Oh hey musician friends,artists and teachers alike on Facebook. I thought I would tag you on this note if you arent feeling the Christmas spirit or just need a simple pick me up. Here is a little story to spread some cheer! It is a novella so feel free to keep scrolling on your fb feed if you do not have the time or patience to plough through sentences or would rather plough through snow covered driveways. This is what happened to me on the rainy, windy morn of the 24th of November 2014. I wrote this using a lot of description because it felt like I was in a cinematic art film, saturated in adjectives like raindrops puddling my entire apparatus most notably termed a body. I drove my wife into work today and then proceeded to the bank to cash a cheque! Just down the road from my bank is a Long and McQuade! Since I had a day off and was feeling a lot better then the last 3-4 weeks, I decided to go for a walk and test some acoustics. Some of you know I am looking for a new 6 string although it has been a perilous battle due to sinisterness of being left handed. I sometimes feel I would have to buy my guitar at the Leftorium on the Simpsons. While I believe myself to be a character in my own right, I am very much 3D and feel my Simpson character wouldnt look like me. ( Artists assemble a sketch of what that would look like. I am just joking. It would be cool though . Just saying!) I walked in and immediately went to the acoustic section. The Eco friendly portable wooden exterior of a solid top produces certain sounds Ive yet to cover and songs Ive yet to write. I am usually asked at these places by customers if I work there. While I always say no , today when I was asked I said even though I dont work here , I am a musician and a music teacher with a day off so I came her to play and test out new acoustics. What are you looking for? While I did not see a sales person around I proceeded to help the customer. I demonstrated 4 different guitars, with variations of playing and picking on all four acoustic electrics, unplugged as well as electrified. I asked the Father and son what was their price range, playing style ( folk, jazz, country, alternative ) and who the guitar was for, The father was quick to say, it was a Christmas gift for his other son and the price range was $1000. The son that was with him said that his brother loves acoustics but he is more into electrics and doesnt really like to play acoustics, They are working on forming a band and want a nice a/e to balance out their sound. The first a/e I demonstrated was a wonderful Martin- Performing Artist Grand performance made of Spruce and KOA. It also had a brilliant fishman pickup. Sound wise the guitar had a great mid sound (D,G ,) nice low ( Low E and A) tones and shiny higher on the( B and the high E) While I gave a positive review, and demonstrated some varying chord progressions,picking and Barr chord progressions upside down. I wanted them to record the sound on a recording device, bring it home, play it against the other acoustics to determine their best new guitar. Side note, my bandmate Shane McHale from Windswept Shore and I did this the previous week to determine my next 6 string, While using data to measure tone, and factor in a rating scale of tone wood, price, playability and electronics, I believe Shane and I have discerned a interesting method to look for the right guitar or in my case the left guitar. We both feel that when you play the one that you want and the one you need, the decision will present itself after previewing the recordings and will also cause a stirring inside of you. Side note, stirrings are also known as feelings. I used a simple G G/F# ( it has been a sharp a lot longer than it was a hashtag, so I stick with the former as opposed to the latter, because I am old school )Em C D. Progression, ( a nice 6/8 version of Mumford and Sons Winter Winds) on this Martin which Marcus tends to favour this brand as well. Tonally and price wise Martin have perfected the method of guitar craftsmanship. They also age like a fine wine if properly treated. They are also old school! 1833 old school. Price wise the guitar was under a grand, so enough money for a setup 6-8 weeks later after adjusting to the climate of their house, along with a case and humidifier. I then proceed to play a Taylor 414. While this Taylor was a dreadnought it showed a different dynamic and more fuller sound. The father and son were impressed but wanted to see, play and have me demonstrate two more. Price was over a grand! The third guitar was another Martin. It was the Performance artist Seres gloss top with certified Sapele/ Simple dovetail neck joint as well as a solid FSC certified recycled Sitka spruce. The sound was immaculate and with proper care would age well. The price was $1475 with a case as well as the fact it was made in America and has a factory warranty give the reason for the price. The final one I played was Taylor 914 which was $5949 , the tone was amazing, the price was atrocious but had gold tuners and amazing inlays . You pay for the look and the sound on this rare beast. Although for the same price you could buy a gently used car in Ontario. Here comes the good part. Anticipation. Although it seems like not very much time I helped them out for 45 minute. The ended up purchasing the $1475 Martin. They told the person at the desk that I helped them.mI was called over by someone who works at Long and McQuade. He said he was the store owner and sound engineer for the company. He wanted to chat and offered me a job at this Long and McQuade location. He heard everything I said about the tone wood and really liked the way I demonstrated and described each guitar, in a kind and gentle manner with the needs of the customer in mind, instead of selling them a guitar that was way out of their price range or belittle them for asking so many questions. I kindly said no to the job, as I love being a part time music teacher and part time planning teacher so he offered me a really exceptional discount on my next purchase. He asked me to order it right there, and he would add a discount on the guitar, the case, several pairs of strings, a strap, and a new capo. So needless to say I ordered my left handed vintage sunburst Gibson Epiphone, jumbo j200ce (Similar to Jimmy Rankins Gibson jumbo just a couple of steps down)as it was evident from playing , recording and singing with a right handed one on several visits to several different long and McQuade stores they ordered me a leftie. I received an amazing gift today by simply playing it forward. I hope this inspires you artists today in someway as all of you continue to inspire my music and my art. Cheers, Paul
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 17:02:55 +0000
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