Rainy, nasty Friday Lunch Report - 2-4-2011

Hola G&L fans!
Don't know about the weather where ya'll are, but it's really rainy and chilly here.
I guess I should be thankful that at least it's not snow! Hope everyone's keeping warm and cozy in all of this nastiness!

Now...on with the show!

LUNCH

Well after 2 days of eating soup and whatnot, I think I'm feeling up for good solid food. Might get some Chinese for lunch.
I always find hot and sour soup helps when I have a cold, and of course a spicy dish seems to help with sinus drainage.
I think some General Tso's chicken might be in order!


G&L Question

G&L's come in all sorts of beautiful colors, one of the best selections out there, BUT....are there any that you'd like to see them add??


General question

So, I know I have a couple of ya'll as MySpace/Facebook friends.......but how many of ya'll are active in the "social networking" community??
For those in bands, do you have pages on MySpace or Facebook, or perhaps Reverbnation? If so, please list them so we can add ya'll.



General Music Question

One thing I've noticed from observing younger players is the love of speed.
Seems like most young players think that playing super fast is where it's at. Not only that, but cranking the distortion up to a level where it
blurs the notes seems to be the order of the day.
When I was younger I worshiped at the altar of guys like Eddie Van Halen and such. Now, I still like them, but I really don't see what made me LOVE them back in the day.
Do you think it's just maturity? Youthful energy? Maybe they haven't been exposed to what a truly soulful player can do with a guitar or bass.

What do ya'll think??

Yet another Question.

Alright....Jos sort of anticipated this question yesterday...

If you could sit down for an afternoon with the guitar or bass of any famous musician in history....which one would it be??

I have to think about this one for a bit!!!!!!!!

I look forward to your answers!

Here's a little bonus G&L Porn!

Speed vs soul eh? I am not sure the argument exists. Do I shred, not when I play. Do I practice shredding? Of course. It is very good for keeping your technique tip top and making you a lot more accurate. It is all about limitting the amount of restrictions you have on your playing, so when you get an idea it is no boundaries. Raw speed is pointless yes, but look at what some players can do with that speed. Buckethead, Gilbert, Satriani, Vai, the list goes on. These are not what I would call lifeless players, but they are also not the fastest I suppose, although I am a once you pass 200 it is not really practical type of guy. If you watch them play (buckethead exempt) you can see they are putting themselves into the music. They are there in it, what is that besides playing with soul? Not into the death/black metal. That said when most people think of soulful players, they think the blues. There is nothing out there that bores me more than blues guitarists. I cannot abide the blues and the complete lack of innovation. Far too stale, too done. The players are alright, but they offer very little in terms of uniqueness. Blues rock is more tolerable, but I am still picky about it. I liked the Delta blues, but do not feel electric blues did anything significant to improve the genre, it is like they are stuck in a time warp. Idolizing speed is probably a lack of musical maturity, they all have something to prove, but using it in cases that will suit the song will come with experience. A very fitting solo I think, is the outro to the best of times.

[youtube]XOr3b17tlKg[/youtube]

That said Knopfler is probably one of my favourite axe slingers. I enjoy his light picking style and sort of covert leads.

I keep stopping by here and never disappointed. I dig the G&LDP! Colors? The "swirl" finishes were nice. I know that they had some problems with flaking over time, but looked cool. If they could remedy that, I'd love an "Orange Julius" orange swirl. That w/ the new light tinted neck would be sweet! I appreciate most, if not all types of musical expression. To shred or not to shred; it's all about the message you are trying to convey.


Cheers,

WIll

G&L's come in all sorts of beautiful colors, one of the best selections out there, BUT....are there any that you'd like to see them add??

I have no real opinion on colors. I am very traditional as far as that is concerned and am entirely content with the already beautiful choices available.

...but how many of ya'll are active in the "social networking" community??

I have to for professional reasons. I work for PopCap Games, makers of the Bejeweled Blitz and Zuma Blitz Facebook apps. But I do not use it as a message board etc.

... speed

I am with syrmyghin here. Speed is great to build technique but should never be a means in and by itself. Listen to Tim Reynolds playing just one single note in the solo on 'Lie In Our Graves' on the 'Dave and Tim Live at Radio City' DVD or 2-CD compilation and you know what I'm talking about. A lot of great, emotionally laden soli are slow.

If you could sit down for an afternoon with the guitar or bass of any famous musician in history....which one would it be??

