Lunch Report for a Morbid Monday, June 21, 2010

[zapcosongs]

I'm Ed. I turned 50 not long ago and I still can't believe it. Where DID the time go?

Anyway, someone pointed out to me yesterday that the days will now begin getting shorter until a few days before Christmas, at which point they will start getting longer again. I already knew this at some level, but hearing it aloud made me feel a lot of different things.

Anybody here give much thought to the Solstice? Does it make you feel anything special? Do you do or have you in the past done anything noteworthy to celebrate it? I usually try to balance an egg on its end until I realize that it's only during the equinox that this works. I really AM a moron!

Anyway, the passage of time and the seasons and all their markers make me realize how fast Time passes and that, alas, our experience in this world really is a finite thing.

I'm not a morbid guy, but one night after maybe enjoying a couple, I stumbled upon the idea of putting together a collection of songs I'd like to compile for my own memorial CD – kind of like a final party favor for my friends and family after I’m gone. I want to include songs that are both important to and uniquely appreciated by me and are at the same time appropriate in the sense of a personal farewell.

Has anybody here ever thought of doing something similar? If you were to do so, which songs might you put on your personal final musical compilation? I go back and forth on a lot of songs, but I'm certain that "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House will make the cut...

Anyway, lunch today will be minimal and mundane as usual. Breakfast is my main meal. So, as is my little tradition, the Lunches I report here this week will be entirely aspirational. Anybody else here eat lighter as the day wears on, or eat differently in Summer’s heat?

Today, I'm in the mood for a good chicken salad on toasted sourdough, lettuce, tomato, freshly ground pepper. Lower salt potato chips. Garlic dill pickle spear. Fruit salad. Unsweetened iced tea.

G&L Question: Leo was clearly a genius, but even geniuses make mistakes as part of the learning process. What do you think was Leo's biggest blunder (besides perhaps the sale of Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company in 1965)?

Thanks for tuning in today. I look forward to your responses. I'll post some final thoughts this evening. - ed

[yowhatsshakin]

G&L Question: Leo was clearly a genius, but even geniuses make mistakes as part of the learning process. What do you think was Leo's biggest blunder (besides perhaps the sale of Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company in 1965)?

To figure out what blunder Leo might have made, you'll have to figure out what didn't work for him. And that's a pretty hard question to answer. Even the sale to CBS worked out. For instance, we wouldn't have this forum on G&L if Leo would have kept Fender. And, all other circumstances being equal, he would then have been responsible for the decline in quality for Fender in '70's. But then again, one would be hard pressed to believe Leo would have allowed that to happen in the first place. If I have to come up with something, it is that initially he wasn't really aware of what his traditional designs meant to musicians causing a rather reluctant support of the introduction of the Broadcaster/ASAT models and S-shaped G&L's. But then again, even that wasn't a complete blunder because it was corrected soon enough. I guess most of his 'blunders' never saw the marketplace but were kept in his lab ...

[MrRoundel]

Well zapcosongs, I can't say that I've thought about putting together a eulogy for you, nor me. However, I do like the idea. Since songs for the non-commercially slanted writer, generally come from the heart and soul, it would be a great way for people to remember the us they didn't know. For those who don't wear their hearts on their sleeves, etc., or embrace and act out their emotional side, there are many mysteries that would otherwise be buried with us. So, good idea. There's no time like the present (Oops, that's gone already, I'll try again.) for compiling such a work. "The Me They Never Knew". Hmmm....? Not morbid, just pure reality. Thanks for the idea. It's a good 'un.
Man, on Leo's biggest error...I'm at a real loss. I suppose it would have been nice if he'd made a MusicMan amp with a tube pre-amp. However, if he did, they'd be as expensive as their Fender counterparts. Bass players may believe that his not widening the neck of the L5000 to accommodate the 5th string was an error, albeit one that was soon corrected.

Nothing like a good "zapping" first thing in the morning.

[Kit]

Hi Ed, great to read a very thought provoking lunch report.

Time is definitely marching along faster as I get older. I turned 61 late last year. On the one hand I'm starting to think about retirement, on the other hand my children are still in high school (my son wil be a freshman in high school this coming fall) and I still have lots of responsibilities, financial and otherwise, for many years. My wife often remind me that I had said back when we were first married and I hope to retire by 50. But reality is totally different than dreams,uh?

There are many songs that I like, but to make a selection that represents me would be difficult. It has occurred to me that of the myriad of things that I've done, perhaps the music that I've created may actually be the most permanent. If I leave some music behind that reflects me as a person, that may be adequate.

