Guitars

I recently re-took possession of my Fender Duo-Sonic, which I had picked up a few years ago at a yard sale for about 100 bucks and promptly lent to thisrabbit and then forgot about. I’d never even played the thing! (No harm no foul to Sou — I was pleased it was getting used, and then as I said, I kinda forgot it existed. I’m a fairly focused acoustic player anyway and was just looking to fool around some, so I never missed it.)

Last night my friend a_solitaryman came over and we jammed out for several hours — I don’t play with other people often and it’s always a revelation to see what kind of muscle memory and familiarity I really do have with the instrument when I’m just playing along and following a much better player. Chris got on the electric and I switched back and forth between my big dreadnought and a Strumstick. It was a lot of fun.

I need to do more of this, and I’m thinking that there may be an opportunity to add a little of me on guitar to Duende in spots. Faro’s a much better musician than I am, so I haven’t felt the need — but it might be fun.

For the guitar geeks among you: the Duo-Sonic is bascially a two single coil pickup Mustang without the dive bomb bridge, and is also a small instrument — a 3/4 scale neck or about 22 inches or so. Mine is a Mexican made reissue from the mid 90s; they were originally made from the mid Fifties to the mid Sixties. This one’s in mint condition, and has bite and great action. Best known as the instrument used by both Patti Smith and Dean Ween. Mine is in classic Fender black and white.

I’m going to be playing it more now, I think — branching out a bit from my acoustics and my other electric, the hollowbody 40s era Harmony/Regal (indiscriminate, no label) with the added vintage DeArmond pickup. That’s a great instrument, but more suited to jazz/blues than to snarly punk and rock, which the Fender is perfect for.