Lunch Report Thursday 26th May 2011

Lunch report Thursday 26th May 2011


Lunch: Today I feel like Frodo, going on a new journey to new lands….that does not involve…wait for it…bacon! I know what you are thinking “Has Dr B lost his mind?” Well, perhaps so. However, I felt I would play Russian roulette at the sandwich bar on campus and try something totally new. It did not go well. I ended up with some abomination of a sandwich called “a spicy meatball sandwich”. It was awful. As it was a bread sandwich and not a toasted version – dunking was off the cards. I guess some experiments always go wrong. It was washed down with the usual awful coffee and a choc biscuit that dunked fine with just the right combination of melting outer chocolate (due to the dunk) and crispy / crunchy inner chocolate. For a brief moment my lips were like that on a 3-year old, covered and smudged in melted chocolate…..oohhh how nice.

On a food related (though not lunch related) topic. I have finally worked out the perfect fried steak recipe (would work grilled as well). If you like your steaks (and I do) – try the following.

1 – get a rib-eye cut of steak that is at least 1.5inch thick (needs to be thick).
2 – get a pan nice and hot
3 – only season the steak just before it goes in the pan – bit of salt (for charring) and pepper. Never put salt on a steak long before cooking – it ruins it.
4 – do not refrigerate the steak – cook the steak from room temperature and not fresh from the fridge (crucial for it to be really succulent).
5 – cook to medium / medium rare. If you like well-done, don’t bother with rib-eye, its too expensive if you like burned meat.
6 – about 4 – 5 mins per side should be sufficient for medium cooked steak.
7 – only flip the steak once in the pan – otherwise it will go rubbery.
8 – for the last 60secs or so, add a knob of butter and baste over the steak.
9 – let the steak rest for 10mins before serving or carving into strips and eating.
10 – it should be soft and pink in the middle, charred on the outside – lovely job!

Nice!

PS – I think you guys in the USA also have Kobi (is that correct spelling?) steaks but we don’t have them here (or I’m not aware of them). Is Kobi a breed of cattle or a specific cut from any cattle? Apologies if this sounds a bit thick.

G&L topic: A slightly different track today. One of the things that often frustrates me is how few people out there (at all levels) do not know about G&L or even talk a lot of nonsense about them. I get infuriated when people refer to them as ‘F**der copies’ and equate them (even the USA models) with low level copies from other manufacturers. So there is a lot of ignorance out there and a lot of mis-information. This forum is a welcome antidote to that – but I worry about it not being ‘visible’ enough. So how would you guys feel about writing a “Rough Guide to G&L” as a kind of internet PDF document? Maybe (with Craig’s help) we could all contribute a page on different models (those we know and have experience of). It would just contain the basics – but also some important facts and truths about what these instruments are. It could be vetted and approved by G&L – and could include pics of your own instruments and / or profiles of you – the player. The important thing is to have a single document (a single point in space if you will) that discusses G&L, the products etc. You might think – well, is this not covered on the website or even across multiple threads here – and indeed it is.

However, I work in science and education at the University level and I have a lot of experience in how people engage with information and some repetition is no bad thing. I also think it might add kudos for G&L as it would be known to be written by enthusiasts and musicians themselves rather than by the company (though of course – it should be OK’d by them).

I would envisage a well illustrated PDF document with some history, some overview of changes in models etc, and some coverage of them with features etc and perhaps some profiles of some of you guys (some technical info as well). Something written for enthusiasts, by enthusiasts. It could also be something we can simply link to in forums etc when people ask for some information rather than having to get into lengthy conversations all the time. Any thoughts? Is it a bit redundant? Would you be willing to contribute something to it if we did it? I would be happy to add my bits (for what they are worth) and even edit it or oversee it – but not if the enthusiasm is not there from the community.

