Thanks everyone for your input, but my concern is not with the guitar but with the pickup. Here's an example of Esonic problems described on a Gibson forum:

"I've had an Epiphone AJ-500RE for almost a month now and have had it well set up in that time. I'm impressed with the build quality of the guitar itself as well as with the tone. It's a lovely guitar. There seems to be a problem with the eSonic2 pick-up system though. Like many on the forum, I'm getting a mains type grounding buzz at times... it seems to happen when I'm playing the bass strings very heavily and the buzz just cuts in. Sometimes it just goes away quickly and at other times it stays. When it stays it goes away temporarily when I touch the strings so it would seem to be some kind of grounding problem. So far I've just used the middle end-pin jack that should be providing the blended signal. Even when there is no buzz, there is such a low signal from the Mag pick-up and it's hard to blend the two together successfully. If I slide the blend right over to the Mag pick-up there is very little signal then I only have to slide it over towards the other side a little and the bridge pick-up comes in very loudly and I can hardly hear the Mag pick-up."

The esonic system is about 10 times more advanced than the simple but problem free pickup on my cheapo Applause (no battery required and just two faders, one for tone and one for volume). IF I ever got the money, I was thinking I could buy an acoustic Masterbilt and then add some kind of simple pickup on my own. Any thoughts?

p.s. Naolager, I've tired some Recording Kings and think they are very nice, it's just that I like the feel, style, and sound of the Masterbilt Jumbo best.

So Roger, is it the case that over time, doing the kind of exercises you describe, I'll be able to not only get greater strength in my pinky, but be able to separate it farther away from my index finger?

Thanks for the good advice, Roger; I'm working on that. Now, can you give me an exercise to get separation with my pinkie when doing an E7? My little finger doesn't want to separate from from my ring finger, and my muscles don't seem to work to get it to move away.

Thank!

Thanks Tuba and BGD, I'll look for the Schure Sm58. I appreciate your advice about this a lot!

Thanks for your words of advice everyone. Eventually Henry woke up and got a cup of coffee and came out to the porch. He plays a lot better than me. That's why I've got a second hand Ovation/Applause and he's got a Martin. But I got to play him a song I wrote called "Just a Young Cowboy." He liked it! So I told I would learn how to format it and put it on the forum.

"mb glad too see another George Harrison fan here,he was my favorite Beatle. I just saw a bio/movie about him,it was done by Martin Scorsese. Also George did play alot of acoustic music,he also really liked the ukalie."

Hi Dino!

I didn't know that about the ukalie, thanks. There's so much about George Harrioson that I admire . . . I liked his quiet mastery of the guitar, and I liked how he was able to play different instruments and different styles of music. I'm working on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and I love the chord changes that go from A to C#m to F#m to Bm--it's so challenging, at least to me.

But the thing that really really just . . . just devastates me, is that opening line. Gosh, I'm tearing up just thinking about. "I look . . . at you all . . . see the love . . . there that's sleeping. . . while my guitar gently weeps." That just kills me.  Maybe because we are all filled with sleeping love, love that's been numbed by materialsm and greed and selfishness and racism and nationalism and the lust for power, and if our LOVE could just be awakened, if it could be roused and nurished and attended to, what a transformation would occur.

And I think that George was weeping because he wanted  music to awaken people but he knew that most would continue to slumber or just smile at the pretty music and tap their feet but not get it. And I think of what Jesus said about how he used parables and why and he said,

"To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."

And I think about what Emily Gibbs says in the play "Our Town"  -- "Oh Earth! You're too wonderful for anyone to realize you!" And then she asks, "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? - every, every minute?" And the Stage Manager says, "Saints and poets maybe. They do. Some."

And George Harrison was a saint and poet. And it doesn't matter to me if George was a Christian or an athesit or a Hare Krisna or anything else, because titles don't matter; what matters is wisdom and understanding, and no religion or god or person or nation has a monopoly on that.

And I think what has my generation offered that matches "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" . . . . "Tears on my Guitar"? "Poker Face?" WTF!! Just melodramatic clap-trap or auto-tuned spectacle. And all done with a ironic snear that says, "Of course it's all about the money; what else is there, baby?"

Whew! You know I really appreciate the fact that you guys take the time to read these comments and care enough to reply. So much of everday life is just filled with baloney and you don't always get to tell people what you feel. I got a little carried away maybe. But you know what I mean, right?

Yeah, me too! I love that song "Jenny, I got your number" you do with your grandson.  YOu can send me the lyrics for your song on email, I think just click on my email thingy by my name.

BTW, Toots, I always thought the line was "Take a load off, Annie." Not, "Take a load off, Fannie!" Sounds like the punch line to a joke! Even my brother did too, and he was the one who taught me the song. I looked up the song on Wikipedia, and it said that Robbie Robertson got the name "Nazareth" from the label on his Martin guitar. (I bet you already knew that!) Now if I were to be inspired by a location on the label on my guitar it would read "Made in China"!

Hey, there might be a song in that . . .

Song In Thatby M.B.