Acoustic
Boucher Guitars AVT Spruce Goose OOO Acoustic Guitar Review
June 14, 2011
Boucher has taken his Adirondack fascinations a step further, building the top, back, and sides entirely out of spruce.
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1930 Gibson L-1
May 17, 2011
The iconic Delta-blues guitar: Gibson’s L-1. With its plain headstock and simple one-ply body binding, this L-1 projects an understated—even utilitarian—vibe. The L-1 began as part of Gibson’s archtop
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Tracking the Steel-String Guitar’s Evolution, Pt. 3
May 17, 2011
To truly understand the flattop and its sonic place in the extended guitar family—a lineage that stretches back to the lute and even the oud—it’s important to listen to
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Laplante Guitars
May 17, 2011
Around 1994, chemistry professor and longtime guitarist Jean-Pierre Laplante, frustrated by the dearth of decent left-handed instruments available on the market and tired of playing converted right-handed models, decided to
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Circa-1830 French-style Gut-string
April 19, 2011
At nearly 200 years old, this small-bodied gut-string is still touring.
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Tracking The Steel-String Guitar's Evolution, Pt. 2
April 19, 2011
We began looking at the origins of steel-string guitars in February. This month, we continue by comparing nylon and steel-string instruments.
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CD Review: Bruce Cockburn - "Small Source of Comfort"
March 15, 2011
Bruce Cockburn Small Source of Comfort True North Fans of Bruce Cockburn’s extraordinary acoustic fingerpicking will be thrilled with Small Source of Comfort, his 31st studio album. Cockburn’s shimmering arpeggios,
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Book Review: "Guitar Lessons" by Bob Taylor
March 15, 2011
Bob Taylor Guitar Lessons Wiley Publishing Guitarmaker Bob Taylor has become synonymous with acoustic guitars since his early days of working out of a small San Diego workshop, fittingly named
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Acoustic Soundboard: Checking the Guitar Market's Pulse
March 15, 2011
Though known for his beautiful steel-string flattops, Michael Gurian began his career building classical guitars. This elegant 1973 Gurian sports Brazilian rosewood back and sides and reveals the luthier’s
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Trash or Treasure: Alvarez 9-String Guitar
March 15, 2011
Hey Zach, Here’s an oddball for you—an Alvarez 9-string acoustic. This axe came into one of the pawnshops I frequent, and as soon as I saw it I had to
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Taylor Guitars Doyle Deluxe Acoustic Guitar Review
March 15, 2011
An acoustic/electric with a solid spruce top and laminated maple back and sides, and a slick, fast feel that will make any aspiring Doyle feel ready to roll.
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CD Review: Tommy Emmanuel, C.G.P. - "Little by Little"
February 15, 2011
Little by Little is an ambitious double album full of everything from delicate Beatles-inspired fingerpicking to the barn-burning instrumentals that have become a cornerstone of Tommy Emmanuel''s live shows.
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Martin GPCPA1 Grand Performance Acoustic Guitar Review
February 15, 2011
A Grand Performance from Martin''s Performing Artist series with live performance friendly features such as the Fishman Aura F1 system
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Guitar of the Month: 1.5 Millionth Martin
February 15, 2011
For the recent 1.5 millionth Martin, the company went with a Leonardo da Vinci theme—complete with a Last Supper pickguard inlay, da Vinci artwork-inspired inlays, a Mona Lisa headstock, and a Vitruvian Man design on the back.
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Acoustic Soundboard: Tales of Custom Inlays
February 15, 2011
Jeff Huss details memorable custom inlays, from cheesy to heartwarming
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Interview: Pierre Bensusan
January 17, 2011
The world-renowned fingerstyle guru talks about his new album, Vividly, breaking his effects addiction, and why he made DADGAD his go-to tuning more than 30 years ago.
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Tracking The Steel-String Guitar's Evolution, Pt. 1
January 17, 2011
In this three-part series, we’ll explore the genesis of the steel-string and look at the evolution of this versatile and intriguing stringed instrument over the last century.
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Guild D-50 Standard Acoustic Guitar Review
January 17, 2011
The D-50 Standard is one of two dreadnoughts in Guild’s Standard series—a line of New Hartford-built guitars the company introduced as more affordable alternatives to the more feature-laden Traditional series guitars.
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CD Review: Harvey Reid - "Capo Voodoo: Solo Guitar"
January 17, 2011
Featuring 6- and 12-string acoustic guitar, resonator slide, mandolin, 6-string banjo, autoharp, and other stringed instruments, these collections offer stirring interpretations of folk ballads, Delta blues, sea shanties, Celtic tunes, ragtime, bluegrass, and classical music.
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Country Guitar Endings: Classic Lines to Bring the Song to a Convincing Close
January 17, 2011
Country tunes can be brought to a close in a number of ways: vamping on the song’s last chord, tossing in an interesting harmonic twist, interjecting one of several classic bluegrass clichés, or unleashing a barn-burning, country-fried double-stop lick.
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