Thanks for all the replies yesterday.
Lunch for me today will be an Amy's veggie burrito (maybe two), with a SanPellegrino sparkling orange to drink. I've been enjoying these lately, no HFCS or artificial coloring etc.etc., which makes me happy, its tasty enough that I might be tempted to drink it even if it had Soylent green as an ingredient


Even though I've been playing guitar for about 30 years and I might have called myself a guitarist all that time , it's only been the last 5 or so years that I've really learned what it takes to get that tone experience I had been craving all those years.
It's hard to admit at times , but I didn't understand the importance of proper intonation until about 5 years ago. Once I got a handle on the concept I was able to set-up guitars that just didn't sound right in the upper register ( I had just thought that the guitar wasn't built well ),
and all of a sudden I was in tune (most of the time) and could play sweet sounds that didn't fight against each other.
This led to learning about the facets of a good set-up and I was excited about playing music again.
I bought a few tube amps and again my musical world opened up again. I was excited to play and practice. For the first twenty or so years I always had some crappy solid state amp with a chain of effects and I didn't know any better.
When I talk to folks who want to take up guitar one of the first things I do is make sure they understand the importance of a properly set-up guitar . I've paid people to set-up my instruments before I learned myself and it was hit or miss. I probably sold instruments that had a set-up that wasn't ideal for me that I would have kept and loved if I had known more about tweeking action,intonation,etc.
Do you do your own set-ups? It becomes fairly easy after the initial learning curve which will probably include a little frustration ( like most learning)...but the "AHA !" moments are a joy.
If you have a guitar tech do your set-ups, do they ask you questions like "how hard to you pick","what kind of music will you be playing", etc. ? If they don't it's a good idea to volunteer this information...it will also give you an idea of how much the guy/girl knows and how interested they are in setting your instrument up for you. Otherwise you are likely to receive your instrument with a set-up that is good for them and their style.
My latest "AHA" moment was when trying to help a guitarist in my band with his tone.
He has been using my Swart SST with a squire strat that I gutted and fitted with fender CS69's and a Seymour Duncan SSL-5 bridge pickup. I added a G&L PTB circuit to it and she plays and sounds fantastic, but at practice his tone was good clean but it lacked punch,crunch, and sustain...even if I dimed the preamp volume and adjusted the master to suit the room.
He bought a cheap reissue tubescreamer to help with solo tones but it was just getting muddy tones most the time. I brought in a clean boost the next week, dimed it at about 15db boost , opened the master volume almost all the way and used the preamp volume to suit the room and Voila...sustain, bite, not much mud... I knew that Swart SST had it in it but it took some tinkering to find out where the magic was.
Is there any Eureka moments that you can share that might help others?
I wish I could have known half of what I know now when I started playing guitar years ago, I'm sure I would have practiced and played more. So if you have any tidbits of knowledge that might keep the excitement factor up let's hear them.
Have you ever given a guitar to a friend in need ?
I would have a few more G&L's if I didn't, but no regrets. One of my friends who is an avid Alice in Chains fan and musician helped me move , he saved my butt with the help he gave me so I gave him a red Rampage I had...that was years ago and he still raves about how much he loves it. I also gave my brother a late 80's white (now off white) SC-3 years ago...he told me recently that he still plays it everyday and is amazed at the tones ( and I bet he is playing it unplugged most the time ). Gotta love hearing how G&L's keep giving joy throughout the years.
Besides playing music I occasionally enjoy painting abstract paintings. What other forms of art do you indulge in, either as a participant or an observer ?
I know I've seen some fantastic photos here that are worthy of a gallery (at least for guitar/bass fanatics)
Here is a picture of one my paintings, I was experimenting with Jackson Pollock type of application.

...and some random ASAT shots to round out todays report.
Cheers!
One of the best sounding ASAT's I've had...I'm not left handed and decided it belonged in the hands of a Lefty

Another ASAT I sold...a wonderful guitar in every way

My Blackie ASAT with bartolini pickups...an '85 I think, my poorman's broadcaster :

Here is my heavily relic'ed '86 ASAT, it must be southern swamp ash, because she is pretty light : )

Thanks for stopping by today, I look forward to your replies.
Elwood