I got to meet Ben Woods about five years ago. He told his story about how he had a cool electric guitar with a double stack amp. His roommate stole it, but left behind the classical guitar, so he ran with it. Great guy. RIP
The Yngwie Malmsteen STCL-140YJM Strat mentioned in the video had Mike Christian (Ghost) saddles, a Bartolini piezo preamp (input rated 10 mega-ohm for piezo), and a 9V battery door on the backside of the body. The Nylocaster had no onboard preamp. Ben Woods performed using Fishman Loudbox amps, as their inputs are also rated for maximum piezo potential. The Nylocaster was intended to be played through proper equipment in order to achieve maximum frequency response and dynamic range. Ben was an endorsing artist for Godin, Fishman, and Ortega Guitars. The Brenner P1-1AR saddles that he purchased for Nylocasters, were engraved with a NYLOCASTER logo that he created. Ben used the Audacity program to graph and study his audio files in efforts to best capture the amazing articulation in his playing style. His videos and recordings would provide the best sound samples of his work, and the Nylocaster. Ben was an incredible guitarist, graphic artist, and friend. I miss him greatly!
@@DocHelliday He originally used the top-loading bridge that came stock on the Squier Bullet Strat. He continued to use this style of bridge on the newer models that were not made from Squier Bullet Strats. He used Ernie Ball Classical Ball-End strings, so they fit through the top-load holes in the plate just like steel strings. I tried to talk Ben into using a string through the body TSS4MS plate that I make for my P1-1AR saddles. A "string through" bridge would provide greater downward pressure on the piezo elements, and thus enhance tonal spectrum and dynamic range. Economy was important, as he was still in the early years of producing the Nylocaster.
Can you tell me if the Brenner P1-1AR saddles had wider string spacing than a regular strat bridge? I have a super wide neck and my tech is telling me there's a lot of space after the 2 E strings, meaning the spacing is wrong? Any info would help. THANKS
Trogly - the reason this guitar sounded so much brighter is because of an impedance mismatch. Passive piezo pickups are not meant to be plugged into the input of a guitar amp; their impedance is too low. You need a buffered preamp like they sell for acoustic guitars, with a higher input impedance. You lose a ton of bass with this kind of impedance mismatch. The Yngwie, and every other piezo guitar with an onboard preamp, takes this element out of the equation by providing the high input impedance the pickup wants to "see" at the start of the built-in preamp.
If no one else in the comments will, I'll point out that awesome Gerudo Valley riff in the clean tone section. Well done! Interesting video, as always, Trogly!
I had considered making something like this with parts from Warmoth, but getting the nylon string to not break on the sharp-ish edge of the hole in the tuner post weighed in my mind too much.
I don't know of they make rubber grommets that small. Perhaps you could use the plastic coating from speaker wires to run the tips of the nylon string through and then wind them
I'm guessing Ben did some machining to the tuners he used to make the edges of the holes less sharp, or got tuners with thicker posts..? One time I tried putting nylon strings on a steel string for fun but the plain strings broke long before they got tuned.
I wonder how Fender solved it with Yngvie model. For what it's worth, to get the width, you can use a 12 string neck. Bass strings go to the set of nut notches closest to the thumb and same thing with the treble strings, they go in the outer notches closest to the pinky side. String spacing is basically uniform and very close to my Yamaha classical. Recommend
Two things: 1) You can't put magnetic pickups in one of these simply because the nylon strings won't be picked up! 2) You commented on Okoume looking kinda like mahogany - that's exactly what Epiphone is using on a lot of their guitars in place of true mahogany.
Thank you so much for posting this. He was a local and I was finall in a place to take a few lessons from him, only to find out he'd recently passed. I was gutted. Not only was he important in the US flamenco scene (because its so small) but he was a rare breed since he wasn't a purist, yet had the respect from the traditional crowd. One of a kind dude.
