tartanphantom

My part of Murfreesboro got some stiff wind and a good bit of rain... not much else, thankfully.

I'm a little different from most, in that while I gig and record with tube amps, they're not the usual suspect Fenders or Marshalls. I use mainly two different amps depending on the application and venue size-- and neither of these amps are currently in production, nor are they easy to come by. For larger venues I use a Kustom 72 Coupe-- (4 x 6L6), 2-channel 72 watt 2x12 combo. For smaller venues, I use a Kustom Defender 15 watt (2 x EL84) single channel class AB head with a 1x12 cab. The 15 watt has a more Vox-like character, while the 72 watter is more of a hybrid Fender/Vox sound. I have other amps as well, but I have used these amps for at least 10 years and I know how to easily dial in my sound on either one. If I were choosing between an AC15 and a Blues Jr., I'd probably go with the Jr.-- I Do love AC15 tones, but if you're doing any gigging, I think the Jr. is slightly more versatile and less of a 1-trick pony, and the Jr. is MUCH lighter (17 lbs lighter) than the AC15.

I've got pretty standard .22 stuff... Henry H001 standard lever action Henry AR-7 Ruger 10/22 Take-down All pretty much stock w/ no mods... but with the 25-rnd mags the 10/22 is a ton of fun. I got the Henry lever action as a companion to my Ruger Single Six "baby hogleg".

I've added a few more Gretsch instruments to the stable since my previous post-- First, a 1942 Gretsch Synchromatic 100. All original except for the replacement tailpiece (I still have the original broken tailpiece). This thing just sings. Next, a Gretsch G9241 A/E biscuit-bridge Resonator-- I love my Gretsch Park Avenue mandolin so much that I hunted down another one as a "back-up". (older one is lighter sunburst, newer one is darker sunburst)-- Also added another Gretsch mandolin-- an A-body this time-- Gretsch New Yorker A/E Deluxe-- And finally, A Gretsch 5622 centerblock (semi-hollow) model. And a few more action shots from the last couple of years--

Ok in this part of the 'Boro as well.

All excellent recommendations for scotch novices. When I am introducing folks to single malts, I usually start with these, and a couple of lowland malts. Smooth, consistent, no surprises. The quickest way to turn off someone curious about scotch is to start them with Islay and Campbeltown malts. Those iterations have no training wheels.

I used to open tuna cans at lunchtime this way back when I did construction work. Like you said, works on most any can with a rolled or crimped lid.

Going back a bit tonight... scotch in hand, laid back on a late Friday.

My family always shoots during the Thanksgiving holiday, so this is a perennial problem for me... fortunately my mom and brothers live within driving distance, so I can always haul as much as I like. Just glad that I don't have to fly, because traveling with multiple firearms in that way would be a major pain.

same here. Run milsurp steelcase in my commie guns most of the time.

Oh, as am I... but my first discovery of Bill Nelson's work was "Live in the Air Age"... bought the album right after it came out, because the album-rock station (remember those?) that I listened to in Birmingham had played it in its entirety one evening, and I thought "Wow... this is a bit like prog, a bit like glam, and a bit like jazz... cool!" From there, I worked my way through the catalog, but the Live album is still probably my favorite, as it has great tunes from most of their studio albums, and the engineering & production is surprisingly good for a live album. I was already a Roxy Music fan, and BeBop Deluxe was sort of a natural progression from there, only with much cooler guitar work. Anyway, probably my single most favorite BeBob Deluxe song is from the Axe Victim album...

A throwback to my high school days... this evening...

Mine is the same way... either all the way out or all the way in...

Well, apparently the "Old-Fart Early-Morning Walmart Rimfire Cartel" hasn't got the news in Murfreesboro-- I guess they still think Hillary is gonna be president and they can sell bricks of Golden Bullet and Thunderbolt for $75 apiece at gun shows... Hey, I guess they gotta have some reason to keep on living... I swear there's tire ruts in the road from Hardee's to Walmart where those geezers have made that run so many mornings--"senior coffee" in hand-- to scarf up every box of 22LR on the shelves...

I'd give up a leg to be able to play like Chet. I have friends that are fantastic Chet- style players, but I just wish I had a quarter of that talent level!

I do have quite a few other instruments-- other electric guitars, other mandolins, other basses, banjos, lap steel, balalaikas, dulcimers, drums, keyboards, etc.... but I figure I've posted enough... well, here are some miscellaneous gig pics, etc. I'll stop after this... I promise. And now, the obligatory "Halloween Gig" pics over the last few years.... OK, I guess I've taken up enough space here....

Ok, Now we come to my pride & joy-- My Gretsch instruments. First Gretsch I ever owned-- 2002 G2619 Electromatic SparkleJet-- Sparkle finishes are incredibly difficult to capture in pics... Gretsch G2810 Bo Diddley Signature model-- The pickguard is custom-made, of my own design. Gretsch G5135 Corvette Gretsch G3156 Historic Series Streamliner Gretsch G5022C Jumbo Rancher--- this one goes with me to just about every gig. Gretsch Americana collection-- Gretsch released this series as a limited run in 2006, an homage to the various "cowboy" style guitars popular in the 40's and 50's. Four different designs, all parlor-sized (or cowboy-sized, if you prefer) Gretsch G2224 Electromatic Short Scale Bass Gretsch G6073 Bass Gretsch G9350 Park Avenue mandolin-- I've got a couple other mandolins, but this is my favorite for gigging by far. And no, that's not a "stock" photo. Gretsch G6130KPW Knotty Pine Roundup-- This is 1 of 9 factory prototypes, not a production model-- Gretsch did a production run of 75, but this one pre-dates the production run by about 6 months. Gretsch G6118T-125 125th Anniversary model And, my holy grail, my favorite guitar in my collection--- Gretsch G6196T Country Club model

