016 - Bearded Guitar Geek Take-Over

Hello fellow #guitargeek, and welcome to yet another installment of weekly Acoustic Guitar wonder known as Acoustic Tuesday.

I have 5 acoustic guitar geek items for you learn about this week so off we go down the yellow brick road to the Acoustic Land of Oz....

Acoustic Tuesday presented by http://tonysacousticchallenge.com

Up first, an update to your guitar den. As a #guitargeek it is a must to have the obligatory guitar den.  A place where you can escape the noise of the day to day and make some music. Just you and the four walls. Hopefully, those walls aren't bare though... that would be uninspiring. After checking out Martin's merchandise shop, I found some things that would look just plain cool hanging up in a guitar den. Martin has recreated two of their older print ads on vintage tin sign material and they look really really awesome... They have also thrown a license plate into the mix. These would be at home in any guitar den and the beauty is when your friends come over they won't rip like a poster. Make sure to check out these stellar #guitargeek signs.

https://www.martinguitar.com/1833-shop/vintagenostalgic-metal-sign-(piece-by-piece)/c-24/p-712

https://www.martinguitar.com/1833-shop/vintage-metal-sign-still-handmade/c-24/p-711

https://www.martinguitar.com/1833-shop/new-martin-still-handmade-license-plate-(black-with-white-logo)/c-24/p-1007

https://www.martinguitar.com/1833-shop/new-martin-still-handmade-license-plate-(white-with-black-logo)/c-24/p-1006

The book, Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story is an inside look at an acoustic guitar great. http://www.tonyricestory.com/written by Tim Stafford and Caroline Wright. I bought this book a while ago and thought, "How cool, I finally get to learn more about one of my guitar heroes..." And then I read it and I realized it was so much more. This book is not only a first-hand account of Tony's life (with segments written by himself), but it also has interviews and statements from some of the leading bluegrass players that are Tony's friends as well. All in all this book is an insight into Tony's life and how it parallels the history of bluegrass music in general. An amazing compendium of bluegrass history using Tony's experiences as the map. 

Still Inside - The Tony Rice Story http://www.tonyricestory.com/

This week I am visiting the well of American Primitive Guitar, and I pretty much just fell straight in. A quick thank you to my friend Simone M. for introducing me to Daniel Bachman because this last week I was immersed in Daniel Bachman's catalog. He is certainly the next wave of American Primitive guitar and he brings his own style to the genre. His picking is precise and intentional, and he does this thing... I can't really describe it, but his right hand is a machine and his compositions are memorable as well as thought-provoking. The album that has me hooked this week is called River, it's not his newest release, it just happens to be the one that I am really digging into. 

https://youtu.be/Wn1rDNKWrLU

http://amzn.to/2jyQ8x2

http://danielbachman.com/

A special correspondent exclusively for Acoustic Tuesday? Yes! it's true! Matt Chulka from Eddie's Guitars in St. Louis, MO is here to guitar answer your geek fueled questions. In this first installment of the "Ask Matt" segment, Matt addresses the question of how to choose guitar body size when designing a custom guitar.

Is your guitar too dry??? Let me share with you five ways to tell without any tools... not even a hygrometer. 

Tip #1 - Fret ends poking out - If your guitar is thirsty the fretboard my shrink ever so slightly causing the fret ends to poke out ever so slightly. Your fretting hand will notice this immediately

Tip #2 - Buzzing Notes - If you are experiencing a buzz that is of the mechanical nature (meaning not caused by the technique) then your guitar might be too dry. When your guitar drys out the top lowers ever so slightly causing the strings to be a bit closer to the fretboard. 

Tip #3 - Weird Rattles - When the guitar starts to dry out the wood can shrink on the headstock causing the tuner bushings (metal rings around the tuners). to rattle.

Tip #4 - Raised hard grain lines - When your six-string friend is parched one of the tell-tale signs are that the ridges of the hard grain lines becoming very apparent. I mean you can feel them and if you hold it in the light you can likely see them as well. 

Tip #5 - The dreaded crack - Most likely on the center seem, but it can appear other places as well. If your guitar is too dry it will result in a crack so be sure to humidify appropriately. 

I hope this Acoustic Tuesday was an enlightening one and one that helps you live your best #acousticlife

Cheers,
Tony