Mr. Roboto lives again!
1,777 2016-10-24 09:29:56
Re: Ouch!! (10 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Man, that really sucks, DE ... brutal. Everything heals eventually, but lets hope yours does quickly, and back close to its original shape. Now you'll have to use your other hand when a bad driver cuts in front of you. 
1,778 2016-10-22 21:16:54
Re: friday's blues fix (1,560 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
Dr. Isaiah Ross ... the original "One Man Band" himself. They say there weren't many instruments that he couldn't play ... and play well. Great selection, as always!
1,779 2016-10-22 21:08:25
Topic: D'Addario Nickel-Bronze Acoustic Strings (5 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
Yep ... you read it right. Nickel on an acoustic? So what else do we do when we want to embark on a cheap experiment, than trying new strings out? My first thought about these was the nickel would work really well with a magnetic sound-hole pickup, but since I don't have a guitar with that, time to move on. It's been a l-o-n-g time since anyone tried anything different with acoustic strings, so the curiosity was also piqued.
First thing I noticed was the silver color, which looks weird on an acoustic in place of 80/20's (copper color) or Phosphor/Bronze (gold color). What I was after was a little sharper, brighter sound on my old Norman ST30 (solid Red Spruce top, solid Mahogany back & sides), which is a bit too "boomy" when playing full chords, and not just picking. D'Addario also claims more harmonic overtones and better tuning stability with these, so also worth a shot.
Right on all counts. The beautiful big voice of my guitar is still there, but the sound is brighter and clearer and even a bit louder. Once I got them broke-in, I played through a few songs with a lot of bending / hammering / pulling, etc., and they stayed almost perfectly in tune. The voice is not as "brassy" sounding as other strings (for better or worse) and makes a nice alternative to the more familiar acoustic tone.
I'll give 'em top marks, and it wouldn't hurt someone else to give them a try.
1,780 2016-10-22 12:37:21
Re: Happy birthday Badeye (11 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
badeye wrote:
Thank's for the b-day wishes,, We played guitar till the wee hours and had a ball... now for more cake,,
badeye
Happy Birthday, Badeye! We're almost the same age (I'm 59 in November) but it's nice to know we can both still hold our own on the strings ... and other things?
1,781 2016-10-22 12:30:20
Re: Anyone have opinions on Preamps (10 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
Doug asks a great question ... why bother with a preamp at all?
My reason was to strengthen the signal to my acoustic amp, for which I have no effects chain in between. My amp (Traynor AM150T) has some on-board effects, but the only ones I use with an acoustic guitar are a bit of Chorus + a bit of Reverb ... nothing more. A simple volume pedal can only maximize the strength of what's coming from the K&K's, which are a passive pickup system with low output on their own. The preamp would enable volume control at one's toe-tips, and thus a stronger signal going to amp.
At least, that's the way I understood it. Not being a professional, maybe this is all out of whack ... always eager to learn.
1,782 2016-10-21 14:41:19
Re: Anyone have opinions on Preamps (10 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
I put a K&K Pure Mini in a Larrivee acoustic that I used to own, and ended up selling. Prior to that, I was looking at various preamps, and the one I liked best for it was a Sans-Amp GT2 by Tech 21. It was around $200, and reproduced the acoustic sound more naturally than anything else I tried ... definitely worth a look / listen.
1,783 2016-10-21 07:58:47
Re: How Much Do You Practice (41 replies, posted in Acoustic)
It varies each day, depending on obligations. Some days it might be an hour, other days it might be two. I've been devoting more time to working out chord structures using the piano lately, and also learning some fingerstyle techniques. I'll usually finish off a practice session playing a few favorites, just to keep them fluid.
1,784 2016-10-19 09:45:35
Re: Prog Rock Wednesdays (580 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
Iron Butterfly "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida" Hempstead, New York, 1968
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIVe-rZBcm4
According to Iron Butterfly's website, the original name was indeed "In the Garden of Eden", so they actually had it right on "The Simpsons". Apparently, organist/vocalist Tony Ingle had a skin-full when he told his bandmates the name, and the now iconic title is what came out. Jimmy Page once said that the group's name is where he got the idea for "Led Zeppelin", and I expect others like "Atomic Rooster" were influenced in the same way. I never got this album until 1970 (when I was 13 yrs old) but it mesmerized me, and probably began my lifelong enjoyment of Prog Rock. Who can forget the album cover:
1,785 2016-10-18 09:36:51
Re: Tuesday's Flying Fingers (474 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
James Horner "Braveheart" (arranged & performed by Luca Stricagnoli)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxHGyqobsbI
Luca's beautiful rendition of the theme from the 1995 movie, is an emotional masterpiece. Hard to listen to without getting teary.
1,786 2016-10-17 19:20:03
Re: Saturday country classics.... (134 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
TIGLJK wrote:
HA TF ---- " A little dab'L do ya!"
