Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: Don Scott – Slidin Sideways

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This CD review was originally published in the October 15, 2015 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Don Scott – Slidin’ Sideways | Album Review

Self Release

www.donscottblues.com

10 tracks / 40:31

Minnesotan Don Scott has been playing the blues for five decades, and his current blend of roots and blues is unique as it brings the music down to its most basic levels. He has toured the world, both as a solo artist and with numerous bands that include the Dust Bowl Blues Band (a founding member!), Lazy Bill Lucas, Mighty Joe Young, and the magnificent Janiva Magness.

Over the years, Don has cut six CDs, the latest of which is Slidin' Sideways. This is a cool release with six originals, four covers and the bare minimum of instrumentation. Scott takes on the vocals and guitars, with pianist Raul Altamirano joining in on a few tracks. So, there are no drums, bass, keyboards, or harmonica to be found and because of this, these arrangements wind up with a raw roots mood and sound.

This ten-song set is bookended by live tracks that Scott and Altamirano recorded at Loot in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. This beach town is the perfect setting for Don's kind of blues, and he kicks off the album with the title track, an original instrumental. He cranks out five minutes of righteous slide work on his National guitar as Raul adds a bit of his best honkytonk. And the set finishes up with Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle" which gives Raul a bit more room to stretch his legs as Scott belts out the vocals.

The standout cut on Slidin' Sideways is "Some Other Day," a song about the plight of the modern soldier. Scott plays a heavy Spanish guitar under heart-wrenching lyrics of how much more we should be doing for those that have given so much of themselves to our country. This song is followed up by the jaunty "Blue Blake Rag," which is a jolting transition. Don does some amazing guitar work on this one over the steady beat provided by Raul's hammering left hand.

The roundup of covers is pretty cool, and they include cool stuff like Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson's "Kidney Stew," and Roosevelt Sykes' "Persimmon Pie" (how risqué!). But the coolest of these is Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys' "My Shoes Keep Walkin' Back to You," which has also been done very well by Ray Price, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Costello. This is heady company and Don Scott holds his own with just his hard-hitting guitar to back up his plaintive wails of loneliness.

You will find that all of the songs are neat, but there are a few production issues with noise and volume levels that mean this might not be the slickest CD that you have heard recently. Despite these nit-pickings, Slidin' Sideways is a fun album, and Don Scott has talent galore that translates into a wonderful live show. It would be a great idea to head over to his website to check his gig schedule, as he gets all over the country. There are gigs in six states from Arizona to New York on his schedule right now, and you can be sure that more will be added soon.

NAMM 2017: Product Preview - Martin Titanium Core Acoustic Guitar Strings

Aloha!

I headed into the Martin booth at this Year’s Winter NAMM to try out their new Titanium Core strings that I saw on the media preview day, and it was utter chaos. They have a lot of new products this year, so they were very busy. But, I did manage to flag down someone to talk about these strings and enjoyed a few strums on a guitar that was loaded up a set of their latest and greatest.

I have been using Martin strings on my acoustics for years, so I am pretty familiar with their products. In fact, they are my preferred acoustic strings and I have never had any complaints about them. The company’s goal with the Titanium Core strings is increased corrosion resistance (extended life), better stability, and increased playability due to reduced player fatigue. Who could argue with this?

Sets of light gauge Titanium Core strings will be available this spring (March 31), with other gauges to follow later. From what I could tell, these strings felt to be about the same tension as the Martin light gauge phosphor bronze strings that I usually use.

Overall, the fingertip feel was very normal for nickel strings (the titanium core is wire wrapped with nickel, and the plain strings are cryogenically treated stainless steel). The volume seemed to be a bit more than what I am used to with their conventional strings, with the caveat than NAMM is the worst place on the planet to evaluate anything acoustic.

I am not sure how the Titanium Core strings will live up to the rest of Martins promises, such as long life and better stability. One thing I do know is that for the price, they better last a really long time. These strings run $39.99 a set, and if the president makes a tariff on Mexican goods come true, the price might go up even more. Stay tuned, and I will let you know what I think after I get a set to try in the real world!

