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Vegetation as air cleanerMay 8, 2013 —
A gardener asked me about what shrubs to plant as a screen against a fence for privacy, to filter noise and provide a barrier against car exhaust coming into her yard.
Can plants remove air pollutants? The answer is yes. Leaves remove gaseous pollutants from the air by absorbing them through their pores. Leaves, stems and twigs also trap air pollution particles on their surfaces. Some particles are absorbed into the plant, while others are washed off by rain or overhead irrigation or dropped to the ground via leaf and twig drop. Trees are good absorbers of sulfur dioxide. A hedge may remove as much as 50 percent of sulfur dioxide blowing through it or reduce airborne lead by 40 to 60 percent. Not only do the plants absorb pollutants through their foliage, the soil surface around them is another effective pollution sink for carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons.
Can plants also reduce noise pollution? The answer is, not much when there are just a few plants, but in dense buffers, they can reduce noise somewhat. You get five to eight decibels (dB) of sound reduction per 100 feet of buffer width. A power mower three feet away puts out 107 dB; bird calls are 44 dB. In order for plant buffers to work at all, the plants have to be close together, have dense foliage (leaves) and the buffer must be the correct length and height. Foliage of the plants should grow from the ground up. A combination of shrubs and trees usually works best. The buffer must be planted close to the noise source rather than close to the area to be protected. On a road with speeds less than 40 mph, a 20- to 50-foot-wide buffer planted within 20 feet of the center of the nearest traffic lane can reduce road noise. On a road with speeds greater than 40 mph, a buffer would need to be 65 to 100 feet in width and within 50 to 80 feet of the center of the nearest traffic lane to be effective (USDA National Agroforestry Center). What works better to reduce noise is a solid fence, wall, soil berm or other solid material.
JoAnne Skelly is the Carson City/Storey County Extension educator for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 887-2252.
Valley loses longtime resident Dale AbbottMay 8, 2013 —
Sadly, one day after his 96th birthday, Dale Abbott passed away in Coupevillle, Wash. He had been living there with his son, Ed, since 2011, but was still a local in the community's heart. A service was held at his gravesite in Coleville on May 4 and touched many. Dale had been a very active part of the Valley in his support of our residents and will be missed.
New Walker Transfer Station hours
The Walker Transfer Station (the dump to some) has changed their yearly schedule to simplify our usage. Instead of changing the hours of operation between winter and summer times, they will now be open all year on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. I have also been advised that they have eliminated charges for manure dumping as well as extending the dumping of wood waste at no charge for the entire year. To leave the wood waste, you need to contact the local fire department to get a Wood Waste Waiver.
Memorial Day Book & Bake Sale
Saturday, May 25, the Antelope Valley Friends of the Library will again be holding this enjoyable sale of good books and homemade baked goods. They'll have pies, cookies and more for you to take advantage of. The sale will be held at the Walker Mini Mall, starting at 9 a.m.
This and that
I haven't heard of anyone in the area hitting the big Power Ball numbers, but I hope we're all trying. Both the Walker General Store and the Walker Country Store can sell you the possible winner. It'd be great to see a local win a good prize.
The Antelope Valley Fire Department will be holding a tri-tip dinner and no host bar June 14 at the firehouse on Larson Lane. As a real bonus, music will be provided by Nighthawk, and there'll be a barn dance to enjoy, as well as raffle prizes and a silent auction. I'll remind you again a little closer to the date, with some more information.
Happy Mother's Day to all moms.
Lynne Katusich can be reached at email@example.com or (530) 495-2552
Be careful with lawn herbicides and dogsMay 8, 2013 —
When my dogs were alive, I avoided using herbicides in my yard. While chemical labels state safe reentry times after application, I just never felt comfortable about it. Recently an article came across my desk about herbicides being detected in the urine of pet dogs following home lawn herbicide application. This has been associated with "significantly higher bladder cancer risk in dogs" (http://weedsnetwork.com/traction/permalink/WeedsNews4419). The chemicals tested were some of the common ones used for lawn weeds: 2,4-D, MCPP and dicamba. Not only are these chemicals found singly in herbicide products, they are often found in fertilizer/weed killer combination products. What I also found interesting in this study is that chemicals were found in dog urine prior to lawn treatment with herbicides, after lawn treatment and in dogs on untreated lawns. This suggested that dogs were picking up chemicals that blew into their yards and from visiting other areas that had been treated. Dogs are at risk because they get chemical residues on their fur and paws, which they lick. They may inhale chemicals as they roll or play on the grass. While you may not use herbicides on your lawn, they are often used in parks or other places you might take your dog. As I looked further into studies and then into the US Environmental Protection Agency response to these studies, I realized that the studies were inconclusive about the dangers to dogs of exposure to lawn chemicals. In 2012 the EPA stated that while additional research on connecting 2,4-D exposure to cancer in dogs was warranted, "it does not believe that there is evidence of critical animal health issues which warrant changes to its current conclusions" (http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/24d/24d-issue-response.pdf). What this EPA response didn't take into consideration was other kinds of active ingredients, or how various ingredients might affect dogs in combination. Depending on your research bent, you can find articles on both sides of the issue. Some will say pesticides are horrible and cause cancer and others will say they are completely safe. It is up to you to make decisions about your chemical use in your yard and landscape. If you decide using pesticides is acceptable, read and follow the label carefully and exactly. You will find safety information including how long to restrict access to pets and people after using the pesticide, where and how to use the chemical, and safe storage and disposal information. It is your legal responsibility to follow all the information on the label.
JoAnne Skelly may be reached at email@example.com or 887-2252.
Jesus paid the price for our forgivenessMay 3, 2013 —
When Jesus was asked by his followers to "teach us to pray," one of the petitions he left them with was to request that the Lord "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." I don't know if I'm bold enough to make that request. I'm not sure if I want my Heavenly Father to apply the same amount of forgiveness as I do with those who have stepped on my toes (that's a less formal way of saying those who have "trespassed against me").
Could it be that my prayers are not getting very far (bouncing off the ceiling) because I haven't removed the ceiling of unforgiveness from my life and my heart? Maybe I've forgiven a few on "my list," but that may only allow for some slow filtering through the roof of my prayers, and little room for answers to return and enter in. Anybody with me so far?
Good ole "flap jaw" Peter (I like to call him Rocky) asked the Lord, "How many times must I forgive?" The reply, "seventy times seven," probably wasn't what he wanted to hear. I have trouble hearing that myself for that matter. I think that pretty much meant an unlimited amount. For me, I think the first time is the hard one. You see, I've got to be forgiven first and may need 70 times myself in order to become free enough to forgive many of my "debtors" — the ones that "owe me."
Somewhere in the '60s, Christians had a little three letter word that they liked to use, and even had some little symbols on their shelves with the letters, "JOY." Those in the know, knew that it represented the slogan, "Jesus first – Others second – Yourself last."
A great friend of mine, once taught a Bible study where he asked permission to switch the letters around to "J-Y-O" saying that we can't successfully live our lives, and love our neighbors properly, until we have a wonderful love relationship with our Savior and then the "O" (others) will be loved and better loved than before.
Let's recall that our Savior already asked the Father for our forgiveness while he was paying the price. Remember he said, "they don't know what they are doing." Could it be that, that person at the top of the list, doesn't truly know? They need to hear from us.
First, begin a process of totally forgiving yourself and receiving the forgiveness Jesus already pleaded for you. Cash in that gift. Spend some time reflecting on what a great gift it was long ago. Then forgive that "debtor – trespasser" with all the appreciation you have. Pray for help if you need it (I certainly do if I'm to be successful at all).
If you're now humble enough and grateful enough, follow the idea recently portrayed in the movie "Pay it Forward." Set out to contact the person (one-on-one as the Scripture says) and see if you can't begin the reconciliation process Jesus provided in Matthew 18 (especially verses 12 and following). See that person with forgiveness and the value that would lead one to leave the 99 sheep and go after the one. Often it's been said, "If you were the only person alive, Jesus would have died just for you." And, you know what? He did.
Pastor Bill Baltz is a member of the Carson Valley Ministers' Association.
BirthsMay 8, 2013 —
Lillyan Jade Schmanski
Gardnerville residents Lindsay Straw and Alex Schmanski are parents of a daughter, Lillyan Jade Schmanski, born April 16, 2013 at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Lillyan weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce at birth.
Kenzie Grace Werth
Gardnerville resident Kathleen Wilborn is the mother of a daughter, Kenzie Grace Werth, born April 15, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Kenzie weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces at birth.
Lucas Dean Humphreys
Gardnerville residents Chelsea and Nicholas Humphreys are parents of a son, Lucas Dean Humphreys, born April 18, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Lucas weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces at birth.
Emily Sadie Gurewitz
Gardnerville residents Sarah and Jeffrey Gurewitz are parents of a daughter, Emily Sadie Gurewitz, born April 19, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Emily weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces at birth.
Macie Brianne Meeks
Gardnerville residents Brandi and Jashua Meeks are parents of a daughter, Macie Brianne Meeks, born April 19, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Macie weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces at birth.
Paxton Danny Lee Sampson
Minden resident Kelsey Sampson is the mother of a son, Paxton Danny Lee Sampson, born April 23, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Paxton weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces at birth.
Matthew Conness Vaillancourt
Gardnerville residents Erin and Marc Vaillancourt are parents of a son, Matthew Conness Vaillancourt, born April 23, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Matthew weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces at birth.
Minden Rae Lamb
Gardnerville residents La Rae McCarren and Christopher Lamb are parents of a daughter, Minden Rae Lamb, born April 24, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Minden weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces at birth.
Jagger Slade Clore
Minden residents Tianna and Mark Clore are parents of a son, Jagger Slade Clore, born April 26, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Jagger weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces at birth.
California fishing season opens SaturdayApril 24, 2013 —
There are a whole lot of people out there who are really excited that California's fishing season is opening this Saturday, April 27th. The weather looks like it will cooperate and make it a fun opener. Locally, licenses can be purchased at the Walker General Store and the Walker Country Store. In addition, the Country Store will be having raffles Saturday and Sunday. They will have raffles for fishing equipment and separate raffles for kids' prizes, and their snack bar will have food at bargain prices. Get out there and catch a bunch of fish and enjoy our beautiful locale.
High Point Curve update
I recently received a memo from CalTrans about the status of roadwork at Topaz Lake. We all know that they are behind their original time frame, so it wasn't surprising when the memo said that completion of the project is now estimated to occur by July of this year. We can all look forward to that occasion, except for realizing that there will be more traffic stops before they are finished, while they are paving, etc.
