Wednesday, May 2, 2012

2011 rounded out with "Santa" leaving this baby under the tree. A standard Fullerton Red Legacy with a super heavy alder body (easily the heaviest G&L i own) standard tuners and painted headstock.




On to the question…… Do you own, or have tried, a G&L that you haven't bonded with? For me it's my Legacy. I think tonally it has to do with the alder body more than the alnico P/U's. I am very much an Ash fan - I love the dynamic range of Ash, to me the Legacy is a little more even or flat sounding. BUT, it is still a keeper and it has its place amongst the fleet.


Well i thought it wouldn't be much of a week without at least 1 video! so here she goes… Since we are talking about the Legacy and In honour of the Red Hot Chili Peppers being inducted into the hall of fame lets combine the two! The boys in the band and i decided to try "Suck my Kiss", we thought it was about the only peppers song that would work in the set - Our singer was still learning the words and phrasing at this point so he backed off the mic a bit (hence the sometimes buried vocals!)

[youtube]NFzIy27wEmg[/youtube]

I must say, after not watching this clip in a few weeks, i am happy with the tone of the Legacy Although i would like to try the alnico's in Swamp Ash.


As i mentioned yesterday, i was on that college jury panel……. One of the things that was quite clear from the start of the day was how big of an impact nerves have on ones playing. There were a few players that were so nervous they could hardly play! And on the other hand, one of my students who is usually a bit of a mess played the best i have seen him play all year, go figure. So i pose this question : How do your nerves affect your playing? Are they debilitating or inspiring?
Personally, i have nervous energy before just about every show i play. I know i have nothing to be nervous about, i consider myself to a pretty good player and i am usually well rehearsed, but the nerves are always there just behind the scenes. In fact, i usually feed off of that nervous energy and i find it helps me stay focused on my playing and it usually leads to some inspired playing. Some of the worst shows i have played have been when i felt the most comfortable. Terrifying experiences were a weekly occurrence for me at GIT….. Imagine yourself at 19 sitting across from Steve Trovato (as nice of guy as he is) and it is your turn to take a lead…..talk about being nervous!

Have a good one,
Scott

*bonus question - what do you think of the Peppers being inducted? Great, Terrible or Indifferent?

I am very much an Ash fan - I love the dynamic range of Ash, to me the Legacy is a little more even or flat sounding.

And you are sure, that's not just a result of your expectation? I never could distinguish between alder and ash by ear.

I am off this morning with my daughter, so i can get to a few quick replies

Miles - I can hear a big difference in an Alder vs Ash comparison. Especially unplugged, there is a different resonance to each (to my ear anyway) I would describe it as being mostly in the midrange - Ash having almost of a scooped mid where as alder having more of a flat or maybe slightly bumped up midrange. I think that resonance of the guitar translates right through to the amp, especially so with my DR Z.

Still dealing with the crud. Not much improvement.

Scott, the Fullerton Red Legacy is awesome, escecially with the matching headstock. I have many Alder Fenders and they are all quite light. The first heavy G&L i owned was an Alder Bluesboy and boy was it heavy. Some of the heavier G&Ls have been Alder although I have a heavy Ash Blonde Legacy. Maybe they are using different species or types of Alder today. Ash Fenders were usually heavy but some of my lighter G&Ls are Ash.

Haven't watched the video but will when I'm feeling better.

When I was majoring in music, both vocal and instrumental in 1960/61 I was asked to sing before a "Jury" the first quarter. I had no idea what it was but was informed that it was a good thing to do. I did have a fair amount of nervousness but survived quite well probably to my surprise. It is a good experience for anyone who wants to perform music. It is great that you are able to be on the jury and evaluate these young students. Many times I wish I had gone to a music college rather a general as I moved into electronics at that time. Probably a good move but have always loved music and have always envied those who could make a good living in the music field.

