# The Great Ongoing Guitar Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 31, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172 "2010-01-31T23:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 132
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2623 "2012-06-21T23:03:40Z")
I was referring to the new Fender Marauder. By the way, Guitarfetish is having a clearance sale. [http://www.guitarfetish.com/Spring-Cleaning-BLOWOUT-Sale-At-or-BELOW-COST\_c\_185.html?referer=mailid:36](http://www.guitarfetish.com/Spring-Cleaning-BLOWOUT-Sale-At-or-BELOW-COST_c_185.html?referer=mailid:36) Aaand it looks like the pickguard issue is going to resolve itself in a slightly different manner than planned. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2624 "2012-06-22T01:14:47Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > I was referring to the new Fender Marauder. By the way, Guitarfetish is having a clearance sale. > [Discounted Clearance Guitars](http://www.guitarfetish.com/Spring-Cleaning-BLOWOUT-Sale-At-or-BELOW-COST_c_185.html?referer=mailid:36) > > Aaand it looks like the pickguard issue is going to resolve itself in a slightly different manner than planned. Wow, a triplebucker? Huh. Kids these days. šŸ™‚ Thanks for the pointer to the GFS clearance, itā€™s been sparse in there for quite a while. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2625 "2012-06-22T15:35:20Z")
Itā€™s wired like a HSS strat. But I really like the offset nature, the jazzmaster neck pickup, and the old '70s headstock. Sounds pretty good, too. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2626 "2012-06-23T22:07:17Z")
Thereā€™s an 1840 Martin at the 12th Fret in Toronto that folks over in the Vintage Corner message board are drooling over, including me: > **[The Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum-Wow! Look what's at the 12th Fret in...](https://umgf.com/wow-look-what-s-at-the-12th-fret-in-toronto-t136035.html)** > > What a find!Ā  An all original Martin & Coupa dating from the 1840's from New York.Ā  Amazing condition!Ā  Be still, my beating heart! http://www. CF Martin came to the States in 1833. This is a museum-quality guitar and just beautiful. Thought Iā€™d share; hope you enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2627 "2012-06-24T06:59:45Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Thereā€™s an 1840 Martin at the 12th Fret in Toronto that folks over in the Vintage Corner message board are drooling over, including me: > > [Wow! Look what's at the 12th Fret in Toronto ... !!!! - The Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum](http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/136035/Wow-Look-what-s-at-the-12th-Fret-in-Toronto) > > CF Martin came to the States in 1833. This is a museum-quality guitar and just beautiful. Thought Iā€™d share; hope you enjoy. Wow! Thanks for sharing that. Amazing condition, considering the age. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2628 "2012-06-25T01:10:03Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Itā€™s wired like a HSS strat. But I really like the offset nature, the jazzmaster neck pickup, and the old '70s headstock. Sounds pretty good, too. I think it looks pretty cool, too. And I watched the demo video on Fenderā€™s site, and it sounds nice as well. I was surprised that the top ā€œbladeā€ wasnā€™t darker sounding, but it had a nice bright, punchy sound. ---
**Author:** ![frailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8dc957/32.png) [@frailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frailer)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2629 "2012-06-26T04:39:31Z")
Guitars I am currently using: Acoustic: 1. 1992 Takamine D-28 copy 2. 2005 Johnson Red Cliff 12-string 3. 2011 Wayne Scott Jumbo Archtop Electric: 1. 1987 Fender American Vintage Stratocaster (all original) 2. Austin Strat copy Amplifiers: 1. Crate C-60 2. Fender G-Dec 15 (main amp). The song Iā€™m currently working on is I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) by The Electric Prunes. For inspiration, watch some of your favorite players in action. It helped me quite a bit. -Larry ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2630 "2012-06-28T20:08:50Z")
