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Oh, and DMiller, after I posted, I noticed your mention of Doc Watson's 83d birthday. So cool that he's still with us. Is he still playing? Man oh man what a picker he is! A few of my favorite songs of his are "Shady Grove", "That Train From Danville", And of course, "Tennessee Stud". Wow, what a player! Shoot, there is nothing that he plays that I do not love...

There will NEVER, ever, be another Arthel *Doc* Watson.

He single-handedly changed the course of acoustic guitar music.

*The blind leading the blind* was never truer :)

(Doc today -- don't know who the dude in the cowboy hat is).

b8f1a7e1d59e0bb9348861986f90b8a0.jpg

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Aww geez DeeMiller. Nice photo. That guy blessed my life so much when I was but fifteen it's unbelievebable...."Muskrat oh muskrat what makes you smell so bad, layin 'round the farmers yard eatin up all he had, eatin up all he had, boys eatin up all he had....."

Yeah, takes me back big time.

And ya know, when I first went to Twig, I used to pray during the "season of prayer time" during twig that "Doc Watson would come to an accurate knowledge of the Word, and truly be be born again". Yeah, I was really worried for his soul. And now of course, I am thankful to know that good old Doc Watson is no doubt just fine, and in the Hands of our Heavenly Father. And ya know? When he gets his New Body, no doubt he'll not be blind at all, but will be able to see! And thank God Almighty for that Hope! Yeah man, that'll be so cool...

P.S.

I never knew his first name, Arthel. Interesting name to be sure. Where was he born and raised? And can any of you out there find and post "Freight Train Boogie" By Doc Watson? Awesome acoustic steel string guitar...

Edited by Jonny Lingo
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Aww geez DeeMiller. Nice photo. That guy blessed my life so much when I was but fifteen it's unbelievebable...."Muskrat oh muskrat what makes you smell so bad, layin 'round the farmers yard eatin up all he had, eatin up all he had, boys eatin up all he had....."

Yeah, takes me back big time.

And ya know, when I first went to Twig, I used to pray during the "season of prayer time" during twig that "Doc Watson would come to an accurate knowledge of the Word, and truly be be born again". Yeah, I was really worried for his soul. And now of course, I am thankful to know that good old Doc Watson is no doubt just fine, and in the Hands of our Heavenly Father. And ya know? When he gets his New Body, no doubt he'll not be blind at all, but will be able to see! And thank God Almighty for that Hope! Yeah man, that'll be so cool...

P.S.

I never knew his first name, Arthel. Interesting name to be sure. Where was he born and raised? And can any of you out there find and post "Freight Train Boogie" By Doc Watson? Awesome acoustic steel string guitar...

DOC'S HISTORY IS HERE

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And ya know, when I first went to Twig, I used to pray during the "season of prayer time" during twig that "Doc Watson would come to an accurate knowledge of the Word, and truly be be born again". Yeah, I was really worried for his soul. And now of course, I am thankful to know that good old Doc Watson is no doubt just fine, and in the Hands of our Heavenly Father. And ya know? When he gets his New Body, no doubt he'll not be blind at all, but will be able to see! And thank God Almighty for that Hope! Yeah man, that'll be so cool...

:)

Edited by dmiller
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Sunesis - we have the whole Beckology, and the Gov. Mule CD's you mentioned - I think we have a bootleg Betts CD a friend gave to us... (same person who really turned me on to Trucks). Yes, all very good stuff!

============

Bluez - We got a friend who does a great version of 'Whippin Post' - never cared for the song much until I heard it unplugged - great in an acoustic setting - love it! I bet the jam was awesome - I also bet there's a bootleg of that floating around!

============

Socks - Your Assignment: A full review of tonight's outing. All the details. Okay?! (puleeee-zzzzeeee?!) :)

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Well, it was fun and great! Being a long time Sons fan it's nice to hear the tunes again live. (first time I saw them was in Oakland, 60-something at a school dance, St. Elizabeth's I think, right at the time they were starting to play)

Grillo smoked, and duh - he plays a Fernandes "Strat", set up with a Floyd Rose trem. White body. Nice guitar. He does a great job of working with the guitar parts, which are stamped with the sound of Terry Haggerty who played on the recordings over the years. "The Hag" played a lot of jazz oriented melodies in the solo sections, shaped with a rock sound. This guy takes it and really does a great job of keeping the essence there, doing some of the same stuff but adding to it. It's a good sound.

Champlin plays a custom guitar, a Tele style, got a couple pics of it but they're pretty fuzzy. The body's slightly smaller than standard and a little different shape but it definitely is based on the Tele design. His arrangements have a lot of stuff going on and they're doing some double guitar parts too, dropping references here and there, like a "Third Stone from the Sun" harmnoized part that was a kick.

Skip's sax playing was great. The arrangements are a workout, there were 4 in the horn section. Solid sound, great playing.