nonG&L topic (i) Band etiquette and politics. The non-musical aspect of being in a band. Lets face it, most excellent collaborations and band bust-ups are between guitarists and lead singers. Something about egos perhaps. There is nothing wrong with ego. You need it to get up there on stage, you need it to take the flack, so I am not saying ego is a bad thing – it probably fuels creativity to some extent. However, do any of you have any interesting stories about being in bands and the mad behaviour you have encountered along the way by your band members (no names – just the stories please). A singer who thought he was Jon Bon-Jovi perhaps? A guitarist who insisted on playing too loud or filling in all the spaces in the music with licks and not having the common sense to simply leave gaps….? Maybe you had a situation with too many guitarists in one band and all wanting the limelight? Someone taking things too seriously….or perhaps not seriously enough? If you have experience of playing in lots of bands over the years and you have seen these sorts of things – let the rest of us know what to expect. Gives us a ‘Band survival guide’ and a ‘things to watch for so you know your band is going to implode’ guide. Any Spinal Tap moments?

nonG&L topic (ii) I have come to the conclusion, as I learn more about tasteful playing, that George Harrison was a quite excellent guitarist and somewhat underrated in the popular music media. He lived in the shadow of the other two to some extent and yet for me, his playing is very tasteful and he was centrally involved in some of my fav Beatles tracks (i.e., While my guitar gently weeps, and yes I know EC did some guitar work on it but it was written mainly by George as I understand it). He also had a good album out in the 80s I think…..Cloud 9 I think it was called???? In relation to our other topic – he must have been very tolerant of the other two dominant forces in the band – and yet he was quite happy to just do his thing. That sort of attitude I think gave the band a lot of success. Irrespective of whether you are a Beatles fan or not – what are your views on George’s playing and his attitude to working in a band with two other huge egos……any lessons there for the rest of us?

As far as trying to promote G&L, any player who tells you it is a fender copy, or cheap, isn't going to have their mind changed either way. They have already decided based on brand appeal, and frankly I couldn't be bothered to spent time trying to convince then otherwise. I am a player without brand loyalty however, so I really don't care who is playing what if anything, all that matters is if they are playing and having fun. This stuff is taken far too seriously by too many players, and Zappa said it best "Shut up N' play yer guitar".

I have never had the experience of playing with a singer who did, the guitarist and I would hammer out tunes, and tell the singer what we expected from him. I see this happen a lot, but guitar singer interaction is pretty superficial, and I wouldn't say excellent collabs as outside of pop, their is usually a lot more involvement of the band itself. I take things very seriously, I can't say my past colleagues have done the same, especially when it came to building ability, most particularly vocalists being folks who want to be in a band, not buy gear, and not take lessons. It really ticks me off when a band is not up to snuff to tackle all the ideas, those weak links really hold you back and stifle you creatively. We had a pretty spacey jivey tune consisting of bass chords and single note leads, mostly, (I tune I later finished and titled 'dreamscape') but we eventually had to scrap it as the drummer 'wasn't feeling it' (he didn't get to beat things hard enough). It was a fun one in 9/8 too, and had an interesting minimalist dynamic but it is all there. In the end we ind of just decided it was time to stop, it was cascading after the singer left either way.

George is a good guitarist in the sense he compliments the mix well, but there are a lot of those, most guys in most successful bands. I wouldn't say he did any less than I would expect from a bandmate. Over all I wouldn't put him into too much limelight, but then again the Beattles as a whole, were song writers to a much greater aspect than great players. In other words he never wowed me, but didn't let me down parsay. They had the whole AABA form driven in a bit hard though, could have gone without that, but he wasn't writing the majority of the music.

I am a player without brand loyalty however, so I really don't care who is playing what if anything, all that matters is if they are playing and having fun. This stuff is taken far too seriously by too many players, and Zappa said it best "Shut up N' play yer guitar".

I think to claim my above points can be reduced to just 'brand loyalty' is to miss the point slightly. I do not blindly follow brands with my loyalty. While G&L keeps a smile on my face, I will use their products and recommend them to others - its no more complicated than that. However, the difference you glossed over was that G&L is way cheaper than the mainstream brands - so its not just brand loyalty - but value for money. Pound for pound I think G&L are about the best you can get (if you like the styles of guitars they make). I've been ripped off with guitars in the past, or let down by them. I therefore have some experience of being on the receiving end of either no advice or poor advice.
I wish I knew then, what I know now.

