i tried the 339 today

I tried the Gibson ES 339 today at a Guitar Center in Arlington Heights.....

man, that is one sweet guitar!

I think it's a "must have." It's "the one." Smaller than my Epi Dot or a 335.... small like a solidbody. But it's a semihollow. Light, so light to hold. Looks beautiful... great proportions.

1800 bucks at guitar center.

also I bought a strap for the Yamaha, so each guitar has its own strap.

today's developments

a few things...

1. downloaded 15 free blues backing tracks -- cool! I put them in Itunes and got them on my ipod.

2. I used the little wire to connect my ipod to my amp and voila -- backing tracks to play along with! I've been waiting for this moment!

3. I rediscovered my Yamaha -- it sounds decent, really. And I shouldn't just forget it because I've got an Epiphone Dot. I played both today and it felt good to play two different guitars -- with two different sounds. That's the point of having several guitars! Enjoy them play them, feel like a guy with several guitars! That's a good feeeling!

fender strat amazon.com contest

just entered a contest at amazon.com to win a jimi hendrix fender strat. used 112263 dob. contest ends jan. 6, 2010. it's a right handed strat, by the way!

filter mag contest today

a contest from filter magazine and the cribs rock band to win a fender jaguar. contest ends jan. 13, 2010.

contest today

entered at sweetwater to win a 4,000 dollar home studio giveaway. contest ends feb. 1. used work phone.

2 recent contests

2 contests from revolver mag:

1 is for a daisy girls electric guitar

1 is for a dean dimebag shredder guitar and other stuff

both end around january, but not sure.

an afternoon at Guitar Center...

OK, yesterday I spent an hour or so at guitar center, and here are the results:

Gibson Les Paul: don't like the single cutaway body; my epi dot has two cutaways and makes access to bottom (top?) of fretboard easy. les paul design has a chunk of body where I wanna put my hand. sounds good when unplugged

Fender Telecaster Thinline: don't like the 25.5 scale length. Doesn't feel as nice as a les paul. It's half semi-hollowbdy; unplugged sound not as good as les paul. not a fan of maple fretboard/neck, also.

Gibson SG: great fretboard access with double cutaway; but when unplugged it of course sounds flat as any solidbody.

NEXT STEP: I wanna try a Gibson ES 339 -- it's the size of a Les Paul, semi hollowbody double cutaway. Like a smaller version of 335. about 2,000 bucks.

i'm searching online for hollow and semihollow body guitars... not many out there as good as my epi dot!!!

ultimate guitar.com contests today

from ultimate guitar.com and the bravery (a band).

ends Jan. 15, 2010

win an epiphone sg

dob; 11-22-63

uses office phone

and another contest at ultimate guitar.com and puddle of mud (band)

ends Jan. 21

win a gibson melody maker -- white

no dob or phone

ALSO at same website, with monsters of folk,

entered to win a gibson acoustic

ends Jan. 12

dob: 11-22-63

and, at same website, with band of skulls

entered to win a fender jazz bass

ends Jan. 10

dob: 11-22-63

another guitar contest

premier guitar magazine.com

entered to win an Ernie Ball/Music Man .. Albert Lee guitar.
contest ends Jan. 17.

amp contest

entered a contest at guitar edge.com for a peavey vyper tube amp, 60 watts. drawing ends Dec. 30. used office phone #.

playing in different keys...

OK, now I can play in different keys.
I've tried G, B, and C. Not too bad. I can visualize the 5 patterns for the pentatonic scale from A and shift them up and down for other keys. I'm not completely there -- I hesitate a little in some spots, and I have to think a little as I move from one pattern to another, but overall it's easier than I had imagined. I just need more practice.

maybe a les paul...

Marty suggested I look at Les Pauls. They have chambered bodies that are like a semi-hollow in their acoustics. I will check them out next time I"m at Guitar Center.

another contest -- guitar player

another contest, this one from guitar player.com

8 rigs in 8 weeks.

contest ends Jan. 31, 2010.

http://www.guitarplayer.com/article.aspx?id=103695

8 rig packages of guitars and amps.

strat concept is gone again!

OK, I"m thinking again of not going down fender alley. i'm liking my epiphone dot so much that i'm beginning to be a fan of semi-hollow guitars. and the 24.75 scale length is much more comfortable than fender's 25.5.

so what would I get instead? a gibson 335 is just too much. there is the gibson es-137, which goes for about 2 thousand. it's a semi-hollow with a les paul shape. the cheapest made in usa gibson semi-hollow. maybe next summer, after another semester of studies.....

i guess i've switched camps and joined the gibson crowd. i still like fender amps, however, and I'll stay with them for now.

more contests 2

entered a contest today at Gretsch for a Brian Setzer guitar. drawing ends Jan. 17.

also a contest from Eastwood guitars, drawing ends Jan. 7 to win a airline twintone guitar.

also a contest from ultimate guitar.com to win a hex 7 string esp ltd guitar. ends Jan. 10.

playing while standing -- breakthrough!

yup, another milestone reached, this time with my wonderful epiphone dot.
I can play guitar while standing!!!
yeah, it's a big deal to me -- it's not as easy as it looks!
I guess I've got those pentatonic boxes on the fretboard burrowed into muscle memory, 'cause now I can improvise and play without sitting and staring at my left hand.

So, combined with my earlier achievement of downstroke and upstroke, I feel that I've really made progress lately.

I'm planning on heading up to Milwaukee before spring semester and get a fender strat!

more contests

today:

re-entered carvin contest for 500 bucks. drawing Jan 1 2009.

still entered in monthly epiphone contest at easylessons.com

entered an epiphone contest for a wilshire 66 faded guitar. ends dec. 31

entered a contest for a schechter damien 6 guitar and damien 4 bass, thru ultimate guitar.com. not sure when drawing is.

entered at filtermag.com for a telecaster (glasvegas band contest). ends. dec. 14. DOB: 11/22/63

entered at rolling stone.com for a gibson sg. ends dec. 6.