One of my favorite Houston bloggers SLAMPO is back after a hiatus (or as he says, he's now taking a hiatus from his hiatus) and is as funny as ever.
If you ever lived in Houston and liked diverse music, you listened at least some of the time to the radio station of Rice University, KTRU.
I know, I know, everything changes. Still, that doesn't mean you can't occasionally say you don't like it.
Slampo's Place
Be TRU to Your School, Like You Would to Your Girl (If You, Like, Had a Girl)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
THE RUGER MINI-14 RANCH RIFLE: A WORKINGMAN'S COMBAT RIFLE
EDIT: I've seen this fixed wooden stock model Mini 14 blued for sale for between $400 and $500 in several shops lately, whereas new ones are gonna set you back $900 or so. There are TONS of aftermarket add-ons for this gun with all kinds of accessories. Stocks galore including folding stocks, in fact, one aftermarket design uses the venerable CAR-15 telescoping stock. There is even a bullpup design if I recall correctly.
Unfortunately, none of the aftermarket folding stocks do justice to the original one designed by Ruger as shown above. It's righteous, and you can find them on the auction sites, although for a pretty penny, about $300 to $400. Most are, however, new in box (NIB).
Recommended by me is a new fore-end, for some accessories. I saw one such item that had rails on the front half of the fore end and a good sized gripping surface (like a normal unmodified gun) behind the rails. I nice compact laser/flashlight combo would be nice. Add an electronic red dot scope mounted on an elevated rail (so you can still use the iron sights) and you are GTG (Good To Go).
Using a double mag clip as shown above and one of the stock mounted elastic band mag holder that holds one mag opposite the cheek side is an option as well, making for either 1 or 2 extra mags with the gun at all times. Sometimes, your bail out bag might not be available, which is why every assault rife case I own also contains some sort of handgun, some extra ammo for it, extra rifle mags, a holster, a tactical folder, a combat knife, a flashlight and some sort of belt in case I don't have a belt with me. If there is room, some kind of small backup handgun with some extra rounds and an ankle holster is in the rifle case as well.
A double assault rifle bag with a pistol grip shotgun and a Mini-14 with folding stock, extra ammo and the handgun/knife stuff mentioned above makes for a formitable home defense arsenal as well as a traveling kit you can fit discretely into a medium sized duffle and go anywhere with it
END OF EDIT
I was glad to see the Hannibal character in the remake of THE A TEAM this summer using a collapsible stocked stainless Ruger Mini 14 version of his assault rigle throughout the movie. At one time, they were very popular issue to law enforcement throughout the United States in the 70's and 80's.
It resembles an M1 Carbine in appearance, and I can't say about the firing system. They are highly reliable, rugged and accurate, like most Ruger firearms I've owned and shot. It shoots .223 and is available with 5 round, 20 round and 30 round factory magazines. Spend the extra $ and go with the factory mags over clone mags, unless you know someone who has had an exceptional run of good service with a particular clone mag. This is true of almost all guns that use magazines.
It's a well balanced gun, and all kinds of optics and rails and such can be easily attached to the gun. There are lots of aftermarket stock kits, both folding and fixed stock, that make the gun look fearsome. But I like the classic look, perhaps installing a rail on the scope mount for an Aimpoint M2 and a short rail replacement handguard for a low profile flashlight and low profile laser combo.
Law enforcement versions have been available for years with selective fire options, but the regular old semi-auto is fine with me. Talk to any pro soldier like special forces and the like who has seen fire fights and walked away and ask him if he was blazing the few rounds he carried with him in 3 round bursts or full auto fire or judiciously shooting the enemy semi-auto.
When I worked the streets some 30 years ago, at one point we were issued Ruger Mini 14 semi auto rifles and 870 shotguns with wood stocks and 20" barrel.
It's as viable a choice for self defense and predator control today as it was 30 years ago when I first shot one.
It resembles an M1 Carbine in appearance, and I can't say about the firing system. They are highly reliable, rugged and accurate, like most Ruger firearms I've owned and shot. It shoots .223 and is available with 5 round, 20 round and 30 round factory magazines. Spend the extra $ and go with the factory mags over clone mags, unless you know someone who has had an exceptional run of good service with a particular clone mag. This is true of almost all guns that use magazines.
It's a well balanced gun, and all kinds of optics and rails and such can be easily attached to the gun. There are lots of aftermarket stock kits, both folding and fixed stock, that make the gun look fearsome. But I like the classic look, perhaps installing a rail on the scope mount for an Aimpoint M2 and a short rail replacement handguard for a low profile flashlight and low profile laser combo.
Law enforcement versions have been available for years with selective fire options, but the regular old semi-auto is fine with me. Talk to any pro soldier like special forces and the like who has seen fire fights and walked away and ask him if he was blazing the few rounds he carried with him in 3 round bursts or full auto fire or judiciously shooting the enemy semi-auto.
When I worked the streets some 30 years ago, at one point we were issued Ruger Mini 14 semi auto rifles and 870 shotguns with wood stocks and 20" barrel.
