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Post by PistolPete on Apr 17, 2024 17:29:18 GMT
I don't want to come across as a luddite, but I feel like the science fiction of my childhood promised a future where a computer would clean my toilet and iron my shirts so I could spend more time playing songs or painting landscapes or writing great novels, and instead we're getting the future where the computers compose folk songs and make portraits and I still have to mop the bloomin' kitchen.
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Post by PistolPete on Apr 12, 2024 8:41:54 GMT
I did once ask on the acoustic guitar forum why guitars were guitar-shaped and besides all the photos of terrible flying v acoustics the knowledgeable answers told me sciency things that covered colins's point about the corners not vibrating and that pinching in the waist controls the boominess by changing which wavelengths can get out of the sound hole - when Martin designed the dreadnought they gave it less of a waist because they wanted more boom than more traditional shapes. If you look at the evolution of stringed instrument shapes you can see the waist become a feature through trial and error between the medieval fiddles with an oval body like a lute and the renaissance violins made by Stradivari & co that look much as they do today.
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Post by PistolPete on Mar 27, 2024 20:37:50 GMT
To be fair, I didn't realise £2000 cables even exist, I suppose I must be thinking about the slightly better ones. There’s ones even more than that. I think the speaker cable issue is that, although there is a small but measurable difference between analogue audio signals carried through different materials, which might lead someone seeking the absolute best fidelity to seek out gold or platinum cables*, the premium manufacturers were anxious to retain their market share as set-ups swapped to digital, and fundamentally there is no difference in sound quality between any cable made above the minimum quality needed to get all the 0s and 1s through to their intended destination which resulted in a lot of misinformation floating around. * although, to be clear, anyone who could hear the difference without lab equipment probably has better ears and definitely has better speakers than I do.
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Post by PistolPete on Mar 27, 2024 11:09:46 GMT
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Post by PistolPete on Mar 8, 2024 17:09:37 GMT
In my opinion the finest musician, of any gender, currently playing in the UK. I'm not always right, but I'm never wrong. You all thought I'd post some Sandy Denny! Colin Tenuous link to fame: Kathryn Tickell's aunt taught me at first school
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Post by PistolPete on Mar 8, 2024 14:17:29 GMT
Why not fill this thread with links to female musicians you think everyone here should hear?
I'll start us off with some Rory Block:
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Post by PistolPete on Mar 6, 2024 13:31:15 GMT
Having played a couple of the Epiphone L-00s when they first came out and heard one used in anger at a theatre gig I was very unimpressed with them, but it depends what you're after. If you want a decent budget acoustic that looks old fashioned they are fine, but they don't really sound much like an L-00.
I wouldn't necessarily be rushing to move on from the Statesboro myself - I've always been impressed by Vintage at the price point & the Paul Brett models in particular (I have a Statesboro 12-string & a VEC500 for open mic night use), after putting some hours in on that you might have a clearer idea of what works for you. I'll echo the advice here to play as many instruments as possible. Also don't discount second hand, there are definitely fine instruments to be found via Facebook marketplace and eBay, along with the ones you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy, although it does help if you can take along someone who knows what to look for.
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Post by PistolPete on Mar 6, 2024 12:24:23 GMT
I have a student who is mad keen on playing rockabilly & could do with some resources to help with teaching him. Can anyone recommend any books that cover the broad strokes of rockabilly playing? There's seems to be lots of transcriptions about, but I was after something that hones in what the building blocks are a bit more.
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Post by PistolPete on Mar 5, 2024 20:44:39 GMT
The start of a slippery slope, with players now spending more time looking at their damn clip on tuners and fiddling with the pegs than they do playing. I always feel like this is a superior option to playing out of tune, or else playing in tune with their own instruments (or respective home pianos) but not each other...
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Post by PistolPete on Mar 5, 2024 11:05:51 GMT
I didn't know I needed one of these until today, but now I really want one. I've been searching eBay for the last 20 minutes but no luck!
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Post by PistolPete on Feb 8, 2024 13:14:06 GMT
If you have been inspired to try some lessons (and let's face it, YOU HAVE), then don't forget our friends who offer them. jonnymosco PistolPete Maybe there are more? I am sure they would give you a "taster" session. Peter Thanks for the ad borborygmus! If anyone is wondering I would absolutely be delighted to give you a 30 minute taster lesson, in person or online.
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Post by PistolPete on Dec 31, 2023 16:53:02 GMT
<snip> Pete's excellent graphic. <snip> I can take no credit at all for that - it was the second result on Google images! sweyne1 Re-reading your post I suspect the Youtuber may have misspoken or not made it very clear. The ball end should be roughly level with the guitar top, but as the bridge is mounted onto the top it will be well below the level of the bridge, and should be a fair way from the head of the bridge pin.
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Post by PistolPete on Dec 31, 2023 16:22:37 GMT
You may be over thinking it. Drop the ball end into the hole with a couple of inches of string, put in the bridge pin, then pull on the string until it stops moving. The ball end should naturally want to go into the correct position, ie wedged between the pin and the back of the bridge. It shouldn't need to be hooked on the pin or anything, once there is tension on the string then the pin will be enough to hold it in place.
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Post by PistolPete on Dec 31, 2023 14:46:26 GMT
The constant need to buy new guitars does wear off eventually.
For example, I have been playing the guitar for a little over twenty years now, and these days I can sometimes go several days without thinking about getting another one.
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Post by PistolPete on Dec 12, 2023 9:37:08 GMT
Years ago I recall finding an article in a guitar magazine which listed ten "essential" pedals for acoustic players. I think it's probably fair to say their understanding of the word essential differed somewhat from mine.
A lot of the fun of acoustics for me is that the experience is pick-up-and-play, cable-free and instant. When I do plug in that's pretty much what I'm seeking to emulate.
All of that said, I do own a stage tuner, a graphic EQ, two foot-stomp preamps, and a Behringer clone of a SansAmp leftover from my electric playing days. Only the tuner is in my current live rig.
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