So where has everybody gone?

[JimLowther]

Acoustic Guitar Magazine discussion forum? UMGF? There certainly
doesn't seem to be much discussion of anything here any more.

Best wishes,

Dr. Jim Lowther

[Al Evans]

In article
<f5d49ca2-3a95-437d...@d6g2000yqi.googlegroups.com>,

JimLowther <JimLo...@aol.com> wrote:

> Acoustic Guitar Magazine discussion forum? UMGF? There certainly
> doesn't seem to be much discussion of anything here any more.

Good question. There's an RMMGA page on Facebook that receives a bit of
traffic. The Texas Gathering and the Dallas/Fort Worth Gathering are
substantially smaller these days than in the mid-'00s. The monthly song
circle at my house is about the same as it ever was, though, and I hear
of a lot more local gathering-type get-togethers.

So maybe it's just dispersed and decentralized.

--Al Evans--

[John Sorell]

Al Evans <a...@tbtm.org> wrote in news:al-033687.06462510052013
@news.individual.net:

I sometimes wonder if the old axiom "familiarity breeds contempt"
applies...

John

[JD]

Facebook, AGF etc. With more and more ISPs not
carrying Usenet and Google Groups being such a
PITA I'm not surprised that rmmga has declined.
Consider that there's probably a saturation point
for worn out topics among a static number of
participants as well. I monitor here only
peripherally any more.

[hank alrich]

JD <jdblac...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On 5/10/2013 4:46 AM, Al Evans wrote:
> > In article
> > <f5d49ca2-3a95-437d...@d6g2000yqi.googlegroups.com>,
> > JimLowther <JimLo...@aol.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Acoustic Guitar Magazine discussion forum? UMGF? There certainly
> >> doesn't seem to be much discussion of anything here any more.
> >
> > Good question. There's an RMMGA page on Facebook that receives a bit of
> > traffic. The Texas Gathering and the Dallas/Fort Worth Gathering are
> > substantially smaller these days than in the mid-'00s. The monthly song
> > circle at my house is about the same as it ever was, though, and I hear
> > of a lot more local gathering-type get-togethers.
> >
> > So maybe it's just dispersed and decentralized.
> >
> >
>

> Facebook, AGF etc. With more and more ISPs not
> carrying Usenet and Google Groups being such a
> PITA I'm not surprised that rmmga has declined.
> Consider that there's probably a saturation point
> for worn out topics among a static number of
> participants as well. I monitor here only
> peripherally any more.

I check in almost daily.

I never was much to talk about guitars. I haven't focused on the
minutiae of woods, fretboard widths, etc. I have generally picked up a
guitar, played it, and decided whether or not I liked it.

If I thought I would have liked it but didn't, I might try to figure out
why, but not very hard, because a guitar I'd _like_ to play hasn't been
hard to find.

--
shut up and play your guitar * http://hankalrich.com/
http://hankandshaidrimusic.com/
http://www.youtube.com/walkinaymusic

[JD]

Finding a guitar I like to play outside of the
ones I already have is nearly impossible. With
your McCollum I'd think you'd find most other
guitars lacking.

[Tony Done]

Our generation and its interests are fading, and the younger ones don't
use Usenet. Some of us oldies might also be losing or changing our
interests, for example I've got more interested in electric guitars and
less in acoustics over the past few years, and I can also find
opportunities for discussion in other acoustic guitar-oriented groups.
Topics also get worn out, as you say. The past few weeks I've been
reading the archives in GG, there is a lot of good stuff in there that
showed a deep interest, and I wonder where all the contributors have gone.

--
Tony Done

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=784456

http://www.flickr.com/photos/done_family/

[JD]

I hear you. Now that I've pretty much acquired all
the Holy Grail acoustics I think one would ever
want I'm not as obsessed with the search as I once
was. I'm not playing as much either. I've been
playing bass in an R&B trio and collecting parts
for a Telecaster. I keep thinking about going to
Healdsburg but really, it'd be 90% to see some
folks I have seen in a while, 9% for the road trip
and the rest to play a few guitars.

