Lunch Report November 29, 2010: Monday, Monday, ...

[yowhatsshakin]

Hi gang,

For those that do not know me, my name is Jos van Schagen. If pronounced in my native Dutch, you are fully expected to expectorate on the hard g's in my name I have a PhD in Physics and Astronomy but I have been away from academia for about 11 years now. Instead, I have an enormous amount of fun writing software, currently for a medium sized, private game company named PopCap here in the Emerald City. Our team is responsible for the 'back-end', and I can assure you that does not involve toilet paper in our case!

I was asked by Craig to take on LR duties this week and I gladly comply. But I haven't given it much thought yet so today will be somewhat improvised. Do not despair, I'll kick it in into full gear tomorrow.

Lunch
Bell Thai in Belltown. 'Thai Monday' is now a long standing tradition. I have basically worked with the same persons for many years at different companies. My direct manager has been my collaborator (and friend) for about 10 years at 6 different companies! And Thai is what's for lunch on Monday for about 5 years now. Lately, I have been ordering cashew chicken with brown rice, 3 stars. Or actually, I have just been nodding when the waitress writes down my order without asking ... Should throw her for a loop one of these days

Non-G&L related
So I have been working in my profession with this one guy for many years now. I worked with two other guys at PopCap for about 2 years before elsewhere. Of the 9 people I worked with at Atlas Solutions (which was bought by Microsoft), 2 are in my team at PopCap. In short, I seem to have found a group of people I really like working with and we tend to follow each other. We recruit each other wherever we are and hence you cross paths with the same people over and over again. Is this true for your musical friends too? Have you been playing with the same people in different bands and/or different settings for many years now? And if so, what is it in these players what creates the (mutual) attraction?

G&L related
Yesterday, I read the announcement that G&L was adding some more models to their 30th Anniversary line-up. Beyond the ASAT Special, ASAT Classic, Legacy, F-100, and L-2000, the ASAT Classic Bluesboy, ASAT Bass, S-500, and SB-2 will be added. Is anybody disappointed that there isn't a 30th Anniversary Limited Edition or is this actually the way to go? You can use the poll and/or elaborate on your opinion.

That'll do for now. Look forward to your responses. Talk to you later.

- Jos

[Dave_P]

Thanks for taking the lunch reporter duties on short notice Jos, really appreciate it.

Thai sounds delicious for lunch, I usually have chicken Pad Thai and steamed dumplings. Unfortunately today I'm eating in the cafeteria at work which entails battered chicken tender things coated in barbecue sauce , rice and a side salad.

I do tend to play with the same musicians in different settings. I think maybe it's just a comfort thing for me, I seem to have kept the same friends since elementary school Recently I've tried to broaden my horizons a bit and play with some different people.

I am not opposed to the additional models being added to the 30th anniversary series, but I would like to have seen a limited run on the whole line. Making only "x" number of each model, maybe having some more limited than others. Though in the end it should end up that way. If they stop making them at the end of the year, depending on sales, some will be more limited than others.

-Dave

[willross]

Welcome, Jos! I have a canal property in Amsterdam and get there as often as possible. My education is in Mycology, but have made music for about 25 years. Science/math and music go together well.

I've worked on and off with a few of the same people for the past ten years or so. However, when I passed up a couple opportunities the work dried-up a bit (if you can't run, sometimes you end up left behind). That's when I re-entered the private sector. Recently the work has returned tsunami-style and I've got my running shoes on.

I ordered a left-handed S-500 yesterday. I'll know by 2:00PM if it's a go. It was a toss-up between the S-500 and the Bluesboy. Now that Bluesboy will be a darkend(near black) blackburst and double-bound. If they hadn't added a few more choices, I'd reluctantly pass of the 30TH Anniv offer.


Cheers,

Will

[sickbutnottired]

I love Thai, of course, I love all food. I would probably go with a curry, although I go with noodles sometimes. I live in a small town, we only have 1 Thai joint, and it is only open for dinner. But she makes an awesome ginger/cashew beef. But back to reality, just had leftover sloppy joe and 2 apples.

