That Is Heavy, Dude...

 

Emotional load or an actual burden?  Making music with the guys yesterday, I asked Mark if I could try one of his solid body electrics (he has a good selection).  I had my Taylor T5, which weighs about 5 and a half pounds.  I tried out his new Paul Reed Smith Fiore HH guitar - it weighs about 7 1/2 pounds.  You notice the difference.

Then, I tried one of his Fender Stratocasters.  I think it weighed about 160 pounds... I may have missed that by an ounce or two one way or the other.  Yeah, I am kidding.  That guitar was just over 8 pounds.  When you have that strapped across a shoulder, every pound counts.

My heaviest guitar is the Gibson ES-335, which is also around 8 pounds.  The Emerald Virtuo is my lightest electric at just barely over 5 pounds.  All my acoustics are lighter than that.

Does weight make a difference?  Thanks for asking.  Guitars are made from different woods, which means different weights.  That PRS Fiore has a body made of swamp ash.  That's a dense wood.  There will be variations in each individual piece of wood, so the weight of any guitar of a particular model may vary within a half pound or so.  Different woods will have different resonance; so even on a solid body guitar, the type of wood will make a difference in the sound.

Acoustic players seem to be more particular about what kind of wood a guitar is made from.  Rosewood, maple, spruce, koa - it makes a difference in tone.

This is a generalization: carbon fiber guitars are can be lighter than wood, but the production process (type of epoxy used, how many layers of carbon fiber, whether sheets of fiber are laid up or sprayed in with a chopper gun) makes a difference.  Since RainSong closed up, Emerald seems to be the leader in keeping their guitars light. 

I have been considering another solid body electric.  Not sure my shoulder would be happy about that.  There is no "rule" about heavy guitars being better, or lighter guitars being better.  But, you wouldn't know that if you visit internet guitar forums.  ;-)

Anything you can do about the weight of a guitar?  If you play standing, the strap you use can make a significant difference... a wider, padded strap will spread the weight out, making a real difference in comfort.  Or, you could switch from a Gibson Les Paul (generally around 9 pounds) to a Gibson SG (usually between 6 and 7 pounds).  But players are drawn to a style or model of guitar visually... and that's a whole 'nuther debate.

 

* If you really want to delve into guitar weights, here's a link: https://guitargearfinder.com/faq/electric-guitar-weight/

 

It's Still Rock 'n Roll To Me...

 

If you said, "Billy Joel, from the album Glass Houses, 1980," you get 12 bonus points.  Partial credit given for partial answers.  And, speaking of Billy Joel, there is a good documentary about him on Max, "Billy Joel: And So It Goes."

We watched it last weekend - very interesting.  If you are a Billy Joel fan, I recommend it.

Today is a rare Monday music day.  The Hip Replacements haven't all been in Phoenix at the same time for over a month.  And Ron will be leaving for another month+ trip to the Pacific Northwest.  Mark and Cindy will be in New York and the northeast for half of August and September.  Podge is always traveling.  And me?  I never go anywhere, never have any fun.

But, today we are all here and will be making music.  The amp I ordered is supposed to arrive at the store today, so it won't be in time to use it today.  Maybe tomorrow.  It still took me 4 trips to the car to get my gear in. 

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A fun practice with the guys today - we work well together, so even though it has been over a month since we've all been in town at the same time, everything came together nicely.  We have some gigs booked after we're back together again - more summer travel plans.

Cindy surprised me today with cookies from Crumbl.  With my birthday coming up, this is the only opportunity with us all together.  She put a candle on one of the cookies - is that "a candl on the Crumbl?"  ;-)

  And, the obligatory Birthday Song.  BIG cookies, btw; and my favorite: chocolate chunk.

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This evening, another nice thing...

 It wasn't a lot, but it has been 105 days since any measurable precip, so we'll gladly take it.  Of course, before the rain came down, a gust front full of sand and dirt blew in first.  Here's a photo from one of the TV stations, taken east of here...

 Thunderstorm on the left, a haboob on the right.

 

Can't See the Forest For The Trees...

 

Meaning: you can't see what's right in front of you.  No, I'm not going to say anything about guys looking for stuff.  This morning, you can't see the mountains for the blowing dirt/sand.  Monsoon season in the desert.

Looking to the southeast...

 On the far right side of that image, you can see some of South Mountain.  You would normally see that on the left side, as well.  Not today; it is shrouded in blowing dirt.  25 miles southeast of here, they had 20 foot visibility, rain, and hail.  Looking to the west, you can't see the Estrella Mountains; no point in a photo, just dirty air.

