July 4th - Happy America Day

Happy America day, Americans. Whats on your schedule for USA day?

Lunch today was a simple favourite of mine, a salami and cheese sandwich.
I got my first call back for a job just now (!), interview first thing in the morning at a time I haven’t been up at for a while now... Beard is trimmed and my nice shirt is clean. It sounds like a good one, in the medical industry.

G&L Custom order regrets
Do you have any? I have several. I wish that the SC2 I recently bought was a different colour. Almost any other colour. And I wish I went for a plain, not painted headstock. No regrets on my Bluesboy though.

Richard Thompson
The other guitarist in the band introduced me to Richard Thompson. He’s kind of like a British version of Ry Cooder – delving into folk music in a very tasteful way and a killer guitarist. He did the exceptional music for the excellent Werner Herzog documentary (there's another director that rarely does anything bad) "Grizzly Man". Well worth watching for the music alone.
[youtube]F5GshY7CEEA[/youtube]

Motorbikes
The focus of my desire has shifted of late from guitars, of which I have many, to motorbikes, of which I have none. The particular focus is on the Triumph Bonneville. I could just about buy one with the money I've spent on guitars in the last couple of years One day soon, the GF and I want to move out of the city and surrounding suburbs and live just beyond the urban fringe - probably in the area yesterdays photo was taken. She works from home as a writer, but will make it difficult for me to get to work, and I don’t want to be spending $100+ a week on fuel plus parking and tolls to drive the Volvo in, so a motorbike is the only practical option. Anyone ride a motorbike regularly? What are you riding?

it's just called 4th of july. not america or usa day. i ride a honda vfr interceptor. i rode my bike to work everyday when i worked on the west side to deal with traffic. now i live a half a mile from my work, not worth to roll out to bike from the garage for that, i get there faster walking. in your place i'd get a dual purpose/touring bike like a bmw paris dakkar, or a triumph tiger.

Happy USA America day, Louis!

It's Independence Day here. Up the rebels! Down the British! Except for my British-made Triumph Sprint ST in bright screaming Tornado Red.

Thats a bummer that you don't like the colour of your SC-2 , maybe you will warm up to it. Have a good interview ! Your part of the world looks like fine riding country ( weather wise at least ) . I don't ride but a friend at work has one of these and loves it. He put street tires on it though.



http://www.wolfbmw.com/F800GS.html

Happy USA America day, Louis!

Happy USA America Day to all my southern brothers and sisters! Hope you guys have a great day.

Blarg, of the few custom orders I have placed I fortunately do not have any regrets. I took a big chance on the turquoise metal flake SC-2 and it still puts a smile on my face every time I see it I really dig your SC-2.. truly unique.

I don't ride, but my brother has a matte black Harley that is really bad ass. I must admit I get a little jealous when he brings it around. But with 2 kids and a wife I just don't see it happening for me anytime soon... not to mention the logistics of getting my Dr Z 2x12 and head + G&L's to gigs.....

Good luck on the job interview

Scott

Blarg your SC 2 is bad azz !! ...... regrets?.... maybe a flamed top on my honeyburst Legacy ..... really I'm not dissapointed on any of my guitars new or used , I'm just thankful I finally own some bad boys

I love Harley's , I've had my MC endorsement since 1989 but been riding since 1974, I had a 1972 Harley Davidson Super Glide (shovel head) for 15 years but sold it to get my second junior dragster for my youngest two kids when we started jr drag racing in 2002 ...... I was riding way before cell phones and texter's ..... not sure I want to ride with "todays" drivers and there distractions

great LR this week Blarg !!

Eric

If the colour is the limiting factor, I would wager the guitar itself is missing the bonding factor, or the wow. More of an overall failing of a not exceptional piece, opposed to something so unimportant as the aesthetic. I have found that when I find the guitar that is right in my hand, the colour or aesthetic is not important, that stuff is all secondary to the instrument doing its job. Maybe take some time and re-evaluate what exactly is missing from the guitar? The problem with being given options is people tend to over-obsess with all of them, my favourite method of getting an instrument is walking into the store, and walking out with one after I find one that I genuinely get along with. No more shots in the dark if I can help it and it all comes out better at the end. I am not going to spend time worrying about scale, nut width, fretboard radius, or colour to determine what I am liking, just feel and sound.

No motorized bicycles for me, but oh well.

Oh, and have fun with the interview.

Last edited by sirmyghin on Thu Jul 04, 2013 9:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

Blarg your SC 2 is bad azz !! ...... regrets?.... maybe a flamed top on my honeyburst Legacy ..... really I'm not dissapointed on any of my guitars new or used , I'm just thankful I finally own some bad boys

I love Harley's , I've had my MC endorsement since 1989 but been riding since 1974, I had a 1972 Harley Davidson Super Glide (shovel head) for 15 years but sold it to get my second junior dragster for my youngest two kids when we started jr drag racing in 2002 ...... I was riding way before cell phones and texter's ..... not sure I want to ride with "todays" drivers and there distractions

great LR this week Blarg !!