The next time you talk to Zappa through a Ouija board, tell him from me that you cannot play a guitar if the tuners turn when you bend strings, the cheap pickups buzz lick a chainsaw in the background, and the tone is such a muddy mess. So you can play all day - but it will not translate into anything....

I agree people can obsess to some degree - but that's not an argument against providing an informative antidote to mis-information. At least to my mind.

I think to claim my above points can be reduced to just 'brand loyalty' is to miss the point slightly. I do not blindly follow brands with my loyalty. While G&L keeps a smile on my face, I will use their products and recommend them to others - its no more complicated than that. However, the difference you glossed over was that G&L is way cheaper than the mainstream brands - so its not just brand loyalty - but value for money. Pound for pound I think G&L are about the best you can get (if you like the styles of guitars they make). I've been ripped off with guitars in the past, or let down by them. I therefore have some experience of being on the receiving end of either no advice or poor advice.
I wish I knew then, what I know now.

The next time you talk to Zappa through a Ouija board, tell him from me that you cannot play a guitar if the tuners turn when you bend strings, the cheap pickups buzz lick a chainsaw in the background, and the tone is such a muddy mess. So you can play all day - but it will not translate into anything....

I agree people can obsess to some degree - but that's not an argument against providing an informative antidote to mis-information. At least to my mind.

See I have never run into any of those issues on a modern USA fender, Fenders are actually doing pretty good right now in terms of quality. As far as cheaper, I would say a bit cheaper, not 'way' cheaper. For example a US standard strat starts at 1100 or so, an ASAT special here starts at the same, sometimes 1200. A deluxe is 1600-1700, my ASAT special was same ballpark (forgot not supposed to post price, sorry Craig) and tax on top (painted headstock, front and rear body cuts which were a hefty, graphtech nut, locking tuners, and a #3 neck. Stuff I would consider necessities on a good guitar, imo locking tuners should be standard, they are far superior, as should the graphtech nut).

You are comparing low to mid range guitars to G&L in that last bit, so you are looking for a straw man. I am not saying G&L is great, I am saying it would be a waste of time to try. Some folks will genuinely prefer the fender, thats just how it goes.

Last edited by sirmyghin on Thu May 26, 2011 11:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

I have never gotten used to the ideo of meatball sandwiches, seems almost wrong at the basic level of sandwichness.

noice steak recipe, you know what would go great with that... taters.

as a PDF document I can't help but imagine a pamphlet... "so your looking at G&L" it also reminds me of a music book my grandfather had, its instruction on picks especially. it showed a picture of a guitar pick with the heading "this is a pick" followed by a picture of a hand holding a pic and a heading of "hold it like this" and that's all it had on pics.

when it comes to any situation with another player I leave my ego at the door, unfortunately I haven't played in enough bands to have any good stories.

George Harrison was the man and the Beatle I identify with most, his son has actually started a band called "Fistful of mercy"
[youtube]XuY8E1Fvo9o[/youtube]

George Harrison was a quite excellent guitarist and somewhat underrated in the popular music media.

He gets the most exposure from the Beatles years, and for me, he doesn't really take off until around 1968 in terms of guitar. These are my favorite Harrison releases:
1. Living in the Material World
2. All Things Must Pass
3. Brainwashed

I was joking with a friend of mine last year that it wasn't Paul who died in the 60s, it was George, and they replaced that original George with a way better one.


-Brock

The next time you talk to Zappa through a Ouija board, tell him from me that you cannot play a guitar if the tuners turn when you bend strings, the cheap pickups buzz lick a chainsaw in the background, and the tone is such a muddy mess. So you can play all day - but it will not translate into anything....

Ouch! "Roxy & Elsewhere" is solid! If I want silence, I shut the amp off... Or at least on standby.


Cheers,

Will

Dr. B I missed most of yesterday but have a bit of time today. Glad that you are still working on sandwich perfection. Ii have it down to turkey on pumpernickel with pickles and horesradish mustard. It took years of experimenting to get there.

I want to comment on one of yesterdays subject and I call them mechanical musicians. Sight readers are usually very precise but not always a feel in the music. I will say that I think some of the best musicians in the world. Some are masters of improv. Keep in mind they are often expected to sight read some ones arrangement are are hired guns. Steve, are lead player used to be blown away by some of the warm ups these guys would play.

