NYC Journal

[Retro-Grouch]

The making of a man is defined by his struggles.

I am a rich man, not because I am wealthy, but because I knew poverty and somehow escaped.

I have a level of identity and a self esteem that is unrivaled, yet I remain humble and a human.

Not sure there are so many real men in the world by the display of ego, selfishness, and self promotion going on.

Fame and fortune is kinda empty and hollow.

My success in life really only happened very recently, I say in the past 4 years, with the purchase of the Baby-Victorian, and being able to retire for the past 3 years.

Otherwise pretty much a rather marginal existence of a renter and gentrifer who stumbled and moved a round a lot with no end game is sight. At times a very bare existence…

At Grumman for most of my career I was involved in research and that meant I was very vulnerable to getting downsized. I was laid off twice.

The Field assignment at Los Alamos and the job at Brookhaven National Labs were clearly temporary positions where I lasted 1 1/2 years at each position.

The position at a major NYC hospital I held for over 20 years, but second half of those 20 years involved a hostile work environment and having a ruthless bully for a boss. The first decade also involved dealing with a mentally ill Chief who was paranoid and prone to rage attacks.

So I survived all that…

Like I said, “A man is defined by his struggles.”

Pretty much I know the marginal life, but your reward has yet to come…

Cal

Not all who wander are lost. It sounds like you had a lot of wandering and much difficulty. Same for me, but after 73 years, I look back on some of the worst experiences of my life and realize that they were the most fundamental in making me who I am today. And, generally speaking, I like who I am today, though there certainly is room for improvement!

 

[Calzone]

BTW I still like to wander…

Wandering embraces risk. Much better than being stuck.

Finally difficulties are behind me it seems.

No free ride: discipline; living below my means; saving; not wasting money; buying to keep; and avoiding debt.

Also embrace a simple life. “Never knew anyone with a complicated life that was happy.”

Cal

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Regarding my car in the shop and needing to ride in 30mph sustained winds tomorrow I have two ways I can think.
Half empty: I NEED TO ride my bike a few miles from the Ambler station to the hospital.
Half full: I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY to participate in one of my greatest joyful activities on the way to work and on the way home.
Every ride is never a chore, so tomorrow morning I will actually look forward to getting to work.
Phil

 

[Retro-Grouch]

Regarding my car in the shop and needing to ride in 30mph sustained winds tomorrow I have two ways I can think.
Half empty: I NEED TO ride my bike a few miles from the Ambler station to the hospital.
Half full: I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY to participate in one of my greatest joyful activities on the way to work and on the way home.
Every ride is never a chore, so tomorrow morning I will actually look forward to getting to work.
Phil

"Success measured by a here-and-now assessment of oneself is really just a mindset of the glass being half empty or half full."
Have a successful ride!

 

[Calzone]

Today we went out to have a brunch with another couple (married).

We went to a Latin Fusion restaurant that is on the northern boarder of Croton.

They were very surprise at our condition. Pretty much they were expecting to see two train wrecks, but we looked vibrant and healthy.

Kinda funny.

There is something about the new custom color Tele and the Strat. Rosewood fingerboards kinda smoothened the sound taking off a bit of brittle edge that is the sound of all maple necks.

I’m also very surprised by the sustain that the Strat has. The floating bridge is an asset for bending single strings, but doing double stops are pretty much in the domain of the Tele. When I say double stop, it is bending one string, and hitting a second string so they sound together.

With a Strat the second string changes pitch as you bend the first. Basically an unintended interaction. Oh-well. Something new to consider.

So the Strat is kinda refreshing, and there is that swirl of sound from the 5 springs that sounds like the shimmer of a reverb that is very pleasant. I love it.

I discovered a second company that is like BloomDoom that does vintage thin lacquer finishes called MJT Guitars. They tend to favor rather heavy relic’ing that perhaps is too much for me. I kinda like a “Closet Clean” and would like to put on my own real wear and tare.

But they have an EBAY site where they kinda unload some bodies below their custom pricing. I just can’t pass on a bargain. It kinda is cheaper to buy a ready to go body than pay for say have the one-piece body I bought at a discount have painted. Oh-well.

