#211
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Wade, you could, of course, have Howard ship the KJ over here to the land of your ancestors, so that it could absorb a bit of Celtic mojo prior to reaching its final destination in the Alaskan wilderness.
I would be prepared to take on the responsibility of taking it around to a few sessions and letting some of Edinburgh 's most eminent players help it to "open out". And I wouldn't even charge you for doing this ... |
#212
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The outpouring of goodness and generosity from all of you is just overwhelming!
You're correct that a substantial percentage of my ancestry can be traced to the foggy, soggy regions north of Hadrian's Wall, Murray. But I reckon my kinfolk emigrated for a REASON, so I'm hesitant to send the guitar back to the country from whence they skedaddled.... I give you my solemn vow, however, if any of my long-departed Scottish ancestors appear to me and insist that I send the guitar over to you, then I certainly will consider it. Of course, they were mostly Gaelic speakers, so I might not understand them even if they do show up! Wade Hampton "Hoots, Hoots, Laddie!" Miller |
#213
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Bill |
#214
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I'm really anxious to hear the verdict here. Regards, Glenn |
#215
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Soon enough, Glenn, soon enough.
whm |
#216
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Howard and I spoke on the phone this morning about how he's going to ship the new KJ to me, so I'm using that as an excuse to bump this thread back up. I figure it can't hurt....
The guitar is definitely getting closer to getting here! whm |
#217
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Wade, they say that delayed satisfaction is the key to success:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...fa_fact_lehrer You must be very successful.
__________________
gits: good and plenty chops: snickers |
#218
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We are all very anxious to hear from you when it arrives! Oh Boy! - Glenn |
#219
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We've had a little delay in getting sound clips. Stevie Coyle, who is going to be the player, is sick. So, probably next week for that.
Meanwhile, Wade sent a friend of his by to check it out. This is John Youngblood, who besides having a great name for a guitarist is a good player, and also a professional photographer who used to shoot the LMI catalog. He commented favorably on the bass, balance, and burst.
__________________
"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon |
#220
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John is a very fine player, and a fun guy to jam with, as well. His sister lives up here in the Anchorage area, so he stops by when he's on visits to her, and I swing by and see him when my travels take me to California.
What would be REALLY fun would be to sit down with a mandolin and that guitar and pass both back and forth between John and me. Like me, he spends a significant amount of his musical time on mandolin, and it's nice to be able to play music with someone who's equally facile on both. whm |
#221
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Youngblood Was There
Yes I am guilty of the aforementioned charges.
When I heard that Wade's advanced jumbo was nearing its shipping date, I was grateful for the opportunity to check it out and meet its builder. After a beautiful drive through a lovely countryside of vineyards and small farms, I made it to Howard's well appointed studio and was greeted warmly. We knew a few people in common and had the upcoming festival to talk about, so we were quickly past introductory formalities and got down to checking this beast out. Initially I was struck with the beautiful color and gentle gradations of the sunburst, which are often too dramatic for my tastes. Quickly though, as I got into playing, the extraordinary quality of the bass took command of my attention. Deep, but not thumpy or boomy, perhaps the walnut's contribution (?). Working with the other tonal ranges like a supportive friend rather than the overbearing accompanist (not mentioning names, Bruce!). It played with the clarity of Howard's double O's but offered this other dimension in the bass. I jumped into some delta blues tunes and found myself quickly getting lost in this expanded palette. I did some other sampling, of course, and was impressed with the consistent richness that Howard seemed to get out of quite a variety of woods. After a cordial departure and dreamy drive home, I took the bus card Howard gave me and put it in an especially retrievable location in my studio. Thanks Wade for a nice little adventure. JY |
#222
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John - It was good talking to you on the phone after your visit to Howard's shop, and it was nice to hear your independent assessment of the various instruments Howard had onhand. But my main interest was in your report on the "KJ," naturally, and when the first words out of your mouth were "It's a STUPENDOUS guitar!", of course I was very pleased to hear it.
Most of the folks reading this thread won't know John Youngblood, but one of the main reasons I sent him over to meet Howard and play the guitar, aside from the fact that he lives in the area, is that John is a straight-shooter, a good player with a dry, wry wit and a deadpan sense of humor, but also someone who isn't about to stroke me or anybody else with an exaggerated or overly rosy description of this guitar or any other. John and I are friends, but he's not going to sugarcoat anything for me. Which I value a great deal. John is a local musician who lives in Healdsburg and who's been involved in the fine handbuilt guitar scene for decades. Hearing his dead-on accurate descriptions of some of the instruments, some of the builders and some of the endorsing artists that have been through his little burg is always illuminating. So I value John's input a great deal. Plus he's a fine musician, and while we don't play in precisely the same way, our musical styles are close enough in origin and drive that we mesh rather nicely on those occasions when we do manage to get together. So sending John over to play the guitar gives me a lot more usable insights than if the guitar got played by someone perpetually stuck in a 1970's soft rock musical groove ("Cuz I been! through the desert on a horse! with no name, It felt good! to be out of the rain!...") Now, John and Howard might have gotten down and gotten funky on my guitar with a medley of songs made famous by America, Styx and The Carpenters, but if so they had the very good sense not to tell me.... Seriously, it's fun but also useful to hear the insights on a new instrument from a trusted friend who can also play the pea-waddin' out of any guitar he gets his hands on. So thanks for stopping by the Klepper Guitar Industries showroom, John - I appreciate it. Wade Hampton Miller |
#223
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I like this picture of John playing the KJ so much that I thought I'd post it again:
whm |
#224
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- Glenn |
#225
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That is about the nicest sunburst I've ever seen on a guitar.
Bill |