Lunch report, December 2, 2010: Any given Thursday

Hi gang,

Thanks again for all your contributions yesterday. I have been looking in a friendly way for an LR for next week and have gotten 4 declines so far. Too new, too busy, away,... I have heard it all. I am a friendly guy and could have easily shifted the onus to any of my potential candidates to find a suitable LR reporter and will keep looking myself. If anybody would like to volunteer, that would be my preferred method. But I will but the hammer down if necessary

Now back to our regularly scheduled program. Today for ...

Lunch
... we go to the Hurricane. This is a true institution in Seattle. Close to Bell Town and Denny Way, open 24 hours, and breakfast all day. Usually I take some vegetable/egg scramble and add ham with hash browns and wheat toast. But today I intend to order the cheese melt on sourdough with a cup of their pretty darn good meat chili with cheese and onions. My mouth is salivating already.

Non-G&L
Which guitar solos stopped you in your tracks?

I have a couple of solos which completely blew me away when I heard them first:
First one is Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones doing his best Carlos Santana on the solo of 'Time Waits For No One' from 'It's Only Rock 'n Roll'. I remember playing with my Lego's one Sunday evening when I was in my early teens. As usual I was building stages since I had a lot of Lego light set. Especially stages build in/on a trailer with all sorts of parts folding and sliding out (very similar to many RV's I discovered 2 decades later!). And on the radio they played this tune by the Stones. I recognized them as such but had never heard this song. And then the solo kicked in and I stopped whatever I was doing and just listened. In my memory, it seemed to last forever. Which led to quite a letdown when I purchased the album because the song only lasts 6:38! But the experience was apparently so intense that time seemed to have had slowed down.

Second is Pat Metheny on 'Are you Going With Me' from 'Travels'. On this live track, the group just kicks ass and the whole rendition is so much better than the studio version on 'Offramp'. 'Travels' had gotten a 6 out of 5 stars in a review in a Dutch musical instruments magazine (think 'Guitar Player'). Undoubtedly a misprint but it piqued my interest enough to buy the album. The local store, called 'North End' (yes English names for stores and things are rather prevalent in the Netherlands), did not carry any ECM albums but they could order it. So 2 weeks later I returned and the store owner was interested why a young kid like me buys an album like that. He wanted to know what's on it too. So we played the whole album in the store. Still getting goosebumps thinking back to that moment I heard the Roland guitar synthesizer used with so much ... well everything.

Third is the first time I heard John Mayer's solo on 'Covered in Rain' watching a YouTube video. I have no recollection how me and my wife ever ended up on that post but there we were. When it was over, we were awestruck. Oh there were plenty of references to other greats but this young fellow but together a might fine piece of music. Still my favorite song on 'Any Given Thursday' with John going wild over a signature maj7 chord progression.

Last one didn't really turn out to be a solo. I replayed Trey Anastasio's solo on 'Billy Breaths' from the same album by Phish over and over again. Until I discovered that in the piano part just before, the same 'solo' is played on what sounds like a banjo! But still a very tasty lick!

G&L related
For those of you who love the ASAT body shape, what is your take on the addition of body contours?

Two of mine have a rear body contour: the 25th Anniversary model and a Bluesboy w/spalted maple top.


In all honesty, it does add some comfort, but I'm so in love with the 'raw' shape of the ASAT that whenever I would want to get me a Classic 'S', I would try my hardest to find me a 2007 series (in Butterscotch if possible) which does not have the front and rear contours like the modern 'S'. The body just looks a little to much like a single-horn Legacy to me.

Talk to you later,

- Jos

Edit: fix image link after album was lost.

Last edited by yowhatsshakin on Mon Dec 19, 2011 12:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

Contours are your friends. You ribs will appreciate that back contour, and I do understand why purists want a full slab body on some guitars, like old Telecasters etc..
I have slab bodies on my 69 telebass, my Musicman Sub 4 and 5 string basses and my Musicmaster bass. sometimes the body resonance s so good, I wouldn't change the slab, but for comfort, give me the body contours anyday.

Guitar solos of note- Santana on "Soul Sacrifice", Clapton on "Sunshine of your Love" and Neil Young on "Cinnamon Girl".

