YTSEJAM digest 2099

From: ytsejam@ax.com
Date: Wed Dec 11 1996 - 21:44:46 EST

  • Next message: ytsejam@ax.com: "YTSEJAM digest 2097"

                                YTSEJAM Digest 2099

    Today's Topics:

      1) A lot of stuff
     by Marcel Coenen <mcoenen@cobweb.nl>
      2) The X-Mas Surprise
     by "Bruce D. Duesterhoeft" <bduesterhoeft@enter.net>
      3) Re: trent reznor
     by matt rosin <msr7146@unix.tamu.edu>
      4) A FAQ question
     by The Digital Man <cmerlo@cs.uvm.edu>
      5) Megadeth, Heavy stuff, DT-shirts
     by "Vincent G. LuPone" <vgl@u.arizona.edu>
      6) Birch.
     by Syrinx <syrinx@dreamt.org>
      7) Charlotte Rush show
     by Jeremy Lemmon <JRLEMMO@VM.SC.EDU>
      8) Keyboards in rock music (kinda long)
     by "NEVANS.US.ORACLE.COM" <NEVANS@us.oracle.com>
      9) more providence help
     by Anton Max <madmax@andrew.cmu.edu>
     10) Re: apology and key-boardists
     by Stephen Daedalus <Mathew.J.Birskovich@williams.edu>
     11) Re: keyboards, etc.
     by "Brian Hayden" <Brian.D.Hayden-1@tc.umn.edu>
     12) Truce?
     by "KorgX3" <ibanez@mailhost.cyberhighway.net>
     13) Re: keyboards, etc.
     by "Damon M. Fibraio" <s0067977@hawkmail.monmouth.edu>
     14) Cleaning CD's, skipping, etc...
     by "Matthew A. Schnoor" <schnoor@cs.pdx.edu>
     15) Cleaning CD players, etc.
     by zack@lsil.com (Zack Gemmill)

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 00:03:44 +0200
    From: Marcel Coenen <mcoenen@cobweb.nl>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: A lot of stuff
    Message-ID: <199612112203.AAA19681@spider01.cobweb.nl>

    Hi Jammerz,

    Here is Marcel from Lemur Voice.

    At first a few comments about powerchord guitarists, it is everyone's own
    choice to play what he wants to play, if you want to shred, you have to
    practise a lot for that, there are a lot of people who don't want to
    practise that much, so they become a good rhythm player, that also takes a
    lot of feel and a good right hand.
    About keyboardplayers, I morely like keyboardplayers who also play
    powerchords, it really sounds great when you play that with a fat sound,
    like a hammond with some distortion or whatever.
    The statement that a keyboardplayer is better than a guitarist sucks, it's
    just bullshit. It are two very different instruments, every instrument has
    it's own sound and style.

    This one is for Bernd from Superior, I hear a lot of your band, will you
    please E-mail me privately, maybe we can chat a little about music.

    About our Lemur Voice website: it has a few new features, there is a
    newspage now, and for all guitarists out there, it has Lemur Voice
    Tabulature !!!
    For now just one song is transcribed (including Guitarsolo), it is "Akasha
    Chronicles" so for all guitarists, it is quite a challenge to play that
    (also still for myself, haha). I transcribed it myself, so it has no
    mistakes and it are the good transcriptions.
    More songs will be added in the future, I am busy to transcribe all our songs.

    Please fill in our guestbook for more comments, it really helps me to get
    our page the most up to date, there will be pictures added in the future, as
    fast as I can get hold of a good scanner.

    Traders, watch this:

    I will put my up to date trading list as soon as possible on the Lemur Voice
    website when you click on my name.
    I have a lot of video's, tapes, demo's, CD-recordings and more to trade.
    I am searching for a lot of good sounding stuff, so If someone is
    interested, please E-mail me personally or watch our website in a few weeks.
    For Video's I use the european system PAL and VHS 240 minutes tapes.
    For cassettes I only trade on Maxell XLII tapes. They just sound the best.

    I am looking for guitarstuff, performances from all kind of guitarists,
    clinics on video, etc.
    I have a lot to trade.

    Okay, take care all of you and don't forget to visit our website.

