Tacky Behavior Thursday

First of all, it is my exquisite and persuasive pleasure to introduce next weeks Lunch Reporter: RickT. He has graciously accepted the nomination, Craig sign us up! It's gonna be Fun! Doing my due diligence before bestowing this honor on Rick (and after he was suggested to me and for which I am grateful), I found these cool acoustic recordings he posted recently:
http://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=101&t=2607
You should check 'em out they're cool. Two guys playing guitar and singing, you can't hide much--it's all right there and sounds great! I'm impressed, anyway. If you only have time for one, my favorite was Rock 'n Roll Heart.

Lunch - I came to work early to conference with a team in Delhi. So I had breakfast at about 10:30. Biscuits & Gravy and Eggs. Coffee and cherry pie!

My non G&L question for the day is. How many of you use 'alternate' tunings frequently or most of the time? What do you use, and why? If this discussion happened recently, would someone let me KNOW? I just have a funny feeling that is has when i first started coming around. I 'll try and check as well!

I really don't use alternate tunings much at all. A lot of you have opined about a lack of practice time, due to other responsibilities. I am in the same boat. Somehow to take 5 minutes to tune and then start getting my head around the tuning just seems like more trouble than it is worth, given my limited practice time. So it goes in the one of these days pile. But a lot of the players I love use them extensively.

G&L Question
Musicians can be kind of a mercurial lot. I have had lot's of weekend warriors like myself ask me about G&L. I feel like that is getting less common, but still, pretty often after I play out somebody asks? What the heck is that? Did you make it? Where do they come from? I also have a lot of people say, hey I think I have heard of that, tell me about 'em. I love this, and take great delight in letting them in on the story. Quality/Value/ and a little music history for fun. But once in a while you find a know-it-all.

Blargfromouterspace commented on one of my earlier questions about people in other forums saying 'hey, ASAT's don't sound like tele's.' First of all, that means nothing. Do they mean like Greg Kin (Sp??) on The Breakup Song is that THE tele sound? Buck Owens on Tiger by the Tail or earlier Muddy Waters? (Just looking for divergent sounds here, no other correlation implied.) I agree there is a unique tele bite, but come on! At least a few people have liked all of these sounds. Which does the ASAT not do? None of them? What guitars DO sound like Tele's? Only their mexi-caster? Who decides this, only them?

I would argue that there are a lot of people who are hung up on the brand that they have created in their head. For a lot of these folks that are no good guitars that don't say “Fender” or “Gibson” on the headstock, a lot of them are peripherally aware of PRS-but that's not there 'style'. In my brief time here I recall other people mentioning various instances of this phenomena.

The G&L question for the day is, has anybody come up to you in person and just made a totally jacka$$ out of themselves commenting on your G&L.

Here's mine, I thought it was pretty rude, and super funny!. I played a wedding reception, heck it was almost a year ago now, just after new years. We played better than we expected and were well received. After they shut us down, a guy comes up and starts tacking to me. We will call this character AH for short 'You sound pretty good'

JG 'Thanks, we had fun anyway.'
AH 'Do you like that Deluxe Reverb'
JG 'You know I do, I've been playing it awhile and we get along. I like the sound—sometimes wish I had a little clean headroom. '
AH 'Probably sound better with that guitar' Points drunken finger at my buddies Les Paul Custom.
JG 'That is a nice guitar, I'll take my G&L, awfully good guitar, It's a little tighter and brighter than the Custom-but I find it to still be creamy when you get that distortion going.'
AH 'He'd never let you play that Les Paul'
JG – Giving up. 'Nope, never, not in a million years. At least sense I fixed the intonation on it.'

This particular custom is fine (after I set it up, natch), that's not the point. Who says this? I feel like the f-100 is a good enough guitar that even casual observation would clue one in that it's a serious tool. Would he give someone (me) give this line if they (i) were playing something he'd heard of? Of course you can't say for sure, but I don't think so. My feeling is that he assumed I got it at Costco, sense he has never seen one in a music store. I don't think he gets out much-but I guarantee you his perception of his worldliness is different!

Or maybe it's all in my head....and this happens no matter what you play! Let's hear about the 'player' who new WAY to little! (Lunch Reporters who got songwriters wrong yesterday don't count!!! )

I haven't had a breakfast like that in a while. However, had a pricey sushi lunch today: giant clam and toro. I luvs me toro.

All of my G&L/public experiences have been good ones. Some people question the PTB system, but that's about it. Last time I had my S-500(one w/ white aluminum PG and used most often) cleaned up and restrung at American Guitar and Band, they were astonished and messed around with it quite a bit. The quality is unlike even other G&L's; I tried a few Legacy's and ASAT's and even from my own collection.






As for alternate tunings, mostly acoustic guitar "open D", etc. Have a good one!


Cheers,

Will

For alternate tunings, nope. I play in standard, I like the feeling of the strings there, hence not drop tuning much. A lot of bands I like play 1/2 flat (power metal) so I usually don't bother playing their stuff (or bumping all the midi a semitone). I would like to get a 7 string guitar to combat this. As far as open chord tunings go, they are too specific so I do not use them either.

