Thursday: Partly cloudy. Top of 28C

Lunch today was a piece of quiche, which I made for dinner last night. I love a good quiche, and this was definitely a good one – ham off the bone, good quality cheddar cheese, onion and a couple of thin slices of tomato (pronounced to-MAH-to, but you can say to-MAY-to if you want) on the top. Delicious.

Today I’ve shot the clear coats.



It takes a lot of work to finish a guitar! The binding has added considerably to the time as you have to keep taping it up and removing any paint which has leaked through the tape. It looks like I might just finish it completely by Saturday afternoon. All I'm waiting on now is the pick guard, the jack and the socket. I have a rock ’n’ rollers gig on Saturday night (Monash Hotel in Clayton from 9pm on, for anyone who's interested) where the colour scheme would be a hit, fingers crossed that the postman feels like working this week.

Thanks for the songs about large women – a couple there I’d forgotten about – how could I forget ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’? It’s my favourite AC/DC song!

Does anyone use a b-bender? I’m considering one for this guitar, partly because I love the way Marty Stuart plays, and mostly because there’s some ugliness behind the bridge that a Hipshot unit would cover very nicely . I play more than my share of faux-steel licks and having a bender would open up a lot more for me. They also look cool. This one bends the B with the hip, the G with the palm lever and drops the E to a D with that toggle thing. Fantastic!



On that topic, does anyone, when playing guitar, imitate how other instruments would play? I’m not talking about tone, but more in the way you’d approach playing a note. When I play with the soul band I’m surrounded by fantastic musicians and hearing the trumpet player take a lead break makes me think about these things. Recently I attended a clinic hosted by Redd Volkaert. He explained that uses his fingers to play chords to get more of a piano type sound, because even when you strum a chord quickly it is still one note following another.

Does anyone play another instrument aside from guitar/bass? I play the banjo reasonably and dabble in lap steel. There's no way I'd be comfortable playing steel at a gig though.

That guitar is coming along nicely - much better than I pictured when I saw "SHELL PINK" in giant letters. I am also amazed at how fast this project is moving along.

What's the plan for the neck - color-wise? Are you planning on any stain or simply oiling the neck? (BTW, I don't remember you mentioning the neck finish, but if you did and I missed/forgot, please forgive the redundant question.) Do you have a preference on tuners?

As for imitating or altering my style to blend with or imitate another instrument, that all comes down to effects and technology for me. In the late 1980s when midi was readily available for guitarists in studios I started tinkering with one of the only sounds possible then - the Japanese wood flute. It had a lot of lag time between plucking and the sound so I had to anticipate which forced a very simple melody. I've also always been a fan of "reverse reverb" or attack-free "swelling" sounds effects and they keep getting better as time goes by so I have more fun with them. That's another that used to require a great deal of anticipation, but the lag time is nearly gone in modern effects.

Logically, if I am going to emulate or imitate a sound or instrument, it is going to be an electric violin. When you can get the required sustain (my S-500 is almost capable on its own) to go from long note to long note without a taper in the volume, it just feels really good to me. But all of these things alter the style of music or lead that I will play because it changes what you can do with the guitar, which in turn changes the way you think or plan out what the next note(s) or phrase is going to be. I might add that if there is a good horn section or even one good trumpet or tenor sax player, I'm laying way back simply because those are far more rare sounds these days than anything I can generate.

Now this is a throwback sort of to Tuesday/Wednesday food topics, but since you keep mentioning curry, and you are bold enough to try a pink guitar, I'm going to share a simple, yet odd-sounding baked potato recipe. I got so tired of the usual "fixings" that I came up with this. Take about one average sized clove of raw garlic and chop it as finely as you can (no, garlic powder will not work at all here). You can still use butter, but I prefer a pungent extra virgin olive oil first. Then add the garlic to the freshly split cooked potato. The heat will take some of the "edge" off the garlic. Then, add about half to a whole teaspoon (yes, that much) of your favorite "hot" curry powder depending on the size of the potato - I prefer Indian or Madras curry powder. Start mixing the potato at this point because the dry powder needs to be fully incorporated and you want the garlic evenly distributed. You can add more olive oil at this point too. I finish it with real bacon pieces (thick cut) and sometimes chives or green onions. This ain't something you want to eat on or before a date - even if she eats the same thing - and the flavors will linger for the rest of the night, so be warned. But, the combo of garlic, curry and potato are so perfect that I've had just a potato or two made this way for a meal. It also goes very well with anything grilled. OK - that secret is out of the bag now and some of you guys may think I should have kept it there, but it's been on my mind since Monday night. Enjoy if you dare.

