Tenor and Classical Guitars

[SteveZ]

Just inside the sound hole is the truss rod adjustment. Here's a link which talks about it.

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/threads/65478-Blueridge-40-T-Truss-Rod-Does-yours-have-one

 

[Down Up Dick]

Hey! Thanks, Steve, they could have at least said somethin’ about it. Now that I know what it’s for, I can ignore it and forget about it.

Lotsa stuff ta learn.

 

[John boy]

Wow -- flute, banjo, then tenor guitar! That all sounds like a whole lotta fun. Enjoy the new tenor. As others have posted, maybe after you've played it awhile it will come alive, and different strings might also help. The fun is in the messing around with it.

 

[Down Up Dick]

Well, I played for an hour today to try to pick a pick. I liked the sound of the Dunlop Prime Grip 1.14 mm (red) best followed by the 1.5 mm (blue). I think maybe they’re both a bit stiff for me, but I liked their sounds.

Picking picks is maddening. To morrow they’ll both sound awful, and I’ll hate ‘em.

 

[Davoravo]

Those seem to be thick picks. I am a relative beginner using a pick and On regular guitar i use .73 soft for strumming and 0.7 to 0.8 medium for single string picking

 

[Down Up Dick]

Those seem to be thick picks. I am a relative beginner using a pick and On regular guitar i use .73 soft for strumming and 0.7 to 0.8 medium for single string picking

Yeah, Davoravo, I agree. On my other tenor guitar and my tenor banjo I use a Dunlop .060 or .073 for picking, but I don’t strum much. However, I really like the feel and smoothness and sound of the red 1.14 best, but then, I’m still experimenting, trying to find what I like. The 1.5 mm was indeed pretty stiff.

Thanks for the advice. I’ll continue the search.

 

[John boy]

Picking picks is maddening. To morrow they’ll both sound awful, and I’ll hate ‘em. ld:

Ain't it the truth??? I'm sure you'll sound great no matter which pick you use, but I know what you mean -- I always want to find the best one, and it varies week to week or month to month.

 

[Down Up Dick]

Yeah, that’s why it’s kinda silly for one to try to pick exactly the correct strings or picks to sound exactly the way he/she wants to sound.

My playing often changes from session to session because of the weather or how I’m feeling or my daily talent level. I just play the best I can or play scales or make silly changes.

I guess it’s what makes music interesting.

 

[DownUpDave]

I use picks from .73 up to 1.3 for steel string guitar. My favorite and the one I use 90% of the time is Dunlop Ultex .88mm it is harder then nylon and gives a nice sound to my ear. I will even use a .73 pick when strumming my nylon string guitar for a different sound.

 

[FiL]

I thought “0” was the smallest size . . .

There was a time when "0" was actually the largest size! Maybe you should look at a vintage Martin 5-15T.

The much cheaper Ibanez AVT1 uses a 2 body size, in between the 0 and the 5.

- FiL

 

[Down Up Dick]

Hi, DUD1. Yeah, almost all of my picks are Dunlops. I really like the feel of the Prime Tones, but they’re too stiff for me so far. I use the semi round ones for my mando banjo sometimes. I dunno why I keep buyin’ ‘em. I like the new Delrin 500 Prime Grips even better, and I use them more. But mostly I use the Nylons from .038 - .050 for Aquilas and .060 - .088 for steel.

I’ve even tried finger picks, but they’re too noisy. I really liked clawhammer until my fingernails got too old. The search goes on . . .

 

[Down Up Dick]

Hey, Fil, long time no hear-from. You still in Germany?

My Kala is “0”, and it’s much smaller than the Blueridge. I expected it to be about the same size.

 

[Down Up Dick]

I’ve added the Dunlop Tortex 1 mm (blue) to my search for a pick. I like it’s feel and sound. The search continues . . . ld:

 

[Down Up Dick]

Yesterday, I went to my favorite music store and had a strap button put on the neck. I really needed one. My new guitar is slicker than fresh, gopher guts. I think I’m gonna play it standin’ too. I can’t seem to get comfortable seated.

I also bought some red, 1.14 mm Dunlop Prime Grip picks, and some blue, 1.0 Tortexes too. Picky, picky, picky . . . ld:

 

[SteveZ]

Was at mine, too (Bondz Music, Wildwood, FL) with my granddaughter. After playing 6-string guitar 5 years she's much better than I am on a 6-string after 60. She left with a new classical guitar, and I left (happily) with the bill and a few generic medium picks. T'is the Season!

So, when's the sound sample?

 

[Down Up Dick]

Hi, Steve, I surely like shoppin’ at stores rather than buying from the internet. I like to examine stuff, handle it, heft it plunk it, etc. and actually make a choice to buy it. I just dropped Amazon, mostly because of the Prime stuff, and because one isn’t able to communicate with them at all. I’m not gonna shop with them anymore. I’ll either buy somewhere else or just not get it.

What’s the difference between a classical guitar and a six string acoustic?

I’m a long, long way from givin’ a recital. You’ll just hafta believe me when I say that I can really play good . . .

 

[Davoravo]

My Kala is “0”, and it’s much smaller than the Blueridge. I expected it to be about the same size. ld:

How big is the blue ridge, do you know if it is about 00 size? Asking for a friend, as the kids say.

 

[Down Up Dick]

How big is the blue ridge, do you know if it is about 00 size? Asking for a friend, as the kids say.

The Amazon info says it’s “0”, but it’s quite a bit larger than my Kala which is also supposed to be “0”. I'm pretty happy with the Blueridge though. It’s very slick, but I had a strap button put on the neck a coupla days ago. I guess I’ll just hafta adapt to it.

It’s tone is somewhat louder than it was before. I’ve only had two sessions with it though. I’ve been busy or old lately.

 

[DownUpDave]

The Amazon info says it’s “0”, but it’s quite a bit larger than my Kala which is also supposed to be “0”. I'm pretty happy with the Blueridge though. It’s very slick, but I had a strap button put on the neck a coupla days ago. I guess I’ll just hafta adapt to it.

It’s tone is somewhat louder than it was before. I’ve only had two sessions with it though. I’ve been busy or old lately. ld:

Play the heck out of it for the first month or so, lots of aggressive strumming. It will open up and continue to open up and sound better, mine did.

 

[Down Up Dick]

Yeah, it already sounds better than it did. Patience, patience, patience . . .