# 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:** 170
**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:** [October 30, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3384 "2013-10-30T17:22:45Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > faux mother-of-toilet-seat! Pearloid? ---
**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:** [November 3, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3385 "2013-11-03T22:56:17Z")
Welp, I made Premier Guitar. > **[Gallery: Bottom Feeder Reader's Edition](https://www.premierguitar.com/gallery-bottom-feeder-readers-edition)** > > We asked to see your best bargain gear finds in the Bottom Feeder world—and what a wonderful world it is! Here are some of the cheap and unique instruments Premier Guitar readers are wheelin’ and dealin’ around the world. No idea why, really. [http://www.guitarfetish.com/Strat-Style-Bodies\_c\_75.html](http://www.guitarfetish.com/Strat-Style-Bodies_c_75.html) You like Mother of Pearl? Check this out. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2013, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3386 "2013-11-03T23:03:46Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Welp, I made Premier Guitar. > [http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/19900-gallery-bottom-feeder-readers-edition](http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/19900-gallery-bottom-feeder-readers-edition) > No idea why, really. The tenth pic in the gallery is your Canvas guitar. Nice! > [@](#): > > [http://www.guitarfetish.com/Strat-Style-Bodies\_c\_75.html](http://www.guitarfetish.com/Strat-Style-Bodies_c_75.html) > You like Mother of Pearl? Check this out. I assume you’re referring to [this body](http://www.guitarfetish.com/Black-Mother-of-Pearl-Lightweight-Stratocaster-Style-Body-Cream-Binding_p_8886.html#). Damn, that is ugly. But I don’t like pearloid – I chucked the pearloid pickguard that came with my Tele, replacing it with a plain one – so maybe that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3387 "2013-11-03T23:19:00Z")
How fun is that? Cool!! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3388 "2013-11-06T01:16:53Z")
[http://www.frettedamericana.com/news-article/news-flash-major-theft](http://www.frettedamericana.com/news-article/news-flash-major-theft) > **[The Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum-Major Vintage Instrument Theft at Fretted...](https://umgf.com/major-vintage-instrument-theft-at-fretted-american-t153723.html)** > > I just saw that Fretted American had huge chunk of inventory stolen a few weeks ago.  If anyone if offered any instruments in the near future keep th 134 Instruments and amps. Fretted Americana is a big online/YouTube presence. Lots of high-end vintage guitars, being demo’d by a great journeyman player Phil X (he subbed for Richie Sambora during a rehab stint). Really a huge crime… ---
**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:** [November 6, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3389 "2013-11-06T01:36:31Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > [NEWS FLASH - MAJOR THEFT | Fretted Americana Inc.](http://www.frettedamericana.com/news-article/news-flash-major-theft) > > [Major Vintage Instrument Theft at Fretted Americana - The Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum](http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/153723/Major-Vintage-Instrument-Theft-at-Fretted-Americana) > > 134 Instruments and amps. Fretted Americana is a big online/YouTube presence. Lots of high-end vintage guitars, being demo’d by a great journeyman player Phil X (he subbed for Richie Sambora during a rehab stint). > > Really a huge crime… Wow, those guys backed up a freaking moving van to that place. I’ll note that the quite a few of those instruments weren’t “vintage”, but it was still quite a haul. Huh, I used to own one of these, bought it from my guitar teacher when I was 15: “9.00 1971 Fender Competition Mustang 305537 Competition Red with cream”. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2013, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3390 "2013-11-06T12:23:22Z")
A fun video of my friend, [Benjamin Stein](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV-rk-fRJgE), playing and talking about his theorbo. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3391 "2013-11-07T06:06:34Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > A fun video of my friend, [Benjamin Stein](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV-rk-fRJgE), playing and talking about his theorbo. Damn, that was nice. Now I want one. To go with all those other stringed instruments I don’t have. 🙂 His theorbo struck me as like a [harp guitar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harp_guitar) in a far distant way. Less flexible, more lute-ish, but still having unfrettable bass strings with frettable melody strings. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3392 "2013-11-07T06:43:25Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > His theorbo struck me as like a [harp guitar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harp_guitar) in a far distant way. Less flexible, more lute-ish, but still having unfrettable bass strings with frettable melody strings. Me too. When I first saw the post I thought “What’s a theorbro? A theoretical dorbro?”. When I opened the link, it immediately made me think of Michael Hedges’ harp guitar. I don’t think of getting an upright bass because they’re just too much of a pain to store and move. The theorbro looks like it has those problems, and it looks delicate, too. Neat instrument, though. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3393 "2013-11-07T15:37:09Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > A fun video of my friend, [Benjamin Stein](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV-rk-fRJgE), playing and talking about his theorbo. Cool instrument, great music - but mostly, what a wonderful musician and great story about how he came to this instrument and how it fits into his musical life. He must be cool to have as a friend. And he is playing Purcell, makes a point about the vocal - then sings with a beautiful voice. And he says he plays Gospel piano? Oy. He punches way above my weight 😉 Really a well-done video - thank you for sharing it. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3394 "2013-11-07T16:30:00Z")
I only hang with the coolest people , and that includes my friends on The Dope! ---
