Monthly Archives: August, 2009

Guitar Straps

August 25, 2009 — 1 Comment

gretschwhitefalconii Guitar Straps

Now, it might not sound like the most important decision you make in your life but if you spend any length of time standing up and playing your guitar then picking the correct guitar strap is actually of quite high importance. If you play a heavier solid body guitar such as a Les Paul or something large like a Gretsch White Falcon then you will want to purchase a strap that makes wielding the machine as comfortable as possible.

Hendrix like acrobatics notwithstanding you`ll be looking for a guitar strap that offers support without feeling like you’re bungy jumping or donned a strait-jacket just for the weekend. At the same time you`ll also be looking for a strap that doesnt cut into your shoulder like a length of twine.

wallpaper1 300x240 Guitar Straps

moody straps

These days there are plenty of straps that look great with a huge range of designs ranging from flaming skulls, naked ladies, psychedelic patterns and other punk, rock, emo and country designs. It is important to buy a strap that fulfills your image requirements but this in no way should compromise the comfort and therefore the time you spend blowing out your windows, annoying the neighbours, bringing the house down or even just impressing the hell out of your pets.

girl 300x165 Guitar Straps

There are several options ranging from polyester, suede, elasticated and leather through to vegan, hemp and beads so there is absolutely no shortage of choice no matter how individual you feel you are. You may prefer a wider strap than usual – some  straps come in a 4″ wide model – theseyou may prefer!

The key things to look for are:

1. Comfort.
2. Good adjustment.
3. Inbuilt locking – that way the strap will never come off – OR even better buy some Schaller strap locks.
4. A shoulder pad (sometimes with sheepskin for extra comfort) if you play a larger guitar.
5. Tight, well cut holes in the leather where the strap attaches to the guitar.

Obviously the best way to select a strap is to try them out on your guitar, for an hour.

straplock 300x300 Guitar Straps

Schaller strap locks

My favourite straps are made in New Zealand by Lucky Straps and they are individually handcrafted with woven fabrics, metal buckles, tough vinyl backing and real leather ends which makes them extra strong. All straps measure 2 inches wide by 52 inches maximum length:

lucky Guitar Straps

Here are some quality guitar strap manufacturers to consider:

Moody
High quality, professional with muted design features.

moody21 150x150 Guitar Strapsmoody1 150x150 Guitar Straps

El Dorado
Traditional, ornate country style straps favoured by his Bobness, Mr. Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, Billy Gibbons and Keith Richards.

eldorado3 150x150 Guitar Strapseldorado2 150x150 Guitar Strapseldorado 150x150 Guitar Straps

Couch guitar Straps
Awesome modern straps, with great individual designs of  high quality.

couch3 150x150 Guitar Strapscouch2 150x150 Guitar Strapscouch 150x150 Guitar Strapscouch 4 150x150 Guitar Straps

Well, That`s all folks,
Cheers…

Jake Edwards

Posted in gear | Tagged

Playing slide guitar part 1: introduction

August 24, 2009 — 3 Comments

moonshinegroup22 150x150 Playing slide guitar part 1: introduction

Howdy ya`ll!

I can`t quite remember the first time I heard a slide guitar, but no matter how often you hear a slide there is something incandescent, other worldly and richly evocative if it`s played with panache, fire, character and with a mystical light burning in the back of eyes.

The early torchbearers of this blues subgenre, such as the raggedy bare-bone beat driven tones of  Son House produced  idiosyncratically gnarly and fiercely character driven sounds – the slide is an elemental way to approach your guitar. But also a versatile one too:

81027 son house Playing slide guitar part 1: introduction

A quick listen to Sonny Landreth or Ry Cooders sublime Paris Texas album illustrates just how smooth and evocative the slide can be when played by a msater.

RyCooder4400 Playing slide guitar part 1: introduction

When I was 13 I dug up old Victorian bottles from edges of the stream at the edge of the farm…when a suitably thick walled beast emerged like a dinosaur from the muddy banks I broke its neck and  filed the edges down with an equine rasp. It was bulbous, massively tapered, heavy, prehistoric and almost impossible to use – it did however sound like the devil himself was living in that ol` glass finger – yesiree.

1158 fluff devil full Playing slide guitar part 1: introduction

Later on I moved onto brass conduit, plastic, shower rails, glass tubes and more…cigarette lighters…knives…I`ve never managed to get hold of one I really truly love but right now I`m using a narrow guage blue coloured tube that formed the inner sleeve of a bmx bike bottom bracket – from the Mankind bmx brand!

Luckily these days the marvels of modern science mean you don’t need a shovel, a bottle dump and a wild Indian stallion to get by in the world of slide guitar. It`s well worth remembering that part of the enjoyment in your life as a guitarist is not the destination but the journey….it may take you years to find exactly the right piece of tube but so what…or you can check out these fellers – what you are looking for is

1. comfort
2. sustain
3. tone.

