SweetWaterBlue
Well-known member
As has been discussed in several threads on Low-G tenors and baritones, I like to play country songs ballads and sing (badly). I love my little Ohana soprano and my concert flea, but for me neither has as much bass as I want for these types of songs. One, may go on the auction block soon. My low-G tenor got me closer, but I seriously wanted a baritone.
After listening to lots of YouTube uke music I found that I really liked the ones with someone playing either a bass or a guitar in the background, along with the uke. I don't know how to play the bass, but I have spent several hours in Guitar Center and Sam Ash over the last few months playing with them. I was seriously considering buying a used acoustic bass they had very cheap, when I started also framing away on the acoustic guitars. I still have an old classical guitar I got in high school and never really learned to play, but have been using it as a sort of make-shift baritone uke, since it is missing the two lowest strings.
A few days ago, I finally succumbed to the charms of a used solid-cedar top acoustic guitar like this one, for a good price at GC. I think playing the uke made me appreciate its cedar-topped tone and balance, as well as the gentle finger-picking style it seemed to do better than most of the spruce tops they had, including some really expensive ones. It doesn't have a pick guard for a reason, although many people who like picks put them on later. The guy in the video is using a pick, by the way. It had a very slight buzz on one note, so they threw in a free set of new strings and a minor truss rod tweak and setup (which I got to watch em do). The thing is like new for less than half of their regular price, so I am happy.
I have just about worn my fingers out (man are they sore again) alternating between this thing and my tenor for hours and hours. I think I have played almost every song in my two notebooks on both of them several times. Man those guitar necks are wide! I am having to re-learn all the guitar chord shapes and get used to all that wonderful bass, but I am having a ball, and switching back and forth isn't as hard as I thought it would be. Unfortunately, it will probably be several weeks before I can play as well as Brad Davis in the video - yeah right!!
Strangely, that used acoustic bass still calls me every time I go to GC.
After listening to lots of YouTube uke music I found that I really liked the ones with someone playing either a bass or a guitar in the background, along with the uke. I don't know how to play the bass, but I have spent several hours in Guitar Center and Sam Ash over the last few months playing with them. I was seriously considering buying a used acoustic bass they had very cheap, when I started also framing away on the acoustic guitars. I still have an old classical guitar I got in high school and never really learned to play, but have been using it as a sort of make-shift baritone uke, since it is missing the two lowest strings.
A few days ago, I finally succumbed to the charms of a used solid-cedar top acoustic guitar like this one, for a good price at GC. I think playing the uke made me appreciate its cedar-topped tone and balance, as well as the gentle finger-picking style it seemed to do better than most of the spruce tops they had, including some really expensive ones. It doesn't have a pick guard for a reason, although many people who like picks put them on later. The guy in the video is using a pick, by the way. It had a very slight buzz on one note, so they threw in a free set of new strings and a minor truss rod tweak and setup (which I got to watch em do). The thing is like new for less than half of their regular price, so I am happy.
I have just about worn my fingers out (man are they sore again) alternating between this thing and my tenor for hours and hours. I think I have played almost every song in my two notebooks on both of them several times. Man those guitar necks are wide! I am having to re-learn all the guitar chord shapes and get used to all that wonderful bass, but I am having a ball, and switching back and forth isn't as hard as I thought it would be. Unfortunately, it will probably be several weeks before I can play as well as Brad Davis in the video - yeah right!!
Strangely, that used acoustic bass still calls me every time I go to GC.
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