Energy before performing is different for everyone. Years ago I used to experience nervousness before starting. I did not find it worked to my advantage but would sometimes lead to a screwup or two. Nowadays I love to hit the stage, am relaxed and love to do it. We even experience a train wreck now and then but because of the relaxed mood of the whole group it is amazing that sometimes we recover with most of the crowd not noticing. Years ago I would been borderline heart failure. It has become so fun which is crazy at this point but It is not a job. We have been content with 10-12 gigs a year and this year we have booked more than 20 with more on the horizon. I was supposed to be in Brainerd this evening to work on a Branson Theater type show but the crud is keeping me home. I should have gotten this out of my system when I was younger. Ginny has warned me that this is becoming a job!! Good week of reports Scott-- Darwin

Still dealing with the crud. Not much improvement.

-- Darwin

Hope you're feeling better soon Darwin!!

Enjoyed your Chili's cover. I like the Chili's, I really liked that Stevie Wonder cover they did 'Higher Ground'. I guess I think they deserve the induction in the HoF.

I get nervous energy before a performance that becomes almost too much. But then subsides to a great mellow buzz. Sometimes into 'the zone'! I have always been that way. I played basketball seriously as a young man, and my first shot of a game was almost always a sight to behold. But in high school, after I got that out of the way, or if some other real significant event occurred, I was fine!

Darwin, hope you get all healed up soon. We have been battling a strange little bug at my place for over a month. Maddening! So you wish you a speed(ier) recovery!

that is a great video, and a great tone from the legacy scott. the bassline is just not the same with a pick though. i have played with a few bass players that use a pick, but somehow i can't get friendly with the tone they get. there is just a fullness they get from finger picking. i even finger pick my bass because of the tone difference, even though i'd prefer playing with a pick.

i am partial to ash, but to swamp ash only. i have a northern ash guitar, not the same at all. i can tell the difference, but i have alder guitars i like, but only with a maple fretboard. alder and rosewood is where i draw the line.

i don't get nervous playing the electric anymore. not after going through classical solo recitals. if you think it's nerve wrecking to play in a band situation, try a solo classical performance in front of the 4 best players in the world. a lot of guys took beta blockers to deal with the nerves, and my hands used to shake so bad i would miss the whole neck, not just the notes. eventually it got better, but i still get some nerves before playing classical for solo performance. the benefit was that i never get nervous doing anything else anymore.

here is a few vids, 3 of them were my teachers.

watch it all the way if you have time, and then think about playing for these guys on a daily basis. a very humbling experience, even though you could not ask for nicer people.

[youtube]OoEXt0KaFs0[/youtube]


this video shows their sense of humor. canon in d done in many different styles including reggae, carribean, jazz, country, funk, heavy metal, spanish, etc.

[youtube]yflWG-e38OU[/youtube]

the bassline is just not the same with a pick though. i have played with a few bass players that use a pick, but somehow i can't get friendly with the tone they get. there is just a fullness they get from finger picking. i even finger pick my bass because of the tone difference, even though i'd prefer playing with a pick.

I agree. I went through a very brief period in the 1990s when Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead was a major influence, and I tried using all kinds of picks trying to get the same "bounce" in my playing. It just didn't sound good to me, didn't feel good to me, and completely ruined any chance of muting with my right hand. Other than that couple of months, I've played fingerstyle on the electric bass from the very first time I picked it up. That said, today is a new bass day with an Interceptor, and the midrange on this one is really asking for a pick. It was designed as a hard rock/heavy metal bass, after all.

I've never really listened to the Chili Peppers. I've always figured I'd like them if I tried, but I just haven't ever bothered to get any of their discs.

I got a bit nervous before my first performance on the upright bass. I think I ran to the restroom over a dozen times in the last half hour before we went on. I've been fine since then.

I read somewhere that Bob Weir (rhythm guitarist/vocalist with the Grateful Dead) would get physically sick from stage fright even after a couple of decades of sold-out shows.

