Lunch Report - Wednesday, March 30th: Bonus Round

I figured I'd throw one out there in case Mike ran into technical difficulties or flight-plan changes. Hopefully this is not redundant, but if Mike posts one hopefully you'll post there as well (or instead of) here. Hopefully, even more so, he did not end up here on his planeride:



Lunch: Tomato Basil Soup w/ whole wheat crackers. It was a cafeteria day and busy as crap at work. Anyway, lunch was good but not nearly as exciting as my planned dinner of Taco Salad. What doesn't sour cream make better? Of course, I love beans and my wife doesn't (not for the reasons you're likely thinking, I think it's more the looks & texture than the aftereffects a few hours down the road), so she thinks mine is gross, but I love 'em. Anyway, moving right along.

G&L Question: Is there a model (or models) or setup (e.g. SSS, HH, SS, etc. pickup config, trem/hardtail, style/brand of pickups, etc.) of G&L guitars that you feel encapsulates "your" sound?

I'm having a bit of a musical identity crisis on this one. I have been a Les Paul style guy myself for years. Or so I thought. I love my H-150 (essentially a Les Paul, only made by Heritage) and really think THAT was "My" sound. Until... Recently I got a Prospect (more or less like a CS-356) and really liked that, and it was a tie. Even MORE recently I got a Logan Strat-copy and realized there were certain things I liked about both the scale, AND I like single-coils more than I thought. As such, I mentally have a sound or certain sounds I see as being me, but I think I might actually have something a bit different in mind to actually get there.

Non-G&L Question: Simple vs. Complex. Do you tend to like music that is structurally simpler or more complex? It can be to play or listen to.

To listen to, I like them both but find sometimes if it is fairly simpler or less chaotic in structure it can let each instrument and especially the singer have their place without competing against each other as much. In a band setting, either is fine. When I'm playing by myself though, I find if it is TOO simple I get bored easily. It is almost as if some part of my brain goes "that's it?" and wants something a bit more.

On the flip side, I'm also not quite good enough to play the super technical stuff, and if it goes too far into the land of the guitar virtuoso I find it gets tiresome (to listen to AND play for that matter), so there is definitely a range where I am comfortable. I want them to be technical enough (even with layers, not necessarily with complex riffs, solos, etc.) or emotional enough to keep interesting, yet concise enough to say something without just cramming a lifetime of music theory into one song.

I will also admit, emotions play a big part. If something is really simple, yet "great" or "meaningful" (due to guitars, vocals, lyrics, circumstance, event/venue played at, etc.), that can go a LOOOOOONG way.

-Cheers

Lunch: Pepperoni pizza and a Coca-Cola Zero from the deli on the corner. (I had a very productive day and not time to make something nutritious at home.)

G&L Question: Maple board Legacy NAILS the sound I've been after for years. I love it's crystalline take on the '61 Strat tone.

Musical question: I'm a prog rock geek, so I guess I would have to say I love to listen to complex music. With respect to playing complex music, I couldn't really tell you. I play entirely by ear, so what sounds simple enough to me might be more complicated than I imagine.

P.S. I ran out of Dharma Corn Flakes, so I had to forgo my afternoon snack.

Lemon Pepper Wings...for DINNER...lol

can't respond to the G&L question since i don't get it till tomorrow...PRS has been my sound pretty much for quite a while although i had other nice guitars as well...just recently was finally able to get into single coils since i started finding ones i could play decently...and then went overboard into them...10 months ago i had one Strat and couldn't play it very well...i now have 2 Strats, PRS EG (SuperStrat), 3 Teles, and the Classic S tomorrow...lol...i am hoping the G&L will replace a Strat and a Tele, at least...

i can like complex music to listen to if it's interesting to my ears...i love simpler music and that's what i play...

I'm happy when I'm playing any of my G&L Legacy-bodied guitars through my big Mesa Mark III Coliseum 200-watt head and the Boogie Half-Back 412. I don't need to have it really cranked up, say just on 3--enough to get it moving some air. It has some very sweet Dumble-esque clean sustain that just sings, and the sweetest distortion. That amp has consistently made every guitar guitar plugged into in sound awesome. And you can really hear the differences in pickups as I rotate through the Legacys, S-500s, Comanches, and Legacy Specials; AND, it is the one I amp I like to use for comparing various PAF humbuckers. I have five other Mesa amps, but I think the Mark III half-stack is the best of the bunch. So, with that amp in mind, and any of the guitar models I listed above--three pickups and the DF Vibrato--and I'm happy.