You may like to listen to a range of slide players to gain some insight into the styles, sounds and techniques and here are a few players to look out for:

Sonny Landreth, Ry Cooder, Bukka White, Son House, Johnny Winter and Johnny Winter. Did I mention John Dawson Winter the Third?

Johnny+Winter Playing slide guitar part 1: introduction

Oh and Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers – majestic – that`s him playing slide on Layla but you`ll find his best work on Allman Brothers albums. If you`d like to proceed to the next slide guitar post, it’s here.

Well, That`s all folks,
Cheers…

Jake Edwards

Posted in learning | Tagged , , , , ,

Stretch your strings

August 24, 2009 — 1 Comment

One of the sure fire ways to ensure that you go through copious amounts of electric guitar strings is to play them fresh out of the packet without stretching them. It`s a common mistake that beginners make and I`m here to help you avoid this common mistake.

Once you have restrung your guitar you should tune your strings up to concert pitch. At this point in time the strings still have a certain amount of settling in to do and any vigorous playing will send them clean out of whack tuning wise.

The secret to getting your new strings to stay in tune is to stretch them. So for each string follow the following procedure:

1. tune your string to the required pitch, leave your tuner plugged in.
2. using your thumb and forefinger somewhere between your neck and bridge gently pull the string away from the guitar backwards and forwards at a rightangle to the scratchplate.
3. play the string – it should be flat – so retune it bringing it back up to pitch.
4. repeat steps 2 and then three until the string stays in pitch.
5. repeat for all new strings.

Now, your strings will be ready to rock and roll so plug into your amp and give it some.

Cheers,

Jake Edwards

Posted in gear, guitar strings, learning | Tagged , ,

Expensive guitar cases

August 23, 2009 — Leave a Comment

ecgp0601c Expensive guitar cases

If you can remember the 70`s then you`ll remember a time when Eric Clapton used to wear faded jeans and black waistcoat. He was still smoking, drinking and crashing the odd Ferrari – but in one biography I read he claimed to be given an envelope of cash for wages at the end of each week. Well those were the days…

rothmans blue Expensive guitar cases

Here`s Eric’s  croc skin $100,000 dollar case for his  signature Martin 00028 EC acoustic guitar with a rich matte-finish croc skin adorning the exterior of the case. The shell of the case is made from poplar wood source from Nazareth, Pennsylvania and is completed with a blue silk velvet liner. Estimates for the case’s cost are tabulated at approximately $100,000.  The guitar is only $4349.00.

eric clapton hermes custom crocodile guitar case Expensive guitar cases

GUITAR SPECIFICATIONS.

000 size body, rosewood back & sides, sitka spruce top with vintage toner, scalloped braces, ebony bridge, maple bridge plate, herringbone trim & rosette, ivoroid binding, 24.9″ scale, 1-3/4″ nut width, V-shaped neck with adjustable truss rod, open vintage style tuners, ebony fretboard with diamond & square inlays, EC’s pearl signature at 19th fret, standard saddle (not long), 2-1/4″ string spacing. Vintage “Geib” style archtop wooden case.

If youve a little less to spend but still desire the quality and protection of a case that can tough it out at the airport or on the road then have alook at ROCK HARD CASES.

Well, That`s all folks,
Cheers…

Jake Edwards

Posted in gear | Tagged , , , , ,

Hendrix Mosrite Strawberry Alarm Clock Centrefold

August 20, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Back in the late 60`s things were so psychedelic even the guitars freaked out on Dr. Ugs.

Here`s Bakersfield California based company Mosrite proving that they too have been drinking the Electric Cool Aid. These guitars were made for the psychedelic Los Angeles band Strawberry Alarm Clock.

The DeVillain Centrefold is a folding electric guitar – the strings roll into the body when it’s folded, and when it is straightened out it’s ready to play. We’ll see about that – guitars tend to lose tuning if the temperature changes.

It was invented by SAS airline pilot Fredrik Johansson sick of damaging normal guitars whilst travelling. The bracket mechanism is made from aircraft grade aluminum, a great idea, although the DeVillain website is currently out of action – whot down somewhere over Korea.

Finally Gibson have made an exact replica of  the hand painted Flying V that Hendrix used on tour in Europe in 1967 and 1968, and features exact reproductions of Hendrix’s own hand-painted designs from the original.

If anyone would like a copy of the 1988 Guitar World issue featuring Hendrix and the V on the cover signed by none other than guitar legend RobinTrower write in, with your price in EUROS.

Posted in art, gear | Tagged , , ,
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