Colter Wall's guitar?

[joeld]

Cool song. The guitar hints at resonator tone to my ear.

[Stringmaster]

I'm a fan--especially his latest "Songs of the Plains" recording. Here's a great Podcast (as are all of Andy Hedges podcasts) where Colter talks about his influences, technique, his Martin, his tuning, and his related sound. If you want to skip to the guitar oriented discussion it starts around 17:50. I love the resonance in Colter's voice--he's even got it in his speaking voice.

https://andyhedges.com/cowboy-crossr...45-colter-wall

[Daion]

So no one knows what kind of guitar it is?

[stephenT]

He sets up his guitars like that, or a tech does. Every guitar I've seen him with has low action and (I assume) very little relief.

He's playing a Martin 00-15 (17?) in another video, same buzz, different guitar.

Colter Wall is the best thing to come around in a long while. The real deal and young. Great songwriter of an old folk tradition.

Here's that video. I love the sound he gets.

[madhat]

Originally Posted by stephenT

Colter Wall is the best thing to come around in a long while. The real deal and young. Great songwriter of an old folk tradition.

Agree.

When you consider all the lame music put out these days - it kinda bums me out a bit to see negative posts and comments that are so off the mark about such a young and talented artist...

to the op- not sure what this guitar is.
I saw Colter live not long ago and he looked to be playing a vintage 00-17.

madhat.

[stephenT]

Yes, this thread illustrates why I don't come here for the music reviews.

And the same folks complain that "todays music sucks". No, it doesn't, just takes some ears and an open mind.

Originally Posted by madhat

Agree.

When you consider all the lame music put out these days - it kinda bums me out a bit to see negative posts and comments that are so off the mark about such a young and talented artist...madhat.

[mikiekimi]

Originally Posted by Daion

So no one knows what kind of guitar it is?

It's buried in the thread, I think it’s a Vintage brand guitar - a Vintage VE440VB.

[madhat]

Originally Posted by stephenT

Yes, this thread illustrates why I don't come here for the music reviews.

And the same folks complain that "todays music sucks". No, it doesn't, just takes some ears and an open mind.

Indeed.

madhat.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by hat

What's Colter playing in this video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSYkikkitS0

This is one of his earliest videos, and I suspect it was the guitar he could afford. He later replaced it with a mahogany Martin.

[Joe Beamish]

I get it. But I'd much, much rather listen to Dylan's "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", which feels like an antecedent here.

[Drak]

It is in the earlier videos, this guitar.
But there are a few from a few months before these where he has the Martin.

In the radio interview he says the Martin was loaned to him for awhile.
Before he actually bought it.
So maybe that has something to do with it.

I find it amazing as I had been listening to him on several shows with the Martin before I found the shows with this Vintage guitar.
I was completely used to seeing him with the Martin when I stumbled onto these few shows with this guitar.
I immediately noticed it as sounding WAY different, really tinny and cheap in comparison to the throatiness of the Mahogany Martin.
Something about that Mahogany Martin and his voice that is just a total matchup.

Quick followup:
I don't know if some producer 'got' to him recently...
But the latest show he has out, the Austin City Limits show...
Seemed very different, very different.
There is a full backing band and the deep gravelly voice is gone.
Now, he sounds like anyone else.
Everything that made him stand out and sound original is gone in the ACL show.

[Silly Moustache]

FWIW, the "Vintage" brand is an entry level brand and this model is worth all of £250!

[johnnyba]

Originally Posted by parlorpower82

Not even sure why people compare the two. Tyler has an excellent voice and his guitar doesn't sound like a cigar box.

Plus his sound is more americana/folk/bluegrass. And it's authentic because he's from Kentucky.

This Colter guy is canadian and tries to pull off the Texas vibe. Idk just seems really fake.

Tyler is great but you are completely wrong about the rest. Colter is from Saskatchewan which is the northern plains on the other side of the border. They have cattle and rodeos there. What they don't have is massive cities like Dallas, and Houston. He's actually western and from a town with a population of less than 20,000. So this is pretty much like saying a guy with a cowboy hat from Montana is "fake." In actually being from a town of 16,000 on the prairie he's considerably more "authentic" than the average. I mean, how many cowboy hat wearing singers actually have been at a rodeo or cattle auction? You couldn't possibly be more wrong simply because most of his work is actually about Saskatchewan's history culture. That was the theme of his whole last album.

The interesting aside with Colter's "authenticity" is that his dad though retired now was the biggest politician in the province. So the wandering vagabond at odds with the law is pretty much entirely a self imposed legend. But at that he's hardly unique. I think growing up going to all those cultural events in a mostly rural province with a dad who had to know everybody is where his authenticity comes from. His music is all about where he's from.

[johnnyba]

Originally Posted by Drak

It is in the earlier videos, this guitar.
But there are a few from a few months before these where he has the Martin.

In the radio interview he says the Martin was loaned to him for awhile.
Before he actually bought it.
So maybe that has something to do with it.

I find it amazing as I had been listening to him on several shows with the Martin before I found the shows with this Vintage guitar.
I was completely used to seeing him with the Martin when I stumbled onto these few shows with this guitar.
I immediately noticed it as sounding WAY different, really tinny and cheap in comparison to the throatiness of the Mahogany Martin.
Something about that Mahogany Martin and his voice that is just a total matchup.

Quick followup:
I don't know if some producer 'got' to him recently...
But the latest show he has out, the Austin City Limits show...
Seemed very different, very different.
There is a full backing band and the deep gravelly voice is gone.
Now, he sounds like anyone else.
Everything that made him stand out and sound original is gone in the ACL show.

It's the same band he's been playing with for a while and to my ear they all sounded considerably more professional than they did previously at that show. He hasn't lost the deepness but his voice has a lot more range now and he never struggles to get the higher notes. He's getting really smooth with the high yodels. This is just what happens when you tour all the time. The rough edges start to smooth out.

I get it though. When performers rough edges smooth out they can lose some of the appeal they had at first and start to sound more slick. The same thing is going on with Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Marcus King, etc. Their newest work is a lot more polished and different from the grit they had at first.

[AgentKooper]

Originally Posted by johnnyba

Tyler is great but you are completely wrong about the rest. Colter is from Saskatchewan which is the northern plains on the other side of the border. They have cattle and rodeos there. What they don't have is massive cities like Dallas, and Houston. He's actually western and from a town with a population of less than 20,000. So this is pretty much like saying a guy with a cowboy hat from Montana is "fake." In actually being from a town of 16,000 on the prairie he's considerably more "authentic" than the average. I mean, how many cowboy hat wearing singers actually have been at a rodeo or cattle auction? You couldn't possibly be more wrong simply because most of his work is actually about Saskatchewan's history culture. That was the theme of his whole last album.

The interesting aside with Colter's "authenticity" is that his dad though retired now was the biggest politician in the province. So the wandering vagabond at odds with the law is pretty much entirely a self imposed legend. But at that he's hardly unique. I think growing up going to all those cultural events in a mostly rural province with a dad who had to know everybody is where his authenticity comes from. His music is all about where he's from.

Amen. I was about to post that there is no shortage of cowboys on the Canadian prairie. Interesting about his dad - I didn't know that. Anyway, I think he's great.