news update

Lots of little things going on have kept me far from the website, despite my best intentions. Had a very fun weekend of shows and a masterclass in the LA area during last weekend of March, and I’m already planning a return visit.
I also acquired a tricone resonator and I’m in the process of finding a way to have it refretted in just intonation…more craziness to follow!

time with old friends…

One of my least favorite things to do is traveling with a guitar; I am an adamant advocate of carrying it on whenever possible, or at the very least gate-check it, and the Calton Case I use for peace of mind is far from being an ideal solution for airport schlepping, if you catch my drift!

Granted, there are times when I just *have* to take an axe along – for instance if I’m flying to a gig. Since leaving Nashville in 2006, though, I’ve elected to leave at least one of my guitars at my family’s home in Italy, so that whenever I come for a visit I can keep up the practice regimen as well as play the occasional show. My 1993 Ragghianti has been “living” there pretty much ever since, as I’ve used a cedar/cocobolo McGill as my main squeeze starting in the spring of 2007.

Fabio Ragghianti is a terrific builder from Pietrasanta, just a couple of hours south of Genova. The guitar was originally built for my first teacher Armando Corsi in 1993, and I acquired it as my first “serious” classical in 2001. Its main characteristics are stunning looks (curly spruce and birdseye maple), a warm and fundamental tone, and a neck roughly the girth and heft of a baseball bat. I remember being completely captivated by its smell, feel, and overall character when I first played it in a local music store, where it was held on consignment: guitaristic love affairs often involve more than one of our senses.

Continue Reading…

happy holidays!

Merry Christmas and happy new year everyone! 2010 seems to be shaping up nicely already, with a few shows in the works and hopefully more to come.