LIFE CHANGERS :

[Gary Byrum]

Why haven’t I been posting build threads this winter??? Simply because I have done nothing in the shop since early to mid September. Yup, my mojo flew completely out the window. Had an accident on Sept 1st that put me in the hospital, and a few weeks later I came down with some god-awful 10 day bug/virus, whatever!! Which is when my liver decided to erupt (it was already in bad shape). Now I am a regular visitor at the local hospital every 10 days to get fluid drained from my stomach area.

The whole change has put me in limbo it seems. I see where a lot of folks bail on their rocketry when s**t hits the fan but not this guy. I know this is temporary and I’ll be back in the swing at some point. So don’t be expecting any “sellouts”.

On the other hand, a delightful replacement has taken hold. A few of you know about how I hung up my 6 strings and got out of the music business around 20+ years ago. THAT mojo had been dead a long time until recently. Long story short, I have invested in some new gear and borrowed a guitar from a friend and soon I’ll be adding the last edition to the investment which is this little jewel below. And FWIW, I have no intentions of going back on the road. And I also never thought I’d break this horrible chain that kept me from wanting to play. I’m really looking at owing this fine piece of work.

 

[neil_w]

Hope you feel better and get your rocket mojo back. In the meantime playing music is definitely one of the best ways to expend creative energy. Good luck!

 

[Gary Byrum]

My first calendared launch date is most likely our April event and unless I get it back, I'l be attending as a visitor again. It's like somebody turned off the lights on the rocketry front. I can't build or design anything when I have no ambition. And this sudden draw back to playing guitars again along with another indoor project I sorta fell into was growing mushrooms. I should have a crop picture to post in about another week or so.

 

[neil_w]

My daughter grew some mushrooms for a project last year, using one of the ready-to-go growing kits. It was cool.

One idea I had which I thought of too late was to take an old smartphone, set it up on a tripod, and take a time-lapse. I only got a day or two's growth, but you could see it in the resulting movie. If I had to do it again, I'd try to start the time-lapse on day one.

 

[Gary Byrum]

I have a 64 qt tub, I used 5 pounds of Coco Coir and some Vermiculite as the substrate. I added 2 - 3 pound bags of colonized spawn grain that just got mixed in the tub this Sunday past. I'm expecting to see some significant growth after the the surface recolonizes and the flush begins.

 

[shanejohnson2002]

As a fellow musician and Ibanez fan, if you can swing it, check out a Kiesel. I *love* my Carvin (which is what Kiesel used to be.)

Seriously...their website is pure guitar p0rn.

Here's some pics of what I used to tote around:

 

[Gary Byrum]

You have a herd of guitars dood! I'm drawn to that first pic of the black & red one. Don't know much about those but they are certainly out of my price range. The Ibanez is around 1300.00.

 

[shanejohnson2002]

Oddly enough, my favorite Ibanez is a $299 Musician's Friend special that I swapped the pickups on lol. It's my #2 after the 7-string Carvin (the red/black).

I have a $1000 SA1260 that's just kinda meh. Fills the need for single coils though.

 

[Gary Byrum]

My direction is to have a decent practice amp and a few pedals to go with said guitar. I bought a used Fender Frontman with 2 - 12's and a couple of pedals that are still at the store. 150.00 for the amp (great price) Looks much like a Musicman to me. I have to wait for them to clear a property check in case any of it was stolen. I get to pick those up this Sunday. FWIW, not all "less expensive" guitars are all that bad. I have a friends Korean LTD axe that his son is loaning me and it's only a 200-250 dollar guitar. Not too shabby either! Looks way too much out of my league, but it does play well.

 

[grouch]

Cool man. I love resurfacing old hobbies and interest. That said, are you doing better since September?

 

[Bat-mite]

Glad you aren't giving up! Now for a guitar-shaped rocket!

 

[Matt_The_RocketMan]

Glad you aren't giving up! Now for a guitar-shaped rocket!

yeah speaking of one this one already has the stabilizing fins and body lol

 

[shanejohnson2002]

Ibanez Rocket Roll II is what you want then.

- Flying V shape
- Awesome amber burst flame finish
- Has "rocket" in the title already

Trifecta.

 

[Matt_The_RocketMan]

Ibanez Rocket Roll II is what you want then.

- Flying V shape
- Awesome amber burst flame finish
- Has "rocket" in the title already

Trifecta.

nah man my rocket guitar looks smooth AF all you have to do is weight reduction asap lol then maybe add a H class engine to the bottom and giver a fly maybe she wont maybe she will who will know unless we test it?

 

[shanejohnson2002]

nah man my rocket guitar looks smooth AF all you have to do is weight reduction asap lol then maybe add a H class engine to the bottom and giver a fly maybe she wont maybe she will who will know unless we test it?

Strap a big enough engine to an armchair, and it'll fly. Not necessarily well... but it *will* move.

 

[jsdemar]

I have 8 guitars, 2 amps, and some pedals/loopers. They keep me sane in between work and other craziness. It's a good past-time to have. Good luck with it, Gary!

 

[Brian H.]

I wish you a speedy turn around, and as a fellow former guitarist, it is a wonderful way to pass the time. It has been way too long since I picked up one of my 6 strings.