Yes, Murphy still wanted to go out.  It is not blowing here.  In fact, the wind is forecast for single digits here for most of the day.  In anticipation, the patio umbrellas have been put in the shed, along with the flag and the canopy over the hot tub...

 There is a 30% or greater chance of precip for the next week.  We can use the moisture; it has been over 3 months since we've had measurable (greater than .01") rain.

 

Everybody's Working For the Weekend...

 

If you said, "Loverboy, 1981, from the album Get Lucky," you get 15 bonus points.  If you said, "Not everybody is working," you may have been looking in our windows... and that's just creepy.

As we roll into the weekend, the feline family members are not working...

 

There was some "scurrying" happening before these napping photos.

Joan and I will be working (sorta) before the day is out: Mother Nature is supposed to be giving us some wind the next few days, and a chance of precip (about 30%) for much of this next week.  Yeah, this is "monsoon season" where the desert experiences humidity to go along with the heat.  So, that's fun.  Not.  We will be putting stuff away on the patio: furniture cushions, securing umbrellas.  

Ride, Captain, Ride...

 

If you said, "A song by the band Blues Image, 1970," you get 10 bonus points.

It has been hot.  As in: above 90º by the time I get up in the morning (usually around 6:00ish).  Daytime highs above 110º.  The last couple of days have been daytime highs around 114º.  This morning, it was 89º at 6:00... yeah, that's just a psychological 1º difference.  Still, it gave me the push to get out on my ebike, after I got my morning chores done.  And by that time, it was 94º.  Moderately crappy air quality.  Good times.

Still, a good ride...

Hardly anyone out and about.  It is amazing to me that you can find some solitude in the big city.  

Hey, it's only supposed to get up to 112º today - that's what the local weather lady said this morning.  Yes, she used the word "only."  Like that makes a difference. 

A few short video clips with the Meta Adventurer smart glasses... 

  

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Shared from my friend Danny...

 

 

Two Out, One Incoming...

 

I went to a different guitar shop yesterday.  They did not have the exact model amp I am interested in in their in-store inventory.  But, they had one almost the same.  Same manufacturer (Fender).  Different covering, a different speaker in it; some might say that is mostly cosmetic.  We decided to go there and take a look.  Also, they can order the exact one I am interested in and it will be delivered in 3 to 5 business days.  So, in layman's terms: about a week.  Also, the salesman there said they'd be interested in what I have to trade.

I had a number in mind for the trade value.

What about that first store you went to on Monday?  Thanks for asking.  They couldn't give me a price on my trade, but said the manager would be in the next day (yesterday) around 11:30.  I waited until noon, then gave them a call... the manager wasn't going to be in until Wednesday.

No big deal; but, as Joan said, "You are ready to do something.  Today."  We drove to the second guitar shop.  Yep, they were interested in doing a trade.  I checked out the amp that is almost the same (black instead of blonde, same size speaker but a different manufacturer).  To complicate things further, they have the next larger size amp... in the exact color... and with two of the speakers I like.  For the same price as the one I have been considering.  Let me repeat that: bigger amp, twice the power, a lot more volume, twin speakers instead of one.  Same price.  I had to ask why.  The salesman thought it may have been ordered and then the customer didn't like it when it came in.  Or, ordered on-line, then returned to the store.  He assured me it is new and nothing wrong with it.

I played through it.  It sounds great!  I used to have this same amp in the tube version (from 1974 to 2006).  It was one of my favorite amps.  I know what you are thinking... me, too..."SAME PRICE AS THE SMALLER ONE!!  WHY WOULD YOU NOT DO THIS??"  

Overkill.  I must be getting old.  Maybe smarter?  Probably not.  That amp in stock is larger, heavier, and louder than the one I am interested in.  The one I want is truly "the Goldilocks" in size, weight, and volume (control).  Yeah, I caught that, too: "the one I want," not "the one I am interested in."  This hot deal is about 50% heavier to cart around.

Joan made an interesting car analogy: "It is like going to the Chevy dealer to buy an Equinox and see that they have an even better deal on a Suburban."  Hey, it won't fit in the garage and it will get fewer miles per gallon, but it is a good price.  

I am willing to pay the same money for an amp that is smaller; to get exactly what I want.  I ordered the amp.  Traded the two smaller amps I brought in.  Got $50 more for the trade than I expected.  Yes, I may have gotten a bit more if I sold them myself... but that would mean having to deal with people.  It is worth something to me to not have to run ads on Facebook Marketplace and deal with people who will message you and ask if you will take less (You haven't even seen this thing - it is SO good, you will probably want to offer me more when you see it!).  Yeah, I made the right decision.