Had a thin line classical acoustic that I put a piezo in and I loved it..totally reminded me of that guitar..would love one of these..thanks for bringing something different to the table 💯✌️
Wow. That piezo really hits different with distortion - I like it! Kinda makes me wonder what that Michael Kelly hybrid would sound like with a bit of bite? Hm. 🤔🎶
Those bridge saddle piëzo's are way to small to pick up the bass frequencies without equalisation. That's why piëzo acoustics and electrics always have a preamp with three-way tone control. So a good 6 band equaliser would change the sound for better use.
💚There was a time in my life, where Bens albums were my go to when driving up the mountain to go snowboarding. I lived in the subburbs of Vancouver BC, & every Friday after work, I would put my snow gear on, & drive 1.5 hours up to the mountain. All alone in the dark, in my car, fish tailing around every mountain road switch back; Ben & I would rock away. Its ironic, that Ben never knew there was this crazy guy, ripping up a mountain while listening to Bens music. Ive always been a metal head, but found myself in the interest of bands who seem to think Im a flamenco player. Hence, I purchased an ernieball JP6 with piezo, to fit that band spot. Now that that piezo has been acting funny (swapped out saddles 3 times); ive always kept my eyes peeled for something like what Ben used. 12 years later, I now live in Finland. Hadnt listened to Ben for many years. Decided to check up on him last year, and, well, not pleasant news. A real shame. The guy was still on his rise & his full impact will never be known. But for me, the impact of those snowboard memories, will be cherished for ever. Thank you Ben. And thank you for doing a video on his guitar.
I'm amazed that the Nylocaster sounds good when you overdrive it. Forget about whether or not I could play everything I'm accustomed to playing on steel-string models.
When you see "Birdseye" figure it is a flatsawn piece of wood. Shoots down another myth of quartersawn being ideal for necks. A flatsawn maple board is stiffer & more stable, in solid form. When used in thin boards for acoustic back/sides it is more difficult to smooth for finish. The birdseye exhibits a different texture making it hard to level, bend & finish.
Any more info about bird’s eye? I bought a cheap Ibanez to mod last year because the neck is covered in birds eye, but the internet only told me that it used to be considered a flaw, and then guitarists decided it was cool. Also stated that it’s not clear what causes the birds eye figuring I think it looks cool and unique on a guitar and haven’t seen it on the neck of a strat style guitar that isn’t expensive before
Flatsawn has the rings of the wood stretched out wide, and much more vulnerable to moisture and warping. That's why you don't see it on steel string guitars.
May he rest in peace. A lot of the options seem to be form over function, that pickguard will warp and the attempts at making it look as clean as possible sacrifices good features
I’m positive that it was impossible to be profitable and maintain quality on these when he also had to compete with Godin Guitars for the limited electric nylon guitar market. And Godin is all made in Canada or made in USA, with impeccable quality control. Really hard to beat them for that value, heck they regularly get praised for destroying fender and Gibson that way too.
The lack of intonation adjustment shouldn't be too much of a problem with the nylon strings. They don't change pitch nearly as much when pushed down to the fret as steel strings do. Therefore you don't really need to compensate the saddles
I get where you felt the Nylocasters had a tinny sound. I kept hearing a ping in the background sort of like you may hear with a guitar equipped with a trapeze.
I have an inexpensive (but rare) Korean-made Raven brand nylon string electric. Hearing the guitars in the video I must conclude that the built-in preamp/EQ on mine is an absolute must. The fact that mine is fully hollow also helps a great deal.
Just give it light tap on the high spots to help re seat the fret. Use a small wooden dowel and tap with hammer. Sometimes you can lower those high spots without the level recrown
LMAO, I can’t believe your choice of music for the nylon sound. I haven’t heard that in years. I respect you for trying. I like the tear downs because it shows how well or shoddy the actual instruments are built.
I give him credit for running with the idea. You can sort of tell he was all in on it. But it appears that these particular examples are perhaps higher end Chenders with different pick guard and such. Obviously, this stuff is easier to do on a Fender style guitar because everything is on the pick guard for the most part. I would believe the idea that these were seconds or guitars that really needed a little more work to be right, that maybe never had the time to be personally touched and arranged. All good though, certainly an interesting part of guitar history now.
