No more chopping from this axe

I have to send back my Epi Les Paul. I went to play it real quick last night and the neck pickup stopped working. I couldn't believe it only lasted through one service. I had everything set up for church with the Les Paul and I had to tweak every setting so it would work with my Strat. It's not like I spent $50 for this guitar. It should have lasted MUCH longer than this. Anyway, I'm sending it back tomorrow or Tuesday.

So, now I'm onto finding a replacement for my backup. Steve is also looking for an electric guitar so hopefully I can help him find a good one through my mistakes. My top two choices are a Squier Telecaster or an Epiphone Les Paul Junior. They're both pretty cheap and I'd have to swap out the electronics and change the tuners. This way, at least I know what's inside of them when I do that. This guitar would primarily be a backup and also add a little different flavor.

I'm really digging on the Les Paul Junior. It's real simple (one pickup, one volume knob, one tone knob) but since I run through the PODxt, I have plenty of sound options. I've always wanted a guitar with a P90 pickup. Great snarl on them suckers. With this guitar, I could put one in since I have to junk the stock pickup. Just an option for me.

The Telecaster would be a little more expensive to buy, and to fix up. There are two pickups (maybe I wouldn't have to replace them) but the tuners have to be changed. They also look a little cheap...almost like Pine wood. You can get more sound variety out of them, but I think it is running in second place. Now, it's like what Steve said..."I need to get out and start playing some guitars."

I will keep you posted on my search.

Tagged Update

So I was posting my info from being tagged and get to the very last part of the post (which took me a good 20 minutes - thanks Bobby) and all of a sudden, a screen prompt quickly shows up and disappears. I don't know what it said, but it erased everything I was writing, so I'm not going to post about my birth date anymore. Instead of reading my post that I'm not going to write, you can go to Wikipedia yourselves and look up "March 8th."

Some notable births are Hines Ward, Dawson, Freddie Prinze Jr., and some chick who "allegedly" hooked up with Nick Lachey while he was with Jessica Simpson. Good reading for you gossip hounds!!!

Lates.

SportsClips

Ok, so I've talked in the past about this new hair cut store for men in the shopping center below our complex. So today, I went to try it out. I needed a haircut, I had a coupon, and this place is supposed to be the place for guys to go to get a good cut, watch some sports, and have some cheerleader-type chick cut your hair.

I walk in and the guy at front gets my info and tells me a stylist will be with me in a moment. Next thing I know, I'm standing face to face with a black dude named Al who is escorting me back to my chair. Assuming, not expecting, that my "stylist" would be some petite blond wearing a skirt and showing off her pom-poms, I'm sure my look of surprise with "Al" probably made him feel uneasy. I don't know if I assumed he was gay, or that he was just misplaced considering this store is all about HAIRCUTS FOR GUYS (home away from home - all marketing materials show girls cutting hair). The last thing I wanted was to have this dude who looks like he should be starting for the Chargers waving some scissors around my neck while he's pissed off at me.

So, it takes me a few moments to figure out how this place went from the "Haircut Hooters" to "Brokeback Clips for Men". I sit in the chair and Al practically chokes me with the apron he puts on me. He asks me quite sternly, "Is this too tight for you?" Thinking I got to man-up (since this is the "Haircut Store for Men"), I tell him it's fine. Once I sit in the chair, everything starts to get better.

First off, every station has a TV playing sports, this morning it was the Nets/Raptors playoff game. I'm not a huge fan of the NBA, but what else am I going to watch at 10am on a Saturday morning whike getting my haircut by a guy? The TVs are a little off to the side but my chair gets pointed directly at the TV and doesn't move the entire time. This is a major plus. There is no conversation, just watching sports on TV while getting a cut. As the first quarter comes to an end, I realize that Al is scoping out my hair pretty closely.

The second quarter starts just as he begins to cut my hair to my liking. One thing I notice is that he is real precise and taking his time in everything. I'm not big on getting a haircut, and personally, I think I should have shaved my head again about a month ago, but this attention to detail is kind of impressive. I drift back into the NBA game and as my haircut is coming to an end, so is the second quarter. I've been in the chair for over 20 minutes, and I've said a total of about 10 words, and watched a quarter and a half of playoff basketball.

Then Al escorts me back to the dark room where all the wash bins are at. I take a seat and he tells me he is going to use some Tea Tree blah blah blah massaging shampoo and it will be available at the front desk if I want to buy some on the way out. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable for Al because he is now changed from a precision barber to a Salon product pimp. He runs the water and applies the shampoo to my head. Catching me by complete surprise, he starts massaging the front of my head. Then moves to different points on my head. Now before you all think he is hitting on me, this is part of the package deal I got with my coupon. I just didn't expect this. Once he is done massaging my head, he rinses out my hair and walks away for a few moments. He comes back and wraps a nice warm towel around my face and leaves me there for a bit. By now, I'm about ready to take a nap. He comes back, dries my hair and then takes me back to the chair. He then pimps out some Tea Tree Conditioner. Since the last time he told me about a product, I got a little massage out of it, this time I was listening. Anyway, he breaks out some massaging wand, and starts massaging my neck and shoulders. It felt great and really relaxing, so naturally I felt awkward that some guy was doing this all to me.

Once I was done, he walked me out front and I paid, gave Al a tip and headed home with an experience that I'm sure I'll never have again. I'm shaving my head next month and not letting any guy touch my head again.

His cheeks have to hurt

I swear this kid can't stop smiling. How did we get this lucky again?

New Axe!!!

Over the past month or so, my 1977 Fender Stratocaster has shown signs that it is going to need some well needed maintenance (it is older than me). So with that lurking issue, and the fact that it's my only electric guitar that is really playable, I had to fork over a few bucks and get a new guitar.

There are thousands of options for picking a new guitar but I wanted something that would stand up to playing everyday, getting great tone, and looking pretty sharp at the same time. I found the perfect match.

It is a Les Paul (an Epiphone, but still a Les Paul). We had rehearsal tonight and it sounded and played great!!! LET THERE BE ROCK!!!!!!!!!

It's coming...

The whole community of San Miguel Ranch waits with eager anticipation. We drive by late at night and peer into the depths of its being; we speak of it as if it will change our whole existence; it is the beacon that will draw us to itself day after day...and it is almost here!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, the San Miguel Ranch Albertson's grocery store is just days away from opening.

I normally wouldn't post about a store opening (well, not a grocery store), but the entire community is buzzing about it. I drove by after rehearsal tonight and as I was creeping by looking to see what has been stocked already, there was a car in front of me doing the same, a car coming the opposite direction doing the same, and car that had already passed by doing a u-turn to double back, and two ladies on foot with their faces against the glass. This grocery store has obtained cult-status!!! Now if it will only open its doors.