I am currently playing with most of the guys I played with in college! We are currently a quartet, 2 guitar players, bass player, drummer. The bass player is my brother, and the other guitar player a high school/college friend. It is just a hobby for us, good for the soul, and we have a ton of fun. I think it can be hard to find people that are serious about the music, but have similar expectations as to time commitment, performance schedule/money, and want to play the same stuff!

I like to see the anniversary editions in peoples awesome collections, so I am only mildly disappointed. Of course, I am dying for a bluesboy, maybe the anniversary model will be the one I can't live without?

[sirmyghin]

No real working teams as I have not really gotten out into the professional world, still stuck in Academia doing my master's. It is going decently nowadays.

The 30th anniversary is a little dull to me. A couple white guitars, with some minor improvements. I am not a collector, so a no limitted run doesn't bother me at all (infact I scoff at limitted runs in general). I am of the opinion a guitar should always be a tool and never a show piece.

[yowhatsshakin]

Thanks for taking the lunch reporter duties on short notice Jos, really appreciate it.

No problem Dave.

I do tend to play with the same musicians in different settings.

Same here. Only problem was that I moved away. First to Sicily, then even further to the upper left hand corner of the continental US. And being a physicist required all my attention, especially when it's your dream to make a career in it. So now I'm a closet rocker. Oh well ... (Can't get the Peter Green riff out of my head now)

- Jos

[yowhatsshakin]

I have a canal property in Amsterdam and get there as often as possible.

Hi Will,
Wow, that is something! How frequently are you over there? I loved Amsterdam as a town to study, live, and work in. But a couple of years ago, my US employer allowed me to stay and work at the Dutch branch in Utrecht (a city in the central part of the Netherlands. All roads may go to Rome, but all railways go to Utrecht). And both my wife and I really loved that town even more than A'dam.

My education is in Mycology, but have made music for about 25 years. Science/math and music go together well.

Fully agree with that. I taught myself to play the guitar and have had no lesson at any time in my life. I realize that has made me not as good of a player as I could be. But trying tp figure out tunes I have always seen on even par as solving mathematical equations. I just love the brain gymnastics of it.

And if comes through, congrats on your S-500!

- Jos

[yowhatsshakin]

I think it can be hard to find people that are serious about the music, but have similar expectations as to time commitment, performance schedule/money, and want to play the same stuff!

Agree with that. But in my case the problem is mainly created by myself. If I want to be a musician, I want to give it my all. And I don't have the time (at least that's what I think) and hence never sought out people. But improvement is on the horizon. Given that I work for a game studio now, there are lots of creative people around, many of them musicians. The company has even provided us with a budget to equip a band room. Can you believe that? So once in a while, we just get together during work hours and play a couple of songs.

Of course, I am dying for a bluesboy, ...

Do we need to call 911?

- Jos

[yowhatsshakin]

The 30th anniversary is a little dull to me.

I am on the fence on this one. Collecting Limited Editions, I would have loved to see one to commemorate the 30th Anniversary. But then again, what would you pick? Another ASAT? So to give equal exposure to many models has its allure too. On the cosmetics, I agree with you too. It looks a bit too much like my "Blondie":

In my opinion, the 'cream' in the white doesn't make it as 'sterile' at the 30th Anniversary collection. But the again, I know Dave Navarro likes his PRS's to be white because they take on the color of the stage lighting when viewed from the audience. Oh well ... (that Peter Green riff is still playing in my head)

- Jos

Edit: fix image link after album was lost.

[Kit]

I have been working for over 35 years and have changed jobs a handful of time, so I do spend a good stretch of time with groups of co-workers. It looks like I'm going to have to change job again soon.

I started playing guitar around 1964, but except for being in a high school band just to perform in a concert I've been pretty much a bedroom player until a few years ago. I first met with a couple of guys and we got together to play once a week for over a year. We were two guitar players and a bass player, and we mostly just play some blues. That situation broke up about 2 years ago. Since then I have found another group of people to play with. The singer/instrumentalist, bass player and myself have been playing together now for over a year and a half. The the last year or so the singer's son has been our drummer, but he went off to college this fall. We now have a new drummer. He has never played in a live band situation but he is fitting in quite well and is working hard on improving his chops; but then so are we. We play rock and pop and cover everything from 60's music to current, so anything from Beatles to Green Day and Garbage.

