News or the same old same old

I used to own a JCM900 50 watt head and combo. Wish I never parted ways with them! So stupid!

Well I don't even no where to begin I was going to post this last week but I was to bummed out. So last Wednesday I had a therapy session and then a doctor's appt (they are connected). Normally the doctor visit is before the therapy but this time it was reversed.

So this is now 6 weeks after surgery and the finger is doing good. I have about 78% of motion back, more than enough to play and everything is looking good. I'm thinking that this will probably be my last week of therapy I can do the rest onmy own.

So we start therapy the usual way they heat up the hand, do some massage, some stretching etc. Today she decides to take measurements on my finger which she hadn't done and noted how much the swelling was down and my mobility. The week before she had me measure my grip strength on this thing you squeeze but the handle doesn't move and it measures grip pressure. When I did it she hesitated and looked suprised. Then she said I had a strong grip. I think she was expecting my hand to be weak cuz of the pinky.

Anyway has she's taking measurements Wednesday and making a comment she wants the numbers to look good for the doctore, she brings out the grip strength meter and has me do it again. Her instructions like the last time were, squeeze as hard as you can so I did. But this time when I let go my finger felt weird can't describe it but uncomfortable I guess not really painful.

Anyway 5 mins later I'm in the doc's office and he takes a picture and......wait for it....the bones shifted and a screw came loose, NICE..

He asks me what I did and I say just the grip thing but he didn't make a big deal of it. He tries to tell me it's OK and I just need to rest it for a few weeks. Well I called him back the next day and asked him again what I could and couldn't do with this finger and he says he needs to see me this week and go back in the splint and no guitar.

When I tell him I now am sure it happened in therapy since my finger is swollen again and very painful, his first words are " Well we can't prove that", like he's covering his butt.

I'm very frustrated now and not sure what to do. Although it was an "accident" I think they were negligent in having me to that grip thing, especially the second time after I had already shown them my grip strength was probably better the most people's good hand. Sure they said normally bones should be healed enough but mine was in alot of pieces and screws were holding it together so I don't think you can compare it to a normal break.

Anyway, I may need another surgery, who's going to pay for that? Me? I don't feel I should have to but I don't see these people admitting any responsibility. I don't want to start therapy from scratch and again pay for this. It still cost me about $500 out-of-pocket.

That's a bummer to hear, man. I'm really sorry for you.

I had to have a "revision" kind of thing done and it didn't cost me out of pocket nearly as much as it had for the original. Hopefully that is all excessive talk and you don't have to have surgery again. It would be quite nice of it's just a matter of more healing time and that this is just a tiny little set-back. I hope for the best.

Thanks Roy but I really don't know what to do. If there is another surgery I don't want to pay a cent. But at first he said I wouldn't need one but I'm having a hard time buying that.

All along the doctor has been saying how difficult fingers are because there is nothing but tendons and bones and everything needs to slide over each other otherwise you lose mobility. Now with the bones pulled away one of them is sticking out from the other so how could that be good?

I really wonder if I should go to another doctor for a second opinion.

Either way I feel like I'm gonna get the screw job.

Just a quick update. we have about 16 songs down with the band we had our 3rd practice Saturday and so far things are moving along nicely. Added two new songs for next Saturday, Double Vision (which I already know) and Sex Type Thing.

But the real reason I'm posting this is because I think I finally realized I'm a Marshall guy. The new (used) Marshall JCM 900 combo I bought blows the doors in tone wise compared to the Fender Deluxe. Now in fairness to the Fender I have recently gotten better at tweaking it but the Marshall sounds just so much better. The Marshall does have 2 - 12" speakers so it's moving more air but it's definitely is close to the sound I was looking for. I still have some teaking but it doesn't have the hard, brittle distortion that I get from the Fender.

Just a quick update. we have about 16 songs down with the band we had our 3rd practice Saturday and so far things are moving along nicely. Added two new songs for next Saturday, Double Vision (which I already know) and Sex Type Thing.

How about a quick recap - who's in? Who's out? Who owns a bar you can play in?