"Don't Dream It's Over" is also one my of favorite songs. In fact it is one of those songs that I learned many years ago, and the hobby band I'm in plays in because I ask to put the song on our playlist (we play in a lower key as the range in the original version is beyond our vocal abilities). I love the song for the reason that it is a message of hope.

The intro of the song is actually very simple (this is still a half-step lower than the original)

Dsus2 Am Am7
e:--5---|---5---|---x---|
B:--5---|---5---|---8---|
G:--7---|---5---|---5---|
D:--7---|---7---|---7---|
A:--5---|---5---|---5---|
E:--5---|---5---|---5---|

The intro is strumed Dsus2 Am Am7 repeat. If you don't play it but want the chord chart, let me know and I'll be more than happy to send it to you.

Finally, a belated happy Father's Day to you.

Kit

[Brock]

If you were to do so, which songs might you put on your personal final musical compilation?

At present, and in no particular order:

• I'm Outlived by That Thing and Stupid Things Like That - Crash Test Dummies
• All Things Must Pass - George Harrison
• Sheep May Safely Graze - Bach
• Gone (Here's an MP3) - Matt Long (from Traveler, to be released this year or in 2011)

Gone was the first instrumental I ever wrote as a Lyricist. The notes were simply "A musical journey to the great beyond."

[darwinohm]

Ed, I have time to review the forum tonight and you have some questions that make us think about life. I also am advanced in life and have 17 years on you. Good thing we are not measured by miles. Like you, I started thinking about this and when I told Ginny 3 years ago that I wanted to buy some recording equipment, so said "How Much"? My answer was 7 to 800 bucks. Now, I always look ahead and do some research so $3500 bucks later I explained that it was the smart thing to do. Now, here lies the problem. After a performance like that she asked me what kind of results this was going to get. This is a sobering thought as you start thinking about what should you do next. I had a new Mac, a digirack 002, the upgrade pro tools software, studio monitors and a subwoofer and of course a backup hard drive. Now, I get the Mac cooking after a couple of evenings and having been a computer geek for 38 years this wasn't a big deal. I finally get the 002 rack to play through the monitors and I am boarderline cooking. I load down pro tools and the get started manual is about 130 pages. I sat here for two evenings and my Mac had pro tools loaded and on the top line it said pro tools but I had a blank screen and it didn't do a damn thing. Finally I found a demo in the files and got that started and that is when I realized that I had to open a new session. Now as many of you may know, pro tools is not self training. Ginny went shopping one evening and when she got home I had a guitar track down and the quality blew me away. She was impressed so now we can turn the heat up!. Long story short, I made a 12 song CD titled "Darwin Ohman- Instrumentals I Remember (kind Of). This was a project to learn pro tools. They are all cover songs and are as follows: Dance With The Guitar Man, Forty Miles Of Bad Road, Buckaroo, Honky Tonk, Steel Guitar Rag, Ginchy, Ram-Bunk-Shis, Hot Toddy, Memphis, Vaquero, Harlem Nocturne, and Wheels. I did all the guitar tracks, including bass. Rog, the drummer in our band did the drum work. This CD blew everyone away because it sounded very professional, good sound quality and I must have been damn lucky. I was about three songs into it before I figured out how to edit. I have since since recorded our band , all covers, titled Senior Class- Notables, and they are Under The Boardwalk, It's So Easy , Last Date, White Sport Coat, True Love Ways, Sleepwalk, Dance With The Guitar Man(Added Track From Last CD) , You Belong To Me, Margueritaville, So Fine, Apache, Back Home Again, Little Sister and Diana. It has also surprised everyone who has heard it. So, Ed, and others, you can do it and it is so fun when you are done! Ginny, who is my best critic, thinks they are the greatest. So would also tell me if something didn't sound right. It was not cheap as you have to pay royalties on the songs and to have the Cd made you are looking at about $1500 per 1000 copies. So, I hope this was not too boring, but the question was asked and there is no short answer, but go for it! I am now recording my daughter. What a rush! If you are doing vocals I recommend Melo Dyne. It is great for pitch control

I think Leo made a marketing and design snafu with the Jazzmaster and Jaguar. The vintage prices reflect that. I like the Jazzmaster but do not own one. It is a low priority
Now don't get me going on G&L because thats another story and a fun one!! Go get 'er Ed, don't wait till your gone. Do it now so your loved ones can enjoy! MrRoundel has the bug too! --Darwin

[Boogie Bill]

Sorry that I haven't been around much. Been struggling with some health issues (again!) and just haven't had time or energy to do any posting.

