Humiliating Confession

[jim777]

The weather around here has been crazy so the archtops are in their cases. I've been playing my Jem through the Champ 40 for the last 2 weeks

[mr. beaumont]

I knew you'd be the first to comment

Don't encourage him Laswon.

Me!? Now why would you think that?

[Archie]

Well.. umm..actually.. cut on a band saw by someone would be handcrafted. These were probably cut by automated machine tools.

Getting a volume pedal for my birthday. Going to sit down with some solid's for some long shoegazing ambient sessions..

Shoe Gaze, or as my partner calls it "depressing white peoples music"!

I love that type of stuff.

Enjoy your DWPM session. I wish I could jam with you!

[wintermoon]

[QUOTE= an incident with a cheese grater and my thumb the other day put fingerstyle playing to rest for a bit...[/QUOTE]

Rotary

[rpjazzguitar]

I haven't played my archtop guitars in weeks. For some reason, one day I pulled down my 1964 Hagstrom I... yes the one with the read vinyl back and the yellow and gold plastic front plate... plugged into the Tone Master Twin Reverb, and just played my usual mediocre jazz standards. After an hour or so, I pulled down the Telecaster. Then the (O God forgive me) Squier Jazzmaster. And for the last several weeks, solid-bodies are all I have been playing. Same music, same style, but on these guitars that were just cut out on a band saw somewhere. Gotta say, I'm really enjoying them! That Hagstrom is like having a strat with a 24.75" scale. The Jazzmaster is just crazy fun to play and to play with, and of course a Tele is a Tele.

I likely will return to the Gibsons one day. But for now the L5ces is just staring coldly at me with a judgmental eye... flirting with cheap girls while the lady looks on. I have no shame.

Back then, I worked in a music store that couldn't get Gibson or Fender. They had Hagstrom and I thought the I and II were very nice guitars.

As far as solid bodies go, I think it depends on what you're trying to do. There are sounds that solid bodies excel at, e.g. those involving long sustain. Archtops weren't designed for that and I don't think they do it as well. Best guitar tones I ever heard were archtops, but I play a semi with a block because I can get my sound without even thinking about feedback.

[mr. beaumont]

Rotary

Can't get it as fine as my good ol box grater (I was making cacio e pepe)

[wintermoon]

Can't get it as fine as my good ol box grater (I was making cacio e pepe)

Glove

[mr. beaumont]

Glove

Next time indeed.

Lucky for years...a day of unlucky teaches you.

[wintermoon]

Next time indeed.

Lucky for years...a day of unlucky teaches you.

Been there done that, when that chunk of cheese gets small it's hard to avoid.

[Cavalier]

My awful confession does involve banjos.... In my defense it started innocently playing with finger picking my ancient (WW1 ?) tenor. My rationalization was it is good finger stretching exercise for my violin. Then curiosity kicked in and I installed a K&K Banjo Twin pickup. I mean it already had a hole in the rim for a jack from a previous owner, what was the harm. I could go on about curiosity becoming temptation, infatuation then.... But I digress, I'm still playing guitars and violins, my fingers are getting stretched, the finger picking has worked out, now that this is off my chest I will not mention it again or the occasional perusal of other banjos.

[lawson-stone]

Back then, I worked in a music store that couldn't get Gibson or Fender. They had Hagstrom and I thought the I and II were very nice guitars.

As far as solid bodies go, I think it depends on what you're trying to do. There are sounds that solid bodies excel at, e.g. those involving long sustain. Archtops weren't designed for that and I don't think they do it as well. Best guitar tones I ever heard were archtops, but I play a semi with a block because I can get my sound without even thinking about feedback.

When I started playing guitar as a real thing, at about age 11, my dad figured it was a passing thing. But one day he listened to me and declared that I could actually play, and we drove over to Savannah Ga. to "Rudy's" music store--which was the "it" store in those days--and told me to pick out any guitar. I played a bunch, but fell in love with the Hagstrom I which he bought for me on the spot. We bundled it into the case and he said "Keep playing, and on Christmas, it's yours." Well I played the heck out of that guitar, and somewhere in a move when my dad remarried (happily) that guitar got lost. I always missed it and a few years ago I saw one on Reverb and just had to have it. I still wish I had the case that my old one came with. It was kind of leather covered, with belt-straps for closure. I like it a lot.

The Hagstrom really checks the boxes. I can get a decent tone from it, the neck, as with all Hagstroms, is perfect, and it's like a strat with a short scale. Maybe when I'm old and the hands can't handle the Gibson neck, this guitar, which was the prize guitar of my childhood, will be the prize of my second childhood.

[lawson-stone]

My awful confession does involve banjos.... In my defense it started innocently playing with finger picking my ancient (WW1 ?) tenor. My rationalization was it is good finger stretching exercise for my violin. Then curiosity kicked in and I installed a K&K Banjo Twin pickup. I mean it already had a hole in the rim for a jack from a previous owner, what was the harm. I could go on about curiosity becoming temptation, infatuation then.... But I digress, I'm still playing guitars and violins, my fingers are getting stretched, the finger picking has worked out, now that this is off my chest I will not mention it again or the occasional perusal of other banjos.

