Yes, it's...another... NUD: Kala KA-ATP-CTG Solid Cedar/Acacia Slothead Tenor

I am proud to introduce the newest Uke to my collection: Kala KA-ATP-CTG Solid Cedar/Acacia Slothead Tenor. I ordered it from Mike McQueen at UkeRepublic, a wonderful bloke to work with!

Here is his video playing this wonderful uke:  UkeRebublic Demo of Kala Cedar/Acacia Slothead Tenor

I'm pretty sure I will love it. I can already feel there are "songs in there", you know that feeling you get with some instruments that seem to just make your fingers make beautiful music!? This one has it. I only hope my Kala Acacia Tenor doesn't get jealous when I play this one more for a while!

 As soon as I get the Southcoast Low G strings in and the U-300T preamp/pickup installed I'll make a recording and post!

 I can tell you this though: It's LOUD, it's easy to play with a wider string spacing than my KAT and a little bit fatter neck that feels great. It has a very "classical guitar" kind of sound and it lightly distorts (like my cedar topped Taylor GC5 guitar) when played hard, but in a really good 'burbley' compressed way. It's lighter weight but balanced, AND it's perfectly intonated up and down the neck. I've yet to find an off note (at least according to my ear, not as much the tuner). It has a sweet sound even with the Aquila Re-entrant strings on it and the NU-BONE tusq saddle and nut. (I may go with full on tusq or bone saddle when adding the pickup). Fit and finish is great as well. AND all for $250... it's a steal!

NUD: New Ukulele Day! Fender Nohea Koa Tenor Uke

Since they came out I wanted one but glad I held out and got my Kala Acacia Tenor first. Love that Uke, but this little Fender Nohea caught my eye today at Guitar Center as I was shopping for another tenor size to keep in reentrant (high G) tuning. See, I enjoy playing my Kala with the low silver wound G. I think it's because I'm more of guitar player and enjoy using an alternating bass sound. BUT that said, I've known for a while now that I've been missing out on some of the classic Uke sounds by not having the reentrant style high G tuning on one.

Plus, I've fallen in love with this song by Svavar Knútur called "Baby, would you marry me?". LOVE IT! I've spent most of the day transcribing it for others to learn to play. A most fun little song!

Back to the Fender Nohea All Koa ukulele. They say "all koa" but I'm pretty sure it's laminated Koa. Still... sounds good to me and has a nice loud and brite sound. All for $199. not really that bad. PLUS it looks incredible with the Koa figuring, abalone and cream bound body and neck, and not to mention the TELECASTER style headstock... just too cool! Built amazingly well for something so affordable, intonated almost perfectly, too!

NKD: New Keyboard Day!! Korg Krome 61-Key Workstation

Well, last Friday I said hello to a new Korg Krome and goodbye on Tuesday to the Roland Juno-Gi after it sold on ebay within 12 hours of listing it!

I made the decision very quickly to switch up the keyboard equipment after we took the Roland Juno-Gi on vacation for Corey, my 14 year old step-daughter, to practice and for us both to play while there. It just proved to be very complicated to program, record and explain how to do all of the above. The screen is too small, too many layers of menus that are named strange things that don't seem logical. It's the Roland way, apparently. Every Roland I've ever owned has been hard to program and, well, to just simply make a preference change!! I will miss the simplicity of the 8-track audio recorder though.

So I know I should have looked around a bit more, seeing how I have had a lack of confidence in Korg with my SV-1 and the lack of support they have provided. I said I'd not buy another Korg product... :o

I should have researched but I played one at Guitar Center and liked the feel of the keys, the large touch screen and the sounds are amazing and clear sounding. The arps and drums are easy to use and I can jam instantly in most sounds with just the flick of a button! Programming it will be a bit harder but it will just take time to wrap my head around how it works.

I hope I made the right choice. Time will tell. I did get 15% off the $999 price tag which I hope will help compensate a few years from now when I sell, if I sell. I could have purchased a used one but by paying $150 more, I got a 2 year manufacturer warranty for buying new!

"You can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself."

I read a quote once by an actor from the old surf/gidget movies named James Darren. He said "I think Ricky Nelson said it best in "Garden Party": "You can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself." If you're content with doing what you're doing, stick with it. If not, find the road that takes you there.

So yesterday my employer of 7 years on staff, 14 years total, and after many months of negligent business tactics, announces that she is burned out and decided to sell the business. 

Now we all know that none of us will have jobs after that happens. 

Good thing I've been cultivating leads for the past few months and have a few things in the works! 

So I'm looking for that road, if you hear of any thing, please send me directions!! Thanks!

The Music Man made me do it! Damn his "Think System"!! My Jupiter 416 Pocket Trumpet!

I've said for years I wanted to, half-jokingly, play the cornet or trumpet. It was watching the musical "The Music Man" many years ago that put that thought in my head!

Well, I bit the bullet, risked the ire of my lovely wife for buying YET another instrument and got a great deal for a very nice looking Pocket Trumpet! Enjoy!

The Right Tool for the Job!

A lot of my ability to start and complete projects lately has a lot to do with my lovely wife, Stacey, and her love of Elfa storage components from the Container Store!

My little closet guitar workshop was pretty pitiful using left over ikea shelving. It was rickety and unstable for any real work. Plus I couldn't leave a job out for fear it would fall off!

NOW, thanks to aforementioned parties, I have a wonderful place to work, complete with more storage, a place to keep an amp for testing and the right size and height for me to "get the job done!"

Ole #27 Custom "La Cabronita" Tribute guitar gets a Bigsby!

 My beloved tribute (to the Fender Custom Shop La Cabronita Especial) custom built guitar a great upgrade last night... A BIGSBY!!

That's right, not only does it have that great Gretsch Filtertron twang thang goin' on, now it's got that great classic Gretsch/50s/60s surf rumble back vibrato sound to keep all you dudes and dudettes rockin' all night long.

How does it sound? GREAT! Now that I have some great recording equipment, I'll have to get some licks rehearsed (so I can sound like I actually know how to play!) and upload something for all to hear!

The install was really quite easy and the custom bridge that Marc Rutter made me worked like a charm! He put some slots in the tail piece to allow the strings to pass through to the Bigsby's roller bar.

Now next up will be a new pickguard that fits the new MOJO! Black? Tort? hrm... Not sure, but I'm sure I'll post the results here!

This custom guitar also features: (besides the Gretsch Filtertrons, Bigsby B5, Marc Rutter Custom Half-bridge with Bigsby Mod) Fender S-1 grease bucket tone circuit switchable volume knob, a 3-way gibson style Switchcraft pickup selector switch, a polished aluminum electro-socket plug with a Switchcraft 1/4" jack, Sprague Orange Capacitors, 2011 Fender rosewood telecaster neck, Sperzel Locking tuners with pearloid buttons and, of course, Schaller style strap lock buttons.

Now the only other mods I can think to do, other than a new pickguard, is to switch out the trem arm for a "chet atkins" style wire arm and maybe some custom painted hot-rod graphics someday!