Misha

2 hours ago, kwakatak said:

Again, I’m sorry to hear about your brother. I don’t know what mental health care is where you are but here in the States it’s abysmal. My 20 year old son is intellectually disabled, autistic, has limited verbal communication skills and is bipolar. It’s been hard for my family but this has been a better year than years past. 

I remember you writing about your young autistic son. 20 y.o. already!! It goes fast! I'm glad to know it's been a better year! 

In Quebec, Canada, younger students now have access to ressources in some schools and I think more and more people are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, autism, dysphasia, dyslexia, etc. However, I often hear about a lack of resources, waiting lists, etc. In some areas, it's more difficult to get the services you need. A lot of people who should be hospitalized are not because they did what they call the deinstitutionalization and it's not always for the best. When kids become adults (at 18 y.o.) it gets much more difficult for them to see a shrink. Some articles state that 3/4 of children with mental health problems lose their follow-up at 18 y.o. Staff shortage certainly does not help! An adult with a mental health problem will be able to see a shrink for an emergency at the hospital but as soon as he gets a little bit better he goes back home - if he has one (if he doesn't, he goes out of the hospital, anyway) - and then may have to wait for months. Free healthcare system in Quebec means long waiting lists (over a year sometimes) and very high tax rate. (For every dollar we earn, there is maybe 25 - 30 % left!) 

At his 1st attempt, my brother stayed at the hospital for less than 2 days. Then, he was sent home with my parents. (Who were 80 and 84 y.o.) I think he refused medical treatment/medication at the hospital. I know for sure that he refused medication from his family doctor after because I warned his family doctor myself. The only thing they did to him was not allowing him to have his hunting firearms for a while after his first attempt because he sawed-off the barrel of one. (He slid and shot one of his hands superficially.) A couple of months later, he found a rope instead...

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I don't even know if I am allowed to write about this here. If I am not, I'm sorry. If you ever feel bad, depressed, or simply need to talk, please ask for help!

- Canada: 9-8-8

- USA or other countries: https://findahelpline.com/ 

19 hours ago, kwakatak said:

Hi, Misha,

I'm sorry to hear about your brother. Most of us are trying not to think about the grim reaper but I'm beginning to understand that it's not so much the worry that life will end but that you face it with dignity and hope those we leave behind can at least choose to remember the good times they had with us. That being said, I learned a few years ago that a friend had committed suicide. I was away at the time and feel more badly that I wasn't there for those who were close to her at the time.

Hi Kwakatak! Nice to hear from you again! I like to look at your guitar building posts!

About my brother, before the exposition of the urn at the funeral home everybody was after us. I was thinking it was almost too much. I felt scrutinized though I knew people had good intentions. After that, people went back to their routine and it became even tougher. I'm still grieving, the pain is still there. Fortunately, as time goes by, I'm starting to get a little bit better. I'm trying to think about the good days. My brother obviously had ADHD even though he never accepted any medication. (I asked his doctor myself after his 1st attempt.) He was seven years older than me and I never imagined life without him. I hope people never have to face this kind of event. This is not a linear journey. However, I'm trying to become the best human behing I can be for the time I have left on Earth. 

19 hours ago, kwakatak said:

Back to the topic at hand, here's a good reference:

http://frets.com/FretsPages/Musician/Guitar/Maintenance/CrackedBridges/crackedbridges.html

I have an idea of what I'd do but I frequently make mistakes and have to deal with consequences. Read on for what I'd do but be wary. I've ruined several guitars with my tinkerings. It's how I learn; I figure you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs...

I will keep your post in mind if I find the courage to try it!

I asked a reputable music shop how they would charge to fix the Cort - I did not had the guitar with me, they did not see it - but they said they could not do it and that I needed a luthier. 

A  couple of years ago a reputable luthier would have charged 350 $ CAD plus taxes to make a brand new bridge from scratch. (It would probably be even more expensive than that, now.) At the time, the bridge was cracked but it didn't affect the playability, yet. 

I also know a good repair shop that might be able to replace the bridge by a Stewmac prefebricated one (or one made by another company.) I don't go there often nowadays because I moved out of the big city but this is another option! 

You guys are really brave! I look at the pictures of your tools and everything, I guess I'm just not that handy! If I had the space I would love to try though!