It's as viable a choice for self defense and predator control today as it was 30 years ago when I first shot one.
THE SMITH AND WESSON 686-6: SEVEN SHOTS OF HEAVY METAL ROCK AND ROLL
HERE'S THE SPECS FOR THE SAME GUN THAT MAX HAS, EXCEPT MAX'S GUN HAS A WHITE DOT FRONT SIGHT. ALSO, MAX'S GRIP IS A BIT SHORTER AND MORE ROUNDED AT THE ENDS THAN THE EXAMPLE SHOWN ABOVE. You get the idea. It's a kick arse gun! You know you're carrying a real gun when you're wearing this pistol. Yee Haw!
FROM THE SMITH AND WESSON WEBSITE:
Model 686 Plus
$964.00 *
*Suggested Retail, Dealer Sets Actual Pricing
Model: 686 Plus
Caliber: .357 Magnum®.38 S&W Special +P
Capacity: 7 Rounds
Barrel Length: 2.5" / 6.4 cm
Front Sight: Red Ramp
Rear Sight: Adjustable White Outline
Grip: Synthetic
Action: Single/Double Action
Frame Size: Medium - Exposed Hammer
Finish: Satin Stainless
Overall Length: 7.5" / 19.1 cm
Material: Stainless Steel FrameStainless Steel Cylinder
Weight Empty: 34.1 oz / 966.7 g
Purpose: Personal ProtectionLaw Enforcement
My friend Max has a great revolver that I had never gotten to handle, as we both often carry J frames during the Texas summers. I had seen it a few times with him wearing it but didn't get the opportunity to handle it and actually feel it until a few days ago.
It's a righteous gun. The model 686-6, a stainless L frame Smith and Wesson with a 2 and 1/2 inch barrel, it holds seven rounds of .357 Magnum, in a package not that much different from a Model. It's solid, baby, rock solid. Like the gun dealer in Taxi Driver told Robert Deniro about a Smith and Wesson J frame..."you can hit somebody in the head with it and it'll shoot right on target". And that's about true for most Smith and Wesson revolvers.
The trigger, both DA and SA, were almost as good as that on my early Colt Python. It featured a wide combat hammer and trigger, two things I want on a revolver. HKS makes special speed loaders for it so combat reloading is not a problem. It's a big gun and it's a great feeling gun as well. Max's gun featured Hogue-like grips that could have been about 1/2 inch longer for my liking, but they were rounded and highly concealable compared to lots of grips I use.
I had never really though one way or another about L frame Smith and Wesson revolvers. I've owned "many" J, K and N frame Smith and Wessons. I've never had a problem with any of my Smiths, ever, and that's 30 years of owning them myself along with my Father who owned Smiths from the 50's on. My Father trained with the Model 15 Combat Masterpiece in the military but late in life, one of his favorite guns was his 1890's Smith and Wesson Safety Hammerless in .38 Smith and Wesson caliber which he bought new in the box in the 80's.
Some of my Father's friends reload ammunition. They were old buddies of his from college and "1950's Houston" who still hung out together well into their 70's and 80's. These reloaders made him some nice hollow point loads for the .38 S&W, and so he never wanted for defensive ammo for that particular gun.
Likewise, in his fifties, my Father often carried a S&W Model 1917 in .45 ACP. My dad loved his S&W's, and the occasional Taurus copy of a Smith. At various other times in his life, my Father carried J frames and K frames in 2", 3" and 4". Great guns. If my Dad didn't like a particular gun he had or the way it shot, he'd trade it on another, and his reloading friends were great at getting deals on guns from dealers and pawn shops.
I'm kinda the same way. If a semi-auto jams, unless it's a target .22, it's gone for something else. I've never had a problem mechanically with a revolver, but I did have several Model 25-5's back in my policing days that just didn't measure up to my duty weapon, a Colt Python. I didn't fully appreciate .45 ACP and .45 Long Colt calibers in my youth, although I do now. Still, the N frame Smiths are better used, imho, to make Model 29 .44 Magnums. It's much more versatile than the .45 Long Colt caliber, as you can shoot .44 Specials as well as Magnums out of any .44 magnum.
If you're gonna carry around a gun as big as a Model 29, it might as well be in .44 Magnum.
But the 686-6 is considerably smaller than the Model 29. It's a great snubbie and I know I'm gonna have to have one in the near future. I've been overlooking them in the used sections of my favorite gunshops, although I did spy a nice custom stocked one some time back for a reasonable price, so there's hope in finding an affordable version for me one day.
With the Model 686-6 you could rewrite the famous scene from Dirty Harry, where he confronts the bank hijacker and says (and I paraphrase) "I know what you're thinking, punk. You're wondering, did he fire five shots or six shots? To tell you the truth, I don't know how many shots I fired myself. But being that this is the .44 Magnum handgun, the most powerful handgun in the world, and it'll blow your head clean off, well, you gotta ask yourself, do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"
With the 686-6, you could rewrite that scene to say "You're wondering, did he fire five shots or six? Well punk, it doesn't really matter, being that this gun is a seven shot Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum, loaded with hot Magnum loads with 158 grain hollowpoints. One of these bullets will make your head explode like a watermelon getting hit with a sledgehammer. And since I've got seven rounds in this gun, you're pretty much SOL whether I fired five or six shots.".
