Too Many Guitars

Surf Guitar Madness

2010-10-27T21:37:00.001-07:00

Droid X - Cool Tech Toy

2010-07-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

Droid X - It is a cool new toy. Kind of like an iPhone, better in many ways, not as good in some minor ways. Not to argue if you love your iPhone, don't switch. If you are trying to decide between the two well all I can say is that they are in the same category. If you are big on taking pictures of yourself, you will want the iPhone. Athough being able to actually use it as a phone as actually very useful ;P

As usual with smart phones don't get carried away with using it as a not-phone-internet-toy because the battery needs frequent refresh.

Angelus Oaks to Clarks Summit.

2010-06-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

Another one of those long bike rides. I was always wondering if those fire roads over there could get me to Big Bear instead of riding all the way around the road up highway 38. Turns out the road is probably easier. But I did it anyway just because it was there. I don't know if I want to do it again. Maybe if I can get some poor fool to suffer with me. Near the top it is loose and rocky in places with some small ring climbing. For some reason (now I know why) there were no other bikes on this trail even on this perfect weather early June Saturday. 3 or 4 jeeps and a half dozen motorcycles. According to my GPS I burned 3566 calories. Not bad since I did it on 1 power bar and two Power Gels. It did make me really hungry and I enjoyed a couple of nice Arrogant Bastard drafts along and an awesome Rare AHI sandwich as a reward.

How to Create Google Earth Views with your Garmin Bike GPS

2009-07-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

How did I make these cool bike ride pictures? Well here is how. You need a Garmin bike GPS. I have the Edge 205 (or newer and more expensive if you like). Garmin has two programs that you can use for mapping your tracks. One is Map Source, the other is Training Center. You can download both from the Garmin web site, and you need the more current versions. I have Map Source 6.13.7 and Training Center 2.4.3.

After plugging your GPS into your PC, installing all of the software and drivers etc.(I won't get into that here for obvious reasons) you can view the tracks in either program.

Training center allows you to graph speed and elevation, grade, pace, etc. Once the Training Center program has the graph I want, I use Alt-Print Screen to capture my desktop, the a graphics program (you could use paint if you have nothing else) to paste from the clipboard, then crop out the selected chart and save it as a .jpg.

Then download and install Google Earth. You should do this anyway. It is cool. Below I will refer to the Places navigation panel of Google Earth:

Map Source also has an option to download info from the GPS. After you do this, select the tracks tab so you will know what is going to be displayed in Google Earth, then select the View, View in Google Earth menu option. It takes a while and a fast PC that has decent memory. It loads a bunch of stuff into Google Earth in your Temporary Places folder, in a sub folder MapSource. You really don't want most of the stuff, it is confusing and excessive. Uncheck the Temporary Places folder so it all disappears, then expand the MapSource folder, then the Tracks folder (in the MapSource folder, then the Path folder (in the Tracks folder). Then click on the track number you want to map, and it will appear. You can then right click on it to change the properties of the line (which is a good idea to make it narrower and more precise). Also you can rename it and save to My Places (also right click).

UPDATE (Nov 2010). Google earth now has an option to show the elevation profile of a selected track:

Have Fun!

Laguna Beach MTB Bliss

2009-07-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a great ride we have done in Laguna. It starts at El-Moro / Crystal Cove State Park parking lot on PCH. Then it goes up No Dogs by Ridge Park and eventually under the Toll Road 73 up the ridge to the left almost to the 405, down under the 133 briefly, back across the 133 and up a cool singletrack, up a brutal hill that includes a bit of walking, back through El Moro. Good workout.
(click on the images to see enlarged detail)

Too Many Wabbits

2009-06-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

By JOSEPH B. FRAZIER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Washington County's "Bunny Lady" is back in the hutch after violating a court order banning her from owning animals for five years.

Miriam Sakewitz, 47, was arrested Tuesday at a hotel in the Portland suburb of Tigard after an employee reported finding rabbits hopping around in her room.

Problems for Sakewitz started in October 2006 when police in Hillsboro, about 15 miles west of Portland, found and confiscated nearly 250 rabbits in her home, including about 100 dead ones in freezers and refrigerators.

Police said she broke into the facility where the survivors were being cared for in January 2007 and stole most of them back. Authorities found her a few days later in Chehalis, Wash., with eight live rabbits and two dead ones in her car. Another 130 rabbits were recovered at a nearby horse farm.

Sakewitz was sentenced in April 2007 to five years probation and was banned from owning or controlling animals. She also was told not to go within 100 yards of a rabbit.

That summer, Sakewitz was ordered to spend three days in jail for violating her probation by keeping a rabbit in her house. County probation officer Susan Ranger also said Sakewitz had canceled counseling sessions and refused to open the door for unannounced visits. Ranger said she found no rabbits when she finally got inside but did find a half-empty 10-pound bag of carrots.

Since then, Sakewitz has remained "pretty quiet" - until this week, said Washington County probation officer Bob Severe. "We hadn't heard much further from her," he said, adding she was thought to be living in Clackamas County.

On Tuesday, Washington County animal control officers removed eight adult rabbits, five young ones and a dead one from Sakewitz's hotel room, Tigard police spokesman Jim Wolf said.

Sakewitz was in custody Wednesday, and Wolf said he did not know if she had an attorney. She was to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon on animal neglect charges.

Amazing Short Film

2009-06-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

One of the most original and amazing short films I have ever seen.

Rant of the Day

2009-06-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

Telemarketing SPAM. Two Robocalls in 30 minutes from DISH Network. Yes we are on the National Do Not Call List. Do NOT buy service from DISH Network.

If you are not on the Do Not Call list it is a good idea. Maybe the only way to stop these people is to complain to the FCC.

https://esupport.fcc.gov/form1088/1088bform.do

The only reason I post this is to encourage you to complain maybe they can get sued enough to stop annoying people.

Badass 7 String Guitar

2009-05-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

I still am learning what to do with it. Its fun.

Also see it in detail:

http://www.zacharyguitars.com/210409pics.htm

Another Rant on our Economic State

2009-04-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

Yes I enjoy messing around in the studio. My latest track is of course not entirely serious, as I don't even own a gun. But have a listen for fun. I put this one together very quickly, and slapped it up. It needs another day or two in the studio before I can put it on the upcoming CD. The video version has a better drum and guitar track. Such the state of evolving music. Oh, and play it as loud as possible. That is a significant point of music like this. Go ahead, bother your neighbors, I'd be happy to wake them for you.

