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Post by JamesP on Mar 16, 2017 15:02:41 GMT -5
Does anyone really play acoustic anymore? I know if you're a bluegrass guy, you do, but does any of the newer generation really play an acoustic guitar as a matter of preference?
I'm too old to really play anymore, but there's so much to learn to really master the acoustic. (Not that I ever did). It seems every member of the millenium children want to play electric, loud with lots of effects. Plain old flatpicking, fingerstyle, great rhythm with fill licks -
I was playing for a living when Rockabilly came along and I know the fascination of the electric through a great amp. But there was a lot of satisfaction for me personally when I first played Wildwood Flower, Under the Double Eagle, Sunnyside of the Mountain, etc. for the first time. Even when the music world started to go fully electric (I remember Jimi Hendrix playing at a local club in Nashville back in the 50s) I still enjoyed playing a Martin D28 or Gibson J45 with the DeArmand pickup in the soundhole.
So, who among the younger generation here really concentrates on getting better on acoustic?
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Post by JamesP on Mar 16, 2017 15:03:44 GMT -5
Not that my generational values mean anything, but i was glad when the Folk generation started. That meant I could go back to acoustic. (At least until Dylan went electric at Newport).
Don't get me wrong, as others have said, there are songs and genre' that just demand electic. Rock and Roll being one of them. And I can't imagine a Jazz combo without the guitar being amplified. Tough to compete with the brass.
But the great sub-harmonic tones you get from a well-broken in acoustic are "music to my ears". Or were when I could hear them smile
I remember the first time I heard Hank Snow playing with Chet Atkins backsstage at the Ryman Auditorium one Saturday night. Hank on pure acoustic, Chet with his electric Gretsch. That's when I realized the acoustic had that "magic" that you only hear on a great acoustic.
It doesn't necessarily mean a high-priced Martin, Gibson, Taylor etc. There are great woods used in some of the lower price instruments (Epiphone for example). It takes a good setup, lots of playing to loosen up the grains in the woods, and careful selection of strings. Some require heavier strings to get the woods moving, but even an old Harmony can give great sounds.
Sorry to ramble, but I want so many of the younger people to give acoustic guitar a real try. Get a lower price instrument after you play it a bit to get a good feel for it's sound and playability. A used instrument that you can try out can be a good purchase. Make sure it has good "bones" - good woods in the top and fingerboard, tight bracing, good neck condition (watch out for even slight bowing) and then have a professional setup. Mess around with string gauges to get the sounds you want.
Then, get some great acoustic songs to play and enjoy.
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Post by Pistol Pete on Mar 17, 2017 9:27:23 GMT -5
Being the wrong side of 35 now, I'm not really a'younger guy' anymore, but I play exclusively acoustic these days. I actually think it's the electric guitar that's out of fashion at the minute. Younger folks I meet are either doing singer-songwriter stuff on acoustic or making electronic dance music. Ed Sheeran, who held nine spots in the UK top ten last week, plays a Martin LX1 into a loop pedal.
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Post by JamesP on Mar 17, 2017 10:15:11 GMT -5
Thanks for that link Pete. After Ed's appearance at the Grammys and seeing his pedal board, I couldn't imagine him going pure acoustic...
But it's good to hear that on your side of the pond the acoustic is the guitar of choice. Maybe we'll catch up over here.
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