tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21839623117022586372024-03-19T01:58:10.010-07:00The Flatpicking GuitaristWesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-76767990277725624602017-04-21T23:40:00.001-07:002017-04-21T23:40:26.727-07:00Taylor's 910 Guitar, Taylor's Top Of The Line Flat Top<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43388249" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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The top of the line dreadnought by Taylor guitars, the Taylor 910</h2>
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Beautifully ornate and designed to the highest standards of tonality and playability, the Taylor 910 is the flagship instrument of Taylor guitars. The combination of solid rosewood bodies with a solid spruce sound board in a dreadnought size has proved a very enduring configuration for six string and twelve string guitars all over the world. When you purchase your Taylor 910 you're not just getting the classic dreadnought design and much loved sold rosewood and spruce combination, you're getting a very elegant and ornate guitar with the best hardware and cuts of woods available to one of America's largest and most prestigious guitar manufacturers.</div>
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This Taylor 910 guitar isn't something one would purchase save their wanting and needing the very finest sort of acoustic steel string guitar available. The Taylor 910 is just that sort of instrument, and should it be cared for it will outlast a man or woman's life, and then become a cherished heirloom and amazing musical instrument for someone else, and then again many times over. It's impossible to get a "better" solid rosewood and spruce guitar than the 910, one could only have different tastes and preferences.</div>
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Dreadnought design with rosewood body and spruce top - the Taylor 910</h2>
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The body of the 910 is of solid East Indian rosewood, and of course this has been the primary rosewood used for rosewood body guitars since the 1970's. The 910 is available with a Brazilian rosewood body, but of course you can expect to pay a lot more for that instrument, as Brazilian rosewood is now very rare and hard to come by. Rosewood body guitars always have darker tonal characteristics than do mahogany body guitars. Rosewood provides a lot of overtones when playing, and a guitar such as these 910's should only be purchased if one first knows for certain they prefer the sound of a rosewood instrument to that of a mahogany body instrument.</div>
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The top of these fine guitars are of sitka spruce, but only the very best cuts of sitka spruce are used on the flagship dreadnought by Taylor. So while one should always be aware of the tone wood used for the sound board of an instrument, they should also know that no two sound boards are equal for merely being from the same species of tree. These instruments can be purchased with Adirondack spruce tops as well, but the most of them will always come with sitka sound boards, and one should absolutely know that instruments featuring an Adirondack or red spruce top are going to cost more for having that tonewood.</div>
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These lovely Taylor 910 guitars all come with a solid tropical mahogany neck, and a gloss finish. Taylor engineered its own gloss finish. It's said the new Taylor gloss finish is more environmentally friendly than was the previous lacquer finishes used, and also provides superior protection to the instrument.</div>
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The Taylor 910 is, of course, available in a left handed model, but you're unlikely to find a left handed one on every showroom floor you go guitar shopping at. You can always contact Taylor directly in order to get a left handed model, or order one through a dealer of fine musical instruments. Most Taylor 910's I've personally seen were acoustic/electric models with the Taylor Expression System on the guitar. It is also very common to see Taylor brand instruments with a Venetian cutaway AND the fine electronics inherent to the Taylor Expression system.</div>
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Taylor 910 With Venetian Cutaway</h2>
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Specifications for the Taylor 910 guitar</h2>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Dreadnought body size and shape - the dreadnought is the world's most preferred shape and size for an acoustic steel string guitar, and this is one of the world's single best models of such an instrument</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, and in the 910 model, the superior cuts of the wood available to Taylor guitars. This guitar is available with Brazilian rosewood at a higher price</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Solid Sitka spruce top, and the best cuts or AAA grade cuts are used as sound boards on the Taylor 910 guitar. For an additional cost these instruments can be purchased with Adirondack spruce sound boards. Sometimes Adirondack spruce is instead called "red spruce."</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Solid tropical mahogany neck with black ebony fret board or finger board.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Taylor's CV bracing with relief route.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Rosewood binding with red purfling.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">"Cindy" style fret board positioning markers done with abalone inlay</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Ebony bridge pins with abalone inlay dots</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Nut and saddle of bone for optimized clarity, sustain, and volume</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Gotoh tuners or tuning machines</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Gloss finish with satin finish on the neck</li>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-40349671270363767732017-04-21T23:19:00.003-07:002017-04-21T23:19:44.380-07:00The Martin D-45 Madagascar Rosewood Guitar<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43387863" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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A Beautiful Martin D-45 Madagascar Rosewood Guitar</h2>
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Since the very beginning of production of the famous Martin dreadnought guitars, the D-45 has been their flagship instrument. When one sees the "45" after any letter used to describe a guitar produced by C.F. Martin & Company, one knows the guitar is going to be rosewood body, spruce top, all solid woods, and dressed up as if it were going to a wedding. In the beginning all Martin rosewood body guitars were of Brazilian rosewood, but after a time and the un-sustainability of the deforestation in Brazil, that peculiar and special wood was replaced by a different species of rosewood, and to this day East Indian rosewood is the most common rosewood used for such instruments. While East Indian rosewood is a very fine wood, it is now to the point to where there are untold thousands of fine instruments with bodies made from it; and persons who seek to stand out from the crowd with their guitars have demanded more options.</div>
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Everyone loves options. Having more options is generally a superior situation than having fewer options. With the Martin D-45, there are many options available to the consumers of such fine instruments, and the Madagascar variety of rosewood in the body of a D-45 is now one of them.</div>
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Insofar as solid spruce tops go, the most D-45 Madagascar instruments will ave the Adirondack spruce top. Sometimes Adirondack is referred to as "red spruce." There are some rarer D-45 Madagascar instruments that have Italian alpine spruce tops. These D-45's with the Italian alpine spruce tops and the Madagascar backs and sides are available as a special order, and are commonly called the 1968 D-45 replica. A Martin D-45 Madagascar is only available with Italian alpine spruce tops or with Adirondack spruce tops. If one wanted a very similar guitar with a sitka spruce top, then they could purchase a D-42 Madagascar which does have a sitka spruce sound board as a standard with an option for an Adirondack top.</div>
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Martin D-45 Madagascar guitar's backside</h2>
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You can see in the photo above the fabulous binding and inlay around the back of the D-45, and the particular image above is of a Madagascar rosewood instrument. It is a lighter color wood than its East Indian cousin is in general terms, and there is a hint of orange or yellow in the grain. Like Brazilian rosewood, however, the Madagascar variety has a wide range of possibilities in how it will look whereas East Indian most always looks very similar from one instrument to the next.</div>
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There is a lot of talk on the web and around jam sessions about the difference between the sound produced by Madagascar's rosewood and the East Indian variety. I'm very certain there is no person who could, when blindfolded, consistently hear any difference whatsoever between the two woods. Once you've got an steel string guitar of all solid wood and a rosewood body, the defining things regarding how it sounds are going to be the internal bracing, the wood used for the sound board, and how old the instrument is, and how often it has been played. With Brazilian rosewood there may actually be some noticeable differences to the tone from either of the other two rosewoods; but one must take a great leap upwards in spending to own the Martin D-45GE with Brazilian back and sides.</div>
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Of course all new D-45 guitars feature Martin's famous pre war style forward shifted high X bracing. The necks of these guitars are solid mahogany with ebony fret boards. The width of the guitar at the neck has the option of being either one and eleven sixteenth inches at the nut, or you can order this guitar with a neck width at the nut of one and three quarters. You can even order this instrument constructed with Hyde glue.</div>
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Martin D-45 Madagascar Gutiar Specifications</h2>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Martin's original and timeless dreadnought body design 14 frets clear of the body</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Solid Madagascar rosewood back and sides</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Premium Adirondack spruce top or sound board</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Ivoroid binding</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">"45" style abalone inlay featuring 900 separate pieces</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">"45" style abalone Martin logo on headstock</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Solid mahogany low profile neck with "45" style large hexagon abalone inlay fret board positioning markers and ebony fret bard</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Forward shifted X bracing</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Ebony bridge</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Available in standard or hide glue construction</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Gold plated Waverly tuning machines</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Deluxe Martin hard shell case</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Limited lifetime warranty to original owner</li>
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900-piece abalone bindings and inlays, Abalone logo on headstock, Bound ebony fretboard,Rosewood sides and 2-piece back includes deluxe Martin hardshell case. This is the top of the line dreadnought guitar from the most prestigious guitar builders in the world today.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-90445710077105250152017-04-21T21:03:00.001-07:002017-04-21T21:03:12.963-07:00The Very Rare Martin D-19 Guitar <div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43387811" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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A Martin D-19</h2>
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I've Only Ever Seen One D-19</h2>
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I've only ever seen one Martin D-19 in my life, and I didn't even get to pick it any. I didn't get to even touch it. I asked about it, and saw it on a Gaston road pawn shop in Dallas, Texas, sometime in the late 1990's. It's a very rare guitar, the D-19. Traditionally, Martin solid wood dreadnoughts or smaller or differing sized instruments start with the number 18, which means the guitar is a mahogany body instrument with a solid spruce top. Following 18 series guitars one then jumps to 28, 35, 41, 42, and then ends at 45 series; but that is only traditionally, and Martin has added new series of guitars along the way, discontinued them, and since added 15 and 16 series guitars, and hopefully those will be here to stay.</div>
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Yes, thank you, I know about the 17 series, I own one. I also know about the 21 series, but I've never seen one of those. I have seen just the one Martin D-19, and boy do I ever wish I'd bought that guitar! When we look at the D-19, it is important to realize what we are seeing is something unlike other Martin flat tops, as what our eyes see is something very similar to instruments like the Martin D-17, or the D-15, but this is not due to the tonewood used for the top, it is due to the stain finish.</div>
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The Martin D-17 - Very Similar in Appearance, But A Very Different Guitar</h2>
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C.F. Martin & Company introduced the Dreadnought D-19 flat top guitar to the world in the year 1976, and apparently the year was during a time when Americans had some fascination with the color brown. I've read Fender, Gibson, and Guild guitars were all also following the craze, and putting out new guitars with more brown, and less of creamy spruce color on top. I'm thinking the year was good for high quality finish/stain sales too. Martin produced the D-19 all the way through 1989, but in some years there's data to show they only produced in the range of 50 of these instruments in a year's time.</div>
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When it all is said and done, the D-19 is really a Martin D-18 with some dark stain on the spruce top with a D-28 style rosette, and some nice white purfling around the back. These instruments can be found online for around $3000 in good shape, or less should they be a bit scuffed, and maybe need some minor but expert repairs done.</div>
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While these guitars are very nice looking, and very collectible, Martin guitars from the 1970's have at times been considered inferior instruments to other decades, and especially when compared to a Martin made from the mid-80's to now, or before the 1970's. It is certainly important to know that these Mid-1970's Martin dreadnoughts DO NOT HAVE the forward shifted and scalloped bracing of the newer Martin guitars, or the Martin's from what is often referred to as the "golden era," and so they simply will not have the volume, clarity, and sustain of such instruments.If what someone is after is both a Martin dreadnought and a dark appearance to set themselves off with looks, then the interested party would do much better, in my opinion, buying a D-15M, or a D-17 if they happened to find one, depending on how much they were willing to spend.</div>
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It should absolutely be noted and also be rather apparent, these guitars will sound a lot differently. Nothing, in my opinion, sounds quite like a D-18, and the all mahogany D-15M or D-17 wouldn't sound nearly the same, but one may PREFER the all mahogany sound. The D-19, of course, will by and large sound identical to the D-18.</div>
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One thing that comes to mind here, and should be thought of for the very serious man or woman interested in such guitars is there's no possible way the dark stain could NOT affect the tonal characteristics of this guitar in some way. Most guitar tone comes from the topwood, or the tonewood used for the soundboard. Staining a soundboard will absolutely affect the sound; but it could be such a small thing the blindfold testing of D-19 to D-18 would conclude for one the differences are essentially not observable. Some folks have better ears than others though, no doubt about it.</div>
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Another thing which comes to mind here is that there are lots of us out there who're a bit "handy" at doing things, like to do things ourselves, and often simply can do outstanding work, even if we've never done that kind of work before. The D-19, however, was created by some of the best in the world, and the idea that one might have of refinishing their fine spruce top guitar to make it look like a D-19 is just a really bad idea. I'm not saying it can not be done, I'm saying only a truly and stupendously foolish person would attempt to refinish a fine guitar without having first experimented many times on such a project with much cheaper instruments - but I'm a pretty opinionated person, and that is my opinion. Thanks for reading.</div>
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Del McCoury And His Martin D-19</h2>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-77820437049921005942017-04-21T20:44:00.002-07:002017-04-21T20:44:43.099-07:00Robert Johnson And The New Gibson 1928 L-1 Blues Tribute Guitar <div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43387755" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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The great Robert Johnson</h2>
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Robert Johnson is as iconic as the day is long. You should never believe such things, but he's the US version of the guy who sold his soul to Satan in order to get mastery of a musical instrument. The legends of people trading souls to the dark one for gifts is ancient as the hills. There's no reason Johnson would attempt such a thing, or that such a thing is even remotely plausible to begin with. He'd had Son House as a teacher of guitar. Son House was not the sort to cotton to the devil, but what do I know? I know people like their legends.</div>
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There is a statue which states he had done the deal with the dark lord. Something written in stone isn't all it is cranked up to be. We Americans seemed to need such a tale, however; and Johnson's prowess on the acoustic steel string guitar inspired many another guitar playing legend. He only ever recorded twenty nine songs. One of them, of course, was about trading the metaphysical to old scratch for legendary skills.</div>
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Robert Johnson died at the age of twenty seven years a long time before that, too would be cool. He lived the same length of time as did Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix may have been Johnson reincarnated. Hendrix, however, got a lot more done. Johnson mostly bustled for bucks, and played in juke joints when he could. He died having experienced none of the fame his music brought. His fame was all posthumous.</div>
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In 1961 his 29 songs were re-released on an album titled, 'King of the Delta blues Singers.' There are many distinct styles of blues music, Johnson's was the Delta Blues. Rural black blues musicians often believed mastery of the blues would give them mastery of their woman of choice. Well, that isn't so surprising. Using music to woo an object of physical desire is also, as old as the hills.</div>
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Robert Johnson was well thought of by his peers. People interviewed about him often said he was a nice, but kinda strange guy. The deals with the devil tales seemed to have stemmed from Johnson having been well known to be a good harmonica player, but a terrible guitar player. He was thought to have been fairly embarrassing on the guitar up until a point where he disappeared for a while. The next time people saw him he suddenly had the guitar mastered.</div>
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The people who did know about Robert Johnson when he was alive, and after he'd mastered the guitar, those people say they respected him the most for his ability to seemingly be able to play something after hearing it for the first time. In other words, he was one with that rare gift of ears which can just hear and know where on a fingerboard to find the notes to play a thing. He was said to perform in any style you could think of. So Johnson was better than what the mere 29 recorded songs can show us. From what we do have, his guitar playing was frantic, his singing tortured with anxiety.</div>
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There are very few photos of Robert Johnson, here he is again with his Gibson and a cigarette</h2>
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Take a look at Robert Johnson's hands. His fingers look like they're longer than the average person's are. Those are hands which were born to play a guitar.</div>
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You listen to his music, and you notice he plays a percussive lead rhythm sort of style. What I mean is, he's not hitting single notes very often. He's not strumming full chords all that often either. Almost everything he plays is two or more strings at once, but seldom does he strum a five or six string chord. It makes for a very full sounding accompaniment to his singing.</div>
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Johnson would often sing a line, then use his guitar to mimic a second singer in a call and response sort of style. B.B. King would learn this technique, and use it his entire career and life. Johnson very often used a slide, but he was such a busy player, moving around all over the fingerboard, he could trick a listener into thinking they were hearing more than one guitarist.</div>
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His singing style was just as advanced, nuanced, and influential as his guitar playing. People can try to copy either of his techniques, and never come close. Some people just have that unique gift, and Johnson had two of them.</div>
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He died in Mississippi of unknown causes. Some say he was poisoned, others say he died of syphilis. The year was 1938. Was Robert Johnson the father of rock and roll music? His style certainly would have been called that were he to only have lived a couple decades later. As it is he helped spawn countless influential bluesmen and rock and roll guitarists. There are many scholarly books on the subject of the man. His guitar of choice? It was a Gibson L-1.</div>
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Gibson 1928 L-1 Blues Tribute guitar</h2>
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While Robert Johnson had spectacular talent, there can be no doubt his guitar played a big part in helping deliver that sound which inspired so many, and continues to do so today. The guitar was a Gibson L-1, and Gibson has recreated the L-1 of so many years ago so that you too can own a guitar like the King of the Delta Blues used to play. But this is really a recreation plus some new things, like electronics so as to plug into an amplifier.</div>