- The bender...that looks way too complicated for me, but from your description, I'd love to hear somebody using it who knew what they were doing. Do you have any links to some quality players using them?

Phillip

Phillip - Funny that you ask about the neck finish. I used the same clear coat as I have on the guitar, which gave it a perfectly clear finish. HOWEVER!!!!! I just pulled the masking tape off of the frets and it's pulled the clear coat off!!! It came off like plastic packaging. I'll have to attack it with something else tomorrow. There's a shellac-based sealer on it that the manufacturer applied, so I'll have to go to the paint shop and get something compatible.

Great thoughts on the electric violin thing.

As for tuners, I'll be using locking tuners which I purchased from GFS. They're imitation Sperzel's, but at half the price of actual Sperzel's. So if they work then I saved $30. They seem solid enough.

Benders: WIll Ray uses one, without the G bender but with slide rings. This is the only clip I can find
[youtube]GYm1CzPA5lQ[/youtube]


I'll try that baked potato, sounds right up my alley.

Hay Jamie - that projects coming along very nicely!

On that topic, does anyone, when playing guitar, imitate how other instruments would play?

One of my mate's once said he thought that Allan Holdwwoth played like a sax player ... and I had to agree ...

[youtube]dcAVpvQAwm4[/youtube]

... and back to yesterday's topic, if you're looking for someone who likes to pound the keys look no further than The Jim Jones Revue

[youtube]ru92Y49DLIw[/youtube]

cheers, Robbie

Jamie, the project looks great. Let that topcoat age a few days before wet sanding and buffing. That has always been the hardest part for me, WAITING!!.

I have owned the Fender B-Bender. It is very slick sounding and I used it for Eagles songs. I think the WR version would be fun to try. I am reluctant to drill holes in the end of a guitar. A local artist uses another type of bender system that is not visable , even from the back and he is very proficient with it. It uses a hole in the body from the neck area to the bridge but is only for the B. The disadvantage of the Fender Bender was weight. I had to oil the string over the bender pivot or it would squeak.

I have been a bass player my whole life but have become fairly proficient on 6 string and do a second lead in our band when we have a bass player. It is fun and the key is to augment what the lead player is doing. Our lead player really likes two lead players. He is an outstanding guitarist and is fun to work with. There is a lot to be learned from this guy.

I have been looking for a Roland Strat to use for sounding like a synth or sax. They are harder to find now and the local GC has one that has been demoed for about 3 years and is mostly junk.

I can hardly wait to see some close-ups of the final project. It sure looks beautiful with that Black Binding --- Darwin

Today I’ve shot the clear coats.



Wondering if you''ll play cuts from the Music From Big Pink

Just kidding.

Going to be a fabulous guitar. Hope ya post audio samples.

Does anyone use a b-bender?

Fooled with a Ray model in the store. Figured it would take a bit of woodshedding to get the hang of it.

Does anyone play another instrument aside from guitar/bass?

Need to get serious 'bout fiddle playing. Dittos on piano. Had a pedal steel, sold it, but getting GAS for another.

Jamie in NC

Last edited by jamie d on Thu Jan 20, 2011 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

No B Bender here, maybe I will add one to my ASAT one day. (OR better yet get another ASAT!).

I played Tenor Sax big band all through High School. I would like to get back into it, but I don't want it more than I want another guitar, especially considering woodwinds make guitars look cheap.