Eric

have you ever tried riding a real motorcycle? i mean one that actually runs, turns and stops like it should, and not the vibrating tractor engines in a frame.

you must mean torque like a tractor motor , .... how many 1972 bikes are still on the road ??...... mine ran 12.66 at a 106 mph in the 1/4 mile with just the first three gears at the drag strip and 138mph down I-75 near Cincy..... the Ole Milwaukee Vibrator does just fine

you must mean torque like a tractor motor , .... how many 1972 bikes are still on the road ??...... mine ran 12.66 at a 106 mph in the 1/4 mile with just the first three gears at the drag strip and 138mph down I-75 near Cincy..... the Ole Milwaukee Vibrator does just fine

and handling and speed like a tractor too. try 10.3 and 135 in the 1/4 and 180 down the freeway. bone stock. and i paid 3k for the bike. i always did wish for better rear view mirrors to be able to better admire how nice the harleys look.

If the colour is the limiting factor, I would wager the guitar itself is missing the bonding factor, or the wow. More of an overall failing of a not exceptional piece, opposed to something so unimportant as the aesthetic. I have found that when I find the guitar that is right in my hand, the colour or aesthetic is not important, that stuff is all secondary to the instrument doing its job. Maybe take some time and re-evaluate what exactly is missing from the guitar?

I know where you're coming from here, but the colour is something that I chose, whereas that "wow" factor (dare I say mojo???) is something you've just got to cross your fingers and hope for - and I got lucky this time. I LOVE the way the guitar feels and plays, I just wish that I liked the look of it more.

Eric - My old man rides a Harley, no complaints from me.

Scott - Get the bike, and get one of your bandmates to lug your stuff - that should be easy, right?

Glvourot - A BMW would be awesome! There are some great scenic roads around here, not so much on the west coast though, unless you're into long, straight and empty (though I see how this might be fun for speed junkies )

GG - NICE bike

Happy USA America day, Louis!

I just peed myself a little. Thanks Blarg! -ed

Hey Blarg. Thanks for the good wishes on our birthday. There's a lot that needs fixing here, but there's no place I'd rather be, and I feel fortunate and humble.

Bikes: Love them but will never own one. I have two young kids and drivers here are so terrible, that the wonderful freedom these machines permit isn't (to me) worth the inherent risks. But If I DID have one, it would be a BMW. Spent some time on one when I was younger, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Richard Thompson: Fantastic talent. I'm kind of stuck on his earlier stuff with Linda, especially Bright Lights. "When I Get To The Border" and "Calgary Cross" are two of my favorite songs. Ever. Looking forward to seeing him live someday. Any idea what the hell kind of Fender b*stard guitar he plays? Lovely and powerful. He's just soooooo good. Glad you mentioned him. The guy happens to have among his songs the saddest tune I have ever heard, period. Any guesses? - ed

Hey Ed, no idea what the sad song is - care to fill us in?

Happy America Day Everyone!

[youtube]nq-cegxBEpM[/youtube]

Am I the only one that thinks of this movie on the 4th?

Ahryn - That is a terrible movie. The fist-pumping-"U-S-A"-shouting-ultra-patriot-fighter-pilot sacrificing himself and his plane to destroy the alien ship (sounds familiar...) means something completely different now to when that film was released...

Ahryn - That is a terrible movie. The fist-pumping-"U-S-A"-shouting-ultra-patriot-fighter-pilot sacrificing himself and his plane to destroy the alien ship (sounds familiar...) means something completely different now to when that film was released...

Yep, I saw the film when it was originally released, and Randy Quaid just says "tell my kids I love them" (and at that time they realize that he's going too Kamikaze his F/A-18 into the space ship), and then says "hello boys! I'm back" (remember, earlier in the film, he insisted that he'd been the victim of an alien abduction years earlier), and does the deed. Doing so doesn't shoot down the ship, but does weakens its defenses enough for the rest of the planes to shoot it down.

Reading talk about, and seeing photos of motorcycles kind of bums me out. I want another cycle badly! I come from a motorcycle riding family, and was a longtime rider myself, but ended up selling my last bike because it needed repairs I couldn't afford at the time, and I had moved to an apartment without proper (indoor) storage space. Now I live in an apartment, where I have indoor parking available to me, but my finances are iffy for a cycle (not sure I want to add to my debt load by financing one). If I do break down, and get another cycle, it'll be something sporty (never been a cruiser fan), but not necessarily a race rep. I want great handling in the twisties, not "born to be wild" cruiser/custom coolness, or "it goes fast in a straight line, but is only so-so in the handling department" (I've been up to 125 mph once, when I topped out an old boyfriend's Yamaha Seca 750 back in college in the 80s, and while it was cool, all I could think about, was that if I fell off, I was a goner, or if a cop saw me, I could kiss my license goodbye). Oh yeah, and despite it being an oxymoron, sportyness-wise, I'd like shaft drive. I'm sick of screwing with chain adjustment.

