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Old 11-21-2013, 09:32 AM
Bill Reid Bill Reid is offline
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Default Best Anti-Squeak?

I'm adapting to a Breedlove Atlas Studio 14-fret classical for fingerstyle ballads and blues. My classical chops are rusty, and there's a lot of loud, amplified fretting squeak on the wound strings as I move up and down the neck. I'm used to sliding (with or without a gliss) to some positions on my steel-strings, and picking up my left hand is often not intuitive (and sometimes the slide is part of the performance). I imagine I'm fretting harder because I'm used to steel, but the squeak is objectionable even with a light touch.

I'm using heavy strings now, because of the genres and venues I play.

The guitar has a notch filter, but I haven't been successful in reducing the squeak. My amps don't have notch finlters and I'd hate to add a preamp to the gear I lug around. (I have a Taylor K-4.)

Anyone have a suggestion for a string dressing, string type, or just better technique?

Many thanks,
Bill
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Old 11-21-2013, 09:41 AM
scottishrogue scottishrogue is offline
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Cool Best Anti-squeak?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Reid View Post
Anyone have a suggestion for a string dressing, string type, or just better technique?
Bill, what you should try are "flat wound" strings. I use Thomastik-Infeld CF127 Superlona flat wound nylon strings on my classical guitars, and they do a super job of eliminating the squeak you hear from "round wound" bass strings. A set will run around $20, but worth every penny!

Glen
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Old 11-21-2013, 12:41 PM
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WaddyT WaddyT is offline
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Eliminating squeak is a technique problem. Flat wound strings are a band-aid.
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Old 11-21-2013, 01:52 PM
Garthman Garthman is offline
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La Bella 900 series.

These have bronze-wound basses that are ground and polished to give a smooth finish. There is a choice of gold or black trebles. There is also a set with a wound 3rd.

Great strings - good sound, long-lasting and very reasonably priced (around $8).

http://www.juststrings.com/lab-900b.html

http://www.juststrings.com/lab-900gs.html
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Old 11-21-2013, 02:12 PM
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My former instructor used to rub a candle over the strings before recording sessions.
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Old 11-21-2013, 04:46 PM
BKENNA BKENNA is offline
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Default Thomastik-Infeld

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottishrogue View Post
Bill, what you should try are "flat wound" strings. I use Thomastik-Infeld CF127 Superlona flat wound nylon strings on my classical guitars, and they do a super job of eliminating the squeak you hear from "round wound" bass strings. A set will run around $20, but worth every penny!

Glen

Thomastik-Infeld I don't play classicalI play steel string and they are the way to go, from my usuing and listening experience. Aren't they excellent!
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Old 11-21-2013, 11:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WaddyT View Post
Eliminating squeak is a technique problem.
I see...when you have to slide a fret or two on the low E you're not actually sliding, you would lift your finger ? I wish I would know how to do that.
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Old 11-21-2013, 11:22 PM
CodeBlueEMT CodeBlueEMT is offline
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I use a product called Fingerease. About $5 a can. Should help with your "talking" strings.
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Old 11-22-2013, 10:13 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bern View Post
I see...when you have to slide a fret or two on the low E you're not actually sliding, you would lift your finger ? I wish I would know how to do that.
I'm probably not as adept at playing as you are, but there is more than one way to skin the cat. I don't know any pro players who use aids or flat wound strings. They use the oil of their forehead or from around the nose to lubricate their fingers then when they slide, they tilt the finger, sliding on the side vs. sliding on the tip. I know you have seen a player, on stage, touch his forehead or rub the tip of his nose between pieces. The squeak goes away. There are other tricks too, but I don't know them all. Ask someone who doesn't make them how they avoid them, because they learned to avoid them. It doesn't come naturally.

Michael Lorimer said, in a master class, "If it's not in the music, don't let it make a sound." The key is learning not to play rushed, but learning to play relaxed, and know your music so moves are anticipated and never a surprise.
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Old 11-22-2013, 02:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WaddyT View Post
I know you have seen a player, on stage, touch his forehead or rub the tip of his nose between pieces. The squeak goes away. There are other tricks too, but I don't know them all.
Personally, I don't consider those tricks as technique. They're more or less aids. Somebody people don't sweat.
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Old 11-22-2013, 03:11 PM
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It isn't sweat. It's the oil from the skin. Acts as a lubricant and it's free. Everyone has some. And, yes, it's a trick, but the technique is not to slide the tip of your finger, tilt the finger, and lighten the pressure as you slide.
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Old 11-23-2013, 02:38 PM
Bill Reid Bill Reid is offline
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Thanks for all the good advice. I'll start applying it (and maybe try the flat-wound "Band-aid" -- no pun intended I assume -- in the interim).

At least I know I'm not the only person to search for a solution (and I use finger-ease on my steel-strings. Should have thought of that, but the flat-wound solution is the most intriguing.)
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"I'm what's left of Bill Reid and this is how we start the show." (Friendly plagiarism from Hoyt Axton, who died 'way too soon)
======
Martin Steve Miller Pegasus #299/383
Taylor 14 body BTO ("The Junebug Special")
414ce
National Rez O-14
1971 Tak 12


Last edited by Bill Reid; 11-23-2013 at 08:25 PM.
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Old 11-30-2013, 01:17 AM
Portland Bill Portland Bill is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WaddyT View Post
Eliminating squeak is a technique problem. Flat wound strings are a band-aid.

John Williams uses treated basses,hardly lacking in technique is he
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  #14  
Old 11-30-2013, 09:42 AM
sprucetophere sprucetophere is offline
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Default What Waddy Said

Below is an excerpt of notes from a David Russell master class. He's known for his noiseless playing (among other things).

David Russell. GFA Festival, Buffalo, October 1993.

David Russell's tips on the musical interpretation of a piece seem so perfect and logical that you'll wonder why you don't think of such "obvious" things when you play. The sad truth, though, is that his performance genius is reserved for a miniscule fraction of the human race.

A couple of technical pointers rang a bell with me. He told one guy to leave out a note that was causing problems and ruining the flow of a piece. "Nobody will notice!"

Another one I liked, but which surprised me a bit coming from a world class guitarist, was his advice to adjust some fingerings to get the stronger fingers 2 and 3 in position for some ornaments rather than the indicated fingers 3 and 4. (I've been doing that for years, too!) In fact, David could play it just fine with 3 and 4, but this nod to the rest of humanity was very kind of him.

Regarding the glissando, David said to lean the finger over to avoid using the calloused part of the tip.
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