I find it interesting that you work in science and education at a university. My work on the Kensington Rune Stone has given me a lot of exposure to the academic world.

Keep it up Doc, i am back to watching the cats out doors while Ginny is working. -Darwin

See I have never run into any of those issues on a modern USA fender, Fenders are actually doing pretty good right now in terms of quality. As far as cheaper, I would say a bit cheaper, not 'way' cheaper.

Actually, I completely (and cordially) disagree . I think F**der are dinning out off past glories. I have not been impressed by ‘off-the-shelf’ USA F**ders for a long time. Lots of my musician friends have had problems very soon after purchase – so much so that they are now venturing into new areas for guitars. You could argue that may be the retailer has not been doing their setups correctly. Fair point. But other brands sold in the same store do not lead to these issues (or at least not yet). So this is unlikely to be the whole story. Also, as further evidence for my case, I have been informed by one retailer that the F**der custom shop is currently swamped with orders from individuals and shops. If their off-the-shelf units are sooooo good, why are more and more players by-passing them for entry level custom shop units? This was a F**der retailer as well complaining to me that there was an ever increasing waiting list, not for standard units, but for custom-shop units even for them.

I also disagree over the issue of price and value for money. I may have been unclear in earlier posts so allow me to clarify. I am thinking about a USA G&L compared to a USA custom-shop F**der. To me the, the USA G&Ls are way better value for money than custom-shop F**der and that was what I was hinting at. I had a quote for a bespoke made USA G&L that was £2700 cheaper than F**der custom shop (not even a master-build either). Now, your band must be doing really well if you do not think that is a saving worth having as the kit I was requesting was comparable (except the G&L actually had the better trem and the PTB).

The reason I am not comparing standard USA G&L to standard USA F**der is due to (i) the quality difference is so obvious in terms of woods, and finish, and (ii) additional features like PTB, MFD pups, improved Alnico designs and dual-fulcrum trem.are all standard on G&L models – and all absent from F**der that do not seem to have changed much over the years. Indeed, even if they were both matched in price, you are still getting more for your buck with G&L (IMO) because of these features. Of course, F**der will build anything you want and fit anything you want – but that’s because you need to do that more with them. So I stand by my ‘value for money point’ Don’t get me wrong, F**der make excellent guitars (more in the past than now I think for off-the-shelf units) – but you need a big bank balance to get what other companies like G&L and Blade (for an example of another company building excellent guitars off most peoples radar) are doing as standard.

If anyone reading this has an excellent F**der, my hunch is, its older, or its custom-shop. Of course, you could get lucky and I am generalising – but the point is there. I am a fan of certain periods of F**der – but not anything I see at the moment as their standard models.

You are comparing low to mid range guitars to G&L in that last bit, so you are looking for a straw man.

No I am not! You are going way beyond what I actually said and please read the above. I never said what you seem to think I did – so I really must correct you on that one. Indeed, it seems that you may well be building your own straw man here by jumping to such a conclusion that is simply not based in what I said. Let me be clear, I am comparing G&L (USA) to entry level F**der Custom-shop. The G&L has bags more features and costs way less. The numbers speak for themselves.

Some folks will genuinely prefer the fender, thats just how it goes.

But that’s not an argument for not providing useful information. The information will not be ‘anti’ any manufacturer – just informative about G&L. At least the choices people make would be based on being well informed and arguably better informed than they would have been. The nature of what ever we decide to play is up to us, be we cannot reason our way through our decisions without information of high quality and that’s the point. I’ve paid the price of being ill-informed in the past and it’s a costly business. It took me a long time to find G&L and other guitars I like (i.e., Blade guitars) and I wasted money on brands that were more expensive and delivered much less. Same for me, a number of my musician friends, and family. I cannot see how anyone could make an argument for being less well-informed.....and that is really the only point I am making

If anyone reading this has an excellent F**der, my hunch is, its older, or its custom-shop. Of course, you could get lucky and I am generalising – but the point is there. I am a fan of certain periods of F**der – but not anything I see at the moment as their standard models.

