What Did You Do With Your Guitar(s) Today?

[SillyOctpuss]

I meant to reply to Silly's post about that the other day and was going to say something similar. A drummer can really make or break these kinds of songs. Same for the vocals and for the same reasons the drummers can make or break it; all the dynamics and delivery is what allows those songs to play at those tempos and not feel like they're dragging.

Then the mixes on the albums, reverb on the snares to fill out the empty space, layered vocals drenched in reverb, with the most compelling performances by some of the world's greatest singers and it all works. Local live band is equal to Pip farting on a snare drum trying to hang onto the tempo while the singer is yarling the fucking out of the mic, bass player is too lazy to learn the real bassline so they're just following the powerchords the guitar player who was too lazy to learn the real chords is playing and bam, ya got yourself the average "Plush" or "No Excuses" from a cover band.

Absolutely. There's a local Belfast band that I know quite well who are a wonderful bunch of humans and I love hanging out with all of them. Listening to them play though is an experience.

The drummer only has one speed and that's fast as fuck, it's literally the only tempo he can do. The bass player works really hard, rehearses all the time to really learn all his parts, however, he has absolutely no music talent whatsoever. He has no rhythm at all. If musical ability was based solely on how hard someone works then he'd be one of the best.

The guitarist is the exact opposite of the bass player and is easily the laziest musician I've ever met. He's the definition of "that'll do". Once he kinda has a part down he'll never work on it again.

They only play covers and they're some of the worst covers you'll ever hear. It sucks because they're all really nice and you want them to do well because they're so nice but it's really annoying to be on after them because a lot of people have either left or are now out in the smoking Garden by the time they're finished their set.

 

[Eagle]

Most of my professional clients are in backing bands for big names and that’s the same as playing in cover bands but you have the original singer. You are still playing stuff you don’t like

 

[la szum]

Finished up a Hudson Broadcast clone pcb tonight. Been checking it out on my test rig before deciding if it gets boxed up or not.

After an hr or so of playing the broadcast is bloody awesome. So many cool sounds that none of my other drive pedals do, a honestly different flavour of drive pedal for a change.

Tele - broadcast - Marshall = win. I'll get to play it at proper volume when my kids at school tomorrow.

Awesome! Always wanted to check one out.

 

[la szum]

As adverse as I am to covers playing stuff from (jam bandified) Kylie minogue, Miley Cyrus, lotus and Susan tedeschi… as well as several originals

Playing music at any time with others in any setting is never wrong. Building skills and
growing is building skills and growing.

Oh, and my teenage self hates my comment.

 

[la szum]

I meant to reply to Silly's post about that the other day and was going to say something similar. A drummer can really make or break these kinds of songs. Same for the vocals and for the same reasons the drummers can make or break it; all the dynamics and delivery is what allows those songs to play at those tempos and not feel like they're dragging.

Then the mixes on the albums, reverb on the snares to fill out the empty space, layered vocals drenched in reverb, with the most compelling performances by some of the world's greatest singers and it all works. Local live band is equal to Pip farting on a snare drum trying to hang onto the tempo while the singer is yarling the fucking out of the mic, bass player is too lazy to learn the real bassline so they're just following the powerchords the guitar player who was too lazy to learn the real chords is playing and bam, ya got yourself the average "Plush" or "No Excuses" from a cover band.

Yarling!!!????


I still think mid tempo cover numbers are a tough sell in Bars and Pubs and Clubs no

matter how well you do or don't perform them. My argument for this is playing material

really poorly that is not a tough sell and people soak it up. "That was awesome!"


Go figure.


I also have developed a hard stance against ballads. A few love a belly rubber or two every set.... but
more than that and smart audience members will start throwing shit at you---either insults or objects!

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

This sub gig finally happening tomorrow so just grinding the set

View attachment 31273

KITTY!

 

[DrewJD82]

Yarling!!!????


I still think mid tempo cover numbers are a tough sell in Bars and Pubs and Clubs no

matter how well you do or don't perform them. My argument for this is playing material

really poorly that is not a tough sell and people soak it up. "That was awesome!"


Go figure.


I also have developed a hard stance against ballads. A few love a belly rubber or two every set.... but
more than that and smart audience members will start throwing shit at you---either insults or objects!

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Awesome! Always wanted to check one out.

It's honestly spectacular. It's like an overdrive and a fuzz had a baby. None of my other pedals really sound anything like it. If you get a chance to try one do it.

I pedal build in batches and was thinking about doing a thread in DIY for the batch I'm starting now. I'll put some sound samples at the end for each of the builds.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Playing music at any time with others in any setting is never wrong. Building skills and
growing is building skills and growing.

Oh, and my teenage self hates my comment.

My teenage self would have given me shit about the two bands I stood in for this year too but my teenage self was an idiot.

I had a great time and learned a bunch of chords types I'd never really used before. It really helped my playing get out of the rut it was in.

 

[Eagle]

It's honestly spectacular. It's like an overdrive and a fuzz had a baby. None of my other pedals really sound anything like it. If you get a chance to try one do it.

I pedal build in batches and was thinking about doing a thread in DIY for the batch I'm starting now. I'll put some sound samples at the end for each of the builds.

Do a thread showing the best way to do it .

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Do a thread showing the best way to do it .

I'll do a thread showing how I do it. It's definitely not going to be the best way to do it though. Especially not with this batch as I'm using a bunch of carbon comps and other NOS old parts for some of these. It's a batch of different fuzzes this time.

 

[Eagle]

I'll do a thread showing how I do it. It's definitely not going to be the best way to do it though. Especially not with this batch as I'm using a bunch of carbon comps and other NOS old parts for some of these. It's a batch of different fuzzes this time.

That will be interesting. You will have to tell us how you came to select the nos parts and the difference between them in use from new ones.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

That will be interesting. You will have to tell us how you came to select the nos parts and the difference between them in use from new ones.

Generally there isn't. In fact new parts will probably have a lower noise floor. I'm not expecting them to sound any different from builds with new parts tbh (minus normal component tolerances) but I've collected some really cool old NKT and Mullard transistors with perfect hfe and leakage and felt like making some old school fuzzes.

I normally use metal film resistors, wima/ epcos box caps and nichicon electrolytics but some of these are going to be Allen Bradley carbon comps, sprague and tropical fish caps etc. I've got some cool custom Enclosures for two of them.

I'm shallow enough to admit that this batch is about looking as cool (to me) as they sound.

Sneak peak

 

[Eagle]

Generally there isn't. In fact new parts will probably have a lower noise floor. I'm not expecting them to sound any different from builds with new parts tbh (minus normal component tolerances) but I've collected some really cool old NKT and Mullard transistors with perfect hfe and leakage and felt like making some old school fuzzes.

I normally use metal film resistors, wima/ epcos box caps and nichicon electrolytics but some of these are going to be Allen Bradley carbon comps, sprague and tropical fish caps etc. I've got some cool custom Enclosures for two of them.

I'm shallow enough to admit that this batch is about looking as cool (to me) as they sound.

Sneak peak

View attachment 31289

Thread! Thread! Thread!

 

[FuzzyAce]

Generally there isn't. In fact new parts will probably have a lower noise floor. I'm not expecting them to sound any different from builds with new parts tbh (minus normal component tolerances) but I've collected some really cool old NKT and Mullard transistors with perfect hfe and leakage and felt like making some old school fuzzes.

I normally use metal film resistors, wima/ epcos box caps and nichicon electrolytics but some of these are going to be Allen Bradley carbon comps, sprague and tropical fish caps etc. I've got some cool custom Enclosures for two of them.

I'm shallow enough to admit that this batch is about looking as cool (to me) as they sound.

Sneak peak

View attachment 31289

Man, I love that copper enclosure. Fun project!

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Man, I love that copper enclosure. Fun project!

That's going to be a Tone Bender MK1. I'll start the thread this weekend to document the builds as they go. Im still sourcing some parts and deciding on Artwork for some of them.

 

[FuzzyAce]

That's going to be a Tone Bender MK1

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

I'm thinking of getting Gotoh VS100N bridges for my 4 Stratocasters with 2 point trem. Anyone have any thoughts on these? Would I be able to use the same posts on the guitar and/or would the supplied posts from Gotoh fit without further modification?

I wish that Gotoh still made a 6 point bridge like the VS100N so it had the same string saddles. I think the make the VSVG, but I'm not keen on the saddles. I think I could buy replacement saddles like the ones on the VS100N that would fit, but I'm not certain.

Anyways, thinking of replacing the trems on my Stratocasters.

 

[DrewJD82]

Had my tech pull my amps out in the living room because I wanted to dick around with the FM9 in 4CM-

He deserved a break. And some treats.

I never spent a lot of time with the Fractal drives with these because I was so anxious to stick all those Lovepedals in front of them, the Shiva is kind of a bitch some days and today was one of them. That amp is going bye-bye sooner than later. Once I hit the Gauss Drive on the Electra Dyne I was stuck there for the rest of the time.

 

[Piing]

I am tempted to put it back on the RG550LTD bridge position. Currently there is a Dimarzio Bluesbucker. The Aldrich doesn't have the rich nuances of the Bluesbucker with clean and edge-of-breakup tones, but, but... The Aldrich was so fun... Tough decision!

Anyone else using the Aldrich pup?

Maybe the latest Fractal FW will squeeze more juice from the Aldrich clean and EOB tones. Specially the Wrecker Liverpool