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In 1928 when Gibson used spruce for a guitar's soundboard, they used Adirondack spruce. Adirondack spruce is a premium wood today. You have to pay more for a guitar with an Adirondack soundboard. Usually upgrading from Sitka spruce to Adirondack spruce is a cost increase of around a thousand dollars. Gibson is thermally curing the wood before it is used, so as to mimic old wood. It is a general truth that older wood produces more sound, and Adirondack is often thought to produce more volume than other species of spruce.</div>
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The Gibson 1928 L-1 Blues Tribute is one of the finest new,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://spinditty.com/instruments-gear/5-Best-Small-Body-AcousticElectric-Guitars" rel="nofollow" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(226, 94, 43); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6ea6af; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">small body acoustic electric guitars</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>available today. Gibson uses German Plek technology to ensure their fretboards and frets are as accurately and perfectly done as is possible. The braces are scalloped, and all guitars this fine are going to be fragile works of art used to create further works of art.</div>
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Nitrocellulose lacquer is used for the finish. This is something expensive and labor intensive to apply, but it ensures the wood vibrates to its maximum capacity for sound production, and that the guitar shines impressively when polished. This guitar's width at the nut is wider than most, so it is important to know your hands are large enough to wrap around the neck. There are just twelve frets clear of the body here, and such guitars are known to project in a different sort of tonal manner than the now standard 14 frets clear of the body guitars do. The electronics are by L.R. Baggs, and these include a pickup and pre-amp. I'm surprised these aren't selling for more, but how long Gibson will produce them is anyone's guess.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-65340749901814640712017-04-20T21:29:00.002-07:002017-04-20T21:29:53.643-07:00Glenn Frey And His Takamine Signature Series Dreadnought Guitar<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43382315" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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The late and great Glenn Frey with his Takamine guitar</h2>
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We lost a lot of musical celebrities in 2016. Glenn Frey was maybe the one who meant the very most to me.</h2>
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2016 will long be remembered as a year when a lot of celebrity artists died. 2017 will likely be just the same way, as the baby boomer generation is experiencing the effects of father time. Maybe 2016 will be remembered as the year when the baby boomers started dying in large numbers.</div>
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The thing about the musicians who passed away in 2016 was the deaths were pretty unexpected. David Bowie apparently knew he was dying, but he never let anyone outside his inner circle know about it. The death of Prince was a shocker because he was quite young, and because of strict adherence to his religion, nobody considered he'd be a guy battling an opiate addiction.</div>
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I'll make no bones about it, Prince was a stupendous guitarist, he was as good as you can get. At least there aren't many people more talented at it than he was. David Bowie's classic rock was something I always enjoyed too, but the death which bothered me the most was the death of Glenn Frey.</div>
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I've always thought of myself as a bit of a redneck. I prefer to be out in the country where I could go outside and shoot a squirrel or whatnot, with a shotgun, and nobody would think anything of it. As a country sort of guy, the music of The Eagles, something which is really country rock, was like a constant companion. Glenn having passed away isn't going to change any of this, The Eagles and their awesome twang rock is here to stay. It's the kind of music a body can sing along to, even when you are like me, and can't really sing. Glenn wasn't the only vocalist in The Eagles, of course; but those guys were putting out singing in their songs which wasn't so technically challenging you didn't bother to try.</div>
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Glenn and fellow Eagle Don Henley with their acoustic guitars</h2>
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The Eagles were a band where roles were loosely defined. They were like The Beatles in that way, you never know who's going to be the singer for the next song, because everyone in the band can sing quite well enough. So too with the guitar. You know Joe Walsh was the primary guitarist, but even Don Henley, the drummer, would play a guitar when the time was right.</div>
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As a Texan myself, I can tell you Don Henley, who is from here, is almost as Iconic in these parts as the great Willie Nelson. Texans love our fellow Texans. Me, I'm a heretic, and lucky to have not been burned at the stake, I always liked Glenn Frey songs better than Don Henley songs. I just loved Glenn's voice and his vibe, he could give me a peaceful, easy feeling, if you follow me.</div>
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While we're on the subject of diversity in entertainment roles, let us not forget Glenn Frey had been an actor too. After years of Frey and Henley doing a Lennon and McCartney sort of partnership, the good times ended for a while. The great Bakersfield sound of The Eagles landed, or went to roost. Glenn had a successful solo career too.</div>
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Glenn got older, and died way too young, at just 67 years. He was worth ninety million dollars. His music was the soundtrack to countless lives, including mine, and maybe yours too.</div>
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Glenn Frey could own any guitar he wished. He still chose Takamine.</h2>
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When you're a guy like Glenn Frey you play whatever guitar you want. Glenn could have been playing the most expensive guitars Martin, Gibson, or Taylor could produce. But he did not, he played Takamine guitars. That really tells you something, or at least it should. Takamine is a damn fine manufacturer of acoustic guitars.</div>
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For long years people in the know have known about the great quality offered by Japan's Takamine. They are named after a mountain in Japan. They provide Martin level quality for less dollars than that upscale stalwart of US guitar manufacturing. The craftsmen and women of Japan will never shame themselves, they don't build a thing unless they're going to build it right. Takamine makes some less expensive models, student level or amateur level instruments, this is not one of those.</div>
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This guitar is a rosewood and spruce dreadnought with electronics. One could say, and be very correct, that it is a guitar much in the vein of the Martin HD-28, but with electronics added, as Martin isn't so much into putting pickups and such into their world renowned classic models.</div>
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The Takamine Glenn Frey signature guitar</h2>
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Specifically, this guitar is known as the EF360GF. The 'GF' are the initials of the guy who it is made for. These aren't cheap, but they aren't expensive either. They regularly sell for around sixteen hundred dollars, and will hold their water with any rosewood and spruce Martin or Taylor dreadnought. You can hold me to what I'm saying when I'm talking about fine guitars, friends, I'm a full throttle addict of such information and things.</div>
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<a href="https://hubpages.com/entertainment/5-Best-Rosewood-Body-AcousticElectric-Dreadnought-Guitars" rel="nofollow" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(226, 94, 43); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #6ea6af; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Rosewood body acoustic/electric dreadnought guitars</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>are always going to be something used by the singer songwriter, and the reason is they offer so much in the way of accompaniment. Rosewood provides a dark, overtone laden tonality, and the spruce provides volume and clarity. The guitar would be equally terrific for rhythm and lead duties. Rosewood and spruce dreadnoughts are the stuff of Appalachian bluegrass music royalty. A guitar never cares what music one chooses to make with it though, it just wants to be played.</div>
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On-board here is the CT4B pre-amp, and this includes a three band graphic equalizer. Takamine's electronics for acoustic guitars are superb in every way. They are truly surpassing some of the long standing big names in that particular game. Because Takamine's electronics are so very good and useful, they're more competing with Taylor guitars than anyone else these days. That invisible hand of the market, you know, serves to give us what we both want and need. Also included is an extremely useful and accurate chromatic tuner.</div>
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This guitar, as most other Takamine steel string offerings, features the X bracing made famous and nearly universal by C.F. Martin & Company. What the bracing translates to for you, is the guitar will be pleasingly loud when played acoustically, not plugged into anything. The nut is of genuine bone. I can't say enough how great it is when a guitar manufacturer uses bone instead of some sort of plastic. Bone nuts absolutely make a steel string acoustic guitar both louder, and the notes clearer. The bone nut will also, naturally, increase the sustain of the notes played. This guitar comes with a hard shell case. Glenn Frey is gone, but never forgotten. Who knows how long Takamine will produce this instrument? I sure wish I owned one, and if you are into steel string guitar, then you definitely wish you had one too.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-35673305559098790572017-04-20T14:54:00.000-07:002017-04-20T14:54:17.997-07:00Kurt Cobain And The Martin D-18E Guitar<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43381146" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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Kurt Cobain And The Martin D-18E Guitar</h2>
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That the music of Nirvana changed the music scene when it became popular in about the year 1993 is unquestionable. That Nirvana was most often a heavy hitting electric band full of screaming guitars, vocals, and thumping drum and bass rhythm section is also simply fact. The very last album by the band which put grunge music on the map, however, was an all acoustic album.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>MTV Unplugged In New York</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>was that final album[1], and that is where Nirvana left us forever, with a brooding, depressing, beautiful acoustic album.</div>
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While the unplugged genre of live albums was becoming a thing rather popular for otherwise plugged in bands or artists to do, it was also something which allowed us to see such musicians were actually capable of playing in other formats. There's really a bit of a transition to deal with for a guitarist when switching from electric to acoustic guitars. Oh they're the same instruments, but the acoustic variety of guitar requires the use of much bigger strings, and those put a lot more stress on both the picking or strumming hand, and especially the fret board hand. Kurt Cobain, however, was always primarily a rhythm guitarist on either electric or acoustic.</div>
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The MTV Unplugged In New York album by Nirvana would prove to be their swan song. The music was mostly a mix of tunes which were written by other artists, and a few of the band's own lesser known songs. It gave us all a new way to think of those three musicians we thought we'd known so well, and a chance to literally hear what it sounded like for Kurt Cobain to say "goodbye" to us all.</div>
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So What Exact Guitar Was Kurt Cobain Playing In The MTV Unplugged Concert? Answer: Cobain Played The Martin D-18e</h2>
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The live acoustic album by Nirvana, their final album, sounded terrific, and it still does. While it would be near impossible to duplicate the emotional vocals and quirks presented in the show by Kurt Cobain, what isn't impossible is to have the same guitar as he had. The guitar is a Martin D-18, one of the most admired and famous acoustic guitars in the world.</div>
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The exact year of Kurt's D-18 is 1958, and this guitar is extremely rare. This guitar, with three pickups on it, isn't something one is ever likely to come into contact with; and so it is a very collectible instrument. The three pickups are two DeArmonds pickups, and one Bartolini pickup. It is rumored that during the MTV Unplugged concert, only the Bartolini pickup was working for Kurt. Another thing which is perfectly obvious from the images is this specific instrument is a right handed model. Kurt Cobain was a left handed guitarist, and so he simply flipped the stringing of the instrument around to where it would be normal for a left handed musician to play.</div>
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I'm told Kurt's setup was stomp box distortion pedal ran into a Fender SF Twin Reverb amplifier The thing most important to note here is that the 1958 D-18e was a very good acoustic guitar with very old and not so wonderful pickups on the thing. If someone wanted to achieve a sound comparable or even superior to what Kurt had achieved in the Unplugged In New York concert, they could do so with a much less expensive and more modern instrument with modern pre-amp and pickups on the thing.</div>
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So far as alternate guitars built to Martin D-18 specifications but sold at a far more reasonable price goes, I will forever and ever advise one to purchase a Blueridge BR-140, which is an absolutely terrific Chinese version of the D-18 and is all solid wood, built to Martin specs, and can be purchased brand spanking new for less than six hundred dollars. There are other fine alternatives instruments as well. No one should mistreat a D-18 by putting pickups onto it unless they're just that willing to be disrespectful to something so wonderful as a D-18, and so unworthy of abuse. There are many a fine mahogany body Alvarez, Yamaha, and Takamine instruments out there available new or used where one can either purchase with the electronics, or without the electronics and then add the most modern ones available for the best possible sound. Outside of the mahogany body steel string flat top dreadnought design, the most important things to consider for replicating this Nirvana tonality of the unplugged variety would be the stomp box distortion pedal and the Fender SF Twin Reverb amp.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-22107004701074213362017-04-20T14:46:00.003-07:002017-04-20T14:46:49.522-07:00The Takamine 50th Anniversary G Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43381120" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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akamine 50th Anniversary Edition G Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural</h2>
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With a solid sitka spruce top as a sound board and mahogany back and sides, the Takamine fifty anniversary G series acoustic electric is more than just another great guitar from Takamine, it is a commemorative and rather ornate one too. This is the first limited edition G series guitar in Takamine's fifty years of providing high quality guitars to the world for a very good price. These guitars are available in both cutaway and traditional dreadnought configurations; and are rather ornate for their fiftieth anniversary abalone vine inlay on the fret board.</div>
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With a mahogany body and sitka spruce top, this guitar will be loud, and notes will be more distinct and clear than a rosewood instrument. Plugged in, however, and played on stage is where this instrument will most shine. It is a beautiful steel string axe, and meant to be a stage instrument for a travelling musician. Some of the world's finest virtuoso acoustic players, men such as Brad Davis, are playing Takamine guitars on stage so as to keep that fine Martin D-28 or D-18 at home for use in the studio. These Takamine instruments come with above and beyond the pale electronics which optimize their efficiency and utility on stage.</div>
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For only seven hundred dollars this instrument is an amazing value. Many such high quality and high value Japanese instruments are available, but this one is more attractive than some others for its inlay present on the fret board and the pick guard. The Takamine 50th anniversary G series is a much more affordable and practical guitar than the Takamine 40th Anniversary guitar. The 40th anniversary instrument is the kind of flat top one keeps at home, and the 50th anniversary six stringer one to use to play live in a club or on any stage anywhere.</div>
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This commemorative fortieth anniversary dreadnought comes ready to plug in, and with Takamine's fine electronics, which have a well deserved stellar reputation, you can't be left feeling like you've got anything but the best to work with. The TP4T preamp system and the CP100 pickup are yours to use and play your magic for the crowds. The electronics on this guitar will bring out the best acoustic clarity possible.</div>
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Takamine 50th Anniversary "Growing Vine" inlay</h2>
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Takamine 50th Anniversary G Series Specifications</h2>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Gloss finish for radiant shine and beauty</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Venetian style cutaway for access to upper frets</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Dreadnought body design</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Solid sitka spruce sound board for volume and tonal clarity</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Mahogany back and sides providing maximum tonal velocity</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Mahogany neck</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Scalloped X bracing</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Rosewood veneer peg head</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Gold rosette</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Growing vine inlay on pick guard and fret board</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Gold peg head Takamine logo</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Gold tuning machines</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Standard one and eleven sixteenths neck width at nut</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Rosewood fretboard with vine fret board inlay</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">Nickel silver frets with with black positioning markers on the side of the neck</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.5em;">CP100 pickup and TP4T pre-amp Q1BZ1</li>
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The design and themes of this guitar will never again be duplicated by Takamine. Once these instruments go out of production they'll never be produced again. This is the first limited edition G series guitar Takamine has ever produced, and it may be the last one as well. At just seven hundred dollars this guitar is everything one expects in a Japanese acoustic electric guitar, and exemplifies the high value of Japanese instruments.</div>
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This six string original would not just make a fine stage instrument, but is also bound to wind up a collectible instrument as well. I've priced these guitars in used models on the web for as low as three hundred and fifty dollars, but those should only be purchased should one be comfortable with some scratches and scuffs from use in live music venues anywhere on this planet where musicians perform with fine instruments such as these.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-53539402612722588782017-04-20T13:41:00.001-07:002017-04-20T13:41:27.146-07:00The Martin J-15, A Jumbo Sized Inexpensive Masterpiece<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380896" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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The Martin J-15, A Jumbo Sized Inexpensive Masterpiece</h2>
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Why A Jumbo Guitar?</h2>
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People come in all shapes and sizes, two sexes, and various ambiguities. In our lives a lot of us get a desire for a time, or for a lifetime, to make music. It's a simple fact the guitar is the most often used and desired instrument[1] of the inspired musician. Every musical instrument is desirable and capable of making beautiful tonal artwork, but for whatever reason, it is the guitar most choose to use to see if they're music making desire is for a time, or forever.</div>
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It's a simple fact the acoustic variety of the six stringed instrument we all know and love so well is the more favorable one for many an occasion, and this is certainly due to its not needing any sort of assistance for play from electricity or electrical gadgetry. The larger the guitar, the more sound the guitar can provide would be a general rule, but we all know there are many more factors involved, specifically, the quality of the wood, and the talents and education of the builder. It goes quite without saying that the builders down a C.F. Martin & Company are among the best in the world. Martin guitars was established in the USA in 1833, and probably, the Martin family were building guitars prior to immigrating to here.</div>
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Specifications</h2>
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The Martin J-15 is not constructed with the classic dovetail neck joint, but rather, with the more modern Mortise/Tenon neck joint, which is a more modern, cost and time effective means of connecting the neck of a fine guitar to the body. The guitar is the standard 14 frets clear of the body. This guitar is constructed with all the master workmanship seen in ALL all solid wood construction Martin instruments, but the 15 series instruments are built to be not just heirloom quality instruments, but affordable ones. What this means is some less expensive materials are used. When I say "less expensive," it would be a huge mistake to assume this meant "cheaper." The bridge and finger board or fret board on this guitar are both constructed using rosewood. Rosewood is NOT a lesser wood than ebony for such things, it is ONLY a less expensive wood than ebony.</div>
