Jad Posted March 21, 2003 Report Share Posted March 21, 2003 Have you tried the method of using a metal slide and sliding up and down (north to south) over the pickups. It gives an effect similar to an e-bow, but for all the strings. Another fun trick is positiong the slide below the neck pickup and picking behind it. It works as a movable bridge and you can get some interesting tones out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted March 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2003 (edited) Have you tried the method of using a metal slide and sliding up and down (north to south) over the pickups. It gives an effect similar to an e-bow, but for all the strings. Another fun trick is positiong the slide below the neck pickup and picking behind it. It works as a movable bridge and you can get some interesting tones out of it. Great idea! Speaking of slides. Has anyone here messed with lap-steel guitars. About 6 years ago I was playing lap-steel with some experimental musicians. I was running a bunch of effects with it. These instruments are great tools for experiment music and they're pretty cheap. I have an old 50's Rickenbacker steel guitar. I only paid $175 for it. I would really like to learn to play western swing with it too. :rsmile: :rsmile: :rsmile: Edited March 21, 2003 by AfricaBrass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted March 22, 2003 Report Share Posted March 22, 2003 Have you seen the guy who plays pedal steel with the Blind Boys of Alabama? Man does that dude smoke! He goes for a distorted tone through a Fender amp; sounds incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted March 22, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2003 Have you seen the guy who plays pedal steel with the Blind Boys of Alabama? Man does that dude smoke! He goes for a distorted tone through a Fender amp; sounds incredible. That sounds great! I wish I could play pedal steel. There's so many possibilities with that one. One thing I'd like to check out is the sacred steel movement. I've read about these guys, but I haven't heard them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted April 10, 2003 Report Share Posted April 10, 2003 Over at Elderly Instruments yesterday I played a Hofner Jazzica (I think that's the name), basically a really nice hollow body jazz box. The interesting thing was the strings. They seemed like a modern variation on catgut. They had the feel of nylon strings, but seemed to have a wound core, though I didn't look too closely at that. I really liked the feel; very easy on the fingers, but I wasn't sure about the tone. Very short sustain. Anybody know about these strings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Dye Posted April 10, 2003 Report Share Posted April 10, 2003 Man, I love Elderly Instruments. I don't even play guitar and I love Elderly! The place has such a great vibe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted April 10, 2003 Report Share Posted April 10, 2003 I know, but it can be dangerous for me to go in there. I very often find a guitar there that makes me swoon. Inevitably, the pricetag says something like $3000. NOOOO! That's the deal with the Jazzica Custom. My wife would be saying, "You're harping on what I spend at the grocery store and then you want to buy another guitar for 3 grand!?!?" But honey.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted April 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2003 I get emails of what's in stock from Elderly weekly. I love seeing what they have in stock. I'm having such a hard time right now. I'm just jonesing for a new guitar. I usually play solid electrics. One of my favorite brands is G&L. I've got 5 of them, but I want more. Joe, you should check out Buffalo Brothers guitars, they have pretty good prices (about 62% of list), plus they have this deal that if you buy a guitar from them, later you can trade it in towards a guitar of higher value and get exactly what you paid for your guitar as trade in allowance. They also carry the Hofners. :rsmile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted April 10, 2003 Report Share Posted April 10, 2003 (edited) And I'm jonesin' for a couple of new guitars! The wish list includes a world class steel string acoustic, a nice classical guitar (I do have a Wecter Pathmaker nylon string: http://organissimo.org/themusic.htm, so the classical can wait a bit), and now this Hofner jazzica. OUCH! I did check out Buffalo Bros. They don't currently have the Jazzica in stock. I'm a little leery about buying a guitar sight unseen. Each one is so individualistic, even amongst guitars of the same make. I like to pick up a guitar and have it say, "I'm yours. Take me home." Edited April 10, 2003 by Joe G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted April 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2003 And I'm jonesin' for a couple of new guitars! The wish list includes a world class steel string acoustic, a nice classical guitar (I do have a Wecter Pathmaker nylon string: http://organissimo.org/themusic.htm, so the classical can wait a bit), and now this Hofner jazzica. OUCH! I did check out Buffalo Bros. They don't currently have the Jazzica in stock. I'm a little leery about buying a guitar sight unseen. Each one is so individualistic, even