Rediscovering My Acoustic!

Well, it's been over three months again, but I'm back! I still have not been playing on a regular basis, thus my lack of posts. The little that I have been playing has been with my Epiphone Dot. I love that guitar! It looks great, it sounds great, and it plays great! I've been messing around with it and with the RP200 I mentioned in my last post. I got a great "B.B. King-style" preset that I set up on the RP200 and it really goes well with my Dot! Since I haven't been playing regularly, everytime I pick up my guitar, it's back to the basics - polishing up my chords, practicing scales, and practicing my finger picking. I still have not played my Dot using my Vox DA5 settings or used it with my RAT and Tube Driver pedals, but I'll get to it - it's great fun when I do pick up any of my guitars!

Last night, I decided to take out my acoustic guitar. It's a 1975 Harmony Grand Concert H6390. It was my first 'serious' guitar. I got it when I was 11 or 12 years old, and it is in great condition. I took it out of it's case and strummed it a while and realized what a great guitar it was for the money. I had not used it in a long time (probably over a year). I checked it with my tuner today, and IT WAS STILL IN TUNE!!! This guitar was made during the last years of Harmony's U.S.A. production. It sounds great and it plays great also. Being an acoustic, it takes a little more effort to play than an electric, but I like the neck size and shape a little more. It also seems easier to finger pick on my acoustic than on my electrics. I think I'll keep it out to play 'spur of the moment' stuff, plus it give my hands more of a workout, which will end up helping me to play my electrics that much easier. Acoustics are great fun, and their sound just can't be duplicated on an electric. Try an acoustic in 2012-Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm Back! (Version 2)

Well, so much for posting more often! The weather has been very hot around here. I don't like to play when it is so hot, so I have been avoiding playing my guitars. I had my custom Tele-style guitar out for most of this time. I put it through its paces, playing it through my Vox DA5 and all of the settings I have for it. I also played it using my Fender Champ 600 amp and my RAT II and Tube Driver pedals. I am very pleased with this latest guitar! I finally put it away and took out my Epiphone Dot. I haven't played the Epi that much yet, but I want to play it with all of the equipment I just listed also.

I did manage to make a couple of Craigslist purchases since my last post. I ended up buying an older, U.S.A. made DigiTech RP200 effects pedal with the built-in expression pedal. I already have my DigiTech RP50, but I wanted something with a built-in expression pedal. Plus, I got the RP200 at a great price! I was also thinking of trading the RP50 towards another CL purchase, but that did not happen (see below). The RP200 is a great pedal! I have not played around with it very much, but I like it so far. One thing I had never played with is an expression pedal, so I have to get used to it. It's harder than it seems (at least for me)!

My other purchase was an early birthday present for my son: a five piece drum kit! I found a great starter kit at a great price on Craigslist around the same time I found the RP200. I had planned on buying the RP200 and then trying to trade my RP50 towards the purchase of the drum kit. It turned out that the drum kit had been in storage for a few years, and the sellers were not into guitars, so I ended up keeping the RP50. I got a very lightly used drum kit, complete with cymbals, for a great price, though! And the most important part is that my son LOVES it (he's rather good at it, too)!

Well, that's what I've been up to these past four months! I really do hope that I can start posting more often from now on, but we will see. Stay tuned and stay well!

I'm Back!

Hello everyone! I've been busy with other stuff and I just have not taken the time to write in my blog. Truth be told, I have not been playing very much this year. Guitar has been near the bottom of the priority list so far this year. Maybe writing in my blog will get the ball rolling for me again!

I did manage to do something that I mentioned in my last post: I bought my first USA-made electric guitar! It's a custom made Tele-style guitar that was made last year by the gentleman I bought it from. It has a swamp ash body and a great 12" radius neck. The pickup configuration is not the typical Tele configuration. It has a 'lipstick' Tele neck pickup, a middle Strat pickup, and a humbucker pickup at the bridge. The pickups are all wired to a 5-way switch, just like on a Strat. The guitar sounds amazing! I really like having all of those pickup options on one instrument! I finally put my Ibanez Jet King away and I have my new guitar out on my guitar stand now. I am testing it out with all of my settings on my Vox DA5. I tested it out with my Fender Champ 600 and have come to the conclusion that the Champ and this guitar were made for each other! What a fantastic combination! I still haven't tested it out using my pedals - that's next on my list! Needless to say, I am very happy with my new guitar, even though I haven't had the time to play it as much as I would like!

In my last post, I mentioned I was going to try to devote more time to my playing (which I have not done), so let's see how I do from now on. Wish me luck, and hopefully I'll have more posts pretty soon logging my accomplishments from here on out! As I always say: Stay tuned!