It's apparently a bit tricky but not impossible to find holsters for L Frame Smiths, especially the snubnose. Most major holster makers make them. Max favors holsters from El Paso Saddlery as well as High Noon Holsters. I like those as well, but also favor vintage Bianchi and Safariland and the Jackass Leather descendant Galco. High quality nice holsters.
It's a righteous gun. The model 686-6, a stainless L frame Smith and Wesson with a 2 and 1/2 inch barrel, it holds seven rounds of .357 Magnum, in a package not that much different from a Model. It's solid, baby, rock solid. Like the gun dealer in Taxi Driver told Robert Deniro about a Smith and Wesson J frame..."you can hit somebody in the head with it and it'll shoot right on target". And that's about true for most Smith and Wesson revolvers.
The trigger, both DA and SA, were almost as good as that on my early Colt Python. It featured a wide combat hammer and trigger, two things I want on a revolver. HKS makes special speed loaders for it so combat reloading is not a problem. It's a big gun and it's a great feeling gun as well. Max's gun featured Hogue-like grips that could have been about 1/2 inch longer for my liking, but they were rounded and highly concealable compared to lots of grips I use.
I had never really though one way or another about L frame Smith and Wesson revolvers. I've owned "many" J, K and N frame Smith and Wessons. I've never had a problem with any of my Smiths, ever, and that's 30 years of owning them myself along with my Father who owned Smiths from the 50's on. My Father trained with the Model 15 Combat Masterpiece in the military but late in life, one of his favorite guns was his 1890's Smith and Wesson Safety Hammerless in .38 Smith and Wesson caliber which he bought new in the box in the 80's.
Some of my Father's friends reload ammunition. They were old buddies of his from college and "1950's Houston" who still hung out together well into their 70's and 80's. These reloaders made him some nice hollow point loads for the .38 S&W, and so he never wanted for defensive ammo for that particular gun.
Likewise, in his fifties, my Father often carried a S&W Model 1917 in .45 ACP. My dad loved his S&W's, and the occasional Taurus copy of a Smith. At various other times in his life, my Father carried J frames and K frames in 2", 3" and 4". Great guns. If my Dad didn't like a particular gun he had or the way it shot, he'd trade it on another, and his reloading friends were great at getting deals on guns from dealers and pawn shops.
I'm kinda the same way. If a semi-auto jams, unless it's a target .22, it's gone for something else. I've never had a problem mechanically with a revolver, but I did have several Model 25-5's back in my policing days that just didn't measure up to my duty weapon, a Colt Python. I didn't fully appreciate .45 ACP and .45 Long Colt calibers in my youth, although I do now. Still, the N frame Smiths are better used, imho, to make Model 29 .44 Magnums. It's much more versatile than the .45 Long Colt caliber, as you can shoot .44 Specials as well as Magnums out of any .44 magnum.
If you're gonna carry around a gun as big as a Model 29, it might as well be in .44 Magnum.
But the 686-6 is considerably smaller than the Model 29. It's a great snubbie and I know I'm gonna have to have one in the near future. I've been overlooking them in the used sections of my favorite gunshops, although I did spy a nice custom stocked one some time back for a reasonable price, so there's hope in finding an affordable version for me one day.
With the Model 686-6 you could rewrite the famous scene from Dirty Harry, where he confronts the bank hijacker and says (and I paraphrase) "I know what you're thinking, punk. You're wondering, did he fire five shots or six shots? To tell you the truth, I don't know how many shots I fired myself. But being that this is the .44 Magnum handgun, the most powerful handgun in the world, and it'll blow your head clean off, well, you gotta ask yourself, do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"
With the 686-6, you could rewrite that scene to say "You're wondering, did he fire five shots or six? Well punk, it doesn't really matter, being that this gun is a seven shot Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum, loaded with hot Magnum loads with 158 grain hollowpoints. One of these bullets will make your head explode like a watermelon getting hit with a sledgehammer. And since I've got seven rounds in this gun, you're pretty much SOL whether I fired five or six shots.".
It's apparently a bit tricky but not impossible to find holsters for L Frame Smiths, especially the snubnose. Most major holster makers make them. Max favors holsters from El Paso Saddlery as well as High Noon Holsters. I like those as well, but also favor vintage Bianchi and Safariland and the Jackass Leather descendant Galco. High quality nice holsters.
Friday, August 13, 2010
SQUIER TELECASTER CUSTOM II P90
I got this guitar a while back in yet another trade with Billy Ray. He bought it new in February of 2006 literally on the way to a recording session with me and our good friend and longtime bandmate Ricky Ray. They picked it up at the MusicMasters store in Austin, where THE VICTOR worked. THE VICTOR, a longtime friend of Billy Ray's and a guitar genius himself, picked it out as a good sounding one and set it up for him. From there they drove straight to the cabin south of Blanco on the road to Kendalia.