Or just for the audio:

Play With My Gun

Bike Chain Lube

2009-03-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

For where I ride, which is mostly in a dry and often dusty area this is my opinion on bike lubes. If I were to ride frequently in wet and muddy conditions, I might have a different opinion.

ProGold Pro Link Lubricant is the best stuff I have used. It is kind of hard to find but you can get it online and at some bike stores. It stays very clean. It takes several applications to clean the gunk off a chain, or better if you actually use a serious attack of cleaning with a brush and solvent first. ProGold starts to build up after several applications. It is noticeble that after the first ride it seems to wear off quickly, then up to about 5 or 6 rides it seems to be lasting a very long time. This tells me that there is some kind of bonding thing going on. It seems like magic.

Google ProGold Bicycle Lubricant

Boeshield T-9 Bicycle Lubricant is very good, but attracts more dirt (if you ride in the dirt) and makes the chain more difficult to clean. Still better than most anything else. Lasts a bit longer than the above. If your cleaning time is not so valuable, this is probably a more cost effective product than the ProGold, but not so satisfying.

Google Boeshield T-9 Bicycle Lubricant

Notice that the best time to lube your chain is AFTER a ride. Not before. Otherwise it is WET and will ATTRACT DIRT. BAD DIRTY CHAIN. Lube after. Dry the next time when you ride. OK?

Now if you are getting ready to ride and your chain is already squeaky, a dirty wet one might be better than a dry squeaky clean one, but save yourself the energy of thinking about it and get used to the routine. (I am glad sex isn't so complicated.)

For any chain lube the thing you need to do is 1) clean the chain first - 2) apply the lube until the chain is wet - 3) run the chain through a dry clean rag to pick up the excess - 4) let it dry overnight - 5) the next day run the chain through a dry clean rag to get as much off as you can.

If you are using the pro gold stuff after a few uses the chain starts to stay clean longer, but you still need to lube it.

You know your chain needs lube when it starts to make a bit of a rattle. How much of a rattle? Well you will figure it out as you hear the difference between a fresh lubed chain and one that needs lube. If it starts to squeak, you are wearing it out badly.

To clean your chain, you need a stiff brush with plastic bristles that scrape all of the crud off. If you are using a good lube, you might not need a solvent. If you DO use a solvent, I would suggest something like Simple Green. Make sure you get ALL of the solvent off and then use two or three applications of the lube to make sure you displace all of the solvent. This fancy chain lube is not much good if it is contaminated by solvent residue. The solvent breaks down the lube!!

Also, your cogs and chainrings need to be cleaned as well. Same routine.

Best trick to apply the lube is to shift into the smallest cog in the rear, and run the crank in reverse while dripping the lube across the chain right at the rear cog as it rotates around. It takes a bit of technique to get enough lube onto it. Or if you have nothing better to do, put a drop of lube on each pin/roller and see it penetrate. This takes a long time and seems kind of silly. At some point you will learn how to use plan A with the right amount of pressure to minimize waste and splatter and still get enough on the chain. Then wipe down all of the excess that goes into the pulleys. If you have an old school bike with rim brakes, you also should make sure you wipe off any lube that drips onto the rim. (Doh!) If you are finding the whole drive train dripping lube all over it would seem that you have overdone it. Not the worst problem assuming you are not in your living room on a white carpet. Oops. I suppose I should have started out telling you this to begin with. My bad.

Once you have a good clean routine going, you might not need solvent. A good brush should take care of things. Particularly with the ProGold. Boeshiled is a bit more gooey. I think the ProGold is like an every time you ride thing (assuming it is several hours), while the Boeshiled is more like every other.

Other lubes:

I have used other more heavy duty stuff like Pedros, but I find that a dirt magnet and a cleaning nightmare. It might be just the thing in the Northwest however. WD-40 is the ultimate mistake. Not much in the way of anything but a dirt magenet, only slightly better than nothing.

Why do my brakes rub on my bike?

2009-02-26T15:06:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine asked this question, then I found out my answer might be something worth sharing, as there is a lot of experience here:

I don't know how much you weigh. If you are over 185 you are heavy for the factory made typical sport class wheel which is made for riders with an ideal weight of about 150-170. The bike makers make lighter wheels because the market thinks lighter is always better. Bike buyers do not have enough experience to know this is not always true. The wheels do flex with torque and weight. Also as a wheel wears and is adjusted, sometimes the screws on the spokes and the nipples get looser and then does not stay true as long. Sometimes you can true it up then put a tiny bit of blue loctite in there and that keeps it set. Tighter tension is better, but that tends to pull the nipples through the light alloy rims when you hit stuff espcially if you are heavy and have a hard tail. I used crack rims at the nipple from hitting stuff, worse if tightly tensioned. If you are not hitting stuff because you are always on pavement it is less important, but I had the problems on road wheels too. A guy I know used to build wheels for me and then tension them on the tighter side to make them more true under torque. I think he had a tendancy to overdo it. But then he was in the business of selling replacement rims and wheels so there you go.

There is no way around the rim rub issue. It is just a compromise with design. Very much like a guitar with respect to action height, except you are not beating on the guitar (hopefully). My older bike has rim brakes and even with my weight (175) I get a bit of wheel rub when the wheels are not true and perfectly tensioned. So I just back the brakes off a bit. Of course at some point you back off too much and then you can't get enough pressure to brake as well as you would like, not to mention the brief delay. Another thing. Unless you have the CERAMIC surface rims (expensive enough to make you consider discs) with appropriate pads you will wear through the aluminum rim with the pads eating the rim. There is no way out of it unless you use softer pads then you are replacing them at least monthly which is a pain in the ass. Your wheels will need to be replaced after lots and lots serious riding. I went through a several wheelsets doing that until I got onto disks. One time I used some hard pads and ate a set of wheels in three months. OOPS. Very stupid. Every time I bought a ceramic rim it seems I would pull a nipple through it or dent it on a rock so it would have a bump in it while braking. I stopped doing that and then my wheels would always last until the rim got eaten by the pad, but before I pulled a nipple through it. I could not win. I still have one old ceramic front on my bike in the mountains. It is 7 years old. Pure luck. Of course front wheels have it easy if you ride right.

