Brand new strings often squeak more than old ones. It's likely because the new strings don't have anything built up in the winding yet ... just a theory. I have a vinyl LP by classical guitarist Narcisso Yepes. He's playing a 10-string guitar, and there isn't a single squeak on the entire LP !!! One reviewer commented on it and attributed this to Mr. Yepes impeccable playing technique. In contrast, I squeak a LOT when I play ... 'nuff said.
3,877 2013-02-25 23:04:31
Re: I screwed up (14 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
One less-expensive solution for G.A.S. is to find out what kind of woods your "temptation" is made of, and then work down the price tags within that construction to get something close. The choice of tone woods greatly affects the sound of the guitar, while construction methods affect the feel of it. If sound is the main issue, check the woods used for construction. Pepto-Bismol and Beano won't work for this type of G.A.S. unfortunately. 
3,878 2013-02-25 22:58:26
Re: introduction (24 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
A big welcome to all new Chordie members! Only been here a couple of months personally, and have already got some solid info from a very experienced group.
3,879 2013-02-24 21:29:52
Re: Les Paul w/ No Pickguard (11 replies, posted in Electric)
Zguitar ...
That's a beautiful sheet of maple you've used for your guitar, and the simplicity is in itself very classy. Did you chamber the body to reduce the weight of the maple? I've also never seen a StopTone tailpiece used "in reverse" like that. It must have been a challenge to get the intonation correct . Very pretty instrument ... congrats!
3,880 2013-02-24 00:08:17
Re: London panoramic (3 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Amazing and disturbing at the same time. That many people crowded together scares me ... glad to live in a rural place with all of the healthy amenities.
3,881 2013-02-23 12:52:52
Re: Nylon String AE (8 replies, posted in Acoustic)
BGD ... did you ever get a nylon-string electro-acoustic? If so, what model did you settle on and how do you like it?
3,882 2013-02-23 12:45:03
Topic: Les Paul w/ No Pickguard (11 replies, posted in Electric)
A classic feature of a Les Paul is the raised pick-guard seen on most models, with perhaps the exception of the "Prophecy" series. However, I found myself repeatedly catching the tip of my RH pinky on the edge of the thing (unwanted pauses, fingertip cuts) so I finally removed it this morning. Granted I have large hands and long fingers, but it's been a constant annoyance. It confines the way I was resting any free finger(s) as it lies almost flush with the string height, unlike an acoustic (my mainstay). And I have to say that not only is the play-ability now much better, (IMHO) it actually looks much better.
What are your thoughts? Does removing the Les Paul pick-guard amount to sacrilege, or have others done this?
3,883 2013-02-21 22:33:05
Re: For all vets!! (32 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
In Canada, we often joke about the small-sized Armed Forces we maintain and the deplorable state of the equipment we ask our military to serve with. That said, the men & women who serve deserve the very highest level of respect and honor. My next-door neighbor is a retired vet, who served in the Balkans during the ethnic cleansing brutalities of the time. He suffers terribly with P.T.S.D., and enjoys a bit of music now and then when we get together. As we count our blessings and express thanks to God for our many freedoms, we can't forget that they certainly didn't come without an immense cost. 'Nuff said.
3,884 2013-02-21 22:22:43
Re: Struggling With a Jethro Tull Tune (9 replies, posted in Song requests)
Good stuff about Jethro Tull, Phill ...
Speaking of the blues background, their DVD from the 2003 Montreux Jazz Festival features two opening numbers with Ian playing some respectable harmonica on tunes from their earliest days. I've been a Tull fan since mid-teen (now 55), and love both Ian and Martin's guitar styles even though quite distinct. In various interviews, they've been joking about the Metallica award ever since it happened (late-70's, if memory serves). It's unfortunate that time and illness have taken their toll on Ian's vocal register (like it does with all of us!). His vocals on "Big Dipper" are especially expressive and enjoyable, and the "growl" he once had is sorely missed.
Is this even remotely related to what we were talking about?
3,885 2013-02-21 10:59:46
Re: Bridge (12 replies, posted in Music theory)
Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk (gasp, wheeze) hyuk ... I can't stand it 
3,886 2013-02-19 22:08:40
Re: Struggling With a Jethro Tull Tune (9 replies, posted in Song requests)
Thanks, Phill ... I have hereby bared my soul to the fact that I don't play drums (hahaha). The key changes in much of Tull's music is what I like about it, i.e., it's interesting. They are - one could say - a group which have created their own niche.
I recall that they won a Grammy for best Heavy Metal Band one year, with Metallica also in the running!!! There were lots of puzzled looks connected to that strange incident. The following year, Metalllica won the award, and the person making the acceptance speech began by saying, "We're glad Jethro Tull didn't put out an album this past year." Everyone had lots of fun with it, and it goes to show that award placement isn't the well-defined process one might hope for.
3,887 2013-02-19 03:20:17
Re: Best Band No one's ever heard of (43 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
Charles ...
I wonder if the California Guitar Trio is in any way related to the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (Bill Kanengiser, Scott Tennant, Andrew York, John Dearman). I've got a 1996 CD by them which is all classical and lots of fun. They conclude with something they call the "Pachelbel Loose Canon", which has a bunch of variations of the original played in different styles, with a banjo even thrown in at the end.
3,888 2013-02-19 02:53:51
Re: Struggling With a Jethro Tull Tune (9 replies, posted in Song requests)
Wow ... nicely done ... many thanks!
You're right about the odd time signature, and it would be crazy trying to drum with it, I'm sure. There's a site that features pretty well every Tull tune (www.tullianos.com/tullguitarpage/menu) which is based out of Spain. Even they don't have this one licked yet, so you win a prize 
Thanks again.
