Ron S

they claim they've sent me the replacement set.... Their website says it shipped so hopefully I'll recieve it next week.... Well in my experience, if they say they sent it, it's on the way. Be sure and post a review of that set once you've listened to it. I've now got my sights set on the Joe Pass and Johnny Smith Mosaic sets (among others).

Either it's camera-induced 'shiny nose' from poor application of his pancake makeup ....or powdered sugar from all of the junkfood donuts. Nice cover, Rache--you oughta be in Public Relations. But with that wild look in his eye, tongue hanging out of his mouth, and wired fist-shaking routine . . . well let's put it this way: remember Al Pacino as Tony Montana in the final scenes of "Scarface"?

But where's the Farlow set???

I know, that's what I am looking for. I haven't found any yet. Have you listened to the Mulligan Concert Jazz Band yet? Wonderfully nuanced arrangements and ensemble playing, plus terrific soloing.

That one bothers me...what's the other hand doing? And is the hand we can see reaching for junk food? And what's that white powder around his nose?

And it was a SOLID body. I bet YOU can't do that--you guys and your wimp-ass, wet-noodle light touch. You're just a bunch of Girly Men! BTW, do you think I overtuned this guitar just a bit?

Man... that thing works! I forgot to mention that I use it in combination with my ThighMaster.

I will, but not until I finish working out with my Gripmaster:

Just playing guitar is plenty! True, there's no substitute for actually playing the guitar to get better at, well, playing the guitar! But I think that this thing has some limited utility as a supplement to playing, especially for a semi-beginner like me or even someone more advanced who can't play the guitar as much or as often as he'd like. To the extent that finger and wrist muscle strength and flexibility are involved in guitar playing, this thing can help to accelerate that development in a beginner, and maintain it in someone more advanced. It only takes a few seconds/minutes a day to use it, but it's NOT intended to be a substitute for playing the guitar. I've read a lot of reviews of the thing online, and just about everyone who had actually used it (both beginner and advanced) felt that it had helped his/her playing. The only skepticism was from people who had never used it and/or seemed to think it was being promoted as an effective substitute for actually playing the guitar. I just think that if it were pure snake oil, D'Addario wouldn't be putting its name and reputation behind it and the many legitimate music/guitar stores that sell it wouldn't be carrying it. And that, my esteemed internet friends and colleagues, is the LAST bit of shilling I will do for THIS particular product.

I'm not sure that strengthening your finger muscles, especially with this device, just results in pressing or picking or strumming the strings with more brute force. This thing is designed for musicians--primarily for guitarists--and is sold by a well-respected string manufacturer, and is intended to develop more speed, accuracy, flexibility, and endurance in playing. I think the reason a lot of beginning guitarists press so hard on the strings is because they don't yet have the strength and control in their fingers to sustain pressing just enough for any length of time. Ironically, the light touch is helped by more strength and muscle control in your fingers, which you guys already have developed through lots of playing. It's sort of like professional athletes who use weight-training to give them more strength, control, and agility in their sports--they don't lift just to increase how much they can press, or to bulk up like Mr. Universe. Check out the reviews of this thing on Musician's Friend and other sites.

Not to mention the 1957 Newport CD.

Don't worry, Joe, I won't try steroids next. Seriously, though, I know it sounds like some sort of gimmick, but it is marketed by D'Addario, well-stocked at Guitar Center and online at Musician's Friend, etc., and has gotten a bunch of good reviews (and none negative that I saw). And it comes with instructions on how to do several different finger excercises with it, so that you don't just keep doing one repetitive motion in the same position. Obviously, if I start feeling a lot of wrist pain or something similar, I'll stop. I'll give it a few weeks and see whether it helps as much as the reviews say it does. But if you haven't already, check out the page I linked above.

Anybody ever use the Gripmaster? It's distributed by a subsidiary of D'Addario, and is supposed to help improve and maintain finger strength and agility for playing any instrument, but especially the guitar. You can use it any time, like while surfing the net or watching TV. It's gotten great reviews at Musician's Friend and some other music product web sites. I got one today since I'm just getting back into the guitar, and it's supposed to accelerate the development of finger strength. And I was just wondering if anyone else has any experience with it and what you think of it. The company's product page is located here.

You can only get rich by removing gum from OTHER people's hair.

For several years, the spousal unit & I made the rounds and played most of those courts. Do you ever remember looking out the window and seeing an off-balance idiot swinging the racquet while clutching a Beck's in the other hand? HELLO!! B-) Any chance that Jamie Gallagher was a neighbor of yours? So YOU were that drunken idiot who kept falling over the net, dropping your racket but never, EVER spilling your beer. Quite a display of physical agility. Jamie Gallagher doesn't ring a bell. I lived in the 3400 block, if that helps.

WHAT??? Wasn't Benny Golson the best because you got to sit next to ME???

I'd forgotten about Copelands. I bought my place in Fairlington in '86, and sold it in '89 for about 50% more than I paid for it--talk about appreciation! I was working for a law firm in DC, but I know what you're saying about Hill staffers. Actually, you probably know that a lot of young House Members who went on to become famous lived in Fairlington when they first came to DC (like Nixon and Ford, iirc, and presumably a few Dems). It's really a terrific place for single professionals and young families to live. I lived on S. Stafford Street, and had tennis courts and a pool right outside my rear courtyard.

Sounds like you're already set, at least for now, but you should check out the Fairlington area of Arlington for a future move. I lived there in the late '80's, and it's a wonderful neighborhood and relatively affordable. It's a self-contained community of brick townhomes and apartments built during World War II and renovated en masse in the '70's or '80's, and they're very solid and have nice features like hardwood floors. There are lovely common lawns and amenities like tennis courts and swimming pools for all residents' use throughout the community. When I lived there, they even had trash collection 6 days a week! There are townhomes and apartments for both sale and rent. It's in a great location, right off I-395 and just 2 miles up King Street from Old Town Alexandria.

As are warm welcome fronts.

I'd rather see him consult with Cher:

Congratulations on a great find! It's stories like this that really demonstrate the potential positive impact of the internet and sites like Ebay (not to mention Organissimo Forums ).

Keep that stuff in the religion thread.

Dizzy Gillespie's "Birks' Works"--a 2-CD set of Dizzy's great big band of the late 1950's that was sponsored by the U.S. State Department on international tours. Lots of great musicians including Lee Morgan and Benny Golson. Samples can be heard here.

Playin' the Wechter!