Sounds great, you're a natural! Really good for your first tune. I actually picked up a banjo about a year ago too. Went with the Goodtime banjo on an impulse purchase...realized later I should've bought a resonator and upgraded a bit to a Gold Tone. Looks like you made a good choice with the Goodtime 2. I think they're really nice to play and they hold tuning better than some expensive banjos I've played.

I ran across this guy's video a bit ago and I really like the lick he teaches around 2 minutes in the video

It's been one of my favorite G licks that looks flashy up the neck but it's actually not too bad to play. Hope you keep posting some good banjo videos after you learn some more.

Cheers, Devin! I'd say the years of fingerstyle guitar definitely make it way easier to play banjo and that's pretty much all I played for the first 4 or 5 years of my guitar-playing life. The trickiest thing was getting used to the fingerpicks, but the alternating roll, for example, is very easy when you come from a folk/blues fingerstyle background. Still, it's one thing to have fingers that can move relatively fast, being able to create decent sounding music with them is completely different... That bluesy G lick is awesome — definitely going to try it out once I get home!

I like the Deering — it definitely has no problem staying in tune or keeping in tune up and down the neck and that's obviously one of the most important things with any instrument. The tone is pretty good too, but it's the first and only banjo I've ever played so I don't really have much to compare it to!

Worried Blues recorded at home and thanks to Devin's arrangement.
Cheers Devin 🙂
https://clyp.it/user/v430ztit

Love it! Thanks Justin! Your vocals in this one have an influence that I can't quite put my finger on. Sounds great. Really like your style you added to it. Still picking with the Bluechip CT55? I just ordered a Bluechip TAD-3R with the 55 thickness. Kind of curious about how the rounded edges will sound on the mic. I'll keep you posted.

Have a good week -

Lovely stuff Justin. Sounds divine. I want to see the guitar thought!

My Martin HD28v

Thanks Devin and Alex for your very kind words.

I play a Martin HD28v as pictured above, it's my pride and joy, although I'm also lucky enough to also have a D18.  Both are lovely but totally different sounds which I love.

I'm still using the Blue Chip pick, took me a few weeks to get used to it, but I wouldn't be without it now.  Certainly has a unique sound to it and feel.

Thanks again Devin, love the site and I'm enjoying playing more than ever. 😀

Those are a couple of beautiful guitars. The D-18 looks like it might be a Golden Era model. Really nice.

Hi Devin it's a D18e Retro with the Fishman F1 Aura electrics.  It sounds amazing.

My love of Martin's came from my late dad.  He always wanted one but sadly could never afford one.  He had instead a very nice Yamaha which I now have too.  When I was 40 I decided to save up and buy my hd28v for my birthday and to remember my father by.

The D18 came this year as I'm playing live more and needed to play through a PA system.

Both guitars are lovely acoustically and I play both very regularly. 😀

Hi Justin. I haven’t logged on for a while, so I’ve just seen your photos. You have two beautiful instruments but the HD28v looks amazing. It has a really nice vintage sheen to it. Did you buy it new or second-hand? That thing can only sound better with time. And considering how it sounds now, imagine it in 20 years of so...

well done!

Haven’t logged in for a couple of weeks and sadly notice that no one has posted any more playing videos for a while! Come on folks, time to catch up! I’m just as bad though, far too busy with work and the rest to practice!

Hi Alex,  sorry for the late reply. My hd28v is 1995.  I love it, it's plays and sounds amazing.   You are right guitars just get better with age.

What guitar do you play?

Hi Justin,

just seen your reply after several weeks. I have a Blueridge BR180 and now a Martin D15. I bought the Martin out of curiosity on eBay after watching Devin’s videos and I must say that it sounds incredible. A lovely dark woody tone compared to the crisp highs of the Blueridge. I have just had an LR Bagg Anthem SL installed in the Blueridge which sounds great on the AC33 Roland amp. With the setting on 3/4 mic side (1/4 piezo) it reproduces the tone of the guitar very well even at high volume.

I’m taking a break from CGO during the summer months as I won’t have much time to practice, but will be back in late autumn. By then, I’m sure Devin will have posted even more lessons. You just can’t keep up with him...

I’ll leave you all with my latest attempt at Early snow by Tom Paxton on the Baggs amplified BR. I learnt it by watching Tom’s videos and messing around with easy chords. No lessons so it might not sound perfect. This is a good one to practice hammer ons and pull offs and sing along to a ‘sleepy’ tune.

See you all here at CGO in about 6 months!

Alex

Oh, and this one played on the old D15. Nice walkdowns on this old JD’s tune.