Lunch Report - Monday May 2,2011 - Early, Early Edition

[gitman001]

Welcome to the early early edition of Mondays lunch report. Thanks to Darwin for the nomination, he will be a tough act to follow, but here goes. I’m relatively new to the forum so I wanted to take a second to let you guys know a little bit about myself

My name is Scott, I’m 35 years old from Kingston, Ontario, Canada. My full time gig is teaching guitar. I have been playing since I was 10 and after high school was fortunate enough to attend G.I.T. where I graduated in 1995. Ever since then I have made my living playing guitar. I am a bit of a nomad when it comes to teaching, traveling between elementary schools, the local college and my private studio - which brings us to this early early edition of the lunch report.

Lunch……..

Monday’s are a busy day, I am at school teaching from 8-3 then to the studio from 3:30 – 9, so my delicious roast beef sandwich has already been made and sits by the door with a side of carrot sticks and some cookies for dessert. A stop is usually made for a coffee to wash it all down and to give me a little shot of caffeine for the evening lessons.

G & L content……

I currently have 5 G&L’s, with a 6th on the way (more on that latter in the week). So my plan is to feature a different one each day, sharing a bit about the guitar as well as some video clips of the guitars in action. I play in a local party/cover band and recently got a HD video camera to record rehearsals to actually see how we sound! So following in Darwin’s footsteps I thought I would include some media content in this weeks posts.
My newest acquisition is a 1999 ASAT semi-hollow. I got it off of ebay a few weeks ago and it arrived as advertised complete with a mirror pickguard and humbucker in the bridge position! I quickly removed the pickguard and put the original MFD back in, (which was included) and now I need some help….. I can’t seem to make up my mind on the pickguard. I have both a cream and a black that I have put on, and I think they both look really good. I have a gig on Friday where the ASAT will make her debut but can’t decide on the final look….. here are the pics.







So, if you have taken the time to read all of this please post a reply with what pickguard color you would go with. Even if you don’t have time to write out a long reply, a simple cream or black will totally do.

Here are some clips of the ASAT semi-hollow in action… ( I almost forgot - it is being played through my Dr. Z Route 66, Z-Best 2x12, an Xotic AC+, and Fulldrive 2 for leads)

[youtube]mWEGw-HEDCM[/youtube]

Something for the boys down under…..

[youtube]M_aYWmrUnAg[/youtube]


Up next, a video featuring this weeks non G&L content,
The WAH… do you love it or hate it? Do you even own one or will you ever own one? The first pedal I ever bought was a wah, I had saved up my paper route money and when I had enough went a picked up a Dunlop Cry Baby. I had not used it in probably 10 years until last Tuesday when I took it to rehearsal.
The results…… I don’t know, the guys in the band like it but I am not sold. I would love to hear some opinions on the sometimes cool, sometimes not wah wah.

[youtube]os22fsgGZR4[/youtube]


I would like to tell everyone that I have learned a lot the past few months being here, I am definitely more of a player than a tech, and tech insite around here is second to none.
Well that’s all for now I am off to teach, hope y’all have a great day – I will be home late to tally the pickguard votes.
Thanks,
Scott

[astutzmann]

great lookin axe. Personally, I prefer that black pickguard.

Welcome to the LR

Dont use a wah, sorry,

[BillEvans1956]

Hi Scott,

Welcome here. A graduate from GIT, eh? I like watching Andrew Wasson's vids on YouTube. He's another graduate from GIT, isn't he? He has some great stuff online. Sounds like you both have a great job teaching guitar. Lucky you.

Five G&Ls? Well, I have only three at the moment. I'd like to add a Bluesboy to the collection, but that'll be some years away yet. I prefer the cream pickguard in your ASAT Special. It's just a personal choice though. I think you did the right thing in getting rid of the mirrored pickguard. I've got a couple of ASAT Special Deluxe (no pickguards) and a Natural Gloss Legacy HB with tortoiseshell pickguard. I just love the sound of the ASAT Specials. They're the ones I usually play. They're not identical though. I've got a custom built Special which has a 12 inch neck and a Dual Fulcrum Vibrato bridge. But, both have those lovely MFD pickups. The Legacy HB tends to get taken out of its case only now and then. Wah pedals? I have one. It's a Boss PW-10 V-Wah. Bought it secondhand off eBay. Haven't really had the time to get it really sounding great.

