juliant
C.O.G.
Posts: 405
My main instrument is: Lowden L23
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Post by juliant on Aug 18, 2024 21:29:00 GMT
I've had four instruments custom built - my Lowden (built by Mr.L and not the factory!), a parlour from Peter Abnett, and a Dobro and A-style mandolin, both built by my friend Pete. I can't say that any of these are hands down better than what you could find in a reputable guitar shop, but being involved in the design and building process was so much fun that I'd do that again.
I've still got two of those. The Abnett wasn't actually very good so I sold that on, and I foolishly sold the Dobro when a family with young children needed cash. The Lowden and mandolin are both wonderful, especially since it was the only mandolin Pete made so he thought he'd have a bash at a carved top, and it turned out excellent.
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juliant
C.O.G.
Posts: 405
My main instrument is: Lowden L23
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Post by juliant on Aug 18, 2024 21:32:40 GMT
And hogging the thread... I had a wander along Denmark Street this lunchtime and there were two *very* tasty acoustics on display, both Gibson slope-shouldered dreads, both obviously well used with scruffy sunburst finishes, one from the 50s and the other from the 60s, and about £9.5k and £5.5k respectively. I'd have come home with either of them (as well as the twin-neck pedal steel in Wunjo's window). Sadly, I didn't have that much on me.
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Post by delb0y on Aug 19, 2024 8:54:21 GMT
I've really enjoyed this thread. It's wonderful how passionate you all are about your guitars. I feel a bit envious, in a way; like I've missed out - not just a boat, but an entire shipping line. I don't mean in the sense of the value of guitars owned, or being ordered, but in the fact that you're all so darned knowledgeable about guitars and know exactly what you want. I genuinely wouldn't have a clue about woods, scale lengths, neck profiles, nothing. When I had a Telecaster re-fretted recently the luthier asked what sort of frets I wanted: Jumbo? Narrow? Stainless steel? What? "Just...frets," I said.
How do you learn all this stuff?
I know if I move my microphone six inches one way or t'other when recording my guitar then the sound changes (or it picks up the fridge compressor in the background), so when listening to a recording of someone else how do I know if the sound is because of a good mic (or bad mic), or great mic placement, or because the guitar has (say) a cedar top, rosewood sides, and a long scale, or because the room and the engineer and (most of all) the player was exceptional? Or was it just a great guitar?
I don't generally frequent music shops because I don't want to play guitars that I can't afford or have no intent of buying, but even if I did I'm not sure it would help. I know my Furch has a bigger richer deeper sound than my Tanglewood, because I can play them side by side, but separate that plucking by a few minutes and I can no longer make that comparison. They both sound fine (especially were they to be paired with a good mic, a great room, and a top quality engineer!). Maybe I have a poor memory for tone.
I find my Martin the easiest to play of all my guitars, yet it has a narrow nut than my Tanglewood TW40, and I think I prefer the wider nut, but then all my guitars except that Tanglewood, the resonator, and the gypsy jazz guitars, have the narrower nut and I don't have any issues. In fact it's easier to wrap my thumb around the top on the narrower necks. The TW40 and the Furch have "chunkier" neck profiles than the others, and I think I prefer the Martin's neck profile, but, irrespective of guitar, that preference only lasts about twenty seconds after which time I've adjusted and don't think about it any more (that said, I once sold a gypsy jazzer because the neck was so thin - almost like an electric - that it caused cramp in my hand).
I have no idea about the scale length of any of my guitars and so long as the tuners work they don't get a second thought.
Woods, I know my Furch is spruce and mahogany because it's in the title D32SM and I know my Martin is Sapele because I can see it right there. But I have no idea what woods the others are made of, and even if they're solid back and sides as well as top. I don't know. I feel like I should know this stuff. I don't even know what strings I have on most of my guitars. And, I mean, right there is another set of permutations that could be almost infinite - these strings on this guitar in these gauges, or those strings...just as long as I use this pick...
I haven't even mentioned body shape - I can play the dreadnaught for a few hours before my back starts to ache. I can play the others all day long. I like the deep bass of the dreadnaught, but I could probably get that from a jumbo. I prefer finger-picking so maybe a dreadnaught is too big (although Fahey did just fine). Maybe something in the middle would be best?
