I just read the post above to my wife. Before I got the last line out, she interjected, " A divorce?".

No worries.
Les

^^^^^ lol

My wife has given up worrying about my guitar problem. Have 19. Thinning the herd mind you of the ones I don't really play. She lives a comfortable life, drives nice cars and travels often to the other side of the globe to her "happy place"... Gives me some freedom. Not even sure she knows about the last commission build that came into the house, or she is a better actress than I give here credit for..... lol

David Crosby—A Life Acoustic, His Story as Seen Through the Prism of His Guitars

https://acousticguitar.com/david-crosby-a-life-acoustic-his-story-as-seen-through-the-prism-of-his-guitars/?utm_source=Acoustic+Guitar&utm_campaign=41a993cc7 6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_AGD_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_te rm=0_c8a2f76447-41a993cc76-365539404&mc_cid=41a993cc76&mc_eid=136f295ff7

Very cool! Thanks for sharing….

An interesting discussion on tonewoods and grain.

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Does anyone recognize these tuners? They are on an old Gibson that I butchered many years ago, and have decided to resurrect..

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1674522672.jpg

This was a Gibson ES-125-3/4 from the S/N I think it was made between 1958-1961, kind of like me. Originally it was one pick up single volume and tone..

I remember the original pick up was a soap bar...

I decided dual DiMarzio humbuckers wired up with coil taps was the way things should be... Silly me..

Picture is after I removed all my previous mods..... I've just pulled this out of mothballs and decided I'm going to build it up again.. Seymore-Duncan but probably Wolfetone pick ups to support a fellow Porsche enthusiast


I'll get a Mad Hatter wiring kit and go from there..


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1674523218.jpg

Why not put the original style tuners on it again? It would cover up all the traces on the back of the headstock. Did it come with Klusons? I don't know if they're any good, but there's probably replicas as well as originals?

https://www.kluson.com/kluson-3-on-a-plate-deluxe-series-tuning-machines-details.html

Those tuners look like old Alvarez tuners. Got any pics of the soap bar?? I was in the guitar business years ago have thousands of parts et if you need anything, also still do neck resets, fret jobs et.

I don't have any of the original hardware from that guitar.. apparently lost in one of my moves years ago..

I don't think I can use the original style tuners... apparently I drilled out the holes to fit the new tuners...

I bought the tuners that are on the guitar from either Manny's Music on 48Th in NYC, or Sam Ash (Possibly Gracins) In Hempstead...

Even if you had the original tuners, they’d probably be wasted, anyway. Looks like the the original holes are still there, or you could drill them out. It would look a lot better, covering up all the stuff there, and be authentic.

A question. I am considering taking up fingerstyle. I have been a bass player for years (past life) and think learning a new skill might be fun and good for my brain.

I had a 000 mahogany way back in the 1980's. Loved it. It broke. Long story. I am drawn to parlor and OM sizes. Any recommendations? Thoughts? Do I need a 1 3/4 inch nut? I have a sweet archtop that I LOVE. Should I just play that? TIA!

I play finger style about 70 percent of the time. What style of music are you interested in? There are some great courses on TrueFire

I have a Martin 000-28ec which I find great for finger style but for the last 30 odd years I’ve just used what I had, mostly a Santa Cruz 12 fret dred with a 1 7/8 nut. The extra space is great for finger style but i much prefer the 1 3/4 on my martins. I also have a gibson L-00 that is great for finger style

The thing with smaller body, shorter scale guitars besides comfort, is their sensitivity which is very important for finger style.. however there are larger guitars like my Santa Cruz or my Martin d-41 which are very responsive to finger style even though they are large guitars

Also, I don’t use finger picks. Whether you will is up to you. I would focus on artists that inspire you and study what they do.

Finger style could mean playing like Chet Atkins (and the entire list of artists who continue on with his style like Doyle Dykes and Tommy Emanuel) or Merle Travis or Mississippi john hurt or it could mean playing like John Mayer or Jeff beck or it could mean playing in a classical style, etc….all very different

But honestly It never really mattered to me which guitar I had….tele, Gretsch whatever. Your arch top is likely just fine if it plays well


For something under $2k, check out the Martin 000-15SM

^^^Thanks. MJH is more where I am headed. Been a blues fan for years. My archtop is not particularly sensitive but it sure does project. My wife can hear it in any part of the house even if played quietly.

