A Bit About Strings

Hawaii is a brand name state.  Folks here consume Bud beer, Best Foods Mayo, Libby's Vienna Sausage and a host of other brand name products.  Most would rather fight than switch.  This gets even more magnified, if you will, on the small neighbor islands of which Kauai is one.
Coated Acoustic guitar strings have caught on in a big way and like most brand loyalty one manufacturer in particular has capture the elusive guitar players.  I get asked all the time if I can get EXR coated strings.  I can but I don't stock them. One company in particular has been experimenting with micron polymer coatings for a long time now.  Anthony and his crew at DR Strings.  DR's product is of excellent quality and they are actually having fun with making strings.  They have rainbow colors, neons and even Zebra acoustic electric.  They are widely available and sanely priced.  I have a repeat customer that swears they last forever even in the harsh tropical climate here in the islands.

I like underdogs and even though DR's says they are doing great on Maui and Oahu, breaking the brand barrier here on Kauai is a tough battle.  Check out the DR web site for their complete product line.  Most of my bass playing friends swear by their Lo-Riders.

 A partial list of DR endorsees includes Sting, Marcus Miller, Jeff Healey, Adam Clayton of U2, Warren Haynes of GOV'T MULE and THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, Jonas Hellborg, Bo Diddley, "Skunk" Baxter, Victor Bailey, Steve Kaufman, Percy Jones, Darryl Jones of THE ROLLING STONES, Rick Derringer, Mick Karnes, Andreas Kisser, Max Cavalera, & Paulo Jr. of SEPULTURA, Birelli Legren, Trey Anastasio and Mick Gordon of PHISH, SMASHING PUMPKINS, Gary Tallent, Tony Franklin, Ty Tabor & Doug Pinnock of KING'S X, Dimebag Darrell of PANTERA, Scott Ian, Paul Crook, & Frank Bello of ANTHRAX, Stefan Lessard with THE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, Peter Rowan, Shawn Lane, Paul Pesco Matt Freeman with RANCID, Per Gessle of ROXETTE, Sharlee D'Angelo of MERCYFUL FATE, and VERUCA SALT.

Revisiting a Friend’s Previous Work

Millicent Cummings

  Watch and listen

I met Millicent several Christmas seasons ago and ended up compiling her Christmas CD from various old Porta Studio cassettes and a CD or two.  A little audio clean up, some mixing, editing and burning and she had a nice family gift that met her deadline.  She left me some cookies a card and with a kiss and a hug vanished out my rickety old door and was off.  She struck me as one more of many women artists I’ve met.  Hell bent and  undeterred from her creative dreams and goals.  It was almost as if I was supposed to liken her presence to a historic personage. 
I always thought her work would go over better in Austin, Texas.  She plays and sings with full roof rattling dbs and then dynamically drops to a whisper,  She plays her big-bodied guitar as though she were striding; a pilgrim getting close to their destination.  She also has the East Coast thing going on.
I’ve recently had the chance to give her CD, Island Rose some serious listening.  I have become rather fond of several of the tracks, finding her lyrics quirky but with a unique sense of relevance to living on a rock in the Pacific Ocean, what we want and what we need. She expores relationships and uses skillful analogies and lush imagery in many of her compositions.
Give her CDs a listen and hear what I was missing.
Blessings from Kauai.
T.Dogg

The Story

The Story

This topic is probably verboten for musical instrument retailers. Since I have never felt comfortable with that identity and really only began retailing because friends and family told me it was time to stop doing it for free, so I guess I'll just go ahead and mutter.

I grew up in a musical theatre family so of course performing was important. Perhaps the difference in my family, in which my father was a songwriter and my mother a UCLA English major/Actor, was at the very core of every performance, the heart and soul if you will, was the story. The story could be enthralling, tragic, humorous, demonic, twisted, a lesson in morality or what have you. The absolute was that there was one. Without it, there could be no songs, no words or action. An actor, dancer, singer, musician's first objective was to serve the story. Sets, costumes, lighting, staging, orchestration could range from opulent to minimal the success of these additions depended on how well they enhanced the telling of the story.

