West Coast Blues Thread - Version 2.0

[Echo Are]

I, myself, draw the line at Crates. Some of their tube amps have gotten great reviews for tone, but their build quality is not PV level.

Two years ago I was at a house party thrown by a friend of my cousin's. An impromptu jam materialized. I didn't bring a loud enough amp, so I plugged into a little Crate practice amp thing owned by one of my cousin's friend's room mates. I could NOT get any kind of remotely good tone out of the thing. I turned the knobs every which way. Sounded like a clock radio with an 8" speaker:BITCH.

[Schwalbe]

I'm telling you, Freund's Peavey sounds great. I played through it and was ready to go buy one, but first I need to try some solid-state Crates. I mean, if we're going for crap, let's go all the way.
Late '70s/early '80s PV's are pretty damn good amps for SS, and most of 'em are built like tanks.
Crate? EEESSHHH!:crazy

[Echo Are]

Late '70s/early '80s PV's are pretty damn good amps for SS, and most of 'em are built like tanks.
Crate? EEESSHHH!:crazy

Speaking of Crate--indirectly:D--they were a product of Saint Louis Music(STL?), who also built those re-issue Ampeg amps, the ones with the blue-diamond tolex. Any of you guys use, or have used those amps? I wanted to buy one of those at one time. I liked the Jet SJ12T: just 4 tubes(2 12AX7 & 2 EL34s). Sounded good. Seemed to me like a really cool blues/roots machine. I was definitely concerned about build quality though, being an STL product.

[Dave Orban]

When I first got back into playing about 10 years ago, I had no gear at all. So I borrowed an electric guitar from my nephew, and picked-up a little 80-watt Crate solid state 1x12 combo to practice through. The distortion channel sucked, but the clean channel weren't half bad at all. ;)

[valcotone]

Sooooo, anyone heard any good Valco amps lately?

My '65 Supro 15" combo with cathode-biased 6L6s arrived and it's a nice amp. All-12AX7 pre-amp chassis on the top and power amp on the bottom. It was a little weak sounding so I rewired the first channel like a 5E3/5E5 and it smokes... then I disconnected the 2nd channel from the PI (to reduce the loading on the signal) and it's even better...yowza!

Speaker is a Vox-labeled 1967 Jensen C15N. The OT has been swapped out for a Deluxe Reverb OT and I have a Mojo Tweed Pro OT on the way...

Who was it here that had an amp like this? Let's chat offline about it...

Pics:

http://www.kilback.net/pics/65supro-front.jpg

http://www.kilback.net/pics/65supro-face.jpg

http://www.kilback.net/pics/65supro-rear.jpg

[TwoFeets]

Sounded like a clock radio with an 8" speaker:BITCH.

I've played through many Crates and I firmly believe that you, sir, are doing clock radios a great disservice with this post.

On the Peavey front, I sat in with a buddy of mine the other night and used his Delta Blues 1x15. On the normal channel without any extra crap dialed in, the ES350 sounded pretty good.

[fretshop]

Speaking of Crate--indirectly:D--they were a product of Saint Louis Music(STL?), who also built those re-issue Ampeg amps, the ones with the blue-diamond tolex. Any of you guys use, or have used those amps? I wanted to buy one of those at one time. I liked the Jet SJ12T: just 4 tubes(2 12AX7 & 2 EL34s). Sounded good. Seemed to me like a really cool blues/roots machine. I was definitely concerned about build quality though, being an STL product.

I have three Reissue Jets, two JT-12's (Trem, Speed, Volume, Master Tone, Reverb) and One J12-R which is no longer made (Volume, Bass, Treble, Reverb). I had the J12-T's modified for trem foot switches, as they don't have them stock. Awsome little club amps....15 Watts , Class-A. The stock speakers sound great, but they develop a lousy snarl when bending high notes at higher volumes. I'm going to Lou's this weekend to test both the Jensen C-12Q and the Eminence Red Fang in one of the Jets as a replacement. The reverb on these amps is not anything to write home about, but the trem will shake your bowels. I usuall use two in tandem, connected with an early Boss RV-2 (Jap market model with adapter only and no battery). That was a great tip from Pete Kanaras.

[Scott Miller]

Jimmie Rivers, anyone? Western swing meets Charlie Christian on the way to rockabilly?

I never heard of him, but I did a gig at the 23 Club in Brisbane, which was once the Bay Area stop for every country/rockabilly performer; Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis, everyone. So Walter Shufflesworth told me about a CD recorded there in the 60s by Jimmie Rivers, the leader of the club house band, called "Brisbane Bop." Samples at Amazon reveal a considerable amount of GOOD GAWD ALMIGHTY! Some straight-up jazz, some Western swing, and some blues that Charlie Baty must have listened to, and all with a nice twang to it.

As a reviewer says: "...endless bebop runs in the style of Jimmy Bryant, Charlie Christian, etc. impeccably executed to the absolute disinterest of the assembled patrons and the world at large."

[THINSOCKS]

Jimmie Rivers, anyone? Western swing meets Charlie Christian on the way to rockabilly?

I never heard of him, but I did a gig at the 23 Club in Brisbane, which was once the Bay Area stop for every country/rockabilly performer; Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis, everyone. So Walter Shufflesworth told me about a CD recorded there in the 60s by Jimmie Rivers, the leader of the club house band, called "Brisbane Bop." Samples at Amazon reveal a considerable amount of GOOD GAWD ALMIGHTY! Some straight-up jazz, some Western swing, and some blues that Charlie Baty must have listened to, and all with a nice twang to it.

As a reviewer says: "...endless bebop runs in the style of Jimmy Bryant, Charlie Christian, etc. impeccably executed to the absolute disinterest of the assembled patrons and the world at large."

Great stuff. I know Baty is a fan, becuase he told me once about tracking down Vance Terry (the steel player on the record). Good version of "Slow Boat to China" on that cd also. The funny thing is that Jimmie is playing a double neck Gibson EDS-1275. Not really a country or swing guitar by any means.

[KBR]

We just got back to California, It rocks.

Humbuckers are fine for West Coast Swing, anything.
Just work the tone pot, and get good HBers.
Fats, & L Charlie use Humbuckers.

[S.W.Erdnase]

Actually, at one time tweed Fender amps were themselves langushing in pawn shops, consignment shops. This would've been around the mid to late-'60s and very early '70s. If I'd been old enough then, with what I know now, I would've bought a ton of them:o.

Are you trying to make me feel better? It's not working.

Actually, I once played through an SS Vox we hired for a jam and had all the harp guys come up to me afterwards to ask me how I got the great Chicago tone. I felt very confused, lemme tell ya.

[Strat-O]

Shee-it, everybody knows SRV's "secret weapon" in the studio was a Peavey Bandit.

I'm just sayin... :BluesBros

[Scott Miller]

Welcome back, Kenny.

I have to mess around more with my Heritage. It's my easiest guitar to play, but the most lifeless. OK, so not much holds up to the H-44, or the mini-buckers on my Epi, but still... I'll ride the tone knobs for a while and see what happens.

[GOLDENSTRAT]

That Brisbane Bop cd is awesome.
Sean, I am not very happy with my Valco/Vega 1x15 - too clean and tinny right now. I would love to get some details of your mods. Thanks, fred

[btg]

Fretshop - I still have some CD's I need to get to you but a computer crash wiped out all my addresses. Get in touch with me and I will get them in the mail.

[GOLDENSTRAT]

I am knee deep in frustration right now, just put some CTS 250k pots in an old MIM top loader tele that came with mini 500ks, now the cavity isn't big enough to get it back together-grrrrrrrrrrrr. It's either put another hole in the plate and move the tone pot forward or get a mini 250k pot or hog out the body.
Billy Branch is coming to town this weekend for a couple gigs. Little Charlie the same night, 70 miles apart though. fred

[TwoFeets]

Jimmie Rivers, anyone? Western swing meets Charlie Christian on the way to rockabilly?

I never heard of him, but I did a gig at the 23 Club in Brisbane, which was once the Bay Area stop for every country/rockabilly performer; Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis, everyone. So Walter Shufflesworth told me about a CD recorded there in the 60s by Jimmie Rivers, the leader of the club house band, called "Brisbane Bop." Samples at Amazon reveal a considerable amount of GOOD GAWD ALMIGHTY! Some straight-up jazz, some Western swing, and some blues that Charlie Baty must have listened to, and all with a nice twang to it.

As a reviewer says: "...endless bebop runs in the style of Jimmy Bryant, Charlie Christian, etc. impeccably executed to the absolute disinterest of the assembled patrons and the world at large."

Brisbane Bop - outrageous record!

[KBR]

Thanks, Scott

glad to be back in the World.

[jawjatek]

...grrrrrrrrrrrr. It's either put another hole in the plate and move the tone pot forward or get a mini 250k pot or hog out the body...

First rule of gunsmithing (and guitar mods LOL) : always modify the least expensive part. :)

[THINSOCKS]

Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=M_2Uyu2g4Lw

[Strat-O]

:-(

[S.W.Erdnase]

I love the bit where the guy in the jacket and glasses says, "Is your name Sarah Connor?"

Oh, wait. Sorry. Wrong film. What I meant to say was:

My eyes! My eyes! I can't see! My eyes!

[S.W.Erdnase]

This is what happens when people start posting about Peavey amps. What next; Blues Saraceno?

[valcotone]

Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=M_2Uyu2g4Lw



:crazy wow... that's sure a document of it's time. Kinda creepy that Rod was playing Honey's "dad" though... haha... it does look like they were having fun filming that and I wonder if they were playing those songs from File Under Rock live.

And - nice H1310, Mr. Watson!

[GOLDENSTRAT]

Just listening to Robert Ward's tune "Dry Spell" from "Fear No Evil" and after a few minutes it started sounding like a re-tempo'd "Ease Back" from the Meters. Any musicologists out there with some insight?
I put the little tone pot back in the tele for now until I have a more ingenious idea. fred

[groove_king]

Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=M_2Uyu2g4Lw

Oh. My. God. WTF was THAT?

Is it fair to say that the Flyers were trying to jump on the SRV/T-Birds/Cray bandwagon of 80s blues mainstream success ...?

'Cause, man, that was BAD!

