if someone had always wanted to learn to play the guitar, and was thinking about getting a guitar (accoustic), what sort of guitar would someone get?
Like nearly everyone has said it depends on your price range---
I have played a lot of different acoustics that I have liked a lot...It took me around 8 seconds to fall head over heels in love with the sound and feel of a Taylor.
Figure you're saving money Bluzeman. The price may go up. It would be wise shopping and good stewardship of the money you're going to earn to get it now as those dollars you earn later won't be able to buy as much as they will now. It's simple economics. When willingness meets plastic, you've got explosive ability!!!
diazbro, I don't know if we can upload mp3's or not - I could put it up if you send it to me, at soques@hotmail.com. I'll check it later.
wow, I started playing guitar when I was 10, and stuck to it like a lot of people have. I played around Northern California from about '63 to '72 quite a bit, giggin', clubs, some concerts. Travelled some, then was in Way Productions at the Way Nash with people there, includig the inestimable Ted Ferrell, the hardest workin' man in show business, The Man, the Myth, the Legend, the One and Only Magi of Musical Madness himself. I survived that and have been playing around since then. I still write and "work" some as they say, (and it's harder than I remember) I'm coming out of a long Spring of contentment, AKA "raising a family". I've had a lot of good experiences and been able to work with some great people and musicians, I'll say that.
(the tuners have gold wire inlaid into them, with mother of pearl also inlaid into them, to give the *flower and vine effect*. :)
This baby was made in 1917, is an F-2 Gibson, and kicks a$$ at jam sessions. :) It's got both the looks, and the projection, and yea -- I feel unworthy to own such a wonderful instrument.
I was able to buy this from a friend, for less than 1,000 bucks of it's real value.
Sweet stuff. Mando pics! Those tuners are beautiful dmiller. That bad boy's got some years!
Ala, I confess I've never heard of a Yamaki, but a guitar's a guitar. My wif' had a nylon string classical that she bought in Alameda for about 50 bucks when she was a teenager, made in Mexico and it was a very good sounding and playing guitar. I did find some information on Harmony Central on Yamaki's HERE and learned some more about them.
Ya know, that one looks like a mandolin a guy used to play locally in Bethesda, Maryland at the Red Fox Inn. There was this local band called the Seldom Scene and their mandolin guy, a guy named John Duffy, played a mandolin like that. When I was in high school, four friends of mine and I would go in there with our fake IDs and watch and listen to 'em play. The Seldom Scene were really good, and that guy John Duffy not only played mandolin really well, but he had a beautiful high tenor voice. And their vocal harmonies just made ones heart sing! And then there was Mike Aldridge, the Dobro player. Awesome player. Have you ever heard of those guys?
And, I had a mandolin once. It was a cheap one, but I learned a few chords on it, and could pick it fairly well. Wish I had one today as a matter of fact. Bluegrass is pretty big here in Juneau...
And yeah, just what is a dreadnaught? I know that some acoustic guitars are not considered a dreadnaught, while others are. For some reason, I have it in my mind that a "dreadnaught" means that it is extra large or something. But what does it really mean?
Dreadnought = body style/size of some acoustic guitars - has the large sound hole, and a big boxy-type body, with a flat back. They're bold, and used for folk and country music, mostly, although anything goes... (I remember when I first heard REM use a mando in "Loosing My Religion" - very interesting!)
Does anyone here play a resonator guitar? Love those things! That is one guitar I wish hubby would learn... that and (oh, please... don't laugh)... the bazouki!
This thread is giving me a bad case of g.a.s. - (gear aquisition syndrome!)
You mean bouzouki? Isn't that a greek instrument that's kinda sorta like a mandolin? Heck, I'm not laughing! I think that would be cool to learn!
Yep, I play a resonator. Not to be confused with a Dobro. If you find an authentic Dobro, expect to have to take out a second mortgage to buy it. :)
Here are a couple pics I found on websites of the one like mine. They don't really do it justice though. The detail in the stamping on it is beautiful! And so is the palm tree inlay on the headstock.
I need another one though, as some stuff I play, I use GBDGBD tuning, but on other stuff, I like open E.
Bouzouki's are also called octave mandolins (tuned like a mandolin, with 12 extra frets).
Put a capo at the 12th fret, and it sounds just like a mandolin.