The rout in the neck pocket was likely an interesting result of widening the pocket to suit the "classical" width. Mostly for ease of manufacture, but I kinda like it.
Maybe it's all in my head, but it sure does seem to have a hint of that woody strat tone you get from a normal non nylon strat. Honestly it's a cool sound
Yo Trogy, I believe this might be a Chinese made budget guitar sold in the American market (Amazon, etc) as Ashthorpe and Davidson. The body shape and routes fits but the entire neck and headstock look different. Maybe the same factory. The guitars are fine and like many from Asia, they can be very pretty. The bridge and pickup appear to be the most proprietary spin on the guitar. But the most valuable thing are those nice gray padded gig bags. I've bought a couple of those just for the soft case.
I love the look, 1 knob, no p'ups, lots of real estate. The knob location is great, I think I would use black screws, too bad he didn't get a chance to keep developing it.
That headstock really reminds me of the US market version of the Charvel CX from the 90s (I have the Euro market version that has a Fender headstock), aswell as the Bacchus guitars from Japan (which I also own one)
He probably had start with a cheaper guitar. to be able to keep the cost down. and I'm guessing that he did a complete set up on them before the final sale. to make sure they would play good. you can't blame him for that. he definitely had a good idea for sure. I think would prefer the version without the pick guard. because it's more Charvel like and I really really like Charvel guitars.
Hey: Just a suggestion maybe would be good for you… you should totally intonate the guitars that you get when you do. It makes them sound so much better
This is a beaut, Austin! Id definitely ROCK this axe! I'd like to play Classical Gas on this! Thanks for the review & demo! It sounds similar to a regular electric guitar played thru a Boss Acoustic 3 pedal. This has great sounds!
@@wowwow363, Exactly. First Early Warlocks I Ever Saw (Late Seventies) Had a Headstock Similar To That, Albeit Reversed 90% Of The Time (And Of Course With The Huge Single R For An American And The 'Criss -Cross' B.{Rich Vertically} C. For The Japanese OR Lesser Spec'd Americans & Bolt-On's). Glad I Wasn't The Only One That Found The Ibanez Comparison Strange.
Trog, if I could give a tip, when you play a D major, don't barre the strings. Finger all the notes of the chord so you can cleanly move the shape around and have easier options to move your other fingers around
I’d imagine this needs a proper purpose built powered buffer considering nothing is active. That would certainly tame those highs and give a more balanced signal.
Anyone interested might like to look at the nashville nylon from harley benton. Not expensive and smallish like a travel guitar but very inspiring for experimental fun. ✌👋
Wonder how he got so much output from passive piezo pickups... Hopefully someone licenses that tech, I would love to be able to amplify my acoustics without worrying about finding the right size of 9 volt.
If you get strong enough magnets and a really high resistance, technically yes. No idea how good it would sound. Wouldn't work on the top 3 strings but there ya go.
i hate nylon strings, had a classical for first guitar. hated it and those strings hurt your fingers when a young player. id not take one of these as a gift
As a classically trained guitarist, I will tell you that classical guitars are supposed to have fairly high action on purpose so my guess is that it was meant to have high action
I love zero frets. Cheapskate companies need to bring back the zero fret, plastic and synthetic bone nuts etc. never sound as good as a zero fret. I like fewer screws, no need to use a dozen screws to hold a scratch plate on. I like he didn't use one on the figured tops! Those frets weren't properly seated when installed. I never level frets without first Arbor pressing them with a 9 1/2" caul and round off those razor blade fret end bevels. Never hammer a fret that is already in the slot, press it, if you hammer you can pop the ends up.
it was assumed you'd swap to regular strings at that point and run this like a normal piezo equipped stratocaster but rep ben's brand if you're a fan of his
This is awesome! I only started learning how to play the guitar 6 weeks ago & I'm documenting my entire learning journey on here so this was super motivational!
