I have it set up with a sliding banjo capo and a high E string in place of the low E. It’s strung with flatwound strings and the sample above is fingerstyle, but without finger picks.
I love it! I’ll definitely be doing more recordings with this. I can still hear the 1957ness in it. (the year it was originally built)
How can you not love an instrument that you restore/modify/build? That would be like not loving one of your own children. Actually, if you don’t also love this guitar, that will be like telling me that my children are ugly.
Some months ago, I purchased a cheap, old archtop guitar. It’s a 1957 Harmony. It wasn’t in great shape, but I knew that this particular guitar was made with all solid woods. I also knew that I couldn’t afford to buy a new expensive guitar. And I don’t really want one anyway. I want to restore (and customize) this old thing!
It’s not quite finished, but I’m getting really excited. Here are some photos of the project so far:
The Harmony guitar is the one in the lower left. No offense, but I didn’t like the black and yellow finish.
I tore off the old fingerboard, after heating it with an iron. I’m replacing it with a new, natural ebony fingerboard.
Stripping off the old finish.
I have to reshape the neck joint. The angle was too low, a problem with a lot of old archtop guitars.
Removing the old plastic binding. I’ll be putting on some natural cocobolo wood binding.
When I was a film student, I made a short documentary titled “Il Contrabasso.” It’s about Brady Ward, an acoustic bass player, and his thoughts about the instrument. Here’s the film (about 4 minutes long):
As Brady mentions in the film, the acoustic bass, and really all acoustic instruments, have a quality that is soothing and natural, almost healing. For me, the acoustic bass is sort of the epitome of acoustic-ness. You add that acoustic bass sound, and the whole recording is suddenly four times bigger, organic and rich.
I suppose most musicians who specialize in a particular instrument have an irrational love for their instrument. I remember my piano teacher looking at me and, in a very scientific tone, explaining what to her was a simple, obvious fact. She said, “You know Geoff, the piano is actually the most beautiful instrument ever invented.” And that was that. It wasn’t an opinion. And it certainly wasn’t to be argued with. It was as if this fact had been proven by extensive polling and irrefutable scientific studies. The earth is round, not flat. And it really doesn’t matter what other instruments you play. The piano is the most beautiful instrument ever invented. Period. (By the way, I kind of agree with her.)
I’d love to hear about your favorite instruments and why you love them. Even if it’s totally irrational.
My daughter Lucy is learning to play the harp. She is, after all, a princess. Unfortunately, harps are very expensive. So I found a broken one for $200 and decided to try and fix it.
The harp was broken at the neck and my first attempt to fix it only held up for a month or so. That was just a quick fix, and it’s not too surprising that it didn’t hold. A harp like this exerts more than 1000 pounds of pressure on the neck.
So now I’m on attempt #2. This time, I’m reinforcing the break in the neck with some laminated hardwood. I also noticed some problems in how the neck/pillar joint was done (I don’t think it was glued), so I’ve taken it apart and will be re-doing that joint. I’ll post the results when I’m finished, hopefully along with some music from the resurrected harp.
This is a remake of ABBA’s superhit from the 1970′s. It’s a lot of fun to take a pop song, and “acousticize” it.
I’m a bass player, and I wanted to see how a tuba would work instead of a bass to fill out the low end. It was kind of experimental, but I think it worked. My friend Tim Porter played the tuba in the key of B, which is pretty much the worst key for a tuba (I found out after I gave him the music).
As I was recording, it occurred to me that this version has less in common with disco, and more in common with folk dance. Actually, folk dance is just like disco, but without roller skates. Watch Carmen Amaya prove it.
Geoff Groberg: lead vocal, guitars.
Jonathon Wood: harmony vocals.
Tim Porter: Tuba.
Arranged, Engineered, and Produced by Geoff Groberg.
Merry Christmas. Here’s a recording of my sweet little girls singing Stars Were Gleaming. I’ve also included snippets of chatter before and after the song. Eira, who just barely turned 3, had a hard time not talking, which makes the recording infinitely more interesting and fun.
Eira talked.
Stars Were Gleaming is a traditional Christmas carol from Poland. In polish, it is known as “W Zlobie Lezy.” But because that doesn’t make any sense and is impossible to pronounce, someone translated it into English.
Geoff Groberg: Guitars and Banjo.
Jennifer Groberg, Amanda Groberg, Lucy Groberg, Eira Groberg: Vocals.
Arranged, Engineered, and Produced by Geoff Groberg.
You know that I LOVE making music. That’s why I love the studio. I’ve just finished re-designing my homely studio. The main thing I did was create 10 acoustic panels to absorb the sound. Before, I had just a little foam, but now, when you walk in and close the door, it’s quiet and warm.
The panels are a simple 2′ x 4′ wood frame with 1.5 inch Roxul rockboard 80 insulation inside, and natural burlap wrap. The burlap somehow inspires creativity, while adding a distinctive smell that helps you remember how wonderful this studio is long after you’ve left.
Now I just need to record some music and post it for you to hear/smell.
