~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<The Acoustic Guitar Wire<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Welcome to the Acoustic Guitar Wire No. 16
2. News and Notes
3. New at Acoustic Guitar Central
4. Birth of the Dreadnought
5. Win Autographed Copies of Peter Case's Beeline
6. Hearing Health and Chord Resources on the Web
7. Highlights from Upcoming Issues of Acoustic Guitar
8. Barenaked Ladies Larrivee Giveaway
9. Great Books from String Letter Publishing
10. Win a Free CD!
11. Halloween Jokes
12. A.G. Wire Archives
13. Contact and Unsubscribe Info

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to the Acoustic Guitar Wire No. 16

Enjoy the latest acoustic music news, information about
happenings online, advance notice of special offers and
giveaways, and previews of new publications from String
Letter Publishing. You'll also get tips and advice about
guitars, gear, and playing, plus a few jokes and the chance
to win a guitar, gear, and other great prizes.

This newsletter is best viewed in 10-point Courier. Our
hyperlinks are formatted to be "hot" in most mail readers.
If your reader doesn't support click-through linking from
email, just cut and paste the URLs into your Web browser.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News and Notes

Treasures Untold: Unique Collections from Devoted Fans, a
new exhibit at NashvilleÕs Country Music Hall of Fame,
showcases ten personal collections compiled by ardent
country music fans. Highlights of the exhibit include a
1950s home movie starring the Louvin Brothers, Minnie Pearl,
June Carter Cash, and Roy Acuff; a bedridden fanÕs daily log
of Bob WillsÕ 1940 radio performances on TulsaÕs KVOO; a
collection of famous pickersÕ picks; and a 1924 Lloyd Loar
Gibson mandola. The exhibit ends in May 2003.

For the second year in a row, Zac "Mr. Magnet" Monro has won
the Air Guitar World Championship held in Oulu, Finland.
Monro, a London, England, architect, took home a handmade
Finnish "Flying Finn" electric guitar. For information or to
enter next yearÕs competition, go to http://www.omvf.net.

California Lawyers for the Arts will hold two music business
seminars in November in Santa Monica (November 16) and
Oakland (November 23). Topics include promotion, Internet
issues, and other legal and business aspects of the music
industry. For information, go to
http://www.calawyersforthearts.org.

Acoustic Guitar editor Simone Solondz will be temporarily
leaving the magazine to pursue another project. She is
expecting her first child in December and will leave A.G. in
the capable hands of managing editor/guitarist
extraordinaire Scott Nygaard. Teja Gerken, Andrew DuBrock,
and Nicole Solis will stay on as gear editor, music editor,
and assistant editor. Solondz has worked for Acoustic Guitar
since July 1991 and has been editor since July 2000.

Frequent A.G. contributor Michael Simmons is co-editor (with
Jason Verlinde) of the new periodical The Ukulele
Occasional. The small book-like UO includes tributes to
ukulele legends, lessons, histories of various instruments,
interviews with modern-day players, and plenty of wacky
photos. The debut issue explored the mainland uke scene and
covered such players as Tiny Tim, Roy Smeck, and Cliff
Edwards. The next issue will focus on the ukulele in Hawaii.
For information about ordering or advertising in the UO,
visit http://www.ukemag.com.

Hal Leonard recently released Best of Lennon and McCartney
on DVD as part of its Signature Licks series. The
instructional video features Acoustic GuitarÕs music editor,
Andrew DuBrock, who walks viewers through signature Beatles
licks in such classic tunes as "Across the Universe," "And I
Love Her," "Blackbird," and "Dear Prudence."
http://musicdispatch.com

Guitar Talk is the online discussion forum at the Acoustic
Guitar Central website. For the past year or two, folks who
have been meeting in cyberspace to chat about guitars,
making music, and all sorts of stuff have been gathering to
play music together in real time. Read more about the events
and post your own in the Gigs, Workshops, and Gatherings
forum of Guitar Talk.
http://www.acousticguitar.com/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New at Acoustic Guitar Central

Excerpts from the December issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine
are now available online. Read our interview with newgrass
superstars Nickel Creek, check out the latest CD reviews,
and get tips, advice, and insights from the pros in the Q &
A and What They Play sections. See the latest at
http://www.acousticguitar.com.

