Guitar Collection
Guitar Collection
Profiles in Classical Guitar: Julian Bream
Julian Bream is one of the most famous classical guitarists of the twentieth century and he has achieved worldwide fame not only for the guitar but also for his work with the Renaissance Lute. He is considered to be one of the most important ambassadors of the classical guitar and has formed a solid bridge between the music of the past with the technology of today. He helped usher the classical guitar into the modern age.
He was born in 1933 and took up the classical guitar on his eleventh birthday when he received one as a present. He was already an accomplished musician having studied piano and cello but with the classical guitar and lute he excelled.
Significant Contributions
In 1960 he formed a group called the Julian Bream Consort. It was an Elizabethan period ensemble for which Bream played the lute. This Consort brought about a revival in interest of the Elizabethan era which is considered to be a period of time that was the absolute pinnacle of the English Renaissance. His work with this group earned him a Grammy award for best chamber music performance. This award would be the first of many awards which include three more Grammy awards.
One of the most important contributions he made to the world of the classical guitar was his development of a complete repertoire for performance. His transcriptions of works for guitar and lute span five centuries and he has particularly focused on lute works from the Elizabethan era and Spanish guitar works from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He has also had many composers create works specifically for him.
Ambassador to the media of the Twentieth Century
Bream has embraced television and radio and used these media to bring classical guitar and lute to a mass audience. His 2003 DVD video profile Julian Bream: My Life in Music, which is a three hour long piece, includes interviews and performances and is considered to be one of the finest contributions ever made to the world of Classical Guitar. He has also created a British television series entitled Guitarra! It charts a musical journey across Spain.
Learn More about Him
If you are looking to read more about him there is a newly published book called The Art of Julian Bream. If you are looking to experience some of his music you might want to start with his collaborative work with John Williams. They are a two volume set entitled Together and Together Again. If you want a more encompassing view of his music as it spans the decades he has a two volume CD set called The Ultimate Guitar Collection. The first CD is a compilation of many of his transcriptions and the second CD focuses on his works for Spanish guitar.
Julian Bream is one of the greatest classical of the modern day. His tireless performance and work with the guitar has spanned many decades of personal performance and many centuries of music. He has bridged the gap between the past and the future by giving us an enormous repertoire of music in just about every modern mode of media from CD to television and film. And it is his particular gift for transcription and interpretation that has enabled him to bring five centuries of plucked instrument music into the modern world.
About the Author
Interested in the Classical Guitar and its music? Visit the Authors website at: The Classical Guitarist
What is a good website for finding homemade guitar pedal projects?
I'm looking for a site with a fairly large collection of good quality diagrams/schematics for various pedal projects. I wanted to try making a pedal with a pcb layout i find online. I can't find many sites that offer good quality layouts. Do you have any recommendations?
In that case, I would build the project first on a cheap breadboard (about $ 5.00) to see if that particular circuit was worth making a PCB for in the first place. If it works well, then use a company like http://www.expresspcb.com/ to design your PCB (free design software). You could then either etch your own circuit from the schematic, or order some boards from them.
Guitar Collection
Guitar Collection Part 1
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Guitar Collection $11.99 Guitar Collection |
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The Guitar $12.73 A doomed woman discovers her creative spirit during a final fling with life in this independent drama. Melody Wilder (Saffron Burrows) is already having a bad day when she visits her doctor about a troubling lump in her throat -- her boyfriend has left her, and she's lost her job. However, this news pales in comparison to what her doctor (Janeane Garofalo) has to say: the lump is an inoperable cancer, and Melody has only a short time to live. Throwing caution to the wind, Melody rents a huge, luxurious apartment and furnishes it in high style, putting her purchases on a handful of credit cards she won't be around to pay off. Melody also permits herself affairs with a few of the deliverymen who have become regular visitors to her loft, but she spends most her days alone, enjoying the trappings of wealth as she ponders what little future she has left. One day, Melody makes an impulse purchase, a red electric guitar that looks like one she wanted as a girl. While Melody isn't schooled on the instrument, she begins teaching herself to work out chord patterns and melody lines, and in the last chapter of her life discovers a way to give voice to the pain and confusion she's buried within her. Written by veteran underground filmmaker Amos Poe, The Guitar was the first feature film from director Amy Redford. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi |
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For Guitar $16.96 \N |
How to Sell a Vintage Guitar
ok, so you've got a rather special vintage guitar that's been under the bed for the best part of 4 decades. You've not played it in years, but it is a Gibson, so presumably valuable? And whenever you mention it to musician friends, out come the stories of Les Pauls going for 5 or even 6 figure sums.
So how do you go about turning that guitar into thousands of dollars? Well it isn't quite that easy i'm afraid, but the purpose of this article is to give you a few tips on getting the best price on that instrument.
Find out what you've got
The difference in value for two very similar looking guitars can be significant. So knowing exactly what you are selling is paramount. And this isn't easy. First you need to know the make. A guitar in original condition will almost always have a maker's name on the headstock, or less often on the body, scratchplate or pickups.
Then you need to find out what model. This can be problematic, as there are often subtle variations that only real experts will recognise. Luckily many of these experts will happily share their knowledge through websites and books.
Does it have any special features? From rare finish options, to custom wiring, unusual features of an instrument can often add value to an old guitar.
Lastly you will need to know an age for the guitar. This is more important to a potential buyer than you might think; guitar manufacturers changed specifications so regularly that there can be enormous differences between very similar looking models. Woods, construction techniques and hardware all change and these changes can impact value significantly. Collectors and players alike look for certain features.
Find out it's value
Value is an incredibly vague concept. I'm asked continually what guitars are worth, and this is a very subjective issue. The bottom line is, a guitar is only worth what someone will pay for it. So generally I do not like to give a discrete value, rather a range. The same guitar can fetch a very different price on different days. There are vintage guitar price guides published every year, and these do give a ballpoint figure for values, but should never be seen as definitive. Watching advertised prices on ebay and other online vintage dealerships can be misleading, as these will often be way higher than the actual sale price.
It is true that a very few guitars have fetched astronomical prices over previous years. To some extent the value of certain vintage guitars have been hit by the current financial crisis, and this is more true of the really expensive examples. A lot of guitar dealers overpaid for rare guitars over the previous decade, and now they sit unsold in vintage stores at unrealistic prices. An occasional banker around bonus season will buy one, and this just about keeps the stores in business. But it may take years. You will be exceptionally lucky to sell you guitar at anywhere near the prices they are listed in certain vintage guitar shops.
How to sell a vintage guitar
So what options are open to normal people selling guitars? The main avenues are to sell privately, to sell at auction (ebay) and to sell through a professional guitar dealer. All have advantages and disadvantages, explained here.
Selling through ebay
Ebay is the best place to sell your guitar quickly. And if you list it well (including tens of clear, high-definition pictures, detailed description of the instrument, and placing it in the most appropriate category) and promote the listing on relevant forums, you will probably get a fair price. But many sellers list items considerably higher than appropriate and invite offers. Don't confuse high buy-it-now prices with actual values. In reality these can be worlds apart. Ebay (and paypal) give the advantage of a worldwide market and some security within the transaction itself. Care has to be taken when listing valuable items on ebay - incorrect information and unanswered questions can prevent buyers from bidding, and reduce final sale prices.
Selling through classifieds
This is your best bet if you are in no desperate hurry to sell, and you want to sell for a price at the higher end of the value range. There are several free classified sites on the web, from general sites like craigslist and gumtree, to specialist vintage guitar classified sites. The same listing rules for ebay above still hold - provide correct, accurate and detailed information, and LOTS of pictures! Obviously care has to be taken when completing the transaction. This should be face to face, as you have none of the guarantees afforded by Ebay/Paypal.
Selling through dealers
If you have a ridiculously valuable instrument, or just want it all done for you, dealers can be very good places to sell instruments. Rather than selling to the shop (almost always a bad idea), get them to sell on consignment. Consignment sales are when you still own the guitar until it is sold, the store takes it's cut, and you get the rest. They generally have the most potential customers, however they will take a larger fee, normally around 20% of the sale price. Some vintage guitar dealers have great reputations, and these are the people you should stick too. Stories abound about dodgy guitar dealers that change out parts then return guitars unsold - or even just sell a neck and return an unsold body. Ask around relevant forums before
Arrange the price you want for the guitar, and let the dealer try. They may phone you if they receive a lower offer, which you may or may not accept. Keep in contact with them, as some dealers will sell your guitar yet be in no hurry to inform you.
To conclude
Find out as much as you can about your guitar, and only then list it for sale. Don't bother selling online, unless you have lots of clear photographs. Finally, be patient.
About the Author
One of the best websites on vintage guitar identification is Vintage Guitars which has massive amounts of information, on many older guitars, and a Vintage Guitar forum, with many helpful members
Guitar Collection