As the oral tradition of relaying news and providing tribes with a link to their histories evolved accompaniment was added. Drums perhaps were the first, eventually lyre, lute, harp etc. As this form matured, so too did the skills of those doing the telling. These tellers were esteemed and many rewarded for their great skills. These skills originally were not solely interpretive for as it was and so it remains: the tale is first and foremost.

With the evolution of classical instrumental music came an enormous societal schism. These complex musical compositions were still stories though written in musical notation not spoken language, opera and chorale being of course the exception. The composition, the copying of all the parts, the payments to the musicians required massive subsidies by the ruling class. The peasant and working class heard very little and understood even less of the pomp, bombast and complexity of this form.

Yet despite this division of class, the story telling continued musically though viewed condescendingly as simple peasant or folk music. Despite its lowly stature, this music endured, crossed the great ocean and emerged in America assuming the forms we know as Folk, Country and from somewhat different origins, Blues, Boogie Woogie, Swing and Rock and Roll. The reason these forms have not only survived but continue to thrive is that they tell a tale, they are accessible, and through their simplicity, they stick in your head.

When we evaluate a player's performance what is our criteria? I would suggest that at least for me is how successful, how evocative did the player communicate the story. As players ourselves, besides the obligatory note for note rendering when we are wood shedding, perhaps a portion of our session should be spent in evaluating what we are conveying. What nuance can we add to embellish the story? Maybe a bit of time spent every session working on telling our own stories would be a worthy addition to our practice routine. Lou Reed tells of a time he met Andy Warhol one afternoon at The Factory when Lou was in residence there. "How many songs have you written today," asked Andy? "Why none," Lou replied. "Aren't you a songwriter," Andy inquired. Lou mutter, yes." "Then write some songs," Andy replied trailing past Lou.

What I'm getting at with these musings is that as a musician and or songwriter, it seems to me that at least as much time should be spent in skillfully telling the story through your musicianship and if so moved writing one of your own. At least as much as is often spent drooling over gear ads, auctions, forum reviews and UTube gear demos. This is probably not wise advice from a retailer, but the payoff is a gift freely given. Besides you can always buy gear.

Blessings from the Garden Island,

Tyler(T.Dogg)J. Barnes

Ukuleles from the Source

I had been searching for a source of contemporary, handmade Ukuleles that were not built in Asia. I’m not opposed to instruments manufactured overseas, it’s just that there is such a glut of them and the quality is really hit or miss. I didn’t want a huge selection, I wanted a select few of good quality and with a price point that didn’t have folks over-extending themselves.

I found my answer in a line of instruments handmade in Portugal, the birthplace of the Ukulele, or rather the source of the instruments that were later to become the guy we know today. The contemporary instrument was developed in the 1880s as a combination of the Madeiran braguinha and rajão. A braguinha is an instrument similar to a cavaquinho, built in the city of Braga and named after it; the Portuguese cavaquinho is usually tuned in D-G-B-D, a G-major chord. The Madeira rajão is tuned D-G-C-E-A. The D and G strings are both re-entrant, i.e., tuned an octave higher than expected in the normal low-to-high course of strings. The GCEA strings of the rajão are the source of the re-entrant tuning of the modern ukulele.[1.]

Tornavoz Music is a highly respected purveyor of upscale classical guitars but they also represent a forward-thinking young company called Cordoba. The design team at Cordoba are the first in developing a nylon string guitar for steel string players with a neck and action much like that found on a Martin D-28.

They also have developed a line of Solid Koa Ukuleles which are handmade to their design specifications in Portugal. The old adage "what goes around comes around," is pertinent in this situation.

I am carrying their Concert, Tenor and Tenor cut away Ukes with onboard electronics. The workmanship is excellent and of the four Concerts I inspected I only found one small fret burr and of course the solid Koa bodies and necks are a pure delight. I also received an all Koa Six string electric cutaway classical. The amplified sound of this instrument has made it impossible to put down. The Koa Concerts with a really nice canvas gig bags are priced a $269.00. The acoustic Tenor is $309.00. The electric Tenor with single cutaway is $369.00 and Koa Classic is $1000.00 plus having to pry it away from me.

