Pelikan Grand Prix (Orange!!)

The Pelikan Grand Prix, currently available in the US by parallel import (gray market) only in orange, is an entry-level fountain pen, aimed at the youth market. That would explain its "in your face" image in bright orange. I am no spring chicken, so I am not even close to the target demographic. My youngest son, age 16, is barely still in the target demographic. However, I wanted an introduction to Pelikan pens at a minimum cost, and this seemed to fit the bill, at $8.99 plus $5.00 shipping on eBay from ebay seller zerocoo01 pens.

The Grand Prix is a cartridge filler, unlike most Pelikans. It came with a Medium nib, and blue ink. The pen is rather large diameter for its length, made of plastic, with a rubber cover over the body of the pen. Grand Prix is inscribed in white on the plastic cap, which, like the section is gray, with no rubber cover. The pen body has "racing stripes" running most of the length
of the pen, with a white plastic raised oval with the raised capital letters GP in the center. Photo is stock photo from eBay site mentioned previously.

The nib is steel, and broader than the medium on a Waterman Phileas. I understand that most Pelikan nibs run broader than other brands. The nib is a nicely wet writer, and the overused cliche "writes like butter" is more than applicable to it. Zero pressure is required to get the pen to start, even after it has been sitting for over a month, as mine has. It is so smooth, in fact, that unless you either exert downward pressure, or watch the pen in progress, you have no tactile clues as to whether the pen is actually writing and putting ink on the paper.

A coworker of mine, who shares my penchant for pens, liked mine so much she got one of her own. When she figured out she really was not going to talk me into selling her mine, she got one on eBay, with a roller ball, and an orange knit vinyl case. If you are looking for a relatively low cost knockaround pen, which coworkers are unlikely to try to snatch (the orange puts many people off big time), this could be a winner for you. It certainly is for me. I use it only occasionally, for signatures, as the line is too broad for my tastes for any other use.

Johnson Herringbone 000 JG-030EN

I bought a Johnson JG-030EN a couple of years ago. I ordered it through a local shop in San Diego, and paid a little more than I could have bought it for online, because I like to support local business, especially that which is not owned by a mega corporation. I have nothing against mega corporations, but they tend not to truly tend to the needs and wants of musicians.

Enough of a rant; on to the review. The reason I ordered this guitar, a 000 size, is that I like the sound of a smaller bodied guitar, for its bass and treble balance with the midrange. Not too boomy like a dreadnaught, and not too trebly like a Grand Auditorium. I believe it is no accident that Eric Clapton selected a 000 size (Martin 000-28) for his unplugged concert. When I picked up the guitar and played it for the first time, I knew it was a winner. The solid spruce top has that wonderful snap that a laminate top cannot give, as well as the octave to octave balance typical of the 000 size. I also own a JG-420, which is a laminate top Johnson, without the pickup, but the same body style. My youngest son, 16, now plays that one, and was shocked when he picked up and played a Jasmine dreadnought, at how large is is. He had become used to the smaller, more easily handled 000 size.


Add the nicely wide string spacing and wide fingerboard, which makes it ideal for fingerstyle guitar, and you get a guitar with something for everyone. Smaller body for smaller people, male or female, low action with no buzz for ease of play, wide fingerboard to make fingerpicking a joy, and, almost as an afterthought a pickup for reinforced volume.

And not just any pickup; it's a b-Band pickup. The b-Band is not a piezoelectric pickup, so it does not have that piezo quack so common in acoustic-electrics. It is in fact an electret pickup, sort of a contact condenser microphone. It gives that pure tone which only a condenser mike can. It solves the problem most acoustic electrics have in that with a piezoelectric, what makes a guitar sound good acoustically makes it sound bad amplified, and vice versa. This one sounds great acoustically, and the same, only louder, amplified.

I usually play the guitar acoustically only, because I am not a perfomer; however, I did test it with my Epiphone Galaxie 10 and my Carvin MTS 3200 2 X 12. The Galaxie 10 is a 10 watt, 12AX7 and 6L6 fueled tube amp with a 10 inch speaker, and the Carvin is a 12AX7 and 5881 fueled switchable 100/50 watt 2 X 12 powerhouse. The Galaxie 10 sounds a lot like a tweed deluxe, and doesn't get very loud while staying clean, but the Carvin's clean channel goes on not just for miles, but for light years. I had to keep the volume below 2 on the 50W setting at my home in San Diego to prevent it from causing structural damage. But that headroom is really perfect for an acoustic. It just sings.

