dhanners623

The weather in 1936 was so much better than it is today. Why can't we have 1936 weather?

Frank Ford -- who, unlike me, is an expert -- uses plain ol' Elmer's wood glue, an aliphatic resin: http://frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/Pickguards/ReglueGuard/reglueguard.html Whether he'd use it on a firestripe pickguard is something I don't know. In the past when I've had questions, I actually emailed Ford out of the blue and was pleasantly surprised to get a prompt and very helpful reply.

Or have the repair person affix the pickguard with glue instead of tape.

I'm going to have to respectfully beg to differ. Any luthiers here can correct me if I'm wrong, but the irregular light-colored linear splotches in Scott's original photos appear, to my eye, to be air bubbles trapped between the pickguard and soundboard. They are where the double-stick tape has failed to make proper contact with the pickguard and/or soundboard. Were I a betting man, I'd wager the person who put the pickguard on did not clamp it. He or she figured where it should go, peeled off the protective tape and just pressed it down by hand without clamping it. If he/she did clamp it, I'll gladly stand corrected. I know if my guitar came back from the repair shop looking like that, I'd have a chat with with the repair person.

I'm not a repairman but being a lefty, I've done my share of pickguard removals and installs. While I'd need to see it in person, going from the photos I'd have to say I'm not sure it should look like that. It looks to me like the double-sided tape didn't fully make contact with the pickguard, or the soundboard, or both. A new pickguard should be clamped on, even if double-sided tape is used. It's not just a matter of slapping the tape on the back of the pickguard and then sticking the pickguard on the soundboard. As always, Frank Ford explains it all: http://frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/Pickguards/Pickguard/pickguard2.html

Yet another vote for mediums. Martin Retros in particular. I know some people say lights on a J-45 are ok, but I've just always felt the slopes need mediums to move the top in any decent way. I'd also recommend switching out the Tusq saddle for a bone one. I had a Bob Colosi saddle installed in my J-35 awhile back and it made a considerable difference. For one thing, the Tusq saddle was undersized and didn't fill the slot properly. It was leaning in the slot and wasn't making proper contact with the bottom. That problem somehow made it past the QC people at Gibson AND Sweetwater.

I don't know the first thing about running a guitar company, but I DO know my J-35 is a great guitar, especially given it's price. I've had it since the summer of '16 and have gigged with it on two continents and it's always come through. I know Gibson was trying to keep expenses down, but I would've loved some aging toner on top and a simple white silkscreen script logo on the headstock, ala the original '35s. Those are just cosmetic gripes, though. In terms of build quality, finish, playability and, most critically, sound, it's a wonderful guitar.

What Wall has going for him is authenticity. When I look at people who are my favorite vocalists -- John Prine, the late Bill Morrissey and Gram Parsons, Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffith and Steve Earle, to name a few -- they lack what one might consider a "good" or even "pleasant" voice, but they sound real. They sing with authenticity. Sometimes when I drag my wife out to an open mic (she neither plays nor sings, but is a good sport) she'll hear some of the women performers mumble their lyrics and throw some sort of affectation into their voice, which my wife dubs, "Female Angst." I usually know it's time to go when that happens. I have never liked my singing voice, and from time to time I've tried some technique to make it sound different, but nothing has ever worked. So at least what I do is authentic to me. It sucks, but at least it's me.

It strikes me as more of an affectation. There's a whole crop of singers out there who do strange things to their voices or sing out of the side of their mouths so they don't sound "normal." Brett Dennen. Charlie Parr. Carrie Rodriguez. Heck, I'd probably do it if I thought I could get away with it. It's all about standing out. A few years back, Americana artist Mary Lou Lord complained on Facebook about the style. She posted a video of the aforementioned Dennen, and asked, "who the @&$!#* talks like that?!?" Except she was more blunt. She complained about Dennen and other singers whose voice, phrasing and weird-*** pronunciation twist things into incomprehensibility. One of the words she used to describe it was "mumbletwang." Said it drove her nuts because that's not how people talk. While Wall certainly has a deep speaking voice, it's not quite as affected as his singing voice: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zuyjagoWNzU

It's been awhile since I've seen "Twister," and although I lived in Tornado Alley for years, "finger of God" was not a term I remember. But your explanation makes sense, so go with it. Like I said, you've got a winner here and when a couple of things are ironed out, it'll make a strong son even more powerful.

