(photo by daughter Lauren)
My blue guitar collection is complete! For now.
I’ve played five of them during open mic at The Rosine Barn Jamboree. Three to go! Just as I said I would.
It’s been interesting finding and choosing them, even more so playing them because none of them are of the best quality.
I suppose I could have gone another route—find one decent, blue guitar and stick with that one. But where’s the fun or challenge in that.
I have enjoyed trying to coax a decent sound from inexpensive guitars. Certainly, some have been more enjoyable than others.
Most of them came with cheap, low-quality strings, so I’ve replaced them with better.
For Bluegrass music, medium strings are preferred, but these guitars aren’t constructed well enough to handle that amount of tension. Therefore, I’m using light gauge.
I’m a phosphor bronze man, so that’s what type of strings I’m using. For those who are curious, phosphor bronze is a type of metal alloy.
Entire books have been written about guitar strings. There’s a great deal of science involved. And a great many string manufacturers! I prefer D’addario and GHS, but I have also used Earthwoods, Martin, and DR strings.
Regardless of brand, a majority of Bluegrassers use phosphor bronze; some use 80/20 (80% copper/20% zinc); a few use nickel bronze or aluminum bronze.
That’s enough about strings! Maybe more in a separate post.
None of these eight dreadnoughts arrived already setup; in fact, two of them were virtually unplayable. They needed some fret leveling, truss rod adjusting, saddle sanding, and nut filing, so I took them to a luthier. They’re better now.
I hope you don’t mind if I share each guitar with you. All the photos were shot and edited by my photog-wiz daughter Lauren. By the way, she’s for hire!
Here we go!
The first of the guitars I used was this baby blue, slope-shouldered dreadnought from Applause, which is made by Ovation. It’s called their “Jump” model.
Though I like this guitar, the pickguard left much to be desired, so I replaced it with this faux wood-grain pickguard. I like the way it turned out.
The second week of open mic I used this Stagg. It’s their SW203TB model. It didn’t play too well; I’ll need to do a little more tinkering with it to get it right.
On stage the beautiful navy blue is even darker. Some in the audience actually thought it was black.
Hate to say this, but this one may go back on the market for $150. Anyone interested? Too much? Make me an offer!
The third guitar I used was this Oscar Schmidt, which is made by Washburn. This particular model is OG2TBL, and it’s one of the two best out of the eight in the blue guitar collection.
Not only is it nice-looking; it plays well, too. Another plus was that it came already strung up with a good set of D’addario light gauge strings. It could probably even handle mediums.
This is a Vangoa, a Walmart guitar. No model number to be found. I chose it to see how a Walmart guitar would stack up against some name brands.
I haven’t played it at open mic yet. It might be the last one I play because it’s needing some attention.
I already had to put a pickguard on it, as it did not come with one. Do you think the tortoiseshell pickguard suits it? Why, no! It’s not real! That would be illegal.
The guitar looks good, but the action is terribly high. I might have to take it to my luthier. To be fair, it was the cheapest of the eight, so my expectations are not high.
I haven’t played this one at open mic yet either. It came in almost unplayable condition, which kind of surprised me because I expected better from Epiphone.
It’s their Starling model, and I have heard praise for it. So I’m nowhere near giving up on it. Not at all. We’ll just have to wait and see…wait and see.
The Stadium SG200BL was the fourth guitar I played at open mic.
Like some of the others, it was in serious need of help when it arrived. So bad actually, that I took it to my luthier. There was only so much he could do with a guitar this cheaply made, but at least it’s playable now.
If you’re wondering who my luthier/guitar repairman is, I’ll have to remain tight-lipped. He asks that I not put his name in the blog.
This is the Ibanez PF18. It says it’s a “Washed Denim Blue.” Up close it actually does resemble a blue jean blue.
I might be using it at open mic this coming Friday, May 16th. That’s right! The same day The Autry Brothers play at 8pm I’ll be leading open mic at 6pm.
I expected the Ibanez to be in better playing condition when it arrived. But no, it needs some attention, too. Among other things, the action is way too high.
The fifth guitar I used (just last week) was this Dean AXS Quilted Ash. I like the figure in the wood, I like it ALOT. It’s not spruce; it’s ash, but it’s so pretty! Probably why I bought it.
The best thing about it, though, is that it arrived closer to being ready to play than any of the others. So it will stay in the fold.
I’m actually planning to change its appearance a little, so the next time it goes on stage be prepared for how it looks! For a bit of a preview, look for a fancy, white pickguard.
So…there they are…
Five down, with the Vangoa, the Epiphone, and the Ibanez to be played over the next three weeks. The order is still undecided.
Then I’ll start over from the beginning. Applause, Stagg, Oscar Schmidt, Stadium, Dean…
Let me be clear…all these acoustic guitars are made overseas. However, so are most acoustics that are considered “better;” for example, Blueridge, Eastman, Alvarez, Takamine, and Recording King guitars, to name a few, are made overseas.
Very few acoustic guitars are made in the USA Today. Even my Martin (Sweetwater D10E) is made in Mexico.
You’re high-end Martins and Gibsons are American-made. So are Taylor guitars, Larrivee guitars, Collings guitars and a whole bunch of custom-made guitars like Gallagher and Henderson and Bourgeois and Thompson and a hundred or so more who’ll be mad that I didn’t list them all.
And so I do apologize. For a complete list please see Google.
Did I say how much fun it has been with these eight blue guitars? Well, let me say it again…They have been fun!
Even our little film session with them was fun. Lauren and the grandkids (Aris and Heidi) were at the house. I looked at the weather forecast, and it said rain in two hours.
Plenty enough time to snap a few pics, right? Right?!
Wrong!!! I should have known!
We were having a “groovy” time carrying guitars next door to The Rosine Barn Jamboree.
I had propped three guitars up against the old, faded wood out front under the sign and was preparing a fourth guitar when…I felt a drop…but surely not a raindrop…yes, it was.
Then the rushing-to-finish started. And the drops came quicker and quicker.
Needless to say, we got it done just in time to avoid a downpour and rain damage, but if it wasn’t for Lauren’s editing talent, you would have been looking at rain-mottled guitars and a rain-mottled me. Thank you, Sweetie!
I only wish she had photoshopped a smile on my face, anything better than the scowl brought on by the rush and the rain.