From the South Rim

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

After the second night at the Sweetwater I flew to Phoenix to meet Vanessa and Izze and we drove up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for a couple of days. I had been here in the Fall of 2003 with my pal Jerry on our still memorable Rt. 66 by motorcycle trip. The weather up in the Canyon had been iffy at best, but on this day… it was perfect.

The girls on the South Rim

Photo by Jorma Kaukonen

Ir’s hard not to take a great picture art the Grand Canyon on a day like this. I just picked a couple for the blog.

I get it... I'm not the only guy who's got one!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

We could only get so far on Bright Angel, but it was awesome!

At 8000 feet, you can't make this stuff up!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Spring Break with the kid

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

The ladies, on top of the world

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

The Old Man and the Mountain

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

It was a great way for me to finish up my road trip. To be with Family at the Grand Canyon… Priceless!

But who's counting?

Foto by Vanessa Kaukonen

This Beauty is now sold…

Thanks…

Jorma

I love this bike, but it's time to say goobye... a new one is coming.

Foto by Vanessa Lillian

For Sale
Harley Davidson
2012 FLHTCU
FLH Twin Cam Ultra Classic
$17,500

I bought this bike in new in 2012. The color is Tequila Sunrise… a color option Harley only offered for the first six months of 2012. This fine machine has been scrupulously maintained and has many added extras. I have never abused her.

I bought this touring model because my wife, Vanessa, wanted our daughter to be safely surrounded in the rolling easy chair that is the passenger seat. That was four years ago. Now she is old enough to ride pillion without arm rests and I want something lighter. That’s it.

Right now she has 11,063 miles on her.

She's a real beauty... in immaculate condition... low mileage

Stage One Screaming Eagle upgrade:
Power module, K&N air cleaner and tuned exhausts… not too loud, just right!

Daymaker Headlamps and Spotlights (very bright LED lights!)

Quick release mount for the Tour Pak

Garmin Zumo 660 GPS and mount that feeds directly into the sound system as well as a car adapter mount for the unit.

Heated Grips

Front and rear tires with less than 1500 miles on them

Matching grips, pegs and shifter pegs

Shorty antennas… you get the original ones too

Luggage rack on Tour Pak lid

1.5 inch Harley lowering kit… front and rear

Here she is on the Pomeroy Levee... Mason, West Virginia bridge in the background

Please… serious offers only. Harleys are expensive.

Bring it on!

SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD

OK folks… a quick commercial interlude here. Yes, I have an item for sale. The reason I’m including an eBay link here is that from a seller’s and a buyer’s point of view… it’s just easier to do business. Now, what I have here is a Carr Slant 6V amp with a custom Cabbage Road Case. This amp is one of the great ones. If this is so, you might ask yourself, ‘Why is Jorma selling it?’ Simple answer. I have two of them and I don’t need two expensive high end amps that are the same. It made sense at the time… but it’s time to move on.

This is one flexible... great sounding... bad ass amp!

This amp is rated at 40 watts… but suffice it to say it sounds great at lower volumes but when you crank it up and let it breathe… it’s, well… lethal!

These speakers are the cat's meow... the lead channel is creamy...

Here is our eBay link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321625178742

Now, I know I’m going to get questions about other vintage amps I might own and want to sell. For now, the answer is I don’t want to sell any of my vintage stuff. I own them… I love them and I’m not paying rent on them. I still use them for recording and guest performers at the Fur Peace Station can use them if they choose. Come to think of it, I’ve had the Carr Amps long enough… they’re almost vintage. (Well, not really) Anyway, a great amp for the working guitarist who needs top quality gear for recording or the road.

That’s about it for now… thanks for reading this and I hope I can find a nice home for this beautiful Slant 6V.

Onward!

We were thinking about posting this on Treats And Treasure, and I may still… but here it is. Indeed a broadblasting of great importance that will help benefit the well that helps to nurture the Psylodelic Gallery.

It concerns the jacket worn by me (Jorma Kaukonen) on the cover of the 1980 LP, Barbeque King. Here’s the blurb from the Fur Peace Ranch Site:

Ever wondered what this jacket would like on you or better yet, framed among your collectables? This iconic jacket (still in pristine condition) that Jorma wore on the cover of the BBQ King album (1980) can be yours. The jacket was a highschool graduation present to Jorma from his mother, Beatrice. Beatrice had this jacket and a white, shark skin suit (now lost in antiquity) handmade by a custom taylor in Hong Kong in 1959 while the Kaukonen’s were stationed in the Philippines. You will notice that the plaids not only line up from the pocket to the jacket, but when your arms are at your side, the plaids line up there too. When Jorma wrote the title song for the album, Barbeque King…it starts out with a description of eccentric, sartorial magnificence. When looking for clothes for a cover shot, Jorma rediscovered this jewel. Perfect……All proceeds will benefit special projects at the Psylodelic Gallery. The raffle will end on July 27th, 2014. Jorma will pick the winner on stage at The Fur Peace Ranch during the Arts & MInds Fest.

