Car, guitar, europe.
Discussion
GuitarTech said:
If you're anywhere near Lübeck in north Germany on your travels, you're welcome to drop in for a chat and a coffee. I could service the Ibanez for you as well, as I'm a self-employed luthier and repair tech. Btw, in the picture it's upside down (unless you play like Jimmi Hendrix 
)
Hi GT. Fantastic offer. Just checked where you are and it is a pretty long stretch out of my way )Edited by GuitarTech on Sunday 11th June 23:12
My last couple of days I will be coming north and staying at Cologne, from there it's 4 hours back to calais for the return. Lubeck is basically 4.5 hours in the wrong direction, I just don't think I will have time to fit that in.
But never say never, it a very generous offer and still about 12 days between me and Cologne so let's see how things pan out.
Thank you.
And the guitar is regular strung, not sure why it's showing JH style to you!
The Vambo said:
This might seem weird from an LGV driver who has done most of the ferries from the UK to Europe......
How do you deal with the language barrier in, say, Switzerland or Austria? The touristy bits?
With trucks the basics are obvious, the Zeebrugge ferry all speak English. I have always been weird about the shout at them until they understand thing.
I'm pretty laid back about it tbh Vambo. I have some very basic french but no German, Swiss or anything else. English is obviously very widespread on the continent but if I can't communicate I never get shouty or anything, just walk away and do something else. You do meet the occasional hostile local, especially in rural France but it's their country so not my place to start demanding anything. How do you deal with the language barrier in, say, Switzerland or Austria? The touristy bits?
With trucks the basics are obvious, the Zeebrugge ferry all speak English. I have always been weird about the shout at them until they understand thing.
Had a waitress today at a Chateaux cafe who basically treated me like s
t, lots of huffing and slamming stuff down even though I was doing my best to speak French, you have to just smile!Debaser said:
Have a great trip!
What route are you taking?
Started at Troyes, now in Beaune, Lake Aneccy tomorrow, then Mont Blanc, then straight through Switzerland to a beautiful hotel I stayed at last year in Baden-Baden. Then a really out of the way place in Bavaria where I'm staying for 4 days because it has great roads for driving and good countryside for mountain biking (I hire, I haven't got one strapped to the car!), then Cologne, then home. What route are you taking?
sc0tt said:
As always brad enjoy your threads. I remember that day in your ferrari with the santa outfit 
There are very few pictures of me on the Internet Scott, and be thankful for that! There is one of that day but at least I'm disguised! Loved that car, a fellow PH'er has it now and enjoys it to the full.
lucido grigio said:
It's getting close to a year since we lost Russ btw.
Indeed, will be a sad remembrance for many.
lucido grigio said:
Enjoy your trip brd,these threads are what PH should be about....
Thanks. These threads are hit and miss tbh, sometimes loads happens and sometimes nothing does. At the very least the guitar is getting played in places Russ would have loved.
I don't really get the shower in this hotel.
First you have to disconnect this bit:
Then connect it to this bit:
Then you lift this frame away from the wall and twiddle with the heads to get the direction you want:
And then, because it's a walk in shower and you're having so much fun pointing those things in all directions you completely flood the bathroom.
I didn't get a pic because it was about 2 inches deep and I didn't want to take my phone in there. Took bloody ages to push back down the plug hole.
First you have to disconnect this bit:
Then connect it to this bit:
Then you lift this frame away from the wall and twiddle with the heads to get the direction you want:
And then, because it's a walk in shower and you're having so much fun pointing those things in all directions you completely flood the bathroom.
I didn't get a pic because it was about 2 inches deep and I didn't want to take my phone in there. Took bloody ages to push back down the plug hole.
Lol! Hopeless with a camera!
Just been sitting out on the terrace playing the guitar overlooking the pool, very nice. There is nobody here to disturb apart from one couple across the gardens who are too far away. An unplugged electric guitar is very quiet.
It's lovely here, listening to the birdsong.
Just been sitting out on the terrace playing the guitar overlooking the pool, very nice. There is nobody here to disturb apart from one couple across the gardens who are too far away. An unplugged electric guitar is very quiet.
It's lovely here, listening to the birdsong.
I didn't know Russell had passed on 
I was at that amazing day at the hospice for Lily, 40 cars revving their wotsits off in the car park then blatting off down the A27 for a tunnel run with Lily and her family in various muscle and super cars, plus a few grand donation for the hospice - despite the sadness of the reason for being there it was an uplifting day, PH at its best.
3 of us who are local also went to her funeral, sort of on behalf of the rest of you. That was a bit emotional
Have a good trip Brad.
