All Blog Posts (279)

David Bromberg

David Bromberg is a guy that we all here on this site should all know well, and he's quite a guitarist.  David also happens to be the world's single greatest authority of American Made Violins.  I thoroughly enjoyed the issue of Flatpicking Guitar dedicated to him, and if you did as well, then I think that you might also…

I am going to be traveling to Memphis, Tn. area soon and I will be looking for a good jam to participate in, does anyone know of any in the area?

http://wesmantoddshaw.hubpages.com/hub/Ricky-Skaggs-Country-Bluegrass-Mandolins-and-Guitars

Hard to imagine someone more dedicated to the kind of music that this website is dedicated to than Ricky Skaggs, and it's harder still to imagine a musician with more musical integrity, and power within the…

Acoustic guitars are fragile things, and even the most cared for instruments suffer from wear and tear due to playing.

Fret jobs, set ups - those things just happen.  This article is written on a basic info level - but if you happen to be in North Texas - then I've got links to a custom guitar builder and master repairman that I personally have used in the past for fret jobs and set up problems on my guitars.

 …

I figure that everyone here knows all about Tony Rice's 1935 Martin D 28, and the history of the thing - but I wrote this article for people who might not know about it, and I hope maybe some folks here at flatpicking Guitar online will enjoy this as well.

It's really more about the Santa Cruz Tony Rice models though.

If you've never seen the super clip of Nine Pound Hammer presented here with Tony and the some of the best and most known bluegrass…

Of course I know that most flatpickers prefer Martin style instruments - I certainly do, but I was raised with a flatpicking grandfather that mostly played Gibson.

Could be that some folk's have a particular style of playing that is best represented by Gibson Dreadnoughts or Super Jumbo guitars?

If so - then I want to hear about it, and if possible, hear you play as well!!!

Anyway, Gibson still makes great guitars - and who doesn't think the J…

The November/December 2011 issue of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine is now availabe! This is a very special issue, one that has the intention and focus of getting you off to a good start if you are new to Flatpicking or bringing you back to an emphasis of the basics of the art if you have been picking for a while. Each of our talented columnists have presented a topic that is fundamental to your development as a flatpicking guitar player. They have each done an amazing job with…

Winners of the 15^th annual Black Swamp Blues Society Blues Challenge Solo/Duo category held on Saturday 10/1/2011 in Toledo, Ohio.

They will now move on to play at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. at the end of January 2012. They'll be competing against about 90 other acts from around the world in the Solo/Duo category.

The dates for the 2012 International Blues Challenge (IBC) will be January 31 - February 4, 2012.

The competition will be…

http://http://wesmantoddshaw.hubpages.com/hub/Collings-Guitars-of-Austin-Texas

I'm from and living in Texas - and I'm a rabid internet writer or "scribbler" if you prefer; and besides writing about music and guitars - I like to write about Texas.  There's not a better combination of the three subjects than Collings Guitars that I can think of, and besides, I shook Bill…

If you play a D18-GE you must try out the Martin SP strings on it. I used D'Addario EJ17's for years. Richard Starkey (Nashville Martin guru) recommended that I try a set of the SPs after tweaking my Martin one day. He recently switched after years of playing EJ17s. They stay fresh longer, are more balanced, slightly brighter and the high end is silkier (to me anyway)...peace!

I just read on the www.elderly.com site that CF Martin IV's signature is on the underside of the top of the Martin D18-GE's, so I checked mine with a mirror and light and it was there. Nice touch.

The September/October 2011 edition of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine is now available. This edition is Volume 15, Number 6 of the magazine and features David Grisman's guitar player Grant Gordy on the cover. Additionally we feature Caleb Smith a picker from the mountains of North Carolina who performs with the band Balsam Range and we highlight a wonderful fiddle tune CD that features New Jersey flatpicker Van Manakas.…

Holding the pick has to be the most fundamental starting point after taking the pick out of the box and tuning up. (If you store your pick by threading it between the strings, be sure to remove it before tuning up).

I have spent the last few weeks struggling with picks that keep twisting as I am playing, which makes it difficult to play with confidence.

Fortunately (maybe) I came across an instructional video by Scott Fore on blessi.com.  Along with this there is a video of…

http://wesmantoddshaw.hubpages.com/hub/Top-Five-Acoustic-Steel-String-Guitars-For-Under-Five-Hundred-Dollars

For beginners or someone looking for a good travel guitar - I created this list of what I think are the best five flat tops for around $500.00  Of course finding one that's used cuts the price in half a lot of times - all of these are good guitars,…

Hello any and all, besides trying to break in my new old guitar, which had sat in my grandmother's closet for a  decade or more - I'm also forever trying to make a living online. . . .which I tell you, is probably about as easy as would be trying to make a living as a Bluegrass guitarist.  VERY HARD!

Anyway, I produced an article as a tribute to my love of Doc Watson, and hopefully you too share that love of Doc for not only his music, but for his CHARACTER as well.  I've…

http://wesmantoddshaw.hubpages.com/hub/The-Martin-D-50-Koa-Deluxe-Acoustic-Guitar

Just published an article about these beautiful Martin D 50's.  I can't imagine having the money to buy one, or buying one even if…

I've got a new flat top, and I'm having some trouble finding out much about it.  It sat in my grandmother's closet for years and years without being touched by anyone.

I've got the hundred and thirty first Santa Cruz ever made - and that guitar is just too special to me to carry around with me anywhere, or to keep in my travel trailer home.  I just worry about it too much, as it's Brazilian rosewood. . . .and because people always think that it's a pre war D 28 when it's…

Here's an example of the fune we had at Mars Hill Bluegrass Week. Jack lawrence (left) is playing his 53' D-28 and Steve Kilby (right) is playing his 54' D-28. Recorded June 22, 2011.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YEMBJcd-98&feature=related

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Gallagher-Steve-Kaufman-Model-Seven-String-Acoustic-Guitar

Well, I suppose the PRICE of the thing, but it's Brazilian and Engleman!  Gallagher out to do an East Indian and Sitka model, in my opinion.

If they do, or someone makes something comparable to this guitar, PLEASE let me know.