Guitar Safari

Howdy, and welcome to June!  Things have gone pretty nuts around here.  The genius squad at the City Of Los Angeles has decided to cut down some 80 year old trees. I’ve had to endure loud grinding noises for over two weeks and they’ve prevented people from parking in the already depressed shopping area.  NO PARKING signs were posted way before and way after the work was to be completed…GENIUS!  This must be phase one of the Stimulating Package!  To the city’s credit, they did replant the sidewalk with the smallest twigs of trees imaginable.  It’s great now with zero shade in the afternoon.  ZERO. GREAT!  However there is some good news…one of my dream guitars just reared it’s ugly little head in the shop.  It’s a mid 1950’s Harmony Stratotone H88. I had one of these years ago and always regretted selling it.  These things are just plain nasty.  They have a big fat neck-through design (probably one of the first guitars to do so) and the pickups are hot, stinky, and filthy.  Sadly this one has a cracked pickguard and missing knobs but that’s part of the “cool” with a guitar like this.  It’s a dirty, broke-down and busted, genuine blues flavoured 18-wheeled shot of whiskey washed down with a bite of the most greasy fried chicken ever committed to a gullet…get in line!   I can’t believe that I’ve already found the stack-pot style knobs and missing bridge but I’m leaving the pickguard alone…keeping the funk in the trunk just a bit.

Look at that cute little headstock!  What ever happened to the Atomic Age? So what if it’s missing a String Post?  I LOVE IT!!!  What’s next for me and my Sweetie?  Heading out to Joshua Tree for a relatively quiet and relaxing couple of days, except for when we go to Pappy & Harriet’s  to see The Sadies.   If you don’t know these guys who come all the way from Canada to entertain the masses, get to know them!  The Brothers Good (yes, that’s their last name) can rock the shit out of any house.  I hope I don’t suffer Heat Exhaustion or Leprosy…or, God forbid, a Love Hangover?  Casting my fate and three sheets to the wind has always been my specialty.