I have never got the whole 'tele sound' thing either, or strat sound etc. The one the can conviniently only be captured by the proper name on the headstock. I have never had people be dicks to be about instruments, but I haven't hit the stage much. The way I play tends to make people not care what I am playing, then promptly leave . In all seriousness, I play Carvins and a G&L right now. My last band the guitarists would occasionally ask me to bring my Carvin guitar as he liked it. I am a bit of a tank on the bass so no one would make fun of what I was playing, people tend to associate instruments with playing good instead of players, so what I pick up might get some favour.

That breakfast sounds good! lunch today was steak and cheese sandwich, although there was barely any cheese, and fries. I brought some clementines from home but so far none of them have been sweet, and they're kinda hard (not ripe?)

I just recently started messing with open tunings, mainly open G. I'm trying to get decent with a slide, but I don't really have the time to put into it so I haven't made much progress. Like Will it's generally on my acoustic.

I've never had anyone comment on my G&L good or bad, most of the places we played didn't pay much attention to us at all that's probably a bad sign. "AH" is a good nickname for that guy, sounds like a real tool.

-Dave

Having played slide and blues for some 50 years now (and now lap steel) , I spend alot of time in open tunings - particulalry G, D, and Dm. If nothing else, if ya can play in Open G you can cover about 90% of the Stones catalog from 1969 on.

Worst thing someone has said about my G&L?

Have not heard a whole lotta slamming fo G&Ls (most folks I know tend to like 'em) but I have heard them referred to as a second chance Fender.

I've been futzing around a bit with alt tuning lately, mainly on acoustic. Mostly open D, a bit of Fripps new standard C-G-D-A-E-G, and one that I read about in an old Kaki King interview C-G-D-G-A-D. Makes me wish I had enough acoustics to have spares for each alt tuning as it is a pain to retune each time.

I've only had one person ever make a negative comment on G&Ls. He was vocal in his displeasure when he realized my S500 didn't say F-ender on the headstock. He figured it just a cheap copy. But he was kind of a jacka$$ anyway! Any other comments were mainly from folks that had heard of G&L but didn't really know much about them and were curious to check them out.


Jeff

...What guitars DO sound like Tele's?...

Depends on who is playin' the guitar, whatever it is. The Telecaster is a state of mind, and it forces you to capatilize on its attitude, or sound like you're lost.

I had an '88 ASSAT with an alder body, rosewood board, and big MFD pickups. Did it sound like Don Rich? No. But he used a totally different amp than I prefer and was after a different thing. If Don Rich was playing that old rig of mine he would've probably still gotten the musical ideas across he was after.

I've heard that Legacies are more traditional sounding for Strat guys, and that S500's are too modern sounding to pull off authentic Strat sounds. I don't think so. I can turn the bass control down on my S500 and to MY ears it sounds plenty "stratty."

Thanks for the RickT link. That was nice. Rock and Roll Heart is a nice recording of nice music. Reminds me a bit of the sound America had on Ventura Highway, or maybe Jonathan Edwards a bit. I like soft acoustic Rock.

I used to detune into open G back in my Folk days (during the big folk scare of the sixties), but just to showcase a couple of songs.
When I was in Maui in 1994 I caught a Slack Key Festival and got hooked on those lovely sounds and sensibilities. I think an acoustic sounds great in those slack keys (Tarow patch tuning is basically open G I think, but the approach is way different than the bluesy stuff I used to murder in open G). I'm slide challenged anyway, so leave it in standard tuning nowadays.
Dave Van Ronk said that altered tunings were like playing tennis with the net down, but I dunno, Peppino D'Augustino brings a LOT to the party, as does David Wilcox. Tommy Emmanuel seems like it works sometimes!

I haven't had anybody diss me for having a G&L yet. The other guitar guy in our band, and the bass player, didn't even know what it was when I first showed up with it (they be ignant!), but I always sound like me no matter the guitar. I picked it because I could get it to sound like I wanted, for getting musical ideas across.

I've got enough guitars that I should have at least one of them in an alternate tuning, but I guess I'm too lazy. I do drop my acoustic down to open D occasionally though.

I haven't had any negative comments about my G&L's, though it's my observation that people perceive that you sound better if you're playing a Fender or Gibson. I had one guy chase me after a gig to find out about my ASAT Special. He was in another band on the bill (the drummer as it turned out!) and had never seen one before. The conversation went something like this:

Drummer: Hey man, what's that guitar you're playing?
Me: It's a G&L ASAT.
Drummer: It looks like a Tele slept with a Les Paul and left you with the bastard child ha ha ha ha. Hey where'd I leave my vodka?

I read somewhere else, probably on this forum, about a conversation between Chet Atkins and a member of the audience after a show.

Audience Guy: 'Hey Chet, that Gretsch sounds absolutely fantastic.'
Chet: 'Why thank you, nice of you to say so.'
Chet takes off his guitar and puts it on a chair.
Chet: 'How good does it sound now?'