I was at that amazing day at the hospice for Lily, 40 cars revving their wotsits off in the car park then blatting off down the A27 for a tunnel run with Lily and her family in various muscle and super cars, plus a few grand donation for the hospice - despite the sadness of the reason for being there it was an uplifting day, PH at its best.3 of us who are local also went to her funeral, sort of on behalf of the rest of you. That was a bit emotional
Have a good trip Brad.
swerni said:
Are you okay Brad?
I missed out on taking the mustang to meet Lilly, due to illness.
Take the guitar on a road trip to Ibiza, Its the kind of crazy place that Russ would have fitted in well
Hi Swerni hope you are good. I missed out on taking the mustang to meet Lilly, due to illness.
Take the guitar on a road trip to Ibiza, Its the kind of crazy place that Russ would have fitted in well
Yeah I'm okay thanks mate, always get a bit emotional when looking back at the times I spent with Russ.
Ibiza eh? Too old for the tablets but I'm sure it's a wonderful place!
john2443 said:
I didn't know Russell had passed on I was at that amazing day at the hospice for Lily, 40 cars revving their wotsits off in the car park then blatting off down the A27 for a tunnel run with Lily and her family in various muscle and super cars, plus a few grand donation for the hospice - despite the sadness of the reason for being there it was an uplifting day, PH at its best.
3 of us who are local also went to her funeral, sort of on behalf of the rest of you. That was a bit emotional
Have a good trip Brad.
Hi John, we must have met on the day, amazing how the time passes. I was at that amazing day at the hospice for Lily, 40 cars revving their wotsits off in the car park then blatting off down the A27 for a tunnel run with Lily and her family in various muscle and super cars, plus a few grand donation for the hospice - despite the sadness of the reason for being there it was an uplifting day, PH at its best.3 of us who are local also went to her funeral, sort of on behalf of the rest of you. That was a bit emotional
Have a good trip Brad.
Hope things are good for you.
Nice thread, don't have the Mac sadly, but do have an Ibanez, will keep looking out for updates. Have a great trip.
Be careful around Beaune, I got nicked there in a UK registered car by a couple of untruthful bike coppers for supposedly doing more than a ton, taken straight to the nearest Gendarmerie, and was lucky to escape without an on the spot ban. It's quite a well known area for such things.
Be careful around Beaune, I got nicked there in a UK registered car by a couple of untruthful bike coppers for supposedly doing more than a ton, taken straight to the nearest Gendarmerie, and was lucky to escape without an on the spot ban. It's quite a well known area for such things.
br d said:
GuitarTech said:
If you're anywhere near Lübeck in north Germany on your travels, you're welcome to drop in for a chat and a coffee. I could service the Ibanez for you as well, as I'm a self-employed luthier and repair tech. Btw, in the picture it's upside down (unless you play like Jimmi Hendrix )
Hi GT. Fantastic offer. Just checked where you are and it is a pretty long stretch out of my way )Edited by GuitarTech on Sunday 11th June 23:12
My last couple of days I will be coming north and staying at Cologne, from there it's 4 hours back to calais for the return. Lubeck is basically 4.5 hours in the wrong direction, I just don't think I will have time to fit that in.
But never say never, it a very generous offer and still about 12 days between me and Cologne so let's see how things pan out.
Thank you.
And the guitar is regular strung, not sure why it's showing JH style to you!
as JH played a right-handed guitar left-handed, and the guitar is upside down in the pic. I'm left-handed too, although I play guitar as a right-hander, as indeed most left-handers I know do. Most guitars aren't even available as left-handers, and are usually more expensive too. Shame you can't get up here, maybe next time 
The Moose said:
I have enjoyed your previous threads!
Always wished I could play the guitar - tried to learn, I just don't have a musical bone in my body!!
Everyone has musical bones Moose, you've just got to find them. Always wished I could play the guitar - tried to learn, I just don't have a musical bone in my body!!
Playing an instrument is a very liberating thing to do, once you get good enough to get to choose were your fingers are going next it opens up a whole new room in your head.
I dont really get art or anything, I don't seem to be the creative type at all but playing the guitar puts me in an entirely different place which I couldn't find otherwise.
Guitar talk coming up, switch off now if you've no interest!
I am a very private player, preferring just to sit and play alone, which is why a play pick and finger style so I can accompany myself.
I'm no Albert Lee or anything but after a few beers I will often get a vibe going and really surprise myself with the stuff that starts flowing through my hands. I don't know if that's common to all musicians but I suspect it is.
I'm fortunate enough to own some great guitars. These are my two Gretsches:
Won't mean an a lot to the uninitiated but that's a Setzer 6120 and a Billy Duffy White Falcon there, pretty much my dream garage as far as guitars go. My favourite stuff to play is Rockabilly, it's hard to do right but very rewarding which is why I love Gretsch.
I also love country picking and these two cover that:
I also have a decent acoustic and a bunch of other electrics that I occasionally use.