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Now, the tricky thing to discuss with this fine Martin J-15 steel string instrument is this, the woods used for the top and the body. This same bit of issue is the same with all Martin 15 series instruments. Martin regards sapele and mahogany as identical woods. They are nearly the exact same thing, but they are not exactly the same thing. Some 15 series instruments will have one for the body/sides, and the other for the top, or vice versa. I'm told the older Martin 15 series instruments were all mahogany, and the newer ones are all sapele. C.F. Martin guitars and Taylor guitars both consider sapele and mahogany as so very similar as to be the same. This particular subject is one which is often discussed on guitar forums[2], and probably will be for a significant time to come.</div>
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This guitar features A frame X bracing, and the braces are made from sitka spruce. The head plate is East Indian rosewood as is the fret board and the bridge. Martin guitars tells me the bridge and/or fret board on some specific instruments will be of solid morado. Electronics are optional on this guitar.</div>
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The width of the neck at the nut on this guitar is standard for Martin guitars these days, and it is 1 11/16". The all mahogany sound of this guitar leaves many musicians feeling it is best suited, as all all mahogany guitars are, for playing acoustic and/or country blues. I'm pricing this instrument used on the web at about $700. Needless to say, a new one will cost slightly over a thousand dollars.</div>
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Particulars and conclusions</h2>
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Mahogany is a much lighter weight wood than is rosewood, and this guitar is entirely of mahogany and/or it's very close cousin sapele, all throughout the body. Despite the larger than dreadnought sized body of this fine Jumbo sized acoustic guitar, it's not going to weigh a whole lot. Now mahogany when used in the body is well known to produce a lot of velocity of sound, but what about mahogany as a sound board on an all mahogany guitar like the J-15? Both Koa and mahogany have been used as soundboards or tops to fine acoustic instruments since the 1920's, and if you were to look at my thumbnail image here, you would see I am holding and playing an all mahogany Martin 00-17. Suffice it to say I know about all mahogany guitars, and how they differ from guitars with spruce tops. While mahogany bodies produce a high velocity of sound when compared to rosewood, mahogany tops or soundboards produce a much lower velocity of sound when compared to spruce tops or soundboards.</div>
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One could describe the tonality of a mahogany top guitar as subdued, dark, or rather suited to blues music. An all solid wood guitar from a master corporation like Martin is a work of art, and it should be used to further the artistic skills and endeavors of an artist, and this guitar will suit any professional or armature musician very well for all of his or her lives. These jumbo sized guitars being somewhat large, one should typically be certain such an instrument is suited for them, as being able to handle such a guitar could be an issue for someone on the small size of the physical spectrum. All Martin guitars come with a limited lifetime warranty to the original owner and a hard shell case. Thanks for reading.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-73243553761107792132017-04-20T13:19:00.003-07:002017-04-20T13:19:29.766-07:00The Takamine 40th Anniversary Guitar Featuring Persimmon As A Tonewood<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380796" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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Persimmon wood backside of the Takamine 40th anniversary guitar</h2>
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Takamine 40th Anniversary Dreadnought</h2>
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Takamine instruments have been around for more than 40 years now. In fact, at this time Takamine's 50th anniversary model guitars are available, but looking through some old Acoustic Guitar magazines I found an article, a much shorter one than this will be, about the 40th anniversary Takamine guitar, and I was exceedingly intrigued by the facts of its construction.</div>
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Now I do a lot of writing about acoustic musical instruments on the web, and I mean on this site, and on a few others as well. Most often when I'm talking about a six string guitar in an online article, I know that instrument, I've sat in guitar shops and played that guitar, and so I can tell you I know what I'm talking about. I can not do that with this guitar, and probably very few people can. The Takamine 40th anniversary guitar resulted in the production of just 40 of these instruments. Very few people anywhere can tell you first hand about this guitar. What I want to talk about concerning the thing is how frigging unique a guitar it must be.</div>
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I don't know if too many peripheral six string fans have figured this out, or not, but the people who are rabid about guitars and guitar building are a pretty intellectual lot of folks. Building fine guitars is akin to being a sculpture in a way, except the guitars, the work of art they build, are then taken and used towards further works of art. Guitar builders are extremely interested in pieces of woods, taptones, and such; and what the combinations of woods and bracing they use to build a guitar is going to produce in the sonic sense.</div>
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While I'm not any sort of professional scholar in regards to acoustic instruments, I'm sure enough an amateur one. I don't have transportation just now, so I do not get to visit music shops so much, but I'd never before heard of a guitar besides this one having persimmon wood used for its back and sides. I brought the topic up to an uncle who used to sell guitars, and knows quite a lot about them, and he'd said himself he thought I must be mistaken, that there would be a great challenge in finding persimmon wood slabs big enough to make a dreadnought guitar, and this Takamine 40th anniversary instrument is certainly a dreadnought.</div>
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Persimmon Wood And Acoustic Guitar Building</h2>
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Persimmon as a tonewood is uncommon, very uncommon. Using Google search I searched terms "dreadnought guitar with persimmon back and sides," and I found only two entries that looked decent at first glance. A man in Eastern Tennessee named Cliff Hamby[1] uses persimmon and other native trees to make hand made instruments, and another man named Bob Gramann[2], a newer builder. Persimmon wood is thought of as a native American ebony[3], and ebony, of course, has been used in acoustic instrument building for a very long time, and on the most expensive of instruments as the wood used for bridges and fretboards.</div>
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My search results linked above for "dreadnought guitar with persimmon back and sides" were essentially completely useless. Those builders in the first two references aren't using persimmon for back and sides, but for fretboards or bridges, or both. So I hope the reader can see how completely intriguing this Takamine instrument truly is.</div>
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This 40th Anniversary instrument from Takamine is a standard 14 frets clear of the body dreadnought. We've discussed the back and sides being persimmon, and the top is sitka spruce. The guitar features abalone inlay binding, an abalone rosette; and a 40th anniversary commemorative ruby. Fretboard markers are bow tie style. The instrument has a strange two piece style saddle which I'm not exactly sure how to name properly. Only 40 of these instruments were made, and when new, they sold for $4,000. I priced one today on the web for $2,000 used. This is an extremely rare "bird," and I wish I could find at least a youtube video about it, but alas, I can not. The persimmon wood looks a lot like Koa, and I can only wish to hear what these beauties sound like.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-76385758991549345482017-04-20T13:11:00.001-07:002017-04-20T13:11:18.579-07:00Steve Earle and the Martin M-21 Steve Earle Guitar<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380776" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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Steve Earle (right) With His Martin M-21 Guitar</h2>
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Steve Earle</h2>
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Steve Earle is an American singer, song writer, author, actor, and political activist. He's been a star, and he's been to prison, and then he's remade himself into a much better artist. Steve Earle, of course, is also a guitarist, and has always accompanied himself on records with one. Early in his career, Steve was more of a rockabilly sort of musician, and played electric guitars; but as he's gotten older, he's become devoted to acoustic instruments.</div>
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Born in Texas in 1955, Steve spent years in Nashville, Tennessee; and now resides in New York City. As for myself, I've always been a huge fan of Steve Earle, and what I have always appreciated was the way he's never been one to try to make "hits," he's a guy who has always had serious subject matter that was closest to his heart, and so pretty often, his songs are about controversial topics. The man, however, also has a serious sense of humor.</div>
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Steve Earle's music spans a lot of styles. Some of his music could nearly be considered "rock music," and other things were once country music radio staples. He's done albums that were straight Bluegrass music, and he's done a lot of things with some dark country music themes. He's lived a rough life, drugs and alcohol, seven marriages, prison.</div>
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Mostly, Steve Earle's albums have some of this, some of that, and some of the other all inside. My personal favorite is called<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Train a' Comin'</em>, as it features multi instrumentalist folk master, Norman Blake. I'm a huge fan of Steve's, but I have to admit that I've not read any of his books. I'll remedy that at some point in time should I get the chance.</div>
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Steve Earle with his signature series Martin</h2>
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The Martin M-21 Steve Earle Signature Guitar</h2>
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It's little wonder the world's most renowned guitar builders built a guitar for an American classic like Steve Earle. Steve Earle and Martin guitars go together live the proverbial peas and carrots. This is, however, not a guitar you will often see, and it is similar to the Martin D-18 Gordon Lightfoot in that it isn't in production any longer. None of this means, however, that a demand won't at some point or another reintroduce the guitar to standard production, and Steve is still around to sign them, and we hope he will be for a long time to come.</div>
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<em><strong>So what the heck is an M-21? I've never heard of anything like that?</strong></em></div>
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<strong></strong>Well, there's nothing really strange or odd about the "M" body style guitars by C.F. Martin & Company at all. These guitars are actually pretty popular, and a lot of renowned guitarists who aren't exactly famous, play them exclusively. People like David Bromberg come to mind here, as he also has his own "M" body design produced by Martin. The most common of the "M" body guitars is probably the Martin M-38, the David Bromberg guitar is an M-42.</div>
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Essentially, an "M" model acoustic guitar, is the same shape as is an OM, or "orchestra model," but the overall size of the "M" guitars is larger, despite being proportionally the same as OM's, just larger. Did that make any sense? I hope it did.</div>
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Whenever you are looking at, or reading about a Martin guitar, the number after the letter tells you how expensive the guitar is going to be. Why more expensive? Well, with Martin guitars, more expensive DOES NOT mean "better," it only means MORE EXPENSIVE. For these reasons, this Steve Earle signature guitar is going to be priced really well until its no longer in production status drives the market price for the thing upwards.</div>
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Earle model particulars</h2>
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Don't let the enlarged OM or "orchestra model" design of these guitars fool you, these M body guitars are actually larger instruments than a Martin dreadnought, like a D-28. Like I'd stated before, Martin guitars aren't priced for their size, their price is generally indicated by the number following the letter. I'm pricing this instrument on the web for $4,299 dollars. It is a custom guitar, and they're all signed by Steve Earle; so this guitar is a bit more expensive than it otherwise would be.</div>
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The exact dimensions of this guitar are those of a 0000 body with a 000 body depth This is absolutely a "high X" guitar, which is to say it features forward shifted scalloped X bracing. All such instruments are fragile, but are built for someone desiring the best in sound the most known for it on the planet manufacturer can offer. When you buy something like this, you go in knowing you're purchasing a very precious and fragile thing that requires attention to care.</div>
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The back and sides are of East Indian rosewood, and the top is Alpine spruce. It is an entirely all solid wood guitar. The neck is carved from mahogany, and the fretboard and bridge are of East Indian rosewood as well. The rosette is style 18, but the backstrip is style 28. Waverly tuning machines can't be beaten, and those are what are used here. "Doppler Dot" fretboard position markers are used, and this is unique to Martin "21" style guitars. Martin's polished gloss lacquer finish is the standard everyone else is measured by; and it will shine for quite a long long while, showing off that top grade wood that produces such crystalline tonality.</div>
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All Martin guitars come with a full limited lifetime warranty to the original owner, and a deluxe hardshell case. Let's hear ol' Steve pick one, shall we?</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-5238408746909163692017-04-20T13:03:00.002-07:002017-04-20T13:03:31.755-07:00The New Gibson J-35<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380566" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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The Gibson J-35</h2>
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Brand New Re-introduced Gibson J-35</h2>
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Right here and right now is the golden age of guitar building in the world. There has never been a better time to buy a guitar. Oh sure, Martin guitars and Gibson guitars both refer to the pre world war two era of guitar building as the "golden era," but facts are, we've better technology and much better understanding of how to build a great acoustic guitar right here, and right now. Yes, some of the great tonewoods are now very hard to get, but others are not; and still new tonewoods are being used to terrific effect.</div>
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Gibson guitars was established in the USA in the year 1902, and since that time they've done a great job at rivaling C.F. Martin & Company for preeminence in guitar building in the USA. Martin developed its dreadnought body style in 1931, and Gibson promptly came out with its own version of that size guitar, and the J-35 is just that. Oh the "J" stands for "jumbo," but the guitar is a dreadnought, and there is no doubt about that. Gibson's design simply has slightly different dimensions, and a more rounded, or sloped set of "shoulders" on it.</div>
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Gibson may compete directly with Martin in global acoustic guitar sales, but there are things to know about this. The guitars by Gibson and Martin sound completely different. You can get a Martin D-18, and this Gibson J-35 and play them one after the other, and you'll see, they don't really sound alike at all, and this is due to the way they are braced, and because of many another nuance of guitar building as well.</div>
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Now the Gibson J-35 is a standard fourteen frets clear of the body all solid wood steel string instrument. It's made from solid mahogany on the backs and sides, and features a solid spruce top as well. The J-35 is a very low priced instrument for an all solid wood Gibson flat top, and in the case of this one, it is also equipped with pre-amp and a pickup for acoustic electric play. This instrument is ideal for either playing in a studio, with your musician friends, or on a stage; it's a do it all guitar.</div>
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This is a mahogany body guitar; and so it will have a very decidedly mahogany sound, and that means it will have a very bright, and immediate tonality. Mahogany is relatively inexpensive compared to rosewood, but it provides an extremely high value, and a completely different sound. Mahogany is absolutely preferred OVER rosewood, or anything else for that matter, by a large number of musicians. So the Gibson J-35 is a relatively similar instrument to something like the Tacoma Road King, but it costs more than twice as much; well, the big thing about that is, it says GIBSON on it, because that is what it is. Whenever you have a guitar made by premium manufacturers like Gibson or Martin, you've got something that will appreciate in value over time, or at least keep its value should it get scuffed up a bit.</div>
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There are qute a lot of guitars on the market that are also steel string dreadnoughts with mahogany and spruce, and fourteen frets clear of the body, and equipped for acoustic/electric play. One in particular that I'm fond of, and that competes very nicely with the J-35 in price and in specifications is the Guild D-40.</div>
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The J-35 does have a lot of rosewood on it. The fretboard or fingerboard is rosewood, and so is the bridge. Essentially, the J-35 is a J-45 with just a bit less ornamentation so as to be more affordable. The electronics on the guitar are all by L.R. Baggs; and can be expected to produce exactly as anyone would want them to. The Mahogany neck, as are all Gibson necks, really feel wonderful, and allow for your playing to be as effortless as it can be. It measures at 1 and 3/4" at the nut; and speaking of the nut, both the nut and saddle are made from tusq material, so that every note is loud, clear, and rings out with long lasting sustain. The fire stripped pick guard is unique to this instrument, and really allows one to see what model guitar is being played; it's really attractive. This guitar was in production years and years ago, but is now being re-introduced by Gibson for 2013, and it sure does look and sound like an all around winner. Of course a beautiful hardshell case is included, as is Gibson's Gold warranty.</div>
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This is a guitar to be excited about. If you're shopping for a great priced heirloom quality professional instrument, be sure you check one of these out before buying another. Thank you for reading.</div>
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Gibson J-35 backside</h2>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-74344581773626681112017-04-20T12:11:00.003-07:002017-04-20T12:11:53.977-07:00Seagull Maritime SWS Dreadnought Guitar<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380547" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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The Seagull Maritime SWS Guitar</h2>
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Solid Wood Series Seagull Guitars</h2>
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Making music is an exciting thing. Learning to make music is even more exciting, and when you're learning guitar, you generally start off on a low end acoustic guitar that doesn't always sound so good. If you make progress, and keep the faith that you can make good music on a guitar, and also keep the interest, then another exciting thing will likely occur for you, and that exciting thing is that at some point in time, you'll bother to own a truly professional grade instrument.</div>
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The Seagull instrument discussed here is a truly professional grade instrument, and one can be had at what is a supremely reasonable price. We're talking about an all solid wood guitar here; in fact, the "SWS" stands for "solid wood series." For less than a thousand US dollars, anyone can own the Seagull Maritime SWS acoustic guitar, and they'll then own a guitar that will provide professional level services to them the rest of their lives, so long as they take good care of it. Oh it matters none at all whether that person go on to become some sort of musical star, the Seagull Maritime SWS surely doesn't care, it merely provides, and keeps providing, until many a lifetime is over and done with, provided that it is cared for.</div>
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In the past, the young music enthusiast had no such opportunity as one has today. No solid wood instruments were available at a reasonable price, unless someone happened into a beaten up a bit one somewhere on the used market. It used to be that a picker had to go from a five hundred dollar Yamaha all the way to a twenty five hundred dollar Martin. Seagull guitars has done truly terrific things, as have others, with modern building technology, and they've made it to where a truly front line, totally professional level instrument can be had for less than a thousand dollars.</div>
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All Solid Wood, and The Beautiful Sound Of Mahogany For Less Than A Thousand Dollars</h2>
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Friends, when you get into acoustic guitars they come in three varieties of value: 1. made entirely from laminated wood, 2. with a solid wood top, and 3. guitars made entirely of solid wood. It shouldn't be hard for you to figure that all laminate guitars are cheap, inexpensive, and don't have much value. Next up, are guitars with solid tops, and generally it is a very low grade, but solid spruce top, and then you have truly wonderful guitars, guitars made from solid pieces of wood, from the body, the top, the neck, and the headstock. The Seagull Maritime SWS is just such a guitar, it is an instrument built with ALL solid woods, and this maximizes the tonality of the instrument, and it also means the thing can take a bit more abuse than can a cheaper guitar, and it will still rock on steady as she goes.</div>
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<em><strong>What makes this guitar so great?</strong></em><strong></strong></div>