On my Laguna bike I have disks and they are now perfected. For a while they were unreliable but the technology developed. Still I would use nothing but Shimano (harder to adjust) or Avid hydraulic disks. The other brands are not as reliable. I use Avid Juicy 7s which are amazing. Needs pads maybe once a year, even with my level of riding. Even disks, the rotors can warp or get tweaked a bit from a stick or something and you need to mess with little bends on them to keep centered. Also occasionally align the calipers. But any rub is less inevitable, and the feel is far superior as is the power. I would never go back but its a huge price to upgrade from rim brakes unless you are already buying a new wheel set anyway. Also older bikes may not have the mounting points for disks.

All of the factory wheels are not as good as the best hand built wheels. The last wheel set I bought I got smart. I got tired of those wheel issues. I told the guy to build the lightest training (not racing) wheel he could. He used Hope (UK) hubs, DT (swiss) rims and spokes. They were hand built by a pro and cost me $500 for the set. They have been perfect in three years of heavy riding and I have only needed to have them tesioned twice, and this was just for maintenance purposes, not because they seemed uneven. They are on the heavier side (but NOT a downhill wheel) because I like strong more than I like light. A good wheel set is made by a pro with your weight and riding style as consideration. I have never pulled a nipple through the DT rims. I had that problem with Mavic rims, I think the alloy is softer.

Its also hard to know who is really good at it, like you know just because its handmade does not mean the guy who did it is better than a machine. In that way it is exactly like guitars.

I don't like the brain shocks. They get stiff when they feel no bumps. Then the first bump just kicks your ass. Then it gets soft like a stupid shock again until it goes smooth for a while. I am happy with my stupid shock where my ass does not get kicked at all. It might be ever so slightly less efficient but as I am not racing I don't care. It has a lockout so I can lock it out when I am climbing but actually I don't give a shit and don't bother because I am not racing. You can forget and then start going downhill, hit a rut and crash.

I rode today. My bike shifts crappy too. Time to replace the cables. You have got me thinking about it. Also I need a new rear tire, but they are like $40 and I am cheap so I think I will push it a bit more. Last year I would have thrown that tire out by now.

Ryan's Laguna Beach Haunted House

2008-11-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

My next door neighbor goes all out on Halloween. Way too cool. Background music by me of course.

Stereofame - Another Cool Music Site

2008-10-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

This looks like a fun game. Check it out.

Bailout? Bail Out Who?

2008-09-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

So you don't think the government should spend your tax money on a bailout?

Actually, if you look at the details, it is not a giveaway. Of course Joe Public is not interested in the fine print when it comes to politics. That is why we are in this mess today. We all bitch about government but most common opinion is based on a very superficial version of what actually happens. What happens is a shell game where the rich and powerful make you think something so they can manipulate the rules. This has already happened. It is too late. It will never change. Next year it will be something else. Perhaps a different scam. Likely a bailout will be a scam for some of them too.

Bush, other than the fact that he thinks the government should DO SOMETHING is not going to be the instrument of this, it will be congress who seals the fate. Much of what is in negotiation now covers what penalties and rules there will be regarding the bailout funds. To attempt some measure of accountability. What a novel concept.

All the "wall streeters" have pocketed their money. They have nothing to lose either way. It is only about saving the portfolios and 401ks of Joe Retiree, who was led down the path by the evil finance crooks (who successfully lobbied both parties - and stripped finance regulations). If we were not trying to "extend home ownership to the less fortunate" this would not have happened. Of course the wall streeters made money on every transaction then sold the paper in deregulated funds to retirees. Screw them I suppose. Oh well. Mr. Wall Street is not holding the bag, no, its Joe Average stockholder. Not Mr. Smart Finance guru. He has already shifted into commodities and foreign currency.

All of the cheap credit is no different than kids running up their credit card bills before they have any hope of employment to pay them off. This is a disease too many Americans have, and we have been teaching our children the same thing.

If this country does not do anything regarding a bailout, the "evil wall streeters" will simply make even more money. All of those bailout assets will be picked up for pennies off the backs of the 401k and retirement people. There will be a massive credit crunch and many more business failures.

Of course the people losing their homes deserve that. Likely they should not have gotten any kind of loan to begin with. Probably they don't give shit because it is worth less than they owe. Hopefully their credit is trashed enough so they can't do it again. But even then they are no worse than they were for the most part. Or how about all of those real estate speculators?

Do you like this idea of no bailout? It is not bad. It certainly seems fair. Just keep in mind that you too are going to go for a ride down the tubes. I don't know what you do for work, but if its not something really important and critical you might be looking for a new job. Or if you actually have been responsible for planning for your retirement. Well, probably you are really the loser here. You should have just spent the money. Now its gone. You are going to be either working or poor in your old age. Some moderately wealthy people can still retire and perhaps live a more frugal life on a lot less. They will have less money to put into the economy and will depend more on government services from your tax contributions. They will not be buying stuff from people to make jobs for them either.

Meanwhile, the "evil wall streeters" will watch everything ride down the slope and they will pick it up at the bottom. You will watch them cash in when it makes a recovery and they will smile when you will buy in at the top. Perhaps when you finally catch on (perhaps when your disposable income some day makes it possible to invest). If you are lucky you will have mediocre returns while they sell high and set up a repeat performance.

Just be careful what you wish for. It is WAY more complicated than you know. No bailout? You either have no financial assets or you may have really deep pockets.

I am not saying this bailout thing is good either. It would probably be a better lesson for people to learn the hard way. I am just saying it is not that simple.

Either way you are going to hurt. Hard to tell which punch to take.

I can support the argument that every 20 or 50 years people need a hard lesson on how to not spend money they don't have.

I just wish we could teach people to run the government that way.

New Song - It's Only Business

2008-09-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

I had fun with this one. Used the Zachary F1-C on the lead.

She's A Vampire - Cool Rock Video

2008-09-15T22:52:00.001-07:00

Featuring Frankie B and the Dogs of Noise

Frankie B plays the amazing Zachary Z2-T guitar with shred tones provided by the Zachary Z Pedal. Backing tracks performed by the Dogs of Noise. Mixed and mastered using Sonar Producer 7.

Is Obama a Communist?

2008-09-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

Well that IS a legitimate question. According to Obama, you ARE your brother's keeper. That my friends is SCARY SHIT! This guy is so far left of center he has never made a right turn in his life.

