Guitarist's Forum

[Al]

Tele's are OK to play ... buy they just don't look as cool !!!
Cheers, Chris

The only reason I used to play a Tele rather than a Strat was that on a Strat I always found myself accidentally turning the volume control down cos of my hand position ( I used my thumbpick and fingers still rather than a plectrum ) - I could never get over it so it was a Tele for me 

[MAJ]

David,

It is only just gone 8am and already I have had a stressful morning and your post about me being an Inefficient Bag has made me really laugh!!  Thank you.  You have cheered me up.   I have however, hoovered up (or is that dysoned up?) a few of these posts and deposited them here in the Forum thread as talks were not about eBay anymore.....

Goodbye!
Marianne Mopp, I.B.
 

[Curt]

I just got a Neck Adder tone pot (only £15 from Rothwell) replacement for my strat - I haven't fitted it yet but apparently it lets you blend in the neck pup to the bridge to give a more telecaster middle pup tone.  It needs a 5 way switch and my strat has a 3 way, so I need to go into town to get a 5 way before I fit it (that and the strings are still quite new, so i'll wait until they rust - should be about 5 years or so  )

Anyone else use one?

[david stevenson]

Strat is candy-apple red ...

Tele's are OK to play ... buy they just don't look as cool !!!   
Cheers, Chris

Chris

You're probably right - even Robbie dropped his '52 tele for the Last Waltz movie to play an all-gold strat(presumably made by Terrys of York!).

Strange connection - I worked in Bulgaria for six months in the early 90s, soon after the revolution and at the time that the disintegration of Yugoslavia started on the northern border.  When the wind came from the north you could hear the artillery and there was a real sense of unease.  I was there to kick off a mobile phone business.  Everyone was desperate to get a mobile which seemed bizarrely consumerist when the war could have crossed the border any day and we only had electricity every three hours.  It's all captured really well in Julian Barnes' novel "The Porcupine".  Strange days - I incorporated my experiences in the old iron curtain countries into a song last year.

What I do remember was the local folk music, particularly the close harmony female singers, spine-tingling and other-wordly.  Once you got away from the tourist trail and the cities you realised that this was the music they actually sang for recreation in the villages.

Presumably life in general is better these days.

David

[david stevenson]

I sold a  Fylde Oberon on Ebay  a while ago and he bid on it

Next time you're selling a guitar please let me know!

David

[david stevenson]

David,

It is only just gone 8am and already I have had a stressful morning and your post about me being an Inefficient Bag has made me really laugh!!  Thank you.  You have cheered me up.   I have however, hoovered up (or is that dysoned up?) a few of these posts and deposited them here in the Forum thread as talks were not about eBay anymore.....

Goodbye!
Marianne Mopp, I.B.
 

Maj

My pleasure.  Shame we didn't start up the alcoholic thread, though.  Folk music and drink are inextricably linked in my experience!

David

[david stevenson]

All Guitarists/Writers

I'm going to the Arts Centre at Stamford on Saturday, where Allan Taylor is doing a multimedia event based on a song-cycle about the works of Kerouac.  Concert, films, discussions etc.  I'm going primarily for a songwriting workshop that Allan is doing from 1:30.

Allan started in the 70s.  He was always good in every department but it was a revelation when I saw him again at St Neots a few months back.  Wry, world-weary, story songs, just what I love and try to write myself.  Also a doyen of weird tunings, which I also like.

As I'm already committed for the evening, the workshop is all I can manage.

Hope this isn't too far away from the thread or disloyal to Ralph - my all-time writing model and hero - but a good opportunity to learn from a real master and a chance to meet up.

And Stamford is a really nice town with good restaurants and pubs!

David

[peluche (Chris)]

David, how bizarre !!

(mods, please feel free to shift this topic into another thread, I wouldn't like to hijack the guitarists post)

Presumably life in general is better these days.

Not much ... still a great deal of poverty. Cars parked on pavements, wild dogs, etc. I also pay for 512k adsl, 24 hour service, we generally get around 30k for around 12 hours a day, and we live in the centre of Sofia !!

What I do remember was the local folk music, particularly the close harmony female singers, spine-tingling and other-wordly. 

We curently have a member of staff, who left France 5 years ago to study Bulgarian folk music. She is now the 'only foreigner' to sing on the world stage as a member of the the 'elite' Bulgarian Folklore troope.

Names don't spring to mind, but I will ask her tomorrow am.

Cheers, Chris

[david stevenson]

You know what, I must confess to being extremely lazy when it comes to oiling the fingeboard, but in my defence I have noticed over the years that I don't seem to have very oily fingers if you know what I mean. I do notice how grubby some other people's
fingerboards are compared with mine and if I comment they often say they cleaned it not long ago 

Ye Gods I'm a sad man.  All this chat about strings drove me into a frenzy and I've serviced, oiled and changed the strings on my J45, Takamine and even the 12-string, all in the last 24 hours.  All the twanging and tuning has driven the cats away from home, I think.  And I haven't seen my wife since lunchtime...

However, I do have the excuse of gigs tonight and friday, plus the AllanTaylor workshop on the Saturday, when the J45 might get a rare public airing.... still sad, though.

David

[Al]

Some time ago someone asked about the chords to "Lost Boys" ??  I can't remember who, but this afternoon whilst noodling about I remembered to have a go at them ... I think this is how it goes, as usual accent on the bass notes - this is Ralph we're talking about 

The verse is basically AM/G/F per lyric line with accent on the bass, I've been playing it hitting the root bass notes with my thumb and brushing the chords in betweem with my fingers. I have only been fretting the G on the sixth string as well, not the whole  chord, except for the G in thew sort of chorus bit  Also, at the end of the verse its basically an Em but there are hammer-ons on the third string 1st fret and second string 3rd fret sometimes making it an E7.