Any of you cats that are close to Watson want to ask him about 'that video'? :)

And I have wondered in the past why Honey don't sing ... I now consider the question answered! :eek:

[rjkohrs]

The magnetic power of youtube is great, it pulls all kinda stuff out of the shadows. A Mighty Flyers music video....... who'da thunk...?

[S.W.Erdnase]

Oh. My. God. WTF was THAT?

Is it fair to say that the Flyers were trying to jump on the SRV/T-Birds/Cray bandwagon of 80s blues mainstream success ...?

'Cause, man, that was BAD!

Any of you cats that are close to Watson want to ask him about 'that video'? :)

And I have wondered in the past why Honey don't sing ... I now consider the question answered! :eek:

Sorry to butt in here with an OT post.

Dave: your email at home ain't working. Drop me a line.

[Poppa Stoppa]

Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=M_2Uyu2g4Lw
Wow - they were definitely trying to find a wider audience in the 'File Under Rock' days. Can't blame 'em for trying. I thought there were some cool songs on that album. Take Out Some Insurance for one. Junior used some distinctive chord ideas on that album I always meant to check out and never did.

[Strat-O]

Can't blame 'em for trying.

I can. This is why I refuse to buy older Piazza albums. :Spank

[Strat-O]

Is it fair to say that the Flyers were trying to jump on the SRV/T-Birds/Cray bandwagon of 80s blues mainstream success ...?

Nah, they didn't even get that far. This is more like the John Travolta/Olivia Newton John bandwagon. Subtitle: Grease II

[sideman]

"Wow" is right! Well, if Peavey exemplifies '70s aesthetics, MTV and Miami Vice clothing does it for the '80s. I remember being disappointed when the TBirds got into that Tough Enuff stage and Preston Hubbard started dressing like David Bowie. I guess the Flyers were not immune to that lure either. Who'da thought? Maybe that's why you gotta die young to stay pure.

[TwoFeets]

I guess it all depends on where you were in relation to the 80's. In the 80's the only thing I knew about the T-Birds was the radio-friendly pop stuff. While that video is a sign of the times for that era, I think the Flyers came out of it OK. The extras in the video - not so much.

I love the classic, trademark 80's dance moves in the audience. The side-to-side head bob, the painfully arrhythmic arm movements... Zoinks. It's like watching a John Hughes film with a Rod Piazza soundtrack.

[Dave Orban]

I guess it all depends on where you were in relation to the 80's. In the 80's the only thing I knew about the T-Birds was the radio-friendly pop stuff. While that video is a sign of the times for that era, I think the Flyers came out of it OK. The extras in the video - not so much.

I love the classic, trademark 80's dance moves in the audience. The side-to-side head bob, the painfully arrhythmic arm movements... Zoinks. It's like watching a John Hughes film with a Rod Piazza soundtrack.I thought it was pretty funny.

And I see why she's called "Honey"... ;)

[monstermike]

And she sings like Toni Basil, apparently.

Plus, Rod "rapping." Only in the Eighties.

[mikelaw]

www.harmonyguitars.com (http://www.harmonyguitars.com) 'authentic' reissues!?!? well see about that.

check it out

[Poppa Stoppa]

I can. This is why I refuse to buy older Piazza albums. :SpankWell I really liked the Bacon Fat album. That version of 'Boom Boom Out Goes The Lights' I still love. It was on a Blue Horizon vinyl sampler I had, then I got the LP itself in about 1970-72. The guitars are a bit 60's but still pretty deep blues. That record stands up well I reckon.

Tough Dude wasn't so good to my ears but that was down to how it was produced - close miked tones. I still play it sometimes though.

Radioactive Material was excellent. All those ace Little Walter songs. I read about it in Guitar Player or somewhere and somehow found it (on Right Hemisphere Records) - way before the internet - and made a cassette of it and used to play it in my car all the time. Funny that rawk guitar on 'Help Me' (IIRC) that they turned down in the mix but couldn't get rid of because of the bleed. At the time there was NOBODY else I knew listening to/playing that kind of style and I wanted to so badly. That was my introduction to Mr Watson and I thought he had some cool ideas going.

I read about 'File Under Rock' in Guitar Player again - it was on Takoma and rare as could be. Still I found it and dug a lot of the tunes. Round about that time I saw that line-up with Watson in a little pub in London. Next time they came they played the same pub with Alex Schultz on a black Dano U2. I remember Rod introducing Alex with something like 'the BEST guitarist on the west coast today' - which I knew was a definite snub to Junior!

I continued to buy the albums but they kinda became less of a holy grail experience for me round about 'From The Start to The Finnish'.

[Strat-O]

Anybody have any hot tips on locating obscure publishing companies? I've got a couple of songs I'm trying to get mechanical rights to and just can't locate the publishing companies.

How have you guys done this?

[Echo Are]

And she sings like Toni Basil, apparently.

Plus, Rod "rapping." Only in the Eighties.

And, also, those extremely clinical, techy 1980's production values.

Junior Watson looked really different 23 years ago. I couldn't believe it was the same guy at first.

[Scott Miller]

"Anybody have any hot tips on locating obscure publishing companies?"

Probably nothing you haven't tried. Search the US copyright office, Google anything you can think of, search Harry Fox, BMI, and ASCAP. If you can't find anything, you can submit a compulsory license form which basically says "Look, I tried, ok? Now I'm recording the damn thing." At least that's how I understand it.

I'm going to have to wait until I get home to watch that... thing.

[aja]

wow !! That Rod Piazza vid is hilarious !! Clearly a crossover attempt. They all look so young.

[musicofanatic5]

Dunno if y'all have discussed this previously, but I just watched the latest issue of the American Folk Blues Fest videos, and after SonnyBoy (well, and Wolf), my favorite is Sister Rosetta (oh, and Muddy and Lightnin, of course)! Lord have mercy! Made me run and grab my SG (no, not a white, pre-'64 Custom), tune to D, and start stealin', er, I mean studyin' her stuff. That little chromatic lick from A down to F#; too cool. Never played much in open tunings, but this is fun. I think she did something like this: plunk a "standard tuning" D-chord position (cowboy-chord) down on the three high strings, and choke up that third string a half a step (or not quite!): a stunningly nasty 7/9 kinda thing. I love the chords you can "make up" (well, you're making 'em up if you've never played 'em before!). Yow! Awright, I'm gettin' off this kompyooter and back to some D!

[Goldie295]

Thanks for posting the Rod Piazza vid.

What's with the 80s hand across the face thing (1.19-1.21) ?? :NUTS

Cheers,
Phil

[bluesjuke]

www.harmonyguitars.com (http://www.harmonyguitars.com) 'authentic' reissues!?!? well see about that.

check it out


I sent them an Email asking when they would be available.
Maybe by the Dallas Show time of year (April) I can see one in person.
I'll post their response.

[safecracker]

I also sent Harmony a e-mail about the Harmony reissues. Asked if they were built to old specs and what will prices be. I'll also post they're response if I get one.

[RickyKing]

'ope they get here soon,there whant be a safe hershey bar stratotoone around....:eek::messedup

[aja]

Which new American Blues Festival Dvd's are you talking about musicofanic5 ? I guess they have new ones out ?

I doubt those harmonies are gonna be as good as the original. Most reissues aren't.

[straightblues]

Wow - they were definitely trying to find a wider audience in the 'File Under Rock' days. Can't blame 'em for trying. I thought there were some cool songs on that album. Take Out Some Insurance for one. Junior used some distinctive chord ideas on that album I always meant to check out and never did.

That was a great album. Yes they were trying to cross over to a mass audience. It was about the time that the Fabulous Thunderbirds hit. My non blues loving friends really liked that album at the time. That particular video looks a little cheesy looking back. But that is the way I remember Junior, not the bald big bearded version of today.

[jawjatek]

Hey WC blues: I need a guitar for - you guessed it - WC style and jump blues. I really want an old 50's ES-175D with P90s, but haven't found a good deal on one.

I was considering one of these Heritage H525PTs:
http://www.gbase.com/files/store_images/769/1574753/Photo2_1c0fb.jpg
I found one at a local store but the neck was too thin and narrow for me so I passed. I must say it was a fine guitar otherwise, thin body and light, nice workmanship, great tone from the Lollars. So I'm still looking for one with a bigger neck. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

[TwoFeets]

Hey WC blues: I need a guitar for - you guessed it - WC style and jump blues. I really want an old 50's ES-175D with P90s, but haven't found a good deal on one.

I was considering one of these Heritage H525PTs:
http://www.gbase.com/files/store_images/769/1574753/Photo2_1c0fb.jpg
I found one at a local store but the neck was too thin and narrow for me so I passed. I must say it was a fine guitar otherwise, thin body and light, nice workmanship, great tone from the Lollars. So I'm still looking for one with a bigger neck. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

What do you consider a good deal?

Are you set on fully hollow and not semi-hollow?

This Heritage looks pretty thin. An Epi Sorrento or ES125TDC would be comparable, no?

For a cheaper alternative to a 50's ES175, you can find a 60's ES125DC. Basically a no-frills ES175 - a full-depth 125 with a cutaway and 2xP90's. The prices are creeping up on them but they run about half of a 50's 175D.

The necks vary from 60's slim to fatter, though.

[Strat-O]

The best deal going on a killer semi-hollow body Gibson is the ES-135. Get a used one with P90's or get one with P100's and put P90's in it.

[TwoFeets]

The best deal going on a killer semi-hollow body Gibson is the ES-135. Get a used one with P90's or get one with P100's and put P90's in it.

Yeah that's what I was getting at in asking about semi-hollow vs. fully hollow.

Hey, I talked to Mark McCoy - he said you guys had played together last week. Small world!

[Poppa Stoppa]

The best deal going on a killer semi-hollow body Gibson is the ES-135. Get a used one with P90's or get one with P100's and put P90's in it.They are getting quite pricey round these parts.

[jawjatek]

Yeah, I'm looking at the 135s as well but not too many used ones are being churned. There are only 2 on fleabay right now. This Heritage has a block in it BTW, so I guess it its a semi. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Strat-O]

2Fts - Mark's a good guy. Good bass player too. He fills in from time to time with us. I was surprised when he said he had just talked to you about the blues challenge thing in Orlando. Small world.


