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I thought that it was such a privilege for me to be doing those sides with Georgia, that I decided to do everything I could in one bar. Everything I could dream of, I wanted to be sure I got it all in. I was like a dive bomber coming in, playing everything but what she was singing, playing the fastest run I could that had nothing to do with expressing the blues. It was wrong! - The self deprecating Les Paul on his 1936 recording sessions backing Georgia White

Author Topic: Chance for Input for a Vintage guitar workshop- Boston area  (Read 666 times)

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Offline lauren sheehan

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Chance for Input for a Vintage guitar workshop- Boston area
« on: October 30, 2011, 01:50:41 PM »
Selecting Vintage Martins and Gibsons for a Boston Show and Tell!
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(10/29/11 7:45 PM)
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I thought I'd ask you, my forum friends, for a bit of advice.

I'm preparing for a vintage guitar show-and-tell in Sommerville, MA next week for the New England Folk Music Archives.

I'll be bringing a selection of my favorite vintage Martins and Gibsons to show and demonstrate.

My friend Lauren Sheehan, who's a great acoustic blues singer and picker, will be flying in from Portland, Oregon to help me demonstrate what the different guitars sound like with different styles of music. It will be the first real performing gig I've done in decades! I'm deciding now what guitars to travel with, and seeing if I can remember any songs!

So I thought I'd ask my fellow vintage fanatics here for your input on what guitars to bring. Naturally, there's a limit to how many guitars I can travel with.

I'd love to bring enough of the early guitars to show off the different models and their details and features, and explain how they evolved from the 1830's to the post war years.

And I'd love to bring enough examples of different vintage models so we can do meaningful comparisons of how they sound with different styles of music. Perhaps I can do video of the evening, so even if you won't be in the area to join us, I'll have video to show you.

This could be an opportunity to demonstrate the differences between early fan bracing and early X bracing, a single 0 and a 000, a 12 fret 000-28 and early 14 fret OM-28, to see how flatpicking sounds on a small body compared to a Dreadnaught, rosewood vs. mahogany, mahogany vs. koa, and a hog top vs. spruce top. To see if a pearl inlay guitar sounds different than a 28. We could compare Martins vs. Gibsons, for fingerpicking or flatpicking, and see how small Gibsons compare to large ones.

When I was young, I was a snob in deciding that a Martin had a "better" quality of sound than a Gibson, while at the same time I was frustrated that my Martin couldn't make some of the great sounds I heard on records. Most folks have never had a chance to hear how the best Martins compare to equivalent Gibsons for a given type of music, and decide for yourselves what the strengths of each are.

Perhaps I'm trying to chew off too much. I'd love to hear what's of interest to you, and what vintage Martins and Gibsons you'd like to see and hear. You can see the guitars I have to choose from on my web site.

I've had the pleasure of meeting a number of you as you've passed through Philadelphia and paid a visit. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to bring a bunch of us together in the Boston area and to meet more of you.

thanks!

Robert


Friday November 4: Celebrating Vintage Guitars; Demonstration Concert with Lauren Sheehan and Robert Corwin
at The NEFMA Gallery - 191 Highland Ave. Somerville MA (Arts at the Armory Basement Level)
7:30pm - Admission "pick your price" suggested donation $15 reserve your seat now

Robert Corwin, best known for his 60's era photos of Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary and Joni Mitchell will show a selection from his world class collection of Martin and Gibson guitars, and also return to his 1960's roots as a performer and songwriting protege of Peter, Paul & Mary. Joining him will be his talented friend, singer and expert blues guitarist Lauren Sheehan, to demonstrate what the various guitars can do with different musical styles and playing techniques. Robert will also bring a selection of his trademark, world famous photos to illustrate some of the beautiful details and features of the guitars in his collection. Be prepared to be educated and entertained.



On www.vintagemartin.com:

"To the outside world, Robert is probably best known for his legendary ?60s-era shots of Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary and Joni Mitchell. But he?s also been quietly perfecting the art of 'guitar porn' ...with the most in-depth, photo-intensive look ever at old, pre-war (and in many cases antique) Martin guitars ? All online and for free."

Jason Verlinde
-- Publisher and Editor, The Fretboard Journal


Robert Corwin brilliantly captures Folk, Blues, Bluegrass, Cajun, Country, Jazz, Rock, and other roots musicians in classic and historic imagery... Perhaps best known as the most gifted documentarian of the spirit, personality and ethos of the folk music scene and the performers who give it its vitality...he manages to portray essence in gesture, in the ?decisive moments?, in the description of color and space (or its deliberate absence) so that the layers of history, joy, love, passion and concern are revealed. Please do spend some time to familiarize yourself with his work. It will be a rewarding experience.

Peter Yarrow
-- Peter, Paul, and Mary


"a great songwriter"

Pete Seeger

www.vintagemartin.com

Offline bmore

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Re: Chance for Input for a Vintage guitar workshop- Boston area
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2011, 02:59:18 PM »
Shouldn't there be a ladder braced Stella, or Lyon & Healy in there? After all thats what most of the great blues players used. Maybe a Stella 12 string if you could come up with one (aka Leadbelly)

Brian
bmore

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