fortyearspickn

He got some good answers - didn't like them, because he came here to rant about price hikes specific to one company. We frequently get people here who bytch about Gibson's prices: Most of the time their real issue is they have beer budgets and champaign tastes. I could rant about the price of Rolex watches - certainly some of it is related to brand distinction/snob appeal (a subset of Larsong's "Supply and Demand Fits All" sobriquet) - but then I'd start ranting about the price of Mercedes, then Louis Vuitton bags, Apple Watches and Cabbage Patch Dolls back 40 years ago when they artificially limited the supply side. But soon I'd realize it was ME that was the key - the common denominator - to this 'inequity'. A man's got to know his limitations.

Some keep an open box of armand hammer baking soda in their reefers to absorb bad food smells. It seems to work. I would steer clear of Febreeze. It leaves a coating impossible to remove on fabric if it builds up. And, would do the same on a guitar, especially on the raw wood of the fingerboard, bridge and insides. Maybe it's not smoke. Did your seller have a cat?

As far as PPP and PPE - The US Dept of Injustice is investigating cases of alleged frauds that they receive with credible evidence. Lots of small business owners thought they could play fast and loose with the 'Free Stuff', but will find out that, like all things government related - you are gambling.

This is the only appropriate response to an open-ended, rhetorical question like "Why are Gibson's prices rising so quickly?"

I think Willie invented the Stash Port, not the Sound Port.

FF, Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, and a few hundred other Triple AAA players are put on this earth to inspire us and allow us to aspire to more than we otherwise would be .. BUT still, realizing we will be something much, much less Wonderful than what Molly Tuttle is. Some folks have perfect brain to finger wiring. Most of us just have average. Some have 'perfect pitch'. Some do, but still can't really sing. Most learn to sing through practice. Like playing any other instrument. Enjoy and appreciate the clip above but don't for a minute think that 99999 out of 100000 people could ever bring that off. Some people can play chess and stay 5 moves ahead: she can do that with music. Some people can juggle chainsaws and bowling balls: she can do that with music. Don't get discouraged. I'm assuming your goal is enjoyment, not performing for others or gigging for money. If you started out with cowboy chords and a basic music book - you may have missed things like 'scales'. It's hard to recognize a song if your book just shows the words and the 3 chords. Especially if you can't sing well or don't know the melody of song in the first place. You couldn't do the chords well on "White Freightliner Blues' if you didn't know the melody and lyrics well enough for them to lead and accompany your guitar chord playing aka 'rhythm guitar'. Many great ideas above, I'll beg, borrow and steal some: setup is critical, you need to be able to play for at least an hour without pain. And, keep your nails as short as possible on your fretting hand. Get a nylon string guitar if you can't stick to at least 30 minutes a day - softer stings, wider spacing. Otherwise - use light or extra light strings. Get a book on scales. Practice then until you can do it in your sleep. Including up the neck. If you can move your individual fingers one note at a time - it will make changing between chords with all 4 of them much easier and quicker. Investing in a year or so of in-person lessons will also help. Being able to read music - basic notes - and find them on your guitar will help you figure out the melody of songs so the chords make sense. Short of reading music - learn transcription. Because learning 3 or 33 chords and only that is not going to get you far in terms of enjoyment/ self-motivation . Nor will it get you much brain/ finger practice as scales will. As well as learning to read music notation/transcription - so you can play melodies. Then, if you find you are actually a 'prodigy', you'll be able to pick all sorts of notes within chords, dancing around the melody. There are tons of actual exercises on the internet, of course. Here is an inexpensive little exerciser that many use. Helps each finger, because most index fingers are at least twice as strong as our fourth finger. https://www.physioroom.com/product/PhysioRoom_Hand_and_Finger_Exerciser_Grip_Strengthener_Wrist_and_Forearm_Workout/2334/42531.html I apologize if some of this is too basic and you already have dealt with it. Thought it better to cover all bases. G'luck.

Every Christmas I hear a new Christmas song. This one is my 74th ! Nice job ! Dove Love !!

Cats have 2 sound ports.

Good Insight…. If I’d spent half the time I’ve been on this forum practicing, I might be able to remember the dreaded 8th note in Jingle Bels without having to dig out my Christmas Carols book. Seriously, traditional Christmas songs seem to lend themselves to interpretation, embellishment and greater enjoyment. Don’t know if it’s because they’re embedded in our minds, associated with good times, or are just really well constructed songs. Thanks DR ! And, Merry Christmas!

Is it me, or does that price seem really high? Rosewood bridge a plus!

