LUNCH REPORT for Thursday, July 22, 2010

Good morning, campers! It's the Thursday Lunch Report --- Middle of the Night Edition!!!

I'm pretty sure that there's no way in hellfire that I'll be up in time to do a decent lunch report by noon-ish tomorrow, so's I figgered I'd go ahead and do one now while I'm still awake.

I have no earthly idea what I will be enjoying for lunch tomorrow, but I'm thinking I might go to Yo-Yo's, which is a Korean restaurant in Glendale. I'm a big fan of Korean food --- I lived in Koreatown for two and a half years. I'll probably get the bibimbap, which is a rice dish with various vegetables and meats and stuff thrown in --- topped off by a fried egg. It's quite tasty. One thing that I always enjoy about Korean establishments is that invariably they seem to be incredibly generous with the "panchan," or side dishes, such as kimchi, that they serve with the main course. I also notice that Korean portion sizes run toward the enormous, which I also like.

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Gear Content: Let's talk amps. I'm in love with my Victoria 35210, which is their version of the 1959 Fender Tweed Super. Two 10 inch speakers --- mine's loaded with some sweet sounding Eminences. Two 6L6 power tubes --- I just recently purchased some NOS Jan Phillips 6L6WGB's to try out in there. I'm eager to see if there's a marked difference between the new Russian tubes and the old American ones. It's tube rectified with a 5AR4, and I've got a 12AY7 in the first preamp slot. This baby exudes vintage tone and mojo. I love it! Here's a photo of my gruesome twosome.



And... if the picture is not telling you the full story, you can always listen to that very combination here: http://www.myspace.com/shotgunbreak

What kind of amp do you play? And let's see some pictures, people!

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In the FAQ here, I believe it's stated that the G&L folks have created a certain hierarchy of tonal importance when it comes to guitars --- pickups first, then maybe body wood, fingerboard wood, bridge and so on, in descending order. I can't remember right now, and I'm far too lazy to actually click that link up there.

Anyway, in that spirit --- and in broad strokes --- I would like to know how you would order the following components, from most impactful on sound to least: guitar, amp, speakers, tubes, cables, strings, picks, pedals.

I would order them as such: amp, guitar, pedals, speakers, tubes, strings, cables, picks.

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And here is perhaps my favorite thing in this latticework of intertubes entire:

[youtube]HICsPNm2ARY[/youtube]

Enjoy!

Well I play a fandangled modern amp, A mesa mark V, into an avatar cabinet of 4 g12t100s. Tubes are stock Mesa 6l6 and 12ax,s I don't know what else is in there. Tube rectifiers or solid state (90W solid state only, 10W tube only, 45 either) Sounds good to my ear. This amp is crystal clear, regardless of channel. Even soaring high gain everything is distinct, and cuts. No mudd, no muffle. Chan 1 can do everything from fender type cleans, to country twang, to ZZ top depending how you set it up. I like to play with break up on it so I can split my bridge and be clean, hit humbucker and break up sweet. Channel 2 can do anything, I've got slightly broken cleans, Iron Maiden, or high gain Mk1. Chan 3 is the 'one trick pony' with 3 different high gain voices. I have not made it do anything interesting yet, I have the most trouble with it.



I would say this for order : Amp, Pedal, Guitar, Pick, Strings, Tubes, Cables.

Pick is an important one, and seeing how you ranked it at the end, I am wagering you haven't playing with anything but plastic? I mean less than cables, that is a bit of a joke because a pick creates the character of the attack, and what is lost to the pick shapes the entire note timbre. Strings can be the difference between bright and muddy. Tubes I have never heard much difference, and cables as long as they aren't shorting I have always found make no difference at all. I have an old pedal (EH hogs foot bass booster) and dang that thing takes the highs off the signal chain when off. Put it on and it boosts the low end only, even more. Good for umph though.

Bo Diddley, I needs me a square guitar. Would you look at his strum motion, it is oddities like that that make the early blues guys so unique. In the days before colour was invented to boot

I have 3 amps. The oldest is a Yamaha G50-112 from 1980 or so. It is a decent solid state amp that I keep at our band practice place so I don't have to haul an amp every week. I pretty much just play this amp through the clean channel with a pedal for dirt.



The second amp is a Vox AD30VT that I put a Celestion Vintage G10 in. It sounds pretty decent but I honestly haven't used it much in the last year. My last amp is a Swart AST which is a very nice amp. Since I do most of my learning and practice at home unplugged I haven't fired it up much either.



What amazes me is that there are all these boutique amps out there now where you will spend more than $1500 for an amp that doesn't even have tremelo or reverb built in. I see there must be people who think it is worth that kind of money, and I count myself as one of them.

Amp, guitar, pedal, pick, strings, tubes, cable would be my order. It is almost unfair to put pedal in there because its point is to alter the sound. I agree that pick should be ranked high based on my own experience going from Fender mediums to Dunlop Jazz III which totally changed how I sounded. I am thinking about trying out V-picks having heard much about how it will positively affect the sound also.

