Ibanez Talman TC 630

When I looked up Craigslist ads on Sunday morning, I thought there was little chance this Talman was still available.  The ad was asking for $400 or trade for a small tube amp.  I had accumulated a few small tube amps and I think this Talman was worth at least the Marshall Class 5 that I traded the Takamine for.

I took the chance and sent the seller a few pics of the Marshall and by 830 pm, I was driving up the 15 freeway with this Ibanez Talman TC 630.  Not exactly sure what color Ibanez called this but it is a very  creamy white with a complementary red pearloid pickguard.  The pickguard was all scratched up at the neck pickup position which definitely adds to the guitar's character.

There was a slight fret buzz that all but went away as soon as I changed the strings to a hybrid Ernie Ball set (46,36,26,16,11,9).  I also added a 4th spring to the tremolo which stiffened it a little bit more.  The pickup heights were also adjusted to an optimum set -- trial and error mostly, based on what I thought was the proper gain.  The 5-position switch is similar to a strat in terms of pickup combination.

These lipstick pickups were my biggest surprise.  I have never had a guitar with these before and I have to say, the neck pickup has that perfect warmth/twang balance.  Playability is 9 (on a scale of 10) and my only complaint is the guitar's weight at 9.4 lbs.  Other than that, I am content not having the Marshall amp (which I really liked) and instead having my second Talman.

Jarrett, Peacock, DeJohnette (9/28/13)

No photography was allowed during the performance at UCLA Royce Hall as requested by the artists so during intermission, I headed to the front row and captured a lasting image of Jarrett's grand piano, Peacock's double bass resting on its side and DeJohnette's Sonor drum kit.  Ever since Dave Brubeck passed away last year, I had made it a point for me (and the kids) to see these giants of jazz whenever possible.  I wasn't sure how the kids would react to the jazz trio format but I figure them playing bass and drums, they would have somewhat of an instant appreciation of Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette.  But the real genius of this group is Keith Jarrett, who at age 68 continued his grunting and dancing while playing jazz standards.  Jarrett requested a Royce Hall staff to change the piano bench after one song claiming it was uncomfortable -- consistent with his reputation for being somewhat of a pain in the ass.  But his mastery of the piano and the standards is also one of the few remaining consistent things in jazz today.

Black Sabbath (9/3/13)

I had been listening (and playing) to Black Sabbath ever since I learned how to play guitar.  So when the band announced a tour date in Los Angeles, I was all over Ticketmaster.  Ozzy, Tony and Geezer was joined by drummer Tommy Clufetos at the LA Sports Arena and they did one heavy set of old standards and songs off the new album '13'.  The kids tagged along for this concert even though it was a school night -- I was not going to deprive them of this opportunity.  The only thing that really sucked is the parking in the LA Coliseum complex.  A half hour to get it and a hour to get out.  For some reason, the parking lot personnel did nothing but collect my $20.  No marshalling, no traffic control.

When To Leave Things Alone

Some guitars just have that personality that you cannot help but notice.  This Olympic White MIM Fender Strat sat at the Guitar Center in Covina probably as the least noticed of all the used electrics.  It was missing two knobs, the fretboard was filthy and worn and the pickguard was dirty and scratched.  On the other side of that equation, people pay top dollar for relic'd strats so why was this only selling for $225?

When I plugged it in, I knew it had a strong sound.  Played "State of Love and Grace" and it roared.  Played "Prayer of The Refugee" and the fretboard is fast.  Did I need another strat? No.  Did I need "this" strat? Yes.  And it came in Olympic White.
When I finally got it after a week hold (California State Law), I was on the fence whether to clean it up and replace the missing volume and tone knobs with matching ones.  After a day of deliberation, I finally decided to leave it alone with the exception of adding a couple mismatching knobs.  Now, the guitar has such a distinct personality that it easily is my favorite MIM strat.  Sometimes, leaving things alone is the best action to take.