Floating Technique and "Wet" Guitars

Justin Schenk

I have a Gitane Lulo Reinhardt model guitar. I've been trying to get the floating thing happening recently - as the volume drop from my standard alternate picking technique is driving me insane - but I find that my sound is absolutely awash in sympathetic vibrations. The sound coming from the rest of my non-muted strings is only slightly quieter than actual notes I'm picking. This is a problem as it makes any playing on the first couple strings sound muddy and sloppy.

I've read posts in the forum about "wet" guitars, and I suppose I have one. Is there really nothing that can be done about it? Are the options just "get a better guitar" or "don't use the Gypsy right hand technique"?

anthon_74

mmm... this may be just a by product of your technique needing work. The floating wrist / rest stroke picking technique takes time to get the hang of, and can cause unwanted overtones until done really well. In general, I've found that the better my playing has gotten, the more I don't get extra sounds I don't want coming from the guitar.

That said, if it is just that you have an extremely wet guitar, I'm not so sure there's a lot you can do about it. Overtones, are generally more pronounced on lower end guitars (and gypsy guitars have more overtones than normal guitars as it is). There have been threads about wetness, and I've tried some of the suggestions, and none have worked.

The suggestions, by the way, are generally around putting a soft, sound absorbing object (like a cloth or a felt pad) under the space between the strings and the body behind the bridge.

Cheers and good luck.

Anthony

jonpowl

From another post: I'm a rookie at GJ, but when I switched to Galli Silk and Steel 10s and a rounded Dunlop Primetone 3mm pick, my Gitane DG-255 started sounding a lot better. Not only did it sound more like a gypsy guitar, it solved some of the "wetness" problem inherent in the Gitane 200 series. I've also tried cork slivers from a wine bottle under the tail piece which also seems to help. Next step, sand the top, remove the polyurethane and apply French polish or lacquer. If anybody has actually refinished just the top of a "wet" Gitane, please let me know how it turned out.

Bones

Technique can make a difference for sure but there is only so much you can do if the guitar is really wet. Some guitars are just plagued with that and it is really annoying. Using old strings helps some but you lose some volume. Keep using proper technique and start looking for a nice loud, dry guitar is the best I can suggest. Good luck.

Justin Schenk

Yeah, there's really nothing I can do about it technique-wise. The fact that playing notes on the 1st string produces a wash of harmonics on the other non-muted strings has little to do with the manner in which my right hand is playing those notes. Well, that's true save for the fact that my right hand is not resting on the strings, but, of course, it's not supposed to in this style.

I find the corking and refinishing tips interesting, though. I dunno, it may just be cheaper to buy a better guitar at that point. But, the Lulos go for a grand new. That's certainly not Dupont territory, but it's also not $200, beater-guitar territory either.

I may just say "screw it" and work on very powerful alternate picking with a thick pick. That's probably easier than developing a new technique anyway

Steveareno

Are you getting a wet sound at gigs and jam sessions, or more so when practicing at home? It's amazing how a room full of people and other instruments can eat up the natural reverb on these things. I noticed it playing in a coffee shop recently. My GJ guitar (Dell Arte) sounds a little wet at home (in a good way), but is quite dry at the coffee shop when jamming and with a few locals in the audience. I like a warm, dry tone and leave my strings on forever, but the room acoustics and ambiance can make a BIG difference. Carpet, wood and wallpaper suck up the reverb; metal, glass and concrete amplify it.. As for "floating technique": it does brings up the volume, but I also like to palm mute which can soften up the tone (comes from being a hillbilly picker). Whatever gets you thru the night.
Swang on,

Al Watsky

I have a wet Selmer copy.
I increased the weight of the bridge by about 4 grams which in this case muted the overtones a bit.
Didn't solve the problem totally but did neutralize some of the overtones.
Its a matter of experimentation.
I replaced the handmade ultra light bridge with a machine made #3 Dupont.
Which off the top of my head weighed around 11.4 grams.
The hand made bridge was super light 9 gram.
I've been weighing bridges.
Its the easiest component to switch.
Has a large impact on tone.
Not apples and oranges.
But an improvement has been made.
I still need to play it more to assess the changes.

Jazzaferri

I am wondering if part of some guitars wetness is a lack of strong fundamental and first order harmonic

Scoredog

Here is a guy who does not exclusively use floating technique

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-BKDNBHEkE

jonpowl

I love the sound of that Geronimo Mateos guitar! Here is another video with a different guitar from a recent tribute to Stephane Grappelli in Madrid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWljbQXZ ... e=youtu.be
Here is a link to the Grappelli FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/TributoGrappel ... arget_id=0

jimvence

I beg pardon to interrupt this serious thread with some humor....but this topic reminded me of an old movie reference.

See this clip to learn how Groucho Marx applies the floating technique to his wet guitar!



The guitar in the clip is Groucho's Gibson L-5, but a stunt "double" was used at 1:15 <g>