Martin's Build Your Own Guitar Kits

In terms of traditional instruments Martin is most definitely one company held in very high esteem. Therefore it's really no wonder many people lift an eyebrow when they first hear Martin offer DIY guitar kits. For a heavily respected brand in the guitar industry it comes as a surprise to many that they would consider letting the general population loose on an instrument that bears their name. Typically The very first thing you hear when discussing with a fellow musician about these guitar packages is "Are they really any good?" and then "How much do they cost?"

Rumour has it the components that make up a Martin Acoustic guitar kit are seconds that weren't quite up to scratch, but don't expect to see scratches nor dings.To put it succinctly these kits are a bit pricey when compared with other packages on the market but they truly are a step up from your typical entry-level guitar kit (You will be looking at just below five hundred dollars for the whole package) and if you succeed in putting together the guitar you will own a wonderful guitar. You will however have to knuckle down and earn the right to own it. You will also have to lay down some money for tools but more on this later.

What's already made for you

Side Shaping

Fret Slotting

Neck Joint Machining

Thickness Sanding

These kits come with all parts included just for you. You really do not need anything more except for the tools you'll use to construct the guitar. The difficult aspects of creating a guitar are carried out for you, tasks such as side forming (Which alone is probably too difficult for the new guitar builder to deal with) and generally require specialist luthier tools to even think about trying. Other parts of the set up are already accomplished for you which includes soundboard polishing, fret slotting, neck joint machining and width sanding. All you really have to do is assemble the guitar. However please don't be misled easily into thinking this could be as simple as it looks.

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The assembly procedure really does come back to your standard of knowledge of handling solid timber. Our suggestion is to purchase a great manual (the instructions by Martin are not actually going to provide you with enough information if this is your first guitar) such as (Building the best Martin-style Acoustic guitar kits made by Bill Cory for $34.95) Bill Cory is actually a respected name and the book comes highly recommended.

The Verdict

Our own overall opinion is this is a top quality bundle but it just isn't for the faint hearted, you simply must make the time if you want a great musical instrument as it is a challenging task. But the manufacturer has done what they can to assist with the process. For one, having the sides pre-formed along with the thickness sanding completed for you by an expert luthier genuinely does help you stay out of danger.

If you have the time and abilities with timber then this has the possibility of being a superb musical instrument for you. In the event you don't back yourself or would prefer dipping your toe in the water, to get started. Why not start with something a little less costly like one of the many guitar kits from Grizzly or Saga and work your way up.

In conclusion if you are just starting out with guitar kits the Martin may be a little too challenging but if you are up for a challenge and have some experience then you could potentially own a beautiful instrument by the end of the process.

Essential Guitar Skills You Need to Develop

Just like in any other hobby, you need a certain amount of skill to properly play a guitar. Guitar picking and strumming are two essential guitar skills in which you should build upon your playing ability. As you go along, develop a style of your own by learning about different techniques from your guitar heroes.

Picking

This skill requires you to learn the two types of guitar picking: with your finger and with a plectrum. Finger picking involves more dexterity and strength from your hands. There are so many ways on how to finger pick a guitar. One of the most common ways is to play the 6th, 5th and 4th strings with your thumb with a down-ward (strumming) motion. Your index, middle and ring fingers will pluck the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st strings. You have to "rake" your finger up when playing the higher toned strings. It is easier to play arpeggios, strums and rasgueados with finger picking. Also, you can easily play non adjacent strings together let's say the 5 and 2. Plectrum is a picking device made from metal, plastic and other exotic materials-like turtle shells. For plectrum picking, you need to hold it between your index finger and your thumb; with supplemental support coming from your free fingers. The motion for plectrum picking all comes from the wrist. Swaying your arm is a very bad practice because it will cause great stress. Angle the pick slightly to the strings for better control. With plectrum picking, you can expect better clarity and better control. There is also the issue of leverage. Plectrum picking send more energy to the strings, producing a great volume of sound especially on your acoustic guitar. Playing faster rhythms on using plectrum picking is possible without the loss of consistent tone.

Tuning

In order to play good, you need to sound good. Practice different tuning techniques for certain types of situations. The standard guitar tuning of an open chord are E-A-D-G-B-E. There are many kinds of tuning techniques ranging from the 5th fret technique, Dropped Tunings, Lower tunings and Modal tunings. The most common method which is the 5th string technique requires you to find a "reference pitch" for your lower E-string. This will be the standard tune that the rest of the strings will follow. A piano, tuning fork or another guitar will make you find that reference pitch. This is the easiest tuning technique. Fret the lower E string on the 5th fret while plucking the open A-string. Their pitch should match. Adjust the tuning peg of your A-string up or down until the pitch matches that of the fretted E-string. Play the next string (5th) on the fifth fret and the open fourth string until they sound the same. Play the 3rd string on the fourth fret and the open second string. Adjust the second string until they sound the same. Lastly, play your second string on the fifth fret and the open first string (highest E) while adjusting the tone until they sound the same.

These are the two basic skills you need to develop. Practice them each day while learning more tuning and picking techniques as you go along. Try the aforementioned tuning techniques to produce different variation of sounds. Picking techniques like the flamenco, sweep picking, flat-picking and Travis picking can add spice to your guitar playing experience.

10 Interesting Facts About The Gibson SG Electric Guitar

The Gibson SG electric guitar ended up being incredibly popular through its numerous years of construction. The design of the electric guitar with its Gothic looking horns as well as the flat top would not be to everyone's taste, and this was undoubtedly the case with a particular Mr Les Paul. That being said, the Gibson SG became highly regarded in many styles of music on account of its biting, practical sound.

Listed below are 10 great points about the Gibson SG:

1. The guitar was unveiled by Gibson in 1961 and has continued to be built ever since.

2. The guitar came about on account of the reduction in the sales of the Les Paul shape. The Les Paul design received an all mahogany body and a flat top and additionally the crucial double cutaway. This legendary Les Paul was ultimately christened the SG model as a result of Les Paul himself not liking the current appearance of the guitar named after him.

3. The SG on the whole features an all mahogany body and neck. The neck is a more shallow construction than that of a Les Paul standard.

4. The guitar in addition displayed two humbucker guitar pickups and a Tune-o-matic bridge design, although a few specialist models would have utilised a tremolo system.

5. A larger 'bat winged' style pick guard was revealed in 1967 to substitute the primary smaller version.

6. The SG attained a reputation for being neck heavy because of its thin mahogany body, which actually was much less heavy than that of a Les Paul guitar.

7. Eminent SG players include: Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Jimi Hendrix's cream three pickup SG currently resides in Orlando's Hard Rock Cafe.

8. The scale of a mahogany neck is 24.75" and is connected to the body at the 19th fret. The double cutaway allowed easier access to the high notes.

9. Guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath promotes this model of guitar and the models that bear his name have religious crosses inlaid into the Rosewood fretboard instead of the traditional block inlays.

10. A double-neck variety of this model of electric guitar was additionally produced by Gibson utilising six string and twelve string necks. Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page notably played this double-neck version of the guitar when performing live at different stages throughout his illustrious career.

So there you have it, 10 fascinating facts about this legendary guitar . Not all guitars acquire legendary status but the Gibson SG model surely does. It's been part of music for many years and no doubt will continue to attract guitarists of all genres for some years to come.