OR Doc Nicki Likes Her Git

Here is Nicki, an OR Doc at Bastion Hospital in Afghanistan, with her new guitar.  She wrote me that she likes it a lot and plays it when she has time, and when others  in the OR are not fooling around with it. 

This is a photo of Nicki preparing for an everyday 'picnic' of MREs.  If things aren't bad enough in the 'Stan, they get to eat packaged meals on a regular basis.  And we hear people complain stateside about their own personal crap! 

Holly

I mentioned in a previous post that my friend Jim has always been interested in horses and that he continues to be involved in raising world class Quarter Horses at his Albuquerque, NM home.  This is a photo of Holly, who recently won a reining competition.  Beautiful little filly, don't you think?  Congrats, Jim.

'Spider-Man'

Nearly sixty years ago, my friend Marv cut my hair on a regular weekly basis.  He is the only guy I've ever met who could cut a 'flat-top', and do it right, so that it was 'flat', and not the military round over.  Thanks, Marv, you were 'da man!

I lost track of Marv after I married and started my career.  Marv also married (a gorgeous gal from our high school -- I have no idea how he trapped her), and moved to the left coast to operate a chain of barber shops.  Through the magic of the Internet and email, Marv and I reconnected a month ago, thanks to my other friend Jim.

Needless to say, my hair has been longer for a whole lotta years, because I moved away.

Marv saw my web site and asked me to make a guitar for his 7-year-old grandson Steven, who is nuts about Spider-Man.  Gramps bought Steven a regular size guitar, but he's too small to play it, so a CBG is just the ticket.

I shipped the 'Spider-Man' today, and I cannot wait to hear what the reaction is from Steven.  I bet he wets his pants, when he sees the cover of the box.

It's a straight-forward three-string acoustic tuned to the top three strings on a regular git (G-B-e), so it is easy to chord using the basic guitar chords, and leaving off the notes for the 6-5-4 strings. 

I played it last night, like I do each guitar I create, and it sounds really good.  So, I'm probably as happy as Steven will be.

Take a look, and let me know what you think.

Here is Steven with his new guitar.

The 'Iron Cross' for Cpl. Chase

Cpl. Ryan Chase is stationed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan and he asked me to build him a three-string electro/acoustic guitar, which he could play with a slide. He also wanted an amp that would carry the 'Iron Cross' theme, and blow a little sound around, while rockets are exploding around his station.

So, I chose an Oliva cigar box for the guitar and inserted a walnut neck with maple fingerboard.  Sound holes are cut in the shape of the iron cross, and I applied a large iron cross graphic to the back of the box.  String action is a little more spacey than usual to accommodate the slide, and it's tuned to open-G (G-D-g) so he can easily play hundreds of songs.

The 'Iron Cross' amp is a compact Saint Luis Rey cigar box with GuitarFuel harness.  The speaker opening is screen backed in the form of a cross, and stylized crosses decorate the sides of the box.

If You Wonder Why We're There!

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been long and painful.  Many innocent lives have been lost.  And, there are times when it is difficult to fully understand.

But, if you wonder why we're there, all you need to do is to view the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W86jlvrG54o

YO!  Read This!

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I'm Back at It!

I ripped through the Stieg Larsson trilogy, (a great read, 1500+ pages), so that I could get back to building guitars and amps, but that lasted about 15 minutes.

The phone rang and it was Mark, my Marco Photo buddy, asking me if I could help shoot school photos for a couple days.  Well, couple, like in two, was not to be . . . it's more like a couple months.  Oh well, it's fun and I get paid, too.  So nothin' to bitch about, right.  It's real, and it's fun, it just isn't 'real fun'.

In the spare time, I've been working on a guitar and amp for a serviceman in the 'Stan, and a guitar for my friend's grandson, who lives in Seattle.

If my knees and feet hold up from the photo shoot grind, and the beer doesn't get flat waiting to be drunk in the workshop, I'll have the orders shipped out by the end of the week . . . then, it's on to more real fun . . . building more guitars and amps.

Let Us Not Forget

I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.  And, I won't forget to start again, with just my children and my wife.  I'd thank my lucky stars, to be living here today, 'Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that away.

And, I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.  And, I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.  I'd gladly stand up ... next to you and defend her still today.  'Cause there ain't no doubt, I love this land.  I love the USA.

Remember!

Down Time

I read a lot, probably 25-30 or more novels a year, mostly mysteries - good mysteries - and it has recently gotten in the way of building guitars and amps.

My son Jay turned me onto a trilogy, by author Stieg Larsson, which I had lightly considered every time I passed through Barnes & Noble.  But, I couldn't get my head around the titles, which goes to show that 'you can't judge a book by it's cover'.

I was in the middle of a guitar build the other day, when Jay happened by to say hello and to drop off one of the titles in question for me to explore.  Bad timing.  I cracked the binding on 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo', and the rest is history . . . I have not completed the 'Spiderman' guitar for my little friend in Seattle.  I'm sorry Steven, but I promise to getter done soon.

If you like a good mystery, then you must read the Stieg Larsson trilogy.  It's a wide-eyed, coffee gulping, page turning, all-night adventure worth every minute you spend with it, maybe several nights, if you're a slow reader.

The language is a little rough in spots, but I'll leave the judgments to you the reader.  All I will say is that I think the plot far overshadows any of the profanity.  This is better than anything written recently by Grisham, Patterson, or any of the other novel-by-the-minute-for-money writers on the NYT best sellers list.

If you try it and don't agree, tell someone else, 'cause I don't want to hear it.