Anybody in to guitars?


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For my 14th birthday in August 1964 my older sister Marion took me to The Odeon in Nottingham to see The Beatles in “A Hard Days Night”. I'd started listening to The Fabs when Marion brought home thei

It was done in a flash. It obviously affected his playing momentarily but it didn't detract from the song. He was the absolute master. As I've stated elsewhere on other topics, I've seen nearly every

Into guitars? Yes since 1959. I've had about 9 and I've still got 4 at home. I can strum Michael Row The Boat Ashore and a few similar folk songs. I never got the Hendrix, Clapton, Les Paul thing. I can do a good Hank Marvin's Apache on my 1999 CIJ Strat 62.  Some take to guitar playing like a duck to water but  I can't seem to get it. (But I'm not giving up yet).

I'm now learning to do finger pick, so that's my latest challenge using an acoustic Yamaha apx500iii. Actions a bit high for me but that's all I'm paying for a guitar from now.

I used to buy guitar and guitar player magazines every month but as Chulla points out (and loppy in another thread) you can get sidetracked with gizmos and end up chasing your tail. It's all about the music imo.

Leo Fender's Strat got it right in the 50s, as did Gibson and nothing's really changed. Fender later tried the Jazzmaster as an update but it only really caught a niche surfing market and quite recently it enjoyed a renaissance. For instance, Elvis Costello had one.

In the early 50s Fender successfully made the simple mass producable good sounding, futuristic looking product (with a bolt on neck, no angled head, no scarf joint). Gibson successfully went for updating the traditional jazz archtop style, and produced a modern, loud, feedback-resistant instrument. The goldtop being the icon. 

I can't offer much about acoustics though, all the tone and audio "feel" is there in the woodwork. I think a guitar has to be played for an hour before one gets the feel and whether that is "the one I want".

I think that if you buy a guitar and it completely satisfies you in every aspect for all time, you're lucky. Your taste, appreciation, ability and understanding evolves over time. 

All that from a bloke who can hardly play!. 

You could end up with the dreaded GAS. That's Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.

Only my opinions of course.

 

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12 minutes ago, Willow wilson said:

 

You could end up with the dreaded GAS. That's Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.

 

 

 

That's a very expensive affliction - I'm afraid I have to declare I've got it !!

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I'm in the throes of researching to buy an acoustic tenor, not had one before and it is difficult to decide what to go for. There is no local dealer who has any in stock, but never having played one would not be able to try one out to any meaningful result anyroadup, so am down to buying online. Any help or advice greatly appreciated.

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On 6/26/2018 at 7:37 PM, IAN123. said:

Having a sort out at home..dishing an old crybaby..anyone else have a Copicat?. Were they made in Nottm?Unknown-22-200x240.jpg

 

Watkins Musical Instruments (WEM) were/are based in Chertsey.

The only Nottingham(shire) manufacturers of amps I'm aware of is Carlsbro in Kirkby in Ashfield.

Did you know Bendix made amps in the mid 60s?  see http://forums.vintageguitarandbass.com/showthread.php?2071-Old-70-s-British-Tranny-amp-BEL-cavern-deluxe

They were based on Beech Avenue and my bandmate worked there for a while and bought their Cavern deluxe as a discounted staff purchase. In 1965 it was quite groundbreaking as it featured transistorised circuitry.

I've found this great site about Nottingham bands http://www.playedinaband.com/index.htm

When I was reading through it a few weeks back one of the bands talks about rehearsing in Bendix's canteen and also using their amps. Sorry but I can't remember which band it is but if you spend a bit of time reading through you should find it.

BTW I hope you didn't chuck out your Copicat. The early ones are quite sought after.

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52 minutes ago, IAN123. said:

Thanks for that Mess...Lizzie M on here worked there..Thorn EMI?

Hendrix used WEM.. or HiWatt?

Pedals and such..make up for my poor playing.

Hall Reverb...thats me!

 

Reverb and tremolo effects go back to the Rock & Roll era and then in the mid 60s the fuzz box arrived followed by phasers, flangers, wah wah etc I love them all

The early pedals go for a lot of money on ebay. Wish I'd kept mine.

George Harrison used a volume pedal to great effect on several Beatle tracks such as I Need You, Wait and Here There and Everywhere but IMHO the best volume pedal you'll ever hear is on Dave Berry's The Crying Game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c9W2-uGvQQ

Jimi Hendrix was an early user of WEM at the IOW festival where WEM's PA made it's debut. There's a great article here: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/isle-wight-festival-sound.

I wonder if LizzieM has any more she can add about the Bendix venture into amps in the mid 60s. I wonder if she remembers when Thorn EMI bought out Bendix for example.

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Seems feasible, always formed A shaped bar chords with my third finger as a youngster..developed the thumb over F approach later.

Friends of mine, used their little finger for A shaped bar chords, these were people that had a Guitar Teacher.

