Benford, podcast and picks

It's been a while since I updated this blog. There just never seems to be enough time. I'm trying to play as much guitar as I can. That includes a weekly acoustic session and a monthly open mic at the local pub. That gets me playing, but I need to find time to work on songs in between.

The big news is that I finally had a custom guitar built by Steve Benford. It's a modified Telecaster with a few special features. I'm really enjoying it and it was a pleasure working with Steve even though it was all via email.

I cover some of the details of this guitar in my latest podcast. It's taken me about a year to get around to episode 3, but I wanted to keep it going and will try to do more this year. This episode includes the latest song I wrote. I'm hoping some friends will contribute so it's not just me rambling on.

I intend to continue with writing songs. I have a few ideas I need to work on.

A while back I noticed that I had a lot of guitar plectrums around the place. I only use a few of them, but they do look nice, so I have stuck them along my shelf above the desk. There's about 30 of them now. This latest piece was contributed by someone at the acoustic session. The Foo Fighters ones came as a set bought at the Milton Keynes gig last year.

I've started a group on Tsu for people to swap picks. It's yet to really take off. I have offered to send people money from my Tsu bank to cover their costs and will also donate to charity. I have built up a fair bit there and want to make use of it.

I've also been doing a little bit of guitar repair on behalf of a friend who runs a charity shop. Some of the guitars that get donated need a bit of work. It's fairly basic stuff like stringing them up, replacing bridges and tuner buttons. All useful experience.

I'll try to update this blog more often. A few comments may encourage me ;)

Radio Guitar

I may have mentioned that I listen to a lot of podcasts on my long drive to work. I listened to the radio in the past, but got bored with that. I went through burning podcasts to CD to playing them from my phone once I had a way to plug it in. I listen to shows about music, science, technology, comedy and other assorted shows that take my interest.

Since the demise of the mighty +Six-String Bliss: The Guitar Podcast I have sought ways to fill the guitar-shaped hole. Some of the community members have been inspired to start their own shows, so I listen to:

• From Where We Stand - Rhod and friends talk about songs they love
• alfalfasprout69 Rantcast - Alfie talks guitars
• Ashbrooke Music - Larry interviews musicians and gear builders

None of these could be called regular, but the guys are doing them for fun when they have the time.

There are also a few others that I've found:

• The Pickup Radio - +Joe Bonamassa talks about music and guitars he loves
• The Guitar Channel - Interviews with lots of the greats
• The Guitar Podcast - A one man show sharing his experience
• The Double Stop - In-depth interviews with musicians and producers
• Inner Circle - +Bobby Owsinski interviews people from the music industry
• Sodajerker - Interviews with songwriters
• Home Studio Corner - Recording tips
• Fretboard Journal - A 'boutique' podcast?
• Boss Tone Radio - More interviews

There are probably more. A few I've listened to are no longer active, but you may be able to find archives out there. There's probably enough to keep you busy for years.

I only just learned about the one from GAK. Will check it out soon.

Update 25/11/14: I've also started listening to the show from Wampler Pedals. They tend to ramble off-topic, but it's fun.