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Post by gumbo on Oct 21, 2010 4:12:39 GMT -5
What's the difference between a band with two drummers and a pair of shoes in a clothes dryer?
..not much...
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Post by cynical1 on Nov 6, 2010 22:55:43 GMT -5
...aside from the very amusing drummer jokes interlude...anybody see a progression out back...
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Post by gumbo on Nov 7, 2010 5:11:52 GMT -5
..umm.. ..sorry, just got back from a 4-hour gig and I still ache all over !!
...ask me again in the morning :-)
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Post by cynical1 on Dec 13, 2010 15:00:49 GMT -5
For all of you out there struggling for motivation...try one of these... HTC1
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Post by newey on Dec 13, 2010 15:09:37 GMT -5
Now, if it was a longboard, I'd be impressed . . . ;D
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Post by cynical1 on Dec 13, 2010 23:16:50 GMT -5
Now, if it was a longboard, I'd be impressed . . . ;D ...maybe it was a short song...
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Post by irwired on Dec 16, 2010 17:17:51 GMT -5
And if you hold it up to your ear you hear surf music. ;D ;D ;D IRW
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Post by ozboomer on Feb 23, 2011 7:22:18 GMT -5
In preparation for resuming some efforts with this project (or re-starting from the rhythm track again - I'm still making-up my mind), I was re-visiting reverb and how to achieve some sounds I like... ...there is a stompbox made by Roland/Boss that will do the job. I've tested the Boss FRV-1, and found it to be very close to the real thing. So close in fact that I'm tempted to pick one up, just to have on hand for a spare or sumpin'. Well, it ends up that I lashed-out on one this past week and although it only arrived today, I reckon it's *'mazing!* I've never been able to achieve that "drip" with internal spring reverbs in the amps nor with VSTs... but now I can actually hear that sound out of my own guitars now... *!WoW!* ...and Ok, the purists will say it's not the same... but to my non-super-critical ears, it sounds blinkin' marvelous... especially at 1/6th the price of a re-issue tube tank..! Now, if only I could learn how to "whammy" properly(!) ;D
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Post by sumgai on Feb 23, 2011 13:13:49 GMT -5
Back before I quit playing, I did compare them side-by-side. The shop owner was visibly drooling over the prospect that he might get his hands on my FRU, he probably thought I'd trade it in on the Roland box.... dunno what he had for brains that day, but it couldn't've been smart pills..... But yes, side-by-side, they can be discerned apart. Still, other players came around to see what I was doing (surf licks, which meant a lot of nose-in-the-air attitude from most of 'em), and all of them remarked on how close the sound was between the Original Thing and the New Upstart. The only thing the Boss unit can't do is suffer a remarkable crash when you kick it. Long story short is, if my FRU were stolen, would I buy one of these instead, to replace it? Well, leaving aside the aforementioned fact about using the thing, yes, I'd be happy to snap one up, and pocket the difference in the insurance money. (Not to mention how difficult it'd be to track down another Real Thing.) And the real question: Since I'm no longer using my spring tank, would I be willing to sell it? Yes, in a heartbeat. But can I sell it? No. The wife (in all her myriad ways of evading any chance of understanding her) is really p d off at me for giving it all up, and in a very perverse twist of the knife in the back, she says I can't sell any of it, unless I plan on using the money to pack my bags and get out. I dunno whether to laugh or cry....... ozzy, we're expecting clips to be posted shortly! sumgai
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Post by JFrankParnell on Feb 23, 2011 13:44:46 GMT -5
which begs the *real* question: why would you quit?
