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BS: guitars in general
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Subject: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 16 Nov 01 - 07:52 PM how long have you been playing and what type of guitar do you play, this is just for info cause i like informative threads about guitar playing, and the different styles. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Oversoul Date: 16 Nov 01 - 09:11 PM I played about an hour yesterday afternoon, before work. Scales, and those "modes". I love to play 'em straight and then in broken thirds. In progressions of fifths and relative minors. Such beauty in a matter of a few inches! Lately I have been playing my old brass bodied Dobro. I am a fan of fingerpicked resonator guitars, in standard tuning. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Midchuck Date: 16 Nov 01 - 09:12 PM Have been playing about 42 years. Got first guitar for 18th birthday, just turned 60. Play with a flatpick. In public, a style I often describe as "Mother Maybelle on uppers." I struggle with lead, melodic, flatpicking, but don't often inflict my efforts on anyone else but my poor wife. Currently, I usually use my most recent purchase, a 000-15S Martin, for gigs, miked. My current pride and joy is the ex-Jack Lawrence Collings D2H, but I don't take it out of the house too much. Also have a D-18VMS that is about to be sent off to be set up and hotrodded; a one-off by Craig Anderson of South Burlington, VT; a recent Taylor 414; an OM-21 that is now for sale, if anyone's interested; and a few inexpensive beaters. Since we've been playing paid gigs regularly in the last few years, I've been setting the gig income aside for toys, but the house is getting crowded. Peter. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Justa Picker Date: 16 Nov 01 - 09:58 PM - A sum total of 4 years. - Martins |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Benjamin Date: 17 Nov 01 - 01:36 AM About 8 or 9 years. Classical for about 3 and a half years. I play a Kenny Hill. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Kaleea Date: 17 Nov 01 - 01:39 AM I first was given a very well used Harmony by a friend when I was about 13. A buddy from the hills of Kentucky showed me some fingerpicking stuff such as "Travis" pick & other arpeggio style plucking as accompaniment for singing. I found some Peter Paul & Mary books & learned to read the tab & played as I heard them play on the records. I got a 12 string when I was about 16, and loved it till it caved in. I got my 1964 Gibson J45 used, in 1976. I have never desired another guitar. It was made very well, and I think you just can't beat American made guitars. The quality of that old Gibson is better than most of the extremely expensive guitars being made now. I know many people who buy a guitar, play a little in one or two keys, then buy more expensive guitars, one after the other, erroneously thinking that somehow the guitar will make them a better player. One needs to find a decent guitar, learn to play it the best they can, and then decide what your own style is, and what your needs are. Then, you can make an intelligent decision about what kind of guitar fits you and the kind of music you want to play. And, of course, a good teacher is one who has you learn chords in most every key, bar chords, and, yes, scales! The brand of the guitar is less important than one might think. Get a decent, basic guitar, and go from there. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: GUEST,Greycap Date: 17 Nov 01 - 03:40 AM Been playing 42 years - folk & bluegrass & country. Started on an Arnold Hoyer archtop then graduated to: Levin Goliath Hagstrom Jumbo Gibson J45 1965 Martin D-28 ( still own & use ) 1970 Guild D-40C cutaway Martin Backpacker 1974 Martin D-18 ( still own & use ) Takamine Santa Fe ( still own and use for bar work ) Santa Cruz F-Model 12-string ( still own & use ) Any further info needed - just ask Cheers from England Roger
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Maxine Date: 17 Nov 01 - 06:05 AM I've only been playing for 4 months - and my finger tips hurt! I am determined however, and now seem to be able to give a reasonable(ish) rendition of 'How many roads'. 'Streets of London' and 'The last thing on my mind' are still a million miles away. Apparently you never reach your destination as a guitarist, you just have to enjoy the journey - and I'm definately enjoying mine. Any tips gratefully received! |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Mooh Date: 17 Nov 01 - 06:39 AM I guess it's getting close to 30 years Bob, and I still enjoy it like any other maniacal obsessive compulsive GAS infected nuthouse patient. I gig and teach it too, so it's never out of my mind. Mostly acoustics...custom 6, 12, and baritone guitars, an old Harmony set up lap style, a S&M beater, two electric and an upright bass, mandolin, Telecaster, various other things too numerous to note here... Flatpick, fingerstyle, lapstyle... So may guitars, so little time... Mooh. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Dave T Date: 17 Nov 01 - 08:58 AM I've been playing for about 25 - 30 yrs. Guitars (in order of preference) I play are: custom Oskar Graf, Martin OOO-18 (1967) and a Martin D-1R (a couple of years old). I use a flat pick and finger pick with my middle and ring finger so I can switch from flatpicking to fingerpicking on the fly. The type of music depends who I'm playing with but ranges from acoustic blues to bluegrass as well as some jazz and show tunes. Interestingly, I took up fiddle a couple of years ago and while that's a slow process, I find it's helped my guitar playing as far as developing my sense of melody, phrasing, etc. - Dave T |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: dwditty Date: 17 Nov 01 - 09:22 AM Well, I am down to four guitars. Mostly I play my Collings 000-2H. Sweet sweet tone and lots of room for my fat fingers. No picks, just fingers. Next - a Gallagher 71 Special. It's my last name so I had to own one. As Doc Watson says...rings like a bell. I use it when singing with groups of friends. A Santa Cruz custom Model H 12 string. 42 style abalone top. All highly flamed koa - top, sides, and back. Prettiest guitar I have ever seen. Finally a Guild F50-R. Used to be Jonathan Edwards' stage guitar. I use it when I want to feel closer to Dave Van Ronk. dw |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Midchuck Date: 17 Nov 01 - 09:32 AM ...Mostly I play my Collings 000-2H... Diddy, I hate you. You, I hate. Peter. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 17 Nov 01 - 10:39 AM to maxine, a tip from eric clapton, rub alochol on your finger tips at least 3 times a day and that will help dry the skin and help your callous form better, i tried it and it works. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Maxine Date: 17 Nov 01 - 11:58 AM Thanks Bob, I will give that a go. I'm sure I read somewhere that drinking vast quantities of alcohlol also did the same thing - got to be worth a try eh? Right, back to me strumming... |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 17 Nov 01 - 07:33 PM ha ha ha i don't know about the drinking part but the other part i knows works, happy strumming and happy drinking. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Hilary Date: 18 Nov 01 - 04:05 AM Playing for just 2 weeks on a acoustic student guitar - so I wouldn't like to claim I have a style yet. (Somewhere between Nic Jones & Jimmy Page in my imagination) Remembering/finding a dozen chords has been easier than I thought it would be - but finding them quickly enough to keep the tune going.... o well ..... keep practicing. Apologies if this is thread creep ....The pain in the surface of my fingers eased fairly quickly, but it remains in lower skin levels - can alcohol affect below the very top layer ???? Or when a callous forms - will that help protect lower layers? Experienced players have all been very keen to show off their callouses (BG) H |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: GUEST,Steven G. Date: 18 Nov 01 - 07:59 AM I have been playing guitar for 18 years now, since I was 7 years old. When I was 7 years old, at the time, I tried it out, and after a couple of lessons, and then I almost quit. But my Mom kept me in it, and after 18 years, basically everyday I play my guitar for about 1 to 3 hours a day. I really enjoy playing, and cannot believe at times if I never heard a song before, I am able to figure out the chords to a song. I guess after 18 years, I developed a "ear for music" I always tried to fingerpick, but never could do it because my fingers weren't too coordinated to do it. So I flatpick it instead, I have to be a little faster than fingerpicking, but I developed it over the years. My first guitar was Harmony guitar from Sears, and played that for about 4 years, and then move to a Yamaha Entrena, played that for about 12 years. Picked up a 6 string Yamaha FS-310 & Yamaha FG-412-12 Guitars in the last 2 years. Great guitars. For those people that posted a message that started playing guitar. Keep it up, you will build that callouse on your fingers. You will develop a "ear for music", after a few years, because if you listen to a song on the radio that you like, and you want to learn it. You get home, and pick up the guitar, and all of a sudden, after you figure the chords, you get the air of the song. And then later get the lyrics on the net, by after an hour or 2 you will be playing the song. It constantly amazes me everyday when I do this. And learning from other people at guitar lessons or at a party, is great to learn new techniques. As they said "Practice makes perfect". Keep it up. Many hours of enjoyment. Later, Steven G. Steven G.