That thing is not going to sound good unless you plug it into an acoustic guitar amplifier made for acoustic guitars. The yngwie malmsteen one sounds more like an acoustic guitar
It sounds freaking incredible distorted actually. Chords cut amazingly oh my god. They have so much beef and also clarity, and ALSO "note" ! Distorted power chords on this honestly sound better than ... any guitar with metallic strings i've ever played. Im very sad these will go out of stock before i'm able to pick one up. Sigh
correct - if you were going to mod it, it was assumed you'd swap the strings and just use the existing piezo with regular strings so you can rep Ben's brand even if classical isn't your style. An option for a fan out there!
Hello Trolgy's can you help me? Question: I had a Ben Woods Nylo caster and I liked the concept, so I ordered a SUPER WIDE neck from Warmoth 48mm. And put it on a Fender Bullet body. My tech is trying to string it with the nylon strings and he tells me that there's a LOT of space after each of the E strings. Is it normal with a super wide neck to have a lot of space on each side of the E strings? Do I need a modified bridge? I'm using RMC bridge saddles so I have to stick with the strat style bridge. Also my tech tells me the high E string breaks before he can set the guitar up. I know Ben woods bridge was different and I didn't like it because you can only intonate 2 strings at a time. Was his bridge spacing wider than a conventional Strat bridge? His was the Brenner P1-1AR 2 /16 spacing) Lastly my tech tells me he's having a hard time stringing it because there needs to be a LOT of wraps around the post. CAN YOU HELP? THANKS
I got to meet Ben Woods about five years ago. He told his story about how he had a cool electric guitar with a double stack amp. His roommate stole it, but left behind the classical guitar, so he ran with it.
Great guy. RIP
I have one of the first runs made from the squier bodies. Such a good guitar. Rip Ben. Never met him, but loved his videos, personality, and music.
The Yngwie Malmsteen STCL-140YJM Strat mentioned in the video had Mike Christian (Ghost) saddles, a Bartolini piezo preamp (input rated 10 mega-ohm for piezo), and a 9V battery door on the backside of the body. The Nylocaster had no onboard preamp. Ben Woods performed using Fishman Loudbox amps, as their inputs are also rated for maximum piezo potential. The Nylocaster was intended to be played through proper equipment in order to achieve maximum frequency response and dynamic range. Ben was an endorsing artist for Godin, Fishman, and Ortega Guitars. The Brenner P1-1AR saddles that he purchased for Nylocasters, were engraved with a NYLOCASTER logo that he created. Ben used the Audacity program to graph and study his audio files in efforts to best capture the amazing articulation in his playing style. His videos and recordings would provide the best sound samples of his work, and the Nylocaster. Ben was an incredible guitarist, graphic artist, and friend. I miss him greatly!
Do you know how he strung up the nylon strings in those electric guitar tubes without having them break?
@@DocHelliday He originally used the top-loading bridge that came stock on the Squier Bullet Strat. He continued to use this style of bridge on the newer models that were not made from Squier Bullet Strats. He used Ernie Ball Classical Ball-End strings, so they fit through the top-load holes in the plate just like steel strings. I tried to talk Ben into using a string through the body TSS4MS plate that I make for my P1-1AR saddles. A "string through" bridge would provide greater downward pressure on the piezo elements, and thus enhance tonal spectrum and dynamic range. Economy was important, as he was still in the early years of producing the Nylocaster.
Can you tell me if the Brenner P1-1AR saddles had wider string spacing than a regular strat bridge? I have a super wide neck and my tech is telling me there's a lot of space after the 2 E strings, meaning the spacing is wrong? Any info would help. THANKS
Trogly - the reason this guitar sounded so much brighter is because of an impedance mismatch. Passive piezo pickups are not meant to be plugged into the input of a guitar amp; their impedance is too low. You need a buffered preamp like they sell for acoustic guitars, with a higher input impedance. You lose a ton of bass with this kind of impedance mismatch. The Yngwie, and every other piezo guitar with an onboard preamp, takes this element out of the equation by providing the high input impedance the pickup wants to "see" at the start of the built-in preamp.
If no one else in the comments will, I'll point out that awesome Gerudo Valley riff in the clean tone section. Well done! Interesting video, as always, Trogly!
15:45 I'd love one .. those Malmsteem Fenders are super expen$ive.
