The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

T.I.P. Squad, reporting for duty.

Anybody have experience or feedback on the Feiten or Earvana systems? A long-time friend of mine endorses Earvana, I'll be getting in touch with him about his feelings, but I was curious about any opinions here.

http://www.buzzfeiten.com/

https://www.earvana.com/

Thanks in advance,

je

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...doing bad things to good Vantages since 1985...

1981 AV-320
1981 AV-320
1981 AV-325
1982 AV-320
1982 VS-695-12
1982 VSH-445
1983 AV-330
1995 VST 33 CE TBK

I've never heard of them, sorry, Squid - I have always been of the opinion that my nuts needed no compensating....

I've always struggled with Acoustics & their wound Gs, but would also love a solution for some of my electrics, the Avengers being among them. I tend to use 10s with medium action on them, and the eternal G/B string interactions in different chord positions make me cringe.

The Feiten system makes sense to me, but the Earvana looks like it might be an easier system to live with day to day. The trombone player in the band I've been running sound for is a piano tuner, he could talk all year about tempered tunings.

I've given up on the 12 string, it's usable and probably as good as I'll get it until I install something crazy like this:




je

I've been looking at the earvana but haven't tried it yet. I'm afraid it will make enough difference that I won't be able to play without it. I don't have as many guitars as some but I'd hate to have to fit all of them with new nuts.

Not sure where I sit on this, I can understand the theory behind it (just!) but it's not really a problem I've encountered. Perhaps it's a combination of my preference for lighter string gauges (9's on electrics, 10's on acoustics) and a tin ear. I'd have thought a correctly regulated (correct depth) nut would correct 90% of the problem.
The only guitar I have anything close to this problem on is the Harmony 12 mentioned elsewhere, but being a poorly made piece of junk has more to do with it's intransigence than the nut.

In fact (I'll get this one out of the way) the only nut related problem with all my instruments is the one picking the strings

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I was under the impression that the fieten system actualy moves the nut, requiring permanant modification of the guitar.

Squid, have you tried playing with the gauge of just your g or b string? I have heard of this helping. 12 strings aren't supposed to play in tune any way are they

Yes, actually, I have played with gauges. I guess it comes down to wanting at least one electric and one acoustic that is really, really close to perfect. I can deal with 'good enough', but I'd like to have a couple that are better than that.

The Feiten system replaces the nut (parts of it might overhang the fretboard?), and I'm pretty sure you have to tune differently forever after that (new specific tuner, or learn the intervals to tune to). The Earvana tunes normally and (pretty sure) intonates normally.

je

_________________
...doing bad things to good Vantages since 1985...

1981 AV-320
1981 AV-320
1981 AV-325
1982 AV-320
1982 VS-695-12
1982 VSH-445
1983 AV-330
1995 VST 33 CE TBK

You will slightly shorten the fretboard when installing the Feiten system.

There is a similar system, that has the nut overhanging the fretboard... was it "Earvana" or something similar. It doesn't look as good, but at least the mod can be reversed.

I'm liking the Earvana more and more. Maybe soon I'll throw one on the Grand Absurdity Jorgcaster and see what happens.

The Earvana system certainly looks interesting, that's a new one on me.

I kind of wonder why the Buzz Feiten system never took off in a major way, but I suspect a lot of it has to do with having to use a "special" tuner in order for it to work properly. (or maybe a vast conspiracy by the "Big 2"?)

If Jorg or Squid or anyone else here tries out the Earvana system, would surely be interested in a report. I'm kind of with Squid on this......It would be nice to one guitar that actually can be made to play in tune.

Since my Cardinal may be my most versatile sounding guitar, it may be
a prime candidate for such a mod. Could certainly save some frustration in recording.

And yes, the 12 strings are probably a lost cause, but that's part of the "charm" right ?