Guitars

La Patrie Hybrid CW

At this writing it's been 16 years with the La Patrie. I cannot remember what prompted me to get a classical/nylon string guitar. I guess nostalgia since the Dorado was hardly playable. Sure, first position, but further up the neck - no.

It's nearly 20 years since I "lost" the Strat [you may want some context]. I went to Fred's shop; Bill was no longer actively working there. He'd become a municipal judge my now - oh, the irony. Fred had moved to a new location. It's where I got the Tech 21 amp for the Adamas. I chose the Canadian La Patrie Hybrid CW, made in La Patrie, Quebec – west of Montreal near the New Hampshire border. One thing about the Dorado: I played with a pick. With the La Patrie it was fingers. It's an interesting model – the "hybrid" meaning there is a pickup under the bridge AND a mic in the soundhole. With the onboard preamp you could choose full mic, full bridge or all points in between. I think I favored the bridge pickup. This was 2008, after FCCC closed, so I never played it there.

Pretty much all recordings 2008 and beyond are the La Patrie, though one has surfaced featuring the Fender flat top. I didn't do much recording until the annual fall shed recordings starting 2018. But I did start playing the shed well before that. The setup: Yamaha 8-channel powered mixer, two 14" speakers and a Shure SM-58 mic. Both guitar and mic had a channel in the Yamaha. And it sounded great. I'd play out there three or four times a week and finally in 2018 decided to start recording. They were not always very good; nor were the recordings in my office using the Mac's mic and web cam. By 2018 they were sounding somewhat better.

To say playing the La Patrie classical, nylon string is different than steel-string guitars is an understatement, but comparison of necks at the nut [first fret] and 12th fret will give an idea of how much room those fat nylon string take up, AND how used to the width one gets; it's a bit harder to finger-pick the steel strings. That's not to say it cannot be done. Lots of folks finger-pick steel-string guitars, though often with thumb and finger picks.

Riviera Nut: 1-1/2" 12th: 2-1/8"

Telecaster Nut: 1-5/8" 12th: 2"

Adamas Nut: 1-5/8" 12th: 2"

Fender Nut: 1-3/4" 12th: 2-1/4"

Conrad Nut: 1-7/8" 12th: 2-1/4"

La Patrie Nut: 2" 12th: 2-5/8"

The La Patrie is 1/2" wider up and down the neck compared to the Riviera, which IMHO makes it easier to play, though I'm sure others may beg to differ.

With computers, modems, etc., when they start acting wonky, before you start tearing into troubleshooting, you restart to see if that helps. Similar with onboard preamps; if it's being wonky, change the battery first. But it's making sound, just wonky sound like you have a fuzz pedal, but you don't. Trust me, change the battery. But I measured it - there were volts. Just change the damn battery. I learned it the hard way. TWICE!

Okay, first time. It had been ten years - 2017; it started acting wonky through the Yamaha, a lot of distortion. I did check the battery with the tongue test [shocking, isn't it] and with a meter: 8.5+ volts. Figured it was good and proceeded to tear the electronics apart, pulling it all out of the guitar – a whole list of tests and results. The preamp was bad and way past warranty. I contacted La Patrie, gave them my results. They said they didn't make the Quantum preamp anymore. I'd have to upgrade to the QIT though it won't fit the hole and I won't get the hybrid mic. What can I do? Fine. It's on its way.

Okay, second time. The preamp came with a new under-saddle pickup that I soldered to the QIT as well as the battery wires. I put everything back together AFTER making the hole larger to fit the QIT. Fired it all up. Same wonky. Contacted support, returned it for a new one. It arrives. Same deal, some soldering but no cutting into the guitar again. All back together, fired up, same wonky. What the ...? I put a new battery in: worked just fine....... Lesson learned? I still have the old Quantum with mic and pickup which most assuredly works just fine – thinking I might put it in the 12-string someday. Aside from being embarrassing, what a total waste of time. I do like QIT mainly because it has a tuner. I really liked the sound of the Quantum through the Yamaha - everything was dialed in perfectly. I never did, however, get the same sound out of the QIT, though I am perfectly happy with it now. It's probably the missing soundhole mic giving a different dimension.

I'm sure you've gone on YouTube to find how some process is done. I've done it myriad of times. For instance, our Ford Focus got hit in the rear as evidenced by a big dent in the bumper. Don't know how it happened; it was just there. I took it by a body shop: $500 or so. Off to YouTube. Discovered you smooth out dents and dings in plastic bumpers with a heat gun. So, I said to my son, let's do. The hardest part was actually getting the bumper off because directions neglected to mention one little screw that held us up. Got the bumper in the workshop on saw horses. Took the heat gun to the back of the dent – it was 8" in diameter and about 3" deep. Warmed it up, got a thick rag and started easing the dent out. Warmed again, eased again. 10 minutes, maybe 15, and the dent was perfectly, and I mean perfectly, gone. You could not tell it had been damaged. $500! Pffff! Thank you, YouTube. I've always wanted to "give back" for all the help I received from unknown strangers but never think of it while doing whatever it is I'm doing. This time, however, I fully documented the process with photos; sorry no video: Replacing preamp in acoustic guitar.

About four years later - 2021. Sound starts coming and going. Pull plug out and in, seems to work for while. Guess what? I changed the battery. It worked, for a while, and again would come and go. Okay, it's not the battery. I go through the same process above, pulling all the electronics out and testing volts, continuity, wiggling wires, checking solder joints, resoldered some. Everything seemed fine EXCEPT something fell from the shelf above while working and put a gash in the top as evidenced below. Put it all back together [I say that glibbly but it's not all that easy of a task]. Seemed to work for a while but the coming and going returned – and I was caught on video on the 2021 annual fall recording saying, "I took it all apart." The only thing left was the actual jack the cord plugged into, so I got a new one. Wasn't too hard, just had to unbolt the jack and pull the wire out the soundhole, remove the old one, solder the new one, replace and done. It was the jack.

Well, fixed that one, but we'll see. It's only been 2-1/2 years.

Another adventure with tech support:

June 9, 2023

Hello,
– The Q1TD just stopped working. No sound. No lights when tuning. New battery - 8.95v; Took unit out; Volts going into unit; Volts input side of tuning switch; Volts output of switch when depressed; none when depressed; Volts input side of LEDs and ouput side of LEDs; no lights.; With cord plugged in or not. Any ideas?
Thank you, Thom

Hi Thom,
– You can double check the wiring. You'll find a wiring diagram in the attachment. If the problem persists, it's probably because of a problem with the preamp's circuit board. Q1T electronics have been discontinued and we unfortunately no longer have replacement preamps in stock. Q1 electronics were built for us by a company called EPM. It was a small operation and the owner recently had to close the shop due to illness.
Regards, Michel

– I’ll recheck the wiring. Your name seems familiar. Did I work with you in 2017?

– I've been answering all emails here since 2004, so if you emailed us before, I was the one who replied!

– Well then, we meet again ;o)
When I checked yesterday I noticed the white wire on the jack was a little dodgy, but as volts were where they were supposed to be I left it alone. Following your advice I took it all apart again and checked all connections. I wiggled the white wire a bit and it broke; it was dodgy. So I soldered it back on and put the battery back in – bingo, lights came on! She’s a working.

– It’s been a pleasure Michel. Oh, last time I was in your "neck of the woods" as we say, it was in 1972 as I hitchhiked from Montreal to Toronto. I had started in New York and ended at Niagra Falls. I actually started in California and ended up back there.
Thanks again, Thom

– That's a long hitchhiking trip! Glad to know the electronics are in working order again. Enjoy your guitar!
Michel