Fire Fee billings delayed
We had been advised that we would receive a couple of bills this year for the Fire Fee, but so far we hadn't received any. It turns out that many people who weren't in the State Responsibility Areas (SRA) were incorrectly billed, so now they are trying to sort everything out before issuing more bills. We'll wait and see what happens next.
Pet licensing soon
Saturday, June 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Mono County will be holding their annual low cost vaccination and licensing clinic at the fire station on Hackney Drive. The cost for the 2013-2014 license is $10 for each and vaccinations are $6 each. This is such a convenience for those of us in the valley with pets, saving us a trip to town for their shots.
Lynne Katusich can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or (530) 495-2552.
National honeybee population in declineApril 24, 2013 —
Honeybees are dying in alarming numbers across the United States according to researchers and commercial beekeepers.
"Populations have declined in North America almost 50 percent over the past two decades," (Cline, 2013, Western Farm Press). USDA reports major bee declines since 2006.
K. Keatley Garvey from UC Davis writes in Western Farm Press that every winter honeybees are dying in large numbers. 2012 was one of the worst winters on record for bee deaths. One example of the pressing need for bees for successful production is California's 800,000 acres of almonds. UC Davis Extension apiculturist, Eric Mussen says, "We need 1.6 million colonies…and California has only about 500,000 colonies…We need to bring in a million more colonies, but due to winter losses, we may not have enough bees." Mussen goes on to state that 2012 may have been one of the worst honey production years in the history of the nation depriving bees of their food source. "Some beekeepers have reported winter losses of 90 to 100 percent" (Mussen, 2013).
"Almond growers want productive hives with at least eight frames of bees per hive," Mussen states. Beekeepers are finding many hives have died this past winter and other hives are maintaining only four or fewer frames of bees. This is a serious decline. Beekeepers are hard pressed to provide enough bees to meet the pollination demand not only for almond production but also for other fruits and vegetables. Some California almond growers are having to order their bees from beekeepers in the eastern U.S.
What is killing the bees? No one is quite sure what causes Colony Collapse Disorder. It may be mite infestations and viruses, bad beekeeping, pesticides, reduction of habitat and pollen sources, or weather including drought. However, if this bee decline trend continues, commercial beekeeping may become a thing of the past in the U.S.
If you are interested in learning more about conserving native bees and other pollinators, attend the Pollinator Conservation Planning Course, May 3, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Western Nevada College in Fallon. Contact WNC Specialty Crop Institute, www.wnc.edu/sci, 775-351-2551, email@example.com.
The next University of Nevada Cooperative Extension "Grow Your Own" class is April 24, 6 to 8 p.m., Gardening in Nevada's Soils, A Hero's Journey. On May 1, 6 to 8 p.m., the topic will be nutrients and fertilizers for your vegetables. These classes are free at 2621 Northgate, Suite 12, Carson City. Call 887-2252 or email email@example.com to reserve a spot.
Births for April 17April 24, 2013 —
Ty Jensen Campbell
Gardnerville residents Leslie and Gary Campbell are parents of a son, Ty Jensen Campbell, born April 2, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Ty weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces at birth.
Parker William Rose
Minden residents Hollie and Timothy Rose are parents of a son, Parker William Rose, born April 2, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Parker weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces at birth.
McKenna Lee Crawford
Gardnerville residents Meagan Turkington and Daniel Crawford are parents of a daughter, McKenna Lee Crawford, born April 5, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. McKenna weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces at birth.
Tips for attracting good insects to yardApril 16, 2013 —
Of the more than one million types of insects in the world, less than 5 percent are harmful. Some insects can be nuisances, but don't cause plant damage. Beneficial insects are important tools for managing insect pests in your yard. Almost every insect pest has one or more natural enemies that reduce its population when it gets out of control.
Beneficial insects kill or reduce the numbers of bad insects in your yard. Learn to recognize them. See University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's photo gallery at www.manageNVpest.info. These good guys will hang around your yard, if you treat them well. The balance between good and bad insects is critical to a healthy landscape. A change in weather patterns, use of a pesticide or even removal of a shrub that provides cover can disrupt the balance between good and bad insects. You can minimize this imbalance by keeping your plants vigorous and healthy throughout the year.
Insect management does not mean killing every pest insect in your yard. Eliminating all pest insects reduces your population of beneficial insects. Pest insects attract the good insects that eat them. The key is to find a level you can tolerate and let nature take its course.
Beneficial insects are available commercially for release into your yard. You must follow label directions carefully for good results. Insects released in your garden may not stick around if they find food, shelter or water elsewhere.
Here are tips to boost populations of good insects:
Plant more flowers to provide nectar and shelter for good insects.
Use lures to attract good insects. Many use chemicals that emit the scent of a specific pest insect.
Use insecticides only as a last resort. They can kill your good insects.
Accept a level of pest insects that will attract more good insects. Good insects need something to eat.
Identify the insect before you take action so you don't do more harm than good.
Provide a fresh water source such as a bird bath.
For more information on beneficial insects and other pest management topics go to www.manageNVpest.info.
JoAnne Skelly is the Carson City/Storey County Extension educator for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and may be reached at email@example.com or 887-2252.
Art association donates paintingApril 24, 2013 —
On March 22, Carson Valley Art Association members gave the Veterans Guest House in Reno a painting, which they had selected from the in-house show at Western Nevada Community College's Minden campus.
Noreen Leary from the Veterans Guest House was there to receive the painting.
Leary said she was originally a school teacher, but was drawn into working for this cause.
She said it had been noticed that in some cases, veterans and their families had been sleeping in their cars on cold winter nights in Reno waiting for their medical treatments at the Veterans Administration Hospital.
A home was found that the veterans could use, and since then they have added more homes and managed to provide modest meals.
Denning received $200 from CVAA for the painting.
Power Ball has arrived at the Walker storeApril 24, 2013 —
I have seen a lot of stories on TV about Power Ball and people in other states who have won, but it has just become available in California. This will be available to try at the Walker Country Store, with the first drawing today. If you have wanted to find out about it and possibly try it, go on down to the Country Store. In addition to everything else, they now also have a snack bar with lots of good stuff, including $1 hot dogs or corn dogs on Wednesdays.
Valley fever alert
The Mono County Health Officer has sent a reminder that we are now entering Valley Fever season. The best information they can give at this time is that it gives symptoms similar to the flu and can keep you laid up for a little while. They also advised that it is possible to get some cases of it in Mono County. Please be careful.
Protect your home
With a couple of recent burglaries in our area, the Sheriff's office is advising all of us to take certain steps to protect ourselves and our homes. They remind us to keep our homes locked and to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. They have increased the number of deputies patrolling in the valley, but want us to call their office at (760) 932-7549 ext. 7 if we see anything suspicious. Please don't put yourself in danger.
Thanks to the golfers
The Lions Club's 13th Annual Cow Pasture Golf Tournament last weekend was a great success, thanks to all who participated. All proceeds go toward the scholarship fund for Coleville High graduates, in honor of Jackie Giorgi, so it is a great event to support, as well as being a lot of fun.
Lynne Katusich can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or (530) 495-2552.
Colt spooks in GenoaApril 24, 2013 —
120 years ago
April 14, 1893
A colt owned by J. R. Johnson, hitched up to a cart for the first time created excitement in Genoa Tuesday. The bit broke in the horse's mouth, making him uncontrollable. A broken shaft was the only damage done.
95 years ago
April 12, 1918
Contracts have been let and ground was broken this week for a new brick building at Minden that will be occupied jointly by the farmers' Bank of Carson Valley and the offices of H.F. Dangberg Land and Live Stock Company.
80 years ago
April 14, 1933
Members of the junior-senior class of Douglas high school are arranging final details for their annual dance to be given at Carson Valley Improvement Club Hall, Minden Saturday evening, April 22nd. The hall is to be artistically decorated for this special occasion and good music will be provided for the dance.
50 years ago
April 11, 1963
The Minden Town Board last week voted to install a street light near the Coventry Cross Episcopal Church, and also to install stop signs on First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and tenth streets where they join the County Road.
25 years ago
April 14, 1988
Douglas County schools will be tobacco free when students, teachers and staff return to the campuses in September. By a vote of four to two, the school board Tuesday decided to ban tobacco products from all district property effective Sept. 1.
10 years ago
April 9, 2003
A week ago, Air Force Reserve Capt. Shean Galvin appeared on Good Morning America after he accompanied rescued POW Jessica Lynch to a hospital in Germany. Galvin, a Minden resident, is a nurse from Washoe Medical Center.
A look back at past editions of The Record-Courier by R-C intern Carson Costa.
BIRTHS for April 5April 24, 2013 —
Tripp Aaron Peters
Gardnerville residents Michele and Joshua Peters are the parents of a son, Tripp Aaron Peters, born March 25, 2013, at Carson-Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Tripp weighed 9 pounds, 3 ounces at birth.
Nimue Elizabeth Schultz
Gardnerville residents Naomi O'Keefe and Robert Schultz are the parents of a daughter, Nimue Elizabeth Schultz, born March 26, 2013, at Carson-Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Nimue weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces at birth.
Spring time to manage fruit tree pestsApril 24, 2013 —
Pest management is an important aspect of raising fruit trees. An integrated pest management approach combines an assortment of tactics that cause as little disruption to the environment as possible while managing pests effectively.
To use IPM for fruit tree care, consider timing. Use horticultural oils to control aphids, scale and other slow-moving pests while trees are at the dormant, delayed dormant or ¼-inch green tip stage. Right now, the buds on most fruit trees are swollen (delayed dormant stage). The ¼-inch green-tip stage occurs when the spring leaves start to emerge. Oils smother and suffocate overwintering insects and eggs before they hatch.
Horticulture oils are very safe for humans and the environment and they dissipate quickly. They have little effect on wildlife. They are accepted for use in organic practices. However, only the insects coated by the spray solution are controlled, so thorough coverage, even of the undersides of branches, is required. Horticulture oils can also kill beneficial insects if they are present during spraying. Beware — horticulture oils can burn plants if applied improperly. Some plants, particularly maples, blue junipers and spruce, are extremely sensitive. Temperatures should be above 32 degrees F and less than 90 degrees F. Do not apply if rain is expected. If you choose to spray, use only products specifically recommended for your particular plant; read and follow the label. Do not spray when your fruit trees are in bloom. You will kill the bees and other pollinators.