[JimLowther]

On May 10, 6:46 am, Al Evans <a...@tbtm.org> wrote:
> In article
> <f5d49ca2-3a95-437d-a398-c7b2faded...@d6g2000yqi.googlegroups.com>,

>
>  JimLowther <JimLowt...@aol.com> wrote:
> > Acoustic Guitar Magazine discussion forum?  UMGF?  There certainly
> > doesn't seem to be much discussion of anything here any more.
>
> Good question. There's an RMMGA page on Facebook that receives a bit of
> traffic. The Texas Gathering and the Dallas/Fort Worth Gathering are
> substantially smaller these days than in the mid-'00s. The monthly song
> circle at my house is about the same as it ever was, though, and I hear
> of a lot more local gathering-type get-togethers.
>
> So maybe it's just dispersed and decentralized.
>
>                                         --Al Evans--

I note that the RMMGA page on FB is a "closed group." I am not sure
what that means. Would I need an invitation to join?

[Tony Done]

Plagiarizing Groucho Marx, I think - "I wouldn't want to join any club
that would have me".

[gtr]

On 2013-05-10 21:52:37 +0000, Tony Done said:

> Our generation and its interests are fading, and the younger ones don't
> use Usenet.

True: 45 rpm to 33.3 rpm.

[gtr]

On 2013-05-11 08:00:11 +0000, Tony Done said:

> Plagiarizing Groucho Marx, I think - "I wouldn't want to join any club
> that would have me".

The distinctions are small but important. Groucho's quote:

"i don't want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as
a member."

[Tony Done]

78s for the bulk of my interests. Changing needles every disk was a bugger.

[Tony Done]

>
> I hear you. Now that I've pretty much acquired all the Holy Grail
> acoustics I think one would ever want I'm not as obsessed with the
> search as I once was. I'm not playing as much either. I've been playing
> bass in an R&B trio and collecting parts for a Telecaster. I keep
> thinking about going to Healdsburg but really, it'd be 90% to see some
> folks I have seen in a while, 9% for the road trip and the rest to play
> a few guitars.
>
>

I admire your ability to limit yourself with guitars, I'm always
wondering what is around the next corner. I have, though, somewhat lost
interest in acoustic tonal quality, or maybe the plywood-topped Maton
really is my holy grail <g> for the moment. I play as much as ever, but
my interests have changed.

<g> Here's my dream tele:

Warmoth chambered body in swamp ash or alder, gloss black.
Universal pickup rout
Hardtail strat bridge
Tortoise or brown shell pickguard in HSH configurationn
A big box of pickups to muck with (already have those)
Warmoth Pro neck, birdseye/birdseye, compound radius board (standard).

[Chris Dunkle]

In article <f5d49ca2-3a95-437d-a398-c7b2fadedcc4
@d6g2000yqi.googlegroups.com>, JimLo...@aol.com says...

I'm still lurking, don't really post much because I don't have much to
put in these days.
Checked out the FB group, I think I will pass on that.
Chris

[JD]

Now that I have the best I hardly feel limited. It
just lets me bond more completely with what I
have. With basses I've found that more money
doesn't necessarily get you a better axe. I had a
pair of Alembics that were nice but not $8k worth
of nice. I'm playing a Peavey Cirrus 5 and a Lace
Helix fretless 5. I think my last bass will be a 5
string P-Bass or a Mike Lull P-bass clone. Our
taste in Teles is close. I like the Warmoth
chambered bodies, had one in a Strat that I should
never have sold. I like the sound of the mahogany
body with a maple top. Probably tobacco burst with
a tortoise pick guard. I'm a huge fan of Joe
Barden pickups. I'm going for a 1 3/4" nut this
time though.

[Chris Atkinson]

In message <kmjq7c$qpr$1...@speranza.aioe.org>, Tony Done
<tony...@bigpond.com> writes

> I wonder where all the contributors have gone.
>

Sounds like a cue for someone to write a folksy, blues type number?

"... got the RMMGA blues 'cos my contributors done gone and left me ...
... an' I'm just fading away at the news, ain't no fun being over
seventy ...
... 'cos osteo-arthritis in the fingers makes it a right b*****r to get
to some of ...
... the b****y chords an' the memory ain't what it used to be ..."

