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What happens when you put Al Petteway in the same room as one of our long-time client’s personal guitar treasure trove? Something like The Collector’s Passion! Al sets down a permanent record of some of the finest guitars we’ve ever seen, from Somogyi & Traugott to Greenfield, Lowden, Olson, Martin—the track list goes on. Al’s fingerstylings render Tony’s exquisite collection in full technicolor, a rare glimpse of what must surely be guitar heaven. Available now at Dream Guitars!
https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/guitar-accessories/music-cds-tab/the-collector-s-passion-by-al-petteway.html

We’ve sat Al down with Paul to discuss how this CD came about, Al’s recording process, and how the various guitars complemented each piece. This interview is an excellent companion to the record.

Here’s the interview! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxaYC_1TznA

We’ve got a brand new mini video series with Canadian lutherie virtuoso Jordan McConnell (of  McConnell Guitars and The Duhks fame)—Jordan brings out the rich and varied colors of his fellow Canadian builders’ fine creations that we’re happy to represent here at Dream Guitars. Immediately below is a quick collage of the six guitars, and you can scroll down below that for each video in its entirety. Enjoy!

First up is a striking Art Deco Sunburst Maple-and-Engelmann Jumbo from Michel Pellerin (http://www.dreamguitars.com/…/5347-pellerin_jumbo_sunburst…/). To say the voice is huge would be, well, a cruel understatement. This Pellerin rattles your teeth from 20 feet away!

Next on the block is a lively and exhilarating 3GMS/25/27 flattop from Al Beardsell. Soundports, bevels, multi-scale fretboard, isometric neck profile—all with quick attack and responsiveness.

Number three could easily be number one in our books: a Little Manzer in Brazilian and Cedar from Linda Manzer! A pocked-sized beauty with a guitar-and-a-half voice, this model was originally made famous by Pat Metheny, and since then Linda’s made but a handful of these handy (themselves a handful) little gems.

Number four: a classic from one of Canada’s greatest: our 2000 OMC from Mario Beauregard. Brazilian Rosewood and German Spruce of this order is incredibly hard to find these days, and in Mario’s hands these tonewoods are honed to their ultimate edge. Flawless balance from string to string, elegant curves and Ebony trim, a voice equal parts creamy and crisp—you have to make a hard decision between playing this Beauregard and doing anything else, ever, each time you pick it up.

Number five comes from the man himself, Mr. Jordan McConnell. This particular 16 Inch model was built for our very own Paul Heumiller (so of course the Brazilian back and sides are ridiculous), who opted for Moonspruce on top and a Blue Ridge Parkway-themed inlay scheme by none other than inlay virtuoso Larry Robinson.

Click here to check out our latest artist performances and lessons!!

Since the day I started Dream Guitars I’ve always wanted it to be more than just a guitar shop selling instruments. The sense of community and the shared love of music is one of the reasons that I got into this business and it’s what keeps it so enjoyable for me year after year. All of the wonderful instruments that we sell are for one purpose which is to make music which in turn makes the world a better place. I truly believe that. To that end we have always offered inspiration in the form of our Listening Studio, concerts, performance videos and lesson videos on dreamguitars.com.

paul-bari

Many clients are surprised when they realize how many lessons we have actually produced over the years. We have over 40 free lessons on our website and YouTube Channel today by such artists as Al Petteway, Steve James, Vicki Genfan, Clive Carroll, Konarak Reddy, Danny Ellis, Doug Young and Paul Asbell. In addition we have performance videos by these players and other friends who come by the shop, including Cliff Eberhardt, Loren & Mark, Jordan McConnell (The Duhks), Steve Baughman and Robin Bullock.

al-crossing

All of these can be found on our popular YouTube Channel and we also have a direct link to our Lessons Page on our main menu under Resources.

Have you visited our Listening Studio? Over the years, we at Dream Guitars have been recording each of our in-stock instruments, many by the one and only Al Petteway. As a result, we were able to compile all of these recordings into a database that now allows you to listen to thousands of individual guitar recordings while comparing and analyzing tone woods, builders, models, wood types, and more.

listening-studio-dg

We have also produced a complete book of Sheet Music and TAB for the Dream Guitars Vol. I: The Golden Age of Lutherie CD by Al Petteway.

In addition, we are very excited to have just finished up Dream Guitars Vol. II: Hand Picked by Al Petteway as well. Volume II not only includes Music and Tab but will also include a Video lesson of absolutely every track available on our site in the coming months.

DG II Front Cover-i

CD

Hot News: Robin Bullock has also recently moved back to the Asheville Area and will begin to produce a regular lesson series for us as well!! Stay tuned for more on this.

So take advantage of the Listening Studio as well as all the Lessons, Blog Articles, Interviews and all we create for you. You can find them on our YouTube Channel, Facebook Page and of course dreamguitars.com. Most importantly keep making music!!! The world needs it!