I like a slab body. My Classic S has front and rear contours and it breaks my heart. If it didn't have them I'd like it so much more. I find that because of the contours my arm is at a different angle on the approach to the bridge and it affects the feel of the instrument hugely. I've never felt any discomfort in the ribs while playing my other ASAT's, they have slab bodies. I guess that's one of the advantages of playing 'high pant' style.

Solos
My favorites are, in this order:

1) Wes Montgomery's solo on 'Polka Dots and Moonbeams' from 'The Incredible Jazz Guitar' is stunningly beautiful. I've listened to it so many times, and it still nearly brings me to tears.

2) Roy Nichols, what a player. Great choice of notes and phrasing. Very charismatic
[youtube]fbEstJ98TcM[/youtube]

3) The solo in a Dolly Parton song called 'You're The Only One I Ever Needed' (not to be confused with the song 'You're The Only One', they're completely different). It has this great, thick tone and ends with a harmonized guitar line. I don't know who played it and I can't find a link on line

Solos.. Solos....

Freewill by Rush knocked my socks off the first time I heard it, then again the first time I heard it live.

I really like the intro solo fomr Count of Tuscany - Dream theatre , nothing flashy, but it rocks



I'll come back with more later. I love contours, My ASAT has both front and rear contours, par my request. Those contours aren't cheap as far as options from G&L go either. I like to have a contour, the ASAT ones are pretty mild compared to my Carvin contour though.

...Non-G&L
Which guitar solos stopped you in your tracks?...

Buzzy Feiten with Paul Butterfield: Walkin' By Myself. Terrific scrappy attitude on that cut on his solo.
I can't find a YouTube with the right version of it, and forget which album it was on. Maybe In My Own Dream?

I guess I have to go back and vote on the contours now. I like slabs on tele-style. My ribs are well protected!

Contours sorta seem to belong on strat type guitars. I guess that makes me traditionalist.

Geetar Solos

1. Lonnie Johnson on "Toothache Blues" recorded with Victoria Spivey. I first heard this in the early 1960s on a 78 rpm. It sent me a journey from which I have not yet returned.

2. Mike Bloomfield with the Butterfield Blues Band on "East West." Bloomfield might have been the most chromatic electric blues player ever but on this one he throws everything in but the kitchen sink.

3. Blind Willie Johnson's intro on "Dark was the Night, Cold Was the Ground." This remains the most haunting piece of music I have ever heard.

4. Danny Kalb with the Blues Project on "Catch the Wind." For whatever reason Kalb's solo still send chills down my spine.

5. I actually do not know who the guy is (I think it is Danny Barker) but whoever that cat is playing the guitar solo on the 1930s film clip of Cab Calloway doing "Minnie the Moocher" is phenomenal. Stopped me dead in my tracks.

G&L Body Styles.
On the ASAT I just prefer the slab body. Leave the sexy contours to the Legacy.

But when it comes to G&L body designs, love it or hate it but the 1st X body style on the Interceptor is probably the most ergonomic guitar body I have ever run across. Incredibly well balanced and comfortable. And the "blood groove" in the lower horn is cool too.

For those of you who love the ASAT body shape, what is your take on the addition of body contours?

For me a large part of the tele charm and overall rustic feel is the slab body. Contours take away from the simplicity of the design and also affect the feel of the instrument. If I really feel the need for contours I'll go pick up my S-500.

Which guitar solos stopped you in your tracks?

Holey moley, where do you start? There are just so many memorable solos in so many different genres. For some reason the solos that had the most impact on me are the ones when I was quite young, before I actually knew how to play guitar. Back then it was a direct response to the emotion of the music rather than a technical analysis of how proficient the playing was. Some of the solos that made me aspire to playing guitar are:

Mark Knopfler - Tunnel of Love, the solo at the 6 min mark. I love the way this solo builds from nothing and the fact you can sing it. It is melodic and beautiful and its own work of art (at least IMHO). His middle solo on Telegraph Road comes very close for the same reasons.