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Post by sumgai on Feb 24, 2011 1:13:13 GMT -5
which begs the *real* question: why would you quit? Easy - 'cause I can't play. And it was well beyond high time to admit it, and get on with life. Like about 50+ years beyond high time. Do I like the idea? No. Can I live with it? Ain't much choice now, is there.... One thing's for sure though - filling up the truck's gas tank has gone from 2-3 times a month to once every 5-6 weeks. That's not a bad trade-off, eh? ;D But that doesn't mean that I can't remember things from that past life, nor does it preclude me from answering questions where my experience might help another Nut. As you well know from your own personal experience of a few weeks ago. Other stories may be forthcoming, but just now, there's a customer quilt on the long-arm machine, and The Real Boss says that lunch time is over, and that it's time to get off my butt and go finish it. ;D Later sumgai
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Post by ozboomer on Feb 24, 2011 4:27:25 GMT -5
ozzy, we're expecting clips to be posted shortly! I have to smile, thanks, my dear sumgai... as I read your comment, expressed with some belief that I have the skills to play any sort of recognized surf tune... but Fanx! for the kind thought Acshually... I was playing about with the FRV-1 for an hour this afternoon and I made a couple of interesting discoveries:- - BE CAREFUL if you have any sort of booster in the signal line and you have all the controls on the FRV-1 fully clockwise -- I *twanged!* a top E note of some sort and the drip was so intense and so blinkin' *loud*, I thought I blew-up my amp's speaker(!)... Heck, I'm probably talkin' rubbish, 'coz I never have the amp volume over 2 so wot do I know!? ...but heck! it sounded like Link Wray for a minute there(!)
- Following-on from that point, I think I really need to put some level control on my booster gadget (note that the 'final' design does include a level control -- I just think the current incarnation needs one as well). I was experimenting with the order of the pedals, viz: guitar --> FVR-1 --> booster --> amp.... or... guitar --> booster --> FRV-1 --> amp... and in some situations, the ol' 8dB of gain makes things very loud(!), So i think I need to tame that some..
Actually, the FRV-1 doesn't seem to work so well as a buffer stage, like some other pedals do. I had an arrangement like: guitar --> FRV-1 --> amp and with the FRV-1 effects off, it sounded just the same as if I'd directly connected the guitar to the amp... and this is why I did some experimenting with the booster, which cleaned-up the sound no-end (as you may well know, if you've been following my postings elsewhere in the NutHouse!)
- Something more related to my guitar mods, I guess.. I tried using a guitar that had a phase-change toggle and at one stage, flicking the switch made a huge ~~Crack!!~~ sound -- it sort-of made me think that I would need to do something with putting a large cap (or resistor?) from the signal line in the guitar to ground to get rid of that bang!... but won't that make my tone all dull again!?
- Also with those "high level" settings on the FVR-1, you hear lots of noise; hmm... I think it's more like a hissing sound, really.. sort of like you get with any of these electronic gadgets when the gain is up high.. so that's not really any different, I guess..
So, these are some observations so far. I can see how I might end-up using only 3 groups of settings on the unit, anyway:- - something for general "liveliness" of sound;
- something for a decent bit of reverb for decent spaciousness; and
- dialing-in TheDrip(tm)
...which I think will probably suit me pretty well... ...but there's always more to experiment with. I'll try recording something for everyone when I've worked-out a dound or two I like...
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Post by sumgai on Feb 24, 2011 4:39:33 GMT -5
I'll try recording something for everyone when I've worked-out a dound or two I like... I'll take System Of A Dound for $200, Alex!
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Post by ozboomer on Feb 26, 2011 0:45:38 GMT -5
Well, I've attempted to get some sort of sounds out of the FRV-1 and I certainly like it alright... but at the moment, the recordings don't really do it justice; when I listen to my playing through an amp and compare it to the recording made going directly into the computer, the sound seems a bit dull.. *shrug* Anyway, all the tracks were recorded with the following set-up: Bullet Strat (with GF Dream 90 bridge pickup) --> prototype booster unit --> Crossfire TRM-057 tremolo pedal --> Boss FRV-1 --> Behringer UCA202 audio i/f --> Audacity --> 128bit MP3. There are some audio artefeacts at various times and maybe the tracks are kind of noisy but I'm still (re-)learning all this recording stuff...! So, to the tracks:- - TremSurf-01.mp3 - a slowly-played, simple chord sequence, with me attempting to emphasize the "twang" a little in my playing technique. Recorded as mentioned above.
