Shredding, Shaker~style
By Beth Friedman-Romell
SHAKER LIFE | SPRING 2014 71
Scene
in Shaker
Thus began my descent into guitar
geekdom. From the hours I spent researching
body types, woods, neck profiles and the like,
you would have thought I was planning to
purchase a guitar factory. At last, I bought an
inexpensive steel-string Alvarez and started
taking lessons from my next-door neighbor,
Phil Hughley, who as a student at Onaway
composed the Onaway School Theme Song
back in the 1980s. Phil is a fine musician and
producer – so good he moved to Nashville a
year after I started lessons.
Shaker Life editor Rory O’Connor
recommended his guitar teacher, concert
artist Robert Gruca. After about five seconds
in Bob’s studio, I answered the siren call
of my first love, classical music, and found
myself agreeing to play in Bob’s adult
student ensemble.
Those with GAS find solace by connecting
with others who have the disease. I discovered
that the ensemble was in fact a wonderful
support network of Shaker residents likewise
afflicted. One member, Chris Weaver, let me
play his short-scale Hippner guitar to see if I
liked it. (The technical term for this is enabling.)
Another member, Bob Towns, builds guitars
in his home (we call this self-help). A third,
Ed Round, plays duets with me on occasion
(known as co-dependency).
But playing classical repertoire on
a steel-string is technically awkward and
sounds terrible. The idea of buying another
guitar, a nylon-string, so soon after the first
filled me with guilt, so I turned to Craigslist
in search of a bargain. I found what I thought
was a good deal, a used nylon-string for
around $100. Hooray!
I soon regretted the purchase. The guitar’s
intonation was bad, the neck wasn’t straight,
and the trebles sounded only marginally
better than rubber bands on a cigar box. I
was bringing down the sound of the whole
ensemble. Some would argue that this was
because I didn’t know how to play, but I knew
better. I needed a new guitar.
This time, I did my homework. I went
to every guitar store in a 60-mile radius,
and played whatever nylon-strings they had
in stock. I listened to YouTube recordings
and memorized whole chapters of Guitar
for Dummies. But the classical guitar market
is very small, with limited choices if you’re
This virus does not discriminate – it affects
all ethnicities, young and old, male and
female. I am afflicted with GAS – Guitar
Acquisition Syndrome.
In the early years, my infection went
undetected due to my long battle with pianitis,
or the delusion that I could become a concert
pianist. I suspect I picked up GAS as a teen,
when my brother sold me his electric guitar for
$75. This instrument lay dormant in its case for
decades, with the occasional exception of the
college-stairwell jam session.
My GAS symptoms finally emerged at
age 40, when I decided to get me a guitar and
learn how to make it talk. I rationalized that
I needed to accompany myself when leading
services at my synagogue job, but really, I just
thought it would be cool to shred.
on a budget. I bought a reliable Yamaha – a
“workhorse” student guitar.
“This will be my last guitar,” I promised
my husband.
That is, not including the three student
guitars I purchased for my younger son. And
not including the amplified vintage Cort,
which I needed…well, so I could play amplified,
which does come up once every year or two.
And the amp for the Cort. And a better amp
for the Cort. Then I was done. Absolutely.
Except….
My playing improved. I tackled more
complex pieces. But the Yamaha was
holding me back. It was too quiet. The
G-string was “plasticky.” And it was too big
for my small hands.
I needed a new guitar.
Surreptitiously, I began saving. And
I began laying the groundwork with my
wonderfully patient spouse, casually
dropping phrases like “630 mm scale length”
and “rosewood back and sides” into dinner
conversation. Most important, I smiled
and nodded every time he brought a new
computer component into the house.
I traveled by car and Internet to classical
guitar stores all over the United States. I
made repeat visits to Armin Kelly’s Guitars
International here in Shaker. I haunted the
classical guitar message boards, making new
friends with small hands all over the world.
Finally, I took the plunge and commissioned
Washington State luthier Darren
Hippner to build a guitar to my specifications.
When the huge box arrived last year I was
terrified. What would it sound like? How
would it feel in my hands? I love my guitar. It
sounds great, and helps me play better and
longer. I am convinced it is my last guitar.
Unless I decide to get a carbon-fiber
travel guitar, with a pickup and a cutaway...
you know, for travel! After all, I don’t want to
risk damaging my Hippner...hubby, are you
reading this?
At present, GAS has no cure. While
most cases are non-fatal, the severe form of
the disease has been known to wreck family
finances and even marriages. The best advice
for sufferers is to seek out a partner with a
co-morbid condition, such as CAS (Computer
Acquisition Syndrome) – and enjoy making
music together. SL
I suffer
from a
pernicious
illness.