TomG76

It's five o'clock somewhere.

What an excellent rendition. Perfect, understated playing. Not a note wasted. Class.

Oh, and being comfortable on stage comes with practice. I'm a stand-up comedian. I was terrified the first time. I still get nervous, but I welcome that now and feed off it. I've only done one gig as a guitarist, but all that stage time as a stand-up helped. You start to feel relaxed and at home. You're very talented and you're going to be just fine. A few technical tweaks are eminently achievable. The stuff you've got (writing ability, playing ability, a really nice vocal tone, believability, and heart) are much harder to acquire.

My own experience is that practice is vital. When I started singing more regularly years ago I found it hard at first. Singing every day has improved my breathing and ability to hit notes. I echo the advice about singing with abandon. Sing in the shower. Sing when you go for a walk. Definitely do use that analogy with a tennis swing - you have to be free and smooth, not self-conscious and jerky. Sing without thinking too much. You're obviously highly musical. It might partly be a nervous thing. I actually mess up the guitar parts of songs sometimes when I simply IMAGINE someone is watching me! Paradoxically, forcing myself to sing in front of other people has made it progressively easier. It's not immediately apparent that any pitch issues are down to breathing, but I'm sure working on that helps. The most obvious advice would be to have the odd singing lesson. A good teacher will have all kinds of insights about technique and consistency. They may also get to the bottom of what happens when you're using headphones etc. Final point: warming up the voice may feel mannered and stupid, but actually it can help. For God's sake don't think of your voice as an impediment though. I really like it and I am eager to hear more of it.

First of all, you are a REALLY good songwriter. That was extremely enjoyable. I loved the lyrics, and the tune, and your playing. Secondly, I also really like your voice! I dig the tone and what you sang was shot through with honesty and feeling. My main advice would be not to dismiss the value of that. There are three-octave, pitch perfect singers who completely fail to move me. Meanwhile, you and I both admire Townes Van Zandt, who could be somewhat pitchy but was nevertheless a wonderful singer.

Getting into guitars and playing pool, snooker and billiards a bit later in life has been a catalyst for another new interest: wood. You'll find some very interesting discussions about the properties of different tonewoods on here, Walter.

Gosh yes. That would have been a wonderful experience. I'm afraid that I can't think of the right form of words to invite oneself to a stranger's house. I still kick myself that I didn't go and see a friend's old National guitar before he sadly died. I do have a standing invitation from his wife, but it would have been lovely to chat to him about it. They went on a tour of the National factory when they were in the States. Said it was an amazing experience.

Wasn't TVZ great? I love his bit in Heartworn Highways. There's a clip on YouTube of Kris Kristofferson talking about how TVZ didn't know how good he was and crying. Thanks for the song tips too!

If they are anything like as good as the reissue of the 1950s J-50 then you’ll be in for a treat.

Sensational. Lovely understated playing too.

I would love to see a photo / clip of that, zombywolf.

Thank you, Jinder. And thank you for turning me on to Glenn’s Guitars. I nearly went for that gorgeous translucent orange J-45. He also has a couple of very nice Martin HD28V models. I’m sure I will buy a guitar from him one day. Lovely, patient guy too. Did me a bunch of videos so I could see and hear the guitars.

Thank you everyone. You’re extremely welcoming and kind.

Thank you! Yours looks gorgeous too.

That’s a little trick I learned from doing lots of stand-up comedy. It’s often worth taking a little pause to see what might come out of one’s mouth.

Thanks, everyone. Yeah, tuning down has really opened things up for me. I may experiment with alternate tunings one day, but honestly I think dropping down a tone will prove to be the best tuning change I’ll ever make.

I have joined the Gibson family. With thanks to all of you (Jinder, Missouri Picker et al) who have given me brilliant advice on this forum, I pulled the trigger and got a brand new J-50. I went with the 50s reissue. Peach Guitars in Colchester did a superb set-up. I am thrilled with the tone and feel and also with the colour - the top is already far more golden than it can look in photos. I’ve recorded a YouTube video, just using my iPad. Neither that technology nor my (lack of) skill do justice to this instrument, but having yearned for one for years, I’m overjoyed. It’s exceeded expectations.

Hot DAMN that guitar looks gorgeous, Jinder. Thanks. I’m going to explore.

Thanks very much for the replies everyone, and apologies for the delay in responding. Had some tricky personal stuff going on. I knew I’d get comprehensive and brilliant replies here!

Hi everyone. I posted here a few years ago and got some great advice when I was thinking of getting a Gibson acoustic. I’m now in a position to do so. I definitely want a J-50. I was wondering if anyone had tried the 1960s-style reissue that’s come out this year. (I think the nut width will suit me a little better than the 1950s-style they’ve also made this year.) If so, did it have that authentic and wonderful Gibson thump? I know this is typical for new guitars, but the spruce top looks quite pale. Can I expect it to darken to that gorgeous amber so associated with the J-50? If my last question violates forum rules I apologise. Can anyone recommend a UK shop that sells these guitars with a good set up? Or do they come with one? The other option is to spring for an older J-50. It will be the great guitar purchase of my life*, so I am open to that. For obvious reasons it is impossible to test drive anything right now. Thanks, Tom *You may end up mocking me one day when it turns out that the J-50 doesn’t cure my GAS.