Wednesday, October 30, 2013

How much abuse can a standard Gibson Hard case take whilst still protecing the acoustic guitar inside?

best acoustic guitar 300 pound
 on Fender Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Sunburst
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Ratty


Wanted to take my J45 aboard but didnt know if i would get damaged by being chucked around in bagage!


Answer
A standard guitar case in the luggage compartment of a commercial airliner doesn't have much of a chance of survival. I've seen people do it, but I sure wouldn't.

When I do have to fly and instrument, I use a ATA 300 rated case from Calzone to protect it. It's a lot of money for those kinds of cases (about $300-400), but I know that my instrument is going to arrive in one piece.

If you do decide to fly the guitar with the standard case, take these precautions:

1. Remove everything from case except the guitar and the strap. This includes picks, strings, wrenches, keys, bottle openers...whatever. They can become projectiles inside that case.

2. Loosen the strings. Don't remove them, but get the pressure off the neck.

3. Use towels to add additional padding under the headstock. This is where most guitars get damaged. Also add any additional padding where the guitar can move around in the case.

4. Tape the locks shut. Security will probably pull the tape off, but start with it at least. If the latches spring, then game over (another reason to use flight cases...the latches won't spring).

5. You will have to take out additional coverage on the the guitar if you want it insured. As it stands, if it's lost or damaged, the airline only owes you about 60 cents a pound. You'll have to declare excess value and will probably have to pay dearly for it.

6. Take all kinds of pictures of your guitar. If it is damaged, then you've got some kind of record as to the condition of the guitar before the airline got a hold on it!

I would discourage you from doing this. A better idea would be to use someone like UPS or FedEX and ship the guitar ahead of you if there's someone you can trust to sign and receive it for you. I would cost you a lot less that way.

Greetings from Austin, TX

Ken

How do you start professionally recording music?




AussiePrid


What tools are best for recording music, rock music, with
x3 Guitar (1 Bass, 2 Treble)
Keyboard
Vocals
Drums



Answer
First decide exactly what you want to do. Let's say you want to produce songs with drums, keyboard, 3 vocals, bass, 2 guitars. You would need a 16 track digital audio workstation (DAW), either a computer-based system if you already have a good enough computer, or a stand-alone DAW, like the ones I linked. Why 16? Because you'll want at least two tracks for drums (maybe 4 or 6), two for stereo keys. Do not get exactly how many tracks you think you want. You will grow out of them, I promise. DAWs typically have CD burners, so you can take your project all the way to CD. Send that in along with your artwork to a duplicating house like dvd-cdinc.com or Discmakers, and you're ready to sell your music.

Very important: Buy a large-diaphragm condenser microphone. Any decent salesperson will know what this is. They are more expensive than dynamic mic's, but this is a very important investment. Small diaphragm is second choice, followed by dynamic. A large-diaphragm mic is what you would use for vocals and acoustic guitars. You can use less-expensive mic's on other instruments.

If you want to record real drums, you'll want to consider mic'ing most of the drums separately. Shure SM57 and SM58 are $100. These have been industry standards for decades, and they take a pounding. They are good for drums, guitar amps, and other instruments. You can buy them in a package with a special bass drum mic (link below). Add to that a pair of small-diaphragm mic's (link) for "overheads" - for cymbals and overall ambience, and you have a great drum mic kit. For a smaller budget you can just get the overhead pair and a bass drum mic.

You'll need to monitor your music (listen while recording and mixing) so you'll need a decent power amp and speakers (monitors) or powered speakers. Good monitors are an important investment, too, because they are your window to the ears of your audience. They need to be accurate, because your music will be heard through ear pods, headphones, computer speakers, in cars, and good stereo speakers. Your best shot at sounding your best in all those formats is to buy decent monitors. You can get budget ones for around $300, but they only really start to get good at $600. Lots of people use headphones to monitor. That's OK if it's all you can afford, but your ears tire out after long sessions. The better the monitors, the longer you can listen without fatigue. You will need a set of headphones for when you're recording acoustic instruments; you can't have speakers on while recording with microphones in the same room.

One very important but overlooked aspect of studio recording is acoustical treatment. It can get very pricey, and there are a lot of expensive and useless products. I've included a link to some excellent advice for room treatment. I recommend Roxul brand rigid fiberglas, called rockboard, insulation board, etc. The article will tell you how to use it.

Once you have a good idea of what you want to accomplish, find a knowledgeable salesperson who will help you fill in the blanks. The type of set-up I've illustrated here is fairly expensive, so have a budget in mind when you talk to them. Try sweetwater.com.

There's nothing wrong with getting an 8-track DAW, a $100 microphone and a set of headphones. Learn the basics. This will prepare you for better-informed decisions when you're ready for the serious gear.

It's a real adventure. Have fun.




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