Oh well ... (Can't get the Peter Green riff out of my head now)

- Jos

Love "Oh Well." That's one of the tunes that I fiddle with (totally from memory) every once in a while, including the slow acoustic portion in the second half of the song which I play on an electric, being too lazy to dig out my acoustic guitar.

Kit

[sirmyghin]

Jos, I like blondes and cream whites, they look fine to me. What I was hoping was the 30th anniversary was a sort of metallic pearl white (being pearl frost), but all pictures I have seen have lead me to believe this is not the case in the slightest. The only white guitars I like typically would be Vee guitars but those are kind of something I go back and forth on, so I stick to traditional shapes.

PRS and Carvin have some amazing finishes, and I prefer trans finishes to opaque finishes. In the end I went with my orange not the 30th, as I planned to mod it up anyway, and orange looks cooler imo. Seeing as there are some improvements to the DFV debuting on those models that is good. Pearl inlays, how does that differ from what they are using anyway on dark boards? I got abalone in my maple board and was shocked to not have black dots (as they never mention this stuff). Other than that, no special pickups, just some hardware swaps and another colour of white. I will pass thanks.

[blargfromouterspace]

Hi Jos

Your workplace sounds fantastic. A music room!?! In work hours!!?!?

I like Thai food, but have found that the variation in quality of Thai restaurants is hugely variable and when its not absolutely fresh its pretty bad, consequently I avoid it unless I get a recommendation from a friend I can trust who goes along with me. There's a really good one across town, but you have to wait at least an hour for your food. EVERY TIME.

I'd love to be able to call on some of the players I've played with in the past, but we all live in different places now. I've been in my current city for about two years and have met some fantastic musicians but the friendship that I had with the other guys isn't there - I'd grown up with them, and that sort of friendship is not easily replaced. I've also played with a whole bunch of people I'd rather forget. One guy got me along to play some guitar on an album and play a few shows with him and I never saw a single cent and I don't even remember him buying me a drink at the gigs, and it's not like it was fun stuff to play.

I worked with a guy for about 4 years when I was working a house painter. A whole host of other people joined over those 4 years and the other guy always ended up falling out severely with these other guys (he's kind of abrasive, but I always took it with a grain of salt and managed to turn his problems back on him), but we never did. I learnt a valuable lesson working for him - always stand up for yourself and don't let anyone transfer their own shortcomings onto you. I've had good working relationships with most people I've worked with, but I'm an easy guy to get along with, provided your not a complete fool - I've worked with enough of them, believe me!

If I had the money I'd collect guitars, focusing on G&L's. Right now I can't afford to. The 30th Ann. models look nice but I think they would have been better off choosing just one model as an extra special model to appeal to those collectors. As it is, they might as well stamp '30th Anniversary' on every single guitar they make this year.

Jamie

[darwinohm]

Yow, glad you were able to fill in this week. I like most types of food, but It would be better if I didn't.

I prematurely announced my retirement about a month and a half ago. I am still working but will be done by the end of the year. The owner of the business is out on medical so I wanted to take care of things until she returned. Them, my workplace will be more like yours except guitars whenever I want until I get sick of it. The 30 th G&L is very nice. I think that it is a pearl paint. I would prefer the maple neck like your blondie. I have a MM John Petrucci in pearl white with a rosewood neck. It is very pretty, especially in the sun or bright lights and I bet it would pick up the color of the stage lights. It would be extremely cool under a black light. I am guilty of having guitars for art display and have quite a few that I would not gig. I have several giggers which get the bulk of the use. Even those stay like new when taken care of. I try to treat them almost as well as Ginny. You do notice the almost in that statement! Looking forward to what you will have tomorrow. -- Darwin

[yowhatsshakin]

IWe play rock and pop and cover everything from 60's music to current, so anything from Beatles to Green Day and Garbage.