Even today, it still catches my eye, I"ll get round to it one day...

 

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That PRS is nice....

Back to Nottingham..

Can I help you Sir?

Given, I have just walked though the door... unlikely. This was the case in Music Inn and Carlsboro in the eighties...

One Christmas eve.Music Inn...Ended up playing an Eggle through a rig Gary Moore would have been proud of!

Only had 40 quid on me.

Running Horse.. here I come..

 

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For my 14th birthday in August 1964 my older sister Marion took me to The Odeon in Nottingham to see The Beatles in “A Hard Days Night”. I'd started listening to The Fabs when Marion brought home their first LP “Please Please Me” in the autumn of 1963, then in December she went out and bought “With The Beatles” and I was hooked. In August the following year my mum and dad bought me my first electric guitar from Jack Brentnall's. Their shop was next door to the old County Hotel and they had some amazing guitars. Mine was a cheap Japanese import called a Freshman. It cost 14 guineas and I plugged it into the back of my dad's Grundig radio trying to emulate my heroes. It took me about 6 months to learn how to play it properly, no thanks to Bert Weedon's “Play in a Day” book which showed wannabe superstars how to play Bobby Shaftoe but was no help at all with John Lennon's mind blowing rhythm guitar playing on “All my Loving” and “I'm Happy Just to Dance with You”
Since then I've played guitar on and off for 56 years. I've had some very good guitars but never a great one.
If you study the picture below you will see George Harrison on the set of AHDN playing his Rickenbacker 360/12. Now that is a great guitar. Olivia Harrison still has George's original and there are probably one or two similar ones from that era that have survived but you would need a second mortgage to buy one assuming one came onto the market in the first place.
Rickenbacker is still a very successful guitar manufacturer based in California and for the last few years they have been producing in limited numbers, an exact replica of George's 360/12. They are very sought after instruments and define the sound of The Beatles from 1964/5. The 360/12 was also used by Roger McGuinn of The Byrds notably on Mr Tambourine Man and many other Byrd’s recordings.
Well, following this lengthy introduction I'm chuffed to bits to tell you my darling wife of over 30 years, Kim, bought me one for my 70th birthday.
It arrived from CA in early August and it's an amazing guitar. Simply the best I've ever owned.
PS I forgot to mention that unlike some other US based guitar manufacturers such as Gibson and Fender, Rickenbacker have resisted the temptation to cut costs and have some models manufactured in Asia. All Rickenbacker guitars are manufactured in their Santa Ana CA factory.
117200158_2924068321036849_46765270661426135_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=f6gMmeHIQ-QAX8_HS-i&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr8-1.xx&tp=6&oh=66ee28fbc5092f679fd6adc2364e63b6&oe=5FD4CBF7
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On 7/13/2018 at 2:01 PM, IAN123. said:

or HiWatt?

If i recall it was Sound City, similar beast, 

The Dave Mann's reference reminded me, bought a JTM 45 from a Nottingham Music Shop "as seen" .

Wouldn't let me try it do to power input, round bakelite..Bulgin? Picked one up at Dave Mann's no prob's..

 

My favourite set is a Strat' with a 70"s Fender Twin reverb,

Also sounds great with 335 or semi acoustic epi'.

Marshall's gave me ' nice' Earache, even at very low volume.

Does your playing approach depend on the equipment your using? Mine does..possibly I'm easily infulenced...

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Just read this thread in full, great stuff, got me thinking!

TBI, iv'e played an EKO 12 string, it was a really nice guitar, made in Italy if  I remember.

Didn't Keith Richards have a Dan Armstrong? Film backstage chatting with Jimi.

Cornford amp's are great, definitely a cheaper, superior option to a hand wired reissue.

 

Anybody owned a Gordon Smith?

 

Regarding pedal's etc, remember the Russian stuff when the wall came down, Sansamp? & others. Built like a tank!

or from a MIG fighter !

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Just googled Sansamp, think I"m wrong here, both did start out in the small-adds of guitar mag's however.

The Russian stuff was odd, sold from domestic premises, did a excellent big muff clone, khaki green. The EL34's were robust. The names will bug me now!

...Phil Boot, Long Eaton?

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21 hours ago, HSR said:

The names will bug me now

 

Think they were manufactured, or more likely branded, as I recall others, as Soltek (spelling).

Apologies for flooding this thread, could go on, but I'll shut up now!;)

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Thank's Roger..

Definitely my last,  I know this a guitar thread but think it applies to Nostalgia in general.

I had roughly between 33 to 36 guitar's for about 15 years.

What's interesting is what I subconsciously chose to keep...

I now have 6, two strats, 60"s Epi' & 335, The other two are probably worth 160quid max, but to me, that ding was Wrexham, another the day I lost it and did a Pete Townsend, waking up in a tent with a mouthful of soil., i would never sell.

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