3,889 2013-02-18 11:24:38
Re: BEST LIVE ROCK ALBUMS (32 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Jerome ... I really like your point about folks "acting their age". There's very few that can pull off the look-younger-than-I-am bit with any conviction ... a lot more could be said, but it would get unkind real quick.
3,890 2013-02-18 11:08:46
Re: Struggling With a Jethro Tull Tune (9 replies, posted in Song requests)
Thanks, Astro ...
The "chorus" I would think is the section that repeats after each verse, beginning with "Well the fly's in the milk, the cat's in the stew ... etc." I had the main verse pretty much as you have, but was missing some of the flat structure you have. Yup .. Ian and the boys like to mix up the chords and time signatures, and the three Songs From the Wood, Heavy Horses, and Stormwatch albums are full of odd stuff. Thanks for giving it a listen and for your help ... much obliged!
3,891 2013-02-17 21:11:37
Re: A Crazy Mess (6 replies, posted in Other string instruments)
Thanks for the link, Jerome ...
How many co-existing personalities would a person have to have to even want to play one of these things? I agree that the image I posted must be PM's ... there can't be many of those in the world.
3,892 2013-02-17 21:06:53
Topic: Struggling With a Jethro Tull Tune (9 replies, posted in Song requests)
I've been struggling trying to figure out a Tull tune, which was added as a "bonus track" to the "Heavy Horses" CD release. It's called "Living in These Hard Times", and is listed as Track #10 on the CD. The verses are okay, but the chorus is messing me up. Haven't found it on-line anywhere, but I'm hoping someone in the forum can help me along. Another striking thing about the song is just how relevant the lyrics are for today, let alone the 70's.
3,893 2013-02-17 21:00:54
Re: BEST LIVE ROCK ALBUMS (32 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Apparently, Garth Brooks topped Frampton just a couple years ago with his live album. I believe Garth's hit 21M in sales vs. Frampton's 18M ... correct me if I'm wrong. Besides, I much prefer Frampton's music to Brooks', although there's no arguing with man's talent. And it's still very cool that a 70's rocker held the record for several decades.
3,894 2013-02-16 13:07:23
Re: Silly little things (27 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
The closest thing to a packable guitar is that custom French Parlour Guitar that Ian Anderson seems to favor in recent years. As the title of this thread states, it is a "silly little thing", but seems to produce great sound for the genre he plays. Yup ... gotta get a bigger fly vest.
3,895 2013-02-16 01:15:46
Topic: A Crazy Mess (6 replies, posted in Other string instruments)
Anyone ever own, play or seen one of these whacked out multi-harp guitars? Can't imagine how long it would take to tune!
http://larryharwin.files.wordpress.com/ … asso-2.jpg
Gotta be a joke ................
3,896 2013-02-16 01:10:23
Re: Hiatus (8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
That's a nasty accident, BGD ... hope it heals quickly so you're back at it real soon.
3,897 2013-02-16 01:03:05
Re: Reaching a plateau (14 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Just tried something when I got home from work, and played the same song on electric, then acoustic, and then finger-picking on the classical ("High Hopes" by Pink Floyd). After this run through, I went back to the electric and it was improved from the first run because of exercise.
I've also found that watching some of the better YouTube renditions helps to learn various fingering patterns, like this one of "The Clap" by Steve Howe (which I can only play parts of):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KN2qvtosmM
Learning his three-step-chicken-pick has been frustrating but fun, and even a small gain is VERY satisfying.
3,898 2013-02-16 00:52:18
Re: BEST LIVE ROCK ALBUMS (32 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Gotta love live albums, even if sometimes the sound quality and detail isn't 100%. Most of my favs have already been listed, but there's six more worth mentioning:
"Bursting Out" (Jethro Tull, 1978)
"The Beat Club: Bremen" (King Crimson, 1972)
"The Electric Mandarine Tour" (Tangerine Dream, Zurich 2012)
"Pulse" (Pink Floyd, 1984)
"Live Dates" (Wishbone Ash, 1973)
And my own personal numero uno ... "Yes Symphonic Live" (Yes, 2002)
Great to see others appreciate Humble Pie ("Being here is a real gas!") and Deep Purple's "Made in Japan". There have been very few vocalists of Ian Gillan's abilities in any age.
3,899 2013-02-16 00:17:43
Re: Quality VS Popularity (4 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
This chappie is around my age and we went to high school together (early 70's). He started the conversation by saying, "You used to listen to some weird music back then; are you still into that stuff?" I mentioned that 98% of who I was listening to then are still producing quality music, and have proven their worth with their durability and massive global fan base. Ignoring all that, he began naming the great hit bands of the 70's such as Bay City Rollers, ABBA, and (wait for it) Duran Duran. Now you know why he got me revved up.
3,900 2013-02-15 03:04:34
Topic: Quality VS Popularity (4 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
Isn't it interesting / ironic, that groups which have had amazing longevity, consistently high-quality music, and pack the biggest concert audiences, rarely make the grade of what's considered "popular music". They're never in the weekly Top 40, very few on the street have ever heard of them, and there's no media publicity about them ever. On the flip side, the vast majority of popular "music" comes from the stereotypical one-hit-wonders with little real talent, who simply have a novelty or a gimmick that gets attention. Here today & gone tomorrow, they've got nothing of substance to hold anyone's attention for very long.
Someone in conversation today concluded that I only favored music if it was obscure. Obscure like Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, Dire Straits, Yes, Genesis, etc., etc., etc. These guys have successful international careers spanning several decades, but they're called obscure next to a group that's released 1-2 singles? Huh? Who really cares if it's mainstream "popular"?
(that's my little close-to-bedtime rant)