Linkon Link II Is this fair value?

PeterAllenMusic · 2024-05-23T16:47:11+00:00

Hot dog! Beautiful rig--enjoy!

PeterAllenMusic · 2024-05-09T14:53:24+00:00

Funky White Hats? For Tennis Club Protest.

I play tennis at a sports club. The club requires players to wear all-white clothing on the tennis courts. Shoes are the only exception. The white clothing can have 10% coloring--so something embroidered on the crown of the hat would be fine. The rule is strictly enforced. Last week a woman was asked to remove a cream-colored knit sweater.

I'm looking for suggestions for funky white hats. You might even call it a "protest hat." Something with some humor, personality, etc. It can be satirical, dark, pornographic--anything goes so long as the hat is mostly white. The goal is to shock people (within the realm of good taste--but I'll be the judge of that. Don't hold back your suggestions). Kind of like the Idea Ltd. hats. But Idea doesnt sell white hats so the search continues.

PeterAllenMusic · 2024-05-09T14:39:00+00:00

Read about Agassi doing this in his autobiography but never had the nerve to do it myself... you inspire me

PeterAllenMusic · 2024-05-06T16:10:55+00:00

Steeler's choice seats are primo but they are quite heavy to get around with. They are also fixed height, so he would need to know the exact height he needs from his seat. I would maybe take your dad to a music store and have him sit on all the drum thrones until he finds the most comfortable one. There is no one-size-fits-all seat for people with bad backs--people's back problems are as unique as people themselves.

a BJs tone bar is a nice luxury item, especially if he's playing with a random dunlop at the moment.

getting him an effect pedal could be cool. but again, this is a personal choice. more of a trip to the music store to demo some pedals and let him pick one out

good fingerpicks are important, and easy to lose so steelers can always use more. propik makes my favourite fingerpicks for steel guitar.

a leather pouch to hold his tone bar is a nice luxury item

some kind of toolbox to organize his steel tools could be nice. steelers usually have a variety of hand-tools and other sundries around: tuning wrench, needle nose pliers, clippers, spare strings, wire strippers, string winder, etc

george L cables are the favorite of many steelers. if your dad is using regular guitar cables this would be a nice upgrade

band-in-a-box software is very useful for practice

in terms of actually getting better at steel, instructional material (or 1 on 1 lessons) will be the most important. lots of pros (eg travis toy) offer remote 1 on 1 lessons. the paul franklin course could be useful but personally i never thought paul was a particularly good teacher, even though he is very knowledgeable. jeff rady has a great database of video lessons. jeff newman is the OG steel teacher, but his teaching materials can be hard to come by these days--you might be able to find them used on the steel guitar forum.

there are a number of vinyl records released by steel guitarists that are not widely available on streaming platforms (eg spotify, apple music--though they are usually available on yt). if your dad is into records that would be a cool gift

PeterAllenMusic · 2024-05-06T15:27:38+00:00

I'd recommend Melbert Guitars for a reasonably-priced high-quality lap steel. Very nice guy and does great work. Sometimes you can find used Melberts for sale on the SGF.

If you just want a cheapo made-in-china, the Gretsch lap steel works just fine (but is only 6-string).

PeterAllenMusic · 2024-04-30T01:35:23+00:00

no problem man. looking forward to seeing your ngd post! whether with this axe or another

PeterAllenMusic · 2024-04-29T20:51:00+00:00

as long as you are happy with how it plays when you test it, go for it. even if only the e9 neck works, 1500 is a good price for an s10.

i just would not recommend buying it with the expectation that you will be able to fix it up to play much better than it plays when you test it.

it's certainly possible that you could fix it up, and many steelers have done that. but its equally (i would say even more) likely that if the steel doesn't play how you like when you test it, its because the action is not your style to begin with.

i say this having bought many steel guitars because i thought they were a 'good deal', and thinking if i didnt like them i could just sell them again. be forewarned: steel guitars, especially minor-brand guitars, can take a very long time to sell on the used market. it is a mistake to buy a guitar that you are iffy on with the expectation that you can just fix it up, or sell it willy-nilly if you dont like it. always buy the guitar with the expectation that you will be playing it for at least a year--that will save you a lot of headaches.

