Lars68

I would go True Vintage myself. I liked the chiming trebles, at least based on the recording, listening through headphones. The same trait might come across as piercingly annoying in person, though. Lars

My fellow Swede is getting himself noticed across the pond. Good for him! Lovely guitar too. Lars

That was absolutely lovely in all respects! This kind of performance and artistry reminds me of why I keep trying to learn to write, sing, and play. Being able to make music like that, with a friend, being in the moment, is my ultimate goal. I realize this level of perfection is not attainable for me, but it is worth aiming for... Thanks for posting, Jinder. By the way, any samples from your new album to share with us? Lars

Are those really the original tuners for a 2018 J-45 Standard, and why no interior label? Are you the original owner? Lars

To me that guitar both looks and sounds great! Although I can appreciate the difficulty and skill it takes to write and perform the tune in the link above, that particular one did not speak to me. However, I found Steve Earle doing Guy Clark's LA Freeway on the same website, which was awesome! By the way, I really think it is a wonderful thing that performances like these, simple, raw and honest, can be produced and made available relatively easily to the world in these modern times. Internet tech really is wonderful in that sense. Lars

Nah, I worry more about the strap button falling out. Happened to me while playing a Martin recently. Fortunately I managed to catch it before disaster struck. Lars

It looks fine to me! Rosewood is getting scarce so color probably vary more in recent years than it used to. Also, adding a little bit of conditioner will mostly likely darken it substantially. It could be a little dry and just need some moisture. Lighting and flash can also play a part. I'm pretty sure it's legit. Lars

Knowing how my songwriting usually goes, I'll aim for happy, but end up dark 😳 Lars

I managed to finally remember my little riff/chord sequence idea and make a recording (straight into my iPad on a tiny travel guitar). It might not sound like much, or go down in acoustic guitar history, but it's important to me. It will serve as a starting point for my next idea for an original song. Here it is: https://soundcloud.com/lars1968/song-idea/s-EU6FW Lars

I think it looks good! There are some cracks, but nothing that can't be fixed. It looks like a mahogany top to me. If so, they usually sell for a lite less than spruce topped ones. You might want to replicate your question and pictures on the UMGF-site, in The Vintage Corner section. Those Martin folks really know and appreciate their vintage Gibsons too. I think you have a better chance of getting replies from dealers and repair folk over there, who are likely more in touch with actual selling prices. My uneducated guess would be about $7000 to $8000... Lars

I own both Gibsons and Martins. My heart is with Gibson, but that's more of a sentimental thing. It has nothing to do with the quality of the instruments from these two makers. I love the Neil Young style, palm muted, thumping rythm from the bass strings. A Martin dread can do that much, much better than a Gibson, which on the other hand, is a better straight up strummer. Apart from that, for my humble needs, I find nothing lacking in either brand. Just two sides of heaven. Lars By the way Jinder, I had a D-18 GE some years back and it had ebony bridge and board, and I'm pretty sure they all do.

I like the music of The Stones, but I'm far from a die-hard fan. However, I think it's incredibly cool how they have been a constant of our culture for so long, and how they keep influencing people from all age groups. They keep doing their thing, despite current trends. I like that. Lars

Like pointed out above, superglue is used to repair guitar finishes. Can you feel the glue as bumps when running a finger over? I have touched up finish marks using superglue myself. I took a razor blade and put tape over the edges on the sides, leaving a sharp edge only in the middle. By scraping with the razor blade over the glue drops, you can reduce the height of the drops until they equal the thickness of the tape. The rest can be polished down. Lars

I was up very late the other day watching a movie while noodling on a guitar. Out of nowhere I found a little riff and chord sequence I liked. I thought this could eventually make a new song. Since it was so late I just practiced the riff a few times, thinking I'll record it first thing in the morning. Bad idea! I woke up and it was gone. Nowhere to be found. Then later the same day, I passed by the guitar, picked it up, and there was the riff again. I found it! Knowing I was going to be travelling for a few days, I recorded it on my iPad. Now a few days later, I'm away from home without guitars. I go to listen to the riff on my iPad, which I brought with me. I listen to the riff a few times thinking this is good (for being me). Then with sausage fingers, I somehow manage to delete the recording. I try to find a way to undo whatever I just did. No luck. The track is gone! I'll be home again tomorrow. I'll go straight to my guitar, hoping the riff will still be there. Not so sure right now. Awwgh... Lars Lessoned learned: record new ideas straight away, and always save a backup copy!!

