Days at the Dog

It's finished

2010-02-25T09:35:00.002-06:00

My kids took a vote and decided on blue, I like it. It will be hanging around the shop for awhile but won't be for sale until a few more are made. The guitar hangers we use in the shop will be available soon too.

John

I'm looking for a name

Stick Dulcimer (it needs a better name)

2010-02-17T10:38:00.003-06:00

We used to sell Stick Dulcimers a number of years ago but the guy who made them moved away. A week ago I thought I'd look into making them in house. After an evening of careful planning I came up with a design that could be made mostly from one piece of wood.

I used the wood from an old dresser that I had taken apart last summer. The drawer fronts were cut into 1 1/2" strips and glued up in twos. Then they were cut to make the neck and sides (all one piece) and fingerboard. I got an off cut piece of spruce for the top and utilized the dresser drawer bottoms as a back. The fingerboard is fretted like a dulcimer (diatonic scale) meaning you can't really play a wrong note on them. This makes them fun for the novice and an interesting challenge for a player.

I plan to make more of these and sell them in the store, it will 3 or 4 weeks before they are ready and I want to keep the price under $150.

John

I'm just sayin'

2010-01-29T10:45:00.003-06:00

Late at night when everyone is sleeping and there is $25 in your Paypal account, you to could end up with Gold Chicken Head knobs. I have black buffalo horn from a similar event.

Humidity

2010-01-18T11:57:00.002-06:00

Lack of humidity keeps me busy this time of year. Often older guitars seem to be more resilient in the dry cold winters, don't be fooled I get guitars in that are 30 and 40 years old showing thier first damage from dry winters. Humidify your instruments.

Old case humidifiers should be replaced by the latest great new humidifier, right now that would be the Oasis Plus not the regular blue one but the Plus model that is made for climates like ours. Years ago I liked the Dampit (green worm shaped thing) Two years ago we were pushing the Planet Waves humidifier and had great hopes for thier system that required no refilling.

The Oasis Plus wins the Sled Dog Music Award for best conceived and executed humidifier on the market today. It's a gortex tube with ¼ tsp of crystals in it, add distilled water and the water turns into a gel. You get a controlled evap rate in a sealed container. When the container is empty it shrivels, giving you a visual that it needs to be filled again.

I just placed an order for Oasis humidifiers, we've gone through several dozen this winter and we're low in stock I expect to see more in two weeks.

John

Soon to be expatriate

2010-01-12T08:10:00.003-06:00

Manitoba Hal is moving to Nova Scotia, so it's farewell to Manitoba for Hal. (there should be a song in that) I'd like to set the record straight, under the category of the-one-thing-everyone-knows-about... fill in the appropriate bit of common knowledge.

Hal is not changing his name, the marquees will not be sporting the name Nova Scotia Hal, Liverpool Louie, or the transvested Glace Bay Gladys. No he will be billed as (expatriate) Manitoba Hal. Ex Pat Pat is probably going to far but I thought I'd throw it out there. In 9 days Hal will be touring east through Canada on his way to NS, you can follow him on his website, Facebook, Twitter, My Space and podpigeon.

If you see Hal in the next nine days don't try to change his name, wish him well and say goodbye.

John

Guitar to tres conversion

2007-09-27T13:04:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, a month actually, I was asked to convert a 3/4 size guitar into a tres. ( Google Cuban tres guitar) I have worked on several of these instruments installing pickups and putting them back together. Many of them are modified guitars, converted with varying degrees of success. Some are made to be a tres, again with varying degrees of sucess.

The Ebase 3/4 size guitar which features a cutaway and pickup is a well-made $150 guitar, and as it turns out is an ideal candidate for the conversion to a Tres. I was able to fill 4 of the bridge pin holes (leaving the two outside holes intact) with ebony bridge pins cutting and trimming them flush after the glue dried. I then reconfigured the bridge pin holes, one forward and one back to accommodate the tight string spacing necessary for double courses ( like a 12 string guitar ) .

To layout the nut correctly I had to establish where the 2 outside nut slots would be. Measuring to the center of the nut positioned the middle course of strings. A new saddle was required, the original being compensated in a way that was no benefit to a tres. After this, clean up and stringing were all that was needed to be done to complete the conversion.