The one I have is made by EKO, with a built in pick-up. The one thing I don't like about it, is the bowl back to it, which makes it harder to hold. Also, the frets are kinda far apart down by the nut, making it a bit difficult to play also. I found this one at a bluegrass festival about 5 years ago.
What a thread! And since it's about guitars I thought y'all wouldn't mind if I brought one of my favorite guitarist here on such a beautiful sunny cold day.
Jonny Lingo -- John Duffey and the Seldom Scene were fixtures of the music scene back in the 70's and 80's. Sadly, John passed away back in 1996. I first saw him with his first group the Country Gentlemen that he and Charlie Waller started, and then later with the Seldom Scene which took bluegrass music to new heights. He was an awesome picker, and had a voice that just wouldn't quit.
(from John's obit ---
For 22 years, the Seldom Scene has played regularly at the Birchmere in Alexandria.
The group was formed in 1971 by Mr. Duffey and four others: Tom Gray, who worked for National Geographic; Ben Eldridge, a mathematician and computer expert; Mike Auldridge, a graphic artist with the Washington Star; and John Starling, a physician and ear, nose and throat specialist.
The five men initially intended to sing and play together only occasionally, hence the name, Seldom Scene.
But the group soon progressed from occasional basement get togethers to regular Thursday night appearances at the Red Fox Inn in Bethesda, where they played to standing-room-only crowds, and, from there, to the Birchmere, where they became a weekly fixture.
The Seldom Scene's 15th-anniversary concert was held at the Kennedy Center, and it included a presidential citation from Ronald Reagan, whose press secretary, James Brady, was a regular at the Birchmere. It featured guest appearances by the likes of Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.
Mr. Duffey's father had been a singer with the Metropolitan Opera,
and the son inherited an exceptional singing voice with a range said to be three of four octaves.
In 1957, with Bill Emerson and Charlie Waller, Mr. Duffey founded the Country Gentlemen, a bluegrass and folk music group that for about 10 years rode the wave of folk music enthusiasm that surged through the 1960s. The group disbanded in the late 1960s, and Mr. Duffey went to work as an instrument repairman at a music store in the Cherrydale section of Arlington, which was how he was making a living when the Seldom Scene was formed.
`When we started the Seldom Scene, we all had jobs and we didn't care if anybody liked what we did or not,' Auldridge told The Washington Post's Richard Harrington last year. `We just said, `We're going to do some bluegrass because we love it, and some James Taylor or Grateful Dead, and if people buy it, great. If they don't, what do we care?'
And you grew up listening to these guys live, and in person??? I'm jealous! ;)
Tom, some explanation from the Folk of the Woods website -
Resonator Guitars
How does a resonator work?
The history of the resonator dates back to the early 1920's. This was an era when the resonator was a favorite among blues musicians. Resonators are also known as resophonic guitars and are characterized by a shaped cone for amplification, instead of a soundboard like on an acoustic guitar. The shaped cone is nestled underneath the bridge of the guitar. The bridge is connected to the cone so that when the strings are hit, the vibrations run through the saddle and then into the bridge, which resonates the cone. The cone acts like a built-in speaker and the body acts as a speaker cabinet. This made the resonator, a pre-cursor to the electric amplifier, one of the loudest instruments available of its time. The sound produced by these specially shaped cones and bodies is very bright and snappy with great sustain and a slight attack. Resonators are still favored today by blues and country musicians as well as a new generation of players.
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ChasUFarley
Sweet Strat! WOW! Hubby is fond of that one also - I've caught him eyeballing it... (then I hide the plastic!)
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Bluzeman
If only I had someone to hide MY plastic.
But yeah, it IS sweet!
Rick
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dmiller
MMMM MMMMM MMMMMM!!! :)
Why hide the plastic!!??
(Life is short, pick quick.);)
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mstar1
Like nearly everyone has said it depends on your price range---
I have played a lot of different acoustics that I have liked a lot...It took me around 8 seconds to fall head over heels in love with the sound and feel of a Taylor.
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socks
Buy it and it will come....
You need it. You want it. You deserve it. Buy it.
Figure you're saving money Bluzeman. The price may go up. It would be wise shopping and good stewardship of the money you're going to earn to get it now as those dollars you earn later won't be able to buy as much as they will now. It's simple economics.