Weather has been lousy up here in the Pac NW. Lots of clouds and rain. Doesn't do much for my mood, solstice or not.

I actually have thought about the elegies, but I won't be around so I don't really care what they play, lol! Not really sure anybody would even come, for that matter....

My eating does change with the heat. I like to grill, obviously, but I also tend to eat lighter--more seafood and entree salads...leaving more room for the cheesecake!

Actually, I do think Leo made some mistakes. The Music Man StringRay was a disaster; but the Sabre that followed it was a pretty good guitar. Leo was too slow to bring a vibrato-equipped guitar to market--EVH was dive-bombing all over the place in the late '70s, yet Leo didn't have a guitar with a vibrato until 1980-81 or so.

In many ways, the low-noise buffered preamps and low-impedance pickups of the Music Man guitars were way ahead of their time, yet they never caught on. I think some different EQ options might have done better--perhaps adding a mid-range boost circuit to the preamp to provide a thicker, more PAF-ish tome might have made these guitars more popular and even more versatile.

The original Fender "broomstick" acoustics were pretty lame. Very cool, and an innovative design; yet they just don't sound very good.

The Music Man amps were great amps, and the hybrid design does make sense, considering the tube situation in that era; but again they were very slow to bring an amp to market with channel switching and high-gain.

And while most of us love the MFD pickups, to many folks they sound harsh and shrill. I wonder if Leo had lost a bit of his hearing in his later years and couldn't hear that 2K spike that causes much of that edginess.

That's about all I can think of. Now, if you want to discuss CBS mistakes, there's the two lines of solid state amps that nobody bought; the Wildwoods; the Coronados; the Marauder; the Custom; ultralinear amps, the PS 400 bass amp....and ....and ....and.

Too easy!

Bill

[zapcosongs]

I appreciate all the LR responses today. In short:

1) yowhatsshakin: Given the times historically and technologically, I really can't blame Leo for failing to appreciate in advance the love America and the world would so quickly develop for his innovative yet classic designs. Also, I might some days elect to exchange this forum for a company that Leo decided NOT to sell back in the day... ;+)

2) MrRoundel: To the extent you might think like me, I suggest you have one more and then let's see....

Oh, and the L5000 is an interesting thought.... I always suspected it was a dollars and cents matter at the core. Times were probably tough...

3) Kit: Always a pleasure! Happy Father's Day to you too!

4) Tim: Your insights and experiences are always most appreciated. Regarding the stock market thing, I can commiserate. If only my wife would have listened to me....

5) Brock. Just get me a signed /limited edition pressing, eh? I'll even contribute to your Rickshaw PAC.

6) darwinohm: First, let me say that you may have the finest lady around, except perhaps for y2kc's gal, who also seems like one in a million. Man, you are much more ambitious than me, but thanks for thinking me so energetic and clever. I wasn't going to lay down any tracks, No-sir! I was just going to string together a handful of already recorded stuff that I liked in a certain way. My hat's off you you, btw. With a couple of young boys running around and me being so damn old, I just don't have the time nor inclination....

7) Bill: Great hearing from you. I'm sure I'm not the only one who was getting a bit concerned. Thank you so much for your wisdom. It has been sorely missed. Stick around (that was NOT an existential joke).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmjTQqJXtgs
- ed

[Brock]

Oh, and the L5000 is an interesting thought....

I thought the spacing was a mistake, and overall maybe it is, but personally after playing (and owning) one, I prefer it to modern width 5 strings. The 34" scale is still lame for a low B in my book, but I'm running a C like the Fender Bass V did, which the L-5000 is basically (no pun intended) the updated version of.

5) Brock. Just get me a signed /limited edition pressing, eh? I'll even contribute to your Rickshaw PAC.

Matt and I will be hanging out next month and working on details. I put up the early version of MattLongMusic.com late last week, and it'll be better and more substantial as release day approaches. I am thinking about multiple additions. I've got what may be the cover and CD designed, I haven't run it past Matt yet. It's black and white. Very simple. Has white space. I went looking at Paul Rand work and it had me take a different direction than I normally do, which is busy with a lack of white space. Traveler is different.

As to the PAC, in all seriousness, there are political battles throughout the world for rickshaw legality. New York City had a battle last decade, and there's even a documentary about it:
http://www.thethirdwheeldocumentary.com/

Haven't seen it yet, but I will. In Boise, all is good for this Rickshawala. We have tons of bike lanes, dedicated bike paths, and it's all rickshaw friendly.