socks

That's a nice bass Chas! 19 pounds - yow! That's love! Looks great. The Recording King is SUWEET! I keep an eye on e-bay for old Silvertones and Kays, as I want to find an old dark sunburst F-hole acoustic that needs a warm home. They're out there but haven't found the exact one. The first guitar I learned on was a Silvertone flat-top, tobacco sunburst, big body. It would get left at our house by my sister's boyfriend who played in a band and between practices would leave it at the house. The first guitar's I spent anytime ogling were the Silvertones and Key's in the old department store catalogues, they just looked great, like that one Bluzman. :) Then the first electric I had was a Kay yellow tobacco sunburst, single cutaway, f-hole, single pickup. Played - terrible. Had Black Diamond heavy gauge acoustic strings on it when I got it used. Had no trouble getting it to sound like the Jimmy Reed 45's I was buying, I think he probably played a few Kay's in his day too. Took a while before I learned I could put Giibson flats on it. The dark finish bursts on those older guitars looks really nice I think. :)

rickyG It really depends on what we mean by "working the Word" I think. I'm a proponent of reading the bible. Reading different versions, reading. That's one basic suggestion from PFAL that pays off IMO. Many people say they believe the bible cover to cover, word for word, that have never read it cover to cover word for word, even once. So on one level, they really don't believe it, they haven't read it. To accept it on faith, that's fine but it's different. IMO that really doesn't mean a faith in the bible itself - it can't. Remember, if you don't know what it says how can you really have faith in it? To me that's more a faith in God and a belief that if God inspired the people who wrote it than it's worth believing. So it's a faith in God more than the bible. A person who has that find of faith is, again, fine but they may end up believing anything anyone tells them the bible says. After all, how would they know? Work the Word - by that if we mean reading it and trying to understand and allow God to open it's meaning up to us, I think anyone can do that. With a few simple tools and a little instruction meaningful study can be done. But the reading of the bible is the most valuable IMO. The ideas and concepts will open up to a person over time, and as interest grows in specific things more information can be sought out.

Hey, we got some manly men now! Lots to read here - and photos too! CQQL. Good advice on the learning to play, Strangeling. If you want to give it a shot on your own, take it in little bits as suggested. A little goes a long way at first. I have a practice regimen but I don't over do it. If I was doing it now I'd do what I did with my kids. Get the instrument, have it around, and take a lesson or two. Or three. I gave them the lessons, and they took it from there with their interests and I helped or directed the. It helps in the early stages to have someone show you - show and tell, help you get going. Sit up, hold it like this, etc. From there you can get an idea of how much you like it or don't. I'd also suggest paying a visit to your local music store(s) and shopping around a bit. Explain your interest. Try some. Feel the lacquer. Stroke the necks. Caress the wood. Feel the love. Have a smoke. Aaah. Seriously, hands on is a good way to go so you can see how the neck feels in your hand. A good salesperson can steer you in the right direction as far as that goes. It will feel foreign at this point, so a trained eye will help. Fender does have a low-end series in the 150.00 dollar range that's a decent guitar. How much are you thinking of spending? There's a Guitar Center in Houston, and they usually have a couple rooms of acoustic guitars. Guitar Center Houston 7729 Westheimer Rd. Houston, Texas 77063 Store Hours: M-F: 10-9 | Sat: 10-7 | Sun: 12-6 Phone: 713-952-9070 Fax: 713-952-0247 Manager: Jason Caldarera Gotta run, be back!

Don Mock, yes, know the name.VERY good. Berklee would be a blast. The girl was looking at what it would take to do it, but Boston's a long ways from the west coast. :( Bad enough being in L.A. just a few hours away. Mi.I.'s got great instructors, she studied with Dan Gilbert and Steve Hunter there, several others she's spoken about. Beth Marlis, the director, is a killer guitarist and a GIT alumnae herself. Really nice person and supportive of women entering the music field, as you might expect. I met her and Andy Ellis last year visiting and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to talk music. Frank Gambale = :) Oh yeah. What is it - "the thunder from down under"? I've downloaded some of his lessons from Trufire.com, great site. I got some usable stuff, but I've given up on being the fastest gun. Plus as you say, when guys like that do it it's clean and trim. I still practice some things, maybe someday I'll get it. It's hard to break out of the alternating up/down stroke pattern, which I spent years working on. I just try to get where I need to go now. Someone I'm very into is Tom Ribbecke, a luthier north of us about a half hour. He builds some of the best guitars in the world. 20,000 bucks and up. Absolutely spiritual, we're talking. He's got a design that's his answer to the Gibson 335, or where he thinks it should have gone. I played a finished model last year at his shop and it was - wonderful. His thing is archtops, perfectly tuned bodies, finishes that are so rich they're edible. Only builds a few every year at most. I've watched him work - really talented.