Hey Kit. At least you keep up to date with wazzhappenin' in the music world nowadays. Have to be honest; I have the hardest time filtering out the good stuff from the 'synthesized', 'choreographed' stuff.

The drummer of my band back home during my high-school and college day was a great chap with a good sense of humor. We would even play just with the 2 of us on Sunday afternoons. And that was way before the White Stripes. Oh well ... (even at the end of the day it is still stuck in my head)

- Jos

[yowhatsshakin]

Seeing as there are some improvements to the DFV debuting on those models that is good.

And apparently that is a custom mod you can ask for now (or in the near future! So not a reason in and by itself to get a 30th Anniversary

- Jos

[yowhatsshakin]

If I had the money I'd collect guitars, focusing on G&L's.

Hi Jamie,

I can count my blessing in that department. I feel very fortunate that I am able to do just that. But more on that later this week.

And before I forget it, good luck with your band! Just saw "I am trying to break your Heart: a film about Wilco" last week which shows some incredibly interesting band dynamics. So keep us updated and dish the dirt

- Jos

[yowhatsshakin]

Hi Darwin,

I wish I had your wall space and have all of mine permanently on display! But I am very happy with my relatively tiny music room at home. We just redid it and now I have considerably more floor space to pace around. I also created a workspace that reaches to just below my sternum. What an improvement I cannot understand why I didn't do that before. Makes doing maintenance and upkeep on the instruments so much easier when you don't have to bend your back.

Even those stay like new when taken care of. I try to treat them almost as well as Ginny. You do notice the almost in that statement!

I am not even going to guess the pecking order here

- Jos

[blargfromouterspace]

I have a MM John Petrucci in pearl white with a rosewood neck.

I didn't have you down as a Dream Theater fan Darwin

And before I forget it, good luck with your band! Just saw "I am trying to break your Heart: a film about Wilco" last week which shows some incredibly interesting band dynamics. So keep us updated and dish the dirt

Thanks a lot Jos. There's a lot of dirt there - a bit more than I'd be willing to divulge at the moment as there are currently lawyers involved. Once it's resolved I'll fill you in. I'd like to see that Wilco documentary, they're a band I'm sure would have a lot of personal issues!

Here's a link to the bands website. That's me at the end with the Bluesboy.

[sirmyghin]

I have a MM John Petrucci in pearl white with a rosewood neck.

I didn't have you down as a Dream Theater fan Darwin

Petrucci guitars are very fine instruments fan or not. Not to mention they look so nice. When you say rosewood neck you mean fretboard not neck right? As I notice a lot of people call the fretboard wood the 'neckl' around here. Where to me rosewood neck = neck of entirely indian rosewood.

[yowhatsshakin]

Hi Tim!

[On the] one hand, I think they've always done an anniversary "Guitar" and never a bass. So I'm glad for the low-enders on the board get something tossed their way. Also, I think Lefties get ignored.

When looking through the Custom Build webpage on the G&L website, one will motive a single Limited Edition bass (the C.L.F. Centennial L-2000) and a single Special Build bass (the L-2000 with spalted maple top). Most frequently, the model has been an ASAT. Which suits me just fine, don't get me wrong. After all I'm into collecting ASAT's. But G&L is so much more than ASAT's and I would have been perfectly willing to sit one out (or not) to have a bass or left-handed instrument. For the sake of argument, I might still have gotten a "Blondie" if it was left-handed, given the iconic photos of Jimi with a righty Olympic White Fender Strat. So I fully agree with you there.

... I'm still in touch with them decade+ later and still respect each of them.

Your story reminds me of my first boss out of academia. An all around good guy who, with 4 friends of his, started a company (WRQ) here in Seattle in the early '80's. He created a culture in his company that in a very natural way kept everybody sharp, enthused, involved and hence happy and productive. He is a mathematician and whenever he would see me in the corridor, and knowing I have a PhD, he would stop me and give me a puzzle to solve or some mathematical lemma to prove. I loved these kind of things and have a scrapbook full of them which I cherish. When he sold his private company, he actually paid out the stock options that had been granted to his employees; not a given because after all it is a private company. I owe a lot to this man, more than he might realize. So I'll use this podium to say: Thank you, Doug Walker!