Dad used to use it, and I remember it had the consistency of white Lithium grease, with some El Cheapo perfume mixed in to give it that Aqua Velva "bouquet" ... oooooowheeee!
1,787 2016-10-17 19:11:30
Topic: New Uke Day (10 replies, posted in Other string instruments)
Here's my 11-week-old Grandson (Abel) with his first ukele, presented to him by his Grampie (me) this past weekend. He's obviously delighted with it, but will need some major motor skill development before he'll be playing. He sat mesmerized when Grampie played guitar for him, and especially liked faster picked songs like "Yankee Doodle" and "Turkey in the Straw". When I started to whistle along, he started to grin ... a true musician in the making!
1,788 2016-10-17 09:53:53
Re: Saturday country classics.... (134 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
A good choice from a good Nova Scotia boy, born here in Brooklyn, NS (about a half-hour from where I live). Some of the get-ups the ol' time country performers wore probably wouldn't pass muster in today's fashion world. And whatever happened to Brylcreem?
1,789 2016-10-17 09:48:03
Re: Case for Guild F2512 (4 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
Guild don't even advertise a case specifically for your guitar, just a gig bag. These will protect it from scratches, but not impact or drops ... risky stuff!
I went through a similar situation trying to get a non-Gretsch case for my Gretsch, and had to settle for an after-market one which is also "close but not exactly right". The trouble is, the Gretsch case costs close to $250, whereas this Yorkville one was $100. I just make sure my guitar strap goes up along the side, to ensure a snug fit. You might have to settle for the same arrangement.
Congrats on the new guitar, by the way ... Happy NGD!
1,790 2016-10-15 21:31:04
Re: NELA (8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Way to go, Roger ...
Very grateful for your investigative work, and updating the rest of us. I'm sure we're all saddened to hear of NELA's situation, and our hearts go out to him, with a serious wish for restored health.
1,791 2016-10-15 15:49:15
Re: NGD - The Prodigal Returns (4 replies, posted in Acoustic)
topdown wrote:
Hey TF - Your photo must be hosted somewhere on the webs in order to copy here - it can't come from your hard drive. I hope you can find a way to post it, I'd love to see it. (Or email the photo to me, and I'll post it for you!).
Just redid it ... shows up now.
1,792 2016-10-15 15:45:17
Topic: NGD - The Prodigal Returns (4 replies, posted in Acoustic)
After traveling from family member to family member for the past 25 years or so, my Norman ST30 has returned home, to be played once again. I originally bought it in 1979, and it's certainly been around.
An interesting bit about this guitar is that it was made in the late-70's, before Norman Boucher sold his company to the Robert Godin group (which also makes Seagull, Art & Lutherie, LaPatrie, and Simon & Patrick guitars). The top is made of solid Canadian Red Spruce, a sought after species of which the Boucher family still owns one of the largest privately-held stands in the world. The back & sides are solid mahogany, and these woods plus its age gives it a big, powerful yet warm voice.
Welcome home, Norman!
1,793 2016-10-15 10:07:21
Re: Rise ( A song I wrote for my grandchildren.) (9 replies, posted in Songwriting)
Nicely done! Your chord choices really give your song an "airy" or "spacious" feel, and I'll bet it sounds good finger-picked.
1,794 2016-10-15 10:04:47
Re: Sometimes, Dreams Do Come True (7 replies, posted in Songwriting)
As the lads from Three Dog Night once said, "Just an old fashioned love song." And there's nuttin' wrong with that ... nicely done!
1,795 2016-10-14 15:15:27
Re: friday's blues fix (1,560 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
Perfect blues for the weather, or perfect weather for the blues ... either way works.
1,796 2016-10-14 15:13:03
Re: Lloyd Webber musical (1 replies, posted in Song requests)
Hi Toppie ... welcome to Chordie!
Here's a link to a place which has some chords as well as standard music notation. Perhaps there's enough here to get you started, so you can fill in the blanks from here.
1,797 2016-10-14 08:19:38
Re: Birthday (20 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Many more, Russell ... many more!
You've been a terrific help to me personally with technical and musical advice, and a birthday seems like the perfect time to pass along a big "THANK YOU!". And here's my birthday greetings, now en route to that black hole of yours ... somewhere in deep space.
1,798 2016-10-12 09:46:21
Re: Cubs, a dedication (13 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Interesting lyrics ... are you sure you couldn't find anything to rhyme with Cubs?
1,799 2016-10-12 09:44:48
Re: God Bless North Carolina (2 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
100% agree ... devasting storm, wherever it made landfall.
At the northern end of our little province is the island of Cape Breton where our own Badeye originally hails from. They received 10" of rain in a 24-hour period, against an average October rainfall of 6.5" for the whole month. Coupled with high winds, lots of flooding, power outages, bridges torn out, etc.
We hope Badeye's loved ones are safe & sound.
1,800 2016-10-12 09:39:11
Re: A Minor Change.... (7 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
That's a common habit with me also, Bill ... no worries!