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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Posts by Zurf
I've set a reminder to pray for you as you're going into surgery. I don't know where you stand on such things, but thought I'd let you know. I wish there was something more tangible I could do for you, but at this distance I wouldn't know what.
- Zurf
As for the mop,Zurf. Get it for her, along with another nice gift. That would hit you in the kisser for years to come.
That's what I did. She got the other present this morning. I'll give her the mop this afternoon so there will be no misunderstanding about the mop being an anniversary present. I just bought the mop because she thought she needed it, and that's a good enough reason for me.
- Zurf
Saddle soap or neatsfoot oil. Neither should harm a guitar finish, but I'm no expert on that. If it damages your guitar's finish, it'll damage your shirt where the strap comes across your shoulder first. You shouldn't have so much conditioner on your leather that it seeps.
- Zurf
OK, so does anyone have an article or site regarding the pros and cons of different kinds of pickups and pre-amps to retrofit into an acoustic guitar? If so, please cite it for me. Or if you just have information, that'd be good too. Thanks.
- Zurf
Believe it or not, my wife wants a mop. A mop! I'm serious. I had to go buy other gifts so that the mop wasn't our anniversary gift because there is no way on this side of heaven that I'm going to buy a mop as an anniversary gift. OK, it's a super-wonder mop with steam and other tricks, but it's still a MOP.
- Zurf
Spruce top and rosewood side and back if you're interested. Built for bluegrass, and let me tell you that just picking this thing up allowed me to increase my fingerpick speed by about 20%.
Today in the U.S. was the first national "small business Saturday." It is also NGD! I picked up a Guild D40 Bluegrass Special for a whole heck of a lot less money than they were asking on Musicians Friend. I couldn't decide and so I took my wife along to listen. There was just no comparison for the sound of this Guild compared to any of the other guitars, including Breedlove, Martin, and Taylor. Playability of the Taylor was the best with a very, very close race to Martin (so close it was give and take with each in the lead on various tests). But the sound of this thing just can't be beat and it's not like it's completely unplayable.
Pictures to follow. I'll try and record "Flesh and Blood" as tomorrow is our 23rd anniversary and I learned it (if you can call it that) for our 20th, and this year I haven't got laryngitis (yet).
It's not a pretty LOOKING guitar. In fact, but for the dings and bangs, it looks for all the world like my Yamaha F310. But I'll trade mother of pearl inlays and herringbone perfling for full, rich, throaty sound every trip of the train.
- Zurf
How hard was that bust? Come on. Find a challenge somewhere!
- Zurf
I have contacted Diane at Riverchase Campground / Riverchase Lodge and told her to set aside the first full week of August for us. Now, this is an open invitation to anyone who would like to come. However, if you intend to come, let me know so that I can keep a running headcount. This invitation is open not only here, but also on a fishing and paddling site that I frequent as "Halffastpaddler". I'll put an event up on Facebook once I figure out how.
When: First full week of August, (Monday August 7 through Sunday, August 14)
Where: Riverchase Campground in Meadow Creek, WV - http://www.riverchaselodge.com/fmain.php There are hot showers, clean flush bathrooms, and a dish-washing station. Electric is available for those who can't live a weekend without it (CPAP users, drip coffee addicts, etc.)
Why: Paddling and picking. New River and Greenbrier River are near to the campground. If you need to borrow a boat or fishing tackle, let me know and I will dip into my plastic armada and arsenal of rods.
Who: Open invitation, but please notify me of your intentions as the event coordinator. If you're half-way thinking of it, that's enough. I just need an approximate headcount to maintain a running total between this site and another paddling/fishing site I frequent. It's understood that until time gets close, no one can confirm completely. However, no dogs. The campground owner's dogs roam freely there (super-friendly critters), and to keep down on possible unpleasant doggie interactions, outside dogs are not permitted.
Cost: Unknown at this point. Generally it is about $50 to $60 for the week. However, there are no discounts for part-week stays (which makes it a great deal for longer stays but cost prohibitive for those who only intend to stay one night - sorry but that's how this campground rolls). I generally arrive on Thursday to set up camp and stay through Sunday morning.
Reservations: Work with me for details on tent camping. If you want one of the cabins, work with Diane directly. I have no information on cost for the cabins, but I've inspected them and they are lovely and well constructed. Sorry, no RVs. Tents only. Pop-ups count as tents.
This is intended to be a free-flowing weekend with no or few formal events. Hang with who you want to hang with, go fish, stay at camp and pick, go hiking, whatever. Thursday and Friday nights tend to be a "campfire circle" type jam. Each person does one song and passes to the next. Whoever knows the song is welcome to pick or sing along. It's all very informal and very fun. I look forward to this event every year as my main get-away from work, hassles, family, responsibility, sleep, sobriety, etc.
Pickers from Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio all ought to consider this one. Take a look at the map and see whether it's a reasonable distance for you.
One note of interest for non-paddlers who would expect this sort of thing: This campground is situated between train tracks and a river. The train tracks are active. It doesn't bother my sleep any. Of course, I normally stay up picking until I pass out in my chair and then later stumble off to my cot and a nuclear blast wouldn't disturb my sleep, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.