Click this Link to Steve Chapman's Column in the Chicago Tribune

And you were worried that he has three Muslim names? That isn't even close to the real problem at all now is it?

This column has some critical points. Just what happened to freedom?

Of course even this Republican, John McCain is leaning left of center. Times are tough these days.

So what are we going to do??? You tell me.

Too Many Fools

2008-08-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

Another original song written, performed, recorded and produced by
the Dogs of Noise:

(in case you have not already figured it out, I am the Dogs of Noise)

Click here to play this song or

here for Dogs of Noise at Garageband

Too Many Fools

she was right kind of girl for the wrong kind of man
so she wore funky shoes and wore clothes that were bland

she covered up her cleavage and put her hair in a bun
she looked like a girl that wasnt much fun

while walking her dog at a quarter past three
she became a believer in learning to breathe

no longer like a lemming with a fearful stare
magically awakened from who can say where

...

it is what it is and its there for the taking
some get hung up on delivery of a life still baking
some dilly and dally and piss and moan
they can find what is missing inside of a stone

step up to free will and sign right up
you can lose your fears and your need for stuff
there is no problem without a solution
its only man's problems with mental pollution

...

the man in the elevator lost all his money
he couldnt keep his wick out of the honey

a victim of desire and slave to his manhood
a simple mistake for a trophy wife falsehood

he decided to find a relationship of truth
leaving behind the mistakes of a careless youth

no more calls from the demon who isnt really there
understanding and belief to become truly aware

...

it is what it is and its there for the taking
no more desire for things and fears and shaking
cast aside those who insist on selling you what you need
they are only trying to feed their own greed

only a fool waits for god to come and save him
with passive waiting and total inaction
the only true way to find your soul
is to get off your ass and take control

...

he worked for many years to build a perfect machine
an fuel free engine for transportation dreams

then on the day of announcment it was completely ignored
because of teleportation the world was completely bored

another man lived a simple live of success
because he never got concerned with trying to pass any tests

this isnt a song that is trying to preach
its only a statement of what everyone can truly reach

...

be a fool if you want and continue your struggle
there will always be many inside of your bubble
angry communicants spout off in their blogs
while texting complaints and kissing magic frogs

fools with more knowledge of better ways
fools sadly wishing and waiting for much better dayswww
fools claiming the past was always superior
fools doomed to believe in a future inferior

Another Day on The Trails

2008-05-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

I ride on trails for fun and adventure. (Occasionally on the road, but in So Cal the cars rule and I don't really enjoy the thought of getting run over by 5000lb SUVs while riding an 18lb road bike.) At least on the dirt only my own mistakes can kill me. Some days I can hammer on the road when I go in a group and stick with early rides on way back roads.

Today I rode 36.5 (total out and back) miles on a trail near my mountain home. It took me about 5 hours. Killer workout with amazing scenery. Today I saw one nasty rattlesnake (unusual), a bobcat (very elusive), and various squirrels and birds. 5 other riders the whole time which is unusually a lot for a week day. Almost entirely the trail is wide enough for only one bike or hiker at a time. Some of it along cliffs where falling can kill you. Some parts (about 200 yards) I walk because falling is not an option you can live with. Of course the first time I did this ride it, it took all day and I thought I would die. And of course you don't start out doing 36 miles at a time, but just like 4 and then working up as you get stronger. It takes a couple of years to get in shape for doing this routinely. But I ride 3-4 times a week (usually more like 2 hours and 20 miles at a time) and have no fear of beer, steak, and pizza, as it all comes off. I am a skinny guy mostly from the rides.

I attached a couple of pics of today's ride made from my GPS tracks. I saved some sat photos from google earth and overlaid the GPS on them. You can't see the trail because its under the trees and narrow. Not for rookies. If you crash you could be bear food. Usually I prefer a partner, but I have enough (10+ years) experience to do it alone. (probably a bad idea anyway) Cell phones don't work everywhere and its usually about a 3 mile hike into parts of the trail from where any kind of rescue jeep can go. So its a cool adventure. I write songs in my head when I'm not totally wrapped up in navigating the scary parts. The nature is fabulous. I am happy to be able to do this at 53, but it is not luck it is hard work (and good fortune).

I have a Trek Top Fuel 9.9, Its about a $6k bike but its a tool not a toy and worth every penny at this level of usage. Made for constant use like this. Also an older Trek Fuel 98, and a couple of older spares. I can't not ride just because my bike is in the shop.

Aside from my family and my music, my bike riding is the next important thing.

You can click on each of the pictures to see the original, more detailed image.

Zachary Guitar Videos by Frankie Baker

2008-04-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, most of this is duplicated elsewhere in the blog, but to simplify things for people who are only interested in the Zachary Guitars videos - here they are.

The Zachary Z2 Guitar featured in these videos is quite the tasty treat.

Here are two demos that features several pickup settings and styles. The amp settings were not changed during the recording. The first uses a different amp from the second.

Tone demo 1:

An earlier demo:

This short clip (part of a song) is with a clean tone.

In this video, I crank it up to show off the shred or metal type tone capabilities of this bad boy guitar. I think the Z2 is unmatched by any guitar for this kind of use.

Here is an entire song with the Z2. This is the Z Surf Boogie.
I recorded the bass, drums and backing guitar first, the did the lead track on video and mixed it down on iMovie. This is my favorite of the videos on this page.

Here is a clip that compares the sound of a Stratocaster, Telecaster and The Z2 all through the same amp settings. I don't care much for the playing or chops here, its more about comparing the tone of the guitars. Some guy on youtube commented that my Strat is ugly. Well, I like it. Its certainly not beautiful like a Zachary, but it has that Fender 50s car kind of vibe. Nonetheless I'd trade an endless pile of Strats of any kind for one Zachary. Imagine what SRV or Jimi could have done with a Z.

Z Surf Boogie

2008-03-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

I am happy with the way this turned out. It was more complicated than the typical youtube thing with a guy playing along with a speakers into a video cam mic. I hope you agree that it is well mixed.

Check out my tunes on Garage Band. Download the mp3 for your iPod.