For more details go to martinguitar.com for more details.

Mahalo!

NAMM 2017: Taylor GS Mini Bass New Product Preview

At the 2017 Winter NAMM show I had the opportunity to check out the new GS Mini Bass from Taylor Guitars, and it is a neat piece of work! This was a surprising bit of news for me, because I had not heard that they were developing this product.

Taylor guitars are fantastic instruments, and they have untold numbers of devotees that will are huge fans of their products. Most Taylor guitars are built in their San Diego, California factory, but some of their lower-priced instruments are built just across the border in Tecate, Mexico. These include the 100 and 200 series instruments, as well as the Baby Taylor and the GS Mini models. So, this bass was built in Mexico.

One way to look at the GS Mini Bass is as a travel bass, and I think it will work well in this respect. It has a 23.5-inch scale (like the GS Mini guitars), so it is possible to make the instrument a lot shorter. Of course the bridge is placed more towards the center of the body when compared to an electric bass, but it is still a tidy package. Plus, it comes with a surprisingly sturdy padded soft case (Taylor calls it a “hard bag”).

Another way to look at the bass is as an instrument that would be comfortable for guitar players to transition to. I think it will work well for this too, thanks to its scale length and its very comfy Taylor-esque ergonomics. It is not such a stretch on those lower frets for those with smaller hands (bonus!). This would be a fine instrument for songwriting, studio work, or hacking around with friends.

So, let’s take a look at how this thing is put together!

The GS Mini Bass has a solid Sitka spruce top, mahogany top with . X braces to keep everything together while still allowing it to vibrate well. The back and sides are made with a sapele laminate, which ends up looking like mahogany to me. The body has a tasteful purfling, a simple rosette and a tortoise shell pickguard. The whole this has an even coating of matte-finish varnish.

The neck and heel are also made of sapele, and the fretboard is hewn from ebony, which is surprising on a guitar at this price point. The nut is also has the same 1 11/16 inches width as the GS guitar. There are 20 frets standard-sized Taylor frets, and you will find 14 of them free from the body. The headstock has a simple overlay with a screen printed logo, and sealed-back chrome tuners. They are unbranded, but seem to be good quality, and they hold tune well.

The craftsmanship is up to Taylor’s high standards, with an even finish and a truly terrific job with the fretwork. The Tusq nut and bridge are perfect, and the GS Mini Bass has a very comfortable action with the OEM strings. By the way these strings are a story all on their own, as they are custom light gauge strings that have a nylon core with a phosphor bronze wrap wire. Taylor says these strings were developed just for this bass, and no other strings should be used on it.

Unplugged, the sound is about what you would expect from a small-bodied acoustic bass. It sounds warm and pretty, and it is nicely balanced from string-to-string, but there is just not a ton of volume. Fortunately the GS Mini Bass comes with a good electronics package: the Taylor ES-B system. This is an under-saddle piezo transducer system, that uses an onboard preamp is powered by two CR 2032 batteries. Controls are basic, with volume and tone knobs, as well as a built-in tuner. It has a very clean and natural sound, and I really like the way it sounds when it is plugged in.

Pretty much, this bass does everything it is supposed to, and I think both guitar and bass players will find a lot to like about it, and not much of anything to gripe about.

The Taylor GS Mini Bass is supposed to go on sale in March, and it will have a list price of $918. That should put the street price around $700, and I think this will be a real winner for the company. When you see one, be sure to try it out as I think you will like it!

Mahalo!

Taylor 214 Grand Auditorium Acoustic Guitar Review

Hiya!

When it comes to acoustic guitars I am pretty much a die-hard Martin and Takamine enthusiast, but I recently stumbled upon a lovely Taylor Grand Auditorium model 214 that really struck my fancy. This model was discontinued in 2013, though there are still similar things in their line-up.

