Dad3353

From that site, the shipping to France is more than reasonable (3.36€, 1-3 weeks...), and payable with Paypal, so I've Done the Deed. @6feet7 : Thanks for the tip.

Sorry; was being flippant, really. I'll be ordering on-line from that link. Disclaimer : I'm a drummer; have never been capable of playing neither guitar nor bass with a plectrum, and these look to do the job, so I'll be giving the 'Starter Pack' a try. Maybe for nothing, but I'd like to have the option of pick playing (and have done for half a century..!). I doubt that I'd find a French supplier, and as a 'one off', hang the expense.

Here, maybe ..?

I agree (and don't go mentioning Nana Mouskouri, neither..! ).

I'm not sure that that's universally true, really, as vibrato, in most instruments (including the voice...) has a musical quality to it, and takes much skill to execute well. I'd agree that it can be a 'get out of jail card' for many, but to use it as a technique is not at all an admission of inability to stay in pitch. Just sayin'.

There are so many aspects, it's difficult to point to any one definitive album or concert. A bit 'left field', but, to me, more typical of these variances, I'd tentatively suggest giving an honest listen to 'Anthem Of The Sun' (an early, more 'free, experimental' vibe...), ''From The Mars Hotel' (very much more polished, with some really splendid intricate work...) and 'Blues For Allah' (a haunting title track, with splendid stuff to boot...). The more typical recommendations ('American Beauty', 'Workingman's Dead', 'Terrapin Station' will all add to the mix. Enjoy. Oops, nearly forgot (tsk-tsk...) Any and all versions of 'Dark Star' (And there are many..!). Be warned: they are not an especially visual band, so not much go-go dancing nor hot chicks in convertibles.

We're here all week.

Polishing all of my instruments would make me swear, too.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff Song - Frank Luther

I rather think that we're at cross-purposes here. I can see the 'Accept' button, and may even be inclined to press it, but I believe it to be deontologically correct to have, equally visible, the alternative 'Refuse' button. I don't see such a button, and when I access the 'Cookie Policy' jungle, I get page after scrolled page of waffle, all of which masks the choice (if indeed there even is one in there...) of refusing. I do realise that sites, blogs and the like have to get revenue from somewhere, and I'm not against that. It's the sneakiness that I object to, that's all. Hope this helps.

Either, as the tone is not affected by the species.

In that case : [Terminator] I'll be back. [/Terminator]

Good evening... Just a detail, and it may be only me, but I won't look further into any site that doesn't have a 'Refuse all' button as well as an 'Accept' button for cookies. A shame; I'd have liked to have 'a poke around' (sic...). It looks smart, clean and interesting, but, to me, it's cheating to have all this 'cookie' stuff 'on' by default, with such a biais towards 'Accept'. Just sayin'; good luck with the venture.

There is Good Stuff in there too, y'know...

I've worked with and alongside many a female singer, roadie, sound tech, lighter, musician, and have no souvenir of any shirking from any of 'em. I realise this is just a convenient stereotype, but I don't know what it's founded on; it's certainly not been my (long...) experience...). Just sayin'.

No spell check, then..?

I gave the whole lot a listen; it's very instructive. No, I'm not a db player (I'm a drummer, remember..?), but the description was intriguing, so... As preamble, let me state that I systematically 'normalise' audio (using Audacity...), so as to have a baseline for volume. Weak/strong signal... Whatever... The most flagrant definite improvement was the AliKat with the Kolstein/Nadine map, which turned the raw 'clank' into a wood-sounding musical tone. All the other recordings of the Wave map from the studio mic showed distinct improvement. Impressive, and, for the Alikat, a game-changer, tonally. Although that wasn't the object of the exercise, it also showed up for just about every session, a lack of precision in intonation..! Good Stuff, just the same, and kudos earned for posting such a comprehensive review. Far too expensive for any use I could put it to (change my Sabian cymbals into Paiste 602's..?), but certainly more than useful for anyone with modest piezos in an otherwise fine instrument. Thanks for sharing.

Good afternoon, RB, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

What grade of balsa..? Inquiring minds need to know... Balsa Density, Grade and Grain ...

What does an oscilloscope show in these different tests..? Anything visible, and objective, rather than just our ears and subjectivity..? Whilst typing this, I've had the previous video playing, with the three different body woods. Without seeing them on screen, they all sound the same, to me.

When building model aircraft, balsa is often used. Balsa, yes, but not just any balsa. It's graded, and, for specific uses, the grade is chosen (the general criteria being density, but not only...). The tail of the plane, for instance, would use the lightest category, as weight in that area has more of a leverage effect. More load-bearing parts would be better served with harder, denser wood, for retaining screw threads, for instance. Straight grain is required for longerons; it's of less importance for other parts. It's all balsa, but the differences in any two pieces can be extreme. All this, to say that wood, by its nature, has wide variation, and to hold up any one piece, of any essence, and say it's equivalent to another, and different to another essence, is flawed. To say that maple is such-and-such, and nothing else is like it, is, in my view and experience, just wrong. One can see the variance in ebony, for example, where some is jet black, others are streaked or marbled; they are all ebony. The aesthetics can play a part (as with the ebony example...), but one cannot 'see' the musical qualities until it's been made into an instrument, and by then it's too late to compare with another piece of wood.

I interpreted what was written as being more 'it's the wood that makes a difference, not the species of wood', ie: two maples would also sound different, and a maple may sound like a padauk and vice versa.. To me, and for what very little difference I hear, I can live with that; it seems reasonable.

If gnat's wotsits are a measure of audible difference, then I can hear a tiny bit of each. There was a noticeable difference in the way the bloke attacks some of the notes, especially in those 'slap-fest' bits, which affects the auditive result. They all sounded like good instruments, but how much, if any, of the gnat's wotsits difference is down to the wood essences used, I'd say the jury is still out. Inconclusive, bordering on proving the opposite, to me. (I won't be hiring the player for the stuff I like, either, but that's neither here nor there...).