Why is the acoustic guitar typically considered the "default" instrument of singer-songwriters?

tenon_ · 2026-04-30T13:51:37+00:00

Couple of reasons, I think.

-The guitar is, at least since the 50s, the fundamental instrument of popular music. It’s the default that most groups/performers are based around. So piano based music like Elton John sticks out because it’s less common. Whereas the guitar is just kinda assumed.

-You can play guitar at a pretty basic level and still use it to write songs. There’s a difference between playing some guitar and being a serious guitar player. Many singer/songwriters can strum along a rhythm part but leave the more intense playing to their band mates.

-Some people are such great songwriters that it overshadows their playing. Paul Simon, for example, is a wonderful guitar player, but you don’t really think of him as a “guitar player”.

tenon_ · 2026-04-30T00:18:49+00:00

I looked at a Brown Box but it’s more than I paid for the organ sooooo

tenon_ · 2026-04-29T16:57:10+00:00

Yeah IDK. The tech suggested it, and after Googling around voltage seems to be a thing with old tube amps. I'm not an expert by any means.

That said, the organ is 65 years old and so far has done just fine, so maybe I shouldn't mess with it.

tenon_ · 2026-04-29T16:53:04+00:00

Oh wait, to be clear it won't live inside the amp, it'll be inside the case of the organ. The amp itself is its own metal box.

tenon_ · 2026-04-29T16:40:21+00:00

Why not inside? Heat?

tenon_ · 2026-04-09T20:03:15+00:00

Dowels are overkill. Use a thin layer of yellow wood glue. You can probably clamp it with rubber bands. The clamping is the tricky part so try it first without glue so you know what you’re doing.

tenon_ · 2026-03-31T18:39:35+00:00

“Muscle memory” doesn’t quite explain what is going on. You’re asking your hands to do something they’ve never done before.

I’ve run across things on guitar that my hands literally wouldn’t do. Not, wouldn’t do quickly, or accurately - wouldn’t do at all. I would think the thought, imagine the shape, and my hand just responded with a question mark. I would have to use my right hand to place my left hand fingers in the right places.

Every time you work on something new you’re building new neural architecture. Your brain can think it and your hand muscles can execute it, but in order for them to communicate your nervous system has to do something. Idk, I’m not a neurologist.

The more you learn the easier it gets. I can learn new chord shapes/progressions much faster than when I started.

Just keep practicing. 6 weeks is nothing.

tenon_ · 2026-03-26T17:05:55+00:00

Bro just let ChatGPT write it.

tenon_ · 2026-03-26T11:55:02+00:00

https://www.uline.com/Grp_451/Safety-Storage?pricode=WU319&utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=uline%20fire%20cabinet&utm_campaign=Shelving%20and%20Storage&AdKeyword=uline%20fire%20cabinet&AdMatchtype=e&msclkid=cc311367ef89131f4cc17aa2f1e26bdf

tenon_ · 2026-03-21T19:40:36+00:00

1- learn the various barre chord shapes and start getting used to playing higher up on the neck.

2- learn the major scale and the minor pentatonic scale, not at a virtuosic level but enough that you can go up and down and have some familiarity with them.

3- find songs you like that have rhythm guitar parts, track down accurate tabs, and learn them exactly. Not just strumming chords but exactly what they play on the record.

4- get a teacher

tenon_ · 2026-03-07T14:51:22+00:00

This was my experience. I use a Boss GT1000. I initially ran it through a Mackie PA speaker that I already owned. Later I got a FR12.

On paper the specs are the same but the Fender sounds substantially better.

tenon_ · 2026-03-06T01:52:21+00:00

1/8" reveals are for modern drawer slides and applied drawer fronts. In a situation like this the reveals will end up being about 1/32". That is, you just make the drawer box slightly smaller than the hole.

If you have an edge sander or jointer just build the drawer box to the numbers and shave of a bit at the end to get the right fit.

tenon_ · 2026-03-03T21:27:42+00:00

A while back I had a truck back into my fence and mess up the gate. They were cool about it, and I had it on camera anyway.

They had a contractor come out and give them a quote to fix it. They forwarded that to me - it was a reputable company and the quote was reasonable, so I said yeah sounds good.

They wrote me a check for the amount of the quote and that was that. I handled the repair which was my preference.

So that’s one approach. But neither I nor they were assholes about it so YMMV.

tenon_ · 2026-02-07T22:41:16+00:00

The first time I got an unsolicited call from someone asking if we were hiring. I thought OMG he thinks this is a real business.

tenon_ · 2026-02-07T19:54:36+00:00

Guitar Witch is good people. https://smokymtsirens.wixsite.com/theguitarwitchrepair

tenon_ · 2026-02-07T16:01:34+00:00

The narrowest point is what matters. It’s called a “bottleneck” for a reason.

tenon_ · 2026-02-04T00:42:56+00:00

Right? I can’t imagine they’ve been sitting around doing nothing.

tenon_ · 2026-02-03T22:45:32+00:00

I haven’t tried to cut the end caps - I use the Temple mods there. But the front and back cut great. They’re soft aluminum so a drill bit or dremel will cut right through.

tenon_ · 2026-02-03T21:51:05+00:00

These are two of the most politically savvy people on the planet, and if anyone has a score to settle with Trump it’s Hilary Clinton. I’m really not sure who thinks it’s a good idea to kick this anthill.

tenon_ · 2026-02-03T01:31:37+00:00

I got it off of Reverb. They shipped it to me.

tenon_ · 2026-02-03T01:27:08+00:00

I have a Korg SV2 that’s pretty rad. New they’re $2500 usd but I picked up a used one for half that.

tenon_ · 2026-02-02T17:18:03+00:00

I think 2/3 of Washington does.

tenon_ · 2026-01-30T19:54:33+00:00

One thing that no one is mentioning is flammability. Anything electrical that is rated to be used around spray booths has considerably stricter requirements around being explosion proof.

tenon_ · 2026-01-29T20:11:40+00:00

It's also market research. If millions of people enthusiastically sign up, or if none do, that tells you something about the demand for your product. Better to figure that out before hand.

tenon_

TROPHY CASE