It's an old guitar. Gibson-Classical. Nylon strings. No input for an amp.
I bought it, probably 1960. I played folk music stuff with it. I was better than the average bear but still not very good. Kingston Trio, P.P.M. and so forth. I didn't take lessons but I could tune it, using the tone on a landline phone to give me B flat (I think it was). I couldn't play too many chords but I was good at devising my own "fakes." My most "famous" was Scotch & Soda.' I made a $ thousand or two over a few years of part time gigs. And ya gotta remember that this was before Reagan. A thousand then, was worth a $ thousand. And I did ok. --- Irish tenor. How could I lose?
It was good, also at attracting dates. "It Was A Very Good Year." "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" "Monday, Monday" were winners. This was good, until the Beatles came on the scene. Folk music died out and my skills were no match for the newer music.
Over the years, I would play from time to time, at request of friends or my kids. My voice is now shot. I can't hit the notes I used to be able. The guitar hasn't been played in several years and when I sing now, it's mostly at Christmas Eve with my family. I'm 81. So my story goes back a bit.
But back to the guitar. It's going to my grandson. He's 11 and his school music teacher says he is a prodigy. He plays violin, tuba, trumpet, keyboard and trombone. My daughter asked if I would gift him the guitar. I took it to the repair shop where the technician is a luthier. For $190, a crack will be repaired, new strings and so forth. He will get it on November 15th.
My hope is that he will play Bluegrass with his violin. My heart would sing if he would play some Vassar or Curly Ray Cline. But he hates Bluegrass. Still, he's only eleven.
It reminds me of a high school classmate. Excellent musician. Plays with several orchestras. But the gigs are few and far between. To make ends meet, he plays in Bluegrass bands. He's won contests in southern state festivals. but Gene hates Bluegrass.
Maybe my grandson will turn out the same. I don't care if he likes Bluegrass. Just give me some of that "high, lonesome". sound.
= new reply since forum marked as read
It’s far from the first post of yours which has piqued my interest!
I have a nylon string guitar. Bought it in hopes my arthritic fingers would be less painful.
1. Changing strings is different. Not any more difficult than steel string, but there is the dreaded learning curve.
2. Strings are generally classified as low, medium, or high tension. Of course those terms are NOT standardized.
3. Different core materials are another variable. Nylon, composite, or fluorocarbon.
With all that variability it is essential for a nylon string guitar player to learn how to change strings. When you
can do that it is much easier to experiment and find the correct strings for your situation.