Weather has a hard time competing with Sports and the “if it bleeds it leads” News. So the networks ask their local affiliates to send them any clips they can get of violent weather, with the winner aired every night. On slow (weather) news days, they go further afield. I didn’t hear about the storm in Omaha. I think there was a blizzard in UK that stranded 40 people in a pub on top of a mountain for several days. Happy Hours !

Gas here inTexas is $3.00. National average is $3.40. Supply and Demand must be extra far apart in So Cal ! Unless it’s the State Tax.

Bet it tastes as good as it looks. Temp of the oven? On rack or stone.? What are you’re thoughts on anchovies? If I were on Death Row, my last meal would be pizza and beer,

Comes to a US company sponsored forum to complain about their prices in Europe. Doesn’t like the answers, so attacks those who took time from their busy day to try to help him understand. Bill, I think we’ve got a case study in Trolling . But I, for one, welcome him here. We need a good laugh.

Sounds like you felt you knew the answer before you asked the question. Isn’t that what they teach in law school? But, to drill down into the “Demand” half of Lars “supply and demand response…. Demand goes up as Disposable income goes up. Disposable income goes up as the Minimum wage goes up. It’s basically doubled from $7.50 to $15.00 in the past 2 years. Extended Unemployment Benefits of course, led to the need for employers to pay more. Sort of like “supply and demand” as it affects Labor instead of Finished Goods. Like guitars gibsonrene.

Of course, that was on your recent New Guitar Day post for that beautiful parlor sized Martin. And it was clearly a tongue-in-cheek COMPLIMENT. I don't remember who made it - but there were another 2 dozen from others (me included) praising your good taste and fine fettle. As they pertain to guitars. My 'go to' is my J45. But I pull my H'Bird down on special occasions when I feel like a real treat.

"Man, I haven't had a Schlitz beer since elementary school." Robert Earl Keen. My '64 LG1 went to my youngest son 10 years ago. Was my one and only for ... 40 years and change. A staple for many of us.

A lot of water under the bridge in the 2 years since the OP.

Bones, This is awe-inspiring! You are to be commended. Thanks.

Chief, You need to bang out a few Christmas Carols on it. To me, a good test of 'tone'. Very tempting crumpet !

Cold and rainy here ... I'd be waiting by the curb.

Yah ! See, you DO have good taste. All that self-effacing bs is ..... Well - Congrats!! Bet she sounds as good as she looks ! A keeper for sure !!

I think Taylor has moved on from it's decades old rep of being too brite and twangy. Lots of different choices. Close to a hundred I'd bet, between the models and woods.

Yah. Guilty as charged. Again. I was one of the unwashed masses back in the early days - the 60s. Knew zip about bracing. Good ol' Murphy Slaw here educated me on that - my first Newbie question. Later, I came to realize the bridge on my LG1 was plastic. Gave it to my son in disgust. But, now I'm a regular cork sniffer.

Welcome and belated congratulations on your New Guitar Day! We all have artists we respect greatly who play different models and brands. I am not a fan of Young, but thought he was mostly an electric player. I'm sure you knew his D28 and D45 are vintage and rosewood, so will sound different than a new J45 when you made your decision. I'm guessing your voice is different as well !! And I bet you were also aware of the fact that the J45 is arguably the most commonly recognized guitar out there for a reason. Anyway. it will take a couple years for your guitar to get broken in and attain its full potential in terms of tone. Enjoy the voyage, and don't worry about the destination. Also, it takes a player several hours to adjust to the differences in a new guitar when they are use to playing another - to the point of feeling really comfortable. The better the setup, the quicker the adjustment period. But as RbW suggested above, don't rush to get the setup. And a pox on extra lite strings! Medium Lights are what I would shoot for - Lites won't give you the full sound and power you want. Depending on your situation, as Jedzep suggested, tuning down a full step to DGCFAD allows many of us to use medium strings, get better bang for the buck on the bass strings plus enjoy the feel and sound when capoing on the 2nd fret. And, of course, ignore the first week of jangly-spangly new string sound. Though many love it, many others prefer the sound of strings that have at least a year of play on them - to be able to hear the guitar and not let the strings get in the way. As you know - the heavier and higher the string - the more power it will put out, but the more difficult it will be to fret. So you have to find a happy medium, sometimes within a hundredth of an inch. A guitar tech will get you close enough. "Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk and cut with an axe." I have short scale and long scale guitars and switch back and forth so often, I never think about a difference in 'feel' - just how much I enjoy the difference in sound. Finally, watch large swings in humidity - that will affect 'feel' as the belly/face swells up and raises the bridge to the point of making the strings a tad sharp# ! Apologies for any of this that tells you what you already knew !!! G'Luck.