November 12th, 2008 artsbook
If you play guitar, you’ve probably listened to old records, and marveled at the tone you were hearing. Sure, much of this tone is due to the skill of the player, but there is also a element of gear involved. The tone you hear is produced by high quality, vintage guitars and tube amps. Though there isn’t anything magical about vintage gear, it often had a build quality and special character that gear today often lacks.
The first step to getting this vintage tone is getting a nice vintage guitar. While a brand new Gibson electric guitar might still sound great, a vintage one will be even better. Of course, you pay for this tone. A vintage guitar can cost you. However, with their high quality, aged wood, hand wound pickups, and high quallity construction, vintage guitars are worth it for many.
Merely having a vintage guitar is no enough, though. To get the full sound, you’ll want to get a vintage tube amp. Tube amps, whether they are vintage or not, sound much smooth and more natural compared to their solid state brethren. Paired with a quality instrument, a tube amp is very expressive, almost like an instrument in itself.
Of course, if you’re buying vintage gear, you’re not going to be able head over to your local music store and start picking up amps and guitars. Rather, you’ll have to shop online or at specialty stores. If you’re looking to buy vintage Fender guitars online (or any other brand), there are many places to go that offer a wide selection. Again, you’ll pay for this, but for many it’s worth it.
So, I hope this help you see how you can get amazing tone with vintage gear. While nothing replaces skill when it comes to making great music, having the right vintage gear can help take your sound to the next level. Get out there today, and find your dream tone with vintage guitar gear. Your ears will certainly thank you.
Tags: amp, guitar, guitar amp, Music, vintage gear, vintage guitar, vintage guitar amp
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October 22nd, 2008 artsbook
February 2008
Looking for a specific bagpipe tune? The Encyclopedia of Tunes is a complete listing of 22,300 tunes from 328 pipe music books. It can save you time and energy when you’re trying to find the right tune!
Featured Article
The Bagpipe Tree
The Mpingo tree, also called the African Blackwood, is a member of the Rosewood family that grows in the Miombo woodlands of Africa. It has a high density, great durability, and natural oils that seal the surface of the wood, making it great for musical instruments like the bagpipes.
These trees often grow naturally knotted and twisted. To use them for musical instruments, they must be straight and without defects. Less than 2% of all the wood harvested can be used for this purpose! It takes about 70 years for the Mpingo tree to reach maturity followed by 3 years of processing before it can be used to make an instrument.
The middle of the wood is black and so hard that it can blunt an axe and must be drilled before screwing or nailing it. The wood is very resistant and the roots support bacteria that increase soil fertility.
As Tanzania’s national tree, it is the most valuable tree harvested and also the most expensive, requiring special equipment to harvest. These trees are currently at risk of being wiped out. There has been a shortage over the last 20 years due to weather, political instability and economics. In many places, the trees are illegally cut down or burned to clear the area for farming and livestock. Burning kills the younger trees and leaves the older trees deformed and diseased.
There are efforts in place to save the “bagpipe tree” and create a sustainable supply for the future. Reaching these goals will not only increase the amount of trees legally harvested, but will also reduce poverty in the area, help to rebuild the forests, conserve water, reduce soil erosion and, keep the music playing!
All of the Blackwood we use comes from a supplier that purchases wood from a government approved seller whose trees are legally harvested and documented. The wood is only supplied to musical instrument companies.
The government of Tanzania is trying to cut back on the amount of tree smuggling by scanning and conducting physical searches of cargo shipments. There are increasing efforts to monitor the legal trade of African Blackwood and police the illegal trade. All of these factors add to the cost of the wood. Most reputable Bagpipe manufacturers use wood from legally harvested trees. Ask us about fair trade bagpipes!
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Sincerely,
Rauncie Kinnaird
Kinnaird Bagpipes
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Tags: africa, bagpipes, blackwood, Kinnaird Bagpipes, music books, Tanzania
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October 17th, 2008 artsbook
When it comes to wanting to have quality entertainment, most people automatically assume that they are going to have to spend a big chunk of money. Because you can learn how to buy cheap mp3 player systems with little trouble, that simply is not the case.
The thing about these gadgets is that even though they are extremely popular, you can find yourself a cheap mp3 player to get you started. For someone just starting out this is a good way to get started, but of course, the cheap mp3 player is not going to be the system that holds the most amount of songs.
The cheap mp3 player can be found online through different web stores and even in some online auctions. You are probably going to want to make sure that you are going with something new instead of something used, in order to make sure that everything runs smoothly for you. This is just to make sure after a few days that your cheap mp3 player does not just end up in the garbage can. There is no reason why you could not afford a brand new one, being the new ones are so reasonable in price.
The Difference Between Models
When you are buying a cheap mp3 player you have to take into consideration that it is not going to hold as much songs as the more expensive models. While this does not matter to a lot of people, it is still something to be aware of. You will still have plenty of room for all kinds of different songs even with the cheap mp3 player. Even the low-end player will hold a couple hundred songs. You are going to have no choice but to go with a more expensive model if you are the type of person that insists on being able to store thousands upon thousands of songs.
Also, there is the big thing with the brand name, which has a lot to do with the price tag that is put on the cheap mp3 player. So you will have to expect that your top of the line models is not going to be the cheapest in price. You are going to get more of an off brand player more then likely with the cheap mp3 player, but it will still work just as good. When it comes to the cheap ones, there really is no difference in the quality of the mp3 player.
View more artices at www.mp3.jsgenterprises.com.
Tags: Cheap MP3 player, MP3, Music, Technology
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