NGD - Top hat and tails

AcornHouse

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Just picked up a NS M-75 Aristocrat. I’d been thinking about what Guild I could convert to stereo output to go with my 200-S amp. I didn’t want to alter a vintage Guild, so I thought the Aristocrat would be the best candidate: no worries about feedback when it got loud, and no chance of affording a vintage one. So, found a minty sunburst one at the lowest price I’d seen on GC used.
It arrived last night, and looked pretty much unplayed, just a few fingerprints. Still had the protective film on the TRC, and the OHSC still had the inventory tag from Guild. (In the accessory compartment, found the checklist card from Sweetwater, so I know where it started.) Playing it for a bit, I found the high strings going out of tune. So I dressed the nut slots and now it’s nice and stable, even with bending. Have two Korean Guilds and both had crappy nut slots; the frets, however, are great, far better than Gibson.
Ran it through the paces at rehearsal today on a Tom Petty show and it sounded and felt great! (Now I’m wondering do I want to limit it to one amp.)
Only a couple of minuses. One: the numbers on the gold translucent vintage-style knobs on the burst top are impossible to read with older eyes while playing. Two: the bridge pup is much closer to the strings making the two seriously out of balance at equal volumes. Since it can’t be lowered, I’ll have to see about raising the neck pup.

No pics yet, but you’ve seen ‘em. It looks like the stock pics.
 
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DThomasC

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Congrats! I love my NS Aristocrat and have wondered why they haven't gotten more attention here.

I hadn't noticed a difference in output between the two pickups, but if it bothers you, then it's real. Actually, I've been pretty happy with the pickups over all. I've done quite a bit of analysis to figure out what it would take to install various P-90's under the Franz covers (some would fit easily, some not so easily.) Even considered having new covers made to accept T'Armonds, but in the end, I find I'm happy with the pickups that are in there. I have a couple vintage Franzes that I might swap in someday, but I'm in no hurry as I find the guitar satisfying to play just the way it is.

It might be of interest to someone: the magnets are the same size as standard HB / P-90 magnets. Replacements with different types of alnico are available everywhere. I believe the stack magnets are A5. If someone is looking for a softer/looser feel they might try A2.
 

Zelja

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I have a NS M75 Aristocrat & I ended up getting the pickups rewound & along with some magnet swaps. Worth it to me. I also had a coil tap done on the bridge PU so it went from brighter (lower, more vintage wind) to a creamier(higher wind) sound. Both very useful. All combos of pickups & coil tap (or not) balance well. Nice guitar to play while watching TV too as the hollow body offers more acoustic output than your standard solid body.
 

kakerlak

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You could always wire up a stereo-to-mono guitar cable for the guitar. I'd say just get a conversion plug, but that's a lot to have sticking out of your guitar in a gig setting.
 

Aleph

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Been eyeing the aristocrat for while now. Thinking of using it like a smaller archtop for tradicional jazz but I never heard/experienced those pickups so I was wondering... are they noisy as a strat single coil? Too bright for jazz or can the tone knob help in getting a smoother voice?

Cheers!
 

AcornHouse

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Been eyeing the aristocrat for while now. Thinking of using it like a smaller archtop for tradicional jazz but I never heard/experienced those pickups so I was wondering... are they noisy as a strat single coil? Too bright for jazz or can the tone knob help in getting a smoother voice?

Cheers!
No, they’re nothing like Strat single coils. They are perfectly suited for jazz using the neck pup, or a combination of the two. I’ve never found it necessary to roll the tone off too much.
 

AcornHouse

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Oh, I forgot to add. As advertised in the specs, it weighs a light 5 lbs, 6 oz.
 

Aleph

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Thank you! I found several vids on youtube of people playing these pickups (on aristocrats and x-175) but the sound varies widely.
 

Quantum Strummer

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The old Franz pickups do vary sound-wise from one to the next, as do most other pickups from the '50s & '60s. Part of the charm! The NS reissues are to my ears at the hotter & edgier end of the range. But they mellow nicely with a little volume reduction.

-Dave-
 

AcornHouse

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Aha! I’ve been hearing a buzzing on the Aristocrat on certain strings on certain notes when I played unplugged. It wasn’t a string buzz, it didn’t seem like it was anything loose on the bridge. Finally found it.
It’s the damned selector switch. Not the nut, the switch itself has so much play in it that it’s vibrating sympathetically.
One disadvantage to cheaper parts.


I wonder if I can pack it with grease?
 

AcornHouse

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I'll swap it with a Switchcraft when I do the stereo output conversion.
 
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Quantum Strummer

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When I first got my Supro Dual Tone it had a strange rattle that I couldn't locate. After probably weeks I finally figured it out: the metal headstock logo plate. It wasn't pinned tightly enough. So as a stop-gap I wedged in an old ticket stub. Instantly the rattle not only disappeared but the volume and sustain of the guitar went up. Amazing how such a small part could drain so much vibrational energy!

I left the ticket stub in place…that original stub has been replaced a couple times since, but it's still how I "fix" the issue. :)

(I may've told this story before…)

-Dave-
 

Nuuska

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When I first got my Supro Dual Tone it had a strange rattle that I couldn't locate. After probably weeks I finally figured it out: the metal headstock logo plate. It wasn't pinned tightly enough. So as a stop-gap I wedged in an old ticket stub. Instantly the rattle not only disappeared but the volume and sustain of the guitar went up. Amazing how such a small part could drain so much vibrational energy!

I left the ticket stub in place…that original stub has been replaced a couple times since, but it's still how I "fix" the issue. :)

(I may've told this story before…)

-Dave-


SO ! ! !

This must be similar to what Antney was experimenting in this post : http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?197527-Why-does-this-happen-when-I-do-a-setup

Small - almost next to nil piece having such impact.
 

adorshki

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sailingshoes72

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So as a stop-gap I wedged in an old ticket stub.

I left the ticket stub in place…that original stub has been replaced a couple times since, but it's still how I "fix" the issue. :)

What concert or band or musician are the ticket stubs from? That could also have an influence on the over-all tone of the amp. You know... mojo! :wink-new:
 

Quantum Strummer

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What concert or band or musician are the ticket stubs from? That could also have an influence on the over-all tone of the amp. You know... mojo! :wink-new:

Hah! Not just concerts but also movies. Every time I go see a particularly good one, and remember to keep the stub, I file away the previous stub and wedge in the new one. The current one is from a Slowdive show late last year while the previous one was from the movie Arrival in late 2016. The Dual Tone is great at ringing, sustained chords…very much Slowdive's thing.

-Dave-
 
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