I'm pickin' up what you're puttin' down. Good job. And yeah, angst out the wazoo. If you can allow some observations from a hack songwriter (meant constructively) I'd offer the following: 1) It needs a title telling me where it takes place. Songs need a sense of place, and this is an easy way to give it one. "Rain Blues" only tells me you're sad about rain. "Florence Blues" tells me more, but that's just an off-the-cuff example. 2) I offer this as someone whose own attempts to play slide have crashed and burned, but I'm hearing slide on this. Slide launches this song into the stratosphere, in my opinion. Turns it into a blues monster. 3) Let's talk words. Yeah, wind blows, but did Florence howl? Scream? Shriek? In fact, if your first line is, "I hear Florence howl" then you've immediately grabbed my attention because a woman is screaming. Then I learn it is Hurricane Florence and you've put me in the center of it. 4) Similarly, when I hear the phrase "finger of God," my question is, "Why not hand of God?" which is the more common term. This may be a conscious choice on your part, but I'm just saying what I as a listener think when I hear "finger of God." 5) In Verse 4 you refer to "river" and in Verse 5 you say "creek." Maybe it's just a rural Illinois thing (where I grew up) but a river is different from a creek. (Or, as we would've said in rural Illinois, "crick.") You may indeed be talking about two different waterways, but again, it struck me as a listener. 6) Speaking of rivers and creeks, why not name them? Again, that gives the song a sense of place. 7) The "We need us a friend" line at the end is genius. The song's protagonist has lost everything, but he's saying that what gets us through hard times are friends, and he sure as heck needs some now. Good tune. It is VERY atmospheric, and that is a quality that can't be faked. And again, I mean all this constructively. You're welcome to ignore every word and I won't be offended in the least.

Well, if you're changing tuners, why not go whole-hog and get some Waverlys:http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Parts/Tuning_Machines/Solid_Peghead_Guitar_Tuning_Machines/Waverly_Guitar_Tuners_with_Ivoroid_Knobs_for_Solid_Pegheads.html Your Grovers required 13/32" peghead holes, and since the Waverlys need only 11/32" holes, you'll need conversion bushings: http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Parts/Tuning_Machines/Tuner_Parts/3_8_Conversion_Tuner_Bushing.html And, to each his/her own but I've always thought Gotoh 510s were perhaps the ugliest tuners ever slapped on a peghead.

Played the gig and, as usual, worried over nothing. Took the J-35. Hands got chilly but the guitar did just fine. Stayed in tune. I wouldn't want to play in weather that was much colder, though....

Indeed, I can almost hear the moisture being sucked out of the guitar....

I can either take my new J-35 or my Epiphone IB'64 Texan. I don't particularly "baby" my guitars -- they are tools built to be played -- but I do take good care of them and I also don't want to needlessly subject them to adverse conditions. When I lived in Minnesota, I never had to worry about playing outside in the winter.... The forecast humidity at 5 p.m. is 40 percent. I'm supposed to play a 25-minute set.

I've been playing for years but here's a question I've never really given much thought to: Is there a temperature below which you won't play your guitar outdoors? I'm part of an arts showcase tonight in Kuwait. We're playing on the rooftop of a building. I go on at 5 p.m., and the forecast says it will be 55 degrees F (13 C) with a "feels like" temperature of 53. Thoughts?

I'd echo what has already been said. Find a good luthier/repair shop in your area and take it in to see what, if anything, the guitar needs. It will be worth it. Not sure what the repairman meant by "steam pressed." A neck can be heat-set if things get too bad. It involves using heating pads to heat the neck and soften the glue between the neck and the fretboard, then using special clamps to straighten the neck while it cools and the glue dries. Obviously, don't try this at home.... Repair shops use steam when doing a full neck reset -- in which the neck is actually removed from the guitar and re-glued at the proper angle -- but that is a repair of last resort. It is also pricey. (The steam is injected into the body-neck joint to weaken the glue.) I would suggest taking a look at Frank Ford's website: http://frets.com/FretsPages/pagelist.html He is a world-class repairman and his website has TONS of useful information on guitar care and repair. Lots of helpful stuff for a beginner, and you can learn a lot about guitar construction, repair and upkeep there. As for the case, yeah, a modern case would be a big improvement. You've got a valuable guitar, so you should take care of it as best you can. The trick might be finding a case that fits. I'm a big fan of Gator polyfoam cases. They offer good protection and they are lightweight, and with the shoulder strap, you can just sling it over your shoulder. AVOID GIG BAGS. Yeah, gig bags are light and cover the guitar, but they offer close to zero protection. Check this out: http://www.gatorcases.com/p/16117-316/gl-classic Also, I've no idea where you live, but make sure you keep the guitar properly humidified.

