jimsoloway Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 I had a last minute call last night for a gig that play every couple months. It's a just a small quiet coffee place that's mostly students from a local college studying, hanging, and doing class work. The gig was just me with the 575 and a small amp. It's only the second gig that I've played with it and this time I feel like my playing definitely had changed since I started playing this guitar. I was playing with much more dynamics, digging in more when it felt right and really letting the guitar speak more. For a low profile little gig, it was a really good night. The kids had a good time listening to an old man play guitar and I really felt like I was able to take the music to a new level. It's nice when a plan works out.
ScottNaylor Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 I wish I could have been there tucked away in a corner with a large mocha to keep me company. What a treat to hear your music and see and sense its impact on the younger listeners! Real beauty is the last great communicator in this chaotic world and it has the power to reach people through any amount of discrimination we might heap upon one another. As your post reminds me, beauty even has the ability to transform the one who shares it. Thanks, Jim. Note to self - if that's not a good reason to go and practice, I don't know what is!
yoslate Posted April 14, 2014 Posted April 14, 2014 I had a last minute call last night for a gig that play every couple months. It's a just a small quiet coffee place that's mostly students from a local college studying, hanging, and doing class work. The gig was just me with the 575 and a small amp. It's only the second gig that I've played with it and this time I feel like my playing definitely had changed since I started playing this guitar. I was playing with much more dynamics, digging in more when it felt right and really letting the guitar speak more. For a low profile little gig, it was a really good night. The kids had a good time listening to an old man play guitar and I really felt like I was able to take the music to a new level. It's nice when a plan works out. Love posts like this! Nothing like a little low-key magic. Sounds as though the scale really suits you, Jim. "(L)etting the guitar speak more." Nice!
Doc3 Posted April 15, 2014 Posted April 15, 2014 What songs did you play? It sounds like you and the audience had a great time.
fxdx99 Posted April 15, 2014 Posted April 15, 2014 For a low profile little gig, it was a really good night. Nice. Fun when everything - room, ambiance, mood, instrument, player, audience, sound - all coalesce to let the creativity flow.
jimsoloway Posted April 15, 2014 Author Posted April 15, 2014 What songs did you play? It sounds like you and the audience had a great time. My usual stuff: older standards, a few Brazilian tunes, a few original. All filtered through my somewhat quirky and decided laid back approach. One thing is certain: they didn't know any of the songs. I think that's one of the reasons why it worked so nicely. they had no preconceived notion of what these pieces should sound like so the were more open to just receiving the music for what it was rather than judging it against previous experience.
soybean Posted April 16, 2014 Posted April 16, 2014 So why not just buy a Sweet 16? Aren't they long scale? I know the body is the same size (16 inch wide). Just curious.
jimsoloway Posted April 17, 2014 Author Posted April 17, 2014 So why not just buy a Sweet 16? Aren't they long scale? I know the body is the same size (16 inch wide). Just curious. It really started with getting the neck made to my exact specs spec. Once I started with that, there was no reason not to do the whole guitar as a custom piece. I prefer maple over spruce for the top, rosewood over ebony for the fingerboard and I prefer simpler aesthetics and no binding on the neck. I considered a Sweet 16 with a top mounted pickup and controls minus the extra pearl and binding but after talking to Jim D. I just went with the individual features that I thought worked best for me and when all was said and done it turned out to be an H575 with X bracing and a neck only pickup and a long scale length. There are a few other unusual features that I supplied the parts for but that would have been on any guitar they built me. If I had to do it all over again, I think the only change I would make is to leave out the fingerboard markers entirely and add a side marker at the 19th fret. Everything else is working just great.
Hfan Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 Good for you Jim. Very cool to expose the younger generation to something different.
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