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: kendall Date: 18 Nov 01 - 09:04 AM I got my first guitar when I was 16, now, I'm over 30 and still wearing jeans...A used Gene Autry low end box. Over the years I have had, a Kalamazoo, a couple of no names,a Yamaha 12 string, a Gibson J-45, a Mossman, a Guild D-25, a Guild d-50, a Martin D-28, and, finally, a TAYLOR 810!! I also have a custom made 12 string by Apollonio. I play with a flat pick for the most part, but, some basic finger stuff, and, I play the 12 with fingers.Although I do folk, there is a country influence from my mis spent youth. I regret to say that after 50 years I'm still no threat to Doc Watson. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Jeri Date: 18 Nov 01 - 09:35 AM I bought a Guild D-4 a whole 11 days ago, and I have some monster calluses. For the first 3 days, I played until my fingers hurt really badly, then I stuck little pads of moleskin on the tips, and played some more. Seemed to work pretty well, or I may just be good at growing calluses. I do well with hair, so why not calluses? My teacher has me playing in DADF#AD to get toughened up and prevent the frustration of not being able to sound somewhat good at the beginning. I also have a bum left index finger, so it makes using more than 3 fingers, or chords with a lot of stretch nearly impossible at this time. I can flat pick nearly every tune I know on fiddle, but I don't think that's the point of having a guitar. It's just nice to do in between practicing the halting ("where do my fingers go again? Oops - wrong string. Crap - not pressing hard enough, finger not close enough to the fret") chord changes. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: kendall Date: 18 Nov 01 - 12:27 PM I applaude your "stick to itness" but, covering the fingers with moleskin or anything will prevent the formation of calluses. In this case, the hard way is the best way. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 18 Nov 01 - 12:51 PM Hilary, The inner layers will form with longer hours of playing. The alcohol on finger tips helps with drying the skin helping the outer layers to form more quickly. However if they are painful deep inside, alcohol on the skin can't hurt anything and may bring some relief. ;) Glenda (Bob's wife) |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Jeri Date: 18 Nov 01 - 01:04 PM Kendall, it worked pretty well for me. I had very little pain (and a good start on guitar calluses) after 3 days, and after about 5, I had solid calluses. Mind you, I only put the moleskin on after playing for as long as I could stand without it. I usually have a fairly high pain threshold, though, and apparently withstood enough naked-finger playing for it to be effective. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: kendall Date: 18 Nov 01 - 03:01 PM gottcha kid! there aint no flies on you Jeri. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Hilary Date: 18 Nov 01 - 06:31 PM Thanks Glenda H |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Phil Cooper Date: 18 Nov 01 - 11:18 PM Bob, good thread. I got my first guitar just shy of my 15th birthday. I'm 47 now and have been playing ever since. Don't have as much time to pratice as I used to. I was told I didn't miss much by staying home and playing in the basement during my high school years (not the social butterfly, I). I have three guitars now that I take to gigs; a Taylor K14 C for my main guitar in DADGAD; a Santa Cruz H model for CGCGCD tuning; and a Santa Cruz OM/PW for open G and standard tuning. Use a martin backpacker to practice in the car (not while driving, of course). |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: DonMeixner Date: 18 Nov 01 - 11:31 PM I began playing twenty five years ago. I bought my first guitar, A Yamaha FG 180 Red Label when I was twenty five. Thats the guitar I learned to play on twice. The my wife gave me a 1970 Martin O-16-NY which I played along with a Guild F-30 I got out of a trash can in Syracuse. The Guild is the guitar I learned to play again on for the third time. I had the long term loan of an Ovation Elite which I have never liked all that well. Recently I bought a Martin JC-16 GTE which I am liking a lot. Callouses come with effort and practice. No other way to get them. If I had to choose tween any of those guitars I mentioned for a lifetime. With the exception of the Ovation I could be very happy with any of them. Don |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Gillie Date: 19 Nov 01 - 09:11 AM I have been playing for the last twenty eight years. Over this time I have aquired two classical guitars, a Fender acoustic and a baby Taylor. My favourite has got to be my baby. I play folk guitar and some classical music. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: A Wandering Minstrel Date: 19 Nov 01 - 10:02 AM Getting on for 30 years now. Stagg Ovation copy and Aria 6-strings and a much travelled Eros 12-string. Saving for a real Ovation one day.