Oh man you’re totally right! I’m off my game on this extended weekend. Plus I sent the newsletter out on a Saturday rather than a Sunday for the first time in 5 or so years. Haha I need some more coffee
I can't find the blog I wrote, (I've had a few blogs over the years) which is kind of weird, but I arrived in Orlando with a slightly damaged acoustic guitar, courtesy of United Airlines. It was in a very good hard case, and must have been whacked really hard. Since that time, I have also added something soft, like clothing to make the fit more secure than the padding which a guitar comes with. It traveled as baggage which is something I have never done since. When I went to complain, they didn't want to know and told me the case must have been faulty. From then on I have begged and pleaded to take guitars as hand luggage, or pleaded ignorance and arrived on the plane, guitar in hand. I have only been turned down once. As a frequent traveler talking to some of the baggage handlers, common wisdom was that the more fragile stickers you have on your luggage, the farther it gets thrown. I don't think that really applies to guitars, as most people like music, but it doesn't mean they will take extra care....
I wonder why musicians get such bad service when it comes to flying? What a bummer. Either way, thankfully I haven't had to fly with my guitars yet. What happened to the acoustic, and were you able to fix it?
Side question, what's your favorite guitar to play on these days? Is it that awesome Takamine classical?
It almost feels like jealousy. Perhaps they think people with guitars think they are entitled or something. Yes I was able to fix it myself. I went into an Orlando music shop and met a guy called Christian. I think the shop may have been called Charlies, but I'm not sure. Their guitar service guy wasn't working that day, but they allowed me to use their rig for free, which was awesome. They had all the gears and within about half an hour, I was good to go. I decided that I should repay their kindness by buying another guitar for my collection from them. Eventually I settled on an Ibanez electric acoustic from their custom wood series, with a beautiful crushed maple soundboard. Which of course meant that I had two guitars to carry with me to Miami, Jamaica and then back home to New Zealand. No mean feat, but we got there safe.
Yes the Takamine is still my favourite guitar. Unfortunately the pickup needs replacing, and the new ones are a different size to the original, and I don't really want to mess with it. It still sounds great acoustically and beautiful in front of a Shure SM58 mic.
I'm not gigging these days, and I'm thinking I might sell my Gibson Les Paul Studio de Luxe (bought it at the Gibson acoustic factory in Memphis) which I don't use much, and invest that in another classical electric, or maybe two. Maybe one really good one, but I also have my eyes set on one of those silent guitars. https://youtu.be/RzWANJTH0WQ?si=MXP9pwn9_RTxdRul But they appear to have a few quirks. I'm not sure you would consider them a quality instrument. They might vary a lot even within a model. Sadly we don't have a lot of selection in New Zealand, so I might have to leave it for another trip.
Hey Brian the Vaughan Bros doc has been out for awhile now, I watched it a few months ago I believe https://www.freestyledigitalmedia.tv/film/brothers-in-blues/
Oh man you’re totally right! I’m off my game on this extended weekend. Plus I sent the newsletter out on a Saturday rather than a Sunday for the first time in 5 or so years. Haha I need some more coffee
I can't find the blog I wrote, (I've had a few blogs over the years) which is kind of weird, but I arrived in Orlando with a slightly damaged acoustic guitar, courtesy of United Airlines. It was in a very good hard case, and must have been whacked really hard. Since that time, I have also added something soft, like clothing to make the fit more secure than the padding which a guitar comes with. It traveled as baggage which is something I have never done since. When I went to complain, they didn't want to know and told me the case must have been faulty. From then on I have begged and pleaded to take guitars as hand luggage, or pleaded ignorance and arrived on the plane, guitar in hand. I have only been turned down once. As a frequent traveler talking to some of the baggage handlers, common wisdom was that the more fragile stickers you have on your luggage, the farther it gets thrown. I don't think that really applies to guitars, as most people like music, but it doesn't mean they will take extra care....
I wonder why musicians get such bad service when it comes to flying? What a bummer. Either way, thankfully I haven't had to fly with my guitars yet. What happened to the acoustic, and were you able to fix it?
Side question, what's your favorite guitar to play on these days? Is it that awesome Takamine classical?
It almost feels like jealousy. Perhaps they think people with guitars think they are entitled or something. Yes I was able to fix it myself. I went into an Orlando music shop and met a guy called Christian. I think the shop may have been called Charlies, but I'm not sure. Their guitar service guy wasn't working that day, but they allowed me to use their rig for free, which was awesome. They had all the gears and within about half an hour, I was good to go. I decided that I should repay their kindness by buying another guitar for my collection from them. Eventually I settled on an Ibanez electric acoustic from their custom wood series, with a beautiful crushed maple soundboard. Which of course meant that I had two guitars to carry with me to Miami, Jamaica and then back home to New Zealand. No mean feat, but we got there safe.
Yes the Takamine is still my favourite guitar. Unfortunately the pickup needs replacing, and the new ones are a different size to the original, and I don't really want to mess with it. It still sounds great acoustically and beautiful in front of a Shure SM58 mic.
I'm not gigging these days, and I'm thinking I might sell my Gibson Les Paul Studio de Luxe (bought it at the Gibson acoustic factory in Memphis) which I don't use much, and invest that in another classical electric, or maybe two. Maybe one really good one, but I also have my eyes set on one of those silent guitars. https://youtu.be/RzWANJTH0WQ?si=MXP9pwn9_RTxdRul But they appear to have a few quirks. I'm not sure you would consider them a quality instrument. They might vary a lot even within a model. Sadly we don't have a lot of selection in New Zealand, so I might have to leave it for another trip.