Tag: Guitar

iPhones are Helpful

I’m getting old. I’m out of shape. Bending down to see something that’s on the floor is no picnic these days. Also, I’m going blind. My eyesight is getting suckier by the day. Also, the printing on the Keeley D&M Drive pedal is really, really small, and the color scheme doesn’t help. The little sucker is hard to read.

Fortunately I have an iPhone. I can reach down and take a pic with the 2x lens, then zoom in on the image and magically I can read the labels on the knobs.

I love living in the future.

Except for the whole pandemic thing. That bites. The other stuff, the tech stuff, is cool.

I’ll Stop Bitching About UPS

  • June 22, 2020
    • Out for Delivery, estimate 6/22 by 9:00PM
  • June 23, 2020
    • Out for Delivery, estimate 6/23 by 9:00PM
  • June 24, 2020
    • In Transit to Chelmsford
    • Most recent activity: Delivery will be delayed by one business day.
    • Come back later for estimated delivery date.

In other words, they haven’t a clue where my package is. Okay. From now on I will reserve all of my bitching about this subject for phone calls to UPS customer service. You folks won’t have to listen to me anymore.

Happy Birthday to Jeff Beck

Today is Jeff Beck’s 76th birthday. Happy Birthday to the only person left on my I-Need-To-See-Him-Before-I-Die musicians list. One of the Big Three Yardbirds lead guitarists. One of, if not THE, best guitar players ever to breath oxygen. Well… the best ever in the recorded era at least.

Whatever your taste in popular music, he’s been there and done that and been better than everyone else. Blues, R&B, rock, soul, funk, metal (in the 1970’s sense at least), Jazz, pop, electronic, industrial, he’s even dabbled in classical a couple of times.

He’s brilliant, and unlike all of his contemporaries he never lost a step. He’s as good, if not better, than he was in his youth.

The most important thing about Jeff Beck’s birthday? It’s also my brother and sister in law’s wedding anniversary. Happy 14th, John and Mary. And Many More!

UPS is Just Screwing With Me

As of 8:07pm, my UPS tracking number still says out for delivery for today by 9:00pm. Yesterday they changed the delivery date from 6/22 to 6/23. I expect the same at this point. I could really have used a piece of good news today, even if it was something as stupid and pointless as a 50 pound package from UPS. Pretty safe bet I’m wasting my time and effort. Thanks

Denied… Again

I heard a sound outside. It sounded like a large vehicle. I looked out the window. There was a UPS truck driving away.

Oh happiness! My amplifier!

I went outside. There was a package. It was large. It weighted about five pounds. What? The amp weighs over 40 pounds.

Crud. It’s not my amp.

Guitar Gear Notes

UPS… come on guys. I mean, I used to be one of you! I worked in the Chelmsford Hub for a year. I loaded trucks bound for the Worcester, MA Center. I loaded trucks for the Portland, ME Center. That was a major volume belt. Come on guys, let’s deliver my new (used) amplifier. My June Music project Trello board tells me I have two songs waiting for lead guitars, and if you drop off that sweet little AC15 I can use it for those tracks tonight.

Come on, UPS. Let’s get ‘er done!

In other gear news, I was clued in to an independent pedal builder in Ohio who is selling clones of the Fulltone OCD pedal and donating the money to Black Lives Matter bail funds. How awesome is that? Seriously, that made me so happy. He did a very small run (looks like his business only does small runs. In fact, it feels like the business is just one guy in his house) and then did a second slightly bigger run (the pedals are named Black Lives Matter and that too is awesome). I sent him three questions on bookfayce. Are you going to make more, which version of the OCD pedal are you cloning, and how much are you charging. I know it’s going to be expensive, but if he makes more and I get a chance to buy in, I am totally going to buy one. I’ll do it for two reasons. First, I want to use all the arguments I had a few weeks ago as an excuse to donate some money to the cause. Second, I still want an OCD pedal and I want to stick it to Fulltone. Petty? Yes. I don’t care.

There are other companies making OCD clones because of this situation, but for some reason this is the one that’s calling out to me. The name of the company is Malaise Forever Customs. Here’s hoping they make more.

Home Recording Rig Changes

I spent my lunch break moving stuff around. The Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 is way too loud to play at home with other people in the house. At the last gig, back on Feb 1st, it was EPIC. At home it’s just too much. For the last 2 months it’s been used as a table to hold my Bassbreaker 15 which has been the only amp I’ve used since RPM ended on Feb 29.

I brought the 18/30 down cellar and stored it off the floor as we’ve had some moisture issues. It should be safe. At the moment, the 15 is sitting alone in my music nook in my bedroom.

296/365

However, changes will continue. The Vox AC15 is on a UPS Brownie and it is scheduled to be delivered by 9:00PM.

I don’t want to wait until 9:00. I want it now. NOW!

I WANT MY NEW QUARANTINE TOY NOW!

Ugh… patience, Robert. Patience.

Screw that, I WANT IT NOW!

Don’t Daisy Chain Your Pedals

My new Crybaby wah pedal is on my pedal board. My RYRA Klon Klone and Keeley Blues Driver clone are not. The board is powered by two MXR bricks. The two non-board pedals each have their own plugs.

I was using the two clones, but I wanted to use the crybaby with them and I didn’t have a third plug. I took it off the board and did what you shouldn’t do. I put all three pedals onto a daisy chain. I did leads for one song and then tore it all down.

Don’t daisy chain pedals together. My already noisy rig reached new, previously unimagined levels of awful noise. Just don’t do it.

The crybaby sounded great though.