John

Pick up rewinding

2007-06-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

Broken pickups can be saved by rewinding, you get the benefit of the aged magnets and brand new wire the best of both worlds. We'll be getting parts in soon to make custom pickups.

John

We can fix anything!

2007-02-10T12:02:00.000-06:00

Well okay, maybe not anything but certainly most typical guitar repairs to acoustic and electric guitars. John has been repairing guitars professionally for over 25 years. If he doesn't know how to fix it, it can't be fixed! So bring by your favorite baby and get a complete makeover done. We can lower the action, fix the old cracks and make your guitar play the best it possibly can.

New Year - New Home

2006-12-28T11:59:00.000-06:00

Folks were getting ready to move the whole store to the store front just East of our present location. We'll open up Jan 2nd at our new home at 1326 Portage Avenue. We'll be busy all this week getting ready for the move so if you drop by we might be closed. Fear not! We're probably just next door moving something over or painting a wall. Regular hours apply all this week, however we'll be closed on New Years Day (won't everyone) and re-opening on Jan 2nd. See you in 2008 at the new Sled Dog Music!

Christmas Cheer

2006-12-19T14:06:00.000-06:00

Folks we're open all this week from 10am-6pm Monday to Thursday and 10am-5pm on Saturday. We're also open from 1pm to 5pm on Sunday Dec 24th. Drop on by for those last minute items or just to share in some Christmas cheer.

We have loads of great guitars, a wicked Violin package for under $200.00 and a special on gig bags! We're moving right next door early January and the less stuff we have to carry over the better. Get on in here and take it all home for the holidays.

We're moving again

2006-11-03T16:12:00.000-06:00

To anyone who has seen the "For Lease" sign in our window, don't worry, we won't need to borrow your truck. We'll be moving the store one unit to the east (or to the left in the picture) at the end of the year. It's a cost effective move that will give us a bit more room and a better space for the store not to mention a shorter commute time for me. We'll be opening Jan. 1st at our new location but come in and see us before then.

John

Should You Humidify Your Guitar?

2006-09-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

If you live in Manitoba you should. Our winters are known for being dry and cold and both these conditions are hard on acoustic instruments. At risk are all the braces that keep the instrument top from collapsing, the bridge, the fingerboard and the top itself. Lack of humidity is your guitars enemy #1. Wood shrinks when it drys out and that leads to cracks and warping. Glue fails when it is dried out and that can cause a whole host of troubles for any instrument.

What can you do to protect your favorite guitar? You can store it in a sealed climate controlled room or you can own a simply and inexpensive guitar humidifier. Planet Waves makes a guitar humidifier that is easy to use and works much better than older methods like the sponge in the plastic tub. Refilling the humidifier is easy with the supplied syringe and moisture is dispersed evenly from the suspended reservoir.

Before the cold weather settles in you should bring it in for us to check out and get yourself a humidifier to take care of it over the winter.

Labour Day Hours

2006-08-31T15:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Labour Day! On this festive and restful long weekend we will be open the following hours.

Saturday: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday: Closed
Monday: Closed in observance of Labour Day

And the following week our usual hours. Enjoy this last blast of summer with your families and friends.

The New Sign is Up!

2006-07-18T16:37:00.000-05:00

Six String Nation Guitar Set up at Sled Dog!

2006-07-10T12:43:00.000-05:00

Here it is folks. The Six String Nation Guitar. If you haven't heard about this yet this is the guitar that was made with various pieces of Canadian historical icons. The instrument was built by George Rizsanyi from a collection of Canuck artifacts Jowi Taylor painstakingly collected, such as Pierre Trudeau's canoe paddle, the ship deck of the Bluenose II, and Paul Henderson's hockey stick.
The guitar had it's debut July 1st on the steps of parliment in Ottawa played by Stephen Fearing. We had the honour of setting up the instrument before it was displayed at the Winnipeg Folk Festival this year.

Here is John holding the guitar after he finished the work on it. It is a national treasure and we are honoured to have worked on it. Thank you Jowi Taylor!

Summer Planning

2006-07-04T14:19:00.000-05:00

Camping season is here, are you prepared? Do you have enough guitar strings? What about a better case for that old mandolin? Do you know how to take care of your guitar while you're at the cottage, or folk festival? We do and we'd be happy to help you take care of your little baby. Bring your guitar (or mandolin, or ukulele) by for a summer checkup before you go away. Sled Dog Music - Home of acoustic instrument repairs and maintenance.