Yeah, I remember that summer of 1959 when I was back in the Philippine Islands (now the Republic Of The Philippines) before I headed out to Yellow Springs, Ohio for my first year at Antioch College.
This was before my finger picking odyssey began, mentored by the great Ian Buchanan In addition to my valuable trunk full of possessions, I had my Fender Musicmaster guitar and my Silvertone amp with the single fifteen inch speaker. I had my plaid coat too… which I would wear when I really felt like styling. Now, Antioch College was never a dress up sort of place, jeans and work shirts being sort of de rigeur, so when I would suit up for a little rock show…the coat would get the call.

The jacket is in mint… yes I said mint condition. It is just as sharp today as the day I got it in 1959… and it can be yours!

Here is the link which will show you what’s going on, what to do, where and how to do it and when to do it.

http://furpeaceranch.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=83&products_id=1202

Good luck…

Jorma

Myron catches 40 winks on the way to Tampere

Checked out of the hotel in Helsinki day before yesterday, drove up to Tampere and played another show with Canned Heat in one of the most beautiful concert venues I have ever seen or heard.

Check this hall out

Myron sets the stage

While Canned Heat dined, we hit the stage… and here is our set list:

Hot Tuna 43, 2013
The Acoustic Trio
Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady
And Barry Mitterhoff
Tampere Concert Hall
Tampere, Finland
Wednesday, October 30, 2013

1. True Religion
2. Hesitation Blues
3. Things That Might Have Been
4. Been So Long
5. Barbeque King
6. Children Of Zion
7. I See The Light
8. 99 year Blues
9. Uncle Sam Blues
10. Good Shepherd
11. Death Don’t Have No Mercy

Beautiful evening in Mid Finland. After our set, we drove to the airport outside of Helsinki and went to sleep for three hours then back to the airport and off to Heathrow.

Sunrise at Heathrow

The flight from Helsinki to Heathrow was uneventful… and Heathrow was, as always, very crowded. The flight was a non stop from London to an Francisco as an eleven hour non stop. Old airplane, crowded… seats big enough for an eight year old… good times. We made it though and so did all our luggage and guitars. Really good times.

My first stop after we checked into the hotel was the Mifune in Japan Town. Tanin Soba and pickled vegetables. Yummy…

The pagoda in the Peace Plaza... Japan Town, SF

A quick hello to the Pagoda after dinner and then to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

Morning in Japan Town

After a yummy breakfast in the hotel, Barry and I took a walk around.

Hello Kitty in the Kintetsu Center

Yeah Buddy

Walking around… enjoying being back home in the States and doing our darnedest to beat the jet lag.

Good times… Onward!

OK… now that I’m back I’ve been opening the doors to the vault where Second Chances lives… and what have I come up with? A very rare Oahu Tolana Doubleneck Steel Guitar with a working Stringtone lever on both necks. This beautiful instrument is in 99% condition and includes the original case and legs. This beauty is not cheap, but it is worth every penny. Treats And Treasure, here we come!

I've only seen two of these, and this one is in the best condition!

It really doesn't get much better than this, conditionwise

Look a the bridge covers and Slington details

Pickup switch and volume and tone controls

Peg head and mother of toilet seat detail

Even the bottom is in fabulous condition

This beauty has two six string necks… the original legs and case… it is not a lap steel… it’s a table steel. You’ll never see another one in this condition!

The price on this beautiful rarity is $1800 including tax and shipping.

I’m on the road up in Maine right now so I’m not in a position to put up new pieces right now. I’ll take care of that next week. The good news for me is that all of the following items are sold… yes I said, sold!

Beautiful Gretsch Broadcaster... mother of toilet seat fretboard

The Tenor banjo went to a very good home as did the following:

One of a kind J-190... nice back

J-190 one of a kind front... nice.... very nice

The black J-190 went to a new home as well!

Yep, we’re moving product here…

Beautiful... with legs and wrap around pickup... good stuff!

This was with Jack and me for some time in the 90's

Well, I’ll be putting up some more stuff in a day or so.

