Q. Do you ever use fingerpicks? A. No. I like the feel of strings on my fingers. Picks will make you louder. Fingers create a softer sound. Some players use a thumbpick plus fingers however I think it accents the bass notes too much. Q. What kind of pickup system do you use? A. I use the Taylor Guitars factory-installed Fishman pickup with a line out, either to an amp or a sound system. I've been very happy with this simple setup: the sound is clean without much fret noise. Best of all, it sounds "acoustic." Q. What kind of strings do you use? A. I use light gauge only. About two years ago I became a convert to Elixir Strings. I love the way they feel in combination with a Taylor Guitars neck. Elixir Strings last a very long time and they're easy to play. Those are two important considerations for me. Q. How do you mic your guitar in the studio? A. My engineer/producer Tom Mark has 2 setups for my acoustic sound. Setup #1 uses a pair of Schoeps CMC54V mics. Setup #2 is an AKG Tube mic plus a BNK 4006. In addition, he uses an RCA-77BX on my Trace Eliott amp, which I use for some specific sounds. Q. Which of your Taylor Guitars is your favorite? A. I love my K22, which is all Koa. It's a very sweet, well-rounded guitar, excellent for both fingerstyle and flatpick playing. It's gorgeous. I also have a W14C (Walnut) which is extremely responsive and projects beautifully. The sound seems to jump out of the soundhole. I've been playing that guitar a great deal recently. Q. Do you keep your nails long? A. No, my nails are fairly short, although I rely on a little bit of nail for my sound. If my nails break, I have trouble playing, so I try to keep them in good shape. Q. Do you use an amp? A. Yes, I use a Trace Eliott Acoustic Amp. It gives me a clear acoustic sound and it's a very easy amp to use. It has some effects, however I only use a touch of reverb or delay. Q. Do you ever perform with your brother Happy Traum? A. Yes, Happy & Artie Traum do about 10 duet concerts or festivals a year. A recording of our live performances from the 1970s and 1980s was released by Slice of Life Records in Japan in 2006. Q. What ever happened to your early CD's for Capitol? Or for Rounder? A. We've been trying to get the rights to our early Capitol Records albums, to re-release them. Our Rounder Records album "Hard Times In The Country" has never been released on CD by Rounder, however Vivid Sound in Japan just reissued it. It can be found here: www.musicselection.com Q. How can we get the Pat Alger/Artie Traum album "From The Heart." A. Pat Alger and I are hoping to re-issue this album ourselves in the near future. Q. Who is your current favorite acoustic guitar player? A. Tony Rice.
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