Battle codling moths after the flowers drop. Their wormlike larvae cause messy tunnels in apples and pears. When populations are minimal, sanitation is the first step. UC Davis entomologist Dr. Mary Louise Flint recommends, "Every week or two, beginning about six to eight weeks after bloom, check fruit on trees for signs of damage. Remove and destroy any infested fruit showing the frass-filled holes. Removing infested fruit before the larvae are old enough to crawl out and begin the next generation can be a very effective method for reducing the population. Thinning out the infested fruit has the added benefit of encouraging the remaining fruit on the tree to grow larger."
Enclosing young fruit in bags right on the tree four to six weeks after bloom can prevent the adults from laying eggs on them. Either bag all the fruit, or as many as you think you will need. Check any unbagged fruit regularly for worms and remove from the tree. For more information, go to http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7412.html.
A bit of care now will yield fruit benefits later.
JoAnne Skelly is the Carson City/Storey County Extension educator for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and may be reached at email@example.com or 887-2252.
Trinity Lutheran presents financial seriesApril 24, 2013 —
Trinity Lutheran Church is presenting a biblical-based series by Dave Ramsey that teaches people how to handle money God's way.
This video class is open to the community with the purpose of helping people achieve their financial goals by showing how to eliminate debt, save for the future, and give like never before.
"You will be challenged and motivated to make a plan for your money and change your family tree forever," a press release stated. "In nine action-packed lessons, you'll learn how to beat debt, build wealth, invest for the future, give like never before, and much more. There will be lessons on cash flow planning, dumping debt, retirement and college planning, insurance and mortgage financing, etc."
The weekly financial series begins 6 p.m. April 10, and continues through June 5.
Financial Peace University lessons also include guest speakers Rachel Cruze, speaker and daughter of Dave Ramsey; Jon Acuff, author of Wall Street Journal best-seller "Quitter," and popular blog Stuff Christians Like; and Chris Hogan, counselor and speaker for the Dave Ramsey organization.
"FPU will not only transform the way you handle money, but also your marriage and other areas of your life," said Ramsey. "This isn't a boring financial class. We make learning about money fun and easy to understand so people in every situation can benefit from the information."
Trinity Lutheran offers a 5:30 p.m. dinner preceding each class for $3 per person or $8 per family. Child care is available.
The class meets at Trinity Lutheran Church located at 1480 Douglas Ave. in Gardnerville.
The price for the entire series is $89 per family.
Each participant receives a workbook, Dave Ramsey's "Complete Guide to Money," an envelope system and an audio CD library. Participants will also have access to budgeting forms and MP3s of all the lessons.
Contact Holly Nelson at 782-8153 for more information or to register.
It's yard sale timeApril 24, 2013 —
I know a lot of us have been cleaning out our closets and garages to make room for spring and summer stuff and are planning to have a yard sale very soon. Please remember that items that you don't sell there will really help the Thrift Store in Walker if they are in decent condition and sellable. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and they would really appreciate your help with good donations. The proceeds they make go to assist our Valley seniors, so it is all for a worthy cause.
Pasture golf
Remember, April 6 is the Lions Club Cow Pasture Golf Tournament. It is held at the Giorgi Ranch on Topaz Lane and is always a really fun day. Signups are at 9 a.m., with the tournament beginning at 10 a.m. For more information, call Dave at (530) 495-2822 or Mike at (530) 495-2552.
Easter Egg hunt
The Antelope Valley Lions Club will be holding their annual Easter Egg Hunt for kids of all ages on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m. Please be sure you are there before starting time so your kids won't miss out on the rush to find some eggs. This event is held at the park area of the Community Center in Walker and always has a great crowd of kids.
This and that
Recently, we have all missed the chance to have a tasty breakfast in the Valley, but the good news is that there are now two places to enjoy the morning meal. The Meadowcliff Restaurant still has their good meals, and now Mountainview Barbecue is serving really great ones, too. Both restaurants are only open on weekends for now, but they will soon expand their schedules.
A reminder for area seniors is that the Senior Center has free bingo games in April on the Friday the 12th and the 26th. The games start right after lunch is over and don't cost anything to play. The winners of the games receive a certificate for a free lunch at the senior center.
Happy Easter to all.
Lynne Katusich can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or (530) 495-2552.
Cow Pasture Golf coming soonApril 24, 2013 —
Starting with signups at 9 a.m. April 6, the Antelope Valley Lions Club will be holding their 13th annual Cow Pasture Golf Tournament at the Giorgi Ranch on Topaz Lane. This is such a fun event held yearly to benefit the Lions Scholarship Fund for Coleville High School grads. The cost for pasture golf and a delicious barbeque lunch is $30. Lunch only is $15. Prizes are awarded to the top three teams, and there are loads of great raffle prizes to win. This is really a "don't miss" event.
St. Patrick's buffet
The Beta Sigma Phi sorority is holding a buffet at the Community Building in Walker this Saturday, from 5 to 7 p.m. They will be serving corned beef, short ribs, several side dishes, and desserts for only $12 for adults and $5 for children 10 and younger. There will also be a no-host bar by the Lions Club. They will also have many raffle prizes, with the grand prize being a $500 Visa gift card. Their proceeds also go to the Coleville High School Scholarship Fund. Hope to see you there.
Thrift Store sales
From March 18 through 23, the Walker Thrift Store is having their monthly Bag Sale at bargain prices. A bag of shirts, pants and/or shorts is only $5, while you can buy a bag of other clothing including shoes, jackets, belts or snow gear for just $10. Stop by and get a deal on things you can use.
This and that
Sadly, our valley has lost another good community member and friend. On March 2, Lee Sims passed away. A long-time Marine, firefighter, Lions Club member, as well as a member of the Senior Citizens Workshop Board, he was a valuable part of the Valley and good friend who will be greatly missed by many.
The Mono County Public Health Officer has sent out a bulletin saying that the flu season is slowly ending. Take care, though, since it isn't totally gone yet.
Lynne Katusich can be reached at email@example.com or (530) 495-2552.
Spring brings many garden choresApril 24, 2013 —
I saw a double rainbow this morning, the first day of spring. What a nice way to start a new season. The forsythia and daffodils are blooming. Soon will be lilac time. Of course, garden chores accelerate with the coming of spring, but that can't dampen my spirit. I love this time of year, especially the changeable weather. You never know what will happen next.
I turned on all the sprinklers last weekend to deep soak my yard. I hand-watered everything that isn't watered with my irrigation system. As I stood there watering, I began to think of all the tasks I need to accomplish. I want to "trim" the edges of my lawn with a weed killer. This will prevent the grass from growing into my shrub and flowerbeds. I have already started weeding other spots, while the seedlings are small and easy to pull out. However, weeding is a never-ending chore.
There is a lot of cleanup to do with downed branches and twigs of the poplars, leaves blown into deep stacks in the corners of the fence and the dead leaves on the clumps of red hot poker plants. I have to cut back my Shasta daisies too.
I hired a certified arborist to prune my old apple trees and remove a dead pine, but I will still need to prune all the water sprouts out of the crabapples. My lawn is looking ragged. Mowing it isn't a bad idea, even though it isn't growing yet, to make it look tidier. It's almost time to fertilize. I had better remind my husband to sharpen the blades and tune up the mowers. Aerating would be a good idea too.
I want to put compost in my garden, turn the soil over and plant peas and greens. I should trap and kill that first ground squirrel I saw yesterday, before he populates the entire neighborhood with his pesky progeny that eat my veggies and flowers.
Here are some things I don't need to do yet. I don't have to prune the roses; that happens after April 15. Forsythia, lilacs and other spring bloomers get pruned after they bloom, not now. It is still a bit early to start tomatoes and other cold sensitive plants indoors, maybe when it's six weeks before putting them outside.
Spring is here and so are landscaping chores. It feels great, doesn't it?
JoAnne Skelly is the Carson City/Storey County Extension educator for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and may be reached at email@example.com or 887-2252.
March 14, 2013 —
Jared Alexander Valdivia
Coleville, Calif., residents Stephanie and Lorenzo Valdivia are parents of a son, Jared Alexander Valdivia, born Feb. 28, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Jared weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces at birth.
Logan Drake Barstad
Minden residents Tracy Davidson and Eric Barstad are parents of a son, Logan Drake Barstad, born Feb. 27, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Logan weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces at birth.
Ryland Thomas Harrison
Gardnerville residents Alyssa Burt and Gregory Harrison are parents of a son, Ryland Thomas Harrison, born Feb. 27, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Ryland weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces at birth.
Kelix Christopher Cooley
Minden residents Marie and Brian Cooley are parents of a son, Kelix Christopher Cooley, born Feb. 27, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Kelix weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces at birth.
Reagan Grace Carrion
Gardnerville residents Laura and Paul Carrion are parents of a daughter, Reagan Grace Carrion, born Feb. 28, 2013, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Reagan weighed 6 pounds at birth.
Tyler Gary Wells
Coleville residents Shoshana and Jason Wells are the parents of a son, Tyler Gary Wells, born Feb. 22, 2013, at Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe.
Toby Charles Palian
Reno residents Taylor (Clark) and Matthew Palian are the parents of a son, Toby Charles Palian, born Feb. 26, 2013. Minden residents Toby and Traci Clark and Sparks residents Charles and Cheryl Palian of Sparks are the grandparents. Toby weighed 8 pounds, 4.5 ounces at birth.
Hawkins Foundation pledges $10,000 to Valley Arts CouncilApril 24, 2013 —
The Hawkins Foundation of Reno has pledged $10,000 to the Carson Valley Arts Council's capital campaign if it reaches 50 percent of its goal.
With the Hawkins Foundation's pledge of support, CVAC has now raised $365,000 in cash and private pledges.
With the $900,000 fundraising threshold required for retiring the note on the Copeland Building, board members said CVAC is well on its way to meeting its goal.
Other recent contributions from the Kiwanis Club of Carson Valley and the Fortnightly Club have also been received, and contributions from individuals continue to come in.
"It's not just the big gifts that help," said Steve Farnsley, CVAC executive director. "Small gifts add up and demonstrate community support."
Farnsley encourages individuals to show their support by giving small donations through CVAC's big check campaign.
"For a gift of just $25 we'll give you a piece of original jewelry created and contributed by Pam Brekas, and we'll take your picture with CVAC's big check," he said. "Major donors are impressed when we show that we have support from individuals and civic organizations in the community."
To learn more about the Carson Valley Arts Council and its capital campaign go online to www.cvartscouncil.com, visit them on Facebook, or call 782-8207.
The Carson Valley Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; donations may be tax deductible as allowed by law.
