RBSinTo

Last night I watched a documentary about Linda Ronstadt, and her life in music. My goodness, that lady was a huge talent! She had a voice like an angel, and the vision and determination to sing the genres of music that she wanted and needed to sing. It was a very enlightening and enjoyable program. RBSinTo

Part of the Gibson j-45 P.T. Barnum Commemorative series. Gibson produces many very nicely finished j-45's, so why would anyone buy one as ugly as this? RBSinTo

olie figured out my nefarious plan. Ingratiate myself with the Chief, stuff him with poisoned dumplings, and then steal his guitars. Drats! Foiled again! RBSinTo

This must be the new, kinder, gentler, Chief. Tough on the outside, but all ooey-gooey on the inside. Perhaps a plate of really good Dumplings will assuage those tears. Whatcha say? RBSinTo

I'm waiting for Gibson to come out with their Custom shop Gopherwood J-45 "Noah's Ark" commemorative model with the pairs of animals engraved on the pickguard. RBSinTo

Chief, That was me. You know I'm a Martin guy, but I don't like blingy guitars, which is what I consider the D-41, and even more so the D-45 to be. Perhaps "gaudy" was a bit harsh, and I should have reserved it for the really tasteless Gibson j-200 series. RBSinTo

My guitar teacher decided that we would continue our adventures through Eric Clapton's "Unplugged" album, and so we are currently working on his "Nobody knows you when you're down and out". Outstanding rendition. I've listened and played along to it a zillion times in the last few days, and yesterday just for amusement's sake, I visited a music store and noodled it on a Martin 000-28EC, which is the instrument Clapton played it on. A wonderful song on an outstanding guitar by a really $hitty musician. I guess two out of three ain't bad. RBSinTo

Chief, I'll trade you. You bring the sticker, and I'll give you some Chinese pot-stickers, which you can eat or stick on your guitar cases. Deal? RBSinTo

Hey! Maybe Gibson will incorporate this technology, and you'll be able to buy a guitar that changes colours as you play it. They can call it the j-45 Chameleon. Whatcha think? RBSinTo

Another essential automotive feature I didn't know I couldn't live without until this video showed me otherwise. What a completely stupid and problematic idea this is! Undoubtedly expensive to manage and repair if the vehicle is in an accident, and problematic in the event of criminal activities when the original colour of a vehicle is important to police. RBSinTo

Six guitars. Five in cases. No stickers on any of them, and can't think of any reason to apply any. Our grand-daughter covered her sparkly-blue Squier Mustang with stickers, but that's a story for another day. RBSinTo

DanvillRob, My in-the-house "action garb" is tee shirts and sweat pants or sweat shorts in hotter weather, and when I go to my guitar lessons or recitals, I always wear a sweat shirt over old jeans. These fashion choices have helped ensure that my guitars are free of scratches and buckle rash. RBSinTo

Chief, Your tale would indicate that softness of your head rather than of the nitro finish could be the problem. RBSinTo

To more evenly distribute the force of the Snark's jaws and lessen the chance of marks, I'd suggest using pieces of thin cardboard cut from packaging material (like a cereal box, for example) and always placing them with the blank side against the headstock to ensure there is no print colour bleed into the finish. Again a "with-without" test should be done to ensure that tuner accuracy isn't affected. RBSinTo

Guitar Blues, Clip it on, tune, and immediately remove the tuner, and you'll be fine. I have used a Snark for the last eight years on a Martin D-28, and a Gibson j-45, both with nitro finishes, and employing this method, haven't got any marks on the headstocks. Sgt. Pepper's suggestion is also a good one. And you can test if putting anything between the jaws of the tuner and the headstock affects the Snarks accuracy, by first tuning without the "insulation", and then by plucking each string again after mounting the "insulated " tuner. If the strings now appear to be out of tune, you'll know the "insulation" causes an accuracy problem. RBSinTo

Chief, You went to Vancouver on your honeymoon. What about Mrs. Chief? Did she go too, or was she somewhere else? Just wondering. RBSinTo

fyp., Please! I beg of you. Let's not jump onto this merry-go-round again. It is a shouting match that serves no purpose, and once started, never gets resolved, or ends. RBSinTo

If you can't simply live with the discolouration, I would suggest you not monkey around trying to get it out yourself, but rather take the guitar to a reputable Luthier and seek their advice. If you don't have the skills, you might simply make the problem worse by trying to correct it yourself. RBSinTo

MissouriPicker, And he flew a twin-engined craft called "the Songbird". RBSinTo

Whitefang, The first NHL goalie to wear a facemask was Clint Benedict, in 1930, while playing for the Montreal Maroons. It was made from leather, and worn to protect a broken nose. Once the nose healed, he discarded the mask and played the remainder of his career without one. In the modern era, the use of face masks began with Jacques Plante, who played for the Montreal Canadiens. He had been experimenting with fibreglass masks for a few years and wore them in practices. On November 1, 1959, he was hit in the face by a shot from Andy Bathgate of the New York Rangers. After being stitched up, he refused to return to the ice until his coach permitted him to don the mask. He played one other game later without it, (which he lost), and never played without it again. Terry Sawchuk, then of the Detroit Red Wings, first wore a mask on October 11, 1962, which was a year later than I began wearing one. RBSinTo

Notes_Norton, Your reply seems to imply that I gave the store a bad review, which I did not. There was nothing " lame" about the Guitar Center I visited, and if I lived in the Miami area, and needed an instrument or accessories, there is no reason ehy I wouldn't patronize them. RBSinTo

There has always been fighting in hockey, and it is a part of the game that I completely disagree with. If it was up to me, pro hockey would have the same policy as college hockey: fight and you're out, and the policy for repeat offenders would be draconian. Lengthly suspensions, and enormous fines. I have been playing continuously since about 1958, and have been in one fight in all that time. And for the most part I would say that most players aren't interested in fighting, so yes, hockey was civil when I played as a young boy, and taking into account that it is a very-high speed, continuous action, bodily contact sport is quite civil today as well. RBSinTo

Saturday morning waiting for the Buffalo TV channels to come on-air at 8:00 am. and then watching "Capt. Midnight", "Tales of Texas Rangers", "Wild Bill Hickock", The Lone Ranger", "Tom Terrific", "Space Rangers", "Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, just to name a few of the programs that quickly came to mind. RBSinTo

...you remember when hockey goalies played without face masks, (as I did in 1961, the year I first started playing goal), and wore pads and gloves made of leather, and none of that leather was coloured to match team colours. RBSinTo

Whitefang, Did you see the photos I re-sent you this morning? RBSinTo