[Link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtG5bT13m8U&list=UUDcSZ1Wjn8A36CCakDV6V8A&index=1&feature=plcp&cid=nl%3A262310136&utm_medium=email&utm_source=usmasterworks-tedeschitrucksband&utm_campaign=email-usmasterworks-tedeschitrucksband-20120628-nl262310136&utm_content=nllink-fa268bb-world%20premiere%20of%20our%20new%20video%2C%20for%20%22Darling%20Be%20Home%20Soon%22) I remember that **Wordman** appreciated a good slide guitar performance and who better to give one than Derek Trucks. At the 5:30 mark he starts a slow solo buildup to some furious playing. The film quality is excellent and they give you want you want - closeups of the musician playing. Itā€™s almost a clinic. The only drawback (besides the 30 sec ad before the clip) is that Youtube has plastered a Nicki Manage Ad all around the video box. I know I sound rude but it just seems wrong to show the face of a plastic pop star while a quality vocalist like Susan Tedeschi is singing. Luckily the video quality is good enough that I could take it full screen and make the ad disappear. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2631 "2012-06-28T20:58:07Z")
Canā€™t wait to check this out - thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2632 "2012-06-29T07:56:22Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > The only drawback (besides the 30 sec ad before the clip) is that Youtube has plastered a Nicki Manage Ad all around the video box. I know I sound rude but it just seems wrong to show the face of a plastic pop star while a quality vocalist like Susan Tedeschi is singing. Luckily the video quality is good enough that I could take it full screen and make the ad disappear. Since that doesnā€™t happen to me, Iā€™m going to once more give thanks to the combination of Firefox and [AdBlock Plus](http://adblockplus.org/en/). The only time Iā€™m ever aware of ads on the internet is when I see other people complaining about them. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2633 "2012-07-05T19:13:29Z")
I just wanted to toss a quick link to the Premier Guitar [gallery](http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2012/Jul/GALLERY_Montreal_Guitar_Show_2012.aspx) from this yearā€™s MontrĆ©al Guitar Show. Sadly, I was unable to attend. It has now changed to a biennial event, so the next one will be in 2014. Iā€™m hoping to be thereā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2634 "2012-07-05T22:22:36Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > I just wanted to toss a quick link to the Premier Guitar [gallery](http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2012/Jul/GALLERY_Montreal_Guitar_Show_2012.aspx) from this yearā€™s MontrĆ©al Guitar Show. Sadly, I was unable to attend. It has now changed to a biennial event, so the next one will be in 2014. Iā€™m hoping to be thereā€¦ Wow, that resonator on pages 9 & 10 looks amazing. I donā€™t really grasp how you would play such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2635 "2012-07-06T02:18:10Z")
Going by the appearance, the bridge and nut are both high enough that I donā€™t think you could play with anything other than a slide. I think itā€™s meant to be more of a Veena (or Vina is the other spelling in Latin characters) than a guitar. Grant Wickland has built several instruments for Harry Manx, including - [German Silver resonator guitar.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9Ws0CmvF1Q) [Black Walnut and Brass 6-String Banjo.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wspjACrHWuQ) [Box Dobro.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUEBi9NOzKE) Hereā€™s Harry playing the [Mohan Veena](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn17wun1FEc). ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2636 "2012-07-06T23:01:12Z")
ā€¦and some more shots in [an article from Acoustic Guitar](http://www.acousticguitar.com/article/default.aspx?articleid=28217) magazine. Dang, Iā€™m wishing Iā€™d gone this yearā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2637 "2012-07-06T23:52:40Z")
Nice stuff, Ministre. And thanks for the extra Veena/Vina info. Have you ever played a fan fret guitar? Whatā€™s that supposed to be like? They look so odd, I think theyā€™d be odder to play. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2638 "2012-07-07T12:52:02Z")
Iā€™ve played several, at the 2010 MontrĆ©al Guitar Show and at the home of my friend Ed Klein. (His guitar, The Ellipse, is a fan-fret.) It took about 5-10 minutes of noodling to get the basic hang of it; essentially, it is based on the way your fingers work. Iā€™ve never played one in concert, but my main hesitation is financial. The more I talk about getting a harp guitar or a 8-, 9-, or 10-string, the more luthiers start suggesting fan-fret as the only practical way to make that work. Aaaand how much do I need to earn with my present collection before I can talk about getting someone to build an $8,000 to $10,000 instrument? My two big caveats: I have no idea what it would be like to switch between a fan-fretted instrument and a straight fretted instrument in concert, but I think that might take some serious getting used to, and: The instruments Iā€™ve played were all acoustic ā€˜Artā€™ guitars, whether classical, archtop or dreadnought steelie - it just never occurred to me to try a series of parallel open fifth power chords on the lower 3 or 4 strings. Iā€™d have to try it before I could say this definitively, but I donā€™t think that would be any fun at all. And playing overhand looks like itā€™d be right outā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2639 "2012-07-07T19:58:48Z")
