What's your Favorite Brand Of Guitar "

Dixie back to answer your questions that you may have about
the equipment and product side of being an independent artist.

Not many questions sent to me this week, so send them IN folks--give
me something hard to answer!! This week's question asks something that
has been bantered around amongst guitarists it seems since the guitar was
first created: "What's your favorite brand of guitar?"




Hmm--it's hard to pick just one because it's usually a personal preferance
of the artist and the music and the sound they're trying to acheive.
Let's start with acoustic guitars:

Some artists swear by Taylor guitars as the only acoustic guitar for them.
Another artist across the room may sneer and say "Forget Taylor--you're not
somebody until you play a Martin". Yes people can be very snobbish about
their guitars lol. Gibson guitars get alot of followers as well for their
long history of quality instruments.




So what is MY favorite guitar? Some of you won't be surprised, because you
see them in the hands of a lot of major artists these days, Takamine. The
quality of tone and the rich resonance you get from their guitars is second
to none in my opinion (but I think the guy with the Martin just scowled
at me LOL). Not inexpensive, but not in the price range that Martins are
either (which sets you back quite a bit). Just a good solid guitar that
will bring out the best in your music.




Now for electric guitars, there's just as much fuss about them. You have your
fan for Yamaha guitars--and all the hip shapes and colors they come it.
Another popular brand would be Peavey, another brand with a history of good
solid equipment. But the king of electric guitars in my mind has to be
the Fender, expecially the ever popular (almost iconic) Stratocaster.
Fender electric guitars as well as their acoustic models have graced the
stage with artists for decades, and most likely will for decades to come.




But there's a newcomer to the scene that's likely to give them ALL a run
for their money (and I mean money literally lol). We all know that several
of the above makers have had their instruments copied by companies from the
Asian, market--but as a whole, these instruments don't hold to the standards
of the masters, although they're a great deal cheaper. However one Asian
company, Rogue, has come up with the best of both worlds for the artist.
Rogue is a company from Korea (I know, most artists will cringe at the very
idea) that makes both acoustic and electric instruments. The prices are
incredibly low for either type--so out of curiosity, I decided to see what
a $99 guitar could do.




Expecting it to be the type of guitar one might give to a beginning guitar
player, I was pleasantly surprised. In both the acoustic and electric models,
the tone was far from the bright ringing that I expected, but warm and
expressive. Definitely a beautiful and playable guitar at an amazing price,
the Rogue line of guitars and other stringed instruments (dobros, mandolins,
etc)will give you fine instruments for learning OR for recording at a price
that won't break the bank.

So check one out today and pick yourself up a great guitar for a fraction
of the price of the major brands. Any company that helps the independent
artist keep making their music without going into bankruptcy, has two thumbs
up from me. You can find Rogue guitars as well as the other brands mentioned
in this blog on sale at all quality musical equipment stores but for the best
deals, check out my favorite at Un-Ni-Que-Music.com




Have a question you'd like to ask? I'll do my best to answer them based
on my unique experience as artist, producer, label owner and disc jockey.
Send those questions to triplestrandprod@yahoo.com and
let's make "Dear Dixie" fun and a great learning experience
for all.