- TremSurf-02.mp3 - almost the same thing as "01" but instead of the signal going from the FRV-1 into the audio i/f, I run it from the FRV-1 into the Frontman 15 amp first, using a pathetic microphone from a 40 year old cassette recorder(!) ( I really have to get a microphone, I think ). Occasional artefacts here from the Audacity level increases as the signal level was so low.
- TremSurf-03.mp3 - something of a little "drip"... kindof (and I don't mean ME)... recorded through the dodgy microphone again.
So, any thoughts would be greatfully received...!
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Post by newey on Feb 26, 2011 6:24:23 GMT -5
Definitely surfy, oz! I think that FRV sounds pretty good, I may just have to go get me one of those . . .
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Post by sumgai on Feb 26, 2011 11:11:27 GMT -5
OK, so I said that I quit, that I can't play. Apparently that gives a number of you carte blance to start a campaign or sumpin', 'cause my PM box is overflowing! None of that was said in a fit of despair. Trust me, I know whereof I speak. But true to form, Life has once again reared it's ugly head, and swatted me upside mine. Observe: The wife (in all her myriad ways of evading any chance of understanding her) is really pd off at me for giving it all up, and in a very perverse twist of the knife in the back, she says I can't sell any of it, unless I plan on using the money to pack my bags and get out. I dunno whether to laugh or cry....... So now I'm crying. Why? Because she goes in for a shoulder surgery on March 23rd, and will be all bound up in a cast, with her arm hanging out in the wind, for about 6 weeks. What does she want to do during that time, besides sign up for Netflix? You guessed it, she wants to get back into singing. Sigh. That can only mean one thing.... right again, Chester. Yours Truly has been drafted to perform the duties of backup band, beat box, whatever you wanna call it, I've gotta produce it and make her sound good. (Not that she needs *my* help, nor anyone elses. Newbies, pay attention here: I married a world-class opera soprano, who has perfect pitch and better meter than all the drummers you've ever heard, period. It helps, but wasn't truly necessary, that she's also not hard on the eyes. ) Henceforth, the above quote no longer applies - I am now commanded to go sell it all, and bring home a brand-spanking-new GR-55, Roland's newest synth toy. Uses the same old pickup system, which means my axe will work just fine. (Thanks, Roland, for not kicking previous-generation equipment to the curb.) Keerist, does it ever stop? I need to find my magnifying class, and start looking for an escape clause in the contract...... Yeah, I'll pick it back up again, but only because she pulls the strings around here. Don't any of you be taking any credit for this. And no, The Real Boss would rather I stay quits - he never liked my playing either. sumgai
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Post by lpf3 on Feb 26, 2011 12:09:48 GMT -5
Ok, lemme get this straight- a lifelong guitarist is gonna pack it up after 50 + years. Hmm. Sure, OK, do what you wanna do, uh huh. So now the ol' battle axe is gonna force you to buy gear & you don't want to. I see that problem discussed all over the Internet. < rant coming Seriously though, there's worse things. Like you , my wife is a great singer & back in our band days she was always the front person. (Also not hard to look at) We had a great time learning & arranging songs, recruiting other players, lining up gigs- blah blah blah- you know the drill. It was great having a common interest not to mention most people really liked our band(s).Now she is Just Not Into It. I bought her drums that she got reasonably good at that now sit under a sheet. And she doesn't sing anymore. I miss the old days. Not that you asked for my 2 pesos but I'm saying go with it. Listen to Mama & enjoy yourselves. > end of rant -lpf3
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Post by sumgai on Feb 26, 2011 12:39:00 GMT -5
OK, lp, I had that coming, sort of.....
The 50+ years was spent mostly hallucinating that I must be at least good enough, because I wasn't getting booed off the stage. What was really happening though, and it took a guy about a foot taller than my 6'3" to make me realize it, was that no one wanted to take a chance that I'd go off my nut and start a fracas, should someone be so 'unkind' as to tell me the truth.
Ya know the definition of a friend, right? A fellow player will tolerate you at a jam session because he knows his turn is coming. A friend will help you bury the bodies, or so I hear, anyway. But in the last six months (minus a couple of days), not one of those so-called friend has even so much as called or emailed me, asking where the hell am I. Kinda says to me that my presence isn't being missed all that much, which logically extends to what I said just above.
