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Would any of you care to share the following experience;
You hear the music of a guitar that resonates with the deep chord of your soul-heavenly/other-worldly.
Please relate the setting of the experience, the guitar played and player.

Yes I CAN!!!

I was at a Show of Hands concert a couple of months ago (Steve Knightely and Phil Beer) and Martyn Joseph, who is a pal of theirs was doing a half hour set....

"All This Time" was performed by Martyn on his Lowden in such a way, for a moment, I actually forgot I was sitting in a small venue in a small town, but a vast silent winter landscape in Canada. For a musician to invoke such strong visuals through the medium of music is a precious gift to have; a talent to be treasured.

Any other musician who can do that I'll give a them a whirl, they are maestros, in my estimation.

Hello Bob,

What a wonderful new topic!

Honestly, I believe that experience has happened to me many times in my life. However, there is one that comes to mind right now, and brings back warm memories.

“Samba Pa Ti” performed by Ottmar Liebert and Carlos Santana. I’m sorry but I have no idea what guitar he plays. I must admit, I not much of a guitar player. Singing is my thing, and I’m just O.K. at that, at best.
I loved the original performance by Carlos Santana, but when I heard the acoustical version, something new happened. I remember -about ten years ago - when I was first dating my wife. We were at my place, and, I said to her “You gotta listen to this guy play guitar, he’s fantastic.” I think we were just sitting on the couch, (can’t remember what we were talking about) Samba Pa Ti started playing, and I said to her “isn’t that beautiful”, or at least something like that. Here’s the part that I have no trouble remembering. While listening to the music, and looking into her eyes, I knew I was falling for her. Now, I’m sure my feelings were a combination of many things, but that experience will always be with me.

What a wonderful memory! Beautifully played guitar, with a beautiful person, like my wife!

Sincerely, Robert

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Everything has beauty, But, not everyone see's it!

To me, it is a couple of French songs from my youth on which the guitar being played was so nice that it would transport me in summer fields, landscapes, lakes, would evoke relaxing with the beautiful light of a summer morning or afternoon

J'ai oublie de vivre by Johnny Halliday
Liberte by Salvatore Adamo

Funny thing, none of these guys seem to have a French name!

OK Bob,

It was in a hockshop in Sydney NSW, only there to look over the flotsam and jetsam of other peoples lives and pass a bit of time. Standing there at the glass counter, ogling the more exclusive brik-a-brak, with the guy behind the counter nervously eyeballs every bump in my biker jacket for any evidence of a concealed weapon when both our attention was suddenly arrested by the entry of a really BIG Maori guy.

He made his way quietly over to where a number of cheap secondhand guitars were lined up holding the flakes of paint against a wall. He slowly picked his way through the stain of plywood and plastic acoustics, all with rusted strings of which one or two were missing or broken upon most.

He selects a plain but beaten Yamaha, one of the few still with it's full compilation and brings it creaking, pinking and groaning to pitch. He sits himself upon a tattered amp and begins to play.

Over the next few minutes, the pure emotion and feel that he squeezes and wrings from that neck and body of that old guitar is nothing short of awe inspiring. The expression of his music coupled with the expression upon his face as he played left both myself and the twitchy counter jockey consumed and overwhelmed.

He stops playing and ask the counter guy in a thick Kiwi accent "Wul yu tek twenney five fo thus wun bro?" To which the shop guy answers, "Sorry mate, I can't, that's a $50.00 guitar" The big Maori shakes his head and places the old yami back down against the wall and walks away.

When he had gone, the counter jockey and I quickly glanced at one and other as if to make sure that what we had both just witnessed was for real. I then walked over and picked up that little yami. I strummed lightly and listened and immediately understood how true it is that great players can make just about anything sound great, where as even with the finest guitar, players of my calibre can never really play too quietly.

When I can build guitars well, and I will, if ever I see that big Maori again I swear that I will not hesitate to give him for free the very best guitar that I can make. For me, it would be an honour for such an accomplished player to own and cherish one of mine, his music is still in my sole.

Cheers

Kim

PLEASE don't make me recount the story of the Lowden I didn't buy back in the '80's for a mere $700 brand new...when all I had to do was trade in my LesPaul.