Not finding the ES135's floating around on eBay or whatever is a good sign though. Probably worth waiting for one. The natural and sunburst finishes look good on them. Even if you had to pay $1200 for a used one, you'd still be getting a pretty good bargain on a Gibson semi hollow body.

[THINSOCKS]

I have a mid 60's ES-125 that may interest you. It has the slim 60's neck profile, but it's very wide and comfortable. Use to belong to Rick Holmstrom. The P-90's are very lively and aggressive. The guitar just had a pro refret and the vol/tone controls changed out. It's 100% gig ready.

[safecracker]

I also sent Harmony a e-mail about the Harmony reissues. Asked if they were built to old specs and what will prices be. I'll also post they're response if I get one.
I got a reply today from Chris@Harmony that stated the reissues are better quality,but have the same sound. ??? No price was mentioned in reply.

[straightblues]

I have a Hamer Newport that I use. It has a bigsby, spruce top and Duncan phat cat humbucker P-90's. It is not quite as traditional as the others mentions but man is it a great instrument. Keb Mo plays one. They go for about $1,000 used. They also have a new regular P90 version if you like to buy new, but new they are fairly expensive.

http://www.hamerguitars.com/?fa=detail&mid=384&sid=179

[HappyValley]

I got a reply today from Chris@Harmony that stated the reissues are better quality,but have the same sound. ??? No price was mentioned in reply.

IMHO,old Harmony's, particularly the H-44 stratotone, appeal and sound are a result of their relative 'low quality', compared to today's "industry standards". Light,cheap wood,thin finish, randomly wound pickups, mix-n-match components,one piece neck/body etc. all contributed to that GREAT sound out we want to get out of these little monsters... I hope the folks behind the reissues spent a little $$ on R&D to cop a feel of exactly WHO wants these guitars and WHY. Better quality may mean skinny neck,heavier wood, too much poly, hi-fi sounding pups, etc.

Mind you, I'm not buying one, purely out of principle,regardless.

ALERT:New Blues movie coming out to theaters: "the Honeydripper" starring Danny Glover and a young guitarist named Gary Clark Jr. Go to IMDB.com for trailer & info. Gary Clark has some cool youtube stuff too....do a search on 'Honeydripper' & check out the live clip where he sounds like B.B. meets Johnny Gtr. Watson,...on a one PU ES-125, non cutaway.

[musicofanatic5]

Which new American Blues Festival Dvd's are you talking about musicofanic5 ? I guess they have new ones out ?

I doubt those harmonies are gonna be as good as the original. Most reissues aren't.
Well, they don't seem to want to call it Vol. Four, but they've already put out three, so...they call it "The British Tours '63 to '66", featuring all the aforementioned plus Big Joe (and his 9 string gtr), Sugar Pie, Lonnie Johnson, the other Big Joe ("Oh Well, Oh Well"), and Jr. Wells, doing his "James Brown" (sort of) bit. Backing by Dixon, Sunnyland, Li'l Bro Mo, Spann, Gtr Murphy, Hubert, Otis Rush, Jack Myers, Clifton James, Below, and more. Some concert setting, and some in a more "theatrical" setting, like the previous ones. Sister Rosetta's got me goin' with this D thang!

[musicofanatic5]

Regarding the announcement of the "new" Harmony gtrs...I ain't saying nuthin'!

[S.W.Erdnase]

ALERT:New Blues movie coming out to theaters: "the Honeydripper" starring Danny Glover and a young guitarist named Gary Clark Jr. Go to IMDB.com for trailer & info. Gary Clark has some cool youtube stuff too....do a search on 'Honeydripper' & check out the live clip where he sounds like B.B. meets Johnny Gtr. Watson,...on a one PU ES-125, non cutaway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVHr6RalZwc&mode=related&search=

Cool guitar. We don' need no steenkin' cutaway...

[bluesjuke]

I heard from Chris at Harmony today too.
All he said was that they would be at NAMM and the website would be ready by then.

[bluesjuke]

Backalley-
"IMHO,old Harmony's, particularly the H-44 stratotone, appeal and sound are a result of their relative 'low quality', compared to today's "industry standards". Light,cheap wood,thin finish, randomly wound pickups, mix-n-match components,one piece neck/body etc. all contributed to that GREAT sound out we want to get out of these little monsters... I hope the folks behind the reissues spent a little $$ on R&D to cop a feel of exactly WHO wants these guitars and WHY. Better quality may mean skinny neck,heavier wood, too much poly, hi-fi sounding pups, etc.

Mind you, I'm not buying one, purely out of principle,regardless."

I totally agree with your points and concerns.
If they happen to do a good job of it though I probably will pick one up.
We'll have to wait and see.



musicofanatic5-
"Regarding the announcement of the "new" Harmony gtrs...I ain't saying nuthin'!"

Until when?

[THINSOCKS]

IMHO,old Harmony's, particularly the H-44 stratotone, appeal and sound are a result of their relative 'low quality', compared to today's "industry standards". Light,cheap wood,thin finish, randomly wound pickups, mix-n-match components,one piece neck/body etc. all contributed to that GREAT sound out we want to get out of these little monsters... I hope the folks behind the reissues spent a little $$ on R&D to cop a feel of exactly WHO wants these guitars and WHY. Better quality may mean skinny neck,heavier wood, too much poly, hi-fi sounding pups, etc.

Mind you, I'm not buying one, purely out of principle,regardless.

ALERT:New Blues movie coming out to theaters: "the Honeydripper" starring Danny Glover and a young guitarist named Gary Clark Jr. Go to IMDB.com for trailer & info. Gary Clark has some cool youtube stuff too....do a search on 'Honeydripper' & check out the live clip where he sounds like B.B. meets Johnny Gtr. Watson,...on a one PU ES-125, non cutaway.

I want to say all the harmonica you will hear in the movie is James Harman and the piano will be Carl Sonny Leland.

[bluesjuke]

Thanks for the info and the link to the Honeydripper AllStar's video and the movie.
Man that's some fantastic stuff there.
Gary will be in my radar from now on.
I've heard him referenced to before but this is the first time that I got to hear him and am glad I was able to.

[Goldie295]

Does anyone have a link they could please post to the best guides for blues gigs in the Chicago and San Francisco areas? I am visiting these cities on my honeymoon in late Dec / Early Jan and want to take in a few gigs while I'm away.

(I'm sure Becky won't mind... :Spank )

Cheers,
Phil

[Dave Orban]

I want to say all the harmonica you will hear in the movie is James Harman and the piano will be Carl Sonny Leland.Is this for real..?!?

[TwoFeets]

I am almost constantly tempted by these damn H44's, whether it be the one RickyKing sold recently, random ones on Ebay, the Airline reissues, and now these new Harmony branded "reissues." What's funny is I realized a while back, after having played a few, that I just can't play the farking things...and yet I still find myself tempted by them. I think it's sheerly aesthetic and tonal considerations.

It's kind of like Gretsches. I like Gretsches; to me, they look cool and they sound great... when someone else is playing them. I can't do anything with 'em.

[dukeh62]

I am almost constantly tempted by these damn H44's, whether it be the one RickyKing sold recently, random ones on Ebay, the Airline reissues, and now these new Harmony branded "reissues." What's funny is I realized a while back, after having played a few, that I just can't play the farking things...and yet I still find myself tempted by them. I think it's sheerly aesthetic and tonal considerations.

It's kind of like Gretsches. I like Gretsches; to me, they look cool and they sound great... when someone else is playing them. I can't do anything with 'em.


DosFeets: I went through the same thing. I remember when I first bought mine, I kept saying to myself, "Self, why are you buying this thing? You'll never want to play it." Then, once I spent a few hours with it, I totally LOVED it! Of course, finding mine for $150 made it a little less painful to pull the experimental trigger. And now that I finally got around to having it refretted, it's one bad mamma-jamma.

[RickyKing]

The best deal going on a killer semi-hollow body Gibson is the ES-135. Get a used one with P90's or get one with P100's and put P90's in it.

Get one w/P-100's have someone disconnect the hum cancelling coil and you have a 14k p-90! Wooohooo!:eek:

[TwoFeets]

DosFeets: I went through the same thing. I remember when I first bought mine, I kept saying to myself, "Self, why are you buying this thing? You'll never want to play it." Then, once I spent a few hours with it, I totally LOVED it! Of course, finding mine for $150 made it a little less painful to pull the experimental trigger. And now that I finally got around to having it refretted, it's one bad mamma-jamma.

You're not friggin' helping!

:D

[RickyKing]

Regarding the announcement of the "new" Harmony gtrs...I ain't saying nuthin'!

Amen!:rolleyes:

[Dave Orban]

Get one w/P-100's have someone disconnect the hum cancelling coil and you have a 14k p-90! Wooohooo!:eek:Never thought about it that way. LOL!

[hasserl]

Get one w/P-100's have someone disconnect the hum cancelling coil and you have a 14k p-90! Wooohooo!:eek:

Yep, that's what I've got. It's a simple mod to do and they sound pretty good; very hot! The bridge pup on mine is a little microphonic though when you've got the volume turned up on an amp with some decent gain. It takes a bit of volume control work to keep it under control. The neck pup works great though.

[fretshop]

Yep, that's what I've got. It's a simple mod to do and they sound pretty good; very hot! The bridge pup on mine is a little microphonic though when you've got the volume turned up on an amp with some decent gain. It takes a bit of volume control work to keep it under control. The neck pup works great though.

If you want to smooth things out in a hot, microphonic pickup....try experimenting with a bunch of low value resistors in parallel with the pickup and the switch (ie) let's start with a 68K and then maybe 100 or 150K resistor to tame the pup just a tad....then just for grins you might want to play around with adding a .001mf, .002mf or higher value cap in parallel, along with the resistor. If things get dull when rolling off the volume pot, either increase the value of the pot, or try adding a 330pf treble bleed cap. You may, or may not like it. P-100's are a lot of fun to work with. Just watch the heat on the soldring pencil, and use rosin core 60/40 or even better...63/37 Kester solder.

