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So..how is the guitar playing coming along?


Freebird

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So, I am the proud owner of a new Taylor 814ce.

 

Dunno what those are worth down there but here they sell for $2975.00 at Long & McQuade ... man, a guy could buy hisself a pretty decent 1st gen for that kinda money (but why would he). :whistling:

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Not sweet enough....it went back after two days. :( I've determined that I'm just not a Taylor guy. I tried the 814ce and when I took it back, I tried the 810ce and the 816ce and they just don't do it for me.

 

I guess I just like the fullness and low end of the Martins. To my ears, the Taylors just didn't have any guts.

 

So, I went back and looked at the Martins again and FINALLY found the one for me. :) No pictures yet but I'll take some a little later.

 

Martin slants the internal bracing to emphasize the bass notes. Not all guitarmakers do it that way. But it gives Martins a distinct sound.

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OK...here are some pictures. What I ended up with is a Martin Custom Shop GPCPA1. It differs from a off the shelf GPCPA1 for the following reasons.

 

Adirondack Spruce top as opposed to Sitka Spruce.

Dove Tail Neck Joint.

5/16" hand scalloped Golden Era bracing forward shifted.

HD 28 style polished/beveled pick guard.

Premium Indian Rosewood back and sides.

Bone Nut, Saddle and Bridge Pins.

 

and yes, it was too much money but it was one of those that when I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. Luckily I sold two guitars last week that came close to paying for this one. Well....fairly close. :whistling:

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The "off-the-shelf" one is a whole hunnerd bucks less than the Taylor here at L&McQ.

 

If I don't learn how to play a LOT better, the wife will never let me get one of those .... regardless of that neither will my pocket book. But is shore is a sweet geetar!

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Brewser,

 

I know this is an old thread, but I play a little and just wanted to offer encouragement. The easiest way to play a Bm chord is to simply think of it as a D with one note added. Play it as a D and use your pinky to add the B note one string up and one fret above the D. Usually a Bm is a passing chord (ony hit for one strum or two) and you can just fudge this:bluesbrother: single note if you want. There are millions of ways to skin any cat on the guitar neck, so if something seems too difficult, keep looking for a work-around.

 

Good Luck!

 

Scott

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A musician named Dave Carroll recently had difficulty with United Airlines. United apparently damaged his treasured Taylor guitar ($3500) during a flight. Dave spent over 9 months trying to get United to pay for damages caused by baggage handlers to his custom Taylor guitar. During his final exchange with the United Customer Relations Manager, he stated that he was left with no choice other than to create a music video for youtube exposing their lack of cooperation. The Manager responded: "Good luck with that one, pal." So he posted a retaliatory video on youtube. The video has since received over 6 million hits. United Airlines contacted the musician and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video.

Naturally his response was: "Good luck with that one, pal."

 

Taylor Guitars sent the musician 2 new custom guitars in appreciation for the product recognition from the video that has led to a sharp increase in orders.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=5YGc4zOqozo

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Dunno what those are worth down there but here they sell for $2975.00 at Long & McQuade ... man, a guy could buy hisself a pretty decent 1st gen for that kinda money (but why would he). :whistling:

 

Well, the Taylor 814ce and the Martin GPCPA1 are both listed at all the big box stores here for $2999.99 but I can tell you that you can find them hundreds cheaper at some of the smaller independent shops.

 

It is a lot of money for a guitar but it was something that I spent some time trading up to. I sold two guitars that I bought right and made money on that almost paid for this one. It's more than I ever thought I would spend on a guitar but I do think this one is a keeper. :)

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That is a great video. I just finished editing my daughter's college paper on business communication and 3 of her real life examples on dealing with issues with businesses.

 

I am sending her the link to the story ad the video link that she can use in her class as what can happen when a business doesn't not step up to the plate on issues...

 

Really is a good video....:happy65:

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Well, the Taylor 814ce and the Martin GPCPA1 are both listed at all the big box stores here for $2999.99 but I can tell you that you can find them hundreds cheaper at some of the smaller independent shops.

