fortyearspickn

Agree - To twist P.T. Barnum's marketing gem - ".... most of the people, most of the time, but not all of the people all of the time - are good!" But what Duane is doing is exceptional. Some day, most of us will be in a similar situation - knowing what we loved to do for decades, only has a few grains of sand left in the hourglass of our lives. Like the other old cliche - you never see a headstone that reads "I wish I'd spent more time in the office." As I ease into my 8th year of retirement - I am more proactive in making sure I pick up a guitar every day. And feed the dogs.

I tend to pick different picks for different guitars. I like the Gibson H White Pearl on all 3, but prefer the Ultex .73 on my HBtv. But, as MO Pickr said - Beauty is in the ear of the beholder.

Ssssssizzlingly Stunning ! Just the right amount to bling: perfect meld Art and Tool. I had written a couple of days ago "Don't put a heel button on that beauty!" but my phone deleted it before I could send it. Glad you are leaning in that direction ! I"m not big on wanting to hear what every slightly different guitar out there sounds like, in part because I'm not planning on acquiring any more - but I would love to hear that sucker - clear without any electronics in the way. Enjoy !

Welcome Aboard! Your story is not too dissimilar from many of us here. You’ll fit right in. Especially since you love that new J45s !

Good on you ! Yes, she's doing great. Tnx.

Really purdy ! From what I've read from the medical experts - there isn't much consensus about whether CV19 actually spreads via surface contamination. Some say virus dies after 72 hours, some say UV light. Clearly they could never agree on 'what are the best strings? ! I would not put anything other than mild anti-bacterial soap and water on a damp cloth on those. And, if the nitro is less than a year old - I wouldn't put anything except distilled H2O on a damp cloth. My first choice would be to ask your friend to bring his own guitar. You can wipe down amps and things w/ disinfectant. Hope he continues to do well. My wife has had two bouts with cancer in the past 6 years: first lung, then just before the pandemic - breast. You can't put them in a bubble - I've learned. Good Luck !

One gold tuner? A? Reminds me of my grandmother when she smiled ? (Looks like the bricks aged more than the wood ...?)

Wow Art and Music ! Both excellently prolific. Guitar work, as always - impressive and immensely enjoyable.

I finally realized the importance of straps a year or so ago when I started taking up the 5string banjo again. They weigh nearly 3x as much as a guitar, all in the 'pot' and with a resonator - are very unwieldy. You need a strap to even out the weight and to keep the neck in the right place. And, certainly to keep it safe. That point was hammered home a couple of weeks ago - sitting on my coffee table, with my H'bird TV on my lap - I turned and reached over to the couch for my tuner. the guitar tilted and fell. I didn't have the strap around my shoulder, but I was able to grab the strap just in time - to keep the guitar from hitting the deck. I use to find them in the way - nevermore. I use to feel they were a pain taking on and off to put in the case. Then I realized, I leave them hanging on the wall 99% of the time. Again, because of their uniqueness - banjoes are a little different to strap up than guitars. I found a small company in OK that makes really nice ones for both. Lakota Leathers. They use buffalo (which is technically American Bison) and it is incredibly soft, supple and strong. Their wider 3' strap distributes the weight on your shoulder really well.

Hardly a day goes by that I don't laugh out loud at something I've done. Could have something to do with old age and being locked in the house for so long.

Welcome Aboard ! What a beauty- a real classic that will age well. Bet you get blisters on your fingers by tomorrow ! It will sound better as it gets 'played in".

Interesting Saturn .... I think the one you mean is here in The Lounge - "People's 100 most beautiful people" . Ironically, nothing about guitars or music even. OP noted one of the girls picked was EXTREMELY OVERWEIGHT - and far from how most people would define 'beautiful'. Some 'Fat Jokes' surfaced. Some people fired back that jokes were insensitive. and it went back and forth. What I found interesting - was comparing it to the current PC/Woke/SnowFlake culture we have now. I was thinking it just sort of erupted. Not so - as far back, probably further than, 10 years - we were learning that jokes about being fat, skinny, Jewish, Black, White Portuguese or anything else was insensitive. Some tried to distinguish between a general joke - not directed to any one person and one directed to an individual. Former esteemed member Milod made some great points. While I hate Zombie threads from 10 years ago - usually commenting on 'what models are Gibson discontinuing' - I found this an interesting glimpse into how we've evolved, both as forum and a country. Slippery Slope - fifty shades of gray... I have no clue what the person who resurrected this thread was searching for. Not guitar or Gibson stuff, that's for sure. Maybe 'fat jokes'.

