IT LIVES!!!!

Yesterday morning Roger said, "I have to show you something," and handed me his phone displaying a photo of a Les Paul. I was confused. Why was he showing me a photo of a guitar that looked like the one that was destroyed 5 years ago?

Wait.

I zoomed in.

I zoomed in more.

Oh. My. Goodness.

The text that accompanied the photo said, "IT LIVES!!!!"

Flashback to August 1, 2008

The long story: Nothing short of a plane crash or getting run over by a truck...

The short story: While changing planes in Las Vegas, Roger's Les Paul guitar fell off a Southwest baggage vehicle and was promptly run over by a truck. A big truck. Here's what it looked like when it arrived at the final destination:









Roger ended up taking the remains to Rex at Rex Guitarworks in San Jose. Rex wanted to take on the challenge, but neither knew what could be done or what the end result would be.

How to begin the restoration was a conundrum. The wood was so splintered where the mahogany was cracked, the bits had to be cleaned out in order for the body to be put back together. But did that mean breaking the body in two or could it be cleaned out as-is? Rex considered it for a long time and in the end he separated the pieces and meticulously cleaned out the splinters in order to rejoin the body. He removed only what needed to be removed, leaving as much of the original wood as possible.

I can't go into the details of the restoration, but there were many challenges along the way. I'll let Rex tell the story. Here's one photo of the work in progress.



Present day

Here is the photo that Rex sent to Roger yesterday.



I'm telling you, I couldn't believe that was the same Les Paul, resurrected. We went to Rex's place to pick it up and I snapped a few photos of the reunion. Look at that grin.









Here are Rex & Roger, as happy as clams.



How's it sound? Roger's still checking it out, but last night I heard him power down his amp and exclaim, "WOW!!" I think that's a good sign.

Rex's comment on my Facebook page says it all.

"Yes, five years. It shouldn't have taken that long. This was by far the most challenging restoration I have ever undertaken. Today is truly one of the most gratifying days of my life. This guitar was torn apart, stretched and distorted. Putting it back together with all its parts lined up just so taught me new things about guitar repair. While it will always carry cosmetic evidence of its tribulation, it sings once again in the hands of an old friend."

Many thanks Rex. Yes, it lives.

One more day

I wish I had one more day.

We had a fun-filled Labor Day weekend and I hope you did as well.

Friday was the last night of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Summer Concert series and The Tubes closed out the season. They had a big crowd estimated around 7,000 and the weather was beautiful. The fog never really rolled in--in fact the production crew had to fire up the fog machines at the end of the show. Compare that to the last two years when Mother Nature supplied the fog and we were all numb at the end of the evening. This year I was prepared with arctic fleece and hand knits.

Everyone had a great time--this is one of the band's favorite gigs. I took a couple photos during soundcheck.


Fee & Roger


Dave, Trey, and Rick

After the first show the guys did a meet and greet and one fan handed Fee a big Q-guitar for the show. He did a good job making it and it looks great on stage, but it'll be a challenge to travel with it. Local fans may see it (if it fits in the ground transport).


Quay with his new Q-axe

Saturday was a day of rest so we watched the US Open and did a few things around the house. Later in the day Spinnity & Bill came over and Roger and Bill ran through a few tunes in preparation for Monday at the Picchetti Winery. It was nice to visit with them and catch up on what's been going on--we've all been so busy lately.

Sunday was a big day at the Sausalito Art Festival. We left plenty early, but the beautiful weather brought everyone out so it took a good 2 hours to get there. Thankfully we weren't late. Speaking of weather, we heard that the fog never burned off the day before so it was quite chilly for The Bangles and The Fixx. We lucked out with a fantastic sunny day. I don't think I've ever seen so many people walking/riding across the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Sausalito Art Festival is a juried event that showcases a world-class collection created by 275 artists from the United States and Canada. Every booth had beautiful pieces and it was really interesting to see what everyone brought. I saw booths with wonderful glasswork, woodwork, bronze sculptures, photographs, and jewelery, but wouldn't you know that the booth that really caught my attention was full of fiber.

Jeung-Hwa Park is a fiber artist who expresses herself through a combination of dyeing and shibori/felting techniques. I talked to her for a little while about how she created her works of art, then she graciously let me take a photo. I hesitate to call these scarves... maybe sculptures is a better word. Fiberarts Magazine profiled her in 2002.


Fiber Art by Jeung-Hwa Park

The band played to a record crowd and we all had a great time. On with the show:


Fee Waybill


TV is King


Dave Medd


Trey Sabatelli


Arigato gozaimashita

Last but not least a pho'o Quay in full regalia. Oh my, what big shoes you have. The crowd went wild!


Quay

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing cotton blend socks during the day and will wear a cowl for the free Tubes shows on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk tonight.


