More guitar maintenance...
My trusty old Yamaha LL11 has had a pretty grotty looking heel strap button on it for ages. About 8 years ago I agreed to play at a company Christmas party and was asked to play acoustic on a couple of numbers - the Yamaha didn't have a heel button which I prefer rather than the old loop around the nut method - which throws the guitar into the wrong position for me so I always feel I'm fighting it to stay where I want it to.
So I quickly stuck a strap button on the heel - I think it was probably off an old Columbus Strat copy of mine from years back and just lying in the "scrap" box. Anyway it's bugged me recently. I rifled through the "scrap" box again and found two gold strap buttons - must be off my Les Paul Custom (I pretty much always on electrics fit Schaller Guitar Strap locks). I polished one up and stuck it on the LL11 - looks much better.
I also fitted a heel strap button to my 12string - again it left the factory without one. I do think that these days all guitars should have one fitted as standard but there you go. Anyway in the "scrap" box were a couple of nice chrome ones - off my Gordon Smith Graduate60 I think and I fitted one of those. So given I've recently moved to standing up for the acoustic performances this means the 12 string is back in the frame to be used - esp as a new song "Everyday" is coming together. Also for Father's Day I got the new Marillion DVD - Out of Season - which is 6 hours of live shows from the three days of the Marillion convention in Holland last year. That has made me think about Easter and Man of a Thousand Faces being added to the set list :-)
My daughter got me Tommy Emmanuel's The Mystery - long time favourite off Spotify when I'm at work. He is a stunning player - I wonder if I could learn any of his stuff? Problem is that the finger picked instrumentals like that and the Gordon Giltrap stuff I know get a bit lost in a pub setting they really require people who have come to sit and listen to you rather than go out somewhere where there is music happening in the background.
So I quickly stuck a strap button on the heel - I think it was probably off an old Columbus Strat copy of mine from years back and just lying in the "scrap" box. Anyway it's bugged me recently. I rifled through the "scrap" box again and found two gold strap buttons - must be off my Les Paul Custom (I pretty much always on electrics fit Schaller Guitar Strap locks). I polished one up and stuck it on the LL11 - looks much better.
I also fitted a heel strap button to my 12string - again it left the factory without one. I do think that these days all guitars should have one fitted as standard but there you go. Anyway in the "scrap" box were a couple of nice chrome ones - off my Gordon Smith Graduate60 I think and I fitted one of those. So given I've recently moved to standing up for the acoustic performances this means the 12 string is back in the frame to be used - esp as a new song "Everyday" is coming together. Also for Father's Day I got the new Marillion DVD - Out of Season - which is 6 hours of live shows from the three days of the Marillion convention in Holland last year. That has made me think about Easter and Man of a Thousand Faces being added to the set list :-)
My daughter got me Tommy Emmanuel's The Mystery - long time favourite off Spotify when I'm at work. He is a stunning player - I wonder if I could learn any of his stuff? Problem is that the finger picked instrumentals like that and the Gordon Giltrap stuff I know get a bit lost in a pub setting they really require people who have come to sit and listen to you rather than go out somewhere where there is music happening in the background.
Have to the strap/nut thing with my Martin. Looks very Johnny Cash/Elvis, but doesn't work me at all.
ReplyDeleteLast night Paul McCartney used the guitar he'd originally used when they recorded Day Tripper. One of the many he used during the evening.
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