MJH is what got me into wanting to play with my fingers

There are some good MJH tab books but I have always been unable to follow tab books when it comes to fingerstyle going all the way back to a John Knowles book I bought in the mid 80s....my brain cant do it. I need to see it done to get the nuance

I highly recommend you check out Trufire. The lessons are well worth the money...average about $30 to $50 for the lesson - downloadable or stream on demand from the Truefire app. You could easily spend a year or more with one lesson

I have purchased several blues based finger picking lessons that are very very good

I admit that I do not carve out the time necessary to get my money's worth but I always find that there will be at least a lick or a phrase or a technique that stays with me and becomes part of my style that I will pick up from one of my Truefire practice sessions

This is a cool lesson. I highly recommend digesting it because whether using odd tunings or not, you can really amuse yourself for hours for the rest of your playing life

Back in the 90s i had a GF that bought me a nice deering 5 string banjo. but I just did not enjoy learning scrugg 3 finger rolls no matter how much i like hearing them. instead i naturally started playing very well in clawhammer style and soon transferred that over to guitar because guitar is my main instrument and the style can really have some power when you get it down

molly does it well. just skip to the end at little sadie to see what its about

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I've found that a wider nut helps with fingerstyle playing. My Epiphone Blues Master (Keb'mo plays one) is a 1 7/8" nut. Most of my guitars are 1 3/4". The only 1 11/16" I have are a Martin M-38 and a Furch that I'm going to sell.

I have 5 Furch/ Stonebridge guitars so one has to go.

^^^You guys are great! Thanks! Just the kick in the rear that I needed.

I wonder if the holes for your pegs are bigger than the bushings that should be installed with the tuners. Or maybe there are oversize bushings available if needed.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1674875463.jpg


You could call StewMac to see what suggestions they might have.

https://www.stewmac.com/

Check out this guy's technique

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<iframe width="974" height="548" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9xV0nmojVeg" title="Bell’s Harmonic" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Well,

On a wild hair, I went out and grabbed a sweet OM-21. Considering that my guitar playing has always been marginal and my bass playing is mostly decades in the past. It was a little bit out of character for me.

Whatever. I did it.

I intend to learn fingerstyle blues. The reference above from Ramonesfreak is noted. He was very enthused about it. What else should I look at? I have a strong theory foundation and played jazz, classical, rock, blues, surf and punk in my past. My intent is to do something that works my brain. This is a pre-retirement strategy. I also despise reading music.

TIA!

I don't see how you're not going to like the Martin. Post a pic or two!

I'd suggest calling Stevie Coyle. He's an outstanding guitar player and teacher- he owns a high-end used guitar store in Lafayette, CA called Mighty Fine Guitars. I'm sure he'd be happy to spend a few minutes chatting with you and pointing you in a good direction. He's also a online fingerstyle instructor on PegHead Nation. I think fingerstyle is his forte. I don't know how this compares to what's on TrueFire. You should be able to get a feel for what he's like here:

https://www.pegheadnation.com/string-school/instructors/stevie-coyle

Reading tabs is much more direct than reading music. They chart what fret and string(s) to pluck.

I have a room in the house where I keep the guitars that I'm not playing, temp is 67 to 71*F, humidity is 38 to 41%. The guitars I'm playing I keep in the living room, empty room except for the music stuff, constant 71*, humidity is 35 to 38%.
I'm a rookie, started playing a couple of years back, I think I'm in the ball park for temp and humidity but I'd like some feedback.
Also sizing up my next guitar, looking at the Mexican Strats, any one have one? How do you like it?

Finn

If the two post bridge doesn’t bother you for a few hundred more you can pick up a 90’s American standard. Mexican strats have cheap hardware and pickups and don’t hold their value. Pay $800 walk out the door you have a $500 guitar.

I got my first Mexican Strat for $300 new in 1996. It was in an economic enterprise zone in NJ, so 3% sales tax too. I wouldn't buy one new these days. Too many great deal out there. $500 would get you a very clean one on Craigslist. They are great platforms for modding, since you don't have to worry about vintage value. I out EMGs in mine, sanded the neck down bare and was a very nice guitar. When I get a bigger man cave in the next house, I'll probably grab another.

You can fill holes with Honduran mahagony and re drill to original size.