 

[dhbarr]

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threa...ll-flying-v-guitar.134436/page-6#post-1611684

 

[Rex R]

we hope you're back for good...
and not for evil
Rex

 

[shanejohnson2002]

we hope you're back for good...
and not for evil
Rex

Reminds me of a quote from my college days:

"Do you use your powers for good, or for awesome?"

 

[K'Tesh]

Hope you're feeling better soon... About the guitar... Remember this when traveling...

 

[shanejohnson2002]

Also, just a suggestion: hardware these days has sort of evolved beyond the amp/pedal setup. While it's still viable, for jamming at home, nothing beats a good preamp or multi-fx pedal. My live setup is still mostly analog drives and tube amps, but it takes up a lot of room. It's much easier to just plug in, say, a Line6 HX Stomp, connect it to my computer with a USB cable, and get to jamming / recording / whatever.

Just my $.02.

 

[Gary Byrum]

Glad you aren't giving up! Now for a guitar-shaped rocket!

Already been done. I believe someone posted a link to the build thread already.

Cool man. I love resurfacing old hobbies and interest. That said, are you doing better since September?

I'm better than I was. But that ain't saying much. I gotta deal with going to outpatient every 10 days and do follow-ups. On the other hand, I'm quite amazed that I am actually re-upping on my music gear.

 

[Gary Byrum]

I have 8 guitars, 2 amps, and some pedals/loopers. They keep me sane in between work and other craziness. It's a good past-time to have. Good luck with it, Gary!

I still have hope of finding an Aria Pro II mandolin at some point too.

 

[jsdemar]

I still have hope of finding an Aria Pro II mandolin at some point too.

I have an Aria acoustic dreadnought and keep it at my parents to use when I visit. It sounds great for the price. I have good memories of taking that guitar over to the senior home to play for my mother-in-law before she passed away.
I have a crappy Kentucky mandolin and really don't know how to play it, so I blame the quality of the instrument. ;-)

 

[Gary Byrum]

Also, just a suggestion: hardware these days has sort of evolved beyond the amp/pedal setup. While it's still viable, for jamming at home, nothing beats a good preamp or multi-fx pedal. My live setup is still mostly analog drives and tube amps, but it takes up a lot of room. It's much easier to just plug in, say, a Line6 HX Stomp, connect it to my computer with a USB cable, and get to jamming / recording / whatever.

Just my $.02.

I've already seen what's available in the sound effects department. Truth be known, that small amp, 3 pedals and 1 guitar is NOT going to take up that much space. The newer combo effects units didn't measure up (in my opinion) For home use, what I am buying is perfect for me. And should I EVEN consider playing a gig, what I have will work great. I've seen where amps and pedals have gone in the last 20 or so years, and I really don't like the complexity. 1st amp I bought was a Marshall Code 50 which I ended up returning to the store. There was no "straight dry" sound available. Everything was in the presets and that's the only way you can use it. Spent 4 days trying to figure out how to program these presets with videos and the friggin manual. It was a bust. Too bad only a couple of the presets were even likable. If I were playing pro again, I'd be all about rack mount gear. Best flanger I ever had was a rack mount.

 

[Gary Byrum]

I have an Aria acoustic dreadnought and keep it at my parents to use when I visit. It sounds great for the price. I have good memories of taking that guitar over to the senior home to play for my mother-in-law before she passed away.
I have a crappy Kentucky mandolin and really don't know how to play it, so I blame the quality of the instrument. ;-)

My old Aria Pro II was as sweet as any Gibson I ever played. I prolly spent 350.00 at the time for that old mandolin and there was barely a difference to the Gibson's retailing over 1000 bucks. I think you can get used Pro 2's for about 650.00 and up anymore.

 

[K'Tesh]

Ok... Sound effects... Guitars... Rockets... Rock Music... It's time to break out the Boston...

Third Stage "The Launch"

 

[Gary Byrum]

Here's a little update.
Rocketry-----still no mojo. Next launch date for me is April 13 & 14. Prolly go as a spectator though.
Music.........I have 1 - Cannon delay pedal, 1- Guyatone Flanger (actually was the better of 6 others) and a boutique overdrive that is being assembled as we speak. This guy makes a few of the most awesome pedals I've ever heard. The crunch is like tube preamp and sounds almost like real tubes . I'll have to make you a short video so you can hear.
Mushrooms.......MOLD!!! I'm battling friggin MOLD! I am keeping it at bay but is slowly creeping across my Mycelium layer. 1st harvest gave me 4 lousy but huge shrooms, 2nd flush came in like a tsunami with a bunch of em, 3rd flush just getting started.
Health........Other than the fact that I seem to be falling apart, I feel great lately. Finally comfortable in the changes in my routines and working with them. The Docs are setting me up for this TIPS procedure which if it works, I could see a reduction of outpatient visits down from every 10 days to around once a month. If it doesn't work, then it just doesn't. No repercussions.

 

[Andrew_ASC]

Sorry to hear that about your health Gary. You’ll get through this, you’re a tough guy. You’ll be in our thoughts and prayers. In the meantime use music to sooth the pains until you get back into rocketry. Go see your friends at Rembert in April and catch up with them even if you don’t fly.