In case you are not familiar with Taylor’s models (like me), the 214 is a mid-size acoustic (somewhere between a dreadnaught and the smaller Taylor Grand Concert) with no cutaway or electronics. It is a comfortable size, with the body measuring around 4 5/8”deep, 16” wide, and 20 long. This guitar has a normal scale length (25 ½ inches), so there should not be a lot of adjustment if you are switching from something else.

This guitar was built in Mexico (like all 2 series instruments) and the body is made from laminated rosewood, and the top is made from solid spruce with forward shifted braces. The top has a glossy finish and the back and sides have a smooth satin finish. The top and back are multi-ply bound with black and blindingly white plastic, and there is a faux tortoise shell pickguard.

This Taylor’s unbound neck has 20 frets, 14 of which are free from the body. The neck is sapele, sort of like mahogany, with an ebony fretboard (the bridge is ebony too). There is a very pretty Indian rosewood peghead overlay and a black plastic trussrod cover. The nut is 1 11/16” wide and it has a Nubone nut to match the compensated bridge saddle. The chrome-plated sealed tuners hold well, though I wish they were nickel, which looks so much classier. The neck also has a satin finish, felt broken in right out of the box.

The frets are still in wonderful shape and perfectly level, and the top is certainly gorgeous. It has a super-fast neck, and though I have heard that these guitars do their best for fingerstyle, it is a nice strummer, even when digging in. It is pretty loud, but it has an uncanny brightness and clarity. The top has a loose sound, and it is as sweet as can be with very good balance.

The Taylor Grand Auditorium 214 is well-made, attractive, a good player, and It sounds wonderful. Plus they are a good value! The 214 had a list price of $1068 and a street price of $700 when they were new and these guitars seem to sell for around $500 or $600 on the used market, which brings them well into the realm of us mortal men. Check one out for yourself and see what you think!

Mahalo!

2015 GS Mini-E Mahogany Acoustic Guitar Review

Hello!

I have spent a lot of time trying out travel guitars, and have played everything that Martin and Taylor have to offer. A while back I picked upa mahogany-topped GS Mini-e acoustic, and thought it was about time that I shared the results with the world.

Taylor guitars are fantastic instruments, and though the sound of their full-sized guitars is not my cup of tea, they have untold numbers of devotees that will say that I am full of it (and maybe I am). Most Taylor guitars are built in their San Diego, California factory, but some of their lower-priced instruments are built just across the border in Tecate, Mexico. These include the 100 and 200 series instruments, as well as the Baby Taylor and the GS Mini models.

For a travel guitar the GS Mini is awfully big -- most parlor and travel guitars are called ¾-sized guitars, and I call this one 7/8-sized. It has a 23.5-inch scale, and it measures almost 5 inches deep with a 15 inch wide body. For me, this disqualifies it as an airline travel guitar.

But, the Taylor GS Mini is a nice instrument, and it has a definite role to play in the musical world. Before we get to that, let’s take a look at how this thing is put together.

GS Minis are available with either a spruce or a tropical mahogany top, and I chose the one with the solid mahogany top. The top has X braces to keep everything together while still allowing it to vibrate well. The back and sides are made with a sapele laminate, which ends up looking like mahogany to me. The body has a tasteful black and while purfling, a simple rosette and a tortoise shell pickguard. The whole this has an even coating of matte-finish varnish.

The neck and heel are also made of sapele, and the fretboard is hewn from ebony, which is surprising on a guitar at this price point. The nut is a bit narrow at 1 11/16 inches width, but combining this with the shallow V profile of the neck you end up with a guitar that is nice for those with smaller hands. There are 20 frets standard-sized Taylor frets, and you will find 14 of them free from the body. The headstock has a simple overlay with a screen printed logo, and sealed-back chrome tuners. They are unbranded, but seem to be good quality, and they hold tune well between practice sessions.

The craftsmanship is up to Taylor’s high standards, with an even finish and a truly terrific job with the fretwork. The Tusq nut and compensated bridge are perfect, and this GS Mini came out of the box with a surprisingly playable low action with the OEM Elixir medium gauge Nanoweb strings.

