Did James Best Really Play Guitar On Andy Griffith For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

Great advice, and good support (special thanks to Rikki !!!) for shipping to France of this wonderful guitar at very attractive price ! Trembesi wood is so beautiful in his Blood Moon finish and the perfect finition gives a perfect playability ! But I advise anyone who wants to buy it to see before the Richard's video about comparison between Venus (Concert shape) & Neptune (Mini jumbo shape) Faith guitars : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqfxmW0pl0o Because, mainly due to the shape and compact size of the body, venus sounds very very clear. just a little bit to much for my ear. Combined with the compact shape what I love, sound of venus is good for me, especially in finger picking style but it could lack depth for others , mostly in chords play! So be carefull before to buy it online (without test of it before)…Anthony C.

What a Guitar! I got my first guitar 7 years ago which was a Faith Venus (Naked) and I have enjoyed every moment of learning with it. I have wanted a BLOODMOON ever since seeing it and thought I would never own one! Was so blown away by its appearance when I opened the hard case! Absolutely flawless finish and extremely happy with the grain in the trembesi on my guitar! Just looks so so good! Took it out the case and played a bit of Tom petty,it put a right big smile on my face 😁 sounds just as good as it looks. So much guitar for the money. They look good in the pics but in real they look even better 👌🏻 Thanks PJE and GAK for a really easy shopping experience and for making an average guy very happy 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻Dale S.

The Guitar: This is an exceptional guitar for the money; it’s stunning in appearance and an absolute joy to play. The attention to detail, the solid AAA grade timbers and the tasteful embellishments could easily be compared to a Martin or Taylor pitched at two to three times the price. The top, back and sides are solid Indonesian trembesi, a beautifully grained, rich coloured hardwood which has a unique mellow tonal quality similar to mahogany, but with brighter, more distinctive highs. The guitar has superb resonance and sustain and the overall sound and build quality is that of a high-end instrument. I bought this as I’d read reviews that it was a good all-rounder for fingerstyle and strumming and it’s not disappointed on either front. The on-board ‘Shadow’ electronics are exceptional for a guitar at this price point; however, the built-in tuner, whilst accurate, has notation so small, it’s virtually unreadable from more than a few centimetres, even with glasses. However, this is my only gripe and, in time, I‘m sure I’ll become familiar with the LED readout and positioning, so the notation will become inconsequential. The FVBMB has a solid mahogany neck; Macassar ebony fretboard, bridge, heel and headstock façades; flamed maple bindings and Indian ebony bridge pins. The colourful abalone rosette and gold Grover tuners (with ebony heads – nice touch!) compliment the array of timbers perfectly and give the guitar a very distinguished look without being overly ornate. In terms of playability, it’s perfect for me. I have a Martin DX series and a Taylor T5, both renowned for their ease of play, and the FVBMB is entirely comparable in this respect. The guitar came complete with a brown faux leather hard case which I hadn’t noticed in the description, so was an unexpected bonus. The case is perfectly adequate for general storage and occasional transportation and has a very ‘furry’ interior. It doesn’t look or feel like it would be robust enough to withstand the rigours of regular gigging but, hey, it was free and you don’t play the case! It also included a Kyser soundhole humidifier, which is a handy little freebie, although it’s unlikely I’ll ever need it in the UK. Overall, I’m extremely happy with this addition to my collection and would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone on a mid-range budget who’s looking for a quality electro-acoustic. In terms of value for money, the FVBMB would be difficult to beat in this category. The Service: The guitar underwent a full, professional set-up prior to being dispatched and was delivered, ready to play, one week from the order date. I spoke to Richard on a couple of occasions via the ‘live chat’ facility on his website and found him to be both friendly and knowledgeable. It was refreshing to be updated in ‘real time’ without the delayed email exchanges so often associated with online shopping. This is the first time I’ve bought a new guitar without first seeing and playing it, but I couldn’t find a stockist locally enough, so decided to take the plunge. I compared the guitar online across several music stores and found prices to be fairly consistent. As Richard’s had good reviews, interest-free payment options and, most importantly, included the free set-up, it seemed a no-brainer. I was a little apprehensive but knew I’d be able to return it if necessary under mail order legislation. However, I needn’t have worried, it turned out to be a positive, all-round experience and I wouldn’t hesitate to use Richard’s Guitars in the future.Martin F.

