Frivolous thread: Guitars

[Steverem]

I admit to being a bit of an odd bird: I'm not a guitar player myself (I do own an old Alverez, and occasionally pull it out just to play the 10-12 chords I know), but I have a number of friends who are musicians by trade, and I have developed an appreciation for all things guitar.  Some beautiful instruments being mentioned here!

[George Erdner]

I had a pickup unit (but no controls) put into this flattop so I can play with whatever amp is available, and even works plugging directly into sound systems.

The one time I played at an open mic, I went direct through the PA. And, when we did the outdoor blessing of the animals at my church back in 2011, I also went through the portable PA. That works pretty well.


What kind of pickup did you have installed? Under saddle piezo, sound hole magnetic, internal transducers, or something else? From what I've heard from people who use all those kinds, they're all pretty good. I did get some good advice from a guy at the local Music Center store. I had been using phospher-bronze 80-20 strings with my magnetic sound-hole pickup, and had fair results. On his recommendation I switched to light gauge electric guitar strings. The improved magnetic properties of the strings made a major improvement.

[Steverem]

Just because some here will appreciate it:  http://www.guitargeek.com/

[exegete77]

I had a pickup unit (but no controls) put into this flattop so I can play with whatever amp is available, and even works plugging directly into sound systems.

The one time I played at an open mic, I went direct through the PA. And, when we did the outdoor blessing of the animals at my church back in 2011, I also went through the portable PA. That works pretty well.


What kind of pickup did you have installed? Under saddle piezo, sound hole magnetic, internal transducers, or something else? From what I've heard from people who use all those kinds, they're all pretty good. I did get some good advice from a guy at the local Music Center store. I had been using phospher-bronze 80-20 strings with my magnetic sound-hole pickup, and had fair results. On his recommendation I switched to light gauge electric guitar strings. The improved magnetic properties of the strings made a major improvement.

Don’t remember the unit that was put in (about 16 years ago). It was put in internally, so nothing shows, except the plug-in hole. The unit is mounted at the base of the neck, and to the top of the front. Actually I have not used it that way since 1998. It worked really well in the church I was serving at the time.

I alternate between light and medium gauge strings; there are a couple brands that are specifically designed for bluegrass style picking.

[David Garner]

Just because some here will appreciate it:  http://www.guitargeek.com/

Oh, wow -- you have no idea how many hours of my life you just wasted.

I may not see y'all again for months.

[Brian Stoffregen]

I started playing guitar in 1964 with a classical guitar. Bought a Yamaha 12-string in 1968 for use in a Gospel singing group. In 1972-3, while working in a music store at seminary, I bought a Guild D-50. It's an acoustic 6-string guitar with rosewood back and sides. (I believe that Guild has changed owners since then.) Of all the guitars in the store it was the best sounding one and somewhat less costly than a Martin. I was into the folk scene. (New models run from $3300-3600.) I'm still using it.

I love Guild guitars.  Fender owns them now.  Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.  I'm a huge fan of Fender electrics.  Not so much their acoustics.  But I assume they use the old Guild designs.

When I working in the music store, the Fender acoustics were not so good. The "hot" new item at that time was the Ovation guitars. Popular for touring groups because it was hard to damage the plastic bodies and you could buy an acoustic with electronic pickups inside. (They weren't all that good.) But on tours, bands are more concerned about volume rather than quality. Many musicians use their high quality instruments for recording in the studio and the durable ones for life on the road.

[George Erdner]

I had a pickup unit (but no controls) put into this flattop so I can play with whatever amp is available, and even works plugging directly into sound systems.

The one time I played at an open mic, I went direct through the PA. And, when we did the outdoor blessing of the animals at my church back in 2011, I also went through the portable PA. That works pretty well.