In any event, not an issue for me. It's a bitter pill to swallow, I'll freely admit, but nonetheless, it's the pill that Life handed me, so I'll swallow it. Done is.
~!~!~!~
Now, on to the reason I came in to post something.
This is for ozboomer. ozzy, you've been going on about trying to find some 'instruction' about how to use the vibrato (or 'whammy' bar) effectively. Well, as usual, while looking for something else, I ran across this little jewel. Starring none other than John Blair (of Jon & The Nightriders fame), this is what I'd consider a very good use of said bar. I think you can easily discern what the man is doing, both when and why.
Hope you enjoyed that one. There're lots more like it, if you check out the right-side menu.
sumgai
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Post by lpf3 on Feb 26, 2011 13:19:56 GMT -5
sumgai wroteFair enough, but hell- we've all swallowed that pill my friend. I recently read where an interviewer asked Jimi Hendrix "What's it like being the best guitarist in the world?" Jimi's answer- "Ask Rory Gallagher" That said, I'll get out of your business now. Be happy -lpf3
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Post by JohnH on Feb 26, 2011 15:41:59 GMT -5
So now I'm crying. Why? Because she goes in for a shoulder surgery on March 23rd, and will be all bound up in a cast, with her arm hanging out in the wind, for about 6 weeks. What does she want to do during that time, besides sign up for Netflix? You guessed it, she wants to get back into singing. Sigh. That can only mean one thing.... right again, Chester. Yours Truly has been drafted to perform the duties of backup band, beat box, whatever you wanna call it, I've gotta produce it and make her sound good. (Not that she needs *my* help, nor anyone elses. Newbies, pay attention here: I married a world-class opera soprano, who has perfect pitch and better meter than all the drummers you've ever heard, period. It helps, but wasn't truly necessary, that she's also not hard on the eyes. ) Henceforth, the above quote no longer applies - I am now commanded to go sell it all, and bring home a brand-spanking-new GR-55, Roland's newest synth toy. Uses the same old pickup system, which means my axe will work just fine. (Thanks, Roland, for not kicking previous-generation equipment to the curb.) Keerist, does it ever stop? I need to find my magnifying class, and start looking for an escape clause in the contract...... Yeah, I'll pick it back up again, but only because she pulls the strings around here. Don't any of you be taking any credit for this. sumgai Well best wishes to you and your lady sumgai. I hope her op goes well. And that new mission statement does sound like a lot more fun than most quilting projects! Go forth and twang boldly.... and Oz - those 'verb clips sound good! I tried one of those in a shop, playing on one of those 'Wall of Boss' displays where every Boss pedal is chained end to end. I had a Fender Bassman pedal into the Fender reverb, then to some 'phones. Seeing as I am over 50 and therefore obviously a wealthy SOB (not!), the teenage shop assistance replaced the rubbish test guitar with a nice new amercican special Strat. The whole rig sounded very credible indeed. the only trouble was those two pedals together were costing mosr than many amps. Just a side note, on which I intend to write more. I got a new model zoom G2 mfx unit. It does the Fender + trem and reverb sounds very well to my ears, and a zillion other things, and its well built and cheaper than each of these pedals. cheers John
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Post by sumgai on Feb 26, 2011 16:26:55 GMT -5
John, Are you serious? This thing is a $30K monstrosity, all but requiring an Rocket Scientist to operate it! ;D (That page's price doesn't include the CAM setup.) She bought it for herself, but "lets" me operate it. Yeah, right. She does the business end of things, I do just about all of the quilting, and I love it! While "The Muse ™ doesn't exactly crop up and move me in this endeavor, neither did it do so hot in the past. What does happen though, is my Engineer's intolerance for a 'mediocre' product just doesn't let me put out a less-than-perfect job. Quilts that I've done over the past few years have won awards in various judged events, and that alone surpasses all previous accomplishments in the music biz. (Certainly not as high on my list as some of my engineering escapades, but nonetheless.....) Actually, the other half and I like the machine, and the company behind it, so much that we decided to become a dealer for them. We now sell and service the things all over the Pacific Northwest (of the USA). That also takes up a fair amount of time, as you might imagine. ~!