That guitar is looking good; black binding works too. As for the frets, I have used rubber cement. Just make a thin bead across the frets and it rubs off easily afterwords. I did that for a finish on my Hondo.

I'm also a percussionist. Here's one of my wood slit drums with an ash top in the background:




Cheers,

Will

That guitar is starting to look real nice.

Never tried a bender.

As far as instruments go these were my first true love. I'm not that great of a guitar player and end up playing drums at a lot of our open jams.

The Pink Tele is coming together.
i like the black binding and pickguard. Nice touch.
As far as the frets go- I don't think Fender ever masked off frets on a maple fingerboard guitar. You just play through the lacquer until it sounds good!

Have some fun today!- Zippy

Thanks for the words of encouragement with the built. I'm very pleased with how it's turning out.

Jamie, the project looks great. Let that topcoat age a few days before wet sanding and buffing. That has always been the hardest part for me, WAITING!!.

.....I can hardly wait to see some close-ups of the final project. It sure looks beautiful with that Black Binding --- Darwin

Will do Darwin. It still needs another coat, which I'll shoot today. I wont finish it today, so will post finished pics in another thread in the General Music forum once I'm done here as LR. I can't wait to see the close ups either

Will - Thanks for the rubber cement tip, I'll do that this time.

Wondering if you''ll play cuts from the Music From Big Pink

Great Idea!

Westside - You win the "Most Fun Shed" award. There are a lot of dB's in there!

It ain't that real men don't eat quiche - real me can't spell quiche.

Cool build thread but I am afraid ya have lost me with the shell pink thing. But I will wait to see the final product. Maybe you can make a believer out of me.

Never used a B bender.

Imitating other instrument voices. I always preferred phrasing solos and fills like a horn player rather than go off on some blow your brains out hot solo. On acoustic like the players from the 1920s and 1930s I admire so much, I steal alot from keyboard players - stuff like rolling the bass. On lap steel - that is the instrument which to me comes closest to actually imitating the wail of a newborn baby.

Guitar looks good!

Never played a b-bender. Not sure I'm coordinated enough.

In my old two guitar band I would use a certain Phasor setting and and do the aforementioned Volkaert technique to do some B-3 comping. Use the volume know to do swells and your foot to vary the speed of the phasor and punch it out like Booker T.

I have a 5-string banjo that I bought back in 1976. It is a very beautiful Ibanez Artist, with an ebony board and a "hearts and Flowers" inlay pattern. Hardware is chrome. The rim and resonator are blonde, blirdseye maple. Pretty deluxe. It has a good tone, though I don't nearly play it enough. I use it with the band; we do about six songs with it. For as long as I've had it, i should be much better. It's the only instrument I bought that my father didn't complain about--he really loved to hear me play it.

I did the Bob Dylan/Neil Young harmonica holder thing for quite a while--until I grew a beard and a mustache--got a hair caught in a seam of the harmonica, and damn near ripped off my whole upper lip! Owie!

Got a Fender Precision "Lyte" bass that I bought back around 1996. I'd been looking for a bass to have around the house for several years. Walked into Mike Lull's shop. saw it against the wall. Mike had JUST taken it in on a trade for one of his custom basses. The whole transaction took less than five minutes--the three of us standing there passing money back and forth. I don't use it very much, but seems like every bassist who plays it wants to borrow it for the gig because his vintage J or P Bass is too heavy. I think it's a very nice bass.

I can play scales and build chords on a piano, but I have no real proficiency. I can however, play the chords the Beatles' "Let It Be". I have been moved at various times in my life to bang out these chords and sing my best McCartney impersonation upon an unoccupied piano....much to the surprise and consternation of the customers and management of Nordstrom's. LOL!

Bill

......McCartney impersonation upon an unoccupied piano

That sounds like the title of a John Cage composition. Also sounds like fun.


Zombywoof - I thought that more people wouldn't like it, it certainly isn't a very masculine colour, though according to DaveP, it is in Japan. Maybe when it's all put together it will have more appeal.