maintainging two guitars

Subject: maintainging two guitars
From: steve t
Date: 02 May 98 - 06:02 PM

I noticed a thread about halfsize and backpack guitars. A friend of mine bought an expensive handmade one -- somewhat more expensive than a Baby Taylor. When I tried it out though, it sounded dead. I think he hadn't touched it in about 8 months, preferring his Guild when he wasn't travelling.

My question is this: what are the best ways to keep your seldom used accoustic guitars sounding alive? Stick them three inches in front of normal volume speakers for six hours a week? Play them at least an hour a week? Any suggestions?

Subject: RE: maintainging two guitars
From: Frank in the swamps
Date: 03 May 98 - 05:26 AM

Steve, A friend once told me that the "stick 'em in front of a speaker and rattle 'em" technique worked. I don't don't know, I've never tried it, but I have a Taylor that sits in it's case most of the time and I can assure you that for this guitar, an hour or so a week isn't enough. It's as dead as a doornail. I still keep it in tune, but that's about all.

Frank i.t.s.

Subject: RE: maintainging two guitars
From: steve t
Date: 04 May 98 - 12:27 AM

refresh

Thanks, Frank. Anyone else with ideas?

Subject: RE: maintainging two guitars
From: Bert
Date: 04 May 98 - 09:26 AM

I have a son. I just leave a guitar out and it gets played.

Bert.

Subject: RE: maintainging two guitars
From: Jon W.
Date: 04 May 98 - 10:23 AM

If I had two guitars (which I do) and the time to play them both (which I don't) I would keep one tuned in an alternate tuning and switch back and forth between 'em on different songs.

Subject: RE: maintainging two guitars
From: Gene E
Date: 06 May 98 - 09:50 PM

Dobros don't go dead!

Subject: RE: maintainging two guitars
From: BAZ
Date: 08 May 98 - 05:23 PM

The guy that's teaching my son how to play told him leave your guitar on you bed. You've got to pick it up to get in and if you pick it up you'll play it! might get crowded with two though.
Regards Baz

Subject: RE: maintainging two guitars
From:
Date: 08 May 98 - 08:38 PM

If you live in a dry climate, or one that requires a lot of heating, it pays to humidify a string instrument. It can sound dead when it is dry (and worse, it can crack).

We have the opposite problem here, but when we lived in Philly, the string players we knew had that problem. They use lewd looking things that get moistened and then inserted into an f-hole. I don't know what one the correct size for a guitar would look like, but I suspect Blind Lemon Jefferson has a song about it.

Murray