Docwagon

Another variety of honky tonk music is "Bakersfield country".  Bakersfield country originated in the honky tonks of Bakersfield, CA (hence the name), and incorporates more electric instruments, some southwestern influences, and often uses horns and piano.
 


 
Buck Owens is one of the granddaddies, and Dwight Yoakam picked up the torch.  This is one of my favorite songs of all time.
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMyy-72h2ic
 
I spent sometime in San Francisco
I spent a night there in the can
They threw this drunk man in my jail cell
I took fifteen dollars from that man

Left him my watch and my old house key
Don't want folks thinkin' that I'd steal
Then I thanked him as I was leaving
And I headed out for Bakersfield
 
 
Maybe on the next installment of "Doc's a huge hilljack" we'll get into Texas Swing.  

Tom Petty is easily in my top 5 musical artists of all time.  No doubt about it.  Nice choice!  
 

Ernest Tubb
 


 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYFwkpNQbxU
 
Hank Williams, Sr.
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpkv8CEAS10
 


 
Floyd Tillman
 


 
Those three are probably your biggest names in early Honky Tonk style country music, they are very much the giants that country/western singers since stand on the shoulders of.

Dude, I did to. It wasn't a joke. 
 
 
You mean your wallet wasn't the one that said "bad motherfcuker" on it?

Run, Charlie!
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz3Cc7wlfkI

We should start an unhip club. Put on some '80s running shorts, tuck in our T-shirts, pull up our socks and strut to the tune of Stayin' Alive with our Members Only jackets slung over our shoulders. 

Don't feel bad Doc I have no idea what the kids now a days are talking about either. Come to find out per my Niece over the labor day weekend with her...I am not cool because I thought "snakebites" were something to avoid (turns out its pierced lip) ...wearing no shoelaces is now cool (how I have no idea) and the fact that I think kids are crazy paying big bucks for a crappy thin china made t shirt just because it says Holister on it was my major faux pa I made this weekend lol

Get yourself one of those testing devices... Can't think of the proper name. They tell you if something is live/hot/has a current running to it. Saved my ass once.
Looks like this.

The main light fixture in my kitchen died yesterday.  I thought it had just blown the bulbs from a storm surge or something, but changing the bulbs didn't help.  It is a florescent type and has a ballast built in, so I shut off the breaker and got my multimeter out.  Yup, dead ballast.
 
Now here's where stuff gets tricky.  I'm afraid of electricity.  I do not understand it and I do not trust it.  I have only the most basic understanding of household wiring.  I have only the most basic understanding of how to use a multimeter.  My house is an older home and while the wiring is modern and up to code, its not always color coded the way it should be.  Top it off with this light is controlled by two different switches but the original electrical box wiring was just for one switch (the second switch was added in a later remodel). 
 
What does this mean?
 
1) There are too many wires.
2) Not all of the wires are the right color.
3) You can't tell at a glance if the switch is off or on because turning it "off" could actually turn it on, depending on the position of the other switch.
 
I came *THIS* close to calling in an electrician, but it being a holiday weekend I figured I'd be hit with overtime rates, so I ponied up and did it myself.
 
It wasn't easy.  It wasn't fun.  I had to take another working light fixture apart to figure out how it should be wired (I originally wired it like a normal one switch light fixture and it was always on, regardless of switch position for either switch).  Using the multimeter, looking at how the other one was wired, and having my wife control the switches I finally figured out it was white to white, black to read, the black to black that was inside the wire nut is left alone, and of course green to bare metal.
 
I did not shock myself, despite having to work with the breaker on so I could figure out what was hot when using the multimeter.  I did not set anything on fire.  I did not create any new holes in the ceiling.
 
Yay me!

I heard an interview with these guys on NPR and became an instant fan.  This is a mish-mash of classic country, blues, funk, southern swing, all mixed together and then electrified.  In this video the main guitar is a home built 2 string electric...built out of a coffee can.  Yes, the body is an actual coffee can, and it sounds fantastic.
 

I don't know if the old thread will be transported over to this forum or not, although I think it probably will be.  In the mean time, I thought I'd address a few new points.
 
Ok, you've chosen a handgun, have gotten some training, and are wondering what's next.
 
Almost any factory handgun can be improved upon.  Here are a few key common upgrades.
 
1) Trigger job
 
Almost any factory gun can be improved by a qualified gunsmith working the trigger.  Factory pieces are machine made and will invariably have some rough surfaces, sloppy mating, etc. that just goes with mass production done by machines.  A gunsmith can hand fit and polish your internal trigger mechanisms, which will result in a smoother and better feeling trigger.  Almost any gun will benefit from this, to a greater or lesser degree.
 
In addition the smith can "tune" a trigger more to your liking.  Trigger weights can be adjusted up or down, over travel can be adjusted or eliminated (the amount of distance the trigger can still travel backward after firing a shot) as can reset distance (the amount of distance the trigger must move back forward before being ready to fire again).
 
GENERALLY speaking, a lighter trigger is easier to shoot.  Remember the intended use for the gun.  A 1.5 lb trigger is fine on a target gun, but too light for a defensive carry gun, as it would be too easy to accidentally discharge.  A 4.0 lb trigger is about as light as you probably want to go on a carry gun.
 
Less over travel is always better.  A shorter reset is always better.
 
Note trigger weight can only be adjusted so much, especially in a revolver where part of the weight comes from the hammer spring.  If the hammer spring is too light, it won't cause the hammer to fall hard enough to consistently ignite the ammunition's primer, resulting in a failure to fire.
 
Glock triggers can be VASTLY improved with a Ghost connector and a competent smith's polishing.  M&P pistols can also be vastly improved by an Apex kit combined with polishing.
 
2) Sights
 
The quality of factory sights varies widely.  Some are plastic with painted in dots that will fall out under heavy use.  Others are steel with tritium vial inserts.  Crap sights should obviously be replaced, but sometimes even high quality sights just aren't quite right for an individual shooter.  You may prefer a wider or narrower rear sight gap, you may prefer more contrast or different colors, etc.
 
I recently replaced my Sig P220's factory night sights because during the day the milkiness of the front dot made it slower for me to acquire.  I went with Trijicon HD (orange), as pictured here:
 

 
I find the orange dot much faster to acquire, especially with no competing colors on the rear "u" channel sight.  At night there are three green dots, like standard night sights.  This simple change has improved the speed and accuracy of my follow up shots noticeably.
 
3) Grips
 
Not all handguns have replaceable grips.  Especially with earlier polymer pistols, you can put a sleeve over it but there's no way to make it smaller or really change the shape to better fit your hand.  Newer polymers tend to have replaceable back straps so you can at least change the size up or down without resorting to a sleeve.  Revolvers really shine in grip selection, though, as there doesn't have to be room for a box magazine.  You can go way oversized for target pistols down to really thin stocks for better concealment to anything in between to better fit your hands and goals.
 

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x6o_tBU8DU[/media]

NSFW.  Clerks.  37.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpQqH4H_SUQ

Doc - stand by man, I'll see if I can migrate it over. As I said it's stored safely, the only problem would be converting it, as MyBB aht IPB are not only a decade apart, but a thorn in each others' side. I'll see what I can do.

Ok, thanks.  That's really the one I was concerned with.  I don't think I could recreate all of that very easily if folks are still interested in it.