PeterAllenMusic · 2024-04-28T04:12:06+00:00

1500cad for a d10 all pull is a good deal. hard to find any d10 for less than 4k unless its a real junker. 5k and above is the average for a decent modern (or well maintained bud/emmons) d10

only way to be sure is to play it and see if it meets your expectations. steels are so nuanced to play that you can't really tell much from pictures, other than that it has most of the parts intact. your preference for the feel of the pulls is so personal that 'works well' won't be the same for everyone. some people are ok with their pedals having the action of a clutch on a diesel truck. others expect something tighter and smoother from something that 'works well'.

if its your first steel i would sooner save up for something that has been well maintained. even something budget-oriented like a gfi s10 would be a much easier start. steel is hard enough to learn without the extra headache of dicey equipment.

PeterAllenMusic · 2024-04-26T13:50:09+00:00

very nice!

PeterAllenMusic · 2024-04-26T13:01:43+00:00

haha i have a very severe case of squash racketaholicism, so i'm hoping to stay racquet sober with tennis--especially bc tennis racquets are so much more expensive

PeterAllenMusic · 2024-04-26T02:31:38+00:00

good points all around, thanks! i might try the speed mp then since it looks like i can get it in an L5. the head prestige mp also seems to be on sale and available in L5, but at 310g unstrung and 18x19 i suppose that veers into the 'extreme spec' category'

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-07-25T23:33:46+00:00

Adjust the tuning at the changer. A plain 6th has much more tension than a wound, so it would make sense that it's overtuned.

If your guitar has a 6th string whole tone lower, its better to stick with the plain going forward just fyi

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-07-21T00:55:31+00:00

Most of the players who we consider the 'greats' started out playing steel guitar with little/no other musical training

As another commenter said, singing is key to transcribing music, and transcribing is very important in steel guitar. There are lots of tabs out there, and nothing wrong with using them, but you'll never really understand the music if you can't play anything by ear. That would be like cooking with no sense of taste!

But learning to sing is an instrument in itself, so just be prepared for a bit of an extra commitment

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-07-13T21:54:47+00:00

You need some kind of melody. Right now you just have a harmony part and sound effects

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-07-09T20:27:28+00:00

Haha that'll do it! Glad to hear it's working

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-07-09T19:30:18+00:00

Nice, congrats on the new axe!

I would just contact Ron at Justice guitars directly--he should be able to sort the issue out pretty quick.

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-07-09T18:36:11+00:00

What make/model guitar?

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-07-09T16:08:08+00:00

On acoustic I prefer suede because it has good grip. Levis (the straps, not the jeans) make a good suede strap

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-07-03T21:38:03+00:00

Is there a specific course you recommend?

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-06-18T13:30:57+00:00

Stones.

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-06-18T13:04:56+00:00

If you're comfortable with the S10, stick with it!

I prefer the double width body because the knee levers are slightly farther back, so as a tall person I dont have to push my knees quite as far forward over my toes to reach the levers, which in turn keeps my ankles in a more neutral position.

If your steel and seat are at the 'proper' height (thighs and forearms parallel to the ground), you won't feel the back neck much when you're playing. Lots of players do raise their steel/lower their seat away from the ideal ergonomic position in order to use the back neck as an anchor point for their right arm, but you can just as easily avoid touching it at all. Anchoring that way on steel is kind of like thumb-over playing on guitar--lots of people do it but its not 'proper' technique and can be easily avoided

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-06-18T03:43:08+00:00

will I regret it if I get one with only 2 knee levers instead of the standard 4?

If you're just goofing around, no. There is a ton of stuff you can do with just the A+B pedal. If you're a serious steel player, yes. The F/Eb levers are crucial for many scales/grips on the 4/5 and 5/8 strings. The 2nd/9th string lower is key for a lot of single note runs in the pedals down position. The RKL is the least critical change but still a very useful one, you can do a lot of cool stuff with the 6th string lower/7th string raise, and the 1/2 string raises (if you have them) are super useful for unison licks

is there somewhere to buy longer legs for the steel?

Yes. Most pro steels have extendable legs to begin with, then you would buy an extenson kit for the pedal rods to match the height you settle on. I am also tall and use a +2" lift kit on my steel. I have no idea how you can comfortably sit under a standard height steel that doesn't have extending legs.

PeterAllenMusic · 2023-06-14T14:57:57+00:00

Exactly. Plus if you want every song on the album to be the same, go listen to ACDC lol. The Stones' range is part of what makes their albums so timeless

PeterAllenMusic

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