~!~!~ More from the PM box..... The funny one is where I'm being compared to Br'er Fox. No, I don't particularly like that briar patch anymore, but thanks for asking. Instead, I'm going to ask Monte what's behind Door Number 3. And finally, yes I did sort of hijack this thread, but then again, I started it. You will recall that RHIP. <hehehehe> No, it wasn't intentional, and in retrospect, I should've never said what I did say. I apologize for all the turmoil it has caused, and it is my fervent wish that everyone just ignore the rantings of an old curmudgeon, and get on with their lives. To avoid discontinuity, I won't go back and edit/delete anything, but it'd sure be nice to return to surf music, or so I believe. ~!~!~!~!~ ~!~!~!~!~ Whoa, wait a minute. In editing a comment above, I realized something here. I don't know how many of you here are professional musicians in the truest sense of the word, i.e. you make your daily bread by playing music, and that's all you do. But the fact remains that at least for me, it was a hobby, and that's all it ever was. I made a pile of dough while imitating a musician on stage, and I made even more by running a repair shop for a couple of decades, but the whole thing was never my main bread-and-butter. Hence, it's all a matter of what turns my crank when I'm not chasing after the almighty dollar. My crank is no longer turned by trying to imitate a musician, that's all - there it is, pure and simple. So why all the fuss and holler, eh? Come on, I know people who've spent fortunes chasing after 3, 4 and more hobbies at the same time, or diving in as deep as the Marianas Trench, only to chuck it all and change to something else entirely different - every year or two. I have friends that go both ways, and yet I don't go castigating them for chasing their personal wanderlust. So what did I do to deserve all this uproar, I ask you. And for the record, just to be complete.... I started out on the clarinet, about three years later I moved to the tenor sax, and then the next year also took up the flute. It wasn't until I was 15 that I caught on to the guitar, and that was when I heard The Chantays playing Pipeline on the radio in 1962. So it's not quite 50 years of guitar, but it's well over 50, if we count my junior and senior high band experiences. sumgai
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Post by sumgai on Feb 26, 2011 16:34:56 GMT -5
John, I've always thought that it shouldn't be very difficult to model the Fender Reverb 'drip', or as I call it, The Fwip sound. Apparently there hasn't been enough demand for it until recently. I suspect that we'll soon see a number of major players toss their hats in the ring with a Boss FRV-1 wannabe. That should drive them to keep upping the stakes until the market finally has a viable FRU replacement unit, in stompbox form, for under a hundred bucks (USD). Although here in the US, the FRV-1 is only $129 (USD) - what's the price down there? Hint: I can ship one of these puppies to your neck of the woods for less than the cost of a six-pack. sumgai
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Post by JohnH on Feb 26, 2011 16:35:50 GMT -5
OK, I hadn't realized that quilting is an activity that can involve a finely engineered piece of complicated machinery! So maybe it could be fun! But then can that device do series/parallel and out-of-phase stitching? J
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Post by JohnH on Feb 26, 2011 16:41:19 GMT -5
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Post by sumgai on Feb 26, 2011 16:46:00 GMT -5
OK, I hadn't realized that quilting is an activity that can involve a finely engineered piece of complicated machinery! So maybe it could be fun! But then can that device do series/parallel and out-of-phase stitching? Yeah, easily. The series and parallel stuff, I do that all the time. Sadly, the QA department (the wife) tends to nix what we'd call 'out of phase'. That's where the stitches get crossed up, and the lower (bobbin) thread appears on the top, exactly where it's not supposed to appear. Even more sadly, that's always a result of user error. But wait, I'm not a user..... I'm an Operator! (Now where'd I put that application for the Power Machine Operator's Union..... ) HTH sumgai
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Post by gumbo on Feb 26, 2011 17:11:49 GMT -5
.....r-i-g-h-t...
...don't worry, we'll still all talk to you...