[fretshop]

I want to say all the harmonica you will hear in the movie is James Harman and the piano will be Carl Sonny Leland.

I worked with Sonny. He and John Cleary are two of my all time piano faves

[fretshop]

Re: the P-100

There are two models, Neck and Bridge. The neck pup will measure out to around 12k with the mod. Not quite as hot as the Bridge pup.

[jetlag]

Does anyone have a link they could please post to the best guides for blues gigs in the Chicago and San Francisco areas? I am visiting these cities on my honeymoon in late Dec / Early Jan and want to take in a few gigs while I'm away.

(I'm sure Becky won't mind... :Spank )

Cheers,
Phil

There will be more info when you get closer to the dates you're interested in: http://holiday.chicagoreader.com/music/blues-gospel/

My favs are Smokedaddy and Nicks (when Spector or someone else cool is there). Smokedaddy is real nice when someone like Billy Flynn is there, steve cushing, Scott Dirks, etc. Cleanhead could give you more specfics. Rosa's can be cool too - take a cab. I saw Pinetop and Big Eyes there - at midnight Detroit Junior filled in because Pinetop had just learned his Dad was a preacher and he didn't want to "play the devil's music on Sunday." You might search around and see if Jimmy Sutton and Joel Patterson are playing when you are in town. That would be a can't miss for sure.

[musicofanatic5]

musicofanatic5-
"Regarding the announcement of the "new" Harmony gtrs...I ain't saying nuthin'!"

Until when?

Until I get one of their new H-44's in my hands and find that it actually isn't some two-bit, half-baked, tarted-up, not-even-close-to-the-original, "new and improved" fraud. This occurence is likely to be immediately preceded by the opening of "Beelzebub's Holiday on Ice". Oh, sh*t, I wasn't gonna say nuthin'! You baited me!!

[Stringmaster]

I wouldn't be surprised if those new Harmony branded Stratotones come of off the same assembly line as the current Eastwoods.

[valcotone]

I wouldn't be surprised if those new Harmony branded Stratotones come of off the same assembly line as the current Eastwoods.


The Eastwood H44 is made in Korea, and the "Harmony H44" will apparently be made in Taiwan.

[Goldie295]

There will be more info when you get closer to the dates you're interested in: http://holiday.chicagoreader.com/music/blues-gospel/

My favs are Smokedaddy and Nicks (when Spector or someone else cool is there). Smokedaddy is real nice when someone like Billy Flynn is there, steve cushing, Scott Dirks, etc. Cleanhead could give you more specfics. Rosa's can be cool too - take a cab. I saw Pinetop and Big Eyes there - at midnight Detroit Junior filled in because Pinetop had just learned his Dad was a preacher and he didn't want to "play the devil's music on Sunday." You might search around and see if Jimmy Sutton and Joel Patterson are playing when you are in town. That would be a can't miss for sure.

Thanks Jetlag. Much appreciated. :BEER
Cheers,
Phil

[Strat-O]

Optimism my friends, must remain optomistic.

:)

[musicofanatic5]

The Eastwood H44 is made in Korea, and the "Harmony H44" will apparently be made in Taiwan.

Oooooh, there's a big..........damn! NOT SAYIN' NUTHIN'!!!!

I DO hafta say, though, had my ugly-ass old H-44 (with second p.u. added) out at a gig last week, (to which, in previous weeks I had brought my ES-5, other nice A.T.s, '64 SG special, nice Tele, etc.) and truly thought that in terms of variety of sounds, quality of tone, comfort and overall enjoyment of playing, if I had to whittle it all down to one gtr, I could be happy with just this one. Rilly.

[Poppa Stoppa]

...If things get dull when rolling off the volume pot, either increase the value of the pot, or try adding a 330pf treble bleed cap. You may, or may not like it...Fretshop - does this work with Harmonys like my H62 and Meteor that lose all treble when the vol pot is rolled off? thanks
Geoff

[Poppa Stoppa]

Optimism my friends, must remain optomistic.

:)"I have a new positive mental attitude...

...which is no doubt doomed to failure."

[musicofanatic5]

"I have a new positive mental attitude...

...which is no doubt doomed to failure."
I'd like to be able to maintain optomism on the topic, but I can't help but feel that it would be like being optomistic that mcdonalds will market tasty and nutritious food (or "food" at all)?

[TwoFeets]

Well, other than the current Airline thing, they did try to do an accurate H44 reissue a few years ago that appeared to have the Hershey Bar pickup and all that. Mike Welch had one; he said it wasn't anything like the real deal.

I saw him playing it at the Sea Note (where was that, Nantasket?) about 5 years ago. I thought it sounded amazing, but then again, Mike was playing it!

[Dave Orban]

Just some gig spam. If you're in the Princeton, NJ-area tonight (Friday, Oct 5), stop on by to Sotto 128 (128 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ) and catch my band.

Food's pretty decent there, even if the drinks are overpriced. But, hey, it's PRINCETON, fer cryin' out loud...! LOL!

Details here:

http://www.mojogypsies.com/gypsies/news/

[Scott Miller]

"...best guides for blues gigs in the Chicago and San Francisco areas?"

You have to subscribe to this Yahoo group to see the calendar, but he does a great job:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Jacksblues/

If you choose to get messages, be aware that you will also get random posts about Bay Area happenings, gossip, chit-chat, BS, and all that other good stuff.

Venues to look up, ranging from SF to Santa Cruz:

Biscuits and Blues (SF)
Yoshi's (Oakland)
Poor House Bistro (San Jose)
JJ's (San Jose)
Mojo Lounge (Fremont)
Pearl's (SF)
Eli's (Oakland)
Little Fox (Redwood City)
Saloon (SF)
Cafe Van Kleef (Oakland)
Lou's (SF)
Moe's Alley (Santa Cruz)
Bobby G's (Berkeley)
Pleasanton Hotel (Pleasanton)
Seahorse (Pacifica)
Half Moon Bay Brewery (Pacifica)
Torch Club (Sacramento)

My personal favorite is the Poor House Bistro (five minutes from home, great food, early hours... a geezer's delight). I also go to JJ's a lot.

In addition to the usual suspects; Nemeth, Freund, Andy Santana, Gary Smith, Hummel, there are some guys you might not know, but who are always good: Birdlegg, Sid Morris, and Jon Lawton (Little Jonny and the Giants). I'm going to get in trouble now for all the names I don't mention. Oh well. But hey, it's good to check out some local talent who you wouldn't see otherwise.

Self-promotion alert: If you like a blues variety show (blues, jump blues, gospel, R&B, rockabilly, etc.) check out Amy Lou's Blues, for whom I play guitar.

[jimfog]

Hey,

I picked up a Ghetto Stomp, and while it's ok, I'm surprised so many of ya'll dig it SO much. I find it kind of scoops the mids, which makes a bit pedal-y and fake sounding.

Much better luck with the Barber Small Fry, Hellbilly and even a Bad Monkey, for low-gain tweedifying porpoises.

Look for a Ghetto Stomp for sale soon......lol.

Ah well.....different strokes for varying blokes.

- jim

[dddelta]

Hey guys not been here for a while. Check out my birthday surprise from my wife...

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/kevyp/VegasNYC07294.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/kevyp/VegasNYC07282.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/kevyp/VegasNYC07287.jpg

CS relic 51 Nocaster outfit with all the gubbins that goes with it! Light as a feather and sounds and plays just great!

The rest of my gear...

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/kevyp/VegasNYC07271.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/kevyp/VegasNYC07275.jpg

[RickyKing]

I love Guitars.......

[S.W.Erdnase]

I have a NOS CS Nocaster. It weighs 6.6 pounds and has terrific, loud acoustic tone and twang for days. I had the wiring fixed up, as the Nocaster wiring was not so useful...

GREAT guitar.

[valcotone]

Nice Tele and pics dddelta!!


Here's a clip from one of our gigs in a small restaurant a couple of months ago...

'56 H44 Stratotone > '64 Fender Verb > '56 Tremolux (thanks Jon)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WMpBmAIlqY

[S.W.Erdnase]

Cool. Nice woody tone.

(Meant as a compliment).

[bluesjuke]

[quote=dddelta;3055345]Hey guys not been here for a while. Check out my birthday surprise from my wife...
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r223/kevyp/VegasNYC07287.jpg

CS relic 51 Nocaster outfit with all the gubbins that goes with it! Light as a feather and sounds and plays just great!


Your post illustrates two things;

1- Your wife loves you very much.

2- I love your Nocaster very much.

I'm sure you're protective of both.

[mikelaw]

i love your wife.

ps-jim, im unsure what you were expecting from the ghetto stomp and even though im inexperienced with pedals i really feel its the closest to 40s-50s amp in a box. ill buy yours for $50 LOL

ducoff tried mine the other night and heard it turn my brown concert into a tiny valco/silvertone/PA head from the 50s. it literally transforms amps. eric was playing a masco head and i swear my concert sounded like his pa head with the pedal! and it cleans up with your volume knob like a real amp. i dont know, different strokes for different folks. i wont be using mine with my silvertone amps, but at least now i can use my concert for guitar and not blow people out of the room.

[KBR]

does anyone have an under 7lb squier 51 for sale?
thanks, need a beater.

[bluesjuke]

Hey dddelta, Your Nocaster photos , if I'm seeing correctly, looks like medium jumbo frets with a 9.5" radius.
Is this the case?
What particular variation is it (besides a Relic).
I know some come like this ordered by dealers such as Wildwood (Wildwood 10's), Dave's and others.

My '56 Strat Relic is like this and I'm looking to get the same in a Nocaster.

[hasserl]

Hey guys not been here for a while. Check out my birthday surprise from my wife...

You've got a GREAT wife!! Very nice.

I have a NOS CS Nocaster. It weighs 6.6 pounds and has terrific, loud acoustic tone and twang for days. I had the wiring fixed up, as the Nocaster wiring was not so useful...

GREAT guitar.

.... I've got a Squire Tele.....






But I had Don Mare wind up a set of pickups for it and it plays and sounds freakin great, unfreakinbelievable!

(I've also got a '59 Tele closet queen)

does anyone have an under 7lb squier 51 for sale?
thanks, need a beater.

