008 - Making of a Mule and a Tonewood World Tour

Acoustic Tuesday presented by http://tonysacousticchallenge.com

Bob Taylor was kind enough to document his travels as he flew across the world... no joke... the entire world, and checked out wonderful examples of proper forestry and sustainable wood initiatives. This video series has it all. Ever wonder what Koa looks like in a forest? Bob covers it in Hawaii. Are you curious about what the furniture industry is doing to use wood more responsibly? Bob reports on that in Vietnam. Bob also touches base with the Ebony mill that he started in Cameroon. This is a wonderful, almost necessary peek into where the wood used on our beloved instruments comes from and offers wonderful perspective on what it takes to grow and properly harvest this wood. In the series Bob and his crew go to some pretty wild, far-reaching places... places you have to see to believe.

Series Introduction: https://youtu.be/FIKYmZuMt6c
Guatemala Quick Clip: 0:19 - 1:43 https://youtu.be/3SaafoQuqco
Ireland 0:41 - 1:31 https://youtu.be/Bmv2RIIOrpc
Entire Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIa-kz_oNaiTYa5ZWKYsKSML5eEAIQKu6

Mesa/Boogie has started their jump into the acoustic realm and they are doing it in style with the Rosette 300 Acoustic amp, as well as the Rosette Acoustic DI. These two pieces make up Mesa's first wave of products in the acoustic world. I must say I was a bit skeptical, but after putting both pieces through their paces, my skepticism changed to curiosity, which quickly developed into great respect for both of these pieces and their finer points. The tone shaping capabilities of both the DI and the amp are remarkable, and while it will take some time to dial in a good tone, the time will be well worth it because that tone will be mighty fine. 

Rosette DI: http://mesaboogie.com/amplifiers/acoustic/pre-amp-series/rosette-preamp/index.html
Rosette 300 Amp: http://mesaboogie.com/amplifiers/acoustic/pre-amp-series/rosette-preamp/index.html
Rosette 300 Amp Review: https://youtu.be/PgZuCny2i6s
Rosette DI Review: https://youtu.be/_zfSiwKQK8E

What I'm currently listening to: If you happen to be a sucker for harmony-laden acoustic music then what I am listening to this week will surely rattle your bones. The Honey Dewdrops are a husband and wife folk duo that have an outstandingly organic sound. And their harmonies... my oh my. The voices each of these two have are rich and powerful by themselves, but when added together I'm pretty sure it becomes a superpower... and I'm talking comic book stuff here. The Honey Dewdrops album that I am currently spinning is called Silver Lining. It was released in 2012 and the music truly feels timeless. The track that has me mashing the repeat button is called "No More Trouble." The banjo, the voices, the haunting modal sound... let's just say this song has it all, and you need to be aware of these acoustic superheroes. 

Band Website: http://www.thehoneydewdrops.com/
Song, "No More Trouble": https://youtu.be/1OyCeEIMvk4
Album, "Silver Lining": http://amzn.to/2ytpaRr

Dress up your thumb for the dance with the Dunlop Zookies thumb pick. So often with standard straight blade thumb picks a certain squeaky or scraping sound occurs. This sound isn't intentional by any means, the function of the straight blade counteracts the movement of your thumb when fingerpicking... or at least the natural action of my thumb... Enter the Dunlop Zookies thumb pick, this thumb pick has an angled picking surface (your choice of a 10, 20, or 30-degree angle) to limit the squeak and scrape, and also allow the picking motion to be smooth and frictionless. I found out about these by checking out Jerry Douglas' gear list on his website. After trying them at one gig some years ago, these are my go-to thumb pick for dobro (I like the M-20), and I have found they work quite nice on guitar as well. 

Purchase Link: http://amzn.to/2yWHiPz
Product Page: https://www.jimdunlop.com/product/z9002m20-7-10137-00716-1.do?sortby=ourPicksAscend&page=6&refType=&from=fn

A fly on the wall watching a Mule take form... No, this isn't a foray into poetry. I found two videos from Matt Eich and the folks at Mule Resonator guitars that document the process of building Charlie Parr's newest reso. Not only can you see the process (which was shot beautifully), but you can also see Charlie's reaction to getting the guitar. You can tell by watching him play it that he really enjoys this newest addition to his guitarsenal. It is remarkable to see the work that goes into one of these beautiful instruments and equally amazing to see the reaction of the artist for whom it was built for. 

Building process - https://youtu.be/ruEE4iK5j9s
Charlie's reaction - https://youtu.be/O2PI0kbvdlk
Mule review - https://youtu.be/q9c6TxKxsB4
Charlie Parr Interview - https://youtu.be/hfeFYzsVuyI
Mule Resophonics Homepage - http://muleresophonic.com/