General Music Chat

Jimmy played a borrowed white Strat at Woodstock. My dad's custom stock on his .22250 was solid birds'eye maple. Maybe part of the reason I have an affinity for solid exotic wood. The Cherry wood I used on the guitar body I made s- curves and waves 6 times in the length.

Birdseye maple is beautiful. Seen some egregious "natural wood" finished guitars.
The last that caught my eye was an LP with flame maple in what seemed to be a cherry burst finish ... oh my ... she gave me wet dreams.
But she was a high maintenance beauty at around $6K.


Maybe someday...

I find sustain to be more a function of the amp settings.
But then, I'm no professional, so what do I know.

I know you're a Carvin audio fan, and I imagine you've seen pictures of their guitars. On the face of them they are fantastically beautiful. I have seen many artists use them, so their testimony stands on itself. I have done a lot with antique furniture. I have learned a great appreciation for furniture that is not laminated or veneered. That is the only problem I have found with Carvin. That's why I felt the market need for building guitars that are beautiful through and through. There is something about a real Stradivarius violin that is beyond reproach. It is their sound that others can't find. You have probably had your guitar in your hands enough to know it's sound if you thumped the body once with your knuckles. You hear not a note but just a thump. Solid wood has a ring to it. A circular saw blade has a ring to it unless it has a crack in it, even if you can't see it. I am describing a sound with soul.

I,m a big fan of all things solid, be it wood, or cold steel.

One of the most beautiful guitars I have seen was fashioned from a spalted maple, polished with only a clear coat finish, OMG.

I bet she had a "ring" as well.

Although spalted is beautiful and unique, sound is unfortunately not a quality it bears. It is fischers that despite it's fault, the tree decided to grow around a rot. A good horse farm has horses of different colors. They have bays, roans, buckskins, and appaloosas. In an arsenal of guitars on the wall one spalted would be great to have, and the sound wouldn't be any different construction wise than anything less than something laminated. I also worked at a glass factory for 6 years. As a selector, I would look for "checks" which were faults that were hard to see until you put it under a light. Glass with a check doesn't ring, unless it's really small, and it will change it's tone. As a crack in your windshield, it also makes it a weak point and eventually crack. Not likely a guitar will crack, but if I were presented a choice of a solid that rang, or a spalted, well...If I needed an appaloosa in my heard...

Since I've first started this post, I've changed my thinking. I've been thinking too small and not putting my skills and training to where it's needed most. There is a guy about 10 miles from here that has a large front yard, and a smaller back yard with a mild small hill and a backdrop of trees. He holds Concealed Carry classes and charges $75.00 a day. His front yard is full of cars, and his back yard is full of shooters getting state certified for CCW. He doesn't have a long range, I do. No houses for miles on the other side of my bullet stop hill. I was specifically trained as a rifle coach in the Marines and could have re-enlisted as such. How good could a job be that you don't have to "go" to work, and do the craft that you are most blessed in, in a very needed position? Cleveland, Ohio just graduated an entire class of police recruits, gave them guns n' badges, an hour later, took them back as that they were laid off. We the people are going to be the people who protect our people.

Though being a "rifle coach" may not be in as great a demand by the average thinker as a CCW instructor or a handgun coach.
In the long of it ( pun intended ) effective riflemen are few and far between.
As is the art of the rifle poorly understood even by most " shooters " .
Valuable skill set you have my friend.

Wished you were closer.

I really applied myself,physically and mentally during training like nothing else I've done. I have a scar (superficial), to prove it, above my right eye. People have come here with rifles to set their sites, fire a coupla' hundred rounds and say "I don't think this gun is accurate." I say "mind if I try?" "Sure." I'd shoot a couple off, then say "I'm gonna put one right there." and touch the paper with my finger in the designated location. POW! "Yeah, it's good." My brother let me borrow his 223 (I think it is) a few years ago. I bought a box of ammo. It has a scope, which I feel is cheating I put 2 rounds in one hole from 225 yards in a pop can. I still have the rest of the box. My .454 Taurus, -125 yards without a scope- in a tall boy can. Right now with my 9mm Taurus, I plink an old drier housing from 75 yards- rapid fire. Need a new old dryer. you can put your thumb through the hole. I am certain I am not alone when I do this. I am certain there is a reason I'm seeking to do this professionally now. Thanks for the good word, I'm overdue for that I've been one of those average thinkers for long enough!

Crunch - I know what you're saying. I'm a gunman but not likely to put two rounds in the same hole.

I was camping with an aussie friend of mine from the army, and bitching about a crappy little charter arms snub nose - I was sure it was defective. Couldn't do squat with it.

My pal asked if he could try it out. Started busting pop bottles at 25 feet. It was kind of embarrassing! (I couldn't do that with the best snub nose ever made)

I finally got comfortable with pistols by learning Weaver and switching to Glock. Just seems to work for me.

Talbot

I like to alternate which handgun I carry and practice with several.

I'm really getting to like the Glock 22, but that trigger is just freakin strange as compared to my 1911 or sick slick S&W revolver.
I like the revolver around the house here because I can carry a shot charge for snakes or dog problems and I handload a mild 357 load that is deadly accurate

I shot at an informal Steel Challenge match with the Glock a few months ago.
Quite a weapon ... impressive.

I've never actually Fired a Charter Arms, but I don't think they are cheesy. A man named Castle developed the .454 (Castle) in the late 50s. It took over 20 years to find a mass producer that could make a 5 shot revolver made of all317 stainless steel with a .002 inch tolerance that could take a 300 (& 280) grain charge. Charter Arms were the first makers of such piece. At 75 feet it would blow a hole clean through 1/4 inch plate. I don't know if they still make 'em, but my Taurus was awesome. I've blown truck batteries in half (lengthwise) from 40 paces. When you fire it don't wear a hat, you won't be afterwards because of the recoil! There were notables that liked Charter Arms. You wouldn't catch President Bush Sr. without his belt buckle mounted .22 Lr. derringer.

Just one more thing to add about the snub nose.Short barrels have no accuracy. It's possible to hit your target, same as if you had a Mac 10. But their accuracy is only rated from here to the bedpost. The advantage snub nose has is their easier to conceal, and quicker to draw. A heavy barreled gun can be counter productive to the shooter if he can't hold the end weight steady. When I bought my .454, I bought it new and had 3 barrel lengths available 8", 10", And 12". I opted for the 10". It had all the accuracy I needed, (didn't need 12"), and I anticipated more target shooting than gun fights. Worst problem with that gun is bullets cost $1.25 ea.

Crunch

It's weird but on the camping trip I mentioned while only one of us could hit anything with the snubbie I was poppin' bottles pretty nicely with my pal's MAC 10 shooting from the hip.

Sans' comment on the Glock trigger is certainly true -not typical at all. I got used to it though. I first recognized my preference for the flat top sight picture when a friend brought two Benneli (the shotgun guys) automatics to test out. They shot like a dream but sucked mechanically - mags fell out every few rounds. But boy that sight picture worked.

Talbot

My other brother has a Glock. He just got it outta hock. Has a trigger like a clock. Baddest mutha' on the block!

Still my favorite gun is my 1952 Colt Challenger 22LR 10 shot.