Playability is also top-notch, taking into account the narrower neck, which makes fingerstyle a little more difficult for clumsy chaps like myself. This is a very easy to play instrument. This one came with a slightly higher action, so it was easier to dig in and I really like the way it plays.

The sound is amazingly big for a smaller guitar, living up to the GS in its name (Grand Symphony). This is helped by the big soundhole and the rounded back, the shape of which eliminates the need for back bracing. Of course the bass is not terribly thunderous, but it certainly has an even tone across the strings when playing with light to medium intensity.

The sound is big, and is a bit more sterile than the spruce top model. It lacks the warmth that I like in my little Martin, and it definitely sounds better plugged in, which is where the “-e” in the model name comes from.

The electronics package for the GS Mini-e is the Taylor ES-T system. This is an under-saddle transducer with individual elements for each string. The onboard preamp is powered by a 9-volt battery, with a battery life LED power indicator (which is lit when the battery is being used). The pickup also has a phase switch for feedback control, which is located on the preamp board inside the soundhole. It has a very clean and natural sound, and I have not run into any problems with feedback as I have experimented with it.

In case you were wondering, these guitars ship in a surprisingly sturdy padded soft case. Like all Taylor soft cases, it is that terrible tan color than gets dirty as soon as it comes out of the factory shipping box. It does a nice job of protecting the guitar, though

So, where does the Taylor GS Mini E fit in if it is too big to take on the plane? Well, it would still be great for a car trip, or if you have to lug your guitar around on the subway or bus. But where it really works is as a modern day parlor guitar. Its small size makes it great for kicking around the house, and as I said it would be a good guitar for smaller people. If you set it up with light gauges strings, it would be a great instrument for lucky kids and beginners.

The Taylor GS Mini has a list price of $828 and a street price of $629, which includes the aforementioned gig bag. Though I do not consider it to be the world’s greatest travel guitar, it is a very nice instrument that would be great for smaller-statured players, or for general playing around the house of campfire. Try one out, and see for yourself!

Mahalo!

Martin C1K Concert Ukulele Review

Aloha!

Though I have owned and played many Martin guitars over the years, I have only had experience with a few of their ukuleles, and today we are going to take a look at one of their more affordable offerings: the C1K concert-sized uke.

If you know anything about guitars, you are probably aware that Pennsylvania’s Martin Guitars is the premier mass-production luthier in the world. Every major artist has played their instruments at one time or another, from Eric Clapton to Johnny Cash to Elvis. Well, they make other instruments too, and they have been in the ukulele business for a long time, and they currently make instruments that cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $5000 and more.

The C1K is a handsome little ukulele, with a clear satin finish over the solid Hawaiian Koa body and top, with a nice network of Spruce bracing to keep to top in place. There is a Spartan aesthetic with no binding to be found anywhere, and a simple white and black rosette. No electronics are available, and you can get one of these as a lefty (I think).

The neck looks like Mahogany and it has a Morado(looks like Rosewood) fretboard. The fretwork on this one excellent, and I cannot ever imagine wearing them out with nylon uke strings. The bridge is also made of Morado, and there is a Tusq nut and compensated saddle. The machined Grover tuners are open gear, and they are just beautiful.

The C1K ukuleles are made in Mexico, but the quality appears to be about as good Martin’s domestically produced instruments, which is not something I would ordinarily say about some of their south of the border offerings. The finish is clear and even, the joints are tight, and this one came out of the box with a good set-up and ready to play. Don’t sniff at where they are made – there is no way Martin could hit this price point if these things were built in the America.

It plays very well, with good intonation, a sweet neck feel, and it is comfortable to hold. It also sounds very good, with nice projection and a sweet tone that makes it sound older than it is. The strings it comes with are pretty iffy, but they are easy enough to change. It is perfect companion for traveling, especially with the uber-nice TKL gig bag that it comes with.

The Martin C1K is a good instrument that comes in at a reasonable price (list = $629, street = $479), and I am glad that Martin stepped up and made a better instrument this time around. But, it is not as good of a value as the horde of medium-grade ukuleles that are coming out of China by the container load. Those instruments are at least $100 cheaper, are often prettier, and sound almost as good. You will not go wrong with the Martin, but you might want to compare before you buy.