I believe the fender also comes as a 'natural top' - volume on the back.
I had considered making something like this with parts from Warmoth, but getting the nylon string to not break on the sharp-ish edge of the hole in the tuner post weighed in my mind too much.
What about using Teflon o-rings?
I don't know of they make rubber grommets that small. Perhaps you could use the plastic coating from speaker wires to run the tips of the nylon string through and then wind them
I'm guessing Ben did some machining to the tuners he used to make the edges of the holes less sharp, or got tuners with thicker posts..? One time I tried putting nylon strings on a steel string for fun but the plain strings broke long before they got tuned.
I wonder how Fender solved it with Yngvie model. For what it's worth, to get the width, you can use a 12 string neck. Bass strings go to the set of nut notches closest to the thumb and same thing with the treble strings, they go in the outer notches closest to the pinky side. String spacing is basically uniform and very close to my Yamaha classical. Recommend
Two things: 1) You can't put magnetic pickups in one of these simply because the nylon strings won't be picked up! 2) You commented on Okoume looking kinda like mahogany - that's exactly what Epiphone is using on a lot of their guitars in place of true mahogany.
If small metal dust is dropped in the nylon used for making strings there might be a chance of using magnetic pole pickups.
I love that Malmsteen guitar. That is an insane instrument just like the Maestro.
Thank you so much for posting this. He was a local and I was finall in a place to take a few lessons from him, only to find out he'd recently passed. I was gutted. Not only was he important in the US flamenco scene (because its so small) but he was a rare breed since he wasn't a purist, yet had the respect from the traditional crowd. One of a kind dude.
Had a thin line classical acoustic that I put a piezo in and I loved it..totally reminded me of that guitar..would love one of these..thanks for bringing something different to the table 💯✌️
Wow. That piezo really hits different with distortion - I like it! Kinda makes me wonder what that Michael Kelly hybrid would sound like with a bit of bite? Hm. 🤔🎶
Actually sounds really good with distortion. Wow 😉😉
RIP Ben 🤘🏼🥂💫🎼
6:20 I don't think the nylon strings would 'work' with magnetic pick ups.
You'd have a classical neck width electric guitar.
Magnetic pickups do not work with nylon strings, even wound ones
If you did the mods, the idea was to go back to regular strings and see how Ben’s piezo would sound with them while repping his brand
There is a tone control on your amp. Try it, it does wonders!
Those bridge saddle piëzo's are way to small to pick up the bass frequencies without equalisation. That's why piëzo acoustics and electrics always have a preamp with three-way tone control. So a good 6 band equaliser would change the sound for better use.
💚There was a time in my life, where Bens albums were my go to when driving up the mountain to go snowboarding. I lived in the subburbs of Vancouver BC, & every Friday after work, I would put my snow gear on, & drive 1.5 hours up to the mountain. All alone in the dark, in my car, fish tailing around every mountain road switch back; Ben & I would rock away. Its ironic, that Ben never knew there was this crazy guy, ripping up a mountain while listening to Bens music. Ive always been a metal head, but found myself in the interest of bands who seem to think Im a flamenco player. Hence, I purchased an ernieball JP6 with piezo, to fit that band spot. Now that that piezo has been acting funny (swapped out saddles 3 times); ive always kept my eyes peeled for something like what Ben used. 12 years later, I now live in Finland. Hadnt listened to Ben for many years. Decided to check up on him last year, and, well, not pleasant news. A real shame. The guy was still on his rise & his full impact will never be known. But for me, the impact of those snowboard memories, will be cherished for ever. Thank you Ben. And thank you for doing a video on his guitar.
I'm amazed that the Nylocaster sounds good when you overdrive it. Forget about whether or not I could play everything I'm accustomed to playing on steel-string models.
Surprisingly good, like it could really cut through a mix.
When you see "Birdseye" figure it is a flatsawn piece of wood. Shoots down another myth of quartersawn being ideal for necks. A flatsawn maple board is stiffer & more stable, in solid form. When used in thin boards for acoustic back/sides it is more difficult to smooth for finish. The birdseye exhibits a different texture making it hard to level, bend & finish.