    Marcel Coenen
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    | --- - - |
    | | | | * |
    | | ---- ----- - - /--- | ------- --- ---- ---- |
    | | |-- | | | | | |--| | | | | | | |-- |
    | ------- ---- - - - ---- | \ ----- ---- --- ---- ---- |
    | |
    | Marcel Coenen |
    | Guitarist LEMUR VOICE |
    | |
    | E-Mail: mcoenen@cobweb.nl |
    | |
    | Lemur Voice Homepage URL: http://www.cobweb.nl/mcoenen |
    | |
    | Check out our new album "INSIGHTS" available at |
    | Magna Carta (USA) and Roadrunner (Europe & Japan) |
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 18:07:37 -0500
    From: "Bruce D. Duesterhoeft" <bduesterhoeft@enter.net>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: The X-Mas Surprise
    Message-ID: <32AF3EB9.2C03@enter.net>

    I recieved my DT Christmas Present today in the mail. And what a
    wonderful present it is. It's a shame all the non-fan clubers can get
    it, although DT might do again next year so I'd be signing up!!!!

    BTW the time at Birch Hill is almost here. I ready, but all I can say
    is that it better not be raining Saturday night. They're calling for
    rain and I'll be more than a pissed camper, I'll be a wet one too.

    CYA'll Satuday!

    Bruce

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 17:07:51 -0600 (CST)
    From: matt rosin <msr7146@unix.tamu.edu>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Re: trent reznor
    Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19961211162102.22dfda8c@tam2000.tamu.edu>

    > While I am not a big fan, Trent Resner has done a lot for keyboardists,
    >although I wonder if the guy can play a keyboard solo besides creating weird
    >sounds.

    yes, he can. trent reznor is classically trained in piano. he is a very
    talented piano player. that is just not the style he wishes to pursue,
    which is fine with me, since i love his music.

    -matt.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    m a t t r o s i n / imagescape@tamu.edu
    S U R R E A L I T Y / http://http.tamu.edu:8000/~msr7146/imagescape/
    dark ethereal music / SURREALITY III COMING SOON.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 18:08:50 -0500 (EST)
    From: The Digital Man <cmerlo@cs.uvm.edu>
    To: Ytse Jam <ytsejam@ax.com>
    Subject: A FAQ question
    Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9612111818.G16211-0100000@griffin.emba.uvm.edu>

    Yes, a Frequently Asked Question question. :) Someone has told me that,
    contrary to answer 3.5, the symbol in LatM is *not* an alceringa. Is
    there anyone out there that can authoritatively say, one way or another?
    Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Mail me if you have any
    thoughts. Thanks.

      ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      The Digital Man \|/ ____ \|/ Secretary & Webmaster
      cmerlo@cs.uvm.edu "@'/ ,. \`@" UVM Comp Sci Student Assn
      d-man@dreamt.org /_| \__/ |_\ "He won't need a bed
      http://www.emba.uvm.edu/~cmerlo \__U_/ He's a digital man" - Peart
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Maintainer of the Official Dream Theater Frequently Asked Questions List
                     http://www.emba.uvm.edu/~cmerlo/dtfaq.html

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 16:14:02 -0700
    From: "Vincent G. LuPone" <vgl@u.arizona.edu>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Megadeth, Heavy stuff, DT-shirts
    Message-ID: <199612112314.QAA76100@kitts.u.arizona.edu>

    >Megadeth's guitarist
    >extraordinare is Marty Friedman.
    >
    >Dan
    >

    Let's not forget Mr. Mustaine, now! It's not like he's never done a lead
    break before. Some of my favorite MD stuff has that "dueling guitar" stuff
    in it (ala "Hangar 18", "Go to Hell", "Ashes in Your Mouth", etc.). He's
    pretty awesome too. Up until "Youthanasia" they never really defined guitar
    roles of "lead" and "rhythm".

    Oh yeah, I picked up a few new CDs today. If you don't like the heavy
    stuff, read no further.

            One is an Italian Pantera bootleg called "Walk on the Wild Side".
    It's really good quality. If you like the first two Pantera albums
    (non-glam, I mean the major ones) this is a great CD to have.
            The other CD is "Soul of a New Machine" by Fear Factory. All I can
    say is that this sucker is HEAVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVYYYYYYYYYYYY. I thought their
    "Demanufacture" CD was hard, the drummer must have a third leg or something.
    I can't believe how fast he is!!

            If you're into the heavy stuff I definitely recommend both these
    CDs. ...And to think I was out to buy some jazz and blues. :)

            Like I said yesterday, if you can pick up an extra DT shirt or two
    at one of these east coast gigs I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

            Peace be with you and God bless.