**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:** [November 7, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3395 "2013-11-07T16:34:15Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > I don’t think of getting an upright bass because they’re just too much of a pain to store and move. The theorbro looks like it has those problems, and it looks delicate, too. Neat instrument, though. Yeah, remember a few months back when my friend dropped his cell phone on my classical and put a nasty crack in it? If he’d done the same move on a lute or theorbo, it would have gone through the soundboard like an anvil through a canoe. The local luthier who repairs them is just about ready to quit because of how delicate they are. And they won’t go in the overhead bin, either. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3396 "2013-11-07T18:22:05Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Yeah, remember a few months back when my friend dropped his cell phone on my classical and put a nasty crack in it? If he’d done the same move on a lute or theorbo, it would have gone through the soundboard like an anvil through a canoe. The local luthier who repairs them is just about ready to quit because of how delicate they are. > > And they won’t go in the overhead bin, either. 😉 And a tiny bit of reading on lutes shows they like the softwoods like spruce for the tops (shivers). I can’t be trusted with my all-mahogany Epiphone acoustic, and my violin bridges had short lives. Never mind the overhead bin, I’d turn a period instrument to kindling while climbing on stage. Look, scabpicker, but don’t touch! You’ll have to sell all of your guitars to replace it! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3397 "2013-11-08T02:18:06Z")
Not being a player I don’t frequent this thread, but I thought you guys might enjoy this: [Bill Nelson and the Gentlemen Rocketeers performing Sister Seagull](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQxx978499U) (a rare treat for Be Bop Deluxe fans!) ---
**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:** [November 8, 2013, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3398 "2013-11-08T07:08:17Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > And a tiny bit of reading on lutes shows they like the softwoods like spruce for the tops (shivers). What? There’s a zillion regular acoustic guitars that have spruce tops, and they seem quite durable, and spruce seems to be an attractive wood for this purpose. Why would that be problematic wood for the face of a theorbo? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3399 "2013-11-08T14:02:07Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > What? There’s a zillion regular acoustic guitars that have spruce tops, and they seem quite durable, and spruce seems to be an attractive wood for this purpose. Why would that be problematic wood for the face of a theorbo? Nothing’s wrong with using a softwood for a top, it’s just not durable when compared to a hardwood. You can mark softwoods like cedar and spruce easilty with your fingernails. Hardwoods like mahogany and maple, not so much. **Le Ministre** had a cell phone drop on his softwood top, and had to get his guitar repaired. Conversely, I think I’d have to try to brain someone with my all-mahogany Epiphone acoustic before it’d be damaged. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3400 "2013-11-08T14:22:08Z")
I was under the impression that **Le Ministre** was saying that lutes and theorbos have a top that is either thinner or more lightly braced vs. a flattop acoustic. That might be the case - nylon/gut strings have less tension, and there is a desire to increase volume, so a thinner top might be possible. Coupled with the soft qualities of spruce, sure, there’s a risk. ::Googles:: Okay: [http://www.murphylutes.com/the-lute](http://www.murphylutes.com/the-lute) > [@](#): > > The top of the lute, the soundboard or belly, is crucial in determining the the sound of the instrument. It is made of spruce, a resonant wood which is also used for the violin family and the guitar. The soundboard is cut from trees which are 200 or 300 years old which have grown in the Alps above 1000m. This means that the trees grow slowly and produce very fine grained wood making the soundboard more resonant and stable.The soundboard is extremely thin, between 1 and 2 mm thick. It is strengthened by a system of internal cross bars, also in spruce. An acoustic flattop’s top is usually 1/10" to 1/8" thick - not too different. ---
**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:** [November 8, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3401 "2013-11-08T16:41:35Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I was under the impression that **Le Ministre** was saying that lutes and theorbos have a top that is either thinner or more lightly braced vs. a flattop acoustic. That might be the case - nylon/gut strings have less tension, and there is a desire to increase volume, so a thinner top might be possible. Coupled with the soft qualities of spruce, sure, there’s a risk. > > ::Googles:: > > Okay: [http://www.murphylutes.com/the-lute](http://www.murphylutes.com/the-lute) > > An acoustic flattop’s top is usually 1/10" to 1/8" thick - not too different. I would have said that lutes and their cousins depend on the thinness of the top and the bowl shape of the back and sides to solve the volume dilemma, whereas modern steel strings use a higher string tension and brace the top for the greater structural stress. I remember spending an entire class of History and Literature of the Guitar talking about the effect of fan bracing, as initially developed by [Antonio de Torres Jurado](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Torres_Jurado). The bracing on a lute/theorbo/chitarrone/vihuela/did I forget anybody?/archlute is the barest minimum possible, to allow maximum vibration of the top. For easier comparison, lutes, etc. tend to be 1 to 2 mm vs. 2.54mm - 3.175 mm for modern acoustic guitars. One of the ways in which I was lucky in the cellphone incident is that the crack happened in the centre of a fairly small triangle between two braces and the side, giving it little chance to propagate. I will light a candle to St. Cecilia in gratitude. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3402 "2013-11-08T18:34:32Z")
Ah, that is a bigger relative difference in thickness. Yeah, that would matter when it comes to impact. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/3403 "2013-11-09T02:48:09Z")
Out of curiosity, how do YOU finger a B chord? If the answer is “it depends”, please explain. I’m finding that barring the first fret with my index finger and the third fret with my ring finger works pretty well for me but if that’s a bad habit, I’d like to nip it in the bud before I get too attached to it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=169) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=171)