On 4/3/2024 at 5:13 PM, BeeLectro said:

The brass bridge pins on the Storia 3 have a big effect on the tone. Don't lose them !

I hope I won't lose or break any!! 

20 hours ago, DeepEnd said:

An OM and 000 are roughly the same, a 00 is smaller. Here's Martin's official take: https://www.martinguitar.com/blog-categories/tips-tutorials/blog-040320-understanding-guitar-body-sizes.html

Merci DeepEnd!

Pickguard added!

(Before it get scratched!)

I'm not sure if it's an OM-15 or a 00-15 because I'm not sure that there is a difference between both! I don't think it's a 000-15 but I could be wrong! 

He plays much better than me!! And he can sing too!  (And he does not know I shared his video!) 🙃

I tried a Sigma 00M-15. It was nice, but the Yamaha felt better in my hands! (And I felt more confident buying a Yamaha product.)

6 hours ago, panhandler said:

Congrats Misha!   I like it!  👍

Thank you panhandler! 🙂

I play it every day!

A friend of mine has a Martin OM-15. I'm curious to know what he thinks of the Yamaha! The luthier refretted his Martin and adjusted it perfectly, though! 

19 hours ago, DeepEnd said:

 Congratulations. Happy New Guitar Day.  I've always liked the look of mahogany topped guitars.

Hi DeepEnd, thank you!

I used to not like the look of mahogany topped guitars very much but now I love them and I like how they sound! Most of the time I prefer the sound of mahogany over other wood combinations. I used to like spruce top with rosewood back and sides guitars. (The best would still be to get one of each but it could become a bit too expensive!) 

4 hours ago, garthman said:

Congratulations, Misha. A nice looking guitar.

Thank's Garthman!

Last evening, I got the little guitar to my liking. I oiled the (walnut) fretboard, the open tuners and applied guitar grease to the nut slots.

I'm all set now and can practice! Playing guitar will maintain my dexterity. 

I went back to school to become an auxiliary nurse, lately. (I'm not that young anymore but I decided to go for it anyway and do something I like for the rest of my life, take care of the ill, elderly or disabled persons.) Playing guitar will keep my mind - and my hands - in good shape!

The money I saved by getting a less expensive model is primarily for books right now. I still have in mind to get my Cort fixed, but it can wait a little bit!

Time to learn Space Odity from David Bowie now! (Saveur of the week!) No school, no work, today, just revision and homeworks...

Have a good day! 😊

This thread needs some pics: 🙂

Not an expensive guitar, but perfect to carry at the park! 

Yamaha Storia 3 at home tonight!! I tried several guitars and tried the Storia 3 (for the first time, I only saw the 1 or 2 before). I compared it to and LS6 and LS16 and LL16. The LL16 was better, but much more expensive and not 2 times better! I kept going back to the Storia 3. It is perfectly adjusted, it's beautiful and felt a bit better than the LS6, maybe because it is a bit thiner.

I plugged the Storia 3 and at first, I was discouraged but then I rolled back the gain and mids on the amp ( it was a Godin Acoustic Solutions ASG-8) it sounded very good, very natural. I decided to buy the guitar!

I don't think there are videos where they make the Storia sound as good as it can, online when plugged in, unfortunately.

(The money I saved will help get the Cort fixed and I will have two very different guitars.)

Now: let's play it!! 🙂

I tried some inexpensive Eastman guitars but there were better guitars in the store. 

I found a used Yamaha LL6 ARE but it’s 600$ Cad plus taxes (15%) and there is a ding in the top. It’s small, but seems deep. At first I did not see it. Too bad because I really liked the guitar. I asked for the price and I think he thought I would not negotiate and did not offer a rebate. The other guitar that I liked is a Taylor 114 CE-S (1100$ Cad + taxes…) 

I will show my Cort Earth Custom to a luthier and ask how much it would cost to fix it before I spend 1000$ on a guitar with laminate back and sides… I still like the Yamaha Storia but it’s a toy compared to a Taylor 114. 

I tried a few guitars today. (unfortunately, did not see a single Lag where I went.)

I tried a Yamaha Storia II and it was nice. No cutaway and very basic pickup but it’s a nice little guitar! 

