Clayton W's Comments

I am with you on the guitar obcession thing...I love to play them but get a lot of pleasure out of just looking at them. I always have...I guess that's why I have about 28 guitars now. I think I told you before but I have the Gibson J100 extra which is basically a mahogany bodied J-200 without all the glitz, and a J160E which is basicaly a J-45 with lots of glitz and an electric guitar pickup attached to the end of the fingerboard. I alos have a Martin 6 and 12 and a Guild 6 and 12. I just love them all, but I do play them all too...eventually!

I sorry to say that I don't have a tab for Fire and Rain...I have been playing it that way since I learned it by ear off of the original album (yes, the vinyl one)!!!
That's one of the reasons I could never teach guitar...I just know how to do it...which limits me I know. I do another by him called "You Can Close Your Eyes," do you know that one? Talk to you again soon, Edward

P.S. Here is a picture of my Les Paul Signature (1974 or 5)...pretty rare as they didn't make too many of them...mainly becasue no one liked them!
It's kind of like a 335 with a sharper cut away and low impedence pickups!

I haven't taken any pictures of my friend's Dove guitar, but I will... and I will post them for you to see. I will post a picture here of one just like it from the web, but rest assured that it has not one scratch on it and has the original case! Although the one I am posting here for you to see is a 1974 model and has a little damage to the back of the neck, if looks just like heres which was made in 1975. Edward

Oops...my friends guitar is not a Hummingbird, it's a Dove! I guess I just had read your message and had Hummingbird on the brain! Edward

Hey, if you keep going back to that shop and playing that Hummingbird enough times, maybe they will have to mark it "Used" and you can get a better price!!! :-) Edward

Hi Clayton,
I actually have a Gibson 1975 Hummingbird that I am going to seel for a friend of mine. She bought it new in 1975 and played it at home for years until she had some nerve damage and lost of lot of the strength in her hands. She brought it to me and I took it to my repair guy/guitar tech...he put extra lights on it and lowered the actioin to make it easy for her to play. Since hse was only playing with her fingers it didn't buzz for her. She then got a brain tumor which took most of her hand control. She gave it back to me to sell for her. It's in near mint condition and has the original case, in near mint condition too. I think she would let it go for between $1500.00 to $1800.00. She asked me if I was interested and I am really not...I have my eye set on a nice all soild woods classical with a slim nut width for my next guitar...or I would also love tohave a Gibson J200 Junior (like a J-200, but with an 16" body width instead of 17" and a little less decoration) If I decide on the classical I hope to build it though. Since I already have so many guitars (about 28 now) I am in no hurry! Thanks, Edward

Love the SG faded series...my son owns a LP Junior faded like that. I love the Gibson J-45's too. I have a J160E that is basically a J-45 with a pickup at the end of the fingerboard and a vol./tone mounted on the front. Here is the pic and descript. page on my website:

http://mysite.verizon.net/emsparks/photo_gallery/guitar/theguitars/j160e.htm

Since I only build for myself and family (not for sale) I can afford to take as long as I want to build...as little as 6 months on my son's bass and as long as working on my lapsteel now for about three years! For me it is a total labor of love! Edward

Hey Clayton,
Thanks for the nice comment on my Gibson J100 Extra. i love to use my Gibsons and Guilds on stage but I too am a Martin man...I have a D -2-28 and a D-28 that I love to play and record with at home. What tyope of Gibson electric do you have? I have one and here is the link to the page on my website that shows a picture of it and gives a description...it is a rare model Les Paul semi-solid that I think you'd find interesting...Edward

http://mysite.verizon.net/emsparks/photo_gallery/guitar/theguitars/lpsig.htm

P.S. if you do get to go to my site, please feel free to sign the "Guestbook!"

If I learn how to do it then you certainly can too:)Thanks for the comment.

Eric

My only suggestion is to ask someone more experienced tna me, LOL. Seriously, I would styart a discussion on the Newb group with a little more detail as to the problems you have. Several teachers belong to the group as well as others who are further along the learning trail than me.

I've spent most of my practice time learning scales and chord changes lately and I certainly see an improvement, though I have a lot of hard work ahead of me. The best advice I've gotten is to push yourself. Work on the areas which trouble you the most. If you're like me, you prbably play what you are best at because it's fun and sounds good. It's much harder to keep playing things that sound bad (blowing chunks, as a friend has described) and trying to make them sound better. He assures me it's the only way I will improve.

Good luck and let me know how it goes. (I love that song, I've loved it since I heard it over 40 years ago). I wouldn't mind learning it myself.

-Dan

Thanks for the permission. Your original question was (and is) really fun, and in a way very practical when you think about it. At my age I refuse to be paranoid about the young guys at the guitar store even though I'm still new at guitar, and the responses to your question are great ammunition. (Actually I've found most of the guys to be very respectful and helpful.)
Walt

Thanks for the friend request. We like some of the same music -- Clapton, JT. I like some of Jack Johnson and Ben Harper.

-Dan

thank you for your comment much appreciated

Thanks for your comment, and for adding me to your friend list.