delb0y
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Post by delb0y on May 18, 2017 12:28:09 GMT
My main gigging guitar is my Tanglewood. It's got an in-built pickup, only cost £175, sounds lovely, and is nice and tough (and cheap) for the beer festival, dodgy boozer, cider-house gigs. But it's nowhere near as easy to play as my Martin 00015m, which has an action lower than many a low thing, and on which the strings feel much less tight. I can play things on the Martin that I couldnn't hope to play on the Tanglewood. There is an after-market pick-up in the Martin, it requires a pre-amp (which I have), and I have used it live.
I've always tended to practice on the Tanglewood, on the basis I should play at home what I'm going to play live. However, recently I got the Martin out because what's the point in owning it if I never play it? So for a few week's I've been happily plucking the Martin. Thinking about a forthcoming Open Mic today I reverted to the Tanglewood and boy do I suck! It's so hard to play in comparison. I feel like I've regressed massively in just two weeks.
I could always use the Martin, but I don't want to get into the habit of playing an "easy" guitar all the time.
What to do?
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Riverman
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Post by Riverman on May 18, 2017 12:44:02 GMT
Have you had the Tanglewood set up? Maybe it could be made to play as easily as the Martin, then you'd have the best of both worlds - a tough, reliable good sounding guitar for gigs, and a Sunday best Martin. Personally, I don't see the problem in having an easy playing action, but then I don't play hard, and I don't strum, so maybe there's an element of compromise involved. No point in struggling against the guitar though, it's not meant to be an arm wrestling contest is it?
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leitrimnick
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Post by leitrimnick on May 18, 2017 12:46:12 GMT
Maybe you might look at the set up on the Tanglewood, what you get used to isn't necessarily the best that can be. I recently bought a similar (price and sound) Weissenborn copy, recorded with it but am not convinced either the factory strings or the tuning machines are right. Both will almost certainly get changed now the self imposed pressure of recording a track for an album has gone.
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Post by vikingblues on May 18, 2017 18:48:41 GMT
Or you could get a cheap easy to play guitar - can never have too many guitars. I have had three Tanglewoods and all of them have been very easy to play - my longest serving acoustic guitar is a Tanglewood and benefited a lot from the set up that Scayles did ... it was already pretty good though, as all the guitars I've played at Scayles have been. A set up job might just make a huge difference to yours. I've never been a believer in that old theory that people should play a guitar that they have to fight to play. Bit too macho for little old me! Mark
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delb0y
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Post by delb0y on May 18, 2017 19:48:23 GMT
I guess it's not about making the Tanglewood easy to play - I mean, I could just play the Martin. But I'm concerned that if I take the route of getting used to playing an "easy" guitar, I'll be screwed whenever anybody hands me one that's not easy. So by taking the route of learning to play all the things I want to play on a tougher guitar then I'm okay in future situations: if someone hands me a guitar with a nice action I'll play even better than normal, and if someone gives me one that is a bit harder, well, that's what I'm used to. Like getting used to driving an automatic maybe, and being worried one'll forget how to drive a manual.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on May 18, 2017 20:17:02 GMT
................... by taking the route of learning to play all the things I want to play on a tougher guitar then I'm okay in future situations: if someone hands me a guitar with a nice action I'll play even better than normal.... Hmmm. Depends on how tough the tough one is, and how much you play it. There's something of a danger of getting so used to having to work so hard with your left hand that the death grip stranglehold you need may become a habit, even when you play a slinky action, resulting in playing slightly sharp on fretted notes. May be an unlikely extreme situation though. Keith
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Riverman
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Post by Riverman on May 18, 2017 20:17:15 GMT
it's nowhere near as easy to play as my Martin 00015m
I can play things on the Martin that I couldnn't hope to play on the Tanglewood
for a few week's I've been happily plucking the Martin
today I reverted to the Tanglewood and boy do I suck! It's so hard to play in comparison
I don't understand your problem Derek. Do you want to enjoy playing your own guitars, or suffer (and play less well, it appears) so as to be match fit on the off chance someone invites you to play their crappily set up guitar? Life's too short!
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delb0y
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Post by delb0y on May 18, 2017 21:15:14 GMT
I'm like a sprinter who trains with ankle weights but never takes them off...
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Riverman
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Post by Riverman on May 18, 2017 22:18:30 GMT
Ah, but what are you training for? (Deep existential question ahoy!)
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Post by walkingdecay on May 19, 2017 13:07:48 GMT
I really don't think playing on a poor instrument makes you a better player in any way. It just makes you adept at compensating for the flaws in that instrument, when you could be taking advantage of the superior ergonomics and tone of another.
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delb0y
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Post by delb0y on May 19, 2017 20:53:32 GMT
Actually, I think Riverman has nailed it. I am in "training" for something and the answer is somewhat existential. Really, I need to stop and enjoy the moment rather than constantly (in all I do) preparing for an unknown moment that may never come. I think I might start using the Martin at gigs...
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Post by robmc on May 19, 2017 22:29:01 GMT
This reads like a chapter from 'Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance'. I'd definitely make the most of the warm hog, a shame to keep it as a super-sub.
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Post by NikGnashers on May 20, 2017 6:04:42 GMT
I'd agree with the majority here. I have an old battered 'hondo' at work for messing about with on my dinner break, it's awful to play, I think you could measure the action in inches. It just means I have a lot of adjustment to make for a few minutes when I get home and want to practice on my own personal guitar (which ironically is a Tanglewood). I had mine set up by A J Lucas (The Tanglewood), and the action is extremely low, and it is a dream to play.
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delb0y
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Post by delb0y on May 20, 2017 10:11:31 GMT
Don't get me wrong - I love the Tanglewood. I have a couple. It's a great guitar to play and far easier than many. It's just the Martin is easier still.
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Post by keithambridge on May 22, 2017 12:29:54 GMT
You could get a guitar that's harder to play than the Tanglewood and practice with that!! Seriously, I'd use the Martin anyday!
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