The Amazing Zachary Z2 Guitar

2008-02-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

The search for the holy grail of guitars continues. For the moment this is it. The precision of the fretwork and beauty of the artistry of this guitar is incredible. It is a unique departure from what all other guitar makers are doing. Before I mention any downside, I must say I consider this guitar priceless. It is the only guitar I have that I would simply not part with for any reason. It is simply the best of them all.

Now that said, I would have no credibility if I was such a fool as to say one guitar does everything and is the perfect guitar for all applications. That would be ridiculous. For example, the best jazzbox simply can't do good rock crunch. And this guitar can't do jazzbox. But I'm no Joe Pass either, and I don't play that kind of music well anyway. So I am being real. The Z2 cannot replace an entire collection of guitars. But it does stand on top of the heap. It is the very best with respect to several critical measures that I am concerned with. First of all, the intonation and fretwork is simply unmatched. Every single chord and note is perfectly in tune and harmonically balanced both within the scale and chord being played. I am not talking about anything other than my ear. It simply works. It is a bit on the bright side, which is probably due to its long scale, pickup design and placement, a relatively hard wood body, and very, very low action. I don't think it will replace my best strat clone (which can't touch this Z2 for the most part) for "that" tone. The Z2 is it is magic to the fingers and the ears. And it flat ass honks. This guitar kills for rock crunch. Billy Gibbons needs this guitar. As soon as he finds out about them good luck trying to get one for yourself, they will become legendary and impossible to obtain for mere mortals. I almost hate to tell you about it lest the build wait get longer. I want at least two more of these guitars and the more people that find out about it the longer I must wait. Good luck getting one, if you can't play you are out of luck. No posers need apply.

Click here to find out more about Zachary Guitars

Bad Ass Baritone Slide Guitar

2008-01-26T22:41:00.000-08:00

Click Here to Play the Song

A while back I got this baritone guitar. It didn't seem too useful, kind of odd and interesting but too bassy to really stand out. Actually its tough to record because it steps on the bass, and you need to do some EQ tricks to make it work.

Roy Bullis who built the beast claimed it would be a monster with a slide. In a brief moment of musical frustration, I tried it and discovered what it sounds like through a distorted amp with a slide. Man it has hair!! Now I don't pretend to know how to play slide. This is the first time I have ever tried it. But I like it, and will do it more, and in fact, I am sure that in a couple of months I will repost this song and it will really smoke em. Till then, enjoy my first stab.

Here is a pic of the guitar used on the tune:

Cool Guitar Amp

2008-01-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

(Well, yes and the guitar deserves some credit too.)

Howdy, its been a long time since I've found anything to share. The quest for guitar tone tends to get more difficult and you begin to think you have seen it all. Recently I ran across the Suhr Badger. Now I don't need to tell you about it because there is plenty of info if you just search the web for it, you can find out all you need. The important thing is that for once, all of the good stuff that is being said about it is really true. I suppose you read the harmony central reviews, or even the reviews of products on sites like musician's friend. Well there are several problems with all of that. First of all some people (particularly electric guitar players) do not hear very well. Next, if all you have ever experienced is junk, something really mediocre could sound really great. Then, if some guitar god endorses it you might think its wonderful too. And if you just dumped a whole pile of money on something it must be good, otherwise you are stupid, right?

Click Here for the Harmony Central Reviews

Well the truth is a lot of guys have been playing the guitar for a long time, and some of us have been through not just a couple of guitar amps, and not just cheap ones either. So when you read the harmony central reviews on the Suhr Badger, you might think this is just another over-hyped and over-priced amp. Well its not entirely. It deserves some amount of praise. This amp can be enjoyed at low volumes. This is the first and only amp I have experienced that does decent big amp sound at truly reasonable volumes. In spite of its lack of reverb, it has a perfect effects loop so you can pick your favorite stomp boxes and plug them right in between the tube pre and power amps. I find it to be a wonderful place to put a nice digital reverb or delay. I'm not much of a fan of digital effects, but the tube tone from circuitry in this amp doesn't seem to be damaged by using the effects loop. Of course it adds a bit of noise, etc. and for recording you are better off adding this stuff in the mix, but its a great for live use.

This amp has a likable tone with a killer "not so loud" feature that works. I don't think its as good as a couple of other amps I have when clean, but I think I still have some speaker break-in issues to resolve, so we will see with time.

The demo video was recorded with my Onyx Forge Custom "Jag S". It has A Kinman strat blues set and an LR Baggs piezo hardtail bridge. I switch only the controls on the guitar, and get several killer tones through this amp without modifying ANY settings on the amp. So, generally all you are getting is the crunchy sound. But interestingly enough, what you are hearing was not very loud when I recorded it so its a good amp for that, and a bit more satisfying than all the digital stuff.

I don't claim this is great music, its really a tone demo. But I was having fun and made it a bit too long. Sorry, every minute or two I switch the tone settings, so keep at it and you will hear what I mean.

Another thing, this is using a the Suhr 112 ported cab. Which is very small and easy to live with and lug around. But its no Marshall 412 cab. This head sounds even better through a good 412, but I'm too old and lazy to move one around.

Many have said that you should always spend at least as much on your amp as you do on a guitar, and that is decent advice, but to be fair, this amp is a lot less expensive than many, many amps I have owned and played that were far more expensive and far less satisfying.

Maui is Nice In September

2007-09-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a week there. Was a great time as we convinced our adult (24 and 27) kids to tag along. Not too tough to convince as we paid for it all, but nonetheless at that age they are busy and time off work is a premium to be savored. I'm not your travel dude but here are some Maui comments:

Mama's Fish House - perhaps the best restaurant on Maui. You will pay for it.

Roy's - Not as expensive as Mama's but also very nice. Not quite the ambiance or service.

Hyatt Regency Hotel Pool - Still the best pool on Maui.

Hyatt Regency Hotel Restaurants - too expensive - didn't try them - the breakfast buffet was included in our package and excellent - but not worth the $27 bucks it would have cost. I can't eat that much in the morning to make it worthwhile.

Fish in the Ocean While Snorkeling - Not as many as there were 10 years ago, but still beautiful. Kapalua Bay is the place to go to see fish easily.

Maui Ocean Center Aquarium - Beautiful exhibits and not to be missed.

Maui County Fair - If you are lucky enough to be there during the 3 days its on, the food was dirt cheap and great, and there was some good entertainment. (I don't know about you, but after spending $575 for a party of 6 at Mama's fish house it was refreshing to feed everyone for pocket change.)