April lecture features Nicholas ClappApril 24, 2013 —
Nicholas Clapp will be Douglas County Historical Society's lecture speaker 7 p.m. April 11 at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center.
Documentary filmmaker and author Nicholas Clapp has studied and filmed the deserts of the world. He has a master's degree in cinema from the University of Southern California. Over the years, he has worked for David L. Wolper, the Walt Disney Co., Columbia Pictures, all three networks and PBS. He will be speaking about the Mojave Desert and the towns of Tonopah and Goldfield. His book "Gold and Silver in the Mojave: Images of the Last Frontier" will be available.
Admission is $3 for nonmembers and free to members.
The museum is located at 1477 Highway 395 in Gardnerville.
For more information, call 782-2555.


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How to make the perfect Chinese dumpling
Discover the secret behind the perfect shao-long bao dumpling.PT1M46S http://www.goodfood.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-2dpy6 620 349 February 1, 2013
Here I am, dusty with flour, awkwardly holding the dumpling wrapper I've just rolled flat with a mini wooden rolling pin. I'm ensconced in a tiny kitchen with Sammy Shi, a dumpling master of 15 years, who learnt his craft in Shanghai.
Thumb here, and here – Shi wordlessly shows me how the crimped frill of the pot-sticker needs to cup neatly into my palm.
I've mucked it up – not enough pork mince filling in the centre, too much at the side, bits of meat poking out the edges. As for ''making it beautiful'', my dumpling is lumpy and small, with the pleat all wonky.
Head chef Jian Qin Chen and manager Patrick Liu at HuTong restaurant. Photo: Michael Clayton-Jones
It helps to explain why becoming a dumpling master takes a minimum of 15 years and is considered a great honour. Shi says it's much more than a process. ''It's like kung fu – there are no short cuts. The steps are just as important, and it's about your soul.''
Jian Qin Chen, head chef at Melbourne's HuTong, which serves an average of 800 dumplings a day, is a dumpling master of 30 years' experience. He comes from Wuxi, a city renowned for its xiao long bao and dumplings, and estimates that among its 6 million-odd residents there are only about five true dumpling masters.
''It's easy to tell everyone the measurements or to learn it from a book, but the taste and skill come from experience,'' Chen says. ''It's a balance of everything.''
Sammy Shi, cutting the dumpling dough at Shanghai Street. Photo: Simon Schluter
Back at Shanghai Street, I watch Shi pour a slosh of oil into a frying pan, enough to liberally cover its base. In go the mini pork buns until the bottoms start to brown and colour, then a scoop of boiling water is added and the lid plonked on top, so the dumplings are fried and steamed all at once.
Over at the giant wok, filled with bubbling hot water, I'm boiling up some more pork dumplings, gently pushing them around with an upturned ladle so they don't stick on the bottom. When they're ready, they float.
But the pouchy, pleated xiao long bao are the real heroes of the dumpling world, and the biggest sellers. They are the hardest and most technically difficult to make, and the signature dish at many dumpling restaurants.
Getting ready to roll the dough at Shanghai Street. Photo: Simon Schluter
Traditionally, the filling is pork mince, laced with sesame oil and hot, soupy juice that squirts out when you bite.
Hands up who thinks this liquid is a stock. It isn't. Boiling pig skin until it turns into a clear jelly is the key to making the signature broth of the xiao long bao – it's not a soup that's sealed in the dumpling before cooking.
At HuTong, they take the whole pig skin, scrape off the fat and hair, then simmer it in a big stockpot for six to eight hours until the gelatin dissolves and turns sticky – that's when you know it's ready. The gelatin is then frozen solid, cut into cubes and mixed with the minced pork to make the filling. Gelatin melts to a liquid when heated, and it's this that squirts from a dumpling when you bite into it. Note that there is no fat in this juice – any oiliness comes from the meat or the sesame oil. David Loh, from Food Republik in Box Hill, Victoria, says their xiao long bao are Taiwanese-style, which means an ultra-thin, almost translucent skin with ''a minimum of 18 folds'' and a smaller size than the typical Chinese dumplings.
''We weigh every five or six dumplings,'' Loh says, and mostly they are ''plus or minus one gram'' of the desired 25-gram weight. Loh is looking to source Kurobuta pigs (black Berkshire ones raised using Japanese nutrition and practice) for the pork xiao long bao, as he prefers the more refined flavour.
Slurp out the soup first in the xiao long bao at HuTong. Photo: Bonnie Savage
A final tip: to eat xiao long bao, hold the dumpling on your spoon, nibble off the pleated top and slurp the juicy broth. Only then may you want to add some black vinegar with sliced ginger, but many eat xiao long bao unadorned to savour the true flavour.
What did I learn? That making dumplings is much harder than it looks.
Try it at home
Sammy Shi's chicken and prawn dumplings

subset: commoncrawl


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Bring the whole family! View over 300 feet of HO scale model train layouts featured at the Spring Creek Model of steam, diesel, freight and passenger model train display. Trains from the 1880s to present day will be displayed. For event information or to find out how to join the club, visit SpringCreekRailroad.com or call 972-395-9828.
City of Carrollton, 1945 E. Jackson Road, Carrollton, Texas 75006 | Tel: (972) 466-3000 | Site Map
©2016 City of Carrollton, Texas. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy and Disclaimer | Created by Vision Internet – Innovators of Online Government
The City of Carrollton, Texas is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Thank you for visiting the City of Carrollton, Texas website.


text:
Worked With:
Clive Owen
Birth Name: Clive Owen
Born: 10/03/1964
Birth Place: West Midlands, England, GB
Born: 10/03/1964
Birth Place: West Midlands, England, GB
Born on Oct. 3, 1964 in the small town of Coventry, England, Owen was raised in a fairly rough neighborhood by his country music singing father, who was divorced from his mom in 1968. Owen knew early on that he wanted to be an actor after playing the Artful Dodger in a school production of "Oliver!" When he was 13 years old, he joined a youth group run by the Coventry Theatre while a student at Binley Comprehensive. Accustomed to poverty and occasional violence, Owen spent two years after graduating high school on the dole while trying to jump-start his acting career. He previously tried applying to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), but decided instead to drop out of civil society an... Continue Bio >>
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|Softball schedule
|Written by Holyoke Enterprise
Holyoke's summer softball teams will be playing their first games this week. The 9-12 year-old and the 13-15 year-old teams, coached by Danielle Olofson, Kelsey Scott and Kia Kassman, have a full schedule until the close of the season with the League Tournament in Holyoke June 29-July 1.
Softball games start with the 9-12 team at 6 p.m., followed by the 13-15 team at 7:30 p.m.
Scheduled competitions are as follows:
Thursday, May 28 at Wray; Tuesday, June 2 against Ogallala in Holyoke (no 9-12 game); Thursday, June 4 at Sedgwick/Revere; Saturday, June 6 9-12 team at Yuma and 13-15 team against Oshkosh in Holyoke.
Tuesday, June 9 at Haxtun; Thursday, June 11 against Wray in Holyoke; Saturday June 13 at Ogallala (no 9-12 game); Tuesday, June 16 against Sedgwick in Holyoke; Thursday, June 18 9-12 team against Yuma in Holyoke and 13-15 team at Oshkosh.


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Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Royce O'Neale registered a double-double of 11
points and 10 rebounds to lead the Denver Pioneers to a 75-50 rout of the
Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners in a Western Athletic Conference bout at Magness
Marcus Byrd tallied a team-high 12 points for Denver (7-7, 3-1 WAC) as it
picked up its third consecutive victory. Chase Hallam and Chris Udofia also
got into the mix by scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Jeromie Hill paced UTSA (4-10, 0-4) by scoring 13 points to go along with nine
boards. The rest of the Roadrunners' starting five went a combined 6-of-26
from the field as they lost for the fourth time in a row.
The Pioneers took a 39-19 lead into halftime after shooting 52 percent from
the field including 7-of-16 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
UTSA fell behind after being limited to just 26.1 percent field goal shooting
in the first half.
Denver extended its advantage after the break by sinking seven more attempts
from beyond the arc.
The Roadrunners held a slight 33-29 edge in the rebounding battle, but they
could not overcome their 16 turnovers, which Denver converted into 25 points.
The Sports Network


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UG Community @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com
Profile History
Chirp and Swirl
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Northern Ireland
The Ultimate Electric Guitar Info Sticky- READ THIS BEFORE POSTING A NEW THREAD!
Index by Post Number
1: Index
2: Guitar 101
3: The 10 Commandments of the Electric Guitar
4: How to Decide what Electric Guitar to Buy.
5: How to Decide what Electric Guitar to Buy, Continued.
6: How to try out Electric Guitars
7: Solidbody Electric Guitar Suggestions by Price Range and Style
All of this info is given in good faith, based on what we believe, to the best of our knowledge, to be correct. Its aimed at beginners and intermediate players, and often the information has been simplified to make it easier to understand (and so it doesnt take up even more space). Please bear in mind that all recommendations are based on the general consensus of the regulars of the forum, the specific examples which weve tried (we may have tried a particularly good MIM strat, for example), and also our own subjective opinions. Also, all recommendations are on a to try basis, rather than to buy- we mean you to try the gear weve recommended to see if it suits you for your situation and the type of music you play. New models come out all the time, and we dont always have time to add them- dont disregard something because its not on the list, its possible that we either havent had time to add it yet, or havent tried it ourselves!
Chirp and Swirl
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Northern Ireland
Electric Guitar 101
Ok, this is to answer all the basic questions about how an electric guitar works, what all the parts are and do, etc..
IF YOU WANT ANY INFORMATION ON AMPS, FX, OR PICKUPS, CLICK HERE: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/foru...ad.php?t=278232
How a guitar works: Basically, the pickups in your guitar are magnets. The strings are made of a magnetic metal, and when they vibrate, they induce a current in the pickup, which is proportional to the frequency of the note, and this signal is sent down your guitar?s lead/cord/cable to your amp. Here?s a link for more information: http://entertainment.howstuffworks....ric-guitar1.htm
EVERYTHING in your guitar has an effect on your tone- what wood it?s made from, what gauge of strings you use, what type of pickups, type of bridge, etc. See below (How to buy a guitar) for info on how the different parts of the guitar affect your tone.
First of all, a diagram of a Fender Stratocaster (Strat), Gibson Les Paul, and for all you shredders/metallers, an Ibanez RGT prestige.
Fender Strat:
Gibson Les Paul:
Ibanez RG:
Chirp and Swirl
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Northern Ireland
Electric Guitar: the 10 commandments.