Mahalo!

2014 Martin S1 Soprano Ukulele Review

Aloha!

As a Martin guitar fanboy, it is surprising that I have not reviewed any of their ukuleles yet. Over the next few months I am going to take care of this oversight, and today we are looking at one of the company’s more affordable models, the S1 soprano uke.

If you know anything about guitars, you are probably aware that Pennsylvania’s Martin Guitars is the premier mass-production luthiers in the world. Every major artist has played their instruments at one time or another, from Eric Clapton to Johnny Cash to Elvis. Well, they make other instruments too, and they have been in the ukulele business for a long time, and they currently make instruments that cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $5000 and more.

The S1 is a soprano uke, and it replaced the miserable S0 model a few years ago. The S0 had a slew of features, including a tinny sound, no fret markers, poor bracing, bridges that did not want to stay put, and a super-thin body that would crack if you looked at it funny. The S1 fixed all of that stuff!

It is a handsome little ukulele, with a clear satin finish over the all-mahogany body, that has more complete Spruce bracing than the model it replaces. There is a Spartan aesthetic with no binding to be found anywhere, and a simple white and black rosette. No electronics are available, and you can get one of these as a lefty, if you wish.

The neck is also mahogany and it has a rosewood (or is that Morado?) fretboard. The fretwork on this one excellent, and I cannot ever imagine wearing them out with nylon uke strings. The bridge is made of rosewood, and there is a Tusq nut and compensated saddle. The Grover tuners are basic straight pegs through the headstock, and they are adjustable for tension, fortunately.

The S1 ukuleles are made in Mexico, but the quality appears to be as Martin’s domestically produced instruments, which is not something I would say about the S0. The finish is clear and even, the joints are tight, and they come out of the box with a good set-up so they are ready to play. Don’t sniff at where they are made – there is no way Martin could hit this price point if these things were built in the America.

It plays very well, with good intonation, a sweet neck feel, and it is comfortable to hold. It also sounds very good, with nice projection and a sweet tone that makes it sound older than it is. Of course it is awfully small for a big guy like me, but this one is tiny so it is perfect for traveling, especially with the uber-nice TKL gig bag that it comes with. Let me also say that this is the lightest Martin instrument I have ever owned, coming in at round 13 ounces.

The Martin S1 is a good instrument that comes in at a reasonable price (list = $499, street = $379), and I am glad that Martin stepped up and made a better instrument this time around. But, it is not as good of a value as the horde of medium-grade ukuleles that are coming out of China by the container load. Those instruments are at least $100 cheaper, are often prettier, and sound almost as good. You will not go wrong with the Martin, but you might want to compare before you buy.

Mahalo!

Little Martin LX1E Acoustic Electric Parlour Guitar Review

Greetings!

Because I travel a lot for work, I usually take along a guitar to try to keep my fingers in shape. If you have flown lately, you know what a hassle it can be, so I try to bring along a smaller-profile instrument. I have experimented with different travel guitars, and my current favorite is the Little Martin LX1E.

My goal was to find something that would fit easily in the overhead bin, be reasonably priced, play well, and sound good. There are plenty of products on the market that do the first two things, but they often end up being miserable to play and/or sounding like crap (e.g. the Martin Backpacker or any of those crummy little Yamaha ¾ size acoustics). So the obvious choices were the Little Martin or the small-size Taylors. So, when it came time to pick up a 3/4 –size guitar, I did my due diligence, and A/B’d the Little Martin with the Baby Taylor and the Taylor Mini GS. Both of the Taylors are fantastic instruments, and played very well, but the Baby Taylor doe not sound good to me, and the GS is pretty close to a full-sized instrument.