That's what I'm talkin about! I love that cheap little Squire, I have to giggle each time I play it thinking about how little I've got tied up in it. :BEER :cool:

[T. Caster]

And now for something completely different...

I've noticed that there is a tendency for these extremely long threads to disappear into the nether world without a trace. Would there be any interest in starting version 3.0 before that happens, so that what we have now can be preserved, maybe kept at the top of the page as a sticky so it doesn't get lost? There is so much great info here, it would be a shame to lose it again. Just a thought.

Dan

[bluesjuke]

Is the thread backed up in the database in such a way as to retrieve it?.
This thread is a valuable resource indeed!

[T. Caster]

Is the thread backed up in the database in such a way as to retrieve it?.
This thread is a valuable resource indeed!

Not to my knowledge. Several other long threads have disappeared, most recently the "alt country pedalboard" thread. There was a subsequent thread about it's disappearance, and apparently some of the really large threads develop enough cumulative bad boogie (tecnical term for corrupted data) that they are automatically deleted by the system, never to be recovered. That's apparently what happened to the WCB version 1.0 thread.

Dan

[analogwarmth]

Oh, I know you know, just being a smarta**. Seriously, this Gibson amp is the best sounding amp I have ever had. Has anyone compared one to a tweed tremolux (my coveted best ever amp i never heard)? Has anyone heard of Sugar Ray's Flying Fortress? Swing stuff with "Bim Bam Baby" and "Frim Fram Sauce" . I was perusing half.com for Ace stuff and noticed it.
I recommend Dallas' Johnny Reno's " Singing and Swinging" as a great cd - I bought it (unheard) for "Harlem Nocturne" but the rest of it is fantastic too. Bobby Darin stuff to lounge jazz but some serious swinging stuff. fred



are you talking 60's trem or 50's trem. are they not totally differnt?

[bluesjuke]

analogwarmth-
"HEADED TO ARLINGTON OCTOBER 20-21. "

Me too, anyone else?

[JiMB]

What's the name of the German guitar player similar to Jimmie Vaughan that someone posted earlier in this thread? there was a great youtube of him doing some slow blues. Sorry but I can't find the post, this thread's huge.
Thanks

[rhartt1234]

Kai Strauss

[JiMB]

That's it! Thanks!

[TwoFeets]

On the one hand it would be a shame to lose all the data we've accumulated, but seeing where this is technically version 3.0 (version 1.0 was actually over at the FDP for more than 3,000 posts), I think we'd survive just fine if this thread went away.

[Goldie295]

Just before the thread falls over...

...thought I'd post a couple of pics from a recent gig in Wimbledon, London.

A chap by the name of Bob Brunning came along to watch. He was the first bass player with Fleetwood Mac. He also came up to jam with us in the second set and helped to create one of those great nights that come along every so often.

http://www.bluesfactory.co.uk/userimages/bandwithgrawimb.JPG

http://www.bluesfactory.co.uk/userimages/PhilRonChrisandBob.jpg

http://www.bluesfactory.co.uk/userimages/BandandBob.jpg

You can read about Bob HERE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Brunning). Okay so he wasn't with the band for long, but what a three weeks it must have been... ;)

Cheers,
Phil

[RickyKing]

Wow,...I read BB's book on UK Blues,great read....
He's been around!

[Dave Orban]

BTW, anybody got a tortoise Tele guard they're looking to get rid of...?

[Scott Miller]

Fleetwood Brun. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

[Poppa Stoppa]

Fleetwood Brun. Doesn't have the same ring to it....or the same low-down shufflin' supercharged blues drive. Say what you like about the Mac, that was a damn fine rhythm section.

[mikelaw]

nice shots phil, is that where they play tennis? wimbledon? awesome.

i get your screenname now. goldie295! ha ps-nice white shoes too.

[Scott Miller]

"...that was a damn fine rhythm section."

Tell me about it. I saw them doing third-billing at the Fillmore behind Ten Years After and Paul Butterfield. Mostly I remember Jeremy Spencer telling obscene jokes between songs. They were a bunch of crazy dudes. Literally.

[Poppa Stoppa]

They were a bunch of crazy dudes. Literally.Danny Kerwan suffered the same condition as Peter Green. In that era they would each be given a bottle of vodka as they came off stage...to 'slake their thirst'! That woulda had something to do with it.

[Schwalbe]

A while back I started a Blues forum to replace the MNBlues forum that was no longer available. At the same time someone else started a local Blues forum and our area Yahoo group began to pick up the slack.
So I've got this Blues forum on EZ Boards that doesn't get much traffic.
I set up a West Coast Blues archive area and copied the first page of this thread there.
Anybody that feels like setting up an EZ Boards account is welcome to copy more of this thread to that forum.
We can preserve some of this thread in the event of a crash.

The forum is here;
http://p068.ezboard.com/fmillcityblueshangout47759frm11

[Scott Miller]

Or we could just sum up the whole thread right now:

Charlie Christian is God, and if things sound too "rock," try some #40 formvar alnico cloth-wrapped vintage capacitor low-resistance high-gain mini-hi-fi quad-baked stagger-aligned yellow celluloid-and-tar hand-rubbed cross-grain Japanese pre-Roosevelt ceramo-links across the fifth output shuffle transducer and the pre-gain no-ground treble grid stack chassis wedge.

[Strat-O]

So this is it huh? The end...is near. Well in that case, I just want to say...I LOVE YOU GUYS!

I'll see you on the OTHER SIDE!!!!!!!

By-Bye...

:crazyguy

:rotflmao

:Spank

:dude

[dukeh62]

Or we could just sum up the whole thread right now:

Charlie Christian is God, and if things sound too "rock," try some #40 formvar alnico cloth-wrapped vintage capacitor low-resistance high-gain mini-hi-fi quad-baked stagger-aligned yellow celluloid-and-tar hand-rubbed cross-grain Japanese pre-Roosevelt ceramo-links across the fifth output shuffle transducer and the pre-gain no-ground treble grid stack chassis wedge.

Holy crap, that might be the funniest thing I've ever read.

[GOLDENSTRAT]

Analogwarmth, I was refering to the tweed tremolux.
Downeasters, any news on the Ronnie Earl dvd? fred

[bluesjuke]

Or we could just sum up the whole thread right now:

Charlie Christian is God, and if things sound too "rock," try some #40 formvar alnico cloth-wrapped vintage capacitor low-resistance high-gain mini-hi-fi quad-baked stagger-aligned yellow celluloid-and-tar hand-rubbed cross-grain Japanese pre-Roosevelt ceramo-links across the fifth output shuffle transducer and the pre-gain no-ground treble grid stack chassis wedge.



Got a link?

Ebay?

[Poppa Stoppa]

Some choice Lynwood Slim & Alex Schultz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ph_lZQ-spQ
'Tried To Call You' is a class song, we play it in my band.

[TwoFeets]

Some choice Lynwood Slim & Alex Schultz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ph_lZQ-spQ
'Tried To Call You' is a class song, we play it in my band.

LOL I was just about to post that link, ya bahstid.

[Dave Orban]

while I worked for Dan Armstrong's shop in NYC, we supplied the amps and did the guitar set up for John Mayall's band during the week or so that the Blues Breakers appeared at the Village Vanguard. I had free access to the club, and had a girl friend who worked there, so I tried like the Dickens to hang out at the afternoon rehearsals hoping to speak with Peter Green. I had my '54 Gold Top with me, which I was going to ask Peter to play for a couple numbers. I was surprized when a seemingly anorexic, lanky youngster strode up to the band stand and plugged a spectacular '58 sunburst into our 3 X 10 Bandmaster. "Who's this guy", I asked..."a roadie"? Damn...this kid could play !!!! The band warmed up with "Pretty Woman" (not roy Orbison's version) and I was immediately blown away. The band members asked me if I was a drinker, and I said no. "You can stay then" was the reply. Apparently, Mayall had recently tightened things up to the hilt, and NO ONE was allowed to touch alcohol during the day and throughout the evening, until after the shows. Although the band members were unusually tight-lipped, I got all the gossip from my girl friend who advised me that recently, a "certain" guitarist had become "ill" (let's leave it at that) and during their last, very short foray in the states, he was quite a drinker/dabbler. The story I got was that the new "kid", Michael, "Mick" Taylor had been devotedly following the Blues Breakers throughout England, and finally persuaded Mayall to let him sit in.Great story...! Taylor's work on Mayall's "Blues from Laurel Canyon" is still some of my all-time favorite guitar playing!

[zappafrank]

George---that is a great story---AND you told it well!---man---i thought I was getting 'long in the tooth'!!! Ha!

I will be slightly interested in seeing/playing some of those Harmony H62/Espanada 'remakes'----we shall look upon them with a jaundiced eye---

Now to watch that Lynwood/Schults vid---thanks guys!

ac

[zappafrank]

So fret---when's that 'tell-all' book of yours coming out?---I'm first in line and wanna signed copy...I love reading this stuff!

Great Alex/Slim vid!---man, I bought my 65' ES330 because of hearing Alex w/ the Flyers YEARS ago---and talking with him about those amazing T-Bone tones he was getting---that's when he told me about that push/pull mod, and of course I've done that ever since---I know, now it's not 100% original, but that extra tone is worth it---is it my imagination or is there a minor chordal flub by Alex at just about 9:28 in that vid, right at the end of "Tried to Call You"??---does'nt matter---that solo on "The Prez" was just about as sweet and perfect as I could want---

Crap---I need some gigs---money, sure, but really just to play---I'm getting rusty and crusty!---if I don't get out and play more soon, I'm gonna have to go into psychotherapy or take Xanax or sumthin'!!---the occasional jamming just ain't cuttin' it...

ac

[KBR]

AC,

Xanax is good, Playing better, but Z works fine 8^)
Portland doesn't have many Gigs, Back in The SF Bay Area to stay.

[Scott Miller]

"I don't want to offend any thread members who may be annoyed by too much "tech talk"."

That wouldn't be me. I like reading that stuff. I don't understand a word of it, but it's kind of like Beat poetry or something. I mean, "foil and oil" is like a metaphor for the human condition.