It was one of the Blanco Twin Sister's Cabin jams. We had a friend who had a great log cabin, two story with a cathedral den, and it just resonated with warmth and seemed to absorb just the right amount of sound to make not only playing enjoyable to the players because of the great sound that could be had at low and moderate volumes but made for excellent recordings as well.
This guitar, made by Fender owned Squier, is a copy of the great Telecaster Custom fused with the Telecaster Deluxe of the early 70's, and like the one pictured above, my guitar is blonde and has black P90 pickups. It's an asian guitar, costing about $250 new at that time, but is of amazing quality for such an inexpensive guitar. The neck is great, the finish on the guitar is very good, the electronics are marvelous for the cost of the instrument, and most importantly the pickups and the body of the guitar sound great.
I never really thought about owning a guitar with P90 pickups before Billy Ray threw this in to balance out a trade we made for a refurbished Fender old time tube amp and a genuine Fender Stratocaster. I kinda got the better end of the deal with the twin guitars, and ultimately he traded me back the amp for another amp I had that he liked better, and the amp he has now from me is worth about a grand, so I think the deal actually ended up even steven.
Point is, I often forsake this guitar when I'm writing or recording songs at my home in favor of the Stratocaster. It's an easy thing for me to do. I've loved the sound of a single coil guitar since I first heard Buddy Holly and it's just continued since then. But I pulled it out tonight, and it was sounding nice through a practice amp. So I thought I would give some credit where credit is due. Sometimes, very cool things can be had for reasonable bucks.
Two of the best sounding guitars I have ever heard were a '63 Lake Placid Blue Strat and a Tokai Strat '57 Strat copy. The Lake Placid Blue Strat supposedly ended up with Stevie Ray Vaughn about 1985 or 1986, and the Tokai went to an unknown owner. Both of these guitars were owned by Mikey Ray, who went into a Charvel phase in the mid-80's thanks to Eddie Ray Van Halen, and traded these guitars for newer, hipper models that he also soon tired of.
So every now and then I pull it out the Squier Tele Custom II and tune it up and have found it is a great guitar for playing rhythms. Running it through an 40 year old Class A tube amp with no effects, it gets a great sound. I'm not much of a lead player, but what I can pull off has sounded mighty nice, and I'd be interested to hear what this guitar/amp combo would soundlike with an Ibanez green Tube Screamer pedal for punching in leads. Bet it sounds awesome.
I wouldn't have chosen the blonde color on the guitar had I bought it new, but it has grown on me greatly since I got it. The neck is really tele-like and is very smooth but is unfinished, and it has a great natural wood feel to it. My hand glides along it well.
So for a drummer like me who occasionally plays (at) guitar, bass and keyboards for home recording and songwriting, it's a great guitar. I'm not likely to ever be performing on guitar, so it's fine for it's purpose. And it has a good vibe to it. It led to some mighty nice songs at the Blanco Cabin Jam weekend we had back in 2006, and the digital recordings from that event feature this guitar ringing through strong.
I do own some decent guitars and basses, but also own a couple of Squiers for some low cost variety. Their "high end" products are very popular among real people with families and such, and in the past few years they have had the vintage and the classic vibe series of guitars and basses made vintage-like, but for only about $300.00.
It was one of the Blanco Twin Sister's Cabin jams. We had a friend who had a great log cabin, two story with a cathedral den, and it just resonated with warmth and seemed to absorb just the right amount of sound to make not only playing enjoyable to the players because of the great sound that could be had at low and moderate volumes but made for excellent recordings as well.
This guitar, made by Fender owned Squier, is a copy of the great Telecaster Custom fused with the Telecaster Deluxe of the early 70's, and like the one pictured above, my guitar is blonde and has black P90 pickups. It's an asian guitar, costing about $250 new at that time, but is of amazing quality for such an inexpensive guitar. The neck is great, the finish on the guitar is very good, the electronics are marvelous for the cost of the instrument, and most importantly the pickups and the body of the guitar sound great.
I never really thought about owning a guitar with P90 pickups before Billy Ray threw this in to balance out a trade we made for a refurbished Fender old time tube amp and a genuine Fender Stratocaster. I kinda got the better end of the deal with the twin guitars, and ultimately he traded me back the amp for another amp I had that he liked better, and the amp he has now from me is worth about a grand, so I think the deal actually ended up even steven.
Point is, I often forsake this guitar when I'm writing or recording songs at my home in favor of the Stratocaster. It's an easy thing for me to do. I've loved the sound of a single coil guitar since I first heard Buddy Holly and it's just continued since then. But I pulled it out tonight, and it was sounding nice through a practice amp. So I thought I would give some credit where credit is due. Sometimes, very cool things can be had for reasonable bucks.
Two of the best sounding guitars I have ever heard were a '63 Lake Placid Blue Strat and a Tokai Strat '57 Strat copy. The Lake Placid Blue Strat supposedly ended up with Stevie Ray Vaughn about 1985 or 1986, and the Tokai went to an unknown owner. Both of these guitars were owned by Mikey Ray, who went into a Charvel phase in the mid-80's thanks to Eddie Ray Van Halen, and traded these guitars for newer, hipper models that he also soon tired of.
