Car Guitar...

[ajbremer]

2/16/2013 MidEastOklahoma

This post is about my car guitar. I'm sorry it's so long.

I have always tried to practice as much as possible, especially when learning to play Chet tunes. I have to practice a tune hundreds of time for me to get anywhere near playing a tune that sounds something like what Chet did. Some people are just gifted with 'the touch', the memory to retain hundreds of tunes, the ear, etc., and don't have to worry about practicing every day. Me, I just gotta practice, practice, practice, and then maybe someday when I'm trying to play a Chet tune I'll get most of the notes right and maybe be able to remember how the whole tune goes.

Well, knowing that the only way to get things right is to practice, the more practice equals the more chances of getting it right, right? Therefore the need for my 'car guitar'. For years now I have always had a guitar in my car, always, where ever I go. Well, I work a factory/plant job where I get two ten minute breaks and a 1/2 hour lunch. I run out to the car and practice just about every one of those times. Even if its 10 degrees out or 110, I get out there and do my best (it's a challenge to hang up tabs in my little Festiva). That gives me about an extra 1/2 hour of practice a day for at least 5 times a week, I've been doing it for years - you'd think that I'd be a great player by now and know hundreds of songs but nope, sorry - I'm still working on that.

Anyway, now to talk about guitars. I would go out to the car and practice when it's 10 degrees outside and when it's 110 degrees. Well, as you might have guessed, I've had a few guitars warp on me because of those temperature changes while their kept in my car. My main steel string acoustic right now is my offset sound hole Mel McCullough guitar, it's the only offset sound hole guitar that Mel has ever madeand it's the third guitar that Mel has made for me. I designed it trying to stick close to McPherson guitars, it still plays great but it has a slight warp near the sound hole where the wood wants to take the 'least path of resistance'. I've mentioned to Mel that I'm going to send it back to him to take the warp out but since it doesn't affect anything I just keep playing it. Here's a picture of it: http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m489/ajbremer/15556_163167859220_7207516_n_zps536fe80b.jpg

The guitar that I keep in the car now is a nylon string Durango DG-100. I put Fender nylon strings on it and keep it in the car in its hard shell case and it's an amazing guitar, it just never warps in 10 degrees or 110 degrees. I think new it was one of them cheap $100 guitars, I don't know. I was at a yard sale and it had a piece of masking tape on the headstock that said $20. I told them I'll take it for $15 and I left the tape on it to this day. sometimes I think that it plays better than my other nylon string Manuel Rodriguez guitar that cost me hundreds of dollars. Here's a picture of the Durango, sorry that it's kind of fuzzy: http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m489/ajbremer/durango_zps02429ca4.jpg

I'm mainly posting today to mention that I took my new Ibanez hollow body electric in the car to work yesterday. I also took a small amp with me, my 'car amp'. I have a 200 watt DC inverter that plugs into the 12 volt adapter in the car. I wanted to see if it all would work ok and it works great! It's just a small FirstAct MA215 Bass Amp (15 watts) with a 6" or 8" speaker but it sure fills the car with a great sound. I use my cell phone and Bluetooth music to the cars audio player and play along with Chet. I had a great time practicing "Take Five" and playing along with Chet while in the plants parking lot...cool!

[RonBloor]

I enjoyed your story Al. Thanks for taking the time to post it. Ron

[Joey Bowie]

I couldn't help but to chuckle when I read your story. With me it's a case of deja vu because I did the same thing for over 30 years on my job.
I was a lineman for a town owned power company and we had certain safety rules in our contract like inclement weather, and heat and cold weather clauses in which we didn't work outside on the lines. Some of the guys would stock their trucks and play pinochle. Me? I had an old Harmony flat top steel string guitar strung with nylon strings hidden behind some high voltage switch gear in the switch room. I loved playing this guitar and I played it whenever I got the chance. I later picked up an old Gibson LG-0 for $85.00 back then in a junk shop in Central Falls RI and kept it at work in my locker.

I probably shouldn't say this but there were rainy days when we didn't go out and I would practice Chet tunes for hours on end. I know it was wrong to be playing guitar on my job so I'll try to look ashamed.