Am             G        F
We're going out tonight
Am              G       F
Lookign for a bit of fun
Am             G        F
There might be a fight
Am                G    F
It could be with anyone

G                           C
We're not scared of danger
F            C      G
Danger's just a flirt
C                 F   C
Fear is still a stranger
G                                        Em/E7
When you know you can't be hurt

etc

[Gibson]

Cheers Al, it was me.  Straight to the guitar for this one and I think you're right as far as the first bit goes.  Not too sure about the third line of the second bit, but that's probably me just not remembering the tune.  I'll find the CD and have a go at playing along.  Also might be just the font spacing, but I think the Em at the end comes on 'can't'.
Thanks again.   
 

[Al]

Cheers Al, it was me.  Straight to the guitar for this one and I think you're right as far as the first bit goes.  Not too sure about the third line of the second bit, but that's probably me just not remembering the tune.  I'll find the CD and have a go at playing along.  Also might be just the font spacing, but I think the Em at the end comes on 'can't'.
Thanks again.   
 

Hi 

Just had another run through this and I am pretty sure I am right - bit I am always open to the idea I might be wrong  Hitting the C bass note on the fifth string on the word 'fear' seems right to me..but...I have got the chords on the wrong words on the last line. The G should be above the word 'know' and the Em/E7 on the wort 'hurt', thanks for that cos I hadn't noticed until you drew attention to it 


Am             G        F
We're going out tonight
Am              G       F
Lookign for a bit of fun
Am             G        F
There might be a fight
Am                G    F
It could be with anyone

G                           C
We're not scared of danger
F            C      G
Danger's just a flirt
C                 F   C
Fear is still a stranger
               G                        Em/E7
When you know you can't be hurt

[Al]

For sale...."That'll Do Babe" sounds great on it 


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2385&item=7314504580&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Its a lovely guitar in all respects but its not very practical for me, besides I have just got a Tom Mates to replace it 

ps Maj, hope I am allowed to do this 

[MAJ]

I don't see why not on this occasion, Al.  Good luck.

[John Beresford]

Hey Al, I love your eBay handle!

And what a beautiful guitar.  Nine hours into the auction and over 50 views allready - I hope most of them are 'watching'.

All the best with the sale - and I hope you like your Tom Mates.  Is it like Ralph's?

[Paul]

Apparantly they smell wonderfull. You can get drunk just playing the guitar.

Paul

[Al]

I hope you like your Tom Mates.  Is it like Ralph's?

Hi John, I do like my Tom Mates, I haven't put it down since I got it - its a very "Gibson" sounding guitar with an especially wonderful bass.  Its very "Gibson" in feel too, its not hard to imagine why Ralph likes them, and maybe its not stretching things to imagine Ralph's influenced the designs too.

Ralph told me last Summer that Tom has stopped building guitars now, although I am sure he will still build a few but that his main activities are elsewhere. The one I have just got was made in 1989 but is in almost new condition, the guy who had owned it from new had obviously loved and cherished it.  It was on Ebay a few times and the guy kept lowering his price but amazingly had no bidders - so in the end I offered him £600 and he accepted £625 ( he started it off at £1250 ). Its an absolute bargain, and a super sounding guitar. My wife and kids are used to the revolving door that sees many a guitar come and go but even they have stopped to comment on its sound, so its joining the select little band of those that are to keep.

Its what Tom called his "Robert Johnson" model and its very much like the guitar RJ is pictured with in THE photo, ie sort of jumbo, 12 frets, maple back and sides. Its a plain Jane but the figure on the maple is very nice. Also, the binding has shrunk on the body and neck for some reason so there's a kind of lip around the edges that felt a bit strange at first but its so comfortable for me and sounds so good that doesn't matter any more.

I have to congratulate Ralph on his taste in guitar makers thats for sure, and I can see why he's had a few built for him. When I got to talk to Ralph I mentioned the latest 12 string Tom had made for him ( that I saw him play at Reading the last time he played there ) and Ralph confessed to having just got another from him, a small jumbo - so that makes it four I think ?? The 'Parrot' guitar, the the one made from the old bar from the Half Moon, the 12-string and the small jumbo.

[Al]

Apparantly they smell wonderfull. You can get drunk just playing the guitar.

Paul

Paul's absolutely correct, the smell through the soundhole is especially wonderful. I've wondered if it fades with time and thought that maybe if it did then it could be refreshed by maybe putting some of your finest malts in one of those plant sprays and spraying it inside 

[Paul]

Apparantly they smell wonderfull. You can get drunk just playing the guitar.

Paul

Paul's absolutely correct, the smell through the soundhole is especially wonderful. I've wondered if it fades with time and thought that maybe if it did then it could be refreshed by maybe putting some of your finest malts in one of those plant sprays and spraying it inside 

No, just pour it down your throat instead. 

It looks really nice, but I must keep away from guitars on EBay after my last accident  I showed the picture to my wife, but she wasn't impressed.

Hope the auction goes well Al.

Paul

[david stevenson]

For sale...."That'll Do Babe" sounds great on it 


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2385&item=7314504580&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Its a lovely guitar in all respects but its not very practical for me, besides I have just got a Tom Mates to replace it 

ps Maj, hope I am allowed to do this 

Al

You b***er.  Fylde and single malt - two of my passions.  Tempted!!! Best to speak to the FD, I'll get me coat and calculator.

I'm seriously thinking about getting a smaller bodied auditorium guitar for gigging - have decided not to part with the Takamine because I need the power and attack of the dreadnought, so it will be an addition rather than a replacement.

I've been looking at Lowden O25 and even 032, also Martin 0018 and 0028.  As objectively as you can please, how does the Fylde compare?

Maybe this should be on Ebay, so tell me to bog off if you like!

David