I've got 2 older Fenders from the 80's and 90's. They're good guitars but the current models I've been picking up (USA Standards) are very good off the rack. My theory is that Fender are shipping all the rejects to the UK .

As far as band dynamics go, once the lead singer starts (a) telling you what guitar to use (b) how to play it (c) changes the band name to include her name and (d) starts a relationship with the bass player then you know it's time to run. And man did I run.

Gotta agree with Brock re. George Harrison. I am a huge Beatles nut but George's overall playing and tone didn't really mature until about 1968 IMO. That was the time he gave up on the sitar thing and started taking lessons from Eric Clapton, so it's probably no co-incidence that his playing became more fluent. By the time of Abbey Road there were actually moments of George guitar genius. I wish the other 2 had let him write and sing more because, in that respect, he was very unappreciated. It's ironic that in a recent poll most people identified 'Here Comes The Sun' as their favourite Beatles tune. And my favourite Beatle solo album is All Things Must Pass (hands down winner).

Great week so far Dr. B. The chequered flag is in sight now......

The meatball sandwich is a thing of beauty when done right - it has to be in a roll though, not between two pieces of sliced bread. Here's a poor photograph of a giant one I made one day. It's about 50cm long and 20cm wide.





I agree with Will that 'Roxy and Elsewhere" is solid.


Can't agree more with having the meat at room temperature, that's the only way you'll get it perfectly tender. What really ices the steak (sorry, bad pun) for me is a lump of anchovy and sage butter on top of it. Delicious.

The meatball sandwich is a thing of beauty when done right

Wow! Can I come around the next time you make one of those Blarg Burgers?

All of a sudden I feel a little iron deficient....

Jamie, that is one outrageous sandwich! My question is - did you down that bad boy all by yourself or did you have help?

Doc, I have been educating my students for a long time on the beauty of the G&L, and have converted many..... I have lots of info for you if you need it.

We had a singer in the band who once told us as we were setting up for a gig that he couldn't sing that night because he thought he had Malaria! In the middle of January - in Canada! Needless to say that was one of the last times he fronted the band. You know your pretty far down the excuse list when Malaria makes an appearance. I hate excuses

I think Harrison's crowning achievement is "Something". The mode switching and key change into the chorus are a thing of beauty, one of my favorite Beatles songs for sure.
Scott

Wow! Can I come around the next time you make one of those Blarg Burgers?

Sure. But you have to bring beers and G&Ls

Jamie, that is one outrageous sandwich! My question is - did you down that bad boy all by yourself or did you have help?

I had help





Nah, just kidding - it filled five of us without the 'appetizer' I alluded to above.

Educating people on G&L...

I am probably going to get kicked off the board for saying this but a lot of people DON'T understand G&L--and the people responsible for that are: G&L!!!

In my opinion, I think the G&L ads over the last decade or so have been abysmal. Hey I LOVE Will Ray, he's is a very handsome (you owe me Will!) and talented guitarist, but I don't think very many people know him. They MIGHT have heard of the Hellecasters, but their popularity crested several years ago--and it is not the type of music that the young metalheads coming up are the least bit familiar with. Jake Cinniger is probably more well-known among that set, but I think the ads still miss the mark.

Face it, a lot of guys are total gear heads. They got an opinion on every piece of gear, pickups, etc., down to the most minute detail of a guitar's construction. I truly believe that G&L needs to use their advertising budget in a way that will appeal to the techno-geeks out there. Show them why the DF Vibrato is superior. Show them why the PTB control system works. Point out the quality, the options. Heck, you could do a series of ads featuring ten guys off of this board--amateurs or semi-pro players like myself--and just have them tell in the ads why they love their G&Ls. That alone would speak louder than ANY print ad G&L has done in years.

Now, I loved the ads Guitar Adoptions did with the beautiful young girls and their G&L guitars. Who doesn't love a pretty girl? BUT, when I am CONSTANTLY trying to inform players and/or correct all the misinformation out there about G&L; whether it be on the bandstand or in a music store--there is something WRONG.


