No. 348 Sep/Oct 2024

Special Focus: The Mighty OM

Vintage guitar expert Michael John Simmons tells the fascinating story of how the orchestra model went from a flop to become one of the most popular guitar types of our time. Plus, a look at the makers and players who have been inspired by the OM.

In the features department, guitarist Margaret Glaspy talks about her first-ever solo acoustic record and tour; eclectic fingerstylists Nathan Salsburg and James Elkington discuss the nuts and bolts of their work as a duo; Peter Mulvey sits down with the legendary roots artist Chris Smither; and Mark Small takes us inside the ever-expanding creative musical world of UK guitarist-composer Laura Snowden.

Lessons: Jane Miller on how to find seventh chord shapes all over the fretboard; a beginner’s guide to using sus and add embellishments with open chords; a Weekly Workout on how to boost your bottleneck slide skills; Chicago guitarist Goran Ivanovic shares the musical ideas behind his solo guitar composition “Americana.”

Songs to play include the Doobie Brothers’ rock anthem “Black Water”; “Too Good to Be True,” a dreamy new ballad from Kacey Musgraves; two ways to navigate the classic fiddle tune “Soldier’s Joy”; an easy-to-play version of “In the Jailhouse Now”; and a jazzy, reharmonized, non-traditional arrangement of “Sweet Georgia Brown” as interpreted by Lisa Liu.

Plus, a profile on restoration expert Cat Fox of Sound Guitar Repair; things to keep in mind if you’re thinking about modifying a standard guitar for lap-style playing; a look at a stunning 1931 Martin OM-18 owned by country legend Conway Twitty; a review of Aoife O’Donovan’s soulful and timely All My Friends; and more.

In New Gear coverage, Greg Ruby test drives the Collings OM1A Hill Country, and Emile Menasché weighs in on the new Bronze IBR112T strings from Tomastik-Infeld.

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