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: LR Mole Date: 19 Nov 01 - 10:20 AM Guild 12 (with Chesterfield headstock), Gibson Hummingbird, Old Fender Mustang for plug-in gigs. Have an unreasonable hatred for acoustic cutaways and little sliding switches on shoulders, but I don't care for much of the 20th century anyway. Especially the second part. First guitar: a "Lindell" classical strung up with steel strings. Second: Harmony Grand Concert from Sears.I've played for 35 years. Still not very good, though. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 19 Nov 01 - 01:47 PM my wife and i have taylor big babys and we love them, just today itook mine and had it set up right and it now plays great, i also have a takamine ltd 90, a takamine gs330s a gibson j-40, a yamaha cg70 classical, a 1988 fender strat plus, and a fender squier bullet, and i have a johnson baritone uke, and i've been playing since 1964, so that tells you how old i am. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Melani Date: 19 Nov 01 - 02:04 PM I have three guitars at the moment--two made by my dad, and a "lutetar" (lute-backed guitar) I got for Renaissance Faires. When I thought about it , I realized I've been playing for 35 years (gasp!), but there was a period of about 25 years when I played very little or not at all. I started again a couple of years ago. I really just do a little pattern picking, and would like to improve. I tend to spend more time on the penny whistle because you don't have to take it out of a case and tune it first, and I can keep a stash of them in the kitchen to play while cooking. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 19 Nov 01 - 07:35 PM you can improve with a lot of practice, and i think that guitar would be more fun to play than the pennywhistle, but i could be wrong. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Tweed Date: 19 Nov 01 - 08:57 PM Hey BOB, I started playing when I was thirteen after hearing Subterranean Homesick Blues for the first time while dragging along through the snow on my paper route. I've got an old J-45, a slightly suped up Squier Bullet, a Telecaster, a Regal steel resonator (new Korean type, not old at all) and a homemade diddly bow I've been messing with. It's getting a pickup set inline with it's single string when I get a tip for my soldering iron. Should sound pretty different... The Bullet came out of a pawn shop and was strung so tight the neck was almost u shaped. I rescued it and it's really not a bad playing guitar at all. Not a bad deal for sixty bucks and some tinkering. I play when I'm not on this damn computer and my wife has stopped communicating with me altogether;~) (apologies for the long drawn out blah..blahblablah...) |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 19 Nov 01 - 09:53 PM man that's some neat guitars, what type of music do you like to play? BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Tweed Date: 19 Nov 01 - 10:22 PM Well they're not real neat but they're paid for anyhow. I guess you could put me in the blues category. I like the older stuff most of all these days. Here's a song I do on the Regal. I'm not sure who wrote it. Fifteen Cent Blues It's pretty rough. A bit like Charlie Patton on acid;~) |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 20 Nov 01 - 05:09 AM i used to have a 1983 bullet but i sold it but it was a nice playing guitar, i'll check your blue clicky later my wife is still asleep. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Tweed Date: 20 Nov 01 - 06:15 AM Well, if you ever need to wake a person up, that would be a good one for the job I'm sure. BTW, are there mole kennels now? Who skins these poor,sightless creatures? Folkys have a darker side than I'd ever imagined;~) |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: GUEST,ACroenen Date: 20 Nov 01 - 06:21 AM Wow! I've just been introduced to this website and am having a great time reading this thread. Loved the fifteen cent blues, Tweed. I played the guitar for a few years from when I was sixteen and have recently taken it up again. I play a very basic guitar (now 18 years old!) calling itself 'Black Horse' as well as displaying some mysterious writing from the Far East. I have always called it my 'cigar box with strings' and I think it is about time for a new instrument. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Matthew Edwards Date: 20 Nov 01 - 06:32 AM Welcome aboard the Mudcat, and I hope you'll find lots more to enjoy here. I think there are plenty of people here who would be only to happy to help you choose a new instrument, but be warned - not all the advice will necessarily be helpful! |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Matthew Edwards Date: 20 Nov 01 - 06:47 AM Actually if you go to the front page and enter the word guitar in the Filter Box, and set the Age to 1 Year, or even 2 Years, from the drop-down menu, and then click on the "Refresh" button;you will find a lot of previous discussion threads about more aspects of guitars than you ever knew! Some of them might even prove helpful! Eg Faourite acoustic guitar |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: GUEST,An Croenen Date: 21 Nov 01 - 06:30 AM Hi Matthew, thanks for your welcome! I'll check out the link you made tonight.