Sons audiences are like Dead audiences, only - different. :blink: Hard to describe. There's no musical noolding, 1/2 hour one chord jams or shoe-staring solos, it's arranged, and dead-on solid The music means a lot to people that heard it years ago, Champlin's writing had a lot of ideas going on. So there's a lot of older people enjoying the sound, but a surprising amount of people in their 20's and 30's. The place was sold-out.

It reminded me of how music draws people together from diverse backgrounds. We were surprised to see a few other folks there we knew, had no idea they'd be there. That was a plus. It's nice to see people doing well and getting on with their lives. It reminded me of how healthy it is to see people as - people. And how lame it is to see people through a haze of religious condemnation, especially when that relgiion is "The Way" of New Knoxville. :)

Back to the gutar stuff..................................................... :dance:

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I noticed your mention of Doc Watson's 83d birthday. So cool that he's still with us. Is he still playing?

Docs still playin'--I had the joy of seeing him last summer at a nice small show here in town . He is just as personable as ever and still one of the best pickers I have ever seen. He is playing with his grandson now (Merle's son), as well as Jack Lawrence who he has been playing with for about 20 years now...Doc is a real national treasure.... I am hoping to go down to Merlefest in NC to see him and for some good pickin near the end of April

Edited by mstar1
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Mstar --- Merle was another one of the great pickers. So sad he passed away at age 36, 20 some years ago. He and Doc were phenomenal together. :(

I remember hearing his tractor had rolled over on him, killing him instantly, but today I googled the story, and was dumbfounded, when I saw the actual truth behind the fact.

MERLE'S STORY

Merlefest is a fitting tribute to the man. :)

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Edited by dmiller
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Thanks for that--I never knew the details but that is quite a story-that brought a few tears to my eyes...

I first saw Doc and Merle in the very early '70's and was absolutely astounded at their playing and down home good naturedness...

Ive gone through all sorts of musical periods and tastes since then, but as I get older it all seems to have come full circle where guys like Doc, Merle and others who you could see pickin on your front porch, around the kitchen table or out in your backyard under a full moon are the type of players that do it for me.

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1978 vintage 'Mahar-Guitar" (a.k.a., "The Mahogany Goose" which made its brief flight circ.1980).

with a set of 1957 Les Paul pickups ($75).

A second hand set of Grotsch (sp?) tuners ($20).

And a cheesy imitation Rikenbacher pickguard (free).

It was my high school woodshop project (the fuzzy pics do it justice).

Glad I'm upgrading my wood tools.

:)

Danny

post-150-1142232363_thumb.jpg

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right now all I have is a Giannini craviola in not so good condition.

I am looking to get a real nice Taylor or Martin acoustic one of these days soon.

Used to have a strat and lots of toys. Sold most of it after not using it for a few years while in college to get money for the word in biz-nass conference. Burning the chaff you know. DAMN IT!

I think a PRS would do today. A sweet looking Rikenbacher would do as well. Telecaster and a ....well, someday.

Still have my "Wah" pedal. Nothing to hook it up to though, lol. It is fun to use while playing air guitar to movies and TV shows from the 60's and 70's. :spy:

Edited by lindyhopper
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Hey DMiller,

Thanks for the link to Merle's story. Ya know, I had heard differently about Merle's death. I had heard that Merle Watson was somewhat of a "badboy", drinker, somewhat of a trouble maker, and that he was killed in a "drinkin' 'n 'drivin a tractor" accident. I had never heard about the big splinter aspect of the accident. I'd heard that the reason he drove the tractor was because he lost his license to having multiple DUI's.

This story sounds much better than the one I heard from a guy who is an awesome bluegrass guitar picker and longtime fan of both Doc and Merle Watson. This story wouldn't be a sanitized version out of respect for a man now gone from us, would it? Either way, it is a sad loss. So sad for Doc Watson to have a son who followed in his footsteps and in such a prime time of life and as such a fabulous player, to be struck down like that. Doc Watson must have been extremely proud of his boy. Just imagine playing music like that with your own son in front of all of those people! Wow! Must have made both of their hearts burst with healthy pride! :)

Edited by Jonny Lingo
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Nice looking guitar Dan! I take it you still have it - say yes...pulees?!

Thanks Socks. Yes, I still have it! I need to redo the wiring and do a bit more finishing

work, now that I'm slightly older (and perhaps somewhat wiser).

As soon as I finish building the Theremin I've been working on the past month.

And, providing my marriage survives my latest power tool purchases (I just bought my first router & a few other things) as well as others I have in mind (drill press, tablesaw, new variable jigsaw, sundry clamps).

God, how I miss that old high school woodshop!

Danny

Edited by TheInvisibleDan
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I'd heard that the reason he drove the tractor was because he lost his license to having multiple DUI's.

This story sounds much better than the one I heard from a guy who is an awesome bluegrass guitar picker and longtime fan of both Doc and Merle Watson. This story wouldn't be a sanitized version out of respect for a man now gone from us, would it?