Written by Paul Heumiller, Dream Guitars

Click on any of the images throughout the article for a larger view

For those who have never been to the Woodstock Invitational Guitar Festival, it is something quite special. Seventy or so of the top Luthiers in the world are invited by Baker Rorick to come to the small town in the Hudson Valley for a weekend of pure joy for guitarists. This is a small show and it’s overcrowded, but that’s a good thing. It ensures that the show will stay of the highest quality. Baker has no plans to grow the show or move it to a larger location and I think that will keep it very special. It’s already host to more guitars than you can possibly see properly in two days.

woodstock_big_room

For me this year’s show was extra special. It had a real feeling of brotherhood. Perhaps the last few years, very hard years in the guitar business by anyone’s account, have bonded us all. Many builders (and shop owners) have barely survived, others have been forced to go back to a ‘real job’, but most continue to hold onto the passion that drives them to build the finest instruments that we’ve ever seen. Immediately upon arrival I received hugs and handshakes from my friends, the builders who whittle wood to make music. Making the show even more memorable is the fact that Scott Bresnick, the man behind the machine that is Dream Guitars, met me at the show as well. Scott quietly does vast amounts of promotion for us and has been my sounding board since I started DG in New Jersey. So this year is, as I said, was just extra special.

Now for the good stuff, the guitars. Woodstock is like the buffet at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville. More food than you can possibly eat, but you’re sure as hell going to try.

As someone who has played thousands of guitars and all of them the finest in the world, I’m struck with the amazing quality of the voices of the instruments here at the show. A large number of the guitars are nothing short of mesmerizing and inspiring. I don’t say that lightly as I am admittedly quite spoiled hanging out at Dream Guitars all day. At a show like this it’s hard to go 10 feet without running into someone else you know and stopping and saying “hi” and catching up. It makes the going slow but well worth while.

I started at the stage where my good friends John Buscarino, Chris & Jeremy Jenkins, Michael Bashkin and Bill Tippin all had their instruments displayed. John had his Autumn Leaves 35th anniversary guitar, complete with an amazing carved tree on the back of the instrument.

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Stage left was Keystone guitars from Japan, one of the newest builders to join the Dream Guitars family. Keisuke Nishi built a wonderful modified dreadnought for the show which I promptly snatched up for our clients.

paul_scott_keisuke

Down on the main floor were a number of builders including:

•    Cris Mirabella
•    Joe Veillette
•    John Osthoff
•    Bruce Petros
•    Kent Everett
•    Julian Gaffney
•    David Berkowitz
•    Bernie Lehman
•    Randy Muth – another builder we invited to join DG at this event
•    Ken Parker
•    Jason Kostal – indeed Jason Kostal’s guitars are the highest form of artistry
•    Pellerin
•    Tim Reede and Raymond Kraut, both joining the DG Family as well
•    Ryan Thorell
•    Paul Beard
•    Linda Manzer
•    Michael Baranik
•    And many more.

A veritable cornucopia of fine guitars. Some that have remained etched in my memory are:

Cris Mirabella’s arch top in black with maple accents:

mirabella archtop

Randy Muth’s guitars all have an amazing and unique voice:

Muth guitars

Julian Gaffney, currently apprenticing with Ervin Somogyi, built a stunning guitar that I played for some time and truly enjoyed:

julian gaffney and boys

There’s always a big amount of laughter as well, like when Tom Ribbecke decided to probe Kent Everett’s new Petite Model guitar:

kent_everett_funny

But this is just one room at the show. I stepped out the door and into the stage/bar area where there is constantly amazing music being played. All day long there are demo concerts and feature concerts and talks by prominent builders such as Bill Collings, Tom Ribbecke, Michael Gurian, Ken Parker, John Monteleone and Roger Sadowski.

panel of greats

Ear candy everywhere. A short walk across the drive and you enter the secondary room which houses a lot of tonewoods, Luthery tools and a fine display of guitars including multiple Grit Laskin guitars featuring Grit’s fabulous inlay work and two rare Steve Klein Electrics from the Jeff Doctorow collection (see photo below). Jeff is a good friend and fellow Jersey Boy.

John Slobod and his Circa guitars were also here in this room and he and I got a chance to sneak to a back office for some serious tasting. He had two small body guitars with him and each a cannon in its own right. He does things with Maple that are amazing, a lush full voice that’s even prettier than the insanely figured set of wood he actually traveled to Germany for. A few friends joined us as well so I got to hear the guitars from out front and in the driver’s seat and they are masterful.

Another great thing about shows like Woodstock is that it gives me the chance to touch base with Luthiers about what they’re seeing in the business in general. Most everyone has felt an uptick in 2014 with sales increasing. That coincides with what we have seen in the shop as well. Particularly high-end guitar sales have greatly increased in 2014. From where we sit, 2015 looks to be a great year for guitar makers and of course that means for guitar players. With instruments like this being crafted by great people with passion, we should all have plenty of inspiration to make our music for the world.