I own several cigar box guitars – some I built – some I bought – usually fretted four strings that I mando tune. I wanted a three string for slide – I liked that this had a disk with a slide technique lesson. I was more than pleased – as an instrument, it's as good as most any CBG – they are all pretty crude at best. This one was easy to assemble – holds tune – sounds good acoustic or electric. There were some comments on it not using an actual cigar box, but a factory-made stylized resonator box. While this is true, it is at least as good as a cigar box, and I can understand why they broke that way for consistency and ease of build (which as I said, was super easy). Aesthetically, most people would probably prefer a real cigar box, but come on – it's like a uke – cheesy is part of the shtick. The lesson is good – play along CD and a book – comes with a good glass slide. I recommend it – worth the list price – all the better with the discounts.JoeFromSD

This is a great way to learn slide guitar. It is small & easy to learn. The book is full of great info. The CD is great, with back tracks, A tuning track so you do not need to buy a tuner, as long as you have something to play the CD in. It would be a good idea to buy a cheep tuner. As far as the price you just can't beat it. You can buy one for any wear from under $20.00 to $59.95. you just have to look around for a good price. Even at $30.00 to $ 40.00 is well worth it. The sound of the guitar very good and a small amp helps the sound but is not a must. Also you can take this any ware. In all this is a great product and was well thought out. Plus it is just fun to play!!handcuff123

I wanted a three string cigar box guitar and between a black friday discount and backstage pass points, I couldn't pass this up. Some reviewers complain that it's cardboard but domestic cigar boxes are predominantly cardboard. Also, Fender recently built a cardboard Strat that couldn't be told from a "real" Strat in a blind test. Build time was about ten minutes. I ran the strings around the tuners contrary to the directions so the string paths were straight. Sounds great acoustic and also great amplified. The only thing lacking is markers on the side of the neck. Maybe not sturdy enough for roughneck kids but a good introduction to the cigar box genre. Nice slide included.Mike

I got this guitar in a very timely manner by Musician's Friend, and at first I was really let down. The reason being, I had never had a guitar with 8 screws so my pickguard was "lipped" up off the guitar on almost all the ends, but I contacted Musician's Friend and they're sending me a new pickguard so I'm not so upset about that. The setup was absolutely vital in order for this guitar to work for me, which prior to, had a high end, ugly, undefined sound that reminded me nothing of SRV. So, firstly I put in raw vintage springs and put the bridge back on the body. I had fiddled with the pickups and tried to get a good sound but was kind of unhappy, I felt like there was no body to speak of in the sound, but still better than when the bridge was not tightened against the body. So I ended up checking the string height and saw that the strings were not to spec (4/64) in a couple of odd places like the A-B strings, which were higher than both e strings. So I lowered those middle strings to be to spec, and to my utter surprise, that was what helped more than anything. The frequencies felt like they had "rested" and the guitar was noticeably darker, while at the same time having much better harmonic content. Now that I could feel and hear the frequencies naturally sounding in place, I was able to find a sweet spot with the pickup height. Without hardly trying the guitar would absolutely scream when popping the strings, but were mellow enough now to sound pleasing clean, in fact I quite like the clean sound now. That said, the guitar is inherently very defined and articulate, so hot pickups like texas specials in this guitar could be a recipe for disaster if not setup right, it's important to know what you want the guitar to sound like and to not be afraid to measure and put to fender spec, if that's your preference. In my case it worked out extremely favorably. I was extremely upset at first when I got this guitar, but with some love I found the guitar sings beautifully.Nathan

I thought this guitar in the early 2000's I did number of vintage real old fenders Gibsons etc. etc. Let me just say that after roughly 13 to 14 years with this guitar it is my favorite go to strata caster extremely reliable really fun to play, and really need it no upgrades… After all these years, I can honestly say this is one of the best sounding and playing Stratocaster's I've ever owned. I'm surprised they haven't vendor that is, upgraded this one someho i'm surprised Fandor hasn't found a way to upgrade this model and increase the price… I hope they don't. To anybody looking for a Strat check one of these out before you blow your wad on some custom shop thing… This really has all the bang for the buck that you never want. Hey what happened the Sunburst ones in the red ones? That's really cool. I've got a white one I think about it the first or second year came out. I don't by the way, the Neck is wearing very nicely in a vintage fashion… Something I didn't expect but kindly accept.Gipper

