Summary: Acoustic Tuesday presented by http://tonysacousticchallenge.com Welcome to another awesomely Acoustic Tuesday my dear #guitargeek. There is a ton in store for you this week, so grab a pen, some paper... A new take on guitar strings? Most often the question of "gauge" is one of the first we ask when asking about strings, but not with Santa Cruz's parabolic tension strings. There are two options with these strings, either a mid-tension or a low-tension set and per their recommendation, the low-tension strings are a good match for smaller bodied guitars while the mid-tension strings work nicely with larger bodied guitars. I am floored by the crispness of these strings and what really surprised me were two things: First, the out of the package feel... I'm talking before even putting them on the guitar... they are more supple than any other string I have tried. Second, they seem to immediately calibrate to your guitar and in an odd way adjust the EQ so each string has a clear slice of the sonic pie. http://www.santacruzguitar.com/scgc-strings/ http://amzn.to/2AqACLg - Low Tension http://amzn.to/2zFNzDX - Mid-Tension Tonewood Encyclopedia. Is there such a thing? Yes, but not in the way that you may think. Being a #guitargeek requires a certain quality... let's call it an insatiable desire for all things acoustic. I have discovered a site that will have every acoustic #guitargeek in the world's mouth agape in wonderment. The tonewood data source... yes ladies and gentlemen this is a real thing and I was so happy to discover it. Ever wonder how tonewood hardness is measured? Ever been curious about the different terms for describing wood figure? Wondering what specific tonewoods are used for? Which tonewoods can cause respiratory irritation when working with them? This site has it all. Yes, all of it. This is a wonderful resource that was put together by a guitar geek and tonewood enthusiast, whose name I cannot find anywhere on the site, but nonetheless, a huge amount of gratitude is being sent their way. This is a resource that is like the road map to living an incredible #acousticlife. http://tonewooddatasource.weebly.com/ What am I listening to this week? Well, the tone of the Wide Sky Guitars featured in last week's Acoustic Tuesday (Ep. #11) had me hungry for some old thumpy blues so I turned to none other than Lightnin' Hopkins. It's raw, it's real, and it has the rhythmic drive that I was searching for. His unique style is inspiring to watch and the way he plays looks absolutely effortless. The tone he gets out of the guitar is a mixture of dead strings and his unique attack. If you ever have a hankering for blues and haven't heard of Mr. Hopkins then you must... and well, if you have heard of him, you must revisit his catalog. Listening to him is a deep dive into the raw nature of old time blues. https://youtu.be/VOI5y1ZUXVc - Baby Please Don't Go http://amzn.to/2ArE7kw - 8 Classic Albums Deodorant for strings...??? There are many things that can kill tone, but one of the worst is gunk building up on wound strings. Oh! and what about just the general tarnish that develops from environmental factors... Then there is the dreaded string squeak. Nothing can spoil a guitar party quicker than an errant string squeak. I had the same issues and then I discovered two types of string cleaners/lubricants that made my uncoated strings last longer and significantly cut down on squeak. Both the GHS Fast Fret and the Planet Waves XLR8 work miracles if your strings tarnish, you have gunk build up, or you are battling the squeaky strings. http://www.ghsstrings.com/products/11464-fast-fret?category_id=1964826-lubricants-cleaners http://amzn.to/2zFbwLl - GHS Fast Fret http://www.planetwaves.com/pwProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=4115&productid=544&productname=XLR8_String_Lubricant_Cleaner http://amzn.to/2zriKzT - Planet Waves XLR8 Beginning guitar is an extremely exciting time, the lessons come fast and quick, motivation is at it's highest, and new gear is purchased en masse. At the start of every guitar player's journey is their first guitar, but how do you decide which one is the right one for you? After years of working in stores and reviewing tons of guitars, I sat down and made a list of my top 5 beginner guitars under $500, of all the guitars out there in this range, these ones stand out to me and each is on the list for a very specific reason. If you are in the market r want to help a friend make sure to check it out: https://youtu.be/Hk5zL_UXJDQ Another list complete and more things to help you live your best #acousticlife!!! Here's to another week of guitar geekiness and the smell of a freshly cut piece of Adirondack spruce.