Any more info about bird’s eye? I bought a cheap Ibanez to mod last year because the neck is covered in birds eye, but the internet only told me that it used to be considered a flaw, and then guitarists decided it was cool. Also stated that it’s not clear what causes the birds eye figuring
I think it looks cool and unique on a guitar and haven’t seen it on the neck of a strat style guitar that isn’t expensive before
Flatsawn has the rings of the wood stretched out wide, and much more vulnerable to moisture and warping. That's why you don't see it on steel string guitars.
May he rest in peace.
A lot of the options seem to be form over function, that pickguard will warp and the attempts at making it look as clean as possible sacrifices good features
magnetic pickups would not be able to pickup sound from a nylon (non-metal) string
I’m positive that it was impossible to be profitable and maintain quality on these when he also had to compete with Godin Guitars for the limited electric nylon guitar market. And Godin is all made in Canada or made in USA, with impeccable quality control. Really hard to beat them for that value, heck they regularly get praised for destroying fender and Gibson that way too.
On to Godin Guitars sonic reviews. The net never sleeps. ha
I am a flamenco player, I picked one of these up several months ago, I like this thing, very unique and a great sound.
Nylon strings don’t vary as much in diameter as steel strings, so intonating is a different beast with nylon strings.
That bridge will do just fine.
Good to know!
The lack of intonation adjustment shouldn't be too much of a problem with the nylon strings. They don't change pitch nearly as much when pushed down to the fret as steel strings do. Therefore you don't really need to compensate the saddles
I get where you felt the Nylocasters had a tinny sound. I kept hearing a ping in the background sort of like you may hear with a guitar equipped with a trapeze.
I have an inexpensive (but rare) Korean-made Raven brand nylon string electric. Hearing the guitars in the video I must conclude that the built-in preamp/EQ on mine is an absolute must. The fact that mine is fully hollow also helps a great deal.
I saw a video of a dude who put a whole acoustic preamp hidden inside the pickguard on a nylon strat then wired it to a volume then the output
End users can solder a resistor and capacitor inside to adjust the tone
Just give it light tap on the high spots to help re seat the fret. Use a small wooden dowel and tap with hammer. Sometimes you can lower those high spots without the level recrown
LMAO, I can’t believe your choice of music for the nylon sound. I haven’t heard that in years. I respect you for trying. I like the tear downs because it shows how well or shoddy the actual instruments are built.
This reminds a bit the piezzo explorer shaped basses.
Sound ok with distortion interesting for sure.
The string tree reminds me of 60’s Framus
RIP Ben!
I give him credit for running with the idea. You can sort of tell he was all in on it. But it appears that these particular examples are perhaps higher end Chenders with different pick guard and such. Obviously, this stuff is easier to do on a Fender style guitar because everything is on the pick guard for the most part. I would believe the idea that these were seconds or guitars that really needed a little more work to be right, that maybe never had the time to be personally touched and arranged. All good though, certainly an interesting part of guitar history now.
The rout in the neck pocket was likely an interesting result of widening the pocket to suit the "classical" width. Mostly for ease of manufacture, but I kinda like it.
Love the little bit of the Gerudo Valley theme you were playing.
RIP Ben - thanks for making this video. :)
How about a Solar breakdown? Would love to see that 😊
Maybe it's all in my head, but it sure does seem to have a hint of that woody strat tone you get from a normal non nylon strat. Honestly it's a cool sound
What a great looking instrument. Love the sunburst iteration.
Yo Trogy, I believe this might be a Chinese made budget guitar sold in the American market (Amazon, etc) as Ashthorpe and Davidson. The body shape and routes fits but the entire neck and headstock look different. Maybe the same factory. The guitars are fine and like many from Asia, they can be very pretty. The bridge and pickup appear to be the most proprietary spin on the guitar. But the most valuable thing are those nice gray padded gig bags. I've bought a couple of those just for the soft case.
I love the look, 1 knob, no p'ups, lots of real estate. The knob location is great, I think I would use black screws, too bad he didn't get a chance to keep developing it.
