Rosewoody

It is jarring to see legends pass. I listened to WEBN (Cincinnati) in the late sixties, by early seventies it had morphed into commercial dreck. 'EBN introduced me to Fahey, Renborn, Jansch, Bloomfield, Tim Buckley, Phil Ochs, Zal Yanovsky..........the list can only get longer of course but it sucks. So many too early. On the other hand, it has been fifty years and I for one feel incredibly lucky to have ever heard these greats. It compels me to see artists that come around whenever I can.

That sucks. I'm going through a stupid Blackberry thumb recovery right now--right hand but it still is aggravated by playing and hurts like hell. A sprain is caused by trauma, like falling and throwing weight on a joint. (I think: I'm no doctor). It would be swollen and really tender. A strain is less dramatic, but still painful. Ibuprophen or Aleve, ice, and rest will probably restore you in a few days, but tendons and ligaments are notoriously slow to heal, so be patient. I'm finding age is making injuries easier to come by and slower to go away. Ibuprophen has replaced recreational medication in my life. Good luck.

"From your description I really fancied getting a copy, nipped on to Amazon.c.uk and they only want £86 which I think is sometning like $125!!"Yikes, that is expensive. Keep hoping for the new edition. "I was a bit surprised not to find any mention of the SJ-150. Are they that new? " I think the book preceded the J 150.

I have a lot of guitar books, as I like to read as much as play, and it's always fun to learn about the instruments we love, right? I thought I might offer a short list of books that I have found useful, either for information regarding set-up (always a topic), care and feeding, or general info. Then there are the sources for history and identification, that sort of thing. Acoustic Owner's Manual, String Letter Publishing, 111 pgs paperback. This is an anthology covering construction, repair, selection, string info, set-up, and other solid advice. I think I bought my copy for less than $5 on Amazon. The Acoustic Guitar Guide, Larry Sandberg, a cappella books, subtitled "everything you need to know to buy and maintain a new or used guitar." 260 ppgs. In-depth study of types, construction, materials, finishes and just about everything else. Amazon, cheap. Acoustic Guitar, Hal Leonard pub, 376 ppgs. The authors of this neat little book are the boys over at Acoustic Forum and Acoustic Magazine, including Frank Ford and Terja Gerken. This is a great book, covering everything that matters in buying and maintaining a good guitar. Guitar Player Repair Guide, Dan Erlewine, Miller Freeman Books, 308 ppgs. Well, I don't know if this is the bible for repair or not, but it is for me. Covers electric and acoustic and includes a LOT of information that involves techniques way beyond my skill level but nonetheless fascinating. The set-up section is worth price of admission, which is low on Amazon again...$10 or so. The best for last, Gibson's Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars, Whitford, Vinopal, Erlewine, Miller Freeman pub., 206 ppgs. Best $7.00 I ever spent, and wish now I had bought the other dozen or so copies on the cut-out table! It is now regrettably out of print, and the ones I've seen offered used are expensive. A second edition has been in the offing for a year or so, not available yet. This is a nice discussion of the acoustic Gibbie lineup over the years, with fine pics. What a great book. Maybe you know of some particularly interesting or useful books to recommend?