Hmmm, that last line might need a little bit more work on it yet.

Chris A.
--
Chris Atkinson
christopher...@ntlworld.com
Things are more like they are now than they ever were before.

[Steve Freides]

A closed FB group - you can ask to join by messaging the admin.

Note that FB also supports secret groups - you wouldn't even be aware of
their existence if you hadn't been invited - awesome.

-S-

[hank alrich]

Steve Freides <st...@kbnj.com> wrote:

>
> Note that FB also supports secret groups - you wouldn't even be aware of
> their existence if you hadn't been invited - awesome.

Police forces have been cooperating internationally, tracking sexual
abusers and sexual "tourists" using secret FB groups.

[Steve Freides]

hank alrich wrote:
> Steve Freides <st...@kbnj.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> Note that FB also supports secret groups - you wouldn't even be
>> aware of their existence if you hadn't been invited - awesome.
>
> Police forces have been cooperating internationally, tracking sexual
> abusers and sexual "tourists" using secret FB groups.

Hmm, I didn't know that. To me, they're a new version of a private
email list, a way to communicate with a small group of people without
having the conversation become public.

-S-

[Steve Daniels]

On Tue, 14 May 2013 06:58:02 -0700, against all advice, something
compelled walk...@nv.net (hank alrich), to say:

>Steve Freides <st...@kbnj.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> Note that FB also supports secret groups - you wouldn't even be aware of
>> their existence if you hadn't been invited - awesome.
>
>Police forces have been cooperating internationally, tracking sexual
>abusers and sexual "tourists" using secret FB groups.

"Secret" and "Facebook" are mutually exclusive.



"Three can keep a secret if two be dead." - Various Hells Angels

[Les Cargill]

Those are gated communities. Not cool.

--
Les Cargill

[Les Cargill]

Nothing on the Internet is ever actually private.

--
Les Cargill

[Steven Bornfeld]

Yup. Speaking of facebook and privacy, just heard about this yesterday:

http://www.wamc.org/post/facebook-users-question-20-million-settlement-over-ads

[hank alrich]

Yep.

[hank alrich]

Don't like 'em in real estate, but in FB I think it can make good sense.
Any civil inquirer would be admitted to RMMGA FB, but given the breadth
of "opinions" and tendencies to go off thread/target/tangent, keeping a
guest list seems sensible to me. Keeps the Ted Nugents out of the punch
bowl.

[dsi1]

Facebook, and I assume, Google Plus' policy is that the data you submit
to their sites is their property. I suppose that's fair - they do
provide you with a service in return. The only thing that I ever got for
free was 5 lbs of cheese-like material that was doled out from the back
of an army truck. The substance, BTW, was pretty tasty. Most everything
else in life, you have to pay for.

Like most old farts, I'm concerned about my privacy but the young people
don't seem to have a care in the world about this. It's pretty obvious
that our old fashioned notions about privacy will be obliterated in the
brave new world.

The restaurant next door has an ongoing promo for a chance to win a trip
to Las Vegas - just fill out the 3" X 4" paper slip with your data. My
wife and step-mom will always give out their data but I'd rather keep
mine. Why the heck would I want to go into the desert anyway? OTOH, I'd
give out my info and submit to a x-ray body scan and pat-down for a 5 lb
block of smooth-meltin' cheesy goodness. Heck, I'd probably sell out all
my friends and give out their names and addresses too. It's that tasty!

[Hanger]

"JimLowther" <JimLo...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:f5d49ca2-3a95-437d...@d6g2000yqi.googlegroups.com...

> Acoustic Guitar Magazine discussion forum? UMGF? There certainly
> doesn't seem to be much discussion of anything here any more.
>

> Best wishes,
>
> Dr. Jim Lowther

I got off that LA Freeway without getting killed or caught
Went down the road in a cloud of smoke to some land that i ain't bought.

C.

[George Weston]

Erm... so what's wrong with an email contact list?