Kit

Amps - Here Ya Go Baby

1955 Fender Twin Amp (recovered by Greg Hopkins)



1962 Magnatone M-2 (one of the infamous Maggie suitacase amps)



Order for sound - hmmmm

Honestly ain't sure but will go with....

Guitar, stings, amp, speakers, tubes, cable - I play with my fingers so picks ain't important and pedals while I appreciate them, they are not a necessity for me although I am enjoying playing around with a BBE Sonic Stomp at the moment so maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Amp, guitar, pedal, pick, strings, tubes, cable would be my order. It is almost unfair to put pedal in there because its point is to alter the sound. I agree that pick should be ranked high based on my own experience going from Fender mediums to Dunlop Jazz III which totally changed how I sounded. I am thinking about trying out V-picks having heard much about how it will positively affect the sound also.

Kit

I would also like to try V picks, but my agate picks get the same stiction effect, and do not wear out (whereas his if light handed will only last about 1 yr, not a sell to me) I was hoping he would send me a free one while inquiring to try and sway may. Didn't happen though.

I would say this for order : Amp, Pedal, Guitar, Pick, Strings, Tubes, Cables.

Pick is an important one, and seeing how you ranked it at the end, I am wagering you haven't playing with anything but plastic?

I actually used to play with a pick made of fossilized pterodactyl wing. And I've tried all the other high-end ones too --- petrified sperm whale ambergris, compressed Julius Erving Afro, cirrhotic liver shavings of David Crosby ---

In the end, though, I came back to plastic.

My last amp is a Swart AST which is a very nice amp. Since I do most of my learning and practice at home unplugged I haven't fired it up much either.

I've been aching to try one of these since I first heard of them a couple of years ago.

What amazes me is that there are all these boutique amps out there now where you will spend more than $1500 for an amp that doesn't even have tremelo or reverb built in. I see there must be people who think it is worth that kind of money, and I count myself as one of them.

Well, I picked up my bare-bones "boutique" amp for a cool grand several years ago, and I expect to have it my entire life. As the late, great Danny Gatton said, "If I turn it all the way up... it doesn't need reverb!"

I am thinking about trying out V-picks having heard much about how it will positively affect the sound also.

I have a V-pick --- I don't like it. First of all, I have one of the "thin" ones, and it's HUGE. Way bigger than a normal "thick" pick. I just don't feel any connection to the strings when I play with it.

I've been playing with Golden Gate mandolin picks for the last several months. With these I can say that I've finally found the right pick for me. They're great!

I have no earthly idea what I will be enjoying for lunch tomorrow, but I'm thinking I might go to Yo-Yo's, which is a Korean restaurant in Glendale. I'm a big fan of Korean food --- I lived in Koreatown for two and a half years. I'll probably get the bibimbap, which is a rice dish with various vegetables and meats and stuff thrown in --- topped off by a fried egg. It's quite tasty. One thing that I always enjoy about Korean establishments is that invariably they seem to be incredibly generous with the "panchan," or side dishes, such as kimchi, that they serve with the main course. I also notice that Korean portion sizes run toward the enormous, which I also like.

O.K., now you're speaking my language. Well, maybe not my language, rather my ex-wife's language. I so still like Korean food, although I haven't enjoyed it like I used to. Her mom was a great cook and we used to go out to Korean BBQ's consistently. Bibimbap is one of my favorites, along with Soon doobu, Bul gol gi, and even the marinated squid (O-jinghajuth ?) that can be some of the "panchan" of which you spoke. I have made my own pot of kimchi chi ghae, which is great on a cold winter night. Now you've got me craving Korean food. I actually joined up with a Korean Food Meetup group but all of the restaurants are down there around L.A./Koreatown so I haven't made one yet.

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Gear Content: Let's talk amps.
...What kind of amp do you play? And let's see some pictures, people!

I don't know if I have any pictures around, but I play mostly through my MusicMan 210 HD130, set at the low 65W setting. However, I also play through my sixties vintage Epiphone Pathfinder 1X10 15-18W. It has great reverb and tremolo, and I just discovered it loves humbuckers. I'd like to get a Dr. Z, Carr, Koch, Swart, or other such amp, but I have come to grips that I need to play better before I'll do justice to such fine rigs. I'm guessing that your Victoria is in the same league, or perhaps beyond, those I just mentioned.

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Anyway, in that spirit --- and in broad strokes --- I would like to know how you would order the following components, from most impactful on sound to least: guitar, amp, speakers, tubes, cables, strings, picks, pedals.

Pickups/guitar, amp, speakers, pedals, tubes, picks, for me. But I am a relative novice.

BTW:I enjoyed listening to your band on myspace. Very catchy sound you guys have. Good luck to you.

Amps - Here Ya Go Baby

1955 Fender Twin Amp (recovered by Greg Hopkins)



1962 Magnatone M-2 (one of the infamous Maggie suitacase amps)

Zombywoof, I'm going to ask Craig to ban you from this site... for my own health! With every post you make, I'm edging closer and closer to the limits of my sanity. The Byrds, The Beatles, and now these beauties. YOU'RE KILLING ME!!!

