Soul Serenade by Matthew Montfort (Scalloped Fretboard Guitar)

[mahajohn]

What gauge/brand of strings are being used here? I've long admired the Montfort guitar tone/style, at least since my high school days in the early 1990s.

[ancientfuture]

@mahajohn Thanks for the kind words! I'm using the following gauges: .095, .12, .18., .24, .32, .42. The closest you can buy is light D'Addario phosphor bronze set, but don't use the low E string, use the A string for low E and so forth, and then use a plain .18 for the G and a .095 for the high E.

[gabrielmacdonnell]

@ancientfuture Thanks for the tip. This is some of the most beautiful guitar playing I've ever heard. I bought your album "Seven Serenades" and haven't stopped listening to it for about a week!

[sandblastedXIII]

How can I scallop my fender cd 60 acoustic guitar? Any suggestions?

[jsparrowfan]

this is so beautiful.

[jsl209]

This is great, but sounds nothing like Soul Serenade. Sweet job though.

[ancientfuture]

@jsl209 Thanks for the kind words about my playing! I wasn't aware that there was a popular song called Soul Serenade when I recorded this. Instead, the title refers to the album that this was recorded for, 'Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar.' It is a collection of improvised serenades.

[jsl209]

Ah that makes total sense! Notable takes on this song are Aretha Franklin, King Curtis and Willie Mitchell.

My favorite though is by Derek Trucks, definitely worth your time listening to.

[ancientfuture]

@jsl209 I still haven't heard the popular song, so I'll check out the Derek Trucks version. Thanks for the tip!

[donnamariealba]

Wow! This is beautiful and his playing is so unique and beautiful.

[haladance]

Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

[widdymemmy]

Montford has a new solo CD, which is great. The history of the scalloped fretboard guitar is very interesting. John McLaughlin recorded on one & Matthew has been playing it since 1978. See his website for more info.

[widdymemmy]

Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful!!