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<strong></strong>If you're really slow, I'll state it for you again, this guitar is all solid wood, and that means it will sound like a total canon. An all solid wood guitar is quite a lot larger with the tonality than is a guitar with laminates involved in it, and this guitar happens to be mahogany, and mahogany is in and of itself a wood that produces a much more immediate tonality. If you're into physics, you could rightly say that mahogany guitars produce a greater velocity of tonality. Mahogany is a nice old hardwood, and it is used far and wide, but nowhere is it used towards a greater thing than in musical instruments. The abundance of mahogany make it tremendously valuable in that it is inexpensive when compared to comparable tonewoods. This guitar by Seagull is priced at less than one thousand dollars, and though it is very traditional in design, one might want to compare it to another great solid wood mahogany body guitar, the Tacoma RoadKing</div>
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The SWS series guitars by Seagull DO include more expensive rosewood body models, so when shopping, be certain you realize the scarcity of rosewood makes for a much more expensive guitar, but not a better guitar. Rosewood and mahogany offer VERY different tonal properties. The prospective buyer should DEFINITELY be familiar with the difference so as to make an informed choice as to what kind of guitar tone they wish to have presented from their playing.</div>
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Seagull Maritime SWS guitars are not limited to a dreadnought body size, but are also available in jumbo sizes, and smaller than standard "folk" model sizes. These guitars are Canadian made, and they are priced to compete VERY favorably with US made guitars on the same level. Truly, these instruments out of Canada are terrific, and in time as great tonewoods are depleted, prices will rise. If you're looking for an instrument that can last you a lifetime and will do you justice around the campfire or in a recording studio, check out these Seagull solid wood series guitars today.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-79757512668046532372017-04-20T12:06:00.000-07:002017-04-20T12:06:07.694-07:00The Martin D-28 Marquis<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380526" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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Jimmy Page and His Martin D-28 Marquis</h2>
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C.F. Martin & Company, and The D-28 Dreadnought Guitar</h2>
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When it comes to steel string acoustic guitars there is no doubt at all who makes the world's most noted and desired model; it is without doubt the Martin D-28. C.F. Martin & Company have been making guitars in the USA since 1833. They are one of the USA's oldest and proudest builders of anything, and luckily for folks like me and you, it is guitars they build. It was nearly one hundred years after Martin started manufacturing guitars that it landed on a design that would become not just its best seller, but the world's best selling design of acoustic guitar, the fourteen frets clear of the body "dreadnought" design.</div>
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Now C.F. Martin & Company makes many steel string acoustic guitars that are dreadnought bodies with fourteen frets clear of the body; but of all of them, the D-28 is the guitar that is most often seen, heard, purchased, and well, modified. There are quite a lot of variations of the D-28 produced both now, and in the past by Martin guitars; and the D-28 Marquis is another one of them. Having looked over the specifications of this D-28 design, I'm willing to bet this guitar is going to be one to convince many a man and woman to save his or her pennies, and to save his or her dimes.</div>
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East Indian Rosewood Is NOT An Inferior Tone-Wood</h2>
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As you can see, the Martin D-28 Marquis is anything but cheap, or inexpensive. This is a very serious guitar, and it was made by very serious craftsmen and craftswomen. The people at C.F. Martin & Company only have the world's best reputation in acoustic guitars to defend, and they do defend their reputations very well. Sure, there are smaller manufacturers who produce virtually identical instruments to this one; but the truth is, those will cost more than this one, as Martin can afford to sell such an instrument at a lower price.</div>
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The Martin D-28 has always and will always be a rosewood body instrument with a spruce top, and if it says "D-28" on the thing, then it will always be an all solid wood instrument, a professional level instrument. Every D-28 ever made has been a guitar that would last a lifetime, or several lifetimes, if cared for properly. Originally, all Martin D-28 guitars were made from Brazilian rosewood, and Adirondack spruce, for sides and backs, and tops, respectively. As years went by, those specific woods became more and more scarce, and Brazilian rosewood was never an easy wood to work with anyway. Eventually Martin guitars moved to using East Indian rosewood for the backs and sides, and Sitka spruce for the tops of the D-28s, and other D-28 "like" instruments such as the D-35, and the D-45.</div>
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I've had some somewhat serious debates on the internet concerning what is "better," or "worse" in tonewoods such as Brazilian rosewood and East Indian rosewood. I've been told I was just plain wrong before, and even that I don't know what I'm talking about. But I assure you I do know what I'm talking about, and that is this: East Indian rosewood isn't a lesser wood than Brazilian rosewood at all, it is just a different wood, and it produces an ever so slightly different sound, while also having a different appearance than its Brazilian rosewood cousin. I've owned a Martin HD-28VR which featured East Indian rosewood, and I own a Santa Cruz dreadnought with Brazilian rosewood; and I've sat and played thousands of guitars over the years. What this Martin Marquis D-28 is, is a D-28 GE, but with East Indian rosewood instead of Brazilian rosewood; and this provides an instrument of very very similar tonal and visual properties for five thousand dollars less.</div>
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Dear readers, I can assure you that Brazilian rosewood is beautiful, I assure you that its tonal qualities are very complex, and beautiful. I can also assure you that inexplicably, any acoustic guitar featuring aBrazilian rosewood body is likely to develop hairline cracks in it, despite how well you've taken care of the thing. I can also assure you that for five grand less, the D-28 Marquis isn't a lesser instrument than the D-28GE.</div>
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The Martin D-28 Marquis With Sunburst Finish</h2>
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Specifications</h2>
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So there you have it, the only difference between the D-28 Marquis and the D-28GE is the species of rosewood used for the backs and sides of the body of the instruments. Let's not forget the five thousand dollars in price difference, that's definitely something to take note of. I suppose, however, that this is still insufficient. One might think the D-28 Marquis to not have anything different about it from the HD-28V, or HD-28VR, and this would be completely inaccurate.</div>
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The "GE" in the D-28GE stands for "golden era," and when we say something about a golden era and Martin acoustic guitars, we're talking about one thing, and one thing only; the major models of acoustic guitars Martin was building and selling in the years just prior to world war two. In both the D-18 and the D-28, and all other spruce top models from this time, Martin used Adirondack spruce for the tops, and the braces inside the body of the guitars. So the Marquis instrument is built in this way. Adirondack spruce is said to produce a louder, and clearer tonality than does Sitka spruce, and it is lighter, and stiffer. Generally speaking, when you purchase a guitar with an Adirondack spruce top instead of one with a Sitka spruce top, you can look to spending another one thousand dollars for that upgrade in woods.</div>
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There are more differences. The Marquis model D-28, as all Golden Era style martin dreadnoughts, will have a slightly wider neck. The neck on this instrument measures at 1 and 3/4 inches width at the nut. Some people will prefer this neck width, others will not. I think it is very important that someone play ANY guitar in a store before ever purchasing one.</div>
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As is standard, the fretboard is black ebony, as is the bridge, mahogany blocks and dovetail neck joints are used, the traditional high X bracing is employed, and the thing comes with limited lifetime warranty to the original owner, and a deluxe hardshell case.</div>
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Other perks include fossilized ivory nut, saddle, and bridge pins. Electronics are NOT available for this model of guitar. This is an acoustic picker's dream guitar; it's not something one would typically use in a live performance. This is a guitar too precious to often take on the road.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-49729506814753076432017-04-20T11:59:00.001-07:002017-04-20T11:59:27.133-07:00Flatpicking Master Tony Rice<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380259" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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Tony Rice And His Famous 1935 Martin D-28 Guitar</h2>
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Tony Rice, Clarence White, And That Famous D-28 Guitar</h2>
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In the world at large, there is a serious lack of musical integrity. There are manufactured "stars" who can't play any sort of instrument, only sing songs written by corporate music execs for them to sing; and only do that while looking lascivious for the camera. Oh I could name dozens of the sorts of pop stars I'm thinking of, and you could too. Luckily for humanity's future, only the era of throw away stars and throw away pop will be remembered, as most corporate consumer music is single use and discard except in the instances of trivia.</div>
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If one ventures any distance from corporate radio and intentional dimwit drivel which never ceases emanating from a television set, then one might by chance encounter serious music, the kind of music one makes because they desperately love music, and seemingly must make music as their core inner being demands it of them. Guitarist David Anthony (Tony) Rice is that sort of musician. Tony Rice can't be said to be a household name; and it is probably true that the average metal or rock guitarist isn't familiar with Tony's music at all; but Tony Rice is to flatpicking guitarists something like what Tiger Woods is to modern golfers.</div>
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Tony was born the 8th day of June in the year 1951, in Danville, Virginia; but he spent his childhood in Los Angeles, California. Tony's father had been a semi-professional Bluegrass musician, and had spent considerable time teaching his interested sons about music, and musicianship. While in California the Rice family was able to run in the same circles as other prominent acoustic musicians. Tony would meet and befriend Clarence White, a brilliant guitarist of both bluegrass and rock and roll music, who'd die tragically young.</div>
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That Clarence White had a big influence on Tony Rice and his music goes without question. It's not mere chance that Tony owns Clarence's old 1935 Martin D-28 guitar; and it's no surprise that several of the best guitar manufacturers in the USA make their own very expensive reproductions of the specific and heavily modified D-28 guitar in question. The reproductions of the guitar are sometimes known as Tony Rice models, and sometimes known as Clarence White models. Tony's famous guitar might be the single most desired acoustic instrument in the world that isn't a Stradivarius violin.</div>
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Some might call it heresy. Some might suffer for having their notions squashed. Others will rejoice. The facts of the matter are that in more recent years, Tony Rice has come to prefer one specific guitar made for him over the legendary Martin instrument[1]. Of course it is one of the several Tony Rice Professional models designed for him by the Santa Cruz Guitar Company, and designed to be as similar to the Martin instrument (the 1935 D-28 which used to belong to Clarence White is heavily modified) as possible. It was bound to happen, of course, after many years of back and forth with the luthiers at the SCGC, they were bound to eventually come up with an instrument Tony would prefer to one he'd played seemingly without ceasing over the years.</div>
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David Grisman, Tony Rice, and Jerry Garcia</h2>
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The Music Of Tony Rice</h2>
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Bluegrass music was originally just traditional Scot or Irish fiddle tune style music, and incorporating a five string banjo, and some high tenor vocals along with rhythm guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and a big stand up acoustic bass. The guitar wasn't much thought of as anything but a rhythm instrument in the context of trans-Atlantic fiddle music in Appalachia. Over time what was known as "G runs," and other bits of licks were incorporated into the music provided by the guitarist, and nowadays if you hear one, it sounds very cliché.</div>
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Don't get me wrong here, playing great rhythm guitar, and keeping in time with some banjo or fiddle, or mandolin guy with an adrenalin rush at super fast tempos isn't easy; but originally that was all the guitars were used for in folk, Celtic, bluegrass, and country music. Doc Watson, the legendary blind guitarist from North Carolina was the person most responsible for taking the big dreadnought guitar, and deciding to use the thing for something other than just playing rhythm, or fingerpicking some country blues. While Tony Rice being compared to Clarence White is natural; it's also well to note here that Tony Rice, like Doc Watson, is a guy who had a triple attack, he could sing, and he could play with the best of the best in the fields of lead, or soloing, and rhythm too. Had? Well, probably anyone who's made it this far in this piece already knows; Tony Rice can no longer sing due to some injury to his vocal cords.</div>
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In 1974 Tony Rice joined<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>J.D. Crow & The New South,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></em>as guitarist and lead vocalist, and the band recorded the album with the band's name as its title. While J.D. Crow's band always featured some of the best and brightest musicians in the Bluegrass genre, this particular lineup was special for also featuring Ricky Skaggs on mandolin. The album, produced by Rounder Records, would become the best selling item they'd ever had. Tony Rice brought not just his terrific guitar skills, but his unique and beautiful vocals to the mix. While the album could mostly be considered "traditional," it was also truly "progressive" in that Tony didn't pursue the "high lonesome" vocal stylings of people such as Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, or Jimmy Martin.</div>
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Bluegrass music is absolutely unique to the United States of America. It's a form of music based on fiddle tunes from the British Isles, but the instrumentation, and now most of the music itself; are uniquely American. Of course Bluegrass music is appreciated and played all over the world; and though Tony Rice has dedicated a large portion of his adulthood and career to traditional Bluegrass music, he's also spent as much or more time expanding it, and breaking from it altogether.</div>
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Playing Style</h2>
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Of course Tony Rice can play very very fast. That's hardly what makes him such a special guitarist. Playing Bluegrass instrumentals with mandolin, fiddle, or banjo players is forever going to be a very strenuous thing for the flatpicking guitarist; as the guitar has a wider neck, and six strings to move across in hopes of maintaining the tempo. I should lay out right here for anyone who might have not realized it, playing fast on a steel string acoustic guitar strung with medium gauge strings is far far harder than it is playing at the same speed on a Stratocaster or something.</div>
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Tony Rice's guitar playing, insofar as one can tell, is flawless. You simply never hear him make a mistake, and every single note is loud, clear, and has such a beautiful, bell like tone-that it is hard to imagine how someone could ever execute such things so cleanly. What he does, and the reason he's so often thought of as the logical continuation of Clarence White; is he plays really wild, unexpected things, and he manipulates time in the context of any tune with complex syncopation.</div>
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Tony went from the J.D. Crow band to doing solo work with the very best side-men in the genre; and he expanded what was thought of as Bluegrass, or folk music by often covering tunes by artists outside of Bluegrass. Persons such as Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan, and James Taylor come to mind. Collaborations with Norman Blake were treasured by guitarists. Tony has recorded solo albums, many albums with The Bluegrass Album Band, albums with The Tony Rice Unit, and of course, the albums with the David Grisman Quintet.</div>
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When I was younger, and even now whenever I'd get into playing my guitars regularly, I would think of this guy as the absolute "god" of playing an acoustic guitar with a pick. Oh Tony Rice isn't truly famous. I'd say most people who dabble with guitar don't even know who he is. It's no fault, but a credit to Tony he's forever taken his talents and used them purely to do what he's wanted to do, and not into the so typical notion that "making the most money possible is the best possible thing."</div>
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When Tony Rice met David Grisman in the 1970's, a new and American form of music became more attractive, and better. Some call it "Dawg" music, as<em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Dawg</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>is Grisman's nickname, others called it "spacegrass." What it is, is jazz played on bluegrass instrumentation. This form of music isn't commercial, and it isn't something one expects to become "popular." It is intellectual music somewhat reminiscent of the music of Django Reinhardt, and The Hot Club of France. Grisman and Rice mirrored Reinhardt and Grappelli in a way.</div>
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In his years of being a dedicated musician, Tony Rice has developed a rare thing, he's instantly recognizable when you hear him, and totally unique. I'll be very interested to hear what he plays in the future; as he does nothing unless it is done to the highest standards. Thanks for reading.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-12688239150182020462017-04-20T11:49:00.000-07:002017-04-20T11:49:17.601-07:00The Martin HD-35<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380259" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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Martin HD35</h2>
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This guitar is a Herringbone Dreadnought With 35 appointments</h2>
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C.F. Martin & Company's D 28 guitar was originally a herringbone dreadnought, but over time Martin decided to make those rosewood and spruce dreadnoughts without the specifications and trim that had caused them to sometimes simply be called<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>herringbones.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></em>When due to high demand Martin had to once again start making the much more fragile designs of the D 28 that it had become famous for making before and during world war two, Martin had started calling those special instruments HD 28's.</div>
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The<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong><em>H<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></em></strong>stands for<em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>herringbone</em>, and the<em><strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>D</strong></em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>stands for<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>dreadnought</em>.</div>
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First and foremost it's important to realize that essentially the Martin D 28 and the Martin D35 are both dreadnought guitars of exactly the same size and shape that are both completely solid wood constructed instruments with rosewood back and sides and a spruce top. Both are 14 frets clear of the body, and designed to be either fingerpicked or flatpicked with steel strings on them.</div>
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The chief difference is that the D-35 has always had a fancy three piece back that looks really cool. The thing is, nobody ever sees the back side of it if it's being played, and being played is the thing that a guitar was created to do.</div>
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Guitars were created for SOUND and Play-ability</h2>
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Who can against the idea that guitars were created to be played?</div>
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Guitars were most definitely created to be played and heard, and that is why the herringbone Martin D 28 became the most famous, copied, and sought after acoustic guitar in the world. The herringbone D 28 just sounded so much better than any other instrument except for maybe the D18.</div>
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Why did these guitars sound so great? Well, it wasn't the "magic" combination of rosewood and spruce that made the D 28 sound so great, if that were it, then the D35 would have sounded just as good, and there would be no reason to ever create the HD35. The HD 35 is essentially just a pre war construction or recreation of the D28's of old or vintage recreation, but with a three piece back of the D 35.</div>
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What is essential to understand with the prefix<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em><strong>H<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></em>or the fact of herringbone trim on a Martin guitar is that by having herringbone trim, the trim also signifies things that can<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em><strong>NOT</strong></em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>be seen from the outside of the instrument. The herringbone trim of the HD 28 or the HD 35 also signifies that the guitar is a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em><strong>high X</strong></em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>construction instrument - in regards to the internal bracing of the guitar, and that the braces are<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em><strong>scalloped</strong></em>.</div>
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When your guitar is a high X Martin then you've got scalloped bracing. You can have scalloped bracing on a Martin instrument without herringbone trim - and such is the case in instruments like the D18.</div>
