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Post by ianlp59 on Jan 1, 2022 18:55:51 GMT
Have a very happy New Year you lovely lot !
I shall try and play more this year - kind of lost the plot a bit with a bit of lockdown lethargy. Spent most of the day re-learning The Lowlands of Holland, great tune.
All the best to you and yours and stay safe...
Cheers,
Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Dec 21, 2021 11:46:26 GMT
So does this mean that you tried it and came to the conclusion that an audience can't tell the difference? I'll bring them round for you to try if you like. Is this the sort of thing you mean (a video I was requested to make following a similar discussion, but for classical guitar)? Lovely playing Jonny (as always). I find the factory built guitar a little muted and gentler sounding than the luthier built instrument which has more of a sparkle and presence to it. Cheers, Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Dec 16, 2021 19:23:48 GMT
For all I love the Furch, though, it isn't in the same league as some of the higher-end luthier-made guitars that I've played. Those guitars just had something extra - a bigger dynamic range, more depth of tone, more clarity. Those guitars just made everything I played sound better. How much better, and how much it's worth paying for it, will always be subjective, but for me there's no doubt that the difference is real. This is a fair point and I have been playing devil's advocate and gone further than I can really justify. I have a guitar from the Lakewood custom shop and one from the Larrivee custom shop and while they are lovely guitars there's no doubt that my handmade from Yamaha is palpably superior to both, to play and to hear. It's also palpably superior to the LL36 - although that is a damn fine guitar in its own right. Certainly as a player you can tell from the moment you pick it up. I just couldn't let it go. I blame the internet. Bill Gates. Nanobots. Covid. Alex Ferguson's mind games. Brexit. The falling pound. Difficulties finding staff in the service economy. And a lack of fibre in my diet. I'm not sorry though. And given the chance I'll do it again. As Jackson Browne wrote : I'll get up and do it again, Amen Say it again, Amen Cheers, Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Dec 16, 2021 19:02:25 GMT
I bought a used Furch last year and it's very quickly become the instrument I pick up most often. I think the equivalent model now would be around £2.5k, though I paid a lot less than that. I'd have been very happy with it even if I'd paid the new price for it, so getting a used one in mint condition was an absolute steal. For all I love the Furch, though, it isn't in the same league as some of the higher-end luthier-made guitars that I've played. Those guitars just had something extra - a bigger dynamic range, more depth of tone, more clarity. Those guitars just made everything I played sound better. How much better, and how much it's worth paying for it, will always be subjective, but for me there's no doubt that the difference is real. That said, better and expensive aren't always the same thing. However good the guitar is, it's still got to be the right guitar for the player. I've got my list of guitars that sound great when other people play them but don't really work for me, and some of those guitars are very much at the higher end of the market. Great post. I particularly like the fact that you have had the opportunity to hear and play some high end instruments and can be pretty objective in your comparisons with your Furch. I totally concur that better and expensive do not necessarily align. I also agree that some guitars that sound great in the hands of others may not work for oneself, for all sorts of reasons. Basically, it's an entirely fascinating journey, in which pre-conceptions should play no part at all. Cheers, Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Dec 16, 2021 18:08:50 GMT
Having had a good look at TNAG's web site and doing some price comparisons with TNAG pricing vs direct luthier pricing, it is clear that you are going to pay a big premium through TNAG. TNAG has a Turnstone TD listed as "incoming" for a cool £11919. The same guitar on the Turnstone web site under the available now section is £ 8600, so quite a difference, well about 38% ! Incidentally, I have played the TD, definitely one of the best dreadnought guitars I've ever played...
Cheers,
Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Dec 14, 2021 14:43:33 GMT
A lovely instrument, no doubt. But is it really built better and does it sound better than a custom Lakewood or Furch, that you could probably buy for £5k and get change for a kebab and a cab home? Does the high in "high end" mean quality or status? Because they are not the same thing. Ultimately the question can only be answered by those willing to pay the considerable upcharge for their instruments. Presumably they consider the price to be worth it, otherwise why bother ? I would assert though that, after a certain price point, the law of diminishing returns will start to set in. Cheers, Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Dec 14, 2021 11:01:47 GMT
Interesting, clearly the bubble has not yet burst in terms of ultra high end guitars and what people are prepared to pay for them. I recall when Jason first set out on his own, a number of my pals got in before subsequent price hikes - Jonny Mosco of this parish was one. Those guitars have at least tripled in price in the meantime.
Stefan Sobell is offering a strictly limited run of his "anniversary" guitars, each made with some of his best Brazilian stash. At 15K a pop they are a downright bargain, particularly since they may turn out to be Stefan's swan song, in terms of building.
I am lucky enough to have a pretty good collection of guitars, the most expensive of which is my Sands M-12 from "The Tree". It did not cost me anything like as much as the Kostal featured here though.
Cheers,
Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Oct 4, 2021 14:52:34 GMT
I am possibly up for this; dependant upon dates, timing and fuel availability...
Cheers,
Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Sept 29, 2021 14:52:30 GMT
The hotel continues its long(ish) slide into decay. However, we got a good discount and ended up paying 45 a night for a suite; we even had hot water. The function room is more than adequate size-wise and I'm guessing it would be hard to find an alternative venue without prices increasing very significantly for all concerned. As has been mentioned there are a fair number of venues in town for grabbing an evening meal, and breakfast too, if you want it. We have always brought our own vino to the hotel as even when the hotel actually stocked wine, the choices were very poor.
On balance, we would be happy to continue using the IPC unless things change significantly over the next 12 months or so.
Cheers,
Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Sept 26, 2021 17:18:53 GMT
I'm unsure as to whether any of you have tried these new strings from D'Addario. My Sands M-12 was shipped back to me by Tom Sands back on the 9th July with a set of these on it. They are still going strong, as anyone who attended HB12 would attest to, and no sign of fraying, which is what Elixirs are renowned for.
Essentially, highly recommended...
Cheers,
Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Sept 7, 2021 14:22:17 GMT
£320 for a slide As I said originally, totally bonkers, but these slides are peerless, simply quite superb. Cheers, Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Sept 6, 2021 18:21:55 GMT
I should put things in context regarding my choice of a 15 on the first string. I pretty much always play in various altered tunings with the 1st string tuned down to D and the 2nd string tuned up to C. The 2nd string is a 17, so its slightly increased tension also helps with slide playing. I agree with the heavy slide approach. I use a Wolfram tungsten carbide slide which is totally bonkers, both in terms of weight AND price. However, it is without question the best slide I've ever used.
Cheers,
Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Sept 6, 2021 8:44:08 GMT
I use mediums 13-56 on most of my guitars. For slide though, I use a 15 for the first string which supports the slide admirably as well as providing a thicker tone with more sustain.
Cheers,
Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on Sept 4, 2021 15:06:59 GMT
I'm with the buy the best you can afford, and then some, camp. I've probably overdone things to a degree, as I have always found acquiring new instruments far far easier than letting them go. As a result I have a very nice, if not affordable, collection of instruments. They all get played, although I've always got a couple of go to guitars at any time. I find it fascinating when I pick up one that I haven't played that recently only to be blown away with how good it is, which often provides me with inspirational ideas in one direction or another.
In the end though, the whole thing should be FUN. If you are lucky enough to own one or several instruments that you really love to play, then you're probably in the right place, so to speak.
Anyways, Halifax looms ever closer along with the difficult choice of which guitars to bring along...
Cheers,
Ian
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Post by ianlp59 on May 9, 2021 10:45:18 GMT
I have used Stuart Palmer : www.stuartsguitarworks.com/ He's a thoroughly lovely person, highly proficient and talented. He has done work for Martin Simpson. Cheers, Ian
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