So I’m trying to see how to capitalize on this. I have no problem holding onto the 1-piece body I bought. Sooner or later I’ll get my money back, or I’ll do a home grown project…

So I am entertained. I placed a bid on an auction that was closing to see how crowded the lurking was, expecting to get out bid. I was the first bidder about 15 minutes from the auction end, in the last 5 minutes I got out bid, and it was cool.

So kinda like the withdrawal of available homes that happened in December, 64% were removed because there were not enough buyers.

So there are other MJT bodies that I’m more serious about, and in this last auction it was basically just me and another guy. Hmmm. So now I know to stay low, wait till the last few minutes, and if I get out bided. Oh-well.

It is a game, but I’m really just promoting my luck. If I don’t win it’s alright. “No sweat off my balls,” I say, but pretty much I’m just gaming things and having fun seeing if I win and get my way. Pretty much testing fate. Unchecked my pricing is snippy and the opening bid which is low. Might raise the bid $5.00, but that’s about it.

Tomorrow is another round/game around dinner time. If I fail to bid, its cool…

All a game…

All I need is to win once, and if I don’t win at all, Oh-well.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Was able to trim down two nuts I cut by loosening the strings and moving them aside. Lubed up the slots.

I gave the DeMarino a setup and got it to play well. The Graphtech synthetic nut material that is self lubricating made it so that the guitar stays in tune pretty nicely.

So some great tweaking that advanced things a lot. Getting the DeMarino up to playing speed is a great thing and not having to spend some big dollars to replace the fingerboard and install a roller nut keeps this now 30 year old guitar original.

The DeMarino is a very cool guitar and it plays well. I love it.

Going to CVS to exploit some coupons before they expire.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

So there must be a group of guitar players like me that are a bit fussy and a little OCD because I’m seeing lots of views on the bodies I’m interested in.

So it could be just a handful of guys that repeatedly visit the auction is my thinking, or even one particularly OCD guy who likes to drool that keeps on going back.

So I guess I’ll figure it out around dinner time. I’m pretty much not going to bid up anything. I’ll place a higher bid of $5.00 if I’m the initial first bidder. If not I’ll just lurk to see how crazy things get. Who knows, but pretty much I expect it to be a shot in the dark.

The Tele I want is an Alder body done in a Tobacco Burst (two-tone) and the body does not reflect that it is a 1-piece body which generally is a $25.00 surcharge.

I did well at CVS. Saved over $30.00 and now I have over a year’s supply of Magnesium.

My thinking is that the last day of every month will be a “No-Spend” boycott of the economy. Save the date…

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Because I have so many guitars I have a lot of maintenance. An outcome though is a bonding with each one. That in itself is interesting because like cameras, the favorite at any given time is the one in my hands.

Don’t know if this applies to other people. In a way that’s how much in the moment I am becoming. All my guitars are interesting, are kinda special, and in a ways there is no clear favorite.

Also kinda funny how each guitar “speaks to me.” Kinda like having many different friends.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Getting the DeMarino into playing mode was a tactical because I was interested in maybe making a lightweight pine Esquire, but now that I have the DeMarino Oh-well.

I was not so sure the Graphtech nut would stabilize the tuning, and it did to my surprise. Bonus here is that the DeMarino needs no mods, upgrades or an influx of cash to get work performed. Coolest thing is it remains retro, vintage, and original.

So the pine body I was interested in is off the table.

Pretty cool…

Cal

 

[Calzone]

I think I gave time to adjust the Strat’s truss rod. I let it settle in, but the neck could be a bit straighter.