Well, I do appreaciate that! I'm a decent student at best, but I appreciate that ma'am. And I've got things going but I'm the drag in the butt on JL's songs, almost have 3 finished for him. I tore my studio up and switched it right to left since I play right handed but do everything else leftie. So now it's in more of a wrap around design that doesn't tilt to the wrong side, something I finally realized a month or so ago. (don't ask - it's not worth trying to explain it ) and back in working order this last week. So I'm about to mix that one and a couple others started. JL's been patient. I'd be interested in hearing more about Berklee diazbro. Never been there. My daughter's finishing her first year at M.I. in Hollywood and I've been down to visit a few times. That place is a true slice of heaven, although the curriculum is challenging to say the least. Every instructor is extremely versitle in their field, and the student body is very diverse. I had a few semesters of harmony theory, composition and one odd orchestartion class years ago, and have taken some lessons and workshops over the years. That Gretsch does have a classic sound. I keep it on the wall most of the time, use it to record a little. I've got D'Addario Flat Wounds on it, .011 - .050. Round fat sound. The neck is very slender, easy to navigate. I take the same approach - pretty much a utilitarian view of instruments. Growing up it took a long time before I had a decent guitar and I just tried to learn how to make what I had do what I wanted. Strat was my first good guitar, used and rented. Finally turned that over for a Telecaster in about '65 or so and I was hooked. Went to an LP gold top after that, and got hooked again. Right now the Fernandes Dragonfly has everything I want, a Strat pickup design and their Sustainer unit built into the neck pickup. The body's chambered with a maple top. I had the headstock saddle replaced and the action worked on, and have spent a lot of time messing with the vibrato setup. Right now it's pretty much what I want. It's got honk, smooth tones, a nice range. Which is funny as D-Flys are normally associated with shredding but this guitar has a lot of nice sound. For gigs I've used the Fernandes and Takamine. Now the Tele will give me a little more range and a backup. Amps - I've got a Lab Series Spider 2x10. I couldn't afford the Lab Series Chorus I want, but this little guy's bi-amped, has a decent chours and models pretty well. Has a 4 channel switcher and it's got a very good clean Fender Twin setting, and a dead on Marshall sound. For bass I have a Sunn top and a bassman bottom. I've got some Yamaha models and effects in my deck, but I pretty much try to get the sound I want thru a preamp setup that goes into it and then record that with as clean a signal as I can get. Got the girl a Toneworks AX3000 pedal board for Christmas. That puppy does LOTS of fun things. Aw Chatty, that's the stuff! The Man. Hmmmm....tell us you still have it! :)

Ditto! And acoustics too of course, classical/nylon....all kinds!

Thanks satori. The Tele is Korean. At the time I was looking at getting a Tele of some kind and when I played one of these I was surprised as it was a Fender but a Tele/not a Tele. Biggest surprise - it has a set neck, not a bolt on. The one at the Guitar Center had been abused by the armies of guitarists that come through everyday but I really liked the way it played and sounded. So I started checking aournd, found one and got it. The finish was perfect, and it plays true. I may have the headstock bridge changed out but I'm not sure. I like it the way it is at this point. I'm casting around for a Gibson 175, don't know when that's going to happen but I'm looking. JL, don't sweat it! Those EMG pickups - frankly I don't think of myself as a real techie type either as I know guys who can rattle off years, serial numbers and debate manufacturers of plate screws like it's nothing. I think the thing I've always liked about Fenders is that Leo Fender designed and built an affordable and fairly simple guitar in his first Esquire/Tele's that would be mass producable. I've read he and Les Paul met in L.A., and discussed designs and sound, and even considered working together at that point. The biggest thing they were concerned with was the sound and they felt the ideal sound to pursue was that of a pedal steel - clear, full bodied, bright. Fender went that way with his first guitars. It's no surprise that a lot of the unique string-benders like Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton, Jim Campilongo and many others have chosen the Telecaster. The Strats continued that design concept. Teles and Strats have a very machine-shop feel to them, something a shade-tree mechanic with a few tools and some patience could deal with. Pop the pick guard off and everything's right there, pickups, volume and tone pots, wiring. Want a new neck. Not that big a deal. Strats have been used for every kind of music and playing style. Red ones - I read Mark Knopfler used to play only red ones! Here's a link I found on EMG strat replacement pickups - might be those. http://www.mikelull.com/pickups/emgsc.htm

Speaking of praise, I started a thread in Open for guitar stuff. We need to hear more about the red Strat, and the white one! and all of them!

Hey diazbro, I hear you on the L.P's and 335's. I've had both, my main guitar for years was a gold top L.P. Nice guitar, wish I still had it. I had a 335 in 77, then it got lost on a plane flight in Chicago O'Hairy airport. :( Got 700 bucks for it, but hopefully it's still out there somewhere. :) These are my main guitars at this point - http://ruzicmusic.com/ruzic_guitars.htm I've also got an Ibanez 560 with the Floyd Rose trem, although it's not very photogenic, only good for certain stuff and a bass or two floating around. The Fender Tele LE is my latest, got it last year. It's not a "true" Tele, but I played on at the Guitar Center in Hollywood and really liked the neck and slim body. It's got Fender's double coils, with a coil splitter to go to single on each. They're very much like Dimarzios. I have it strung with .010 - .052. Plays nice, solid, very dependable with a nice range of sounds.

Jonny Lingo and diazbro got a thing going on another thread about guitars. JL's checking out a red Strat and diazbro added this sweet post, I'm adding them below. Figured a guitar thread is sorely missing, so here goes, as in anything goes. I know we have some guitarists in the gang, so don't be shy.

Me no terminated. Didn't get fired. Left on my own two feet, brain and spirit intact. Still are, just checked. But - I'm going to have to dive in here and get my butt-whuppin' cuz I got one comin', so slap my hiney and call me Judy, but... I "believe" - no I think, I like that word more better - that there was always good in the Way at every point. Okay, there were some valleys, flooded valley-times, yes. Dips in the cycle that would give Lance Armstrong a stiff neck. But good was there. Why what good was that, asked Snorky as Tink sat down? I walked away with this in mind and hand - that one thing I would always have would be the people I knew and worked with, to carry in heart and mind, forever. Or at least until I got some better friends. Hasn't happened. As gooder as the oldies okay, but no better. There were some of the nicest, most caring, hardest working, understanding, sharing, funny people I've ever known. People there for whatever reasons - "the truth", to "serve God", or just to just get out of the dammed storm of the world for awhile and not get their butts kicked everytime they turned around....y'know, "decent folks". Some of you. ALL of you, right? GS has all the good ones, we know that. :) You were there, you were doing whatever it was you were doing and actually felt that you were making something happen, something good. So now if it all turns out to be a pipedream and a colossal waste of precious time, I maintain that you and I still have what we brought to the table and what we invested is worth a lot. Our lives, our time, our work, our love. Maybe it would have been better spent somewhere else - but it wasn't totally wasted becasuse life of any kind, for even a moment, is the most precious thing we can have. When it's all gone, there ain' no more. That's not to be taken lightly. In this graceless world we live in, there was grace in the people I knew, if only for a time. Some simple honor and dignity. Maybe we swum against the tide and didn't know we going to get swept out to the deep till it happened - but if you're still here, congrats. Everyday we wake up and swear at the alarm clock is a GOOD day. Sorry for getting schmatzy but for me - that's a big part of the good. People were trying to take what they were learning and live it. I have respect for that today.

