Lunch Report For Thursday, August 22, 2013

Sorry, I’m a little late again. This morning I am dealing with a pulled back muscle on my left side and it hurts! I injured it about 18 months ago lifting an amp, and I did something last week and tweaked it again. So, I am sitting here at the computer with an ice bag on my back; three ibuprofen in me, and trying to get under the influence of a very LARGE cup of Starbucks coffee.

How is your health these days?

All in all, I’d say I’m doing better than I was a year ago. I’ve given up dairy, which is making my digestive system much happier. I seem to have more energy, and the doc was real happy with my last checkup. The fun factoid is—I’ve lost almost fifty pounds since the first of the year. I’m still WAY too heavy—morbidly obese is the medical term, but I’m slowly getting it down. I’m somewhat limited for exercise still, but I am doing more walking. When I get down a bit further, I can start into some resistance training, and hopefully that will help kick start my metabolism even more.

It’s actually been pretty easy, too! We’re just using a calorie counting app called “My Fitness Pal” on our smart phones. Miss Leslie has been doing it too, and I am so proud of her for sticking with it. She’s actually lost more than I have.

So who knows? Maybe by the end of next year, I can get a job as the new poster boy for Calvin Klein underwear! (Don’t hold your breath, though! LOL!!!)





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It was a bit of a struggle getting through the open mic last night with the sore back. Being a beautiful sunny day and a perfect, warm evening in the Pacific Northwest, turnout was light for the show, and only five performers on the bill. Some were decent—the one woman there had a lovely voice. But the guy who followed her played HORRIBLY out of tune—it was painful!

There was one young guy playing, still in his teens, that was very good, doing a killer version of McCartney’s “Blackbird”. A real talent.

I closed the show with four songs, leading off with “Hotel California” on my Takamine 12-string, and had everybody singing along. I switched over to my Martin DC Aura, played a couple of original tunes, and then closed with a Fleetwood Mac song from Christine McVie called “Over My Head”. I got a lot of nice compliments, and felt good about my performance. And…I won a very nice 20 Foot tweed wrapped Fender guitar cable as a door prize. Thank you Portland Music Company!



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Okay, here is a test…

How many guitar picks do you have on your person at this very moment?

Picks are a great way to experiment with your tone. I have been using the Dunlop gauged picks for years, and prefer 1,14 mm Gators, Tortex or Ultex in the standard Fender-style 351 shape. I try to use the same picks one my acoustics as my electrics.

But at the moment, I have….20 picks in my pocket and…8 Tortex in one of those little Dean Markley pick pocket thingies on my key ring.

I have: Gator (1), Delrin 500 (2), Clayton Ultrem 1.26mm (2), Dunlop Big Stubby 2.0 mm (1), V-Pick Switchblade (1), Ultex (3), Ultex Sharps (2), Tortex (5) and 2 of Jason Lollar’s promo picks made from pickup bobbin fiberboard. And lastly, I’m trying out one of Graph-Tech’s new picks made from their Tusq material.

The Tortex is my standard. I love the Gators ‘cause I don’t drop them, but lately they feel a little small to me. The Delrins are brighter, but don’t last as long—the Ultex are darker than the Tortex but wear like iron. The Lollar and the V-Pick are too thick for me but they are nice and bright. Big Stubbys are cool because of the slick surface, but I have trouble hanging on to them.

The Tusq and the Ultex Sharps are pretty interesting. Both are good sounding; the Tusq is nice and bright, and the Ultex Sharp has a brighter tone than the regular one. Perhaps these new challengers can knock off the Tortex as my favorite—we shall see.

Twenty picks in my pocket is a lot, even for me. But I should confess…I cheated. Yep, I cleaned out the sofa cushions this morning and rounded up the strays and put them in my pocket before I wrote the report. I guess I’ll take my inspiration for the Lunch Report wherever I can find it. LOL!



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And after enduring the off-key singer with the out-of-tune guitar last nite...