(You guys are high tech!!) I had a laugh last night: I tried out the translating service into French and then back to English. But that would be a new thread of conversation... |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Grab Date: 21 Nov 01 - 08:08 AM Brass-body Regal resonator, plus cheapish steel-string acoustic and classical guitars. The Regal's my "show" guitar, when I want to do serious blues and get that full-on tone. The steel-string and classical don't have fantastic tone, but they've been with me for years and the action's set just right, so they're really comfortable to play - no surprises with them, where the Regal is more of a challenge (although the payoff is bigger when you get it just right). It's the difference between playing to relax and playing seriously - just depends what mood I'm in. I do lust after other guitars though. I'm not sure what my next acquisition will be - I'm torn between an electric (probably a Strat), a 12-string or a really good 6-string. But since I've just dropped £400 on getting my violin repaired, probably none of them are on the cards any time soon. :-( I'm not sure how anyone can sell an instrument, unless it's really a "sell-it-or-lose-the-house" kind of decision. There's too much time invested in them all for me to get rid of them. Graham. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 21 Nov 01 - 10:44 AM this might be a stupid question, but how do you play a resonator guitar? do you play it like a regular acoustic, or do you play it like a dobryo? BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Lonesome EJ Date: 21 Nov 01 - 11:59 AM My first guitar was an arch-top Silvertone I got for Christmas in 1965. I promptly learned to play Louie Louie, listened to the instructional record about three times, and stuck it in the corner of the basement. It floated around there for a few years until I was sneaking thorugh the basement window after a long night of carousing and stepped in the middle of it. In 1983, I took 6 lessons and learned some basic open chords (no B's or F's), and bought a nice little KOrean-made Harmony 6 string. I still have it. After about a year of occasional strumming, I put it down until last summer. I picked up where I left off, have learned some bar chords and some basic flat-picking. I bought an Alvarez 12 string with on-board preamp last November, and just this August I got a Les Paul Studio electric. And after 37 years, I have pretty much perfected Louie Louie. I also like strumming everything from country to traditional to rock, and have three binders full of OLGA sheet music downloads. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 21 Nov 01 - 12:35 PM WHY DON'T YOU TRY SOME MP3 DOWNLOADS AND LISTEN TO THE SONGS, IT WILL HELP YOU DEVELOP YOUR EAR. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Lonesome EJ Date: 21 Nov 01 - 01:09 PM EH? WHAT'S THAT Y'SAY BOB?? |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: GUEST,Bobert Date: 21 Nov 01 - 02:04 PM Well, danged if don't see my buddy Tweed up there with his shiny almost new Regal resonator. Well, if he's going to get into the fray then I guess I can, too. I've been playing since '67 and since '71 when I traded my Telie for a Yamaha 12 string and a few bucks, have played acoustics since. My main instument is a 1964 D-18 which when I was doing coffee house gigs was the instrument I played. I have just recently broken my vow to not play it in open tunings and pretty much leave it in a "G". I also have a 1932 Gibson tenor that has never seen anything but a variety of open tunings in the 20 years I've owned it. Like Tweed, I recently acquired a Regal resonator and it stays in various open tunings and played mostly with a slide and occasionally two slides, one stubby and one full, that I've been diddling with trying to get a Fred McDowell sound. I have just ordered a J.B. Player acoustic bass from ebay but it isn't here as yet. The rest of the beaters are just that. Without counting them all I guess I've got about ten other acoustics and tenors and one 12 string and two dulcimers. Most everything is in one open tuning or another but I keep the 12 string and one of the better beaters in standard tuning and try to force myself to play standard tunings a couple of hours a week. Sorry to be so lond winded but the Tweedster hisself will tell you that I can't help myself... I'm just a long winded guy. Nice thread, Bob. I enjoyed reading it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 21 Nov 01 - 03:33 PM THANKS BOBERT, I ENJOYED READING YOUR POST, AND KEEP IN TOUCH. BOBO |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Tweed Date: 21 Nov 01 - 06:50 PM BTW BOB, you can play a resonator just like a regular guitar in standard tuning or with a slide in any tuning you like. The square necked ones are set up with the strings a bit higher and are mostly for lap style slide work. But they also have regular type necks that will work either way. In Fifteen Cent Blues up there is a roundneck Regal played just using a metal fingerpick. You can get 'em to sound pretty loud and that's why they made them way back before amplifiers. They're sure different and fun to fool around on. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 21 Nov 01 - 07:37 PM thanks tweed for the info, i had heard a lot about them but i never knew anything about them now i know something. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Tweed Date: 21 Nov 01 - 08:10 PM The London Resonator Centre *clik* |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 21 Nov 01 - 08:14 PM thanks for the site , i just opened it and took a peek, i'll go back later and study. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: WyoWoman Date: 21 Nov 01 - 11:43 PM I bought a guitar two years ago but didn't have time to do much on it until last year. Played for a few months then got too busy again. Now, I'm trying to play at least a little bit every day. I'm slowly but surely starting to make something that sounds suspiciously like music but still don't have the nerve to play much other than in the privacy of my own living room to my dog and cat. I have been a singer for years and it's really hard to try and sing AND play at the same time. I start singing and completely lose it with the guitar. BUT I finally don't hurt every time I play, so I guess I"m getting good callouses and that's a good thing. I have a Yamaha (the one I bought two years ago) that I just loaned to a guitarless friend who's also a single mom and too broke to buy her own guitar. I now have a Fender acoustic that the man formerly known as my boyfriend left here. He owes me money, which I figure he'll never pay, so I'm countin' the Fender as mine now. I like it pretty well. I'm now trying to decide if I want to buy myself a mandolin or a Stratocaster. Sort of where the two musical roads diverge in my life at the moment ... ww |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Grab Date: 27 Nov 01 - 07:44 AM Tweed, I think I died and went to heaven! :-) Damn, wish I'd known about that place b4 I bought mine. Not that I'm complaining, but it wouldn't half have been nice to get down there and check out all those lovely guitars. As it was, I had to make do with a trip to Elderly Instruments, which "only" had a wall-full of resonators (instead of an entire shop-full). Ain't life a bitch... ;-) Incidentally, anyone got any professional opinions on how Tacoma guitars shape up? I played a couple and they sounded nice, and they certainly look striking (with the offset sound-hole), but does anyone more experienced know how they compare to other similarly-priced guitars? Graham. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: GUEST,Overcoat Charlie Date: 27 Nov 01 - 09:10 AM I've been playing for just about 40 years, since age 17. I've been through lots of guitars in that time, starting with a borrowed Gibson LG-0 that I learned on. I now have an older Martin OM-45 which is a truly wonderful guitar, plus a Jose Ramirez classical guitar, and several other lesser gutars. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 27 Nov 01 - 09:52 PM over the holidays i had my takamine gs330s setup with a nut adjustment and leveling, polishing, and crown job on the frets also helped the action a lot, ialso had my big baby and also glendas big baby adjusted and all 3 play like new guitars. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: catspaw49 Date: 27 Nov 01 - 10:05 PM Geez Bob, you say you had your Takamine setup with a nut adjustment and leveling, polishing, and crown job and now your action is better? Well no shit man! Always works for me but I generally refer to mine as "Joe Smackers" and not "Takemine"..........So, is Glenda enjoying the change? Spaw |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 27 Nov 01 - 10:11 PM yeh man, she loves it. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Rolfyboy6 Date: 27 Nov 01 - 11:06 PM Started playing at 16 forty years ago. It comes and goes, lately I've made some advances. Started on a Harmony, traded that for a Gibson B-25, traded that and $60 for a 000-18 which I still have (neck reset, bridge replacement and a fret leveling in the mid 70s). My other great guitar deal was my Gallagher G-45. Nobody in town knew what it was ("some off-brand") and I got it for for $400. Rings like a bell but ya gotta push it. Epiphone Dot (good for the bucks, it can sing). Fernandes 80s strat (they were great copyists then)-one of those with the rosewod fingerboard and the 'dark wine' sound. 67 Fender Mustang (needs work but clanks and twngs). Early 60s Teisco Del Ray cousin of the 'Tulip' models for Hounddog Taylor stuff. And a Harmony Hollywood with the DeArmond gold screen pickup (hasn't decided if it's Fred McDowell or T-Bone yet). Kentucky K-250 mandolin from the Kentucky Dawg period when they were really good. And my old RB-175 banjo ("Lady Margret sittin' combin' back her long yaller hair"). plus a couple of beaters.