Cal

 

[Phil_F_NM]

As I write this, I'm on my way home from work on the SEPTA regional rail line. Today was crazy. I don't say that because I work in mental health. I woke up at 5am, got my morning routine out of the way, coffee, oatmeal, getting ready. Left for 30th St station at about 6:25, caught the train, had an ok train ride up to Ambler, had a nicer brisk bike ride to work, then the crazy began. I was the first in the building and a network alarm was going off, no phones, no computers, who knows why.
I held three groups, ate lunch, held two more groups and by that time, the network issue was rectified and it was time for documentation. I am notoriously slow using this computer system for some reason, and I was afraid I was going to be in the office till 8pm due to the aforementioned computer issue as well as my overcrowded group.
Not today.
I don't know what it was, but not only did I finish 70 notes in record time (for me) I got out of the office at 5:22pm, way earlier than usual. I actually got to see the sun for just a minute at the beginning of my ride back to the station.
So, in a nutshell: I got less sleep than desired, I started my matrix of notes five hours later than usual, I had a very large group, I finished all the documentation earlier than usual, and I reached the Ambler station with a few minutes to spare before the train arrived.
Every day on a bike is a good day. I'll chalk up my quick work to just being in a great mindset, provided by my motivation to ride this rare 1949 Rotrax path racer on the windiest day of the season.
I'll do it again tomorrow, then Wednesday I have two interviews.
Phil

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Cal, have you noticed the North Carolina like summers affecting your guitars? In the Mid-Atlantic region, we're swinging between 21% and 95% humidity over the course of the year, with some wild variation in the spring and especially this last fall.
On a somewhat related note, a former colleague of mine from the previous hospital, is a music therapist and a professional cellist. She likes to use a carbon fiber cello and said it is extremely tolerant of differing weather conditions. Just a thought on how climate change may be affecting your music.
Phil

 

[Calzone]

Phil,

Wood is hydroscopic, meaning it both expels and absorbs moisture. Ideally a guitar should be assembled in the same environment as far as temperature and humidity that it will live in, but that is not the real world.

Older woods tend to become less hydroscopic over time. They kinda settle in, drying out over long periods of time, and the resins kinda solidify and seal the wood.

This is the idea of Roasted woods that speed up the aging process. This Torification drives off moisture and promotes the resins to kinda petrify. Roasted maple necks as a result are stronger, stiffer, lighter, more stable, but are also more brittle.

Understand that in a way wood is very much like a graphite composite. Long fibers align in one direction (grain) and a resin binds these fibers providing incredible strength in just one direction.

So wood swells in high humidity, and shrinks in low humidity like during the heating season. The worst is forced hot air, very dry.

So in the winter wood can actually split and crack due to drying…

At Santa Cruz they build the guitars under 50% humidity. Pretty much I have large sponges in perforated enclosures to hold water so at least the case resembles something relatively close to a 50% humidity level.

In the summer the belly of the guitar will swell raising the action on acoustic guitars. Generally guitars need “setups” in the spring and fall to adjust for the humidity changes.

The necks also either develop a bow or a reverse bow that effects the “action” meaning the height of the strings.

The thing about graphite composites is that they are not hydroscopic like wood.

Also the higher the quality guitar, generally the lighter the build strength for performance. Pretty much light weight and less structure translates into more tonal range and more volume. So real high end guitars are more delicate to an extent than say a mass produced production guitar.

Then there are guys like me who want more tone, more dynamic range, and more volume. I’m speaking acoustic guitars here. To compound matters I use heavy strings and play the guitar to a certain extent like drum because it is actually a percussion instrument. The heavy strings load the top a lot more.

That Trap-Door guitar I ordered like 20 years ago when I get it, maybe sometime this year is something like a $50K guitar. Of course I made payments and something like 17 years ago I paid it off, but of course it was not $50K back then.

They actually sell display cases that have humidity controls.

Pretty much the same if you owned a Steinway piano. You would try to maintain 50% humidity year round.

That custom Model “F” I bought about 2 years ago was made from wood that was harvested and cut in the 1930’s. This is old growth wood from ancient forests, but this wood has seasoned through almost a hundred winters of drying and the humidity of summers. These aged woods are structurally stronger, stiffer, and lighter, so basically a superior higher performance guitar can be built with these materials.

This custom Model “F” is amazingly light in weight, and it seems less energy of the strings get dampened. There is a crisp articulation and a fast speed to the attack that makes this guitar UBER sensitive and expressive. This guitar has this amazing hyper resonance.

Just know I am humbled, because my playing does not match the excellence of these guitars.