            ~Vince

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 18:21:57 -0500 (EST)
    From: Syrinx <syrinx@dreamt.org>
    To: Yitz-see-jam <ytsejam@ax.com>
    Subject: Birch.
    Message-ID: <Pine.BSD.3.91.961211182038.19280A-100000@astro.ocis.temple.edu>

    Hiya, gang. Quick question for you.

            Last year, we all know how the Birch Hill show went: doors open
    8:30. opening act: 10:30. dt = midnight. is this year gonna be the same
    thing? i HATED waiting in line like we did and i'm not particulary
    interested in doing it again.

            so, with that in mind, does anyone what time dt is playin'?

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    "..666 is no longer alone. he's getting out the marrow in your backbone,
     and the seven trumpets blowing sweet rock and roll
     gonna blow right down inside your soul.
     pythagoras with the looking-glass, reflect the full moon.
     in blood, he's writing the lyrics to a brand new tune.."
     * * * * * * * * * *
     mike ostrich email: syrinx@dreamt.org / syrinx@astro.ocis.temple.edu

     (c) 1996 happy fun ball, inc. all rights reserved.

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 96 18:35:27 EST
    From: Jeremy Lemmon <JRLEMMO@VM.SC.EDU>
    To: DT mailing list <ytsejam@ax.com>
    Subject: Charlotte Rush show
    Message-ID: <199612112339.PAA24164@pawn.ax.com>

    If anybody needs a ticket to the Charlotte Rush show tomorrow (Thurs)
    night show, I have an extra (it's a pretty good seat, too). Also, is
    anybody going from around Columbia, SC that maybe I could ride with or
    that could ride with me. Most of my friends have finals on Friday and
    can't go. E-mail me privately if anybody's interested.
    -Jeremy

    ********************************************* _________________________
    * FINALS WEEK = * | JEREMY R. LEMMON |
    * * | (JEREMY@SC.EDU) |
    * DAIN BRAMAGE * | USC BOX 80510 |
    * * | COLUMBIA SC 29225-0112|
    * * | (803)544-0409 |
    ********************************************* |_________________________|

    ------------------------------

    Date: 11 Dec 96 15:03:32 -0800
    From: "NEVANS.US.ORACLE.COM" <NEVANS@us.oracle.com>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Keyboards in rock music (kinda long)
    Message-ID: <199612120024.QAA26998@mailsun3-fddi.us.oracle.com>

    I've got to throw a few comments into the ring about this whole keyboard
    issue...
     
    First off, the essence of rock and roll music, especially hard rock/metal, is
    the sound of a distorted guitar. Sure, it wasn't always that way (rock began
    before distortion), but that's the way it is now. Does this mean that
    guitarists should always be featured and that keyboardists are of no import?
    Of course not.
     
    What it DOES mean is that there are a shitload more rock guitarists out there
    than rock keyboardists, and that there is a higher demand for rock guitarists.
     Well, those of you acquainted with the population outside the jam will
    realize that, for the most part, "the common man" is not the most impressive
    beast ever spewed forth by the machinations of evolution. There are more
    crappy, no-talent guitarists than keyboardists out there because there are
    more guitarists out there. Do the math. If the keyboard was the featured
    instrument in rock bands, then there would be more keyboard players out there,
    and hence more crappy ones. But, really, there are enough shitty musicians on
    every instrument already.. =)
     
    Also, on the stature of the keyboard as an instrument in rock music.. I
    believe that many people, myself included, prefer the sound of a distorted
    guitar banging out crunchy riffs to the sound of a keyboard, regardless of the
    settings used on the keyboard. There's something about the percussive sound
    of a heavy pick smacking into palm-muted strings with force and precision that
    you just can't mimic with a keyboard. Guitar is not the center of rock music
    because it's easy to fake your way with power chords. It goes far beyond
    that. Again, if the keyboard was the center of rock then there would be
    common chord/riff figures that would be used on it, which would be exactly
    analoguous to the power chords of the guitar, and which alterna-freaks
    everywhere would bang out repeatedly while shrieking their braindead lyrics
    out of key to the delight of hosts of mindless like-minded moronic
    pseudo-intellectual too-many-orifices-because-of-all-that-body-piercing human
    chaff.. phew! Sorry about that.
     
    So the point of all this is that the majority of "musicians" out there suck,
    and they would suck whether they were playing guitar OR keyboard. And just to
    be fair, I'll define "sucking" as not having much technical proficiency.
     
