| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Cscapes
Aloha
USA
6 Posts |
 Posted - 01/17/2007 : 2:15:34 PM
|
Alright guys I really need some guidance or just good ol opinions about why I should consider a guitar by Taylor or Martin as a slack key guitar over say a steve grimes guitar or one that is hand crafted and individully voiced and tuned to preference. Is it just the cost of a www.grimesguitars.com guitar or luthier or is it something else that keeps us looking at factory line guitars like Taylor.
In all honesty I have been playing a Taylor Big Baby exclusively for the past month because when I went into the local guitar shop to find that "special" guitar nothing really surprised me the way the Big Baby did, so I figured even though this will not be my main guitar for a guitar that sounds this good at this price, I have to get it!
|
|
|
RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2007 : 2:35:03 PM
|
Matt,
This topic has been discussed extensively in a few threads. I would suggest you look through the archives for a wealth of opinion and advice. |
 |
|
|
Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2007 : 2:43:46 PM
|
There is such a thing as a guitar that sounds perfect for slack key when a master plays it. The difficulty with that statement lies in several details.
Not everyone's personal sense of "perfect" is the same.
Several manufacturers fit into the "a guitar".
Several models from the same manufacturer fit into the "a guitar".
My sense of "master" is not the same as Chnky Monkey, Dusty, Marzullo, Mark, Pau Kai, jwn, kapilakane, etc.
Price does matter when you have to pay the bill with limited resources.
We have a very nice local guitar shop that allows you to trade in a guitar bought from them and use the full purchase price toward a newer/better guitar. So, as my ear gets tuned to "a guitar", "perfect", and "master" I can keep trading up to the mythical "PERFECT SLACK KEY GUITAR".
It's not so much the guitar as the person playing it.
Just Press!
|
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
|
|
|
Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2007 : 06:49:51 AM
|
Seconding (or thirding or whatever) what's already been written: The best slack key guitar for you is the one that pleases you the most. I play slack key on at least five different guitars, and they *all* please me in different ways at different times. Now, if you're looking to approximate what you hear on recordings, that's a slightly different question, though again, the proper answer is some variation on "It depends"--in this case, on which recording and what kind of engineering magic might have been involved. But I've played Keola's "Dream Guitar" and a couple of Uncle Ray's, and somehow I didn't sound quite like them.
There's a famous and maybe even true story: Some enthusiast, after listening to Chet Atkins play, went on and on about how great the guitar sounded. Chet put the guitar on its stand and said, "How does it sound now?" Given Chet's famous good nature, I wonder whether this might be apocryphal, but you see what I mean.
BTW, I'm not surprised that you're liking the Big Baby--every one I've played has been at least respectable, especially for its price point. They're very good entry-level instruments, and while not as subtle and complex as, say, a Goodall, I would not complain if I were stuck on a desert island with one. I have a ten-year-old original Baby, and even that little thing makes some decent slack key. (When Dennis Kamakahi was with Hui Aloha, he toured and recored with a Baby.)
|
|
|
|
Cscapes
Aloha
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2007 : 10:51:27 AM
|
| Yes in the end it doesn't simply come down to what sounds good to me! And no one guitar is going to cover all of the bases for different playing styles and so is the need for at least three great instruments. However collection those instruments take a good long while and it never hurts to hear what others before me have learned in their pursuit to find these instruments. Thanks for any and all input or any guidance to a certain maker of guitar that I may find I like the sound of. |
|
|
|
hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2007 : 12:04:05 PM
|
Like a lot of guys here, I have several guitars. In my case, mostly cheap ones, but I like them all. The problem is that I hate to change strings, not to mention the cost of the strings. Three or four are calling out for new strings now and I don't have time to maintain them. So I recommend buying the best guitar you can find and sticking with it so you don't have so many guitars to maintain.
On the other hand, if you only have a $5000 custom model, you won't take it to your buddy's on a cold night or take it to the beach just for fun. So you will probably want a cheap guitar that sounds sufficiently good for jamming.
Jesse Tinsley |
|
|
|
RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 01/20/2007 : 04:27:07 AM
|
I am still in the process of deciding what I like in a guitar but here is a little input anyway.