Below are a list of makers whose guitars we brought back from the show. Contact us here at Dream Guitars for more information:

•    Randy S. Muth
•    Keystone Guitars
•    David MacCubbin
•    Raymond Kraut
•    John Osthoff
•    Bernie Lehmann
•    Kevin Pederson
•    Tim Reede

Following are a few of the cool & unusual sights from the show as well:

Pellerin Harp Guitar:

Pellerin Harp

Jeff Doctorow’s Steve Klein Guitars:

jeff doctorow kleins

Lehmann Tiger Maple Bridge:

lehman tiger eye maple bridge

Manzer Unfinished Guitar:

manzer unfinished

For more information on the Woodstock Invitational Guitar Festival, please visit their official website.

(Clive Carroll has toured with Tommy Emmanuel and Michael Manring, visit Clive’s site for more information.)

We had the absolute pleasure of having Clive Carroll at Dream Guitars for a house concert back in February…and we took full advantage of our time with him before the show!! Clive was gracious enough to perform some of his amazing tunes and provide a handful of lessons for our viewers.

clive1

“I have the great fortune as the owner of Dream Guitars to often have the chance to be in the company of some of the world’s top guitarists. I am always amazed at the extremely high level of play they achieve and of course it’s because they put the hard work in on the techniques that often elude mere mortal guitarists. Well here’s a look at a few distinct techniques and riffs that are very doable for everyone, if you just take the time it takes and have fun with it. Challenge yourself to play something new today, something you’ll learn from one of the very best Clive Carrol.” – Paul Heumiller

clive3

The grouping of videos include amazing performances of “Autumn Leaves” and “Black Moon” as well as four mini-lessons covering the Plectrum Technique, a great blues riff, a right hand exercise, and a lesson on thumb/finger independence.

Click here to view all six Clive Carroll videos.

clive4

About Clive Carroll:

Soon after graduating from London’s prestigious Trinity College in 1998, Clive was given the opportunity to play at a gig with UK guitar maestro John Renbourn, who, on hearing him play, immediately suggested that Clive record an album. So one year later, Clive was working away in the studio, recording his first album ‘Sixth Sense’, which was greeted by press and audiences alike as something of a breath of fresh air in acoustic guitar circles. The album’s 2000 release didn’t go unnoticed by mentor and friend John Renbourn, either, because the pair spent the next two years on tour together in Europe and the United States.

In the meantime, Clive would occasionally return to playing classical repertoire, recording the ever popular ‘Canon’ by Pachelbel for BMG/RCA Victor in 2002. His next solo album, ‘The Red Guitar’ appeared in 2004 and this time it was guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel’s turn to invite Clive to tour with him. After a jaunt across Australia together, the pair continued to perform all over the world. The collaborations with John Renbourn continued, meanwhile, and 2005 saw them work together on the Sony Picture Classics film ‘Driving Lessons’ which starred Julie Waters and Harry Potter star Rupert Grint.

After years of travelling with guitar giants Renbourn and Emmanuel, it was time to go solo and so in 2006 Clive embarked on a series of tours under his own name, accepting an invitation to appear at the highly regarded International Guitar Night of America along the way. All the time, the buzz concerning this young virtuoso began to grow ever louder…

So, with barely time to draw breath in between working on side projects like tutoring at the Irish World Music Centre in Limerick, playing at events organised by the likes of film director Guy Ritchie and Michelin award-winning chef Jean-Christophe Novelli and travelling to the Middle East to play at the Strings Of Freedom concert for the Sultanate of Oman, work began on Clive’s third solo album, ‘Life In Colour’. The result is a roller-coaster ride of six string virtuosity that takes the listener from the dusty roads of ‘Mississippi Blues’ one minute to the wide epic open space of ‘Oregon’ the next.

One thing is for sure; ‘Life In Colour’ represents a milestone both in the career of a remarkable musician and the music world in general.

For more information, please visit his website.

 

 

 

A while back, guitar great Al Petteway sat in front of the camera at our showroom in Weaverville, North Carolina, just outside of Asheville, and gave us all a lesson on how to play his own composition, “Tennessee Mountain Rag,” which is included on the “Dream Guitars, Volume 1, The Golden Age of Luthiers” CD and tablature book.

For the lesson, Al plays a Tippin Al Petteway Signature Model with Brazilian Rosewood and Moon Spruce, built by one of the great luthiers in the United States, Bill Tippin of Tippin Guitars.

“In this style of music, everything is out there to be had,” Al explains when discussing his writing method for this song, which taps into many other tunes and progressions in the genre, and the way he puts it all together to make it his own. This is songwriting, folks.

Al also details his chords as well as a cool “chicken picking” technique that he uses for a neat walk-down. He also details optional rhythm choices, which he points out are reminiscent of the style of Chet Atkins. He also shows you a neat lick he learned from listening to Atkins.