I watched the whole film. The live music scenes were great, but the interviews and other stuff didn't add much of anything. I'm by no means a Dylan completeist, but I enjoyed the film. The Netflix Springsteen on Broadway, on the other hand, was just thoroughly amazing all the way through, both the story telling and the music. Lars

Beautiful song! The guitar did a good job too. Lars

I added some strings played on my iPad to the second and third verses. I think it added some needed atmosphere to the song and also helped with changing the dynamics a bit. Here it is: https://soundcloud.com/lars1968/black-velvet-blanket Lars

Yes, I do. I've tried all kinds of variations in volume level when recording my voice, but I'm still terrible at hearing pitch when singing. Listening back, I hear it very well and can pick out bad spots, that I often thought where okey while singing. I guess I just lack experience... Lars

Stevendv, I too find some of Springsteens stuff overproduced, and I too have Nebraska as one of my all time favorite albums, of any kind by any artist. However, the production bit is only a minor gripe in a catalouge of wonderful music spanning almost forty years, and it probably says more about my inclination towards low-fi than anything else. Springsteen's music has been a constant in my life since about 1980, when I was a twelve year old kid. I still listen to him today. To me, the new album is his best in recent years. As a Swedish saying goes, taste is like our back side - parted. Lars

I'm on this journey right now, and what has helped me enormously is listening back to recordings of my singing. I record on the Garageband app on my iPad, which to me is the quickest, most hassle fee way to record. When doing a song, I listen to tons of attempts, trying to find the best bits of very short snippets. When I fail, I listen for sharp or flat singing to figure out why I'm missing, then I try again. I've also come to the conclusion that if I'm uncertain about a note being off or not, it is ALWAYS off. When getting it just right, there is no uncertainty. I have one oddity yet to figure out. When I sing, I have a hard time hearing the mistakes as they happen, but when I play back the recording I pick it up right away. Don't know why that is. So my advice is to record yourself and listen and compare attempts. Good luck! Lars

I'm across a big ocean, but I can surely relate. Lars

I have no definitive answer, but I have always thought of Dove and Firebird as the same. The Dove is not my cup of tea as far as looks, but I find the Firebird, with its standard shaped bridge and “fiery “ appointments to be super cool! Lars

EA, I understand, and it's a point I need to work on. I was just saying that I find it difficult to play the guitar with dynamics when tracking the recording without singing. I only sing in my head, to give me a sense of timing and rythm for the guitar. It's easier playing the guitar with "emotion" when I sing at the same time. Lars

I appreciate the confirmation about pitch. It's been a loooooong time coming for me. It is a skill I definitely wasn't born with. I've had to work several years to finally be able to put a simple tune like this one together. However, this is such a vital thing for me, since it means if I just work hard enough I can continue to write, play, sing and record simple tunes of my own. That has been my primary goal since I started writing five years ago. EA, I totally agree about the lack of dynamics. I think it's a result of two things. First I don't have much control or freedom within my voice. All efforts are put towards finding the pitch. It's not an instrument at my command. Second, doing multi tracking is harder on dynamics than singing and playing at once. Especially when laying down the starting guitar track, with no vocal timing or intensity to guide it. Thanks for listening! Lars

Thanks, means a lot coming from your keyboard, Sir!! Still can’t sing in one single take. The recording is a mix of lots of takes. I fail a hundred times for each note I get right, but the good thing about recording is that once is enough. So my biggest improvement is not singing better; it’s finding that one time I get it right 😀 Lars