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What’s A Musical Maniac To Do ?

After I realized that the next step was an electric once I got my Washburn D46SCE acoustic steel string to really sound good I went after an electric .

In my ” forum introduction ” you will see why I think ( thought ) the way I did on my personal choice and what made me go that route .

My choice was made after a long hard journey in time - 36 years - 3 months and 11 days . During that time I was really good tuning a guitar and that was all I could do for those years , after I had my accident .

I wondered if I ever was able again to re start on guitar what would it be ? Acoustic and what type and if for some miracle I did play and made those types of guitars play well , would I be curious and contemplate an electric and if so what ?

Through those years I was inspired by so many great guitarists from Spain’s giant monster Andes Segovia - and many like him from all over the Hispanic world . American artists like Chet Atkins - Lonnie Johnson - Eddie Lang - Charlie Christian and The Blues greats like Robert Johnson and T-Bone Walker to mention just a few .

Then modern Rock-N-Roll happened and all bets were off for a while as the ” Golden Guitar ” years broke loose !

In 2003/4 it was time . In the new century - here I am wondering what the heck am I’m getting into now ? What is available that covers it all . I mean covers all the stuff I hear in my head ? And I was again perplexed , so I listed my guitar playing goals .

1 : What I liked over all as far as my music appreciation and who I devotedly listened to and the styles .

2 :What is out there now happening music wise as far as sounds that are heard constantly on radio , TV , and motion picture sounds and a new one later I also considered in this equation was the music being composed for video games and the gamers that played and how these sounds and music are affecting music trends today and the future’s possibilities .

Crazy huh - - - for a guy who had established himself as a harp playing CW - Jazz - Blues - Rock-A-Anything - Standards - Motion Picture Sound tracks and all for just the harp and now I found myself at the proverbial crossroad .

The midi guitar was the last on my list till ...............

At a local music store here in the Coachella Valley ( ¿ Coachella Fest & Stage Coach concert anyone ? I saw a Roland midi pick up installed on a Fender Strat . As I looked on as it was almost finished as I walked in the store I waited as they tested it .

I was doubtful to say the least as I heard the Roland rep say this and that about how this was going to change my mind—Yeah sure I said to him as others looked on too wondering if this thing would really flop hard like most of them did ( unless you had serious $ it did not happen ) those days until ............

I was transfixed as I heard lush strings ( many different ones ) glide and slide out into the store’s show room floor to the astonishment to each and everyone of us as we stood dumbstruck .

That set the wheels of motion in my mind big time and I was off to the races looking up and researching this new phenom .

I wanted to go from something like The Moody Blues to Willie Nelson . The Beatles to Muddy Waters . Hank Williams to Issac Hayes . Louie Armstrong to Miles Davis . Andres Segovia to Tommy Emmanuel .

After a lot of hands on research I ended up with a Godin LGXSA midi / electric / acoustic electric / guitar . Woods were imported and cut in Canada and assembled in New Hampshire USA .

I can’t say enough nice things about my Godin guitar . Made of rock solid of Honduran mahogany and a super nice AA maple quilted top too , necks is topped off with ebony with a maple topped headstock . Looks are killer . It’s got coil splitters on two Seymour Duncan pick ups on the 5 way switch . I chose the cognac burst colored one , it’s sexy looking it is heh heh heh .

I get really nice Tele - Strat & Les Paul sounds besides all the power of the midi voices ( 384 ) I get from my Roland GR33 midi guitar module .

It’s not for anyone true , it is for those who like thinking about possibilities - monstrously huge giant possibilities available to the curious minded guitar musician who goes the extra mile . 

Easy friends

Hurricane Ramon

Hey HR, thanks for sharing this update.  As I mentioned before I’ve always been intrigued with the concept of a Midi guitar, although the first time I tried playing on one the latency messed with my head.  That being said, a good friend of mine (also a member of this site) also has a couple of Godin’s and he loves them.  I tried one of his Goden’s and it really does play like a real guitar.  I guess they’ve come along way with guitar Midi technology.  I really loved how you could play a saxophone solo through the guitar, it sounded just like the real deal - not to mention if you’re recording Midi, you can always go in and “adjust” the notes if you make a mistake

Wow, looks like midi guitars have come a long way.
Personally I have a 1982 Fender Lead II. I added a Gibson humbucker in the rear position (replaced the original single coil) and had the radius of the fretboard flattened somewhat as well as jumbo frets put in over the years. The 90 degree input jack has also been replaced with a Strat style angled input jack.
I am between amps now. I started out with a Sunn solid state, then on to a Music Man tube/solid state hybrid, and lastly a Seymour Dincan 5440 tube amp.
I also play a 1978 Yamaki steel string acoustic.

Judging from your lessons it seems you cut your teeth on the same styles of music that I did. So glad to have discovered this site!

bmor - 25 November 2010 05:55 PM

Wow, looks like midi guitars have come a long way.
Personally I have a 1982 Fender Lead II. I added a Gibson humbucker in the rear position (replaced the original single coil) and had the radius of the fretboard flattened somewhat as well as jumbo frets put in over the years. The 90 degree input jack has also been replaced with a Strat style angled input jack.
I am between amps now. I started out with a Sunn solid state, then on to a Music Man tube/solid state hybrid, and lastly a Seymour Dincan 5440 tube amp.
I also play a 1978 Yamaki steel string acoustic.

Judging from your lessons it seems you cut your teeth on the same styles of music that I did. So glad to have discovered this site!

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Hey Bernie :

The more you look at it the better it gets midi wise these days . Yep midi guitar is really getting to be an easy as pie fall off a log issue now a days . When you use guitar midi it’s a wise move to have a really nice stereo amp to hook into , with out a stellar sounding one you won’t get the most out of your midi sounds and FXs .  When hooked to a P . A . or a really good stereo amp added to your guitar amp’s sound you will be in step with the state of the art cutting edge of modern sound .

There are systems offered by Yamaha as well as Roland and Axiom and there are also some others that are not truly as versatile or robust .

I have wanted a Strat maybe soon I get one after the nylon midi I’m after first

Hows the SD amp doing for ya ? The Music Man is a really great amp I like their sound a lot . One of the guys I used to hire a lot uses one , Now since learning ( 11 years now ) the guitar I don’t hire any more guitarists

I have SD’s on my Godin LGXSA , one’s a SH II jazz in the neck and a Custom III in the bridge they are in mu opinion killers , they give me my vintage to modern tones I want . My Godin allows for spitting the coils to get a single coil sound m nice.

Are you planning to or do you have any online recording of yourself ?

Welcome aboard .

Hurricane Ramon