==================

Oh, God....band dysfunctionality!!!! Ah, stories I could tell! My band in Seattle....I wanted to write a book. I probably could have used it for an M.S. thesis in Psychology. I will say this (and leave some of the best for..."Later"); when we first formed the band, everybody brought something unique and of their own to the table...and a certain skill set. We were fine and cooking, as long as we stayed within our skill sets, within our limitations. Once the egos got in the way, i.e. "I want to sing more", I want to play more leads, I want to be the front man, etc.," we got away from our strengths and we were playing in ways that brought out and exposed our weaknesses.

And the band "etiquette"...? Well, you're talking about some real passive aggressive behaviors. Some are "Me FIRST, LAST, AND ALWAYS!" Some didn't have any job skills, like showing up on time. Practices could be wild and crazy and totally without focus, like having one parent (me) and four junior-high boys with ADHD. Not a lot of help given in setting up and tearing down the PA and loading in or out. And so on.

I'm not without blame, either. But in a band where the drummer could not consistently do a roll around the toms and come back in on the beat; where the "Lead Guitarist" would get jacked up on cocaine and play 88,000 notes on the first solo of the first song, and usually with massive over-the top gain and at excessive volume; and a bass player who wanted to do Bread covers--let's just say I did a lot primal scream therapy. I always saw that we had a lot of potential; but I could also see that we had no real future without making elemental changes. When we were good, we could be very, very good; but I would have nightmares that Clive Davis would walk into one of our gigs and want to sign us--and I would have to spend a significant portion of the rest my life playing with these guys. AAAAUURRGH!

Okay, I feel better now....moving on.


==============

George was a tremendous influence on me. His solos on "I' A Loser" and "Nowhere Man" are still simple pleasures of mine 47 years later; and "Don't Bother Me" is still one of my fave Beatle songs.

And a new article in "Guitar Player Magazine" highlights another favorite of mine--Robbie Robertson of The Band. I would hear the song and as I would think "There needs to be a lick HERE....", it would magically appear. Robbie played the notes that were inside my head, even before I knew they were there.

Bill

Great tips on steak preparation. I'll try them next time we put a good cut of meat on the grill.

The homebrew PDF is not a good idea. I work in advertising and I can assure you that the copywriting and design work entailed in such a project comprise specialized skills beyond the ken of most amateurs. Secondly there is the matter of distribution: hosting the document here or on the G&L site would do little to promote G&L products unless it was backed by an extensive marketing campaign designed to draw viewers to the site. Indeed such a document would constitute a feature sheet of sorts and would be the final element in a campaign, an appeal to the intellect following an emotional appeal that first drew in potential buyers.

And here is the crux of the matter: Potential buyers need a story that will draw them to the brand. The classic case is currently the Moleskine line of notebooks: each notebook comes with an insert that explains how it was the notebook of choice of Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin. Except that none of these famous people ever used Moleskine brand notebooks, but similarly bound little black books that were once ubiquitous in Europe. In fact, Moleskine did not exist as a brand until the late 1990s and then it went after young urban designers and creative professionals who worked with computers all day and who were lacking a tactile experience in their work.

That little insert did wonders for Moleskine sales. The "legend" went viral and the brand exploded.

The thing with G&L is that there are no legends who stand for the brand. Jimi Hendrix set a Fender ablaze. Jimmy Page strutted his stuff with a Gibson double neck. Chris Squire and Geddy Lee laid down their basslines on Rickenbackers. These are stories that move people to buy. Sure, the man who invented the Fender Stratocaster is behind G&L, but how many people who buy Les Pauls realize that they were named after a famous player? And to be honest, would anybody become emotionally attached to a story of a middle-aged player like me buying a dream instrument for less than the price of a Fender? People and advertising don't work that way. There's an old saying in this business: Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle, and there's not enough sizzle in the G&L story to convert buyers who have an emotional attachment to Fender and Gibson guitars because of the iconic musicians that played them, especially when so many other clone brands exist.

Now it's true that players know better and working musicians and gearheads will turn to G&L and to brands like Tokai and Heritage because they can get better versions of the originals for less, but you can be certain most of us found these better alternatives by researching the iconic models we cherished so much.

I've never been in a band, but I have jammed with people and there is nothing worse than a lead guitarist/lead singer who will not follow the rhythm section, thus forcing the bass/drum/rhythm guitar to modulate their tempo to keep up with him/her.

