MissouriPicker

I rotate my guitars with my gigs and I try to do the same at home. That kind of gives them all equal use as far as strings and batteries are concerned. When I change strings and batteries. I do them all over a couple of days.

It’s always Halloween in Walmart, especially late at night when all the people who live under the city come to the surface.

My nearby GC has two of the G45 models. I know very little about the inside of a guitar. All I know is what I like and I didn’t like either of these guitars. To me, they sounded light and airy and that’s not what I’m looking for. They remind me of the composite Martins. ……….Just my opinion. That doesn’t make me right and someone else wrong.

I think we all like the sound of our fingers striking the keyboard and then the thrill we get from reading the “words of wisdom” that we are sharing.

Lars, I really like this song. My kind of music. I can really identify with what he’s saying. I like the somber and melancholy atmosphere. Makes me think of Neil’s cover of Ian Tyson’s “Four Strong Winds.” I like a pure sound like this. No blazing guitar licks or loud accompaniment. Just a real human sound.

Guitars……There are as many opinions on how each one sounds as there are pairs of ears listening. I know the sound I like. Someone else might not like it, but I do.

Phil and Daddy, you guys are awesome! Very impressive knowledge. Cool!

Nice to look back at this thread. My Dove is still the big and very vocal guitar that it was three years ago. The Dove and the Hummingbird. Two awesome guitars.

Nicely done, Lars! I think the guitar playing is pretty cool. Much more uptempo and steady than a couple years ago……I like the lyrics, but I think they are too wordy. Unnecessary words. At times you are trying to squeeze too many words into a measure and it throws the rhythm and melody off. Also, easy rhymes are not always the best rhyme. Often, all we need are words that sound similar to each other. Still, the lyrics are good. English is not your first language and I can understand how one would always be looking for the proper way to say something while someone like me routinely uses slang words and street vernacular, because that’s how I normally talk. …….Your ability to write so well in a foreign language is impressive, especially one so difficult to learn.. I know I couldn’t do it.>……..Likewise, I struggle with songs that are too “wordy” also. Whenever I feel I’m playing/singing faster to get all the words in a measure, I make myself go back and find a better way to say it…….Keep playing, buddy!

Yeah, it was cool. If GC didn’t have what you wanted they’d check the warehouse and they’d have it the next day, or you could drive to the warehouse and get it “today.”

A huge Musicians’ Gear warehouse used to be a 15 minute drive from me. They helped supply all the GCs. They had a retail store at one end of it that was awesome. If they believed you were a serious shopper, they’d let you play any guitar they had. Great used/new merchandise and the employees were fantastic. Sweet bargains. Top notch music people. Some of them would work weekends at GC. Two of the gals were covered with tattoos. One had a Mohawk haircut and what-a-looker. It was fun to shop there, especially when they knew you. No mater how much you already knew, they could help you. Those were good times that won’t be back.

My local GC (about a mile from here) has evolved into something with literally no resemblance at all to what it was around 17-18 years ago. From knowledgeable sales folks, they now have teeny—boppers or “cool” people who don’t know their *** from a hole in the ground. I’ll get strings there when they’re on sale, but I won’t spend big dollars there anymore. I have no confidence in the in-store employees and definitely don’t need a “gear advisor.”

Sounds like they’re singing about the majority of us…lol……. I think if for some reason I can’t play, then next time I play I’m more excited about playing and kind of focus more on what I’m doing. I’m kind of at that stage where I can’t get any worse and there’s no-way-in-hell I can get any better.

Remember when 30 seemed so far away and 40 wasn’t even on the radar scope? A song I wrote about twenty-five years ago starts with “When I was young, I would never be this old.”

Doctors say that 4 out of 5 people suffer from diarrhea. Does that mean one enjoys it?

Your post “1965” is really cool.

Sweet as hell, Bob! Great tune and real life story. I love the gentle music and the way the different stories are all weaved together as they lead to-and-from 1965. I’m glad you shared this. This is how so many of us identify with each other and relate to the past. Real music about real people.