Primavera socks
Project details on Ravelry

The Love Ride

We took a quick trip to Pomona last weekend to take part in the Love Ride, an annual charity event for MS. We didn't ride, Roger and the band opened for the Foo Fighters and ZZ Top.

We flew to Ontario Saturday evening and settled into the hotel right next to the Fairplex. The van was going to leave for the gig the next morning at 9:00 because the band was scheduled to perform at 11:15AM. Man, that's waaaay too early for rock and roll.

But as usual the guys stepped up and performed a non-stop raucous set for the audience which included troops in Iraq via a live feed.


The Tubes at the 25th Annual Love Ride

Of course Don't Touch Me There with the Lovely Kate was a hit with the crowd.


The Tubes - Don't Touch Me There

You should have seen the contraption they used to get the Harley onto the stage--it involved a forklift and some fancy platform, and for sure a licensed operator. Alas, no photo of that.


The Tubes - She's a Beauty

As the set rocketed forward, the number of people watching on the stage grew as well--in anticipation of seeing Quay Lewd and Nancy Nurse no doubt.


The Tubes - WPOD

I was able to Kinnear a few of the onstage onlookers--


Dave Grohl


Gene Simmons


Jay Leno

Peter Fonda and Robert Patrick were also there, but I couldn't get a clear shot of either. It was rumored that William Shatner was going to be at the event but none of us saw him. Drat!

The Foo Fighters were up next and they had a killer set. They gave props to The Tubes a couple of times - said they were big fans and referred the guys as "bad-ass". Very cool.


Dave Grohl

The FF's are from SoCal, so they had plenty of friends and family there. Taylor Hawkins' son looks like he's going to follow in his dad's footsteps, what do you think?


Taylor Hawkins


Wee drummer

After their set I did the groupie thing and grabbed Taylor's setlist off the stage and had the FF's sign it. I felt kind of stupid doing it, but hey, when am I going to have an opportunity like this again?

Roger was ready with the cam and snapped a quick one for me.


Dave Grohl humors a fan

ZZ Top were hunkered down in their air conditioned coaches and we left for the airport during their set. No photos of the bearded ones.

What a day!

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing my "mmmmm, smells like a concert" hemp sweater to see the guys tonight in Santa Rosa.


Basket Stitch Cardigan
Project details on Ravelry




The Tubes
Last Day Saloon
120 Fifth St
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
8:00 PM door • 8:30 PM show
cost is $25 • 21+

Nothing short of a plane crash or getting run over by a truck...

UPDATE:
Read about the Resurrection of the Les Paul. IT LIVES!!!!

August 1st. A fateful day. That was the last time we saw our friend and co-worker safe, sound and intact.


Les Paul - before

9:00AM: The guitar, band, and baggage left for the Orlando airport and checked in on Southwest Airlines flight 1752 to Las Vegas.

1:00-1:30PM: Everyone and everything transferred from flight 1752 to flight 3927.

After 4:00PM: The flight arrived at its destination and the guitar did not appear on the baggage carousel. After a long wait, the oversized baggage door rolled up and this was pushed out:


Les Paul - after

Yup. That's exactly what it looked like. Nice, huh?

What you're looking at is a mangled Anvil Case--a case specifically made for travel and the gorillas that handle bags. The foam inside is custom cut for the guitar and covered with a plush lining. In my opinion, nothing short of a plane crash or getting run over by a truck would damage the contents.

Let's look inside, shall we?


Les Paul - after

The TSA Notice of Inspection is a nice touch. Excuse us Mr. Passenger, we had to inspect your checked item.

And the guitar?


Les Paul - after

Oh. No. Ohhhhhh nooooooooo!

Okay, bring out Ashton Kutcher along with the real guitar. This is not funny!

Unfortunately it wasn't an elaborately staged episode of Punk'd, but the real thing. A 1959 reissue Les Paul hopelessly crushed.

This is/was his number one guitar, his sound. When he didn't take this guitar to a show, people wrote in and asked why he wasn't playing it. The wood, the tone, the instrument had reached its peak and now it was destroyed.

Take a look at the knobs. This is a solid body guitar and the knobs are pushed into the body.


Les Paul - after

The new bridge is broken.

The body is severely cracked.


Les Paul - after

(Thanks to G for the photos from the airport.)

As you can imagine, R was in a state of shock. The Southwest baggage staff checked the computer database--a problem report was filed in Las Vegas. Apparently as the case was transferred from one plane to another, it fell off the baggage cart and [you guessed it] was summarily run over by a truck. A rather big truck from the looks of it.

Now I ask you, how does this happen? This is a large case. It is easy to see if it is lying on the ground. How does it get run over by a truck unless 1) the truck is moving too fast, 2) the driver is not paying attention, or 3) the driver runs over the case intentionally?

