Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Tue Jun 05, 2012 2:40 pm

So... I shot a music video for an old friend... sort of a punk-rock parody. Next thing you know, he's got a bunch of new songs written and wants a lead guitarist. How could I say no?

So now I'm the lead guitarist for the Samee Skumn band.

My luscious stock G&L Legacy wasn't cutting it for the snarly punk sound.. my crazy franken-jazzmaster-strat was doing just fine, and I found I only used the P90 in the bridge position.

But I missed my killer Legacy, so I got out the router and a hunk of 3-ply. May I present the G&L Lega-Skumn:

Image

Not the best pick guard job ever, but overall it's really quite nice. It's got a GFS Mean 90, a 500mg pot and some crazy old radio knob, going through an Egnater Tweaker 40 and matching 2x12 cab. And the original guard is untouched; I think at some point I will (a) but a pair of Antiquity Texas Hots in the other 2 spots with the correct Legacy tone guts, and (b) solder in a small plug so the guards can be swapped by loosening the strings.

It's a snarly freaking beast now. My inner 12 year old is psyched. Here's the video I shot for Samee Skumn - anyone want to be the meat in a girl sandwich?

[youtube]ZKmG-KvzcVk[/youtube]

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Tue Jun 05, 2012 2:53 pm

i have a quick release in all my strats to change pg's easily. i would recommend some dallen pups instead of the sd antiquities. i have them both, the dallens are much better. i have at least 8 sets of pups i like better than the antiquities. how do you like the gfs? i have the bkp mississippi queen p90.

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:48 pm

louis cyfer wrote:i have a quick release in all my strats to change pg's easily. i would recommend some dallen pups instead of the sd antiquities. i have them both, the dallens are much better. i have at least 8 sets of pups i like better than the antiquities. how do you like the gfs? i have the bkp mississippi queen p90.

A quick release connector is a great idea. What kind do you use?

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Tue Jun 05, 2012 4:00 pm

jakkanen wrote:
louis cyfer wrote:i have a quick release in all my strats to change pg's easily. i would recommend some dallen pups instead of the sd antiquities. i have them both, the dallens are much better. i have at least 8 sets of pups i like better than the antiquities. how do you like the gfs? i have the bkp mississippi queen p90.

A quick release connector is a great idea. What kind do you use?



just the one they sold at the local electronic store. the locking kind.

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Tue Jun 05, 2012 4:12 pm

I got a set of Antiquities from Mr. Duncan when they first came out; I had incorporated a business name that they were considering and they contacted me about it, I told them no problem (I wasn't doing guitar pickups)... so they sent me some of the first batch. Like 17 years ago. The set I have are very nice - they have a high end I think of as "parchment-ey", really delicate and tons of articulation. They've gone in a few guitars over the years.

I like them because they have a lot of output but sound good dialed down, especially in the neck position. But I've only ever used the Texas Hots. Never tried the Dallens... going through pups can get kinda pricey! And most of my guitar playing these days is recording, so I have a lot of control over things.

I like the GFS 90 a lot - it gets a wicked snarl, I got a great deal on a couple of 'em used. I had a couple of their surface mount P90 winds screwed to an old Teisco ET "tulip" and the thing just sounded phenomenal. But I had to shim the neck up a quarter inch so they'd clear the strings. I got the Mean 90s since they have a humbucker case, it's always been my plan to route one of my old Teiscos for those pups and see how playable it can get... never have found the time though!

Do tell us what you use for a wiring release though.

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Sat Jun 23, 2012 6:04 am

Wow, thanks for sharing, really enjoyed that.
Like a grunge version of "The Ruttles"..., You have a new fan.

Cheers
L-zr

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Sat Jun 23, 2012 7:34 pm

Thanks Lazer! We played the first Samee Skumn live gig friday, twas a blast... working on my british accent!

[youtube]Y3yDEkBf__I[/youtube]

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:09 pm

:happy0007: Love that little Dutch lick you stuck in there at the 2:02 marker ;)

- Jos

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:28 am

Back to the 70's great, I also detect a little nod to New York Dolls...

Cheers
L-zr

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:53 am

Thanks guys - we were hippies in high school, but when punk came out and we saw the effect it had on the jocks - we got into mom's safety pins!

I think of Samee Skumn as the "Borat of Punk Rock".

For this gig I spent as much time filling huge RX bottles with candy pills, rolling fake giant joints, etc as I did learning songs I think...., props!!! It was a blast though. Next show I'm gonnahave a bong full of dry ice!

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:30 am

I like the Meat in a Girl sandwich video. Thank for sharing.

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Tue Oct 02, 2012 11:07 am

Thanks - that was a huge production, 4 months of compositing - every single shot was on a green screen. My first green screen gig in fact. I'd love to do some more stuff along those lines.

A little off topic, but we were talking GFS pups in this thread - here's their surface mount P90 wound models on one of those crazy 60's Teisco Del Rays. The tone in the solo - is that cool or what? Really kinda woody and organic with some bite. Guitar was just impossible to play, someday I'll rout it for a "real" install - those guitars are only like 200 bucks.

[youtube]9MmJEnA7RDk[/youtube]

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Tue Oct 02, 2012 11:53 am

Cloudy
Great recording, hooked by the rhythm guitar sound straight away and what a voice!.

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Tue Oct 02, 2012 2:17 pm

Thanks - after I made that I contacted her - she sent me a very gracious email in broken english, basically "this is really a different world, but I kinda like it".

I've got three of those ancient japanese guitars - they're really kind of cool with some strange mojo. I've got a hollow body that's just possessed with the ghosts of AM radio motown ... or something!

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Tue Oct 02, 2012 5:55 pm

Dang dude, your a good guitar player. And your videos are great as well.

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Thu Oct 04, 2012 5:58 am

Thanks guys - if there was any money in it, I'd just make music videos all day - such a blast.

I'll post one more - this is one of the nicest guys in town, and seeing him play live is just humbling - he's a monster. This song is about paranoia & mental illness, so I built that "Cell" and shot the performance with no idea what else to do. Then I pulled all the other stuff out of my ass over a couple weeks. That's my son in the black suit - he's in film school now. He's really not evil & sinister, but in the right light he can look a little strange!

[youtube]xXZvsGKs2UA[/youtube]

Re: Don't worry, it's not permanent...

Fri Oct 12, 2012 4:44 pm

Cool guitar and con grads on the Lead Guitar gig. I feel like a groupie. :banana: Dancing bananas are cool man and so is English Punk!