You can watch the video here on our Dream Guitars YouTube channel. The “Dream Guitars, Vol. 1” CD and complete book of tablature is available in our online store. All of this and more is available in the online shopping cart.

You should also visit his website at www.alandamy.com to learn more about Al Petteway, his wife, Amy.

The pleasure of owning your very own Dream guitar — Tippin, Traugott, Martin, Laskin, McConnell or any other instrument from our collection or from one of your lucky finds — can only be ensured with proper care and maintenance… and that starts with the right case. Get into one today!

Dream Guitars has a solid collection of outstanding guitar cases from trusted brands including Main Stage, Hoffee and others.

How about a little primer on exactly which guitar cases we have to offer, shall we?

First off are the magical Main Stage cases, which are comparable to Calton Cases, another popular brand. In fact, Main Stage was founded by two former employees of Calton and these guys remain true to the quality and care that helped make Calton a big name. Now they’re doing it on their own and the Main Stage brand has earned an excellent reputation for superbly made, professional grade hard-shell fiberglass touring cases for stringed instruments. Each case is handmade for your exact instrument, featuring custom fit, color and finish.

We order all of our Main Stage cases with Thinsulate thermal padding and granite finish. Custom Order prices may vary.

Another of our most popular cases is from Hoffee…. you won’t be disappointed.

“We are very proud to offer Hoffee Carbon Fiber cases,” our own Paul Heumiller is proud to tell you. “They are light, super strong and worthy of holding your Dream Guitar.”

Hoffee cases are priced right and the strong, lightweight, carbon fiber cases are custom Made in the USA. Hoffee is proud of its state-of-the-art mission, from the materials to the process itself.  The carbon fiber shells are stronger and lighter than other wooden, ABS (plastic) or fiberglass cases.

Dream Guitars offers custom sizing and an array of colors, allowing 4-6 weeks for delivery. Check out our store — where we also have cases from Cedar Creek, Colorado and Ameritage for sale — and contact us for details. If you’re in the area, stop by the shop in Weaverville, NC, just outside of Asheville, and explore.

As you may have noticed, bottleneck slide guitar great Steve James spent quite a bit of time at Dream Guitars in our Weaverville, NC, studios back in May, when he came in for a house concert here.

He took time out of his schedule to demo several National Resophonic guitars and perform the classic song, “Guitar Rag,” widely regarded as the first slide guitar song ever recorded (1923).

He also sat down in front of the camera to talk about his life in music; click here to check it out on our YouTube channel. Steve recalls his first records (a collection of Lead Belly 78 RPMs he got the age of 4), his first guitar (a 1963 Gibson J-50) and his early days in New York City studying under such greats as Freddie Lewis and Stan McGee. He also points out the importance of the lessons he learned listening to the unique techniques of Blind Willie Johnson and the alternate tunings of Muddy Waters and Bukka White, some of the unsung heroes of the bottleneck slide blues.

He wraps things up talking about American blues music, calling it “our great export… this is what we offer to the world. People love our music and love to listen to it.”

This video is brought to you by Dream Guitars, proud to be a National Resophonic dealer… and a good friend of Steve James! Contact us today to get your very own National steel! Visit www.stevejames.com for more about Steve!

In many ways, Dream Guitars is not just about buying and selling amazing stringed instruments. Sometimes, we help make music. In fact, we feel that the Tony McManus album, “The Maker’s Mark: The Dream Guitars Sessions,” may have been our finest moment.

Here’s how it all went down…

A few years ago, Dream Guitars’ top dog Paul Heumiller was at the Swannanoa Gathering, which included a week of playing, meeting other musicians and generally having a blast with amazing music in the background. There, Paul met the Celtic steel-string legend and the two hit it off in a big way. As the week drew to a close, Paul made Tony an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“Next time you make an album,” Paul said, “let me know and I’ll bring a bunch of [Dream] guitars.”

Tony called a few months later, and Paul quickly found himself loading up the car with 19 guitars before driving out from Weaverville, NC, to Nashville, Tenn., and the famed Compass Records recording studio, where all of the Outlaws music was recorded, a studio that had welcomed Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Hank Williams.

“What a great vibe,” Paul explained.

For a week, Paul prepped guitars and Tony made music with several guitars, including a Greenfield, a Wingert, and a Matsuda, among others, which he selected not only because of the sound but that Tony believed that each luthier’s guitar was the right instrument for a specific song and its character.

The result of this magical week was Tony’s album, “The Maker’s Mark: The Dream Guitars Sessions.” You can find the album in our Dream Guitars shop by clicking here. “Maker’s Mark” is also available on Amazon. Paul feels strongly that this is “one of the finest solo guitar records ever” because of Tony’s expert selection process.