amongst guitars of the same make. I like to pick up a guitar and have it say, "I'm yours. Take me home." I agree that it is better to play the guitar than to receive it sight unseen. I think at any one time, I am usually jonesing for a couple guitars, too. How are the Wechter guitars? I've been curious about them for awhile. They seem to be a good value. I'm still curious about those strings on the Hofner. I looked around the internet and tried to find out about them, but no luck. This brings up something I've been wanting to ask. What strings do you recommend. I have a DeArmond X-155 hollowbody guitar. I'm currently using D'Addario Chrome flatwounds on it. These are the only flatwounds that I've tried. Any recommendations? :rsmile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted April 10, 2003 Report Share Posted April 10, 2003 Well, I went down to Elderly after work, and saw my guitar teacher from way back. I happened to have that Hofner in hand when he came walking in. I showed him the strings and he said they were flatwounds. Now did I get that right? So roundwounds are the "normal" guitar strings, that have a steel core with nickel or bronze wrap-around, and flatwounds have a smooth surface on the three thickest strings. Right? Then there is the compromise that my teacher mentioned: groundrounds? (Isn't that hamburger??) These have a wire wrap like roundwounds, but the ridges are ground down for a smoother feel. The problem with the flatwounds is that you lose so much treble from the tone. It really kills the overtones. So the groundrounds attempt to get the best of both worlds. Got all that? I hope I did. If not, somebody please straighten me out! So Jeff, my description of the strings on the Hofner don't match what you have on your DeArmond? Smooth to the touch on the thickest three strings? Like I said, this is the first time in 25 years of playing that I've encountered them, so I can't make any recommendations. On my Ibanez electric I use D'Addarios, 11's. I like my Wechter quite a bit, although its' tone doesn't quite compare to a good classical guitar. The body is smaller than most of those, so the tone isn't as deep. It is good for jazz-style soloing, though. That's the guitar I used on PreDawn Rain. And hey, John Mclaughlin uses Wechters, so there must be something going on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted April 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2003 I'm not sure but my strings might be groundrounds. They probably are more bright sounding than the ones on the Hofner. I haven't played with true flatwounds, except on a bass guitar. You're right, the roundwounds are the "normal" guitar strings. I've been tempted to go back to them. I was originally using D'Addario 11's also. Thanks for the info on the Wechter. I don't have a nice classical guitar right now. It would be nice to have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted April 14, 2003 Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 I've been playing guitar for a while now, though I've had to take an extended break. I'm very interested in becoming a well rounded jazz musician, with a variety of instruments under my belt, but right now guitar is pretty much the only instrument I'm comfortable with. Anyways, its nice to see a jazz guitar thread! I'm very un-savvy with the tech stuff, so this is very interesting stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted April 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 Welcome to the board, Jazz! It's nice to have another guitar player around here. Don't worry, some of the technical stuff is over my head too, but it's still fun to talk guitars. :rsmile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted April 14, 2003 Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 Wow! Thank you so much for the warm welcome! There's some really great stuff in this thread, someone mentioned the Blind Boys, who I've just recently discovered. I'm also glad I'm not the only one to find bluegrass so entrancing, does anyone have any good bluegrass recommendations? I also wanted to say that I thought jmjk's approach to music is really cool: common tone extended harmonies with the bass in the extensions.... pretty hip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmjk Posted April 14, 2003 Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 I also wanted to say that I thought jmjk's approach to music is really cool: common tone extended harmonies with the bass in the extensions.... pretty hip! Thanks, jazz- Again, all I can say is that approach works for me. I'll never be a true, authentic jazz guitarist (listening to Joe G's work on the Organissimo record makes me realize he can play circles around me in that style!), but that shouldn't keep me from using jazz theory or an unorthodox approach in the mish-mash I call my compositions! I don't have the time to practice and master the things I can't do on the guitar, but I'm bored with many of the things I CAN do. So I'm always looking to make the "old" new and fresh in some way. Welcome to the board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted April 14, 2003 Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 (edited) Jazz- Glad to have you on board! So, tell us a little more about yourself. How long have you been playing? Who are your favorites? What characters were on your lunchbox in the third grade? I'm also glad I'm not the only one to find bluegrass so entrancing, does anyone have any good bluegrass recommendations? A few of the bluegrass albums/artists I like are: Skip Wobble & Hop; by Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas, and Mike Marshall Manzanita; by Tony Rice New Favorite, and, So Long So Wrong; both by Alison Krauss Markology; By Mark O'Conner (he was only 16!) The Telluride Sessions; by Strength in Numbers. You will notice that these are all mainly the "newgrassers", not the traditional players. I have listened to a lot of trad bluegrass, but not in a long time. Just my personal preference these days. Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Roland White, and Doc Watson (who is not strictly bluegrass, but great nonetheless) are some of the old school guys I remember enjoying. It's been too long. Let me know if you happen to pick any of these up. p.s., thanks for the compliment jmjk. :rsmile: Edited April 14, 2003 by Joe G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted April 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 If anyone is interested, my favorite lunchbox was my Fat Albert and the Cosby kids one. That was my first grade lunchbox. As far as bluegrass is concerned, I'm more of a old school bluegrass guy. I've been getting more into the newer stuff. I'll second Joe's suggestion of Tony Rice. He's a monster player. One of my favorite bluegrass groups today is Del McCoury's. I first heard them on the Steve Earle record, The Mountain. They've got their own albums. I have a couple, they're good. I'll have to check out some of Joe's recommendations too. My favorite bluegrass guitarist is/was Clarence White. I got into both jazz and country/bluegrass through the band, The Byrds. His acoustic playing was great, but I love his electric work. He's one of my favorite guitarists ever. The Byrds - Live at the Fillmore 1969 has some great examples of his live playing. He steals the show. I have to second jmjk's recommendation of the Organissimo cd. Joe's playing on it blows me away too. In fact, I've been trying to learn some of the stuff he plays on it. All the musicians on it wail. You should check out the mp3s on this site. :rsmile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted April 14, 2003 Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Posted April 14, 2003 Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 Jmjk, Well, that's what its all about, imho. Making the old new again is one of the best ways to go about music! I totally think that's what jazz is about too. Joe, I think I've been subconsciously avoiding my "stats" cause they're pretty embarrassing. I've been playing guitar for at least 7 years, but I'm still not any good! About 3 years into my playing, I put down my guitar to study theory in my local school because I noticed I wasn't getting any better, or writing anything worthwile. towards the last classes of the music program I really got into jazz, and decided that if I was going to be any kind of musician, I wanted to be a jazz musician. So, my current goal is just to get the foundations down so I can play standards convincingly... Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure I had He-Man on my lunchbox, now you can guess how old I am!! ABrass and Joe - thank you guys for all the bluegrass recommendations! I'll try to scrape together some scratch so's I can get a couple. I'll check out the Organissimo mp3's too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted April 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 Thanks Joe! I might just make that my new avatar. Good luck with the bluegrass, Jazz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted April 14, 2003 Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 (edited) Jazz, Please don't be embarrassed about where you are at this point. For most musicians, including (especially?) guitarists, the ear is always the weakest link. I applaud your decision to devote some time to concentrate on that aspect. It's also great that you are dedicated to learning the fundamentals of playing well. Just remember: Never let what you can't do get in the way of what you can do (or get in the way of having fun!). B) He-Man, huh? You're a bit younger than me. I was young enough to actually want to watch that show, but old enough that I wouldn't have been caught dead with a Masters of the Universe lunchbox! I look forward to more guitar freak conversations. Edited April 14, 2003 by Joe G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted April 14, 2003 Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 Holy Shit Africa! You're now a Supa Groover! The first one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted April 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 Holy Shit Africa! You're now a Supa Groover! The first one! I didn't even notice. I guess my new Fat Albert avatar is appropriate. He is the true Supa Groover. :rsmile: :rsmile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted April 14, 2003 Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 Damn... kicked my ass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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