So every now and then I pull it out the Squier Tele Custom II and tune it up and have found it is a great guitar for playing rhythms. Running it through an 40 year old Class A tube amp with no effects, it gets a great sound. I'm not much of a lead player, but what I can pull off has sounded mighty nice, and I'd be interested to hear what this guitar/amp combo would soundlike with an Ibanez green Tube Screamer pedal for punching in leads. Bet it sounds awesome.
I wouldn't have chosen the blonde color on the guitar had I bought it new, but it has grown on me greatly since I got it. The neck is really tele-like and is very smooth but is unfinished, and it has a great natural wood feel to it. My hand glides along it well.
So for a drummer like me who occasionally plays (at) guitar, bass and keyboards for home recording and songwriting, it's a great guitar. I'm not likely to ever be performing on guitar, so it's fine for it's purpose. And it has a good vibe to it. It led to some mighty nice songs at the Blanco Cabin Jam weekend we had back in 2006, and the digital recordings from that event feature this guitar ringing through strong.
I do own some decent guitars and basses, but also own a couple of Squiers for some low cost variety. Their "high end" products are very popular among real people with families and such, and in the past few years they have had the vintage and the classic vibe series of guitars and basses made vintage-like, but for only about $300.00.
Here's what a sales site says about this guitar:
Squier Telecaster Custom II P90
The Telecaster Custom II P90 by Squier is a superb sounding, mega-affordable tonal temple, with a combination of two classic designs - the '72 Telecaster Custom fused with the Telecaster Deluxe - offering traditional design with some awesome mods.
Two fiery Duncan Designed P-90 Soapbar pickups provide the twist, delivering smooth, bluesy tone that can be altered using the independent tone/volume controls. With a choice of black or a beautiful blonde finish on a lightweight agathis Telecaster shape body, other features of the Squier Telecaster Custom II P90 include a maple neck and fingerboard, medium-jumbo frets, and a 3-ply black pickguard.
The Squier Telecaster Custom II P90 Features:
Agathis Body
Maple 'C' Shape Neck and Fingerboard
2 x P-90 Duncan Designed Pickups
3 Way Switching System
Chrome Hardware
Black Pickguard
Telecaster body
The Squier Telecaster Custom II P90 is a stunning all round guitar.
EL FISHO'S FAVORITE BASS DRUM PEDALS
I've been a drummer now for 4/5th's of my life. That's a long time. Over the years, as a guy with day jobs of one sort or another since I graduated high school and began attending college, I continued to play music in school from 6th grade until college and then in various blues, rock and "miscellaneous" bands (reggae, ska, experimental, r&b, folk, jazz, c&w, etc) until the present day.
I played in bands when I was a cop and when I was in law school. Before and after my police and law school days, I played in bands. Every chance I could, I played in bands. It's my psychotherapy and my relaxation.
So I've done more than my fair share of gigging. With several exceptions, much of my drumming since the early 80's had been mostly in blues and blues-based rock bands.
LUDWIG SPEED KING PEDAL
My first pedal ever in the early 70's, like many other American kids, was the Ludwig Speed King. I developed a marked fondness for the "solid link" (instead of chain or nylon/leather strap) because of this pedal, and although I now use two double-chain link pedals in gigging, for many years I used the Speed King. They have a habit of squeaking, so oiling their mechanism is a must.
All of my drumset playing during my junior high years was done on a Speed King, both at school in stage band and at home. I wasn't yet playing in rock bands, that would wait until 9th grade, and then I would transition to the Rogers Dynasonic Pedal.
ROGERS DYNASONIC PEDAL
From age 11 until after high school, I owned Rogers Dynasonic and Powertone snare drums and a Dynasonic pedal and high hat. My drums during high school and into my 20's were always Ludwigs except for the Rogers snares. But after using a Rogers Dynasonic pedal in the 8th grade I was hooked on them. They enabled me to play far more intricate beats than the Speed King, and for me I was able to get a lot more power out of the Rogers.
TAMA KING BEAT
I stumbled into a King Beat in 1982 when I bought a used Ludwig drumset that had both bass drum and HH pedal that were King Beats. Heavy duty. Solid metal link on both pedals. Still use them both today. Put many, many, many miles gigging through the 80's on my King Beats. Both are now retired to home kit use.
TAMA ROGERS DYNASONIC PEDAL COPY
I have a pedal I picked up when buying another used kit in the 80's, and it is a Tama pedal from I think the late 70's. It uses a nylon strap and seems very identical to the Rogers Dynasonic pedal, except scaled slightly larger and more heavy duty. I carry a couple of spares with me when I gig. I've gotten to where I don't carry a spare snare any more, just a repair kit and some extra heads tucked into my cymbal case. But I do carry a bass drum spare, after having had several pedal fails during sets over the years. I keep it in a small bag as it folds compactly and keep it under the passenger seat of the car.