Welcome aboard R2 - and congrats on that beauty ! Assuming you mean the two parallel lines running perpendicular down from the bridge with a faint one in between - as Dave noted, it is normal. Regular wood grain fluctuations - there are a few different kinds. Many prefer seeing them, and will select a guitar that has some 'character'. If I were me, I wouldn't even consider returning it. G'luck!

Since I joined, there has always been at least one idjit on this forum. ...... wait. That didn't come out right.

One brand new member who's done this, I think 3 times on the acoustic forum, has said he's a retired woodworker living in NC who works on restoring guitars. So, I don't think he's 'an old school gamer'. I've always had a problem with this: It's like realizing you just got half way through your bowl of Cheerios and the milk expired last month ! Often it seems the new poster hasn't advanced the old discussion, and probably hasn't read the thread. Sort of like "GroundHogDay" the movie. I use to post a "Zombie Thread" alert on them - but gave up, because some would comment that it was disrespectful or something.

What kind of strings do you use, Ghost?

Music Majors ..... pfffft !

If a company limited itself to 10 and only 10 models - it would not be able to produce enough to grow into a larger company. As Em7 noted - smaller builders do this. The more experienced a person gets - the more he wants something different. Bracing alone is a big variable. Nut width. Tone wood. Burst or Natural. Was it Henry Ford who said you could get any color Model T - as long as it's black? Those who make commodity type products - like disposable razors - do not require lots of 'models'. Ford and GM do have to offer lots and lots of variety. It's been awhile since i looked at Martin's offerings - but my recollection was that they had 10x as many models as Gibson Acoustic. .

Micmac, I never thought I'd be defending Sgt.Pepper - but I think he just pushed back on Ghost for the same reason you commented here. GhostFL: "I joined this forum because... well they shut down the Fender forum. If I have $2500 for a classic guitar, I'd rather buy a Fender and save the left over $1000 for my next guitar (or whatever). " Throwing cold water on a post - when you don't own any Gibson's but 'have used the polish' - knowing he's gotten lots of pushback already in the few months he's been here - may be an indication of why they shut down the Fender Forum.

"stick around, they ain't the bosses". The 2 who pushed back have 12,000 posts compared to your 853. ' 'are you multi-personality'' ? I prefer to call it consensus gathering. Some folks read comments that irritate them and meekly decide to read another thread. Or go to another forum. Others, however, decide to push back. Ghost has apparently 'reached' the point where he has a few who have decided to 'push back'. In just 3 months! Quite an achievement.

Read a book about Townes Van Zandt - apparently he often used that song to warm up before performances. It was one of my favorites - learned from a book I wore out by Alan Lomax "The Folk Songs of North America" - because it was more ... musical? than Tom Dulah. The Kingston Trio's version was the song that got me interested in the guitar. In our family - music may be genetic, but it skips every other generation. Great performance. Good Times !

I read that NYC health officials have ordered "Contact Tracers" to NOT ask if the people testing positive were at any of the 'peaceful protests'. Sort of amazing.

The beginning of June, as promised. 2021...

Ian & Sylvia. Oh, and Lorne David Lipowitz - (Lorne Michaels) creator and producer of Saturday Night Live. One of the greatest influencers we've had from Oh Canada !

Listened to all these. Very inspirational. Well, daunting ! This type of 'mountain' music - Scots/Irish immigrants primarily - offers a glimpse of what I assume, other than singing in church, was their primary form of entertainment. No video game brain drain there - you had to be firing on all 8 cylinders to play like that. Please continue to share these.