I would posit that most of us raised on bold dreads like Martins and Gibsons have probably been unimpressed by the Taylors we came upon because they just didn't seem to have the "oomph" or depth we were accustomed to. I've got a good friend who owns a Taylor 712 or 714 (can't recall which) and it is a pretty sweet guitar for fingerstyle. But beyond that guitar, I've not played a Taylor that I'd take home. I can see why people more accustomed to playing electric guitar -- with their thin necks -- might get into playing Taylors. When you play a really good Martin or Gibson, though, your life becomes a quest to find a guitar that matches that sound and Taylors have never done that for me. And I believe some Epiphones are underrated and don't get the respect they deserve. The IB'64 Texan I have has really blossomed into a very fine guitar, with a sound that far exceeds what I'd expect for a guitar at that price. I know the Recording King and Blueridge guitars I've heard at jams at bluegrass festivals have also been impressive for the money. Everybody turns out a clunker from time to time, but they seem to have hit on a fairly consistent formula for making a nice guitar. When it comes to resophonic guitars, I am of the opinion that Republic Guitars, out of Texas, are very underrated.

I've got an "Early J-45" that's a '98, and I've always kind of wondered about the distinction, too. I'll be interested in the replies.

I've got a '98 J-45 that has fairly moderate finish checking on the top but nowhere else. I've taken great care of the guitar, but I live in Minnesota so extremes in temperatures are a way of life. I have wondered, though, what is is about the nitro finish Gibson uses that makes it more prone to checking than Martins or other makes.

Fine performance, Markus. Two very nice guitars, and you and your brother did a great job with the tune. (And completely off-topic, what is it with German women and red hair? My second ex-wife, whose mother was German, had hair that shade of red, and when I took a trip to Munich with her, it seemed so many women had red hair. What's up with that?)

So here's the latest. Decided to write a song about the flooding along the Mississippi this spring. I went online and read some articles from a few of the papers along the path of the flood, and was struck by a piece in the Southeast Missourian written after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blew some some levees in an attempt to keep the river from flooding Cairo, Ill. (And for our friends living outside the U.S., the Cairo in Illinois isn't pronounced like the city in Egypt. It is pronounced "care-oh.") Of course when they blew the levees, the river flooded farmland in Missouri, and that's what this song is about. Didn't use the J-45 for this one, though. Used a StewMac kit guitar (with D-18 specs) built by a guy in Browerville, MN. Cosmetically, it's not too pretty, but I love the sound. Anyway, here's the song: http://www.youtube.com/user/dhanners23?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/I7ZpDR4JV1s I've revised the lyrics since filming the song. Here is the current version, and, as always, it is copyright 2011 by David Hanners. And if anyone knows any Big-Time Nashville Star who is looking for a flood song for his/her next big album, tell 'em I'm available.... The Great Flood of 2011 I stood upon the makeshift shores of Highway 102 And looked at what a river could do I'm tempted to think these fields will never be the same But they will ‘cause they’ve got my family name (chorus) You can dynamite the levees, let this river roll untamed But when the water goes down these fields still have my family name My name is Bob Timmons and I’ve lived here all my life Like grandpa and my dad before me Grandpa made it through the flood of 1937 Dad survived the one in ‘73 I wish both of them were here with me now Teach me what they learned about stayin’ Maybe all I need to know is I’ll still wake up tomorrow And these fields will still have my family name (chorus) (bridge) They said to save Cairo, the levees had to go I'm just a poor Missouri farmer, so what do I know? Roofs and barns and diesel tanks float to New Orleans In a river that’s three miles wide Each one from somebody’s family farm I just hope nobody’s died And my name is Bobby Timmons, I will live here all my life I plant soybeans, corn and some grain No other work I know how to do In these fields that have my family name (chorus and end)

Thanks for the kind words. "The Wabash Cannonball" is an old American folk song. A number of people have covered it over the years, and if you look around YouTube, you can find some real good versions of it. (And very different form mine.) For example, there's a version of the late Jerry Reed doing it. Boy, that guy was hot. My philosophy in covering a song is that you might as well bring something different to it, or bring in your own personality. So I decided that since it is a song about the hobo life, I should stick it in a minor key.