Category: Guitar

Saturday To-Do List

I have a few things I was hoping to do today, but now that I know the NHL is coming back on 8/1, all I want to do is play EA NHL20 on our PS4.

I need to do the laundry. It’s bed sheets day.

I’m on the hook for quinoa for dinner tonight.

I’m about 90 seconds away from being caught up on Agents of Shield, so that’s good news.

It occurred to me this morning that I have somehow tricked myself into trying to do three music projects at once. 50/90 is underway. I haven’t been ignoring it, but I’ve only been getting a little bit of work done. The Great 2015 Re-Recording Project is two lead guitar parts and two mix downs away from having the first batch of songs complete. The second batch of eight is lined up and ready to go. Then along with 50/90 I am still trying to do an album in a month each month. I need to write 50 songs in 90 days, but 30 of those 50 songs need to be written and recorded entirely within a single month. 10 each for July, August, and September.

First though, the 335 needs new strings, and I am going to re-watch some maintenance vids on youtube and see if I need to make any neck adjustments. Color me terrified.

But first, first! Laundry!

Oh yeah, and I have to take out the trash too. Consider it done. Oh, and the bird feeders are empty. Okay, add that to the list. Oh and NHL20 too… Yeah.

I Wrote Something Too Hard for Me

It happens now and then, but I seem to have written something that’s too hard for me to actually play.

50/90 has six songs in progress right now. I put rhythm guitars on five of them today. I would have done six but my battery was down to 2%.

Song #2 started out with me noodling a bass guitar part in GarageBand on my iPad. I tried to play along with it today and it’s too fast for me to pick it in time. My left hand can do it. My right hand cannot. Not only that, but there are two sections to the song that are beyond me. It would be pathetic enough if it was just one phrase, but no… it’s two. Damn it.

Anyway, on top of the five rhythm guitar parts I recorded for 50/90, I also did two leads for the re-recording thing. Both of them triggered whatever it is that makes my hands hurt like hell when I play sometimes, and I ended up dumbing things down on both of them. One has a nice nasty fuzz box tone though, so there’s that at least.

Here’s the obligatory post-guitar-playing photo.

Fun with Flags

So I’ve kept a little Union Jack on top of my guitar amplifier at home for years and years. The reason is, I hoped that magically it would help me sound like The Who. Strangely it never worked.

Now it could have a new meaning, but only under one certain condition. I could sit it on top of my new Vox amp because Vox is a British company…. well, they are Japanese now, I think, but Vox amps, along with Marshall amps, are often referred to as British Sounding amps… because they were designed and (used to be) made in the UK.

Conversely, Fender amps are often referred to as American sounding amps because Fender is based in the US. They are also based in Mexico and Japan, and I believe the Bassbreaker series is actually made in Mexico.

Whatever, Vox is UK, Fender is US. If only I had a little American flag, I could put the proper flag on each amp.

Oh wait!

Two Music Projects

So many music projects!

50/90 started yesterday. I haven’t done a lot, but I have worked on it. I started a file with a couple of bass riffs yesterday, then first thing this morning I started another one, and then during one of my back-resting-lawn-mowing breaks I stared a third. Nothing special, and nothing really there to work with yet, but tiny progress has been made.

As for the re-recording project. There is one song that isn’t exactly re-recorded. When I added it to the project last year I took the original GarageBand file from the 2014 50/90 and just started redoing some of the tracks. The two MIDI instruments, the drums and bass, were actually still the same as the original recording. Today changed the drummer. I still need to re-record the bass. I also just put lead guitar onto that song and one other.

The cool thing about these two takes are that I am back to using two amplifiers. The 15 watt Fender Bassbreaker and the 15 watt Vox AC15 are both working together now. This was literally the reason I wanted to buy the AC15. It sounded pretty good to me.

Unfortunately, playing these lead parts set off whatever it is that is wrong with my left hand. Arthritis? Something like that. It hurt a lot and I had to take a break. When I came back I felt like it had slowed me down a little. Usually when that happens I just stomp on the wah and start strumming a lot. Rock and Roll, eh?

New Amp Stuff

The new (used) Vox AC15 has made it onto The Great 2015 Re-Recording Project! How’d it go?

Weirdly.

It’s different. I was having a struggle across the board. The guitar, the strings, the tone, the amp, everything seemed off tonight. My playing was less than stellar. I may end up redoing both of the songs I finished tonight.

Oh yeah, did I mention that I finished the tracking on two of the re-recording project songs? We’ll see if I am still happy tomorrow. Also, I want to mess with the drums on both of them and maybe redo the bass on both of them too. We’ll see.

The important point right now is that the new (used) AC15 is here and it has been recorded! WOOHOO

Two Amps

None of it is actually hooked up yet, but once 50/90 starts up my demos will once again include a two amplifier rig. I did this for RPM back in February and it was sweet. This time it’s two 15 watt amps. I’m looking forward to working with this set up.

It’s All Here and it Works

304/365

Lunch time came and I finally couldn’t stand it anymore. I pulled a power cable off of another amplifier and took the new (used) Vox AC15 for a spin. Much to my surprise it actually works. Jen was still working so I didn’t test the volume, but I did play it clean with the master volume and the channel volume low, and I played it dirty with the master volume WAY down and the channel volume cranked. I can still smell the tubes cooking. Nice.

Fortunately, while I was noodling UPS came with the missing power cable. The amp was eight days late. The cable was nine. It’s here though. My ES-335 is feeling like it might need some new strings. Other than that I think I’m ready to record some guitar tonight.

I should note that I still haven’t actually plugged in the new power cable yet. Am I counting my chickens before they hatch? Probably. Oh well. I’m sick of this shit. It’s over. Let’s boogie.