Some bikes that interest me:

BMW (K or R series bikes - I'm not fussy)
Moto Guzzi (yeah, they aren't that common, but I've always though they were cool).
One of the older Suzuki GS or GSX G-series shafties.

In a chain drive if the price was VERY right:

A big single like a Yamaha SR-500 or SRX-6
Yamaha XS-650 (if the work wasn't too much of a hassle, I'd turn it into a cafe racer)
An SOHC Honda CB-750 or CB-550 (I remember seeing a junkyard dog-style CB-550 cafe racer when I was in college, and it was quite cool).

Last edited by ellengtrgrl on Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

If the colour is the limiting factor, I would wager the guitar itself is missing the bonding factor, or the wow. More of an overall failing of a not exceptional piece, opposed to something so unimportant as the aesthetic. I have found that when I find the guitar that is right in my hand, the colour or aesthetic is not important, that stuff is all secondary to the instrument doing its job. Maybe take some time and re-evaluate what exactly is missing from the guitar?

I know where you're coming from here, but the colour is something that I chose, whereas that "wow" factor (dare I say mojo???) is something you've just got to cross your fingers and hope for - and I got lucky this time. I LOVE the way the guitar feels and plays, I just wish that I liked the look of it more.

Take er to the body shop and get them to shoot candy red over it and then you will have a CAR finish, done and done. (I solve problems)

Hey Ed, no idea what the sad song is - care to fill us in?

I've posted this before in the context of a LR discussion of sad songs. If you're aware of a sadder, more poignant song about the human condition, I would truly appreciate hearing about it. I actually hesitate in posting this again for fear that someone here who may be in a a temporary, difficult state might upon hearing this seek a permanent, ill-advised and cowardly solution.....

But here's Costello covering R. Thompson's haunting tune, End of the Rainbow. I selected this vid for a couple of reasons: First, it features the lyrics, which are critical here, and Second, because I (also) greatly admire Elvis Costello - who was prescient enough to have discovered this and offered forward this haunting and troubling beauty of a song.

As an amateur songwriter, this one just brings me to my knees - and sometimes to tears...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOubQpbfzAY

Enjoy! ;+) - ed

Ahryn - That is a terrible movie. The fist-pumping-"U-S-A"-shouting-ultra-patriot-fighter-pilot sacrificing himself and his plane to destroy the alien ship (sounds familiar...) means something completely different now to when that film was released...

It was always a terrible movie, It borrows so much from other (arguably better) sources of Sci-Fi it can be staggering.

Plus many other reasons.

But why not enjoy a terrible movie every now and then?

Ed Woods and all that.

I watched grizzly man this R & R mate & like you was floored by thompsons work on the accouy,some of the drop D stuff sounded sensational & perfectly suited the scenes it was used in.
Regarding plank colours I think that's why I always go for a grain if possible.even mission brown looks half ok on a nice block though I did see a good Comanche in gold flake on the G&L Facebook page a while back stunning it was..

Jamie, I do not have any custom regrets but currently have a Savanna ASAT on order. Many think the special editions are a waste but I am looking for a light bass and this should do the trick. The price is not any higher than an ordered G&L so the limited editions can be a goo deal.

Had a good 4 Th and cut down a damaged tree and used another of my 9 lives. It kicked back and narrowly missed me. Another good reason to celebrate the evening of the 4 TH.

I have owned motorcycles my whole life. My first ride was a 1949 Harley, a beast to keep running. I have had many brands/sizes over the years and finally settled on a 1500 Gold Wing in 1990. This has been the best vehicle that I have owned and am 60 miles short of 150,000 mi. Should roll over this week. It is still like new. I have friends that ride Harleys, none of them serious riders and they are entertaining. The fashion wear is like the price of the motorcycle. I wouldn't mind owning a Harley V-Rod but the others do not interest me. If I had purchased a new Harley 150,000 miles ago, with good luck I would have owned 3 of them by now. . In the 60 a friend of mine bought a Triumph and back then we did spend time wrenching on it. We had to work on all of them. I am not a Harley basher and really think that they are a beautiful rig to look at. I have replaced tires, waterpumps, alternators, several batteries, brakes, timing belts and fork seals during that time. I do all my own work and it has been in most states other than the west and east coast states. Ginny has had her own motorcycle for years so my passenger is a large subwoofer system that I built. You can't beat good tunes when riding. You will love one and it sounds like you have weather for riding many months of the year.-- Darwin