The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    when i showed a glimmer of promise in high school and decided to go to college to study music, my parents signed me up with a local teacher at a prepartory type place...

    i still remember the first lesson 22 years later. my dad and i walked into this small room...my teacher wasn't even in there...but his guitar was, and it was a guitar like nothing id ever seen in my life to that point. casually leaning against his chair, i was instantly hypnotized by the 3D maple...and over the next two years, i spent 2 hours a week six feet away from that guitar. it became my benchmark.

    off to college i went...first cleveland state, then north texas...im a guitar addict and would seek out whatever i could experience. ive spent time on everything from super 400's to benedetto bench made guitars to just about every major boutique luthier's guitars...and for whatever reason, none of them matched the sound of my teacher's nickerson. then came the burnout of a decade of practicing 8-10 hours every day without the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. didnt touch an instrument for a decade after college, but i never forgot that nickerson. i didnt matter what i got into...golf, chef knives, whatever...that nickerson set my aesthetic. clean and refined.

    got back into music playing bass...then got hired to fill in on rhythm guitar for a gig, and that got me back into guitar big time. about 9 months ago, i bought a 1979 Guild Artist Award that i thought was going to be my forever guitar. then i started taking lessons again...

    my teacher was selling the very guitar that was the platonic ideal in my head for two decades. i couldnt pass on the opportunity, even if it meant id have to sell my beloved AA to fund it. it was the best guitar i've ever seen or heard when i was 16, and it's the exact same case here at 38. i picked it up yesterday, and it still doesn't feel real. im in heaven.

    this is a special version of mr. nickerson's virtuoso...it has a single diagonal brace, a special brace on the back (i have no idea how to get pics of this), and the back and neck are made from rock maple. the projection of this thing is unreal, bad iphone video attached.

    Brad Nickerson Virtuoso-img-1557-jpg

    Brad Nickerson Virtuoso-img-1558-jpg

    Brad Nickerson Virtuoso-img-1559-jpg

    Brad Nickerson Virtuoso-img-1561-jpg


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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    That’s a great sounding guitar. Brad is a nice guy. He lives not too far from me and has been over to my house. Nice playing too.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  4. #3
    that dude deserves so much more publicity. his guitars are truly special and unique.

    very much appreciated.

  5. #4

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    That is awesome. Besides the great maple, and burl appointments, it's one of the most beautiful spruce tops I've seen..

  6. #5

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    Looks and sounds great! Congrats on the new guitar. Never really thought much of the AA despite some of the accolades it receives. Enjoy!

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by skiboyny
    Looks and sounds great! Congrats on the new guitar. Never really thought much of the AA despite some of the accolades it receives. Enjoy!
    thank you very much.

    i truly love my 79 AA, zero nits to pick...but ive played a few of them, in particular a 90s model that was a true dog. the benedetto ones i tried were fine. feel like each era was a completely different AA despite the wrapper being similar. before this opportunity came up, i was pretty content with my 79 being my workhorse for the forseeable decade+.

    that said, playing the nickerson side by side did my AA no favors. gotta be honest. the difference were immediate and obvious.

  8. #7

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    What a tremendous story! I am so glad that something you idealized over decades has lived up to your expectations, I feel like that is a rare occurrence! You sound wonderful on the guitar, a great match!

  9. #8

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    What a beautiful instrument, and great story! Congratulations, and play it in good health!

  10. #9

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    Absolutely beautiful ! A big Congrats

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by spencer096
    thank you very much.

    i truly love my 79 AA, zero nits to pick...but ive played a few of them, in particular a 90s model that was a true dog. the benedetto ones i tried were fine. feel like each era was a completely different AA despite the wrapper being similar. before this opportunity came up, i was pretty content with my 79 being my workhorse for the forseeable decade+.

    that said, playing the nickerson side by side did my AA no favors. gotta be honest. the difference were immediate and obvious.
    It's easy to love a guitar with no comparison. I've been fortunate enough to sample quite a few. The AA "for me" would lose to many contenders. You chose well!

  12. #11

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    Just listen to that guitar sing. Congratulations!!!

    Hey, having owned an AA and a Benedetto AA, it isn’t fair to compare a factory built guitar to a custom built. Apples and oranges, don’t ya think?

  13. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
    Just listen to that guitar sing. Congratulations!!!

    Hey, having owned an AA and a Benedetto AA, it isn’t fair to compare a factory built guitar to a custom built. Apples and oranges, don’t ya think?
    I think it’s fair to compare…with one exception, all my AA fruit tasted very good. The one I didn’t like had too thick a finish. It happens. Personally tho I like the fruit w the rhythm chief.

  14. #13

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    It’s beautiful and it sounds great and, that is indeed a stunning spruce top.

  15. #14

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    That instrument sounds and looks beautiful! Congrats!

    Tony

  16. #15

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    That is a beautiful guitar and great playing. I agree with Woody, the top is extraordinary. Silk o Rama running wild!
    I’ve never seen one of these, so thank you for posting this. I’ve always been apprehensive buying a guitar without fretboard inlays, for practical purposes, but many excellent players like yourself don’t seem to have a problem with it.
    Beautiful stuff, and thanks again!
    Joe D

  17. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Max405
    That is a beautiful guitar and great playing. I agree with Woody, the top is extraordinary. Silk o Rama running wild!
    I’ve never seen one of these, so thank you for posting this. I’ve always been apprehensive buying a guitar without fretboard inlays, for practical purposes, but many excellent players like yourself don’t seem to have a problem with it.
    Beautiful stuff, and thanks again!
    Joe D
    thank you for the kind words.

    I’ve never had any issues playing w no inlay…you get used to it within a minute or so at most…now being on the other side and trying to stay afloat during lessons? That was a struggle.

  18. #17

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    Thought Nickerson fans would appreciate this video I just saw this morning.