Should I refinish my Gold Tone SM?

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Weissenborn Players

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This group is dedicated to the Weissenborn players around the world.

179 Members, Created 2/15/2011 -

Administrators: Grizz (owner)

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From Liz Williams on 7/18/2011 12:33:49 PM

I recently put Aloha strings on it and, though I can hear the beautiful tone they have, it's gone very quiet, as though the tone is held captive by that thick glossy finish. Which is really starting to get on my nerves.

It's not that big a job, right? And it would make a difference, don't ya think?

4 Comments
	Gitman44 says: 7/18/2011 2:38:00 PM Hi Liz. Glad to hear you like the tone of the Aloha strings. Sorry to hear you're not happy with the volume with the new strings. Weissenborns aren't very loud to begin with and the thick finish on the SM doesn't help. However, I wouldn't refinish it if it was me. Stripping the polyurethane finish won't be easy, and your guitar will be out of commision for quite a while during the refinish process. And the resale value will go down. I'd suggest putting on a pickup. I have an L.R. Baggs M1 on my Goldtone Style 4 and it sounds great. Grizz has the same pickup on his Bear Creek, and loves his too. Good luck no matter which way you go.. Andy Fekete
	Liz Williams says: 7/18/2011 3:44:47 PM Thanks, Andy. I just replaced the Aloha strings with a set of Pearse 3160s. That made a huge difference in what I was hearing, and reading. In particular what stood out about your post is: "won't be easy," "out of commission," and resale value will go down." What was I thinking? Is that the passive Baggs M1? Do you use a pre-amp? How do you like your GT style 4? Thanks for talking me down.
	Gitman44 says: 7/18/2011 4:14:57 PM I use a passive Baggs M1. I run it directly into my Marshall AS50D acoustic amp, and it sounds great. The M1 pickup is plenty hot, so you don't need a preamp. I've tried it with my K&K pure preamp, and it sounds a tad better, but not enough to warrant hooking it up each time I play. I'm very happy with the GoldTone Style 4. It's definitely louder than the SM. The Style 4 has a very light shellac finish, so I'm that sure helps. I live a couple of hours away from GoldTone, so I went up when they got their first shipment in last year and got to hand pick from the first litter. It's definitely not in the same league as a Bear Creek, Bill Asher, or Tony Francis (this one's on my "bucket list") as far as fit/finish, but suits me fine and sounds really good both acoustically and through the M1. Hope this helps.. Andy Fekete
	Liz Williams says: 7/18/2011 5:22:35 PM It helps, Andy. For one thing, you saved me from impulsively refinishing my SM. Now that the Pearse strings have settled in, it's the guitar I bought because I loved the sound. Those Aloha strings were not a good fit. I could hear how sweet sounding they'd be on the right guitar though. It's great that you were able to go to Gold Tone to pick out a style 4! That should hold you until you can swing one of the others. I decided to take the plunge: I've put a deposit on an all-koa Bear Creek Weissenborn that should be ready in January. Gulp! Based on what you and Grizz recommend, maybe I'll ask Bill to install a Baggs M1 in it. In for a penny, as they say...
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