I’m using a Boss TU-3 on my pedal board these days. How about you? I have several tuners around. I know Will Ray collects them too. I’ve got a Strobo Stomp I use for setups, a Boss TU-12H that I take to jams, several of the little Korg CA-30s in some of my acoustic guitar cases, a Planet Waves near the sofa. I’ve got a TU-2 on my acoustic pedal board. There’s a new Planet Waves clip-on that I won in a contest that will go in my banjo case. I’ve still got my old circa 1975 Peterson Guitar Tuner, an AC-powered, LED strobe that is very, very accurate—but it is a big box. And I have a couple of those little PW strobe-tuner picks—handy as heck when I’m out guitar shopping. Amazing technology! And I’m sure I still have a couple of my old guitar pitch pipes, and a couple of tuning forks, too.

The Takamine and the DC Aura have built in tuners, a very nice feature--ESPECIALLY on the 12-string.

How are you getting in tune these days?



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One of my G&L Legacys has an Earvana nut installed. If you’re not familiar with these, they are a compensated nut, similar to the Buzz Feiten system. It seems to work fine, though it is a little odd for me to see the bridge saddles all lined up in a row. While they have a narrow version of the nut for Fender-style necks, the person who installed this one routed out the nut channel and used a wider version that is almost twice the width of the factory nut. Restoration would involve filling the groove with a strip of rosewood and then cutting a new groove and installing a new nut.

Do any of your guitars use the Earvana nut, the Buzz Feiten system or other brand of compensated nut? What do you think of these systems? Are they worthwhile--or a solution to a non-existent problem?

What do you think I should do with this guitar—leave it as it is, or restore it to a normal nut?



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That’s all I got for today, kids. Hope to see you tamale!

Bill

Had an early sandwich as Ginny had eye surgery today. Everything went as planned.

How is your health these days?

Actually very well. I am lucky as I am not a health nut but probably had some decent genes from my elders.


It was a bit of a struggle getting through the open mic last night with the sore back.

That would be difficult Bill. I am not an open mic fan as you have to put up with both the good and the bad, Usually the bad ones have to get shoved off stage. Some of the good ones are really good and they are a treat.


How many guitar picks do you have on your person at this very moment?

One, a .73 Ultex. I also like Fender picks.


How are you getting in tune these days?

II have four different Snark SN-8's in different places, A Fender Pedal tuner, which I haven't used for ages, two Planet Waves strobes which I use for setups and some others laying around. I usually use a Snark when gigging and refine by ear. I also have a PW pick tuner and they are quite amazing. Mine is a bass tuner.


Do any of your guitars use the Earvana nut

Yes I have a Legacy with the Earvana that fits the original slot and it is fine. My Music Mans also had compensated nuts. I wouldn't change it if I were you. My favorite if you have a 9/10 radius is the Fender LSR. I have installed that in a G&L tribute and Steve loves it. I have several Fender that have them. -- Darwin

I'm sure I have the most unusual picks. Ever since I bought my Santa Cruz 1929 - 00 I have tried to play without a pick . I am learning finger picking to go with my strumming.
With this in mind I tried a fake nail . I couldn't stand it although it was good for finger picking. I don't know how woman do long nails as I ripped it off. The other pick is one that Edge uses , its kinda cool. I quite like Dunlop picks, the fins are the ones I currently use, when I can find em.
Health is everything, congrats on losing all that weight. You must feel much better. Weigh training will certainly boost your metabolism. We lose about 5 LB of muscle each decade from the age of 20. You will replace that lost muscle with correct strength training.
I have a couple of Korg tuners . One I really like is the GT-120. You turn the dial and you can tune up in Open D,E,G,A and DADGAD.
I always keep guitars stock
All the best
Anthony

Hi Bill, you've got a great week going so far.