I hate it when I go to Walmart and they don’t have what I need. Then, I have to go back home, get out of my pajamas, take a shower, put on clean clothes, and go to the grocery store.

That is really cool, Bill! Very interesting and fun to watch. I enjoy watching talented people who are just regular folks. Good stuff, buddy!

Thanks for more nice comments. I just think it’s cool to hear the folks on here who make music with their guitar and voice. It a real pure and honest form of music. Very few, if any frills. Lots of inspiration……Thank you.

Thanks for the comments, guys! I really enjoy the J200 and the folksy/country tones I can get out of it. I ain’t no Roy Clark or Glen Campbell, so I need something with it’s own great sound and that I can hide behind. ……..Don’t know if I can write a song that doesn’t have some direct connection to my own life. It’s good therapy and kind of gives me a link to some in my coffeehouse audiences. And Fortyearspickin, I agree! I think that the last generation or two is missing-out on some of the things that make our lives valuable and rewarding on a very personal level.

Never been a Metallica fan, BUT, I can still appreciate the ultra high levels of musicianship they display.

Congrats on a beautiful guitar. I think you’re going to love it. Get us a video so we can see and hear it…….Really a cool guitar.

Here’s a song called “Mike, Phil,, Larry, and Me.” It’s about the guys I grew-up with. I’ve been using the J200 a lot. It’s got a great thump to it , especially when you dampen the strings. BTW, depending on what you’re listening with, you might pick-up two dogs snoring toward the end. (E) If I could take a walk back down life’s path(A)way I (E) bet I’d spend some time (B7) back-in-the-day (E) With four guys I knew who were (A) wild and free. (B7)Mike, Phil, Larry, and (E)me. Mike, Phil, (A) Larry, and me. (E) (E) We met as little boys in the old neigh(A)hood. (E) Got in lots of trouble, so we (B7) got along real good. (E) People said we were like “peas in a pod.” A few said we were crazy and a little bit odd. Mike, Phil, Larry, and me. (E) We’d ride our bicycles all around (A) Cliff Drive. (E) Explore the woods for hours....’til (B7) it was almost night. (E) Climb down to the train tracks where the (A) hobo camp was. If our (B7) parents would have found out, they’d have killed (E) us. Mike, Phil, (A) Larry, and me. (E) (E)Shoulda’ seen us in high school.....acting like (A) fools, (E) Flirting ’ with the girls and (B7) breaking all the rules. (E)All for one. One for all. (A) Always together. The Four Horsemen of The Apocolyspe we’re gonna ride forever. Mike, Phil, (A) Larry, and me. (E) Bridge............... But (A) time slips away and so does (E) innocence. i’ve (A) tried and tried to find it, but (E) I ain’t seen it since. and I ain’t seen (B7) Mike, Phil, Larry, mad Me. Instrumental break....guitar/ (E) Mike wanted to be a dentist. (A) Larry a cop. (E) Me and Phil planned to party until (B7) old age made us stop But life isn’t always kind and sometimes it’s just unfair. Each of us turned around and the other three weren’t there. Mike, Phil, (A) Larry, and me. (E) Larry joined the army, ended-up in Germany. Me and Phil settled-down with our wives-to-be. Mike, he died at twenty-two. Wish that part wasn’t true. But, what-in-hell can you do? Instrumental................ All those paths walked, the footsteps echo in my mind. All the friends I made and the ones I left behind. Me and Phil still talk. Reminisce about the others. We’ve all gone our separate ways, but we’ll always be brothers. Mike, Phil, (A)Larry, and me. (E) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxp3XMDuFY4

I hear what you’re saying and it’s an interesting topic. I’m just not technically skilled or knowledgeable enough to do anything but find guitars I like and play them…..lol….Whatever “opening up” is, I suspect my guitars do it slowly, but that’s okay with me. I’m a finger picker and play pretty softly. I’m sure a bluegrass picker would get a lot more sound and different tones out of my guitars than I do, but I’m not in competition with anyone. I just like playing guitars that I bond with…….