With respect to George Harrison, here's a link to a great BBC radio doc about lead guitarists that concludes by naming George the greatest lead guitarist ever. It's required listening for anybody who plays. And one of the featured guitarists in the round table discussion is Steven Rothery of Marillion.

[youtube]3N-QB_2JR9Q[/youtube]

I've got 2 older Fenders from the 80's and 90's. They're good guitars but the current models I've been picking up (USA Standards) are very good off the rack. My theory is that Fender are shipping all the rejects to the UK .

The thought has crossed my mind as well......

As far as band dynamics go, once the lead singer starts (a) telling you what guitar to use (b) how to play it (c) changes the band name to include her name and (d) starts a relationship with the bass player then you know it's time to run. And man did I run.

Sounds hilarious! Keep running from that one!

Great week so far Dr. B. The chequered flag is in sight now......

Thanks for the support man....

The meatball sandwich is a thing of beauty when done right - it has to be in a roll though, not between two pieces of sliced bread. Here's a poor photograph of a giant one I made one day. It's about 50cm long and 20cm wide.





I agree with Will that 'Roxy and Elsewhere" is solid.


Can't agree more with having the meat at room temperature, that's the only way you'll get it perfectly tender. What really ices the steak (sorry, bad pun) for me is a lump of anchovy and sage butter on top of it. Delicious.

By far the mother of all sandwiches....I did not know whether to eat it or move in, its bigger than my house.

Doc, I have been educating my students for a long time on the beauty of the G&L, and have converted many..... I have lots of info for you if you need it.

Cheers - and yes please. I think I am going to go ahead with at least a draft and then maybe send it around a few people here for some contributions. I will definately be coming to you for some information!

Educating people on G&L...
I am probably going to get kicked off the board for saying this but a lot of people DON'T understand G&L--and the people responsible for that are: G&L!!!
In my opinion, I think the G&L ads over the last decade or so have been abysmal.

Actually - I agree compeltely with you. At times I have felt that they don't want 'too' much publicity because they want to remain a relatively small operation. I kind of understand this to a point - but I think they could be doing much more.

I truly believe that G&L needs to use their advertising budget in a way that will appeal to the techno-geeks out there. Show them why the DF Vibrato is superior. Show them why the PTB control system works. Point out the quality, the options. Heck, you could do a series of ads featuring ten guys off of this board--amateurs or semi-pro players like myself--and just have them tell in the ads why they love their G&Ls. That alone would speak louder than ANY print ad G&L has done in years.

That is exactly what I see this document being - one written by us, based on our experiences and tastes - but which is also informative about crucial developments like PTB (which can take some time to get use to). People see three knobs and think they do the same as any other three knobs on a guitar......not quite. Written by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. You could even plug yourself and band in there, why not, if you are putting the time and effort into the document.

Now, I loved the ads Guitar Adoptions did with the beautiful young girls and their G&L guitars. Who doesn't love a pretty girl? BUT, when I am CONSTANTLY trying to inform players and/or correct all the misinformation out there about G&L; whether it be on the bandstand or in a music store--there is something WRONG.

My point exactly - misinformation is out there and so many people don't know of Leo's association with the guitars. Leo was principally an R&D man, but one of the best around from his generation.

Okay, I feel better now....moving on.

And a new article in "Guitar Player Magazine" highlights another favorite of mine--Robbie Robertson of The Band.

I'm embarrassed to say but - I only discovered Robbie from playing the guitar and his name kept cropping up in conversations. I was going to discuss it in an LR - but there is only so much room.....


Bill - would you be willing to help out with the document?

Great tips on steak preparation. I'll try them next time we put a good cut of meat on the grill.

You will not be dissapointed my friend

The homebrew PDF is not a good idea. I work in advertising and I can assure you that the copywriting and design work entailed in such a project comprise specialized skills beyond the ken of most amateurs.

I was only envisaging a simple PDF document than can be easily constructed in Word or MS publisher. It would be well illustrated with fantastic pics of the instruments, and sections written by us. I can work on a template for it easily. All people need to do is work on their bit (in a word processor) and I can edit it from there. I don't see major issues. If G&L want to endorse it an use it - then they can develop it further with our blessing - but producing a basic document with crucial and helpful information would be a good thing.