What kind of pickup did you have installed? Under saddle piezo, sound hole magnetic, internal transducers, or something else? From what I've heard from people who use all those kinds, they're all pretty good. I did get some good advice from a guy at the local Music Center store. I had been using phospher-bronze 80-20 strings with my magnetic sound-hole pickup, and had fair results. On his recommendation I switched to light gauge electric guitar strings. The improved magnetic properties of the strings made a major improvement.

Don’t remember the unit that was put in (about 16 years ago). It was put in internally, so nothing shows, except the plug-in hole. The unit is mounted at the base of the neck, and to the top of the front. Actually I have not used it that way since 1998. It worked really well in the church I was serving at the time.

I alternate between light and medium gauge strings; there are a couple brands that are specifically designed for bluegrass style picking.

What you describe sounds like the pick-up from a Gibson or Epiphone EJ-160E. That's similar to how my 6-string guitar now works.

[exegete77]

When I was learning to play, we would meet at the home of one of the two brothers, usually Friday or Saturday evening. Sometimes others would join in and play. Also, their houses became a stop over spot for traveling musicians. Sometimes I could make it, sometimes school activities prevented that. One weekend the Stoneman Family (not the whole family of 22!) stopped to play. I missed that one.

Another time, I had a school function and they told me about their weekend visitor. The guy was a tremendous singer, but couldn’t play guitar worth a lick. His name? Charlie Pride; yep, before he made it big. He was just making his way to Nashville to try to make it in the big city.

So many good memories of playing guitar, learning, and listening to stories. They learned from my step-grandfather. He was born in 1872 and learned classical violin, and then when he was 18 (1890) he began working on the original railroads in Iowa. He learned many old timey songs and many Civil War songs. He and my grandmother and my father (11) moved to northern Minnesota in 1931. In the late 1940’s he began teaching these two brothers, especially the old timey music. I knew him only briefly, he died when I was 4. But I remember him playing fiddle. And they passed many of those songs on to me.

Here is a photo from the 1940’s and my comments. Bluegrass 1940’s style. The banjo player is the one who made my guitar, and is featured in the YouTube video up thread. The man on the right is the older brother, who made my first guitar. That is my grandfather in the center with the fiddle.

When we got together, we all played guitar, and sat in a “circle” alternating playing lead and the others played rhythm and back fill harmony. We would play the same song through three times so that we each played lead on the song. What a great experience. In addition, the older brother would play fiddle, and the younger one (in the video) played mandolin. What a great way to learn the songs and play interchangably. That served me well over the past 50 years.

Wow, many memories coming back to me.

[Charles_Austin]

Sounds like a guitar version of:

"Daddy sang bass, Momma sang tenor;
Me 'n little brother would join right in there
Singin' seems to help a troubled soul...."

[Jay Michael]

Sad... but true story

My brother was given a guitar by our great uncle ... a prized possession probably more for sentimental reasons than for its value.  One day bringing it back to the car he was distracted ... failed to get it in the car and backed over it.  The thought of loosing the guitar still hurts to this day.

Please care for your instruments so you do not repeat his experience.

[Evangel]

Started with taking lessons in the mid-70's when I was still in elementary school and continued through the middle of my high school years.  My teacher put me in a Gretsch classical guitar that I never thought very highly of as a kid ... I still have it today though, and enjoy playing it from time to time.  My middle daughter started taking lessons a couple of years ago and used it as well.

I never got very good but could play all the non-bar chords on the classical - so I was recruited to play for church doing things like silent night and accompanying the Sunday School opening.

Later I got a Japanese Stratocaster copy (Hondo) and all of a sudden I could play bar chords!  I wish I had the opportunity to play a guitar with a faster neck when I was taking lessons - that probably would have made a big difference in how much I learned.

We started a Saturday evening "contemporary" worship service in 1992 (actually it was what would later be called "Blended worship" by Robert Webber) using a really neat liturgy that Augsburg-Fortress published as a stand-alone resource written and composed by Marshall Bowen. 

At that time I put away my guitars and got a bass.  My first one was a 1990 USA made Hamer Chaparral 4-string with a set-in neck.  I played that through a direct box into the decent PA system we had in the church. 