Hey Laz, the same lineup that I posted back a few post ago. We've had a new bass player since around October right before I broke my fingre but then when we didn't play for a couple months I was afraid we'd lose him.

Our first practice was the best, maybe not really but it felt that way. We all hadn't played for so long and it was the first night we had the bass player and everything seemed to just flow effortlessly it was really a great start. The next practice which was just last Tuesday was OK but it was along day, we started late and although we had some rough spots it started coming together.

This past Saturday was good but didn't hit the high mark we started on. I've had this happen before so I'm not too worried the "bad" practices weren't really that bad.

But we are slowly getting more organized and I think we are getting the other guitar player more interested every time we get together. He's a fantastic guitar player who has a few things going on but he's all about getting out there and playing and I think from what he's heard and the fact that everyone is learning their parts, he's actually getting more interested in us than his other band.

So for now we are...wait for it...Drama free...we'll see how long that lasts. Although my good friend was the bass player but he brought to much drama and he never practiced and when we did practice he wanted to take a break after every 2-3 songs. So I don't miss that.

So there are two guitars, he'll do most of the solo's (he's to good not to) and I'll do some of the easier ones and fills whatever is needed and bass, drums and vocals. Songs like Double Vision I like cuz there are two very distinct guitar parts.

As for playing out we do have a couple places we can play right off the bat so that's cool. Not the greatest places to play (small) but won't be any problem getting a gig.

This is all pretty new to me I have never played out other than at an open mic where you play 3-4 songs and then done. The party we played in the fall I think we played about 12 songs.

When you guys do your EAst coast tour this summer let me know maybe we can play a double bill.

Back at ya for the double-bill.

Get out there and play!

There's probably a better chance of me seeing you guys down there. My daughter is in Philly going to Temple so I could get a double bang for my buck. Haven't been down there in about a year.

There's probably a better chance of me seeing you guys down there. My daughter is in Philly going to Temple so I could get a double bang for my buck. Haven't been down there in about a year.

Absolutely! Tell me when you'll be in the area and we'll set up a jam or some such.

Quick update. We have about 24 songs down, still ironing out the harmonies but we are getting close. Songs keep changing a bit which is OK, I'd like to move more toward modern stuff but all is good as of now. Here's where we are at.

Are you gonna go my way
Sex Type Thing
Play that funky music
Helter skelter
Plush
Godzilla
You can't do that
Sweet Jane
Born to be Wild
Tie your mother down
Get back
Jumpin jack flash
Good
Use somebody
Kryptonite
Back in USSR
I got a line on you
Just what I needed
American Band
Another thing coming
Can't get enough
First I look at the purse
Day of the Eagle
Double Vision

We have a bunch we played already that we haven't practiced that won't need much like White Room, Badge, and at least 8 - 10 others so we are close to being ready. Hoping to be out by March.

This is the combo version of the JCM so it's an all in one deal. I'm starting to lean toward getting it though just because the sound was so much better than the Fender. I'd just leave it up there for now or else bring my Fender up there and leave the Marshall home, but I want to try it once more at practice this week to make sure I really like it.
OK... so im not a skilled player by ANY streach... but man... if you dont get it for that price, you will be compairing everything else you play through to it till the end of time!!!!

[edit].... sorry I see you got it!!

I had to pull the trigger and so far I'm glad I did. Don't get to fiddle with it since I leave up where we practice but it's definitely got the sound I've been looking for.

Good looking song list cnev, I may have to steal a couple from there. I was just thinking of Good the other day and forgot to bring it up at practice Sunday.

Good is a good song (no pun intended) the singer brought it up I think he was doing it with the other band and it's a fun song to play.

Plus it's a bit more modern then the other classic rock stuff.

There are some songs I really enjoy playing, some so so and some I can do without. I never know which group a song will end up in until we start playing it.

I really like to play Tie your mother down and Another thing coming for some reason.

I really really want to play some Foo Fighter songs but Dave pretty much screams in every song and that's not our singers style so not sure we will do any.