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PearlCityBoy
Lokahi
USA
432 Posts |
 Posted - 05/12/2010 : 07:35:22 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by rendesvous1840
We all have our own reasons for what we like in an instrument. Several years ago, Acoustic Guitar Magazine had a photo of a Gibson acoustic that had been sold by an auction house for the sum of approx $11,000. This guitars claim to fame was that it had been owned by Pete Townshend of The Who. The purchaser considered that reason enough for the price , and I guess they got what they wanted in a guitar, it must have expressed their desires in a guitar. Frankly, from the picture I don't think there was enough hide glue in Cleveland to make it playable ever again. It was Pete' Townshends guitar, after all.
Unko Paul
This was the similar criteria George Castanza had when he purchased John Voight's beat up Chrysler Le Baron, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm2iNNqj2fQ .
The only problem was that it wasn't "Jon Voight" the actor's car but "John Voight" the unknown dentist's car. Boy did Jerry burst George's bubble.
. . . by the way, I have a used guitar that I'm selling--it doesn't look or sound that great but it was once owned by Edward Kaapana.
Aloha,
Doug |
Edited by - PearlCityBoy on 05/12/2010 07:38:26 AM |
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Volcano
Akahai
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2010 : 07:59:36 AM
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Mr. Guidry, Please call me Larry. This whole conversation is very difficult and is fraught with emotion as the guitar is a very emotional instrument. The great 20th century composer, Vincent Persichetti, loved composing for guitar. As he said to me, It is the only instrument you hug to your body an caress with both hands. And here is the basic problem. I have heard what I consider truly great guitars sound like crap in the hands of a tone butcher. There are those who can make the best guitar sound like absolute crap. I knew one person who made every guitar he played sound the same, like shit. To a great extent I agree with with you. The tone is largely in the hands and heart of the player. For lack of a better word, there is mojo there as well. However, I also don't think you can compare one of Kim Walker's guitars to a production line Martin. Kim's guitars are superb examples of their kind and compare with the greatest Martins of all time. I once had the namesake of a large production guitar company say to me regarding Goodall guitars, Larry, I know what we do is not on the same level. For many years I had several hundred Martins and Taylors pass through my hands annually. I was able to compare these instruments from some of the best small shop and single luthier guitars. These comparisons were done in a controlled environment using myself and only a couple of other players who were as much guitar "geeks" as myself. I ahd many custom shop Martins as well as pretty much every limited edition guitar they made. I also spent time in their Custom Shop which was little more than a corner of the factory. Some of the best guitars I've ever seen came from their custom shop but had very hefty price tags. I also had a pretty good number of truly great vintage guitars to compare with newer ones. When you are talking about great versus good, there can be no more than a 5% difference in tone. But that 5% can be quite significant in the right hands to the right ears. The Taylor guitars, while incredibly consistent, almost never entered into the realm of truly great. I like Taylor guitars. i like Martin guitars. As I said, I am also pretty darn impressed with very recent inexpensive Chinese guitars. But there is some kind of magic when a maker puts his heart and soul into an instrument. Some of these people are my good friends and I know that money is not their bottom line. They make guitars for the love of the instrument and the player. Chris Martin is a great guy but I can tell you that the bottom line for Martin Guitars is money. Very much the same, if not more so, for Taylor. I won't even put gibson in the equation. Don't get me started on those pieces of crap. So, as I said, when a maker puts love and soul into an instrument magic does happen. Sometimes it's undefinable but not always. Too often I've seen the look on a player's face when he plays a truly great instrument and gets it for the first time.
I also have to agree with pretty much everything that's been said by all the other posters to this point, including yourself. A very complicated discusson but way fun. I hope to meet you someday and have the opportunity to compare guitars with you. |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1581 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2010 : 3:26:40 PM
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Larry, please give us a shout if you get to the SF Bay Area, and we'll do the same next time we're in Hilo.
Fran |
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key on YouTube
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2010 : 6:19:52 PM
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The problem with good guitars is that they need a good guitar player to make them sound that way. It is easy to make a good guitar sound like "crap" as you say. They are very responsive and will expose all of your flaws. Execution becomes a big deal. I have a very good 38 yr old classical guitar for instance that can be either an angel or it's evil twin depending on how well I am playing that day.
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Bob |
Edited by - RWD on 05/12/2010 6:21:19 PM |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2010 : 01:21:20 AM
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| Bob - I do not believe there would ever be a day where your evil twin guitar would be playing. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Volcano
Akahai
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2010 : 04:05:22 AM
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Give 'em enough "mojo" and you never know. Woooooooooo . . .
Fran, will do! |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2010 : 07:54:18 AM
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We all want to be better than we are right now but often forget from where we came...until someone reminds us with a nice comment.
Thanks for the nice comment Wanda. |
Bob |
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maggie
Aloha
USA
40 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2010 : 12:16:56 PM
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Sorry about the biggie-sized pics... I have no idea how to shrink them to a more manageable size. (and, they were taken with my phone). The cutaway is the 2010 Studio from Jerry Nolte (EMI) and the Parlor is a 1992 EMI, which I ound on eBay while I was waiting for Jerry to finish the Studio... both are koa and cedar.
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noeau
Ha`aha`a
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2010 : 7:32:13 PM
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| Hu ka nani. I played Mark's one one time so I know how yours must sound. Beautiful. |
No'eau, eia au he mea pa'ani wale nō. |
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maggie
Aloha
USA
40 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2010 : 9:13:38 PM
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| Thanks. Mark's guitars are amazing - they got the whole mojo thing going and Mark is a fantastic teacher. Me? I'm very much a novice, and the guitars and I are busy getting to know each other. But it's so true... listening to everyone play ki ho'alu inspires me to keep on playing, even if it's just one measure at a time. I love each day of practice, because it feels like the music is teaching me, the guitars are teaching me, and one day... if I'm lucky, I might be able to play some really nahenahe mele. In the meantime, I'm just one happy student - and my neighbors? They're really happy I decided not learn the bagpipes. Yet! |
Edited by - maggie on 05/16/2010 9:17:01 PM |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 08:26:43 AM
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Oh, they sound every bit as good as they look, trust me.
One thing: it is hard to make out in the pix, but the rosette on the parlor guitar is actually cut through the top. It is quite extraordinary.
And don't let Maggie's shyness fool you--she plays great. |
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Allen M Cary
Lokahi
USA
158 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 09:17:37 AM
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Aloha Maggie,
I just read an amusing comment that a Brit's definition of a gentleman is someone who can play the bagpipes, but doesn't...
I'm glad no one has to feel that way about slack key.
Beautiful guitars! I'm currently building a walnut and redwood parlor. The finish is on, awaiting buff out. I'm hoping it will look half as good. Tap tones are very promising at this point.
Aloha,
Allen |
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maggie
Aloha
USA
40 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 11:47:10 AM
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Thanks Mark. Thought I'd remedy the hard-to-see rosette thing. So here's a gigantic close-up of the parlor's rosette... It probably help if I actually owned a camera, learned how to use it, and then learned how to shrink the pictures so you wouldn't be blasted with such giant images. 
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Edited by - maggie on 05/17/2010 11:53:44 AM |
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maggie
Aloha
USA
40 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 6:07:43 PM
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| Hey Allen... You going to post some photos of the new parlor when pau? Hope so... I can't wait to see it. |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2177 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2010 : 07:31:16 AM
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| My dad used to say that if you can make a cheap instrument sound good, you deserve a better one. |
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Guitar question ?
