Yesterday, I went to the art supply store for some new ink, because I'm tired of my pens clogging with the ten-year-old bottle I've been stubbornly using. While I was in the area, I went next door to the Guitar Center (a definite misnomer, as I was surprised to discover; I don't have to be quite so sad that Mars closed).

I'd been in there last week to ask about getting gut strings for my classical guitar. They didn't have any, as I'd expected (it's not like they're highly in demand), but they said they'd see if they could order some and give me a call. When I got up to the counter, the guy actually remembered me by name. He said he'd looked into it, but said he didn't think anybody even makes gut classical strings. Oh well, I'll just have to order a fictional set.

Sev had just purchased a set of Fender flat-wound strings for his acoustic bass. They were nice — great sound, great feel, and no fret noise — so I inquired about a set for my five-string electric bass. Ha. They didn't have any, and Fender doesn't even make any five-string flat-wound sets. The guy recommended a set of Chrome strings which retails for $60 (ouch!), but he said he could get them for about $25. Okay, that's a little more reasonable! I ordered a set.

While I was there, I looked in the microphone case, as I'd recently read that condenser mics give a much better sound when recording acoustic guitars, and I want to do some solo recording. They had the Oktava MK-219, which I'd seen a while ago for about $600 at Mars, going for $69. At that price, I decided it was time for an impulse buy. (They were also running a special on a slightly higher-end mic, but I really didn't want to spend $2499 ($795 off!) on one microphone.)

I brought it home, hooked it up, and... nothing. I changed cables. Nothing. I tried different jacks. Nothing. In desperation, I tried an unbalanced mic cable. Nothing. Ekskrementon! A little 'net research indicated that Oktava — or, more properly, Октава — makes decent microphones, but has historically suffered from quality-control issues.

I went back today to exchange it for a working one, and learned that condenser mics need a preamp, either a separate unit or a mixing console with +48V "phantom power" built in. Since the idea of dropping several hundred dollars on a new mixing console was less than palatable, I picked up a cute little tube preamp unit which they were running a special on. When I get a little free time, I'll be running some experiments to see just how different the mic sounds.

Karen went with me to the store today; she always jokes about being "arm candy" when she accompanies me to a computer or music store. One creepy guy kept standing near her; wherever she moved, he soon followed. I suppose that's one of the hazards of being an attractive woman in a store full of guys.