Our worship band got some degree of notoriety in the ELCA New England synod for our creativity in playing both Bowen's liturgy and the setting 5 out of WOV with a 5-piece band (2 guitars, bass, keyboard, drums) and we were invited to play at a synod event on renewing worship.  If I remember correctly, it was for that event that I picked up an SWR Workingman's 15 bass amp.

Some time after that I had the opportunity to play someones 5 string bass and fell in love with the wider fret board and string spacing - so I bought a USA made Peavy Cirrus 5 with neck-through construction.  That is the bass and amplifier I play to this day.

Somewhere along the line a friend gave me a cheap Japanese Telecaster copy that had all kinds of electrical and intonation problems but a decent body and straight neck.  I rebuilt that guitar from the ground up with parts from Stewart-Macdonald ... I think it plays and sounds pretty good now.

[Dadoo]

I got fascinated with guitars at about age 15 and took lessons for a while and then struck out on my own. It still own the K. Suzuki 12 string that was my 2nd guitar - I no longer have the Hoefner classical that I learned on. I gave it away. Guitar must travel.
I ended up playing the bar circuit all through college and my 20s. When I headed for seminary I unloaded most of my instruments - most of them electrics.  I still have my '72 Les Paul Deluxe (cherry sunburst) and my Daion bass. Both are tragically neglected. I just have no place or reason to play them.
Since then I have acquired a Guild "J" body 6 string. I played it in church for 20 years plus. It once even got stolen out of the office. THe local police chief made a mayor case out of that and it came back by Monday afternoon. Recently I felt that it was getting much too beaten up being played now every week. I found, with the help of my favorite enabler - the Lutheran proprietor of Guitar Attention Center, Springfield OH, a Washburn Dreadnought. It had hung in his shop for a while because it had been outfitted oddly: Black tuners; binding and pickguard are in a bright tortoise shell and the guitar is maple body and spruce top. It sounds awesome though and the neck and fingerboard feel almost exactly like my Guild. I used to use a Duncan Woody to run them into sound but shifted to a Fishman rare earth blend pickup. Pickup and mic combo - it is a great idea, sound wise.
The only amp I still have is a 70's Fender Champ. Yes, it is all of a blazing 10 amps - but it sounds good. For a while I used it on stage and mic'd it. I moved on to a Yamaha solid state amp at some point. It left. The Champ stayed
SOmewhere I picked up playing Dobro as well. I keep one around and play it sparingly but really enjoy the sound and feel of the instrument.
Now and again I pick up sad and abused  guitar children at yard sales and give them a new life and home. AN old Mosrite Tele awaits some loving care and re fretting in my workshop as we speak.

[David Garner]

I just ordered a parchment pickguard for my Strat.  I like the black one, but I'm getting a bit tired of it, so I want to return it back to stock, and unfortunately, the stock guard broke.  It will go from this:

http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff473/DGarner211/DSCN0823.jpg

To something more like this:

http://www.stratoblogster.com/2009/03/eric-johnson-maple-fretboard-strat.html

[George Erdner]

Our worship band got some degree of notoriety in the ELCA New England synod for our creativity in playing both Bowen's liturgy and the setting 5 out of WOV with a 5-piece band (2 guitars, bass, keyboard, drums) and we were invited to play at a synod event on renewing worship.

WOV 5 is an excellent service to accompany with a band. It's one of my favorites.

I used to use a Duncan Woody to run them into sound but shifted to a Fishman rare earth blend pickup. Pickup and mic combo - it is a great idea, sound wise.

I have heard nothing but good things about both the Woody and the Fishman. The pickup and mic combo usually sounds great every time I've heard a guitar with that kind of a rig.

[exegete77]

Clarence White-- one of my favorite flat picking songs/videos.

Here is the the best flat picker of all time, Doc Watson, Black Mountain Rag. He became blind as a very young child. That never became a barrier for him.