There's always a need for versatility. I've owned a Fender-designed guitar for my whole playing career (47 years), though I've owned some Gibsons along the way, too. I consider a Legacy my Number ONE guitar, but somehow I've come to own 10 Les Pauls. I can't really see myself EVER doing a gig with just a Les Paul, but I've done five hour gigs with just a Legacy and was happy. I typically do 12-15 songs per night on a 2HB guitar--LP, 335 or clone, or one of my Ibanez GR-520 Ghostriders.

As for complex versus simple--I play and sing three chord cowboy songs, classic rock, blues, originals and some jazz. Actually, voice is my primary instrument.

Funny thing though, in the car I mostly listen to instrumental smooth jazz.

Bill

Hello everyone,

A half club sandwich and fries for lunch. So much for healthy food. And a coke. Yeah sugar rush!

G&L- It took a long time for me but the Legacy SSS nailed the sound I was looking for. Maple fretboard, alder body, and after great suggestions from forum readers, D'addario's 10-46 for strings. I just love it, love the feel, love the sound. It has just THE tone.

Non-G&L - I am a Genesis, Gentle-Giant, Yes etc fan. I love the complexity of the tempo change, the non conformity in the structure, the long wailing solos. As a musical experience, it is always a pleasure to rediscover those 15 minute songs (Supper's Ready for an example, 25 minutes of pure bliss).
As we are complex beings with complex moods, I dig the great 3 chord songs, Blues classic, Rock 2minute songs whose melody have you bobbing your head mechanically in the subway. On top of it, those are the songs I can play with ease, learn quickly and sing (in the basement of course!). Nailing a simple song can be just as challenging as almost getting a complex one...
I guess it all depends on the mood. Am I making any sense?

Cheers!

Paul

Hello everyone,

A half club sandwich and fries for lunch. So much for healthy food. And a coke. Yeah sugar rush!

I'm too hungry to want to think about food. Reading Hannibal by Thomas Harris helps curb the appetite.

G&L- It took a long time for me but the Legacy SSS nailed the sound I was looking for. Maple fretboard, alder body, and after great suggestions from forum readers, D'addario's 10-46 for strings. I just love it, love the feel, love the sound. It has just THE tone.

My problem is while I have a specific tone I generally like best, there are several tones I like to cover. While they will probably pry my Heritages out of my hands, I think properly setup and with the right stiff, an ASAT or an Invader would be a great fit for getting MY general sound and the range and alt-sounds I like.

Non-G&L - I am a Genesis, Gentle-Giant, Yes etc fan. I love the complexity of the tempo change, the non conformity in the structure, the long wailing solos. As a musical experience, it is always a pleasure to rediscover those 15 minute songs (Supper's Ready for an example, 25 minutes of pure bliss).

I totally agree. I am a fan of some Genesis (depends on the song) as well as some Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins (again, depends), have heard and been blown away by some Yes, which means I need to check out more. I do not know Gentle-Giant. I might have to head over to Youtube to check some out. I also really like Porcupine Tree and Opeth a lot for probably some of the same reasons you mentioned. But yes, I LOVE songs that have tempo changes or strange/long song structures, just totally different parts mid- or end-song (Tortoise does that on a few of their songs, one in particular) that is radically different from the rest but fits in great! Yet...

As we are complex beings with complex moods, I dig the great 3 chord songs, Blues classic, Rock 2minute songs whose melody have you bobbing your head mechanically in the subway. On top of it, those are the songs I can play with ease, learn quickly and sing (in the basement of course!). Nailing a simple song can be just as challenging as almost getting a complex one...

Yeah, sometimes a simple song by somebody like Nirvana or Social Distortion can be great, not terribly technical, but hitting that mood (particularly when it's about the atmosphere, not to mention combining it with a great singer) can be difficult. Energy in a song is something that to me can be hit-or-miss even if the notes are right.

I guess it all depends on the mood. Am I making any sense?

Totally!

-Cheers