I just have to share an amazing time I had last night. My bud (and fellow Collings forum member) Scott E. and I went over to our friend Ritchie’s place for an eating, drinking and guitar-picking extravaganza. Soon after we arrived Ritchie broke out with frozen pilsner glasses and some amazing Bar Harbor Lager Beer….

We took the 5 guitars that we brought out of their cases and gig bags and lined them up. A beautiful sight it was. I brought my ’64 Gibson J-50 and my recent Collings all-mahogany OM3. Scott brought his ‘30’s Gibson all-mahogany L-00, his Lowden O-10 cedar/mahogany and his Collings OM1SS. Ritchie has 3 olds Guilds formerly owned by Al DiMeaola. One dreadnaught, one jumbo and one 12 string...all stellar.

As far as the food…. With the help of some fresh toppings Scott brought, Ritchie made these two amazing homemade pizza’s. One pie had fresh smoked mozzarella, roasted red peppers, spicy Italian sausages and a homemade red sauce. The other had fresh roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, a bit of bleu cheese, Gorgonzola and smoked mozzarella cheese. The wines were stellar! With the more traditional pizza we drank a great bottle of Red Zinfandel from Santa Barbara County, which was peppery and stood up to the spiciness of the one pie. With the white pizza we drank a great bottle of California Chardonnay, which was crisp and not too oaky or overly buttery like so many domestic Chardonnay’s are. The wines matched the food perfectly. Soooo good.

After dinner in addition to playing some tunes and jamming a bit we put each of the guitars through the paces. What was most interesting was listening to Ritchie play each of the guitars. Ritchie is a pretty slamming jazz guitarist who can play all in styles. It was so interesting how we would hand him one guitar and after a few seconds of noodling and getting a feel of it he would gravitate to playing a tune in a style that seemed to perfectly match the guitar he was playing. It was like the guitar was guiding him as to what style to play.

After playing all the guitars and after listening to the other two guys play all the guitars, by the end of the evening you can really start hearing the differences and nuances of each. If I had more time I’d give a report on the individual guitars, but I just don’t. But if anyone has any specific questions, I’d be happy to give you my impressions.

What we agreed on was that there was not a dog in the bunch and that each guitar had it’s own voice and strengths…and some of the individual guitars were better matches to our individual playing styles.

Like the pizza’s…each guitar shared some traits but each had it’s own personality and voice...all were yummy! I guess we all had our favorites. And like the wine we paired with the pizzas…the matching of the player’s fingers, skill and soul to a fine instrument…that’s where the magic is.

It was just so much fun to hang out with good friends and enjoy some of the nice gifts of life. I just thought I’d share.

Happy New Year to all!

Dave

www.myspace.com/davemurphy
www.murphyworld.com

Dave,

Sounds like a memorable evening, for sure. Thanks for sharing. I'm listening to "Chasing Ghosts" from your MySpace page right now, and that's fine as well. Nice video, too. Where'd ya'll get the Bar Harbor brew: I used to live down the street from the brewery and could buy it in the local stores when I could afford it. Is it sold in Jersey now? Cheers!

B

BEER, WINE, PIZZA, FRIENDS, and COLLINGS......Does it get any better? ...wait....where were the ladies...oh...a...oh...never mind!!!!

B- It's funny that you mentioned about the Bar Harbor...Scott and Ritchie were saying just that...that it's hard to get it even up there. Scott may be able to chime in...him and Richie are the beer guys, I know both of them go up to Maine quite often. That's the first time I had it...it had this subtle blueberry thing going on...really nice. Oh and thanks for the kind words about my music.

JW- Yes, at one point last night...someone said..."what else could you ask for?" and there was a pause and someone else (I beleive it was me) said...."except for the naked woman!".

Not to be alarmed ladies...I love you with your clothes on too.

Yeah man, it was just one of those nights where it all clicked...just good livin'!

Cheers!

Sounds like a great night. My first "real" guitar was a '64 J50. And what you said about the guitar's sound guiding you toward a style is exactly right for me, 'cause that's what I do with mine. In my bluegrass band I play a CJA. In my swing/rock/country group I play an OM1A ss cutaway, and, as of last month, a Collings I-35 deluxe. And that pizza.....fuggitabbodit!

Well, how can I NOT chime in on this. I was there! As a player, guitar geek, hophead and total foodie, it was indeed stellar. Let me correct Dave, though, it was I who made the pizzas, NOT Richie. Richie rolled out the dough, I created the toppings, laid on the magic and worked the oven!;-)...

The other things Dave said were all true. It was a blast listening to what the guitars "wanted you to play." All of the guitars held their own and truly began to define their tone and character clearly as the night went on. Of particular interest, was Richie T's Guild Dread, an early 80s model designed by George Gruhn (Sitka/EIR). A Bluegrass cannon that landed somewhere between a Collings & Martin Dread.

Dave's 64 J-50 was a mellow beauty that I keep reminding him he can never sell. I was thrilled of how my '34 Gibson L00 held up against all those bigger guitars. That thing has major mojo, pure soulful Americana. My Collings OM1ss (Podium) was a winner in clarity and balance (I recorded most of my new one down in Nashville with it), and has me seriously re-thinking selling it...

As for the beer. The Atlantic Brewing Co. makes several stunning beers that ride the perfect balance of tradition and new world flavor. Their famed Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale has just started popping up here in North NJ, for which I feel blessed. Especially since up until last year I couldn't even find it in Portland, Maine (about 3 hrs from Bar Harbor). And here's the beautiful part: it's in my 'hood for 7.99 a 6-pack, and I usually buy it up in Maine for 9.99!

fyi: Richie T. is a world-class mix engineer, composer for tv and an ace dough-roller. (and a bad-a** player to boot).

It's all a reminder that owning guitars like we do and enjoying them with like-minded folks, making some good music - in good health - is a real gift. I wish it to all...

Dave,

Very nice stuff on your My Space.... very cool.

I'm down here in Atlantic City in the shadow of the casinos! I'll try to get up and catch one of your shows....

I have wonderful guitar friends in Brick. We have small guitar gatherings much like the one you described. They really are a joy.

Take care,

Norman Draper

Ah thanks Norman. It would be nice to meet you so yeah, come on out to a show.

What's in your guitar arsenal? Speaking of Arsenal...any Gunner fans out there? I'm a yank who loves the beautiful game.

Back to guitars, music, friends, wine, food...no matter how you slice it, those gatherings are just plain old good livin'!

Cheers.

Dave