Thanks for the post.

Bill

[darwinohm]

Scott, interesting bio, I started majoring in music but was only interested in performing. I knew that my chances were nil. I really admire those who make a good living at it and we have all had dreams of being a successful musician. Looks as though you are busy

First question, I have both color pickguards and I really like the Black. Here is a pic of my Tele.


I think is very striking on your guitar. A Pearl Black would also be sweet.

Beautiful guitar Scott with a matching headstock.

I loaded your first clip and was able to view part of it and great guitar work! I am having some problems with downloading the other two and I will check them later today.

I have never used a wah pedal. I have seen guys try to do it with the volume control. It seems that a wah pedal would be easier.

Great start Scott and enjoy your long day!!-- Darwin

[brianr0131]

I vote cream. It helps accentuate the ASAT on the headstock. Looks awesome!

Great playing on same old song and dance.......my friend

I dig a wah, but I feel a lot of guys lean on it like a crutch. The other problem is that a was really sounds crappy with a clean bright amp like say a HRD or the like. A guy I played with used to almost clear the club with his "soundchecks" chording and wahing on the clean channel. It was TERRIBLE.

[gitman001]

Hey Guys,
Thanks for the reply's and keep em coming! I found out that rehearsal has been moved to tonight so i will be away from the computer until really late, but i will get back to you soon.
Thanks again,
Scott

[sam]

Hey Scott,

Thanks for jumping in this week, looks like we are in for a lot of fun. Nice guitar work ya got going on in all three vids and the red ASAT is a beauty.

While I do think both pickguards work well, the creme would be my choice.

Wah's, I have an old Foxx wah/volume pedal that is occassionaly used, but poorly. Not the best wah sound in my opinion, would be better off with one of those BBE Wahs I bet. I agree with your band mates, the wah on your song gives just that llittle bit more.

[RampageFan]

Great start to the week! That Asat is a real Beauty! I myself prefer the cream pickguard. It really stands out nicely! Based on only three videos, looks like a great, fun band! I like the variety of songs. Great tones throughout. I am a big fan of the wah. I have a Morley Bad Horsie and I also use the wah on my Pod HD400 quite a bit. Imo a lot of guys don't know how to properly use the wah, and how to get the right tone to make it sound good (myself included!) You had a great tone and feel for the it, and I think you should continue using it!

Thanks for the post!
Dave

[repoman]

With the black pickups I vote for the black guard. I think the black covers with the cream guard is too stark of a contrast. Now if the pickup covers were cream then I would have to change my vote to cream guard. Either way that is a fine looking guitar.

I like some wah. But I'm of the opinion that less is more when it comes to wah. A bit for accent, keep the wah-chika-wah-wah to a minimum and you've got my endorsement.

Jeff

[Dave_P]

Hi Scott, great start, my vote is for Black. I had a tough time deciding they both look good to me but I think the black looks better.

As for the wah, I have a very similar story, one of the first pedals I bought when I picked up guitar saved my money up for the good ol' cry baby, used it for a while then it sat for probably 10 years or so, dragged it out to band practice a couple times but it still hasn't convinced me it should stay in my rig. Like others have said, proper use is the key, I in the less wah is more camp.

Great work on the vids by the way, keep it up

-Dave

[Philby]

Hi Scott, thanks for stepping up this week.

That's a very pretty Special you've got there, and you get some great tones out of it in the videos. FWIW I prefer the black guard with the black pickups. If the pickups were any other colour I'd say white or creme, but it looks pure rock'n'roll with the black guard.

As for wah pedals, I almost bought a Vox wah on impulse a few weeks back when my local music shop were blowing them out half price. But my subconscious kept playing the theme from 'Shaft' over and over and I couldn't bring myself to part with the $$$. If I'm ever asked to play on a XXX movie soundtrack I can get a near-enough-is-good-enough wah sound using my Yamaha DG Stomp and a volume pedal.