1: Though shalt not play an expensive guitar through a cheap amp.
Your amp is more important than your guitar. 80%-95% of your tone is in your amp (an entirely scientifically-sound percentage, that I just made up. You know what I mean, though). Spend accordingly: under £400, split your budget between guitar and amp about evenly as some cheap guitars play VERY poorly, and you need to normally spend at least about £150 to get something playable, ditto for the amp; up to about £1500-£2000, a 2:1 ratio on amp to guitar is about right- over this, split it about evenly, or however you want (but make sure you?re spending at least about £1000 on the amp). Increasing the cost of your guitar will make it FEEL better to play, but it?ll only SOUND slightly better.
2: Thou shalt read #1 again. It?s that important.
3: Thou shalt not buy a guitar made of a crap wood (agathis, plywood, etc.).
The quality of the wood in your guitar is the next most important (from a modding point of view, at least- it?ll sound good with a pickup change, for example). Alder, mahogany, ash and basswood and maple are all good woods. Agathis (generally) and plywood are not. Bear in mind wood can be of different quality, even of the same species. You can upgrade things like tuners and pickups a lot easier than you can upgrade the wood your guitar is made of!
4: Thou shalt have the correct pickups for the style of music you want to play.
This is the next most important thing to getting your sound after having the right type of amp. Make sure your guitar is routed properly for the right pickups for the kind of music you want to play. As a (very) general rule, if you play metal or hard rock, you want humbuckers, and for softer stuff, single coils are good. Or you can get a mixture. If you have a bridge humbucker, you can play metal with ANY solidbody guitar (of decent wood), if you have a good enough amp.
5: Thou shalt not spend lots of cash slightly improving your sub-par amp with pedals etc.
If it?s not metal enough etc., it?s cheaper in the long run to bite the bullet and buy a new amp, which you?ll end up doing anyway when you buy £300 worth of pedals and find your amp still isn?t cutting it. (Exception: if you have an all-tube/valve amp, an overdrive pedal can be useful and indeed almost a necessity, and a delay pedal is very useful to have) Spend the money on pedals AFTER you have a great amp.
6: Thou shalt not be influenced by the guitar?s looks as they (generally) don?t affect the tone.
BC Rich?s and similarly ?metal?-looking guitars DO NOT sound more metal. As in 4, any solid body guitar made of decent wood, with a bridge humbucker will sound metal if your amp is metal enough. If you aren?t sounding metal enough, it?s probably your amp?s fault (as long as you aren?t using a Rickenbacker or hollow body jazz guitar or something!).
7: Thou shalt not ask ?I like X?s tone, what pickups does he use??.
If you like said player?s tone, getting his amp will get you 95% of the way there. THEN get the pickups, and it should make up the last 5% (if your guitar is made of the same wood). Also, related to this commandment: PLEASE STOP LOOKING AT EMG?S IF YOU HAVE A PRACTICE AMP, THEY?LL ONLY SOUND HOW YOU EXPECT IF YOU HAVE A MESA RECTO, OR SIMILAR ALL-TUBE, DARK-VOICED, HIGH GAIN AMP. If you have such an amp, be my guest, EMG?s can sound huge/awesome/generally pretty darn metal, BUT WITH THE RIGHT AMP. See Commandment #1 and #2.
8: Thou shalt not buy a guitar with a cheap, crap double locking tremolo.
They are more bother than they?re worth. They?re made of crap soft metal, they won?t hold tune and they won?t sustain as well. You MAY get lucky, but it?s not worth the risk. Either fork out for a good trem (Original Floyd Rose, Floyd Rose Pro, Floyd Rose Speedloader, Schaller, Gotoh, Kahler or Ibanez Edge (NOT Edge III), Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge, Ibanez Edge Pro (NOT Edge Pro II), or Ibanez ZR, and a lot of expensive guitar brands? own brand of trem (e.g. Vigier) - if it?s not one of these, assume it?s crap, unless proven otherwise), or go with a hardtail or non-locking trem. Also, a lot of the decent trems are a different size to the crap ones (even the studs can be a different size, if the whole trem is the same size) so it?s frequently not just a matter of buying a better trem when your crap one breaks. Most guitar companies are incredibly scabby- they?re TRYING to make it hard to upgrade, so you have to buy a whole new guitar from them.
9: Thou shalt not buy a guitar without trying it.
Forums can give you advice like ?the electronics on X model are dodgy?, or ?Y has a dodgy tremolo?, but you won?t know if you like the ?feel? of the guitar unless you try it. Ditto with amps and any other piece of kit.
10: Thou shalt make the right choice in Looks versus Specification.
If you?re on a budget, you may well find you have to either buy a guitar you like the look of, or one you like the specification of. Pick the one you like the specification of. A guitar that looks good but is made of plywood or which won?t stay in tune, is no fun. Also, frequently, companies try to persuade you to hand over your money for looks in cheaper guitars. If you have lots of cash, then you can buy a guitar that both looks good, AND is good.
11: Since number 2 isn?t really a commandment? .Thou shalt not buy a high output, ceramic NECK humbucker (like an invader) unless you have a damn good reason, and know exactly what you?re doing.
?But I play metal!? I hear you squeal.
[Tommy Lee Jones voice] ?I DON?T CARE!? [/Tommy Lee Jones Voice]
You then jump over the edge of the giant dam (clearly about 300 feet up), and emerge unharmed, but wet.
99% of distorted metal is played in the bridge pickup position. You?d be FAR better off getting a less me(n)tal neck pickup that actually sounds nice with cleans (most metal I listen to anyway has more cleans than need of a ceramic neck pickup). Exception: you know exactly what you?re doing and the tone you?re after, and you need said ceramic neck pickup for that. Or you never use cleans (you have a second guitarist in your band who covers those, for example, or a second guitar).
12: Thou shalt not expect a major difference in tone from higher gauge strings (thanks to Danno 13 for this one- if this is controversial, it's his fault! )
You'll only notice much of a difference if you make a major jump, say from 9's to 12's- I find that I play so much worse with higher gauge strings (because of the increased tension) that my tone actually gets worse- but if you want to try, be my guest.
Chirp and Swirl
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Northern Ireland
How to decide what electric guitar to buy
Here it is: how to decide what electric guitar you want. You may think this is quite long, but, in my opinion, it?s as short as I can make it without gipping you on some of the need-to-know info (and it?s a hell of a lot shorter than some of the more in-depth articles which are decidedly useful, but perhaps not if you don?t know what a pickup is yet). Know any less, and you?ll be at the mercy of unscrupulous salespeople and know-it-all idiot friends? advice, who don?t know their whammy bar from their, er? personal whammy bar .
Ok, this might seem very basic to some of you, but if it does, then that means it?s not aimed at you. This is designed to help all the guys who are new to playing, and who are trying to decide what type of a guitar to buy. There are a lot of guitars out there, and I know when I bought my first, looking back on it, it was a lottery and I?m surprised that I got a decent guitar at all (although I did end up with a crap locking trem!). I wish I?d known about UG and the many other online guitar forums when I started.
I?ll split this into steps, to make it easier.
And bear in mind the 10 commandments are still useful here (particularly the fact that your amp is the most important thing you can buy in shaping your sound).
1: What type of music do you mostly like to play?
This is pretty easy, even if you don?t play yet and are only starting out. You normally have favourite bands, etc., and know pretty much straight off, the type of stuff you want to play.
If you have a favourite player, it doesn?t hurt to see what guitar they play, but bear in mind they (a) frequently use many different guitars, particularly in the studio, and (b) unless you buy their top of the range signature model, you probably aren?t getting anything close to what they?re playing (and even then, theirs might be a custom shop model). It?s better, IMO, to find out what guitar they use, find a cheaper guitar made of the same exact woods, and put in whatever pickups they use (signature guitars are expensive because of a large royalty paid to the endorsee for every model sold- and also some of the cheap signature models only LOOK like the artist?s guitar- they can be made of totally different, substandard woods, have the wrong pickups etc.). And remember Commandments #1 and 2: if you don?t have the exact amp they use (and they may use several), say goodbye to nailing their tone if you only have their guitar.
Also, it?s better to know a particular style of music you want to play, rather than one particular band, because you may stop liking that band after a while. Also, once you start to play, it?s INCREDIBLY likely that if you even learn one song in another style (jazz, or blues) that you?ll get hooked on it.
2: What type of pickups do I want my guitar to have?
Pickups are magnets that have coils of wire wrapped around them, which convert the (metal) strings? vibrations into electrical signals that the amplifier puts out as sound (this is a very basic definition, but it?s all you need).
As a very general rule, if you play metal or hard rock music, you?re going to want a (full size) bridge humbucker; it?s very difficult to get that kind of chunky sound without one, even if you have a high gain amp. Humbuckers sound ?fuller? and warmer than single coils. They are also "noiseless" meaning they won't squeal when you turn up the distortion. A neck humbucker doesn?t hurt either, for slightly less ?metal? solos, and cleans.
Cleaner, poppier, funky tones and srv-type blues can benefit from single coils. They get noisy/squealy with lots of distortion. Single coils sound treblier than hum buckers (as a general rule), and have less gain/power.
If you don?t know, or play a mixture of styles, get a mixture of humbuckers and single coils. You can get fat strats with a bridge humbucker for rockier tones, and single coils in the middle and neck position for lighter tones, or HSH (bridge and neck humbuckers, and middle single coil) which I?m partial to, although it?s rare in off-the-shelf guitars other than Ibanez and Godin.
There are also so-called "single coil-sized humbuckers. These are the size of single coils, but are noiseless. These DO NOT sound exactly like humbuckers, nomatter what the manufacturers say (physics won't allow it)- they sound sort of halfway between single coils and humbuckers. However, if you want a noiseless pickup and you can only fit single coils in your guitar, unless you want to cut up your guitar, this is your only option. Also, as long as you treat them "as is" you can get good results with them- just don't expect them to sound exactly like a humbucker or single coil.
There are also active pickups, which utilise a 9-Volt battery (passive pickups do not), which can be great for metal music, among other things.
As a general rule, the bridge pickup is brighter and good for distortion, and the neck pickup is warmer and good for cleans and mellow solos (and shred!).
What magnet should I get in the pickups?
I?ll give a very general answer, because this isn?t an in depth article about pickups.
Alnico II: warm, smooth sounding, great for vintage tones, and smooth overdriven tones (think Slash from Guns n? Roses), can be a little sweet sounding for heavier tones (and can get a little muddy with distortion).
