Ryan Guitar: Am I the only one ?

[Wade Hampton]

Yes, you’re asking too many questions. Normally we’d have to start charging you for going over your limit, but since English isn’t your first language we’ll let it go THIS time.....

No, you’re not asking too many questions, but you are venturing into the realm where we might not be able to answer those questions. If we were all sitting together in the same room, drinking good red wine and passing our guitars back and forth to each other to play, we might be able to give you a more precise diagnosis.

But instead we’re in different rooms on different continents, and unfortunately all any of us can do is make educated guesses.

If I was in your position I’d give Kevin more time to respond before despairing that he never will. Answering emails is an incredibly labor-intensive job for custom guitar builders, and when they get backed up building guitars sometimes responding to emails can necessarily be delayed.

But I know Kevin and know that he’s a very conscientious guy. You will hear back at some point fairly soon.

In the meantime don’t worry about the strings being so much lighter than you’re used to, just enjoy the guitar and be glad that you found its sweet spot.


Wade Hampton Miller

[brownsteins]

Thanks for letting go this time Wade ;-)

I kind of agree with all of that...

As far as drinking good red wine, that's my first language

I did get answers from Ryan Guitars. Kevin doesn't write personally. Like I said, they assume it's made for 12s and they can't help much more from abroad.

I do enjoy this guitar terribly ! I'll go back to work on Doug Young's DADGAD arrangements for now !

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by brownsteins

Thanks for letting go this time Wade ;-)

I kind of agree with all of that...

As far as drinking good red wine, that's my first language

I did get answers from Ryan Guitars. Kevin doesn't write personally. Like I said, they assume it's made for 12s and they can't help much more from abroad.

I do enjoy this guitar terribly ! I'll go back to work on Dough Young's DADGAD arrangements for now !

Brownsteins, I’m part French, so I certainly understand the red wine part! (My mother’s family originally came from La Rochelle.) But I look like and take after my father’s Scots-Irish side more, which means that I also drink beer, argue with my dearest friends (it’s a Scots-Irish gift exchange!) and burp a lot...

Naturally, you sophisticated French people would never do any of that.

All kidding aside, I think the best thing you can do is just spend as much time as possible playing your cool new Ryan guitar. Maybe in six months or so try some different string gauges to determine whether anything has changed with the instrument: they’re not static, they can and do shift around a little bit as time passes and they get played a lot.

But the most important thing is to enjoy the guitar and play it as much as your schedule allows.


whm

[brownsteins]

Part French ? Who isn't ? French lovers have loved women all over the world

Clichés aside, thanks a lot for your insight and kind words. I do need to enjoy it as it is and ask for music only. Not answers...

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by M Sarad

I am a big fan of D’Addario Custom Light Guage Strings.

Me too. D'Addario Custom Lights or Extra Lights. On the right guitars, loss of volume is really not a problem. And they open up some interesting approaches to strumming.

[brownsteins]

+1

EJ15 is what brought my guitar to life

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by brownsteins

Thanks a lot guys ! I picked it up this morning and the magic is still there and real. It responds to the lightest touch and tone is present at the slightest touch.

Still... I really wish I could know for sure if I'm missing on something. I have never been a player of extra light strings and have played 13-59 more than often without difficulty.

Since this PB was probably NOT designed for XL but more probably for 12s or 13s, I can't help but wonder if there's something that could be done to the setup ? New nuts ? adjustment of neck relief ? I guess the luthier I took the guitar to in the first place would have told me... Am I getting the most out of it ? Am I asking too many questions ?

This is an eye opening thread.

Like yourself, I play with custom heavier sets .135 to .58's in standard tuning, to get the deepest most vibrant tone I can. So This is quite fascinating that this particular guitar gives you better tone with extra light gauge strings. A huge lesson to be learned here= Never assume. Each guitar is built to different specs. Each piece of wood reacts differently.

As far as your question about new nuts and other adjustments, I would encourage you to keep experimenting. You have nothing to loose as long as you document your current settings. You can always come back to them. Yes, Different Saddle materials have an effect on tone. As an example, generally Unbeached bone typically has more harmonics than bleached bone. And of course we all know how different string alloys can effect the guitars tone.

Plus Experimenting is fun. If not on this guitar, one of your other's? Maybe one that you feel a little something is missing? I have personally achieved getting that little something extra through experimentation.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by brownsteins

Part French ? Who isn't ?

Well, my wife, for example. Nary a drop of French ancestry there.

There isn't as much French ancestry in the US population as you might expect. There are clusters of it in certain spots: there are people of Huguenot descent like my mother's family along the East Coast, especially in the South Carolina Low Country where she was from; there are the Cajuns in Louisiana, of course, and there are quite a few people of French Canadian descent in the New England region, especially in Maine. But overall there really isn't all that much.