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High X bracing, scalloped bracing - these things make a guitar<em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>fragile,</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>but sound far more wonderful than it otherwise would, with far more sustain and volume. Thus, the HD 35</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-54221390703350796842017-04-20T11:41:00.001-07:002017-04-20T11:41:12.512-07:00The Martin D 18 Gordon Lightfoot Guitar, The D 18GL<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380259" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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Martin D-18GL</h2>
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Martin and The Gordon Lightfoot D 18 The High Class Mahogany Dreadnought.</h2>
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Through the years, and specifically concerning the making of acoustic steel string guitars, rosewood instruments have always been adorned with much greater levels of care, material, and detail than have mahogany instruments. Rosewood instruments take more time and effort to shape into guitars to begin with, while mahogany is much easier to work with. For these reasons people have always just sold mahogany guitars for less money than they have their rosewood body models.</div>
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Also, they surely figure that since they are already spending so much time to shape the wood into the shape of a dreadnought body guitar, why not just go all out and fit in, cut, design, and shape about a thousand little pieces of abalone inlay while we're at it? That is obviously the thought process, as when one sees the amazing and extraneous levels of abalone inlay featured in guitars such as the Martin D 100 - and realize that it's price is the same one hundred in the proverbial K denomination...You wonder, naturally, why instruments such as the Martin D 18GL havent taken over the entire market for the sheer beauty they have with so much less in the way of market price.</div>
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The Limited edition and hard to find Martin D 18GL is one of the most beautiful mahogany body dreadnought guitars that you'll ever encounter, presuming that you are, in fact, lucky enough to encounter one. The Gibson Hummingbird guitar would be comparable so far as having a mahogany body and a lot of abalone inlay is concerned. The thing about the Gibson, however, is that it's just NOT a Martin, and doesn't have the legendary Martin sound. If the Gibson sound is preferable to your style of music, and to lots of persons it is, then please go for the amazing Gibson Hummingbird. Lots of folks, however, have always dreamed of a dressed up Martin D 18, and this is it.</div>
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The Martin D 18GL is certainly dressed up, and the biggest visual attraction of this instrument isn't even the additional abalone inlay work, it's the quilted mahogany body of the instrument. Of course all solid wood construction was used, and besides the quilting of the mahogany, an Englemann Spruce soundboard was used rather than Sitka. The guitar could be compared to the Martin D18 GE, but it's really a different instrument due to the quilting, the Englemann spruce instead of red Adirondack spruce, and also, the size of the neck at the nut is different. The Golden Era Martin is 1 3/4" at the bone nut, while this guitar is 1 11/16" at the nut.</div>
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Gordon Lightfoot's signature is inlaid in pearl at the 19th fret, and quite a lot of abalone inlay work around the rosette make this instrument a super collectors item and a player's dream come true.</div>
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This is not a production instrument, and so the list price is irrelevant, these guitars in excellent to mint condition are going for around $5,000.00</div>
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Quilt mahogany back side and Gordon Lightfoot signature inlay</h2>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-20359740137910322552017-04-20T11:31:00.003-07:002017-04-20T11:31:55.722-07:00Alternative Tonewoods For Acoustic Guitar<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380259" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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Ovangkol</h2>
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Traditional and Non Traditional Tone Woods For Acoustic Guitars</h2>
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Basically, nearly all modern acoustic guitars are based on designs made by either the C.F. Martin & Co or the Gibson Guitar Company prior to the second world war. Those guitars are still out there, and they sell at astronomical prices as they are considered the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong><em>HOLY GRAIL</em></strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>guitars that only the very wealthy, or the very lucky own. It's true that many of those guitars, and especially the Martin guitars, are amazing instruments that resonate such complex and beautiful tones that it's tough to imagine better instruments.</div>
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<em><strong>GET OVER IT.</strong></em></div>
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It's rather foolish to think that nothing has been learned or improved upon in guitar building. Every manufacturer in the industrialized world has looked over those instruments or their designs, and found a way to tweak them to their on specifications and desired qualities. Right here and right now is the true Golden Age of guitar building. The finest instruments in the world are on sale right here and right now in modern America.</div>
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Now truly, guitars made with Brazilian Rosewood back and sides are both physically beautiful to the eye and also embody a truly mysterious sound full of unique overtones that no other wood can seem to replicate. . .but that doesn't mean that other woods don't have equally unique and beautiful properties. Brazilian Rosewood has been overly abused as a wood for musical instruments and other things. We've other beautiful tones to explore now - but if you've got the money, then go right ahead and buy yourself either a brand new or a used guitar with solid Brazilian Rosewood backs and sides - keep it, treasure it - it's a treasure.</div>
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East Indian Rosewood, however, is not a inferior wood, but only a different wood - and no two guitars are ever equal even when made from the same trees by the same builder to the exact same specifications - they are still going to be unique, and have characteristics that are their own.</div>
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Adirondack Spruce was the typical sound board tone wood used in conjunction with Brazilian Rosewood on the Holy Grail Martin and Gibson guitars - but like Brazilian Rosewood, Adirondack Spruce is now far too over used, and the forests have not replenished themselves. How can forests ever replenish themselves in a world of capitalist consumerism greed? They can NOT, I tell you - and probably the will not.</div>
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Sitka Spruce is now used on most good acoustic guitars. A spruce sound board's quality is NOT found in the tree that it came from, and never really was - and truly, not everyone prefers Adirondack Red Spruce or even German Silver Spruce. Sitka Spruce is a fine tone wood. I'm truly an acoustic guitar snob - but I'm not a tone wood snob. I'm open to new woods and new sounds. I think everyone should be.</div>
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Now days things are changing, and woods like Sitka Spruce and East Indian Rosewood are no longer considered as alternative tone woods, but are now standard tone woods. Builders and players of fine acoustic guitars, however, must not stop there - but go beyond rosewood, spruce, mahogany, and maple. There's tons of other good species of tree out there for both body and tops on acoustic guitars. We must be not driven by capitalist foolishness, but rather, the desire to preserve things for the future.</div>
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So what are the NEW Alternative Tone Woods Used For Building Acoustic Guitars?</h2>
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There are many different new tone woods being used by many different guitar builders for all parts of guitar building, including back and sides, necks, sound boards, and fret boards. The only thing sad at all about any of this is that good Brazilian Rosewood is still not available, and probably won't be ever again. These new tone woods, however, should be given a chance. The reason why the pre world war two era Martin and Gibson guitars sound so good - has more to do with how old those guitars are, and you have to realize that the wood that was used to build those guitars may have already been many years old before they were built.</div>
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What I mean by "old" is that the wood used to build the legendary pre war guitars could very well have been sitting in the warehouse on shelves at Gibson and Martin for any number of years.</div>
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What most often makes a guitar sound great besides it's construction and the type of woods used is how loudly and often it's been played. Someone using a heavy pick and a heavy attack can and will break in a guitar much quicker and much more thoroughly than will someone who plays with a meek and thin plectrum, or who finger picks. Wood has to vibrate and breathe to reach it's sonic potential.</div>
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A solid wood sound board is the first upgrade between an all laminate Wal-mart special, and a real guitar - and mostly one form of spruce or another is used, but there are also all mahogany guitars, and they have a nice warm sound to them - but less volume without amplification. But also more and more Western Red Cedar is used for the sound boards of fine acoustic guitars. One of my uncles has a Yamaki, a fairly rare Japanese built guitar of very good quality, and it has a Western Red Cedar Top for it's sound board. Western Red Cedar is said to have a more "open and broke in" sound to it than does spruce - in other words, it sounds like an older guitar right out of the box should a guitar have Western Red Cedar as it's sound board. The one complaint about the wood is that it can be "overdriven" by a heavy pick attack, and that notes can become distorted in that way. I've just not seen that happen, as I've tried to see and hear that for myself on a number of guitars that I've picked a tune out on having Western Red Cedar tops.</div>
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Redwood is another tone wood being used for sound boards these days. I personally have not played a guitar with a Redwood sound board. I believe that most often these types of sound boards are found on classical guitars, and I'm more of a steel string guitar fan. I'm told that Redwood , somehow, offers greater note to note clarity than does other tone woods for sound boards - but I'm also told that it's a lighter and more delicate wood.</div>
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New Tone Woods For Acoustic Guitar Bodies</h2>
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Claro Walnut is an exceedingly beautiful wood that is being used by some manufacturers for acoustic guitar backs and sides, this wood is deep and dark brown, and sometimes has some very attractive wave or flame type grain to it. Walnut is said to have the "bottom end" of rosewood, and the clarity of mahogany.</div>
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American Cherry is another tone wood receiving attention. Cherry produces a tone similar to either maple or mahogany, and strangely enough; used to be called "American Mahogany." The C.F. Martin Smartwood guitars have American Wild Cherry as the tone wood for it's back and sides, and by all accounts it's a great guitar.</div>
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Basically - acoustic guitar body woods are always dreamt up and experimented as possible replacements for either Brazilian Rosewood, or Mahogany. That's just the way it's going to be until someone makes a guitar that folks think of as superior to the Martin D 18 (mahogany) or the Martin D 28, 35, and 45 (traditionally Brazilian Rosewood).</div>
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Here's a list of what all is being used by various and sundry builders in hopes of catching that Brazilian Rosewood hype and dollar:</div>
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1. Myrlewood - also known as California Laurel or Pepperwood</div>
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2. Madrone - known for it's striking cherry color, produces a "bright" sound.</div>
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3. Asian Rosewood - brick red in color, with dark spider web type grains.</div>
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4. Honduran Rosewood - orange to brick red in color, but heavier and harder a wood.</div>
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5. Cocobolo -</div>
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6. Pauferro</div>
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7. Tasmanian blackwood</div>
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8. Black Acacia</div>
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and my favorite of these</div>
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9. Ovangkol - I've played a guitar made with this wood, and I would have bought it on the spot had I the money to do so.</div>
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My thoughts on all this are that you should be your own judge, and that you should find a music store big enough to have something of high quality made with all of these woods, so that you can find the guitar most suited to your budget and needs.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-7954471209655466052017-04-20T11:22:00.003-07:002017-04-20T11:22:57.776-07:00The Gibson J 100 Extra <div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380259" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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The Gibson J 100 Extra</h2>
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The Gibson J 100 Extra A Tremendous Value - It's The Working Man's J 200</h2>
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Guitarists all around the world know about the Gibson guitar company. Gibson has been making fine guitars for a very long time, and most likely will be doing so for a great while to come. Gibson guitars are well known and renowned the world over in both acoustic guitars and with their electric guitars. It's a toss up which (acoustic or electric) are more well known, used, appreciated and/or desired.</div>
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The C.F. Martin & Company is the only other guitar manufacturer in the world that Gibson competes with directly in acoustic guitars. In fact, it's easy to say that because there are so very many individuals and small companies in the United States and Japan that make copies or even customized improvements of Martin Guitars - that Martin has the upper hand in the acoustic guitar flatpicking niche. A lot of people prefer Gibson acoustic guitars though, for playing the Blues.</div>
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There can be no doubt that the Gibson Les Paul is one of the world's most famous electric guitars - only Fender's Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars are comparable so far as fame, distribution, and desirability go. But Gibson Guitars also makes one of the world's most famous acoustic guitars; the Gibson J 200.</div>
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There are few stars in the world of country, rock, and folk that have not at one time or another been photographed playing a Gibson J 200. It's a big, very big instrument - and it's so very loud that it's one of the few guitars that when played in a small venue, often requires no amplification at all.</div>
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Johnny Cash, John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Page - all of those legends and many more have all played the J 200. But with a retail price of about eleven thousand dollars, how many of us commoners could ever hope to afford such an instrument with so much fine abalone inlay all over it? Even were we to seek out a used one, how many of us can afford to break out anywhere from half of the eleven grand, on up to twice the standard new price, and more - for an older copy in various conditions? Very few of us - I'll just answer the question here and now, could afford to buy such a guitar.</div>
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Well Friends, the Gibson Guitar Company has us in mind, WE, the working class man and woman were thought of when Gibson created the J 100 Extra. This guitar is the SAME guitar as the legendary J 200, it only doesn't have the very expensive abalone inlay running throughout it's curves, finger board, head stock; and other places. The J 100 Extra doesn't have the gold plated tuning devices. Did we ever even really want that stuff? For me, the answer is "NO!" What I want from a guitar is tone, playability, and the sureness of the warranty of such a fine company's product, and the timeless design it offers, the uniqueness of it's tone! That's what I want.</div>
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The J 100 Extra is THE Gibson guitar that can stand head to head, toe to toe with cannons like the Martin D 18 GE, or the Martin D 28 VR - and it's priced even more favorable than those, and has a unique tone all unto itself.</div>
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The vintage J 100 models feature a pleasant tone via the solid mahogany back and sides and the solid spruce top. I'd most certainly PREFER that guitar to the maple body of the J 200 The J 100 like the J 200 features the famous "moustache" bridge design that makes the J 200 (along with it's size and shape) so distinctive. I'm finding these guitars on the used market for around $1,300.00 US dollars - a fantastic deal.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-30275852261514291702017-04-20T11:16:00.002-07:002017-04-20T11:16:26.150-07:00The Tacoma Road King Guitar<div class="full module moduleImage" id="mod_43380259" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; clear: both; color: #4b4949; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7px; margin-bottom: 12px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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The Tacoma Road King Guitar</h2>
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The Tacoma Road King</h2>
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I'm not certain any more where it was that I played my first Tacoma Road King acoustic guitar, but the guitar was brand new, and on display in a guitar shop. I'd heard of these guitars from seeing them in magazines - and because I'm forever curious about acoustic guitars I picked it up and played it.</div>
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Next to the Tacoma Road King in the guitar shop was a much more expensive Taylor 410, and so naturally, my next action was to pick that one up and play it as well. I love Taylor guitars, and I especially have always loved their 410 model dreadnought. I couldn't help but notice after playing both guitars, however, that for about twice the price the Taylor 410 was only a more traditional looking guitar with a more well known name on it. The Tacoma Road King was it's complete equal in every way - for around $700.00 I'll save that much and purchase a Tacoma Road King, thank you very much!</div>
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Some people just love the looks of a traditional guitar. I'm one of those people. I'm also a person that loves the looks of non traditional guitars - and the Road King acoustic guitar by Tacoma is definitely a non traditional guitar in many ways - first and foremost the sound hole isn't round and in the middle of the body like virtually all flat top guitars are. The Tacoma Road King IS a flat top steel string acoustic guitar in the same vein as a Martin D 18, but it's sound hole is in a very different location, and so it's sound is going to be a bit different for that reason, and a few others as well. But the Road King acoustic steel string dreadnought by Tacoma is a full sized and all solid wood construction flat top guitar, and any time you've got an all solid wood acoustic guitar - you've got a quality instrument that can and will last a lifetime if you take care of it.</div>
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The Tacoma guitar company has been bought out by the Fender guitar company in recent years - so now if you are in the market for a Tacoma acoustic guitar you'll hear them sometimes refered to as either "pre Fender" or "Fender Tacoma's," some persons are always going to go for the older models regardless, and it's true that older and more well broken in acoustic guitars will always sound better - and these guitars on the used market are such a tremendous value that I can't think of a better bargain, really, for someone in the market for a solid wood dreadnought like this. These Tacoma Road King guitars are available as either straight acoustic guitars, or with pre amp acoustic/electric electronics pre installed - and obviously, that costs extra.</div>
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These Tacoma Road King guitars are solid mahogany back and sides, and this gives them a very bright sound with high velocity and clarity in the note projections, they've a one piece solid mahogany neck with rosewood finger board, and nearly always have solid Sitka Spruce sound boards. They are, however, also available with Western Red Cedar sound boards. Either wood for the Tacoma Road King's sound board would be excellent - it's merely a matter of preference. Typically finger style players prefer the Western Red Cedar sound boards, and flat pickers the Sitka Spruce.</div>
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These are terrific guitars - solid wood construction, an outstanding price, a cut away that allows greater access up the neck, and the option for pre loaded pre amp electronics. I would recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a great deal on a professional level instrument for an intermediate level price.</div>
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Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-3065532733084707862017-01-25T21:33:00.001-08:002017-01-25T21:33:17.236-08:00Who Are The Great Flatpickers? Clarence White<div class="modfloat full">
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Clarence White</h2>
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Who Are The Great Flatpickers?</h2>
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Who
the great flatpickers are is totally a matter of personal opinion, and
speculation. Music isn't a contest, but I damn sure enjoy seeing the
flatpicking guitar contest at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield,
Kansas. But music is not a contest, music is a celebration, an art form,
a lamentation, a personal expression, and a communication that is
beyond language and words. Music is more than those things that I just
mentioned, and modern mass media promoted music is far, far less than
any of the things that I listed.<br />
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If someone is interested in Flatpicking, then there is no better resource available in the entire world than <em>Flatpicking Guitar Magazine</em>.
