Hi everyone,

back open and still trying to get the electricity and phone fixed. Aaargghhh...!

Slowly getting there...

So I thought I would share one of the wackiest nights of my life...

We have a very dear friend who is a BIG Bruce Springsteen fan. Now I remember the hype back in 1975, when Springsteen was going to be the "future of rock'n'roll" and the "new Dylan" and all of that stuff. I bought "Born To Run" and it was ok.  Etc.

I am not a huge Springsteen fan, but yes he has done some good stuff.

Our friend Alex shouted us tickets to see Springsteen at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre back in February 2014. He scored tickets to "general admission", which is the acre or so of clear space directly in front of the seating. With most bands this is an area crammed with fans (the so-called "mosh pit"), but with Springsteen it was like an open field! Alex had been to every show on the tour so far, and knew the plan.

We got to the venue early, in time to get a burger from one of the concessions, and sat just outside the auditorium doors. We could hear the sound-check and it was an unfamiliar tune. The Springsteen loonies were puzzled, and Lisa said "that sounds like the Bee Gees song, "Stayin' Alive". Everyone laughed!

The doors opened and we filed in. General admission before the seated punters. The riggers were still climbing the scaffolds. About an hour to wait. Yay. Alex said "whatever I tell you to do, you must do it immediately". OK.

The band came on and lo-and-behold the first song was "Staying Alive"!

Here is the clip:

 

Good lord!

About a quarter into the show Alex grabs us and says "come this way". He takes us to the catwalk where Springsteen moves into the audience. Alex says, "stand right here and hold your hands above your head". "What??" "Just do it!!".

And Springsteen leaps off the catwalk and I catch him!

Beyond crazy! He's doing a "crowd surf" and I'm the guy that catches him. Along with another guy to the left, who is clearly a huge fan as he has tears rolling down his face!

Very, very silly!

I've done work for lots of well-known and well-respected musicians, met more than a few famous people, but this was the only time I ever caught a rock-star!

I also got to stand right next to Nils Lofgren (!) and I have actually been a fan of Nils since before I ever heard of Bruce Springsteen, so that was pretty funny too.  

The show was great - four hours long (!) that seemed like one or two. If you have even the slightest interest in Springsteen, and he comes this way again, you won't be disappointed if you can get tickets.

I think of stupid stuff like this every time I start to despair about the snail-pace restoration of my shop. Four months. Yikes.

But I am slowly getting things back in place, slowly being able to have the space and time to work on the bigger jobs I have booked in, and am slowly getting back to "normal".

But there is no doubt that the prevailing word is "slowly".

It is the same for all of Lismore - there just aren't enough tradies. They are all juggling 20 jobs.

Patience...

AK

 

 

 

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 Hi everyone,

my shop IS BACK OPEN! Usual times: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 1.00pm - 5.00pm.

Please drop by if you can, and let anyone else that you know.

The shop remains compromised by not having either electricity or a functional telephone, but the solution to these problems remains in progress. 

Repairs are still being dealt with as usual, but with a slightly somewhat slower time-frame. Almost normal, but not quite. Getting there... 

Basically, I have one head and four walls. The method required to re-instate both the electricity and the telephone seems to be to choose precisely which of the four walls I should bang my head against.

The poor tradies are over-worked and under-supplied, but they are edging their way towards normal.

It won't be long. 

First track on the Beatles second record and perhaps the best start to an LP ever!

It Won't Be Long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVKU6SevefY 

Things will soon be back on an even keel, and I look forward to seeing y'all again!

Andrew

 

Hi Everyone,

if you are reading this please let everyone (ok, every guitar-player you know) that I am alive and well and that my shop is back open again usual hours - Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 1.00pm - 5.00pm.

I am also accepting repairs via the other shops that I always have. Byron Music and Valiant (Brunswick Heads) are unchanged, and Planet Music should be back operational soon. As, I hope, will Russell's Music.

Since my last post to this journal, Telstra have completely stuffed up my account. Despite hours that I've spent online and with phone calls, and despite three appointments with the Telstra Shop Goonelabah (nee Lismore), they have been unable to put my account onto a temporary hold and divert incoming calls to my mobile. They now seem to have cut me off. I will be seeing them tomorrow morning. 

UPDATE - 31.5.22! Telstra have told me that there is another fault on the line, not directly related to the flood damage! They are working to fix this. But then, a few hours later, I get a text from Telstra saying that my account is overdue - so they clearly haven't put my account into "flood-relief hold mode". 

Aargh!

I think that perhaps Telstra's incompetence has been, for me at least, almost as big an inconvenience as the actual flood!! I've probably spent as much time trying to deal with them as I have re-building the shop.