Health issues: None that I can complain about. I have a back niggle from falling off a ladder over 15 years ago, but as long as I visit my chiropractor every month it behaves itself. I run about 20km a week and for the first time in my life I'm averaging sub 5 min kms. I try to watch what I eat, and stay clear of added sugar, fatty processed meat or anything from a packet. IMO, sugar is a scourge and we in the Western world are addicted. The food companies know it is addictive and add it to get us hooked, much in the same way the tobacco industry adds ammonia to cigarettes to make them more addictive. Sugar is added to so much food that you don't realise you're addicted until you consciously try to go without it. When I was in the US last year I couldn't eat basic bread, it was so sweet. Congrats on making a start towards better health! It's a long term investment, but even more valuable than your collection of Martins, Gibsons and G&L's in the long run.

Picks: None on my person at the moment, though I haven't done a cavity check. I'm working my way through a pack of the fat, green Dunlops. They give me indigestion. I should try some different ones to expand my horizons.

Tuners: I've still got my first generation Boss digital tuner from 1985. I went to buy a new one a little while back, thinking that technology might have improved, but it seems to be about the same. The current Boss TU-12 model looks nearly identical to my 28 y.o. example. And the electronics in the old tuners were far more resonant and have more mojo . I also have a chromatic tuner app on my phone called G-strings that does a good job in a pinch.

Earvana Nut: I don't have an Earvana on any guitars that I know of, but the nut on my Washburn J-9 jazz guitar is compensated for the Buzz Feiten tuning system. I've never heard a huge difference to be honest, though some of the issues with the G-string sounding out of tune when playing 5ths don't seem to afflict this particular guitar.

+1 to what Darwin said about the LSR Roller Nut. I have one on a Fender Strat Plus and IMO it is one of the best inventions ever (unless you want to use 12's or higher). When you think about it, all the frets are metal, so why should the zero fret not be metal too? Sure, bone is traditional and works okay if slotted properly and regularly lubed, but I think of the LSR as being equal to a perfectly cut bone nut, but without the voodoo and constant maintenance.

Bill,

Congratulations on the weight loss and increased activity. That's quite an accomplishment. Sorry to hear about your back, though. This year has been annoying for me health-wise. I started physical therapy in January (with a little bit of chiropractic mixed in) for muscle spasms in my upper back. Eventually they got under control well enough for us to figure out that I was dealing with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome - basically, the muscle spasms were causing compression on nerves and blood vessels running to my arms and hands. That has gotten much better, although it will take more work to keep them from coming back. While all of this was going on, and I was dealing with some extreme stress at work and a 3-4 hour daily bus commute, my prostate decided to start complaining. Three months of antibiotics have helped a lot, and an opportunity to work from a home office several days a week has minimized the sheer hell of sitting on a bouncing bus seat for all those hours. I need to go in for a blood test next week so we can decide whether to keep treating it as an infection, or start on workups for something more serious. Wish me luck...

I have no picks on me, but there are 32 within arm's reach. That doesn't include the ones I could harvest from guitar cases around the room. There were 27 Tortex (orange, yellow, green, blue and purple), two Dunlop Nylon .88s, one Herco Flex 75, one freebie from JustStrings.com, and a Dunlop Stubby. I bought two dozen of the Tortex picks a couple of weeks ago, after I realized a couple of my guitars didn't have spares in their cases anymore. Next time I come across a pick-less case, I'll throw a couple in. A week later I'll be doing it all over with a different guitar, so I figured I might as well stockpile them.

My main tuner for electric guitars and basses is a Boss TU-3. I did a bit of research before I bought it last summer, and this model seemed to come out on top. I've been very pleased with it. I need tuners to handle basses as well as guitars, and also to want it to work with my upright bass's pickup. The TU-3 does it all, as well as I need it done. I also have a Korg CA-1 that's probably been with me for 10-15 years, which is used mainly for my son's upright and quick unplugged tuning in the living room. I have an Intellitouch that clips onto my upright's bridge; I can use it on the fly while I'm playing, and also to check my intonation when I practice. It may be a decent headstock tuner for a guitar or bass, but I've never tried it. My other tuner is a Zen-on Justina, which is some sort of '80s Japanese product. It's about the same size as a Polytune, came in its own case, and has an analog needle with several scales. It was in the case with one of my older G&Ls.

I've never changed a nut. I do very little bending, all I really care about is not binding when I tune up.