THE 90'S PEARL ELIMINATOR PEDAL
Another used kit I bought came with a double chain Eliminator pedal. It's a great pedal and has a solid base made of steel. It is the pedal that I most often play with in outside gigs in places where I expect my gear to get dusty or humid or sandy. I use it at home on my V-drums as the main pedal.
THE CLASSIC RED DRUM WORKSHOP 5000
I got one of these in the early 90's and never looked back. What a great pedal. Mine still looks like new. I have a double pedal setup, which I have on occasion used, but mostly use it as a single pedal unless I'm messing around at home or in a jam with friends that gets a little jazz-fusiony. They have come out with fancier models since the early 2000's that are supposedly better than the 5000, but many thousands of drummers like me have stuck with their 5000. It is my go to preferred pedal. I have yet to have an issue with any Drum Workshop product that I own, and I've owned some going on 20 years now.
HONORABLE MENTION
Yamaha makes a very good line of pedals, both new and used. One of their new pedals compacts down flat for easier transport. I particularly like their solid link pedals. I don't have one right now but would get one at the right price because they have a great feel and offer great control.
When I was in high school, the "GHOST PEDAL" was all the rage. I had one of the all metal ones, and the guy at the long defunct Brook Mays on the Southwest Freeway in Houston where I bought it spent about an hour helping me adjust it just right. He advised me against adjusting it myself, as the double spring tension on each side made it very complicated to adjust, and it had taken the salesman several years to learn how to properly adjust it.
I didn't listen, of course, and I fiddled with it, and had to take it back in to get another adjustment to get it set up like it was originally. I think it was a cool alternative at the time to the Rogers Dynasonic and the Ludwig Speedking, but better pedals would soon hit the market in the late 70's and early 1980's.
I played in bands when I was a cop and when I was in law school. Before and after my police and law school days, I played in bands. Every chance I could, I played in bands. It's my psychotherapy and my relaxation.
So I've done more than my fair share of gigging. With several exceptions, much of my drumming since the early 80's had been mostly in blues and blues-based rock bands.
LUDWIG SPEED KING PEDAL
My first pedal ever in the early 70's, like many other American kids, was the Ludwig Speed King. I developed a marked fondness for the "solid link" (instead of chain or nylon/leather strap) because of this pedal, and although I now use two double-chain link pedals in gigging, for many years I used the Speed King. They have a habit of squeaking, so oiling their mechanism is a must.
All of my drumset playing during my junior high years was done on a Speed King, both at school in stage band and at home. I wasn't yet playing in rock bands, that would wait until 9th grade, and then I would transition to the Rogers Dynasonic Pedal.
ROGERS DYNASONIC PEDAL
From age 11 until after high school, I owned Rogers Dynasonic and Powertone snare drums and a Dynasonic pedal and high hat. My drums during high school and into my 20's were always Ludwigs except for the Rogers snares. But after using a Rogers Dynasonic pedal in the 8th grade I was hooked on them. They enabled me to play far more intricate beats than the Speed King, and for me I was able to get a lot more power out of the Rogers.
TAMA KING BEAT
I stumbled into a King Beat in 1982 when I bought a used Ludwig drumset that had both bass drum and HH pedal that were King Beats. Heavy duty. Solid metal link on both pedals. Still use them both today. Put many, many, many miles gigging through the 80's on my King Beats. Both are now retired to home kit use.
TAMA ROGERS DYNASONIC PEDAL COPY
I have a pedal I picked up when buying another used kit in the 80's, and it is a Tama pedal from I think the late 70's. It uses a nylon strap and seems very identical to the Rogers Dynasonic pedal, except scaled slightly larger and more heavy duty. I carry a couple of spares with me when I gig. I've gotten to where I don't carry a spare snare any more, just a repair kit and some extra heads tucked into my cymbal case. But I do carry a bass drum spare, after having had several pedal fails during sets over the years. I keep it in a small bag as it folds compactly and keep it under the passenger seat of the car.
THE 90'S PEARL ELIMINATOR PEDAL
Another used kit I bought came with a double chain Eliminator pedal. It's a great pedal and has a solid base made of steel. It is the pedal that I most often play with in outside gigs in places where I expect my gear to get dusty or humid or sandy. I use it at home on my V-drums as the main pedal.
THE CLASSIC RED DRUM WORKSHOP 5000
I got one of these in the early 90's and never looked back. What a great pedal. Mine still looks like new. I have a double pedal setup, which I have on occasion used, but mostly use it as a single pedal unless I'm messing around at home or in a jam with friends that gets a little jazz-fusiony. They have come out with fancier models since the early 2000's that are supposedly better than the 5000, but many thousands of drummers like me have stuck with their 5000. It is my go to preferred pedal. I have yet to have an issue with any Drum Workshop product that I own, and I've owned some going on 20 years now.
HONORABLE MENTION
Yamaha makes a very good line of pedals, both new and used. One of their new pedals compacts down flat for easier transport. I particularly like their solid link pedals. I don't have one right now but would get one at the right price because they have a great feel and offer great control.