Beyond my answer in yesterday's LR, there are 2 other instruments I would love to play. First one is Keith Richards' "Micawber" modified Tele, the second Pat Metheny's now rickety ES-175 with toothbrush and all:
[youtube]YdUTJhJg51Q[/youtube]

- Jos

One thing I've noticed from observing younger players is the love of speed.
Seems like most young players think that playing super fast is where it's at. Not only that, but cranking the distortion up to a level where it
blurs the notes seems to be the order of the day.
When I was younger I worshiped at the altar of guys like Eddie Van Halen and such. Now, I still like them, but I really don't see what made me LOVE them back in the day.
Do you think it's just maturity? Youthful energy? Maybe they haven't been exposed to what a truly soulful player can do with a guitar or bass.

What do ya'll think??


Well, I'm all for tasteful speed in playing. The problem I have with a lot of players is that they are going at 200MPH constantly. Without slow bits, the fast bits just get grating after a while.
Personally, I prefer nice tasty toneful players that inject a burst of speed from time to time. It's like watching a race, and one of the racers hits the nitrous. Thrilling!


Yet another Question.



If you could sit down for an afternoon with the guitar or bass of any famous musician in history....which one would it be??


Well.....it was a tie for me....

Scotty Moore's ES-295



..and George Harrison's Country Gentleman..




...honorable mention goes to this one.........Carl Perkins Broadcaster!

[youtube]McaemUBvGaA[/youtube]

G&L colors - I think G&L finishes are awesome, and it seems like I seem something I didn't know they did on the bay quite a bit. Some colors I love, but surprise me. Clear Orange and Blackburst are two that come to mind. I like them both.

Good questions, today. I am pretty sure that all young players somehow become convinced that you are going to get paid by the note. I know I did. A lot of this happens, I think through instrument and music marketing. Plus when you are first starting, and are having trouble making the open D to open G switch, being able to move our fingers that fast is mind boggling.

I have mentioned before, but when I started really practicing the guitar my plan was to start a Van Halen cover band. Like you Shawn, I have no idea how I listened to it for hours on end. Now listening to most Eddie stuff just makes me nervous.

So how are speed and soul related? Well, what is soul? To me, music is an emotional art form, and the best players can suggest an emotional journey and then musically support the trip. So that to me is Soul, suggesting and supporting the emotion.

At the end of the day, you can read the music, and play the notes (or maybe you can, I can't) but you haven't felt the song, you can't totally pull it off. You will fool some of the people, but not all of them. It takes being able to do a million little things 'right' to get the job done. Including, sometimes, just playin' fast.

For some reason I am partial to some of the 1950s surf guitar colors like shell pink and daphne blue. G&L may already have these colors in their catalog, but I have never bothered to look.

Like others have pointed out, speed can be an element of anybody's playing. What makes a piece of music good to me is whether it is memorable. I find most shred-type music goes in one ear and out the other for me; so, memorable, not so much. Contrast to some of the Steely Dan solos. Fast, perhaps not super fast, but enough to impress someone with my abilities on the guitar, and infinitely memorable, and sticks in my head even after decades.

Kit

Pat Metheny's now rickety ES-175 with toothbrush and all...

I watched "The Falcon and the Snowman" last night. That title song w/ him and David Bowie is great!

Contrast to some of the Steely Dan solos.

Right on! I was just listening to "King of the World" and "Any Major Dude" today.


Cheers,

Will

That S-500 of yours is quite a looker, Shawn. It's rainy here too but warm. Last night it was damn hot and damn humid. I spent the night under lights on stage in a building with a broken air conditioner which only made it worse! It took a lot of beer to remain cool



....are there any that you'd like to see them add??

I'll back Will up with the bowling ball swirl finishes. I'd love one of them.

EDIT: This post just went up on G&L's Facebook pages. New finish Margarita Frost!!!!




For those in bands, do you have pages on MySpace or Facebook, or perhaps Reverbnation?

We have those, Facebook seems the most effective way of communicating with fans. I'm not a fan of Facebook personally but I still have it. MySpace is next to useless - it seems noone is using it anymore. We have our own web pages which is, IMO, the best way to go because you don't have all the advertising and ridiculous 'charts' that they do on ReverbNation/MySpace etc..



Speed - What do ya'll think??

Speed is impressive, that's why youngsters gravitate towards it. In short bursts it's fine, but it becomes mind numbingly boring if overused. I can play pretty fast but it never seems to fit the songs unless they're purpose written shred fest's and there's no Dragonforce in any of our sets


If you could sit down for an afternoon with the guitar or bass of any famous musician in history....which one would it be??