- Zurf
All, my friend Jeff Kelble is the Shenandoah Riverkeeper. He has a large event, usually in June, to raise money and membership. Shenandoah Riverkeeper is a subset of the Potomac Riverkeeper and is associated with the Riverkeepers Alliance. It's a terrific and effective organization that uses membership to show that the individual riverkeepers have a lot of grass-roots (read: potentially effective voting bloc) support. However, most of the work Jeff is doing is not political. He's doing a lot of raising awareness with politicians (sure, you can't avoid them), but also residential developers, residents, farmers, industry, etc. He is not afraid of using the courts and has done so effectively, but prefers the direct approach and has been very effective at it.
Now, I say that so that people will be comfortable attending his event to raise money and membership. The event is usually held on a Saturday, and because there is free-flowing beer and wine it is held at a campground. The event cost is usually about $40 for Saturday and to get an extra stay at the campground on Friday night is $8. That's roughly the same cost as renting a site at the campground for two days but it also gets you a huge meal made by award winning bar-be-que caterers, a lot of like-minded/cool people to hang out with, and extremely liberal enforcement of the rules. Plus the Shenandoah is a great river and I'll teach anyone to canoe who would like to come and give it a try. I'll also make my plastic armada available to keep down rental costs.
I don't have the particular weekend yet, but have sent a note to Jeff asking him to let me know as soon as possible because I know folks may need to put in their vacation requests soon.
The campground name is Lowwater Bridge Campground. It's in Bentonville, Virginia. You can Google map it with this address: 192 Panhandle Road
Bentonville, VA 22610.
Check it out. I know it's Virginia, but just barely and its only a few miles off a main road (but over a ridge, so you can't hear the noise at all). So folks from Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, western North Carolina, etc. all ought to take a look and see whether this is within your realm of feasible weekend trip.
I'll post the details of Jeff's event in this thread when I have them. So I may need to "bump" this a time or two between now and then.
- Zurf
Edit to start list of potential attendees (it's understood that plans change):
Zurf
Detman
Mekidsmom and Hubby
KAP54
Guitarpix
Dirty Ed
Normtheguitar (surprise UK visitor)
Roger (from a different site, he doesn't pick but he does have good taste in music and travels with a portable bar)
Herschel (from a different site, but he still picks a guitar)
Josh (from a different site, and he picks a guitar sometimes too)
Jets60
I'm going to start new threads for June along the Shenandoah River in Bentonville, Virginia and August along the New River in Meadow Creek, WV.
I'm still looking for a Spring place, but thinking that two events may be enough to sate us. So the Spring event for May might not necessarily happen, but I'm still looking for a spot. Most likely it would be in one of the Raystown Lake campgrounds maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers. There is a purported no alcohol policy, but I have heard from people who go there for some paddling related events that the policy is not enforced so long as people are discreet and not over-indulging to the point of obnoxiousness.
Now a word for Dirty Ed and his motto "if it ain't flowin', old Ed ain't goin'". Yes it is a big lake FED by the Juniata, which is nearby. A tailwater coming out of a lake or headwater feeding a lake with 4 and 5 pound smallies is not a bad thing!
- Zurf
What a hoot! That sounds like a blast.
Well let's plan on the June get-together then. As soon as I hear something about the particular weekend, I'll pass it along. It's the same cost as two nights at the campground for two nights at the campground PLUS a big bar-be-que feast with beer and wine one night AND membership in a worthy organization. This is a tent-camping event.
Info on Shenandoah Riverkeeper: http://www.potomacriverkeeper.org/index.php/shenandoah
Info on the campground: http://www.lowwaterbridgecampground.com/
Bear in mind that I am not in charge of this event. I am just tagging along to coordinate a few folks to come. It's a big event with a lot of good-natured people. As we get closer, if anyone wants to get on the river I'll work out some details for that. I used to be a canoe instructor, so if anyone who has not canoed before would like to try it, I'll help you out.
The August thing will be the first week in August at Riverchase Campground. I'll contact Diane Law, the owner, and let her know. It'll take a while, but as soon as I hear back from her on price and such I'll pass that along. This is also a tent-camping event. Pop-ups count as tents.
I am coordinating this event, but don't have a whole lot of control of things. It's more of a "I'm going camping and fishing and picking this weekend and anyone else who wants to come along here's the information and an open invitation...". It is helpful to have a rough headcount for the campground owner.
Information on the August campground: http://www.riverchaselodge.com/
The New River is famous for its rapids and smallmouth bass fishing. The rapids in this section are mild, so don't let them scare you. The campground isn't so far from the rough water that folks couldn't combine this event with a whitewater guided trip, but you'd be on your own to work that out. I'm happy to get folks on mild water as a trip coordinator, but I'm no whitewater guide.
- Zurf
Well, I'm thinking of a couple of things. Sorry this is so long, but you've got a few months to read it so take your time.