[amaril...@yahoo.com]

On Saturday, May 11, 2013 2:15:33 PM UTC-5, Tony Done wrote:
>
> 78s for the bulk of my interests. Changing needles every disk was a bugger.

"Don't sit on my Jimmy Shands. That's my very best advice to you."

;-D

[Steve Freides]

The FB group is actually quite nice - you get to see the whole
conversation history - if you wish - without having to quote and requote
it all the time in emails.

-S-

[Tony Done]

I remember Jimmy Shand, but I had to do a bit of research to get the
context. The only things I can remember us having are Glenn Miller and
someone singing "Smoke gets in your eyes".

[Les Cargill]

hank alrich wrote:
<snip>

>> Those are gated communities. Not cool.
>
> Don't like 'em in real estate, but in FB I think it can make good sense.
> Any civil inquirer would be admitted to RMMGA FB, but given the breadth
> of "opinions" and tendencies to go off thread/target/tangent, keeping a
> guest list seems sensible to me. Keeps the Ted Nugents out of the punch
> bowl.
>

"If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and
fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy
to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence." - Judge Louis
Brandeis.

Not sure that this applies to the Ted Nugents ( it is sometimes
difficult to ascribe that behavior as "speech" - that is a
matter for the linguists ) but....

--
Les Cargill

[hank alrich]

I think it's really not that deep. If I throw a party I'm probably not
going to invite everyone, not even everyone I know.

If we're talking Town Hall meetings, yes, I agree.

[JimLowther]

On May 16, 12:06 am, walki...@nv.net (hank alrich) wrote:

I can attest to the fact that Hank has not invited me to his parties.

[George Weston]

Ah - Jimmy Shand!
Puts me in mind of the old gag:
How do you torture a Scotsman?
Nail his shoes to the floor and then put on a Jimmy Shand record.

George

[George Weston]

I run an email contact group for my old ex-army buddies.
They send an email to me for the group - I just forward it to all 125 of
them.
Job done.

George

[John Sorell]

George Weston <geow...@NOSPAMgmail.com> wrote in news:avjvbeFtf3aU2
@mid.individual.net:

But you and the other 125 are missing out on a lot of neat
advertisements!

John

[Chuck U. Farley]

JD <jdblac...@gmail.com> wrote in
news:518f2d66$0$64358$c3e8da3$5e5e...@news.astraweb.com:

>

> a tortoise pick guard. I'm a huge fan of Joe
> Barden pickups. I'm going for a 1 3/4" nut this
> time though.

1. There are more distractions these days.
2. You can't get the kids' noses out of their 'smartphones'
long enough for them to learn USENET. (all caps is correct spell)
3. Unless you have large hands, don't even think about a 1.75 nut;
there is a world of difference. And if you think it's hard to
fingerpick with a narrower nut, check out Ernie Hawkins on YouTube.

[JD]

I'm no rookie at this; all my acoustics were
ordered with wider than usual necks. My last Strat
broke my heart with it's 1 11/16th" nut.

[George Weston]

Couldn't have put it better myself!

[Tony Done]

Like JD says, we both know a lot about nut widths. I have small hands
and have no problem with either, but in a no-cost choice, as a
fingerpicker, I would go with 1 3/4.

[hank alrich]

Yep, that works, but it's a different thing. I participate in both types
of communication strategies. Both have their ups and downs.

[dsi1]

I used to have a 60s Epiphone Crestwood Deluxe that sounded just great.
This was made during Gibson's pencil-neck period and that thing was just
unplayable for me. After I sold it, I occurred to me that all I had to
do was not play it below the 5th fret. Rats!

I recently got an Indonesian Epiphone Wilshire with mini-humbuckers. It
has the same great sound and body but with a wide, chunky, neck. Beats
the heck out of me why they made this particular model like that -
perhaps they're using up all the excess wood they had saved on necks
during the 60s.

[hank alrich]

Firefox on a Mac laptop with AdBlock Plus = no ads on the ''net. <G!>

[Wilbur]

On Thu, 16 May 2013 14:03:20 -0700, walk...@nv.net (hank alrich)
wrote:

>> But you and the other 125 are missing out on a lot of neat
>> advertisements!
>>
>> John
>
>Firefox on a Mac laptop with AdBlock Plus = no ads on the ''net. <G!>

But... then... how do you know what stuff to buy?