Secondly there is the matter of distribution: hosting the document here or on the G&L site would do little to promote G&L products unless it was backed by an extensive marketing campaign designed to draw viewers to the site. Indeed such a document would constitute a feature sheet of sorts and would be the final element in a campaign, an appeal to the intellect following an emotional appeal that first drew in potential buyers.

Fair point - but with the careful use of key words (for google) and simply spreading it around a few forums can do wonders as a first step. I am not thinking of a campaign - just us guys getting together and producing something to tackle the b******t out there and to inform people new to the brand.

And here is the crux of the matter: Potential buyers need a story that will draw them to the brand.

That's a much broader issue - I am not talking about a large scale campaign or whether G&L needs to do one. I am talking about a more humble offering - but it could grow if G&L wanted to use it. The stroy would be that we, us here, did it and put it together as enthusiasts.

Sorry Dr. B I was absent for the week. Just noticed nobody answered your question on Kobe beef, named after the Japanese town. These are supposed to be free-range, grain fed cows of a very particular breed. Their beef has a very particular marbling. And as we all know, the fat is what provides the taste. Only had Kobe beef burgers but never the steak so I cannot speak on whether it really tastes so much better than a good ribeye steak from corn-fed Nebraska cattle.

In all my band experience, I never played with people who musically were miles ahead or behind and hence never had ego clashes. All my bands disbanded because we went to different schools, careers, etc.

+1 on George. Great utility player who added substance to about every song with some cool riff or fill-in. 'All things must pass' is a great (triple) album and 'Something' is my favorite Beatles song. Go figure ...

- Jos

I was only envisaging a simple PDF document than can be easily constructed in Word or MS publisher. It would be well illustrated with fantastic pics of the instruments, and sections written by us. I can work on a template for it easily. All people need to do is work on their bit (in a word processor) and I can edit it from there. I don't see major issues. If G&L want to endorse it an use it - then they can develop it further with our blessing - but producing a basic document with crucial and helpful information would be a good thing.

...with the careful use of key words (for google) and simply spreading it around a few forums can do wonders as a first step. I am not thinking of a campaign - just us guys getting together and producing something to tackle the b******t out there and to inform people new to the brand.

- I am not talking about a large scale campaign or whether G&L needs to do one. I am talking about a more humble offering - but it could grow if G&L wanted to use it. The stroy would be that we, us here, did it and put it together as enthusiasts.

Okay, here's the thing with the whole PDF and keywording idea: Let's tackle the SEO keywording issue first. I regularly use Google adwords searches to create metadata for one of my clients and I can assure you that even though it works, nothing upsets google users more than typing in a term to be then taken to the competition's site due to metadata hits. It works but it generates a lot of bad blood and is the online equivalent of a pushy sales dude. So, even if we were to create a successful keyword campaign to draw potential Fender buyers to this site, we would more than likely be flooded by Fender fanboys who want to take us down a notch.

Secondly, the whole PDF idea defeats the very idea of this forum. It is not interactive, and the best way to market to people these days is to (I hate this expression) start a conversation. Why do you think that G&L and BBE contribute to its existence of this forum. It is a fantastic marketing tool and it creates a two-way flow of information between G&L, enthusiasts and potential customers.

Thirdly, going on other forums and linking to our informative PDF is just plain spammy in my view.

Finally, we have to be conscious of the way that people find information on G&L. Simply put, somebody who has heard of G&L will go to the official website then start googling forums. Most likely the query will be something like G&L vs. fender or G&L any good? or something along those lines. Such a person will then find dozens of hits that lead here and to other forums (e.g. Strat-Talk, Squier-Talk, etc.) and they will see the pattern for themselves. The responses tend to fall into two categories: 1) People who tout the better quality of G&L instruments and 2) Fender fanboys who insist that nothing has the Fender mojo/vibe/magic.

In the final analysis, this forum will draw a lot more hits than a PDF and people who are interested will sign up and interact with us, asking questions and seeking answers rather than reading a PR piece. If anything, the best way to approach your idea is to integrate it into the existing forums. Just my 2 cents worth.