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: GUEST,Steve Date: 28 Nov 01 - 07:40 PM I started playing 30+ years ago. I've had acoustic 12 strings: a Conrad , a Framus, and still have an EKO that I bought in England in 1975. I've had electrics: a Harmony, a Vox Phantom VI, and have a Mexican made Fender Telecaster, and six strings acoustics (my main instrument): an American made Epiphone, aMossman that I've had since 1977, and my new baby, a Petros (petrosguitars.com). I had a horrible ear to start with. Couldn't tune for the first three years, but learned to play by heart-that is to say I loved music so much that I watched guitarists and banged and kept at it. I've never regretted it and now, maybe, after all these many years of playing (small clubs, schools, comunity plays, etc.) I may put out a CD in the spring. Keep at it, y'all. Life begins at...Life begins today! Acoustically, Steve |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: 53 Date: 28 Nov 01 - 09:41 PM congrats steve on your accomplishments, i hope that you cd does well. BOB |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Murray MacLeod Date: 28 Nov 01 - 10:19 PM Rollyboy, I am intrigued by this "dark wine" sound. I used to own a Hofner with that "light beer" sound. Murray |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: GUEST,Philibuster, sans cookie Date: 28 Nov 01 - 10:59 PM It'll be a year this christmas eve. Before, say, September 1999 I was never into guitar music (let alone Folk, of all things). I was (or well, AM) a trombone player with a bit of keyboard knowledge, and stuck to classical and jazz literature. Sometime earlier that year my mother had bought me a little Hohner C harmonica to take care of my music denial while on camping trips. I don't think I put the thing down for months. I started researching some Dylan songs to figure out just what the hell to do with it. On a bored day, browsing through Napster, looking for some Dylan songs, I remembered some guy named Phil Ochs being mentioned in the Stephen King book I was reading (Hearts in Atlantis). I did I search for Phil Ochs, gave one listen to I Ain't Marchin' Anymore, and decided I was going to learn to play guitar. That was also the beginning of my long running Phil Ochs addiction, but that is another story, and shall be told another time...=P I got my guitar for Christmas. A Fender Squier DG-6. I finger pick, flat pick, and even slap the strings with a little 1/4 inch wooden rod. I play as often as I can, which works out to be about an hour a day. Jazz and folk, jazzed up folk, and folked up jazz 24/7. |
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Subject: RE: Instruments: Your best cheap one From: Stilly River Sage Date: 12 May 06 - 11:39 AM I have a question. I grew up around guitars but never played one so am not terribly conversant with their restoration. I was at a garage sale this morning where a smallish Harmony guitar was sitting off to the side. It needs work--the tuning keys have lost the plastic thumb pieces for tuning, it has no strings, and it appears to be missing the bridge (he thought the piece was stuffed inside for safe keeping but it has disappeared. The saddle(?) is in place for actually attaching the strings at the bottom end. The finish is muddy. The guy said he thought it "was unusual with the sound hole in the middle, that they were usually different shaped in a different place on the front of these guitars." He's asking $20. I didn't buy it, but I'm curious. I can't actually tell much about a guitar like this, and it isn't what I'm planning to pick up for my son (once the tax return is in), but upon encountering this decades-old guitar (it looked sound, everything else was in place) would this be anything to consider restoring, or was this brand simply the learner's guitar sold at Sears that has seen better days and is destined to be a decorative piece on the wall at some orthodontist's office? (The decorator at my dentist's office has done the most annoying things with otherwise perfectly good fishing lures and antique games, etc., just to give each exam room its own ambiance.) Funny thing is, he had parts for guitars, like he'd been working on them or planning to work on them. One box had some old machine heads for 12-strings. I didn't get the impression he's a luthier, though I said the word and they knew what I was talking about. Garage sales--who knows what you're encountering. He said he didn't want to work on this old guitar or do anything to the finish to lessen its value, that he has a very valuable one in the house with its original finish (this sale one had belonged to his brother). I wonder if this one had any value to worry about. Sorry, I don't have any model information, I didn't see any numbers on it. Should have taken a picture. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Big Mick Date: 13 May 06 - 07:45 PM Refresh for Stilly River Sage. See post above this one. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: GUEST Date: 13 May 06 - 08:05 PM |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: GUEST,AR282 Date: 13 May 06 - 08:16 PM Been playing off and on for about 32 years. But it was only around 2002 that I began to get really serious and began buying guitars. In the order I bought them: LaPatrie Collection FS classical Seagull S6+ Cedar GT Takamine EG544SC-4C '65 Epiphone Century electric archtop Gretsch G400C Synchromatic acoustic archtop Dean Playmate Washburn D-10 '77 Fender P-bass (actually my very first guitar and I really bought it in '77) Schechter Stiletto Studio 5 active 5-string bass I also have a lap dulcimer, a Roland synth and a set of Yamaha drums. I'm loaded for bear. |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: catspaw49 Date: 13 May 06 - 08:35 PM Hi Stilly.....Without going into some long harangue with assorted disclaimers and explanations, just skip it. 99.999999% probability of being a flower pot....Pass it. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: Don(Wyziwyg)T Date: 13 May 06 - 08:38 PM Started in a London (UK) youth club skiffle group 51 years ago, playing a borrowed classical, bit weird, I know, and far too quiet but What the heck, it was FUN! My current instrument is a Framus Nashville that I bought second hand in 1978. I spent four hours at Hobgoblin in Crawley. I chose it after trying every steel strung in the shop, because it has a mellow, no buzz, classical tone with the volume the classical lacked. I finger pick, mostly variations on clawhammer, as plectrums and I just don't get on. When I use one it goes three or four strokes then catches on a sting and sort of leaves. This was becoming a health and safety issue for anyone in a ten yard radius, so I went back to picking, and I prefer that really. I also had a Fender Acoustic with a really low action. You could get a clean note by just touching the string with almost no pressure. I quite regret now having given it to my son as a graduation present, but I'd never tell HIM that. Latest news on the Framus is that it's rare and fairly valuable. I've been offered GBP1500, but I wouldn't sell it if he added another zero. Don T. |
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Subject: RE: guitars in general From: katlaughing Date: 13 May 06 - 08:40 PM refresh |
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Subject: RE: BS: guitars in general From: John Hardly Date: 13 May 06 - 08:44 PM Stilly, Catpaw is full of crap. Disregard not just the advice he gave you, but him as well. For at least a week. If you take that Harmony to a reputable luthier and have him replace the strings.... ....oh, and the tuners, and the bridge pins, and the saddle and the bridge and the purfling and the kerfing, the top, and the back and the sides, the frets, fretboard and neck, the braces, the headstock, the soundhole and the air that used to fill it.... ....and replace those parts with 100% authentic replacements from a pre-war Martin 00028... ....you'd have one hell of a guitar. It's be worth gobs of money too. |
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Subject: RE: guitars in general From: catspaw49 Date: 13 May 06 - 08:50 PM Yeah......I guess John's probably right...........***sigh***............................ Spaw |
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Subject: RE: guitars in general From: GUEST,van lingle Date: 14 May 06 - 04:21 AM Right, and when you replace the back and sides and the top make sure they use Brazilian rosewood and Adirondack spruce that is at least 60 years old. I started out with a little Harmony Stella that had painfully high action and no real way to adjust it. When the time comes it's probably best to let him pick his instrument. One that plays easy and sounds good to him and he might stick with it.vl |
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Subject: RE: guitars in general From: Stilly River Sage Date: 14 May 06 - 12:39 PM Okay, I found this thread. (I tried searching on my own name and this didn't show up) I didn't buy it, the garage sale was on Friday and Saturday--but I could go back and see if he still has it and still wants to sell it for $20. If someone out there wants to do all of that work, I'll ship it to you. :) SRS |
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Subject: RE: guitars in general From: John Hardly Date: 15 May 06 - 11:52 AM "Right, and when you replace the back and sides and the top make sure they use Brazilian rosewood." Have you no conscience, man?! That wood is endangered! |
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Subject: RE: guitars in general From: redsnapper Date: 15 May 06 - 12:42 PM Don, That may very well be my former Framus Nashville that I part exchanged for another instrument at the Crawley Hobgoblin in 1978. It would be interesting if it was! Description? redsnapper |
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Subject: RE: guitars in general From: GUEST,van lingle Date: 15 May 06 - 06:15 PM John, if it's 60 years old it's been dead a long time, duh.vl |
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Subject: RE: guitars in general From: GUEST Date: 16 May 06 - 10:27 AM Jeri if you are looking in on this thread I am wondering if you still have your Guild D-4 as I have one too and wanted to swap a few thoughts with you. |