BoneNut

www.daskeyboard.com I wan't one of those blank Das Keyboards really badly!! Razer, Steel Series, and a lot of the other companies out there offer mechanical keyboards as well. They're mostly marketed towards "gamers" these days. Thanks! I'll check it out!

Nah, no reason to be so dramatic. I've got a decent job, and I just play music for fun; if it's not fun, I play less of it. I mean, if you really want to keep playing music, take a minute to figure out what exactly would bring you joy. If not (or if you can't find an answer), don't put so much pressure on yourself. As an example, here's my story from the past six months. Back in December, my original band broke up. Bummer. Soon after, my acoustic duo started taking off. The acoustic duo turned into a full funk/pop band, and I picked up bass for that; then I saw a really inspiring original act in need of a bass player, and was lucky enough to join up with them. The acoustic duo band is getting ready to disband at the end of May - people are moving. At the same time, I've found some guys to help me re-form my original band. All the while, I've been working on writing for a project with the girlfriend. It's just a cycle, and you'll find what you're looking for if you let it find you as well - no reason for drama or hard feelings. Regarding selling off your gear, I say you should never be afraid to sell. It's just stuff, and if you feel like it's unnecessary, there's no reason to hoard it. I've bought and sold tons of gear, and almost all of it could be easily acquired again; if not, there's plenty of gear out there that I haven't tried. Agree. Great positive attitude.

Ah, I know exactly what you mean. The Logitech G510 is reasonably clickety-clackety, but it's still membrane Ain't nothing sexier than a mechanical keyboard... So satisfying to type on. But one of those IBM keyboards actually sells for more than what I have! The last two I found, were old IBM keyboards I picked up in a flea market. Haven't found any more since. I image these will be more expensive now than a membrane board but I'm willing to buy one or two if the price isn't too outrageous.

Mechanical keyboards are still out there for the enthusiasts. I'm going to buy one of these once I get a few extra bucks! Cool! Throw me a link Mr. Pigwings!

Has anyone ever questioned why they still bother to play guitar? I've been playing almost 20 years, been in many bands, owned many guitars and been involved in music in one way or another for all my adult life. I've just quit a band due to an egotistic frontman who treated his band members as low rate session musicians. I now find myself asking why I do it. I gave up grandeur images of selling my ass to rock 'n' roll some time ago and it has since been a hobby/social/bit of fun. But alas, I find myself loosing my passion. I've put all my music gear up for sale, save for an electric and an acoustic. Even they haven't seen the light of day for over a month, and I used to play every day. Where religious folk turn to their church and peers when faith is waning, I ask you guys & gals. Have you ever lost faith? Question why you do it? and what did you do to revive your interest and passion for what you once loved? Been there, done that, bought the teeshirt. Bottom line is... Are you having fun? Does doing it make you happy? If so, then do it as much as possible and enjoy it for all it's worth. Not having fun? Does it make you unhappy and is it causing internal conflict? If so, then {censored} it and move on to something else. Life is short. Enjoy it. Take a bunch of pictures.

Oh man I'd love one of those! All you can find now are membrane keyboards. I loved typing and feeling the mechanical "CLICK" under my finger tips. I typed a lot faster on those too.

You may want to check your truss rod. I had someone bring me a very stiff feeling Strat fairly recently. Adjusted the truss rod and did a few other minor things and it felt great. Not sure how yours is set up but I can't imagine .010 on a Strat being very heavy. I guess he could always tune down a half step to E flat, while he gets used to them and if he's decided he wants to move up a gauge no matter what.

Keep playing with them and eventually .010s will seem very easy. You should keep moving up until you reach a string gauge intended for adult players, like .012 or .013. Listen to this man, he knows what he's talking about. As he move up in string guage, he's hoping his penis to reach adult size as well.

I've just recently changed my Stratocaster's strings gauge from .9 to .10 because I felt like I wanted a thicker sounding. .9 was a bit too soft sounding and too thin for me. However, I found now the strings tension is extremely tight that it makes bending VERY difficult. Go back to 9s. Adjust the knobs on both guitar and amp. Plenty of players with thick tone use light strings (Billy Gibbons).

I'm more interested in knowing why a television network would have an architect on staff. There are over 37 local stations across the entire country. Buildings need upkeep, decorating, remodeling, relocating or simply designing and building new facilities. I also make inspection visits to maintain standards and study new markets. That's why I'm on the road a lot.

I have always wanted to visit Paracho. I played a Benito Huipe flamenco from there and fell in love with it. I know there are crappy guitars from there, but there are some real artists as well. I really miss Mexico. I used to spend a lot of time down there, but it's all different now. So sad. BoneNut, what do you do down there? I'm an architect and work for a major television network here.

I suspect if I lived in UK and wanted a hand-crafted guitar, and was even willing to travel to pick one out, that I might venture to Spain instead of Mexico. That's not a knock on Mexico, but considering travel costs, duties, etc. etc., why wouldn't a Spanish guitar be the preferable choice to anyone living in Europe? Sounds logical due to distance and expenses. Besides, the Spaniards have been building them for longer anyway.

I bought a flamenco guitar in Paracho about 10 years ago. It was $320. I think I got a deal, as it's a very good guitar. Sorry to hear about the crime situation as most of that part of Mexico was very safe 10 years ago. It's pretty bad now. Maybe things will change and maybe they'll just get worse. No one really knows. Just keep a low profile, your nose clean and you should be fine. I travel all over the country constantly and haven't had any issues but I am very, very, careful. There are many fine guitars to be had. Not so much steel strings but if your looking to buy a classical, nylon stringed guitar, it's a great place to visit. Especially if you combine your guitar safari with some vacation time. For around $300 to $800, you can find a very nice guitars

That's cool. I'm considering a trip to Mexico. I'm interested in the hand-built acoustics, and maybe getting a lesson in the crafting. Just to absorb the culture. A build course over here costs

Sorry, I put that link for the 550 peso price range. They go up to like 220,000? I thought it was in dollars Even so, what's 220,000 pesos in US dollars? If the shipping isn't ridiculous, I may get one of the more expensive ones now that I'm thinking straight. That would work out to $17,000 US. Besides, that $220k guitar isn't made in Mexico. A Mexican hand made guitar is on that page. http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.mx/MLM-78711851-guitarra-clasica-de-concierto-_JM It's $32,000, which is about $2500 US Dollars. There's a town here called Paracho, about a three hour drive from my home. It's a well known and traditional town where hand crafted guitars are made. It's a cool place to visit, especially around June, when the rainy season has started.