    Finally, I'll finish with a hugely biased guitarist's opinion which will
    surely enrage all the key-heads out there.. I believe that the guitar is a
    far more expressive instrument than the keyboard. There is much more direct
    contact between the actions of the fingers and the ultimate sound produced.
    Every slight nuance of pressure is channelled to the listener: string bends,
    vibrato styles, the many, many types of pick and finger attacks, slides,
    hammers, the whole legato technique, natural harmonics, artificial and tapped
    harmonics, using a slide, different string tensions - there are a billion
    variations that combine to give every guitarist a totally unique sound,
    whether he wants one or not. Even the damn wood that the neck and body are
    made of make a difference. I don't care how much you practice, you will never
    ever pick up a guitar, play through Erotomania (or any other song), and
    *really* sound like JP. It won't happen. But I wager there are talented
    keyboardists out there who could play Wait For Sleep or Surrounded or Eve and
    make it sound pretty much exactly the way KevMo sounds. To me, there are FAR
    fewer of these variations inherent in the keyboard as an instrument. Sure,
    keys can be sensitive to how hard you press them, and you've got a pitch
    bender to create bends, but there isn't a whole lot else, except the various
    tones that you can use.
     
    As something of a musical purist, the non-digital activity of causing strings
    to vibrate in certain ways brings me much closer to the music than pressing
    keys to produce digital impulses which can be shaped in many creative ways
    into keyboard sounds. And if you want to argue about acoustic pianos, think
    about something: the hammer striking the string is the only way to sound that
    instrument. With a guitar you have greater control over everything, including
    the process of setting the string in motion. Just my $0.69 or so..
     
    Neil Evans - guitarist, air drummer, music lover, and soon to be: kindling =).
     
    PS - I LIKE keyboards! Really! I even plan on teaching myself to play..
     
    PPS - Regarding Damon's comment about people respecting Clapton more than Vai:
     see tirade above about "the common man". People are followers. Most people
    who say Clapton rules know very little about the guitar, and are essentially
    repeating things which they have heard from others..

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 19:33:46 -0500 (EST)
    From: Anton Max <madmax@andrew.cmu.edu>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: more providence help
    Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.95L.961211192422.6281A-100000@unix21.andrew.cmu.edu>

    Okay, taken care of how to get there (bus)
    however I have an odd request...

    Is there anyone who's going to be at the show, lives
    nearby, and will have access to e-mail after the show?
    I have a final screenplay to write that I'll be composing
    on a laptop on the bus, and I need to get it to a friend
    of mine by friday morning (it's due friday at noon).

    so if anyone can help me, please write back soon.
    otherwise I'll try and find someone at the show...
    or maybe i can find one of those coffeeshops
    that lets you log in...

    thanks a bunch

    -max

    Anton Max
    MadMax+@cmu.edu
    http://thunderdome.pc.cs.cmu.edu/aepithex.html

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 19:40:18 -0500 (EST)
    From: Stephen Daedalus <Mathew.J.Birskovich@williams.edu>
    To: Multiple recipients of list <ytsejam@ax.com>
    Subject: Re: apology and key-boardists
    Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.95.961211193815.23100A-100000@colrain.williams.edu>

    I think Freddy Mercury, Jerry Lee Louis, Elton John, Billy Jole, Paige
    from Phish, etc. are just as revered as most guitarists out there.
    MacAlpine is just as renouned a keyboardist as an ax-player too. Sorry
    about the insult to Resner. I wish he did play using some of his skill.
    FINALS OVER!!!!!!! WOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!

    "Mary: Why is there evil in the world, Alexandra?
    Alexandra: To thicken the plot." (On the Verge, )

    "The dead are rarely violent." (Shawn Rosenheim, Asst. Prof. Williams College)

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 96 19:20:18 -0600
    From: "Brian Hayden" <Brian.D.Hayden-1@tc.umn.edu>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Re: keyboards, etc.
    Message-ID: <32af5dd04c13235@mhub1.tc.umn.edu>

    > But bass players always will have work because you need that bottom end.
    > Drummers will always have work to keep a beat. Vocalists will always have
    > work, and in that department, we have some real winners. But why do
    > keyboardists have to be expendable?

    Um, I can agree with a lot of what you're saying, but vocalists/bass
    players/guitarists definitely DON'T always have work. An exceptional vocalist or
    guitarist will usually have work, because they are in short supply, but if one
    is merely adequate, one will have problems, because there are eight million
    others who are just the same. Drum players, even the merely adequate ones (or
    even worse), will usually have work, just because there are so few drum players
    who don't suck. However, while they'll have work, they usually won't have
    stability.

