Best Guitar for UK folk club?

Subject: RE: Best Guitar for UK folk club?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 02 Apr 19 - 10:47 PM

the title's a bit odd. Why would you need a special sort of guitar for a UK folk club?

i suppose a guitar that chucks out a bit is good - if you have no amplification, but quite a few places do..

No amplification but you like guitar effects, theres only really the yamaha transacoustic that fulfils that criteria.

Does English folk music have some special need that makes a certain kind of guitar preferable?

Subject: RE: Best Guitar for UK folk club?
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 02 Apr 19 - 11:37 PM

Al - handcrafted from pre 1954 timber...???

Subject: RE: Best Guitar for UK folk club?
From: Tony Rees
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 02:16 AM

The original poster gave a thumbnail of the notional requirements - "A room - usually in a pub - which holds 80ish people. No amplification. I want a guitar that will fill the room when playing a solo instrumental. That responds well to finger and plectrum style."

Could be geography-neutral, of course. Except if in a bar in Spain (for example) the requirements might be a bit different...

I guess we can also presume a seated, quiet, relatively attentive audience (from my recollections - tend to be a bit more talkative through the set over here in Oz, also not many purely acoustic venues unless you count some house concerts).

- Tony

Subject: RE: Best Guitar for UK folk club?
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 02:31 AM

Al, if you’re an acoustic guitarist who likes FX, a decent solution is the Tonewood amp, a little divide you attach to the back of the guitar (using magnets, I think) which uses the soundbox of the guitar as it’s ‘speaker’. It’s not intended to be a means of increasing your guitar’s volume, it’s actually an FX device. I know a couple of guys who have them - they have reverb, chorus, etc. straight out of their guitar’s soundhole!

Not for me, but still a very interesting concept.

Tonewood Amp website

Subject: RE: Best Guitar for UK folk club?
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 02:33 AM

“A little divide??? WTF?? Device!

Subject: RE: Best Guitar for UK folk club?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 11:06 AM

well i've got the transacoustic, i haven't thought up a use for it yet. it does chorus and reverb and its red - which matches my elderly time ravaged complexion.

I've promised it an outing when it starts behaving itself. ....could be a while...!

Subject: RE: Best Guitar for UK folk club?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 11:30 AM

Incidentally good article about Renbourn in this months Guitarist magazine. An interview with Clive Carrol who apparently was John's protege - I didn't know that.

also an article on the new fender acoustasonic.

Subject: RE: Best Guitar for UK folk club?
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 11:32 AM

I thought it was only electric guitars which were red. All mine are (mainly) brown.

Subject: RE: Best Guitar for UK folk club?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 03:05 PM

some of us live in the fast lane!!!