Funnily enough Russell and Lillie's guitar is an ideal Rock Axe, which the majority of guitar players seem to love. I can play rock, metal and indie a bit and I grew up loving that stuff but these days it doesn't interest me much.
The strange thing is though that Russell's guitar just covers all the bases.
It doesn't play rockabilly as well as my Gretsches and it doesn't play country like a Telecaster but unlike those guitars it can do just about anything without complaining. I'm honestly not just saying this because I have an emotional connection to the guitar it is genuinely the one I find myself picking up the most often.
The burning house scenario? This one first, then the Setzer if there's time. Everything else is replaceable and can f
king burn! Sorry for the tangent.
(As usual I can't get the pictures right!)
Heaveho said:
Nice thread, don't have the Mac sadly, but do have an Ibanez, will keep looking out for updates. Have a great trip.
Be careful around Beaune, I got nicked there in a UK registered car by a couple of untruthful bike coppers for supposedly doing more than a ton, taken straight to the nearest Gendarmerie, and was lucky to escape without an on the spot ban. It's quite a well known area for such things.
Hi Heave. I've been driving around Beaune for many years and know some fantastic routes where you can floor it before everybody else gets up. Unfortunately though you are right, the creeping ruination of driving pleasure is showing its face here too. Be careful around Beaune, I got nicked there in a UK registered car by a couple of untruthful bike coppers for supposedly doing more than a ton, taken straight to the nearest Gendarmerie, and was lucky to escape without an on the spot ban. It's quite a well known area for such things.
Yesterday I took the Route Des Grandes Crus which runs out through the wine country and is a fantastic bit of road when no one is about but to my dismay they've started putting cameras on it.
Real sneaky b
ds too that wait for a couple of sweeping bends after the town exits and then appear just as you're breathing out. fkers. Europe's still better than Essex that's for sure which is why I continue to come out here but it's gradually being reeled in.
Driving for fun is not on the agenda and once driverless cars are with us I believe all the rules of the road will be reconstituted to give them priority. It's the dying days for motoring and I feel for the young car enthusiast.
I'm about to order a 720S, but I'm pretty sure that will be the last fast car I bother with. I may have a few awkward years of fun with that but I can't see a performance car being worth having in 5 years time.
More depressing stuff. I'm supposed to be on holiday!
Edited by br d on Tuesday 13th June 15:48
Talloires, on Lake Aneccy. Beautiful.
Lovely hotel. Got here a bit frazzled, grabbed a beer and found the pool:
A nice waterfall you can sit under, it's very hot here.
I'm at the foot of the French Alps. My usual crap photography:
Going to just relax today but will be getting into the Alpine roads tomorrow.
Lovely hotel. Got here a bit frazzled, grabbed a beer and found the pool:
A nice waterfall you can sit under, it's very hot here.
I'm at the foot of the French Alps. My usual crap photography:
Going to just relax today but will be getting into the Alpine roads tomorrow.
Long drive down, usual shenanigans!
I did about a hundred miles on the A40, I was listening to an audio book which I find good for eating up time. Listening to music is fine but on really long boring journeys I can lose myself in a book.
Was listening to Gregg Allmans book because I love Duane as a player. After a hundred miles or so of motorway I got a bit somnambulistic and found myself sitting behind a lorry doing about 60 mph on Auto.
I was awoken from my trance by three French guys in a van behind me (about 3 feet behind me, they all do that here) waving their fists, holding there phones up and goading me to floor it.
Well what could I do?
By this point even the car had gone to sleep so I thought we needed a blast. I dropped 5 gears and fking hammered it past the 6 or 7 lorries that were lined up in the slow lane. I flicked through 3rd and 4th and the world was a roaring blur!
It felt good to hear the turbos spooling up and I had a heavy right foot and a wide smile! Until I looked at the satnav and realised I'd missed the turn off I'd been waiting for the last 150K.
fk.
All the way up the motorway to the next junction and back. It was worth it though!
I did about a hundred miles on the A40, I was listening to an audio book which I find good for eating up time. Listening to music is fine but on really long boring journeys I can lose myself in a book.
Was listening to Gregg Allmans book because I love Duane as a player. After a hundred miles or so of motorway I got a bit somnambulistic and found myself sitting behind a lorry doing about 60 mph on Auto.
I was awoken from my trance by three French guys in a van behind me (about 3 feet behind me, they all do that here) waving their fists, holding there phones up and goading me to floor it.
Well what could I do?
By this point even the car had gone to sleep so I thought we needed a blast. I dropped 5 gears and f
king hammered it past the 6 or 7 lorries that were lined up in the slow lane. I flicked through 3rd and 4th and the world was a roaring blur! It felt good to hear the turbos spooling up and I had a heavy right foot and a wide smile! Until I looked at the satnav and realised I'd missed the turn off I'd been waiting for the last 150K.
f
k. All the way up the motorway to the next junction and back. It was worth it though!
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