Onyx Forge Custom Jag S

2007-09-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

A new guitar in the collection has arrived. You can read the details here C25 Onyx

And you can hear it in this video:

This is currently my favorite guitar. I put 11s on it which is more beefy than the usual 10s. I think its the ideal "Nashville" and "SRV" axe.

New Old Guitars

2007-09-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

I assume you are familiar with the Fender Custom Shop "Relic" guitars? Maybe not. Well they build a new guitar using an old design and materials, then grunge it up by wearing off the paint, scratching it, sandblasting the metal parts, rusting it, and other things. Now it looks old and beat up. That is supposed to be cool. Like if you inherited your pop's old guitar. Or you played it everyday for 10 years in grungy bars. As if you were SRV or Billy Gibbons or Willy Wonka or something.

How ridiculous is that. If you can play, nobody gives a rats ass if your guitar is old or new. I suppose some morons think people would see their guitar and think wow he's been playing forever, he must be good. Or wow that's a vintage Fender, how cool. It sounds so great. What a bunch of crap. And they charge a ridiculous premium for these things.

So if you see some guy playing a beater guitar don't pay any attention. If he sounds good, that's just wonderful, but its not because of his beater guitar, that he possibly paid triple for and bought last week.

Plastic Coated Guitars

2007-09-07T23:54:00.000-07:00

Why do guitar makers use a poly finish?

It lasts longer. It wears better. It doesn't crack. It doesn't annoy the AQMD or the feds because of VOC emissions. Its cheaper to manufacture. It doesn't affect the tone at all. It looks better.

Do you know which ones of the above are true?

Well some of this is obviously true. As far as what is not obvious, or clearly a matter of opinion, I beg you to figure it out for yourself.

In my opinion, a nitrocellulose lacquer finish can look and sound better than poly. A near natural or light oil finish might be the best of all for tone. Actually no finish at all might be the best for tone. Of course the tone is really subtle, but from my experience a heavy finish kind of kills the wood resonance. Nitro has a chance to be lighter. It seems more organic (actually its like liquid wood). Of course the guitars I have experienced the nitro finish on are either recent customs, vintage guitars, or vintage re-issues, so a lot of what I am hearing could be in other things in the guitar. I also have one poly guitar that sounds pretty darn good, but I am guessing it would sound even better with a nitro finish.

Of two tele's I have, the nitro one sounds better, of course it has a lot of mechanical differences as well, so its hard to nail down.

I think a good nitro finish looks better. Its not as clear, it yellows with age, it looks "vintage". Of course a cracked faded or yellowed finish can look sucky too. So can a nitro finish on a guitar that cracks up because you opened the case it the winter after having it the back of your car. Oops.

So just remember when somebody says there are no real tone differences between nitro and poly, I think they are completely wrong. But it takes more than nitro to make a guitar sound good.

So where did you ride your bike?

2007-08-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

(click to see more detail)

People often ask me that question, when we go to the Singletrack Lodge. This is where we ride. It's a dirt trail and today (once I got off the short road portion) I was entirely alone except for the birds and squirrels. Needless to say, when alone I ride extra slowly and carefully, because cellphone coverage is limited, and its a LONG walk out. The weather today was great, scattered thunderstorms kept the temp down around 70, while down the hill in the desert it was well over 110, and in fact even 93 at the beach. Another day in paradise.

Let Them be Boys - GarageBand Track of the Day

2007-08-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hey, I entered one of my better tunes in a GarageBand contest to get some feedback, and got Track of the Day. I guess there wasn't much competition today, but I'll take it! The reviews are helpful on this one, its only a demo with a couple hours of work, so this will help with a remix. The drums in particular need to be redone, and I'm looking forward to doing that. Hope you enjoy it.

lyrics to a song - first demo track:

<- Click to listen to this song

they say there was a problem with that boy
he just didnt seem to do the things we like a boy to do

there seemed to be a problem at school
but things were too slow boring and uncool

who wouldn't rather mess and play around
when theres so much of life outside on the playground

but the teacher labled him as A D D and his momma
gave him some pills and put him in front of the TV

and now we wonder why he cant be part of society
and now hes a living in a correctional facility

take them outside and let them howl at the moon
don't treat them like a problem or they will end up in the zoo

not everyone can live a life behind a desk
sometimes a boy just needs some space to be his best

isnt a little discipline is better than a pill
why label him a reject and make them want to kill

a child's frustration with ordinary life
can be misdirected into the street and a knife

be smarter than the labelers and help them find a way
to teach us to innovate and live for better days

take them outside and let them howl at the moon
don't treat them like a problem or they will end up in the zoo

Click Hear to Listen to the Song

My Favorite Training Ride

2007-08-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

Hi, recently I got a Garmin Edge 205 bike GPS. Its a thingy that tracks your ride and then you can download where you went and map it out, including the elevation changes. Also you can use it to compete against your prior rides etc. You can google it and figure out the details if you want. But the point of this is that we do a ride for training and its a tough one. Its located at Crystal Cove state park and we do some loops around this course (pics below). According to the fitness GPS we burn about 1400 calories, which does not sound like much until you try to burn off that many on an excercise gear in your favorite fitness center. On this particular ride we did it in about an hour and 50 mins. (excluding about the 10 minutes in between a few hills I rested to wait for my training partner). My record for this is 1:47, but I think anything under 2 hours is a great workout result.

If you ever want to try this, meet us at the parking lot most Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 7:30 AM. Bring lots of water, spare tubes, and a pump. And if you are really slow, you might be on your own, because for the most part we need to get on with our day. Don't worry about getting ahead of us, if you are that good, have at it. As we are old farts (53 and 59) you young-uns can kick our butts - but unless you are used to this kind of riding you will be surprised at the difficulty in keeping up.

The route is looping - clockwise from the left, at the survey point we double back through the crossroads and do that little inner loop, back up to the crossroads, then back down the center, up to I think I can, back to the survey point again, then double back the starting route to total out almost 20 miles. We end up passing the crossroads 4 times, so there are lots of shorter (and longer) variations.

