Loose Change

What has four strings instead of six and really big "tighteners" on the headstock but isn't a guitar? That's right -- a bass. The excellent Guitarz blog came across this listing on eBay, which proves that I am not the most uninformed person in all of Guitardom. The seller apparently thought she had quite a rare guitar since it only had four strings. I like the prospective buyer who asked if he could get a one-third discount since this guitar didn't have six strings ...

I'm still amazed by what you can find on youtube. My dad referred me to these videos of Texas bluesmasters Lightnin' Hopkins and Mance Lipscomb performing live and there are many more. These two both have nice close-ups of the finger-picking, including Lipscomb using a pocketknife for a slide and working with two fingers bandaged together on his right hand ...

Suggested reading: Jim Normandy, one-time hippie commune kid turned big-time banking executive, now is in the guitar-making business.This Portland Oregonian story (thanks for the picture) says his beautiful aluminum guitars are starting to catch on with bands like My Morning Jacket and Eagles of Death Metal. They come in different colors and finishes and have a reputation for good sustain ... In a bad economy, what's the market for vintage guitars like? The Los Angeles Times says it's still expensive -- even six-figure expensive -- even though there are bargains to be had.