One Particular Spammer

Most spam is anonymous. Few of us ever have contact with a real spammer. Most of them are smart enough to conceal their identity. They know that if people knew who they were, they would be ostracized by their peers.

I learned about Ron's spam pretty quickly. People were concerned that maybe the Steel Guitar Forum's database of email addresses had been compromised. It hasn't - Ron got his addresses from other sites on the web. I don't understand, though, the mindset of a guy who thinks that it's okay to to spam people, that it's a legitimate way to do business. Considering that the legality of his product, a CD of karaoke tracks, is on shaky ground at best, you'd think that he'd use an identity that couldn't be so easily fingered. But no, the "from" line of the gmail account proudly shows his name, and his wife's.

This brings me to a crisis of conscience. I don't reply to spammers, but I have been engaged in open discussions with Ron about various topics in the Off Topic Forum. Frankly, he seems to be the main driving force there. There are only a handful of other participants.

When someone talks a lot in a room of five or six people, it magnifies his opinions and position. Giving this spammer a soapbox to stand on didn't feel right to me, nor did it make sense for me to engage him any further. So, after 10 years of operation, I have shut down the Off Topic Forum. I figure that the half-dozen users that remained can get along without it.

I hate spam. I don't reply to emails from spammers. I'm not going to make an exception for one just because he's a steel player from Greensburg.

Switching things around.

   LKL LKV LKR  P1  P2  P3  P4  P5  RKL RKR
F#                  +G      +G
D  +D# +E  +E                       -C#
B          +C#                          +C
A               +B      -G#
F#                  +G      -F
D  +D# +E                       +D#
B                                       +C
G               +A      -E      -F# 

Putting the C6th P5 & P6 changes together on pedals (P3 and P4 here) makes a lot of sense, as it preserves my C6th reflex movements. I moved the C6th P7 change to LKR. The only downside to this swap seems to be that I can't get that F note when my foot is on P1 & P2 (E9th mode).

If I had a ten string, I'd add high and middle E notes to this tuning. I think that would add most of the missing licks from the E9th tuning. With a middle E, I wouldn't need the 6th string raise on LKV and I could lower it to C# instead.

My Desert Rose

I've been playing the Desert Rose S-8 for about a month now, and I've pretty much finalized the D6/G copedent. I love it! I can go from E9th country styles to C6th swing styles just by moving my foot to the right.

   LKL LKV LKR  P1  P2  P3  P4  P5  RKL RKR
F#         +G       +G
D  +D# +E                   +E      -C#
B                           +C#         +C
A               +B      -G#
F#         -F       +G
D  +D# +E                       +D#
B                                       +C
G               +A      -E      -F# 

P1 and P2 work like E9th A&B transposed down a step from E to D. The vertical LKV is sort of like the E9th C pedal. LKL is like the E9th F lever.

LKR, P3, P4, P5 and RKL are all standard C6th changes transposed up a step from C to D. LKL is like the C to C# lever, and RKR is like the A to Bb lever.

Here's a western swing tune of mine from a Burnside Scramblers rehearsal: Sagebrush Shuffle