This guy's Tele. I'd like to play it through his Quad Reverb too.




He's my favourite guitar player ever. Great performer as well. He's the reason I wanted a Bluesboy so bad. Actually, just prior to ordering my Bluesboy there was a Japanese made Albert Collins signature Tele for sale which I was so close to owning, but was outbid at the last second.


This guy would be a close second - talk about soulful!

That new color is sweet!

I too love the "bowling ball" finishes. I almost bought a blue ASAT a few years back, but got outbid.

Gotta love Albert Collins, what a tone!
..and of course Albert King is no slouch!

Thanks for posting!

Interesting week Shawn. Family circumstances make it difficult to participate often these days but its Saturday morning and everyone's still in bed..... peace and quiet for a while longer

One thing I've noticed from observing younger players is the love of speed...
Do you think it's just maturity? Youthful energy? Maybe they haven't been exposed to what a truly soulful player can do with a guitar or bass.

Youth and speed. Thats the way of the world with most things isn't it. Was for me.

Soul and speed or soul vs speed? I agree with Sickbutnottired that soul is about suggesting and supporting emotion. I guess there are many ways to express emotion. "Slower" players are able to use a combination of tone (the shape of individual notes - the attack/sustain/decay/release) and style (the way the notes are arranged together). As speed increases, each note exists for a shorter time. The less time the note exists the less it can be shaped. So shredders may well seem less toneful, but does that mean less soulful? That would depend on how well they use style - how notes are combined in terms of variations in both pitch and speed. Some do that well ... some less so.

Flamebait - as many shredders incorporate arpeggios into their style, and arpeggios are the notes of a chord played individually .... does that mean shredders are just slow chord players? .... just joking, just joking!

Someone Else's Guitar. So Many to choose from. Feelin like a bit of boogie this morning so how about the borrowed rig that the late Magic Sam played in this show back in '69

[youtube]TOJC5Lv0qrs[/youtube]

... and as for yesterday's question about "borrowing" a G&LDPer's guitar .... all you guys with a G200, I'm looking your way!

cheers, Robbie

Robbie, that Magic Sam clip is, well, magic! Thanks for posting it.

Don't know about the weather where ya'll are, but it's really rainy and chilly here.
I guess I should be thankful that at least it's not snow! Hope everyone's keeping warm and cozy in all of this nastiness!

.................nothing nasty about snow, could be a breautifull thing, with the freezing rain we had the other day it looks like we'll have a fast track for drag racing sleds and drinking beer this weekend.




G&L's come in all sorts of beautiful colors, one of the best selections out there, BUT....are there any that you'd like to see them add??

................Yes but these are not easy or cheap paint jobs to do, that's why you don't see many like these, I wish G&L would do some limeted runs of these two tone and candy colors. They haven't come out with anything new except the Phillys blonde and the anniversary color, nice but borrrrrring! all three of these guitars change color a lot depending on the light, the blue on the Interceptor is whats called a flip flop color as it changes from a light blue to a darker purpelish color and I'm told that the candy lemon is a bitch to paint, look at all the coats, and that special white color coat, that has to be applied as you can see in the neck pocket of the F-100, I've posted lots of pics in different lighting so you get the idea of these type of paints.





[imghttp://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww175/georgeandleo/F-100%20Golden%20Boy/2-25-08009.jpg][/img]











[imghttp://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww175/georgeandleo/Interceptor/Interceptorheaven003.jpg][/img]








So, I know I have a couple of ya'll as MySpace/Facebook friends.......but how many of ya'll are active in the "social networking" community??
For those in bands, do you have pages on MySpace or Facebook, or perhaps Reverbnation? If so, please list them so we can add ya'll.

.............................No social networking except this place


One thing I've noticed from observing younger players is the love of speed.
Seems like most young players think that playing super fast is where it's at. Not only that, but cranking the distortion up to a level where it
blurs the notes seems to be the order of the day.
When I was younger I worshiped at the altar of guys like Eddie Van Halen and such. Now, I still like them, but I really don't see what made me LOVE them back in the day.
Do you think it's just maturity? Youthful energy? Maybe they haven't been exposed to what a truly soulful player can do with a guitar or bass.

What do ya'll think??

I like speed with a tonefull response.
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww175/georgeandleo/Charo-wm03.jpg


If you could sit down for an afternoon with the guitar or bass of any famous musician in history....which one would it be??


................I love red guitars and need a good nylon string, I'd like to get my hands on her





]