Hey All,
I've not been as active in this and other places lately as I have a new love! Had it for two weeks now and thought I'd share.
A bit of background. Music has always been like integral to my soul - I could not imagine a world without music. When I was younger my response to music was to dance. I did exhibition folk, square dance social dance and in the 80s when it was big swing dancing 3 4 and sometimes 5 nights a week. I taught dance at a junior college as well. I used to enter contests doing the lifts flips everything and won at least my share. Well I married somebody with no sense of rhythm and did get her square dancing. Along the way my kids got into music and I picked up the mandolin to play with my daughter - never good just passable at rhythm chop chords. Also a fair bit of harmonica (I have 7 of them). I also bought a gretsch projet which I love but am always "tied" to my amp (Bugera V5) with it which I found just became a bit too much of a drag - having to go into another room unheated in the winter to play by myself. Love that Gretsch though. Meanwhile I have been a youtube fanatic and have found incredibly good music I never knew existed. I could spend a few hours on youtube music when it's good instead of looking at a TV. I thank youtube for turning me onto some of the best music on planet earth. But at some point you have to say is this it? Youtube or a isolated room with an electric guitar? I decided to try buying an acoustic so I could play anywhere in the house.
The original budget was approx $500 and was intended for a Taylor GS Mini - nice guitar and I may buy one yet but I made a very very very serious mistake and went into the high end rooms (you know humidity controlled sliding glass doors) of the local guitar stores and with my limited very very limited abilities played everything. At the end of the day I liked Taylor but the high shimmery highs just were not my thing day in and day out, there were not enough Larrivee's to try but what a guitar (my next acoustic will likely be a Larrivee), there weren't enough Gibsons to try, there were no Guilds and that took me to Marty (in the pics) - the sound of a good Martin is awesome. Marty is never far away and I reach for Marty alot. Yeah he tripled my expenditure but I'd be toast (wife rules ya know) if I tried buying a 2 or 3 thousand dollar guitar. I can't even tell you how much more time I put in on this guitar than my Gretsch - not because it is better - I love both - but because it is so accessible. Yeah I'm still aannaallllyy careful about "hurting" it but it is always there - so my fingers are not on the keyboard in front of a monitor as much.
It does "steal" time from my photography but not from golf or dog work (my lab - she won't allow it). FS9 I think is now basically a winter thing.
Anyway I've no idea how many here are into music and/or instruments like the guitar but thought I'd share.
-Ed-
PS For the techies - Martin GPCPA4 RW meaning Grand performer (smaller than a dread) cut a way Performing Artist series 4 back and sides solid east indian rosewood top solid sitka spruce has fishman pickup (not aura) system.
PSS Sorry I had to turn everything sideways - the rules of this site allow wide but not deep.
I've not been as active in this and other places lately as I have a new love! Had it for two weeks now and thought I'd share.
A bit of background. Music has always been like integral to my soul - I could not imagine a world without music. When I was younger my response to music was to dance. I did exhibition folk, square dance social dance and in the 80s when it was big swing dancing 3 4 and sometimes 5 nights a week. I taught dance at a junior college as well. I used to enter contests doing the lifts flips everything and won at least my share. Well I married somebody with no sense of rhythm and did get her square dancing. Along the way my kids got into music and I picked up the mandolin to play with my daughter - never good just passable at rhythm chop chords. Also a fair bit of harmonica (I have 7 of them). I also bought a gretsch projet which I love but am always "tied" to my amp (Bugera V5) with it which I found just became a bit too much of a drag - having to go into another room unheated in the winter to play by myself. Love that Gretsch though. Meanwhile I have been a youtube fanatic and have found incredibly good music I never knew existed. I could spend a few hours on youtube music when it's good instead of looking at a TV. I thank youtube for turning me onto some of the best music on planet earth. But at some point you have to say is this it? Youtube or a isolated room with an electric guitar? I decided to try buying an acoustic so I could play anywhere in the house.
The original budget was approx $500 and was intended for a Taylor GS Mini - nice guitar and I may buy one yet but I made a very very very serious mistake and went into the high end rooms (you know humidity controlled sliding glass doors) of the local guitar stores and with my limited very very limited abilities played everything. At the end of the day I liked Taylor but the high shimmery highs just were not my thing day in and day out, there were not enough Larrivee's to try but what a guitar (my next acoustic will likely be a Larrivee), there weren't enough Gibsons to try, there were no Guilds and that took me to Marty (in the pics) - the sound of a good Martin is awesome. Marty is never far away and I reach for Marty alot. Yeah he tripled my expenditure but I'd be toast (wife rules ya know) if I tried buying a 2 or 3 thousand dollar guitar. I can't even tell you how much more time I put in on this guitar than my Gretsch - not because it is better - I love both - but because it is so accessible. Yeah I'm still aannaallllyy careful about "hurting" it but it is always there - so my fingers are not on the keyboard in front of a monitor as much.
It does "steal" time from my photography but not from golf or dog work (my lab - she won't allow it). FS9 I think is now basically a winter thing.
Anyway I've no idea how many here are into music and/or instruments like the guitar but thought I'd share.
-Ed-
PS For the techies - Martin GPCPA4 RW meaning Grand performer (smaller than a dread) cut a way Performing Artist series 4 back and sides solid east indian rosewood top solid sitka spruce has fishman pickup (not aura) system.
PSS Sorry I had to turn everything sideways - the rules of this site allow wide but not deep.