Statesboro Review Live a Little Chords and Lyrics
Our Verdict
A fantastic product that captures the heart of traditional blues playing.
Pros
- Information technology looks great, is well built and makes you want to play.
Cons
- Takes some time to get used to if you're not ordinarily a 12-string player.
You know what's difficult to play? Hotel California by The Eagles.
Information technology's supposed to exist a rite of passage when learning to play guitar in your most absorptive and experimental years growing upwards. But for some reason, we never bothered. Truth be told, we were merely struck by how much of The Eagles back catalogue we knew by the time nosotros reached our mid-twenties - we were blown away past how much the band had seeped into our life.
Recently, however, nosotros found a reason to re-visit a youthful rite of passage and learn Hotel California. That reason? The Vintage Paul Brett Statesboro 12-string guitar.
We have seldom played guitars with 12-strings, bated from the occasional inquisitorial foray at a music shop or two. But the moment you lot open the bronze locks on Vintage's tan-coloured example, it doesn't affair what the musical instrument is - you take notation.
People who aren't petrol-heads can capeesh a Ferrari when it drives down the street. Similarly, even if y'all oasis't played many 12-string guitars before, yous can tell it looks good when it looks like this.
The distributor of Vintage guitars, John Hornby Skewes & Co, calls the color Satin Antique. And once the vibrant mood of this warm-orangish forest melting into midnight black has flare-up out, you find farther please in the detail of this guitar's aesthetics.
The soundhole is circled by a Julius Caesar-like wreath crown in a rich walnut colour. Thankfully, yous are not distracted past the matte-black Fishman PRO-REP-102 Rare Earth Humbucker pickup screwed into either side of the pigsty. The pickup is optional on the Statesboro, but it is worth investing if you want to give a guitar like this greater versatility.
You know what's hard to play? Hotel California by The Eagles.
It'due south supposed to exist a rite of passage when learning to play guitar in your most absorbent and experimental years growing up. But for some reason, we never bothered. Truth be told, nosotros were but struck by how much of The Eagles dorsum catalogue we knew by the time we reached our mid-twenties - we were blown away by how much the band had seeped into our life.
Recently, nevertheless, we institute a reason to re-visit a youthful rite of passage and acquire Hotel California. That reason? The Vintage Paul Brett Statesboro 12-string.
We have seldom played guitars with 12-strings, aside from the occasional inquisitorial foray at a music shop or two. But the moment yous open the bronze locks on Vintage'south tan-coloured case, it doesn't affair what the musical instrument is - you accept notation.
People who aren't petrol-heads can appreciate a Ferrari when information technology drives downwards the street. Similarly, even if you oasis't played many 12-string guitars before, you can tell it looks adept when it looks like this.
The distributor of Vintage guitars, John Hornby Skewes & Co, calls the colour Satin Antique. And one time the vibrant mood of this warm-orange wood melting into midnight black has burst out, y'all find further delight in the particular of this guitar's aesthetics.
The soundhole is circled past a Julius Caesar-like wreath crown in a rich walnut colour. Thankfully, you are not distracted by the matte-black Fishman PRO-REP-102 Rare Earth Humbucker pickup screwed into either side of the pigsty. The pickup is optional on the Statesboro, but it is worth investing if you want to give a guitar similar this greater versatility.
Once more, at that place are no issues while playing chords. Accomplished players should soon settle in once they stop thinking about where their fingers are. If you play the aforementioned way you always have, using the boosted six strings volition quickly get 2d nature.
If yous're looking for a bass note, it takes a trivial while to get used to playing the lower strings on an upwards-stroke, as you arrive at the college octave strings before the lower notes on a downward-stroke. Afterwards that, getting a expert audio out of the Statesboro is simple, especially if you are looking for a vivid audio.
Amplifying the guitar makes it audio fifty-fifty better. There are no knobs or switches to mess around with; simply plug in at the lesser where a strap would exist fastened and abroad you go.
The second prepare of strings actually shine and yous can hands slip into playing some course songs before y'all know it. After managing, but non really mastering, The Eagles' iconic striking, our attention turned to other famous 12-string masterpieces.
We finally realised what was missing from our versions of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Sky in the previous 15 years of playing it on a 6-string. The boosted notes are all there, and fifty-fifty if you lot fluff a notation, it withal sounds improve than one of those useless guitars with one-half the strings.
Accomplished players should soon settle in once they stop thinking virtually where their fingers are
Only to actually go the nigh out of the Statesboro' you accept to dig a little further into the register of musical history. Paul Brett is one of the icons of 12-cord guitar these days. However, he has a long list of people who have benefitted from his contributions including The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, and Lonnie Donegan.
The motivation behind the guitar's style harkens back to the days of Blind Willie McTell, a legendary blues guitarist who lived from 1898-1959, inspiring the likes of Bob Dylan, Ralph McTell, and Jack White.
As part of the marketing backside the Statesboro, Paul said: "Manifestly nosotros have updated diverse elements to morph into today's market, but in essence, it looks like and certainly sounds like a big blues car of that era."
Disbanding with the thought of recreating modern stone classics that featured 12-strings, we instead followed Paul'due south thinking and opened the Vintage up for some blues - and this is where information technology really came into its ain.
While nosotros don't possess the intimate songbook knowledge of the early blues pioneers such equally Blind Willie and Rex Solomon Hill, we enjoy playing dejection more than most genres. For us, it was Eric Clapton'due south Hey Hey and John Lee Hooker's Blast Boom that realised the guitar's potential.
1 of Blind Willie's most recognisable songs is the Statesboro Blues - yeah, where the name of this guitar derives. Without having a slap-up appreciation of 12-strings, ane might presume that some of the sounds generated by this early ragtime recording features a honky tonk piano - but all those notes and sounds are achievable on this Vintage. Information technology is a credit to Paul Brett and the legacy of Blind Willie McTell.
Source: https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/vintage-paul-brett-statesboro-12-string