SWEET! JL!! Strat's - they're good ferya! ON Back Yeah, what kind of pickups, any idea? Strats are great for tricking out. Go for it! Just make sure the neck's straight - eyeball that puppy from the body end, with the headstock pointing away and sight down the left and right side of the neck at the fretboard - it looks like a little railroad track with the frets. It should have a very slight bow, but not much and be the same when you sight the left and right sides. Fender has some good info on the instrument set up if you want to get an idea of what's involved - http://www.fender.com/support/setup/stratsetup.php

I sense no persecution but felt it wouldn't be a decent thread without a completely off-topic comment. Although, if the Perc's started posting on one thread - would everyone there eventually persecute everyone else? Or would it just end up as one long "yeah, you're right"....."yup, that's the truth"....."sure, I'm with you on that".....................although that sounds kind of familiar anyway, board-wise. But now that I think about it, it seems like if anyone posted on this thread for it's purpose, it would be very weird. Maybe it should start with a declaration or affirmation of some sort, like: "Hello, my name is (---) and I've been posting on GS for (----) and I have a perception of being persecuted. Thank you for listening to me, but would you please stop blinking that way as it makes me feel like you're putting me down and calling me stupid and my uncle used to do that when I was 12. But I digress, thank you for listening to me, even though I know you're really laughing behind my back and will start threads to torment me but I'm bigger than that, so there!!!" Can we get that up somewhere? I can't talk though, I never start threads. I should start a thread and stop all this dilly dallying around. I'm giving it some serious thought.

And just to show you I'm on your side CK - Chris Geer- the worst. I've got reasons, rock solid ones - 1.) He looked terrible in a cowboy hat, but wore one at times. Terrible doesn't do justtice. Like - picture the Rocky era Sylvester Stallone in a beanie. That bad. 2.) After living in Europe for a year or so he developed an accent, an effected articulation that sounded vaguely British at times. Just a little, but a little of that goes a long way. Y'know mate? 3.) P.O.P - after "W.A.P." the worst acronym ever to come out of the Way. A different title would have helped, like "Stuff I Say Is True"...."S.I.S.I.T"....it's got legs. Didn't he know we'd be using the acronym 20 years later on the internet? Somebody's cookie jar was leaking. 4.) He produced his own version of PFAL and franchised it, allowing for ex-Wayfers everywhere to have the ability to hear everything they'd already heard dozens of times, and pay for it again. And again. And again. Makes Enron look like a non-profit. Although brief, I rest my case.

CK - when you're ready - WW is A-right and on target. Download Firefox. Use Google. Feel the love.

Okaaaaaay. Can I come out now? Airwaves and money. The Way wouldn't have stood to make much, IMO. There were some radio broadcasts done, and some videos shown here and there but nothing that stuck. "High Country Caravan" was another effort made with an eye to dipping a toe into the media pond but it never took off. One reason - the Way didn't really know how to market cross-media. Remember - PFAL was originally done in a version directed by VPW himself. He wanted to do it all in house for various reasons including the costs. (I saw parts of it in '69 after it had been done a second time, that he showed in a summer school meeting. It was pretty rough, amateurish.) In '67 PFAL was filmed again professionally with much better results. The Way still did a lot of it's own prep work and VPW referred in the class to "the Art Department" which wasn't really there, although I suppose it could be interpreted "vision" or even a euphimism. The Way sunk most of it's resources into property - the Way Nash in New Knoxville, the New Bremen church, Emporia, the Sidney House, Rome City and then Tinny, N.M. Staff, salaries, equipment, maintenance, upkeep, etc. To mount a decent radio or TV drive would have taken deep dinero, tall dough. The High Country Caravan videos were promoted some, but at the time the only hope of a major syndication would have been for someone to pick them up and produce them for the Way, picking up the tab. That would have meant doing a deal with a secular company or network. No deal there, babeee. I do remember VPW talking about not "selling out". Whether there were ever any deals on the table to consider, I don't know. Never heard of any serious offers but there may have been. Craig - no idea. Not to ride a horse down that's already been put away wet more times than a dirty diaper but I doubt Craig would have really had the leadership skills to know how to pull it off, let alone the technical and professional skills to navigate those waters. IMO. It would have likely turned into another financial debacle to drain finances, lose money and break the spirits of anyone that worked on it, saw it, heard of it or even knew about it, and then been cause to blame, mark and avoid the innocents that had worked to make it happen but who had been unable to warn him in advance it wouldn't work - who would have been kicked out for saying so anyway, if they had. IMO.