[Dave Orban]

So, I've now got this Andersen Electric Archie. LOVE this guitar, the Antiquity humbuckers aren't bad at all, but I'm missing that clarity and articulateness that I get with the P90s.

I was thinking about maybe dropping-in a set of Pete Biltoft's humbucker-sized P90s...

Any other thoughts on what I should try...?

[TwoFeets]

So, I've now got this Andersen Electric Archie. LOVE this guitar, the Antiquity humbuckers aren't bad at all, but I'm missing that clarity and articulateness that I get with the P90s.

I was thinking about maybe dropping-in a set of Pete Biltoft's humbucker-sized P90s...

Any other thoughts on what I should try...?

IMO you have a ES330 and a '53 175 for that bag; why not get to like this guitar for what it is?

I've fallen into that trap before, quite a bit actually. I have a Telesquire right now and while playing it I'm thinking, boy I miss that P90 thing. I miss that midrange and honk and extra beef. Then I remind myself that I have the goldtop and the 350 for that, this isn't one of those. Otherwise I might as well just sell it and get another P90 guitar.

[Dave Orban]

IMO you have a ES330 and a '53 175 for that bag; why not get to like this guitar for what it is?

I've fallen into that trap before, quite a bit actually. I have a Telesquire right now and while playing it I'm thinking, boy I miss that P90 thing. I miss that midrange and honk and extra beef. Then I remind myself that I have the goldtop and the 350 for that, this isn't one of those. Otherwise I might as well just sell it and get another P90 guitar.
I know, I know... LOL!

And FWIW, it sure was nice having "no hum" during the second set, this past weekend. ;)

[jetlag]

Dave, you could play around with magnets in your antiquities to see if that gives you more snap. It's pretty easy to do and they are fairly cheap. I think the antiquities are degaussed A2, which is probably a pretty soft attack. Regarding single coils - I bet Pete's pickups are great. Yet another option, I just saw these by Dave Stephens (demo'd nicely by AC's buddy Vyasa Dodsun) :

http://www.youtube.com/sdpickups (the pig ninety pups)


If that doesn't work, you can always check your "#40 formvar alnico cloth-wrapped vintage capacitor low-resistance high-gain mini-hi-fi quad-baked stagger-aligned yellow celluloid-and-tar hand-rubbed cross-grain Japanese pre-Roosevelt ceramo-links across the fifth output shuffle transducer and the pre-gain no-ground treble grid stack chassis wedge." :D

[Strat-O]

I mean, "foil and oil" is like a metaphor for the human condition.


:dude

[Poppa Stoppa]

LOL I was just about to post that link, ya bahstid.Heh heh, it feels good to have snuck in there first then! And this in the week when England beat the Aussies and France beat the All Blacks in the rugby world cup! Life is sweet!

I agree with ya about Dave O's humbuckers though. Autopilot Slim, who posts here, was telling me his favourite rig these days is a master-built SG into a Mk 1 Boogie. :eek: And he is one of the most authentic-sounding bluesmen I know.

Fretshop - what's this about offending with tech talk? You been drinking too? I'll email you about P13s.

Mr Porter - can you explain about the push/pull T-Bone mod for a 330 please? I think I need it...

[Dave Orban]

...Mr Porter - can you explain about the push/pull T-Bone mod for a 330 please? I think I need it... Yeah, please do!

[TwoFeets]

Yeah, please do!

http://www.fenderforum.com/userphotos/index.html?recid=6058

[monstermike]

Alex Schultz just sat in for about half of my gig in Stuttgart last week.

He's better than you think he is. It doesn't matter how good you think he is, either; he's still better than that. We played everything from Otis Rush to Gatemouth to Eddie Taylor to my originals, and his playing was always musical, sophisticated, edgy, soulful, and brilliant. Plus, he's yet another candidate for "sweetest guy in the world."

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Michael Hill sat in for a few tunes on the next night in Kaiserslautern, and pretty much everything I said about Alex also applies, which is remarkable, given that Michael's approach is SO left field in comparison. Michael impressed me in that he was able to communicate so much blues emotion with a completely different vocabulary. What an amazing storyteller on his instrument. And another candidate for "sweetest guy in the world."

[Dave Orban]

Alex Schultz just sat in for about half of my gig in Stuttgart last week.

He's better than you think he is.How is that possible...?!?

But I hear ya!

[jumpnblues]

"[Quote:
Originally Posted by monstermike http://www.thegearpage.net/board/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?p=3070131#post3070131)
Alex Schultz just sat in for about half of my gig in Stuttgart last week.

He's better than you think he is.

How is that possible...?!?

But I hear ya!]"



Amen brutha'!! I thinks he's about as good as you can get. You mean to tell me he's even gooder?!!!!

Tom

[musicofanatic5]

Got to meet Alex at a fest this summer in Switzerland. He was playing with BB and the Blues Shacks, a German band. Later, we played together at an after-fest thing and had a ball. Few people who play that well are that much fun to play with.

[bluesjuke]

"I don't want to offend any thread members who may be annoyed by too much "tech talk"."

That wouldn't be me. I like reading that stuff. I don't understand a word of it, but it's kind of like Beat poetry or something. I mean, "foil and oil" is like a metaphor for the human condition.


Now we need a 'snapping fingers' emoticon, dig it Baby!

[sethr]

And another candidate for "sweetest guy in the world."

Hey Mike, maybe you bring that out in people. I'll have to come to one of your Johnny D's jams. See if you can turn an asshole like me into a decent guy.

[sethr]

Yet another option, I just saw these by Dave Stephens

Dave makes great pickups. I have an Artcore with one of his Little Charlie Blades and a Kay Bar P-90. It makes me sound as good as I can sound.

[zappafrank]

http://www.fenderforum.com/userphotos/index.html?recid=6058


TwoFeets---thanks for posting that---THAT is how you wire your 2 x P90 guitars to get that out-of-phase thing going---diagram thanks to my amp tech, Jef Brown at Leighton Audio---do it---it's WAY worth it!

ac

[Autopilot Slim]

I agree with ya about Dave O's humbuckers though. Autopilot Slim, who posts here, was telling me his favourite rig these days is a master-built SG into a Mk 1 Boogie. :eek: And he is one of the most authentic-sounding bluesmen I know.

I always wanted a Les Paul, but I like the weight of the SG, and its got great tone as well.:dude

[Autopilot Slim]

Any other thoughts on what I should try...?

Harmonic Design make the Z90 that fits into a h/bucker routing.
http://www.harmonicdesign.net/allpages/gibsons.html
I have a set in an Epi Sheraton and I think they deliver the goods. IMHO

[Dave Orban]

I always wanted a Les Paul, but I like the weight of the SG, and its got great tone as well.:dudeJust curious... how are you running the Boogie, Dan...?

[Autopilot Slim]

I tend to like a cleaner tone than most so I run it at 100W through the #2 input and I don't use the tweed setting as I find it a little too spongy. I know 100W sounds like alot but it gives me the clean headroom and the band is playing a little louder these days.

As far as the settings go.....Master vol and vol on 3
bass and mid on 2-3
treble on 7-8
I've got Svetlana 6L6's and JJ 12ax7's and a 12at7 for rev drive in it.

[Dave Orban]

I tend to like a cleaner tone than most so I run it at 100W through the #2 input and I don't use the tweed setting as I find it a little too spongy. I know 100W sounds like alot but it gives me the clean headroom and the band is playing a little louder these days.

As far as the settings go.....Master vol and vol on 3
bass and mid on 2-3
treble on 7-8
I've got Svetlana 6L6's and JJ 12ax7's and a 12at7 for rev drive in it.Cool, thanks Dan!

[rjkohrs]

Kinda cool to see mention of a Boogie on this thread. Seeing Kim Wilson and Jimmy Don Smith (anyone remember The Cold Cuts...?) using them, inspired me to search out a used one in the early 80's. I still fire it up from time to time........

[Poppa Stoppa]

Kinda cool to see mention of a Boogie on this thread. Seeing Kim Wilson and Jimmy Don Smith (anyone remember The Cold Cuts...?) using them, inspired me to search out a used one in the early 80's. I still fire it up from time to time........Haha 'MEAT the cold cuts' - I still got it! Complete with fly pictured on the cold cuts.

[Autopilot Slim]

I agree with ya about Dave O's humbuckers though. Autopilot Slim, who posts here, was telling me his favourite rig these days is a master-built SG into a Mk 1 Boogie. :eek: And he is one of the most authentic-sounding bluesmen I know....

Thanks for the kind words Geoff. I'll get you that 20 quid the next time
I'm in town.
BTW your CD sounds great. Some awesome guitar tone and Tim"s harp is fat.
What was your set up in the studio?

[Autopilot Slim]

Dunno if this was already posted, but here goes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3zApJck_10&mode=related&search=

Where would we be without Jimmy?
And those young fellas from New England.

Think I'll pour myself another glass of wine and listen to that again. hic

I think this is some kind of record for me....5 posts in a 24 hour period. Woohoo!

[Goldie295]

I have just played this guitar at a local store in London and wow - what a sound. All for less than 400 quid...

See Here (http://www.crafterguitars.com/gallery_acoustic/sat_mgd.php)

The P90 sounds like the ultimate jazz pup and blended with the acoustic pickups gives so many great sounds at a great price. Sounded fantastic through the shops Blues Deluxe...

I am gobsmacked !

Surely I must have made a mistake...??!??

Has anyone else tried one?

http://www.crafterguitars.com/gallery_acoustic/gallery_images/sat_m_gd_large.jpg

Cheers,
Phil

[TwoFeets]

Those are a new one on me, Goldie.

[Poppa Stoppa]

BTW your CD sounds great. Some awesome guitar tone and Tim"s harp is fat.
What was your set up in the studio?Thanks Dan. I was really pleased how it turned out given that it was my first extended recording experience. We were between drummers and lucky that the studio owner is a shufflin' blues king and he played on 11 tracks. I used a Zephyr Blues Deluxe, a Harmony Meteor, that ex-Watson H1310/H62 and an ES330. Amps were a '60 tweed deluxe with a Holy Grail or a Custom Vibrolux Reverb with a Blues Driver.

Anybody else interested there are some samples here:
http://www.gentlemantim.com/music.asp
Let me know if ya like it!

