Lunch Report ~ Thursday September 23rd!

I'm left handed but I play right handed. I first grabbed a guitar at 13 years old. I started (for 3 weeks) playing left handed. By older brother Bob said "whoa - kill the motor!" And went on to explain I'd either find it hard to find a guitar or wind up paying more as lefties were scare. Furthermore, he pointed out my left hand the wrote, used scissors, etc. has all the dexterity. Thus it would be better.

So I play right handed.

As a side note, having three older brothers who are all right handed ~ I learned to bat in baseball, throw a baseball, shoot a rifle all right handed. However, I shoot a pistol left handed, I play tennis both left & right. In other words, I'm a basket case.

I am in the same boat Tim, I do everything lefty except right, but my father was also left handed. It was just natural for me. Being a technical player though, I disagree that you want more dexterity on the board. The limitation most shredders etc face is the right hand regardless. Thing is you have 1 pick, and 4 fingers on the other side. Picking is much more difficult a mechanic, and holds a lot of players back, and increases the painstaking practice hours despite being their dominant hand. I also play Tennis/Squash left though, not much right. I could fence poorly with both hands when I did though

Thus my question is do you take time? Do you bring your gear? Or do you walk into a store and just “wing it”?

Generally I need to wing it as I cannot get my gear around, I do not drive. My last amp, and my bass amp before it I bought about 10 years ago were bought without even trying them in the store! The bass amp was a fender BXR, and I was 14, figured it is a fender, must be good. I like that amp a fair deal, it has served me very well. The newest was a Mesa Mark V and I truly believe trying it in store would have not helped. It took a few days or practice to narrow in good tones, 2 weeks or so to get good high gain lead tones. This amp is just so versatile, and complex, a few hours trying probably won't get you anywhere.

I orderred my ASAT special without playing through my amp again also, I played through an Orange AD30 instead. Just as it was what was there. I am more concerned with the feel of a guitar than its overall sound.

So what’s my question of the day? I’d like to hear YOUR stories if you’ve ever had an encounter with Leo, Dale or George. If you haven’t, then tell us your favorite G&L Moment (maybe in a store, or at a guitar show, or at a Jam, that time at a gig that people commented on your tone?). Let me know!

2/3 of these guys were gone before I had played a G&L, and living in Ontario (Canada) I have never encountered them. I can understand being ones own worst critic though, I am guilty there too. I am extremely hard on myself, especially when composing.

In turn I will supplement the closest thing I have had to meeting any of them, discovering G&L. I had just bought an engagement ring from my friends dad (a jeweler) and proceeded to hang out with him in the city. For fun, and to kill time we popped in a music store, Pongettis. I figured what the heck, I am getting into country music lets try out one of them there telecasters. Normally Fenders are pretty unplayable for me, due to the thin necks, small spacing, and heavy radii. I was able to adapt quickly, despite heavy radius. The neck carve is comfy and similar to my Carvins, my favourite fret size, and I did not stick to the gloss. I did not plug it in, but knew I had to have one. about 4 months later it was being built and still is.

Man, I first picked up the guitar at age 8 and played my first gig in 1966. Geezerdom Galore!

It seems my gear choices have been driven by finances (or lack thereof) more than any other consideration. But I was lucky. I got my first "name" guitar back when I did not know a good guitar from a can of tuna. I wanted a new Strat so bad I could taste it. But no way could I afford one. A friend of mine told me his dad had a used Fender he wanted to sell. So I went over to take a look. I opened the case and my heart dropped. It were no Strat but a Tele. But it was cheap and the guy said I could pay it off $10 a month. 40 years later I was still playing that 1958 Tele.

I do not think I have ever gone out in search of a specific guitar or amp. What I own I just kinda stumbled upon. Things just seem to show up. The local music store guys though have me figured out. They know I ain't about to walk in and walk out with something in my hand the first go round so they have come up with a new angle - the hey, why don't you take such and such guitar home for a bit and see how I like it. They know it is the only the way they are going to sell me something. And even then I have been kown to bring an instrument back and then pick it back up for another test drive several times.

With amps - I have a confession to make. My first test is the weight test. If I can't lift it - it ain't coming home with me.

Forgot to mention, my gear purchases are entirely independant of finance. I do not let finances govern my decisions. If it costs a lot, it takes longer to get. I never compromise, and never settle. This is what gets me guitars I am pleased with, and try to by every axe as a 'forever guitar'. I do not purchase anything with the intention I will sell it down the road. God willing I will never need to sell any of it either.

This is part of me having no issue modding the heck out of my ASAT if need be (first sign of the frets diagreeing with me and they are stainless)

For a good burger around here we have The Loin's Tap, Smash Burger and 5 Guys Burger and Fries. I'm having a protein bar and coffee for lunch today, then choke down some vitamins.

My amp experience has been observing what others(colleagues, etc) use and went from there. I like VHT, Swart and my Silverface's. I buy too many guitars sight-unseen to attempt an amp test.