Thanks. They "help" but only in confusing me more. There's a lot of things being said on these links. Are you just taking the Google search and posting any link that has something bad to say about him? Which are true, in your opinion? All? If so, why? Some of the things being said are very ambiguous. Like this one - http://atruechurch.info/graham.html Some of that as it's held forth is hogwash. The lamest point goes- Graham is popular. Graham admits he's popular and gives examples. Jesus said Woe to you when men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets So Graham is a false prophet. That's just the rookiest twist of that verse I've seen. The bit about Graham advocating murder because he can see abortion being allowable under certain circumstances - makes him sound like he advocates abortion across the board. He doesn't. They also go on to add "abnormalitites" and make it sound like Graham wants to abort and/or kill the blind and deaf - which is pretty weird as they're the ones defining certain people as "abnormal".... He doesn't and if they're going to make such magnimous accusations they should go to the trouble of quoting - exactly - where he says those kinds of things. Because it's obvious to a one eyed parrot that he doesn't in their page. Lame. As are many of the other points made, it's very Way-like to be honest. They make an accusation, read a verse that says something about what they're accusing him of and then use that verse in direct application to Graham, even though they haven't actually substantiated the connection - like Graham not being a "spiritual" man because he won't cast judgement on certain issues or people and prefers to let God judge. Sounds to me like Graham's being as honest as he can be with what he knows and these guys butt's are puckered so tight they can't even see clearly from inside. Oh yeah - the best one is Graham being a veritable son of the Day-Vul because he thinks Catholics can go to Hay-vun. That's the only link I read. I have to lay down now and get my rest. But I"m getting warmed up. I'll be back.

Finally. We got some honest truth out of you. You're right I'm older and much wiser. Bet your bottomed-azz dollar on that one. Ask your Dad. Do people really think of him as Moses and/or Jesus Christ? I'm not involved formally or informally in any organizations that have any dealings with him, so you're the expert on that one. But people say and do a lot of weird things so it wouldn't surprise me. The Google searches exposing Billy Graham. :unsure: Little by little, post by post. This is too slow, even for an old codger like me. When you get your thoughts together, and do all the Google searches post them. I'll check back after I have my cup of cocoa.

Give him a real shock - phone calls cost a dime at one point and you had to stop the car to find a phone booth to make a call....

:blink: How would I? Know? I'll taking that as you blowing my question off. It was an honest one. In your poll you list 4 ex-Way leaders and one Cathollic Pope. I still don't understand the poll or the criteria you would use to define who would be the worst. Again, the question was by what standard is there a "worst" in your mind? What does that mean? I'd also be interested in why it's useful to know that opinion of others. Again - for others reading this - I'm not criticizing that you ask or why, I was just looking for more information from you. When comments brought up Billy Graham you made critical comments about him, that don't make sense to me, meaning I don't understand them. That doesn't mean I take exception to comments about him favorable or critical - it's just that the mmm...logic of your statements isn't clear. To me. If you don't know or don't have any reasonably current, significant and clear examples of your statement he teaches old stuff but calls it new I'll take that to mean you're just blowing smoke. Perhaps there's actually some teaching that Billy Graham does that you don't like or feel is wrong that you don't want to talk about here. That's fine. It appears you don't like him and I guess the reasons for that will remain a big secret. You don't want to clarify, fine. You don't have to. I won't bother to ask anymore.

You said somewhere you're 19 years old, is that right? Give it a few more years, you'll learn something new. Seriously. What has he taught where he lied and it was the same old stuff but he had said it was going to be new? Maybe it's just the way it reads but it sounds like you and Billy G. do the same thing from what you're saying - both do the same old stuff for years. Except that he lies and says it's new - is that it? In either case, I'd agree doing the same old stuff the same old way isn't a problem in some cases. I still stand under the water when I turn on the shower. I get wetter that way. Maybe Bill Graham should be on the list. He's a "leader" by your definition....?