Each unique musical piece brings tonal variety. For the final track, “Valse de Belugas,” or “Waltz of the Belugas,” Tony used all 19 guitars and added a beautiful, 12-string Veillette Gryphon.

For the record, Acoustic Guitar Magazine has said this about Tony and his music: “Few guitarists can present Celtic music with the gusto and nuance they possess when played on fiddles or bagpipes. Tony McManus is one of those few.”

The album won the Canadian Folk Music Award in the solo instrumental category that year, and we at Dream Guitars remain as proud now as we were then.

Tony has also just released his latest recording entitled “Mysterious Boundaries.” You can check it out by visiting Tony’s website.

Our own Paul Heumiller recently sat down in front of the cameras to talk about one of Dream Guitars’ favorite builders, Jordan McConnell of McConnell Guitars (and the Grammy-award winning band, The Duhks) for a video interview.  You see, Paul is not only has a savvy eye when it comes to great luthiers and their instruments, but also sees things from the mindset of a player. In fact, he’s a proud owner of a McConnell and shares his feelings about that fine, custom made instrument with the viewer. Paul makes clear the guitar’s ability to bring out the music and sound he feels inside, a rare trait for any custom instrument.

McConnell builds rich-sounding and versatile instruments in both steel string and classical models at his shop in Winnipeg, Canada, on the fringes of the Canadian Prairies. McConnell became enamored with the construction of guitars at a young age and has studied with famed Spanish luthier, Jose Romanillos, gaining a valuable education in the work, the craftsmanship.

Among his customers: Tim Sparks, an award-winning fingerpicking player, jazz greats Larry Roy and Harley Card, Seth Avett of the Avett Brothers and Irish player John Doyle.

So, Paul sat down in our Weaverville, NC, studio, to talk about this fine luthier, who works with his father on the construction of the guitars. As a builder, Jordan McConnell has become a hot name and his work is in demand. While we do not have currently any in stock, Dream Guitars is accepting orders for his custom builds. Paul will personally work with you to ensure you get what your music deserves. Contact us to discuss the possibilities.

Considering a McConnell now? You may also want to check out this video of Jordan McConnell at the Dream Guitars headquarters a few years ago, offering an exclusive performance. We also have several other video samples of various McConnell guitars on our YouTube channel as well as the Listening Studio on our home page.

Special thanks to Dan Crapsi and Ginny Temple, who visited our shop and filmed this interview for their blog, thegoodguitar.com.

Singer-songwriter Danny Ellis has had an interesting life to say the least. After growing up in an orphanage in Ireland in the 1950s, Danny found music and it saved his life. He began his professional career as a trombone player with “The Boyne Valley Stompers,” a Dixieland band touring Ireland. From there, Danny expanded his horizons, his singing and playing and started a diverse musical career that has taken him all over the world as a trombonist, keyboardist and guitarist as well as a professional songwriter.

Flash forward to today and Danny is opening for for many musicians, including the great Bonnie Raitt for her recent show at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. Bonnie is a great fan of Danny and his music and personally invited him to fill the opening slot.

Danny now maintains a studio in Asheville, NC, just down the road a spell from our Dream Guitars headquarters in Weaverville. We have built a solid professional relationship with Danny and he granted us some of his time to record a lengthy video interview with our own Paul Heumiller to talk about singing, songwriting, musicianship and his latest role as a teacher, which he conducts out of his studio in person as well as on Skype. In fact, Paul himself has spent plenty of time learning from Danny, studying the finer points of singing and songwriting. Paul considers Danny a mentor and a friend as well as a teacher. You can get more information about Danny’s teaching career and how to become a student by visiting his website and checking out his lessons page (www.dannyellismusic.com/musiclessons.cfm).

We have two videos on our YouTube Dream Guitars channel, one the full-length interview (22:28) and a short highlight reel of the same (5:31). Check them both out, then take a trip to Danny’s site, where you can read about his history, his discography, find links to his Facebook and YouTube pages as well as learn more about his teaching methods and how to contact him for lessons.

When Steve James spent time with us at Dream Guitars just before his rocking house concert performance at our Weaverville, NC, offices, not only did he demo several amazing National Resophonic guitars, he also taught us all a lesson in bottleneck slide playing the legendary “Guitar Rag.”

Your moment of musical history for today: Sylvester Weaver’s “Guitar Rag” is recognized as the first recording of slide guitar. That was way back in 1923, though Steve’s classic style is more than simply reminiscent of the period.

Now you can learn a thing or two from James himself right here at our YouTube channel, study the master’s moves and styles. There is an awful lot of information here and you’ll be able to apply what you learn as you progress as a player. Steve takes the time to demonstrate basic hand placement, string contact, touch, pick technique, vibrato, chords and more as he teaches the viewer how to play like a pro.

Steve James is world-renowned as an expert slide guitar master, not only touring and recording his own material and but acting as a sideman for such legends as Bo Diddley, Kinky Friedman, Buddy Guy and John Hammond. For more information and cool stuff, visit Steve’s homepage… after you learn how to play “Guitar Rag” his way — arguably the best way!

