STS-135 Quick Facts

I was just thinking about a 1 paragraph mission summary for STS-135 in layman's terms.

If I was a commander.. I'd be like OK, let me see if I got this correct (rough and probably incorrect math)You want me to take this 122 ft long brick with an 80 ft wingspan, strapped to 1 MILLION lbs of rocket fuel providing 5.2 MILLION lbs of thrust.. and fly it at 17,000 miles per hour for 3 days, then do back flip and park it at a moving airport gate, that is oh.. 200 miles above the earth drop off some supplies and a year's worth of food....? Sure! no problem!

http://www.frontiernet.net/~docbob/shuttle.htm

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/135_flash/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacecraft_Docking_and_Berthing_Mechanisms

http://www.spaceflight101.com/sts-135-flight-day-3-photos.html

Shelter Me - a "Psalm" by Tab Benoit

UPDATE: Nobody corrected me, but in the mood of copyrighting, registering songs with ASCAP, etc... I searched for the writers/composers and discovered this song incredibly stuck in my head.. still was the creative work of Buddy and Julie Miller Check them out and follow them for some good stuff!

Preach it brother Tab!

This post is dedicated to all in the flood path even tougher than Tab Benoit's Tele Tone! Stay Dry, Y'all!

If you never listened to the lyrics.. you can read them in this note. It almost reads like a Psalm if you as me.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqzD92tUowY


Shelter Me – Tab Benoit

The Earth can shake, the sky come down, The mountains all fall to the ground.
But I will fear, none of these things. Shelter me, Lord underneath Your wings

Dark Waters rise, and thunder pounds, the wheels of war are going round,
And all the walls are crumbling
Shelter me Lord, underneath Your Wings. Shelter me Lord underneath Your wings

Hide me underneath Your wings. Hide me deep inside Your heart.
In Your refuge – cover me
The world can shake, but Lord I’m making You my hiding place.

The wind can blow, the rain can pour. The deluge breaks, the tempest roars, but in the storm my spirit sings oh shelter me Lord underneath Your wing. Shelter me Lord underneath Your wing.

Hide me underneath Your wings. Hide me deep inside Your heart.
In Your refuge, cover me.
The world can shake, but Lord I’m making You my hiding place.

Now on the day, You call for me. Someday when time, no more shall be.
I’ll say death, where is your sting? Shelter me Lord underneath Your wing
Shelter me Lord, underneath Your wing.

New life to old instrument friend the Tele-P-Rail Project

So after having my ole Tele Plus since oh.. 1992/1993 ish.. (I remember the fight with my new bride back then, but can't pin down the month and year I picked it up from Guitar and Banjo Studio in Beaumont.) I decided rather than start from scratch with a new project or search the world over for what I really wanted to try.. I'd modify the ole pal and see what I could get.

Here's the shopping list

Seymour Duncan P-Rails

Seymour Duncan Triple Shot

D'Addario /Planet Waves - Auto-Trim Locking Tuners

Mighty Mite Telecaster Bridge for Humbucker

An On-Off-On 3 way to replace the ON-ON-ON mini toggle

And a WHOLE BUNCH of Patience!

Here's how it ended up going;

I first thought I'd just change the Red-Dually in the bridge to a P-Rail.. and the neck pup to a Vintage Rail. I loved the tone of both and thought it might work..? HA! Nowhere near balance-able.. and MAN that P-Rail really whooped the V-Rail in tone. That project was really rough. I ended up spending oh.. $60 in mounting hardware parts.. Aluminum Flat bar, Wall Receptacle cover plates.. you name it.. I'm convinced that there is NOT on the market any mounting plate for a Tele-Plus to accept a standard humbucker. But the tone of the P-Rail was so inspiring, I set off on this quest.

I get all the stuff in.. check it out quickly and get started by pulling of the fairly brand new strings that I know I'll never get back through the body holes so I get over wasting brand new Elixirs and proceed.

Tuners 1st. - What..? I have to drill into the head....? They don't have the little posts that go into the drilled holes..? argh.. OK.. I get over that, measure twice, twice..and mount them. Some are bigger than others..? Or the tuner holes in the neck are smaller as the strings get smaller..?

So next I start removing the bridge.. It seems like it was almost ready to fall off.. it came off so easily. I set the new one on there and hardly a hole lines up.. Uh.. D'Oh...? UHM...? After some thinking.. I come up with "well, stupid is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.. right..?" swallow a few lumps.. and mark and drill... I get it mounted and split the difference on the string holes, keeping the assembly centered. This takes WAY WAY longer than I expected, but overall not to bad thinking all along.. 5 bridge screws are better than 3..? Right..?