Dan Miller is the owner and publisher, and I've met Dan, a very nice
guy, at the Walnut Valley Festival, in Winfield, Kansas. There's no
reason for Dan to remember me from there - but he also has a website
that supports his extremely useful magazine, and of course I have a
profile there - I do a lot of talking and writing and listening to
music, and I do the same things concerning the types of guitars that are
used to make that same kind of music. So in other words, the owner of <em>Flatpicking Guitar Magazine</em> might recognize my name, or he might not - it doesn't much matter.<br />
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The "mission statement" from the website that supports<em> Flatpicking Guitar Magazine</em> says it all about who the great Flatpicking guitarist are, observe the following:<br />
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<em><strong>"<a href="http://www.flatpick.com/">Flatpicking Guitar Magazine</a>
is a bi-monthly periodical, and companion audio CD, dedicated to
presenting all aspects of the art of flatpicking the acoustic guitar as
pioneered by such great guitarists as Doc Watson, Clarence White, Norman
Blake, Tony Rice, and Dan Crary. Our goal is to help you increase your
own skill level and enjoyment of this fine art as it pertains to the
musical genres of bluegrass, old-time, folk, Celtic, Western swing,
gypsy jazz, new acoustic music, and acoustic rock. "</strong></em></div>
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Clarence White</h2>
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The Great Flatpickers - Clarence White</h2>
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From
the quote from the Mission statement of the website that supports the
finest resource that I know of for Flatpickers - you get a clear list of
names concerning who the great ones are. I could easily produce a
Hubpages article about all of those persons, and in time, I just might
do that. For this article, however, we are going to talk about the
greatness of Clarence White. No disrespect here to Doc Watson, as he
probably - I'm not positive - pre dated Clarence White in the genre, and
the both of them are not "just" flatpickers. Doc Watson is a well known
fingerpicker, vocalist, and even plays some banjo. One of the oddest
things about Doc Watson's story is that he'd not started off playing
fiddle tunes on the acoustic guitar, no - Doc Watson started off his
folk music career playing fiddle tunes on a Gibson Les Paul!<br />
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I want to focus on the greatness of Clarence White here - but I also
would like the reader to understand straight away that the most amazing
music that I've heard performed by Clarence White exists on a copied
cassette tape that I have, is bootleg material, and isn't going to be
something that I can present for you to enjoy, or judge here. Not only
that - but the most amazing electric guitar work by Clarence White. . .
.I've never found in video, but that music is available on compact disc,
as it was recorded with <em>The Byrds. </em>But Clarence White was more
than that - Clarence White, though the proof is hard to find, had
seemed to have gotten tired of the acoustic guitar, and flatpicking
scene. By the early end of his life he'd moved on into things like
hybrid picking, which is a combination of both fingerpicking and
flatpicking, and also the electric guitar country blues style that he'd
performed with <em>The Byrds.</em></div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_14362144">
<h2 class="subtitle">
What Makes Clarence White Great?</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_14362144">
What
makes Clarence White so great? Clarence White probably didn't think he
was so great, and in my opinion, that's a huge part of what made
Clarence White so great. No, don't get me wrong here - I'm sure the man
knew that he was a cut above the rest, but he never really tried to show
off, he ALWAYS tried to do the small things in support of everything in
every band he participated in, his goal was not to outshine everyone
else in a band, but to always make the entire band, and any given song,
sound as close to perfect as possible.<br />
<br />
Clarence White was a flatpicker, a
crosspicker, a hybrid picker, and electric guitarist, a vocalist, a
mandolin player, and someone who never stopped experimenting with things
in music that most people never experiment with - timing. Clarence
White was the person who would play a mind blowing solo that was
basically simple. How is this? What do I mean? I mean that the solos
that Clarence would play could actually be simple in that they wouldn't
take a huge amount of technical proficiency - except for the fact that
he'd place notes exactly where you wouldn't expect them to be. He was a
master of syncopation.<br />
<br />
Clarence White was someone who dabbled in "tricks," and when Clarence
White had tricks - nobody else could figure out what the hell that it
was that he was doing. Now, what I want to show you first has nothing to
do with flatpicking, yes, Clarence White is something like a "God" to
flatpidkers, but he's also a guy who made people like Jimmy Page of<em> Led Zeppelin</em> fame say things like,<br />
<em><strong>"How the Devil Does He Do THAT?"</strong></em><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_14452870">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Muleskinner</h2>
<div id="imgs_14452870">
<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="5048495" data-mdi-id="3691225" id="img_url_5048495" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="full lazy" data-original="https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/5048495_f520.jpg" data-ratio="0.71174377224199" height="370" src="https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/5048495_f520.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="520" />
</div>
<div class="caption_full" id="img_desc_5048495">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="modfloat right">
<div class="module moduleLink color1" id="mod_14463631">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The Clarence White Guitar Workshop Video</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=765401200595"> Clarence White: Guitar Workshop - Clarence White - DVD (UPC 0765401200595) - Buy Books, Music and M</a><br />Find
Clarence White: Guitar Workshop - Clarence White at Borders - Books,
Music and Movies. Available in DVD (UPC 0765401200595) at Borders.com</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="module moduleVideo right_mod_margin" id="mod_14362340">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The True Beauty of Flatpicking Via Clarence White!</h2>
</div>
</div>
<div class="modfloat full">
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_14449874">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Clarence White -Subtlety, and Accompaniment</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_14449874">
Obviously,
there is a whole lot more to being a musician of any worth than merely
being a soloist. Have you ever noticed that "American Idol" is all about
the individual? How much of a band is made up by one individual?
Typically about twenty, or twenty five percent - which leaves the
majority of a band's sound outside the realm of any one person. Clarence
White knew as well as anyone who ever lived that the guitar isn't just a
soloist's instrument, rather, the guitar was created for accompaniment.<br />
<br />
Basically, everything done in the two videos of this section is meant
for the whole of the sound, and not for Clarence White to just show you
how good he is. Of course the end result here is that you can truly see
how great that he was, and you get a bit of an education in what music
should be, but no longer is in American mass media. Music is about a
group, it's never about an individual. I don't care who you are - if you
aren't performing by yourself, then there are supporting musicians that
contribute, this is the great folly in what passes for "culture" in
America today. "American Idol" is all about individuals who can't even
play an instrument, so how are they to be someone's "Idol," by singing?<br />
<br />
The "Muleskinner" band was perhaps the greatest bluegrass band that
ever existed, but it was never meant to be presented as if it would.
It's a collection of young hippies that play Bluegrass music, the new
generation of greats that was taking the fore then. In the video, you
see Clarence white not even play a solo in the first song, and then he
plays a very understated one in the second. If you watch and listen
closely you can see how his rhythm guitar playing compliments everything
- and of course his vocals here add to the timbre of the whole.<br />
<br />
But this next video with "<em>The Crawdad Song</em>," THIS video I want to tell you about. The video with "<em>The Crawdad Song</em>,"
that is what MUSIC is all about! It really can't get much better - oh
sure, the vocalist is a tv show host, and so THAT could get better, but
if you are dwelling on that, then you are totally missing the point! The
point is that in that video it's just some guys sitting around making
music, and that, my friends, is REAL music. Music isn't some whore in
spandex doing the dance moves that some choreographer taught him or her
to do, singing lyrics that some pop lyrics writer devised, and all on a
video that yet another person put together - that crap isn't music at
all! The choreographed, ghost written, dancing harlot routine is the
paradigm of mediocrity that is sold in America today, but it's damn sure
not music.<br />
<br />
In "<em>The Crawdad Song"</em> here we see Clarence White doing some
of most everything that made him the preeminent flatpicking guitarist of
his day, but not everything he is doing is "flatpicking," and that is
just fine. If you will watch the master picker's right hand closely,
then you will see that Clarence is employing some "hybrid picking" in
this, which is to say that while operating the pick with his right hand,
he is also doing some bits of fingerpicking with his right hand as
well. It's an altogether difficult technique with absolutely beautiful
results. What I find most beautiful here is the way Clarence White fills
the otherwise "empty spaces" between the vocals with beautiful, soft
little bits of flatpicking to fill in the gaps, the whole is always more
important than the sum of it's parts, and very few seem to realize that
so well as did Clarence White.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="modfloat right">
<div class="module moduleLink color1" id="mod_14453689">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The Clarence White Chronicles.</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.urban.ne.jp/home/koa7/cronicles1.htm">Clarence White Chronicles 1</a><br />In this issue you'll read a very interesting story about Wayne Moore and
NASHVILLE WEST, including Clarence White on lead guitar (stringbender),
Gene Parsons on drums and Bib Guilbeau on rhythm guitar.We can know not only
about Wayne Moore but also</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_14491481">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Enduring Legend, Clarence White</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_14491481">
While
I'm a huge fan of persons like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Jeff
Beck - I'm a bigger fan of Clarence White's. I'm not alone in the least
bit with that position either. While Clarence White is mostly featured
in this Hub as an acoustic flatpicking guitarist, he does compare to the
more famous legends that I just mentioned as he was the primary
guitarist for a major American recording and touring act, <em>The Byrds</em>, during the time that the others, and people like<em> Led Zeppelin</em>'s
Jimmy Page - were in their heyday. Of course part of the problem with
any comparisons to electric guitarists are that this is a flatpicking
article, but while with <em>The Byrds</em> Clarence white pioneered an
electric guitar style that wasn't the least bit similar to anyone else's
- but that's another article.<br />
<br />
While people like Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townsend made names for
themselves by acting stupid on stage, and destroying instruments,
Clapton had "Clapton Is God" inscribed by adoring fans in subway
stations, and Jeff Beck was forever being Jeff Beck, and doing whatever
that entailed at any given moment - Clarence White never drew attention
to himself, and was even said to never smile. There is truly a huge
difference between a musician and a drama queen or king - even though
sometimes the two do intersect on the highway of musicianship, they
didn't with Clarence White, and so his cult legend continues to grow not
only here in the States, but in far away places like Japan.<br />
<br />
The following video, <em>"I Am A Pilgrim/Soldier's Joy</em>" shows
most everything that there is to show about the greatness of Clarence
White as a flatpicker, and a musician who evolved and created his own
distinct style and with it's own characteristics that can't really be
mimicked. In<em> I Am A Pilgrim</em> you get all of the legendary
syncopation, the experimentation with timing that Clarence is most known
and revered for, and a huge dose of hybrid picking as well. Following
that, with <em>Soldier's Joy</em> you see a classic and timeless fiddle
tune, and the more speedy flatpicking style that most folks today go for
with the genre. It could be that some of the other musicians get a bit
out of time, but pay them no mind - this is the Clarence White show.</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_14492169">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Conclusion.</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_14492169">
Clarence
White, one of the legends and "Godfathers" of flatpicking guitar, was
much more than that - he pioneered some amazing electric guitar
techniques, demonstrated the possibilities of difficult techniques such
as hybrid picking, and was an interesting vocalist as well. He died very
young due to being ran over by a drunken driver while getting equipment
out of the back of a touring van. I'm told that he is survived by a
wife and daughter, and of course, millions of guitarist and fans
worldwide.<br />
<br />
In a future article, or several, I'll probably get into the many high
end acoustic guitars that are modeled after the one that Clarence White
made most famous, his 1935 Martin D 28, very modified, and currently
owned by the only person who can compare to him in the realm of
flatpicking, <a href="http://www.infobarrel.com/Tony_Rice_Master_Of_Flatpicking_Guitar" rel="nofollow">Tony Rice</a>.</div>
</div>
Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-3842768754205272312017-01-21T13:32:00.004-08:002017-01-21T13:32:49.296-08:00The Ovation Legend Guitar<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_41070821">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The Ovation Legend Acoustic Guitar</h2>
<div id="imgs_41070821">
<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="12938378" data-mdi-id="10960269" id="img_url_12938378" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="full lazy zoomable" data-original="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/12938378_f520.jpg" height="266" src="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/12938378_f520.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="520" />
</div>
<div class="caption_full" id="img_desc_12938378">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_14904120">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The Ovation Legend Guitar</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_14904120">
Now,
there will probably be people who never really accept Ovation guitars
for what they are - simply because they defy all traditions for acoustic
guitars by being. . .partially plastic. I'm here to tell you that
Ovation guitars, especially from the Ovation Legend series on up, are
extremely fine instruments. Sure, it's true - the Ovation Legend isn't
really something that was meant to compete with acoustic guitars made by
companies like C.F. Martin & Co., The Santa Cruz Guitar Company, or
Collings Guitars - but it's a fine instrument in it's own right, and
has it's own niche carved out for it in this world.<br />
<br />
Listen, my beautiful Santa Cruz flat top has a hairline crack in the
top side of it's beautiful Brazilian Rosewood body. My guitar is an
absolute canon of an instrument that is so loud, so clear, and has such
dramatic overtones in it's sound that people mistake it for a pre war
Martin D 28 virtually every time I've played it in mixed company
somewhere. These Ovation guitars, with the plastic, rounded back - there
really are no sides on the things - these guitars will never have such
problems.<br />
<br />
I do not own, and have never owned an Ovation guitar, but I have
spent as much time with an Ovation Legend guitar as I have with some
guitars that I have owned. I've probably actually spent MORE time with
one particular Ovation Legend guitar, which belonged to a friend, than I
have with some of the Martin guitars that I've owned. Now, I could tell
you a story about the hows and the whys behind that - but it would
probably wind up being a good hundred thousand words or more - so I'll
hope that you can just trust me on what I will tell you.</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_14904144">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The Rounded Plastic Back Of The Ovation Legend Guitar</h2>
<div id="imgs_14904144">
<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="5185620" data-mdi-id="3809425" id="img_url_5185620" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="full lazy" data-original="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/5185620_f520.jpg" height="406" src="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/5185620_f520.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="520" />
</div>
<div class="caption_full" id="img_desc_5185620">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_14879266">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The Ovation Legend Guitar - Deep Bowl Back</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_14879266">
<br />
The only real problem that I've had with an Ovation Legend guitar -
is that because of the rounded plastic back, I don't much like the way
the thing sits in my lap when I play one sitting down in a chair. Whoop
DEEE DOOO.<br />
<br />
These guitars come with pre amps, high output pickups, and whatever
other electronics needed to plug the things in, and have them amplified.