To this point, I think the most important things to look for in a guitar are the tone & sustain of the 6th string (tuned to C or D) and neck width.
Better guitars also have what Goodall calls an "O" sound rather than an "E" sound. I think every guitar is a little different so I would probably not buy a guitar without playing it.
Bob |
Bob |
|
|
|
slackkeymike
Lokahi
440 Posts |
Posted - 01/20/2007 : 10:16:54 AM
|
Maybe someone should make a FAQ or Sticky out of this particular subject. It comes up often enough. While it is true that some styles (Dred, OOO, etc) are prefered for different styles, I think you will find that Slack Key players cannot agree on this subject. I think you will find every style in here.
Here is what I think matters. High note sustain and playability. The ability of the instrument to chime and hold it sweetly (5th, 7th, and 12th frets mainly). Exceptional tone up and down the fret board. No buzz on lower strings (5th and 6th). But, a low sting height for those triplets. Someone once sugested a great test. If you can play Crow River (taro patch tuning as it turns out) and it sounds sweet, you probably have the right guitar.
Slack key music requires those features. Thats how I would do the search. Learn how to play Crow River for guitar testing, and hit the road.
Mike |
Aloha, Mike |
Edited by - slackkeymike on 01/20/2007 10:18:25 AM |
|
|
|
Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2007 : 07:17:48 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Cscapes
Alright guys I really need some guidance or just good ol opinions about why I should consider a guitar by Taylor or Martin as a slack key guitar over say a steve grimes guitar or one that is hand crafted and individully voiced and tuned to preference. Is it just the cost of a www.grimesguitars.com guitar or luthier or is it something else that keeps us looking at factory line guitars like Taylor.
I think you may be misled by your impression that factory guitars are preferred. It may be possible that folks with handmades are a little shy to announce them, for whatever reason. When I run through the Taropatch members I know, quite a few of them own handmade guitars from a wide variety of builders.
Fran |
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
|
|
|
slackkeymike
Lokahi
440 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2007 : 08:47:42 AM
|
BTW, Taylor makes guitars that fit the bill. They are amazing guitars.
Mike |
Aloha, Mike |
|
|
|
Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2007 : 2:38:01 PM
|
Yes Fran, you are correct.
...Reid |
|
|
|
rendesvous1840
Ha`aha`a
USA
1055 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2007 : 3:01:39 PM
|
| This topic is loaded with personal feelings. As an example,I never cared for the sound of Ovation guitars, but have seen a number of photo's of slack key players using them.And sounding grat doing so. Sometimes a certain instrument suits a given players style- attack,preference for bending instead of sliding,etc. It may sound good in their hands, but not in mine.I love the sound of Keola Beamer's Grimes guitars, but they're well out of my price range.I recently read of a worker at the Smithsonian who got the chance to play a banjo owned by a player he revered highly. It sounded terrible in his hands. When you go to plunk down major cash,let your ears and hands have most of the say-so in your decision. For most of us,the wallet talks loud, also. |
"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello |
|
|
|
Simmo303
Aloha
United Kingdom
6 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2007 : 05:40:30 AM
|
| Simple tests: Do you like the sound? Does it feel right in your hands? Can you afford it? (Sub-set question, do you want to afford it?)Sadly, you are not liable to get quality without paying for it. |
|
|
|
Simmo303
Aloha
United Kingdom
6 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2007 : 06:04:57 AM
|
| If your guitar is varnished then strip it off the soundboard and be amazed at the improvement. |
|
|
|
Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2007 : 08:23:22 AM
|
Simon, you simply do NOT strip finish off of custom built $5000-$9000 guitars. You don't strip $2k factory guitars either. What can you possibly be thinking of?
...Reid |
|
|
|
cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2007 : 09:12:35 AM
|
| Reid's right...stripping the finish off an inexpensive guitar (Simon's experience is with a <$500 Lorca) may help the sound if done carefully but any decent guitar maker isn't going to put a finish on their guitar that has a detrimental effect on the sound. |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
Topic Locked