First is not really Spring but Summer. As many of you already know, I love rivers. In my neck of the woods is a river made famous in songs - the Shenandoah. The Shenandoah Valley is beautiful, nestled between two ridges of the Appalachian Mountain range (the Blue Ridge and the Appalachian Ridge), it's a little slice of heaven. This jewel in this little slice of heaven is the river itself, and it has been under relentless attack from industry, industrial agriculture, and development beyond what is naturally sustainable. One of the most effective organizations trying to defend this jewel is the Shenandoah Riverkeepers. This organization is personified in the person of Jeff Kelble, the Shenandoah Riverkeeper himself. Jeff works closely with farmers, industrial leaders, government leaders and agencies, and when that doesn't work to well with the courts. He has had a great deal of success in turning things the other way and getting the river into recovery from having annual fish kills and producing consistently unsafe drinking water.
So, Jeff hosts a HAYUGE party each year in early June as a fund-raiser and membership drive. This party is at Low-Water Bridge Campground in Bentonville, Virginia (not far from Winchester). It's a nice campground, a little shy on showers, but clean and right on the banks of the Shenandoah. Admission to the party gets you a night's camping, admission to a bar-be-que feast prepared by award-winning caterers (and includes free-flowing beer and wine), and usually a bluegrass concert, and most importantly membership in the Shenandoah Riverkeeper organization. I was thinking of picking that weekend and that campground for Friday and Saturday nights. The cost may exclude some, but if it does they can talk to me and I'll see what can be done to help. I don't want cost to get in the way of someone hanging out with us, so I'll see what can be done to help. There would be plenty of time in the evenings to play music, plus at least one huge and delicious meal AND supporting a worthy organization.
The second idea I have is the first week in August, I host a fishing/paddling thing along the New River near Meadow Creek, WV. I am thinking that can become a fishing/paddling/music thing. I spent more time picking last year than I did fishing, and with more luck. It's usually about $58 for the week's camping, but no discounts for less than a week. I usually come down on Thursday and leave on Sunday. Everything is subject to change (especially the price). It's a nice campground with clean showers and bathrooms and a couple cabins for those so inclined. In fact, just expect this to be an open invitation with details to follow.
I'm still looking for a place that allows alcohol and doesn't mind late night picking for a May event. There's one place I know of. Purportedly alcohol is not permitted, but it's always been a "don't be crazy with it and use a cup for goodness sakes" kind of a place. I'm hoping that no one who would come would intend on consuming to the point of loud and obnoxious stupidity and so that should not be a problem.
As far as camping, I have tents and things to share and could completely outfit a few people so long as we share a kitchen. I have fed up to fifteen people out of my camp kitchen.
I'm eager to hear your thoughts.
- Zurf
Too many things to be thankful for to list. Chief among them, however, is my faith in a loving God.
I'll start practicing "Chordilina on My Mind".
In my mind, I've gone to Chordinlina.
Anticipating fun times;
Can't wait to hear the tunes chime;
Ain't it just like a friend of mine to host it all the time?
I've gone to Chordilina in my mind.
(I know the rules about posting lyrics, but song parodies are fair game under Copyright law so I think I'm OK. If any other moderator disagrees, please edit out.)
Narrowed down to three guitars. A Guild D40 (by far the best tone, but no electronics), a Taylor 314e (by far the best action and easiest playing), a Martin D1CE (a nice combination of the two and also the least expensive, I also like the feel of the composite neck the best). None of them cheap.
- Zurf
Ummmm, no not really. I get the part about controlling sustain with the heel of his palm. Electric guitars continue to pick up the note long after the vibrations of the strings would not be audible on an acoustic guitar. So you have to control the vibration and dampening is the only good way of doing that I know of.
As far as the chording and picking instructions, it would probably be useful (to me) to know what question he was answering with that response.
- Zurf
naoslager - Close as I can tell, what makes a guitar a bluegrass guitar is an odd bit of neck bracing to allow thick gauge strings on the bass strings and light gauge strings on the treble strings without twisting the neck. I've heard some go so far as to string the bass strings at baritone pitches and the treble strings at regular guitar pitches.
I'm not sure if that's what this Gretsch has done, but it has some severely low low end, but still clean. Not all muddy like I would have expected. There's some kind of doohicky in the sound hole so I couldn't use a simple pickup like a Seymour Duncan, but there are tons of pickups for that situation. I like the piezo/microphone combination ones and they're still in the $150 range of affordable to retrofit an otherwise right on target guitar.
- Zurf
More a fingerpicker, but I've been working on my flatpicking some lately. Wreck of the Old 97 is just a big ol' batch of fun to flat pick. It sounds like a train wreck when I do it, but that doesn't really cut down on my fun much. Maybe if anyone was listening...
But you know, Trigger actually does have a good bit to say about Willie now that I think on it a bit...
Kind of like this one... 
Ugh. Sorry to hear of your divorce. That is rough.
The music will come back. It's OK to take a short while to catch your breath and lick your wounds.
- Zurf
Excellent! The memories will live on and on ...
- Zurf
If the fingerboard is worn and the body is scratched up from the pick and maybe there's a few bangs and perhaps a burn mark from a campfire ember, that'd say that I'd like to get to know you better.
Otherwise, I figure people pick guitars that are comfortable for their hands and arms and sound good to them in the style they play.
- Zurf
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Posts by Zurf