 

It is a lot of money for a guitar but it was something that I spent some time trading up to. I sold two guitars that I bought right and made money on that almost paid for this one. It's more than I ever thought I would spend on a guitar but I do think this one is a keeper. :)

 

To be honest, I can't play worth a hoot but I tell ya, if I had the bucks I'd have me one of those just coz. Besides, a guy deserves to spend some bucks on something really nice for himself!

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Don,

It looks like you found THE ONE. Sound is everything, well along with playability but the action can be adjusted. The sound is what you get and it will get better with age but beyond that you can't change the characteristics.

CONGRATS !!!!!!

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It's more than I ever thought I would spend on a guitar but I do think this one is a keeper. :)

 

Don......34 years ago I remember using similar words after buying my HD-28 Martin. During the last 34 years the Martin Box has masked my many vocal flaws which has kept the welcome spot open in many jam sessions for me.

 

I paid $930 for the guitar...I have enjoyed it very much and refused $2800 for it last year. Wish I could say the same for my many other investments.

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It sure takes them a while to open up but I know that the more you play one, the quicker it happens.

 

Playing music through a external speaker suspended in the sound hole, with the instrument hanging or in a stand, will speed up the aging process. One month of 24-7 music with good bass vibes would be equal to 2+ years of actual playing time for me.

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  • 2 weeks later...

OK....I love the Martin and it is a KEEPER. BUT....I realized that I sold too many guitars to justify buying it. I like taking a guitar with me on my weekly business travels and though I will sometimes take the Martin, I do worry about it getting too beat up. So I went in search of a cheap but decent "beater" to take along on my trips. Was thinking about a used Seagull S6 or maybe a used Epiphone Masterbilt but then I ran across one that I had never even considered.

 

I saw this one hanging on a wall in a small music shop. Used but excellent condition. All solid wood. Solid spruce top and solid rosewood back and sides. Beautiful maple binding around body, fretboard and headstock. Bone nut and saddle, dovetail neck joint, Grover tuners. A LOT of guitar for very little money. It is only about a year or so old. Either it came from the factory with a great setup or has had one done on it because the action is fantastic.

 

OK...I'm done now. I REALLY am. Eileen told me so.

 

http://www.venturerider.org/guitar/washburn2.JPG

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  • 8 months later...
So...are you guys still practicing and playing?

 

Once a week or so I pick her up and strum her for about an hour. ummm we are talking guitars here aren't we? :smile5:

 

Haven't really advanced much ... kinda stuck on about 3 or 4 "tunes" that I've somehow put together on my own using 3 or 4 chords. One is a variance of Horse with no name. The other a variance of House of the rising sun. Then there's a couple others that don't resemble anything although one started out as Marguritaville.

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my pop bought a piano for my mom back in 1968. She learned to play and play well.

i took piano lessons from age 6 to age 16...was decent and played mostly classical music. (funny... now i can't read music and only play by ear..mostly guitar music)

got a guitar for christmas when i was 14...strummed it 3 times and gave it to my brother (who went on to minor in music at BGSU)...my brother (and his son) plays anything with strings and plays it well.

 

back in the late 80's i bought another acoustic guitar (korean alvarez), then a number of banjos and a mandolin (or two)...and played until my finger bled. picked up a jean larrivee about 15 yrs ago and have beat the snot out of it. my son is into guitar and has a number of electrics (and my old alvarez)...

 

my uncle (a jazz guitarist) has recently had to go into assisted living (actually, he's not really living, just there). he had a number of guitars and gifted this one to me ('66 martin gt-75). it's almost too "pretty" to play but i can't keep my hands off of it...

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p14/dbikers/rockys%20guitars/ROCKYSGUITARS020.jpg

 

he gifted this one to my brother ('64 epiphone zephyr)...

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p14/dbikers/rockys%20guitars/ROCKYSGUITARS008.jpg

 

would be nice to get together with some other ventureriders and do a little jammin...

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