Heritage 18" Johnny Smith - a couple of months later..

[Max405]

Joe,
Beautiful playing as always. Obviously you've been sold a piece of junk, though. So I can help you by giving you maybe a hundred bucks for the Heritage so it won't be in the way. I'll even drive down to get it to save on shipping
BTW, I miss the M-4 in the background on your newer vids. I feel less safe.
Zig

Ha! Whataguy!
The M4 is close by..

Joe,
Like yourself I value greatly the friendships forged here on this Forum, it is a good
refuge sometimes when things are not going so well, and without overdue sentimentality we can liaise and share our joys , and sorrows. Coincidentally , my dear wife’s two favourite songs are ATTYA, and Long ago and far away plus Johnny Mathis is an all time favourite. The unkindly remark to you was unjustified. We don’t take kindly to our friends being insulted , it is not beyond the realms of possibility that one could don the alter ego
of 007 and deal with the offender ( LOL)
Kind regards my friend,
Alan

Please give your wife a big hug from all of us.
As you already know, the comment wasn’t solely directed at me. It was directed at 99.8% of us. To bad I don’t hold a grudge..

Joe,
Your guitar sounds probably the best to my ears of any I've heard you record. That comment should mean absolutely nothing, when you decide if it deserves to be one of your cherished keepers. When we play, it's absolutely vital that the guitar is one that we can play in total comfort and that the music is all we concentrate on. This is what creates the "perception" of a great guitar. Any struggle, ends up making the sound null and void. Some things on a guitar are changeable some are not. If you were a collector it would be easy, but you play them!

You are exactly right with everything you said.
And yeah, I can’t have a guitar that I can’t play. Like a Theorbo...

[Max405]

Brother Joe,

That guitar is a keeper. You sound great on it and she will grow with you. Not all of the ponies in the stable were meant to be racehorses. A rose by any other name......

hey bro. You know, it is a keeper. For sure. I spent some time with it today. Back and forth with the GJS. They both keepers. The static is from the pickup. When I can afford it, I will change out the pickup and have it retired. It’s really not difficult to play. I think it’s just me. I have to practice mind over matter when I practice.

Those gold evo frets look sweet !

Hot, right bro? I wouldn’t have done if it weren’t for you.

2b would be proud of your pics bro.

I’m waiting for his critique.. the black blanket was a little dusty... I know.

[Max405]

Wonderful playing, Joe; lovely to listen to on a balmy November day in Boston.
I always love the stories of fraternity on this board, and I have benefited from the wisdom, kindness, and patience of many longtime members.
Thanks for the smile today
Chris

Hey Chris, I’ve said a number of times. It’s the best place on the Internet.
Thank you buddy. Joe D

[2bornot2bop]

big bottom girls only require love for their flowers to bloom...thanks for sharing your love Joe.

[Max405]

Beautiful shot 2b.
Looks really great.

[Max405]

Question
Does anyone have a Heritage Floater Jazz pickup that isn’t susceptible to static?
if you look under the pickup cover, they seem to be poorly shielded. This particular pickup is not gonna work.

[2bornot2bop]

Question
Does anyone have a Heritage Floater Jazz pickup that isn’t susceptible to static?
if you look under the pickup cover, they seem to be poorly shielded. This particular pickup is not gonna work.

Joe, many of us with those Heritage #3's sent them to Kent Armstrong to replace the innards - worked wonders for mine.

[Max405]

Aha!
Great idea 2b. Isn’t he in England?
it would be great to keep the existing pickup configuration. I love how it is connected to the pickguard.

[vinnyv1k]

He is in Vermont.

[vinnyv1k]

His floating black PAF is a much better pickup IMO. Same size.

[2bornot2bop]

Aha!
Great idea 2b. Isn’t he in England?
it would be great to keep the existing pickup configuration. I love how it is connected to the pickguard.

I just spoke to Ken...he's still in his office working at this moment. Vermont.

1 802-843-1065

Guitar pickups - Handmade pickups by Kent Armstrong

[2bornot2bop]

His floating black PAF is a much better pickup IMO. Same size.

I actually owned Ken's PAF in both humbucker and floating configurations, and preferred the reworked version of the Heritage #3....maybe it's that Heritage shell with KA's special touch afterwords?

[Max405]

That helped me BIG time.
I am going to try that.
This guitar is excellent. Just a couple more tweaks will make it right.
I sat down with all my guitars and tested the recording of each. This one is the only one that produced the sound of Crickets. All others recorded cleanly. I don’t want to disturb the construction under the pick guard. If he could just clean up the poor shielding I’d be mega happy with that.
I played with noise reduction patches and nothing produced an acceptable result.
One thing I can say for sure. The Gibson Johnny Smith is the perfect guitar. But it doesn’t sound anywhere near as good as this guitar. They complement each other beautifully. And I can fly around on the HJS just as well, if I am not thinking too much while I’m doing it..

[Max405]

I think I figured something out.
i need to just play the damn thing and stop whining about it. It’s not the guitars fault that I’m not that tall.
When I just pick it up and play, it’s automatic. Just like my other guitars.
I am overthinking it.
Its hard not to think while I’m playing, especially when it sounds this good.

