draw ‘til you’re soreWelcome to the bog of Jessica Amber. Herein you’ll find my life, whatever Irandom stuff ’m getting up to. It’s usually creative.
Unmaintained since 2019. Please go to www.jessicaamber.com.au This site contains affiliate links.
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23/2/2018 0 Comments KonMari-ing: GuitarsI got my first guitar in 2013, the year after finishing high school. It started off as a present for my sister, but she had little interest at the time in learning the instrument, so I decided to give it a shot. Five years, some lessons and a lot of ultra tabs later, and I’ve built up a collection of five guitars (I’ve owned even more than this, these are just the ones I still have and like). Only problem is, I do not play guitar professionally or often enough to justify this number. I’ve been doing the KonMari thing on and off for the past several months, and have renewed my interest in a more minimal bedroom environment. Considering my guitars ar stowed away in the closet, it seems I have enough physical distance to gain some clarity about what I should keep or not. How I was going to decide on the keepers was not necessarily pure KonMari, as you can’t tell anything about the most important part of the guitar - the sound - just from holding it and waiting for a joy spark. So I instead set up my small Samick amp, and came up with a loose plan, of doing the same chords (Em and G because basics) and a 13 note solo (it was the riff for Another One Bites The Dust, incidentally) on each, and recording the results on my phone. Now, to introduce my babies. The Burwood is unfairly heavy for it’s size, and the sound quality is about as good as strapping strings to a cheese grater. The KISS guitar is surprisingly melodic, and despite its weight, has worn a rock ‘n roll groove into my heart. The Beatles classical is light AF which makes it perfect for casual whims of playing. It also feels lived-in, which is nice. Add decent sound quality to that, and we’ve got a contender. The faux Fender is, disappointing, not as good sounding as I remember. I have previously been very attached to this guitar (but some of that could have been lingering from when I thought it was a real Fender, until a guy who sold me a guitar pedal informed me otherwise *cries*). Finally the Aldi. It’s okay. I’ve appreciated the fact that it can go electric as a big factor, until I realised I never use it electrically anyway. At this point, I'd like to mention guitar strings. The faux Fender's strings were not in a good state when I bought them, so I went to the small local music store and got some replacements. They didn't have much of a selection. Maybe two brands? I don't know, it was many years ago by now. But I do remember which ones I bought. The Ernie Ball Regular Slinky type in the green packaging. These strings stood out to me, even as a beginner, as being high quality awesomeness. They felt so smooth under my fingers, and I personally felt like a pro using them. I would only recommend I product I've personally used. If my experience appeals to you, you can use my affiliate link to this Ebay AU page that has a pack of the strings for less than $10! My final decision, I’m going to keep the Beatles and KISS, give the Aldi to my sister (who can use it with the PC guitar learning software Rocksmith) and, for now, keep the other two (along with the very first guitar from all those years ago, an ION) in the shed. Maybe I’ll sell them. Maybe I’ll freak out and bring them back inside. Who knows. But it feels much less stressful to only have 2 guitars (again, 3 if you count the uke), because then when I look in the closet I don’t feel the guilt of “I should be using these more!” After the clean out, I did a clean up, using many earbuds, isopropyl alcohol and micro fibre cloth to clean the accumulated dust and gunk off my keepers. I'm happier having a smaller collection, as I feel now less pressure to have a go with so many guitars, which inevitably leaves some neglected and dreaded. Now when I want to have a strum, the choice is clear!
Until next time, Jess xx
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AuthorI'm just some Aussie 20-something year old with a lot of time and a lot of interests. Archives
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