strat0124 Posted May 9, 2001 Share Posted May 9, 2001 Recently I had a guy over who plays stuff like POD, Creed, etc. We sat down with some little combo's and he had a really tough time hangin.....without the gain, he was really unhappy with what he was trying to play. He seemed really disjointed to me as well. Another time, a good friend who plays in a ripping rock band sat in with me at an acoustic jam.....again, he was lost. It really blows my mind how a few electric players can't relate to either clean electric play or acoustic play. It seems that the searing gain is the crutch from hell for guitarists. What's your experience/opinion? Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BK_dup2 Posted May 9, 2001 Share Posted May 9, 2001 Srat. Yeah there always comes the time as a metal or high gain player where not knowing the basics will catch up to you. I may not be until way late in the game but it will happen. I was 18 and a buddy of mine asked me to jam at this Biker Bar in Dallas Tx, The guitarist in the house band wouldnt let me sit in. I was forced to sit in on the bass. I couldnt hang. Thats when I got some real schoolin'. I am so glad that happened. I really made me realize what a horrible vocabulary I had. BK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrg music Posted May 9, 2001 Share Posted May 9, 2001 strat0124 wrote; >>Recently I had a guy over who plays stuff like POD, Creed, etc. We sat down with some little combo's and he had a really tough time hangin.....without the gain, he was really unhappy with what he was trying to play. He seemed really disjointed to me as well. Another time, a good friend who plays in a ripping rock band sat in with me at an acoustic jam.....again, he was lost. It really blows my mind how a few electric players can't relate to either clean electric play or acoustic play. It seems that the searing gain is the crutch from hell for guitarists.>> Interesting point that... I'd like to add, if a may, another thing I've learned in the Studio over the years... Yes you are right in that if you take away the gain there are a lot of players who just cannot cut it.... But if you ever dare to take away their EFFECTS they are absolutely shafted!! I have seen pretty competant players reduced to a totaly catatonic state by the removal of gain and efx.... Strange aint it? Simon http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif ...remember there is absolutely no point in talking about someone behind their back unless they get to hear about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy James Posted May 9, 2001 Share Posted May 9, 2001 Well, you're the best at what you do the most. Maybe you guys wouldn't fit in so well with a Rage Against The Machine cover band. I work on Blues and Jazz alot. When someone throws me into a whole other situation I get frustrated too. I have a friend I've known for about 20 years. He's into 80's style metal. I use to be into that but moved on. He's still there! When we jam on some blues I kick his ass. When we start jamming on Dio or Yngwie tunes it's hard for me to get back into that frame of mind even though I know the chords and understand what's going on in the songs. He kicks my ass because he's fluent in that style and I'm rusty in that style. There's a whole additude that goes with that style of music that I no longer identify with. I guess it's really all about phrasing and having a database of things to pull from for various situations. I really believe that when you pick a style to play you really have to live in that world to pull it off well. There's very few guys (Steve Morse?) who can leap frog stylistically and make you think that's all they do. And of course with each style you need to have your sound together. Distortion? Gotta have. Ultra clean for Jazz and Country? Sure. So I guess if you were heavy into POD you would need that saturated distored sound. My two cents. ------------------ http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/144/oscar_jordan.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted May 9, 2001 Share Posted May 9, 2001 Jimmy, Right on! I don't think being stylistically diverse is necessarily such a "holy grail" for a musician. I have a hard time sometimes, understanding why some people think that if you can't or don't want to play a bunch of different styles, you suck. Most people play what they love and it takes a lot of work to get down the all the nuances of any one style. MOST people who claim they can play in "any" style play in sort of a watered down version of each. I LIKE highly "stylized" players who have their own personal stamp they've put on their playing. If you want to be a session player I guess you have to be diverse but that is only one possible "career path" for a player and not everybody wants to do that. If you're a stylized player you shouldn't get down on yourself for it, any more than somebody who is proud of their versatility. I can't picture The Edge filling in for DiMeola but... I don't think he really cares, and he's done all right for himself! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif All that having been said.... I DO think there's a lot of value for a LOT of different styles, in busting it down and playing through a small amp or playing acoustic once in awhile. Acoustic and electric guitar are almost like two different instruments. I am REALLY glad that by the time I started playing electric I'd been playing acoustic for 3 years, because it really gave me a great foundation in the music I personally wanted to play. Most of my faves kick ass on acoustic. Lately I've been pretty lazy about practicing on acoustic so I'm trying to get back to it again. Yeah, I suck and I can't remember half the shit I used to. But I'm sure in a few weeks it'll be OK again. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 9, 2001 Author Share Posted May 9, 2001 I'm with ya, but if you look at the guys who are or were ultra diverse, it is a huge plus. Lindsey Buckingham, Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Marty Stuart, Jimmy Page, and others are equally adept at acoustic guitar, electric, slide, bstring bending etc. and in my humble opinion the reason why there are considered some of the best. It doesn't necessarily make you any less great if you can't do these things, but limitations are limitations. I don't expect Yngwie to call up Randy Scruggs anytime soon to do a collaboration or vice versa, but I bet the musicianship these two bring to the table would be pretty exciting, even if I don't personally care for the spandex riff meister genre. My point was not to demean or belittle those who can't cross those borders, on the contrary, however the obvious shortcomings of any musician becomes really apparent once stepping out of their comfortable surroundings. If you think stepping into an acoustic environment from a metal background is tough, just imagine stepping into an Eastern Music scenario.....I did, and it was rough. Also try hanging with some of those bluegrass guys......same thing, I can hang...a little, but I have to recycle a bit! Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy James Posted May 9, 2001 Share Posted May 9, 2001 I don't think the guys you mentioned are all that diverse. They all use the same techinques used in the Blues/Rock/folk idiom which are more alike than different. Slide, pedal steel, acoustic, and blues bends are all within that realm. Linsey Buckingham doing a Grindcore album would be diverse. Clapton tackling the Segovia song book would be diverse. When I was practising 6 hours a day back in the 80's I thought that if I had my technique together I could ultimately play in any style. The older I get I'm realizing that having a distinct personality on your instrument is preferable. Kinda like "We do chicken right." I just did an interview with Bobby Womack and he was telling me that Ike Turner is better on keyboards than guitar. Ike played piano on some of those early Cobra recordings backing Otis Rush. He has a great style that adds a certain magic to a track. But if you were to match Ike up against some keyboard studio wiz he would come off like a novice. He's not versatile. He only plays his style. He has this little piece of magic that he does on this one instrument. I dig that. Having that magic is a beautiful thing. ------------------ http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/144/oscar_jordan.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted May 10, 2001 Share Posted May 10, 2001 Yeah Jimmy, my thoughts exactly! There's diverse and then there's DIVERSE. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif HEY, how is Bobby Womack doing!! I haven't seen him since the early 80's, when I used to run into him every now and then and he was just the nicest guy, used to get me tickets for his shows and stuff. I still have a picture of him at the Record Plant in L.A. playing the Les Paul Black Beauty I had back then. It was sooooo great to be able to pick THAT guy's brain at a formative age! Is your interview going to be in print anywhere that I can see it? I'd love to check it out! --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted May 10, 2001 Share Posted May 10, 2001 Ahh, the stylistic thing... I know the feeling. There used to be a style of "Metal" I was into...kinda the Ritchie Blackmore school. Then Eddie et al came along...and that Blackmore school, more blues based, became passe. But if I crank it up, that's the style I fall into, and it still sounds good. Maybe not as "awesome" as the shredmeisters...but, it makes for an easy throwback between "hard rock" and "blues". So those are the styles I adhere to mainly...that, and I do like acoustic...some fingerstyle. But, you're right...if you're used to having the guitar "play itself" with all the high gain...and you get into a situation where there's no sustain, and you're fighting the guitar for every note, you can easily come up short if you haven't practiced that. Works the other way though too...it used to be funny in the goofy old 70s movies, where they'd have some scene which required a "rock and roll" background...and you could tell they probably got some jazz based studio guy and put a fuzzbox on his amp and said "bend notes and play pentatonic scales" and he did...in the most uninspired and crappy way imaginable. Sounded like bad porn music. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy James Posted May 10, 2001 Share Posted May 10, 2001 Originally posted by Lee Flier: HEY, how is Bobby Womack doing!! I haven't seen him since the early 80's, when I used to run into him every now and then and he was just the nicest guy, used to get me tickets for his shows and stuff. I still have a picture of him at the Record Plant in L.A. playing the Les Paul Black Beauty I had back then. It was sooooo great to be able to pick THAT guy's brain at a formative age! Is your interview going to be in print anywhere that I can see it? I'd love to check it out! --Lee Well to be completely honest I don't want to jinx myself. Nothing is a done deal until it's a done deal. There is a specific guitar magazine who gave me the greenlight to do the interview. Actually two. From my two meetings I have created two interviews catered specifically for those individual publications. Wish me luck. I'm just breaking in to become the next Lisa Sharken. Bobby is great. He's been there and done it all. Stories galore. Looks great too. Still plays the sweet licks and screams harder than James Brown. I'm meeting him again next week for a photo shoot. He owns Jimi Hendrix's guitar from back when the both of them played the chitlin circuit together in the early '60's. It was an honor to meet him. I call him The Emperor of Soul. Bobby was never a guitar virtuoso but he had that special little guitar thing that everybody wanted on their records. Even George Benson wanted him! He really helped me to understand about "Doing chicken right." ------------------ http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/144/oscar_jordan.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted May 10, 2001 Share Posted May 10, 2001 Hey, Jimmy..a.k.a. Oscar... Just surfed over to your site...tunes set the ol' toes tappin'! When ya bringin' your band to KC and the Grand Emporium? That's my kinda string-stretchin'! "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 10, 2001 Author Share Posted May 10, 2001 Just my opinion but I think that's an extreme definition of diversity, given the original post's intent. Mine is simplistic, I must admit, but I was referring to the ability to navigate the instrument in any of it's many forms, and still display the same fluid and artistic motion rather than be able to jump from one extreme end of the spectrum to the other ie grindcore to bluegrass. But I do get your point. Just have a different veiw. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted May 10, 2001 Share Posted May 10, 2001 Well, you're the best at what you do the most. Maybe you guys wouldn't fit in so well with a Rage Against The Machine cover band. Correct me if I'm wrong, Strat, but weren't you talking about heavy distortion players being unable to relate to the instrument without high gain? This seems to have been diverted into some kind of stylistic comparison. I believe what you mean is true. Distortion is to guitar as compression is to vocals. It smooths out a lot of inconsistancies in guitar playing. Try to get Mr. POD, etc. to record some guitar tracks through a mic'd amp and direct to the recorder simultaneously. (Split the signal before the amp.) See how he sounds on the clean track vs. the distorted one. Lots of guys and gals use distortion as a crutch. They don't have to continue to practice playing the lines cleanly (No pun intended) because the final product sounds good distorted. Sometimes when I'm in a funk, my acoustic playing suffers and it becomes unbearable. To energize myself, I sometimes plug in my electric and shoot off some fast, tasty licks with a LOT of distortion. I know it's hiding the flaws. But it can improve my disposition enough that I can turn around and play the acoustic stuff. Attitude is key, and I use the distortion crutch as a tool to shift my attitude. Any good guitar lick, played as well on acoustic as electric, WILL sound good. It won't have the same impact clean vs. distorted, but you can hear a really solid player when their electic guitar licks sound right on acoustic. I know Rob Bonaccorsi of Freddy Jones Band, from back when they were the hosts of an open mic at Wrigleyside bar in Chicago. He has a ripping blues song named The Other Side from Waiting For The Night. I heard him play this completely on acoustic and he WAILED. He pulled the entire song off on his own, solos and all. Many distortion players just can't pull that off. It's not the music, despite the references to bands that play almost exclusively distorted guitars. It's the playing. IMHO Neil It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 10, 2001 Author Share Posted May 10, 2001 Maybe one of the things that hinders some folks is they try to cop the same licks, groove, and feel from instrument to instrument. I imagine it'd be pretty tough for someone in a band like Metallica to transfer that same feel to acoustic guitar. I have to admit I approach and play acoustic guitar differently than I do electric, much like how you have to adjust your play for doing Ry Cooder like slide, or how you adjust while playing guitar synth. I guess I have a different veiw on the instrument....but having said that there are guys like "Days of the New" (I think that's their name) who make acoustic guitar "heavy" in a band setting. My deal is that I normally play blues and it's my strongest suit, but man I just love to play acoustic guitar, especially with a bluegrass groove, or a doubling a sweet and simple piano line. In fact though I got hired as a lead player, my fave thing to do, surprisingly, is to play rhythm. And as funny as it really is, you sure can get alot more work advert'ing as a rhythm player. And to the original post, yeah gain covers alot of stuff, and when it's gone exposes the guitarists real abilities. That's why I am in such praise of bluegrass players.....it's like Heavy Metal for old folks.......just ripping. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aframe9999 Posted May 10, 2001 Share Posted May 10, 2001 Has anyone ever recorded guitar direct (no effects, no nothin') and then use the channel insert to send the signal to the amp after the fact for mixing? You start out with a bare bones guitar signal and then can add as much distortian, EQ and whatever else from the amp you would like. I've heard of this but have never tried it. It seems that it would force the player to become much more conscious of their playing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted May 10, 2001 Share Posted May 10, 2001 aframe, A lot of session players do that nowadays and I think it sucks. I mean it completely changes the part that you end up playing. A lot of what gives an electric guitar its character is the interplay that goes on between the player and the gear - you find out your amp "growls" a certain way on a certain inversion so you use that, etc. That was one of the first things I noticed when I got a POD and tried the "re-amping" trick. I recorded some tracks just using an insert through the monitors so I could hear the "amp model" I was using - that is, I wasn't LISTENING to it completely dry but the track was being recorded dry. Then I went back and played back the recorded track through different amp models. All the character of the part which had been there when I recorded it - because I'd been responding to the characteristics of that particular model - would disappear when I re-amped it. Heaven forbid if I'd actually monitored the whole thing dry. I found the whole thing really stupid and I don't do it anymore. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif 'Course I generally don't use the POD for anything but demos and working up arrangements anyway. Gimme a real amp! --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy James Posted May 10, 2001 Share Posted May 10, 2001 Originally posted by Tedster: Hey, Jimmy..a.k.a. Oscar... Just surfed over to your site...tunes set the ol' toes tappin'! When ya bringin' your band to KC and the Grand Emporium? That's my kinda string-stretchin'! Thanks man. Still stuck in LA. Who knows, they might let me leave one day. Back to the topic, I think distortion is a crutch for some guys who play rock or blues who don't know how to create a long singing sustain without it. Then again depending on the style of the blues or rock you need it to complete the sound. Carlos Santana can make his guitar sustain on his own without it but he uses it to complement his over all style. It's what he wants to hear. If I was in one of these newer metal bands I would probably be using a Triple Rectifier just like they do. It has that sound that people come to expect with that type of music. I believe that the guitarists in Korn or Limp Bizkit are valid because they're simply doing their own thing. It's their chosen style. I don't think they see their guitar playing as a pre-qualifying placement test to enter the National Guitar Workshop. They probably see no need to learn some hip country double stops or some Django style diminished runs with an ultra clean tone. I think that stuff is cool but since these guys may never be session pros they have the freedom to create without having to be the ultimate musician's musician. On the same token I would have trouble jamming with Orgy or Blink 182. It's just something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing. I don't know but I will go out on a limb and say they might not want to sit with me and jam on a Wes Montgomery tune. ------------------ http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/144/oscar_jordan.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted May 10, 2001 Share Posted May 10, 2001 LOL Oscar... yeah I agree. For me personally, it definitely improves my electric playing when I play acoustic a lot. But when I sit down to play acoustic I DON'T just try and play the same stuff I would play on electric. To me they're different instruments. And if somebody (e.g. Korn) has no real use for the acoustic guitar as an instrument, it would be kinda silly to expect them to see any benefit to it. If what you're going to play all the time is distorted electric guitar, and you're happy with the results you get with that, it's not really a crutch, it's just using the tools you want to use. I think that's a problem that comes up a lot with "musicians' musicians" though. Lord knows I appreciate a lot of different musical styles but I don't necessarily appreciate one guitarist who can play all of them. And I certainly would not try to play everything that I like! I think you really nailed it when you said it's good to find what you can do best and learn to do that better than anybody. Cuz people who can "play anything" are a dime a dozen really. I too listened to your stuff Oscar - nice!! I'd say you do chicken right. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Hope you escape from L.A. someday, I did in '92 and am powerfully glad I did. Glad to know that Bobby's still hangin around though, and do let us know if that interview does come out! --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 10, 2001 Author Share Posted May 10, 2001 Re-amping.....yeah I don't necessarily like it either, however it does have it's place. Re-amping with a tube preamp or a combo does warm up things, if you didn't get it on tape the first time. Recording direct to me reminds me of the guitar tones of the early 80's, but of course nowdays we have POD, and it's cousins. As far as the POD goes, I use mine to throw down ideas, or use it to fatten other tracks. The POD by itself to me isn't all that....it's cool, but I like the dynamics of a growling little combo when I record. Nothing like sitting in the control room with the monitors fairly loud, and getting all those overtones and slight feedback with your guitar. I've done it with a POD too, but somehow a cooking little amp makes it sound so cool. Talking about interesting matchups, probably the coolest matchup to me (albeit non guitar folks) was David Bowie and Bing Crosby on his Christmas show. Other cool ones include Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler, Steve Morse and Mark O'Conner, Lyle Lovett and Al Green, all too cool, lots of give and take, leavin the ego's at home deal. I personally have played with reggae, R&B(old school), polka, big band, jazz, folk, blues, country, bluegrass, and rock players.....and they all have the same attitude....they just wanna play....and I'm in agreement. Like all humans, even musicians take themselves too seriously. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 10, 2001 Author Share Posted May 10, 2001 Sorry for posting two in a row, but had an afterthought. In my humble opinion, I don't think "do it all" guitarists are a dime a dozen, in my experience that isn't true. In fact I get work because of my versatility and work ethic. Yeah I do the Texas Blues/Delta Blues thing the best....but dabble in other areas proficient enough to hang. Oscar's "doing chicken right" is right on, and I appreciate and admire that.....but that doesn't necessarily mean that a utility man is a dime a dozen. Here in Virginia Beach, for that matter. Hey it's paid for all my toys...... : ) Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy James Posted May 10, 2001 Share Posted May 10, 2001 I dig versatility. It's just not for everybody. I don't think those versatile cats are a dime a dozen either. Those guys are incredible but there are those players out there who fall into the Jack of all trades master of none category. They do alot of things fairly well but haven't really nailed their true calling within a style. I don't mean to speak for Lee but that's what I think she meant. ------------------ http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/144/oscar_jordan.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 10, 2001 Author Share Posted May 10, 2001 I gotcha....attribute rather than a detractor. I realize Lee wasn't throwin down on me for being a utility man. By the way Lee....couldn't get your MP3 to play. Love the Les Paul with P90's......I have a 65 SG with P90's that just honks. Oscar, love your playing as well. I totally identify with what you're doing. You'd do well down in Austin or Houston.....my old stomping grounds. By the way, on some previous posts I heard lots of folks talking about how black folk ain't playing the blues anymore. All I have to say is take a trip down south.....Memphis, New Orleans, Austin, Houston, etc.....it's way alive down here. White cats are kicking it too, hey I even saw a Filipino dude bustin out some blues (odd but true). My cut on it is the suits like to promote the blue eyed blondes out there, it's almost novelty. All power to em, but I know what the real deal is. I'd say....they were fortunate.... Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted May 10, 2001 Share Posted May 10, 2001 Yeah Oscar that's what I meant. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Strat, don't know why you can't get my MP3 to play, that's weird. I just tried it after seeing your post and it's fine. There's a lot of strange stuff afoot on the Internet lately - links working for some people and not for others, links working at some times and not others, etc. Blah. Oh well, I'm just glad we have an Internet at all so I can talk to y'all - you're cool! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 11, 2001 Author Share Posted May 11, 2001 Thanks Lee......the feeling is mutual. I'm downloading your song during this writing. I've got some new stuff on our website as well. Moaninglisas.com We are pretty wild by some folks standards......I just joined the group in January, and we started writing immediately. We record in historic Ghent in a buddy's old house on a lake. It's like Mitch Easter recording....totally cool. I feel like I am among kindred spirits here.....thank you. Gene Keep it loud........ Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 11, 2001 Author Share Posted May 11, 2001 I forgot to mention the only songs I'm playing on are Somethin to Eat, KOA, and Cowtippin. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted May 11, 2001 Share Posted May 11, 2001 By the way, on some previous posts I heard lots of folks talking about how black folk ain't playing the blues anymore. All I have to say is take a trip down south..... strat0124, you missed my point. I'm sure there are great, young blues players in local markets. So why is it Johnny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepard that get all the sound bites. Why don't any of these guys have a huge national audience, when black performers in other genres are not only popular, but the most successful? Any names we may have heard of? Any we should be looking for? It's one thing for the mainstream press to miss the boat on these guys, but where are Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Guitar Player, etc. You think the general public knew who Johnny Lang was at the same time that Guitar mag readers around the country heard of him? I don't. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/frown.gif Neil It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosespappy Posted May 11, 2001 Share Posted May 11, 2001 If I didn't have an imagination that included the sounds my acoustic produces, I could not play it well. If I didn't have a growl or hiss or cry or shout in my mind, no SG or LP could save me. I think it's a combination of 1)Having the gear(forces you to become familiar with the sound,and forces you to become familiar with your limitations.2)Having the imagination(without it,you wouldn't have the gear!) Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 11, 2001 Author Share Posted May 11, 2001 Hey Lee......too cool, I didn't snap to the name of the song till I heard you perform it. I have always been a fan of Warren Zeavon, with Waddy Watchel kicking ass. I dig your guitar break.....was it with the Les Paul????? Thought I heard a little P90 growl. I recently went back into the archives to listen to some of my old stuff. You know how you dismiss your older recordings as crap, then you relisten and think "man that was damn good!"? I have a live recording of my old band right after high school recorded at St Dominics Hall in Loranger Lousisiana, and I can't believe how good it sounded. I was doing some licks I had forgotten about....and back then I used the 65 SG with a Super Six just blasting away. It's amazing how you come full circle with respect to tone.....I'm back to Fender combo's again after going through the predicatable series of Oranges, Marshalls, Sunn, and MesaBoogies. But yeah.......I'm still saying "Wow....is that I how I really sound(ed)?". Cheers Gene Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted May 11, 2001 Share Posted May 11, 2001 Gene, Thanks for listening! Yeah, know what you mean, I've always enjoyed going back and listening to my old stuff now and then, and it's usually not as bad as you think it will be. Funny, although I've ADDED a few things to the tone arsenal since then, my basic "sound" hasn't changed too much. I think that year, when I was 18, was when I really first felt like my playing was starting to jell in terms of style. Did you have a "breakthrough year" like that? And yes, that was a Les Paul, through the Ampeg VT-40 which I still have. However it wasn't the Les Paul that I have now, I didn't have that yet but I was already looking for one. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif It was a '75 Custom Black Beauty with humbuckers in it. Still sounded pretty good, but of course the '52 smokes it. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Did Warren Zevon do that song? I'd only heard the Yardbirds' version plus the original. Anyhow I listened to your stuff too! KOA is hysterical! You guys have a great sense of humor and there are some VERY tasty guitar licks there! I presume that you play Strats? Only thing is, I didn't see any song called "Cowtippin". I would like to hear that one... LOL!! I do wish you could do some MP3's instead of RealAudio, the quality is so much better! --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 11, 2001 Author Share Posted May 11, 2001 Thanks Lee, we are a live oriented band, and I guess our big thing is performance rather than recording. Actually I play Tele's, Strat's, and a little Gretsch Jet Junior for slide at every show. I sent the webmaster MP3's, but he converts to RA I guess because of bandwidth or something. I did have a moment of clarity that brought me to where I am now, funny that you mention that. And that was around 78 or so....kinda late. I gave up music for many years because of bad bizness, bad lifestyles, and bad people. I got ripped off major in the late 70's and just dissappeared for a while. Plus the recreational pharmacuticals were pretty much stealing me from me! You know how it is....you're in a band, and it seems people come out of the woodwork, and offer you everything under the sun....for free. Matter of fact my bud and piano player died of a heartattack at age 30 from crystal and coke cocktails. Kinda broke up the band considering his sister was lead vocals. Plus we had our storage broken into and thousands of dollars of gear ripped off, outside of Houston. It was a very bad year. I'm just having a blast now......life is good, financially secure, and emotionally secure......taken a while but it's nice. If you ever think of coming "north" and checking out Virginia Beach, gimme a shout..... Take care, Gene Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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