- Jos

[yowhatsshakin]

Here's a link to the bands website. That's me at the end with the Bluesboy.

Who else would play the G&L? Cool bios.

And the Wilco movie is great to watch. I am a big fan of Wilco and their Yankee Hotel Foxtrot album in particular. At times it is intense, especially between Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett. It makes it even more eerie, if one knows Jay passed away in 2009 due to an accidental OD of painkillers and how things could have been different.

- jos

[yowhatsshakin]

Where to me rosewood neck = neck of entirely indian rosewood.

You mean like this (2003 PRS McCarty Brazilian Limited Edition IRW):


- Jos

Edit: fix image link after album was lost.

[Craig]

The 30th Anniversary models ARE available left-handed, except for the F-100 model.
And with the four additional models just added, a total of nine different models to choose from.
I just wish they would have included either the Z-3 or Comanche, since they have Leo's
last production pickups. Given that the production is to run thru December, I would guess that
all of the models will end up in the Rarebirds section of the G&L Registry.

I give them my

[yowhatsshakin]

Given that the production is to run thru December, I would guess that
all of the models will end up in the Rarebirds section of the G&L Registry.

Hi Craig,

It would be very interesting for many of us to learn the final production numbers. Might increase the 'desirability' of the models. At least , it might do for me! Guess we all have to have patience til next January.

- Jos

[sirmyghin]

Where to me rosewood neck = neck of entirely indian rosewood.

You mean like this (2003 PRS McCarty Brazilian Limited Edition IRW):


- Jos

You bet, I am considering seeing what the fuss is about on my next build, I know a reasonable builder and roughly what blanks go for (hint, not the 500-600$ PRS charges you). Saw a standard 25" scale set neck run about a 130$ blank, that is all. As this will be a baritone 7, maybe a bit more.

[willross]

Hi Will,
Wow, that is something! How frequently are you over there? I loved Amsterdam as a town to study, live, and work in. But a couple of years ago, my US employer allowed me to stay and work at the Dutch branch in Utrecht (a city in the central part of the Netherlands. All roads may go to Rome, but all railways go to Utrecht). And both my wife and I really loved that town even more than A'dam.

Two to three times a year. It's located in City Center on the Prinsengracht and the view of the Westerkerk is amazing! I like to keep current with my colleagues at the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures and they are a bunch of "fun guys"; get it? Yeah, I know. Obscure enough for ya!


Cheers,

Will

[yowhatsshakin]

...and they are a bunch of "fun guys"

Well, all my friends in the Netherlands are funghis. Wonder why my spell checker did that ...

- Jos

[darwinohm]

Sirmy, I should have said rosewood fretboard. I do not have any guitars with rosewood necks

[willross]

Well, all my friends in the Netherlands are funghis. Wonder why my spell checker did that ...

- Jos

Ha! I dig it!

[sirmyghin]

Sirmy, I should have said rosewood fretboard. I do not have any guitars with rosewood necks

thanks Darwin, just curious as you occasionally see some very nice wood stuff pop up in the BFR family of axes.

[bassman]

I like the 30th anniversary models. I don't think that I will buy one, since that's not in my budget for this year , but i respect the company for making them. I wish they had done a L-1000 bass and a F-100. They would've been the real 30 year instruments.

I play with one guy that I have known and played with in bands since high school, 1970-74. We can't believe how many years have gone by when we start talking about gigs we had in the 70's. LOL

Here is a YouTube link of us playing at 50th anniversary Celebration for St. Andrews Catholic Church in Silver Spring, Md this past September:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRv6E3PJgjE

[yowhatsshakin]

I wish they had done a L-1000 bass and a F-100.

Actually, there is a F-100 in the line-up. I believe it is the only one that cannot be ordered left-handed.

- Jos