When I was in high school, the "GHOST PEDAL" was all the rage. I had one of the all metal ones, and the guy at the long defunct Brook Mays on the Southwest Freeway in Houston where I bought it spent about an hour helping me adjust it just right. He advised me against adjusting it myself, as the double spring tension on each side made it very complicated to adjust, and it had taken the salesman several years to learn how to properly adjust it.
I didn't listen, of course, and I fiddled with it, and had to take it back in to get another adjustment to get it set up like it was originally. I think it was a cool alternative at the time to the Rogers Dynasonic and the Ludwig Speedking, but better pedals would soon hit the market in the late 70's and early 1980's.
RANDOM KNIFE ADVENTURE #1
I've got a few years on me now. I've been in law enforcement more than 25 years, more than 30 years if you count my three year break for law school when I still kept involved in law enforcement but wasn't working full time as an officer.
From literally the first day I hit the street, as I've posted here, COPS AND KNIVES, I carried a Buck 110 Hunter as well as one of my Colt's, Smiths or briefly my Heckler Koch P7. Whether in uniform, in a suit or dress clothing, or in jeans on a plain clothes extra job, the knife was with me. I had a pair of aircraft aluminum S&W handcuffs (which a preacher "handcuff collector" paid well more for $300 on Ebay a few years ago) that I carried on extra jobs and occasionally in plainclothes as an extra pair. I carried either speedloaders or magazines for extra ammo, although then it was common to carry in plainclothes 1 speedloader or 1 magazine, since this was well before the popularization of high capacity rifles and assault rifles and the bad guys often were carrying cheap revolvers.
If I knew there might be a strong chance of gunplay on a call or in a situation, I'd grab a Remington 870 extended magazine with a shoulder strap that held extra rounds. A shotgun is almost always better than a handgun in most close range defensive situations.
But always riding along with me on my person was my Buck 110 Hunter Knife. On my first week of patrol, my FTO and I got dispatched to an upside down car in a ditch. The young lady was DOA, and I knew her from high school. Not well, but I knew her on a greeting basis. When enough officers arrived to get her physically out of the car, several tried to cut the seat belt with their knives, which were way too dull to make a full cut through the belt. There was gas leaking from both engine and gas tank, and we had great concern about a fire occurring.
My Buck Hunter was extra razor sharp, as a great friend of mine (then and now) named THE RAVEN was a master knife sharpener and could get my knives twice as sharp as my efforts. THE RAVEN was a motorcycle enthusiast and high-end German car mechanic, and thus had many uses for very sharp and strong knives.
The young lady was able to be cut out of her vehicle before it caught fire, thus having at least some dignity for her remains. We had four officers to carefully extricate her remains from the vehicle
From literally the first day I hit the street, as I've posted here, COPS AND KNIVES, I carried a Buck 110 Hunter as well as one of my Colt's, Smiths or briefly my Heckler Koch P7. Whether in uniform, in a suit or dress clothing, or in jeans on a plain clothes extra job, the knife was with me. I had a pair of aircraft aluminum S&W handcuffs (which a preacher "handcuff collector" paid well more for $300 on Ebay a few years ago) that I carried on extra jobs and occasionally in plainclothes as an extra pair. I carried either speedloaders or magazines for extra ammo, although then it was common to carry in plainclothes 1 speedloader or 1 magazine, since this was well before the popularization of high capacity rifles and assault rifles and the bad guys often were carrying cheap revolvers.
If I knew there might be a strong chance of gunplay on a call or in a situation, I'd grab a Remington 870 extended magazine with a shoulder strap that held extra rounds. A shotgun is almost always better than a handgun in most close range defensive situations.
But always riding along with me on my person was my Buck 110 Hunter Knife. On my first week of patrol, my FTO and I got dispatched to an upside down car in a ditch. The young lady was DOA, and I knew her from high school. Not well, but I knew her on a greeting basis. When enough officers arrived to get her physically out of the car, several tried to cut the seat belt with their knives, which were way too dull to make a full cut through the belt. There was gas leaking from both engine and gas tank, and we had great concern about a fire occurring.
My Buck Hunter was extra razor sharp, as a great friend of mine (then and now) named THE RAVEN was a master knife sharpener and could get my knives twice as sharp as my efforts. THE RAVEN was a motorcycle enthusiast and high-end German car mechanic, and thus had many uses for very sharp and strong knives.
The young lady was able to be cut out of her vehicle before it caught fire, thus having at least some dignity for her remains. We had four officers to carefully extricate her remains from the vehicle
So within my first week of police work, my knife came out of it's belt holster way before my gun had to. By the way, and I think I mentioned this before, but the .45 auto single magazine holder (mine with a snap and flap) works great holding a Buck Hunter and similarly sized knives. Although the Bucks came with a black leather belt holster back then, most every officer I knew used a Clarino (shiny black patent leather) covered leather .45 single stack magazine holder for their Bucks.
I would use that knife many times for many things during my tenure as an officer in Houston.