We host a number of events here at Dream Guitars. Just one of our many ways to give back to the community and share music with others who are passionate about it. We welcome you all to come join us at a House Concert, Guitar Clinic, Setup Saturdays and other events throughout the year. Come visit Dream Guitars and the wonderful Asheville area!

INFO

Loren and Mark in Concert!

Sunday, July 7 @ 7 pm

Pre-Show Pot Luck @ 6 pm

Tickets $20, Reservations required

About Loren and Mark

Loren Barrigar and Mark Mazengarb, both virtuoso players in their own right, ran into each other several times over the years, first meeting in 2005 at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch guitar camp when working with Tommy Emmanuel. Loren was a seasoned player making his first deep foray into the world of acoustic guitars, while Mark was in the process of finishing his degree in classical guitar at the University of North Carolina. They met again in 2009 at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society (CAAS) convention in Nashville, Tenn., and then they were late additions to the CAAS 2010 Saturday night finale performance lineup based on what the gathering of international guitarists had heard from them during the week. You can see part of that performance here.

Together, Loren and Mark run the gamut of acoustic guitar performances of both original and arranged music. With a background of bluegrass, jazz and Western styles, their thumb-picking technique harkens back to guitar greats such as Atkins, Merle Travis and Jerry Reed. When performing original compositions, Loren brings amazing vocals along with Mark’s stunning harmonies.

They have already recorded two albums together — the first of which won the 2011 SAMMY (Syracuse Area Music Awards) Best Album at the Northeast Music Industry Conference — and have been touring as a duo since 2011. For more on Loren Barrigar and Mark Mazengarb, visit their website http://www.lorenandmark.com.

Reservations required for all events, please email [email protected] or call us at (828) 658-9795.

How it works….

  • Come join us at 3 pm and bring a dish to share and a bottle of your preferred beverage. It’s always a wonderful array of treats!
  • Show starts at 4pm and performers play two sets with an intermission to mingle and meet the artist!
  • Guitar demos available in the shop before and after the show.

Future Concerts/Clinics

Paul Asbell, Mr. Versatility on Guitar, August 3

Clive Caroll, From England! February 28 (7 pm)

 

Last month, Dream Guitars hosted the great Steve James for the latest house concert at our Weaverville, NC, headquarters… and the house was rockin’.

Steve played Sylvester Weaver’s “Guitar Rag,” widely recognized as the first slide song ever recorded (1923). Throughout the show, Steve played his own National Resophonic instruments, including a Resorocket Wood Body WB, an NRP Black Rust and an RM1 Mandolin. He also toured our showroom and selected a few guitars from the racks to use during the show: a 1964 Gibson Sunburst SJ-200 and a Mervyn Davis SmoothTalker, a wood body instrument that that has a resonator-like quality.

Steve also wowed us with a version of “Stagger Lee,” re-written from the perspective of Stagger Lee and his John B. Stetson hat. Incredible!

Dream Guitars hosts about six house concerts a year and in the past has hosted many amazing artists, including Al Petteway and Amy White, Woody Mann, Martin Simpson, Clive Carroll, Lawrence Juber, Paul Geremia, Robin Bullock and Mary Flower to name a few.

Our next show is set for July 7 with the amazing duo of Loren and Mark. Other upcoming guests include Paul Asbell (August 3) and the return of Clive Caroll (Feb 28).

Check out our Event Calendar for more information on our house concert series.

Here at Dream Guitars, we discovered early on that one element of selling world-class guitars online was missing for our online customers: the sound. We then became perhaps the first online dealer of guitars to offer sound samples by recording every guitar we have in stock, played by any number of our favorite friends. In fact, we made every effort to use snippets of the same song for each guitar to give customers a great point of tonal reference.

If you are a fan and frequent visitor, you are no doubt familiar with, “The Crossing,” written and performed by Al Petteway and included on the “Dream Guitars, Volume 1” compact disc. In effect, it has become our unofficial theme song. In fact, we’ve noticed that many clients come into the showroom outside of Asheville, NC, and play snippets of the very same song they had heard on this site. Kind of cool on the one hand, but very telling on the other.

As a result, we have put together two videos: one with Al performing the piece, the other with a full-blown lesson from Mr. Petteway, complete with detailed instructions on how to play “The Crossing” from the composer himself. The videos are available on our Dream Guitars YouTube channel.

The “Dream Guitars, Vol. 1” CD and complete book of tablature is available in our online store. All of this and more is available in the online shopping cart.

You should also check out the world of Al Petteway at his home website at www.alandamy.com.

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(scroll down to download audio and tab)

Frequent visitors to the Dream Guitars website will be familiar with the excellent playing on the classical guitar demos of David Stevenson. In addition to being a skilled guitarist, David is also a superb classical guitar instructor, and an adjunct faculty member of the University of North Carolina at Asheville since 1987 and at Clemson University since 1994.