They hang their guitars so high on the wall, it’s complicated to try several. Also, there was someone playing an electric very loud. That was not the best day to take a decision. I will have to try more guitars. I did not hear anything that was incredible. 

————-

Edit:
 

(But I think the Storia II felt better tha the Martin 000-15 I tried in another store and sounded better even though it does not have a solid back and sides and for a fraction of the price! The Yamaha was brand new and in perfect condition, the Martin looked like new old stock not so well taken care of…)

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/guitars_basses/ac_guitars/storia/index.html

I could also look at Lag guitars. At least two shops have them but one is 3 hours away! (But the roadtrip would be nice!)

What means "Open Pore back and sides" ??? https://www.theguitarcorner.ca/shop/c/p/Lag-T170ACE-Tramontane-Auditorium-Cutaway-Electro-Guitar-x67437248.htm 

Edit:

(I think it means thin finish instead of thick veneer !?!

)

12 hours ago, garthman said:

Hi Misha

I haven't played either of the Martins you mention. I have played an X series with the HPL composite back and series and, like Daddymack says, it's fine plugged in. Generally though, I'm underwhelmed by Martin guitars - I don't think they play and sound any better than many guitars costing much less.

For a very good, well made guitar that plays and sounds excellent and is very reasonably priced you could do a lot worse than the Crafter TO35. Here is a link to a UK store where you can check it out (it's also available as an electro-acoustic):

https://badlandsguitars.co.uk/products/crafter-t-035

LAG (French company) and Walden also do some very good guitars. UK compnay Tanglewood are always worth a look too. I don't know if these brands are available in Canada but, if so, they are all fine instruments.

But, like Daddymack also say, "try before you buy" if possible.

 

 

I know a shop that used to sell Crafter guitars, but not anymore. I don't know why, I think they were good ? I just realized that Tanglewood and Orangewood guitars are not the same brand. There is a place where they have Tanglewood, Taylor, Walden and Martin. I will check them all. (Lag, not sure I could find one here.) Several places have Sigma guitars. They look good, I don't know if they are made by Cort. (I think Prs's are, but I'm not sure (!?) Of course, I can find lots of Godin's (Seagull, Art & Lutherie, Norman, etc.) but they went up in price so much that I think I would prefer a Martin or a Taylor that will hold its value better. (I re-read myself and I probably will think the same way about anything that doesn't say Martin/ Taylor/ Gibson on the headsock! Geez! I'm in trouble! Or at the least, my wallet is!)

22 hours ago, daddymack said:

I own 2 Martins, both are 'X' series with the HPL back and sides.  I would not compare the sound to other Martin all-wood acoustics, but they have 2 things going for them in my book: the don't cost too much, and they sound good plugged in. I have them because I am loathe to take a $2-5k guitar out on a $200 solo gig..and they are far less prone to 'easy damage' like dings.

If you want the sound of an all wood Martin, you will have to pay the price.

Under $1k a/es? There are tons....but you really need to try them, not accept someone else's opinion.

I would start with Epiphone Masterbuilt, Takamine, Yamaha,...but there are too many to list

I'm not sure I want an all solid wood guitar because I have one and it's cracked... Too fragile!! 

I like Taylor guitars but I have to find a place where I can compare Taylor and Martins. They didn't had both where I went (but my search is just beginning!)

They don't have a lot of yamaha models. Sometimes I think it's because they want people to spend more (!?!) The employee in one shop told me to avoid Takamine except if I pay a high price. I didn't not try any Epiphone. (They didn't have a lot, they had some Fender models but I don't wan't a Fender acoustic.)

Hi!

I tried a Martin GPC-X2E and liked it a lot for comfort, playability and size but I have to admit that the sound is good but it doen't blow me away but it is good! 

I also tried a a Martin GPC-16E and it sounded much better though I liked the shape/neck/playability better on the GPC-X2E. (And it is much less expensive!)

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/x-series/11GPCX2ECOCO.html

Knowing that the GPC-X2E has only a solid top, which other acoustic/electric guitar should I look below 1k, smaller than a dreadnought?

6 hours ago, garthman said:

Everything is getting more expensive, irrespective of where it's made, Misha.

