…and have been playing electric licks all over it ever since.
Video demo in lieu of pictures for now, though I’ll get some at some point I’m sure. Not my best playing, my fingertips were SHOT (played it most of the prior night and when you’re used to Elixirs, uncoated strings tear up your fingertips), but it’s just such an awesome sounding guitar - way more sustain on single notes than I think I’ve ever heard from an acoustic.
I did finally get some Elixirs on it last night and logged a couple hours after bedtime on picking exercises. Such an awesome guitar…
Thanks Tom, doubly so knowing what youy’re capable of with a guitar in your hands! The playing is only fair, though - a few timing hesitations (which are purely my own fault) and some notes not as cleanly fretted as they should be, which I’ll split the blame between not being used to uncoated strings and having absolutely raw fingertips, and the fact I haven’t been playing much acoustic the last few months. That’s changed in a BIG way since picking this guitar up, though.
Those are VERY different body designs. As it is, I’ve been used to what’s a 0000 body for, well, the last 25 years now, and kinda figured I’d end up with a dreadnaught of some sorts, but by the time I narrowed things down to two guitars, it was this or a custom shop 0000-28. Gorgeous guitar, too, and I could have fairly argued that even with the same body shape the rosewood body and a much more open high end (for whatever reason mine compresses in the high end pretty substantially when I strum harder; gorgeous for softer strumming) would have made it a different enough guitar that I could have justified owning both… but this one grabbed me from the first few notes, and I’d just asked about putting a deposit down and asking them to hold the pair of them for me for a week or so when I played one last ascending run and found myself thinking that’s exactly what I want an acoustic to sound like, so…
Yeah I guess it’s funny that I landed in a 0000 body shape when I was initially looking for an OM lol.
The bass and projection on that J-40 was just too appealing. Also I like the smaller waist compared to a dreadnought. I’m also very much a rosewood guy - if only Koa sounded like rosewood lol.
I mean, a Martin J is even bigger than a dreadnaught, while a 0000 is basically the “size” of a dreadnaught but more of a thinner 000/OM depth. I’ve never played a Martin J but they’re supposed to be huge. I have no doubt it projects like mad, though!
I haven’t played much acoustic guitar in the past few years, but I used to play a lot of fingerstyle. I’d even say it was my main focus for a while.
I started playing a bit more acoustic again recently. It really is a totally different thing from how I play electric guitar. Different fretting postures, different picking mechanics (even when flatpicking), different fretboard organisation, etc.
It brings out a different side of me, too. For whatever reason, I find composing music is much easier on an acoustic guitar. I should really do it more often.