[Steve Daniels]

On 16 May 2013 15:05:34 GMT, against all advice, something compelled
"Chuck U. Farley" <Waste...@home.org>, to say:

My go to guitar has a 1 3/4 nut, and I love it.


So there.

[Steve Freides]

You can also do that through the Groups functionality at Google or
Yahoo - way easier than even what you do, IMHO.

-S-

[JimLowther]

On May 16, 8:47 pm, Steve Daniels <sdani...@gorge.net> wrote:
> On 16 May 2013 15:05:34 GMT, against all advice, something compelled

> "Chuck U. Farley" <WasteH8...@home.org>, to say:
>
> >JD <jdblackwe...@gmail.com> wrote in

> >news:518f2d66$0$64358$c3e8da3$5e5e...@news.astraweb.com:
>
> >> a tortoise pick guard. I'm a huge fan of Joe
> >> Barden pickups. I'm going for a 1 3/4" nut this
> >> time though.
>
> >1. There are more distractions these days.
> >2. You can't get the kids' noses out of their 'smartphones'
> >long enough for them to learn USENET. (all caps is correct spell)
> >3. Unless you have large hands, don't even think about a 1.75 nut;
> >there is a world of difference. And if you think it's hard to
> >fingerpick with a narrower nut, check out Ernie Hawkins on YouTube.
>
> My go to guitar has a 1 3/4 nut, and I love it.
>
> So there.

I with you on that. I like wider (at least 1.75) nut width better.
My hands are anything but large. How did this come up?

[Steve Daniels]

On Thu, 16 May 2013 19:50:25 -0700 (PDT), against all advice, something
compelled JimLowther <JimLo...@aol.com>, to say:

>My hands are anything but large. How did this come up?

Sildenafil citrate?

[hank alrich]

I buy NoStuff. It's the shite!

[Les Cargill]

hank alrich wrote:
> Wilbur <wil...@sliceathome.com> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 16 May 2013 14:03:20 -0700, walk...@nv.net (hank alrich)
>> wrote:
>>
>>>> But you and the other 125 are missing out on a lot of neat
>>>> advertisements!
>>>>
>>>> John
>>>
>>> Firefox on a Mac laptop with AdBlock Plus = no ads on the ''net. <G!>
>>
>>
>> But... then... how do you know what stuff to buy?
>
> I buy NoStuff. It's the shite!
>

<cue Billy Preston onna Clavinet... >

And it's easy to store!

--
Les Cargill

[JohnBj]

On Wednesday, May 15, 2013 9:39:45 PM UTC-5, Tony Done wrote:

> I remember Jimmy Shand, but I had to do a bit of research to get the
>
> context. The only things I can remember us having are Glenn Miller and
>
> someone singing "Smoke gets in your eyes".
>
>

I was quoting the song by Richard Thompson - which references 78s.
(http://www.allmusic.com/song/dont-sit-on-my-jimmy-shands-mt0011903864)

[Tony Done]

<g> Yeah, I found it thanks - Wikipedia is your friend, and the
information super highway is wonderful. Maybe.

[Al Evans]

In article <1l2ytjf.us5lf91yxat5uN%walk...@nv.net>,

walk...@nv.net (hank alrich) wrote:

> Firefox on a Mac laptop with AdBlock Plus = no ads on the ''net. <G!>

AdBlock Plus works great with Chrome, too!

--Al Evans--

[Al Evans]

In article <avjvbe...@mid.individual.net>,

George Weston <geow...@NOSPAMgmail.com> wrote:

> I run an email contact group for my old ex-army buddies.
> They send an email to me for the group - I just forward it to all 125 of
> them.
> Job done.

You do know we've got these computer thingies nowadays that'll do that
for you? I run multiple lists using mailman off my hosting provider
(Dreamhost). Not like it's a huge thing, but if the participants had to
wait for me to do something manually, *everyone* would be annoyed:-)

--Al Evans--

[hank alrich]

A great song! Been playing that one since long time.

