Sid Hartha

I always listen to The Kinks at least '60s-era Kinks. I got to see them once - Sleepwalker tour (good album as well).

let me guess - Wings releases don't count.

I'm currently using 10s on all my electrics, but I used to go higher in my youth - 11s, even 12s at one point. But I'm mainly a rhythm player, so I have the luxury of going for tone over speed. That Tele can take any kind of set you put on it, but if you go much higher you may need to tighten up the truss rod a touch (as outlined in that Fender link earlier). Try a set of 10s - the neck will barely feel the difference, but you'll notice a nice bump in the sound. At least you'll be able to feel the strings under your fingers.

Paul held on to the old Beatles axiom the longest: no matter what, entertain people. As for what became of John, I think Elvis Costello said it best: Was it a millionaire who said "imagine no possessions"... I think John, Paul and George all had an initial creative surge after the breakup - they clearly needed a break from each other. Unfortunately, after a few albums it slipped into diminished returns. They were all each other's best editors/critics. To my ears, Paul is the only one who seemed to get a second wind - mostly from staying prolific, continuously touring and fronting a work

Not really a big fan of any of their solo careers, but... Lennon's was the best, for about two years - then it fades quickly. Overall, Paul's delivers the most - which isn't saying much.

Yeah - I've lost count of how many times I've built my "dream Jazzmaster", just browsing through the sections there.

It really sucks that Fender USA stopped selling replacement necks, that's what I did to upgrade my Mexican Tele. Put the instrument in a whole new league. If you do go the aftermarket route (I hear Warmoth makes good Fender replacement necks), you make want to try a flatter neck radius - less buzz, lower action. Besides that, I'll bet part of the buzz problem is the 9's - that's way too light of a gauge, especially for that type of neck (probably contributes to the intonation problem as well). BTW - nice finish, Midnight Wine. It does amazing things when stage lights hit it a certain wa

That's great news! Before you call that guitar guy, you should read this: http://www.fender.com/support/telecaster.php If you still feel uncomfortable about doing it yourself, definitely go with a good tech (especially if you have a guy you trust). But it's not nearly as complicated as people make it out to be.

What really happens is that, over time, the suspension of the cantilever (the shaft the diamond is mounted on) begins to break down. It's usually a tiny rubber part - its job is to keep the stylus centered in relation to the cartridge's pickup coils. It gets brittle, loses its elasticity. The result: the needle doesn't seem to track as well as it used to, and everything sounds duller than it used to. You're not going to hurt your records, but you may notice a slight bump in sound quality if you replace the stylus every 4 - 6 years (if you use your turntable a lot).

thanks. here's a good source for info on all things Telecaster: http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fender2.html#tele ...or if you have any questions, there's a whole army of Telecaster geeks ready to chime in here: http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-discussion-forum/

I can verify this. I got a Mexican standard Tele about 7 years ago, and have since modified it to '50s specs, more or less: "Vintage" tailpiece (with threaded steel saddles - better sustain in my opinion), USA '52 "Nocaster" replacement neck (U-shape profile, nitro finish), Fender USA Vintage pups, Klusion tuners. To top it off, I switched to flatwound strings (d'Addario Chromes .010-49). Unbelievable tone on this thing - it's my favorite guitar. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v168/scopdom/IMG_1402.jpg My son actually made his own Telecaster using the extra parts I had laying around,

13th Floor Elevators - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue Robyn Hitchcock - Trying To Get To Heaven Before They Close The Door The Byrds - My Back Pages The Myddle Class - Gates Of Eden

Same here. It's a great record ("Season Of The Shark"? - come on!).

I cover the fretboard area with masking tape first - then I can really go at it with the steel wool without worry.

Beach Boys - Best Of The Brother Years 1970-86

The title track is pretty awesome.

Ever notice that Billy Childish sort of looks like Sgt. Pepper?

Just for a laugh - next time you change strings, try a set of flatwounds. I tried this a few years ago, first on my ES-330 - then my Telecaster, and I've been hooked ever since. They have a really pure tone, a bit darker that standard strings (which really benefits the Tele, IMO). Plus, there's no squeak. NP: d'Addario Chromes .010 - .048

We came like babies From our home across the sea to see America And the people opened up their arms To welcome us... to America We came like children From a far and distant land to see America And the golden sun of freedom filtered down to us, in America And the people stood and stared Loved us more than we had dared to, in America Super highways here and there Pretty womens everywhere Brady Bunch and Smokey Bear Buildings reaching to the sky Afro-sheen and apple pie PTA and FBI Jumbo jet begins to rise A joyful nation waves its bye-byes Each religion, race, and creed gets exactly wh

I'm with Jack on this one. What a hosebag [Electra] to claim that you're doing him a favor by playing the leaked album. (Like the album would suffer otherwise.)

How dare you say

First album I ever bought. Damn, it's been forty years. While the White Album edges it out slightly over the years, nothing comes close to the impact it had on me (or the world) at the time. Everybody had to work harder on their albums after its release (including The Beatles themselves).

Gruhn's is awesome, though they've had to squeegee me off the window of The Chicago Music Exchange a few times.

Well, I ran into some extra cash and got one of these: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NGRD3 All I can say is that you don't have to live with the crackles. I've tried a dozen or so records so far and I was shocked - beyond my already high expectations - at what this thing can do. Brand new records, that I was sure had noise due to manufacturing defects, are dead silent after one cleaning. Granted, this isn't for everybody (at $200, it's a bit steep for me) - but if you own and buy a lot of vinyl, this thing is like a miracle.

Not much here of value to collectors, but I can get the sounds I want.