If you think the following is basically accurate, please tell me why you think it is the case. If you donā€™t, please donā€™t ask me to support it, because itā€™s just an idea I have for which I have done no research, and is based purely on my personal observations. To wit: Why are bluegrass musicians much more likely to use Martin acoustic dreadnoughts, while rock musicians are more likely to use Gibsons? I have personally left off why I think this would be the case for the time being, so as not to unduly influence any who choose to answer. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2640 "2012-07-07T21:34:45Z")
Ministre, thanks for the reply. Yeah, I was also thinking that barring anything near the nut would be darned uncomfortable. I canā€™t play overhand, so no opinion there. Wiki says the main advantage to fan frets is deeper tone and better tuning ā€“ what did you mean about it being how your fingers work? Wiki mentions ergonomics but gives no details. I can see maybe the notion that you have to turn your wrist less on higher frets because of the angling, is that what youā€™re referring to? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2641 "2012-07-07T22:07:51Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > If you think the following is basically accurate, please tell me why you think it is the case. If you donā€™t, please donā€™t ask me to support it, because itā€™s just an idea I have for which I have done no research, and is based purely on my personal observations. To wit: > > Why are bluegrass musicians much more likely to use Martin acoustic dreadnoughts, while rock musicians are more likely to use Gibsons? I have personally left off why I think this would be the case for the time being, so as not to unduly influence any who choose to answer. I really donā€™t know, but Iā€™d guess that since rock is amplified and bluegrass isnā€™t, a bluegrass lead player would favor a really bright, and especially LOUD guitar to compete with the other acoustic instruments. Maybe the Martin fits that requirement? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/2642 "2012-07-08T15:22:11Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > If you think the following is basically accurate, please tell me why you think it is the case. If you donā€™t, please donā€™t ask me to support it, because itā€™s just an idea I have for which I have done no research, and is based purely on my personal observations. To wit: > > Why are bluegrass musicians much more likely to use Martin acoustic dreadnoughts, while rock musicians are more likely to use Gibsons? I have personally left off why I think this would be the case for the time being, so as not to unduly influence any who choose to answer. Coming to this a few days late. Been away, and fwiw, will probably be laying low and lurking for a bit - lots going on IRL. To speak to this post, yes, that is the conventional wisdom, with Country a blend of Martin and Gibson. Itā€™s based a lot simply on role models/tradition - we play what our heroes play. But, using electrics guitars as an analogy: Martins are more like Fenders - funtamentally great at clean sounds, crisp attack with great string separation. Gibsons are more like, well, Gibsons - warmer, thicker-sounding; if you play them harder, the energy starts to convert to a ā€œdistortionā€ sooner - the chords you play compress together with less string separation. A bad Gibson gets muddy; a great Gibson sounds like you hooked up a dirtbox to it (at a very low setting of course). Thatā€™s a great foundational rhythm tone for rock. With those generalizations, the tendencies for each make to fit with certain genres makes sense. But the generalizations I shared are old school and mostly associated with vintage examples of Martins and Gibsons - each company today has models which have features of the old designs of each brand these days - the vintage designs have become ā€œcanonā€ that pretty much all makers, big and small, build from - again, like the canonized Strat, Tele, Les Paul and 335 designs for electrics. And it doesnt take into account the emergence of Taylor, which has made huge inroads in the strummy Rock and pop-Country areas, but little in Bluegrass. Or that exceptions abound - e.g. Stephen Stills and other rockers playing Martins. Bottom line is to play whatever moves you to keep playing. Hope this helps. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=131) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=133)