When willingness meets plastic, you've got explosive ability!!!
diazbro, I don't know if we can upload mp3's or not - I could put it up if you send it to me, at soques@hotmail.com. I'll check it later.
wow, I started playing guitar when I was 10, and stuck to it like a lot of people have. I played around Northern California from about '63 to '72 quite a bit, giggin', clubs, some concerts. Travelled some, then was in Way Productions at the Way Nash with people there, includig the inestimable Ted Ferrell, the hardest workin' man in show business, The Man, the Myth, the Legend, the One and Only Magi of Musical Madness himself. I survived that
and have been playing around since then. I still write and "work" some as they say, (and it's harder than I remember) I'm coming out of a long Spring of contentment, AKA "raising a family". I've had a lot of good experiences and been able to work with some great people and musicians, I'll say that.
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dmiller
This one has ALWAYS been my *dream* guitar, :)
A pre-war D-45 Martin.
I played on one once, and it was *heavan on earth*.
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A la prochaine
OK...
I've just strolled thru' the last 4 pages of this thread...I'm exhausted!
Socks...you've created a monster here...
I don't even want to read all this stuff... i'll just want to throw my little Yamaki acoustic out the window.
I got it when i was 14 still plays like a charm... spruce top with split back.
Needs an adjustment on the neck...but has a lovely action.
My teacher played a martin d-28 and her hubby played a d-35... they said mine was just as good a guitar just not as boomy as the martins.
ok...that's all i can handle...it's all overwhelming...
sunesis owns 36 guitars.....oh my god!
mr. miller man... amazing ... you should post a pick of that beautiful mandolin of yours.
oh...hubby has of recent acquired a fender jazz bass...he's in heaven.
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dmiller
Pics of my mando? ;)
Gladly.
(the tuners have gold wire inlaid into them, with mother of pearl also inlaid into them, to give the *flower and vine effect*. :)
This baby was made in 1917, is an F-2 Gibson, and kicks a$$ at jam sessions. :) It's got both the looks, and the projection, and yea -- I feel unworthy to own such a wonderful instrument.
I was able to buy this from a friend, for less than 1,000 bucks of it's real value.
Friends are good. Gotta love em. :)
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dmiller
Ps -- the pick-guard bar has the date July 4, 1911 stamped in it.
And the pick-guard itself, has the date Mar. 30/ '09 stamped in it. :)
PS --- 1917 was the last year Gibson did the *fancy tuners*, like I have on this guy. ;)
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socks
It's....alive!
Sweet stuff. Mando pics! Those tuners are beautiful dmiller. That bad boy's got some years!
Ala, I confess I've never heard of a Yamaki, but a guitar's a guitar. My wif' had a nylon string classical that she bought in Alameda for about 50 bucks when she was a teenager, made in Mexico and it was a very good sounding and playing guitar. I did find some information on Harmony Central on Yamaki's HERE and learned some more about them.
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Tom Strange
pretty dave... very pretty...
(oh... that guitar my bro in law got real cheap is a Fannin, he likes it and I guess that's all that matters)
ANOTHER question: What's a dreadnought? I see them called that... doest it denote your "basic acoustic guitar"
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J0nny Ling0
Beautiful DMiller!
Ya know, that one looks like a mandolin a guy used to play locally in Bethesda, Maryland at the Red Fox Inn. There was this local band called the Seldom Scene and their mandolin guy, a guy named John Duffy, played a mandolin like that. When I was in high school, four friends of mine and I would go in there with our fake IDs and watch and listen to 'em play. The Seldom Scene were really good, and that guy John Duffy not only played mandolin really well, but he had a beautiful high tenor voice. And their vocal harmonies just made ones heart sing! And then there was Mike Aldridge, the Dobro player. Awesome player. Have you ever heard of those guys?
And, I had a mandolin once. It was a cheap one, but I learned a few chords on it, and could pick it fairly well. Wish I had one today as a matter of fact. Bluegrass is pretty big here in Juneau...
And yeah, just what is a dreadnaught? I know that some acoustic guitars are not considered a dreadnaught, while others are. For some reason, I have it in my mind that a "dreadnaught" means that it is extra large or something. But what does it really mean?
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ChasUFarley
Dreadnought = body style/size of some acoustic guitars - has the large sound hole, and a big boxy-type body, with a flat back. They're bold, and used for folk and country music, mostly, although anything goes... (I remember when I first heard REM use a mando in "Loosing My Religion" - very interesting!)
