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Post by Chesapeake on Jul 22, 2014 19:50:38 GMT -5
Chatham Street (Peter and Christal Prout) at the Valerie Hill Winery, Stephens City, Va., July 20, 2014.
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Post by billhammond on Jul 22, 2014 20:44:51 GMT -5
Great shot! Which winery?
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Post by Chesapeake on Jul 22, 2014 20:58:26 GMT -5
Thanks Bill. Great subjects! (Valerie Hill Winery - see caption. It's just south of Winchester - prime apple- and wine-growing country.)
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Post by billhammond on Jul 22, 2014 21:03:54 GMT -5
Thanks Bill. Great subjects! (Valerie Hill Winery - see caption. It's just south of Winchester - prime apple- and wine-growing country.) Duh, excuse me, at work and rushing around!
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Post by Village Idiot on Jul 22, 2014 21:07:31 GMT -5
What a photogenic couple. They're really making something of themselves, enjoying life in their new digs, and I'm glad to hear of it. I'm also glad that they got a visit from a forumite. Things couldn't be better.
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Post by Chesapeake on Jul 22, 2014 21:12:44 GMT -5
Their voices really blend beautifully.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2014 21:22:20 GMT -5
Nice. That's just gorgeous country up that way.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2014 21:50:23 GMT -5
Ches, I went to school in Lexington and have an enduring affinity for the valley. I'm glad to see wine grown out there, too, and some of the stuff made up by C-ville is really good!
Now, one small critique. Next time we see pictures of guitars, we want full frontal!
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Post by Chesapeake on Jul 22, 2014 21:52:29 GMT -5
Re full frontal: you've got a point there, colonel.
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Post by Cosmic Wonder on Jul 22, 2014 23:20:18 GMT -5
Just one small point of contention.
I thought Peter played a 335?
Mike
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Post by aquaduct on Jul 23, 2014 6:28:06 GMT -5
Hey, thanks Don. It was great to finally meet you and your lovely wife.
And I'm glad you liked the singing. It's still a bit of a mystery.
Hope the rest of your b'day went great.
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Post by aquaduct on Jul 23, 2014 6:32:22 GMT -5
Ches, I went to school in Lexington and have an enduring affinity for the valley. I'm glad to see wine grown out there, too, and some of the stuff made up by C-ville is really good! There are now something like 260+ wineries in the state. Loudoun and Faquier counties are almost paved with them (in between the really expensive McMansions). Frederick county, where I live now has 2 that are as stunning as can be. Wineries in VA have been very good to musicians and we love it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 6:35:34 GMT -5
Some of us more discerning dickheads play both Gibsons and Fenders. I'm glad to see Peter in that group.
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Post by aquaduct on Jul 23, 2014 6:38:42 GMT -5
Just one small point of contention. I thought Peter played a 335? Mike Back in early May we opened a show for Jonathan Byrd (actually our CD release). His guitar player, Johnny Waken, tore it up on a Strat so my wife decided I needed one. A buddy was culling his herd (something like 35 guitars that his wife had deemed excessive) and he gave me this Strat on more or less permanent loan (it still has some sentimental value so he's not real sure he wants to part with it so I can do anything I want to it but may have to give it back eventually. MAY have to). So the 335 is out and the Strat is in.
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Post by aquaduct on Jul 23, 2014 6:39:52 GMT -5
Some of us more discerning dickheads play both Gibsons and Fenders. I'm glad to see Peter in that group. Some of us more discerning dickheads understand that if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 6:44:37 GMT -5
There is wisdom in those words.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 6:46:01 GMT -5
So now that we've established that, we want specs. What's the deal on the Strat, Peter? US? Mexi? How old? P/Us? C'mon, c'mon.
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Post by aquaduct on Jul 23, 2014 7:16:26 GMT -5
So now that we've established that, we want specs. What's the deal on the Strat, Peter? US? Mexi? How old? P/Us? C'mon, c'mon. I've been told it's a '96 American Strat with a humbucker in the bridge position. Olympic white (as you can see) with a red spangly pickguard (don't you just love my use of technical terms like spangly?). Maple neck. It's a really damn nice guitar (my friend tends not to abide crap). There are a few things that take getting used to coming from a lifelong Gibson fanaticism. Probably the toughest is tuning. The bolt on neck and whammy bar make the body structure less stable and he's strung it with GHS Boomers (0.010's) for that nice slinky feel. The downside is tuning wanders, particularly in the summer heat. I've had the thing go from tuned to completely unplayable in a verse and a half on a 93 degree day outside. It doesn't take a capo very well at all either. Everything pulls sharp (tried Keysers, Shubbs, and Planet Waves- nothing really cures it) and the slinky strings really don't like to cooperate with corrections once the capo is on. Add to that the fact that my wife is a micro-tuning perfectionist and it can be tough to keep up. I've swapped the GHS strings for Dean Markley 0.010s and that's helped (less slinky, more tension). I'm trying to avoid changing gauge but may have to if it continues to be a serious problem. But I've played out with it for about 3 gigs now with the Markleys and a Shubb and it seems serviceable, only having to touch tuning every 3 or so songs. The volume knob placement on my 335 makes it useless for volume swells (can't reach it with the pinky and still play) and the Strat's volume knob is perfectly placed for that. Eliminates the volume pedal from the rig which is cool. But the volume knob is not particularly linear so all the volume comes on between 8 and 10 on the knob. I've been considering replacing the electronics with a full pickguard replacement from Bill Callaham here in town which will give me an audio taper pot (and an antiqued mint green pickguard), but I'm still on the fence there. I contacted the maker of my little Valvetrain amp (a corner is barely visible in the picture) and he set me up with some modifications to the circuitry which has opened up the reverb and the overall sound. So now the Strat sounds pretty righteous. Overall I'm settling into it as the Chatham Street axe of choice and I'm still using the 335 for my classes, etc. Another nice thing about it is there doesn't seem to be even the slightest appearance of the possibility of there being illegal Lacey Act wood in it. We're trying to figure out how to do some shows overseas and it will be nice to not have to worry about anyone absconding with my guitar.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 7:21:22 GMT -5
Kewl. If you change guages, you may potentially have to adjust the tension on the bridge plate. There are tension screws and springs onder the plastic cover on the back. As for tuning issues, do what I do. Lose about half of your mid-range hearing. That tends to even out the nuances in tuining anomalies. While that is a lot easier than trying to keep the guitar in perfect tune, it won't help with Christal.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 7:24:48 GMT -5
As for the wood issues, just keep telling the audience your Strat is made out of dead baby harp seals and illegal rhinoceros horn. You are close enough to DC that there have to be some Feds in the audience from time to time. They'll come knocking.
For sure a faster way would be to just say your guitar is a Republican, and that it doesn't support the current administration. That'll get the boys from DC knocking on your door!
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