The Little Martin is not assembled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, as this would be impossible at this price point due to higher labor costs here. Instead, it is put together (with parts made in the US) at their factory in Mexico, the same one that builds their lower end and Backpacker instruments. Also, the Little Martin does not use much in the way of solid woods. The top is Sitka spruce, but the back and sides are wood-patterned HPL, which stands for high-pressure laminate. The neck is what they call Stratabond, which is a laminated piece with about 35 strips of wood glued together. Martin markets these components as being environmentally responsible, but we all know that they use them because they are cheap. I don’t see too much of a downside with either one of these for a travel guitar, as these materials are quite sturdy and are stuck together well.

The top has X-series Sitka spruce bracing, like the cheaper Martin D-1 and DM models. This is a simpler, lightweight "A-frame" system that uses less braces. The cross braces are tapered drastically at the ends to improve flexibility at the edges of the top to improve bass response at the expense of the treble range. There is no free lunch, you know. the neck has a glued mortise and tenon joint, unlike some of its competitors that use bolt-on necks (Baby Taylor). The fretboard and bridge base are made of Richlite, which looks kind of like rosewood but is actually a composite material that has a phenolic resin injected under high pressure into some sort of fiber (god know what), and then baked. Kind of like fiberglass or carbon fiber, I guess. Anyway it is hard as a rock, and sounds nice. You will also find chrome-plated Gotoh Tuners and a classy-looking Martin logo on the peghead.

The overall look is rather Spartan, with no binding to be found anywhere and no pickguard. There is no glossy lacquer or poly here, either, just a hand-rubbed finish. If I hold onto this it might get a pickguard, just to church it up a little bit. Like I hold onto anything very long…

Though it is small, the Little Martin is easy to play. It has a 23-inch scale (about 2 1/2 inches shorter than a full-size guitar), so it is not too much of a transition to this instrument. The neck has a flat oval shape, and it is considerably easier to play than Martin’s miserable Backpacker models. With the 1 11/16-inch nut and a 16-inch radius fretboard fingerstyle is possible, and it is fun to play melody lines on it. The body is a modified 0-14 shape, and it is big enough that it can be comfortably played on the knee, though I still prefer to use a strap, even when sitting. There is no neck dive and It is nice to have a body to rest my right arm against – both of these are big minuses for the Backpacker.

I got rid of my Little Martin LXK2 to get this LX1E because of the E in the name, which means “electronics.” This instrument has a Fishman ISYS T onboard preamp system. It has Volume, Tone shaping, and Phase controls with a Fishman Sonicore pickup. It does not take up much space on the upper bout, and it even includes a kind of crummy tuner. There is a separate battery box down by the endpin, and it takes a conventional 9-volt battery.

Besides playing well, it sounds pretty nice, too, especially when plugged in. Though it lacks the bass and punch of a dreadnought, it is loud enough for practicing or around the campfire, plus it sounds less tinny than the small Taylors, and nothing like the nasally Backpacker model. Apparently their bracing system lives up to its promises. It does not have a very complicated or rich sound, but it has even volume from string to string, and … This particular guitar was very well put together by the folks down Mexico way, and the fretwork was very good. Intonation is pretty close to perfect. I picked it up secondhand from a pawnshop, and though it was pretty filthy it cleaned up nicely and has a good set-up with medium gauge strings.

The Little Martin sounds good enough and plays so well that I think this would be a great starter guitar for kids or people with small hands, and obviously it is a great instrument for the travelling business man. This guitar comes with a nice padded gig bag, which has worked well for travel, but there is one caveat. On small regional jets there is just not enough room in the overhead bins (and no closet), so I have had to gate check it a few times. It has handled all of this with no problems, so it is super-durable. But…it still makes me nervous enough that I ended up springing for an SKB molded hard case. Now this thing is ready to travel anywhere and I can have peace of mind. By the way, it weighs 3 pounds, 10 ounces, which is not too bad either.

I have save the best part for last, and that is the price. The Little Martin LX1E has a list price of $519 and a street price of $399, which includes the nice gig bag and a one-year warranty. This is a hundred bucks more than the model without a pickup, but I think the extra expense is worth it. You will get a lot of guitar for not much cash, so you should check one out if you get a chance.

Mahalo!