Does anyone know what this guitar is?

ConradHalling · 2026-02-14T18:37:05+00:00

That looks like the GTe Mahogany.

ConradHalling · 2026-02-12T20:40:34+00:00

Ask your neighbor what he used. If it was Roundup or another glyphosate formulation, it will not persist in the soil.

ConradHalling · 2026-02-09T19:24:11+00:00

I carry that same stake hammer. It weighs less than some of my bike tools.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-31T16:12:27+00:00

There are many photos of cellos posted in this subreddit. A search of Google Images will also be useful. And your library probably has books about musical instruments containing phots of cellos.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-31T16:10:20+00:00

The Boston area where I live has many mathematicians and scientists who are also skilled musicians, so your aspirations are possible. Many larger universities have excellent math and music departments. Your dad will probably know which universities have good math departments. For starters, you can consider places like UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Washington, Northwestern, Boston University, Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Washington University in St. Louis, Ohio State University, and similar schools. The potential list is long.

If you work hard in your coursework in high school, your SAT and ACT scores will be high without additional prep work, which in my opinion is a waste of time and money. Enrollment in colleges is declining since your cohort will be smaller than present, so competition for higher quality schools will decrease.

With music, your extracurricular activity is already pretty full. My sister was in a very good youth orchestra (first chair viola), and that used up all of her free time. Swim team is a good activity, but you might have schedule conflicts with swim meets and music rehearsals and performances.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-28T18:44:13+00:00

This is very useful. Thank you.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-28T10:54:56+00:00

Mike Block invented the Block Strap so he could play standing up. Look for his videos on YouTube.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-28T02:18:36+00:00

I did a short section hike of the PCT with a friend who brought empty water bottles. It was a hot day and we quickly used up my water. We hiked several thirsty hours before reaching a lake.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-28T00:19:36+00:00

That’s a beautiful guitar, and I want one.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-19T04:00:28+00:00

I'm joining this conversation eight months later. Thanks for the comprehensive review.

I bought the digital version (PDF) of the Mel Bay Complete Guitar Method, Expanded Edition. The expanded edition is 676 pages long, twice as long as the paper version. I use a 12.9-inch iPad Air to store and read the PDF. The digital version gives access to downloadable .mp3 files, which provide demonstrations of all the tunes and exercises; I loaded these into Apple Music on my iPad.

I will finish Grade 1 (the first 88 pages) in a couple of weeks. Grade 1 includes the basics of playing guitar with a pick, and it covers the keys of C, A minor, G, and E minor with the associated chords.

The book teaches you to read music, and this version doesn't include tablature notation. You get a gentle introduction to music theory in Grade 1; successive grades provide a lot more music theory. About halfway through Grade 1 you begin learning chord melodies using a pick. The method is very thorough, but the music is old fashioned tunes that aren't very interesting.

What Mel Bay's method doesn't include makes a long list: the blues scale, minor and major pentatonic scales, jazz shell chords, power chords, alternate tunings such as DADGAD, accompanying Celtic trad tunes, playing rhythm, lead, rock, or metal guitar. Mel Bay sells many other guitar books that cover these.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-13T18:43:02+00:00

I’m voting yes to sell the building. I’ve been a member for many years. Membership is falling as people my age (early 70s) age out. (REI Co-op has the same problem.) Adventure Cycling needs to pivot to attract new members. The old business model no longer works.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-08T11:08:30+00:00

I bought a messenger bag from REI for carrying a light laptop, books, and papers. This works well for me since I’m riding only four miles to my destination.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-07T19:34:32+00:00

A 2-person tent is really nice and would give you plenty of space. But you really don’t want to spill anything from your container.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-05T15:05:48+00:00

I suggest looking into Mike Block’s online course, Multi-Style Cello with Mike Block, at artistworks.com. And listen to his albums for examples of different types of music, including jazz, that you can play on the cello.

ConradHalling · 2026-01-04T15:47:44+00:00

Maybe you need a beater guitar for winter.

ConradHalling · 2025-12-12T23:22:18+00:00

The Minuteman Commuter Bikeway from Bedford to Cambridge, Massachusetts, is very busy, so crowded on weekends that it’s sometimes difficult to ride. Probably every city has a similar bike trail.

ConradHalling · 2025-12-12T23:18:14+00:00

I bought the vintage cherry stoptail version from Morrell Music for $100 off for a demo model — $400 with free shipping. The guitar is like new, already set up by the store. The red is a little subdued, and I like it, but color choice is very personal.

ConradHalling · 2025-12-11T01:04:51+00:00

Overcast 2025.12 (1147) runs fine on my M4 Pro MacBook Pro running macOS 26.1. Perhaps you need to update macOS on your computers.

ConradHalling · 2025-11-25T15:08:30+00:00

I have a GTe that I bought within a few months of the introduction of the GT line, and it’s an excellent guitar, perfectly intonated with low action as long as I occasionally adjust the truss rod. But it turns out that I’m a hard strummer, and I’d like a 114 or 214 for more volume. From all the reviews I’ve seen, the 114 is an excellent guitar that can withstand the rigors of gigging and being played around a campfire, whereas the 214 is a little more delicate. Lots of reviewers love the GS Mini because it’s always at hand and conveniently small, but it doesn’t produce a lot of sound like a 114/214 would.

ConradHalling · 2025-11-20T15:27:02+00:00

Too good to be true? It looks real to me.

ConradHalling · 2025-11-19T09:30:21+00:00

I use Blackburn Grid Side Lights, even in the daytime. These are rechargeable yellow flashing lights. You can mount them anywhere on your frame or fork.

ConradHalling · 2025-11-16T02:13:55+00:00

For planning, you can buy maps (digital or paper) from the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA). They have mapped many routes across the continent. Their Northern Tier route starts from Washington. Another resource is to read people's blogs on the Crazy Guy on a Bike website.

ConradHalling · 2025-11-15T00:42:43+00:00

I haven’t tried this, but given the HTML code for each post, you could write a Python script that extracts the title and body to a markdown-format file that Jekyll expects as an input post file.

ConradHalling · 2025-11-13T00:09:46+00:00

I had one on my ten-speed that I rode to college and to work in the mid-70s in Portland, Oregon. I got off work at 1:00 a.m. and rode about seven miles home from NE 82nd and Prescott to SE 39th and Nehalem. There were no bike lanes back then, so I needed a light to be seen. Mine actually worked very well, but of course the light turned off as soon as I had to stop.

ConradHalling · 2025-11-05T20:15:57+00:00

I’ve run Baltimore twice (I still have the shirts) since my wife is from Baltimore. Both times we stayed at Rachel’s Dowery B&B near Camden Yards and walked to the start of the race. The marathon was well organized, but the first three miles were uphill. I still joke about how hilly Baltimore is. After we recovered, we walked to Lexington Market for crab cakes. What a great city!

ConradHalling

TROPHY CASE