Just in time for the holidays, Rick Ruskin transcribes a
Christmas classic for fingerstyle guitar. Find this and
other great lessons at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/lessons/lessons.shtml

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Birth of the Dreadnought

Vintage Guitars: The Instruments, the Players, and the Music
is the first pictorial reference work to offer guitar
enthusiasts, players, and collectors an opportunity to
explore the eventful, perpetual give-and-take between
musicians and instrument makers that produced America's
popular music and its quintessential instrument. Here's a
selection from Richard Johnston on the first dreadnought
guitars.

What is a dreadnought? The name was first used by C.F.
Martin and Company, who borrowed the title from a British
battleship launched in 1906 with the ringing phrase "Trust
in God and dread nought." In the days before fighter planes
and heavy tanks, the HMS Dreadnought was the most formidable
piece of movable fighting machinery known. By World War I,
around the time the dreadnought guitar was designed, the
word referred to the heaviest class of battleship. But to
guitar pickers in the 1930s and Õ40s, the word dreadnought
meant a big, loud Martin flattop guitar. Though much of C.F.
MartinÕs reputation is the result of these behemoths, the
dreadnought story actually began several years before Martin
added this guitar shape to its line.

In the period between 1910 and the onset of the Great
Depression of the 1930s, Martin made instruments for several
other companies to sell under their own brands. One of the
largest of these contract accounts was with the Oliver
Ditson Company, a music publisher and instrument dealer in
Boston with branches in New York and Philadelphia.

Usually only small details of trim distinguished MartinÕs
contract instruments from those sold with the Martin brand,
but Ditson guitars and ukuleles had a unique body shape.
Harry L. Hunt, manager of DitsonÕs New York City branch,
suggested a design for the Martin-made Ditsons that was
characterized by a shallow curve at the waist instead of the
almost figure-eight shape of a traditional guitar. By
enlarging the pinched waist, this more rectangular shape
allowed greater air volume, thus producing more bass.
Today this original Ditson shape can be seen on any D-size
Martin with a 12-fret neck, but the wide-waisted shape was
also used in two smaller-sized guitars and even in ukuleles.
The guitars were available in a size called "standard"
(smaller than a Martin 0 size), a larger "concert" version
(similar to MartinÕs 00), and "extra large," the size known
at Martin from the beginning as the dreadnought. This extra-
large Ditson was 15 5/8 inches wide with sides 4 7/8 inches
deep in the lower bout--more than a half inch longer, wider,
and deeper than MartinÕs largest existing model, the 000.
The early specifications for Ditson models included mahogany
backs and sides and fan bracing for the top, instead of the
X-pattern top bracing Martin was using almost exclusively by
this date. Despite the odd choice of top bracing, the
earliest dreadnoughts were strung with steel strings. As a
result of their weaker fan bracing, most surviving examples
of the earliest extra-large Ditsons have needed extensive
restoration to the top.

The two smaller-size Ditson guitars sold fairly well, but
the extra-large version must have been too far ahead of its
time, as only about a dozen were built before MartinÕs
production of all Ditson models was discontinued in early
1921. Harry Hunt later asked the Martin company to make the
plain version of the largest Ditsons again, and 19 more were
shipped, including one in 1923 for the "Wizard of the
Strings," Roy Smeck. These later Ditsons carried both the
Martin and Ditson stamps, with Martin serial numbers, and
were X-braced. The Oliver Ditson Company was sold in 1931,
bringing the Martin/Ditson collaboration to an end, with the
last Ditson dreadnought completed in 1930.

For more information on guitar history and lore, check out
"Vintage Guitars"
http://www.stringletter.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Win Autographed Copies of Peter Case's New Recording!

There's always a good discussion about guitars, players, and
acoustic music going in the Guitar Talk forums. Register to
participate and automatically get a chance to win a free set
of autographed copies--one album (yes, album) and one CD--
of Peter Case's new release, Beeline.

Get the details when you sign up today at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the Web

H.E.A.R. (Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers) is a
non-profit organization created by ex-punk musician Kathy
Peck and physician Flash Gordon to educate musicians and
music lovers about the dangers of excessive noise. The
organizationÕs website, http://www.hearnet.com, provides
useful information on tinnitus and hearing loss and
protection, as well as lists of audiologists, earplug
manufacturers, and hearing health organizations.