Here's an example of a Martin dread:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gui...stic?sku=514766
=====================
Does anyone here play a resonator guitar? Love those things! That is one guitar I wish hubby would learn... that and (oh, please... don't laugh)... the bazouki!
This thread is giving me a bad case of g.a.s. - (gear aquisition syndrome!)
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Bluzeman
You mean bouzouki? Isn't that a greek instrument that's kinda sorta like a mandolin? Heck, I'm not laughing! I think that would be cool to learn!
Yep, I play a resonator. Not to be confused with a Dobro. If you find an authentic Dobro, expect to have to take out a second mortgage to buy it. :)
Here are a couple pics I found on websites of the one like mine. They don't really do it justice though. The detail in the stamping on it is beautiful! And so is the palm tree inlay on the headstock.
I need another one though, as some stuff I play, I use GBDGBD tuning, but on other stuff, I like open E.
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Tom Strange
OK then... what's a "resonator"? Is it a guitar made out of metal so that it has a different sound?
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Bluzeman
Dobro is a name brand, now owned by Gibson. The name comes from the Dopyera Brothers, who made the original ones. If you want more info, click HERE.
Rick
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dmiller
Bouzouki's are also called octave mandolins (tuned like a mandolin, with 12 extra frets).
Put a capo at the 12th fret, and it sounds just like a mandolin.
The one I have is made by EKO, with a built in pick-up. The one thing I don't like about it, is the bowl back to it, which makes it harder to hold. Also, the frets are kinda far apart down by the nut, making it a bit difficult to play also. I found this one at a bluegrass festival about 5 years ago.
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coolchef1248 @adelphia.net
dmiller
is that one sweet mandy wow!
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ChattyKathy
What a thread! And since it's about guitars I thought y'all wouldn't mind if I brought one of my favorite guitarist here on such a beautiful sunny cold day.
Peaches and Diesel
by Eric Clapton and Albhy Galuten
wav or mp3
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A la prochaine
Socks,
Wow...I just read that link you posted...I found my guitar... it was exciting! Doesn't take much does it now! :blink: hee hee...
Like so wrote on that website, I have been asked by so many "What kind of guitar is that?"....
It's a Yamaki Deluxe AY333 Spruce Top with mahogany sides. And it sings. Great for picking, and folk style playing.
In all these years... it's never once given me a hassle. A little tweeking once in a while...but that's it.
In 1974 I paid $195.00 and the hard shell case was $45.00. I remember the day I bought it like it was yesterday. I was never so happy!
Mr.Miller Man...that mandolin is to absolutely die for!
My hubby walked by and I showed it to him.... he was absolutely discusted (in a very good way).... OH MY GOD...no words to describe that thing!
Thanks for posting it.
Everyone... here.... I would have so much to say about everything...but time does not allow right now.
Chatty my sister in crime...nice tunes.
ok...now you've got me thinking...hmmmm maybe i'll post a little something too.
;)
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A la prochaine
It's not working...will have to come back :(
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Bluzeman
Ala, my cute little frog-friend...don't give up...keep on trying! If you need help, just let me know!
Rick
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dmiller
Jonny Lingo -- John Duffey and the Seldom Scene were fixtures of the music scene back in the 70's and 80's. Sadly, John passed away back in 1996. I first saw him with his first group the Country Gentlemen that he and Charlie Waller started, and then later with the Seldom Scene which took bluegrass music to new heights. He was an awesome picker, and had a voice that just wouldn't quit.
And you grew up listening to these guys live, and in person??? I'm jealous! ;)
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socks
National guitars.... - the original heavy metal guitars?
Sweet guitar Bluzeman!
Tom, some explanation from the Folk of the Woods website -
Resonator Guitars
How does a resonator work?
The history of the resonator dates back to the early 1920's. This was an era when the resonator was a favorite among blues musicians. Resonators are also known as resophonic guitars and are characterized by a shaped cone for amplification, instead of a soundboard like on an acoustic guitar. The shaped cone is nestled underneath the bridge of the guitar. The bridge is connected to the cone so that when the strings are hit, the vibrations run through the saddle and then into the bridge, which resonates the cone. The cone acts like a built-in speaker and the body acts as a speaker cabinet. This made the resonator, a pre-cursor to the electric amplifier, one of the loudest instruments available of its time. The sound produced by these specially shaped cones and bodies is very bright and snappy with great sustain and a slight attack. Resonators are still favored today by blues and country musicians as well as a new generation of players.
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