I go to mount the Bridge P-Rail in the bridge plate.. Uh.. Oh Oh.. it bottoms out in the routed hole... HMM... and drilling holes for the Triple Shot in the bridge plate looks way trickier than I'm in the mood for.. I trim springs and mounting screws, get it all mounted and move on to the pick guard. I went cheap on this (like $12 delivered cheap on EBay) because I'm not real sure I'll keep the set up, etc.. it's about 75% hit or miss on the pick guard as far as hole lining up. The Volume/Tone curved out notch is about 1/4" off and the bridge notch out isn't even close for this particular bridge.. so it's Dremel time; cutting wheel, sanding drum and straight bit.. (I've since determined in a few to 6 months when I'll be due to change the strings.. I'll "Splurge" on a $25 Warmoth cut to specs pickguard!)

I get all that to fit, then the mounting screws for the Triple Shot extend out over the body routing..? Uhm..? HMM.. trim, hot melt glue.. and Voila..

Time to solder.. the triple shot is extremely easy once mounted.. and the 3 way saved the day since the triple shot on the bridge plate might be another 4 hour project.. maybe when I change that pickguard, so I can series/Parallel it as well..?

About 7 hours.. after starting this adventure.. I start to string her up MAN! These auto-Trim tuners are SWEET! Snip Snip as you tighten up the 1st half round.. I just put the Big E and thought.. let me make sure this works electronically before wasting a set.. so I plug it in..

WHOAH NELLIE! Amazing P-90 and single coil tones galore.. SWEET! It WORKED! haha..

I string the rest up dial in the intonation and height, etc.. and buzz buzz buzz... Uh Oh... (Crickets sounding).. Then I realize if I loosen the tuners and make them coil down instead of up.. I get the right action on the nut to end the buzzing.. Finish up the set up using the strobe tuner in Presonus StudioOne.. CHA CHING!!! I jam on it for almost an hour. Talk about some Blues Funk bite and grind.. and chime for weeks! It's like my old friend got a new voice! Plays the same as it has for 20 years.. but sings so much better!

And I have effectively eliminated probably all excuses for not having any tone I could dream I want for a project..

Sounds Great! Don't you agree..?

P-Rails Tele Testin' by TommyKib

If you are about to embark on a similar adventure.. I hop this blog post helps save you time and money.. but I could write 3 more blogs on what I learned through this project.. so hit me up if you want to chat about it.

Happy pickin' and God Bless!

TK

Amplitube Fender vs 64Bit DAW

I was hooked on the Amplitube Fender sound the night the iPad app came out. This thing does sound like some killer Fender amps for a mere $15! Provided you already have the $39.99 iRig. I knew right then that these guys know what Fender is supposed to sound like, and Fender didn't just license anyone. It was a bit of a no brainer for me when I got emailed a coupon code for Amplitube Fender for less than Half Price

Now I'm not hesitant at all to say I REALLY LOVE Presonus Studio One Pro DAW after spending more $$ than I care to admit, on Cubase, Sonar, Ableton, Roland, various I/O Devices.. etc.. The one window idea and straight upload to SoundCloud were pretty much a dream come true for my efficiency wishes.

So I buy the Amplitube Fender, install it.. open up StudioOne Pro 64 Bit.. and Nothing! NADA, ZILCH.. not a single hint of the Amplitube Fender VST, despite pointing at the folders more than once. HMM...? I open up Sonar 8.5 for the 1st time in several months, and shabang.. it's right there and sounds GREAT.. DARNIT! I think.. I really want to use it in StudioOne... HMM.. Standalone..? Do I want to be bouncing around to get this PERFECT SWEET TONE!?!?!

So I read up on the forums and sure enough. I have to used StudioOne in the 32 Bit variety if I want to have Amplitube as a plug in.

A quick install and one activation code less.. Voila! Works great.. and WHOAH.. now all these Sonar Producer edition plugins will work as well..? Really...? COOL!

So Here's the difference... with a pretty boring Chord variation I just pulled out of a song I'm working on.

Guitar Rig LE's Clean Twang

and here's the Amplitube Fender Clean Twin version

Those are both presets I just picked.. so I'm feeling pretty excited about having all the Fender Amp and Effects Pedals and Cabinets in my arsenal now.

Happy picking, or strummin' or pluckin...

Tommy