I use D'Addario EXP coated extra light strings on the guitar, .010 .014 .023 .030 .039 .047 high to low, and it really rings nicely, and provides good volume. It came with Martin Marquis light strings, which are nice, but I got a good price on the EXPs, and they actually sound a little better, and last a lot longer.

If you are interested in a smaller bodied guitar, with or without pickup, which will not require a second mortage, you could not go wrong with the Johnson JG-30 or JG-030EN.

Until later. . .

Sick Today, hopefully back tomorrow with a guitar

Sorry, fighting a really bad cold.

Cross Solo Fine Point in Green

The Cross Solo has unfortunately been discontinued; however, it is widely available on eBay, and through various online retailers. I find the pen quite attractive, in a subdued green plastic. 

Fit and Finish: The pen appears sturdy, and well put together. I am careful with my pens, and it is unlikely I will drop one from any height; however, this pen gives the impression it would survive a fall, if it did not land nib-first. I give F/F a 4.5/5 I am providing a stock photo. My digital camera does not do justice to the pen.



The nib is reported to be outsourced to Namiki/Pilot, and possibly the same nib as the Pilot 78G previously reviewed. As I own both types, I believe it is possible. The smoothness of the surface of the nib, and the measured flow (not too wet, nor too dry) are very similar, enough that, if no sisters (or brothers) they are at least first cousins. I give the nib a 5/5.

The filling system is somewhat problematic. It is a cartridge/converter (converter at additional cost), which gives you options; however, both the cartridges and the converter are proprietary. The variety of ink available in cartridges is very limited, but the converter works very well, and opens up new vistas of expression, if you are tired of blue, black, or blue/black for ink colors.  Filling system gets a 3/5.

In size, the pen is medium size, roughly the same as the Pilot 78G, or a Pilot G3 ball/gel point. It is lightweight, being plastic, and well balanced. It posts nicely, and is comfortable to write with posted or not. Its diameter might be a little large for those with tiny hands, but small hands and larger will find it comfortable for long-term writing. Size and comfort get a 5/5.

I purchased the pen from eBay, for very little. The price is still excellent, based on a recent survey and search of eBay. It would make an excellent introductory pen to give someone to get them hooked on fountain pens, or for a knockaround pen for work. It is generally available in XF, F, M and B. I have used only the F, but then I really like a fine point. A pen with broader than a fine point has to be really special to convince me to purchase and continue using it.

Until Later. . .

Imitation Frappuccino

Do you have a serious Starbucks habit? I used to. I could hardly believe how much I spent at the place. The Cuban origin/Puerto Rico grown coffee I reviewed a few days ago broke me of most of the habit, but summer is now in full swing, and the lure of the Frappuccino was growing stronger.

Enter my lovely bride of just under 35 years, to save the day with a recipe for a home grown substitute. Today I will share with you two versions -- one regular, and one low-carb guilt free.

Start either version by making double-strength coffee. If you make coffee like I do, it will require putting enough grounds for a 12 cup pot, and 6 cups of water, because the basket won't hold twice as much coffee grounds for a 12 cup pot. Chill the resulting coffee until you are ready to make your frozen beverage. 

For low-carb, 

* 3/4 cup double-strength coffee, cold
* 3 tablespoons granulated Splenda (or equivalent in sweetener of choice)
* 1 cup Hood Calorie Countdown Dairy Beverage
* 2 cups ice

To make drink, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until ice is crushed and drink is smooth. Pour into two 16-ounce glasses, and serve with straws.

For Regular, substitute sugar for artificial sweetener, and 2% or whole milk for Hood Calorie Countdown.

CARAMEL

For this variation, omit (or reduce) Splenda, and add 3 tablespoons of caramel sugar-free Da Vinci syrup or 2 tablespoons of Walden Farms Caramel Dip to the original recipe and prepare as described.

Regular: Use regular caramel syrup, and drizzle some on top after you pour it.



MOCHA
For this variation, you have two options. The simplest is just to use Hood Calorie Countdown Chocolate Dairy Beverage in place of the regular white kind.
Or, omit (or reduce) the Splenda, and add 3 tablespoons sugar-free Da Vinci chocolate syrup or 2 tablespoons of Walden Farms Chocolate Dip to the original recipe and prepare as described. 

Regular Use regular chocolate milk in place of white milk, or add 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup to the original recipe.

If you are interested in more low carb or weight loss strategies, you can go Here

Until Later. . .