    I do, however, agree with you on Clapton. ;-)

    -Brian

    http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/6521
    http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Alley/3771

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 18:31:33 +0000
    From: "KorgX3" <ibanez@mailhost.cyberhighway.net>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Truce?
    Message-ID: <199612120141.SAA29548@cyberhighway.net>

    > All I have to say is Trent Resner, WHO-da-fuck from Smashing Pumpkins,
    > Ambient music, Yani, Who-da-Fuck from Black Crows, Who-da-fuck from Sonic
    > Youth, etc. There are just as many shitty keyboardists who can only make
    > little sound-effects as shitty guitarists who can only play power chords.

    You don't seem to know what your talking about. Don't dis a
    keyboard player you've never listened to. It's spelled Yanni. Also
    you're being a dick. I know some people on this jam who happen to
    like this kind of stuff and if you want to make fun of it here , you
    will be severely throttle and castrated with plastic kitchenware.
    Also, (correct me if I'm wrong) Trent Reznor I has a (Master's,
    Bachelor's?) degree in music education and theory. I'm sure he knows
    how to play better stuff, but this is the best way for him to make
    money. I'm sure he enjoys doing it. I enjoy his music from time to
    time. Don't knock people's talent until you check your own.

    I hate to be so harsh but I play both guitar and keyboards so I'm
    sitting on the fence. Ripping from either side is truly rediculous.
    Damon was only asking that keyboard players get the respect they
    deserve. There are obviously some of you against this and I pity
    you. This is the closed-mindedness that allows more of the
    less-talented bands to acheive the popularity they get in the US.
    Just let me ask you to do this. Look through your CD collection and
    realize how many of the more talented bands use keyboards. Almost
    every progressive band uses them extensively and are/will be using
    them in the future if they haven't. Fates Warning is adopting them
    on their upcoming album (care of KevMo) and Queensryche has used them
    to a degree in the past and will hopefully be doing so in the future.
    I will also admit that these progressive bands have some of the most
    excellent guitar players that I have had the pleasure of listening
    to, but I believe they would all sound bland if the keyboards weren't
    there. Bands and musicians have to work as a team regardless of what
    instrument they play. This teamwork is what creates the beautiful
    strands of aural artwork we weave into wonderful tapestries for the
    listener to enjoy.

    Let's not let a foolish issue such as this divide us. We're all
    here to appreciate the band that encorporates all of these qualities.
    Let them be a guide for us to follow, not a wound that tears us
    apart.

    Peace!
    KorgX3 NOT The "Other" Ibanez (anymore)
          ibanez@cyberhighway.net
    "Well, I try to write music that Indiana Jones would listen to."
                                                  --David Arkenstone

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 96 20:54:12 EST
    From: "Damon M. Fibraio" <s0067977@hawkmail.monmouth.edu>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Re: keyboards, etc.
    Message-ID: <9612120154.AA15360@hawkmail.monmouth.edu>

    I don't know. I always see want ads for bass and drums, bass and drums,
    vocalist, vocalist, female vocalist, etc. and of course the page and a half
    of guitar ads. You know what i saw for work for keyboardists? Arranging
    children's songs. Come on, people, I am a musician too. Oh well, time to
    practice my useless instrument.

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 17:59:13 -0800 (PST)
    From: "Matthew A. Schnoor" <schnoor@cs.pdx.edu>
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Cleaning CD's, skipping, etc...
    Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.961211174742.11946A-100000@sarin.cs.pdx.edu>

    Addressed to Chris Merlo, but applicable to all:

    When your CD player starts doing that to otherwise perfect-looking CD's,
    I'd start wondering if the CD player isn't the source of the problem.
    You might want to look into getting a Laser Head cleaner (uh huh huh huh,
    I said "head") and run that a time or three.

    Those little Laser Cleaners come built onto a dummy CD, that you just
    stick into the drive and press PLAY. It should clean off the lens and
    give you better tracking. If that doesn't help, it's probably time for
    an adjustment or a replacement, if it's out of warranty or too expensive
    to repair.

    However, if your CD's are dirty/scratched/dusty and you want to clean
    them, i recommend you get a bottle of isopropyl alcohol, pour some into a
    clean spray bottle and water it down. Then, find a very soft terrycloth
    towel, free of dust or lint, and clean that CD. Spray a light coat of the
    mix, then use a flat portion of the towel and wipe from center to edge,
    slowly and lightly. Work your way around the CD until you wipe all the
    dirt off, and until there aren't any streak marks.

