RECORDING
OLD SCHOOL ANALOG MEETS THE DIGITAL STUDIO ( ON A BUDGET ) PART II | Bruce Adolph OR HOW PHIL KEAGGY SAVED THE DAY …
If you missed Part I of our series of “ Old School Analog Meets the Digital Studio ( On a Budget )” in the August 2021 issue of [ WM ],
you have to check it out .
I ended Part I with this … In Part II , I will cover my individual ‘ guitarsenal ’ collection that I have built up to utilize for this project and discuss both the guitar tube amps and the analog keyboards that are in the studio . Then you will hear my first song that I am ready for the public to hear and the story behind it … how in despite of my own musical shortcomings , Phil Keaggy came and saved the day !
That was a good way to end Part I … don ’ t you think ? So , let ’ s jump into Part II , as we have some good ground to cover .
MY “ GUITARSENAL ” From what I have seen over the years there are two types of guitarists . 1 . The folks that have the very first guitar they were ever given , and also have held onto every other guitar they have owned since then ( as well as every guitar pick they have ever owned :) Over the years they have accumulated several instruments .
2 . The folks who keep buying , and then selling what they have , to trade up as they go along . Slowing building their own arsenal as well . Over the years they also have a wide assortment .
Just like different paint brushes are for a painter , different guitars are for a guitarist . You may have a few different steel string acoustic guitars for different tonal palates and style playability … dreadnought , OM ( orchestra model ), jumbo or parlor . Possibly a nylon string guitar too . You may have a few different types of electric guitars … single coil or humbucking , semihollow , along with scores of body shapes and tonal possibilities as well .
These various options help round out your sound . As I fall into type # 2 noted above , I have been horse-swapping guitars for about 50 years now . I have upgraded some and at times if a family need arose I would go to the “ guitar bank ” and sell off a few of them . Most of the time I try and keep the ones that inspire me . I have friends that have well over 50 guitars ( and just storing them is a challenge ) and I have friends that just have a few .
For your recording purposes , you need to see where each guitar you have at your disposal to use , sits in the plan for recording your music .
At the time of writing this , I just had a rare opportunity to buy a gorgeous 1998 Martin D12-42RM ( Roger McGuinn Signature ) acoustic 12-string guitar . They only made 62 of these and to pull this off financially I have placed my 1991 Gibson Firebird Celebrity model electric guitar up for sale . So , there was a trade-off . I didn ’ t have a 12-string acoustic and I wanted one ( and this one turns out to be a spectacular one ). But to acquire it , I had to let my humbucking pick-ups guitar ( minihumbuckers actually ) go to fund the new purchase . Later on , I can circle back and get some type of electric with humbuckers ( and most likely a rosewood fingerboard ).
I wasn ’ t too concerned about the Gibson electric finding a new home however , as I have been having good success with the electric tones I am getting from my single-coil Riggio Custom Sierra ( Strat-style with maple neck and fretboard ) guitar . It is a luthier made electric out of Tacoma , WA that I have owned for about six years now and it still impresses me each time I pick it up to play . Joe Riggio makes a great guitar .
Before I get too ahead of myself , here is the batting order of guitars I can use for my different instrumental guitar musings to record with .