Hey! I can contribute RE: Mexi Strat.

I have had a few different strats. My second favorite is on the rack now - a Mexican sunburst.

Here is the Ranking: (I may have left one or two off)

#1 1985 Japanese 1963 grey market reissue. Set up by Robert Cray's Luthier and practically played itself. PU's sounded too clear. It was bell-like, which was still cool. (I sold it in 1993 when I bought my first house and thought I needed that $375! Felt like selling my child. Still miss it.)

#2 Mexican Sunburst. It is a higher end Mexican Strat. Not sure the model. Has raised pole piece PU's. Seems like a perfect vintagey strat. Has some growl. Plays very well. Has had a pro-setup prior to me. Looks and feels great.

#3 & 4 Generic Mexi Strats. Meh. Cheap guitar. Pretty good for playing in a rockband where you drink beer and dent up guitars. Sound ok. Feel ok. Nothing wonderful about them. Both were cheap. I think I paid $125 and $150 for them. Get what you pay for.

#5 American Std from the late 80's or early 90's. WHAT A TURD. Yuck. Sounded really bad. Didn't feel right. Uninspiring and disappointing.

The humidity recommendations I see for acoustics is 45-55% or 40-50%, so I think you're a touch on the low side. Maybe you can get a humidifier for the two rooms. I doubt electrics are as sensitive if they're solid bodies.

I've heard good things about PRS electrics. But I don't know about such things.

45-55 RH is right. With electrics I’ve never had an issue with humidity except fret sprout on a few guitars. This is a real crappy problem to have but, with the right set of files is a doable fix. I prefer avoiding this so I do check all my guitars frets every few days. All my guitars have always for almost 40 years been on stands 100% of the time, including acoustics. I have multiple RH gauges in any room where there is a guitar and check daily.

Congrats on the new guitar

Keep it simple. Pick a finger style “style” and stick with it until you’re happy. If you start jumping around from paul Simon style to john hurt style you’re gonna get frustrated. You really need to get your thumb technique down.

I like to take a tune like the stones’ dear doctor and play it finger style. It’s a simple blues progression with a melody you recognize and can adhere to that gives you a foundation or structure to practice finger style technique

All your past experience will help but if guitar is new to you, not being fluid with your chord changes will hamper your development. Make sure you can easily play all chords in open position and stay down there until you have your thumb technique down

Here’s a good free lesson to start with. Don’t worry about the thumb pick. If your comfortable with it I highly recommend it but I’ve never used one except with banjo

https://youtu.be/u0ocjT3gObE

Sorry cant embed with this iPad

Btw, If you do end up trying TrueFire, I recommend Finger Style Blues Factory by David Hamburger

It’s sorta easy but obviously assumes you can get around on guitar

This guy plays great fingerpickin style and picks great songs too...lots of ideas. check out his channel


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Fred Sokolow has some good lessons on YT as well. He teaches at McCabe's in Santa Monica and has lots of lessons available on the web.

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Gibson SG my first electric---humbucking pickups -- gave it to my brother ----DAMN

Well, time to kick this baby back to the top. I was going through my "Stuff" with the Wife and we're putting together a list of things we need to get rid of.

I've got a fishing kayak, a Lincoln 175 wire feed welder and a few guitars. I've got some Rickenbacker's and too many Dreads so that's where I'm cutting back.

Anyhoo, I'm checking out Reverb and some of the guitar forums to figure out pricing and lo and behold, this baby pops up. I've always wanted a Gibson J-200 or 185 and this guy is selling a John Walker "Ruby Elite". It's John Walker's take on a J-185 (he's in Montana and makes about 25 guitars a year).

Here's some pics and a "build sheet"...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1677962910.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1677962929.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1677962951.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1677962987.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1677963009.jpg

So if any Pelicans are looking for a deal on a Rick Fireglo 360 or a Mapleglo 660/12 I'm your guy.

Also thinking of selling a Martin D-21 Special and a Stonebridge D-34SR in Sunburst finish (a Unicorn).

And I'll throw in a set of steak knives to sweeten the deal! :)

Had to look up MJH

<iframe width="733" height="412" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tx29hxvjPfk" title="Mississippi John Hurt Spike driver blues" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Here's a good old tune...

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That's a beautiful jumbo, Craig! Hide glue, some Brazilian, and a short scale. Looks like fun.