Hi guys

I don't hang around here much anymore. Over the years, I've had less and less interest in electric music, and haven't felt the urge to build anything. I've sold off a lot of my stuff, and will sell off quite a bit more, and have been playing almost exclusively acoustically. I dropped out of my last electric band a few weeks ago. I just don't want it anymore. 45 years electric guitar is enough.

Which doesn't mean I'm not playing. My Martin OM-21 and Loar LH-700 get a lot of time. I picked up tenor banjo a couple months ago and have 3 gigs in the next two weeks, playing in Dixie bands.

A few months ago I decided it was time to replace my Chinese-made Gewa pressed-top mandolin with something respectable. At first I thought I would buy an Eastman (easy way out), but in the end I ordered a custom Silverangel (well, they are all customs, really) from Ken Ratcliff in Elliotville, Kentucky. Since my mandolin playing leans more to Yank Rachel (look him up) than Bill Monroe, I wanted an instrument with more body and less piercing high end, and that's Ken. When I asked Ken what you get from his more expensive models, he said "you get a different shape. The sound is the same." So I ordered his 'Econo" A model, which only has binding on the top, a rosewood rather than ebony fingerboard, and a few other details. What I got was highly figured silver maple, and a red spruce top that had been harvested 80 years ago and was recovered by Ken. I had the option of sinker redwood harvested 150 years ago, but I wanted to see what all the red spruce hype was about.

Shipping was a long, frustrating story. The shipper made an error and shipped it to Swaziland. Yes, really. It sat there for two months, and we couldn't get it to move. We had actually given up on it, and Ken was nearly finished with a replacement, when it magically showed up in Europe. And, even more magically, it was unharmed.

So I attached a couple of poor pictures. These are a pale representation of the flame; it's much more intense in real life, and the sunburst is deep and soft.  It's a beautiful instrument, visually, sonically, and haptically.

Next: a Pietsch Ne Plus Ultra to replace my 1928 Slingerland; but I'll have to sell a lot more stuff first.

Oh, and I am officially stateless. A month from now I should be German.

It's been swell. Bye.

steven

> Loar LH-700

probier unbedingt mal Silk & Steel Saiten da drauf.
Ein Freund hat eine LH-300 mit solchen Saiten und ich will jedesmal auch eine, wenn ich sie in der Hand halte.

> A month from now I should be German.

und um mich rum wollen alle eine Greencard, hmmm - anyway, you are welcome.

> Loar LH-700

probier unbedingt mal Silk & Steel Saiten da drauf.
Ein Freund hat eine LH-300 mit solchen Saiten und ich will jedesmal auch eine, wenn ich sie in der Hand halte.

> A month from now I should be German.

und um mich rum wollen alle eine Greencard, hmmm - anyway, you are welcome.

Hab alle moegliche Saiten probiert; Martin Monel .013 sind fuer mich die richtige.

Ich habe $2350 bezahlt, den scheiss los zu werden.

steven

> Martin Monel .013 sind fuer mich die richtige.

13er - Männersaiten. Dann ist Silk & Steel nichts für dich.

> Martin Monel .013 sind fuer mich die richtige.

13er - Männersaiten. Dann ist Silk & Steel nichts für dich.

You have to drive the top on carved instruments. Otherwise they will never perform like they should. You need mass for that. But you can forget bending, at least more than a half-tone.
But those guitars are made for 4-to-a-bar swing rhythm, and the huge deep V-neck underlines that ( I love that neck, many many hate it).

The Monels don't feel as stiff as other strings the same diameter.  If you haven't tried them, do it. I use the .012 set on my OM-21, and the super-light set on my D12X

Hey Stevo,

willkommen in Deutschland.  :topjob: 

Oh no, keine Telecasters mehr? Kein Strom? Verschwindest Du in den Bergen und Wäldern und machst Hillbilly Musik?
Say it aint so, bro.  :guitar:

Ciao
Martin

Hey Stevo,

willkommen in Deutschland.  :topjob: 

Oh no, keine Telecasters mehr? Kein Strom? Verschwindest Du in den Bergen und Wäldern und machst Hillbilly Musik?
Say it aint so, bro.  :guitar:

Ciao
Martin

Nicht genau. Aber niemand bewundert die schöne Holz.

Schuhe sind schon bestellt.

Und ein Bild mit die Instrumente, mit dem ich meine Zeit verbringe.

Hi Stevo,
the wood is stunning, but one has to hold it in its hand to see it shift and move "live". I bet the laquer is some kind of tactile treat, also. 

Ciao
Martin