Acoustic Adventures

Damn.
I played Gary Vessel's tribute to Monteleone today. It was hard to put down.

Visuals:
The maple back has a great looking tiger stripe figure to it, and Gary bookmatched the grain so that the stripes climb from the end pin to the neck joint.

The two piece cedar top is equally beautiful with a straight grain and a pumpkin color.

Gary just used clear lacquer to finish the mandolin, preserving the beauty of the woods. He says it would ...

Lots of music this weekend!

• Friday Lunch Jam starts around 1pm and we go until a little after 2.
• Zero Visibility String Band practice tonight from 7:30 to 10 or so...
• Señor (of Señor Circus) is holding an electric jam on Sat afternoon
• Saturday from 3 to 5 is the new regular jam at Ingram & Braun here in Modesto CA

• Andy Statman is performing on Sunday afternoon at Congregation Beth Shalom here in Modesto as well!

A mandolirius ...

Last Saturday, March 7, 2009, I took a couple of friends to see Eric Skye perform at a house concert in san Francisco. Skye is unique among Jazz guitarists in that he employs flat top guitars rather than archtops or amplified instruments. In fact he endorses Santa Cruz Guitar Company instruments, and plays absolutely amazing Rosewood 00 with East Indian back and sides and a slotted headstock. But I digress.

I met Skye online on another forum, purchased his CDs, and have been ...

Pulled out my F5 yesterday and played it for a few hours. It was a welcome bit of sweetness. (I've overdone the candy and chocolates during the holidays, so any other kind of sweetness is unwelcome.)

No plugs, no amp, no cables, no overdrive, no chorus, no flanger. Indeed, no electricity. Playing this mandolin was like coming home. My fingers knew where to go, and they explored the fretboard seemingly of their own volition, flying from one tune or phrase to the next.
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