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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Saddle Materials for Guitars Part 1

Much hype and myth have surrounded the effects of saddle materials that will transform your guitar from a caterpillar to a butterfly in aspect of tonal quality. Will it?


There are numerous literatures written about saddle materials for guitar and I have benefitted a great deal from reading them online. Great job to those dedicated writers. Since 2009, Guitaring Passionately has been serving the Singapore's guitar community and I must say guitar saddle replacement jobs are the most sought for. Surely I have those writers to thank for this surge in this demand. It is timely to share the accumulated experiences in working with various saddle materials for guitars to benefit the community.

Most of the available literatures are written from reviews of saddle materials or functional aspects point of views. However I was more curious about the acoustic properties of saddle materials because I believed by learning it, I will arrive a step closer in uncovering the myths surrounding these saddle materials in relation to tonal properties for guitars.

A Bovid Horn

Before the technical stuffs get elaborated, anyone who is pursuing for the ultimate tone should bear in mind that tone is an extension of sound, which is resulted from vibration of particles. The vibration is being transmitted among adjacent particles through various mediums until our ears detect this vibration energy. The detection of energy is processed in our brains as sound, a.k.a. tone. If you find the long sentence incomprehensible, you're pretty right about it. By noting the number of transfers that have taken place before our brains get to interpret the vibration energy, it is hard pressed to convince ourselves that we are in fact hearing the real thing.

Tone is likened to appreciation of wine. At the fundamental level, tone is nothing more than vibration energy. As tone is not visible to our naked eyes, we have to describe what we hear and feel by the use of words. At best the words used in describing tone are metaphors. Another critical filter that affects the outcome of any described tone is personal preferences. To sum it up, there is nothing accurate in tone description, except subjectivity, preferences and influences. However guitar lovers do enjoy conversations regarding tone as if they are sipping wine. The point is not about accuracy but appreciation. Humans are amazingly foolish sometime, aren't we?

Tone is likened to wine appreciation

Since tonal quality is that subjective and personal, does it mean that nobody will like a tone liked by another? Not quite … while each person is unique, there are similarities as well. Even when applying to personal preferences. Certain things are more popular among people while some are not. Take for example shapes and forms. I think it is easy to conclude that most people like the flowing curve lines on car bodies. It should be pretty hard to market a personal car that looks exactly like a box, right? Volvo has certainly got enlightened over the years. However, commercial vehicles do take on another mental model all together, i.e. functional above aesthetics.

Box
Curves

Likewise for tone, certain types are more popular. The question is, which is most popular? Since each saddle material produces its unique tone, we can apply a pragmatic standpoint, i.e. judging by the material that is most sought after and utilized, perhaps the tone produce by this particular saddle material can hold the torch to become the best in tone saddle material.

What about expensive saddle materials? Scarcity and availability are two major factors in determining the prices of certain saddle materials. Strange but true, the study of consumers' psychology has long proven that buyers are likely to tag quality to high price points. Among the available saddle materials, ivories topped the price points due to their scarcities. Mammoth Ivories are harvested in Siberian Tundra by digging into the earth. The sub-zero temperatures are adequate as deterrents. Elephant ivories are on the CITES list as a controlled item. Only the pre-ban stocks are traded domestically and all forms of international trades are prohibited. Due to these reasons, it isn't hard to hear guitar owners singing praises about ivory guitar saddles. This doesn't imply that ivories make inferior saddle materials rather I wish to illuminate scarcity and price points as factors that influence our perceive value of various saddle materials.

Mammoth Remains Excavation

A distant relative to ivories, animal bones are abundance, easily available and economical yet they make quality saddle materials. Many luthiers have used animal bones for nuts and saddles for decades. This general acceptance is indicative of bones' intrinsic qualities as well.

Cow Bones as costume jewelry

Another important aspect is the appearance. TUSQ and bleached bone saddles are whiter than snow. They look clean and pure to users. Fossilized ivories and unbleached bones are characterized by natural malted streaks, grains, and discolorations. One can perceive these visible attributes as natural beauty or downright imperfections. At worse, some people considered such natural aesthetics as uncleaned or dirty. After all, steak must looks good before they taste good. Invariably, appearance is subjective. On top of that, aesthetic values cannot be ignored. The saddle is a highly visible part on the guitar and alignment to the over appearance does has it place. With a myriad of determinant factors, the measure of best tone is ever more elusive.

Bone Nut & Saddle with natural color
FMI Nut

In summing up, the best saddle material that will deliver the best tone may very well be a mirage that can never be arrived. However, it may make more sense to conclude that audible differences can be obtained with a change of saddle materials on the same guitar. If one is able to detect the changes and the outcome is a satisfied one, the effort is worthwhile then.

