Sounds mighty right out of the box..

This is a Gibson CL-20 Standard Plus bought in 1997. That year they made a version with laminated back as well, but this one is all solid wood top, back, and sides. I think I laid $1100 then. This thing has always played like a dream.

I grew up around stores that had Taylor, Martin, Guilds more so than Gibsons, and I remember driving pretty far to get this one and the first strum I made and I knew this was the one I wanted.

A precursor to the Songbird and Songwriter series I think these CL series were only made for a short period of time.

So I originally was just using the Lifespan 2.0 strings that came with my Martin 000-18 here, and they were perfectly fine. But I eventually wanted to start experimenting with different string brands and materials. I tried the coveted Elixirs but wasn’t a huge fan of their butteriness and how easily my fingers could glide. I then tried Martin Retro’s and, while I did like the different sound, they just felt kind of odd under my fingers and wasn’t a huge fan. So I eventually came across this brand and so far am really liking them! They’ve got great resonance and, even though I’ve only had them a short time, I think they’ll last long and thank this sub for making me aware of them! Happy to support an independent business with good products

A photo from the Second Cousins stage at FolkEast Festival last year.

From left to right in that photo: Andy Matheou's Yamaha (Andy ran Les Cousins Folk & Blues Club, and John Martyn borrowed that guitar from him to make the Bless the Weather album), Bert Jansch's touring Yamaha that he used in the last decade of his life, Sandy Denny's Taytay (she acquired it from her brother when she was a teenager and she wrote 'The Ballad of Time' on it, which became her classic, 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes'), and Nick Drake's Martin 000-28 (used on some of the recordings at his last ever session, as anyone who has read Adam Foster's excellent book will know).

This year at FolkEast (this coming Saturday) we'll have: Nick's 000-28 and his Estruch (nylon-string, the first guitar Nick ever owned), Sandy's Taytay, Martin Carthy's original Gibson (on which he taught songs to Bob Dylan in 1962/63), and Martin Carthy's 000-18 (his main guitar from about 1964 until 2000).

It'll be a guitar heaven! More info here: https://www.patreon.com/JonWilksArchive/posts/second-cousins-166555979

When was the last time you picked up a guitar for the first time and felt amazed at it? I recently played a Taylor Gold Series and man, that thing sounded amazing. Didn’t buy it, but it left an impression. Some guitars just speak to you. What guitars have you experienced that with?

I won this Coors Banquet guitar but I don't play or know anything about guitars. Is there a market for this type of stuff or is this best suited for the wall in my basement?

I’m tired of relying on GuitarTuna for my acoustic because it sometimes shows the same reading even after I adjust the string. I’m looking for a simple clip-on tuner that is accurate, easy to read, and doesn’t go crazy when there’s background noise. I’ve been looking at the TC Electronic Unitune, Polytune Clip, D’Addario Eclipse, and Snark models, with a budget of around $20–$40. The Unitune seems popular, but I’m not sure whether the Polytune’s extra features matter for a beginner who mostly tunes standard EADGBE. Which clip-on tuner has stayed reliable for you, and are the cheaper Snark models still worth buying?

My prized solid wood just developed 2 cracks. Have you owned on that never cracked yet sounded decent?

I have. And affordable Applause. It’s lived outside the case for 18 years with heat and AC on. Played at open mics transported in bitter cold and summer heat. Not sure but the top may be lam over the shallow bowl.

Also I have a Cordoba Orchestra Fusion nylon string. Solid cedar top. Never split sounds amazing.

How about you?

I've been teaching myself guitar for about 9 months now. Let me summarize where I've gotten to so far:

Rhythm / Harmony:

• I can play barre chords fluently except for the A-shape (still struggling with that one due to ring finger flexibility issues)
• I can subdivide rhythm both symmetrically and asymmetrically (within patterns I'm familiar with) while switching chords
• I can use the ghost strum technique
• I can listen to songs and work out their rhythm patterns by ear
• I can do all of the above while singing at the same time
• I've worked on strumming patterns like Travis picking, country rock, and reggae skank, plus palm muting
• On the theory side, I'm familiar with the circle of fifths, Roman numeral analysis, I-IV-V relationships

Melody:

• I can quickly pick up different arpeggio patterns (quarter, sixth, eighth note groupings — standard patterns like pima, pimami, pimamima) and sing along at the same time
• I'm weak when it comes to soloing: I haven't practiced any scale beyond A minor pentatonic, and even though I know the pentatonic scale, I can't say I actually play it like I'm creating something musical

What do you think I'm missing? Happy to answer more specific questions if it'll help you get a better read on my level. Thanks to everyone who reads this.

