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!

Solo Time On Another Great Guitar!

This week I have been working on my Blues solo. I am playing it using box 4 of the minor pentatonic scale in the key of E. All this means is that I am playing it in the middle of the neck, between frets seven and ten, instead of playing it in box 1 (between frets one and three plus the open strings). The minor pentatonic scale and all five 'boxes' or 'positions' are explained very well by Justin Sandercoe in his website, so check it out. I got the idea to play my solo in this key and in this 'box' from the intro. to 'Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)'. I am also using a backing track in the key of E that I got from Scott Grove. It is one of 30 backing tracks that I got from Scott. They are all great tracks, in different keys and different tempos and styles. Check them out at his site if interested. The track I am using is over three minutes long, so it will be a challenge to play a solo for that amount of time without getting too repetitive or too boring. A challenge like this is always fun!

This weekend I am rotating guitars again. This time I am going to be bringing out my Epiphone ES-335 Dot. It is the guitar I have in my profile photo. It is also my favorite, along with the Jet King I have been using until now. The Epi Dot is one of the best values out there. It sells brand new for $400. It's a great instrument, and I highly recommend it. My Epi Dot is a 2001 model (made in Korea). I believe all current Epiphones are made in China, but isn't most everything made in China these days??!! Bottom line: Great guitars for the price. Get one!