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Jerry Donahue - It's All Gone from Chris Rea's 'On The Beach' album. The solo starts about 2:40 min. This was my first exposure to the tele bending genius of Jerry Donahue. He kept popping up on all the music I liked in the late 80's / early 90's and every time I hear him play it puts a smile on my face. He also does a great solo on the fade out of Chris Rea's Windy Town, not to mention anything on The Proclaimers' Sunshine On Leith album. I hear that Jerry even pulls out a G&L ASAT occasionally.

[youtube]Je_HeqjthoE[/youtube]

Last edited by Philby on Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Gonna vote for no contours. Love the look. I do appreciate the contours a little more than I used to, have gained about 35 lbs after a torn ACL. My least favorite is just one or the other. Give me all of 'em or nothing.

Solos, wow.

Well, I started playing to be like Eddie Van Halen. Ice Cream Man from Van Halen.

Here is a guy that I just think rocks. Albert Lee. The studio version of this on Luxury Liner is outstanding. But this video is cool.

[youtube]zv6fdib3GBI[/youtube]

Solos: man, in a way I hate questions like this cuz I just seem to draw a blank about my favorites when the pressure is on. A couple I can think of off hand would be just about anything by David Gilmour but especially Comfortably Numb. The other would be Santana Soul Sacrifice. When he holds that note for ages I still get goose bumps.

I'll have to check out your suggestion of Billy Breathes. I've got a boat load of Phish but that record is one that doesn't get much rotation.

I don't have a problem with the slab body of the ASAT but I'd love one with contours.

Jeff

Favorite solos..................................so many to choose from.

Peter Green at his best
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Peter Green again...check out the solo at about 2:50.
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One of my favorite Eric Clapton solos from the first Cream album starting at about the one minute mark.
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Who can forget Mick Taylor's solo from "Can't You Hear Me Knockin" starting somewhere after the 4 minute mark.
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Yow, great week and I hope someone,especially a newbie jumps in for LR duties.

Body cuts? You bet. My Mahogany Bluesboy has the arm cut. It is comfy. I also have two Teles with belly cuts. That is also superb so I would like one like Sirmy ordered, both sides. It has to relieve the weight a bit. Now you chamber them a bit and add a Bigsby and does it get any better????

It is fun to see the responses to hot licks. I don't recognize most of the people mentioned but I became familiar with Mark Knopfler when he played with Chet. His clean playing style is hard to beat in my book. I think that Steve, the lead player in our band, does some great ones. His versions of Sultans Of Swing and Ramblin Man are unbeatable and have moved many guitarists in our audiences. They will always come up and talk to him after those two. --- Darwin

Almost forgot this solo from the first Quicksilver album.
Although John Cipollina is probably one of my all time favorite players, Gary Duncan's solo at about 3:15 kicks serious ass!
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I mostly lurk here and pretty much only post when a subject piques my interest, or need an answer from the vast horde of knowledge here......(and no, I'm not interested in doing LR duties).
This subject of memorable guitar solos got me going back through my recordings from way back.
The youngsters here may not be aware of Robin Trower's early work with Procol Harum (I always thought that was his best work). Here's a cut from their first album for those who like a little Bach mixed in with their R&R...Repent Walpurgis...Check out his solos at about 1:15 and again at 3:25.

If you have Procol Harum's album "Shine On Brightly" , check out the long song called "In Held 'twas In I"....towards the end at about 14 minutes and again at about 15:40 you can hear Robin tearing it up. I can remember being awestruck as a 17-18 yr old seeing these guys live in L.A (giving away my age here).........Gold top LP thru a Marshall stack.

[youtube]IRpMVJrANdE[/youtube]

Best solos? Eric Clapton's solo on Badge on the Goodbye Cream LP, Dicky Betts solo on Statesboro Blues from Live at the Fillmore, and Eric Clapton's solo on the song Forever Man. The tone these guys have on those songs is incredible.

Mick Taylor has always been one of my favorite players and I agree that Can't You Hear Me Knockin' is one of his finest efforts.

Contours? I've had them on tele shaped bodies. They're very nice, but, I do think it takes away from the feel of the guitar. So I prefer to not have them.

RickT