A word here to mention the innovative designers and the founder of Cordoba whose academic and design credits I don’t have the room for in this blog..but briefly: The Founder is Tim Miklaucic who studied classical guitar with Celin Romero while also completing degrees in Chemistry and Philosophy at UCSD ; Kenny Hill is chief designer and production manager of all Iberia and Fusion series guitars: Ted Blochinger a master builder who has worked closely with the Romero Family and handcrafts only 10 instruments a year, he is the designer and overseer of all Espana, Artist and Custom Artist level guitars made in Spain. Look for the fusion series and the La Playa beach guitar coming in the future.

Aloha from the Garden Isle,

Tyler

[1.] Wikipedia

www.guitarskauai.com

The "Vintage Machine"

F/S 1953 Fender Telecaster Blackguard, Ex Cond. $385.000.00

No I am not selling the above listed guitar. This listing is fantasy...but not that far from the truth
I have been putting off my rant about the vintage instrument market for some time now. Recently however, I received an email reply to an inquiry regarding the price of a piece of gear posted on my local Craig's List. I 'll quote the opening email and follow up with my usual long-winded response.

" I'm suprised I haven't bumped into u already if u r in Koloa & r into dealing electric guitars. I currently have 2 pre-CBS vintage Fender Jazz Basses for sale....the original sunburst '63 is currently for sale on Ebay, & the refurbished '65 ( faded robin's egg blue) I haven't listed yet. I'm not sure what I am willing to sell the '65 for yet, but it will soon be up for sale."

My Reply

I don't really deal guitars. Having come up in what the consumer-driven industry experts refer to as the Golden Days of Fender and Gibson I find the "vintage" market, its inflated prices and the obsessive phenomenon of enshrining pre-60s slab instruments in display cases as though they were religious relics thoroughly repugnant. As a composer and musician I believe instruments should be played not pinned to felt boards and encapsulated in glass like sad, rare butterflies.

If a client insists, I have and will locate and negotiate the purchase of a "vintage" piece but will first attempt to steer them in the direction of purchasing a contemporary instrument crafted by one of several small production luthiers I have the privilege of knowing and working with. There are many artisans building innovative and quite exquisite pieces right now that are playable and realistically priced. Mr. Fender was first and foremost a repair man and I do not intend to impinge on his genius by stating this. It is my guess that he would be appalled at the cult status, the hoarding and the skyrocketing prices of instruments he intended to be played by working class musicians not locked away and masturbated over by the cigar and cognac neo-con crowd.

I recently did a repair and appraisal on a 64 Strat. Due to the refin the piece was only worth 12,500.00. In my opinion this is an obscenity. This amount of money would put a lot of instruments into the hands of school kids, perhaps offering them an alternative to the self-destructive, violence-driven pathway to ignorance, enlistment and a potential military funeral. Music was my way out of depression and despair so I am adamant regarding the importance of its exposure to young people.

You have not bumped into me because we are on different roads my friend. I have a small business which I feel is fair and honest. I am shooting for what the Buddha called right livelihood. I don't work with any of the big boxes and all my products have a face, heart and soul behind them. Even GHS has no plans to take over the world and they are the largest company I rep. I just picked up Thomastik-Infeld which as a bass player, I am sure you are familiar with their Jazz Flats; outrageous old school jazz tone and they keep getting better.
I will have the lowest price in the islands on these.

Many mahalos for getting back to me and please forgive my opinionated long-windedness, but it's kind of who I am. If I can be of service to you in any way please feel free to contact me directly.

Sincerely,
Tyler J. Barnes

Update
New Lines
Now representing Everly, Aquila and Thomastik-Infeld Strings, Exclusive Hawaii rep for Lock-It Straps and Wilson Effects, handmade in the US of A. Many items are now in stock or on the water. Email or Call for an up to date inventory. info@guitarskauai.com 808.652.0952 808.742.1755 We deliver free on Kauai cash or personal check purchases only. Thursdays Lihue, South and Westside, Fridays Lihue and points North.

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