Day after Lunch Report for Mon....(sorry) 10-24-11

[Sean Clavin]

As I was on the road all day doing a favor for my neighbor (and myself which I will get to later), I didn't have access to a computer and when I did I was ready for bed. My Apologies!

Lunch: Sonic burger with onion rings and a large diet Coke.....ugh.

The lunch was passable, I have really gotten away from fast food places for the last couple of years. Just don't like spending the cash when I can brown bag it or eat at home, but in the middle of rural Missouri, Sonic drive-ins are tempting. Not good, but tempting


G&L topic: Neck sizes, do they matter to you?

When I was in contact with then Artist Relations Lisa Sharken, I was asking a lot of questions about the different neck sizes that G&L offers. My main concern was not shape, but width. As I play several different styles I really need something that I can feel comfortable with no matter what or who I'm playing with. At the time I was performing with Roy Rogers Jr and The High Riders in Branson, MO. We were doing a lot of traditional western music in the style of his father Roy Rogers. My good friend and fellow High Rider guitarist Gary LeMaster and I would do a lot of twin guitar stuff and a couple of instrumentals in the show. I also would do some chord melody stuff as a solo guitarist as well as some modern county, blues and classic rock in clubs at night. I find that the widest neck is the most comfortable to me. Does this ever enter your mind when purchasing an instrument?

Non G&L topic: Vegetable Gardens.

My trip yesterday consisted of driving time of a little over eight hours to pick up a tiller for mine and my neighbor's garden. This will be my first one. We have decided to grow different stuff and share it with each other's families. How many of you guys out there plant your own gardens and what do you grow?

Again I am sorry for the late post and I'll be posting my lunch reports on time if my dog doesn't eat them.

[darwinohm]

Sean, welcome aboard as LR. Sounds like you did have a full day yesterday.

I have several different shaped necks and sizes. I find them all comfortable but some are better. My PRS Hiland has a wide thin neck which I find very easy to play. My most recent G&L has a vintage C and 7.5 radius. I also like it. V necks are favorites of mine and a John Mayer neck with vintage wide medium is also nice. They all work for me but I do not make a living at it.

We do not do vegi gardening anymore but have a large assortment of flowers and plants. It is a lot of work, especially fall cleanup but certainly worth it. Ginny has her salon at home here so it is very pleasant for her clients. Looking forward to the rest of the week!-- Darwin

[jwebsmall]

For ASAT style guitars and short scale guitars I like fat
necks up to an 1" thick at the 12th fret! I prefer a D shape
profile with a touch of asymmetry perhaps and maybe a
hint of V. On these I prefer 9.5" to 10" radius neck.
If the neck is V shaped or D chunky I can tolerate a narrower
nut width it seems otherwise 1 5/8" is too narrow for my hand.
I prefer at least 1 21/32" width minimum but would rather have a
1 11/16" width. I don't mind 1 3/4" width either but I find it
hard to switch back in a set to a narrow width neck and continue
playing. It takes a least a song or two to recalibrate my fingering.

I had a shot of raw vinegar and a banana and a piece of french bread
for breakfast. I rode my bicycle 8 miles on lunch break. It's beautiful
fall day here in northern Virginia under blue skies and colorful leaves.
I'll have my apple soon I guess. Not really hungry today. I live in
an apartment otherwise I would have a vegetable garden again.

[willross]

Necks: I have a few G&L's with 12" radii, but my late 90's S-500 neck feels the best... to me. Other than that, I dig the 10" - 13" conical radius of my Parker. I love gardening, but was a bit neglectful this year...


Cheers,

Will

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

Lunch:
Scrambled eggs sprinkled with Mont. jack and cheddar cheese with 4 strips of apple smoked bacon.

Neck Sizes:
Don't like narrow. Radius is not an issue between 7.5" and 12" and whatever a Les Paul has(?). Depth is the factor, a neck feels distinctly awkward when it is thick. I have fingers and hands that do not prevent me from using a variety of sizes but the thickness triggers muscles in my wrist that I feel up into the lower arm. Scale is also somewhat of a factor. I prefer the shorter scale and closer distance of frets over the lengthier scale. Another factor I have found is more of a mater of luck. The edge where the neck would be bound needs to be rounded off to feel ideal to me. That is what I have noticed makes the biggest difference between the birdseye necks and all others. This has just been my limited experience but the birdseye necks I have tried have all had a rounded off edge that felt very good to me. The worst necks have had a very sharp corner on this edge.