Happy Birthday Paul!

2006-06-17T12:23:00.000-05:00

Paul McCartney turns 64 on June 18th. Paul, the answer to your famous song "When I'm 64" is yes! We still need you and apparently we will still feed you (if your tour reciepts are anything to go by). So happy birthday, happy father's day and just generally thanks for making some of the best music of our lives.

Father's Day Sale

2006-06-14T11:31:00.000-05:00

In honour of our Dad's we're offering $5.00 off all Set Up gift certificates. That's right, until Saturday June 17th you can purchase a Set Up Gift Certificate for only $35.00 CAD. This is $5.00 off the regular price. Setting up an instrument is like tuning your car. There are a number of adjustments that once made will make your old favorite guitar play the best it possibly can. We adjust the height of the strings, the relief of the neck, tighten all screws, clean the whole instrument and lastly change the strings.

Doesn't your Dad deserve a guitar that plays well?

ARIA Parlour guitar really rocks

2006-05-27T19:33:00.000-05:00

Hey there Sled Dog fans. Here I am playing the ARIA AP-STD Parlour guitar. This baby has a solid mid range poke and really works well as a fingerstyle guitar. I'm playing blues on this guitar and it really likes slide guitar and strong bass thumb action. If you're looking for an affordable axe to really bring out your picking then you can't go wrong with this baby.

Local Hero - Will Johnston

2006-05-18T17:05:00.000-05:00

Here is Will Johnston. Will is the proud owner of the Larrivee Guitar you see him holding here. He is also the vocalist for a hip local band named Shakey Gunn. They are about to release a new CD. You can hear a preview track on MySpace. Will Johnston - one more reason why Sled Dog Music is here.

May Long Weekend Sale - May 19 & 20

2006-05-08T14:22:00.000-05:00

The boss is going away so we're gonna have a sale!

Come in May 19th and 20th for in store special pricing on guitar packages, tuners, strap and other accessories. This is an excellent time to get that guitar for the cottage, or that new tuner for your guitar case. Don't miss out!

Jacob Moon Guitar Workshop

2006-04-29T10:10:00.000-05:00

Acoustic Guitar Workshop withJacob Moon - $20.00 (www.jacobmoon.com)

Saturday May 6th @ 4pm

Signpost recording artist, Jacob Moon will focus on looping technology, songcraft and harmony. Moon is becoming known as a "must see" artist. His skill on the guitar is accented by his skillful use of looping technology which enables him to sound like a full band on his own. This will be a great workshop for singer/songwriters who are looking to broaden their performance skills. Pre-registration is required. Call 783-2542 to register or e-mail.

FREE CIRCUS TICKETS

2006-04-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

We have a bunch of free circus tickets to the Shrine Circus this coming May 4 & 5, 2006 to the MTS centre. I remember going to the Shrine Circus when I was young and watching the acrobats and the lions and the man getting shot out of a canon. Such fun.

The tickets are a Two-For-One Adult ticket and FREE kids tickets. We got lots of tickets so if you want to go and take your kids for FREE just get on down here and grab a bunch. Heck take all the kids from the neighborhood! I know I'll be there, scarfing down some popcorn and candy floss.

new Sign progress report

2006-04-05T14:53:00.000-05:00

Here it is! The new sign is almost together. This shot was taken about 1 hour ago as I was attaching the letters to the shape background. This only leaves hanging it and adding the 'Music' portion of the sign. I hope we'll have it all finished and hung before Easter. I've been taking pictures all along and some video and I'll upload it when its all done.

Jacob Moon Guitar Workshop

2006-03-29T10:26:00.000-06:00

Acoustic Guitar Workshop withJacob Moon - $20.00 (www.jacobmoon.com)

Saturday May 6th @ 4pm

Signpost recording artist, Jacob Moon will focus on looping technology, songcraft and harmony. Moon is becoming known in the folk circuit as a "must see" artist. His skill on the guitar is accented by his skillful use of looping technology which enables him to sound like a full band on his own. This will be a great workshop for singer/songwriters who are looking to broaden their performance skills. Pre-registration is required. Call 783-2542 to register or e-mail.