A funny story is at my local guitar shop I had gas for this guitar, and I tried to make a trade, but the deal was not in my favor. Oh-well, it was exciting for a moment…

But I played this guitar and it seemed like it had very light strings on it. I made an inquirey if they were 0.09’s which are vey slinky strings. Matt said he did not know because he did not set up the guitar, but then the guitar tech who had set up the guitar mentioned that he set it up with 11’s which are heavy strings, but because I play 12’s 11’s feel like no strings on the guitar.

I’m at a point where I set up electric guitars with string gauges that compare to medium tension acoustic gauges. The only people that really do this are generally Jazz guys.

BTW the Mirabella Trap-Door Archtop has been called “A Lap Piano.”

Cal

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I know the wood is hygroscopic, what I'm wondering is if you have noticed the changes over the years. I'm also wondering if your proximity to the Hudson acts to mediate both humidity and temperature somewhat throughout the year.
Phil

 

[Calzone]

An exciting dinner. I grilled some mighty thick pork chops and made some short grain brown rice.

As I ate I bid on two tele bodies. Don’t tell ”Maggie.”

One was a butterscotch Tele made of pine. I wanted this for the grandson because it was UBER light in weight. I could buy a shorter Gibson scale neck, and it could be switched out to a longer Fender scale later.

Oh-well I got out-bid. Not a problem there is a pretty good selection coming up, and time is my friend. The grandson is only 2 1/2, and pretty much around 4-5 would be a more appropriate age to start a prodogy.

But the body I wanted for me I won: the tobacco burst alder Tele that was a 1-piece body, but not priced or advertised as such. I could tell by looking at the front and back grain patterns that it was in fact one piece.

Someone put in an early bid about an hour before the end of the auction. There was only one bid, so pretty much I lurked and waited and the placed a bid about 5 minutes before the close, then I added an increase bid to discourage other bidders ($5.00), and then I did another follow up bid.

So the opening bid was $250.00 and I got it for something like $261.00, plus shipping and tax.

Remember that usually 1-piece bodies start a $275.00.

So I got lucky.

Oh-well…

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Phil,

In the spring and summer I think there is a bonus of humidity. The Baby-Victorian resides in a valley within a valley, and where the marsh is yet another valley. Just to the east of us two blocks away is Blue Mountain Preserve, 1500 acres that have two 600 foot mountains.

On many mornings we have ground fogs in my back-backyard. The views are dreamy, mystical, and enchanting.

In the winters pretty much how dry the air gets is dependent on the outside temperatures as well as the heating systems. As I mentioned forced hot air is dry heat. We have an oil furnace that circulates hot water to old fashion cast iro big heavy radiators. For me this is the best because the cast iron is a really great thermal moderator that stores mucho energy.

I feel it cycles less than a hot air system, and is more efficient.

Also know that a hot ir system would be bad for my skin and breathing, Nose bleeds and dry skin me and suffering with forced hot air.

So only the winter are my acoustic guitars in danger.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Should be getting the new Tobacco Burst around February 22d.

I got that bird’s eye baritone neck incoming soon also.

That neck and body could be interesting. Also realize that Tele necks are modular, so pretty much that baritone neck can mount on any Tele.

Hmmm…

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Lots of economic protesting going on.

“Maggie” tells me Target stock dropped and now shareholders are suing because the cancellation of DEI cause shares to drop, and mucho lost sales due to protest boycotts.

So economic protest against anti DEI companies.

Like I said I think the last day of each month will be “No-Buy.”

A headline about pickup trucks was that sales have peaked, and the reason why is not demand, but price. Ford and GM make the most by selling trucks and SUV’s. They decided not to sell and promote economy and compact cars, so that business went to imported cars like Volkswagen, Nisson, Toyota, Subaru…

So now that Americans have to switch into austerity mode who will buy those trucks made by GM and Ford?

