Hey Guys- I don't know if this is a first, but have I got a story for
you.
ANYWAY, I decided I best get back to playing; it's been so long, and
even "Love Me Do" was sounding like a pile-up on the Atchison/Topeka
& Santa Fe route.
You don't even want to hear about Amtrack or Burlington Northern....
So, a couple days ago, I started putting new blisters on my fingers.
Pretty sad; these are marks I haven't had since I was 17-18. Quite
embarrassing.
Last few days, my Carl Wilson has NOT been holding tune. (Then again,
I have a hard time holding down my dinner if forced to listen to Mike
Love's solo album, "Looking back with Love"-Should have been
called, "Looking back with loud, garrish Hawaiian tourist shirts, and
milking "Fun, Fun, Fun" 'till the end of upright Man (Human), dirt,
taxes, homework, Douglas DC-3's, or Keith Richards; whichever comes
first.... I know, I know, "Mike Love-Not War". Stick some daisies in
his Theramin or something...
At first, I'm thinking that the delicate, extra thin top of the CW's
had a crack or something. Everything looked ok. When I played it, she
seemed to keep the tune, but NOT when I put her back in her case.
So tonight, I again tuned my lovely. Bear in mind, (Or bare it
somewhere...) that there have been no abrupt temp changes; anything
weird like that. I've always maintained, AND performed maitenance on
ALL my instruments over the last 30 odd (They sure were'nt normal...)
years, and I'm very used to the logistical handling, maintaining, and
transporting of very fragile, and/or sensitive instruments, like
Sitars, Tambouras, Mellotrons, etc.
Yep, chucked a promising Aviation career, so I could play Byrds &
Rolling Stones B-sides in stinky bars...Playing with a full deck, but
I think the Joker is on top...
Anyway, it felt really nice to be at least making some music; audible
sounds anyway, that now on the third night back at it, was starting
to sound a little better than Larvae having Sex.
I picked a cozy reporitere; a few of my faves: "If Your's
Gone", "Can't find my way home", "If I needed someone", "I knew I'd
want you", "Dandelion" (Transposed to G from Bb-NO capo), "Lucky
Man", "Itchycoo Park", "Set you free this time" (WITH the brief Em,
folks-Christian KNOWS...), "Draft Morning", "Nadia's Theme" (My ALL-
TIME favourite song), "In My Life", (The greatest song EVER written,
period, discussion over), AND one of my jaunty little favourites
from "Waterloo Sunset"; "Sunny Afternoon".
I'm just into the second verse (NOT same as the first)-"My
girlfriends gone off with a new car, gone back to her Ma & Pa,
tellin' tales of drunkeness and cruelty", etc.
Ray Davies had such a wonderful way of getting in your face, without
really ever letting you know he is anywhere near it
The bridge comes up-"Save me, save me, save me from this squeeze; I
got a big fat Momma, trying to break....
And right on "Break", ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE (Darn old Hell; it's
always messin' with my Peace & Love; AND my wussy, wimpy, lame
mid '60's folk-rock, that nobody wants. (Except for here, of
course.
. Also messes with my Piece & Love....
SNAP!! GWANG!! DWOING!! The "R" tailpiece BROKE!!!! It scared the
livin'(and the hibernatin') you know what out of me. I was'nt scared for me; a
bridge lodged in my skull, an .018w taking out my left eye, an "R"
tailpiece for a belt buckle; or something more damaging, etc.
All the musicians know what I'm going to say next: "What about my
poor guitar"!!! For about five seconds, I could'nt even look at her
(I did'nt know what had happened yet), so I had no idea what I was
going to be looking at.
When I lost my treasured '67 366/12 Convertible in that house fire
(Complete w/Roger's signature), it broke my heart in 17 places, and I
never got over it. Talk about your needful things...
The CW12 was the replacement. I wanted something better and "More
true" than an off the shelf 360/12, with all that hi-gain stuff, the
goofy 24 fret neck, the "Mother of toilet seat" inlays, the whole
mass-produced "Most popular electric 12 string in the World" thing;
you guys know what I'm talkin' about.
BUT, I just could'nt afford a '65-'67 like before. I paid $471 for it
with no case, in 1980. The insurance company gave me $3,850.
Interestingly, Roger's autograph, did not really raise the value;
this I found out. Autographs are more like "Beauty in the eye of the
beholder" kind of thing, and not worth something to everyone.
I had always heard such wonderful things about the CW's; they're SO
PRETTY, play so nice, and priced between a stock 360/12, and a '65
vintage instrument. So I got mine about 2 1/2 years ago. Love it.
SO; Why are there Corts, Kents, Kays, Deans, Stellas, intact, and my
precious folk-rock weapon breaking it's "Cheap" tailpiece??
Should this happen to a $2,500 instrument?!?!
You know; they can put a Man (Human) on the Moon, but I can't get my
pants back by Thursday. Then again, I don't wear pants that need to
be dry-cleaned....Sorry.
I have not even checked "RIC" yet for parts. It's probably going to
be out of site. And UNFORTUNATELY, I'm paying off the most helacious
phone bill known to upright Man (Human), so my sweetie is going to
have to wait.
In the meantime, I have been brushing up on George's "Gypsy solo"
in "Girl", from "Rubber Soul", on my Russian Balalaika. Hopefully, if
I don't tune the strings too much, ICBM's won't be headed this way,
launched from Red Square or some damn thing.
I'm ready, (Or not ready, for anything these days)
Christian w/NO Ricky...
That's like NO Bugaloos, NO Puf'n'stuff, AND NO Lidsville!!!
AND, NO "She don't care about time"!!!!
This ain't gonna fly....
Just like poor Gene....
Bad Mokey.... Red Flag....
Thanks VERY MUCH in advance for any help. Chris
AND, here's the post from John Hall. Looks like the problem has been solved, anyway:
This part is a high precision zinc die-casting which is first copper flashed and then chrome plated. One characteristic of the casting is that the outer surface is under high tension, similar to glass, with a very brittle shell. In addition, up until a few years ago, the chrome plating was of the hexavalent type often called "hard chrome" which added to that brittleness. Just like a pane of glass, these parts could get a tiny scratch which would then fracture unexpectedly.
Black parts were also noted for breaking easy, due to the embrittlement effect caused by heating in the powder coat process.
Since then we've made a number of changes to the -R- tailpiece. First, the alloy has changed; as I recall, the current tensile strength of the alloy is something like 54,000 pounds PSI. Second, these parts now have trivalent chrome plating which does not display the brittle behavior.
The trapeeze is good but I think you're safe either way.
