Sooner or later

[tot_Ou_tard]

Hello everyone.

What to say? I'm a bit of a goofball who loves to learn new things. I am 45 and just picked up my first guitars 2 & 1/2 months ago for christmas:

I bought them used on ebay (my first ebay purchases as well.)

A Godin Radiator $150

A Godin SD $164

I also bought my 17 year old son a used Godin Freeway Classic. His first electric. I have another son who is two years out of college, but he doesn't play guitar.

The Radiator is a semihollow oddity that I really love. Sometimes I tune it to open G and get out my slide & pretend to wail (well what do you expect after 1 week of trying to play slide?) The SD is a HSS equipped ax. Or perhaps it is an SSH equipped ax, I don't know the convention.

I got myself a VOX AD30VT at the same time (it is in for warranty repair right now).

"Tot ou tard" means sooner or later in french. I use it as a hopeful mantra that if I try something sooner or later I may be able to do it.

I picked it up because I have been teaching myself to speak french for the last three years. I have been told that I have a really good accent. Especially for such a short period and for having taught myself to speak.

I love the process of learning new things. I had so much fun learning a language that I convinced myself that I could have even more fun learning to play the guitar. I've never tried to play an instrument before.

I love all types of music. If it's good, I'll listen to it.

[Robert****]

Welcome to our fret-town! It's inspiring to hear your great excitement over learning!

Where are you located? I thought you were from Quebec when I saw your nickname.

What's wrong with your Vox?

[tot_Ou_tard]

Hey Robert,

I have lived many places in the US, but I spent most of my life in California & the last decade on the east coast of the US.

They claim that it has a bad pot. They are waiting for the part to be sent.

[tot_Ou_tard]

Welcome to our fret-town! It's inspiring to hear your great excitement over learning!

Well I called it learning, but I do not really think of it that way. It's somehow more profound than that for me. Especially the guitar. I've enjoyed music my whole life & the joy of actually playing *anything* is tremendous. I don't know if you longtime players understand this or not. To go from a listener to a player at this age, people think that you can't do it. Or they buy a guitar on a whim and nothing comes of it. I know that it is a part of my life now & it should have been many many years ago....

[warren0728]

welcome tot! you are going to like it here. I would love to see a pic of that Radiator....it sounds like a cool guitar.

ww

[tot_Ou_tard]

Warren,

I don't have a digital camera. But mine is exactly like this...

http://www.godinguitars.com/godinradp.htm

Like I said, odd. It has a mother of toilet seat cover. I goes for a daneletric/gretsch/richenbaker/tele hybrid kind of a sound or so say the reviews. I have never played any of those guitars.

[tot_Ou_tard]

Warren how 'bout a pic/description of your electric reso? How do those things play? Do you play any slide on it?

[warren0728]

Warren how 'bout a pic/description of your electric reso? How do those things play? Do you play any slide on it?

I bought it as a floor model (closeout) at sam ash. Brownsville is one of their house brands. You can see a picture of it in my music room on my photo website. Last picture....guitar on the right.

I keep it tuned to open G and only play slide on it. I uploaded a short mp3 of amazing grace this weekend....here is the thread.

Here's what i know about it.

Brownsville Reso - 101 Electric Reso

Year Range: 2005
Neck Wood: Mahogany
Fretboard Material: Rosewood
Number of frets: 22
Pickups: Humbucker at the neck piazo under the bisquit (i think)
Tone switch is also a push pull that kicks in the rear p/up
under the dobro biscuit,
Body Type: semi hollow body
Country of origin: china or korea
Finish: Lacquer
Color: White
Hardware: Nickel
Tuners are Julia enclosed tuners and holds tuning superbly.
Neck Attachment: Set neck
Body material: Alder

ww

[tot_Ou_tard]

Wow!!! That's a cool room. I wish I had a room like that! Must be neat for your kids. Noone in my family (save for me) even *listened* to music when I was growing up. I'm still the only one. I have a brother & sister about the same age as I am.

[Spudman***]

Welcome tot.
Great bunch of old dudes hanging around here. They are pretty funny too. Enjoy thefret and don't let them talk you into doing shots with them. It leads to the dreaded gear acquisition syndrome.

[r_a_smith3530]

Well I called it learning, but I do not really think of it that way. It's somehow more profound than that for me. Especially the guitar. I've enjoyed music my whole life & the joy of actually playing *anything* is tremendous. I don't know if you longtime players understand this or not. To go from a listener to a player at this age, people think that you can't do it. Or they buy a guitar on a whim and nothing comes of it. I know that it is a part of my life now & it should have been many many years ago....

Damn, I am losing it. Welcome tot. Sorry if I forgot to welcome anyone else, it's been a crazy week or two at work, and then I've been going on interviews, trying to keep up with my practice regimen (on bass), and somewhere in there, I've just missed the addition of new members to our group.

I first picked up the guitar at 37 (or 38). I felt very strange for the longest time when I started, because I felt people would figure I should play much better than I did due to my age. At one point, between feeling like a square peg in a round hole, and because I just reached a "learning block," I set the guitar aside. I picked it back up later, only to find that the CTR surgery hadn't brought my hands completely back, and I had lost both dexerity and speed.

This past year, I have decided to focus primarily on the bass, with a vengeance, and I'm actually getting out and gigging some now with it. That has been one of the coolest experiences of my life! There is nothing better than playing music with other musicians in a live setting in front of an audience.

Good luck, and again, welcome!

[tot_Ou_tard]

Damn, I am losing it. Welcome tot. Sorry if I forgot to welcome anyone else, it's been a crazy week or two at work, and then I've been going on interviews, trying to keep up with my practice regimen (on bass), and somewhere in there, I've just missed the addition of new members to our group.

I first picked up the guitar at 37 (or 38). I felt very strange for the longest time when I started, because I felt people would figure I should play much better than I did due to my age. At one point, between feeling like a square peg in a round hole, and because I just reached a "learning block," I set the guitar aside. I picked it back up later, only to find that the CTR surgery hadn't brought my hands completely back, and I had lost both dexerity and speed.

This past year, I have decided to focus primarily on the bass, with a vengeance, and I'm actually getting out and gigging some now with it. That has been one of the coolest experiences of my life! There is nothing better than playing music with other musicians in a live setting in front of an audience.

Good luck, and again, welcome!

The title of this thread *is* Sooner or Later!

Thanks for the welcome, Rob.

So how does one play bass? Is it all single note stuff dancing around the root of the chord? Do you ever play lead bass? I once saw Victor Wooten play & he did stuff that I had never seen before. His oldest brother Teacherman (he has several musician brothers others including Futureman from Bela Fleck) was in the band & did equally crazy stuff with both hands tapping away on the neck. It turns out that teacherman taught all of his younger brothers how to play (each a different instrument) when they were young so that they could have a group.

It wasn't until I ran across the stick

http://www.stick.com/

that I understood what teacherman & Vic were doing.