So, Why only 3 strings on a guitar???

If you are reading this and wondering just "What's all the Hub Bub Bub with a Three string guitar???"... I could ramble for days and show you countless photos that would dazzle your senses, but like they say "If a photo is worth a 1000 words" than surely video is worth a million???

If you only ever see one video of a 3-string cigar box guitar in action, watch this one , watch it till the end WITH AN OPEN MIND before you decide if you like the type of sound a primitive 3 stringer will produce. I promise it will change everything you thought you knew and explain the truth about the Origin of the Delta Blues.

Like most people I am sure your first thought is "Why use only 3 strings, isn't adding a 6 string neck better???....You're going through all the effort of building a guitar, why not just put on 6 strings??" Well when you add a 6 string neck, it sounds like a regular guitar no matter what you do or how you play. You'll never achieve that dirty south raunchy Delta sound on a 6 string guitar or with a 6 string neck. I once heard that as consumers we are constantly bombarded with advertising unconsciously all day no matter where you go...billboards, product labels, fliers and TV adds....IT IS NOT MY GOAL TO SALE ANYTHING TO YOU, yes some people buy guitars from my site "reddogguitars.com".....but I could never supply the demand for these fun guitars to everyone. My only goal with this website is to share this wonderful form and lost art of playing guitar, to invite you to take a step back in time and if you are bored with playing a regular guitar or tired of the continued invasion of Chinese made products and just can't seem to have fun making music then what you need is to go back to the roots of how music is made. Try something simpler. This form of guitar will take you back to the lost early days of Blues and Folk music...still confused about how easy and fun a three string guitar is??? I will just cut-copy-and paste this strait from the "horse's website" If you would like to play Delta Blues it's "airiness" that you hear comes from the music's simplicity, it is STRIPED DOWN, I am sure you have heard you only need 3 notes in a chord???? well, that's not true for Blues, you only need 2 notes! ...they only need to blend well (such as A and E) and most Blues music is based off one note at a time (most often slide guitar is one note ringing, everything else dampened)... folk music is not suppose to be complicated, over refined, lickity split fretted notes, complicated jazz chords and scales, beefed up high power, or masked with computer effects...it's just strum'n acoustic slide or plug n' play with lite power on a small amp....plus, for the guitarist, what more could be easier than playing simple slide guitar with a pluck here and there??? It's basically one finger guitar!...Just connect the dots in your mind up and down the strings as you play, add slide and you've got that sound you've been after all those years but just couldn't never find it no matter what 6 string guitar you've played. That is the key and link to the Delta Blues that has long been forgotten in the mass market guitar world.

~ Early American Folk & Blues music~

There is a long forgotten fact in America that in the 1880's this type of music was NEVER played on Resonators, Fender, Gibson or any of those store bought guitars, not only did they not exist, but at that time there was no way to buy a nice guitar so most people made there own. If you want to see that absolute most authentic bottleneck slide guitar, watch this complete video....a real bottleneck, a cigar box guitar and just 3 strings...turn up your volume half way thru...it gets good!

A few words about this site

My Name is John McNair. I love American History and Folk Music. I really enjoy learning about not only the music but the instruments the people made it on. One thing I noticed in my research of the 3 string guitar is that there is a rich and long history in America, it has come in many forms... but there is not much information out there on these guitars. For many years now I have struggled to obtain all my curious answers and then I soon realized, most of the time I was answering my own questions....for in fact, I was the one who knew the most about the 3 string guitar.

Since there is no other person other than I who is even interested in recording the history of these wonderful and often quirky instruments and it's players, I have taken the title of

"John McNair; The foremost authority of the 3 string guitar"

I am currently working on a Media DVD, it has over 900 photos and many, many stories exclusively three string related, many of these dating back well over a 100 years, I have old newspapers and photos of all types ...this interest of mine originaly started with my fascination with the history of the "cigar box guitar" and has lead me down this road to finding my true life passion, the "Three String Guitar." I have a large database of history, photos and stories that I will be posting over the next few months, this is but a tiny tip of the surface. So, Bookmark this site and check back often.....as you know a blog runs backwards so when you visit be sure to scroll past the Intro Photos and videos to see the new stuff!

Contact Me by phone or email

Google Red Dog Guitars

you can contact me at


john@reddogguitars.com

or call 1-787-671-9790 daytime till 8p.m.


~Analog Fortune~ Cigar Box Guitar Album

If you would like an album full of cool 3 string guitar music, I can send you a copy. It has lots of cigar box guitar music...NO REGULAR GUITARS!!! --only cigar box and 3 stringers-- click here to get a copy if you have an interest in cigar box guitar or Delta Blues, you will love the music on this CD!

Cigar Box Guitar Contest!

Just about everybody knows about the Daddy Mojo cigar Box guitar contest, It was cool they gave away a free guitar!!!! Wow!!!!

Ok, I wanted to have me a contest...but hey it's little old me over here I can't compete with those guys, there is only one of me over here, and there aint no way I would give a guitar away, they are just to valuable, but I want to drum up some excitement somehow...and it got me to thinkin', I'll have me a contest.... but..... I will give you what you REALY want....a "Fistful of dollars!!!!"

Man, how does that sound????? whelp, It's all up to you, I got Clint "Red Dog" Eastwood to explain all the details of this super fun contest....Go ahead....click n' win!

Labels: , ,