Gardening:
Have done it. Not doing it currently. Nothing special, zuchini can be grown to go a long way if you let those suckers get gig. Avoid tomatoes, though they taste better the big ugly green worms are horrifying. Peppers are great as the plant is probably one of the most beautifully symmetrical plants in nature. They taste great as well.

[Philby]

Lunch: Wholemeal sandwich with chilli chicken, cheese, tomato and cucumber. Followed by an apple of course.

Neck Sizes: Neck size and feel is about the most important criterion for me when buying a new guitar. I don't like very narrow width necks, or extremely wide necks for that matter. The muscles in my hand are sensitive to the combination of neck depth and fretboard radius. A flat radius neck feels comfortable if there is added depth in the neck, even a slight V, and the fretboard edges are rolled. Conversely, a traditional 7.5" radius neck feels more comfortable to me when it's not too thick. It's amazing what you get used to if you play a guitar for long enough though.

Veggie Gardens: I've got a small raised garden bed going this year. It's wired up like Fort Knox to keep possums, magpies and small children out. Honestly, my house has less security. All I'm missing are floodlights on the corner posts. I've planted tomatoes, chillies, zucchini and eggplant (aubergine). There are also wild strawberries popping up here and there. The tomatoes are looking happy but the eggplant is getting fussy on me already. Hmmmmm

It doesn't help that spring time in Melbourne is an unpredictable oscillation between winter and summer, often during the same day. If I was a plant I wouldn't know what to do.

[darwinohm]

Will, I have been waiting for some kind of report on the Parker!!!!!- Darwin

[zapcosongs]

What was behind the couch, Darwin?!

PS: My kids and I have a vegetable garden. We actually use the property of our nexdoor neighbor because of our limited sun - so we share with them 50/50. Mostly tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and summer squash.

Neck size: I'm a middle-of the roader/accomodator. I used to think I couldn't love a truly fat neck. That was until I got my hands on ZW's Rice Custom. Lightest piece of solid ash I had ever experienced, with a fat, fat maple neck that was a dream once I got used to it.
I want to find that guitar (he traded it). Seriously.

- ed

[darwinohm]

Ed, you have a knack for asking the right questions. I just caught hell not even 10 minutes ago because she found another guitar stand behind the couch. Then she came into the garage and tripped over another guitar case while getting some printed material off my printer. You really get a guy when he is down and out! Cold One???? Yessssss-- Darwin

[zapcosongs]

HOW cold, Darwin? ;+) - ed

[darwinohm]

Ed, when you hit bottom there is no where to go but up. I will have to snuggle with the cats tonight!! -- Darwin

[willross]

Will, I have been waiting for some kind of report on the Parker!!!!!- Darwin

Oh, yeah. Sorry. Lefties can't be choosers. I guess. Parker told me that if I wanted a USA Parker, Paul McCartney would have to request one first... Here goes:



It is a great example of engineering at it's best. One side, there is custom, hand-made. The other, precise engineering and design. I think Asian builders need a clear direction where to go. Many have engineering backgrounds and that goes hand-in-hand. If you can accomplish that, they can build exact copies... They nailed it with mine.

Cheers,

Will

[zapcosongs]

Glad you're happy, Will, but for the heck of it, I'm going to give Paul a ring. I owe him a call anyway.

;+) - ed

[jwebsmall]

The USA Parker necks are the most perfect necks/actions I've
ever played. They are almost too perfect (like a drum
machine not "humanized"). If you have never tried
a USA Parker neck you are in for a big surprise. I'm
not crazy about the tone of a Parker but I suppose
you could change pickups. It's otherwise an
awesome guitar.

[willross]

The USA Parker necks are the most perfect necks/actions I've
ever played. They are almost too perfect (like a drum
machine not "humanized").

True. The Clean channel is asepticly clean. Ovation/Adamus can be that way as well. My guitar can be a machine so long as I can remain human.

The neck on this guitar is almost identical to the US, except for an ebony board and not phenolic. These P-Series instruments, although QC control could be more consistent, outsold all US models. I think they dropped the whole line due to those issues. Only a few like mine were produced so it's a collectable to me too...


Cheers,

Will