Members of this forum who are Musicians - at any level

Of course I'm serious, Nungboy. I take my music very seriously. And my eternal quest for tone even more seriously. I play guitar-cord-amp ninety percent of the time and, when I do want an effect, I use the old-school methods like the tape echoes you see in the photographs. I make my own tape loops for them because they aren't available any longer. Keeping these things running is a chore too. You have to be half crazy to do it. :crazy:

I've never played around with the guitars you've mentioned. I tend to play straight up and if a pitch needs shifting I either bend a string or two or I use the wiggle stick (Bigsby). That's what they were made for.

Incidentally, my favorite guitar player is Duke Robillard.

The next amp I build for myself will be the 5C3. Very early Deluxe. Nobody builds them any more. Octal based pre-amp section with grid-leak bias.

 

Yes, I was going to mention the tape echoes...very cool. Ever listen to Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and his off-shoot projects with Brian Eno or his Soundscapes CDs? He uses modern looping devices nowadays but he orginally worked with Brian Eno perfecting the two Revox reel-to-reel tape loop process...some very cool music.
Since I only dabble in guitars I use the Pod brand of digital tone boxes but I do have a Fender Acoustisonic Junior amp. I would LOVE to get lost in the boutique amps but as you point out they are spendy. I love seeing serious TONE SEEKERS like you (and old-school tools/techniques)...you guys make the world of guitar spin!

 

i played tuba and trombone in highschool. i can play a little bit of guitar. i have a washburn v with no amp at the moment.

 

I play the trumpet for the Army. It's a pretty sweet job, I love it, but it takes a lot of time away from riding on weekends. They did give me a bunch of MSF classes for free though!

 

I bought a drum set a few years back. I am i bit better than beginner level. I can play along with several songs. I am lost on any speed metal though.

 

Cool! Thanks for doing your part in the service. And welcome to the Forum (I saw your explanation for your name on the other Thread... neat!)
Ever listen to Mike Metheny? He plays some wonderful trumpet (he is Pat's bro).

 

You bet! I loved that stuff! And, yes, boutique stuff can get out of hand. One of the reasons I learned to build my own. I can achieve the same quality and build for about $1k less than they can. No overhead I guess.

 

Hack Guitar player for the last 25 years........

 

Wow! A tidy savings! DIY is the way to go (if, like you, one has the knowledge).

So many guitars, so little time!

 

I play the trumpet (a Bach Strad) and the euphonium (and old Besson 3-valve and a Yamaha 4-valve). Oh, and I sing in the shower!

 

bass - started when I was 14, 23 now
trombone - started at 11 yrs
baritone/euphonium - started at 13 years
in high school I pretty much played everything...

accordian - started at 16 years



yup, I was a BAND NERD

 

The Kenton Band had a Euphonium section several years back. Odd thing but an Eb tuba bass clef chart is a direct read and fingerings from a Bp trumpet treble cleff chart and vice versa.

One famous Army trumpet player is Don Rader. Played with Woody Herman, Count Basie and anybody that was anybody. Don was Jerry Lewis music director for years. What a PITA that must have been.

Got two cousins who played in the USAF band.

 

That guy was a wackjob. No offense to you Bubba. But GG was a straight wackjob.

 

Ok guys. This is one of the secrets I was going to take to the grave.
YouTube - "GOOD DAY TO DIE"
I was in a metal band, but a few of us in the band are total geeks, and we made this star trek cover band and sold this cd to other trekkies at conventions.
I am not into startrek persay, but I was geeky enuff to research, write and sing the song. I play guitair as well, but the guitair in this song isnt me. I am just on vocals.
I play a BC Rich NJ beast, red. And I use a shure sm58 for live performance and beleive it or not I have a home studio. It is in boxes. Using the garage for bikes now, but maybe will convert the spare bedroom into my home studio again.
Personally I think my music sucks, It is fun making it, but hearing it is like nails in a chalkboard to me sometimes. Maybe you will feel the same. Or maybe I am over critical.but I did sell 4k copies of my solo cd. Cafepress baby.
I did the drum machine, bass, keyboards, guitairs, vocals, well all of it. Dont buy it if you like it, ill send you the mp3's i aint trying to make a buck on here."Comes with the Fall" demo 2005 > chrisdead.com Online Store
EDIT: the music player isnt working, maybe its dead.
Here was the 5 peice band that I wound up quitting because I was a workaholic and the rest were their for the party.
http://www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSkYleyYGs
Yahoo chat is a great place to market yourself
If anyone has home studio questions, dont be shy. PM me.
Anywho, there is my contribution. ROCK ON!

 

Sweet. I like it brotha. Nothing like the blues.

 

Here's a real sad story. The family had a Stradavarious. Handed down through the generations. No one played it for genereations either. In and old case that could have been original too but don't know. Seeing as I was to be the only misical person in the family, it is likely that would have inherited this fine piece of musical art. An aunt was looking after it. Stored it in a damp basement. Then the cousins got at it when they were kids and smashed it. Now I ask. isn't that just a fucking crime. It was sold by my late mother basically as junk even though it was professionaly put back together. It was never really playable again.

 

My great grandfather invented the little rest that goes on your shoulder. He played at carnagy hall. His Stradivarius wound up missing. It was to go to me or my brother. My realtives were not to blame. We were all pretty sure it was a in house care giver that stole it.
And yes, randy that is a crime, sorry bro. I just haven't heard the word Stradivarius in a while, didnt mean to hijack your post.

