Is it Christmas in May? Well, when you come into work to discover that one of our newest guitar acquisitions is a 12-string electric Rickenbacker, it sure feels like it to me! Now, electric 12-strings may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but love them or hate them you have to appreciate the cultural importance of the 12-string Rick. The guitar damn near defined the sound of the British invasion and 60’s rock & roll and also happens to be the chosen axe of many of my rock heroes from The Beatles to The Byrds to Tom Petty. I can’t quite put my finger on why I love these guitars so much. Maybe it’s their unique jingle-jangle or twangy timbre, or maybe it’s just because they look so cool. Either way there’s just something about that sound that puts a big goofy smile on my face. - Aidan Collins
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Hello friends, I know it's been a while but I'm back, and I bring with me a very profound declaration: I like flatwound strings.
For those of you who don't know, flatwound strings are wound with steel ribbon instead of wire, making for a smoother slide and less string noise. They are sooooooo comfortable; it's like giving your fingertips a massage while you play! Sure they're not quite as crisp and sustain-y as traditional roundwound strings, but they do sound great. Don't listen to any of those stuck up ninnies who insist that flatwound's are only for jazz, they can give you a great rock tone too! And did I mention how friggin' cool it feels when you play. Trust me, go out today and pick up a set to try on one of your guitars. Several companies make them and they range in price. Yes they're a bit more pricey than regular strings but none of fortunes will fall significantly over a few bucks. If you don't like 'em then that's ok too, but you owe it to yourself to give it a go. Until next time, adios -Mikey It happens quite often that a customer will come in to the shop telling us that playing guitar hurts their fingers, or with a story of how they tried to learn guitar years ago but it was too hard on their hands. Now, this is true: playing guitar can hurt because your hands and fingers aren't used to contorting into the odd shapes required to form certain chords, and the strings can cause your finger tips to be sore after practicing. This is normal and natural; just keep it up and eventually you're muscles will adapt and you'll form calluses and, before you know it, it won't hurt!
The flip side of that coin is that sometimes the pain is the fault of the instrument. When instruments are not set up properly, the height of the strings can be too high, causing the instrument to be almost unplayable, and your fingers and hands to hurt more than they should. Often a beginner won't be aware that their instrument can be made to play easier and just figure that it's too hard and they give up. A 'Set-Up' is like an oil change and tune up for your car; it's something that every instrument needs from time to time. So if your fingers are hurting, bring your instrument down to us for evaluation. We can help to make sure your instrument is as playable as possible so that it keeps you playing and enjoying every minute of it. This week I would like to highlight a piece of equipment that serves an important role both functionally and aesthetically on a guitar: the pickguard! There have been a number of different pickguard designs over the years, some crazier than others, and I thought I'd show off some of my personal favorites. By the way, if you are into bluegrass music, check out the 1972 documentary "Bluegrass Country Soul"...You will not only see some enormous/ridiculous pickguards, but also some classic performances by the likes of Earl Scruggs, The Osborne Brothers, Ralph Stanley, The Country Gentlemen, Roy Acuff...well, you get the idea! Flatpick wizard Bryan Sutton is fast becoming one of my favorite modern acoustic guitarists. He holds multiple Grammys as a go-to studio musician in Nashville and plays some of the fastest and cleanest lead lines I've ever heard. Though his 1948 D-28 wasn't built to be left handed, Bryan says the guitar "spent some good playing time upside down!" Thus the twin pickguards. Perhaps the most outrageous of the bunch, the Porter Wagoner "Wagonmaster" D-41 features one of the most outlandish pickguards I've ever seen on an acoustic guitar. Sort of a Batman-meets-Spinal Tap thing going on here. Nothing conventional about this country singer's axe! Perhaps the most recognizable guitar in country music (also a great representation of the virtues of having a pickguard!), Willie Nelson's famed "Trigger". If that guitar could only talk, I believe it would have a quite a few stories to tell... Until next time! -McCoy McCoy Tyler is a salesman at Sylvan Music with an aptitude towards acoustic guitars, amps, and pickup systems. When he's not spouting musical knowledge on the sales floor, he can be found doing some hot picking and sweet singing with his group The McCoy Tyler Band. I've never understood it when musicians smash their instruments on stage. I get that it's part of the show, in the moment, and maybe an expression of passion that can't be contained, but why destroy the outlet for your art? With the recent news of Kurt Russell accidentally smashing a priceless 150 year old Martin guitar on the set of Quentin Tarantino's new movie "Hateful Eight", I thought I'd express my distaste for acts of violence