Rodan

That piece of maple looks like flames crawling the ceiling! Yow!

This is a rerun post, but the new buys I've been playing are by a duo called The Bird and the Bee. The female singer is Inara George, Lowell's daughter. Gentle, brainy pop music with some "retro" vibe and really nice harmony vox. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F2Q7oz1zZ4

I like the loose feel, too. Trying not to listen with my eyes, too - video has a definite throwback vibe. Maybe a bit of old 'Sabbath in there, too...

I saw the original letter/article on FB. REALLY long, but it just about nails the whole problem... I'm sure I'm a bit of a dinosaur, but I have a music library, y'know? CD's (formerly LP's) with artwork and liner notes, to give me dates, personnel, performance & instrument details... My iPod (a gift from my girlfriend) is just an amazing mixed disc of mostly things I physically own already. I go to iTunes for individual songs that I have no further questions about... Given my awareness of the musicians plight, if someone I like asks me to burn a copy of something, I'll sometimes offer to buy a copy for him/her. I've offerred to provide cover art for brilliant, struggling musicians for credit in the notes only. I'm not rich - especially not these days. These days, I'm holding off on new music purchases and keeping a list. And given that we're looking at a generational shift in values, enabled by web and gadget-driven conveniences, I wonder how anyone can make the points laid out in the original piece (up there) to these new audiences. Can this letter/article be condensed into OMG, IMHO and LMFAO terms for the non-readers?

Hey - the Jeff Beck version of "She's a Woman"! Ah? Ah?

"Szweeeya..." "Eebmo...zhaaa..."

Mine are mostly feel-related. 1) Must be 25.5" scale (though a '61 SG reissue I've found renders that rule somewhat flexible). 2) If it has a trem' it must lock in some way and stay in tune (my Mirage I is blocked). 3) US-made snob, here. 4) Have never paid as much as $1k (I think that's as much a lucky streak as anything else - easy with certain pre-owned Hamers). 5) Don't have a definite weight limit, but don't want it pulling me over, if I bend forward. 6) No square-edged bodies - bevels or ergo-friendly carves are welcome. 7) Some attempt to minimize obstacles at the neck joint. Love the double-angled back of the neck pocket on Hamer bolt-ons. No big, honking blocks. I test for intonation, but that's real baseline...pre-criteria. And I'm suggestible, where tone is concerned. Lots of different things sound good to me.

Sincere condolences to you. It can be especially hard when any part of the circumstances is unclear. I lost my Dad 22 years ago to a traffic accident out of state, and my girlfriend, 7 years ago. It seems to me that we learn how to go on living with these big holes in us...maybe limping inside, where people can't see it. Nothing can fill the empty space, because it would mean replacing the love that's still there... I hope you can be at peace, and if you believe this way, feel his presence still.

Rodan, what pup's are in the red Diablo? I put an Air Zone in the bridge and an Air Norton in the neck. Sound pretty good, but I've kept the JB & 59 that were in there. LOOKS sharp, dunnit?

From the evidence I have, I'd say my girlfriend likes my white Chap' and my red Diablo best. We both call the Chap' Mina's Guitar, because it's the one my cat plays.

I'm weird, but two of my faves are "Canary in a Coalmine" (some snappy rhythm guitar on that one) and "On Any Other Day". I love the opening of the latter...

Anyone who wants to be on a forum has to understand karma and the whole idea of do-unto-others... Beyond that, I would think avoiding trouble/bad consequences should be enough to ensure good faith efforts. Shows what I know. For my part, I've had VERY good horsetrading experiences on the HFC and have done my best to pay it back. Good to see any slippery shit exposed. Keep it otta here!

I agree with the opinions that favor the Diablo. On the other hand, I don't think the difference is really striking. What I'm hearing is the guys amp settings, or effects and his hands. He's got some ability and polish, alright! I was helping a friend to buy a guitar recently and we were talking about the variables that govern tone in different guitar designs. Kinda range-y conversation. He's a guy who's never had a particularly nice amp and has never played through a tube amp, either. In a moment of philosophical over-simplification, I told him I thought the tonal equation is something like 40% guitar and 60% amp. That's funds permitting, I suppose. Anyway, we both agreed that a good amp is the other "half" of the instrument. So that may be the subject of my next vicarious shopping excursion.

That Daytona's extremely cool-looking! Couldn't afford at this point, but knew it was a bargain. CLEARLY a bargain, having seen it! The black metal is striking against that burst. I'm getting a lot of eye candy from this board, these days...

OK. That's a good look, too. I think I dig the other color scheme better, but nothing could diminish that flamey top! That's a prize axe, alright.

Yeah, I lucked out with this one. Switched to black pickup rings and knobs (a la a Koa Mirage II) and that seems to bring out the darker shades of the flame. Ah. Glad I didn't talk about how much I like(d) the cream-colored rings and amber knobs! It DID lend a nice, alt-Paul kinda look. Still, I'd love to see new pic's, if that's no trouble. BTW, I wonder how reddish, wooden rings would look... Cocobolo? Troublemaker?

You sure it's not because of the slight blurriness in the middle caused by a stain on the lens? A nice sort of glamor technique, but no. The figure of that maple is like very little I've ever seen. Quite a stunner!

It's Mirage I for me, with the neck joint as the main reason. Koa, mahogany and overall esthetic are cool, too. I like the asymmetrical shape, with the "waist" higher on the left side... Now, if MCChris' II had the same neck joint, that'd be incredible. That's the only II I've ever stared at for long periods of time, with more than a mere twinge of GAS.

REALLY beautiful!! Though any transparent color would be nice over that quilt, I think that's some of the prettiest use of blue I've ever seen! Congrats!

So... Here's what they WERE at one time, apparently. This is the shit, no?

I think of Aerosmith as salvageable through their first 5 records and parts of "Live Bootleg". I only ever saw them after Perry left, the first time. My first real, big concert and I was too starstruck to find any (other) fault. I'd be interested to see footage from their early '70's days... It's probly out there...YouTube...

...and at the end of the piece, backstage stories with the reporter online, "sponsored by Pfizer". Another clever edit was the shot of a huge stage extension, after Tyler talked about keeping the band going as an art... Maybe I'm just twitchy about supposed intersections of Art and Commerce...on that scale.

The top, behind the bridge, looks like the wake a boat would kick up, which makes the flame look like sunset on a lake... (ahem) Are you in love with that pickguard?

Holdsworth and Chris Poland are another coupla guys who make really seamless, but dramatic use of the bar.

That's one elegant piece of plank! Well wrought!