So it's leaders as the person identified as the "head", the boss, the person in charge of their church or ministry or company. Interesting. I have no idea. Can't say. Sorry. Now I'm wondering - who was the "best"? Not sure there either. No help here.

I don't understand the criteria for voting - worst at what? VP, LCM and RR were or are acting Way El Presidentes. Chris Geer wasn't, although he ran the European Way into the ground in his own day. The Pope- whole different deal, unless you consider the Way a church, which they don't. They all 5 have managed large land holdings and assets. Worst at money management? Worst as teachers, pastors? Worst in body hygiene? Worst at what? Leaders is vague. Can someone define leading? Is it just being in charge, the boss? Worst at being the boss?

Somebody's gotta preach here ex10. There's been a real shortage of good old fashioned PREACHing lately. I try, but my newest book, working title "Buy This Book - It's Addressed To You", is taking up most of my free time. If it's gonna be ready for the printers, I gotta get hustling. I sense a real rush for this one coming up as it's going to meet some serious needs. Serious needs. Still and all, I'm going to remember what you've said. In fact I'd like to use it in one of my future books, and there's quite a few in the hopper just waiting, news that will excite the many fan who've purchased my previous works. Yes, sales are down, but I'm believing for a real spike come spring. Right now I have no one on ignore. Never have had anyone on ignore. I accidentally put myself on ignore once, which was weird. VERY weird. I'm posting like crazy, go to the threads, nada. Nothing. It was like not listening to yourself talk, not an easy task if you've ever tried it. I wasn't sure where I was - then I thought I might have been taking a "break". But that made no sense either. Finally I unignored myself and that was actually very invigorating. All that "me" at once, suddenly visible. It was like Christmas, without the tree disposal problems afterwards. So I learned something. Things were back to normal, in fact they were even more normal than they were before. Anyway, you're swell! Be preachy keen!

Hi! What happened to the Word? Well, there's this guy Jesus - Long gone from the planet now, but said to be coming back! And He is the Word. In John, Jesus Christ is referred to as The Word, the "logos". In fact, it's John who has given us this specific reference to Christ as "the logos", indeed, the ... living ... word of God. Paul refers to "the Word" in a very specific way too - the logos of God that was given to men to learn and know. He often referred in his writings to the Old Testament as well as what he knew by "revelation of Jesus Christ" - the gospel of grace that he himself taught very specifically as the "one body" formed of Christ's redemption that was to be made up of all men and women regardless of their heritage - both Jews and Gentiles, all people. All of this and more was and is "the word". That one body = undoubtedly one of the most important and radical things that Paul taught and it wasn't anything that was clearly foretold or written about in the O.T. So indeed, Paul's epistles carry that information that we may take for granted now as Christians but that was very new and very revolutionary in his day. And it came to him, Peter, others as God revealed it to them. The essence of that one body can be learned about by reading the espistles, yes. But it can only be lived and enjoyed by living "in Christ". As the law was a "schoolmaster", to Christ, Christ is our Pastor to bring us to God. It's in the living relationship we can have that the promise of God, His mind, reasoning, intents - the "logos" is fully realized and known. In John 1:17 and 18 he wrote - For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. Jesus Christ declared God, made Him known, unfolded God to us, He expounded on God, so to speak. Not only in what He said and taught, but by what He did. God was known before Jesus Christ, but not the way that Jesus showed him to us. Jesus Christ was literally "God with us", Emmanuel, and He is God with us still and His "word" in us. ckmkeon, I would never fault you or anyone for reading the bible. I'd be cautious if I were you what you take verbatim from a "teacher" though. If someone tells you Revelations isn't important, how do you know that? Because it is said to talk about future events? The future's coming my friend - sooner or later, for all of us. A lot of Way-taught teachers avoid Revelations because it's difficult to understand and was never taught regularly or in detail to them, so they're ignorant as to what it has to say. Same with the Old Testament. There's nothing wrong with having teachers, everyone has to learn. I would suggest you not get attached to permanently to one though, as no one teacher can teach on everything, you're going to need some variety. That's just a suggestion though, and one you may already be doing, dunno.