The Southwest employees said they were not equipped or qualified to resolve the issue and the property would need to be sent to Dallas. R took what he needed from the case and requested that they pack it carefully so as not to lose any of the pieces. The guitar was then out of his possession and solely in the hands of Southwest Airlines.

Oh, but they did give him a credit for the price of the flight from Vegas--so, as R commented, he could "look forward to doing it all over again."

Let's look at the Southwest Airlines web site and what they say about Liability and musical instruments:

Liability: Unless excess value is declared and charges paid at the time of checkin, Southwest Airlines' liability for lost, damaged or delayed baggage is limited to $3,000.00 per fare-paying Customer.

The Anvil Case alone cost $500 so you can imagine how much he valued the contents. Regardless of what R paid for the guitar ~10 years ago, to find an exact replacement would be near impossible. How do you put a value on that? Granted, this is their policy and according to a Southwest agent, they are limited to a $3,000.00 maximum by Federal law. Lesson learned, do not check anything that may exceed the maximum liability.

Musical Instruments

• If your musical instrument does not meet the sizing requirements for carryon items (10”x16”x24”), it will be handled as checked baggage provided you do not wish to purchase a seat for the instrument.
• In the event you are traveling with a musical instrument that is larger than our sizing requirements for carryon luggage and is fragile in nature, you may purchase a seat for the instrument and carry it in the cabin under the following conditions:
• The instrument must fit in the seat without blocking aircraft signage and be secured with a seatbelt.
• The instrument must be placed in the first row and in a seat closer to the window than any other Customer in that row.
• Reservations must be made and a ticket must be purchased at a charge no greater than the Child’s Fare. Musical instruments cannot be transported in place of a free companion under any fare promotion.
• Instruments that are transported in a soft-sided case or other packaging that is not strong enough to protect the instrument under normal baggage handling conditions will be conditionally accepted, which means that Southwest assumes no liability for any damage sustained to the item during transport.

Unlike Yo-Yo Ma, R isn't able to buy a seat for his musical instrument. He carries a second guitar on the plane and puts it in the overhead compartment. He must travel for work and took reasonable precautions. Unfortunately that was not enough.

It took 3 days of calling and leaving messages before R could talk with a human being at Southwest. That person did not know if the guitar had arrived in Dallas, but even more disturbing was this tidbit of information: Southwest's policy is that if they pay out the maximum, they consider it to be payment in full for the property--meaning the property is not returned to the traveler.

OMG. Are you kidding me? I was sick when I heard this. What do they want with it? As if it means anything to them. Possession. They had the upper hand. Once the guitar was out of his, its fate was uncertain. All I could think of was they didn't want to return it because he'd buy a new guitar with the settlement, apply a little Elmer's glue to the broken body, and then he'd win! 2 guitars! Yeah. Right.

R sent them a FAX providing 2 references for experts in the field who could assist in appraising value and appealed for its return:

... Your mission statement says that you "always try to do the right thing". Well, apparently that might not be possible due to federal law. I would however like to appeal to your corporate values and ask that you return the remains back to me after we agree to whatever it is we can agree to. Hopefully you can allow me this simple request due to the extreme nature of the event.

They acknowledged receipt of the FAX and said that it would take up to 30 days to make a decision. Apparently they had many other claims to process and "it wouldn't be fair" to put him ahead of anyone else. Fair? Fair?! Maybe if they didn't damage, lose, and otherwise destroy so many bags their queue wouldn't take up to 30 days to process. grrrrrrrr

Long story short, they paid the maximum and agreed to return the remains. It's funny, the message that the woman left on our phone made it sound like we were supposed to call her back and thank her. Not a chance.

The guitar pieces arrived in a box--the neck with its new fret job was completely separated from the body.


Les Paul - after


Les Paul - after


Les Paul - after


Les Paul - after

Here's another item of note--the last bullet in the musical instruments blurb above and this paragraph make one thing very clear.

Conditional Acceptance: Improperly packed and/or fragile items will be conditionally accepted and Southwest will not be responsible for any damage to items that are tagged with Conditional Acceptance.

If he didn't have the guitar in the Anvil case, they might not have paid anything at all. Another lesson learned. Use flight approved cases and if asked, do not sign a waiver. In this case they didn't present a waiver when piece was checked in, but they have in the past.

Now that the check has cleared and the guitar is home, I am able to go public with the story.


Release of all claims

I am happy to report that R has a new friend.


A new friend

They have 2 gigs under their belt and are still getting acquainted.

UPDATE:
Read about the Resurrection of the Les Paul. IT LIVES!!!!

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

R has a big end of summer gig tonight at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk--2 FREE shows, 6:30PM & 8:30PM.



It's going to be blazing hot for the first set so I'm opting for this recently-off-the-needles FO for today's HKF item. (Thanks for the idea Emy.)


1Bag
Project details on Ravelry

If you're coming to the show, look for me near the soundboard on the boardwalk. Have a great weekend!