against instruments. Lets get this straight; most of us treat our instruments like children, if we knick it on the edge of the kitchen counter, or it falls from its stand we spiral into a deep depression, or spew streams of four letter words not suitable for mixed company or those with weak hearts. Is it because most of us could never imagine smashing our instruments that doing so is seen as 'punk rock'? Or is it because most of the artists who desecrate their instruments could have them replaced instantly and have no emotional attachment? Whatever the reason, I'm not a fan. Why not donate that perfectly functional instrument to a kid who can't afford it so he can have a shot a being a rock star himself? I guess the answer is 'because it's not cool'. Cool or not I think its a slap in the face to the people that made the instrument, and all the little dreamers that can't afford to have a nice instrument. Kevin is a veteran Sylvan Music employee, with a profound love of usually four stringed instruments like bass and ukulele. He's also an accomplished jaw harpist. You can find him playing shows around town in his folk/rock band Sun Maiden, or his metal band Rat King. If he's not at work he's probably covered in grease working on one of his motorcycles. Oh my God do I hate packing peanuts!! As a retail shop, we receive anywhere from 10-20 shipments each week. Most of them come from distributors and manufacturers that are well versed in fitting product into a box with minimal or no packing materials. The nicer instruments we receive usually come in heavy duty boxes with special inserts at the top and bottom that cradle the instrument and protect it from damage during shipment.
But at least once a week we get a box, usually from a private party, sometimes from certain distributors, that is filled with these horrible packing peanuts. Why these infernal pieces of waste have not been nationally outlawed is beyond me. Not only are they made of styrofoam, one of nature's worst enemies, but it is absolutely impossible to unpack a box containing peanuts and not get them everywhere. Thanks to static they cling to clothing and skin and usually whatever you're trying to get out of the box. Those that don't cling will just fly out of the box willy-nilly while they try to scatter themselves all over your freshly vacuumed floor. Due to my utter hatred of these devious bits of Satan skin, I have actually paid to send a box full of nothing but peanuts back to the sender just so they would have to deal with it! I know, I'm very petty, but they got the message............I think. Till next time, Mike In a few short weeks the very first Fretboard Summit will be taking place just north of our fair city in Pescadero. This summit is being put on by the Fretboard Journal which, if you're not already familiar, is arguable the best stringed instrument magazine ever published. It will feature such illustrious speakers as Dick Boak (Martin Guitars), Richard Hoover (Santa Cruz Guitars), and Bill Collings (Collings Guitars), and amazing performances from the likes of Bill Frisell, Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge, Blake Mills and more.
The Summit is taking place at the fabled Costanoa Resort which is about a 25 minute drive north of Santa Cruz. This beautiful property has stellar ocean views and rustic indoor settings that is surely going to give the weekend a magical feel. And as luck would have it, you can buy tickets to this amazing event from Sylvan Music. Give us a call or stop in to buy tickets and check out the Fretboard Summit website for any further details. Can't wait to see you all there! A long awaited day has arrived with a much needed win for equality. Today the Supreme Court voted to legalize gay marriage nationwide. In honor of this momentous event lets recognize some gay/lesbian musicians of past and present. I'm also going to add this Beatles song because I think it's fitting. Congratulations America, you're heading in the right direction.
I have two passions in my life; Music and Motorcycles. When I'm doing one I'm thinking about the other. If I'm in the garage working on a bike, I've got rock and roll blasting. They go together so well that it seems fitting to make a blog post about music and motorcycles, so here are a few songs that are either about motorcycles or make me think of motorcycles. Enjoy. In the musical world women are not often associated with the double bass or bass guitar. This week I thought I would highlight some amazing female bass players. Tal Wilkenfeld is probably best known for playing with Jeff Beck, but has also shared the stage with other notables like Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Macy Gray, and Toto. With her smooth style and mixture of chording and tasty licks, she left Australia and landed New York at age 18 to make a name for herself. Esperanza Spalding is an Grammy Award winning solo bassist that draws on many different genres for her own compositions. She experimented with many instruments growing up but finally landed on the bass in high school. Not only did she become a phenomenal bassist, she can also sing in 3 languages! Bridget Kearney is the bassist from the up and coming soul quartet Lake Street Dive. Being in a band that doesn't have a full time guitarist makes the bass player work over time to fill in the gaps, but Bridget has no problem picking up the slack, all the while providing back up vocals. |