This part of my collection is mainly miscellaneous workhorses, beginning with the first electric I ever owned, 1979 Electra X-340 MPC. (case pictured is not the case for this guitar) 2004 Squier Telecaster-- I've hot-rodded this one quite a bit... Yamaha SGV-800 The oldest guitar I own-- a 1942 Harmony Cremona IV-- this one's been to Europe and back during WWII... belonged to a US Army musician--it's got quite a story. 1994 Epiphone PR-5E-- I logged over 300 gigs on this one before I "retired" it to the music room. Dean Psychobilly Cabbie model-- only produced for a couple of years; 2005-2006 DiPinto Belvedere Yamaha SA503TVL Troy Van Leeuwen model-- out of production. Fender Vince Ray Spookshow A/E acoustic-- another limited production model-- 500 produced. Robelli RB-1955 1970 Epiphone 5102-T. Again, the case pictured is not the case for this guitar. Stagg G-Force Competition V-- not incredibly expensive, but lots of fun-- body graphics and tailpipes are stock! Three different flavors of the original Squier 51 model... love these little guitars! Next post will be my favorites-- My Gretsch collection....

Ask and ye shall receive. Since I was AWOL when this thread was started, I'm gonna blow the dust off.... Unfortunately, I can't post a "family shot" of my instruments, because they don't make a wide-angle lens wide enough to get them all in one shot. Let's see-- I've got stuff all over the map... first, some vintage mid-60's Japanese oddballs-- by the way... these are all set-up in gig-able condition.... I don't keep "wall art" guitars. 1967 Teisco ET220 1965 Silvertone WG2L 1966 Kingston Chess 1966 Norma 1968 Norma 1967 Norma Violin model More posted in next post

Thanks, gotta get some quick pix up soon!

Kenya, huh? So is this the result of the outgoing US president turning his agenda influence "homeward?" hopefully it's all in preparation for his triumphant return... I'm not really a "birther," but I've played one on TV...

Another vote fore The Safe House... expertise, sales, service, delivery and installation were all top-notch.

Wait, there's a guitar players thread on here? Never seen it... Link please?

Ummm, yeah... "steal" is a bit of an understatement on what what you paid for this guitar. Congrats on your venture into legal thievery! Because I have played both acoustic and electric guitar at the semi-pro level (gig & get paid regularly, but not my primary occupation) for about 25 years now, and also because most of my friends believe that I own more guitars than I could ever possibly play (substantially more than 25, but slightly less than 50), I can offer a few suggestions. My number one suggestion would be to get the guitar "set-up" by a luthier or tech who knows what they're doing. By that, I mean don't just take it to Guitar Center for a setup. The reason I recommend this is that no two guitars are exactly the same, and they all involve a fine balance of interactive adjustments to play as best as possible. A setup involves much more than just slapping on new strings. Setting up a guitar is akin to sighting in a new rifle-- there are measurements and tweaks, rinse and repeat until it's where you want it. A good tech will ask you a series of questions, like what kind (genre) of music do you intend to play, what style you plan to use (fingers vs. pick, slide, etc). He may also ask you to play a bit, so that he can take note of your playing technique. Of course, if you know nothing at all, this may be difficult, so it may be best to just ask for "factory-recommended" setup specs to start with. While factory recommendations vary widely from company to company, they will generally put the instrument within a reasonably comfortable playing "feel". Keep in mind that a quality setup will cost you anywhere from $50-100, including a new set of strings. But much like paying to have a gunsmith professionally "slick" your action, the long-term reward is worth the initial cost. Why spend this kind of money if you can't even play a note yet? Simple. Too many beginners attempt to learn on a guitar that isn't properly set-up, As a result, strings are often too high, action and response is terrible, the guitar won't stay in tune, etc. The end result is often that the beginner gets frustrated, and thinks that they will never learn... whereas a properly set-up instrument facilitates good playing habits and makes learning much easier. Some folks like myself take enough of an interest to learn to do their own setups, but if you don't have a clue, it's best to leave it to someone who understands the physics of a guitar. Regarding beginner amps, while I am a huge proponent of tube amps in terms of superior tone, for the beginner they can be tricky, sometimes unreliable, and somewhat costly to maintain. Therefore, for learning and "bedroom playing" purposes, I would recommend shopping for a decent SS (solid state) amp-- SS amp technology has made tremendous leaps and bounds over the last 10 years, and the stigma formerly attached to them has largely been eliminated. Again, the type and brand of amp that you choose may be dictated by the style of music you intend to pursue.. If you are a metal kind of guy, there are tons of amps out there which are voiced specifically for this type of music. If you are a British Invasion person, there are amps that are more specialized for that type of tone.... Country, classic rock, etc same thing. There is no one "do it all" amp, but there are some amps with "modeling" features which come close, at least at bedroom volume levels. My recommendation would be to take your guitar to a shop (I'd start with Corner Music), and play it through as many different types and brands as possible. If you don't know how to play at all, there are always people at the shop (employees or other customers) who will be more than happy to demo an amp for you using your guitar. This should give you a good idea of the sound you might be chasing in your mind. And don't let a salesperson pressure you toward this amp or that amp... you will find that regardless of whether it is guitars, amps, cars or guns ("what the li'l lady needs is a sturdy pink revolver") there is always someone willing to tell YOU what YOU need... based on their own preferences, of course. If you've made it this far, I hope that I've been somewhat helpful. I'll do my best to answer any other questions you might have.