Alnico V: sounds organic, while still having plenty of power for heavier tones too. A good choice if you play both cleans and overdrive/distortion.
Ceramic: tight, can be a little sterile sounding, but great for distortion. Cleans are bland and uninspiring, at best. Good choice for metal, poor choice for vintage tones.
Alnico III and IV are also used, but rarely. Their specs are (approximately) in between Alnico II and V.
Bear in mind, you can mix magnets- one option is a ceramic bridge pickup, for distortion, and an alnico V neck pickup, for good cleans and distortion.
How hot should I get the pickups?
Most companies measure their pickups? power (hotness) as their DC resistance. The higher the number in kilo-ohms (k), the hotter, assuming all things are equal (like wire gauge etc.). EXCEPTION: avoid doing this with Dimarzio pickups, they use strange wire gauges (which affects the resistance), their outputs in mA (milliamps) are more accurate. Bear in mind, a hotter pickup WON?T be louder, but it will produce more gain/distortion and sound more compressed. Also, again as a general rule, the better the pickup?s distortion, the worse its cleans, and vice versa. So get a lower output pickup if you like cleans, and a higher output pickup if you like distortion. The neck pickup normally has a lower output, since string vibrations are louder at the neck, and also because it tends to be used more for cleans.
Anyway, as a VERY general rule for outputs (e.g. if a company describes one of their pickups as being for a certain tone/style, and it disagrees with these rough figures, disregard my rough figures!):
KEY: Vintage = 1950?s tones, vintage hot = 70?s rock, medium high = 80?s hard rock/hair metal/shred, high output = metal.
For humbuckers: Vintage: 6-8.5k (Dimarzio: 200-250mA output), Vintage Hot/Medium output 8.5-11k (Dimarzio 250-325mA output), Medium High Output 11-15k (Dimarzio 325-400mA output), High Output 15k+ (Dimarzio 400mA+ output).
For Single Coils: Vintage: 5-6k (Dimarzio: around 90-100mA output), Vintage Hot/Medium output 6.5-7.5k (Dimarzio 120-130mA output), Medium High Output 7.5-10k (Dimarzio 130-180mA output), High Output 11k+ (Dimarzio 180mA+ output).
Bear in mind as well, pickups are very easy to change if you don?t like their tone, as long as your guitar is routed (holes cut in it) for the size of pickups you want to put in. If you KNOW you?re going to change pickups, play the guitar unplugged too (you should play it unplugged anyway, to be honest)- if it sounds nice, it means the wood is good, and will take a pickup change well. If not, avoid it.
3: What wood do I want my guitar to be made from?
This is mostly preference, and affects the tone of your guitar. Bear in mind, some pickups work better with some woods than others.
I?ll put a brief description of the main tone woods (any similarity to Warmoth?s wood tone finder is entirely coincidental, and mainly due to the fact that I copied it. Here?s the link, it has these and more obscure woods: http://www.warmoth.com/guitar/optio...s_bodywoods.cfm ).
Alder: Good tone, used a lot on strats. Quite bright, but well-rounded. Good value.
Mahogany: Deeper, warmer, bassier tone than alder. Often used with a flame/quilt maple top/cap, to even out the bass and add a bit of brightness, and also to look nice!
Swamp Ash: Also used a lot on Strats. Good balance of brightness and warmth. Similar-ish tone to alder (but slightly more complex sounding, and dearer).
Basswood: used a lot on shred guitars, particularly Ibanez. Very light weight, soft (dings easily), very nice warm (lots of mids), musical tone, but can sometimes almost sound too ?nice? or ?sweet?, particularly if you want a ?nasty? tone for e.g. metal. Great for melodic soloing/shred, though.
Which wood you pick is down to the tone you want, and also what pickups you want to put in. Again, if you have a favourite player, it doesn?t hurt to see what wood they use. And, I may sound like a broken record, but it?s because it?s important: remember Commandments 1 and 2!
Chirp and Swirl
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Northern Ireland
How to choose what electric guitar to buy, continued
4: Necks
Normally you have a choice of 21, 22 and 24 frets. It?s really up to you which you prefer- 24 can be a slight advantage for shred and metal, but it?s nothing major.
Size of frets: Jumbo tend to be easier for bending and playing fast on, medium tend to be better for rhythm work, but again, it?s all preference- most people just prefer a certain size for everything- and you really have to try them to see which you prefer.
Neck profile: thinner necks tend to be easier for playing fast on (shredding) and soloing, but can be uncomfortable and cause hand cramps etc., thicker is slightly harder to play fast on, but is more comfortable, and easier for playing chords. Oh, and anyone who says you can only play fast because you have an Ibanez Wizard neck is lying- it?s marginally easier, that?s all- if you can?t shred on a Strat, you won?t be magically suddenly able to because you have an Ibanez!
Nut width: again, this is all preference, due to your hand size and what you?re used to. I won?t touch anything other than 43mm (wide), but that?s just me- you have to try them!
Neck woods: like bodies, these affect your tone. Maple and Mahogany are the two major ones, maple being brighter and mahogany being warmer sounding.
Style of Neck: there are basically 3 styles of neck: bolt-on, glued in (set), and thru-neck.
Bolt-on: the neck is bolted to the body. The advantage is, if your neck breaks, you can just buy a new neck (unlike glued in and thru-neck, where your entire guitar is basically broken), but some people say the sustain isn?t as good. However, with a good solid neck joint, you can get great sustain with a bolt-on. Also, some guitars have bulky joints which can make playing on the upper frets uncomfortable.
Glued-in/set: the neck is glued to the body. Gives good sustain, but a messed-up glue job can actually make the sustain worse than a poor bolt-on, since glue doesn?t transmit sound well. Also, if your neck breaks, you?re screwed.
Thru-neck: The neck continues through the whole body in one whole piece. The advantage is that the sustain is meant to be better, and it?s very comfortable as there is no heel for the neck to be attached to the body. If your neck breaks, you?re screwed.
Fretboard woods: Again, affect the tone and feel. Ebony is very smooth feeling, and is bright, rosewood is warmer sounding, and maple is bright sounding. Feel is, again, personal preference.
5: Do I want a tremolo/whammy bar?
Simply put, you can either have one or not. The advantage of having one is that you can do crazy Vai-type squeals/dive bombs/horse noises etc, and the disadvantage is that if you have a bad one, if you look at it funny, it?ll go out of tune. If you aren?t going to use one, it?s handier not to get one, to be honest (particularly for double-locking types, which involve more complicated stringing and tuning- it?s not rocket science, but it does involve more work).
If you don?t get a trem, you?ll probably get a hardtail of some description. These tend to have better sustain, as well. You won?t be able to do any whammy-tricks, though.
Types of trem: basically, there?s:
Vintage style (Fender Strat and Bigsby type): good for subtle vibrato but won?t hold tuning too well with anything more extreme.
Modern non-locking (like Wilkinson and PRS types): hold tuning better than the vintage ones, but not so well as double-locking.
Double locking (Floyd Rose and equivalent): ultimate tuning stability (there are clamps that lock the strings in place at the nut and at the trem), and allow pitch to be raised AND lowered by several semitones (assuming the trem is recessed into the guitar's body, and set up to float), but involve extra effort in setting up and changing tunings, and there are some poor licensed examples, which don?t hold tuning very well at all- see Commandment #8.
List of good double-locking tremolos: Original Floyd Rose (OFR), Floyd Rose Pro, Floyd Rose Speedloader, Schaller, Gotoh, Kahler or Ibanez Edge (NOT Edge III), Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge, Ibanez Edge Pro (NOT Edge Pro II), or Ibanez ZR, and a lot of expensive guitar brands? own brand of trem (e.g. Vigier).
Bear in mind there are two types of Floyd Rose Tremolo: "original" style, and "low-profile" (or "lo-pro"). Original style trems have the fine tuners in front of the string clamps, and sit up out of the guitar's body more, while low profile trems have the string clamps in front of the fine tuners, and they sit lower into the guitar's body, so are more comfortable. However, the low-profile trems need a very deep cavity to have full up-pull (pitch-raising), and to be honest, not everyone thinks they're more comfortable: it basically depends which you're used to. The Ibanez Edge and Gotoh trems are original style, but are lower-profile than OFR's, offering perhaps the best of both worlds.
6: What colour/shape do I want?
No-one wants an uncool looking guitar, but you?re better off with a crap looking guitar that plays and sounds good, than a crap guitar that looks good. Colour and shape should be last on your checklist. Get the best playing and sounding guitar you?ve found, and THEN buy it in the nicest colour that it?s available in.
7: Try the guitar
You?ve done all the research, and you know this guitar will get you closest to the tone you want (assuming you have the right amp). However, if you don?t like its feel (or indeed its sound), you?re screwed (at this point you also need to check how it sounds unplugged, and check it for any defects etc.). If you try it, and don?t like it, you?re basically back to the drawing board. You need to find the next-best guitar in terms of specs, and try it. And keep trying, until you get a guitar that you like to play, which is closest to your original ideal specs.
And that?s it (I think). Generally speaking, and all things being equal, things which affect your tone the most, from greatest to least, in my opinion:
Amp >> pedals (depends on the pedal, I?m mainly talking about overdrive or distortion pedals here) >> speakers >> pickups >> wood of guitar >> wood neck is made from (wood for neck and wood for body can switch in importance, if the guitar has a tremolo)>> strings.
How you play affects it too (and quite a lot!), obviously, but it?s harder to quantify, as everyone plays differently.
Remember this order, when deciding what to buy next. A set of EMG pickups WON?T make you sound like Metallica, if you don?t have a Mesa amp, for example.
Again, I apologise, this is very basic, but (a) I don?t have the time to make it any longer and (b) if I increased the complexity even a little, it would be about 5 times this length. This is about getting the ?need to know? info, in my opinion, to those who need it most, rather than giving those intermediate players (who already know a bit of tech. stuff) some more info that might help them a little.
Also, these are all generalisations. In other words, in some very specific cases and exceptions to the general rule, what I have written may be wrong. It?s correct in most cases, though (I hope!). Some people like single coils for metal (you?ll want a noise gate though!), other people like slim necks for chording, but they?re the exception. This article is to help those 9-people-out-of-10 for whom the generalisations will assist in coming to a decision, not the 1-person-out-of-10 who likes to think ?outside the box?. Also, in order to ?think outside the box?, you normally have to have tried the established way, and decide you don?t like it!
Hope this helped!
Chirp and Swirl
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Northern Ireland
How to try out guitars
Before you select a guitar, there are a few things you need to think over.