I really do feel like I've missed out on a whole world here, and as I said I'm kind of envious that you all seemed to have distilled your preferences down to your perfect guitars. Perhaps I need to start paying more attention! But please keep going, it's a really enlightening thread.
Derek
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Post by martinrowe on Aug 19, 2024 9:22:41 GMT
It's all right Derek you are not alone, I'm in the same shipping lane as you. The bit that I don't get is that with so many 'infinite' variables how can anybody know anything. Still, I muddle along and don't hurt anybody - I don't think so, anyway. Happy days.
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Post by borborygmus on Aug 19, 2024 9:37:37 GMT
How do you learn all this stuff? ((...)) I really do feel like I've missed out on a whole world here, and as I said I'm kind of envious that you all seemed to have distilled your preferences down to your perfect guitars. Perhaps I need to start paying more attention! But please keep going, it's a really enlightening thread. Derek I don't know about much of this stuff in any real depth, which is one reason why I am engaged in this forum. I also forget about most of the detail soon after I have read it, a sign of my age I think. But I would trade my entire technical guitar knowledge to be able to play as well as you can. Shall we meet at The Crossroads? My soul is off the table, but... Peter
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juliant
C.O.G.
Posts: 405
My main instrument is: Lowden L23
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Post by juliant on Aug 19, 2024 10:24:53 GMT
How do you learn all this stuff? It's been a hobby of mine for years, I guess partly making up for the fact that I don't play that well ;-) I'm also useless at anything practical, and so love hanging out with those who have magical skills with wood!
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Post by earwighoney on Aug 19, 2024 19:20:24 GMT
I've really enjoyed this thread. It's wonderful how passionate you all are about your guitars. I feel a bit envious, in a way; like I've missed out - not just a boat, but an entire shipping line. I really do feel like I've missed out on a whole world here, and as I said I'm kind of envious that you all seemed to have distilled your preferences down to your perfect guitars. Perhaps I need to start paying more attention! But please keep going, it's a really enlightening thread.
I think this one of the really great things about this hobby, near enough anyone who has got really deep into the hobby has found their own particular path. There are some guys there who can play Django style/folk/dissonant death metal phenomenally well, others can barely play three chords but took apart a fuzz pedal and started soldering their own clones/originals.
IMO, the more you get into this hobby the more I appreciate how almost endlessly infinite it is.
I won't ever fall down the rabbithole as much as some others out there, but the older I get the more happy I am to have the happy upsurge of interest with a NGD, and a few moments free in the day to strum some chords before falling asleep.
It's a glorious hobby for sure (hats off to all those who take it further and have a profession with it).
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Post by newdave on Aug 21, 2024 12:53:50 GMT
I like this thread.
I have 4 guitars that I really like and I want to keep but three of them are very similar (Yamaha LL56, LS56 and LL36). In a way it seems absurd to want to keep them. I like to think I can hear differences between them but I have to admit that it is slight. There is a difference in the way they play but once again, not much.
Still... I like them all and I think I would regret selling any of them. Having read some other comments I'm happier about keeping them. I think I will sell the ones I'm a bit meh about - and maybe find another keeper (or two). God knows there are plenty of great guitars out there to find (or just to try).
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Post by vikingblues on Sept 8, 2024 9:51:43 GMT
If I had to play one acoustic for the rest of my life... I would need to (a) discover it, and (b) most likely need to rob a bank. So in the absence of that most unlikely circumstance I'll just muddle along as always. Happily. To a large extent I'm finding Dereks opening point in his post 6 above here. The passion, the in depth knowledge and knowing what you all want - easy to envy that. Mark
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minorkey
C.O.G.
Posts: 3,450
My main instrument is: the one what has got strings onnit
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Post by minorkey on Sept 10, 2024 19:34:26 GMT
If I had to play one acoustic for the rest of my life... I would need to (a) discover it, and (b) most likely need to rob a bank. So in the absence of that most unlikely circumstance I'll just muddle along as always. Happily. You have a very good Tanglewood. That would definitely suffice
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