Guitar

GUITAR CENTER
Yesterday I went to Guitar Center with my Guitar Center Buddy for yet another one of their Tremendous Sales<tm>.
They moved the lefty section further off to the side, while not adding much.  We saw an interesting  whilte Standard Strat (made in Mexico) that had a weird `relic’ job done to it.  It wasn’t so [...]

Les Paul, formerly known as Lester Polfus, shed this mortal coil today in a New York hospital, from complications of pneumonia.  He was 94.
How many 94 year olds do you know who play every Monday night in New York City?
I am by no means qualified to eulogize this great man, who reportedly was a joy [...]

My amplifier secret weapon is a Fender Pro Junior.  I’m not entirely sure if they’re still in production - mine’s a `94, probably the first series.  The speaker went fairly early on and was replaced with a Mojotone 10″.
The amplifier is stupid simple, even for guitar players.  One input, one volume, one tone, 15 watts.  [...]

I’ll be honest: I don’t like sports.
In fact, to say I don’t like sports is to say that Dick Cheney doesn’t like holy water.
So now that we have an understanding, I can tell you about the vet.
The vet, you say?
The vet, I say.
What does that have to do with hockey?
I’m getting there.  Stop interrupting.
We were [...]

I have never put the time I should into electronics so I’m just a minor tinkerer.  I got re-excited about it recently and have started burning myself with a soldering iron more regularly lately.
I’ve always wanted to steal design a tube guitar amp and build it.  I was nearly successful a little while back and [...]

I had the privilege of seeing Jeff Beck last night in the Philly venue called the Electric Factory.  This is the second incarnation of the Electric Factory in Philly, as far as I know.  I have no idea what the original looked like but this one is pretty much a dump.  It’s a warehouse that [...]

I have tickets to see El Becko in two nights.  It’s been a few years since I saw him last in person.  With blessings to the internet, there’s a bit of video to be had.  If you get a chance, pick his Live at Ronnie Scott’s DVD - it will do good things for your [...]

I suppose it had to happen.  After purchasing a Les Paul, eventually I’d have to play it (amplified).   Let’s face it - I’m a Strat guy.  Even though my first guitar (1974?) was an Ibanez Les Paul (lawsuit) copy, I graduated to Strat copy, then a `77 Strat.  No looking back from there.  Les Pauls [...]

When last we left our antihero, he had just flubbed an audition for a really good classic rock band.  He had not just flubbed it - he botched it so thoroughly that no one even knew he could play the guitar at all.  He strongly suspected that he showed up with someone else’s fingers on [...]

Concern over Britain’s Soldiers:
Concern over self-harm in forces
Veterans at ‘higher suicide risk‘
AstraZeneca’s weight gain and diabetes side effect cover up, and the sleazy Seroquel sex scandal
CIA destroyed 92 interview tapes
Must be off with Cheney’s emails…
US ready to aid Mexico drug fight
Run Mexico, RUN!
Prison Spending Outpaces All but Medicaid
Wow…
Putin’s Party Sweeps Regional Elections
Declares himself Maximum Presidente [...]