jwhitcomb3

Ben Folds Five

XTC after Dave Gregory left. And while I'm in that part of the alphabet, the X albums without Billy Zoom just ain't the same. Oh, and how about Pink Floyd after Syd left? -Jonathan

These are my favorites as well, but with the Dollar to Euro exchange rate, they've gone way up in price (and they weren't cheap to begin with). But just great strings. Do you have a source on them that won't break the bank? Poe, I like the Dean Markely Alchemy strings for acoustic as well. -Jonathan

I dunno if that's good advice... Didja see that belt? -Jonathan

+1

Buzzcocks, "You Say You Don't Love Me". Dunno if it's Pete Shelley or Steve Diggle playing it, but it is exactly enough and no more. Tommy Tutone: "867-5309/Jenny" Flamin' Groovies: "Shake Some Action" Bram Tchaikovsky: "Girl Of My Dreams" Nick Lowe: "Cruel to be Kind" None of 'em more than 25 seconds, each absolutely essential to the song. -Jonathan

I read recently that Tom Petty sales have gone through the roof since the Super Bowl. So I was wondering who could really use a career boost and put on a killer show. And then it came to me... JOAN FRIGGIN' JETT!!! Starts off with I Love Rock 'n' Roll, then slows down with Crimson and Clover, followed by I Hate Myself For Lovin' You Then, for the capper, bring on Janet Jackson to do a nostalgia duet with Do Ya Wanna Touch Me There Where? There! There? Yeah! YEAH!! OH YEAH!!! Any other nominations? -Jonathan

Always kinda silly to say who is "best", but I'd have to throw Tony Levin into the mix. -Jonathan

In that price range you can get a pristine used Huss & Dalton. Small shop (6 people in Virginia), hand made and unbelievable quality. Since I got my 00-SP I've sold my Takamine, given my Larrivee to a friend and my Lowden and Gurian sit in their cases. They are in their 12th year and hit their stride in quality a few years back, but the name is still catching on. So there's still time to pick up a used one for a great value (think Hamer about 10 years ago). They usually go used for over $2K, but sometimes they slip below: Dreadnaught I have a hankerin' for one of these, but this one's a little more money. I think they are the best value in acoustic guitars today. I prefer the small ones, because a small H&D projects like nothing you've ever heard, and the big ones are CANNONS. And the tone is amazing. I got my 00-SP because I was interested in parlor guitars as a novelty, and it just took over. Have fun in your search! -Jonathan

To anyone who thinks Page is a sloppy player, let me first point out that he's playing rock 'n' roll, not chamber music. I'm more impressed with a player who takes chances and misses occasionally than someone who always nails the same ol' notes every time. And second, if he's sloppy, I hope someday to be a sloppy player. -Jonathan

What a great batch of guitars! That Artist Korina is insane! You have very good taste! -Jonathan

What do you think Hamer's relative profits are in the overall Kaman Music division? Compared to Ovation, Takamine and Gretch Drums, could Hamer USA bring in as much as 3%? 5% tops? My guess is that Hamer USA is barely a blip on Fender's radar screen. This could be good or bad news. On the good side, Hamer USA is so small that Fender may decide it just isn't worth messing with and leave it as is. On the bad side, Hamer USA is so small that Fender may decide it just isn't worth messing with and shut it down. If Fender does decide to meddle, I can't see how it will be an improvement. I think our best hope is that Fender decides to leave well enough alone. I don't think that is likely. Get yer custom orders in now, boys! -Jonathan

Congratulations Nick! She's beautiful! How's Mom holding up? Is your oldest excited about having a baby sister? Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Many blessings! -Jonathan

I've got 5 Dada albums and they range from good to excellent. I've got to revisit the Judybats...the same guy who turned me onto the Cavedogs recommended them but I don't remember ever buying any of their CDs. Is there a good place to start with them? -Jonathan

The Cavedogs. Boston's late 80's power trio with the Beatle's hooks, the Who's power and some snotty punk attitude thrown in for fun. Everybody wrote songs and sang and they put on a killer live show. Their first album "Joy Rides For Shut-Ins" was eventually picked up by Capitol but they got swept under by the grunge wave and just missed the boat. Their second album "Soul Martini" wasn't promoted and they just fizzled. If you can find their CDs you are in for a real treat. -Jonathan

Scratching in the walls Mousetrap -Jonathan

I don't care much either way. I like the look of ebony on a black or white guitar, otherwise I think rosewood looks better (the Brazilian rosewood on my 30th LTD is insane). -Jonathan

Yeah, lotsa Dylan and Costello too. But my Jazz Butcher collection is pretty impressive too. For the XTC nuts, I just got an interesting album called Orpheus by Peter Blegvad and Andy Partridge. Used to have a big collection of Kate Bush too. Recently sold off most of my Bill Nelson collection. -Jonathan

Frank Zappa...because he made so many! Robyn Hitchcock comes in second. -Jonathan

Those are INSANE!!! Very nice! -Jonathan

Happy Birthday! -Jonathan

That's so sad. I read on Monday that his fiance was out all night with friends and came home to find him the next morning (they lived together). I couldn't help but wonder if this might have put quite a strain on him. Pure speculation, of course. -Jonathan

Yep, you're officially a man now Jonathan .... LOL Chris, you are a bad man...I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! -Jonathan

This won't end well .... Anybody feel like shooting Jol an email and putting an end to this nonsense? -Jonathan

No No No No! This was wood hand picked by the US factory and shipped to Korea because it was too good for them to work on here. And the builders who were specially brought in for this guitar are world class artisan luthiers that happened to be there that day teaching the regular factory workers how it should be done. Frank and Jol and Rick Neilson stood at the end of the production line, personally kissed and blessed this guitar as the best ever made! Then they put it in a special shipping crate and sent it directly to Bruce's dealer (because we all know that no regional distributer ever buys back a modified import and ships it out to a dealer as a brand new guitar). This guitar is certainly worth at least $1200, and Bruce would be well advised to hold onto this guitar until he gets this price. -Jonathan