Inflation is everywhere but Yamaha guitars are still "affordable". They did not increase their prices as much as some others according to what I've seen. 

I think there are two things:

• A) People have less money to spend for their hobbies.
• B) Prices are going up.

Combine both A and B  and it must be a disaster for some  music shops as well as families/individuals struggling daily to pay for their basic needs!

I just hope things will get better for everybody soon. Buying an instrument, paying lessons for kids is not as easy as it used to be. I'm glad there are still some brands that offer reliable products at prices similar to what they used to be before pandemic. I guess they cut on something else to keep the prices down, maybe they use more CNC machines, maybe they cut on every little details that used to be handmade... I don't know, but some do it and maybe other companies don't care/can't/ are opportunists... !?!? 

(Please, keep in mind that English is not my first language.)

In Quebec, Canada, more and more people are living in tents during winter. They can't afford an appartment anymore. 😞  

I tried  another Yamaha FG800M today at Bestbuy and it was a very nice guitar. This one had lower action than mine and even easier to play. A part from Godin (Seagull, Art & Lutherie, Norman, Simon & Patrick) I don't really know other brands and Godin guitars are are getting more expensive then they used to be, even in Canada where they are made. 

On 1/10/2024 at 9:40 AM, panhandler said:

I'm late to the party but...  Welcome back Misha!

panhandler  (formerly gw348)

Hi! Glad to see that you are still here! 

2 hours ago, DeepEnd said:

Alvarez Yairi was big at the time but they had solid tops and laminated backs/sides. Blueridge used to have a couple of models with fancy headstock inlays like those and Takamine used to make Martin knockoffs but I don't think it's either. I think we're looking at a mostly stock Martin with the cross thingy stuck to the headstock after the fact.

It's very possible! I guess his family inherited his guitar collection. They are musicians too. They might have the answer!!

14 hours ago, daddymack said:

He did have a sig model Washburn EA20 'Melissa' which was black, with a cutaway, but that guitar in the video looks like a customized 'Martin-style' to me.

Eastman's 'fancy logo came to mind , but it isn't that [but again, could be custom]

He could certainly afford to have guitars custom-made for him....

I particularly like the Martin and the Eastman. I would probably like the Alvarez too, I don't know if it was an expensive all solid wood guitar !?

Maybe like you said, the guitar in the video was custom made just for him! I did not find any video where he showed his collection! (But I found one about John 5's huge collection!)

Hi!

I've been listening to Gregg Allman and the Allman Brothers Band lately.

In the video below I wonder what guitar Gregg Allman is playing. 

The headstock looks like a cross ? Or is it his black Martin seen in other pictures and videos that has the Martin logo covered with a clip on tuner? 

Anyway, I could imagine a brand with a cool massive silver cross logo and a very a dark headstock !! 

I think this song is in Drop D tuning.

I love alternate tunings.  

Talking about alternate tunings,I love this song too:

https://youtu.be/3ZuGerbP5aI?feature=shared&t=2360

* tuning: https://youtu.be/3ZuGerbP5aI?feature=shared&t=2676   (B = A; G = F#, capo 2nd fret)

On 12/19/2023 at 10:04 PM, DeepEnd said:

Congratulations on the FG800M. It's a beauty. 

As for the Cort, as daddymack said, regluing the bridge is fairly straightforward. And unless the bridge cracking is really severe personally I wouldn't worry about it. It's another potential symptom of a dried out guitar.

Get it humidified, get the bridge reglued if necessary, and play on.

Thank's DeepEnd!! 

I'm impressed with the sound of the Yamaha everyday. It's fun to play! Maybe, the action could be lowered a bit but it's still very good.

I lost my calluses because I did not play for too long. Now, I need to rebuild my strenght too. It doesn't take as much time as it first did! That is a good news!

It's really a relief to listen to music, learn songs and get my mind busy with something because the loss of my brother is still very vivid in my mind, particularly at this time of the year. 

I'm not going to work on the Cort myself because I don't have the tools or the space in my apartment even though this something that I would be interested in.

On 12/16/2023 at 9:46 AM, daddymack said:

without examining the instrument more closely, I won't say this unequivocally, but...odds are you do not need a new bridge, just a re-glue of the existing one, a relatively simple and common repair.

 

In my case, that would be this problem too: