30+ years a flat picker, now I want to learn Chet Atkins style finger picking. I am looking at a 5122. Any opinions? I'm trading a Taylor 414ce in on a hollow-body electric. I can't afford an actual Chet Atkins model on a police budget.
Old Picker, New Technique
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Sep 2, 2008 2:41 p.m. markcid84:
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Sep 2, 2008 2:48 p.m. Bear:
I did basically the same thing. I have a 5125 with the single coil DeArmonds because I like the very early Chet tone, but the 5122 is a nice guitar for sure. Some on this forum have said that the pickups on the 5120/5122 don't have as much sparkle or jangle as the Gretsch FilterTron pickup. I don't know if that is a criteria for you. Many have said they are voiced closer to Gibson than to Gretsch. That's not necessarily a bad thing though.
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Sep 2, 2008 8:14 p.m. Chonny:
Id look seriously at a 5120. Chet was the one person who decided he didnt like Dynas and that only Duane Eddy could get a good sound of them (because hes the man.)
A lot of times you can find them on ebay with TV Jones filtertrons in them, and that really make them sound like a professional guitar.
Your best bet might actually be to try them in a store and see if you like the stock pickups. Ive heard the first 5120s arent built as well as they are now so youd be better off with a newer instrument.
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Sep 2, 2008 8:44 p.m. Richard Hudson:
Welcome to the world of fingerstyle, markcid84. No matter what kind of guitar you wind up with, you can make it work. I know there are lots of books, dvd's, etc. out there to give you a running start on this wonderful technique; but just practice learning the independence of the thumb from the fingers. Practice the bass parts alone, and the melody on the treble strings alone. You will eventually be able to put them together. Don't get discouraged, because it won't come overnight. You're gonna learn chords that you never knew existed. Half of them you won't be able to name.
Keep us posted on your progress.
Richard
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Sep 2, 2008 9:34 p.m. F107plus5:
Well said Richard! Yup; it works!
....and yeah, some chords you can't even FIND a name for!
And the trauma and utter horror of a chipped fingernail!
Richard.
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Sep 3, 2008 8:06 a.m. markcid84:
Fingernail? I need fingernails? I keep mine chewed, er clipped short! I have played the 5122 in a shop, & it sounds good with my style of flat picking, but I have no frame of reference for finger picking sound since I really don't know how to do it yet.
Gotta learn bar cords too, I have heard ppl mention those, do I have to go to a bar to learn them?
Anyhow, thanks for all the comments, still shopping.
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Sep 3, 2008 12:44 p.m. markcid84:
Just left the Guitar Center, went in to take another look at the 5122 & it jumped off the rack, ripped my pocket open, and somehow the clerk ended up with my money & I got a guitar.
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Sep 3, 2008 12:49 p.m. Richard Hudson:
Well, congratulations on the new guitar. Always need more fingerpickers.
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Sep 3, 2008 1:06 p.m. gretschiam:
Congratulations, markcid84! You won't regret it. I have three Gretsches, and they're my favorite guitars. But in my case, I slowly came to realize I wasn't using them much because I was unhappy with them. Two of them I started work on (actually, had a luthier start) last year- and they were definately getting better. But when I got into this web site last December the scales fell from my eyes and I realized that as good as a Gretsch is, you sometimes have to make changes to satisfy your dreams. Since then, I still play other guitars because they do different things, but I'm always trying to put in one of the Gretsches, and I play with them on my own constantly. You will love this guitar, but if it starts to lose its appeal, consider minor modifications to get it to do what you want.
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Sep 3, 2008 1:09 p.m. Rex:
A great lesson book on fingerstyle is Contemporary Travis Picking by Mark Hanson. Congrats on your new guitar!
