New Gypsy OM

[acruzn]

Well Folks, i have officially joined the CBOM world. Today i received my Gypsy OM. I requested an OM w/ simple elegance. Walt put sitka spruce as a top and walnut for back/sides. it has a mahogany neck. the fingerboard, pickguard and tailpiece are of ebony.

the sound is nice and resonant. i like how the string sounds were reverberating the body. once the baby got a little warmer and the strings settled down, i enjoyed trying to follow Mandobart's take on Orphan Girl.

i am going to enjoy learning to play this OM.

THANKS, WALT!!

[JEStanek]

Enjoy, Angel! Hope you get lots of good play with it.

Jamie

[Jill McAuley]

What a lovely OM you've got there Angel! Enjoy!

Cheers,
Jill

[Steve-o]

That's great to hear Angel. Welcome to the CBOM club. Go easy on the pinky now, and enjoy!

[Eddie Sheehy]

Looks great, I specially like Walt's new tailpiece...

[acruzn]

Thanks guys!

i think this baby has already increased the fondness for Irish music. didn't the Spaniards and the Irish, historically, like to associate together?

Steve-o: i gotta whip up not only on the pinky but the ring finger!? i have been doing many a two-fingered chord. i don't know..., i kinda like the idea of many of the blues three-fingered chords, so maybe i will follow your advice and go easy on the pinky...

after hacking around, i am struck by the fact that the scale length is not longer than my cuatro's scale length. of course, it is only 4 courses vs the 5 courses on the cuatro. my problem will be to focus on the mandolin chords and not mix them w/ the cuatro chords and its different tuning.(D-G-A-E vs B-E-A-D-G)

Eddie: now that i can see it physically, i like it also. it is a take-off on a violin's tailpiece. because of it, i can use ball-end regular guitar strings.

Yup, i am going to like playing in the CBOM world.

[Gerry Cassidy]

Congrats, Angel, she's a beauty! Walt was a good choice to go to for your first CBOM.

[acruzn]

Congrats, Angel, she's a beauty! Walt was a good choice to go to for your first CBOM.

Thanks Gerry! i intend to have fun w/ this baby!!

BTW, you think you might to go and see Adam Sheffey and Kym Warner in Ashland next month? I like Kym's understated playing in the Greencards and of course, Adam is a giant in the mando world.

Either i go to Ashland, VA or to Columbia, MD. The Great Falls house concert is already sold out...

[Gerry Cassidy]

I would really like to see Adam Steffey and Kym, but Jim is trying coordinate a jam/teaching session at his place around that time. I can't do both with it being the end of the semester. Heck, I'll be lucky to get either of them in. I am waiting to hear what Jim works up.

[steve V. johnson]

Angel, and Walt, too, congratulations on a real beauty! This is quite a variation on Walt's work. I like the tailpiece, too. Geez, Angel, she looks like you!! ;-D

"... didn't the Spaniards and the Irish, historically, like to associate together?"

There are a lot of varied mixes of Celtic peoples and musics between Spain and Ireland. The piping of Galicia is one example and there's at least one Spanish band that tours internationally playing a Celtic/Spanish mix of material.

"Steve-o: i gotta whip up not only on the pinky but the ring finger!? i have been doing many a two-fingered chord. i don't know..., i kinda like the idea of many of the blues three-fingered chords, so maybe i will follow your advice and go easy on the pinky... "

I find that (playing Irish music and tuned GDAD) it's easy to play two-finger modal chords, leaving out/not stating the 3rd of the chord and thus cheating it between major and minor. I've come to do this with the middle two fingers of my fretting hand. I think this is because they're the strongest, but also it leaves the outer two for reaches, hammer-ons/pull-offs on either side of the main chord.

"... i am struck by the fact that the scale length is not longer than my cuatro's scale length. of course, it is only 4 courses vs the 5 courses on the cuatro. my problem will be to focus on the mandolin chords and not mix them w/ the cuatro chords and its different tuning.(D-G-A-E vs B-E-A-D-G) "

I'll pridict that soon you won't have to think about the difference.

Again, congratulations, Angel, that's a real beauty, a fine example of Walt's work, and I know you'll have a great, great time with it.

stv

[sgarrity]

Welcome to the CBOM world. They're a lot of fun!! Nice insturment too. I especially like the walnut b/s.

[acruzn]

Gerry: thanks for reminding me about Jim's workshop. i am on the list also. i guess going to Ashland is out... well it's Columbia or bust.

SteveV: the Irish and the Spaniards do do things together, great! And so, you are saying that i can lazy some and just strike some 2 fingered chords. thx! i do feel good strumming the baby.

Shaun: there must be something about walnut that i like; my traveler mand also has walnut b/s. i had been watching w/ much interests your experiences w/ your CBOM.

[steve V. johnson]

Lazy is good.

Walnut is good.

New instruments are very good.

Joy be yours.

stv

[acruzn]

Lazy is good.

Walnut is good.

New instruments are very good.

Joy be yours.

stv

Thanks Big Buddy! excuse but i need to do my strumming.

[capt_blood]

Congratulations, Angel. Now you have the honor and duty of breaking in your new toy.
Steve

[acruzn]

Congratulations, Angel. Now you have the honor and duty of breaking in your new toy.
Steve

Steve, that is a responsibility that i will seriously undertake.

[acruzn]

STV,

you have inspired me to come up w/ a new catchy phrase:

liking stringed music - that is good

playing stringed music - that is excellent

getting a new stringed intrument to play stringed music - NOW that is priceless

[Mandobart]

Gongratulations Angel! Love to hear some sound clips. As to your atute question "didn't the Spaniards and the Irish, historically, like to associate together?" The Celtic people of Ireland were orignially from the Iberian peninsula, according to The Story of the Irish Race by Seumas Macmanus. Of course they weren't the first people there, but that starts a whole new thread, on a whole new forum...

[hank]

Very nice lefty CBOM Angel. Beautiful walnut back. When I grew up we had a huge Black walnut tree in our yard that all the kids played in building multiple tree houses sitting boxes,swings, etc. etc. My mom told me many years back that the tree had been destroyed by lighting and had to be removed. I heard later the woodworker had a time dealing with the many nails used in our young carpentry. I feel bad for the woodworker but to us kids that tree was priceless.

[Eddie Sheehy]

"... didn't the Spaniards and the Irish, historically, like to associate together?"

Well there wsa that fiasco with Don Juan Del Aquila and his expeditionary force that landed in Kinsale in 1603... At least we got a nice tune out of it - O'Sullivan's March.

[Jill McAuley]

Let's not forget the Spanish Arch in Galway City!

Cheers,
Jill

[acruzn]

Mandobart: i am not quite ready for prime time but i will work on it!

hank: yup, those walnut trees can grow majestically if allowed to grow old.

sounds like some of the Spaniards stepped on it, but all in all, they got along w/ the Irish. now i am going to look for music that got generated as a result of the mix.

oh well, sometimes my forefathers really make me shake my head... imagine, everyone was forced to lisp because the king lisped; and that continues to today.

[Eddie Sheehy]

I don't think people who lisp can pronounce lisp....

[steve V. johnson]

Galithia, Andaluthia, Jereth...

[acruzn]

sufferin' succotash