(click to see better detail: - sorry html programming bores me)

Here is the hill profile, (click to see better detail)

Zachary Guitar Pedal

2007-08-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

Update - August 16, 2007:

I have been spending a lot of time with this pedal. It seems to be ridiculous to say it, but it is brilliant. It is the best investment in gear I have made since I purchased a '69 Tele for $150 when I was 17. (damn I wished I was smart enough to have kept it) This pedal is so musical. (I will keep this.) Of course it is brutal in revealing your warts as a player, and the tone shortcomings of your guitars and amps, but it is also insanely rewarding when it uncovers the harmonics of your best gear and the skill you have as a player. After redoing the setup on my Tele, it is sweet through this pedal. I think a couple of my other pedals are going on e-bay in a couple of more weeks if I don't use them. This one takes the cake.

Note - my previous post of August 11 - five days previous:

Occasionally, one runs across something that lives up to its maker's hype. This is one of those things. Of course the hype here is over the top, and quite honestly I'm not sure how much better than some other units I have tried this really is, but in my opinion this IS the best guitar pedal available now for the kind of sound I like.

Here is a link to clip of me fooling around with this pedal. Part of it actually is musical and includes a chunk of a song, but mostly its a tone demo.

Expect to hear it in the mix of some of my upcoming tunes.

Am I plugging this guy's pedal? Well I suppose. I like to see good things get the attention they deserve. Also, if you check it out this might in fact be something that enhances my credibility as a person who is has knowledge about getting good guitar tone. And, we will see over time about getting rid of the other pedals. If I end up not using them for quite a while, that's exactly what I might end up doing.

A couple of other overdrive pedals I use include the Fulltone OCD, Barber Burn Unit and the Xotic AC Booster. I think the Zach pedal can replace the Fulltone and Barber, but the AC Booster is kind of in a class by itself for the sound it makes. The Fulltone, in some ways I prefer to the Zachary pedal because it produces a good grind that you can hide in a bit more easily than the Zachary pedal. The Zachary pedal is more transparent and up front, and brings forth both your excellence and flaws. It has a wider freqency footprint, and for some kinds of music, the OCD might be easier to deal EQ wise with in the mix.

To be fair about how good this pedal is, I don't think I would have bothered with the Barber or OCD if I had the Zachary first.

Telecaster Shootout

2007-07-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

Scroll down to get right at the video if you are not interested in the text..

Well, as I mentioned I suffer from Guitar Aquisition Syndrome. My most recent attack concerned a '62 Custom Telecaster. Actually not a real '62 as these are out of my league (and honestly in my humble opinion are more valuable from rarity as opposed to utility or musical value). This guitar was recently built by Fender to almost identical specs to the original '62. It features vintage frets on a rosewood fingerboard, a nitro finish, 3 saddle bridge. Not specifically looking to buy a guitar, I played this one at a local shop and found it to be exceptionally nice from both a tone and cosmetic perspective. Forgetting that I already have a perfectly good Telecaster I bought it. Then I got home. I rewired the tone and switch - (the '62 had a dumb forward position with a dark neck setting and no split setting) I don't know anyone who actually uses one of these and leaves it that way. I didn't care much for the vintage 3 saddle bridge that had problems with string spacing and intonation, so I upgraded that to a Callaham compensated brass saddle bridge. Now I really like the tone, in fact I prefer it tone wise to my other Tele, except perhaps for the hum when using it really in a really high gain setting (which is not really a Tele thing anyway).

Well, what about the other Tele. It's still a really nice guitar, and better than the '62 in some ways for a couple reasons. It's an '06 American Deluxe Ash, with a nice thick maple neck, jumbo frets, and SCN pickups. Its a bit heavy. It stays in tune more easily and has almost no hum from the truly noiseless pickups.

Well I decided to play them back to back and decide which one sounds better. Here's a video if you'd like to post your opinion, I'd be interested.

A couple of notes. To be fair, the Deluxe has 9s, and while easier to bend, they don't have quite the tone of the 10s on the '62. But the Deluxe has jumbo frets and I just couldn't hear the Tele tone I was looking for (a bit of string slap and more twang) from 10s - the 9s did that. The '62 has vintage frets and I like that sound. I might try 9s on the '62 - but the 10s feel pretty good and sound nice.

The bridge swapout didn't change the dramatically - a bit smoother and more sustain - from what I can tell, but I do like the compensated saddles, and the string spacing from the original 62 bridge was bogus with the grooves and screws interfering with a straight string path. (I saved the bridge so when I resell the guitar I will have all the vintage pieces).

Are your guitar strings wrong?

2007-05-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

Probably. If you are not using ZOG strings. (see link below)

I have to say that I am a believer and I am now using these strings. I have some spares, and at this point in time I will probably replace and order more. I will let you know how they hold up. Right now I like them better than Elixirs, but I don't think they will last nearly as long.

FYI I am using a 9 set on my Tele - its sounds Tele Spanky and surprised the hell out of me. I always thought 9s were wimpy and failed to understand the Tele Spank connection - thanks to the magic of the ZOGs (and the recommendation of their legendary inventor) I am now a believer that some guitars simply need a certain kind of strings. Silly me I am playing my Tele more than ever so there is something to it - no doubt. Also I put a 10 set on my Onyx Forge and like the improved tone especially overdriven.

Without a doubt I will change out strings on my other players but for the moment I'm not quite to throwing out otherwise fresh strings until I have a big gig or recording project to motivate me.

Sound wise they sound like D'Addarios which is what I now have several new unused sets of sitting around - I'll probably give them away.

With these strings I am finding more tone and a more natural playing style across the strings. The theory behind this string seems to feel correct.

Intersting the strings are NOT labeled as to gauge and there are no specs, but not to worry as they are so reasonably priced as to make it silly to search elsewhere or build your own sets. (Also I suspect perhaps some of the sizes are not off the shelf spec.)

http://www.zacharyguitars.com/Strings.htm

Watching the Indy 500 - at The Track

2007-05-23T16:54:00.001-07:00

I suppose its all been said but I did enjoy seeing a legendary event. Believe me 500,000 or so people and a $1,600,000 prize makes it much more than cars going around in circles. Our trip back to Chicago included staying with my uncle who shared many life stories, a lot of fine cooking, and several fine beverages. His place at Lake Dalecarlia in Indiana is absolutely idyllic.

