For both ZenTappers and Megatars we generally recommend the BassBottom tuning, where bass is tuned in fourths, just like a standard 6-string bass. Learning is much faster with this tuning, and most of what you already know from guitar or bass transfers quickly, plus your right hand picks up what your left hand knows very [...]
Megatar FAQ
You are currently viewing the category archives of All
Category Archives: All
Cool Tip for Buzz Feiten Tuning
Our factory shop recently got an email from a Buzz Feiten authorized shop in Italy, with the following question. [Techie/Geeky Warning: Rather technical info following] – >I’m having trouble intonating the 4th melody >string using the formula for BassBottom tuning > because it keeps being sharp. I tune it C# > no offset (at fret [...]
Bass Strings Sound Muddy?
One user in Europe reported ‘muddiness’ in low bass strings on his Megatar. He was not using the standard strings that we supply, but strings of some different construction, and gauges unknown. He asks what can cause tonal changes and especially ‘muddiness’ in low bass strings. Several things can cause tonal changes in the lowest [...]
Q: How Can I Compare the Sound of Chapman Stick and Mobius Megatar?
A: A member of the Tappistry.Org was curious about this same question some time back. He had in his possession a TrueTapper Eclipse, and his Stick, and so me made identical recordings — minimal effects, same settings — and as a further comparison he also recorded the same song on a cheap Strat-knockoff. It’s a [...]
How To Count the Frets
[reprinted by permission from MegArticles Two-Handed Tapping Archives] Image by Brian Hathcock via Flickr HOW DO YOU COUNT FRETS? It’s not a silly question. I have been surprised by how many times this question comes up. Since this little question baffles so many people, I did a search on our favoriite search engine, and didn’t [...]
Q: What’s the best tuner to use?
A: Tuners vary. Of course, you can use any tuner, except for one thing you should keep in mind. Electronic tuners have to have a ‘window’ of frequency that is acceptable. If the window is narrow, then it is very very difficult for the human to hit the exact spot where the light turns green. [...]
Q: What’s the Best Way to Tune Up, with the Buzz Feiten Intonation System?
A: When you have the Buzz Feiten Intonation System installed on a guitar or a tapping instrument, your playing will sound more ‘in tune’ than on a normal guitar. But does it require some special way of tuning up? Not really. Of course, the better you tune up, the better you will sound. However, the [...]
Q: How can I Reduce or Eliminate Hum?
A: Generally speaking, there is nothing in a guitar that actually generates hum, generally you can assume that the hum is being induced into the guitar, or it is being added to the signal of the guitar. Experimentation is your friend. Here are some possibilities – RECEIVING BROADCAST HUM There is something in the environment [...]
Q: How to Make a String Deadener / String Mute?
A: People sometimes ask if they can buy one of our String Deadeners, sometimes called a String Mute. You don’t need to buy one from us, because you can make your own string deadener easy as pie. Just go down to Ace Hardware, in the kitchen department, and look for ‘shelf liner’. It’s a spongy [...]
Q: How to map the Megatar fretboard?
A: We are working on a chart that shows all the notes on the fretboard, and hopefully that will become available soon. However, in the meantime, in the Method Book #1, in the Appendix, you will find some blank fretboard graphs, which can be photo-copied. These are only 8 frets long, and don’t cover the [...]
