Jeff(bigtikidude)

Just finished "13 Hours" (Benghazi diplomatic mission assault, told by those WERE on the ground through it all)

Currently, and thoroughly enjoying, Tony Bacon's The Stratocaster Guitar Book. Other than the cover isn't as stiff, it could grace any coffee table and the references & sourcing are 1st rate. Great chronicles from the beginning up through 2010 (which is the date on the first edition I have).

There is also a very well done first section, documenting of the beginnings of Fender pre-Strat, with all the critical personalities discussed, interactions with Leo, where some went, where they came from, etc. Huge names in the guitar world now but just guys in Southern California trying to make their post- WWII dream like many.

The photography is first-rate and in the back there is a model-by-model description section, mention of subtle diffences, several serial number tables including MIJ and CIJ number ranges, and a chronology of what models were intro'd when, etc.

Doesn't set one back as much as a full blown "coffee table book" either. If you have more than a passing romance with Strats you should probably have this one.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Finishing off reading "Perfect Youth" The history of Canadian punk. Billy Idols bio is next.

I am not obsolete, I am RETRO....

heepeejeep wrote:

Turbonegro: Denim & Deathpunk

The Apocalypse Dudes!

Just came in the mail yesterday -

image
A WAILING OF A TOWN 1977-1985 by CRAIG IBARRA
The title is a goof on San Pedro's slogan "A Whale of a Town" (lots of whale watching boats around here).
My first band even got a mention - stoked!!!

Bill S._______

HELLDIVER on Facebook

The Ball and the Cross by GK Chesterson

An allegory of the Orthodox versus Atheism debate, and how the two sides have more in common with each other than with people who don't care either way. Funny as hell so far. Chesterson's wit is renowned, and it is on great display in this book.

Interesting read there, Joshaggua!
I'm re-reading Liz Williams' Nine Layers of Sky which is about the medieval Russian folk-hero Ilya Muromets who is still not dead after 800 yrs of trying, who meets up with a former Soviet lady aerospace tech in XXI c Kazakhstan where the pernicious influence of russalki is eroding the boundaries of dimensions. A SF mashup of medieval folklore and the Bolshevik dream of a workers' paradise.

Squink Out!

The Limit:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Limit-Death-Grand-Circuit/dp/B00CC6FHSU

An astonishing amount of death so far. Good read though, if you like motor racing in a time when they used to drive the cars to the circuit. Also the era that is the birth of Formula 1 motor racing.

http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/

I recently finished reading this book, which I think came out only a month or two ago:

Though I've read many books on Fender over the past two decades, I still found myself learning a bunch of new and interesting info. Tom Wheeler was given FULL access to all old Fender files owned by the company (as well as a bunch of other sources), and he must have spent years going through it all, uncovering fascinating bits and pieces, such as Freddie Tavares' detailed diary about his work at Fender. The book reproduces a lot of those documents with very sharp photos, and sometimes in loose sheets and posters that are included in the six 'pockets' in the book containing all sorts of extra materials, which is really cool. The photos in general are simply drool-worthy. Maybe not too surprising, since Wheeler mentions the following in the introduction:

"History, chronicle, scrapbook - perhaps in some way The Fender Archives is also part memoir. While readers of any of my books will get a hint of my perspectives and tastes, this one is more intimate. It reflects more of my personal experience with Fender instruments.... the emphasis here on, say, early and mid-'60s Fender lore admittedly reflects one impressionable teenager's fascination with a world of gleaming, swoop-body guitars and a distant Southern California as evoked by visionary marketers and an arty photographer with photogenic daughters, a bitchin' T-Bird convertible, and ready access to the beach."

And sure enough, two of my favorite parts of the book are the lengthy chapter on Bob Perine and his "You Won't Part With Yours, Either" ad campaign, which was simply fantastic, the best I've read anywhere yet; and then three-four pages of photos of surf bands and surf record covers, including a beautiful and fairly large color photo of Kathy Marshall with her gold Jag, as well as a large B&W photo of Chiyo and the Crescents, plus photos of the Nocturnes, the Challengers, the Truants, and the New Dimensions. Not surprisingly, John Blair gets a prominent thank-you in the introduction, listing him among the people that "generously shared knowledge and images"! In the acknowledgments are also Randy Nauert and "Brian Neal at SurfGuitar101.com"!!!!

I really loved this book, and I think any gear-obsessed surf music fan will, too! HIGHLY recommended - and huge kudos to Tom Wheeler for this labor of love!

Ivan
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