Seems like he was reinventing the wheel a bit . . . What would be the advantage of all this over just getting a Godin Encore?
What was the delay today. Just curious.
I think I would like an 11 screw pickguard, but I don't play a nylon string guitar 🎸.
That headstock really reminds me of the US market version of the Charvel CX from the 90s (I have the Euro market version that has a Fender headstock), aswell as the Bacchus guitars from Japan (which I also own one)
He probably had start with a cheaper guitar. to be able to keep the cost down. and I'm guessing that he did a complete set up on them before the final sale. to make sure they would play good. you can't blame him for that. he definitely had a good idea for sure. I think would prefer the version without the pick guard. because it's more Charvel like and I really really like Charvel guitars.
Love the look of this guitar, the string tree is interesting
brenner makes the piezo bridge. they run about $70.
Hey: Just a suggestion maybe would be good for you… you should totally intonate the guitars that you get when you do. It makes them sound so much better
I love the finish on that! Slap a pickup in the bridge route with another volume control and I'll take it
Yes, but the nylon strings will nit worn with a regular pickup
This is a beaut, Austin! Id definitely ROCK this axe! I'd like to play Classical Gas on this! Thanks for the review & demo! It sounds similar to a regular electric guitar played thru a Boss Acoustic 3 pedal. This has great sounds!
Where ever Trogly may roam on the nylocaster 😂
Well, you just introduced me to Ben Woods, that's really awesome. And that guitar is beautiful. Nylocaster, I never knew until now. Sweet.
Are there any Left handed models? I would love to play one
" you can play all the flamenco stuff with the nylon strings " proceeds to butcher some "flamenco " lick 😁
this cable going from bridge is rather weird, you could easily do it without visible cable.
neither the clean nor the overdriven sounds resonate with me, and the price asked is nuts...
Can you review the new Mike McCready Strat?
Hey Trogly, my telecaster blacktop has those same neck routes mabe it's a fender body
I had a idea it wouldn't sound great ...but it was awesome . I wouldn't mind have one. How much do they run ?
Wonder if the neck is just a modified 7 string neck? Rad instrument.
...Thought That Headstock Looked More Akin To a Early '70's-Early '80's B.C. Rich's, IMO, Not Any Ibanez I've Ever Seen. Cool AF Though.
🖖👽🖖
Thought the same thing, never seen any Ibanez with that kind of headstock
@@wowwow363, Exactly. First Early Warlocks I Ever Saw (Late Seventies) Had a Headstock Similar To That, Albeit Reversed 90% Of The Time (And Of Course With The Huge Single R For An American And The 'Criss -Cross' B.{Rich Vertically} C. For The Japanese OR Lesser Spec'd Americans & Bolt-On's). Glad I Wasn't The Only One That Found The Ibanez Comparison Strange.
BGP is Brenner Guitar Products from Milwaukee. Way cheaper than GraphTech or Schaller TOmatic. Have one on my Squier Classic Vibe with steel strings.
It shouldn’t be too difficult to add in a tone knob. Godin makes more traditional looking model, but Thinline with a 3 band EQ.
Trog, if I could give a tip, when you play a D major, don't barre the strings. Finger all the notes of the chord so you can cleanly move the shape around and have easier options to move your other fingers around
That guard is going to warp big time.
Definitely a horse of a different color! Sounds pretty good in the right setting and style of music
Holy Cow! That pickguard-less honey burst is wicked! Man, I wish I had a bit more money. And cancer sucks.
I’ll never understand why they use multiple pieces of wood for a guitar with a transluscent finish.
You can buy a Fender style piezo saddles, you don’t have to buy any patent
It's fairly easy to level the frets. Got a chance to learn by buying a Harley benton
How do you get a sufficiently high output from a piezo without an active circuit?
I’d imagine this needs a proper purpose built powered buffer considering nothing is active. That would certainly tame those highs and give a more balanced signal.
I tried to buy one ... but they didn't ship to Australia ... and I think Ben was sick at the time !