But that's my first professional use of a knife as an officer, and I've never understood how officers who work the street function without a knife. In addition to self defense, there are so many chores and emergencies in which a good strong knife comes in handy that a good tactical knife should be something departments provide for officers.
I'd be interested to know what knives detectives and street officers rely on in their jobs. Does it hold it's edge? What model and blade length?
Thursday, August 12, 2010
BLOGS NEW AND OLD
I don't add bloggers too often, simply because it takes a lot to hold my attention. Of the folks I kinda started blogging at the same time with a while back, only Texas Ghostrider is still going.
One of the most hilarious blogs that I really enjoyed was Life After Esq. Ms. So-and-So has a knack not only for writing but for storytelling as well, a trait that is serving her well as a prosecutor keeping our streets safe. Ms. So and So don't blog anymore, and it's been a year or so since she left an anonymous comment on the blog, as far as I know.
My mentor A.J. MacReady was entertaining to say the least, and really should consider doing standup when he retires from his day gig. He's a friend, and HE HAS NO IDEA HOW FUNNY OR BRILLIANT HE IS! That's what makes it so funny. He thinks he's pulling off a 3rd rate off-strip Vegas Monday night lounge act, and everyone who reads him thinks he's at least as funny as Seinfeld. In our friend group, at least. Again, he's vanished into thin air, and I heard a nasty rumor that he was living somewhere in the near-European netherworld that is comprised of parts of the former Soviet republic, working as a back waxer in an "off strip" women's only nail salon, meaning somewhere in a country that ends with the phrase "stan", my talented literary friend is living in self-imposed exile and ripping sheets of waxed and profuse dark hair off the backs of "husky" sized women. 14 hours a day. When he is not working, I understand he does a self-invented form of yoga (called YAGO) that involves some basic yoga principals and playing 1960's through 1980's cover tunes on his SG guitar. Except for the obsessive-compulsive guitar playing, it's hardly a fitting repose for a man of such great promise...
And then there is Jason. Jason is a Texas policeman and he too had a gift for framing his life adventures into some very good reading.
Alas, they're gone now, at least from blogging, and I miss them. It's been just impossible to replace them in my blog reading, although I've been reading some interesting new blogs as of late. Texas Ghostrider turned me onto a great cop blog called The Boogie Man Is My Friend... written by a highly entertaining street officer. Check it out, she's a great officer and it sounds like she has her hands full with job, family and children (like most of the rest of us).
I recently found Stefi's blog, written by a trio of Europeans (from Italy, I believe), and their blog has a lot of information about self defense, guns and especially knives, along with the occasional adventure or op-ed post. But the knife information is great, and their credentials in various sports and arts that could be considered as "self defensive" is impressive. I wish their posts were longer, as they tend to be on the brief side, but they participate in the commentary so more information does often accompany the blog post.
One of the most hilarious blogs that I really enjoyed was Life After Esq. Ms. So-and-So has a knack not only for writing but for storytelling as well, a trait that is serving her well as a prosecutor keeping our streets safe. Ms. So and So don't blog anymore, and it's been a year or so since she left an anonymous comment on the blog, as far as I know.
My mentor A.J. MacReady was entertaining to say the least, and really should consider doing standup when he retires from his day gig. He's a friend, and HE HAS NO IDEA HOW FUNNY OR BRILLIANT HE IS! That's what makes it so funny. He thinks he's pulling off a 3rd rate off-strip Vegas Monday night lounge act, and everyone who reads him thinks he's at least as funny as Seinfeld. In our friend group, at least. Again, he's vanished into thin air, and I heard a nasty rumor that he was living somewhere in the near-European netherworld that is comprised of parts of the former Soviet republic, working as a back waxer in an "off strip" women's only nail salon, meaning somewhere in a country that ends with the phrase "stan", my talented literary friend is living in self-imposed exile and ripping sheets of waxed and profuse dark hair off the backs of "husky" sized women. 14 hours a day. When he is not working, I understand he does a self-invented form of yoga (called YAGO) that involves some basic yoga principals and playing 1960's through 1980's cover tunes on his SG guitar. Except for the obsessive-compulsive guitar playing, it's hardly a fitting repose for a man of such great promise...
And then there is Jason. Jason is a Texas policeman and he too had a gift for framing his life adventures into some very good reading.
Alas, they're gone now, at least from blogging, and I miss them. It's been just impossible to replace them in my blog reading, although I've been reading some interesting new blogs as of late. Texas Ghostrider turned me onto a great cop blog called The Boogie Man Is My Friend... written by a highly entertaining street officer. Check it out, she's a great officer and it sounds like she has her hands full with job, family and children (like most of the rest of us).
I recently found Stefi's blog, written by a trio of Europeans (from Italy, I believe), and their blog has a lot of information about self defense, guns and especially knives, along with the occasional adventure or op-ed post. But the knife information is great, and their credentials in various sports and arts that could be considered as "self defensive" is impressive. I wish their posts were longer, as they tend to be on the brief side, but they participate in the commentary so more information does often accompany the blog post.
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