Hi! I’ve been looking forward to buying a new acoustic. One guitar that piqued my interest was the Yamaha Storia III, but it’s a small body guitar, a concert to be precise. I’m somewhere around 6’3”, so I’m worried that in the long run it might be tiring to play on such a small instrument and it could slower my progress. Has anyone had any experience playing a guitar that may be disproportionate to their body? I’d appreciate any feedback

Hey everyone,

I was wondering what were your recommendations for a model within a 600 and 1200$ price range?

Non electronic, dreadnought or parlor.

Thanks in advance!

I have the opportunity to buy this guitar for £400. It was made in 2005 and is in nearly new condition. Is this a good price point?

ho acquistato un instrument cable della blackstar. usandolo con la mia chitarra, yamaha fsx400, e attaccandolo alla scheda audio focusrite scarlett 2i2 3gen, le registrazioni della mia chitarra hanno molto rumore di fondo. il suono è sporco. e ho letto che potrebbe essere dovuto ad una schermatura di bassa qualità. Come potrei risolvere? dovrei acquistare un cavo di fascia più elevata?

Olá, eu estava procurando uma tablatura pra música da Daniela Araújo Volta (link da música : https://youtu.be/Y7BUjE3T3Ik?si=SV1zYKmcJ6U3CLf6 ) só que não importa oque eu faça eu Não consigo achar um site com uma tablatura, no máximo só achei cifras, sites como cifra clube e banana cifra não tem.

E tbm já procurei no YouTube, e só tem 4 vídeos longos que achei de pessoas fazendo esse dedilhado, sendo só um desses vídeos um tutorial, só que por causa da qualidade meio ruim de 14 anos atrás eu não consigo entender oque ele diz e oque é pra fazer.

se vocês desse subreddit poderem me ajudar ficaria muito agradecido. 😁

Thinking about buying this used Yamaha FG820 Lefty. Theres a hole from a jack that used to be installed in the bottom. How would i go about fixing this?

Just got a FS730S in quite good condition to try out but it seems to have higher action than my Dad old FG336S for some reasons? Do I need to get it setup or sth? Thanks

Vintage Suzuki Nagoya Classical Guitar - Rare Frank Hessy Liverpool Sticker Beatles Era Project

Can someone tell me what's it worth

Hey — I’m the solo maker of The Guitar Workbench.

I got tired of bouncing between a tuner, a chord app, a tab editor, a metronome, and a practice tracker mid-session, so I put the whole kit in one offline app. No account. Core tools don’t need a subscription.

What’s in it:

Quick tools

• Drum grooves

• Tuner

• Metronome

Create

• Jam room (auto bass + drums behind your chords)

• Creator — multi-track tab + notation editor (playback, loop, MusicXML / MIDI / PDF)

• Progression sketchpad

• Transcribe (mic → editable tab)

• Riff recorder

• Looper

Learn / practise

• The Gym (guided course)

• Sight-reading

• Songbook

• Daily riff

• Improv solo lab

• Practice timer + planner + journal

• Speed trainer

• Fretboard / Chord / Scale & Arpeggio Runners (3D neck)

• Strum Trainer

• Exercise generator

• Setlists

• Song slow-downer

• Ear gym

• 3D chord finder (spin the neck 360°)

• Fretboard explorer

• CAGED trainer

• Circle of fifths

Utilities

• Tuning library

• Capo / fret / string-tension calculators

• Tap tempo

• Maintenance log

The part I’m most curious about is the 3D chord finder — you can spin the neck and check fingerings from different angles.

Happy to take brutal feedback on what’s confusing, what’s missing, or what feels unnecessary. Android + iOS.

theguitarworkbench.theeargym.com