Tag: Gibson

Fender Stratocaster

2014 marks the 60th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster. Despite a lifetime of playing Gibson guitars and thinking that Fenders were clearly inferior, I have a sudden desire to own a Strat.

This is the second time I’ve felt like this. The first time ended while at a Daddy’s Junky Music store (RIP) invitation only sale when I played a Mexican Strat and actually got as far as the checkout before coming to my senses. Since then I decided if I ever bought one it would have to be an American model, despite the nasty fact that they cost about three times more than the Mexican models.

These days I don’t think I’d be quite as picky. Some of the Mexican models actually look pretty slick. The Japanese models look pretty good too. Then there are some less expensive, lower end made in USA Strats to consider as well. If I were serious (I’m not, really) I would start there.

Besides, you don’t buy a Strat without planning to modify it at some point. I want to keep both of my Gibsons as close to stock as possible, but with Fenders, it’s all mods all the time. The only criteria I’d have is a maple neck. I just like them better than the rosewood.

Then again, maybe it doesn’t have to be a Strat. Those ’72 Telecaster Deluxe reissues with the humbuckers and the Strat necks are pretty sweet looking…

Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

It’s a sickness we all get eventually.

Maybe I should stick to Gibson and get an SG… Or an ES 175… Or an ES 135… Or… Or… Or…

Which Guitar

I don’t know why, but for some reason whenever I do one of these music challenges I pick one electric guitar and use it exclusively. In November I used my Les Paul, so this month was going to be all ES 335.

Until this morning. Songs 1 and 2 are all acoustic so far. Song 3 is the 335. I worked on 4 and 5 today, but I used the Les Paul. Weird, huh?*

20140205-090221.jpg

20140205-090230.jpg

*I warned you there would be a lot of lame posts this month.

Pretty Guitars

@gibsonguitar posted this today:

I responded with this:
DSC_0040_edited-1

And with this:
Untitled

No one retweeted me. Probably because all humans suck. (not you guys though, you’re all okay)

RPM Day 26

I know it’s late for this, but I’ve had a busy day.  Deal, okay?

I added the final lead guitar parts to four of the remaining six songs.  I haven’t made a final mix of any of them yet.  I might do that tonight, or I might wait until tomorrow.  I’m so close to finishing that I can almost taste it.  I should probably start thinking of a cover, and maybe a title.  What do you think of Rock Music for Old People?

RPM Day 23

It’s almost 8:00pm here and I haven’t done my stupid daily update that is boring all of you to tears.  Never fear.  In the words of the Yardbirds, Here’s ‘Tis.

Earlier this week I had announced that this particular song:

was complete and done and finished.  Today I changed my mind.  I remixed it.  It’s not much different, just a little more care was taken with it.  Oh, and I put some seriously retarded goofiness into it as well.  Gotta love idiots who put flangers onto drums, right?  Am I right?

This little song:

Was not finished, but now it is.  I used a fuzz box.  How have I made it this far into life without owning a real fuzz box?  Fuzz boxes and Phasers are the big overused stomp box gimmicks for this year’s project.

This particular little ditty:

Was also not finished, but now it is.  This holds the distinction of being the only song in the batch of 14 that did not have any work done on an iOS device.  This was all done on the full GarageBand on my MacBook Pro.  I think you can hear the difference.  I am a little sad that I didn’t do the whole thing on a computer now.  The iPad and the iPhone are just so damn convenient   I mean it would have been tough to have written a song in the car in a parking lot waiting for a take out order to be ready if I had to do it all on an actual computer, right?  Am I right?

So that’s three songs that are finished, finished, finished.  There is one other that used to be finished but I have decided it will get a new vocal take on Monday.  There are two other songs that have vocals that I want to re-record, at least in part, that still need lead guitar parts.  Then there are seven (7) more that don’t have any vocals yet.  RPM requires 10 songs.  FAWM requires 14.  I have 14 in progress, I could call FAWM done now but I won’t.  Finishing the vocals for a total of 10 songs on Monday is definitely doable.  Getting up to a total of 14?  That’s a little more difficult.

We shall see.

Three Les Pauls

Three Les Pauls by robj_1971
Three Les Pauls, a photo by robj_1971 on Flickr.

There was a run on this picture on Flickr today, for some reason. This will probably go down in history as my last gig. It was Break Even’s reunion, put on by Steve the guitar player. Tim the guitar player, who Steve and I replaced, came back for the fun. All three of us played Les Pauls. Mine is the custom with the black pick guard on the left. Tim’s is the Black one leaning on the amp. Steve’s is the standard with the white pick guard and the awesome trapezoid inlays on the right.