Howdy Folks:

Second Chances rears it’s head again… This time with a fine Rickenbacker Three Legged Steel guitar. What a beauty this instrument is… and here’s the good news for me… I just sold it today before I got a chance to put it up. I thought I’d post a picture anyway:

Sold kids… sold!

Well… tomorrow is our Annual Pick ‘n’ Putt and of course we’re very excited about that. Yesterday me and the gang led by my pal, Jerry Bayha, put in a 200 mile ride. Tomorrow will not be as long… but it will be just as good. A little rainy at the Fur Peace Ranch today, but not bad. Tomorrow promises to be a little clearer… no matter, we’re riding anyway!

Shiny side up!

PS Don’t forget our Good Works raffle!

OK folks, here’s something old that’s new for the Second Chances site.

I remember when my bud Jack Casady asked me, ‘Is there really such a thing as ‘mother of toilet seat’ or did you make that up?’ I did not make it up. Toilet seats mostly don’t look like that any more, but they did once. Anyway, this Magnatone is from the early to mid 50’s I do believe. The tone is funky and fat.

Mother of toilet seat, AND chrome. Ah… 50’s aesthetics…

You can see where one of the knobs on the tuning pegs have turned to dust. I know some folks who are so anal, they would save the dust in a plastic bag. I am not one of these, I will, however, include the replacement knobs I got from Stewart-MacDonald’s in Athens, Ohio. They’ve got more gadgets there than Carter has little liver pills.

Here’s the matching Amp. Yeah, I know, it needs to be cleaned… That’s why it’s affordable. It needs love… you can supply that.

Here’s the nomenclature:

Magnatone #9067 Steel Guitar & Matching Amp in Green Mother Of Toilet Seat

This is is a fixer-upper… it’s going to need a little work. It was going to be a project for me twenty years ago when I got it and then life got in the way and it just sat there. I will include a set of replacement buttons for the tuners. That way, the original gears will remain intact. One of you guitar and amp lovers out there will have some big fun restoring this matched Steel and Amp. Considering that I’m paying for shipping and insurance, this is still a nice deal for this 50’s something vintage pair. Price: $495.00

Remember, proper provenance will be provided with every piece.

I think I’ll go out to the shop and browse through the stacks to see else I can come up with.

This Item has now been sold 9/12/11.

OK, even I’m excited about this. This will be my first Second Chances offering. It is one of my Gibson J-190 Super Fusion guitars.

When the good folks at the Acoustic Gibson Montana plant turned me on to this fine instrument in 2003, I thought then as I do now, ‘What a great idea!’ It served me well for a number of years giving a beautiful tone as well as the controllable volume needed for many of the gigs that I work. It is a truly beautiful, large body acoustic/electric guitar. You may wonder why I moved from the J-190’s to my J-35 and then to my Martin M-30 and the answer is the Fishman Aura, which is a discussion for another time. The Aura quite simply allowed me to ‘amplify’ an acoustic guitar without a magnetic pickup without losing it’s so called acoustic qualities. As noted, the Fusion has more of an electric sound… I could easily see it living forever in a jazz setting. I used it exclusively on the lengthy tours supporting my Blue Country Heart project. That was when I first started touring with Barry Mitterhoff, Sally Van Meter and Cindy Cashdollar. Heady times…

Let’s talk about the guitar more…

It’s aesthetics and appointments are truly outstanding.

Look at that fingerboard… look at the peg head… This truly harkens back to Gibson’s great big body guitars from the late 30’s through the 50’s.

Included in this offering is the Pegasus Airline Case seen here as well as the original hard shell case the guitar lived in when I got it from Gibson. If you need to fly with this beauty… it’s ready to travel safely.

Look at that back… look at that pink plush lining in the case. Yeah, I know… this is really geeky guitar stuff but it all tweaks me in a good way.

This is my first Treat posting and over time, I’m sure I’ll be refining the look and efficiency of the site. As I get into this more there will be offerings of all sort of stuff, not just instruments and gear. More will indeed, bed revealed! In the meantime, today’s offering is:

Gibson Super Fusion J-190 EC black Serial # 01231027 with original Gibson case from Bozeman. also included is a Pegasus Road Case. This guitar was on the road from 2002 to late 2004

$4775.00
Includes original Gibson hard shell case, a fiberglass Pegasus airline case as well as shipping and insurance.

If this is of interest to you, clicking the above link will take you directly to the Fur Peace Ranch Company Store. Oh yeah… not only would I be willing to autograph anythings that we offer here… there will be appropriate provenance provided!

Here’s me at the Sausalito Art Fair back around 2003 or four… thanks to Angela for this picture.

More will definitely be on the way as the river of time heads towards home.