Category: Guitar

Thoughts on a Tuesday

I spent my whole afternoon so far looking through a customer’s database for an example of a piece of data that I am now pretty convinced does not exist. Le Sigh, as the French (don’t) say.

The Bruins moved into third place in the division with a win over New Jersey last night. The win also clinched a playoff spot. There will be a post season for the Bruins in this Covid Season #2. There are still a few more games to play but if it ended today they’d be matched with Pittsburgh in the first round. Le Yikes, as the French (don’t) say.

I tore the cellar storage apart twice and that little purple knock off uni-vibe pedal is still MIA. Before the great cellar disaster clean up (I’ll give the details someday, but the wound is too fresh for now) it was in a cardboard box on top of the table next to the bulkhead door under one of the last remaining functional fluorescent lights. All of that stuff was packed up and moved into the storage area just to the left of the washer/dryer. Everything else is there, but the little purple knock off uni-vibe pedal with Jimi Hendrix painted on it is not there. (It’s a Moen Shaky Jimi, if you’re curious). I did have a thought as to one place it could be… it could be over Mike the Bass players house. I have an amp (my beloved Fender Deluxe Reverb) and a small board there that have been off limits to me since Covid. I know my Wampler Tumnus is on that board as well as an MXR Phase 95 and a Seymour Duncan Vapor Trail. I have no memory of putting the Shaky Jimi on that board, but there is a chance that it’s there. Waiting for me. Taunting me. Le Lame, as the French (don’t) say.

I’m going to see my father in the rehab hospital tomorrow. I haven’t been there yet, you need an appointment to visit patients, but my brother has. I talked to him a little today. He said I am going to have to take a Covid test before I can see my dad. He suggested I bring my vaccination card with me. Well, I bring that little cardboard bastard with me everywhere I go. I am willing to pull it out and flash it for all the world to see at the slightest moment’s notice. Hell, most times I leave the house I have to stop myself from stapling it to my forehead on the way out the door. I want everyone to see that little guy. I am vaccinated. Two shots plus two weeks, babie. I am up-to-date. Le Groovy, as the French (don’t) say.

I Admit Defeat

I told myself I wasn’t going to mess with the band pedal board, but here I am wanting to put vibe on a new song idea and I can’t find my cheapo backup vibe pedal.

So I pulled this dusty little guy off the band board.

Insert frustrated, yet musical, sigh here.

Vibe-Free

Somewhere in this cellar storage nightmare is a little, purple, cheap, vibe pedal. There’s also a foot switch for one of my amps, and an isolated 9volt plug that I can use with guitar pedals.

I went in there looking for the little, purple, vibe pedal. If I found the other two things, that would be nice, but I wanted the vibe pedal.

I found the other two things.

I didn’t find the little vibe pedal.

Almost Bed Time

The Red Sox lost, I did a load of laundry, my mother sat up for about an hour before going back to bed, I watched an episode of That Pedal Show that is making me want to go into cellar storage and find my cheap uni-vibe pedal, I wrote the music for another song that could possibly make good use of a cheap uni-vibe pedal, and the first episode of season four of The Handmaids Tale has some seriously dark shit in it.

I’ll be turning in soon. Here’s hoping my mother sleeps through the night. She was asleep when I got here. She woke up a couple of hours later thinking it was morning. I asked her if she wanted dinner as she was fishing out a package of instant oatmeal for breakfast. Hashtag, le sigh.

The Music Day is Complete

Vocals this morning, lead guitars this evening, and a mix down tonight. Cool!

The RPM Challenge folks are running a secondary challenge to record at least one song each month for the year. It started in March. I now officially have a submission for March and April. Bring on May!

As a challenge within the challenge within the challenge, I made myself write the vocal melody first. I don’t know if I’ve ever done that before. I’m not too upset with the results. It doesn’t suck as bad as most of the garbage I write.