Just in time for the holidays, David has graciously provided this lovely arrangement of traditional music for the enjoyment of us all.

David explains:

Renaissance Christmas Medley

This lighthearted Christmas medley was inspired by the well known Tanz (dance) by Georg Fuhrmann.  I first encountered the piece in the 1970’s from the series of period books by Frederick Noad, this one from the Renaissance collection. The melody is also now part of the Suzuki Guitar repertoire.

Tune the 6th string to “D” and for the majority of the piece you simply play the open 6,5 and 4th strings as the bass.  In “I Saw 3 Ships,” an “A” chord appears at the end of the 3rd and 4th lines and I accomplish this with a partial bar on  the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings.  You have to be careful to leave the 1st string open here.

On the final line of the piece this repeated bass pattern is replaced by dotted 1/2 notes.  Beat 2 on the final line has the stem pointed downwards, but the note is played with the “i” finger. You may want to repeat the final line.

Enjoy! and Merry Christmas!

David Stevenson

Click here for audio.

Click here for the transcription and tablature.

 

 

Frequent visitors to the Dream Guitars website have no doubt noticed our recent fine classical guitar demos, all compliments of one extremely talented guitarist, David Stevenson. David is both a skilled performer and an immensely gifted composer. On May, Arise Stevenson and percussionist River Guerguerian collaborate on a engaging set of music that showcases  instrumental mastery, as well as great emotional depth.

May, Arise by David Stevenson with River Guerguerian

The songs have a transcendent uplifting quality that sound contemporary and immediate, while simultaneously conjuring images or the ancient and arcane; no mean feat indeed! Guerguerian’s skillful performance, featuring a wealth of global percussion, supports and enhances the material wonderfully.

For guitarists, David Stevenson’s playing is an inspiration. Technically brilliant, the sound of his custom Abe Wechter guitar propels May, Arise with skillful execution from the very first track to the CD’s extremely satisfying conclusion. We highly recommend this very fine CD! For more information about David, and to purchase May, Arise please click here.

Check out the following clips:

1) Eastern Anthem

2) 11/8

3) Bulldozing for Zen

4) Resolution

Dream Guitars is extremely pleased to have a player of David’s high caliber to demonstrate our nylon string instruments. Look for more information about David, including video lessons and performance video in weeks to come!

The talented Mary Flower stopped by Dream Guitars recently and spent the afternoon playing some of the fine guitars we have in stock. Mary plays a great combination of roots music, including ragtime, acoustic blues and folk. If you like these videos, be sure to check out Mary’s website for upcoming gigs, and information on her albums and instructional DVDs.

Steve James is a well known name among devotees of contemporary acoustic folk and blues; this notoriety based on numerous critically acclaimed recordings, a tireless international tour schedule and a sheaf of published work including articles, instruction books and videos. His instrumental versatility (on guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, guitar-banjo) also makes him a favorite at music camps and workshop programs.

Recently Steve stopped by Dream Guitars and played some of our great vintage and custom-made guitars.

Everyone knows that Al Petteway is an extremely fine guitarist, but what you may not know is that he is also an excellent guitar teacher. In this video Al instructs how to play  his  original tune “Tennessee Mountain Rag”. If you live in the greater Asheville area or just visiting, Al is available for one-on-one lessons that are sure to inspire. Give us a call anytime — we’ll be happy to schedule a lesson or two for you!

Canadian luthier Jordan McConnell dropped by Dream Guitars last week and sat down for an interview with our own Paul Heumiller. For those who don’t yet know, Jordan is building outstanding, versatile instruments that are in high demand. As a touring professional guitarist with his band the Duhks, Jordan understands the needs of the guitarist, and his instruments deliver on all fronts.

Large Accessory Box

All of us at Dream Guitars are huge fans of the Paul Reed Smith line of Private Stock acoustic guitars — and we’re not alone. These are great sounding instruments with exceptional playability. And now, we’re thrilled to bring you the newest addition to the line, two exceptional new signature models for guitar legends Tony McManus and Martin Simpson.

“It’s an ironic thing to say about such a beautiful instrument but it becomes invisible- leaving the player to concentrate solely on the music- which is what it should be all about. The Tony McManus signature model is based on the Angelus model but with the PRS wide fingerboard. The bridge and fingerboard are in ebony, and the Private Stock wood choices are pretty spectacular. The guitar is capable of going anywhere I’m capable of going musically. It works beautifully as a solo fingerstyle guitar but if I need to flatpick, it’ll go there too. It’ll accompany songs, tunes…whatever I need…tuned high and tuned low, gently caressed or driven hard,” said Tony McManus.