-The style of music you play.
-A budget you can live with.
-How long you've been playing. If you've ever owned a guitar before.
We all gravitate towards the guitar that looks the Hawtest, but looks and color, shouldn't be your first concern.
Wood type, bridge type, pickup configuration, guitar weight, brand reputation, and UG member recommendations should all come into play.
You need to have in mind, a few guitars that suit you best, before you even walk into the store.
Walking into The Store:
Wait, you've already blown it! Are you sure you're in the right place? Most of us only have a couple of options.
Ideally you live in an area with large chains, and local shops. Keep in mind that large chains pay their workers with commission. A money driven worker will not be working towards your best interest, no matter how nice he seems. Local shops might be able to offer you a better deal, but they don't carry as large a selection.
It's good to get prices online, some stores will even match competitor's prices, but whenever possible, physically play as many guitars as possible. Keep in mind that in most cases, the recommended list price for a guitar, is about twice its actual selling price.
In addition, when you are trying to get more guitar for the money, It might be worth your time to look into local pawn shops, classified Ads or to check out Ebay. There are some good deals out there, you just need to know where to look.
Take a Friend:
Guitar stores can be overwhelming. When possible, bring a guitar playing friend with you, preferably someone with purchasing experience. You want him to be objective and to run interference for you, if you run into any pushy sales associates.
Start off by finding the models and styles in your price range. If you aren't happy with the choices, at least you'll create a basis for comparison.
If you have a favorite type of pick, make sure you have one in your pocket. You want to feel as comfortable as possible.
There's no reason to call over a sales associate just yet, because you should start off by playing your choices acoustically.
Testing a Guitar:
Once you're certain about the model, you're ready to test some guitars. Don't be afraid to ask for one off the wall. When they don't want one played, they will usually tag it, but it's a good idea to leave the top shelf guitars alone unless they are in your price range. Let the sales staff know you're serious and they will be more willing to work with you on a good deal.
To make things simple, I've made a checklist.
Before playing...
-Sit down in a quiet area and feel the guitars weight. Make sure it's balanced, and suited to your size.
-Move the knobs and switch. Make sure they are tight.
-Go to the input jack, see if it wiggles.
-Lift the guitar to your face. Check the headstock and neck joint for small cracks or chips.
-See if the neck looks straight.
-Shake the guitar. Listen for loose parts.
-Look at the fretboard. Make sure there are no wood imperfections, raised or crooked frets. Make sure the frets don't poke through the side of the board.
Before plugging in....
-Strum and fret each string. You're listening for fret buzz.
Keep in mind, guitars aren't always set up prior to placement on the selling floor.
Sometimes they aren't even tuned. Action and fret buzz are USUALLY adjustable, but the guitar shouldn't buzz and rattle everywhere.
-Check the guitar's harmonics. Compare tones at the 12th. See if the guitar is intonated.
-Make sure the board isn't too wide for you. See if you can reach the higher frets.
-Make sure the bridge saddles are level, with no sharp points.
-Make sure the tuners don't feel loose.
Amp it up...
-Ok, find the pain in the ass sales guy. You'll need a guitar cable, and an amp,
Don't Let him plug you into a $1,000 amp. You're testing the guitar not the amp.
-If possible, have a riff ready. If you're tagged as a complete noob, you'll get less respect.
-Use the switch. Select the neck pickup. Select the bridge. Listen for crackling noises.
Roll the knobs and listen for noise. Touch and lift your hand off the bridge, listen for buzzing that stops when you ground it. If you're into Metal, and are looking at a humbucker guitar, expect to hear less noise than if you were testing a single-coil guitar.
-Check the pickups with the amp on clean and with gain.
Questions to Ask...
-Hopefully you already know the wood type of your choice guitar. You need to make sure the salesman knows that you've done your homework.
"Do you have any other Mahogany guitars in this price range, you could recommend?"
-Let the salesman know that you've noticed any imperfections.
"I like this ibanez, but I'm picking up fretbuzz through the amp. Do your guitars come
-Spend a while playing the guitar. Look upset even if you like the guitar.
"What can I get this guitar for?" "Does this guitar come with a case?"
You want to walk out of there, with as many free extras as possible. Especially if you've found anything wrong with the guitar. Any minor flaw, might work as a bargaining chip.
- "What's your return policy?"
Final thoughts...
IF YOU LIKE THE GUITAR ON THE SALES FLOOR, TAKE THAT GUITAR, NOT ONE FROM THE STOCKROOM. Unless it's a floor model, you should still get a box for it. You just don't want to take the time to find the perfect guitar, only to end up with a lemon in the end.
Also keep in mind, stores make a lot of money off of purchase insurance. In almost every case, it's not worth it to buy protection on a guitar. Except for the neck, every part is easily replaced. In addition, any flaws would be apparent within the usual 30 day return time frame.
Good Luck, Jenny
Chirp and Swirl
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Northern Ireland
Solidbody Electric Guitar Suggestions by Price Range and Style- many thanks again to Jenny for valuable assistance in this post
Ok, here are some recommendations for guitars. These are based on personal preference, so you want to try them before buying them in case you don?t like them. It?s also assumed that you?ve checked it out for defects (see above post)- if you see, for example, an Ibanez rg321 in your local shop with its neck split in two, don?t buy it because this guide says it?s good, Also, this guide assumes you have the sense to buy a guitar that?s good for your style. Likewise, don?t buy the Ibanez rg321 if you only play jazz, for example.
I?ve split the styles into low gain (pop, jazz, blues, soft rock), Mid gain (all kinds of rock), and high gain (metal/shred), and each of these sections have been split into hard-tail and tremolo sections (frequently a guitar is available in various versions, I haven?t put in every possible one you can get). Bear in mind, there will be quite a bit of overlap between these sections (especially if you have a good amp), and remember with a pickup change most of these guitars will be able to do any type of tone- so if you like a Fender Fat Strat, for example, and want to play metal, it?ll do metal if you put a metal-style high gain humbucker in the bridge position.
These are also only list of the ?usual suspects?- i.e. guitars that most people in the world have access to. If there?s a great guitar that?s only available in Uruguay, for example, I probably haven?t included it .
My final advice is, if you?re only new to guitar, or play a wide variety of styles, it?s probably a good idea to get a guitar with a mixture of humbuckers and single coils, to see which you prefer- either HSS (bridge humbuckers, middle and neck single coils) or HSH (bridge and neck humbuckers, middle single), for maximum versatility.
Key: USA = cheaper (or only available) in USA, EU = cheaper (or only available) in the EU. * = I?ve tried it, i.e. personal recommendation. I haven?t put prices up for each model, since prices vary so much according to location, they?re only there as a rough guide. Also, all prices assume you?re buying new. If you?re willing to risk it, you can save quite a bit by going second hand.
Starter Packs: Starter packs generally are a bad idea. The main reason is that the people who make good guitars rarely make good amps, and vice versa.
However, according to jj1565 (jenny), the best starter pack (not really a starter pack, you have to buy them separately) is a Dean Evo XM ($99) and Roland Microcube amp ($125).
Price up to £200 ($350/290 Euro):
In this price range, you aren?t going to get an amazing guitar. However, with a little knowledge, and a little luck, you can get a decent guitar that will be worth upgrading with good pickups, tuners etc. It?s assumed that in this price-range that you?ll upgrade the pickups etc. at some stage, and that you have tried it out to check that the quality control has been ok. I haven?t gone any lower in price than £200, because in the UK at least, you?ll struggle to get a decent guitar under £200. You can get a pacifica 112 for £150 if you shop around, but this recommendation band would look pretty bare in that case, lol. In the USA, you can probably get a decent guitar around $200-$250- guitars are GENERALLY better value in the USA, many of these guitars may squeeze into a lower price band if you?re from the USA .
Low Gain
Squier Telecaster (unsure of models): I?ve heard bad things about the squier strats, but the teles are meant to be good for the price.
Mid Gain:
Yamaha Pacifica 112*: Fat Strat-style guitar. Great value, and versatile, and has an alder body.
Agile AL-2500/2800 or better (USA): Basically LP copies. Good spec in terms of wood, but not being in the USA, I haven?t tried them. On paper, at least, sound like a much better deal than an Epi. Also available in tremolo models. In most cases, you have to buy them without trying, as they?re only available from www.rondomusic.net
High Gain
Ibanez RG321*: great value, wizard II neck, built for shred/metal. Mahogany.
Schecter Omen 6: A valid alternative to the Ibanez. Basswood, thicker neck profile, probably better for rhythm than lead.
Tremolo: I would advise against getting a guitar with a locking Floyd-type tremolo in this price range, odds are it?ll be a cheap example that won?t hold tune and will be more bother than it?s worth.
Ones to avoid: anything too cheap, or no-name brands. Also, any Epiphone LP cheaper than a Studio, or SG cheaper than a 400 model. Anything with a poor quality licensed Floyd Rose tremolo (I have a list of the good Floyds above). Anything that says B.C. Rich on the headstock.
£200-£400 ($350-$700/290-580 Euro): In this price range, you probably aren?t quite up to pro standard, but you should get a guitar that, with a few upgrades, should be, near enough.
Low Gain:
Fender Standard (a.k.a. Mexican) Stratocaster: with a pickup upgrade, and assuming you test it to get a good example, can rival the American series. The Highway 1 and Mexican 50?s, 60?s and 70?s reissues are also worth a look for a little more cash, with specs in-between the Mexican Standards and American Standards.
Fender Standard (a.k.a. Mexican) Telecaster: with a pickup upgrade, and assuming you test it to get a good example, can rival the American series.
Yamaha Pacifica 612/812*: great value guitars, with Seymour Duncan pickup(s). At this price, any kind of name-brand pickup is a bonus.
Fender Standard (a.k.a. Mexican) Fat (or double fat) Stratocaster: with a pickup upgrade, and assuming you test it to get a good example, can rival the American series.
PRS SE (various models): great value guitars, with a large choice of pickup options.
Yamaha AES620/720: Seymour Duncan or Dimarzio pickups. Again, great value.
Epiphone SG 400 (think that?s the model): Good value copy of a Gibson SG.
Agile 3000+/3500+(USA): Seriously good guitar for the cash.
PRS SE (various models): great value guitars, with a large choice of pickup options.
Dean Evo Noir: Jenny came up with this one.
High Gain:
Ibanez S470*: has a good trem (ZR), great neck for shredding, versatile. I?ve heard of poor quality control, though, so you want to try it thoroughly before buying.
