Axes and wood

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I'm not, in general, someone who likes familiar slang, particularly that which applies to a line of work, an interest or a hobby. Hearing someone describe a BMW as a "Beamer" irritates me in much the same way as hearing the likes of Jamie Oliver use the terms "slosh" (for pour) or "chuck" for sprinkle does. I've never liked the way some enthusiast photographers refer to lenses as "glass" (surely they are so much more than that). And as for rock musicians calling an electric guitar an "axe": well, that irks me just as much as the modern habit of calling a university a "uni". All these examples seem, to my mind to conflate a certain laziness with an overly chummy and "insider" familiarity that is often designed, in some small way, to erect fences to outsiders.

It was the term "axe", meaning an electric guitar that came to mind when I came to write this piece about a new guitar that I recently bought. I presume that "axe" derives from the shape of the guitar, or perhaps the sharp sound - who knows or cares? However, since it was the wood of this particular guitar that I was going to describe "axe" seemed to have some sort of connection. Many musical instruments have interesting and beautiful shapes that derive, in the main from the way they work - form really does, usually, follow function. However, many are enhanced during construction by the use of wood, application of paint, inlays and so on, and none more so than electric guitars. Moreover, though the sound is what you most want from such an instrument, appearance is also a factor when you come to buy one.

The example in today's photograph doesn't have the usual paint job, sunburst staining or varnished finish. Instead it has a burred (burled in US-English) poplar top that I find unusual and attractive. This is mounted on mahogany and the instrument is completed with a maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard. With a veritable forest of timber having fallen under the axe to produce it I must make sure I keep it a long time and get the most from it

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Camera: Canon 5D Mk2
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 105mm
F No: f8
Shutter Speed: 1/13 sec
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.67 EV
Image Stabilisation: Off.

Value for money and guitars

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In a recent post I reflected on value for money with reference to cameras and coffee, but it's something I look for in everything I buy. There are those who believe that "you get what you pay for", implying that there is a direct and widespread correlation between price and quality. Though there is often such a link it is by no means always present, and it seems to apply less at the top of the market than in the middle or at the bottom. In my experience value for money often resides at points around the middle of the market, sometimes a bit below, at other times a bit above.

Given those views it will come as no surprise that a guitar I recently bought is not the cheapest available and by no means the most expensive. In fact I'd say its price resides somewhere below the average. However, in terms of value for money it is quite remarkable. The Washburn WD10SCE electro-acoustic replaces a much more expensive Epiphone guitar that I've had for thirty or so years. When I bought the old guitar I looked at what was available, tried several in the shop, and settled on the Epiphone. And, despite my research and hands-on experience, I've never been totally happy with it in terms of sound or action. I've tried different brands of string, different weights, adjusted the truss rod and much else, all to no avail. But I soldiered on using the guitar because it was good enough. Since I retired I've played my guitars much more and the desire for a change has become more pressing. So, on the basis of no trials, but going solely on other people's opinions and reviews, I bought the Washburn. After a few weeks of use I can say that I am very happy with the sound, the action, the quality of materials and workmanship. There is (or rather was) only one problem.

The guitar is supplied with just a single strap button. Now, like any guitar, it can be played without a strap. However, if you are going to put one button on a guitar (at the base of the body), then surely you'd put another at one of the usual locations somewhere around the point where the neck meets the shoulders of the body. I recognise that a strap that fixes at the supplied base button and which ties on just above the nut is a possibility. But, the way this guitar was sold it's the only possibility, one that is much less favoured today, and so why not offer a second stud - the cost is minimal - to give the buyer a wider choice of fixing positions? To cut a long story short, I mounted my own second button so that I can use a strap in the way I prefer. You can see it in the photograph in the top left corner. I could have fixed it to the side of the heel of the neck but I chose to use the side of the body. To make a secure fixing I first glued a block of hardwood inside to receive the screw. It has worked very well, the guitar is now as near to perfect as someone of my relatively limited abilities can hope for, and I'm looking forward to using it for the next thirty years or so!

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 95mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/3
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -1.00 EV
Image Stabilisation: Off

Great guitar, useless PSU

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A couple of days ago I got a new guitar. It's Washburn's version of the Gibson ES-335, a hollow body electric guitar whose design dates back to 1958. Why didn't I get a Gibson? Well, first of all I'm a cheapskate and wouldn't pay the approximately £2000 asking price. Secondly, it's widely held that other manufacturers' "look-and-sound-alikes" give you 90% of the functionality of the original: what you mainly lose is the cachet of the Gibson name. And thirdly, I'm not a good enough guitarist to warrant the real thing!

However, for a short while on the day it arrived I wondered if I'd made the right choice. When I plugged it in and played it I was very impressed by the sounds that it produced and the ease of the action. The workmanship looked very good. The problem was, my study acquired an odd odour. When I asked my wife what she thought it was she suggested a "burning electrical smell". The current in an electric guitar is minimal but I guessed it was the smell that some new electrical items give off when first used. Either that or something inside the body was in the process of failing. Anyway, we had to go out for an hour or so. When we returned I switched on my computer and powered up the guitar and the smell immediately re-appeared. Then my computer screen went black and it shut down. A quick examination showed that the power supply unit (PSU) had failed and that it was the source of the smell I'd erroneously linked to the new guitar. It was a relatively new replacement too, only installed 5 months ago, so I packaged it up and sent it back to the supplier for replacement under warranty. I'm unhappy about the PSU, but the guitar is great!

Consequently I'm using my second machine for all computer related tasks, including blogging. It's an old PC that came to me because it was superfluous to my oldest son's needs. I've installed the basics for photo-processing, but not the full suite that I usually use, and the monitor is uncalibrated. So, for a short while I'll be posting shots that require only minimal post-processing until my main machine is up and running again, photographs such as today's showing my new guitar. It was taken with the macro lens and is presented pretty much as it came out of the camera.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 100mm macro
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 0.6 sec
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: Off

Too many guitars

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As I was sitting picking at one of my guitars I decided it was time they featured in a photograph or two. The filtered light through my study's vertical blinds was throwing repeated lines on the polished sound board so I tried for a shot that included those lines as well as the lines of the six strings. But, whilst it was easy to see and imagine the shot as I sat there idly working through my musical repertoire, it proved much more difficult with the camera to my eye.

I found that the shot I wanted couldn't be composed with the lenses at my disposal. Everything was fine if I wanted all the reflected blinds - a big, light rectangle - but as soon as I tried to isolate part of the reflection along with the sound hole and the strings the reflection lost its sheen and the composition its force. So I decided to try for two shots with shallow depths of field that included the sound hole and strings, one from the fingerboard end, and the other from the bridge. I'm reasonably pleased with the outcomes.

By the way, what is it that makes men end up with more guitars than they need? I have the Yamaha classical guitar that I bought when I first began to learn the instrument, an Epiphone steel-strung folk guitar that I got to replace a second-hand one that I bought then sold, an Ovation electro-acoustic guitar with a moulded fibreglass bowl-back, my son's cast-off electric guitar that I was given after we'd bought him a Gibson Les Paul Studio, and a bass guitar (a copy of the Fender Precision Bass). I really shouldn't have kept most of the guitars I've accumulated during my life and need to think about getting rid of a couple and reducing the clutter.

photographs & text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Olympus E510
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 14mm, (28mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f3.5
Shutter Speed: 1/20
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation: -0.3 EV
Image Stabilisation: On