SAVE YOUR SANITY.....GIVE UP ACOUSTIC GUITAR!!!!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jud Hair on March 27, 2012 at 2:23pm

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But, if you try sometime
You just might find
You get what you need ...

Permalink Reply by tom blegen on March 26, 2012 at 4:27pm

think of the listener.  can they tell without looking what you're playing??  no way!  a truly fine guitar is a treat to play, my taylor plays better and sounds better than my seagull but i'm not taking it to the campfire.  but, the taylor stays in the case while the seagull leans on the couch and gets played everyday.  david wilcox stopped touring with his olson in favor of a rainsong that he doesn't worry about on the road.  kelly joe phelps is quoted claiming that he doesn't care about his amplified sound very much (and it sounds like he plays with a magnetic pickup) but he plays a d-35 anyway.  occasionally, the stars aline on one of those $200 yamahas that sound and play as well as anything else out there...  on the other end, it's much less common for an expensive guitar to sound really bad.  

i guess the question is: does this guitar inspire me to play, learn, and write more or is it just a finger exerciser?

Permalink Reply by Jud Hair on March 26, 2012 at 5:46pm

Now that's a valid point ... how much value can we place on inspiration?? I haved to say that my Martin DCPA-4 inspires me a lot more than my old Epiphone DR-150 did.  Will a D-28 inspire me that much more??  Maybe.  Honestly though, my Seagull S-6 was the biggest quantum leap in inspiration value I'd had since I was a kid.  The Seagull S-6 (as Ray so aptly pointed out) is a guitar that serves newbies well, but ... (and I'm looking at myself in the mirror as I type this) ... also is one that, if we don't let our egos get in the way, can serve us for a lifetime.

Permalink Reply by Craig MC on March 26, 2012 at 6:15pm

Certainly there is the element of ego, Jud. If we have the Martin or Taylor or iPhone or BMW it announces to the world how sophisticated and successful we must be. That's tied into the deeply ingrained American idea that we always have to have something new. We've been indoctrinated by this consumer culture since we were children to always want something else, never be completely satisfied.

I'm usually aware of it when it starts to creep up on me, but sometimes I lose sight of that monster and before I know it, I'm dreaming of some purchase. Most recently when I was buying my son's Walden, I got caught up in the fever. As usual, after the purchase was made and acquired (not even for me, remember!) the desire faded. That's when I realized it had snuck up on me again. When I sit down with my beautiful S&P Pro Rosewood, a really fine instrument, it just blows me away. It sounds so good to me, I'm certain that if I took it to the local GC and played it along with some of the bling hanging on their wall, I'd leave with my guitar, more satisfied than ever. (Maybe I shouldn't try this little experiment...)

Anyway, this is the reason for looking for new tuner buttons and bridge pins. A little facelift to the old gal to spruce her up a little, and remembering how much I love the sound of this guitar.

Permalink Reply by Jason Derrick on March 29, 2012 at 9:09am

Good point, Craig. I had sort of fallen out of love with my Norman, and the consumer monster convinced me that I needed another, "better" guitar. Now, I do love my new "better" guitar, but I have recently re-discovered my Norman and all it took was a new saddle to fix some intonation issues. Once I get the action just right on it, I'll probably play it much more regularly than I had before!

Permalink Reply by Michael Tellier on April 10, 2012 at 8:16am

I have to agree with you Jason.  When that "I need a new guitar" beast starts growling, I take a stroll among my older guitars.  Not only does it bring me back, but it has also inspired some new songs.  I've been looking at tuner buttons, arm rests, bridge pins, even sound-hole covers.  There's just as much stuff to add, as there are news guitars to look at!  But it's so much fun, isn't it?  :)

Permalink Reply by Jud Hair on April 10, 2012 at 9:12am

You gonna put a pick-up in her??

Permalink Reply by Jason Derrick on April 17, 2012 at 12:43pm

I've been thinking 'bout it!

Permalink Reply by Ron Khoo on March 29, 2012 at 9:59am

Another cure from Acoustic Guitar Syndrome is to go electric.  Actually, I was semi cured from the Electric Guitar Syndrome by moving acoustic.  I still want the Custom Les Paul, the SG, and the PRS.

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