    Soft chamois pads will work better than a towel any day. However, stay
    away from corduroy, sponges, and steel wool (obviously :).

    If this still leaves scratches, I'd recommend a very light-duty wax, such
    as a very thin Turtle Wax or something. This, or other compounds
    designed to hide scratches, will effectively fill in the gaps caused by
    the scratches and give your CD player a better chance to read the CD
    accurately.

    If you've got a deep enough scratch, I recommend you find a very mild
    abrasive like, say, plain toothpaste, or a better polish like "Meguiar's
    Lacquer/Guitar Polish" (Available from Luthier shops, such as
    Stewart-Macdonald) and work that way. Be very careful with these
    abrasives, as they will replace one big scratch with thousands of tiny
    ones. Use a terrycloth towel or an old sock (not TOO dirty, eh Chris?)
    and gently rub the abrasive to and from the center of the CD.

    In all cases, avoid swirling an abrasive/cleaner or creating scratches
    parallel to the direction the laser reads the CD... this will only
    complicate problems further. CD player lasers generally deal better
    with scratches going to/from the center.

    Hope this helps. If worst comes to worst, replace the CD. :)

    My first post in months, and I've waited to post something useful! WOO!

    Apologies for lack of DTC... oh, and by the way, all you priviliged few
    who live on the East Coast, hours away from the shows... you all suck! ;)

    See ya,

    [ Matthew A. Schnoor ] [M-Bone@ytsejam@irc.dreamt.org:2112 ]
    [ schnoor@cs.pdx.edu ] [http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~schnoor/index.html ]
    [ schnoor@spiritone.com ] [Portland, OR - clean water and good beer! ]

    ------------------------------

    Date: Wed, 11 Dec 96 18:32:15 PST
    From: zack@lsil.com (Zack Gemmill)
    To: ytsejam@ax.com
    Subject: Cleaning CD players, etc.
    Message-ID: <9612120232.AA07393@tengs1>

    >Hey, gang. Dammit, where's Hairball when you need him?

    Yeah, I miss that guy *sniff*.

    >Anyway, my CD player has become very temperamental. CDs that have
    >no scratches, no lint, no nothin' have started to skip and even grind
    >to a halt, almost always on track 7 for some reason, though occasionally
    >6 or 9. What if 6... oh, never mind. These discs, incidentally, work
    >just fine in my other CD players. So, if I buy one of those expensice
    >CD-Player Cleaning Kits, will that help? Is there a cheaper solution,
    >like alcohol and Q-Tips for tape players?

    I kept getting error readouts on my car system (Pioneer Supertuner IV).
    CDs seemed to skip at the slightest jolt or turn. Some wouldn't
    even play. I did one thing where I pulled the body out of the CD chassis
    and turned it sideways---- sometimes this would allow certain CDs to
    track. Thus, I thought it was the anti-roll mechanism or something
    related, since I had cleaned the lens a month or so beforehand. Not
    wanting to take it back the the shop and be musicless for two weeks,
    I said 'what the hell' and pulled the damn thing out and cleaned *really*
    thoroughly this time. Yes, if you are careful, Q-tips and Isopropyl
    (I have access to industrial grade stuff here at work) are fine. I
    cleaned the dust from last summer from the plastic gears and everywhere
    else I could get at--- careful not to move anything manually too much.
    I was especially careful in cleaning the lens. such a small amount of
    solvent evaporates really fast, so I had a few dry q-tips I held in my
    mouth so I could wipe it quickly. Now the player works fine. I am going
    to take it in for "preventative maintenance" soon though (I'm sure they
    lubricate moving parts with graphite, as well), since some of the
    switches are getting worn, I'm sure they'll do a better job cleaning
    it than I did, but it works for now. I've done this twice in the past
    1.5 years.

    Now, if it's not a cleanliness problem, I had a problem similar to
    yours with my standalone unit five or six years ago. I took off the
    cover and worked the moving parts around a little and I've had no
    problems with it since! Good performance for a little $100 circa~ '91
    CD player. Note: you should be careful what you touch--- you might
    get zapped if you touch the output from a capacitor (not bad on
    something so small). *Or* you could fry an integrated circuit. If you
    have access to a grounding wriststrap (protects a device against ESD,
    or electrical stress damage) that you get when you buy a computer,
    then all the better.

    good luck,

    Zach

    (going to the mailbox to check for the fanclub package)

    ------------------------------

    End of YTSEJAM Digest 2099
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    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Apr 01 2004 - 17:59:01 EST