My personal two cents; be opened to try new but don't forsake the roots. Ask yourself if you truly like what you hear … not just hear with your ears but with your heart. That is by far the most authentic evaluation to thyself.

In part 2, I will elaborate the differences of various saddle materials from the perspective of acoustic properties. Stay tuned!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Funky Thumb Stuff

Shun Ng's debut album - Funky Thumb Stuff
The pictures presented in this posting are kind courtesy of Shun Ng's personal collection.

Shun Ng, a home brewed local talent has just released his debut album title "Funky Thumb Stuff". At 15 of age, he started playing as a guitarist in a band which played predominantly blues. Intuitively he knows in his mind the way songs should be interpreted. Not long after, he outgrew the band in musical needs. He has evolved a unique brand of music that fosters his solo identity solidly in the eyes, ears and minds of music lovers.

This debut album features his bass player. But Shun is not known to perform in a band setting. So who is the bassist? Find out from this exclusive interview article with Shun Ng regarding his music-learning journey and the debut album, brought to you by Guitaring Passionately.

The BLACKIE, Shun's Signature Guitar made by Jeffrey Yong

The Funky Thumb Stuff is available on the iTunes Store and can be ordered from CDbaby.com. Orders can also be made at Shun's website at: www.shunng.com

Please support our local talent! It will be released late January 2012. Check out two music videos from the album! The title track Funky Thumb Stuff and also These Blues (Ain't Gonna Drive Me Away)




About Shun

1. When did you decide to become an artist?

Well, I started playing when I was 15, there wasn't a particular defining moment when I decide to become an artist. It just kind of gradually grew onto me.

2. Where did you train?

I never had formal training in guitar playing but I was mentored by one of Singapore's finest composers and Cultural Medallion winner, Dr. Kelly Tang. He taught me how to understand and apply music to anything. I also studied Music & Audio Technology in Singapore Polytechnic, where I studied music theory, arrangement, composition etc. However, when I play or sing, I don't really "think" about theory, but just "feel" the music.

3. How did your training influence you?

It has helped me in understanding what I was already doing when I compose and play.

4. Where did you get your ideas?

I really don't know. I never felt like music was something I slowly create but more of something I'm discovering from inside me.

5. What artist(s) inspired you?

I've been inspired by more music artists than guitar players. Some of my key influences are Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Earth, Wind & Fire & James Brown. A guitar player I really like is Stevie Ray Vaughan.

6. What helped to shape you?

In being an artist will be my mentor, Dr. Kelly Tang. In becoming better a person are definitely my parents and the Eagles community.

7. Do you feel anxious about becoming an artist?

I don't think an artist is something you become, but more of a way of life, whether we stop to appreciate the beauties in life. Its not something that you can run from or choose to be or not, its just something you are.


About Funky Thumb Stuff

1. Why is the debut album titled "Funky Thumb Stuff"?

Well, it was named after the title track in the album, a song I wrote to feature my bassist, my thumb.

2. For this album, where or what is the main source of inspiration?

This album is much a collection of my favorite songs that I've written in the past and I thought it was time to consolidate these ideas.

3. How long did it take to complete?

The studio recording took about 3 weeks. I would record the same track over and over and over again just to get that one great take. Given that I improvise all my stuff, I ended up with so many different interesting takes to choose from. With mixing and mastering it took another 2 months to complete this album, including photo shoots and album designing.

4. What might be the message you wish to send from this album or from any particular song?

I wrote a song called "Slam!" and that track is very special to me because it is about creating change. It is written from the perspective of a child who grew up in a brothel, born to a mother who is a prostitute and father one of the clients. I think it is really important that we are aware of all the injustices of the world especially in the area of prostitution, and we sometimes forget how privileged we are to live the lives we do. When others have so little and never complain. There is a line in the song that says, "the world is dying still we got no reason to change". The line is most representative of the message I wish to send through this song.

5. Which one is your favorite track? Why?

I really like "Creepy Crawlies". It’s about my fear for insects. But my favorite would be "Christabel" the last track of the album. It’s a true story about me trying to ask this girl out but always getting too nervous and failing constantly. I love playing the song firstly cause, it’s a technical challenge, but more importantly every time I perform, it feels like I'm transported back in time to that moment. That's what I love about writing, its capturing the intangible moments and emotions in life.

6. What would say to your fans about this album?

I wish to thank my supporters and those who enjoyed my style of music. I hope you enjoy this album and find that one song in it that makes you smile.

-end of interview-

 

Shun is indeed a unique artist with immense talent that will go places in future. I invited all music lovers to give him your support, regardless in tangible or intangible forms.