I have made my own pot of kimchi chi ghae, which is great on a cold winter night. Now you've got me craving Korean food.

I love kimchi chi ghae.

Several years ago I actually made kimchi from scratch a couple of times. While it was not as good as some of the better examples I've had over the years, it was quite serviceable. Whenever I mention this to Koreans, they look at me like I'm insane.

I don't know if I have any pictures around, but I play mostly through my MusicMan 210 HD130, set at the low 65W setting. However, I also play through my sixties vintage Epiphone Pathfinder 1X10 15-18W. It has great reverb and tremolo, and I just discovered it loves humbuckers. I'd like to get a Dr. Z, Carr, Koch, Swart, or other such amp, but I have come to grips that I need to play better before I'll do justice to such fine rigs. I'm guessing that your Victoria is in the same league, or perhaps beyond, those I just mentioned.

Those MusicMan amps are well liked. I would definitely like to check one out --- I think it might be a very nice complement to the primitive dirt of my Victoria.

Out of the boutique makes that you mentioned, I've only ever played through a Carr --- and it was fabulous!

BTW:I enjoyed listening to your band on myspace. Very catchy sound you guys have. Good luck to you.

Thanks, Brian!

Guitar, stings, amp, speakers, tubes, cable - I play with my fingers so picks ain't important and pedals while I appreciate them, they are not a necessity for me although I am enjoying playing around with a BBE Sonic Stomp at the moment so maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Hey, Zombywoof (or others), tell me about the Sonic Stomp. I've read about it and seen demo videos, but I still can't get a good grasp of what it would actually do to my sound.

Hey, Zombywoof (or others), tell me about the Sonic Stomp. I've read about it and seen demo videos, but I still can't get a good grasp of what it would actually do to my sound.

I am probably not the guy to really ask since I am pedal challenged. Based on what I hear, a compressor is not a neccessity and lots of folks can get by fine without one. Not sure I can explain it so it makes sense but when ya hear that distinct pop and twang of a Tele being chicken picked more than likey there is a compressor in the signal chain. If set right they can act like a good tube rectifier and give ya a nice bloom by evening out your attack and keep notes say on the high end from decaying faster than those on the low end.

One thing I've learned over the years in this biz is that there are a lot of ways of getting it done gear-wise...different strokes for different folks. I've seen some rigs that sounded great, and I wouldn't be caught dead using that gear. Took me a long time to appreciate Marshall amps--until I actually used one cranked up at a gig. "It's EPIPHANY time!"

Picks, tubes, speakers, guitars, amps--it all matters so much, yet it really doesn't matter at all. I try to give up thinking in terms of "This is better", or "This SUCKS" and think "Different." Gear is what it is. I control the valuation.

A certain tone may or may not be appropriate for a certain song IMO, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Out-of-tune IS bad. Playing with no feeling--BAD.

The gear all has to work together. Each piece has a little part to play. Some things I like, other things I don't. You can chase this stuff for FOREVER, and still not be happy. I've seen guys do it wih every part of the chain, and it can get totally crazy. I've seen guys spend a grand on pickups and still not be happy.

Don't get me wrong. I'm as much a gear head as anyone, and I have a room full of really nice gear. I have five Mesa amps form the little DC-3 to the monstrous Mark III half-stack. And 46 guitars!

But what I'm really trying to find is that inner joy, the joy of playing, and setting my spirit free. I always try to remember where I came from. I have so much to be thankful for, and I am so grateful for the gifts and opportunities I've had.

Be happy. Love yourself and the world around you...that's the secret to GREAT tone.

Bill

I am probably not the guy to really ask since I am pedal challenged. Based on what I hear, a compressor is not a neccessity and lots of folks can get by fine without one. Not sure I can explain it so it makes sense but when ya hear that distinct pop and twang of a Tele being chicken picked more than likey there is a compressor in the signal chain. If set right they can act like a good tube rectifier and give ya a nice bloom by evening out your attack and keep notes say on the high end from decaying faster than those on the low end.

Wait, but my understanding is that the Sonic Stomp is not a compressor. Am I mistaken?

Anyone else have any experience with these?

But what I'm really trying to find is that inner joy, the joy of playing, and setting my spirit free. I always try to remember where I came from. I have so much to be thankful for, and I am so grateful for the gifts and opportunities I've had.

Be happy. Love yourself and the world around you...that's the secret to GREAT tone.

Bill

Words to live by, Bill. Thanks!

What kind of amp do you play? And let's see some pictures, people!

I love my Mesa/Boogie 5/25. Play it in the 5 Watt position almost all of the time. Also have a big Mesa rig, which is still killer, with Fender AcoustaSonic on the top, and a Mesa Subway Blues. And it off some small stuff.

Anyway, in that spirit --- and in broad strokes --- I would like to know how you would order the following components, from most impactful on sound to least: guitar, amp, speakers, tubes, cables, strings, picks, pedals.

Opt for fingers, soul, and heart, before any equipment. A good guitar and a good amp can make you help sound good but in the end the sound has to 'emanate' from you.

Great week!