A Very Difficult Day on a Bicycle

2007-05-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Well I did it. The Breathless Agony. If you are looking for a physical challenge here it is. 7+ hours is a long time on a bike. And climbing mountains while you are doing it makes it even harder. This ride is like one of the difficult stages in the Tour de France. Which makes those pro racers seem even more amazing. I did this one day thing and it was really hard. These guys do similar stuff almost every day for a month. I had to work up to the task. Although I have been using bikes for fitness for the better part of 20 years, you need to notch it up to do this kind of a ride. I was up to five days a week between two and five hours per ride. Once you can do 70 or so miles on steep hills, you can probably do this 7 hour 114 miler. Actually this ride felt like three hard ordinary training rides back to back. After 80 miles or so the hard part is over and the last bit is almost all downhill. Not that you can ignore it because its on a winding road and you need to keep your wits. It was cold at the top at 8600 feet, but there are some refreshments and a bit of celebration. Then trying to keep warm in the wind chilled descent. Back under 6000 ft it was much more pleasant. Near the end there was a major headwind, but only a few miles to deal with it.

As much as I enjoyed earning the achivement, I can't say I'll ever do it again.

Click here to see the ride web site.

Roast Your Own Coffee

2007-05-20T13:11:00.001-07:00

Remember when you discovered Starbucks and then ordinary coffee simply sucked. Well this is the same sea change at another level. Green (raw, unrosted) coffee is inexpensive and available in tremendous variety from a number online sources. Unlike starbucks where you might have 20 varieties of coffee, each roasted to Starbucks spec, you have a virtually unlimited number of choices to make regarding which beans, what blend, and how dark the roast.

If you are like me you like your coffee dark at times, and light but flavorful. And flavor you cannot imagine.

Good roasted coffee is decent maybe for 10 days to two weeks after roasting. Maybe longer if you seal it up and keep it in your freezer.

I hope you have as much fun with this as I do.

Onyx Forge Custom DC

2007-05-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

This is one tone monster of a guitar. Custom built to my specs by Roy Bullis of Laguna Hills, CA.

This guitar features a mahogany body, quilt top, maple neck with ebony fingerboard. It has Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbucking pickups, and an LR Baggs piezo bridge. Coils on the pickups can be split and the piezo mixed. Instead of a switch, there is a blend pot for the pickups.

8 String Guitar

2007-05-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

Saw this during my typical guitar web surf fest. I would love to play with it. Do I need one? Maybe.

http://www.zacharyguitars.com/040705pics.htm

Fender Stratocaster VG - Pretend Guitar Tone

2007-05-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

Well I was at my local music retailer the other day, Jim's Music in Irvine. Great store BTW - nice guys and good pricing, mostly mainstream mass-market stuff, but they will set you up well.

I played with the Strat VG and it was exactly what I expected. It does what they say, but it left me with the same feeling I have about all digital modeling. Quite simply, it sounds and is fake.

The strat in N (normal) mode just uses the mag pickups and its a normal strat. Its a good one too, like the standard US strat. Great tone and action, quality. It is what you would expect.

Now in the modeled mode, where you pick a guitar (S-strat, T-tele, H-humbucker, A-acoustic) and a tuning (N-normal, D-drop D, 12-string, DADGAD, OpenG, Baritone-b) it just digitally fakes it. And that's where it loses me. The modeled Strat mode in normal tuning - back to back with the Normal (not modeled) strat - is simply weak. The highs are muted. The pick articulation details are lost (that's good for some clunkers I suppose). Same with the rest. My baritone guitar sounds better. A real 12 string is better. My Taylor acoustic is insanely better. My Tele is better. WTF go figure - they are all REAL!

But if you can't afford all those guitars, or need to change in the middle of the song, or if you play through a bunch of crappy digital modelers or effects anyway, you might actually love this guitar. It sure is convenient for the tuning stuff. But its certainly not the real deal.

Like I said, it does exactly what it is supposed to, and I'm impressed, but I don't need one.

The Eternal Search for Guitar Tone

2007-05-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

How much time and money do we spend looking for new and better amps, pedals, guitars? Does it make us better musicians? I don't think so. Billy Gibbons (for example) could walk into guitar center and pick a low end Epiphone Les Paul off the rack and plug it into a Vox Valvetronix (nothing exceptional about either of these, I'm just using them to make a point here) and wail up a storm. And so could I, and lots of other guys. But its satisfying to have that extra edge on your riff. Something that sets you apart. Kind of like the taste of a really fine wine. Sure you can buy a decent wine at a good gourmet market, but to really enjoy, you need to research, taste, buy and cellar your own. Its subtle but satisfying.

I am going to share my discoveries about guitar tone here, and hope you enjoy. Feel free to comment and or add your own experience.

My Bicycle Distracts Me

2007-05-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

I ride bikes. I have been doing this seriously for 25 years or so. Mostly on the dirt (that's for another post) on my mountain bike. I live in Laguna Beach, near what is probably one of world's best single park for riding a bike on dirt without getting lost, killed, or too far from good food and coffee.

A while back my buddy Stu who I ride with constantly convinced me to race in the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey. So we trained like mad and had a great time. Finding myself in relatively remarkable shape for a 52 year old, I decided to do something nuts. Saturday I am going to ride in the Breathless Agony (go ahead google it). So more training. The last week I rode 5 out of 7 days. A couple of 4 1/2 hour days. A couple of days with 70 miles and LOTS of hills.

I hope I'm ready. I'll fill you in.

Too Many Guitars

2007-05-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, I collect guitars. I have too many. I want more. I like them. I play them. I suppose if I did nothing at all but play my guitars I would not be completely unhappy, but I find joy in interacting with my family and friends, and the rest of the world, so I seek to involve myself in that as well.

To the degree that one must also pay some debt to be allowed to exist in this, things like work, taxes, taking out the trash, shaving, and so on, are also things I must do, but I will spare you those details.

Expect to see a lot about my guitars and music here. And I also plan on talking about other things that make me happy.

Why is this Here?

2007-05-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Some of us have already figured out that there are too many blogs. But I have some things I would like to share, and honestly, some things that I have learned that I wish somone had shared with me so I did not have to figure them out for myself. So here is my 2 cents. If you find it valuable or entertaining, you are quite welcome. Your comments are welcome, and after discarding any unwelcome hate, I would be quite happy to learn from them as well.

Hope your day, and every day is going well. I for one, am through with constant cynicism, and look forward to finding the best I can in every day. Should I revert to dark humor or cynical commentary, please poke me and help me return to the light.