Ken

I'm sure I have the most unusual picks. Ever since I bought my Santa Cruz 1929 - 00 I have tried to play without a pick . I am learning finger picking to go with my strumming.
With this in mind I tried a fake nail . I couldn't stand it although it was good for finger picking. I don't know how woman do long nails as I ripped it off. The other pick is one that Edge uses , its kinda cool. I quite like Dunlop picks, the fins are the ones I currently use, when I can find em.
Health is everything, congrats on losing all that weight. You must feel much better. Weigh training will certainly boost your metabolism. We lose about 5 LB of muscle each decade from the age of 20. You will replace that lost muscle with correct strength training.
I have a couple of Korg tuners . One I really like is the GT-120. You turn the dial and you can tune up in Open D,E,G,A and DADGAD.
I always keep guitars stock
All the best
Anthony

anthony, that nail is way too long, and it's poorly shaped for good tone for finger picking. i use acrylics on my fingers, and they don't have to be that long. 2 years of classes in college to learn how to shape nails for proper tone and technique. you also don't want tips, like you have, you just want the acrylic built out, so it stays thin and short. it took another year to train the lady who does my nails to get her to do it right. if you wear it like women, it doesn't work well, it's too thick, the tone isn't great and they are very annoying.

bill, you want to start resistance training as soon as possible. when you are losing weight without it, about half your weight-loss comes from muscle mass. your metabolism is being slowed down. when you are heavy, you have a lot of muscles just to carry and move your body. when you don't use them enough, and restrict the calories, your body wants to down regulate by getting rid of muscle. also, counting only calories (daily), is not the optimum way to go. you want to count per meal, because that is how the body uses calories, as it goes. eating 2000 calories in 3 meals does not create a calorie deficit, eating it in 6 meals(evenly distributed) does. also want to look at the macro nutrient make up, make sure you are getting sufficient protein and essential fats. i am morbidly obese as well. not necessarily a bad thing. certainly not at 5% bodyfat .

i have 2 picks on my key chain, both coolpicks beta carbonate 1.0mm. on my acoustic i sometimes use the ultex sharp 1.14mm. one pick is plenty for me for a gig, i don't drop them and i rarely lose one. since i started using the coolpicks, all other picks sound dull and kinda scratchy to me now. the regular ultex are dark, but te sharps sound much better.

i have a polytune mini on my board but i mainly use the pw mini headstock tuners now. very convenient, and other people can't even see them. the earvana is ok, i prefer the buzz feiten, but if the guitar is set up well, it doesn't make a huge difference. if you play a lot of chords above the octave and and mix it with open strings, it can help. i don't have either one currently. i use only delron 500cl nuts now, and those don't come in earvana nor buzz feiten.

health : As said earlier, I'm only 37 but I had an infarctus in last february. I am not obese, just overweighted, but I have a lot of risk factor (including 20 years of smoking). I was checking all things up 2 times per year since 2008, the cardiologist thought we had 10 to 15 years to go, when we actually had only 5 !
Congratulations on your weight loss, it can be so frustrating !
All in all, I changed lots of habits since that day (including quitting smoking), and I'm feeling better and happier.

picks : no picks at the moment

tuner : a snark, but I plan to buy a polytune mini soon.

health : As said earlier, I'm only 37 but I had an infarctus in last february. I am not obese, just overweighted, but I have a lot of risk factor (including 20 years of smoking). I was checking all things up 2 times per year since 2008, the cardiologist thought we had 10 to 15 years to go, when we actually had only 5 !
Congratulations on your weight loss, it can be so frustrating !
All in all, I changed lots of habits since that day (including quitting smoking), and I'm feeling better and happier.

picks : no picks at the moment

tuner : a snark, but I plan to buy a polytune mini soon.

get the polytune 2. it is now a strobe tuner accurate to .001 cent. all other features remain, but a few more extras, and a much brighter display.

get the polytune 2. it is now a strobe tuner accurate to .001 cent. all other features remain, but a few more extras, and a much brighter display.

thanks, you answer the next question