Buc McMaster

Knew right away who Blanche was before you spoke a word, Dave. This is conversational, lyrically speaking, and well written. When it ended my first thought was "but there's more to the story"........but not if the tale is about Blanche was the second thought. Nicely done, sir.

Thanks, friends, but the vocal here is pretty weak..........very weak, in fact, and a good example of singing from the throat, which I am often guilty of when first learning a tune. Lots of things going on in the learning process and until there's been sufficient reps some aspects don't get full attention. As the instrumental part becomes more ingrained and automatic the vocal starts getting more attention and improves (at least to the point where no further improvement can be had!). After another couple dozen reps yesterday the vocal is much improved and I do think this one will work out okay. This take? I'm with Nick: the instrumental arrangement is good......the vocal is not even close. But it's coming around! Thanks for listening!

Once the restrictions are lifted (safely I add) it is my intent to spend some time busking on the Galveston seawall...........find a nice bench in the shade of a palm and knock out a few tunes for tips. Being retired now I'll certainly have the time.........question is, do I have the hutzpah. 😶 Given that plan, I've been trying to build the repertoire a bit and I started wrecking this Steely Dan tune yesterday. It's come along somewhat but as this video demonstrates, it still has a ways to go if it's to survive the cut. It's quite difficult to sing and that may, in the end, be the factor that gets this one nixed. Secondly, I question is this song belongs in a buskers quiver............is this a tune you would take notice of if you were strolling the beachfront? Here we go, warts and all................ Big Blue Texas; Gibson 80/20 lights, half step down; JB pick; raw audio from iPad (no additional EQ or processing)

And this matters because......? It's a guitar, a tool for making music. Does it sound right.......play right.......feel right? That's all that really matters, isn't it? Someone will think so, buy the guitar and be happy as a clam about it, cosmetics be damned. Tradition sometimes stands in the way of progress, yes?

This is one you've got to call on your own...........guitar tone/feel are so personal. I'll only say that I agree that, relative to a 45, the J-35 does sound brash. (In a good, Gibson-y way of course.)

Nice nice nice, Sal! Love that drop D tuning! The way you grab the G chord is interesting......thumb over top......cool! 👍

Yes sir. Four years old now and just a really nice example of the model. I changed the stock guard for this one some time ago. Thanks for listening!

Started wrestling with this one a couple days ago........still maybe hunting for the best key. Very good tune with a beaucoup of words to remember and I did choke the phrasing in a spot that seem to stumble on frequently. Took awhile to get the scrubbing kind of strumming down as well.................overall a tough one I'm still warring with........... I must say the G7 Heritage capo indeed delivers a much better tone than any of the other yoke styles. J45, Gibson 80/20 half step down, capo 1 (key of D), JB pick, iPad to Garageband

Well done on all fronts, sir! Two fine instruments on display there............ An on-line open mic? What a concept! Was it a live streaming kind of thing with interaction between players?

I did try the D'Addario NB some time ago and while I cannot recall the specifics, I do know I was unimpressed. Of course, this may have everything to do with the fact that the NBs were a detour from the Martin Retros I had been using regularly at the time. I can tell you that, as the name of both of your suggested sets imply, these are nickel plated wound strings, brass being pretty much 80/20 and bronze being phosphor bronze. Martin's Retros are a pure nickel winding and not a plated alloy. If you're looking to test your guitars' tone with nickel, I'd recommend the Retros for the full effect. As an aside, after playing Retros for a couple years on my J45, I have recently gone back to phosphor bronze.........but the set of Gibson 80/20 on there now are quite nice.

Everyone ages. Enthusiasm waxes and wanes. He's already made it. Everything and everyone changes.......the only absolute truth in this universe.

Heck, Sal, we're all guilty of this one! Though I have tamed my "guitar gadget" addiction, I have yet to do the same for fishing gear..........seems there's always something I figure will work better, most often not the case. Good work! McCartney has some tough pipes to follow, huh.

The label says it's a limited edition Big Sky Hummingbird. Among the four Hummingbirds the store had in stock this one sounded obviously much better than any of the rest and though blue is not my fav color on an acoustic guitar, it was really no contest tonally. It originally had a black & white Hummingbird etched pick guard that was just butt ugly. Our own Dave F stepped up with a few suggestions for replacement and we settled on this one...............single-layer solid white with a Texas cutout. (Thanks, Dave!)

This is quite powerful. This is why Dylan was, is and always will be relevant. There may never be another like him.........ever.

Thanks, G! I think I understand what you mean by "powdery" here, and I believe it is produced by a particular angle of attack with the pick that has become habit. Sometimes I like it but I do strive to overcome it as habit as it doesn't always work well. Galveston? Oh yeah - love living on the island! Thanks for listening, folks! Please stay safe out there..........we're all riders on the storm these days.

Things a bit slow these days, huh. Just hangin' at the house, fighting off boredom........ Texas Blue Hummingbird, 80/20 Gibson lights down 1/2 step, capo 3, JB pick, iPad video run through Garageband for EQ..............good enough?

….this doesn't fit so well on the acoustic forum, but I wanted to bring these folks to your attention. A collection of some very, very fine players from the Ukraine covering some very, very amazing music. Aside from the obvious talent displayed here, listening to this makes me appreciate what Chicago did so many years ago. Bear in mind that this is a live performance in studio, no over-dubbing whatsoever. Every player is dead-nuts on...………..knocks me out.

Agreed. Plek is an automated leveling of the the frets and does nothing to address string height in the nut nor the saddle. It takes a skilled eye to complete a proper setup. Personally I'd not be concerned with getting a guitar plekked but rather see that it gets adjusted by a good luthier to your liking. If fret leveling is necessary the setup guy/gal can take care of that. If you like the looks and sound of the instrument take it to a good shop and get it playing better.

Bit of reverb added to the track........just seems to sweeten everything nicely. Still have the blue Hummingbird and do intend to rescue it from its' case in the corner soon.......promise. Thanks for the love!

Thanks, fellas. Nick: stole this from a Winwood solo acoustic version I found on the web. I drop an extra note in a couple of the chords that make it sound a bit different but it's quite similar. And I agree, his vocal register for that one is clean outta sight.

Happy 2020 all! Hope all is well in your worlds! Been off with other things of late......haven't even been playing lately. But yesterday I managed to find at the guitar in the closet and thought I'd give dropped D a try.......... Down a half step in drop D, capo at 2 for vocal accommodation.........

Sunbeam 12s are good.....yep. But the lightest "feel" of all (in my experience) are Martin Titaniums. Expensive, yes, but they feel unlike anything else out there.......out of the package they're like cooked spaghetti noodles. Nice, dry thumpy tone as well.

Well I won't say my 45 is perfect but there is absolutely nothing I would change on it nor about it.............it's right as it is just now. Pleases my ear and suits my style of play quite well. Nothing more I could ask for from a guitar.

One more try............

You go, boy! Jumping out live is a whole different ballgame, ain't it?! Dealing with unexpected circumstances (no monitor, poor stage sound) adds to the anxiety of the situation.......it can be quite intimidating. But good on you for forging ahead and making it happen regardless! Huzzah!