Jonny --- it was George Jones (the country singer) who lost his driver's license due to multiple DWI's. George wanted a drink, and with no driver's license got on his riding lawn mower, and drove it to the local bar. He was arrested for driving that drunk too. (Wonder if he was charged with a MWI -*mowing while intoxicated*)?? :biglaugh:

And no -- I don't think that is a *sanitized* version. I got that from the official MERLEFEST site Mstar provided. :)

Merle was killed on my birthday, back in 1985, and when I heard it was a tractor accident, I naturally assumed that he had been doing farm chores when the accident happened, rather than this midnight run.

Edited by dmiller
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If you can find it in the archives, there is a warm and moving Terri gross interview with Doc done some years back wherein the good fellow goes into the loss of his son. My high estimation of Doc shot up yet more when I heard it.

Saw Doc & Merle once at the venerable Tulage's in Boulder back in the day. It was an especially wonderful show.

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I had a neighbor teach me travis style picking. I loved Doc Watson. I did manage to learn his song Deep River Blues the way he does it. If you like him, Rev. Gary Johnson (I think that's his name), I believe was also an incredible picker, as well as John Fahey.

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Just got THIS disc today. Actually, it's one I owned before, but loaned out and never got it back. I've lost a lot of cd's, records, and tapes that way over the years.

Freddie King. He was only 42 when he passed away. This song is one of my all time favorites. On the same disc, he does great versions of Dust My Broom, and Key To The Highway

Rick

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SWEET! Nice stuff. He's got the Sound alright.

Morning rain...keeps on falling...

Love the ... flutes? are they, on that.... :dance:

Plus the man had the 'do. Great player.

I-Dan, did you finish it originally? I wonder how it would like sanded and oiled? I like the cutaways, the "horns". Very well balanced.

I've been thinking for several years - no action yet - to get one of these inexpensive kits for a Telecaster and work on it. I think it would be fun. They sell for about 125 bucks, plus materials. Wouldn't be the greatest guitar in the world, but could be worked on and do some nice things with it. Still thinking.....

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Socks,

I had originally finished it with tung oil, and it is probably long overdue for a few more coats.

Omigosh, go for the "Telecaster" kit! You won't regret it.

It's about the same price I paid for a Paia Theremin kit (for anyone wondering what the heck is a "Theremin", http://www.thereminworld.com/article.asp?id=17 ).

I just finished putting together the circuit board, and am now designing a cabinet and some antennae for it.

It will be interesting to finally hear what this thing sounds like, and how it plays.

Danny

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My dad once made a stringed instrument with the help of my sister, and they called it a "Pentalika". It was a science project thing. My sister did a read up on the pentatonic scale, hung some glass bottles from a wood rack that my dad built, put verying amounts of water in the bottles to where they had the proper sounds, and when she "dinged them" from left to right, it was the pentatonic scale.

And then, she conscripted my dad to take it a step farther by building this guitar looking thing out of 2x2's and wood paneling. The body was cut in a triangle with the panel nailed to the 2x2 frame on top and bottom, creating the "box". There was a hole in the middle on top to catch the sound of the six strings (six I think) that ran from the peg head to the bridge. Regular guitar strings were used, and it was tuned to the pentatonic scale. I think they used "screw eyes" for the pegs. It didn't sound very good of course, but it did have the correct scale, and it's uniqueness along with the bottles of "tuned water" earned her a major award at the Junior High science fair that year. Yeah, that old Daddy of mine was something else! :)

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Very cool Dan. I've got an old Paia catalogue from a while back, little paper one, that had some of their kits in it. The Thermin looked intriguing. It would be nice to hear the results!

I almost got one of their preamps. Don't really need it now but it seemed like a cool idea and dirt cheap. I've read good reviews of the results from their stuff.

Pentalika

That would be a good name for a band JL ! made something once that was supposed to be a hammer dulcimer but turned out to be just hammered! The basic sound was there, strung up with low strings and using little cheap tuners. It was fun!

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Dan - Cool guitar you built - heck, with the LP p'ups on that baby you could just slap an Ibanez label on the headstock and no one would know the diff (Ibanez designs almost always came from other makers' ideas) - it's like Les Paul and Fender had a baby!

Thermin - Jimmy Page used one in the middle of "Whole Lotta Love" - if you wanna see him in action with it, it's on film on "Song Remains The Same". We have the DVD - when it got to that part of the song on the video, I remember thinking, "What tha heck is THAT?!" So, hubby enlightened me (he's a Zep freak).... Seems like thermins have a cult following from that link you posted - who'd've known....

Very cool, indeed!

-------------------

Socks --

Carvin also does kits - and you can pick the body, neck, electronics, etc. all yourself - mix-n-match. It's a little more than what you quoted for the Tele kit, but for the options you get, I think it's still pretty reasonable...

Edited by ChasUFarley
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I have learned by re-eading about this pic that all of these instruments are "Balalaika's". The big one must be the bass, and the little the "lead". It must be the Les Paul or the Strat..Hah! I guess this is actually a modern group. And, I read that these are Russian instruments, and not the medievel instrument that I thought it was, although with no doubt with an equally old history...

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