Wality 71J Eye Dropper Fountain Pen

When I first heard of an eyedropper fountain pen, I wondered what on earth it meant. Upon further research, I discovered it means you fill it with an eyedropper, rather than a piston mechanism, a squeeze filler, a twist filler, a slide filler, or an ink cartridge. What this means, generally, is that the ink capacity is huge, as everything between the section and the end of the pen is available for storage.

The Wality 71J pen made in India, is itself HUGE! It measures 6 1/4 inches long capped, and a full 7 inches posted. Empty, it weighs in at 26 grams, just 2 grams under an ounce. With its 4.5 ml ink capacity, even half full it is a full ounce. However, the pen is so well balanced, it does seem not overly to me. I do like a large pen, because my hands are large (fingerspan of 11 white keys on a standard piano). How does the pen look? It looks like it came from India. I have provided a stock photo from the importer's web site.



The pen comes with a gold tone fine point nib, made by Wality. Included in the package are a plastic eyedropper, and a velvet textured sack. Mine pen is black, and the sack matched the color. The pen is also available in Maroon and Blue, with matching color sack.

The pen is easy to fill, as long as you are careful. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that unless well sealed, an eyedropper pen will leak. I have another eyedropper in addition to this one, which sealed nicely with plumber's teflon tape; however, this one required silicone lubricant (not sealant) to ensure it was leakproof. Another caveat about eyedroppers - if they get 1/4 full or less they will tend to randomly spit out a blob of ink, so keep it full. This one has no ink window, so the blobbing might be the first indication it is getting low.

The pen writes beautifully. It is buttery smooth, leaving a medium wet, nicely fine line. I have not had a problem with this pen on papers which caused my Pelikan M200 and Parker 51 to throw up their piston (Pelikan) or aerometric (P51) and surrender to feathering, and turning a fine line into a broad line. I have so far unsed only Noodler's la Coleur Royale (royal blue) in this one, and it does exhibit the nib creep typical of Noodlers, but not to an excessive degree. The pen has actually been in my daily carry case sitting idle for about 3 weeks, due to the arrival of new pens which I could not resist trying out. So, the first time I tried to write with it after 3 weeks, it started immediately, and without a skip. That is pretty good in my book.

I acquired my pen via eBay, at a savings over the usual sale price. The pen is sold by eBay seller pbachran, and a search for Wality will turn up whatever pens they have on the bay at that time. If you cannot, or do not want to wait, you can purchase direct from the importer Here
The Wality 71J is a wonderful opportunity to sample the eyedropper filler pen, with a quality pen at a reasonable price.

Oscar Schmidt OE-30R Guitar

Taking a break from fountain pens for the day, and doing a review of my favorite red guitar. Oscar Schmidt is Washburn Guitars budget line, made overseas. Several of the models are overseas versions of Washburn guitars made in USA. The OE-30 is the overseas version of the Washburn HB-30. Both guitars are based upon the Gibson 335, which was first introduced in 1958, along with the then brand new humbucking pickup, of which the Gibson 335 and all its clones or copies have two.

My cherry red guitar has a 21-fret bolt-on neck, with medium jumbo frets, and Grover Tuners. Fret dressing is good, with no sharp edges. The neck is comfortably thin, and the dual cutaways on the body make the higher frets easily accessible. Playability is excellent; I give it a 4/5 for fit and finish.

The guitar originally came with 10-46 strings. I put on flatwound 12-52's, and had it set up by a luthier. The replacement strings were a little heavy for me, and the tone was so dark and woody, when replacement time came, I put back on 9-42's. I am not a proponent of using the thickest cables available to maximize tone. B B King uses 9-42's, and his tone is not widely criticized for being thin and lacking body. On playability, I give it a 5/5 with the proper strings.

The pickups on the OE-30 are actually Washburn 700 series humbuckers, with full, rich sound, and the usual high output a humbucker gives. It positively sings in both the clean and dirty channels on my Carvin MTS-3200 combo amp, with good balanced sound on both; however, on my son's Carvin Belair 212, the EL34 tubes and tone circuits roll off the high end too much on the dirty channel. That particular amp is more single-coil friendly, while the MTS series is a switch hitter for both single coils and humbuckers. For sound, I give the OE-30 a 5/5 with the right amp.

For value, I give the guitar a 5/5. Mine was actually a Father's Day gift from my children, who pooled their money and ordered me one online. A black version of the guitar is available Here.

No coffee review today. I do not currently have that many coffees I drink, so many of my coffee posts will be regarding brewing tips, or recipes for coffee beverages, including a low-carb version of a frappuccino style beverage.

Until later. . .