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Post by ozboomer on Feb 26, 2011 18:11:29 GMT -5
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Post by JohnH on Feb 26, 2011 19:14:28 GMT -5
I like my link better than your link..... So There.....! Prices here are dropping somewhat, and in any case they have to honour web advertised prices if asked to. Two years ago I got $100 off each of our PA speakers from Allans due to them being listed low, as an error (they said) compared to their intended price. J
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Post by sumgai on Feb 26, 2011 21:05:39 GMT -5
$129 (USD) and holding, here in La-La Land. I can't get any quantity discount, nor can I ship them bulk to Sowsdraya, but I'll be happy to put individual ones wherever they are needed..... provided a bit of moolah floats across the pond in my direction, o'course. Last time I sent sumpin to gumbo, I think it cost me all of $6.50 (USD) for about a pound or thereabouts. That may seem like a bit much, but then again, it was First Class, so the delay was no longer than a regular letter. rabidgerry and I exchanged several small items (with one major mishap), each time for the price of a single First Class stamp. It can be done, if one wants it done. sumgai
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Post by 4real on Feb 26, 2011 21:45:32 GMT -5
That's a tempting offer...my money is going in to the virtual world (is there a VST reverb tank, hmmm) but I have had an eye on this box and the reviews by users who are fussy have been very good.
...
As for other matters, well it all sounds very familiar. Life goes through phases I guess and happens to us all, and people have a tendency to move on as well...it is only natural.
Not so natural is when I stopped playing guitar completely for a year with similar feelings...in the third year of a music degree!!!
And things happen from time to time and something's are not always practical or as enjoyable as they once might have been.
My brother has a band "The Hard Covers" (he is a bookseller, lol) and came out of the weekend warriors thing...but he has the luxury of a big rehearsal room above his shop, several PA's and a regular income stream...I don't...and I moved fairly remotely as well, so not good for finding musicians or meeting girls...umm...or getting gigs, or meeting girls as it happens...another of my pastimes.
Plus, i did that kind of thing in my 'glory days' in the early 80's and some of it was tough, broke even I guess and worth doing back then, perhaps not so much these days.
The last year I was jamming with a bass player most weeks and was great, we made some great sounds and was a good thing to do. Recently though, works changed all over the place for him and there just isn't the time. We had considered some gigs or getting other players as well, but realistically, he works nights driving a truck, where is the time to be doing that kind of thing...or the gigs out in the country that would pay for fuel, let alone the time and expense of PA's and such...a lotta work right there.
And live, got to always be on top of ones game, and when the gigs over...well, it's over...good in it's own way...
So, my own ups and downs...build some nice guitars, but is this 'enough'?
Enter the recording studio...a completely different way of working with things...more like sculpturing the sound and all you need to do is get an idea down once and build it into something greater...potentially. Work on ones own, or swap files across the globe...at very least you can get some of these ideas and sounds to a CD or share them over the internet as you choose.
So, a wife that can sing... a couple of choice licks edited in, some midi files edited to suit, some sampled instruments...a memory to keep on CD...not a bad thing to leave the kids or in ones older age. Plus, a different take on making music isn't it.
...
On the surf sound, John Blair and those guys are great. The whammy thing is really kind quite controlled in these kinds of things, it's a semitone slow dip generally, the delays/reverbs clash and chorus nicely. A lot of difficulty with these things i imagine is that some trem systems (like my kahlers) are very wide ranging and loose in feel. I'm enjoying being back to my strat which is set quite tightly to get this kind of sound and feel.
But as with a lot of things, like bending notes, it takes a bit to get the feel and listen for the pitch and effect. Some of the best whammy work really is subtle...the opening of "wicked game" on that open B string "dip" is a classic that everyone loves...just a subtle thing compared to the 'dive bombing' excursions of the 80's school (nothing wrong with that, everything in its place).
It is a great device, you can use it even more subtly than the classic surf 'dip' to produce a manually chorusing effect with a bit of delay or reverb on it...very much that Hank Marvin magic but good for all kinds of stuff yet avoiding the machine like rotary of an actual chorusing effect. You can make your guitar sound huge that way, without being louder, as it produces a kind of ADT that you cant get any other way. But, it takes a bit of practice is all.
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