Clearly, these guitars are meant to be stage guitars - they are factory
equipped with the ways and means for performance in front of an
audience - you would need a cord and an amplifier, and of course, an
audience - and that's it.<br />
<br />
Now, having good posture while playing such an unforgiving instrument
as a steel string acoustic guitar is a must, so my slight discomfort
concerning playing an Ovation Legend, or any Ovation guitar - they all
have rounded plastic backs - is a serious enough concern. Put a strap on
the thing and stand up, however, and that problem is solved.</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_14879265">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The Ovation Legend Guitar in black finish</h2>
<div id="imgs_14879265">
<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="5177317" data-mdi-id="3802211" id="img_url_5177317" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="full lazy zoomable" data-original="https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/5177317_f520.jpg" height="287" src="https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/5177317_f520.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="520" />
</div>
<div class="caption_full" id="img_desc_5177317">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_14904189">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The "Op Pro" on the Ovation Legend</h2>
<div id="imgs_14904189">
<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="5185630" data-mdi-id="3809441" id="img_url_5185630" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="full lazy" data-original="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/5185630_f520.jpg" height="234" src="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/5185630_f520.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="520" />
</div>
<div class="caption_full" id="img_desc_5185630">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h2 class="subtitle">
The Ovation Legend Guitar Specifications</h2>
Now,
the Ovation Legend, as a title, does not indicate one specific guitar -
but rather, three different models of Ovation Legend guitar exist in
production: I'm only going to discuss this one, as it's the one that I'm
familiar with.<br />
<br />
<em><strong> The Custom Legend 1769 ADII </strong></em>A guitar basically designed in cooperation with the Jazz Fusion guitar legend, Al Di Meola.<br />
<em><strong>Legendary jazz guitarist Al Di Meola partnered with
Ovation’s R&D team to design every aspect of his signature
instrument. Handcrafted in Ovation’s flagship workshop in New Hartford,
Connecticut, the Al Di Meola Signature features a premium AAA
solid-spruce top with A-bracing. The Deep Bowl composite body delivers
rich, powerful tones and maximum acoustic output. A cutaway offers full
access to the custom low-profile, 5-piece mahogany/maple neck. The
traditional center soundhole has a gorgeous laser-cut oak-leaf and
abalone rosette. The Al Di Meola Signature includes Ovation’s high
output pickup and its OP-Pro preamp features a special +4 dB
volume-boost switch.</strong></em><br />
<br />
While I can personally tell you that a solid spruce soundboard is a
highly recommended thing, and without a solid top, a guitar is basically
a beginners model guitar, I have to admit here that I know very little
about electronics for guitars. I'm an acoustic guitar snob, and this is
about as close as I get to an electric guitar. I've spent . . .no
telling how many hours playing one of these exact guitars, but I never
plugged the thing into anything. I'm positive the electronics on the
thing are outstanding - it's an Al Di Meola designed guitar, and Al
tours the whole freaking world with one of these guitar.<br />
<br />
Obviously to the eye, there is an ebony fretboard and some nice
abalone inlay in the neck - this is a very attractive instrument with an
attractive sound. It's only not going to be so loud as something like a
Martin. . . .unless it's plugged in.<br />
<br />
Looking at the Ovation website, you can find this specific Ovation
Legend model guitar, the Al Di Meola 1769 ADII for $3,000.00 Keep in
mind that you can do things with this guitar that you can't do with a
standard Martin HD 28, but also, you can do things with an HD 28 that
this guitar just won't do without plugging it in. Below are some bullet
point specifications for the Ovation legend:<br />
<strong>Features</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>Description: 6-String Acoustic/Electric</li>
<li>Body Type: Deep Contour</li>
<li>Top: AAA Grade Solid Spruce</li>
<li>Bracing: Scalloped LX</li>
<li>Scale Length: 25 1/4"</li>
<li>Fretboard: Bound Deluxe Ebony</li>
<li>Fret Inlay: Abalone Dots/Diamonds</li>
<li>Bridge: Ebony</li>
<li>Rosette: Inlaid Abalone Oakleaf</li>
<li>Pickup: Original Patented Pickup</li>
<li>Nutwidth: 1 11/16"</li>
<li>Machines: Gold w/Pearl Buttons</li>
<li>Includes case</li>
</ul>
Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-26567669485799946082017-01-12T16:24:00.000-08:002017-01-12T16:24:10.743-08:00Picks For Acoustic Guitars, A Vital Part of a Great Sound<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_11747375">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The Hawksbill Sea Tortoise, and Faux Tortoise Shell Picks</h2>
<div id="imgs_11747375">
<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="6995870" data-mdi-id="3050895" id="img_url_6995870" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="full lazy" data-original="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/6995870_f520.jpg" height="345" src="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/6995870_f520.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="520" />
</div>
<div class="caption_full" id="img_desc_6995870">
</div>
<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="4308960" data-mdi-id="3050895" id="img_url_4308960" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="full lazy" data-original="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/4308960_f520.jpg" height="306" src="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/4308960_f520.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="520" />
</div>
<div class="caption_full" id="img_desc_4308960">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_11747376">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Picks for Acoustic Guitars, The Right One MATTERS</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_11747376">
The
acoustic guitar is traditionally an un amplified instrument, and even
if one features a pre - amp and pickup for amplification, the importance
of using the right sort of plectrum or pick can not be overstated. I
write a lot here about high end, high quality acoustic guitars; but
spending a thousand dollars or more for a great acoustic guitar, and
then playing it with a .10 cent Fender thin pick or plectrum completely
defeats the purpose of having purchased such a great instrument. If
you're going to play an acoustic steel string guitar with a Fender thin
pick or plectrum, then you shouldn't have wasted your money on a great
sounding guitar because you will get no great sound out of the
instrument with such a pick.<br />
<br />
Originally, the guitar was thought of as a rhythm or backup
instrument, and chords were strummed on it behind a soloist playing the
violin or the mandolin; and this was all well and good and made for some
wonderful music. The guitar, however, always had the capabilities and
possibilities that today are well known to be limitless. I think most
everyone can agree that melodies either fingerpicked or played with a
plectrum are altogether some of the most beautiful sounds that one can
hear. But the acoustic guitar is not a loud instrument on it's own, it
pales in comparison to a fiddle or violin's ability to produce loud,
clear, soaring notes. It doesn't compare to the mandolin or the banjo,
or any other stringed instrument in ability to be both loud and clear
either. Playing solos or melodies on the acoustic guitar without
amplification takes some real work, skill, and effort; and the right
kind of pick.</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_11748627">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Tortoise Shell Picks</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_11748627">
In
the mid-to-late 19th century there was a high demand for items made
from the shell of the sea-going Hawksbill Turtle. It's shell had
proerties that made it very desirable to the touch. It was warm and
comfortable. It just plain "felt good" to the touch. It was immune to
static charge. That's why so many items made from it were items that
were held close to the body. Ladies' hair combs, knitting needles and
fountain pens were but a few of these items made from the shell of the
hawksbill turtle. The problem was that the shell material was difficult
to come by and therefore very expensive. An alternative was sought out.<br />
<br />
Now, I shouldn't have to say this, but killing a beautiful sea
tortoise for me to have an awesome guitar pick isn't really cool, and it
never was cool. At the same time, I do have to admit that I have more
than one of them, that they are simply outstanding, and have physical
characteristics unlike any synthetic material that seeks to imitate
them. I believe that it has to do with the density of the material, and
if I were to hold up one of my tortoise shell picks, and drop it onto a
hard surface, it makes a peculiar sound, and you'll not find another
pick or material that makes the same sort of sound. You'll also never
find another material that produces such a beautiful sound when played
on a steel string acoustic guitar. It is what it is, and it's illegal to
sell these things. I have some, they are not for sale. I've even had
one of my tortoise shell picks STOLEN before. Why? They sell for around
$50.00 to $100.00 a piece, but as I said, that's an item that is legal
to own, but illegal to sell. If you want to buy one, you have to get it
for free, and leave a nice large tip towards the giver's health and
happiness; it's just that easy.<br />
<br />
If you look at the picks in the picture above, those ARE NOT tortoise
shell picks, they only look like them. Fake tortoise material is
everywhere, and is practically universal on acoustic guitars as the
pickguard under the soundhole. That's just plastic unless you've found a
really old Martin or Gibson; and you'd be a damned fool to take the
pickguard off of one of those to make it into picks. What the picture up
above IS is a synthetic material that not only looks like tortoise
shell, but is supposed to sound like tortoise shell as well. I've got
LOTS of guitar picks, and I've got a lot of picks made from "tortex,"
and though those don't really sound like tortoise shell to me, they are
very, very good picks.</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_11749282">
<h2 class="subtitle">
What Else?</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_11749282">
The
point of this whole article is to stress that you can't get a good tone
from an acoustic guitar with a thin, or even a medium pick; you've got
to have a stiff, or heavy pick to get a good, loud, clear tone from an
un amplified acoustic. Thin guitar picks are for electric guitars, and
even with an amplified acoustic guitar, they make a pretty awful sound.
Besides tortex, or tortoise shell picks, any good stiff plastic or
synthetic material will do. I've got picks made out of elephant ivory,
again; such things can not be sold legally; and it was never cool to
kill an elephant for picks, nuts, saddles, or bridge pins - I have that
stuff, and it's great for what it does, produce an amazing tone; but I
don't advocate buying or selling it. There's lots of other bone material
that is used nowadays, and it's just as good as ivory. So if you play
acoustic guitar, get a stiff pick!</div>
</div>
Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-67136370465682177942017-01-12T15:15:00.002-08:002017-01-12T15:15:43.521-08:00What Is Flatpicking?<div class="modfloat full">
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_14319121">
<h2 class="subtitle">
What Is Flatpicking?</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_14319121">
Just
like you, I live in the internet age; and so I do a lot of my
socializing online. I imagine that most people are pretty choosy about
who they talk to online - and I am too, but in a very different way. I
always wind up talking most often to people that I've never seen - and
truly those people are my best friends other than the few that I've
known in my personal life, and for a very long time.<br />
<br />
I've got a friend over in Italy that is a very good jazz guitarist.
If you understand how Facebook conversations go, then you can see how I
could be talking to a German guitarist about flatpicking, and then our
mutual friend, the Italian jazz guitarist comes into the conversation,
or "thread" as they like to call them now, and asks me,<br />
<br />
<em><strong>"What is this flatpicking you are talking about? My pick is flat! Am I flatpicking?"</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>Please note! The question above is the only question
asked by Frank, the Jazz guitarist - the rest of the "interview" or
conversation is my fabrication, and the make believe character in no way
resembles Frank, the jazz guitarist, or his personality at all.</strong></em><br />
<br />
Truly, this modern world has some amazing, and wonderful things to
offer to us - but we are being compensated for what has been lost.</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_14319120">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Traditional Flatpicking and Flatpickers. </h2>
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<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_14335669">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Wesman Todd Shaw - an amateur flatpicker.</h2>
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<div class="module moduleLink color1" id="mod_14319253">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Flatpicking According to Wikipedia.</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatpicking">Flatpicking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</a><br />Although
the term is used in other genres and with other instruments, it is
probably best known in the context of playing an acoustic guitar with
steel strings, particularly in bluegrass music and old-time country
music. Probably starting around 1930</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="module moduleImage right_mod_margin" id="mod_14337352">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Doc Watson, One Of The Original American Flatpickers.</h2>
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<div class="module moduleImage right_mod_margin" id="mod_14337353">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Clarence White - One of The GREATEST Flatpickers to have ever lived.</h2>
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<div class="module moduleImage right_mod_margin" id="mod_14344314">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Django Reinhardt - the French Gypsy Jazz Master Flatpicker.</h2>
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<div class="module moduleImage right_mod_margin" id="mod_14344336">
<h2 class="subtitle">
David Bromberg Has Been A Flatpicking Master for a very long time.</h2>
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<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_14319210">
<h2 class="subtitle">
What Flatpicking Is.</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_14319210">
Of
course my Italian jazz guitarist friend had a legitimate question, and
only the most bizarre plectrums are not flat, so naturally, flatpicking
is playing a stringed instrument with a plectrum, or "pick." But the
truth of the matter is that when someone is talking about flatpicking,
they aren't talking about playing jazz on a guitar with a plectrum at
least not in the traditional sense of the word, and neither are they
talking about Jimi Hendrix, or Eric Clapton playing Fender Stratocaster
electric guitars plugged into Marshal amplifiers either - even though
flat picks or plectrums are used for this.<br />
<br />
<em><strong>"So, what is flatpicking?"</strong></em><br />
<br />
Flatpicking is simply the playing of traditional music, or new music
with traditional roots, on a steel string acoustic guitar - that, my
friends, is an over simplified answer, but it's a legitimate answer. I'm
not always so pleased with Wikipedia, but I think that the Wikipedia
article about flatpicking is really pretty good, very clear, and
surprisingly informative. That being said, I've been interested in
flatpicking for twenty five years out of my thirty seven, so I think
that I can tell you quite a bit more about it.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>"What do you presume to mean by your term, not mine - 'traditional music?' traditional for who?"</em></strong><br />
<br />
That's really a very good question. I'm sorry that I was vague - it
was unintentional. When I say that flatpicking is playing "traditional
music" on a steel string acoustic guitar, and playing that music with a
"pick" or plectrum, what I mean is that it's playing the music that was
and is traditional for the original European immigrants to America. When
I say that, I do not mean to say that this does not include the music
of the Irish immigrants that came later. Celtic music is a huge part of,
and influence on what I am saying is the traditional music of the
original European immigrants to America.<br />
<br />
<em><strong>"So it sounds to me like what you are saying is that this
flatpicking thing is all about white people, white culture - and all of
those things that we know are bad!"</strong></em><br />
<br />
That's truly something that a mentally challenged person would say.
It's very shameful that American media promotes only music that
celebrates materialism, sexual promiscuity, and "gangster culture."
Flatpicking certainly isn't promoted in mainstream American mass media,
and we'd not have it any other way. Flatpicking is an honest person's
art form. It takes brains and talent, honesty and integrity to succeed
in traditional music from any culture. Nothing glamorized in American
mass media is of much value. I'd personally hate to see flatpicking
destroyed by any association with mass media.<br />
<br />
<em><strong>"It still sounds to me like this flatpicking thing is all
about 'white people,' and just isn't very cross cultural - it's like
hillbilly crap, or something"</strong></em><br />
<br />
That's a completely ignorant statement that can only be based in a
social prejudice that I find to be disgusting. One of the things that
the Wikipedia article did not mention is that most of the truly great
flatpickers in the world recognize Django Reinhard, an early 20th
century French jazz musician of Roma, or "Gypsy" decent as one of the
founders of not only flatpicking, but of any style of music that has a
guitarist playing leads or melodies with a pick or plectrum. Truly, the
"Gypsy Jazz" music of Django, and his fiddle playing sidekick, Stephan
Grappeli, is timeless music without which modern music would not be so
interesting. Other prominent flatpickers are persons like David
Bromberg, Steve Kaufman, and Russ Barenberg - and if you don't know,
then these are Jewish names. Flatpicking is an art form that anyone can
take up, and try to master. We flatpickers, and flatpicking fans welcome
all who are interested in our music.<br />
<br />
<em><strong>"Dude, it's clear that you hate the media - but has this
flatpicking thing of which you speak ever been a part of popular culture
in America?"</strong></em><br />
<br />
Of Course it has! Doc Watson, one of the persons I like to consider
as one of "The Godfathers" of flatpicking - became well known during the
hippie folk revival of the 1960s. Doc Watson is still alive, but he's
very old. I believe that Doc still performs live sometimes - it would be
a treasure for anyone to get to see him. I'm very unfortunate in that
I've never seen Doc play live. I've met some of the great flatpickers -
but I've never seen Doc Watson.<br />
<br />
Another of the founders and greats of this style of music is the
late, great Clarence White. Clarence White became a professional
musician at a very young age, and I have compact discs with Clarence
White playing bluegrass music with Doc Watson. Later on, Clarence White
became the lead guitarist, and occasional singer for <em>The Byrds</em>. If you don't know who <em>The Byrds</em> are - then I can't help you.<br />
<br />
James Patrick Page, or Jimmy Page, as he is most often called - was a
fan of both Clarence White, and Doc Watson. When Jimmy's group, maybe
you've heard of it,<em> Led Zeppelin,</em> created their third album, <em>Led Zeppelin III</em>,
Jimmy Page brought a Martin D 28 into the studio, and recorded some
songs with definite flatpicking influences, and out right Doc Watson
"licks" in them. Also, Jimmy Page became one of the first persons to
copy some of Clarence White's electrical guitar ideas, and soon he had
himself a Fender Telecaster with a Parsons/White "B Bender" installed on
it, and he used that pretty extensively with <em>Led Zeppelin</em> as well.<br />
<br />
Also, . . .<br />
<br />
<em><strong>"STOP! Why don't you just show me some flatpicking in modern music, not that old time stuff you keep talking about!"</strong></em><br />
<br />
You interrupted me, and that's pretty rude. I don't much care for
that - but I am eager to hear some great flatpicking. The first video
that I'm going to show you is by a country rock band called <em>Pure Prairie League, </em>and their song, <em>Aimee</em>,
has one of the finest flatpicking guitar solos in it that I've ever
heard in popular music. Once at the Walnut Valley Festival, in Winfield,
Kansas - I saw a kid who couldn't have been older than twelve, and he
played that solo perfectly. further further ado, lets hear some
flatpicking!<br />
<strong><em><br /></em></strong></div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_14337319">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Continuing Interview Concerning Flatpicking.</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_14337319">
<em><strong>"Okay,
yeah - I'd heard that 'Aime" song before. It's got some nice lead
guitar in it - I'll grant you that, but that 'Aime" song is older than I
am!"</strong></em><br />
<br />
Well, chill out, bro! This Hubpages article is my show - and it's
Mother's Day today, and I'm going to make my yearly appearance in
church. Let me find you something a bit more modern, and in a different
genre, okay? The thing is this though, Flatpicking will always be mostly
a country, old time, Celtic, Folk, and Bluegrass music thing - it's
mostly about ancient fiddle tunes being played on a Martin "flat top"
guitar. But here you go, if you listen to this tune by <em>Days Of The New</em>, there's some flatpicking in the guitar solo.<br />
</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_14342069">
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_14342069">
<em><strong>"NICE! I
really enjoyed that! You know, everyone knows that rock and roll music
was based upon the blues for the most part. So maybe this flatpicking
thing is cross cultural!"</strong></em><br />
<br />
I'm glad to see you are catching on. I've got to get ready for
church, and I don't often go, or get up this early in the day -
Especially considering that I stayed up late talking to you, correcting
your ignorance, and talking to some wonderful, and some not so wonderful
friends on Facebook last night.<br />
<br />
Flatpicking is mostly a bluegrass entity these days, and I do love
bluegrass. Bill Monroe is thought to be the "Father of Bluegrass," and
Bill Monroe, were he still living, would tell you that he was a huge fan
of the blues as well. Now, I can't honestly think of any African
American flatpickers - but African American country blues players were a
huge influence on everyone in rock and roll, bluegrass, folk, and even
some of today's rap music. Jimmy Page and Doc Watson both will tell you
all about Players like Huddie Ledbetter, Robert Johnson, and many, many
more - those guys most often played with their fingers, and with slides,
but sometimes they played with picks too.<br />
<br />
Sooner or later - you know it
will happen, some young African American kid will take up flatpicking
in earnest, and set the world on fire. That's just the way things
happen. It's sort of like how Jeff Beck said that after hearing Jimi
Hendrix play for the first time - he didn't touch a guitar for six
months. Luckily for us all though, Jeff Beck decided to not give up -
but to take up the guitar as if he hadn't played it before, and then he
created some of the greatest jazz fusion ever recorded.</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_14342158">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Conclusion</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_14342158">
I
hope you've enjoyed this oddball bit about flatpicking. I have to give
credit for my weirdness, and credit is due to this very brilliant fellow
for a large part of this thing's strange style.<br />
I think everyone should read DRBJ, and his amazing interview Hub
style. I only interview the idiots that get in my head, DRBJ interviews
the dead - big difference!</div>
</div>
Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-78560131274918231332016-12-06T00:31:00.000-08:002016-12-06T00:32:00.264-08:00The Martin D-28 Elvis Presley, a Guitar Fit For A King<div class="modfloat full">
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<h2 class="subtitle">
Elvis Presley And One Of His Martin D-28</h2>
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<span class="img_source span_link">Source</span>
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<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_25689782">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The King, and The King of Acoustic Steel String Guitars.</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_25689782">
Four
years before the birth of Elvis Aaron Presley, C.F. Martin &
Company created a body template for the acoustic steel string guitar
which would prove to be the single most successful template for such an
instrument ever created. To this very day, so many years later, the
Martin D-28 is the most copied design of steel string guitar in the
world. Elvis Presley was a genre busting music and film star who was the
ultimate symbol of pop culture in the USA from the time discovered by
Sun Records until the time he died on August 16, year of our Lord 1977.<br />
<br />
Myself, I grew up listening to Elvis because my father was forever into his music and music from the <span class="edit_filter_inactive edit_filter_unreviewed" data-id="225174"><span class="autoedit_correction">1950s</span></span>.
I also grew up learning to revere and respect the guitars made by C.F.
