We Got A Name

When I asked you, the fiercely loyal and remarkably attractive readership of Riverside Green, to pick my guitar for our Jim Croce cover, you were decisive in your answer. Fifty-seven percent of you wanted to see the Ovation. Your wish is my commmand, of course.

There's nothing particularly commendable in my performance here --- I'm dead tired from nearly continuous travel and work, I have a cold that makes me even squeakier than normal and causes me to wheeze slightly --- but Patrick, on the other hand, really delivers on this one. He's pretty close to spot-on with the original studio bass track. It's a solid bitch to play and he truly deserves a better partner for this song. I'll work on it. In the meantime, I encourage you to listen using headphones or a real stereo system so you can hear Patrick's Tele-bass work.

Plugged into my PA, the Ovation is predictably bright/clear even with the decade-old strings that came on it when I picked it up in Bellefontaine, OH in March of 2013. It needs a tiny bit of a setup, as there's a shortage of relief down the neck. But the five-piece neck is a pleasure to hold and play. I've included a contemporaneous review of the guitar below.

Thanks, all of you, for voting. And for picking the Ovation, too. I have more of a history with the brand than I'd like to admit. I played an Applause deep-bowl bass during a fairly difficult year of my life, and I wrote some of my first songs on a red Celebrity six-string. Just another part of being a child of the early Seventies, I suppose...