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Guitar talk: acoustic, bass, classical, twelve string? You name it!

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windhoek

The Phoolosopher
I thought it would be interesting to have thread for guitar talk. There seem to be a lot of guitars for sale on pfm just now (relatively speaking of course), but seeing them made me think we need to talk about them: whether how we can't strum and sing, need help to play this or that thing... or even how we just 'grab 'em by the g-string!'

I'll start. My Gibson Hummingbird is back with my local luthier to bring the action down some more because worringly, for the last month or so, whenever I've went to pick up an acoustic, I've mostly opted for my Taylor Big Baby as it's just so damn playable. Don't get me wrong, the action is already good on the Gibson, but just not as great as the perfectly setup Big Baby.

I told my luthier about it when I dropped off my Gibson and he said I should sell it. We'll see. If I still don't play her like she's my dream guitar - she is - then I might well see her after all.

I hope to have her back tomorrow or Monday at the latest. But I can't belive I've been choosing to play my fairly cheap Big Baby more often than not over my fairly expensive Hummingbird. It's a bizare world for sure!

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Are you sure the reason you don't play the Gibson is the fear of starting to give it some patina?

Play it.
 
I used to be a one bass for everything man. But of late I am developing worrying tendencies to looking for different basses for different jobs Fretless 4 string for my Pino moments, fretted 5 string most stuff, fretted 4 string slap and funk, where will it end. Trouble is I have to take them all to gigs and they weigh a ton.
 
Are you sure the reason you don't play the Gibson is the fear of starting to give it some patina?

Play it.

I'll admit I was a bit worried about keeping her in pristine condition at first, but I've got over that. She still looks and sounds great, but for pure playability, the Big Baby absolutely is spot on whereas the Gibson's close, very close, but no cigar. I hope to be smoking a big fat one tomorrow, though ;)
 
Long ago, I had a 'Sakura' Rickenbacker 4001 copy. I foolishly let it go for a song, and truly wish I still had it. Finish was very similar to this one

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I used to be a one bass for everything man. But of late I am developing worrying tendencies to looking for different basses for different jobs Fretless 4 string for my Pino moments, fretted 5 string most stuff, fretted 4 string slap and funk, where will it end. Trouble is I have to take them all to gigs and they weigh a ton.

I'm just a couch jammer and find myself with acoustic, bass and classical guitars, and possibly an electric at some point in the future. If you carry on playing gigs Gareth, there's only one thing for it - you're gonna need a bigger boat :)
 
I told my luthier about it when I dropped off my Gibson and he said I should sell it.
Which you don't want to do. But what do you like so much about it, apart from the fact that it's your 'dream guitar' for some reason and a legendary guitar model.

I am asking this because it used to be my dream guitar too, until I played one. It was, sorry, a disappointment soundwise (well that may have been my fault, Keith Richards could bloody well make it sound) and especially the playability was so-so. Though I admit that I had tried a full-blown taylor just beforehand - everything else comes second.
 
Which you don't want to do. But what do you like so much about it, apart from the fact that it's your 'dream guitar' for some reason and a legendary guitar model.

I am asking this because it used to be my dream guitar too, until I played one. It was, sorry, a disappointment soundwise (well that may have been my fault, Keith Richards could bloody well make it sound) and especially the playability was so-so. Though I admit that I had tried a full-blown taylor just beforehand - everything else comes second.

My aunt had an Epiphone Hummingbird lookalike from the '70s (I think she still has it although from what I gather, it's in the loft where it's been for over a decade) and compared to the Yamaha acoustic I owned at the time, it was incredibly beautiful, sounded sumptuously rich and just had a 'Wow!' factor my Yamaha simply never had. Since then, I've always had an urge to own one of my own; since then, it's been my dream acoustic guitar.

I'm more pragmatic now, so if her playability isn't where it needs to be when we meet again, I'll have two choices: keep her as an attractive, occasionally interactive ornament or sell her. I mean what's the point of owning an expensive aspirational guitar if she's only going to be played now and again? We'll see what happens.
 
Long ago, I had a 'Sakura' Rickenbacker 4001 copy. I foolishly let it go for a song, and truly wish I still had it. Finish was very similar to this one

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I bought a PFM member's Rickenboker recently—I'll be comparing it with a real one in November, but it's Ricky enough for me!

My current fav? A Gizmotron-enabled Squire Strat.

Stephen
 
I used to be a one bass for everything man. But of late I am developing worrying tendencies to looking for different basses for different jobs Fretless 4 string for my Pino moments, fretted 5 string most stuff, fretted 4 string slap and funk, where will it end. Trouble is I have to take them all to gigs and they weigh a ton.

Check Joe Osborn. Did x000s of recordings on 1 bass and 20 year old strings.
 
wonderful, a thread that distracts me from the 'oh britian...' and 'brexit:...' threads. (still can't believe that we've voted for this humongous disaster, but there you go....)

anyway, here are a couple of my guitars, THAT 1963 strat, an eric johnson strat, and a gibson 335. also have 2 taylors, a baby and a ltd edition 810. the 335 was sold and replaced (hurriedly!) by a 339 which i love very much. now looking for a tele deluxe to complete the lineup :)


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cheers wh. that 'worn' look is what you get with a guitar that's over 50 years old. i have played it often ...and well! around london and cambridge in the 1970's mainly. many happy days.
 
You've owned that guitar since the '70s? Bloody hell! I was born in '73 and the thing I own that I've had the longest is my trouser belt; which I bought in 1990 (somehow it still fits lol). I've had my classical since 1999 and my Taylor Big Baby since 2005, but I've got a long way to go before either of them will have been in my possession for anywhere near 40 years. Seriously, stand up and take a bow, that's an astonishing achievement considering it's been well and truly played!
 
I have a Fender Custom '72 Tele and a Yamaha SG2000.

I bought an Eko Ranger in 1972 and gave it away last year to a good home. It was still playing pretty well.
 
i would have bought it around 1973. i gigged with it heavily for the next ten years almost. it's a lovely machine, very responsive and quite light. the neck is stamped feb 63 so it would have been around 10 years old when i got it, though i must admit i didn't fully realise what i was buying at the time!

don't panic wh, you're well on the way...another 10 years and you'll be wondering where it all went ;)

just make the most of your guitars while you have them. they're made to be played, not looked at....even though your h/bird does look like a lovely machine! and they appreciate being played!
 
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