I did leave the guitar shop (some might call it a "center") with something: strings.  When we got home, I changed the strings on the 335.  Four of the five strings on it broke as I was unwinding them.  Yeah, it was over-due for some new strings.  And as long as I was at it, I changed out the strings on the Emerald Virtuo, too.  I may take both of them for music at Mark's today.  We'll see. 

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Two Here...

Murphy and Stella chillin' this morning...

They are frequently rowdy with each other; generally in a playful kinda way.  Murphy went outside with Joan for a short time this morning; already 93º just after 7:00... they didn't spend much time out there.  And now, nap time for Murphy; Stella won't be far behind.

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 Music today with the guys, and a surprise appearance from Ron - I thought he was going to be gone until late September.  Turns out he is home to check in on some work being done on their house, and was able to get away to make some music with us today.

This was a fun diversion: music, pizza, and a cookie break with like-minded friends.  We took turns picking songs.  I did take my Gibson 335 today... Mark commented, "That guitar already knows all the songs."  Not quite, but it was a lot of fun playing it today.  Good comments from the guys; the only complaint was from my shoulder - that is a heavy guitar.

A good time.  Took my mind off the miserable heat.  Well, until it was time to drive home.  I saw 116º on the outside air temp in the car; no doubt a lot of heat coming off the pavement.  I am grateful for air conditioning!  And music.  And a blast from the past with that 335.

 

 

A Hot Time In the Old Town...

 

If you said, "A popular American song from around 1896," you get 10 bonus points.  If you knew it was composed by Theodore August Metz and performed by McIntyre and Heath Minstrels, you get an additional 300 bonus points.  If you thought it had something to do with Old Mother Leary's cow, you get 3 bonus points.  If you said, "Who is Old Mother Leary and what does that have to do with a cow?" you are probably a whippersnapper.  No bonus points for being a whippersnapper.

The high temperature today in Phoenix is supposed to be 114º today.  115º tomorrow.  Neither of which is in "record territory."  That is hot... with a capital HOT.  86º when I got up at 6:15 this morning; 90º by the time I got Murphy outside at 6:40.  If we don't get outside first thing this morning, he isn't going to get any outdoor time.  He doesn't understand that it will burn his big furry paws.  Last night, it was nearly dark before he got to go outside again.

There is an Extreme Heat Warning from now through 8:00pm on Thursday.  You might think: "You live in Arizona - you get acclimated to the heat."  Sorta.  As of today, there have been 192 deaths in the metro area that are suspected to be heat related... 16 confirmed.  The Salvation Army has opened cooling shelters in places around the Valley.

Thank goodness for air conditioning.

 

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Broke...

You're out of money, Jim?  Well, Joan hasn't given me my allowance yet this week.  I'm kidding... I don't get an allowance.  Mostly, I get by on my looks.

So, you really are broke, huh?

Damn - you people are harsh.  In Sunday's post, I talked about my Gibson ES-335 TDC.  I have music with Mark and the guys tomorrow - I was thinking about taking it.  While playing it this morning, I bent a string and... snap!

Now, we're all aware that a broken string isn't a big deal.  Back when I was playing for a living, I broke strings several times a week.  I don't have any strings for that guitar, so it will require a trip to a guitar shop.  No, that isn't a hardship; I like guitar shops.  The problem comes after you change all the strings... the guitar tends to go out of tune frequently, until the strings settle in.  I don't want to spend all my time tuning tomorrow.  So, we'll see how that plays out.

I was thinking about taking the 335 to that guitar shop that has the amp I'm interested in... that would be downright embarrassing to bring in a guitar that's missing a string.  I know this for a fact: yesterday while at that guitar shop, a kid (well, looked to be in his 20s) brought in a guitar that needed a string replaced.  He seemed to think it was a technical operation to replace a string.  I was embarrassed for him.  He probably had no idea that he should be embarrassed.

For those of you who don't play guitar, first of all, I am sorry for you.  And second of all, changing a string should be one of the first things you learn.

When I was going out to the car yesterday, the kid was coming out at the same time - I held the door for him.  He asked me, "What kind of guitar was that that you were playing?"  I told him a little bit about Emerald guitars.  He told me about his Epiphone Les Paul (with the broken string now replaced).  Also told me he has been playing "about a year."

"62 years for me... and my first guitar wasn't anywhere near as nice as your Epiphone."  I also told him, "The music comes from the player... but, it doesn't hurt to have a nice instrument."