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I'm hankering for a Gibson Songwriter. but my Gibson LP signed by Joe Bonamassa is as good as it gets

I definitely agree with Dave's assessment of the "favorite" guitar is the one I'm currently playing. My "sentimental" favorite is a nod to my father's memory. He enjoyed woodworking as a hobby, and his recent passing at the end of 2016 led me to a prototype Bourgeois OM - Soloist Limited Edition, heavily bear-clawed European spruce top with a gorgeous cocobolo back and sides. It sounds as good or better than it looks. Courtney Hartman of Della Mae promoted this guitar on a video to promote the official release of the 30th Anniversary LE (or at least to my spotting telltale marks on the top indicates). I can't help but think of him every time I pick it up to play.

Hey all, We've had some people ask about our "bad-word filter" and why do we need it. What about free speech? Are we censoring people? The short answer: Yes. Rule #1: This board exists to help people learn guitar with information and encouragement. Here's my thoughts on this... FOUL LANGUAGE I used to cuss like a sailor. (My parents would be mortified to know that in middle school and high school, I had very foul language. But I could turn it on and off depending on the situation.) But I vividly remember the moment in my first year of college that I had just said some expletive to some friend of mine in the course of normal daily conversation. The thought crossed my mind. "What's wrong with you? Can't you even express yourself without using bad language?" And from that moment on I stopped - without fanfare or effort. It was like a switch that was turned off in my vocabulary. And, in all but the rarest of circumstances, I've never casually cussed since then. Having said all that, I feel this discussion board should be free of rampant foul language. I've found that other discussion boards are just littered with foul language which turns me off and I'm glad ours tends to not go that direction. Rampant foul language turns people off - especially new comers. We're here to help people. There are plenty of other guitar boards around filled with people ranting about this or that, putting down other people with every imaginable word. That's not us. (Please refer to Rule #1 above) So, yes, we do have a bad word filter - just like we had on the previous boards. I installed it myself and it was quite an interesting read. CENSORSHIP I am infinitely more concerned that the person who is struggling in learning how to play guitar can come here and find encouragement and support from the people here, rather than finding a few people cluttering the boards with rants about this or that. I'm not in the free speech business. I'm in the helping guitar player's learn business. This is not a "free speech" haven. It's a guitar forum. I don't mind getting off topic. Some of my best interactions on the forum have been on off-topic threads. Just don't get divisive, and mean to people. Heated debates, I have no problem with. But, if it is nothing but people arguing back and forth, particularly on an issue that has nothing to do with music, and folks are getting mad then I am going to step in. If you have a problem with how the board is run, then talk to the guy whose life work is poured into this community and who pays all of the bills and takes all the good and bad for this whole party. I know him pretty well and he will vehemently protect what the purpose of this forum is for - this place exists to help people. (Please refer to Rule #1 above) CLOSING THOUGHTS I have always seen this place as the proverbial water cooler at the gym - a place where folks, all united in a common love for music and guitar, can come, talk about struggles in learning, get encouragement from each other and support to get back into the gym of learning. Along the way, we may talk about other topics, and get wonderfully intertwined a bit in each others lives from the quirky to the amazingly profound. My goal is to help people as they are learning. If yours is too, then I welcome you and need you. If you're not interested in helping people, and see nothing here but a place to vent your frustrations with life, then move on. I wish you well. - Steve

I like Martin dreadnoughts, they have a very distinctive sound that most other guitars can not compare to. Don't get me wrong I love my Taylor 416 with a Rosewood body but, if I could afford Martin D45 I would have one and never play my Taylor again. I have a Martin D25K which is a great guitar but it has a much brighter tone with the Koa body than a Rosewood body.

Over the years Steve Krenz has created some wonderful short video lessons and tips, called Guitar Tips, Guitar Tips of the Pros, and Tip of the Month. Here is a selection of those videos from YouTube; (in no particular order, titles are at the top of each video. Not a comprehensive list, so if you find others, feel free to add any not already inserted here) I hope you find them as useful and enjoyable as I have!

Eric Daw and his wife Melissa host a very entertaining and informative guitar repair podcast each week called 'The Fret Files'. They cover just about any topic you can imagine and take listener questions via phone and email. If you are interested you can check it out at http://www.fretfiles.com/. In addition to his repair work, Eric builds custom electric guitars and Melissa creates wonder leather guitar straps. You can check both out at https://www.ericdaw.com/.

