SELF DISCOVERY THROUGH GUITAR SHOPPING

Self discovery is self explanatory:

Self, this is you. You, this is self.

That’s the easy part; the hard part is getting along with yourself.

It gets harder when you go out looking for a new guitar to replace a perfectly good guitar you may or may not sell.

How it starts:

Guitar Man 1: What exactly are you looking for?

Me: A big guitar. I’m a big guy, a jumbo sized, so a jumbo guitar.

GM1: So you want a guitar to hide behind?

Guitar Man 2: I think he needs a stand up bass for that.

Me: I’ve seen little guys playing big guitars and big guys playing little guitars. I’m looking for something that matches up.

GM1: You want to look good with your guitar, not like ‘what’s wrong with this picture.’

GM2: By the way, a guitar is a musical instrument, not a flower vase. What about the sound, the tone?

Me: What about your tone.

GM1: Let me put it this way: Who do you think matches their guitar the way you want to match.

GM2: Is it Jimmy Page and his Dragon Tele?

GM1: He doesn’t know Jimmy’s Dragon Tele.

Me:

 

GM1: Is that the match?

GM2: I’m impressed.

Me: No, not Jimmy and the Dragon.

 

Guitar Matching For Self Discovery 

This was me yesterday in Five Star Guitar.

That’s actually Townes Van Zandt, but he’s holding the guitar I played yesterday.

To me, it’s the holy grail of guitars. Not that particular one, but the make and model.

Gibson Super Jumbo 200, The SJ200.

Either I didn’t play it right, or it’s a dud in the Gibson line-up.

It also carried a $5600 price tag.

I walked into the store knowing what I wanted, and didn’t see it.

But, since I was there with my guitar advisor, we stayed and played a while.

I eventually asked the guy if I could play the big Gibson. Then after a few questions, we left.

With the sound fresh in my head, we drove back to Guitar Center to play the Epiphone version with a cutaway and electronics and $5000 less on the price.

Buuuut . . . the one that had been there was gone.

This is the biggest problem in finding the right guitar match: You see it, but don’t buy it, and feel haunted forever by ‘the one that got away.’

Sound familiar?

 

The One That Got Away?

Who looks to define themselves with a guitar?

A guitar player.

One of the guys said he played guitar, played a lot, but not in a band, and not with anyone else.

That approach never made sense to me, but it’s starting to.

 

Some guys like messing around in a boat the way others like messing around on a guitar.

This is the rig the guy said was his new favorite:

 

The Yamaha TAG3 C TransAcoustic takes acoustic performance to a whole new level with built-in reverb, chorus, and delay effects and a built-in looper — no external amplification required.

And it’s a top-quality instrument to boot, boasting all-solid-wood construction with a Sitka spruce top and a mahogany back and sides.

 

This means you can record a rhythm track, a bass track, and a lead track in the guitar without fiddling around with pedals and cords.

I can see hours of playing and playing.

One draw back on the looper:

 

Guitar Man 1: I don’t use a looper, I’ve got a band. My drummer’s name is looper.

GM2: I like to bring things to the band that I’ve worked out on my looper.

GM1: That’s why the Beatles broke up. They turned into the back-up band for each guy’s song instead of working them out together. What do you think?

Me: I think it’s a miracle to get anyone to show up, to come out, and when they do they’re looking for the first reason to leave. Having a built-in looper might keep things together.

GM2: That’s right. Don’t make the looper turn into Yoko.

GM1: I didn’t say that. I like Yoko, always liked Yoko.

Me: Do you have a Yoko album?

GM1: (Screams) That was one of her big hits.

GM2: (Screams) That was the B-side.

Me: We could start a band.

GM1: I’ve got a van.

GM2: We have to sing together.

 

All scream.

This is the kind of self discovery you can’t make anywhere else but guitar hunting.