Morning guys and gals. Ken, those protos are sweet. When you decide to sell them, let us know here on the boards first. I am sure some of us would be willing to spring for one if the timing works out.
So Mark, I worked on those lessons you recommended to me yesterday via PM. I am really happy with them. I have a problem not understanding/applying the vertical nature of scales and so I am scared to move outside of the pentatonic box. I picked up some good stuff and really felt like I was playing after a few minutes of working on it. Good job on the lessons and thanks for the recommendations.
Ellen, my Dad inherited a Chet Atkins Gretsch from his father in law (his 3rd wife, so no relation to me) a year or two ago and has the stinking thing squirreled away in his storage room. Doesn't even know if it works, what model it is other than it has chets name on it and has NEVER even played it! I keep begging him to bring it to me to check out and he won't. I am affraid it is setting in there rotting away from lack of care. I think his wife doesn't want it to leave the house personally. lol His Brazilian rosewood Martin D28 is setting right next to it I am sure. Never plays either of them.
That sucks! My Uncle Joe (Guitar Generation #2 in the family) is like that. He hardly plays anymore, and other than some classical guitar lessons grampa made him take when he was young, has always been a very basic rhythmn guitar player (bubble gum oldies and some modern pop country). The kicker is, that he has the guitar I loaned him long ago (for my cousin to learn guitar with), that grampa made for me when I was six, at least one of the full sized acoustics grampa made, and grampa's blonde, 1937 Epiphone Emperor (that gramp used when he played guitar in jazz gigs). I wish he'd pass on the guitar legacy to me, and give me back either my old guitar, or one of grampa's guitars, especially since I'm the only other person in the family, who even plays anymore. But noooo! Once he gets something in his hands, he never gives it back, or away. The kicker is, my mom told me that my uncle might not even have the guitars anymore. He had some tight financial times a few years ago, adnd may have possibly sold the guitars!
As for your father-in-law's Gretsch Chet Atkins (depending upon its age, it's either a G6119 [single cutaway, single pickup, red color], G6120 [the single cutaway, two pickups, orange color ], or G6122 [double cutaway]) - if it's 20 years old or older, it NEEDS to be taken out of its case, otherwise it could end up with binding rot. Basically binding rot is when the cellouloid or plastic bindings around the neck, headstock,and body, and the celluloid or plastic pickguard on older guitars basically start to crystallize, turn brown, and fall apart. This is due to the fact, that over time, celluloid or plastic emits gasses. If an guitar with s kept in its case all of the time, the gases emitted from the celluloid or plastic get trapped in the case, and start to attack the celluloid or plastic parts, causing binding rot. Besides the fact that binding rot decreases the value of a vintage guitar, it is expensive to replace the binding in a guitar's body, neck, or headstock.
If you get a chance, take a look at the guitar. If the bindings look dark brown, or dark yellowish brown, and are flaky, or cracked, binding rot is probably occurring. Here's a photo of a mandolin with binding rot.
Here's a photo of an Ibby AR300 with a bad case of binding rot:
Been busy last day or so, and posting a little at HC but only a couple of times I swear.
Lessons are free here anyway.
I need to find a good place to start with Mark's lessons and start digging in.