Gotta go, Blues Bar tonight and 9am meeting tomorrow. Argh.

[valcotone]

Poppa - I really enjoy your CD... I thought your playing and tones were mighty fine!

[Autopilot Slim]

OK boys and girls, mark your calendars.
Jimmy Reed Blues Highway
Oct 27
PBS, Austin City Limits.

http://www.livingblues.com/showNews.php?ID=56

[KBR]

Here's a little tune made up on the spot.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=56JuT8w-FEs

and a Shuffle, too.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DS6SVcJ65PY&mode=related&search=

[bluesjuke]

Thanks Dan, I'll be looking foward to the show!

Phil this is an interesting guitar!

[T. Caster]

Thanks Dan. I was really pleased how it turned out given that it was my first extended recording experience. We were between drummers and lucky that the studio owner is a shufflin' blues king and he played on 11 tracks. I used a Zephyr Blues Deluxe, a Harmony Meteor, that ex-Watson H1310/H62 and an ES330. Amps were a '60 tweed deluxe with a Holy Grail or a Custom Vibrolux Reverb with a Blues Driver.

Anybody else interested there are some samples here:
http://www.gentlemantim.com/music.asp
Let me know if ya like it!

Gotta go, Blues Bar tonight and 9am meeting tomorrow. Argh.

Liked your tunes!

Dan

[analogwarmth]

http://www.bluesfactory.co.uk/userimages/bandwithgrawimb.JPG

ok hand over the es-295 and nobody gets hurt!

can't wait to own a real 53-54 model, oh so nice.

[analogwarmth]

Analogwarmth, I was refering to the tweed tremolux.
Downeasters, any news on the Ronnie Earl dvd? fred

ah nice. you mean this one?....

http://www.freeinfosociety.com/electronics/schemview.php?id=798

['56 Merc]

Poppa Stoppa- I really liked the samples on your web site. I'll be getting the CD soon.

It will be interesting to me which tracks you play through the CVR on. I also have a blonde one that I love.

[Goldie295]

ok hand over the es-295 and nobody gets hurt!

can't wait to own a real 53-54 model, oh so nice.

:p

Thanks for the comment AW. Yes it is rather nice - just love the bridge...so comfortable.

Good news is I reckon these guitars are going to be more affordable pretty soon. Vintage guitar prices are a bit like classic car prices, and they tumbled during the last recession.

My tip is to start saving a bit here and there and then in 12-24 months when the current economics start to bite 'player' guitars (refinished, battered, non-'museum quality') should become a bit more affordable.

I don't mind if mine comes down in value if it means I can pick up an original ES5 !

Cheers,
Phil

[opdev]

Speaking of affordable..... (or not)

Is $1100 a fair price for a Silvertone S-1385 (3.5" thick version). I understand this is a Harmony H-62 with a Silvertone logo?

I am trying to decide on it.

[Dave Orban]

Speaking of affordable..... (or not)

Is $1100 a fair price for a Silvertone S-1385 (3.5" thick version). I understand this is a Harmony H-62 with a Silvertone logo?

I am trying to decide on it.



Depending on condition/originality, it sounds very reasonable, IMO...

[fretshop]

Depending on condition/originality, it sounds very reasonable, IMO....

I do major restorations on at least six H/S series archtops per year. Here are some inspection tips, or topics you might want to discuss with the seller :

The S-1385 with 3.5" deep body would be the H-63 body the neck configuration.

1) How is the top? They were susceptible to top caving in/warping because they were made without bracing, so make sure that if you are able to check out the instrument, inspect the top thoroughly. the biggest tell tale signs : the bridge has been cut down to reduce high action, and there is a warp, or sinking of the top. (Do not even think about buying any archtop with a sunken top...no matter how great the deal is).

2) Is the neck tight against the body ? The harmony & Silvetone necks had a tendency to pull up from the body due to a very shallow dovetail. The neck should be completely tight against the body. Neck sets run about $500

3) Is the electrical harness original ? There are some unscrupulous folks out there that gut the original harnesses because the pots and capacitors are very sought after by vintage Gibson owners. Gibson collectors will pay big bucks for tiger stripe Centralab controls and either Black Beauty or Bumble Bee caps which were used in the Harmony Silvertone line as well as mid and late 50's Les Pauls, 335's etc.

Caveat Emptor !!

[hasserl]

Thanks Dan. I was really pleased how it turned out given that it was my first extended recording experience. We were between drummers and lucky that the studio owner is a shufflin' blues king and he played on 11 tracks. I used a Zephyr Blues Deluxe, a Harmony Meteor, that ex-Watson H1310/H62 and an ES330. Amps were a '60 tweed deluxe with a Holy Grail or a Custom Vibrolux Reverb with a Blues Driver.

Anybody else interested there are some samples here:
http://www.gentlemantim.com/music.asp
Let me know if ya like it!

Gotta go, Blues Bar tonight and 9am meeting tomorrow. Argh.

Great playing and tone there Poppa! Good stuff. Do you have any US distribution?

[hasserl]

Here's a little tune made up on the spot.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=56JuT8w-FEs

and a Shuffle, too.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DS6SVcJ65PY&mode=related&search=

Man, great vid's Kenny. You make it look so easy. That's some awesome playing, man.

[Poppa Stoppa]

Great playing and tone there Poppa! Good stuff. Do you have any US distribution?We're going to get some copies to CD Baby for US distribution in the next couple of weeks so I'll post a link to that when it happens.

Thank you folks for the nice comments - believe me, I can hear all the areas for improvement only too clearly! One thing the recording taught me is how damn good the pros are so hats off to KBR, Monstermike and the other full-timers hereabouts. Was cool to get a play on Jeff Scott's Blues Disease radio show 6,000 miles from home.

[opdev]

Thanks for the help on the Silvertone. It ended up selling so I have no need to worry ;).

I am glad I did not get it since it was sight unseen from another forum.

[KBR]

On behalf of Monster Mike and me, we thank ya.

(ps it is kinda easy)
Thanks, to cats Like Jimmie Vaughan & Anson
And Bb, Albert & Freddie...Albert Collins, too....Good Teachers!

[Short Bus]

After lurking and being out of commission I'm back and wanted to chime in on a few things.

First off, I haven't been on since May and this thread has gone from 300 or so pages to 462!!! You guys have been busy!

JimFog first mentioned it and others have chimed in about archiving this thread for safekeeping. After donating to this thread <insert publis service announcement> we all should do that from time to time <end psa> I emailed Brian Scherzer about this to see if there is any easy method on the moderators standpoint. My day job has been involved with computers in some capacity for 13 years or so now. I'm fairly handy when it comes to computers. So, I understand whats going on on the moderators' end to an extent. I asked him if there's an easier way to get a plain text version of this with the links to youtube, etc. included. I'll let you know what his answer is.

[Short Bus]

I recently started woodshedding again after a hiatus. And after cathing up on this thread and seeing a couple of documentarys on Sidney Bechet and John Coltrane I've got a clear focused path of study.

Lets see if I can summarize it now. If this helps others on the board even better. If I've bored or annoyed you, apologies.

First we need a basis for the phrasing and feel of the blues solo. For that we start with T-Bone and follow that with others to our own liking.

Once we get comfortable with, not necessarily a master of that, as mastery comes with a lifetime of dedication and work. we can begin learning to solo around chords as Junior was quoted as suggesting. For that there are probably several books.methods available. One that is suggested a lot is Mickey Baker's book(s). Whatever method works for you.

Sidney Bechet was a contemporary of Satchmo and regarded as the best sax player and improv man of his time. What I got from him and then also Satchmo was that they were improvising on simpler melodies than what came later in jazz and bop. Maybe not so much simpler melodies, but their approach was much simpler. They weren't overextended or harmoincally complex breaks. They got in, said something, and got out. Then we can move on to Christian, etc.

This is the path I'm heading towards. Some on the board are much farther down the path than I. I understand the direction, but I'm still young in my pursuit of this.

Back to the shed.

<insert psa again> if you haven't made a donation and can toss a few beans their way, I know the TGP moderators would appreciate it. <end psa>

[TwoFeets]

Welcome back Short Bus!

Good point there, on the donation thing. This is a really, really big thread taking up a whole lot of space and we don't want to wear out our welcome. As soon as I get some funds available I'll toss some their way.

In other news - I had a gremlin somewhere in my Tungsten Pro... probably tube-related, but Adam Palow at Tungsten took it to take a look at it. He provided me a loaner amp to gig with while he works on it. It's his "25 watt Cortez" model which is basically a Deluxe on steroids.

I gigged it last night. All I can say is, holy crap! He uses a Pro OT in it with 6L6's, a copper cap rectifier and a Weber ceramic Blue Dog speaker.
Very responsive controls, sounded great with the reverb tank and both the 350 and the goldtop, and it held its own in the band setting with no problem.

[bluesjuke]

Sounds like a good plan to me Short Bus.

[Strat-O]

He provided me a loaner amp to gig with while he works on it. It's his "25 watt Cortez" model which is basically a Deluxe on steroids.

I gigged it last night. All I can say is, holy crap! He uses a Pro OT in it with 6L6's, a copper cap rectifier and a Weber ceramic Blue Dog speaker.
Very responsive controls, sounded great with the reverb tank and both the 350 and the goldtop, and it held its own in the band setting with no problem.

Did you like it better than your Pro?


Short Bus -- Love the way your band sounds! :AOK

[Short Bus]

I emailed Brian Scherzer this morning about getting a version of this thread for safekeeping. The short answer is that its not possible to get the information extracted in usable form. For those who are interested in the technical aspects, PM me and I'll send you his answers.

To quote Brian "Greg.................First of all, thank you for the donation to TGP! I am always grateful when folks donate, but am more grateful for your participation in our online community. Having been primarily a blues bassist during my playing years, it's nice to know that there are folks still dedicated to keeping the genre going.

I almost never go to the Sound Hound Lounge topic area, and when I do, it's because someone reported a post. I did go there this morning out of curiousity after getting your email and was floored that the blues thread had gotten so large."

He went on to eplain that the vBulletin software has an option to automatically prune (or delete) threads for various reasons. This automatic pruning is what killed the previous version. When that happened he made changes to prevent the loss. After reviewing the thread this morning, he made further changes to the pruning process to prevent the loss of this thread.

