livemusic
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Posts posted by livemusic
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Leonard, that is a stunning guitar, congrats!
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Ouh, , , one extra detail : Does your 45 have the rectangular metal spring under the saddle ?
If you mean mine (OP), I don't know what you mean. Something I can see?
I think it looks like this except my saddle is cream colored, not dark like this one's tusq saddle...
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I did the adjustment and it could not have been easier... I mean, who can't turn a screw?
I am curious, now that I see (hear) that this provides a brighter sound... do people ever "do" anything if they want to take some of the zing out? It's cool in its own way and with some playing styles, outstanding, but I'd like to know, you guys seem to know a lot about this type of thing.
Also, how can I tell what type of saddle it has? I have read everything I can find and the saddle material is not mentioned. The color light, kind of cream colored. It does say the nut is bone. I also see a new guitar offered on another website that looks to be identical to this guitar except it has a pickup in it and it does say it has a bone nut AND saddle. FWIW, I saw another guitar from 2016 on the official Gibson site and it had a tusq (black) saddle.
The SN dates this to a Dec. 6, 2017 manufacture date, so, does that mean it is a 2017 or 2018 model?
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A few days ago, I bought a new J-45 1960s J45 Ebony VOS (black, white pickguard) because I have long been seeking a black/white Gibson that struck my eye. Love it! Looks great, sounds great! Now, it has an adjustable bridge; I assume it's because it's supposed to be they are duplicating how the J45 was built then or something like that. Anyway, I have no idea how to adjust. It has a screw on both sides of the saddle. Is this to raise/lower the action? Say I want to lower it a tad, just loosed strings screw the screws in or out or what! I can take this guitar in to get it fully set up, just wondering if I can lower action a bit with these screws. Google didn't provide an answer.
Seems I have read some people don't favor an adjustable bridge. This guitar sounds great! It doesn't have a Gibson thump like my J45 Standard, I dunno, it's more balanced or something, maybe a little brighter. Whatever it is, it sounds great! Of course, I need to put new strings on it and see how it sounds then.
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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:
David, thanks for the video. I have had his cd's for over a year now and I have not heard him speak in an interview, so, that is enlightening. His speaking voice is very deep, indeed, but he doesn't have that 'catch' he has when he sings (and appears to be in pain lol). I worried he has polyps or something, lol. I really like the guy, his voice, his playing, his writing.
Your comment about Mary Lou Ford complaining, I am going to have to check into what all she said because it is EXACTLY the conversation I had with a friend just yesterday. I was complaining about certain artists who mumble. I told him I take great pains to when I sing, to enunciate. If I have any strong point, I think it is that you can probably understand my sung words. I told my friend that since I have been on a Bob Dylan kick for quite awhile now, one thing most definite about early Dylan is you can understand every word. A lot of the times you heard one of these artists mumble, it has to do with them trying to evoke a style, putting angst or blues or whatever into it and it covers up their diction.
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Does anyone know if there is anything 'wrong' with Colter Wall? When he sings, it's like it is actually painful to sing! Not being flippant, I am truly curious. Here is an example below. He certainly has a most unusual voice, a voice that can definitely advance a career from its sheer uniqueness. I wonder if his throat plumbing is 'normal' or injured or something, lol. He's a good writer, too, I'd bet he's got a lifelong career in the bag.
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I just wanted to thank you guys for info, including the stuff about soundhole pickups. As I said, I don't like that sound but I am going to check out all that was mentioned, you never know, I'm open and I appreciate the info.
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I don't know that I have ever heard a soundhole pickup that I like. No offense, but to my ears, it's exactly what I *don't* want. I want to get a pleasing acoustic sound, much akin to the natural sound. They've made some advances, I've heard a few here and there that I thought sounded real good. I guess just hire Jackson Browne's guitar tech!
As for gigging, listening rooms is where it would be played, not rowdy bars. My guitar playing prowess is not so strong that I don't seek help here and there lol. And edge helps! Point being, this guitar makes me play better than I am! Its playability is superb. This difference I am talking about is not much... maybe 5%? 10%? But that small percent to me is a really big difference.
I am somewhat like Greg Brown, the singer-songwriter. He said he's not an expert guitar player, he just more or less accompanies the song. That's me. My day to day focus is songwriting. Live, playing in time, cleanly as possible, dynamics, with no mistakes the goal, and trying to sing a well-enunciated lyric with emotion.
I have a K&K in a Collings and it sounds pretty good.
Lastly, I don't want to screw up this guitar in any way regarding its playability or acoustic sound, as I will use this to record with a lot.
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I have a 2016 J-45 Legend Limited with torrefied top. I have a lot of guitars and this might be my favorite. Wow, it is so fine! Gosh, it sounds good and I can't explain it but it's something about the string geometry at the soundhole, it makes playing easier. The latter is awesome but the sound is mostly what slays me.
I have not kept up with electronics over the past several years. This guitar sounds so good and plays so well, I think it enhances live play, so, I would like to gig with it and don't know what to put in it. Anyone have any ideas on what would be good? Mostly I play with a plectrum, but some fingerstyle and I don't have nails. Probably 90% using plectrum. Strumming and chord-melody style.
I am not so worried about cost as I am the ultimate live sound. I also am open to adding a mic. You know, like they did in the old days. But... if modern electronics can be hand that provide great sound, that's better from a feedback standpoint.
I have an Amulet system in my Jackson Browne model, need to play it more. I admit, haven't used it much on gigs.