BUT!!! I am back open and slowly getting back to trading as normal.

Andrew

 

 

 Hi Everyone,

my shop has been back open again for a few weeks now!

Slightly limited capacity. But if you have a repair that you'd like me to deal with than please drop by. I'm open again usual hours: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 1.00pm - 5.00pm.

And at other times by appointment. 

I'm actually pretty busy, with quite a bit of work booked in. It's almost normal! Standard repairs, such as set-ups and electronics are definitely normal (ie: a one to two week turnaround), but major repairs and restorations are a bit slower - I don't have the bench-space in my home workshop because all of the shop stuff is stored there! But gradually edging back to previous normal.

We still don't have power at the shop, so I can't have the alarm and security stuff operating. This means that I can't store things at the shop yet and, if you have a repair to collect you will still need to contact me first, so that I can bring your guitar in with me on the designated day.

I spoke to the electrician today and we're edging towards a solution.

I've had lots of very interesting repairs come my way in recent times. This journal of mine seems to have become a diary of woe-begotten times. It wasn't intended to be. I promise that from now on it will be a journal of interesting guitar-stuff...

Andrew

 Hi Everyone,

my shop is back open!!

I will be open again my usual shop hours from Tuesday 12th April.

The shop is still empty, but I will be re-building the counter, racks and benches over the next week or so and when we get the power back on (!) it will begin to get back to normal. 

Still no phone either. But things are slowly edging their way back to how they were.

Because there is no power yet, there is also no alarm and security system in place, so I can't leave anything at the shop. If you have a completed repair with me then please contact me via email to arrange a time for collection. We'll make a firm appointment and I'll make sure your instrument is on board the trusty station wagon that day!

If you have a new repair that you'd like me to do, then please drop by during my "open" hours, or contact me to make another arrangement.

I'm still taking work in via Byron Music and Valiant Music (Brunswick Heads), and will do so via Planet Music and Russell's Music when they also re-open.

Ok, thanks for reading this. And rest assured that my "flood-plan" (which has worked very well so far) will continue to be refined and improved. Thankfully, guitars are portable items and I can move them to higher ground relatively easily.

Best wishes to you all, and hopefully we'll see each other soon.

Andrew

 

Hi Everyone,

here's a post about guitars for a change!!

I've seen quite a few flood-damaged guitars - some are fixable and will be fine, and some won't.

But there is another issue with prolonged wet weather, and that is that some guitars will get moldy.

It's a weird thing - for example I have about 10 guitars stored in a wardrobe, all are in their cases, and some are covered in mold and others are totally clean. They are all old guitars that are finished in lacquer. I have no idea why some would get moldy and others wouldn't. I can only be something about previous handling or storage.

Most guitars these days are finished in either polyester or polyurethane, both of which are inert and will simply wipe clean.

Older, or higher quality, guitars are usually finished in lacquer (usually nitro-cellulose) and although it is a better finish in most respects it is also volatile and will react to most things that it come into contact with.

Mold is one of these things. If you have a lacquer finished-guitar (such as a Gibson, Martin , Guild etc.) and it is covered in mold, you will notice that the mold has marked the finish slightly. This won't wipe off, but can be cut-and-polished away.

The best gentle cutting compound that I've ever found for nitro-cellulose lacquer is, believe it or not, Brasso!!! I have used it for years (decades) to cut and polish the finish on guitars that I have made or restored using nitro-cellulose. It also cleans away mold discolouration (and it has a tiny bit of ammonia in the solution, which should kill the mold spores. It has NO negative affect on the lacquer.

So that's hopefully a decent tip for some of you!

If you have a guitar that HAS been flood-damaged then please call me about it. Some will be fixable, and there is no charge for assessment and quote.

Back soon!!!

Andrew

Hi Everyone,

well...the best laid plans and all that. 

Looks like the re-opening of the shop will be put back a couple of weeks. The place is empty at the moment, so all I have to do is hose it out again and clean the floor and walls. Again.

If you have an instrument with me then please email. Still no phone, and that may be a while yet.

If you have an instrument that you need me to fix, I am taking in repairs via Byron Music and Valiant Music (Brunswick Heads). If you leave an instrument with them, please let them know that it is for me.

I'll be back open ASAP.

And yes, I AM looking at options regarding my premises. For the moment I intend to continue in the same place, and I have always been able to remove the guitars from there if there is the slightest hint of a flood, but it IS getting to be a bit of a hassle...

Twice in a month? Yes. But maybe not again for 100 years. Frankly, nobody knows.

And those "one-in-a 100", "one-in-ten" stats are actually bullshit - they are simply Insurance Company devices to let them know how much to charge you. Not science. Ignore them.

OK, keep well. Email me if you need to.

Andrew