Monday, March 29, 2004

My opinion and I'm sticking to it:
Latest pleasure, playing a Santa Cruz dreadnaught. I was wondering what the hoopla was about, as well as the $3K price tag. Now I know. A very sweet sound, superior high note voicing, easy to play, all in all a very mellow experience.

Also played around with my favorite Alverez MJ80 and 90 (jumbos) at Miller's Music as well as the MD80 and 90 dreadnaughts. I'm really drawn to the Maple MJ90, especially since it has no name on the headstock and no label pasted inside. After carefully weighing all the pros and cons, I think that I'm going to go ahead and get the Maple jumbo with no-name in May, probably the first week in May. I know the Larrivee jumbo and the Martin MTV dreadnaught are several steps above the maple no-name, but after the financial trauma Deb and I have been through the last 3 years, to spend $1500 on something for just me, would be very selfish. I can get the no-name for less than $500 and that will be that.

I'll still be wandering from Guitar Center to Galaxy, playing the latest of the best on my lunch hour. Photos of these beauties also still planned, probably a coupl'a weeks away from posting.

posted by Tom @ 3:23 PM  

Monday, March 15, 2004

I visited my old friends Pam and Don McMahon over the weekend. They are a husband and wife, singer/songwriter duo from Tryon, North Carolina. Don plays a One of a Kind guitar: Ernie Ball Earthwood dreadnaught acousitic. This guitar was crafted by the original Fender Brothers (that's right THE Fenders) in 1964. Only a couple of thousand were made and that was the only year of production. That's when Don bought his. He's recently had the neck reseated and refretted and a couple of braces reattached. Don said that the fretboard was so worn by his chording that even shaving the neck down did not clear all of the indentions. He said that he once heard of one for sale in Key West, but that was several years ago. The Fender Guitar Co. said they had not seen one in years and that there were no craftsmen remaining at their facility who had any knowledge of that acoustic. The sound of the Earthwood is deep and mellow, almost Martin-like. It's quite an instrument to behold.

Nothing new on my front, just same ole' jumbos and dreadnaughts. I'm awaiting the Real Estate deal which will make the world right again. Till then (next Thursday) I'll be content to pick between the Short List (Alverez Maple Jumbo, Taylor 310, and Larrivee D03). Next on my wish list will be to electrify my choice, then get an acoustic modler, then a small amp.

Also, trying to fix my wav files. I was working on them today and figured out part of the problem. But was unable to actually fix them. I have until April 1 to fix everything...That's when my job location and duties will change and I'll be unable to spend the required amount of time.

posted by Tom @ 5:27 PM  

Thursday, March 11, 2004

My Favorite Martin

Dropped by Guitar Center yesterday and what do you know...the jumbo Larrivee from yesterday was gone. I don't think it was sold, they rotate their stock constantly and I think they just shipped this one out. So I decided to make it a 'Martin only' visit. I have forgotten how wonderfully deep and woody these guitars are. First on was a D16 GT, price $959. This guitar has been in the back of my mind since it one the "Martin Challange" (my own competition) several months ago. Once again it did not disappoint. Clear ringing treble and deep woody bass, perfect combination in highs and lows for less than a grand. I Looked over a couple of others, then spotted a Limited Edition "MTV" dreadnaught on the wall. $1600 with very nice inlay: "MTV" in MOP on the headstock, then "Unplugged" inlayed down the fretboard. Number 606 of a thousand edition run. I gave the fourth and fifth strings a thump and the sustain was forever. I took it off the wall and took a seat. My opening for "Deep River Blues" is a series of arpegios like this:

----- ---7--------6------7-----------3-
---- -5---------5------5-----------2--
-- -7---------6------7------------2---
-X-------X------X---------------2-----
-X-------X------X-------------0-----
0--------0------0----------X---------

The last chord is an A7 and the independent thumb starts on the next chord, an E. Of course Doc Watson plays it very fast and very clean. I can play if fast but not very clean. Plus I have a tendency to pick up speed which is not good. Anyway, I rang out these apregios and hit the bass E and the Martin took off like a scalded dog! It played clear and very fast and the bass notes boomed. It responded with volume of which I was unaccustomed in an acoustic. I mean this thing was loud! But also deep and pure. I have crowned the Martin MTV Unplugged Limited Edition as "My Favorite Martin."

posted by Tom @ 7:10 AM  

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

Still having problems with my .wav files. Don't know what's wrong. When I first uploaded about a year ago, all of them played fine, but half of them have degraded with time. They are all uploaded through the FTP path in the same way, so I don't know what the problem is. Still working on it.

Meanwhile, I've fallen in love with a Larrivee' LH-09 Rosewood Jumbo for $1500 at Guitar Center. Lovely inlay and deep, deep thumping bass. Since almost all of my finger work involves independent syncopated alternating bass licks, I'm partial to a deep woody bass.

posted by Tom @ 8:11 AM  

Saturday, March 06, 2004

My real estate deal fell through, wasted two weeks. Now, to plan B, already in motion, will take another two weeks, then it will be guitar time for me. Lots of beautiful instruments currently on e-bay. I seem to have fallen in love with maple jumbos! I use to have one, a Gibson "Gospel" model from 1974, a beautiful flamed maple dreadnuaght with a peculiar bowed back. It developed a crack, bridge to soundhole to neck, so I sent it to Gibson, two weeks later I had my guitar back with a new top. It aged beautifully, I never another problem, it fit my stubby hands like a glove. You can hear it at the wav file below on Silverbird.

I'd like to post some Tab for fun...wonder how I'd do that...probably as an image file. I'll think on that for a while. Two 2 weeks to go unitil I post some guitar jpgs.

posted by Tom @ 8:41 AM  

Wednesday, March 03, 2004

If you want a Larrivee, which in my opinion ranks right along with the other 5 or 6 high end luthiers, Galaxy Music on Hwy 78 in Stone Mountain, GA, is having an 'Aniversary Sale' and they have cut all of their new 2003 Larrivee's by about $400 off an already reduced price. There is a beautiful light colored Mahogony dreadnaught (D-03) for $640. Next to it hung a LH-09 (I think), Quilted Maple, MOP rosetta around the soundhole, stunning color, down to $1220 from $1620, originally $2700. I was told that this is a factory second but I couldn't find a flaw. These Larrivee's have a great sound and are visually beautiful. Larrivee made a name for itself with stunning inlay on headstocks and fingerboards, yet the sound quality of their instruments is bright and clear. Even though the models at Galaxy lack the extra inlay, these prices shouldn't be ignored.

posted by Tom @ 4:00 PM  

Monday, March 01, 2004

Went to Guitar Center on Sunday and played the usual group of suspects. Branched out to the main portion, full of electrics, all plugged into different amps, three or four different styles all being played simultaneously, most of them cranked, an unusual cacauphony. Met one chap in the acoustic room, we talked about the frammers who somehow equate slamming an acoustic guitar with passion. Ran into him again out in the main portion. We were both here just to see what we could see. I noticed a group of modelers and started a conversation about them with him. We found an a acoustic modeler, which claims to model the sounds of 6 different 'high end' acoustgic guitars. Let's see that would be Gibson, Martin, Guild, Taylor, Larivee and I don't know who would be the 6th one. Theory is that you could take any cheap guitar with a pick-up, input it in the modeler, out put that into an amp/speaker/headphones and you would have full, distiinctive acoustic guitar sound.

The day approaches when Guitar Talk will be fully illustrated!

posted by Tom @ 5:51 PM