Greetings, MickyMan,

I noticed this thread came up again, so I popped in to take a look at the latest.

First up, I continue to be pretty happy with both of my Go guitars. I play the nylon-string mostly (back to practicing a lot of the classic stuff I used to play . . . well . . . tried to play), but I do beat on the steel-string fairly often.

Early on, I asked Sam Radding what strings I should use on these instruments. He said that he had experimented with a variety of strings and had found the D'Addario EJ44 Extra-Hard Tension nylons to be the best sounding on the "classics," and the D'Addario EJ16 Light-Tension the best for the steel-strings. I found the EJ16s that came on the steel-string "Go" pretty hard on my sissy fingers after playing classics almost exclusively since the mid-Fifties, even if they were light-tension, so I tried putting a set of even lighter tension D'Angelico light-guage silk-and-steel strings on it. Not a good move. The 6th string sounds oddly "boomy," and the rest sound kind of unbalanced and thin, so I'm going back to the D'Addario EJ16s. On his web site, Sam says,

"All steel string Go Guitars are designed to use light gauge strings. The saddles are compensated to ensure accurate notes over the entire fret board. We use Rosewood fret-boards and bridges. Unlike some other brands, all of our steel string necks have truss rods and a comfortable shape. In short, our instruments feel and play like expensive quality guitars." (Emphasis mine)

Convinced that Sam knows what he's doing, I'd stick to his recommendations, not just for the best possible sound, but for the good of the instrument itself. I get my strings from Elderly Instruments, where they're a lot less expensive than in the local music stores.

I have a Shubb Classic Guitar capo GA 71 (for a flat fingerboard) for the nylon-string, which is neat, tidy, unobtrusive, and easy to use. For the steel-string, I have a Kyser Quick-Change capo, but I can't say that I like it that much. The spring is so tight I practically have to use a pair of pliers to move it, and it sits there on the fingerboard like a rack of elk antlers. I plan on replacing it with a Shubb GA 70 (slight curve).   These are also cheaper at Elderly than they are around here.

Tuners. Probably one of the Sabine AX 2000 stick-on jobs would be about as light and convenient as anything. But since the instructions say not to just stick it on the guitar and leave it there all the time—take it off when you put the guitar away—it's easier to lose. You could put it back in its little plastic box and stick it into the gig-bag with the guitar. For general use, I like the Intellitouch PT-1. Easy to read, and works well when you're trying to tune amid a lot of background noise. I also have a Qwik-Tune QT-11. Light weight. Not a contact tuner like the Sabine and the Intellitouch, it uses a mike, but it has a built-in electronic pitch-pipe, and Elderly has them for only ten bucks, so if you lose it in the tall-and-uncut, you're not out that much (check the pictures on their web site). A tuning fork is always good.

To protect the guitar, I'd keep it in the gig-bag whenever possible. The plush padding doesn't weigh that much and it does a good job of protect the instrument from most bumps and bruises. This may not be too great when you're trying to scale a 60 degree slope, and I imagine you'll be carrying a fairly substantial pack, so I can't really offer much advice. Trial and error, I guess. The strap that comes with it is designed so it fits on the guitar itself, or it can be clipped to the outside of the gig-bag so you can sling it over a shoulder. That way, it looks remarkably like you're carrying a rifle rather than a guitar. Great for walking through airports these days. . . .

I don't know if any of this helps. Anyway, have a good trip, and good pickin'!

Don Firth