Tuesday's Jam Session

Our regularly-scheduled Tuesday night jam once again featured several new participants. We are very glad to have had newcomers Jim, Janice, Art, and Nancy! Janice and Nancy are fiddlers, and along with Chelsea and Wayne, we really had some good fiddling! Jim is just starting fiddle, but that didn't keep him from taking his turn and trying out his fiddle tunes with the group. We truly had "double" basses, as both Art and Denny were hitting the strings hard! I think one of the highlights of the evening was Orange Blossom Special, with all the remaining fiddle players taking the lead in turn. It was awesome! Janice sang a very touching song about learning the Bible while sitting on grandma's lap in the rocking chair. I had never heard this song before, but it was really great. Both John B. & John P. stayed for a while and did some singing and picking. Nancy played Dill Pickle Rag, which is a song I recently learned on fiddle. It was neat hearing someone else's take on this song. Mike sang my favorite song of his -- House of Gold -- and Janice and I sang harmony. Now that school has started again, our young players were not able to come. We sure missed them!

More Springfield Winner Pictures!

Just wanted to share pictures of Justin and Jenny Robbins playing at the Springfield Illinois State Fair this year. As I posted earlier, Justin won 1st place in Junior Banjo (3rd year in a row!). I did not know Jenny's placement at that time, but Jenny placed 2nd in the Junior Fiddle contest as well! Congratulations to both of you!

Estate Buyout of Violins & Bows

We had a very exciting day yesterday. Not only were we very busy in the store and shop, but we had the opportunity to purchase 48 violins and probably about that many bows as well. They were from the estate of a fiddle player who had passed away. Thanks to Smoky and Matt, we were able to purchase the entire lot. Some of the instruments are ready to go, some need a little repair and/or basic setup, and some need major work. As the next couple of months go by, we'll be getting them ready to play and sell, and we'll be posting them on The Bluegrass Shack website for sale. In case you want a peek, here goes!

Old Gibson Guitar Repair

I recently finished repairing an old Gibson guitar and thought I'd share a few pictures with you. This is a 1950's LG-1 model. It came to me in very poor condition. All of the top bracing had been removed and they weren't even with the guitar anymore. I don't know if they fell out and someone pitched them, or if they were purposely removed. The top, consequently, had caved in and was badly warped. There was also a small crack in the top next to the fingerboard. Most of the buttons were missing from tuning pegs, but the tuners were still very functional.

To make this instrument playable again, I first had to heat and straighten the top to remove the warping. Then I had to fit and glue in new bracing for the entire top of the guitar. I removed the one white tuning button, then replaced the remainder of the missing buttons with new ebony buttons. A good cleaning and some new strings took care of the rest of the work, and here is the final result:

Chris Talley Trio in Centralia Today!

The Chris Talley Trio will be playing at the Balloonfest in Centralia today. They will be playing from 4:30-7:30 p.m. under the tent, and then from 8:20-8:35 p.m. at the Main Stage. They are the opening act for Grand Ol' Opry performer Elizabeth Cook. If you're looking for some fun, come on out! There are lots of things to do in addition to listening to the music. You can get more information from their website: http://www.balloon-fest.com

Another Winner in Springfield!

I just found out that Colton, another Bluegrass Shack student, won 4th place in the Springfield Illinois State Fair fiddle contest. This is quite an accomplishment for an 8-year old, because he was competing against youth twice his age! Congratulations Colton!

Top Honors for Banjos at Springfield!

Bluegrass Shack student (and teacher) Justin Robbins has won his third consecutive First Place in the Annual Springfield, Illinois State Fair Junior Banjo contest. Second place also went to a Bluegrass Shack student -- 11 year old Austin Grote. Congratulations to Justin and Austin! I wish I could have been there! Here's a picture of Austin playing on stage in Springfield: