Willie Nelson has played the same guitar for more than fifty years. It’s a 1969 Martin N-20, a nylon-string classical, serial number 242830. He calls it Trigger, after Roy Rogers’ horse. If you’ve seen Willie play, you know the one. It has a big hole worn through the top next to the bridge and isRead more
Blog
John Slobod builds about fourteen guitars a year, by himself, in a shop in Maine with no windows. His company is Circa Guitars, and he makes vintage-style, Martin-inspired acoustics: OMs, 00s and dreadnoughts. Earlier this month he sat down for almost two hours with luthier Max Monterosso on the Looth Group’s Acoustic Guitar Builders ClubRead more
Heritage Auctions held its Vintage Guitars and Musical Instruments auction in Dallas on October 15, and two guitars stole the show. One was a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard that sold for $781,250. The other was Lonnie Mack’s 1958 Gibson Flying V, which went with his old Magnatone amp for $550,000. Both are late-’50s Gibsons,Read more
For the past few years, I’ve relied on this guitar for live performances. Its plugged-in acoustic sound is unparalleled — natural and with fantastic blending capability. Martin modeled it after a 1930s Om, allowing seamless integration with the undersaddle pickup. Previously, I used K&K pickups with various preamps, but the Martin factory setup surpasses themRead more
I’ve been using these strings on my gigging guitar lately, and the live sound they produce is really impressive. They last quite a while, so I don’t need to change them before every gig. I also find the light gauge perfect for my Martin Modern Deluxe OMe.Read more
I’ll be playing two shows at Wolf Creek Brewery – February 19th and March 5th. Looking forward to playing some new originals, as well as my favorite classic rock and folk songs. Hope to see everyone at the shows!Read more
Last weekend I went on an unexpected trip to Nashville. I had visited Carter Vintage Guitars a few times but never Gruhn Guitars. I took an uber out there on Sunday only to find out they were closed (note to self: check store hours before taking uber). So Monday we went over to Hattie B’sRead more
Last weekend I had a fantastic trip up north for the first ever Fretboard Summit. This was a Guitar player, builder, seller, enthusiast festival put on by The Fretboard Journal. Jason Verlinde and company pulled the stories and the artists from the pages of their magazine to create a truly one of a kind guitarcentricRead more
So Labor Day weekend is once again upon us. Time to hang out with good friends and family and enjoy a little BBQ. It’s traditionally a celebration of the American Worker, who are the hardest working work force in the World. I mean, two weeks off for a years worth of work……That really makes youRead more
Here is an interesting and a bit sad story about Pete Howlett and the Ukuleles he builds. Pete is located in the UK and his Ukuleles are highly sought after. He was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease which means he will no longer be able to build the instrument he loves. Pete early on decidedRead more