Chordbook (http://www.chordbook.com) offers guitar players
yet another excellent chord reference site. ChordbookÕs
unique interface allows users to virtually strum each of the
more than 1,000 preset chords and inversions. Adventurous
players can even create and play back their own chords on a
virtual fretboard or use the tuner function to tune their
guitars to standard tuning or a number of common alternate
tunings.

Get more when you subscribe to Acoustic Guitar every month.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Highlights from Upcoming Issues of Acoustic Guitar Magazine:

Our January issue will be hitting the newsstands in
early December. Highlights include:

-- An exclusive interview with psychedelic rocker turned
country bluesman Jorma Kaukonen, profiles of classical
guitarists John Williams and Dale Kavanagh, and some in the
studio insight from acoustic producers Gurf Morlix, Jerry
Douglas, and Malcolm Burn
-- Editor and contributor picks for the best CDs of 2002
-- Six new guitar cases reviewed

In February, we'll talk about George Harrison's innovations
in acoustic guitar with the Beatles and transcribe his
acoustic demo of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." We'll also
review new acoustic amps and beginning DVDs, teach you how
to build jazz solos from blues scales, and interview
flatpicker David Grier.

Keep an eye out for our March custom guitars issue!

Are you looking for more basic guitar instruction and
advice? Got a friend or family member whoÕs just starting
out? Then pick up a copy of the second annual edition of
Play Guitar! magazine, from the makers of Acoustic Guitar.
The issue includes advice on getting started, finding people
to play with, choosing gear, and practicing, as well as easy
lessons and songs to play. Pick it up in early September at
your local bookstore or newsstand.

Don't miss out on any of these great features! Subscribe to
Acoustic Guitar today. Sign up online at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/service/service.html#subscribe
or call toll free (800) 827-6837.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enter to Win a Barenaked Ladies Signature Larrivee!

The grand prize winner will receive a Larrivee L-03E
acoustic-electric guitar, complete with Fishman electronics
and hardshell case, plus the signatures of Steven Page, Ed
Robertson, and the rest of the world-famous Barenaked
Ladies.

To enter the contest and see the grand prize package, go to
http://www.acousticguitar.com/giveaway2/1stqual_bnl/index.ht
ml

To meet some of our previous giveaway winners, go to
http://acousticguitar.com/giveaway2/winners/index.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Available from String Letter Publishing

CHRISTMAS SONGS FOR BEGINNING GUITAR
by Peter Penhallow

Christmas Songs for Beginning Guitar provides beginning
guitarists with an opportunity to practice and reinforce the
techniques theyÕve learned in The Acoustic Guitar Method,
Book One including single-note melodies in open position,
basic downstroke strums, and simple chords.

By listening to the recordings on the companion CD and then
using the transcriptions, students add to their repertoire
such traditional, easy-to-play favorites as O Come All Ye
Faithful; Jingle Bells; Joy to the World; God Rest Ye Merry
Gentlemen; and We Three Kings.

Christmas Songs for Beginning Guitar, 1-890490-53-9, $9.95

Learn more at http://www.stringletter.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Win a Free CD!

We're giving away a free CD of acoustic guitar music to the
contributor of the best music joke or gig story each month.
To enter, simply send your favorite music joke or anecdote
about a gig from hell to mailto:jokes@stringletter.com. Be
sure to include a mailing address in case you win. We'll
award a new prize with each edition. Here are some Halloween
jokes suitable for trick-or-treaters of all ages (Acoustic
Guitar does not vouch for the level of humor in any of these
jokes).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Halloween Jokes

What does a blues player's ghost sing?
"I didn't wake up this morning..."

What's a mummy's favorite kind of music?
Rap.

Why don't mummies play guitar?
They become unstrung too easily.

What song do warlocks serenade their girlfriends with?
Witchy Woman.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back issues of the A.G. Wire are available online at:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/wire_archive/index.shtml

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Send news, comments, and requests:
mailto:agwire@stringletter.com
Copyright (c) 2002 String Letter Publishing. All Rights
Reserved. You are welcome to forward this email to your
friends. Other reproduction in whole or in part in any form
or medium without express written permission of String
Letter Publishing is prohibited. Acoustic Guitar Wire and
the respective logos are trademarks of String Letter
Publishing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~