Martin & Company, and Gibson Guitars. I learned that from the time
spent and music appreciated by my maternal grandfather. Elvis was a
proud symbol of the USA in his lifetime, and he was proud to represent
the best we had to offer, so it is little wonder he'd be performing in
studio, on stage, and in film with America's best guitars; and in the
end some estimates say he sold over <u>one billion records </u>doing it.
It is then rather fitting that America's most respected guitar
manufacturer return the favor in tribute and in specific model of
instrument, The Martin D-28 Elvis Presley</div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_25689784">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Elvis Presley Limited Edition Martin D-28 Acoustic Guitar. This instrument is modeled after Presley's 1955 Martin D-28</h2>
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<img alt=" Number 138 in a very limited edition of only 175 produced, this D-28M Martin acoustic was commissioned in 2008 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Martin & Co. Closely resembling Presley's 1955 D-28 " class="full lazy" data-original="https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/8786239_f520.jpg" height="207" src="https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/8786239_f520.jpg" style="display: inline;" title=" Number 138 in a very limited edition of only 175 produced, this D-28M Martin acoustic was commissioned in 2008 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Martin & Co. Closely resembling Presley's 1955 D-28 " width="520" />
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<span class="caption_text"> Number 138 in a very limited edition of
only 175 produced, this D-28M Martin acoustic was commissioned in 2008
to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Martin & Co. Closely
resembling Presley's 1955 D-28 </span>
</div>
</div>
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<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_25689783">
<h2 class="subtitle">
There are two distinctly different Martin D-28s made as Elvis Presley models.</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_25689783">
If
you were to ask or enter the question into Google or another prominent
search engine, "what guitar did Elvis Presley play?" Well, you'd get a
lot of answers. Let's be honest about this, Elvis was a worldly man with
a lot of money, and he played whatever damned guitar he wanted to play.
No doubt about it, Elvis had lots of guitars. He'd been photographed
and recorded with lots of guitars, and most of them were either Martin
guitars or Gibson guitars. It would be many years later the other great
American guitar manufacturers other than Fender really became so well
known and prominent in the pop or popular rock genres.<br />
<br />
This is important, and I want the reader to realize this straight
away, there's not just one exact Martin D-28 Elvis Presley model guitar
out there. There's more than one, Martin has created more than one
issuing of very different sorts of guitars with Elvis Presley's name on
it; but make no mistake, these guitars are ALL collectible, and they are
all based on the D-28 format of steel string acoustic dreadnought
guitar. Some of these Elvis Presley D-28 guitars by Martin are far more
ornate and feature more woodworking and decoration than other issues do,
likely, the ones with the less work done on them have more utility for
the actual player. If your desire is to have a guitar to show people,
get the most decked out with engraving, inlay, and binding and
signatures instrument you can find; but if you are more an actual guitar
player, you want the guitar that sounds and plays the best to your
personal style of playing.<br />
<br />
The first of the two D-28s made as Elvis Presley signature models
looks much the same as virtually every D28 from the 1970s, and men such
as <a href="http://hubpages.com/entertainment/The-Martin-D-28-Acoustic-Guitar-and-Jimmy-Page-of-Led-Zeppelin">Jimmy Page</a>
and Johnny Cash were forever playing instruments almost just like
these. The first example is most like the guitar Elvis is holding in the
very top photo, another example, the more ornate and probably more
collectible and less usable guitar, can be seen<a href="http://entertainment.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7031&lotIdNo=19002"> here</a>,
and is like the second image of a guitar you see on the page as you go
downward reading and viewing. My research is showing me the two primary
D-28's which Elvis owned and performed with were a 1955 model and the
1972 model. The actual 1972 model D-28 which Elvis used to perform in
his last ever show in Los Vegas is the instrument I'm going to provide
specifications for, and that guitar sold at auction for <a href="http://www.icollector.com/Elvis-Presley-s-personal-Martin-D-28-guitar-stage-used-in-his-final-Las-Vegas-performance_i8633115">$90,000 dollars</a></div>
</div>
<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_25689789">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Elvis Presley With His 1972 Martin D-28</h2>
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<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_25689791">
<h2 class="subtitle">
The Martin D-28EP, a replica of the 1972 D-28 owned by Elvis Presley.</h2>
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<h2 class="subtitle">
The Martin D-28EP</h2>
Now
be it known there is a .pdf document available for your perusal should
you choose to download it from the official C.F. Martin & Company
website, and you can absolutely get that document right <a href="http://www.martinguitar.com/model/item/549-d-28-elvis-presley.html">here</a>.
The .pdf is for the D-28 modeled after the 1972 D-28 Elvis owned and
played, the other instrument, a copy of the 1955 model which has all the
engraving on the top isn't an instrument I would think anyone serious
about making music themselves would or even should want to own - unless
they just wanted to own it to hang it on a wall and show it to people or
something like that.<br />
<br />
The soundboard of an acoustic guitar is the single most important
thing such a musical instrument, and one doesn't go engraving things on
it should one want to make actual music with the thing, for this reason
I'm not interested in the replicas of the 1955 Elvis owned D-28, and I
don't think you should be either. The replicas of the 1972 D-28 which
wasn't tampered with so horribly is the guitar I'm going to be
discussing from here on out exclusively on this article - as it IS an
instrument which is both beautiful and well suited to making great music
with. I also think it important that I make clear and the reader
understands this is NOT a replica in any way of the famous<a href="https://spinditty.com/instruments-gear/Top-Five-vintage-Recreations-Of-The-Martin-D-28-Acoustic-Guitar"> pre-world war two Martin D-28 guitars</a>, this is a replica of a 1972 D-28, and that is a different guitar altogether for several reasons.<br />
<br />
Like I said, the most important part of an acoustic guitar is the top
of it, the soundboard. This guitar is a VERY interesting guitar, and
the single most interesting thing about it, in my opinion, is the wood
used for the soundboard, and it is Carpathian spruce. This is the only
guitar I am currently familiar with which uses that particular variety
of spruce, and you can rest assured there is something tonally different
in the wood from other varieties of spruce. Most modern D-28's are of
Sitka spruce tops, but for about one to two thousand dollars more, you
can get one with Adirondack spruce in the form of either the D-28GE, or
the<a href="http://www.infobarrel.com/The_Martin_D-28_Marquis_Guitar" rel="nofollow"> D-28 Marquis</a>.<br />
<br />
It's very important the prospective buyer of this instrument
understands the bracing pattern on this guitar is not like the ones used
before the second world war, and is also not like the ones used on more
modern D-28's either, this is not a herringbone trim instrument at all,
and neither is it a "high x" braced instrument, as the herringbone trim
as a rule is used on the "high x" instruments. This guitar will sound
different from those forward shifted X braced or "high x" guitars. The
rest of the specifications are as follows, and I'm pricing these on the
web for about $4,000 dollars.<br />
<ul>
<li>MODEL D-28 Elvis Presley</li>
<li>CONSTRUCTION: Mahogany Blocks/Dovetail Neck Joint</li>
<li>BODY SIZE: D-14 Fret</li>
<li>TOP: Solid Carpathian Spruce</li>
<li>ROSETTE: Style 28</li>
<li>TOP BRACING PATTERN: Standard ''X''</li>
<li>TOP BRACES: Solid Sitka Spruce 5/16''</li>
<li>BACK MATERIAL: Solid East Indian Rosewood</li>
<li>BACK PURFLING: Style 28</li>
<li>SIDE MATERIAL: Solid East Indian Rosewood</li>
<li>ENDPIECE: Grained Ivoroid</li>
<li>ENDPIECE INLAY: Black/White Boltaron</li>
<li>BINDING: Grained Ivoroid</li>
<li>TOP INLAY STYLE: Multiple Black/White Boltaron</li>
<li>BACK INLAY: Black/White Boltaron</li>
<li>NECK MATERIAL: Select Hardwood</li>
<li>NECK SHAPE: Low Profile</li>
<li>NUT MATERIAL: Bone</li>
<li>HEADSTOCK: Solid/Diamond/Square Taper</li>
<li>HEADPLATE: Solid Black Ebony /Elvis Presley Graphic Silhouette - White & Black </li>
<li>Mother Of Pearl /Large Old Style</li>
<li>HEELCAP: Black Micarta with TCB Lightning Bolt Inlay In Mother Of Pearl</li>
<li>FINGERBOARD MATERIAL: Solid Black Ebony</li>
<li>FINGERBOARD WIDTH AT NUT: 1-11/16''</li>
<li>BRIDGE MATERIAL: Solid Black Ebony</li>
<li>FINGERBOARD POSITION INLAYS: Stars - Select Abalone (Bordered In M.O.P.) at 5th, 7th, 9th, 15th & 17th Frets</li>
<li>FINISH BACK & SIDES: Polished Gloss</li>
<li>FINISH TOP: Polished Gloss w/ Aging Toner</li>
<li>INTERIOR LABEL: 2 Labels- 1 Elvis Label w/ Holographic Elvis Sticker Numbered In Sequence, 1 Album Cover Label</li>
</ul>
Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2183962311702258637.post-32304350590987377862016-11-28T01:24:00.002-08:002016-11-28T01:24:37.187-08:00Stuart Mossman and S.L. Mossman Guitars<div class="modfloat full">
<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_18596658">
<h2 class="subtitle">
S.L. Mossman Signature Head Stock</h2>
<div id="imgs_18596658">
<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="6474896" data-mdi-id="4859472" id="img_url_6474896" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="full lazy" data-original="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/6474896_f520.jpg" height="390" src="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/6474896_f520.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="520" />
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<span class="img_source span_link">Source</span>
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<div class="modfloat right">
<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_18595638">
<h2 class="subtitle">
A Taylor, A Martin, and A Mossman - Three Fine American Guitars</h2>
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<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="6474432" data-mdi-id="4859178" id="img_url_6474432" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="half lazy zoomable" data-original="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/6474432_f260.jpg" height="196" src="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/6474432_f260.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="260" />
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<span class="img_source span_link">Source</span>
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<div class="modfloat full">
<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_18595639">
<h2 class="subtitle">
S.L. Mossman</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_18595639">
Once
in America there was a major innovator and vocal builder of very fine
acoustic guitars, and his name was Stuart Mossman. Big name artists such
as John Denver, Eric Clapton, Albert Lee, Doc Watson, Hank Snow, Cat
Stevens and Merle Travis. were all players of his instruments, and were
they still in production today, there would be many many more.<br />
<br />
Growing up I was forever listening to my grandfather talk about
acoustic instruments, and though I don't recall him ever owning a
Mossman, I sure recall my grandfather talking about them. What I most
specifically recall is the tale of the disastrous fire that burned all
of Stuart Mossman's stock of high quality woods. Most particularly bad
was the loss of a large stock of high grade Brazilian rosewood. Today<a href="https://spinditty.com/instruments-gear/The-Finest-Brazilian-Rosewood-body-Dreadnought-Acoustic-Steel-String-Guitars-For-Serious-Amateurs-and-Professionals"> Brazilian rosewood </a>is
sort of considered a holy grail type wood for guitars and guitar
building, and one can easily spend a minor fortune on a guitar built
with it's back and sides of that wood.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="modfloat right">
<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_18596377">
<h2 class="subtitle">
A Beautiful Mossman Acoustic Dreadnought - Very Very Fine Guitar!</h2>
<div id="imgs_18596377">
<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="6474781" data-mdi-id="4859398" id="img_url_6474781" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="half lazy zoomable" data-original="https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/6474781_f260.jpg" height="632" src="https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/6474781_f260.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="260" />
</div>
<div class="caption_half" id="img_desc_6474781">
<span class="img_source span_link">Source</span>
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<div class="module moduleImage right_mod_margin" id="mod_18596485">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Mark O'Connor With His Mossman Golden Era Guitar!</h2>
<div id="imgs_18596485">
<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="6474814" data-mdi-id="4859427" id="img_url_6474814" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="half lazy zoomable" data-original="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/6474814_f260.jpg" height="293" src="https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/6474814_f260.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="260" />
</div>
<div class="caption_half" id="img_desc_6474814">
<span class="img_source span_link">Source</span>
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<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_18596221">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Stuart Mossman</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_18596221">
Starting
in around 1961 Stuart Mossman was making guitars in his garage in
Winfield, Kansas, and this is rather proper, you see, as Winfield is the
home of the largest folk festival in the Americas, the Walnut Valley
Music Festival, which everyone should see at least once in their lives,
if interested in this sort of article. Stuart realized that the folk
boom of the <span class="edit_filter_inactive edit_filter_unreviewed" data-id="226838"><span class="autoedit_correction">1960s</span></span>
had brought in a huge market for the kind of acoustic guitars that
companies like C.F. Martin & Co., Gibson Guitars, and Guild Guitars
had been making for years, and his goal was simple - to out do them all
and make the finest acoustic guitars imaginable.<br />
<br />
Of course the kind of acoustic guitars I'm talking about here are the
steel string dreadnought guitars that persons such as Doc Watson were
playing flatpicking style music.with, but the instruments are used in
all manner of music under the Sun as well. Mossman took his first steel
string flat top to Watson and asked him to give him <em>brutal feedback</em>,
and he did, but when Mossman brought Doc a second guitar later, Watson
told him it was "the second best guitar he'd ever played."<br />
<br />
Stuart Mossman was adamant about some aspects of acoustic guitar
building, and I agree with him in a very exact way - laminated woods
used in the backs and sides of instruments are perfectly fine for the
folks who can only afford a guitar with a solid top or sound board, but
they should never be passed off as guitars made of all solid wood. An
all solid wood constructed acoustic guitar is always a prize instrument,
and should always be treated with great care, as an investment or an
heirloom even. Here is what Stuart Mossman had to say about what he
called "plywood instruments:"<br />
<br />
<em><strong>"The vile abomination is currently being perpetrated on
the unsuspecting guitar-playing public on a grand scale. There are so
many of these plywood things on the market at this writing that there is
a possibility you may not have even heard a real guitar. We at Mossman
considered plywood briefly one day, and unanimously decided that plywood
makes the best cement forms available. We do not know, nor will we
ever, stoop to the level of plywood construction and we apologize for
our contemporaries who have lowered the station of out craft by using
laminated backs and sides."</strong></em><br />
<br />
Though the fine guitars of Stuart Mossman did indeed compete or even
out perform (this is truly subjective) his competitor's guitars, Mr.
Mossman had never intended to compete with a big company like C.F.Martin
& Co, rather, Mossman always wanted to inspect for himself every
single instrument his company produced, and his company had grown quite a
lot larger than just himself in his garage. Stuart Mossman was so very
conscientious about his name and his instruments with his name on them,
that he limited production just so that he could inspect every
instrument prior to shipping..</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="modfloat right">
<div class="module moduleImage" id="mod_18596657">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Stuart Mossman Guitars</h2>
<div id="imgs_18596657">
<div class="inline_hub_image fullWidth" data-image-id="6474889" data-mdi-id="4859471" id="img_url_6474889" style="position: relative;">
<img alt="" class="half lazy zoomable" data-original="https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/6474889_f260.jpg" height="195" src="https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/6474889_f260.jpg" style="display: inline;" width="260" />
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<div class="caption_half" id="img_desc_6474889">
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<div class="module moduleText color0" id="mod_18596519">
<h2 class="subtitle">
Stuart Mossman: A Modern Stradivari</h2>
<div class="txtd" id="txtd_18596519">
In
1975 Stuart Mossman suffered a tremendous loss - his entire factory
burned to the ground with a few guitars and all of his wood. No one was
injured, and Mossman had luckily secured a large sum of money in the
form of a loan prior to the fire, and the money was spent, obviously, on
rebuilding his factory rather than what he'd borrowed it for. The loss
of his large stock of Brazilian rosewood was not something the money
could provide to replace, and so Stuart Mossman decided to start using
the less expensive and easier to get East Indian rosewood.<br />
<br />
Maybe Stuart Mossman had been over stretched in his business
endeavors, but the facts are he was sued for what appears to be a matter
of neglect - he'd had a contract with another guitar company for
production of instruments, and he produced the instruments just as he
said he would - the problem was that the instruments were stored in a
warehouse in Nevada without proper temperature and humidity controls,
and so the finish on the instruments were all rather defiled by the
elements and cracked. While the issue with the finish wouldn't make the
instruments sound less beautiful, refinishing a beautiful acoustic
guitar is the single most difficult thing imaginable for such an
economic asset or investment. The situation was a disaster for all
parties involved, and Mr. Mossman would soon retire.<br />
<br />
If you'll have a look at the picture above with Mark O'Connor and the
Mossman Golden Era guitar you can see the vast intricate inlay of
abalone shell, such shell is now known to be very deadly to a guitar
producer to cut - and the breathing of the abalone dust is the exact
issue, but perhaps that wasn't known during Mr. Stuart Mossman's days as
a world famous acoustic guitar builder, but the facts are the same -
his health was deteriorating rapidly from the exposure to chemicals and
elements involved in the building of his guitars. Stuart Mossman died of
heart failure at the young age of 56. He'd become known as a modern day
Stradivari, and his instruments are among the most sought after musical
instruments in the entire world.<br />
<strong>Stuart Mossman</strong> (May 13, 1942 - March 2, 1999)<br />
Rest In Peace.</div>
</div>
Wesman Todd Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04683447463178515052noreply@blogger.com1