I’m a bit behind on the challenge…I’m finding it challenging. Ha ha. I updated my twitter profile though, so if you want to check it out, my link is twitter and then /robinbrockrocks. It’s a lot of work this new music business. I think I liked it the old way, not that it was less work it wasn’t…but both ways have their advantages. I can write this in my pajamas with a coffee and no one’s the wiser. Actually I’m sitting here colouring my hair because I’m too cheap to go to the hairdresser. TMI? I have discovered twitdeck though, to help me manage the social networking thing. I’m not a big twitter fan, because I’m not on my phone all the time. I’m lucky if I remember to turn my phone on period, but twitdeck helps me update my profile from my desktop, and I am big on email, so that works for me for now.
Onto another topic…guitar shopping. Man. I thought it would be easy. My first real acoustic guitar (not counting the kids “$50 Sears special” I taught myself to play on) was bought after I won a bet. I was training for a mtb race and I was trying to rack up a certain amount of hours on the wind trainer (it was winter), without whining or making excuses. My boyfriend, tired of listening to me whine, made me a bet. The race itself wasn’t enough incentive. My birthday was coming up in a couple of months though and he said he’d buy me a new guitar if I would just shut up and ride. So I did.
I wanted something with a big sound, and a pretty face; after trying out about a dozen different dreadnoughts, It came down to a beautiful Takimine, and a very impressive Canadian made Seagull. I chose the Seagull; it felt nice it sounded even better. It was on sale. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent with this beautiful guitar; spilled coffee on it a few times, it’s been to Toronto with me a few times and I hate to say, I’m not as gentle with it as I should be.
So after my last acoustic performance a few months ago, I decided I wanted to add to my collection…my budget was 2x what my last one was. I wanted specific things this time around. So off I went, with my patient guitar shopping partner, Lee. He’s handy cause I just point and he grabs. Too bad he didn’t behave this way all the time…but that’s another story. I think it comes from the endless mt bike races I’ve worked feed zone for him, handing him water bottles and powergels and lube…he just points, I grab. That’s what relationships are all about.
So my thoughts were, if my budget is 2x more than it was last time, I should be blown away by a guitar that costs twice what mine does….I went to seven or so stores, tried out probably 30 guitars and was very disappointed. Not only did I not get blown away, but in some stores the customer service was crappy and the selection sucked. Disappointed, I stopped at the store I bought my first guitar. I found two I could be interested in, a nice Takamine, and a beautiful Yamaha. I like the store, the customer service is A1…but I thought if I was going to buy something, I should be in love. So the next weekend I tried again. I fell in love…with another dreadnought. A laminate bodied dreadnought that played like a dream, and sounded amazing and was North American made…and really beautiful. My first Martin guitar. Ahhh. I had only heard the stories of the Martin Guitar. I kept playing her, but she just wasn’t what I was looking for. But, I did find a nice Larivee, and I am waiting for them to get some more Yamahas in to try…I really hope I end up buying from that store…the customer service knocked me out…and he was just the piano guy…I never learned so much about guitars as I did from Bob, but the perfect one just hadn’t materialized…but at least I left feeling good about my search.
The next weekend I went to a very well known chain that carries Martin, and Gibson, and Larivee and Ovation. Wow, I figured I would surely find something… I arrived at about 10:30, Lee in tow, and made a beeline for the acoustics. They had the same laminate backed Martin I had fallen in love with almost 200 dollars cheaper! I was so excited at my prospects. Just to show Lee how it sounded, I picked it up and played it. I do not profess to be a guitar officianado, but it was out of tune. I could have tuned it by ear, but the hell with that, it wasn’t so bad. I must have picked up a dozen guitars and every single one was out of tune…except the Gibson…3500 dollars on sale. I picked it up…out of my price range this time, I really wanted to like it, but I hated it! The action was poor, yeah it sounded pretty good, but it was big and bulky…finding a guitar is such a personal thing…I really had no idea. I found a Martin – the specifics I was looking for, even the price range…it was even mostly in tune…it felt perfect…it played nice, was mostly in tune, the action was very nice, as far as I can tell through the black dull old freaking strings! I was so pissed off. I wanted that guitar…but it’s not my job to tune guitars at a music store, expensive guitars. I walked into that store fully prepared to lay down a significant amount of money if I found what I liked, but if their guitars were treated so badly, I wasn’t going to. Yeah, I’m stubborn, I’m ignorant. The store was dirty, and I was ignored the whole hour I was in there. I thought a few times about going up to ask them at the front counter for a tuner, but my stubbornness overrode. Why should I tune their guitars for them? I didn’t expect the red carpet to be laid out for me, but I thought a nice nod hello would be nice, or maybe handing me a tuner to say, fly at it lady, our policy is, you play it, you tune it! I could live with that. Instead, I wrote down the models I was interested in and I will be visiting the previous Martin store to see if they can get in a certain model for me…unless I find something else I love. Is the grass always greener? But through my search, I did find what I was looking for. I have small hands, so the neck has to be smaller, I play mostly barre and power chords, so the clarity of the sound and sustain is important,and I want something I can tuck up into my chest and feel the vibration of the sound through my body, and a pickup, too. Yeah, I don’t ask for much. I do know I can pretty much pick out the asian made guitars right away…and to me, they mostly feel soulless…plastic. Except the Yamaha…but maybe that was a reason I didn’t absolutely fall in love with it? So the search continues…I’ll keep you posted.