So I'm slowly working my way back to 6 strings lol. I have bad basal thumb joint arthritis in my left hand and only in the last 6 months or so have been back to the guitar and ukulele. I'm mostly playing ukulele because it's easier on the arthritis. BUT I'm working on the 6 string~ I also got an inexpensive Baritone Ukulele for my birthday from my son's gift card to Amazon. I actually like it a lot because it's easier on my fingers and yet it's the last 4 strings of the guitar. So how cool is that? this is also helping me get back to the guitar Then I found a sweet deal from Kala for a 4 string Tenor guitar. All Solid Spruce top. It's normally like 350-400 but they discontinued it because they can't import Rosewood and the back and sides are Rosewood laminate. SO I got it for $199 It hasn't come yet. It was supposed to come Friday but Thursday we had a snow storm. So it's been sitting on a cold Fed X truck all weekend. I hope it's okay when it finally gets here. I have no idea if I will like it but I figure I'll give it a shot. It's tuned like a mandolin (which I can't play AT all due to the scrunched frets.) It's weird with this arthritis. If the fretboard is too wide I can't play and if it's too skinny I can't play....it's got to be just right lol!! anyway I'll post pictures and let you know how I like it!! SHould be fun! Maria P.s Glad to be here!

I really like the idea of a Guitar Book section. I love to read and learn. I hope some of the rest of you will provide some books you have found to be interesting. Here are a few I have read ... I will present others if you are interested. Guitar Capo Mastery: A Step-By-Step guide to Using Your Capo Like A Pro Sean Laughton ISBN: 9781520664446 2017 Got my copy from Amazon $8.95 Before reading this book I really knew nothing about capos; I considered them cheaters for people who could not play the guitar ... but I was wrong. The capo actually can provide many benefits. Mr. Laughton has broken his instruction into 3 areas: 1) Getting to Grips with your Capo, 2) Unlocking the Power of your Capo, and 3) Mastering your Capo. The book begins with the correct application of the capo and the goes to keys and scales. It shows several ways to use the capo and what happens to the music with its application. He also includes a list of songs on You Tube that he uses to demonstrate the use of the tool. This is a small book … 67 pages, but it has a lot of information in it for all grades of guitar players. Recommend Teach Yourself The Guitar Dale Fradd NTC Publishing Group LCC card number 92-80885 1990 (Originally published in 1932) 122 pages You probably will have to check Abe Books or Ebay for this book. I bought my copy in an airport book store many years ago. This is a small book in structure … 5”X8”. When I bought my copy I carried it with me on my travels for something to read. The book is a full study of the classical guitar. Like most guitar books the text begins with how to select the correct guitar (classical in this case). It covers Basic Right and Left Hand Techniques and the basic theory of music. Various chapters also present the phrasing and interpretation and playing with others. The two areas I liked the best are the historical outline about the development of the guitar and the final chapter that is a glossary of terms used in guitar music … the neat thing is the terms are defined and shown in the original French, German, Latin, and Spanish. Yes, the book is in English Highly recommend if you can find it. In Search of My Father: A Warm, True Story by the Daughter of Merle Travis Pat Travis Eatherly Broadman Press, Nashville TN ISBN 0-8054-5727-5 1987 191 pages To start … “yes” Pat Travis Eatherly is Thom Bresh’s half sister. If you are at all interested in Merle or the early Nashville and picking scene this is a must read book. Like many of the country singers i.e. Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, etc. Merle had a mixed and at times rough life. To review this book is hard because you are trying to cover the entire life of a man in only a couple sentences. Dale Evans Rogers (Yes, Roy Rogers wife) wrote about this book … “Every parent and child should read In Search of My Father. This poignant, real-life story reveals the deep need to love, communicate, and care between parent and child. Pat has been painfully honest in this account”. Chet Atkins wrote the forward to the book … “Merle Travis could write you a hit song and sing it; he could draw you a cartoon, play you a great guitar solo or fix your watch!” My interest in the book is because I love the Travis and Bresh playing. And to add to it my dad was one of 18 kids born in Kentucky to the same ma and pa. One of his brothers started a butcher shop and Merle worked for him hauling meat around in an old model T or A. He became very close to the family and in the book there is a picture of my aunt presenting Merle the key to the city (Drakesboro, Ky). Merle came through my town many years ago and I saw him perform. I was with others at the time and could not remain behind to meet him, but I left a note asking him if he would like to come out to the house for some Baugh’s BBQ. As I walked into the house after the concert the phone was ringing and it was Merle. He had another engagement the next night and could not come out but we gabbed on the phone for over 45 min. I met “The Breshman” a couple years ago and it truly brought back memories. Be ready to laugh and cry if you can find this book. I found my copy on eBay. Well worth the read!!!!!!

Wow, great to see you here Maria. You are a very talented musician and singer. The way that you have strived to still be playing music with your arthritis is an inspiration to me. You are the proof of the old saying "You just can't keep a good woman down". When can we hear you sing again too? ?

Thank you Diane. Good resources there.

Cindy (one of four sister's name is Cindy) and IanD, Thanks much. Will research the links and reread Steve's comments posted by Cindy. Odie

Actually, it's been about three weeks. Just now getting around to posting. I put 11's on it, then let it sit a couple of days for the neck to adjust. Adjusted the truss rod and let it sit a couple more days. Next is to re-check the neck relief and finish the set-up. I'm not much of an electric player, but I plan to work on that this year.