Ash vs. alder: I don't have any models in both woods, but I've always suspected the difference in tone was marketing hype. I can definitely tell a difference in feel between my mahogany and swamp ash L-1000s, but the electronics haven't gone back into the swamp ash one for a tone test yet. I can hear a difference between the maple Nighthawk and swamp ash (I suspect) Skyhawk, but the Skyhawk may have a slightly different circuit. Most of my G&L guitars have maple bodies; I think that may be part of the reason they feel and play so much better than other guitars I've played.

Ken

Finally have a bit of time to check in today.

Nerves can be horrible things. I remember once having an audition for a jazz course, and learned this set piece backwards, I could have played it in my sleep. Come audition time - a one on one thing in the guitar teachers office - I could barely remember the first chord. I fumbled through it and felt terrible. The second part of the audition they showed you a chord chart you had to follow. I distinctly remember the chords being Dm, Am and probably a G, but I couldn't play any of them. Needless to say I didn't pass, and never tried again. At the time of the audition I'd not had a guitar lesson beyond learning 'White Room' (still haven't) which was probably the wrong way to go about it. I still can't play jazz. One day.

I'm having a tough time bonding with the sparkly ASAT I bought a little while back. The neck just isn't right for me. I might have to sell it on.

RHCP. They're worthy of the HoF. I listened to them constantly through high school (them and Slayer....). I think their music has been heading downhill rapidly since the release of Californication. I really liked their early crazy stuff up to Blood Sugar Sex Magic, the album with Dave Navarro on guitar is brilliant and a personal favourite (can't think of it's name at the moment though!), but its more of a Janes Addiction album - there's another band worthy of an induction.

Louis - That fist vid is very nice. Anyone who is even willing to think about playing anything by Liszt on a guitar has my respect. Really good playing there. In the past, work and stuff made it too hard to grow my fingernails to the point demanded by classical guitar.

Ash VS Alder is much of a muchness to me. Ash looks nicer, but as a fan of solid finishes, that makes little difference.

blarg, that is why you get an acrylic set done. without that i couldn't keep my nails long enough either. they don't break, crack or anything else. only get 4 though, and it costs 8 bucks.

blarg, that is why you get an acrylic set done. without that i couldn't keep my nails long enough either. they don't break, crack or anything else. only get 4 though, and it costs 8 bucks.

Louis, I'm guessing that you don't tip nearly as well as you play. Ha!

Great, great stuff on your videos. Seriously. People like you make me realize just how bad I suck. You really are a modern Renaissance man of sorts.

If I can pick a nit, though, I think you need to portray a bit more confidence in your opinions. Ha!

Scott - I really enjoyed your work on the C. Peppers tune. I like them a lot. If you look at who has been inducted, there is no doubt that they are more important than half of them.

Your Legacy kicks alder, btw. Sounds great. I'm in the camp that tonewood is a bit down on the list of things that make your sound, but I do tend to prefer Alder "S" type guitars, and Ash "T" types. Regardless, you do your G&L some fine justice!

I forgot the other question. Great day, thanks! - ed

ed, i tip a lot better. i give her a 20. 150% should be ok. i always tip well, at the sushi restaurant, the all you can eat sushi is 24 bucks, i give them 40. people seem to give much better service when you tip well.

Just as I suspected, actually. Good on you!

My point is that the nails didn't cost eight bucks. Ha! - ed

Just as I suspected, actually. Good on you!

My point is that the nails didn't cost eight bucks. Ha! - ed

that is what they charge. the tip is up to me. i don't consider that part of the cost, to me it's assuring future good service. i don't do it to be nice either, i am being selfish. for example when i order food, for example a 15 dollar pizza, i'll give 23 bucks. i get that pizza in a hurry every time. they bring bread sticks or desert and just throw it in. they'll come if i call late and supposedly they already stopped deliveries.

Just a quick second to stop back in...... Really great stuff today from everyone involved! Going back and reading some of my questions, i realize i have not made it easy to type a quick answer! Thanks for taking the time

Scott