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Document that came from factory shows a checklist and...
Action 12th L6 H4
1st L23 H16
I know you measure from top of fret to bottom of strings, but can you explain those numbers?
To me, action is higher than I like.
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Been awhile since I have played my J45. Put new strings on it (John Pearse nickel 12-54) and I am, once again, reminded how good a J45 sounds to my ears. I think I was favoring Martin SP Lifespan strings a few years ago when I was playing it a lot. Anyone found any particular string you like on J45? Note: I sometimes like to detune a half step, so, if I were doing that, I might favor 13-56 gauge.
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Oh yes. I have written hundreds of songs. If I am writing a 'heavier' lyric theme, often, I get teary-eyed. And I know I am on to something. Like just this past week, I have completed a song that brought me to tears several times during its writing and rewriting. Who knows, but I think the end product is sensational lol. We'll see.
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Haven't heard of it, that's bad news. On a side note, I had an 80 year old friend who was the healthiest looking 80 year old I've ever seen. He raked his arm across a corn plant leaf and caught some kind of fungus. He died in a week. Bizarre.
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It surely stands alone - a touching fine fine song.
Must say I'd go for the cello. The role is well-arranged and top performed - is it the real thing ?
You take it out in the beginning of the second verse, which is a good move.
Could even be done in end of the first chorus after "I aim to please" and then reintroduced as done on "just now me and him" - maybe with the deep note on 1:20 in also, , , slightly dampened.
Hey, what do I know - these were my 5 Yen.
In or out, the tune is major .. .
Yes, it's a real cello. Thanks.
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Gee, Bill, I really love your voice, and this song.
To my ear, the cello distracts from both the vocal and the guitar, but if it were mixed down a bit, it might be better. The other option, since it's a fairly long song, would be to introduce the cello for one verse only, or maybe the second chorus and bridge.
I think you just want to play with the variations a bit to see what works best. Do you have a producer on this one, or are you doing it yourself?
On this particular song, I am producing it, even though my engineer is also a producer by trade and is helping me with the project with not only engineering/mixing but also lends producer type skills. He struggles to choose on this one, as well. But, it's up to me.
I can't see suddenly bringing cello in far deep into the song. That would sound odd to me. Like, where did the cello suddenly come from! As for it being a distraction, it is not to my ear. I love it. But, that's just me. To me, it's a matter of... this lyric is all about "me alone," so, we could say that prosody could be enhanced by it being just that (no cello). Although, if we want to get technical, that would mean it would need to be acapella, no guitar, lol.
I like it as guitar/vocal only but love the cello with it, too.
Beats me, looking for opinions to see if I can find a consensus.
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If you choose to spend 8 minutes here, thanks a bunch. Let me know which version you prefer. Might make the cut to go on my Americana album.
Guitar / cello:
https://soundcloud.com/bill-pittman/me-alone-acoustic-guitar-cello
Guitar only:
https://soundcloud.com/bill-pittman/me-alone-acoustic-guitar-only
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That's very good! And good guitar work, sounds great. Gosh, I love hits of the 60s.
Is this a special tuning? Easy to explain how you play that, lol?
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It's not my forum, just my two cents. Sorry to be the dissenter here but I don't like the idea of a pinned thread for this. When someone wants to occasionally post something, they will get FAR more traction by posting it in the regular forum because a heckuva lot more eyeballs will see their thread. And if people are not interested in listening, they can elect to not click on the thread! I have been a webmaster of many websites, so, I do have quite a bit of experience at this. This particular forum is one of my favorites because it is Gibson, there are good people here and generally, it's just one forum. Which I like! It doesn't happen that often that someone posts a tune, I don't see it as a problem at all. I sometimes post stuff, hate to see this dedicated thread for the reason above. I doubt it will matter, lol, just thought I'd give my opinion.
Also, posters get lumped in with all of the other people posting in one giant thread and it just gets hard to follow!
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My favorite.... She Ain't Rose......
Thanks so much for mentioning that, DR, I really like it! Any others that come to mind?
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Odd, I was thinking of this exact thing just yesterday. After sessions in a high qualify studio, I am mortified by pick noise on recordings and have surmised that, yes, type of pick makes a difference but most important, it's primarily due to my grip on the pick. For over 40 years, I have held the pick a bit too lightly, it seems. But if I hold it tighter (to reduce pick slap), I am not as free. So, I figured a thumbpick shaped like a plectrum would be an easy solution. Yet, trying one in a store, it didn't. I want to try again.
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The Firebird... anyone really like the sound? What's it like? It's a good looker, for sure.
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I wrote this song about a week ago, played this song at my friend's funeral (the man in the song), so I have feedback from locals, but please let me know how this song strikes you, as you do not know the deceased. I played it at his funeral a few days ago, and wow, that was hard. He was a good guy. This was done on my Gibson Gospel and I really didn't flub up until about the next to last note, wouldn't you know it. But, doesn't matter, just a rough demo. Let me know how it sounds, too, as I am no expert recorder.
Thanks for feedback, good or bad.
http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_8331568
(You might have to wait a minute for the song to load?)
EDIT: This post was in the wrong place, had 42 views and not one comment. I moved it to here now. I hope SOMEbody likes it.
Pickup battery pack falls out
in Gibson Acoustic
Posted
My J45 standard, I give up, it never had wanted to stay put. I saw a thread somewhere about getting some industrial-strength velcro and I got some, now what! Where is best place to install it?