 

No offense taken; I know Allen was a whack job LOL! I am just a major fan of punk music. It is the music that got into my soul and moved me musically for the first time. I am sure many on this forum and in this thread in particular understand. After all, what made you pick up a instrument? What album or song did you hear that changed you life as the cliché goes?

Musicians and music fans are a funny thing to me. I have a couple friends who are pretty good musicians and we’ve had some great conversations.

The classic question of “Who is the best guitar player/ musician ever”? I normally answer with a question first. I want to know in ‘general’ or who do “I” think is the best.

Simply put the two best guitar players in general are Django Reinhardt and Jeff Beck IMO. Out of any two players I’ve listened to those guys hit notes and chords that make zero sense, but they sound right. It’s an odd thing. Now many of you know what I mean, but what you don’t know about me is I can’t play music. When we are young the talent God gives us starts to come out. I wanted to play music. I wanted to sing. And certain friends it was just ingrained in them. They got really proficient in a quick amount of time. We see this in all amounts of hobbies people have. Dire Straights sings about these people in “Sultans of Swing” or at least that’s the way I hear the lyrics. People who are proficient and play for the love of music. Anyway, I was on the outside and could only watch as my buddies would try and learn the intro to the cream song “Spoonful”. This all leads me to I have very little interest in the ‘talented’ and God gifted. I give them a nod of respect because they deserve it. But the music itself does nothing for my soul…normally. Two branches of music that bore me to fucking tears are the “blues” and “jazz”. The blues irritate me because I am normally a happy person and if the 12th song you sing is about the devil women who fucked you over, well brother the common denominator in your failed relationships is YOU. Please sing about something else. And jazz? For the record I love big band jazz, like Benny Goodman, that stuff is fun to dance to! Get’s you moving. I mean the free form shit, stuff like what Miles Davis played. Now all you jazz freaks are about shitting yourselves, but I ask you to wait just a minute.

I love music and the history of music and as stated above certain music gives us chills and lights up our souls. I understand this fact. And I am fully aware Miles Davis was a genius. I’ve had to defend Mr. Davis when all you jazz freaks didn’t show to the party I was attending a couple years ago. I enjoy learning about things, just for the sake of learning. I watched a documentary on Davis to see what all the hullabaloo was about. Well for those of you who don’t know, the moment were I was leveled by Mr. Davis’s talent was when he was asked to lay down the score to some French film. Davis shows up and just has them play the film on a big screen in front of him and he played right then and their! He laid the track in one take! For all of you who are talent less music wise what I am saying is Davis had to play about three seconds ahead of what he could see and this music matched the emotion of the actors and actresses on screen. It was Davis’s first time seeing that film. After that scene I understood why the jazz freaks worship him. God given talent in its highest form. I had to explain this to other ‘jazz haters’. I know it’s a weird juxtaposition to love music ,but hate it at the same time. I think to ignore God given talent is arrogant. Give the artist the credit they deserve; it just means I am not a fan. Besides, its fun talking to the jazz freaks. They love that shit and I learn more about a style of music I hate. Learning is always fun no matter what!

The music that drives me? Punk. Why? Because the bands are like me. No talent whatsoever, but it didn’t stop them from picking up an instrument and trying and really saying ‘I have two to three chords I know…fuck it lets start a band” Punks realized they’ll never me ‘musicians’ so they just played. And what punk lacks in musical talent they make up for in sheer energy. Funny how punk is limited by its sound at the same time is freeing from the constraints of the musical community. Punk music is the majority, not the God given talented minority. So who’s the best guitarist in my personal book. Johnny Ramone. His whole outlook on playing fits my personality and beliefs in music.

And my one musician friend, Tony, has given a nod to punk. He introduced me to the virtuosos and I introduced him to punk. He hated the Ramones at first until he tried to play along to their first album. Tony called me up laughing “Damn, that Johnny Ramone has some stamina. I figured out the songs really quick but after 15 minutes of fast down stroking my hand was gonna break LOL!” Then I took Tony to see “The Hives”. Tony was very entertained and finally understood why I was a punk fan.

Of course I have the anomaly in my CD/album collection. Tony can’t get over the fact I love the Steely Dan album “Can’t Buy a Thrill”. He’s says they are a musicians band. I tell him it’s just a really fucking good album, that’s why I like it.

Too bad we all don’t live closer. I’d love to hear what drives you musically Nungboy, BB and the others. Why you guys bought the amps and guitars you have too. I used to have a Carvin electric with an Ampeg tube amp, but I gave it to a musician friend LOL! He needed it more than me. But if I could, I’d show up to jam with you guys with a Moserite Ventura II and either a Vox tube amp of a Marshall stack. I’ll warn you now…I suck. But you would not forget the energy.

Peace,

BZ

 

Them whats "don't give a damn bout no trumpet playing band" , and wearing lifts to boot probably don't dig Miles either..

 

Bubba Z hit the nail directly on the head. For me, music is emotion. If it doesn't reach inside of you and grab hold of something, then it's not the music for you. Fortunately there is an almost infinite variety of music in our world, and all of it has a place. There was a time in my life (loooong ago!) when I could sing well, but never pursued it. I hold the utmost respect for people who dedicate their lives to creating music, regardless of the style. How dismal a planet we'd have without them.