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Choose Your Acoustic Wisely
By Amanda Garrigues |
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The
first time I heard the acoustic guitar - I mean, really heard it
- it changed my life. When I experienced the Indigo Girls, Suzanne
Vega and Joni Mitchell to name a few, something inside of me cut
loose, and I knew they had something with their instrument that
I wanted.
When I began writing this article, I thought I would show you, the
readers, just how versed I am when it comes to recording and playing
acoustic guitars. I wanted to talk "shop" and tell you things like,
what guitar the Beatles played on the White Album, and tell you
why it sounded like it did. I wanted to explain the most effective
way to record an acoustic guitar with the best mic's, the best pre-amps,
etc.
The truth, and I am sort of into the truth, is that I really don't
know what guitar the Beatles played on that album or why certain
guitars can sound amazing on one day and sound horrible the next.
(I have some ideas, which I will mention at the end.) What I do
know is my experience, and choosing the right guitar seems to boil
down to three categories.
I called on my friends Mike Boulware and David McMahon to give me
their opinions on the three basic criteria for choosing an acoustic
guitar for recording. Mike owns a vintage guitar shop in Gainesville
called ProFrets. He is the local guru on acoustic guitars. David
McMahon is my dear friend and co-producer of all my albums. One
of his big claims to fame is that he is a member of My Friend Steve.
All of us had the same opinion - go figure!
The biggest tips I can offer are the following:
1. Choose a guitar you are comfortable playing.
When I am playing live, I use a Takamine - small-bodied/G series.
When we recorded this second album we never even thought to use
it. Although it sounded great live, I didn't think it could accomplish
what I wanted to do in the studio. So, I tried using a Taylor. It
sounded funny. I tried a Gibson. I tried a Martin. They all sounded
amazing - as they should; they are great guitars. They didn't sound
amazing in my arms. When I picked them up, I sounded stiff and awkward.
I couldn't play either of them. No matter how many times we changed
the strings or changed the location of the mic or changed the day,
the fact that I wasn't comfortable was obvious. After many sessions
with these alien guitars, I went back to the Takamine and got some
of the best performances of the record.
2. Choose a guitar that sonically fits the music.
Does the guitar you are playing match the sound of your record?
At one point in my recording, I was playing a Gibson. It was a 1954
Jumbo. It sounded like something Johnny Cash would have played.
It was a superb guitar, but not right for my record. I wanted a
crunchy guitar. I wanted an acoustic guitar sound that would pack
the punch. I also use several open tunings, and sometimes aged guitars
can't hold the tunings as well as newer ones.
3. Don't get stuck in the reputation or notoriety of a certain
guitar.
There are so many "famous" guitars. Martin, Gibson, Guild, Taylor.
Many amazing songwriters record and play live with these guitars.
However, some the most dreadful and unlikely guitars can sound amazing
in the studio. I think it's important to be open to that possibility.
(I did end up using a very old Gibson J-54 and it sounded wonderful.)
Keep in mind that the reason why a guitar can sound great on one
day and not so great on the next is often unidentifiable. It can
to depend on the time of day, temperature in the studio, age of
the strings, and the stamina of the player.
Someone told me once that finding the right guitar for any given
situation, whether that be live or in the studio, is similar to
the process that a painter goes through when beginning a new work.
As a musician, consider your final product, then experiment!
Check out Mike Boulware's store online at: www.profrets.com
or mike@profrets.com
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Amanda Garrigues is a singer and songwriter based in Gainesville,
Florida. She runs her own label, Average Sinner Records. For more
info check out Amanda's official Web site:
http://www.amandagarrigues.com
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_________________________________
Amanda Garrigues recently released a 9-song cd titled "Groundswell".
It can be purchased at:
http://www.cdbaby.com/view/garrigues2
or directly through her Web site. |
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