The Builder's Bench

What's with all the weird Jazz guitars people buy?

Itching for a Fender, which one?

Modern Method for Guitar Vol 3

Advice on how to improve my playing

Mel Bay's Rhythm Chord System used by?

Different sound, different feel, different sizes, different prices. People that play are usually looking for inspiration, Gibson is only one avenue.

What's with all the weird Jazz guitars people buy?

Tonight 29 May 2024 James Chirillo is this week's guest.

Frank Vignola's Guitar Night, an ongoing concert and livestream series

I think tele neck pickups have fatter cleans. Once you get some grit going, Strat neck pickups give you a lot more useable tone, whereas teles kind of "splat out." Tele bridge pickups are...

Itching for a Fender, which one?

Sounds good! You certainly don't need my advice! Sound is good. Time is good. Playing has plenty of melodicism. I like what you're doing! But, since you asked for ideas, a couple of things...

Advice on how to improve my playing

Any other chord root tritone motion common enough to mention?

Tritone chord root movement

To me it sounds like a 2-step cadence (F Bb7) that doesn't resolve (to C, because that's the one resolution my ear is used to) but instead goes to a turnaround. In that sense, similar to the typical...

Tritone chord root movement

I don’t think this is accurate. Strats get a rap for being thin but that’s because of the out of phase in between positions. A strat neck pickup sounds thick and open. Usually people who compare both...

Itching for a Fender, which one?

Many Lang guitars have these split soundholes. Artur Lang trying one of his guitars. Almost the same model except the cutaway.

Artur Lang

A few shots from my visit to Birdland last week for Guitar Night.

Frank Vignola's Guitar Night, an ongoing concert and livestream series

From first couple pages of For Sale section here: Novax Frans Elferink Seventy Seven Hawk Jazz Deep LHT Tom Painter Moffra Mithra Kirk Sand

What's with all the weird Jazz guitars people buy?

Hmmm, that’s interesting. And yes, that’s surf green.

Itching for a Fender, which one?

Can you give an example? Some well respected archtop builders are not household names outside the jazz world...

What's with all the weird Jazz guitars people buy?

A little off-topic from guitar technique: Clifford Brown is known to have studied the Arban method a lot which might explain some ornamentation stuff. (Haven't looked into it myself, might be some...

Bebop Technique

The Player Plus Nashville Tele is worth a look. Alder body, maple neck 12" radius fingerboard, pau ferro or maple available (vintage spec is 7.25" radius) 1.685" nut (vintage spec is...

Itching for a Fender, which one?

You have a Koa JH?

Sadowsky Ends Archtop Production

Show Off Your Main Squeeze! Post a pic of the guitar you consider “the One.”

Can you call the music for J.Bond movies a genre?

Chord melody problem

Avant-Garde Music and Art. Discussions?

New ways to practice scales/making music out of scales

Sadowsky Ends Archtop Production

JGO Virtual 'Bluez' Jam (Round 1) - Blue Monk in minor

Cure for a weak high E string?

Please Recommend Me Some Beginner Solos/Heads to Learn

Thoughts on Gabor Szabo? Was he a jazz artist or no?

Brazilian Rosewood and CITES

Wynton vs Herbie 1985

A sign of the times - they can’t give this away…