Washburn X40 Pro: haven?t tried it, but its spec on paper is so good, that it?s almost worth it for the parts (Duncan pickups, Schaller trem)- in the UK at least.
Schecter C1FR*: has an Original Floyd Rose trem, mahogany body. Versatile.
Washburn X50 Pro/WI (Idol) 66/67: again, I haven?t tried them, but on paper the spec, for the price, is excellent.
Schecter C1* or Blackjack: Similar to the C1FR, but in hard tail. You want to try Schecters, though, because the coated neck is kind of love or hate.
Ibanez SZ320*/520: hardtail mahogany guitar. Nice comfy bridge, and nice neck heel joint.
Ones to avoid: ESP/LTD guitars under the 400 range, anything with a cheap double locking tremolo. Any Ibanez RG that has a locking trem under the 1570 model.
£400-£600 ($700-$1000/580-870 Euro):
In this price range you should get basically a pro guitar- albeit it may not have all the cosmetic features (a workhorse guitar, in other words). May need a little upgrading too, but the actual guitar should be good quality.
Low Gain:
Fender American Stratocaster*: As the Mexican one, but generally all-round better quality. Rolled Fingerboard edges.
G&L Legacy: similar to the Fender. A lot of people prefer them.
Fender American Telecaster: As the Mexican one, but generally all-round better quality. Rolled Fingerboard edges.
G&L ASAT: similar to the Fender. A lot of people prefer them.
Mid Gain:
Fender American Fat (or double fat) Strat: As the Mexican one, but generally all-round better quality. Rolled Fingerboard edges.
ESP/LTD 400 series (various models) with Seymour Duncan pickups (USA): always a good choice.
Lower Gibsons (Studios etc.) or Epiphone Elites: Great value Japanese-made guitars (Epi), slightly overpriced (Gibson) but still good guitars.
High gain:
Ibanez RG1570: poor pickups, fantastic everything else. Built for shred. Basswood.
Jackson pro/MG series (various models): Assuming they?re Japanese-built, they have a really good spec for 2006, but the trem might be iffy (hasn?t been determined yet, lol). If it is, get one of the hard-tail ones instead.
ESP/LTD 400 series, with EMG pickups: great for metal.
Ibanez RG121: poor pickups, fantastic everything else. Built for shred, and mahogany so better for metal than the rg1570.
Jackson Pro/MG Series (various models with hardtails): Have a really good spec for 2006, assuming they?re Japanese-made, should be great.
Over £600 ($1000/870 Euro): You?re on your own. You shouldn?t get a poor guitar at this price, but make sure it suits the style of music you play, and that it has a good spec. Just remember not to buy a guitar for its pickups, as most pickups on high-priced guitars are there to please most of the people, most of the time, and tend to be versatile, rather than the best for the music you may want to play.
UG Addict
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: California [Los Angeles]
Rules, FAQ's, & the "Who To Listen To" list
I revised this and took out some of the repeated stuff. Thanks Dave_Mc for the foundation.
Forum Rules
These are in addition to any general forum rules (No porn, links to porn, links to viruses, flaming, overuse of cursing/swearing). Any infraction of the rules of UG and it's forums will either result in a closed/deleted thread, and/or a warning/banning.
1: Multiple threads: Do not start more than one thread on the same subject.
2: Stickies: Read all the stickies before posting a thread, because they will help you by either giving you more information, or answering your question. If we feel that the thread you create is covered by a sticky, your thread will be closed.
3: Versus threads: Threads like, ?Metallica vs. Megadeth?, or ?Gibson vs. Fender? are not allowed.
4: Preference threads: Do not start threads about what you prefer over other brands, or what you feel like advertising about because you think it?s the greatest. If you are asking what other people prefer, that is fine.
6: Search: Use the search button every time you even think about posting a thread.
7: Keep on Topic: For the most part, posts in a thread must have relevance to the question asked by the thread starter.
8: Bumping: Do not bump your threads. This means don't post in your own thread in order to bump it to the top of the forum list. Also, don't bump dead threads from over six months ago.
9: Forum use: As a general rule, every thread concerning electric guitars should go into the Electric Guitar forum, unless it concerns modifying the electric guitar. Every thread concerning amps or effects should go in Guitar Gears & Accessories, and every thread concerning modifying your guitar, amp, effect pedal, rack mounts, etc., should go in Guitar Building & Customizing forum.
11: Musical tastes: The Instrument forums are not for discussing musical preferences or to bash musical tastes.
13: It?s all preference!: What we like may not be what you like! The best route is to always try something before you buy it!
Normal forum rules such as no advertising, no junk/pointless posts, no fighting/flaming/posting of personal information apply.
How to get good advice
1: What to state in your opening thread
Whatever you are buying, you must answer the following questions in your first post
(a) What do you want to buy?
(b) What is your budget?
(c) What type(s) of music do you want to play?
(f) Originally posted by Danno 13: Tell us if you're willing to buy used- this makes a major difference in what quality of kit you can afford, but of course it's a risk, and you need to know quite a bit about guitars etc. to not be taken advantage of.
2: What not to do
Also I'll add to this, it may just be that no-one knows. It's annoying, and it's happened to me before, but there's nothing you can do about it. If you're really stuck, you could try e-mailing the company for an answer (that helped me!).
How to give advice
1: Give advice, not what you would do: This is the most important rule. Advice means stepping into someone else's shoes, not telling the threadstarter what you'd do if you were him/her.
2: READ the original post: Don't just post away! Read what the thread starter is asking you!
3: Give sensible advice: If someone says "I'm 12 years old, I have $200 and that's all I'll have for the next 5 years (I have no job)", DON'T advise them to save up for an ENGL amp, or a Gibson Les Paul, it's not going to happen.
4: Don't recommend something you haven't tried: Just because you think something is good, doesn't mean it is. So if you haven't tried it, don't talk about it!
5: Do not be rude: Just because you think the thread starter is stupid, s/he isn't! We all started somewhere, so be nice about it.
6: Give reasons: Don't say "such-and-such a product ROCKS!". Say "i like it because of its bright, shimmering clean channel" or something like that. That's much more helpful, especially if the threadstarter hasn't tried the product in question before.
7: Don't say "It has a good name, it must be good": This is a pretty ubiquitous one. Most brand names made their names from a combination of past glories and top of the range models. It's unlikely a Mesa practice amp (if they had one) would be good just because you happen to appreciate their lone star, for example.
8: Experience with the product: Even if you?ve only played the product once, give us your opinion on it so we know where you?re coming from.
9: Location: Do not recommend things that are not available to the threadstarter or is too pricey because of import taxes.
10: Don?t know? Don?t post.
If you have any questions, just PM a mod of the forum, and we?ll get back to you as soon as we can!
Originally posted by SV300
The list below, consists of members of this forum, who have been consistently helpful, given honest, insightful and more importantly accurate information, and therefore, have earned a spot on this list. In other words, listen to these people.
The current Who To Listen To list is of active members of the forums. The honorary list is of people who rarely pop in, but are time tried veterans on the forums.
The Who to Listen to List
The Honorary Who to Listen to List
The list is NOT closed, and any members who are seen to post regularly with accurate information, and are willing to help out, will be added.
Please keep in mind, the above list of people does NOT mean they are the only people you should take seriously or listen to when they post. it is simply a list of people, given to you to maybe help any confusion you might have as to what might be correct or what might be wrong information..... it's a list of members who are consistently VERY helpful, knowledgeable and thorough in the areas covered by this forum. simple as that.
Feel free to post nominations etc. now!
Chat room:
Nickname: ______________
Room: #Ultimate-Guitar
Server: irc.matrixchat.us
Port: 6667
If you guys are ever online in chat, type: /join #instruments
UG Addict
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: California [Los Angeles]
By: Csquared1001
It is a tremelo that literally Floats by balancing on a pivot point. In order for that to happen
the springs inside the Guitar body have to have equal tension with the Strings of the guitar. For a more Detailed explanation and anatomy of a Floyd rose Go here
The Floyd Rose Bridge is known for it's ability to hold strings in tune. And once you set it up properly, No matter how much you use the whammy it won't go out of tune.
When it comes to setting up I found the following lessons very helpful:
Lesson #1
Lesson #2
Lesson #3
Lesson #4
Lesson #5
Lesson #6
Lesson #7
along with this Quote from the tremelo expert Madpickin03:
now for INTONATION: it is ajusted by moving the saddle up or down. you can check your intonation by comparing the acurracy of your open string note and your octave(or 12th fret) If the 12th fret note is flat you must increase the length of the string by moving the saddle up. If it's flat move the saddle down. I found the best way to remeber the direction to move the saddle is with this saying:
"if it's down go up and if it's up go down."
"if the note is flat, move the saddle up and if the note is sharp, move the saddle down"
NOTE: If you have a crappy tuner, your intonation will be less accurate.
Now a couple of my personal tips:
1. if your trem is sinking downwards use the whammy bar to put it level then place a stick covered in tape (as in the video) and put it at the back to hold it level. that way you can take off all the strings and clean the fretboard and such. When the guitar is back in tune, the stick should simply slide out.
2. ALWAYS consult a guitar tech for serious problems. do not try to do it yourself
3. DON'T **** AROUND! if your guitar is already set don't do something stupid like trying to set it up "EVH" style. you could **** it up and then need a tech. Make sure you know what your doing and DO NOT RUSH!
if your guitar buzzes then send a recording or do your best to describe what type of buzz you have so we have a better idea of what the problem is.
and if all else fails...
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ATLANTA -- Yale Williams is three days old and full of potential.
So is his blood. That's why his mom agreed to donate blood from his umbilical cord to a public cord blood bank.
"What's important to me is that it will be used to help someone else," said Essie Williams.
The Williams are among the first to take part in a new program at Piedmont Hospital that allows new moms to donate their cord blood to the Cleveland Cord Blood Center.
The public bank uses it for the treatment of blood disorders like lymphoma and leukemia.
"The majority of cord bloods in the world are discarded as medical waste," said Marcie Finney with the Cleveland Cord Blood Center. "So this program allows us to keep the cord blood and possibly use it for treatment to possibly save someone's life."
It only takes a small amount that's collected after the baby is born.
Because the immune cells aren't trained yet, cord blood is easier to match than bone marrow for stem cell transplants.
"It's basically extending opportunities for people to have medical treatment," Essie Williams said.
Private banks can be expensive, but this program is free.
It's like giving life twice.
Piedmont Hospital received a $1.3 million grant from the Katz Foundation to pay for the cord blood donation program for the next three years.