NYC Journal

I happen to get the threaded collars today for my custom red tuners.

I put together the Candy Apple Red Strat, strung it up with a floating tremolo, and set the action and the intonation.

Last time I owned a Strat was in the early 1970’s and it was a 1967 with a big headstock a la Hendrix.

Had the opportunity to plug in for 15 minutes to hear how it sounds, and to do a raw pickup height adjustment.

This Strat smokes. A very cool guitar that has mucho warmth with these Tone Specific Jazz pickups. I set the neck pickup low and started raising it to find the sweet spot, then I had to raise the bridge pickup considerably to match the output.

The middle pickup I set at a similar height as the neck pickup which is pretty low with a bit additional height on the bass strings for string to string balance.

Understand that pretty much I used a standard 5-way wiring to have the “quack” settings at positions 2 and 4, but I used a Mega-Switch to have the bridge and neck pickups together so it resembles a Tele in the middle position. Pretty much the middle pickup is used only for positions 2&4, position 3 or the middle position on the 5-way switch is basically like a Telecaster.

So the bridge pickup is kinda bright the way I have it set up. In fact it does not sound like a Strat to me, and is kinda Tele bright.

That middle position is kinda brutal. I love it. Bridge and neck pickup together like a Tele.

And the neck has an archtop like vibe of a Jazz box. Kinda woody.

The Callahan bridge has this quiver to it that resembles a reverb shimmer. Understand that the bridge is not fixed, and in fact is suspended by 5 springs.

The neck plays great right out of the box, just like the other roasted maple necks. This Strat neck I ordered with flamed roasted maple, the oversized headstock, and pearl inlays along with a dark Indian rosewood. Kinda stunning looking, especially on the flashy Candy Apple Red body.

The light mint green pickguard adds a complimentary color to make everything bolder and mucho loud.

All I can say is wow.

BTW a Strat neck pickup has this woof to the tone. Think of the Hendrix song “The Wind Cries Mary.”

Anyways, I’m glad I went all out on this Strat. Pretty much does well as a Jazz guitar. Know there are many-many Jazz players using Teles.

As I learned from “Maggie” if you want to stand out, don’t do what everyone else is doing.

I am mighty pleased…

Forgot to mention that the roller nut works great. I love it.

Cal
 
I won't be buying anything more than reimbursing a mechanic for the service he'll soon perform on my car. This is a second time I've dropped a car off at a mechanic since 2002. I think it's maybe the fourth or fifth time I've ever dropped a car off for service in my life. So, since 1996, I guess. I've always done my own maintenance and even serious auto repair. I just don't have the space, a few specialized tools to lock the variable cams, and don't have the time to take off work. Next week I'll be using the SEPTA regional rail along with a bicycle to get to and from work an hour away. Not optimal, but it'll get the job done.
Phil
 
Wow, this Strat is very-very inspiring.

BTW the grandson has his eye on it. He is 2 1/2. Pretty much destine to be a guitar player. He has the personality and looks to be a frontman.

Cal
 
Cal, it's the per-diem position I've had since the beginning of December. Not much, but more than nothing. If I were to stay there full time, I would perish secondary to long days and not much rest. If you count my commute, I'm regularly doing 14 hour work days, then not getting enough sleep. It has to be temporary. My replacement has been hired and is beginning orientation next week, then training in our outpatient part of the hospital, then goes on a week vacation, then I'm done. I have three interviews this coming week, two in person, one supposedly virtual, but I haven't received a link yet. All of these jobs are closer. One is about 25 blocks away, the other is just 6 blocks from where my old hospital job was. Thanks for the congrats, but it's still going to be a hard slog moving forward. I'm 48 and I'm back to living paycheck to paycheck, in spite of doing all the things I should have. Back in 2023, we were thinking of buying a house; now it's simply that we're stuck. We got into this rental house in 2021 when prices were much lower and rent hasn't gone up as much as the one and two bedroom apartments has. Our rent is about the same as a one bedroom apartment with a real kitchen, so it no longer makes sense to slim down. We'd probably spend the balance on a storage unit anyway, so that's not an option. I actually figured out that with my VA loan helping on the down payment, the cost to move into another similar cost unit would be about the same as closing fees on purchasing this house we live in now. Don't know if the landlord would sell, and it's not an option until I have full time employment anyway. Lately, we don't even want to stay in the US, so a house may just be an anchor. We don't have anything holding us back either. If the current regime winds up taxing veterans disability benefits (which is currently being considered in Congress) or even getting rid of the VA as a public entity altogether, we're immediately heading to another country. We're both TEER 1 workers in Canada, and the maritimes are looking to slow down their population decline. I like ice hockey more than any other sport in the US, so I can certainly align myself with a local team. My old New Mexico accent would come in handy because it's close to one heard in Canada. I should take some French lessons... Just ranting. I'm reasonably healthy, so I have a lot going for me.
Phil
 
Phil,

Thanks for sharing.

I understand that you have nothing to loose, and just having bad timing.

Hockey is a great sport, and it is a rough one.

Sadly things are not looking good here. Mucho evil.

All the best…

Cal
 
I certainly wouldn't say I have nothing to lose. Back in 2012, maybe but today there is a lot of value in life for me. I would agree that I have little holding back our mobility to move out of the US. It's just a bit of a rough patch right now.
Phil
 
I certainly wouldn't say I have nothing to lose. Back in 2012, maybe but today there is a lot of value in life for me. I would agree that I have little holding back our mobility to move out of the US. It's just a bit of a rough patch right now.
Phil
Have faith in yourselves. I do believe (despite a lot of evidence to the contrary) that good people pull through, although their success might not be obvious by conventional material standards.
 
Success measured against others will always see us falling short. Success measured against our own goals may still fall short, but is not affected by extrinsic forces. Success measured by a here-and-now assessment of oneself is really just a mindset of the glass being half empty or half full.
Phil
 
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
 
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!
 
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
 
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
 
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!
 
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
 
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
 
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
 
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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
 
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
 
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