Anyone interested might like to look at the nashville nylon from harley benton. Not expensive and smallish like a travel guitar but very inspiring for experimental fun. ✌👋
RIP Ben Woods
I had been tinkering with this idea for a while but on a les paul style body
ESP Ltd TL-6 is pretty nice, I haven't tried one myself but from what I've seen it sounds really good and has your LP shape
Hmm... It's neat, but the YJM just sounded so much better... despite the fact asking prices are more than 3x as much...
Wonder how he got so much output from passive piezo pickups... Hopefully someone licenses that tech, I would love to be able to amplify my acoustics without worrying about finding the right size of 9 volt.
the output is definitely a lot less than traditional, but completely still useable. Very interesting design for sure!
Hey there
Greetings Randy.
RIP Ben Woods.
Can you put a pu under the pickgaurd and still have it work, but not be seen ?
If you get strong enough magnets and a really high resistance, technically yes. No idea how good it would sound. Wouldn't work on the top 3 strings but there ya go.
If you can lower the action enough maybe
i hate nylon strings, had a classical for first guitar. hated it and those strings hurt your fingers when a young player. id not take one of these as a gift
As a classically trained guitarist, I will tell you that classical guitars are supposed to have fairly high action on purpose so my guess is that it was meant to have high action
That headstock looks like the profile of an eagle's head to me.
Strikes me as something that Lindsey Buckingham would have used in Fleetwood Mac.
5 to 800 is good
Evening all!!
I love zero frets. Cheapskate companies need to bring back the zero fret, plastic and synthetic bone nuts etc. never sound as good as a zero fret. I like fewer screws, no need to use a dozen screws to hold a scratch plate on. I like he didn't use one on the figured tops! Those frets weren't properly seated when installed. I never level frets without first Arbor pressing them with a 9 1/2" caul and round off those razor blade fret end bevels. Never hammer a fret that is already in the slot, press it, if you hammer you can pop the ends up.
Except if you try to put magnetic pickups in it you're gonna have a bad time. Because they won't pick up the nylon string vibrations
it was assumed you'd swap to regular strings at that point and run this like a normal piezo equipped stratocaster but rep ben's brand if you're a fan of his
This is awesome! I only started learning how to play the guitar 6 weeks ago & I'm documenting my entire learning journey on here so this was super motivational!
That thing is not going to sound good unless you plug it into an acoustic guitar amplifier made for acoustic guitars. The yngwie malmsteen one sounds more like an acoustic guitar
It sounds freaking incredible distorted actually. Chords cut amazingly oh my god. They have so much beef and also clarity, and ALSO "note" ! Distorted power chords on this honestly sound better than ... any guitar with metallic strings i've ever played. Im very sad these will go out of stock before i'm able to pick one up. Sigh
Magnetic pickups wouldn't do much on the top 3 strings
Woot woot Trogly's guitars 🎸 🙌
Surely magnetic pickups won’t work with nylon strings? 🤦♂️
correct - if you were going to mod it, it was assumed you'd swap the strings and just use the existing piezo with regular strings so you can rep Ben's brand even if classical isn't your style. An option for a fan out there!
Hi
You made the podium for today and earned a Bronze Medal.
?
@@HookupRatioI award medals to the top 3 commentators everyday. May this be the first of many.
Hey! A non-Gibson video!
Hello Trolgy's can you help me? Question: I had a Ben Woods Nylo caster and I liked the concept, so I ordered a SUPER WIDE neck from Warmoth 48mm. And put it on a Fender Bullet body. My tech is trying to string it with the nylon strings and he tells me that there's a LOT of space after each of the E strings. Is it normal with a super wide neck to have a lot of space on each side of the E strings? Do I need a modified bridge? I'm using RMC bridge saddles so I have to stick with the strat style bridge. Also my tech tells me the high E string breaks before he can set the guitar up. I know Ben woods bridge was different and I didn't like it because you can only intonate 2 strings at a time. Was his bridge spacing wider than a conventional Strat bridge? His was the Brenner P1-1AR 2 /16 spacing) Lastly my tech tells me he's having a hard time stringing it because there needs to be a LOT of wraps around the post. CAN YOU HELP? THANKS