Originally Posted by brownsteins

French lovers have loved women all over the world

Clichés aside, thanks a lot for your insight and kind words. I do need to enjoy it as it is and ask for music only. Not answers...

I'm happy to help. But you shouldn't assume that asking questions is a bad idea. It's just that some questions are more difficult to answer in this format.

For example, one of the aspects that rarely gets discussed on here is the importance of an individual player's touch and right hand attack (or left hand attack if he or she is a lefty.) The player's touch and attack have a HUGE impact on the sound and vibrational response on any guitar, but it doesn't get discussed much in these forum threads precisely because we're not all in the same room and can't see and hear exactly what each of us is doing when we play. Online videos can give us a hint, but those things only become completely clear to observers when you're sitting in close proximity to each other and can literally feel the vibrations that the player is producing.

For whatever mysterious reason, with your right hand attack that Ryan guitar is responding best to those ultralight strings.

It's possible that if you actively worked on your playing hand technique and consciously tried to modify it at will, heavier strings might work better on the guitar. It's worthwhile thinking about and working on your right hand technique just to become a more versatile player, but it could have the effect of changing how the Ryan guitar responds, as well.

Possibly. No promises.

Anyway, you've got a great guitar there and I envy you for that. I also envy you for the fine wine, great food and outstanding art museums and historical sites you have in France.

We have far more bears and wolves and other ferocious carnivores in Alaska than you have, but they're not especially friendly or cuddly, so we try to avoid getting too closely acquainted...

Have fun!


Wade Hampton Miller

[brownsteins]

Guys ! a quick update... and apologies to all for wasting their time by jumping to wrong conclusions maybe

Took the Ryan to a luthier who did an awesome job. Replaced nut, plek scanned and adjusted every thing. It now plays like butter with 12-53s. Extremely resonant and balanced. Delightful. Same comfort I had with extra lights only more powerful.

This guitar is nothing short of impressive !

[TBman]

Originally Posted by brownsteins

Guys ! a quick update... and apologies to all for wasting their time by jumping to wrong conclusions maybe

Took the Ryan to a luthier who did an awesome job. Replaced nut, plek scanned and adjusted every thing. It now plays like butter with 12-53s. Extremely resonant and balanced. Delightful. Same comfort I had with extra lights only more powerful.

This guitar nothing short of impressive !

I was reading this thread and wondering why a guitar would sound better with extra lights on it. Maybe a setup was done by the previous owner(s) that had everything too low. I'm glad you had this work done and had everything corrected.

[brownsteins]

Thanks !

Nut was too high actually, and saddle not compensated correctly and with grooves in it.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Yes, you’re asking too many questions. Normally we’d have to start charging you for going over your limit, but since English isn’t your first language we’ll let it go THIS time.....

Just one question for you Wade... How many languages do YOU speak?

To Brownsteins (et al)...

It's great that you have found the set that works for you. A lot of people never do and end up selling their instruments. Congratulations!

I have found that often heavier gauge strings can suck the life out of a guitar. A guitar needs overtones and resultant harmonics that produce the potential of its warmth, richness and fullness. I've come to determine that the thicker the gauge the more projection of fundamental. The lighter the gauge the more overtones, harmonics and their sustain. I've also discovered that sometimes putting a lighter Low E string on a medium set can radically change the sound. After all, the low E will produce the most significant number of overtones creating sympathtic vibrations and resultant harmonics through the rest of the strings in the set. Conversely, going one gauge heavier on the high B and E strings can tame a guitar that is perceived as being too bright. Additionally different bridgepin materials can also alter the response of the strings, individuallly, as pairs and (surprisingly less so) as a complete set.

[SuperB23]

I've owned quite a few Ryan guitars over the years. I'm fairly certain that all models are voiced and braced for the DADGAD sets which are like D'Addario EJ24s or GHS True Mediums. Which are mediums on the high e b and low e and lights on the a d and g. The Paradiso I'm selling now was set up for those and they sound incredible on it. 10s or 11s would for sure be way too light.

[The Growler]

Great ending to the story and I'm glad it got worked out. I've played a few Ryan's and was surprised at the way it started. Happy ending!

[Dustinfurlow]

Very cool. I have found that many cedar guitars aren't fans of medium or even true mediums and they sustain and respond best with lower tension. I've actually NEVER used less than 12-52 but I think it may be worth a try on my long-scale Beneteau just to see how it behaves. Glad you found the sweet spot, string tension is such an overlooked part of the equation sometimes, especially with fine, handmade guitars like that Ryan.