The Gibson Elvis Costello Century of Progress

"A Century of Progress" was the name ascribed to Chicago's World's Fair of 1933-34. The Gibson Company, capitalizing on this event, unveiled a guitar for this exposition. In honor of the fair it was named the Century Model Style L-C. The L-C was a unique Gibson because of the liberal adornment of white pearloid, a variety of celluloid designed to imitate mother-of-pearl. The L-C was produced by Gibson from 1933 to 1941.

I bought my Gibson L-C on eBay a couple of years ago. It is about a 1938, and oh, the sound… The curly maple gives this instrument spunk. The top seems to be unusually thin, contributing, no doubt, to her responsiveness. This guitar is the quintessence of the sound I love: bold, sassy, crisp; yet she offers a hauntingly complex and resonant “aftertaste” (which I suspect is due in part to her age). Click this link to read more about:
The 1933-1941 Gibson "Century of Progress"

The renowned songwriter and performer Elvis Costello owns a 1936 "Century" and it is his favorite instrument. (I can understand why!) An authentic re-creation of Costello's L-C, the Gibson Elvis Costello Century of Progress Signature acoustic guitar, is a carefully crafted recreation of the acoustic that Costello used to record and perform many of his songs.

Although I generally prefer vintage guitars over new, one great thing about going with the new Elvis Costello "Century" is that you start off everything new--with perfect action and intonation and a nice, tall saddle height--and, of course, everything is covered by a great Gibson warranty! And if you buy from Musician's Friend, you'll never find a lower price. I have purchased a number of instruments from Musician's Friend, and have been completely happy with them all. And they offer free shipping and an excellent no-hassle return policy. For more details about the Elvis Costello Century of Progress Signature acoustic guitar, just click on the link below:
Gibson Elvis Costello Century of Progress Signature Model Acoustic Guitar Vintage Sunburst

My Rendition of "Mother Maybelle" Carter's "Troublesome Waters"

Maybelle Carter was a member of the original Carter Family, a band which was formed in 1927 by her brother-in-law, A. P. Carter. Maybelle was cherished by the Grand Ole Opry community of the early 1950s and became widely known as "Mother Maybelle." One of my favorite songs by Mother Maybelle is Troublesome Waters.

While I was cleaning my office recently, I found a copy of an old cassette I had recorded back in 1986, in Waverly New York. Troublesome Waters is among the songs on this cassette. With the help of Jonny Farnham, the sound technician for Christian Life Church, I multitracked, doing the vocal and playing the guitars and the mandolin. I had some fun getting the lead guitar and the mandolin talking to each other during the instrumental break. The upright bass is played by Kenny Marsh, a well-known musician in the area and the DJ for a weekly radio broadcast on WTTC in Towanda, Pennsylvania, the town I grew up in.

John Rath, a friend of mine here in Arizona, recently transferred the cassette to MP3 files, and you can listen to my rendition of Troublesome Waters from the link below. The recording equipment we used back in 1986 was primitive for its time, and the cassette copy was done on a not-so-great duplicator, so the sound quality is far from perfect--but it sounds better than some the old Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers recordings from the 1920's that I listen to--so I figured, what the hey--why not post it and see if anyone wants to listen to it. I love this song of simple faith and hope it is a blessing to you...
Click Here to Listen to Troublesome Waters

50 Excellent Blues Backing Tracks!

Backing tracks (also known as jam tracks) are recorded arrangements of songs designed to provide a way for a guitar student to virtually practice with a playing band. Backing tracks can be an excellent tool for learning to play rhythm guitar parts in synch with other musicians. They are also great for learning how to improvise guitar solos while other instruments accompany you. They are great for helping guitarists with their timing application of licks and scales. In fact, backing tracks are the next best thing to playing with a live band and are included in best digital guitar instructionsl courses.

Professional guitarist and instructor Zack Roberts has put together 50 excellent backing tracks along with a great blues guitar instructional course. If blues is your passion, then you'll appreciate the value this amazing package gives you. 50Blues presents over 50 jamming tracks plus The Blues Guitar Essential Course for the guitarist. All your tracks comes with the keys, scales and improvisation tips and can be used for either electric or acoustic blues guitar. These are professional jamming tracks recorded live with a group of session musicians with real instruments made to give you the impression that you're surrounded by the band. For more details:
Click Here!

Mick Martin's Introduction to Flatpicking Guitar

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July, celebrating the independence of this great nation, the Unites States of America. I thank the Lord for the great principles of freedom our nation was founded on!

Speaking of independence, I have a friend who has always remained independent from the many commercial influences that are so common in music today. His name is Mick Martin and he plays pure, raw country blues on the acoustic guitar in the tradition of the old masters. A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed his CD and instructional DVD package, Revelator (See my June 21 post).

Mick is also an incredible flatpicker. The photo above is of Mick jamming with the late Bill Monroe, "the father of bluegrass." I'm pleased to announce that Mick has begun a teaching series by which the beginning guitarist can learn the fundamentals of flatpicking from the ground up--and this instructional course is absolutely FREE! His first lesson is an introduction to flatpicking guitar and rhythm, including the basic chords. More lessons will follow. To go right to Mick's first lesson:

Click Here!

Mick also teaches fingerpicking on his site--and don't forget to check out his great country blues CD and DVD instruction! Mick's home page is at:

http://www.Mick-Martin.com