I’m currently doing some freelance writing in a desperate attempt to make extra cash.

I spent a lot of today researching the real estate market in Blaine, Minnesota.

Y’know…it was kinda fun. It’s not super high pay, but it’s something to do…and always a challenge to figure out what to say about something I know next to nothing about.

Last week, I wrote short travel articles on Vermont, Rhode Island, and New York State. Weird facts:

— In Vermont, public nudity is legal but public disrobing is not.

— New York State is the home of the oldest working cattle ranch in the US. It’s on Long Island.

— Rhode Island (this shouldn’t be a surprise to the locals, esp. the goth crew) has the grave of Mercy Brown, who was dug up and staked as a vampire in 1892. Her story may have inspired the character of Lucy Westerna in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”.

Gotta love it.

Because I’m feeling guitar geek-like. I’m playing more guitar than doing poetry right now anyway, what with the Bell’s Palsy and all (it’s coming along although the nerve regeneration is PAINFUL).

Anyway, here are the two electrics I’ve been prattling on about: The Regal archtop and the new-to-me Fender Duo Sonic.

The archtop was a flea market purchase — I think I paid 100 bucks for it. I’ve been doing extensive research, as it’s unlabeled. It seems to be a Harmony made but not Harmony branded guitar, probably made for either Regal or Gretsch sometime in the late 30s or prewar 40s. Shares certain characteristics with the Monterey and Cremona lines (campana take note).

Construction details, especially the tuners, the bindings, the f-hole shape, and the metal tailpiece, suggest a date of 1938 at the closest, as it matches instrumentsfrom that year I’ve found online.

The shape of the headstock is a Harmony tipoff, but a label stain on the headstock (currently covered by the oh-so-ironic skull and crossbones decals I added) looks like the label that Regal used, so I usually call it a Regal. The headstock was also used by Gretsch on guitars Harmony made for them in that period, but I’m not so pretentious as to call it a Gretsch.

The pickup is a late 40s/early 50s DeArmond I bought for 40 bucks off eBay and had installed. The weird wiring and the pickguard-mounted controls were done that way deliberately to reduce invasive procedures on the instrument; not elegant, but also not entirely inauthentic for the period and it works just fine. It’s got a wide tonal range through my small Vox amp, and the pickup is HOT (feeds back fairly easily so I’ve got to be careful how close to the amp I stand when I play). Big-ass vintage V-profile neck is another age tipoff. Great blues/jazz instrument. I use it mostly through a clean channel as an acoustic/electric, and from there it then offers lots of tonal variation if I want it.

The Fender, as I said in the earlier post, is a 90s reissue of a mid Fifties/early 60s instrument. You can see the difference in scale between the two (that’s neck length, essentially, for those among you uninitiated into this level of guitar geekery). Snarly little fucker with no frills. I was getting a great blues/funk vibe on it last night when I was goofing around on it before bed.

I also mentioned playing the Strumstick, a cool little three stringed instrument by the man who brought us the Martin Backpacker. Kinda like a really, really small walkaround dulcimer. Here’s a link to the man’s site and his instruments:

http://www.strumstick.com/

I tried to get a shot of Icchus with the guitars, but he’s cranky after having his breakfast and wanting to sleep now…as I do. Back to bed for a brief nap then onto the day…lots to do.

Enjoy, and thank you for indulging me…