Player? It didn't matter...it made music seem alive and suddenly meaningful.

<shaking head> Woe is me.....


Don Williams39080.3568634259

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

That's a great story Kim! Thanks for sharing that.
I'm still searching for that one supreme sounding guitar.I know it's out there....

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Serge,
I thought you were gonna say

Alouette, gentille Alouette

or my personal favorite

Bonhomm', bonhomm', sais-tu jouer?

Cheers bud
Charliewoodcharliewood39083.7163657407

"Made to Worship" by Chris Tomlin

I don't know why but I really like that song!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

[QUOTE=Don Williams] PLEASE don't make me recount the story of the Lowden I didn't buy back in the '80's for a mere $700 brand new...when all I had to do was trade in my LesPaul.


Player? It didn't matter...it made music seem alive and suddenly meaningful.

<shaking head> Woe is me.....




[/QUOTE]

Don, please, I'm all ears. All I can say, is that I understand.


Peter, I have been to many, many worship gigs where they have been mindblowing. I cannot isolate any due to the majority being driven by a fuller instrument ensemble than just the guitar. Sam Price39080.5569907407

EASY DON,
Breath deeply, sit and put head between legs,....

Kim,
What a beautiful, moving story.
Next time you see him, have the fifty, buy the guit. and explain the 50 is for your ability to watch and listen to him play for an hour or two.
Cheers,

Wow I have had several the latest was when I walk into a musical instrument store in Albuquerque New Mexico about six years ago and heard Michael Chapdelaine playing Sol y Cerveza from his "Land of Enchantment Post cards for New Mexico" CD on a 1972 Yairi Classical.

Except in finger-style and classical circles, Michael is not all that well known. Five time world finger style champ, studied under Grand Maestro Segovia, he has all the credentials. and just an all round nice guy to boot. He is the professor of music and head of guitar studies at the University of New Mexico where my Granddaughter is now one of his students.

Here is a link to his web site. Go and enjoy some great music and vidio clips.
Michael ChapdelaineMichaelP39080.7239236111

It was back in the 80s on a Lowden I bought for $700, I only got it because some guy didn't trade in his Les Paul

Seriously it was the first time I heard Davy Graham playing live, it was on a OOO-18 Martin. It opened up to me the possibilities of the acoustic guitar.

More recently, Charles Ramirez, playing Tarrega's Cappricio Arabe on a Kevin Aram Torres Model was a true Damascene moment. He has lent me the Aram and I'm now busily practicing.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

My father passed away about 3 years ago and there was a little money left after we settled everything. My wife and I thought a guitar bought in his memory would be something to enjoy and pass down through our family. So we made a trip to Gruhn Guitars and began sorting through all the various Martins, etc and everything was just sort of 'ordinary'; Older D 28's, Eric Clapton Brazilian models; I guess I played 10 or 12 guitars for about the next hour. Finally, the salesperson, said to us that if we really wanted to play the best in the house that he would bring it out. I knew that meant lots of $, but we said OK.   He brought out a sweet little 00 45S that Martin reproduced a few years ago. I put the thing in my hands and for some reason, I began playing Tracks of My Tears the way Johnny Rivers had done it. Now my wife is not a real guitar person, but she started crying, and she didn't even recognize the song. That guitar put out more sound than any guitar I have ever held, the kind of sound that passed right through my body and I felt it somewhere deep inside. Well we played it for about another hour, decided $16,000 was too much and made a decision to buy a Roy Noble a couple of weeks later. The Noble is a great guitar and glad I have it. But there was just something special about that little 00 45S, and sitting there with my wife in Gruhn's and thinking of just how great of a father I had! I have a 00 on the bench right now, maybe it will do the same. Thanks for this thread, I needed to relive that moment! Tom Harbin

Kim put quite eloquently the gist of my comment.

The best guitar I've ever heard is a (fill in the blank) played by Julian Bream. I've never seen him live -- just on recordings. I suspect that I was listening to either a Bouchet or a Romanillos (maybe both) on those recordings. But I'll tell you what, that guy gets the most incredible sound I've ever heard out of a classical.

I believe this is a Romanillos.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

Looks like a Romanillos rossette, can't really see the top of the headstock.