Size does matter.

Does Andertons have anything to do with Craig Anderton who wrote Electronic Projects for Musicians back in 1975?

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Hey Florida Gull FloridaGull , I just saw a PM you sent te Walden, which I only picked up today. Have replied!

Yeah me too. I was already a electronic hobbyist before I worked as a designer. Eventually worked in more than a few engineer  level positions based on skills and experience without a degree It was a good time to work in the industry. A Dozen of us came up together from word processing machine companies like AES, Lanier and Phillips Information Systems to telco, cell, personal computers, P.O.S (point-of sale, you dirty minds!) etc. We kept recommending each other for positions. I actually worked for 5 companies that went bankrupt, and that was something to be proud of at the time My last position with a company was "Director of Research and Development"  I saved a few business cards.

In the book I have a couple letters from Craig Anderton. He would type his replies on the back of your letter. I think I used one of his projects in my Tele.


Preamp, notch filter, overdrive. I also built my own reverb unit, flanger, chromatic octave doubler,  an exact copy of a Mutron. Speaker towers, (a pair of 4x12+ 4 dome tweeters). I was busy little be back then. All the stuff is long gone. I can't see well enough now.

You did do a lot of building!  I worked as an engineer for almost 11 years before I got my degree.  I could clearly see that the future would require it, so I figured that I would either have to change careers or knuckle down and get the degree.  I chose the degree.  Within two weeks after graduating from college, my salary doubled!  I didn't realize the disparity between the "haves" and the "have nots" (i.e. have or not have the degree) because nobody discussed salary.  I thought I was doing pretty well before getting my degree, but little did I know. 

Anyway, I just got home from work now.  At 67 years old, I am still in demand, but that would not be true, had I not chosen to get my degree.  That aspect of the work world has changed, probably because there are so many with degrees now.  I saw a lot of folks I used to work with who chose not to get their degrees, end up in rather menial circumstances because they couldn't find the same kind of work after more recent layoffs.  Getting busted down to technician from engineer must be a real blow, both financially and in terms of self-image.  I am sure glad I chose to put in the effort because it paid off far more than the effort I put in, not that it wasn't a real chore going to school at night for several years while working during the day.

Back then (early 1980s) if you were 98.6, breathing, and knew something about computers, you could easily find a job and be "grandfathered" into an engineering position.  Just like you, there were a bunch of us who helped each other stay employed through the layoffs.  I never have had trouble finding a job.  In retirement, I work 3 days a week, 3 months a year in medical electronic firms.  There, at least in the US, you MUST have a degree.  Where I live, the medical industry is where all the stable jobs are.  Now, with 6 years of medical experience, I am in demand around here so I wouldn't have to go elsewhere to find work. 

However, I am pretty much at the end of when I want to work at this point anyway.  The extra money was spending/saving money, rather than a necessity.  That is why I could come here and say that I got a new McPherson or high end Taylor.  Three weeks of work at 3 days a week, and I have enough after taxes to get another one of this level of instrument.  I really don't need any more and no longer have the incentive to make lots of money.  Time is becoming more valuable to me.  I am truly grateful that I was able to retire honorably, rather than being kicked out, downsized, or whatever because my skills were no longer in demand.  I have met far too many folks who went through that.  Those folks seem to continually relive that experience with real bitterness.

As for building music stuff, I did that quite a lot too.  But then I don't see as well and my hands are no longer steady enough to do fine soldering work.  Fortunately, at work it is the technicians that do that stuff so I am still fine working.  At home, I gave away my scope and soldering iron and no longer build stuff.  I kept my DVM because it has so many daily uses around the house.

Tony

jamesM Yeh quite possibly the strings, I never thought of that.

And to add to your defense, I didnt spend a lot of time with it, and it was about 7 years ago. So I reckon your experience outweighs my very brief encounter.

The Cole Clark I had (an FL3 as well) had a nut width of juuuuust under 1.75" and a string spacing of just a few thou under 1.5" from center to center of the E strings.   I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how generous the string spacing is on a Cole Clark.   Definitely more space than any 1.72" nut width or smaller guitar.

IIRC, I found the neck to feel very similar to the Martin I had which had a 1.75" nut width (but I never did measure the actual string spacing on my Martin; it just never seemed to come up as even a question during the time that I had it).

I don't plan on buying any more guitars, but it would be interesting to play a Cole Clark since they are sold locally and they seem to be mentioned rather often around guitar forums.

My primary interest lately has been gathering materials with which to explore new (to me) musical avenues on the guitar as well as more depth in the areas I am already familiar with. I see my future being more involved with learning how to use more fully what I have, than getting more than I already have.

The interesting thing about specs on paper is that they don't always accurately what I will experience in the use of the product. As an example, back in the hey day of stereo equipment, the big deal was more power and lower distortion (IM - intermodulation and THD - total harmonic distortion). There was one small receiver that bucked the trend - the Advent 300. It was a receiver that sold for $399, did not have the greatest specs and only put out 15 WRMS per channel into 8 ohms. Yet, it really sounded good. I had one for quite a while, and preferred it to many much more expensive units.

With guitars, nut width is one part of the equation, but so is string spacing at the saddle and neck radius, not to mention the overall shape of the neck. I tried a couple of the Eastman parlor guitars that are very highly thought of on AGF and apparently here. While they were nice instruments, especially at the price, I did not like their necks at all. The same is true across the board with Rainsong carbon fiber guitars. I really do have to try before I buy, while many seem perfectly happy just ordering online as if from some catalog. Maybe I am too picky.

Tony