PRS TONY McMANUS ACOUSTIC GUITAR

PRS TONY McMANUS ACOUSTIC GUITAR

Tony McManus Private Stock Acoustic Specs

Tony McManus Private Stock

Tony McManus Private Stock


Shape 15 1/2″ Cutaway
Bracing PRS X-brace/classical hybrid
Back and Side Woods Cocobolo
Top Wood European Spruce
Neck
Neck Wood Mahogany
Fretboard and Bridge Wood Ebony
Strength Rod High-Modulus Carbon Fiber
Inlays Mammoth Ivory J Birds
Hardware
Nut Bone
Nut Width 1 3/4″
Saddle Bone
Tuners Proprietary Robson Hand-Machined Tuners
Tuner Buttons Ebony
Electronics
Electronics PRS Pickup system

MARTIN SIMPSON PRS ACOUSTIC

MARTIN SIMPSON PRS ACOUSTIC

“The new Martin Simpson signature model guitar is simply the result of the PRS team being truly attentive to the feedback of a player. I have felt privileged to be able to tell them what I think will make a better guitar for great acoustic playing, and they have listened to my input from materials to neck width and string spacing, pick up sound and inlays….and when the last model arrived, I was blown away by the results. The new signature model is entirely the best materials, and the specs which I asked for, presented in a deluxe version. It is a great instrument made by people who care and strive always for the highest standards in tone, playability, workmanship and aesthetics.” – Martin Simpson.

Martin Simpson Private Stock Acoustic Specs

MARTIN SIMPSON PRIVATE STOCK

MARTIN SIMPSON PRIVATE STOCK


Shape 15 1/2″ Cutaway
Bracing PRS X-brace/classical hybrid
Back and Side Woods Cocobolo
Top Wood Adirondack Spruce
Neck
Neck Wood Mahogany
Fretboard and Bridge Wood Ebony
Strength Rod High-Modulus Carbon Fiber
Inlays Green Abalone J Birds
Hardware
Nut Bone
Nut Width 1.81″
Saddle Bone
Tuners Proprietary Robson Hand-Machined Tuners
Tuner Buttons Ebony
Electronics
Electronics PRS Pickup system

Click here to hear examples of Tony’s amazing playing on the Maker’s Mark CD!

Here Al demonstrates his radical new extended technique to Tony McManus.

Here Al demonstrates his radical new extended playing technique to Tony McManus. (Not recommended for beginners!)

Since 1991, Warren Wilson College has hosted The Swannanoa Gathering. For those who haven’t heard of it before, The Swannanoa Gathering is a series of week-long workshops , where attendees can learn about  and participate in a multitude of different folk arts.

Of course our favorite part of the Gathering is Guitar Week — which this year runs from July 25 through the 31st. Boasting an incredible staff of world class musicians and teachers, Guitar Week has something for every eager acoustic guitarist.

Our very own Al Petteway, who is the coordinator of Guitar Week, is doing an exciting series of classes called “Standard Tuning As An Open Tuning”. His classes are always very fun and extremely informative. Al Petteway also selects the rest of Swannanoa’s  instructors to ensure that the quality of instruction is at the highest possible level.

Tony McMannus doing what he does best.

Tony McManus doing what he does best.

Other notable luminaries lending there talents include the incredible Tony McManus, Vicki Genfan, Adam Rafferty, and Robin Bullock. They offer everything from courses on Celtic Flatpicking, to Acoustic Guitar: Percussive & Rhythmic Techniques. Truly something for everyone.

Dream Guitars will be there in full force too — showing off, what else, the best guitars in the world! We welcome everyone to come and visit us, and play the amazing creations we showing off.

We love to get out of the shop and rub elbows with our fellow musicians — to be part of the community, and to help foster guitar awareness whenever we can.  I hope to see you there.  It’s going to be a great time!

Hello,
Well after a nice stint out on the west coast where I got to spend a few weeks in the Somogyi shop I finally had to bite the bullet and head home. It’s undeniably winter here in Winnipeg and I have my shop all bundled up with the heaters cranked and the humidifiers going full blast. When it’s -50 c there isn’t a lot to do outside so I’ve been surfing the internet and found a cool video of Seth Avett (of The Avett Brothers) playing a guitar I built for him on the Craig Ferguson show.

The guitar is one of two I built for him last year. Both Koa back and sides with spruce tops and ebony appointments. It turned out to be a really fun project as he wanted some very interesting inlays…

The skull is made from spalted maple with koa rings in the background and gold mother of pearl music notes for teeth. The moth is mostly brazilian and madagascar rosewood, with some spalted maple and ebony in the wings. The eyes on the wing are mother of pearl and abalone. The maple leaf is spalted maple with a cocobolo stem.

Cheers,
Jordan

duhks.com
mcconnellguitars.com
McConnell Guitars
Winnipeg, Canada
(204)334.4528

Sean Avett

Sean Avett

McConnell Guitar

McConnell Guitar

McConnell Guitar #2

McConnell Guitar #2