BLUES LINGO
BARE FRETBOARDS
HARP GUITAR STRINGS
PAXTON IN PRINT
GIBSON BRACING
I enjoyed October's offering of guitar and amplification lingo. I would have liked to see the glossaries go one step further into the mystifying world of blues lyrics. For example, what exactly happens when you get your "ashes hauled" or your "broom dusted"? Who is this guy John the Conqueroo? Is your mojo really connected to your hand? Maybe Mr. James could enlighten us.
Dave Parque
Susanville, California
The use of metaphor and double entendre to describe actions and things has always been common in blues lyrics. Sexual wordplay became especially popular during the early days of recording when the public wanted racy songs but the performers were enjoined from using graphic language in the studio. The sex/work metaphor is prevalent; the most common usage is a reference to "rolling." Literally, "rolling" is moving freight or materials from one place to another. It's repetitive, time-consuming work that requires strength and endurance to do well. Get it? Hauling ashes is what you do after cleaning out a stove or hearth prior to lighting the fire. This suggestive image was used by Sleepy John Estes when he sang, "You may starch my jumper / Hang it upside your wall / You know by that, baby / I need my ashes hauled."
Broom dusting is another metaphor entirely, and a poignant one. It refers to sweeping out a domicile before vacating it. (Landlords often ask departing tenants to leave the premises "broom clean.") The lyric, originally recorded by Kokomo Arnold, was modified by Robert Johnson, who sang, "I'm getting up in the morning / I believe I'll dust my broom . . . / The black man you been loving / Girlfriend, can have my room."
The "mojo" Muddy Waters sang about is an object that brings the bearer luck or power. These fetishes take many forms, a common one being that of a hand. Belief in the power of a hand-shaped charm to repel misfortune is ancient and transcultural. My mother inherited such a charm from her grandmother and hung it over my crib.
Another palmate object with special properties is the root of the mandrake plant. Long used to make a narcotic potion, it was, in medieval times, ascribed such power that a person who pulled it from the ground could go mad. Hence, mandrake was harvested by specially trained dogs who were tied to the stem of the plant and called from a distance. While some have likened this sorcerer's root to a hand, it is more often compared to a human form, with the stem as the head and the roots issuing from a central body like arms and legs. In parlance, this potent little fellow is called High John the Conqueror Root--or, simply, John the Conqueroo--and can be used in the preparation of a powerful mojo.
By the way, mojos and similar charms are still being made and can be purchased if one knows where to look. I've been advised that they can be valuable if used properly, but in the hands of the frivolous or merely curious, they can be downright dangerous. Superstition? Maybe so, but it's probably better to spend the money on blues records.
--Steve James
Why are the fretboards on acoustic and electric guitars traditionally left unfinished (with the exception of maple fretboards being lacquer-finished)? My fingers gouge into the fretboard, which eventually requires resurfacing. I have been using tung oil for several years on my rosewood fretboards with excellent results. It penetrates and protects the surface and is easily retouched. Will this practice affect the resale of a vintage or high-end guitar?
Alan Ratcliff
Mt. Sterling, Illinois
Aside from the fact that most guitarists prefer the feel of an unfinished fretboard, probably the strongest reason for not finishing fretboards is that the combination of string and finger wear will eventually wreak havoc with even the strongest coating. Also, finishing over the frets leaves an unsightly "snowdrift" effect next to each fret, while pounding frets into an already finished surface is any manufacturer's nightmare. Maple fretboards are finished despite these problems simply because raw maple is so easily discolored.
The tung oil you are using polymerizes to create a surface coating, but it probably isn't hard enough to actually prevent much wear. Unless the nails on your left hand are too long, my guess is that your frets are wearing out before you produce significant damage to the rosewood fretboard itself. Low frets, or frets with deep notches from string wear, force you to anchor the string into the fretboard to get clear tone. Thus it isn't your fingers that are causing the damage, but the vibrating strings underneath your fingers. Good, tall frets (and short fingernails) are the best insurance against excessive fretboard wear. Tung oil, by the way, can be removed with solvent and steel wool, so it shouldn't have any effect on the resale value of your guitar.
--Richard Johnston
I have recently acquired a Dyer harp guitar almost identical to the one pictured in Great Acoustics, September 1995. The one major distinction is that my instrument is made for five harp strings instead of six. What strings (gauges, brands, etc.) would be best for the harp section? (I am using extra-lights on the guitar neck.)
Dave Marant
Huntington Beach, California
There were never really any rules regarding the number of sub-bass strings on a harp guitar. Maybe when the Larsons were mounting the tuners on your instrument, the quitting-time bell rang just after one of them drilled the fifth tuner hole. As for tuning the harp strings, that's about as standard as open tunings, which is to say it's up to you. The last one I strung up was a six sub-bass Dyer. I tuned the harp set D C B A G F in descending order. The strings were an odd set from La Bella with gauges .056, .058, .060, .062, .064., .068.
The strings do get longer as the pitch gets lower, so you don't have to increase the strings' diameters as much as you do on a regular guitar neck. But take care not to use too heavy a string at too high a pitch; that could overstress the top and lead to damage. The factors to balance are tension and acoustic power; bigger strings will put out more sound, but at higher tension. The Dyers are reasonably robust, and the bridges have a lot of contact area, so you should be cautious but not paranoid. Experiment and enjoy; these are wonderful instruments that should be played, not just hung on walls.
--Rick Turner
Are there any Tom Paxton songbooks or sheet music available in the U.S.? I have only seen one book in Britain, and it is long out of print.
Jim Hall,
Devon, England
Cherry Lane publishes four books of Tom Paxton's music. The titles are Politics, Anthology, Wearing the Time, and Authentic Guitar Style of Tom Paxton.
--Michael Simmons
In your article on the Gibson J-200 in the May 1996 issue, you mentioned that after Norlin bought Gibson in the '60s, the company changed the bracing to a double-X pattern. How did Gibson brace the original J-200s? Are they still using the double-X system?
David Gilmore
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
To make matters really confusing, there are two radically different double-X top-bracing patterns in the long and convoluted history of the J-200. Starting in the early 1950s, the J-200 had a wide-angled X in the usual position below the soundhole, with another X pattern under the end of the fingerboard above the soundhole. This bracing was unique to the J-200, with other Gibson flattops of the '50s displaying a more typical single-X style of bracing.
The double-X I referred to in the article was a different pattern altogether--with an X in the usual position below the soundhole and the second X below the bridge. This pattern was shared by all Gibson's big flattops during the Norlin reign, starting around 1971. The 1950s double-X J-200 models are very highly regarded, while the '70s double-X Gibsons are considered a low point in the company's history.
The earliest SJ-200 models had more conventional bracing, with a single X in the usual position. Most had two diagonal braces below the bridge, though at least one had three. By the time the SJ-200 was in regular production, the braces below the bridge were not at an angle, but ran parallel to the frets. Since Gibson began making the J-200 again in the mid-1980s, the company has used a more Martin-like scalloped X-brace pattern with two diagonal braces below the bridge. I don't think any other guitar model has had more variations in top bracing than the J-200.
--Richard Johnston