Oldjock

Well Arju, you have a wealth of information from the previous posters. For my two cents you have to remember that this course is not a race and it must be fun. Your interest in becoming a guitarist will drive your pace. Be aware of the inevitable roadblocks that must be worked through. Personally, I use the roadblock as a time to take a break and learn to play some new songs. But I cannot emphasize enough that this journey must be enjoyable, otherwise, why bother. Henk

Martin Lifespan 12 - 54 (light) 92/8 Phosphor Bronze. They stay in tune and I have had them last up to a year. Henk

@Nairon, very good. If that is your first attempt using the backing track with a DAW, you are to be commended. That is not an easy task and to expect results as well as yours turned out. Henk

I have two amps, a Katana 50 (65 presets) and a Mustang LT-25 (30 presets). The reality is that out of a total of 95 available presets, I only use 4. Yes, it took many hours to find the presets that suited me and yes I lost many hours of playing/practice time. The end result was achieving the sounds that I was looking for. As Doug mentioned, the simplicity of an amp with few controls is appealing but at a higher cost and it must be the exact sound you are looking for. Henk

That was amazing , well played by all. It must have been difficult to put this video together, keeping everyone in sync. I am envious, hat’s off to all the players. Henk

I envy you Greg, hanging out with friends playing music. Here in southern Ontario our cases are going up again and possibly another lockdown. Our group tried a Zoom jam but it was a disaster. Everyone is playing solo. Fingers crossed that we can all jam by summer. Henk

Good article, thanks Diane. Personally, I really don’t like most of the modern music scene and the songs produced. Nothing memorable. Perhaps I am a creature of the sixties and seventies when music was fantastic and the bands were better, IMHO. Henk

Thank you for the kind comments. Doug, the guitar was ordered through L& M in Hamilton, great staff, never a problem. Ron, as for the 1 3/4” nut, it is a bit of a story. For starters, I have been blessed with XL hands. Back in university I was involved in a car accident, broke my left shoulder, arm and all the fingers of my left hand. I still have some restriction of movement with my fingers and now coming in for the encore is osteoarthritis. My acoustics are wide nuts and I don’t seem to mute adjoining strings as often. So it was time to change the electric. Playing over the weekend has been a pleasure. I have a difficult time putting it back on the stand. It is so easy to play and the tonal range is huge, even without the digital effects engaged, playing clean. The neck is not too thin, very comfortable. Stays in tune after some hard strumming. I didn’t mention that it comes with a solid hard case.

Way, way back pre-covid, January 2020 I had advanced to Session 13 and since I was moving into Jazz and the blues, it would be a good idea to have a jazz guitar. My only requirements when deciding on a new guitar were: 1 ¾” nut, semi hollow and not too expensive. That alone reduced the market choice by 80%. I was lucky enough to be able to play one at a local jam in February. After procrastinating for a few months, I ordered the Eastman T486 at the end of May, because it checked all the boxes for me. After a nine month wait, the guitar arrived on Saturday and it is just gorgeous. Flame maple body and neck, ebony fretboard, bone nut, beautiful bindings and a gleaming Nitrocellulose finish.(Note: the photo appears to show some blemishes but they are reflections. The finish is perfect). Once home, I lowered the action a bit and slight adjustment to the intonation. The sounds are amazing with sustain just seems to go on and on. The Semour Duncan pickups are great. The jazz pickup on the neck gives the bluesy tones while the ’59 at the bridge will allow you to crank out some rock. The wider neck is a pleasure to play and gives me that tiny bit of extra room. I am very pleased with this guitar and I’m sure that it will be around for a while. As I have mentioned before, at our house we have a one-in-one-out rule, so The PRS Santana goes to my Grandson. This leaves me with one electric, one acoustic six string and one acoustic 12 string. My Granddaughter has the classical. Henk

That was great Mike, thoroughly enjoyed your presentation. I thought the timing was spot on. I really like that song. Henk

Welcome back. Henk

Welcome back. Henk

Tom, that sounded pretty darn good to me. IMHO, I would suggest turning down the volume a bit on the backing track so it doesn't over power the lead. The bass on the backing track is fine. Henk

I agree with you Jack. I also prefer to tap my foot and keep the beat going in my mind. The use of the "nome" for me was difficult to get the hang of. It always seemed that I was racing to match the beat, after slowing the "nome" I was slowing down too much. Just never could get comfortable with that little beast. At the start of learning a song, I find a You Tube video and watch it a few times to get the feel of the song. Then I try to learn the parts of the song in sections. Once I'm comfortable with the individual sections, everything goes together. Again, the beat is in my mind and foot, slow and steady, then speeding up to the songs bpm. I find that keeping the steady tempo throughout the entire song is difficult. Henk

Well done Neil, you did justice to a classic and memorable song. I wish I could keep my tempo as steady as you do. Ah, the sixties, I was in my wonder years. It sure seemed like a screwed up world which we were inheriting. "Nam" protests, assassination of JFK, soon to be followed by RFK and MLK and a Cold War in which everyone wondered if there would be a tomorrow. On the good side the Beatles arrived and the timing of this song by Jackie De Shannon could not have been better. I believe that this song was the beginning of "Flower Power", an awaking of the next generation to make change. Henk

I lost track of how many loops were playing. Henk

A very talented musician, thanks for posting Mike. I need to get one of those big horns. Henk

I worked in the Marine Engineering field including commercial diving operations. Our crews traveled the world, usually in remote locations like the arctic. This required a thorough knowledge of CPR and advanced outpost first aid. I acquired the instructor certifications for CPR and First Aid to train the workers and divers on the worksites. I will brag a bit that in the 34 years of managing the business, there was never a serious accident. Henk

"Stayin' alive", 100 bpm. I used to teach CPR. Henk

Neil, I have found the costs of US goods to be closer to 43 - 50%. Dollar exchange, HST plus occasional brokerage fees, then add delivery charges, if they even deliver to Canada. Pre-COVID with a US post box just over the border was the way to go and take advantage of free US shipping. Sadly, those days are gone. Sorry if this is a hijack. Henk

Congratulations on your new 335, I especially like the colour. Regardless of the specs, a guitar should look & feel good for you to want to play it. You have a winner, enjoy. Henk

Congratulations Mike, that is one real nice looking guitar. Enjoy!! Henk

Mandy, I am so sorry, may my condolences bring you comfort and may my prayers ease the pain of this loss. ”There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart” - Mahatma Ghandhi Henk

For acoustics, I like the Seagull brand. My six string is a Natural Elements model and a Concert Hall 12 String. Both have a booming sound with Martin Lifespan strings, which will last about a year. I am constantly amazed by how well both stay in tune. I tend to play electric more often but when the NE comes out of it’s case after two months it is still very close to being in tune. Not the most expensive guitars on the market but they make me a happy camper. Henk

RIP JJW. If I remember correctly he was the first of the Texas cowboys, along with Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Oh, but that song, “Mr Bojangles” was a beauty. Henk