird that way!
I enjoy your videos no matter what color you wear, so no need for fashions. Lol.
I am thinking a paisley or tie die for that Psychedelic sound
bone saddle and nut would have made a differance! too...!
Yes sir, Daniel, they would have... These were just a $50 upgrade. In this case, my saddle had already been upgraded to bone when I had the pickup system installed.
So much brighter
Yeah, kind of surprising, eh Love Machine?!
i prefer updated, feeling more clear
Thanks Jin. I agree!
You look like james hetfield 2016 look 😅❤🔥🤘🏽
I'll take that as a compliment, Zahid!
Wtf Gibson. How you going to put plastic pins in? In a Gibson..... Shame!!
Most of the vintage pins aren’t “plastic,” as I said in this video, they’re actually celluloid. And it’s flammable, so don’t try to heat and re-shape them!
@@RobertCassard I know. I know, I was shredding on my guitar so damn hard the other night it caught fire because of it!!!
I wish kind of. Not really shredding's not really my style honestly...lol but for now.
@@Vshamann336 You're a celluloid here!