No Mr. Fender experience, but quite a few Les Paul run-ins. What a class act.



Cheers,

Will

Thus my question is do you take time? Do you bring your gear? Or do you walk into a store and just “wing it”?
When I can I bring guitars for amp purchase, for guitars I try to plug into one like I own and go from there. If buying from flea bay it is based on basic knowledge of the guitar and what to expect.

Cool Leo stories, would love to have heard those pickups.
No encounters here, I just vicariously lilve through your tales Tim.

Fascinating stuff here today. Thanks!

Tim, you've really given some great LR advice. I'd add to your (d ) PLAN your weekly reports) suggestion this way: I've done LR duty at least once a year since I found this place. I start planning for my next turn the moment I'm done with current duty. I actually have a word document entitled "LR Ideas" in my computer and I make a note there whenever something occurs to me during the course of any given day. I find that I often get ideas from reading others' lunch reports and responses. By the time my turn comes around again, I have several topics noted, ready to be fleshed out a bit and presented.

SLOW DOWN: Except with acoustic guitars, I tend to buy electrics online without an opportunity to play them through any amp. Buying only from the best of the best sellers, I've actually done well. I have a variety of nice guitars that I love. Now I just have to find an amp (and some talent) with which to do them justice. Lately, I've a hankering for an Orange Tiny Terror Combo. Ever try one? Anybody?
I've looked at a lot of utube videos and such, and as a simple man, I am quite impressed.

I have no Leo, Dale or George moments, unfortunately, but perhaps you can relate to my favorite G&L moment: Trying for the first time the middle position on my (then) newly-acquired double-bound Bluesboy. Quite a moment for me. Also, it was way cool to have our own Bassman Bill pick up my newly begotten 1981 L1K and proceed to rock the thing at his band RAGS' gig - right on the spot.



Yeah, I'm in! - ed

2) Nomination for Next Weeks Lunch Reporter is KODOR!!!!!!
I heartily accept this quest...o Tim!

I don't suppose you could tell us where we could find aeum um...
A what?
A Gu guh gu guh
A G&L?!
Yes I think so...
YES!
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4) Lunch Time!
Chicken Tenders with a Sweet Tea at Logan's Roadhouse

5) NON-G&L Topic > HOW TO BUY AN AMP OR GUITAR and SLOW DOWN! Thus my question is do you take time? Do you bring your gear? Or do you walk into a store and just “wing it”?
I always take my time. It took me over a year to decide on a Legacy. I also took over a year to pick my Peavey Delta Blues. I always start with internet research. Then I look at pics...listen to sound clips. Then I try to find one in a local store. I look online in forums and web-reviews. I get several price quotes. Timing usually has to do with reserve funds...so I do all this research while I'm saving up.

6) G&L TOPIC ~ Leo Fender was his own worst Critic!
If you haven’t, then tell us your favorite G&L Moment (maybe in a store, or at a guitar show, or at a Jam, that time at a gig that people commented on your tone?). Let me know!

My favorite G&L moment was at the 2008 Dallas Guitar Show. I got to put a face to several of the folks from the board. The real fun part was at Brian's "just-a-guy" House. Tim...you were there! It was a blast. I posted videos up on YouTube and made DVDs for everyone who was there. I did get several positive comments on my tone whilst playing my Legacy on "Red House." I specifically remember Jaystrings comments about the phat blues tones I was able to squeeze out of my #1 G&L....it really meant a lot to me...although I wasn't quite sure that I could hold a candle who all was there....specially helleman Will Ray himself.

Tim...let's walk down memory lane shall we? I really like that old "piece-of-junk-let-me-take-that-off-of-your-hands" SC-1 you were fondling. He even had the tongue wagging! Oh...watch out for Mac "burnt999" and his channeling of Jeff Beck's whammy bar...while 95% asleep.
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Tim, thanks for laying out more clearly a plan for doing LR duties and also for reassuring that it is easy. I remember my first tour as LR, and I took the baton from you. Your advice was to just be honest, mention my opinion on something important to me, then ask for others' opinions on it. That worked well. I 've now done LR duties over a half dozen times since then. It's actually fun and interesting.

I had an egg salad sandwich, baked beans, & Sprite for lunch today.

I totally agree that George & Dale need to join Leo in the Hall of Fame. They really were a team who made their mark in music history. I have visited Dale twice and talked with him by phone quite a number of times. What an interesting man to talk with; and even more so, what a gentleman. I met George twice in person, and he was the same way. Those WWII guys were the kind of folks you could spend days with just listening to their experiences.

Dale told me about selling the first G&L guitar out of his pickup near L.A. Evidently, he, Leo, & George had no regular work hours. After that, they began calling on dealers to sell them. But usually, they tried to get one into the hands of a good musician in the L.A./Fullerton area. Then, after work hours, they'd go sit in the bars & clubs & listen to the bands play. At breaks, they'd go talk with the guitar player and get feedback on the guitar... the likes & dislikes, the preferences, their ideas. It was not unlike Leo to go right back to the lab THAT NIGHT & work into the night incorporating the ideas & suggestions. Dale said Leo was seemingly tireless. One suggestion or idea would give him a burst of energy that got in the way of rest & sleep needs. Dale said Leo was not as "regular" a church-goer as Phyllis. On Wednesday evenings, she would go to a church function. As soon as she left the house, Leo would take off for his lab - usually with the idea that he'd be back home before or as soon as she would be from church. It just didn't work out like that very often, as he'd get into something at the lab, lose all track of time, then go home way after his normal bedtime. Let's face it, he was a scientist.

I had the pleasure of meeting Phyllis Fender at the first G&L Shindig a few years back. We spent quite a long time talking; much more than I would have ever have imagined. Her love and admiration for Leo was obvious. She said he was a wonderful man and a wonderful husband. They say behind every great man is a great woman; I believe that to be the case with Leo. His friends George & Dale and his wife all had the highest love and respect for him. And so did the Hall of Fame voters. Who could ask for more?

Jay

And thanks for the tip of the hat on the middle position on the Bluesboy. Hard to beat that tone!

Tim,

The only second guess of myself I have had since I orderred my ASAT special was this week. It occurred while listening to the demos of the blues boy on proguitarshop.com. I had to listen to a bunch ASAT special demos to balance it back out and remind myself why I loved that one. The problem is I really like that warm neck tone, and hope I can be as subtle with the ASAT. My delving into country, and learning a lot of chord theory is throwing me more and more into jazz territory over time. It is an odd experience. It also causes a lot of GAS.... Maybe a semi hollow bluesboy

Hi Tim ... firstly, Happy Birthday to Lindsay! And good choice of lunch for yesterday's report of being Pizza, for we all love that gooey Pizza no matter how young or old we are ... just yesterday I had to drive my elderly Dad to the doctor and afterward we went to one of the BEST pizzaria's on Long Island ... Emilio's Ristaurante ... as there are plenty of Pizzaria's around here (probably a dozen or so in any given local town), Emilo's stands out as one of the best. THAT's really saying something for the NYC area!

Righty or Lefty? Hard to say ... I'm a rightie in most respects -- handwriting, guitar playing, baseball, skiing (where a left turn is powered by the right foot), etc etc -- but for some strange reason my sense of rhythm is stronger on the left side than it is on the right. I can snap a finger cleanly and syncopated with the left hand, but can't even get a tiny 'flub' of a snap from the right hand. Likewise with the feet ... my left foot would work great on a Bass Drum pedal, but my right would lag woefully on it. Also when playing guitar, it is my left foot rocking back and forth keeping the beat while the right foot just stands there doing nothing (maintaining balance maybe ?? LOL

Must be interesting genes in my family, as my younger brother (who plays Bass) handwrites lefty but does everything else righty. God must have a sense of humor

Lunch Reporter? Been there, done that .. back in 2000 when I was laid up for 3 weeks with two broken ribs and shoulder bone from a fall on ice. Took on the LR gig figuring the layup would provide some opportunity for doing the gig, but was in so much pain at the time and really didn't have a lot to say, that it turned into a bust by Tuesday. My apologies to GbLDP for that. Although some of the neat stuff Tim is offering nowadays seems a bit enticing to do it again ... /grin

5) NON-G&L Topic > HOW TO BUY AN AMP OR GUITAR and SLOW DOWN!

This is a touchy subject and one which will always garner a myriad of opinions on the matter. My first G&L was a Nighthawk being sold by a local bartender who knew that I played guitar and asked if I was interested in it ... I said "Yes, bring it in, I would definitely be interested" ... and while I knew of Leo's involvement in Music Man and later G&L, I had never played a G&L instrument previously. When he brought it in and I played it for about 10 minutes (unamplified in a noisy bar!) ... I bought it from him on the spot, right then. I just *knew* it was perfect, and didn't need to test anything out to the n'th degree. Sometimes these things happen magically .... /grin

Since then I've become a somewhat G&L 'junkie' as it were .. a bunch of Legacy's, some S-500's, a Broadcaster or two, F-100 here and there, Lynx Bass ... some are good, some not so good, some are great in themselves but just don't work that well in my hands ... oh well, as Tim says to test stuff out before taking the plunge and is good advice from a pro such as Tim, sometimes trusting your immediate instincts works out for the best

G&L On,
-- TV

Whoa! What a set of responses!

You have really made this section of the board come alive,Tim. Great Job.

I'm glad you took up the LR duties this week. I have been in training all week and I have had limited time to do any posting.

I like Tim's ideas on taking your time when selecting and amp or guitar, but I must confess that if something that you want is priced right, you had better grab it or put it on layaway because it may be gone by the time you return to the store with your guitar or amp.

I am right handed and play bass and guitar right handed.

Ed's 1981 L-1000 is sweet!
I would also like to play your bahama Blue SB2!
Rags is Playing at the Middlebrook Pub and Restaurant this
Sat Sept. 25.8-12 approx.