[John Sorell]

Wilbur <wil...@sliceathome.com> wrote in
news:d4qap8dg69gp8fei5...@4ax.com:

You have to subscribe to Guilt.com

John

[John Sorell]

Al Evans <a...@tbtm.org> wrote in news:al-F62A53.06252117052013
@news.individual.net:

My favorite, so far.

John

[George Weston]

Yebbut... you have to go into the browser, log into Google, enter your
password, find your Google Group and then compose your post.
Also, all members would need a Google ID - and many don't have one or
want one.
Additionally, Google Groups are public, although I believe it's possible
to create a closed group - and Google would be storing all your data (me
no like).
And another thing... only the sender of a post on Google Groups can
delete it.

Contrast that with switching on computer, opening Windows Live
Mail/Thunderbird/Outlook/whatever and leaving it on all day.
Messages come in, they are read and if they need to be forwarded, click
on Forward and enter the name contact group in bcc. Press Send. Delete
message from inbox.
Done

[John Sorell]

walk...@nv.net (hank alrich) wrote in news:1l305rk.187b4j6bzpm9cN%
walk...@nv.net:

> JohnBj <amaril...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> On Wednesday, May 15, 2013 9:39:45 PM UTC-5, Tony Done wrote:
>>
>> > I remember Jimmy Shand, but I had to do a bit of research to get the
>> >
>> > context. The only things I can remember us having are Glenn Miller
and
>> >
>> > someone singing "Smoke gets in your eyes".
>> >
>> >
>>
>> I was quoting the song by Richard Thompson - which references 78s.
>> (http://www.allmusic.com/song/dont-sit-on-my-jimmy-shands-
mt0011903864)
>
> A great song! Been playing that one since long time.
>

When I saw Thompson perform that tune, the introduction was hilarious. I
guess, most of his introductions tend to be a show in itself.

John

[gtr]

On 2013-05-17 15:49:35 +0000, George Weston said:

>>> I run an email contact group for my old ex-army buddies.
>>> They send an email to me for the group - I just forward it to all 125
>>> of them.
>>

>> You can also do that through the Groups functionality at Google or
>> Yahoo - way easier than even what you do, IMHO.
>>
>>

> Yebbut... you have to go into the browser, log into Google, enter your
> password, find your Google Group and then compose your post.
> Also, all members would need a Google ID - and many don't have one or want one.
> Additionally, Google Groups are public, although I believe it's
> possible to create a closed group - and Google would be storing all
> your data (me no like).
> And another thing... only the sender of a post on Google Groups can delete it.

I've been running a Yahoo email list for a many years. It's true you
have to "sign up" with yahoo, but can use any email address you like,
and can participate by emailing to the group. It's about as easy as it
gets.

[hank alrich]

Obviously.

> log into Google, enter your
> password,

LastPass...

> find your Google Group

Bookmark...

> and then compose your post.

Obviously.

> Also, all members would need a Google ID - and many don't have one or
> want one.

Granted.

> Additionally, Google Groups are public, although I believe it's possible
> to create a closed group - and Google would be storing all your data (me
> no like).

The US government is already storing your emails.

> And another thing... only the sender of a post on Google Groups can
> delete it.
>
> Contrast that with switching on computer, opening Windows Live
> Mail/Thunderbird/Outlook/whatever and leaving it on all day.
> Messages come in, they are read and if they need to be forwarded, click
> on Forward and enter the name contact group in bcc. Press Send. Delete
> message from inbox.
> Done

You lost me at "Windows". <g>

All these ways of communicating work fine and require jumping through a
hoop or several. A Facebook group is as easy as it gets, and can be
public or private, as you wish.

[George Weston]

Don't get me started on Facebook!

[hank alrich]

No problem. I won't see you there!

Meanwhile, I am enjoying conversing with old friends annd new, and FB
gives me another way to give notice of performances and other musical
activities in which I'm involved, while software prevents me from seeing
the very thing that is supposed to be putting money in Zookerburg's
pockets.