Basically, pick it up, make position adjustments and play the damn thing. The playability and sound is 1st rate.

Stop thinking and play. I tried this last night and it worked.

Joe D

[lawson-stone]

Deep truths are often about that simple.

Just play.

Taking that one to the bank.

[2bornot2bop]

sounds like an official meditation guitar to me - no mind

on another note, the new Avatar looks killer - best on the entire forum, for sure!

[Cavalier]

I agree Joe, it works for me on cello which is a doubling instead of primary instrument for me. If I try to think about how it is turned around from my violin warming up takes longer but if I just let myself play it things go so much smoother.

I think it is good to have instruments that are set up and play differently as it keeps the ear and hand connection used to adapting to produce a good sound. The old mental processor can then soak things in.

This is sort of a necessity for me as I play more things than guitar and is enforced by the fact I tend to bring home instruments that are a bit out of whack as I have fun bringing them back as players.

Maybe it is just left over from the first awful Stella I started learning on because thinking about that guitar wouldn't have been fun at all.

[citizenk74]

This is sort of a necessity for me as I play more things than guitar and is enforced by the fact I tend to bring home instruments that are a bit out of whack as I have fun bringing them back as players.

Maybe it is just left over from the first awful Stella I started learning on because thinking about that guitar wouldn't have been fun at all.

Been there, did that. My 15$ Sears, Roebuck Stella was more than unforgiving - it was actively hostile! It was, however, the bug what bit me....

[Max405]

Thanks fellas.
The same thing happened to me tonight. I put new strings on my GJS and all I can do is listen while I played because sounded so damn good! It really did. I think when I buy a guitar for the way it sounds, i become distracted when I play it on occasion.
i am having a blast with these great guitars.
2b, mediatation Guitar.. That was great.
Joe D

[Cavalier]

Been there, did that. My 15$ Sears, Roebuck Stella was more than unforgiving - it was actively hostile! It was, however, the bug what bit me....

They are mean guitars.... Mine sits in a corner covered with dust and whatever else is handy. Paybacks and all that!

[Fred Archtop]

Joe,

Great rendition. Your playing is just exquisite. Great intonation and dynamics. And your guitar is just incredibly gorgeous.

Cheers.

[lawson-stone]

I just want to say I always follow JoeD's threads. Reason? There are two kinds of posts that predominate on this forum. Some are just talkers, talking about gear. Some are players, posting clips of their playing to journal their progress, demonstrate technique or instruments, or just to entertain and edify.

Then there are people who do BOTH. Joe is someone I love to hear talk about guitars because he knows them intimately and loves them passionately. But he also plays. Wow does he play. And he shares his playing with us

Thanks Joe, both for your wonderful playing and for your gracious, knowledgable, passionate conversation!

[Max405]

Hey Fred,
Thanks buddy. Just wait until I begin to deserve this guitar. Then I am really gonna make nice music with it.
I appreciate it my man.
JD

Joe,

Great rendition. Your playing is just exquisite. Great intonation and dynamics. And your guitar is just incredibly gorgeous.

Cheers.

[Max405]

Hey Lawson,
That was beautiful bro. Really Beautiful.
The reason my threads are the way they are - is mainly because of the people who contribute to them. If I posted a great video and the responses were rude and nit-picky then no one would want to read, listen and contribute. I keep doing this because I am just a regular guitar player who has always dreamed of playing Chord-Melody on terrific Archtop guitars. And the music? When I was a little boy my father would talk about meeting Johnny at the Birdland and how it changed his life. He always talked about Joe Pass and Ella. And he thought Johnny Smith, Joe Pass and Segovia were the best, in exactly that order. My relationship with my dad was strained. I play these songs for him. I know it makes him happy.

You guys give me forum where I share this passion which makes it all the more better. I will continue learning new stuff while trying to retain the old stuff because it is a great Challenge. Last night, I was learning Joe Pass's White Christmas and my wife came upstairs and said, why do you do this to yourself? How can you remember all this? And you sometimes can even remember our friends names?

Priorities...

Thanks for letting me do this guys.

Joe D.

I just want to say I always follow JoeD's threads. Reason? There are two kinds of posts that predominate on this forum. Some are just talkers, talking about gear. Some are players, posting clips of their playing to journal their progress, demonstrate technique or instruments, or just to entertain and edify.

Then there are people who do BOTH. Joe is someone I love to hear talk about guitars because he knows them intimately and loves them passionately. But he also plays. Wow does he play. And he shares his playing with us

Thanks Joe, both for your wonderful playing and for your gracious, knowledgable, passionate conversation!

[citizenk74]

I think that non-guitar-playing people have difficulty understanding how much joy can be found by the seemingly simple act of playing the guitar, by which I mean not performance, which can be mighty stressful, but just sitting and playing - practicing, perhaps, or even noodling a bit or learning a new song or new chord - just making the strings vibrate and filling the air with melody,harmony, and rhythm. Perhaps it's a way of ordering the chaos around us, at least a little bit. Or a type of contemplation/meditation.

Aw, heck. Call it fun.