Music

How To Make A Coconut Shell Guitar Pick {2}

Coconut Shell Guitar Pick

For many years now Tortoise Shell (Hawksbill Turtle) guitar picks have been considered, by most, to be the Holy Grail of picks. The legend has grown because they have not been legal to make or sell since 1973, when the trade of tortoise shell worldwide was banned under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). Even before that time the use of celluloid had become common for guitar picks as it was much cheaper to produce.

Though many continue to try to come up with a material similar in qualities to the tortoise shell, some with pretty good success, others have gone a different route. Virtually all hard materials are used to manufacture picks now – stone, metal, lexan, nylon, bone, horn, etc. It’s subjective how well all these different materials sound, but the choices are plentiful.

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Last modified: 14th October, 2013

By Category: Music Tags: , ,

The Balikbayan Box {16}

LBC Balikbayan Box Davao

This one was different. Sure I’d sent many balikbayan boxes before, in fact that is how I sent all my stuff when I moved, but this one I awaited with much more anticipation. Watching the tracking on LBC’s site, though it seemed not to change.

My first experience with balikbayan boxes came after my previous filipina wife finally got her fiancee visa and arrived in the United States. One of the first tasks we undertook, after the marriage and government requirements, was to start shopping for the contents of BOX that we would send every few months. That was really pretty simple, as anything was needed back in the Philippines, and there were always plenty of used clothing to forward. It was easy to fill that box.
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Last modified: 14th October, 2013

By Category: Cost of living, Cultural Adjustment, Davao, Music, Retirement, Transportation Tags: , , ,

Hamer Echotone – Electric Guitars in the Philippines {1}

Hamer Echotone Sunburst

I blame my younger brother for this one. As some of you may know, if you’ve read my blog long enough, that I sold my beloved Historic Les Paul when I moved to Davao. Along with that I sold my vintage ’58 Fender Harvard. I had determined that maybe this wasn’t the best environment for them, and of course I needed the money.

Before I sold those I had made a new plan, and that was to buy and play an acoustic. I purchased an Epiphone Masterbuilt AJ-500R that was made in China but a very nice guitar none the less. I had that shipped over and I’m glad I did. So what happened?
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Last modified: 14th October, 2013

By Category: Davao, Electricity, Music Tags: , , , , ,