Here's the important part for us to remember! IF the thread is lost again, we need to contact him immediately and he can restore the thread from the beginning to the previous day. We'll lose a few posts, but the bulk of it will be restored.

Brian, if you're reading this post, thank you for your efforts!! I know I speak for all of us on the thread when I say this is an amazing source of information and community for all of us!

[Short Bus]

Did you like it better than your Pro?


Short Bus -- Love the way your band sounds! :AOK

Thanks! We're needing a blues bassist at the moment as our current player wants to play lead bass IN A SLOW BLUES.

Our harp player/singer, Pete Burnett is one he** of a harp player as well as a great showman.

Like Pete says, we may not be the best, but stand back and watch us try!

[valcotone]

Thanks Brian!

[T. Caster]

He went on to eplain that the vBulletin software has an option to automatically prune (or delete) threads for various reasons. This automatic pruning is what killed the previous version. When that happened he made changes to prevent the loss. After reviewing the thread this morning, he made further changes to the pruning process to prevent the loss of this thread.

Here's the important part for us to remember! IF the thread is lost again, we need to contact him immediately and he can restore the thread from the beginning to the previous day. We'll lose a few posts, but the bulk of it will be restored.

Brian, if you're reading this post, thank you for your efforts!! I know I speak for all of us on the thread when I say this is an amazing source of information and community for all of us!

Thanks to both you and Brian!

Dan

[Brian Scherzer]

Thanks! We're needing a blues bassist at the moment as our current player wants to play lead bass IN A SLOW BLUES.

Our harp player/singer, Pete Burnett is one he** of a harp player as well as a great showman.

Like Pete says, we may not be the best, but stand back and watch us try!

If you move to the Denver area, I'd be glad to be your bassist! If I were still living in New Orleans, I'd even have driven over if you're mid-Florida or the panhandle. I do miss playing, although I have to admit that I had enough of touring in the old days (early '70s). I was lucky enough to grow up in a city where blues was plentiful and popular (New Orleans).

My only real claim to blues "fame" was getting a chance to hang around with Johnny Winter as a young guy and then being lucky enough to get a chance to play for him on some weekends when he would get passes from a drug rehab hospital in New Orleans. I would visit him during the week and learn from him....which led to me playing "less" bass. Count me as a Tommy Shannon fan, although it bothered me that the band kind of abandoned him during a rough stretch of time. Pure and simple, I was a kid and really appreciated Johnny's willingness to take the time to teach me his sense of what playing blues bass should be like.

For a kick, one of the first websites I ever ran was called The Blues Forum. I recently received an email somehow about it and found out that the main pages are still sitting there, although the discussion site had been taken down years ago. Here's the link: http://members.tripod.com/bluesforum/ It was a kick seeing some of the old stuff still being on the web! Back then, I couldn't drum up enough interest in a blues forum to keep it going. I guess that this thread will have to serve as the successor.

[Dave Orban]

For all you Little Charlie fans, they'll be at the Turning Point Cafe in Piermont, NY (near Nyack) on Tuesday, Oct 16. One show, 8pm, tix are $25.00

Great little venue, the PERFECT place to see these guys...!

http://www.turningpointcafe.com/

Hope to see some of you boys there!

[Mojo-man]

Oh yeah, I'd thought I'd chime in on the Lester Butler/Red Devils clips posted in the other thread ...

Wow.

Simply stunning. As S.W. will attest, it took me a while to 'get' the King King album. I always felt like I needed a shower after listening to it - but when I did get it - wow.

The band is simply awesome. It's hard to believe that Paul Size is only 21-22 years old. He sounds so mature with a raw simplicity that takes one a lifetime to learn. And Lester Butler is so damn good - frighteningly powerful yet simple harp that effortlessly sits in the pocket and rocks.

It's so good that these clips exist. If you haven't yet checked 'em out, do so.
:Devil
Red Devils, King King is the s**t.
I'm a friend of Paul Size.
He lives on Martha's Vineyard .
Plays with Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish
And has his own band the Houserockers.
He is playing better than ever.

He also is on the last Sugar Ray and the Bluetones CD.

And Lester Butler, was one of a kind. R I P

[bluesjuke]

For a kick, one of the first websites I ever ran was called The Blues Forum. I recently received an email somehow about it and found out that the main pages are still sitting there, although the discussion site had been taken down years ago. Here's the link: http://members.tripod.com/bluesforum/ It was a kick seeing some of the old stuff still being on the web! Back then, I couldn't drum up enough interest in a blues forum to keep it going. I guess that this thread will have to serve as the successor.



Brian, I look to this thread as more of a book than a thread.

[mikelaw]

For all you Little Charlie fans, they'll be at the Turning Point Cafe in Piermont, NY (near Nyack) on Tuesday, Oct 16. One show, 8pm, tix are $25.00

Great little venue, the PERFECT place to see these guys...!

http://www.turningpointcafe.com/

Hope to see some of you boys there!

dave, are you touring with them?

[Dave Orban]

dave, are you touring with them?I wish...! LOL!

I'm perfectly qualified to carry his gear. ;)

[dukeh62]

Anybody get a chance to try out the Holy Grail Plus yet? I think they just started shipping.

[TwoFeets]

Did you like it better than your Pro?



It's kind of like a mini-Pro, it does Pro-like things at lower volumes and doesn't mush out like a 5E3 with 6V6's in it. The bottom retains its definition longer; the speaker and x-former help out too. It can be used in small rooms where the Pro might be too big.

[analogwarmth]

Then we can move on to Christian, etc.This is the path I'm heading towards. Back to the shed.
[/I]
no joke. died at what 24?, not to mention he was a black man playing lead jazz guitar in a time when guitar was not thought of as a lead instrument in a white mans world. A True Guitar Hero!

Anybody get a chance to try out the Holy Grail Plus yet? I think they just started shipping.

hopfully will try it out saturday in arlington

[Goldie295]

Had a play with the Airline H44 at the weekend. Did a whole load of stuff I've never dared to try before (tweaked the trussrod, removed the pups, tightened the bridge and machineheads etc).

Net result is:

1. Put on .12s and have got the action fairly low and consistent (no bend choking or buzzing). Feels great. The guitar is much better to play with the .12s.

2. Lowered the pups as far as they will go (before they fall into the body - which mine did while I was experimenting, but easy to fix) which leave them basically flush with the pickguard. This takes the 'heat' out of them and seems to make them more consistent with the originals output. To my ear anyway.

3. Have turned the bridge pup around (really easy to do with this guitar) and now get what I think is an out-of-phase middle sound which works really well and has that nice t-bone / fats sound (similar to Feets 'Juice Head Baby' YouTube vid - sorry Feets for keep going on about that one!).

I discovered the guitar sounds more like an original if I pick between fret 14 and the bridge end of the neck (!). Seems to get that metallic old harmony sound. It is quite hard to get a consistent sound (volume wise) with the high e string this way (because of its smaller mass and the fact you can't get 'underneath' it), so I may put a .13 on their to see if it improves things.

Cheers,
Phil

[fretshop]

For all you Little Charlie fans, they'll be at the Turning Point Cafe in Piermont, NY (near Nyack) on Tuesday, Oct 16. One show, 8pm, tix are $25.00

Great little venue, the PERFECT place to see these guys...!

http://www.turningpointcafe.com/

Hope to see some of you boys there!


Dave, If you're planning on dinner...try the steak house in the mall across the street. Beats the H** out of the club food.

Are you going to the Duke Show at Havana on 10/28 ? There's one show at 7:30PM. We'll be at the Marsha Brown Restaurant a 4:00PM if you care to join us. Lou is going to the Teaneck show on 10/27 (Mexicali Blues) but I have to work that evening.

[Dave Orban]

Dave, If you're planning on dinner...try the steak house in the mall across the street. Beats the H** out of the club food.

Are you going to the Duke Show at Havana on 10/28 ? There's one show at 7:30PM. We'll be at the Marsha Brown Restaurant a 4:00PM if you care to join us. Lou is going to the Teaneck show on 10/27 (Mexicali Blues) but I have to work that evening.Thanks for the tip, George...

Gonna try and get to the Havana show. Saw him there the last time he came through. Nice venue to see someone like Duke, IMO...!

[Jon Silberman]

I'm as far from the West Coast as can, nevertheless it's just not right to have never once posted in - or even viewed- this gargantuan and admirable thread! :BEER

[RickyKing]

I'm glad the show is at 7:30PM...it's over 60 miles each way, and I have to be at work at 6:45AM the next day. BTW: The Marsha Brown restaurant got a 3 + star Zaggat rating for both their Creole and steak house menus.

I'm taking bets on how many guitars Duke will show up with, and if he still has any of the six instruments he brought to the Turning Point three months ago.

Maybe Mr. Ross will be with him again. Had a great time chatting with him in New York. Superb musician...Jon.

+1 that J.G.

[fretshop]

+1 that J.G.


I do session and commercial work, and am very fortunate to still get called for dates with several Blues and R&B old-timers, and I maintain a very healthy respect...better yet "reverence" for great players...people who can keep me on my toes, and bring something special to the over all performance, AND to each individual arrangement. During the infrequent times when my schedule will actually allow the time to go out, sit down and enjoy a show...especially one of Duke's gigs, where I anticipate that folks like John Ross, Mark Texiera, Marty Ballou, Doug James, Bruce Bears, Sax Gordon...(and the list goes on and on) may be on the band stand....it humbles me to no end. I don't believe that there has been a time when I have gone home after one of those evenings that I didn't attain a new perspective....and believe me, I ain't easy to impress.

[valcotone]

Today's new favourite song and performance:

Howling Wolf with Willie Johnson and band
I Want Your Picture
...from the early 50's Memphis recordings on Howling Wolf Sings The Blues... thanks to Jetlag for the tip

YEAH!!! Wolf's vocals on this one are just primal, and Willie's doing his best twisted delta swing playing... for some reason, this track just stands out for me but the whole disc is wonderful.

[THINSOCKS]

Today's new favourite song and performance:

Howling Wolf with Willie Johnson and band
I Want