Ford and GM gave away market share thinking it was not important. I forgot Dodge/Chrysler…

Oh-well…

Cal

 

[Phil_F_NM]

For some reason, in 2023, Ford cancelled the Fiesta line of compact cars. They were always a little fuddy-duddy, but also quirky and could be ordered sporty. They were the #2 and #3 best selling (depending upon what era is measured) Ford vehicle since 1976. Always a reliable seller, and also simply reliable cars. The latest 4 generations were largely Mazda, built mostly outside of Mexico City (for the US inventory). My question is why does a company completely end the second or third highest selling product they make? Is Ford being run by old Kodak executives that have been exhumed?
I mention this because I have a Fiesta and I think it is a fantastic car (in spite of it being in the shop right now) and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another in the future if we needed one.
Phil

 

[Calzone]

Phil,

The Fiesta does not have as large a profit margin as a SUV or pickup truck. Pretty much the big three decidedly went greedy and gave this pretty much most needed nitch away, which is basic transportation, and is basically an economy car.

Part of this too was economics, as they did not want to support a large workforce either. Again greed…

Maximize profits, screw the workers, never mind a about making a car that America wanted, just make trucks and SUV’s to sell to people that don’t really need them.

So this is a mucho big market, and the way to make money selling economy cars, or basic reliable transportation that does not cost much is to sell a lot of them. This is what Germany, Japan, and now South Korea does.

Instead make fewer gas guzzling trucks and SUV’s, but have bigger profit margins. Pretty much make what is not really needed. Then market and make it a status symbol to drive either a truck or SUV. Then the Germans, the Japanese, and the South Koreans figure out that trucks and SUV’s is a way to make bigger profits by selling to Dumb Americans.

Tell me all the pickup trucks on the road are work trucks, or are they just status symbols. Up here there are some truck drivers that can’t stay in a lane on the Bear Mountain Parkway, and other truck drivers that do 35-40 MPH in a 55 MPH. Zone because they can’t afford the gas.

So in the country that made mass production of the automobile so that the masses could afford them, no longer supplies the basic car that is needed.

I remember in New Mexico how a pickup truck was a symbol of open space, ruggedness, and practicality, but now I don’t see how that applies to the city and the burbs here. “Big hat no cattle as they say.”

Dumb Americans fell for the marketing of the big three. Then a few years ago even Audi started making SUV’s to sell to dumb Americans.

Then the Orange House wonders why Europeans don’t buy U.S. vehicles. Pretty much a full size SUV in the narrow streets in Italy is a liability, and gasoline there is sold in liters which has about the same price as a gallon of gas here. Know that it takes 3.7 liters to make a gallon, so pretty much gas is 3.7 times more expensive in Europe.

Buying a full size pickup or a big SUV is mighty dumb if you are a European. Not practical in Europe.

Here in Peekskill, a working class City of 25K inhabitants I see mostly Hondas and Toyotas. These seem to be the cars for the masses because of reliability, fuel economy, and easy to maintain and repair.

From my owning two Jeeps I learned that trucks cost more in fuel, parts, and to maintain. Not that I’m anti SUV or anti truck, but I know better.

The Audi A4 is AWD and comes from road rally racing. Basically Audi revolutionized road rally racing. Pretty much I have what I need to drive in foul weather without needing a truck or SUV.

I see big trouble for the big three automakers. Now that they milked the pig, trucks are now not selling not because of demand, but because of price. Next will be SUV’s…

Meanwhile who is making a basic, reliable, affordable, economical car? Basically the Europeans, the Japanese, and perhaps even the Koreans.

The big three gave up on this market share. Why? EZ profits and greed.

BTW irony her is that Ford over a hundred years ago developed the concept of an assembly line and the goal was to mass produce and make cars available to every American.

If you read my other posts about my 1966 C-10 pretty much I could replace my engine and tranny, have a 50K mile or 5 year warrentee, using Chevy crate motor engine and tranny packages that include fuel injection, electronic ignition and the computer controls for only $23K.

Add about $4.5K-$5K for a posi Ford 9 inch rear with disc brakes, and pretty much for under $30K a bombproof 450 HP 444 foot pounds of torque, 4-bolt main, aluminum heads, hooked into a T-56 tranny that is basically a 4-speed close ration cast iron tranny with two overdrives that can handle 750 HP.

Other things like front disc brakes and odds an ends, pretty much more cost effective for me to build a truck rather than buy one.

Basically for about $30K I can totally replace my entire drivetrain, but in a “Calzone” way.

The big three performed a big self inflicted wound. They created their own death spiral. When the economic collapse happens they will be burnt toast…

Cal