Guitar stuff

I'm trying to get back into learning to play my guitar. How long is it going to take to build calluses? After a day of spending time playing, my fingers hurt so bad that I can't touch it for a few days without it being really painful. I wish I could get my carpal tunnel fixed, too. I can't play for long before it starts to really bother my right wrist (play left-handed).

 

The calluses can vary. If you're playing for longer periods of time or using heavier strings, you'll tear your fingers up faster and the calluses will build up quicker.
I'm pretty compulsive about playing when I get into it. Only takes a week or so, but I'll play every day, even if I haven't played in a long time and my fingers hurt.
I go through periods during which I get very obsessive-compulsive about playing.

 

More cool stuff.
Pat Matheny plays every musical isntrument in the world and controls them from his guitar. It's like the musical version of Rise of the Machines:

http://www.nonesuch.com/media/videos/pat-metheny-introduces-orchestrion

 

Buck, the story of my guitar has a happy ending.

Because it was winter, the guy told me not to ship the guitar because it would sit in a truck overnight and that was bad for the wood. So it sat in my house for months. At times the weather probably would have been good enough to send it but I missed those days. Finally shipped it near the end of March. Cost me a little over $50 to ship and insure it and had to send the guy a check for roughly that for him to ship it back, so it did cost me a little over 100 bucks.

But I've had it for two weeks now and it's just fantastic. Sounds great, plays great. In fact, now that it's as it should be, I've discovered I can play a lot better than I thought I could.

 

I'm glad to hear the story of your MArtin has a happy ending.
Your lucky you discovered that neck problem before any serious, permanent damage was done.
As for string relief, it can make a huge difference in playability, which in turn can really affect your tone and sound.

The filing and recrowning worked for my '72, for the most part.
I will eventually have to refret it or replace the neck, but this is a decent solution for a few years.
I only use it for hobby home recoprding and stuff, and it's good for that. Sounds fantastic and the fret buzz is gone. As far as playability, I'm still adjusting the change in fret depth.

In completely unrelated cool guitar minutae, I was at a little music store in Pasadena last month and discovered these:
http://www.pointlesspicks.com/

I love them. I'm pimping them all over the place. I bought two at the store to take home and try out, and after a week I ordered another pack online so I could hand them out to friends who play.
I gave one to the guitar tech at our big music-store retail chain in town and told him they needed to start carrying them.

 

Those look like a winner, Buck. The little raised circle in the middle should help with the grip, too. I'll have to see if the local music store has some, or check out the online offer.

I've tried using coins before, but the nickel was always too thick, and the dime was too small.

And the quarters, well, I always save those for the pool table.

 

Hey Buck, thanks for the info on the picks. I'm a finger guy and when I use a pick its a usually a bass...works quite well and a different sound. I only play acoustics, a beautiful Special Edition '78 Tak (my guitar tech told me if I ever want to sell to call him), an Ovation Balladeer, a Loar Jazz, a rare old Daion and an Eastman...they are my main players. I see you have been toying with an Eastman...very nice to play, but proficiency is the key. I only get to play/practice 5 or 6 times a month so usually use the Tak or Ov to go through my faves like acoustic Beatles, Stones and some slow blues but on the rare occasion when I get 3 or 4 days in a row when I can play for 3-4 hours at a crack then I pull out the Eastman and play some Van and Steely Dan et al and it sounds really good. I use flat wound strings (hate finger squeak) made in Germany and they are the best I have ever played, expensive at $30 a set. If you plug in it's got a great sound and that is what they are made to do. If you are going unplugged, I'd by a nice Tak instead. Having said that, I still like playing the Eastman with no amp but expect a muted sound, but the neck is just perfect. A buddy has 3 Martins and I've tried them all but prefer the Takamine.

 

What's that Loar Jazz like? I've look at that archtop online and have considered it, in addition to the Eastman that I drove to Convina to play. I've wanted an archtop since I sold my Howard Roberts, but I can't really afford it right now.
Anyway, I play a lot of fingerstyle myself. I've really been focusing on that over the past year and figuring it out. I'm teaching myself banjo, too, so they almost go hand-in-hand.
I have a Kaman Applause from some time in the early 1980s. It's when Kaman was running Applause as separate brand and building them out of Korea. Eventually, they just subsumed the Applause into the Ovation line and made it the bargain model instead of a distinct brand. I love the guitar, but the fingerboard is too narrow for fingerstyle, though.

 

I use the Pointless Pick when flatpicking on acoustic. I haven't liked it as much when playing my Tele. It's a little too chunky.
I have a bad habit of spinning my pick while I play, so these are great for me. I've tried using coins before, but I hate that metal-on-metal scrape. Edge plays with coins and textured picks. It's part of the way he gets that chimeyness.

Anyway, I migrated to Star picks about a year ago. They've got a cut out in the center, so get get skin-to-skin contact between thumb and forefinger. The grip is more solid. And instead of a round hole, it's a star shape, which creates more edge, further improving the grip.
I sand the point down on my Stars so that I have three rounded corners, all the same profile, and no point. If I spin the pick, the depth of my attack doesn't change.
I still use the Stars when playing electric, but I love those Pointless for flatpicking acoustic.
I'm pushing them on everybody.
(I do not know the inventor of Pointless Picks, and I do not own stock in the company. I just think they're cool.)

 

Buck..
Sorry, I left out the details of the Loar. It's the LH-500 archtop..I bought the blonde and although it looks good it sounds too flat for me. Lacks the richness of the Eastman archtop and at $1200 US it's overpriced. Maybe with age it's sound will improve but I'd spend the extra money for an Eastman. The frets need to be rounded at the neck edge for smooth up and down the neck movement. Also, I find the fretboard too short and chording above the 8th fret or so is too cramped and I don't have large hands. It's more of a background instrument. I've been using it to play some Joni Mitchell stuff (Free Man in Paris, etc.) in different tunings....not the ideal use... still, the sound isn't earth shaking. It doesn't have a pickup and I've mic'd it but still not great sound. Probably best used to add a little 'color' rather than an upfront guitar. Looks good though!!

 

They do look good, and the reviews I've seen have been alright.
I was wondering though, so thanks for the heads up. It might sound better as the wood opens up with age, but my feeling with an archtop is I might well wait until I can afford something with a little more presence.
I do like those Eastmans.
A couple of weeks ago I was at Jensen's in Santa Barbara and played boca grande Selmer-style guitar. I can't remember the make now. It's been a long day and I still haven't left the office.
Anyway, I loved the guitar, but since I don't play gypsy jazz it sounds a little thin.

 

Check this out. Dweezil Zappa walks viewers through the rig they put together for the Zappa Plays Zappa shows.

By the way, Zappa Plays Zappa is in Ventura and Santa Rosa next month. I'm thinking about going to the Santa Rosa show.