If is fine for a young kid 6-10 years old to see if they will have any interest in playing a guitar later on without putting a lot of money into it. The "case" that came with it was more like a plastic garment bag. Strap does NOT fit and only has one of the connections for it on the guitar. But the guitar alone was fine to hold for about 6 months to see if the child holds interest without spending a lot of money.smokey_littleone2004

We wanted to love our Loog, but there was an issue with the speaker that Loog didn't have a fix for. We were forced to return it because they didn't have any replacements in stock. The guitar was beautiful and we knew our kids would love it, so it really broke our heart to have to do this but perhaps we will try again when more are in stock.Gary O.

I swear I bought the Loog mini for my daughter even though I find myself playing it quite often. The build quality is great. It doesn’t feel like a toy at all. This is a real and respectable instrument. I love that it’s half a guitar in both size and construct—so she can graduate from 3 strings to 6 eventually. Really nice work. Kudos to the entire Loog team. It makes me happy to know a team of people are dedicating their time to such a cool product.J M.

The guitar itself is quite nicely built, but the app, which is supposed to help your kids learn the chords etc. is demoralizingly bad. It's hard to explain to a 5 year old why, after following the daily items (tune your guitar, practice some chords etc.) they don't get the points for completion. As a software engineer, I fail to see why it's okay to leave this basic functionality broken. Furthermore, the app appears to be abandonware. I see no updates or fixes. The 'Games' section has been 'coming soon' for months. The app should be removed from the site as a selling point, since it is basically broken. Just be aware when you buy this guitar, the app is not going to work.Ben

Great present for my electric guitar playing father. All the songs are well known and my dad loves it. I will recommend the book to everybody who wants to learn all this famous songs.oancojocar-0

Father Christmas got this guitar for my 11yr old son this year and he hasn't put it down! He started teaching himself acoustic guitar a few months ago and has been absolutely fixated. He asked Father Christmas for an electric guitar and this is what turned up Christmas morning. He absolutely loves it. It's not too heavy and playing it through the amp sounds brilliant, much to our neighbours annoyance lolStaceywacey

The pickup selection was broken from the start. The price is good for a beginner’s first guitar, however if the pick ups are broken it’s going to create big problems for a new guitarist when finding their way around their guitar for the first time.Henry

I have heard about Dan Erlewine from a friend in 1994, to me he is the best in his area, very simple and understandable and with a full TRUCK of secrets which he likes to share with all of us. I am familiar with his writing and explaining, a lot of photos and setups, reviews and charts. I can say that everyone can benefit from this book, beginner or proffesional. If there where more stars to rate I will give 10!!! Thanks a lot. (I have allready recommend it to a friend) Tedtedkaltsas88

If you own a guitar and play any amount at all, you need to know more than just playing. Skimmed the book when it came. It is informative and will help any player maintain and service his guitar. The information may even save enough to more than cover the book's cost.ironh5544181i

every one should purchase this book it shows the correct way to play guitar showing move able chords. No need for capos . so you can play in any key great teacher was Bert Weedon M J Clarke ARTIST STAGE Name / Carl Jameslveofmylfe

I found it a bit disappointing. I was hoping it would inspire me to get started on the guitar again, but no such luck. Much better learning material available now on the Internet. Packaging and delivery speed very good. I would order from this supplier again.0030kakanis

I bought this guide to try to play guitar, is so difficult to me the rihtym and with this book wiil become easy, and now I understand much better how notes work with my right hand I am lookin for the another book, The complete Idiot's guide to playing the guitar, but I am still waiting for it for another seller.sigrod65

I have been searching for a book like this for years and I finally found it. It teaches both chords and rhythm and uses a little bit of music theory to explain chord patterns. It has audio samples and quizzes to get concepts into your brain. This is my 2nd Musicians Institute workbook. Also have Guitar Fretboard wkbk and I feel I'm finally learning the guitar in a professional way. Plan to buy more MI books in the future.causeller