To me that sums up everything about guitar brand snobbery!

I don't want to make it sound like I get tons of negative comments on my G&L's. That's not the case, I have only had the one episode. But I have had quite a few people, even people that play a little just ask about it, and almost all are complimentary.

Just this weekend, my youngest brother's fiance commented on my deluxe as I diddled around "That's the prettiest guitar I've ever seen". (Should have showed her all the stuff on here!) She didn't mention my playing. So Sirmyghin might be on to something, the comments I get may have NOTHING to do with the guitar!

My interest in open tunings has been around slide. I think blues and americana type guitar parts sound great tuned down a half step.

The closest I get to open tuning is dropping the low E to D, and the A to G. Beyond that I find it too confusing to play lead breaks. I have a lap steel that I'll learn to play properly one of these days, there's plenty of room for experimenting with open tunings there. I've never been a huge fan of slide on a regular guitar (gimme a lap steel any day) so have never felt the need to experiment.

The 'doesn't sound like a tele' thing is ridiculous, not least due to all the different sounds that you can get out of one. Look how many models that Fender make of that guitar too - 38!!!! Beleive it or not, it is largely due to the fact that it doesn't say 'Telecaster' on the headstock. Crazy.

When I enquired about G&Ls in a shop once the guy there said "G&L! For Gays and Lesbians!". I left without another word to that doofus. I haven't had any comments from the audience ever about my G&Ls. One guy in another band asked me if I was using a b-bender (nope, just strength ), but that was about it. I saw a guy checking my guitars out once when we were between sets, with a really scrutinizing look on his face. He didn't ask me anything. I've only ever had compliments from the other guys in the bands I play in. A sound engineer once complained for the entire time he was setting up that he didn't want me to record with "that tele", because they were akin to "a bunch of sticks". After the first take he'd changed his mind!

Rick will get it done next week! Great job this week nottired!

I had a bag of popcorn for lunch today. lightly buttered and it did the job until I got home tonight.
I do use a drop D occasionally on song like Long Haired Country Boy. I do know a song from the seventies!

Everyone has an idea of what a Tele should sound like. I saw a Don Grosh Retro T on CL here today. I would like to hear that. I have a Tele Plus (97) a Tele with a neck p90. A 72 reissue Thinline, have had 52 reissues, American Deluxe and American Teles. They all twang, some more than others. What they do have in common is that they are missing a Bigsby. At the first of the year I will order 3 or 4 Bigsby Kits and the surgery will began. They will then become perfect Teles including an ASAT.

No one has ever given me a negative comment on the G&Ls. Many have looked at our wall and the G&Ls stand out from the art factor every time. Did I ever say that G&L uses the best wood grains??? The Fenders in the solid colors are cool, especially the Surf and the Tanquaray green Strats. Did someone on this board say that green was ugly the other day??? The lead player in our band is a Strat (1988 plus that he bought new) and has played two of my Legacys and has nothing but respect. Keep in mind young 'uns, if you turn the dollies on visually with the looks of a cool G&L guitar, you have set the bar, then you lay some good sounds on them and you are in the saddle. -- Darwin

[quote="sickbutnottired"]

I feel like the f-100 is a good enough guitar that even casual observation would clue one in that it's a serious tool."

I think AH was one serious tool. Unbelievable!!!

Never encountered anything quite like that. I can picture it, though..... Alcohol is a dangerous drug indeed.

I play my G&Ls (and all my guitars) in private these days, which seems to work well for all concerned. - ed

PS: I envy you your brunch. Had me drooling there for a moment or four. And great score getting RickT for next week. We love Rick.

- ed

Thanks for the nomination and for posting those songs.

The last couple of times I played out with a G&L, I used a reissue SC-2 and a Broadcaster. I got lots of compliments on them mostly because the Swart likes those guitars. As for open tunings, I've got some books on those but just don't have the time to devote to practicing them. It's on my list of things to do when I run out of things to do from my other list.

I'll do my best to keep it interesting next week. I do have more gig tales, well, at least one new one.

RickT

If nothing else, if ya can play in Open G you can cover about 90% of the Stones catalog from 1969 on.

Exactly the reason I have one of my ASAT Classics in Open G too. For slide work, I have my National Tricone in Open G and my ASAT Jr in Open D. For some tunes I use dropped D (notable Queen's "White Man") but I don't have a guitar permanently tuned that way.

Don't have too much experience with people commenting on my G&L's except for this little story. My Phyllis model was delivered at work and as some of may remember from one of my LR's last week we have a music room there. Another colleague had a MIM Fender Strat at work so some A/B testing was in order. He also had to get used to the PTB system but after that he was blown away about how well it played and sounded. Between the 2, we both would have picked the G&L. But we also both realized there was a significant difference in price tag and wished there was a Custom Shop laying around somewhere.

Good you found a willing nominee for next week. Great LR's Jeremy, and I hope you enjoyed doing it. And looking forward to your week Rick.

- Jos