Man I know that was hard to share. I'm feeling it for you.

[Tom Karol]

I have 6 guitars, and I do play (some of) them regularly, but I'm having a hard time staying away from the Mandola and Octave Mandolin lately!

[Cavalier]

I tune the unmentionable Irish style an octave under a mandolin which took some playing with string gauges as the G needed to be heavier than what came in sets. I play mandolin too, a Ovation and for electric a 5 string Tele style that screams.

On the solid body end my highschool had a old 1 pickup Fender Musicmaster that was the first electric I could get my hands on. I'd love to pick one up but can't justify the price they get these days. I do have a old solid body to put together that has a gold foil pickup and 23 1/2 inch scale I've been meaning to get around to.

I can't talk about the Supertone banjo mandolin I've had for years.....

[Doctor Jeff]

These things happen.

I've been playing almost all nylon string for months. But an incident with a cheese grater and my thumb the other day put fingerstyle playing to rest for a bit...so today it's been my 575...might need to bring the tele out too...

When you fingerpick, especially if you use nails, NEVER open a car door or lift a toilet seat with the picking hand, NEVER play frisbee, basketball or football, and NEVER NEVER use a cheese grater.

[Doctor Jeff]

I like playing the same songs with different guitars. I’m planning on using my Gretsch for an upcoming gig of mainly RNB and 70s/80s songs, but playing them on the Cordoba Stage nylon string is a great way to vary things a little. Keeps it interesting.

[John A.]

I haven't played my archtop guitars in weeks. For some reason, one day I pulled down my 1964 Hagstrom I... yes the one with the read vinyl back and the yellow and gold plastic front plate... plugged into the Tone Master Twin Reverb, and just played my usual mediocre jazz standards. After an hour or so, I pulled down the Telecaster. Then the (O God forgive me) Squier Jazzmaster. And for the last several weeks, solid-bodies are all I have been playing. Same music, same style, but on these guitars that were just cut out on a band saw somewhere. Gotta say, I'm really enjoying them! That Hagstrom is like having a strat with a 24.75" scale. The Jazzmaster is just crazy fun to play and to play with, and of course a Tele is a Tele.

I likely will return to the Gibsons one day. But for now the L5ces is just staring coldly at me with a judgmental eye... flirting with cheap girls while the lady looks on. I have no shame.

I don't think I've gone as weeks without touching my archtop, but I do have periods of mainly playing my strat and wondering why I bother with other guitars ... then I find myself in a room with light dimmer switches and a Henriksen amp ...

[Spook410]

Shoe Gaze, or as my partner calls it "depressing white peoples music"!

I love that type of stuff.

Enjoy your DWPM session. I wish I could jam with you!

Yea.. but I have to keep it down when I go over to planks and effects.

[lammie200]

I love the idea of archtops but I always end up back playing planks. These days my customized Mustang us getting pretty much all of my playing time.

You are scaring me, Jim. I have a handful of partscasters that I spent some coin on and gave a lot of love to to get them where I want them. None are Mustang though. If I did that with a Mustang I may really regret having all my other guitars.

[Hammertone]

No worries. Just make sure your guitar has at least one f-hole. Then it will be an offishul jazz guitar. Like this one.

[Jim Soloway]

You are scaring me, Jim. I have a handful of partscasters that I spent some coin on and gave a lot of love to to get them where I want them. None are Mustang though. If I did that with a Mustang I may really regret having all my other guitars.

I'm 71 years old and I feel like the 24" scale length has taken 10 years off my hands. It make a huge difference, at least to me. If all goes well, the new version of Soloway Guitars is supposed to be putting out a 24" version in about 5 months (bearing in mind that it took 3 years to get the company actually up and running). In the mean time, now that I'm back to playing out, this is the guitar I'm playing and I've never had so many positive comments on my tone.

[sgosnell]

I'm 77, and I guess I'm lucky that my hands are fine. Other than the blister in a palm that I got from operating a weed digger, but that's healing okay. I have instruments with scale lengths from 14" to 16.5" up to 25.5", and they're all fine with me. I feel for those who have serious arthritis issues, including my wife, who is one. Some of her knuckles are deformed. I'm thankful I don't have to deal with those issues.

[yebdox]

All in good fun, chaps, and what a blessing it is to have more than one voice to explore with. From my twisted corner, I've been hankering for either a Banjitar or a National roundneck tri-cone, just to mix genres. (I have a GR-55, but only really enjoy playing voice choirs and harmonica on it.)

Not a strange thing at all, Lawson. Keep exploring!

[Doctor Jeff]

No worries. Just make sure your guitar has at least one f-hole. Then it will be an offishul jazz guitar. Like this one.

That’s a lefty neck (but set up for righty). Not sure why you’d want the strings attached “backwards”.

[sgosnell]

That is, or at least was, a thing for playing rawk and metal. The reversed headstock looks kewl.