I used the Rat clone I bought last month for most of the leads. I’m liking it. I also used the Ryra Klon Klone pedal after the main dirt source. That’s the opposite of how I normally set things up, but Mick from That Pedal Show keeps suggesting we try the Klon as a boost at the end of the chain and now that I’ve done it… I might have to rethink everything. I like it.

Guitar… Finally

I played some guitar today. It was the first time in over three weeks. The first time this month. My left hand was killing me. Cramps up the wazoo.

I played the SG into the AC15. We are going that route for a while. When the band starts playing again I might go with this.

When I first bought the Bluesbreaker clone I put it after the Ryra Klone. It didn’t do much for me. Today I swapped them with the gain set low on each. Huh. That was some groovy, crunchy goodness. The Mister Vermin, Rat clone, into the Ryra was pretty sweet too.

Thinking Ahead

Holy crap, I’m fully vaccinated. Wow!

Now what?

Today is Thursday and I have a rough day at work ahead of me. Tomorrow is Friday and I have a rough day at work ahead of me. After that?

I don’t know.

The weekend… what can I do to dip my toe into the waters of normalcy? One of the cars needs an oil change. I can go to Valvoline and have it done without leaving the car. That’s a good option. The other car needs an inspection. I don’t know about that. That seems a little much for the first few days. Maybe next weekend.

There is one thing that is looming over all other things. One thing that, now that Jen got the hybrid inspected (thank you so much, my love!), needs to be done more than anything else…

A hair cut. Woah boy do I need a hair cut.

I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet. Being in a closed room with another person close enough to touch me? I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet.

Back inside the house there will be music. I want to bring the big Bassbreaker amp down cellar and bring up the Vox AC15 and use that on it’s own for a while. I bought it over the summer and I don’t think I’ve used it without a second amp for more than a couple of minutes. April’s music will be through just that amp. At least for a day or two before I change my mind again. I also want to put the 1×12 speaker cabinet back into the living room so Harry can play the electric piano through it. He’s been 100% headphones for long enough. Once all that stuff is done I have to write and record a song for the RPM site’s Record Every Month challenge. It’s month two and that’s way too soon to drop out.

Okay, so that’s Saturday. What about Sunday.

We haven’t worked out the logistics yet… but I think we’re going to see how we feel about a really long drive.

Woah!

Trade Ins

Just before the pandemic hit I was planning on taking my 2000 Fender Stratocaster to a local music store and trading it in. It’s a great guitar and it deserves to be owned by someone who will play the crap out of it rather than me who will always unfavorably compare it to every other guitar I own.

Now here we are 13 months later and I’m starting to revisit those plans. I’m also thinking of trying to trade in my Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 as well. My Fender Deluxe Reverb is patiently waiting for me to return to our bass player’s house for practice. Assuming it hasn’t died over the last year it will immediately go back to being my #1 amp. The Vox AC15 can fill the #2 amp role better than the unbelievably loud 18/30 can.

Trade in both items… for a used Gibson Les Paul Jr? Maybe. Unless maybe a used Gibson Firebird is available? I’m fantasizing here. No store is going to give me enough value for the guitar and the amp to be able to equal a Junior or a Firebird, right?

Gear Acquisition Syndrome plus an active imagination equals unrealistic expectations.

Another Sort of New Song

I mixed another re-recording today. I don’t think I like it. It’s originally from the 2016 RPM Challenge when I wrote a bunch of songs about people dumb enough to believe the Earth is flat. This one was supposed to be part of an argument between a flat earther and a person with a brain. Five years ago it was the idiot point of view. When it came to re-recordings I couldn’t really use it out of context so I wrote new lyrics. Can you guess what they are about? I wish they were better. They really suck. The vocals suck too. The guitars are okay, I guess.

Remember When I Used to Post Music All the Time?

Hey, remember the old days when I used to post music all the time?

Neither do I.

This is from volume four of the re-recordings project. I recorded it in January (mostly) and mixed it today. Is it good? Eh. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever worked on. That’s about the best praise I can give it.