Hi all - Still loving the OM 10

[MrE]

Hi all    , just wanted to say hi as I've not been on here for a while, I do have a quick read now and then in work. Been working stupid amounts due the credit crunch aka recession over here in the UK ie take all the work you can while its here. I sure its karma or god etc punishing me lol, because if I really needed the work I'd not get any, and now it's all or nothing.

Anyhoots, still playing my Larrivee om10 and still think it's the best guitar I could have bought. Being new to acoustic guitar I have learnt a few new things. I mix up my learning from just coming home and playing some songs I know on electric and enjoying the sound, to alt thumb travis picking (its coming its coming  ) an enjoying that lots, also as sad as it is I'm learning some Metallica, yes it is nothing else matters :-) but it sounds so sweet on a Larrivee.

For me moving to acoustic from electric was very tricky, it may as well be a different instrument all together, in fact I started drumming at the same time I switched and I'd say the progress is about the same lol. But my view as changed with acoustic and I've since learnt some new truths (well that fit for me at this moment in time)

Acoustic used to feel a lot harder to play than electric, but it doesn't no more, there's no difference in feel, only what the instrument can do.

Like playing electric I'm back to no calluses. It is true what people say, set the guitar up right and be accurate and slow then build it up. I'm sure they'll be back when I up the difficulty though.

Fingerpicks – oh god have you got to go through a lot until you find what works. I like Alaska plastic picks, I don't like metal at all, and I tape them on as my nails are often not long enough to hook them. False nails are by far the best if you have a job that does not damage them. But on the whole I prefer o'natural fingers n thumb.

Thumb pick I like, anything really, my fav is the slick pick medium.

My guitar will need re-fretting within a few years, it was already worn. But there are one or two excellent luthiers near me.

My baggs pickup is faulty, with mic totally off it only faintly picks up the high E – gutting as that's the best recording set up for me. So need to fix that  .

Squeaky slides do stop with time, it's a feel thing – thank god because it was driving me nuts :-) I still don't know how I've stopped them though, must be some form of implicit learning.

Like most guitars my Larrivee sounds like a can being dropped down the stairs when hit hard and muted due to ringing behind the nut, one scrunchy behind the nut sorts that out.

String buzz, never had much of it. But again I never realised how important technique was with regards to buzz. I can pick one way and get some buzz should I choose or another and get none. Best tutorial I have seen is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aahcorcs5oE

Using 3 fingers to pick with is better than 2. What I mean is I learn Travis with 2, and other stuff I use as much classical methods as poss, also I try to learn other methods of picking and strumming and I'm hoping I will be able to just mix and match as and when needed. For a long time I locked my both finger on the fingerboard and picked with the other two. Works great, but god damn it takes a while to get natural at it. Feels great now, I do balls up and mute the high E sometimes if I go out of position. But I've started re-learning all my songs with 3 fingers now and no clamp onto the fingerboard. Loving that now too as it's very easy to flow with the picking hand and have the notes blend into nice drones.

When you're accidentally muting some notes on bar chord when learning a song your not really muting them. I used to get pee'd off with this and move my hand about and get tired and my hand would ache, then end up pressing too hard and moving again then a different note would mute. But what I learnt is some chords based on my hand are just not to be held that long. When I learnt the track and had flow then muting stopped as you jump in, apply pressure let the note ring within the chord your picking and off you go somewhere else with everything ringing sweet. Same for pull offs they work better in the flow as oppose to repeating a pattern your struggling on.

I think the thing I've learnt the most since having my Larrivee is acoustic guitar is a lot like electric guitar, there are no rules you just got to learn as many varied styles as possible in a relaxed enjoyable state and then mix it up. It comes with time and its best not to think about things but to play and have fun, mistakes and all. I try to learn as accurate and slowly as possible but when I play the full song I have one rule, never ever stop because of a mistake - blag over it and move on because the band wont stop with you.

I'm still a poor player but getting better and can blag one or two songs that make me for a short spell sound like a sweet sounding finger picker – god that makes the hairs on your neck stand up when you nail something. I'm praying for more time off work but one thing I do know I love being the weakest link in my equipment. To me I don't think there are many better sounding guitars than an OM Larrivee and they are so comfy to play. I'm still over the moon with this guitar and can't thank everyone on here enough for all the advice, reviews and info. I never thought I'd enjoy playing acoustic so much, these guitars really are so sweet – it's just so hard to put into words. Hope I'm on  the right path with the learning all I know is it feels good :-)

PS I am getting gas for a nylon now   loving Fred Sokolows stuff and fav viewing for my modern electric appetite is http://www.youtube.com/user/Iggypres when oh god will I be able to play like Fred and Iggy!