Do you have a solid body Special? If so, how would you compare the tones between the two? A semi-hollow Special or Bluesboy is one of my objects of GAS at the moment.

Hope that roast beef sandwich gets you through the long day ahead.........

[blargfromouterspace]

Hi Scott. You guys must be serious - setting up lights for the rehearsal!!!

That guitar is lovely - I like the cream guard on it more. I've been watching ebay recently to find my fourth G&L and missed out on a couple last night (my time) that went for next to nothing.

My first pedal was a wah too, albeit a Vox one. I had it for years an barely used i. I ended up trading it for a Boss CE3 Yeah, dunno what I was thinking that day.... Anyway I have one now, a Crybaby Classic, which I never use. In an effort to distance ourselves as much as possible from cheesy disco and white-boy funk, wah pedals and slap bass have been outlawed in the soul band I play in.

[zapcosongs]

Welcome Scott. Great start.
I had time to listen to the Aerosmith tune. Nice chops. Excellent tone. Liked the way you rock your ASAT!!!
Pickguard: I like both, but I have a slight preference for the creme color. Can't go wrong here, though.
Wah: I've got a King Vox from the '70's and although I'm just a basement wanker, I use it mostly to vary my tone - seldom for the actual "wah" effect. I'm thinking of sending mine out to be modded for "true bypass" and to have the pot cleaned up a tad... (Blarg, I was shocked to find that these "vintage" Vox wahs are selling for 250 American these days. Wow! I bought mine new in the mid-seventies for twenty bucks or so. Go figure. Hope you're enjoying your CE-3 ;+) I have an old Japanese CE-2 and actually like it lots! ) - ed

[sickbutnottired]

Wow, nice ASAT. I think I like the creme guard, but it's really close...

Wah, I thought you put it to artful use--I like wah. It does have a one song a show max use rating, though. I liked your Superstition cover all round, actually.

Blarg--I passed on a special last week. Somehow tricked myself into thinking I needed to grow up and pay some bills. And I have been regretting it. I might just have to succumb to the GAS before it metastasizes into something serious...

[blargfromouterspace]

....although I'm just a basement wanker,

I wish you'd stop saying that, Ed. In our version of English "wanker" means "jerk off".... needless to say I get a horrible picture in my head whenever I read it!

Blarg--I passed on a special last week. Somehow tricked myself into thinking I needed to grow up and pay some bills. And I have been regretting it. I might just have to succumb to the GAS before it metastasizes into something serious...

I missed an '82 (my birth year) hardtail SC2 last night that went for only $500

[zapcosongs]

Oh Blarg. Fix your head! - ed

[gitman001]

Wow, thanks for all the reply's....... I am just in from rehearsal and need to get some shut eye. I have a long day tomorrow as well, but promise to get to back to all of the questions posted.... thanks for bearing with me.

Scott

[Ahryn]

little late but... definitely the black picguard for me love the vids by the way, great sound from the whole band and that ASAT sounds wonderful. as for the wah I never really had an interest in them till I saw "Standing in the shadow of Motown" now I want one, even if it just ends up sitting in a box unused for ten years or so

[gitman001]

As of Tuesday morning here are the standings.......
Cream 7 votes
Black 6 votes
I am going to wait until thursday before i make the official decision, so if you are reading this and have yet to chime in please do so!

Bill, I do have a bluesboy that i will show off Wednesday, and i had not heard of Andrew - it looks like he was there a few years before i was - i will check out some of his youtube stuff when i get a few moments.

Philby, I alos have a solid body special that is coming up on Thursday - Stay Tuned - I will compare it to the Semi's.

To everyone else - Thanks so much for your responses, i will say i was a little nervous to jump into this being fairly new around here, but must say i am glad i did - i am having a blast!

Got to run - I am already late!!!!!

[yowhatsshakin]

Hi gitman,

I'm going to tie the score and vote for black

I also don't seem to be able to pick a wah. The fast, dare I say too large, selection of Dunlop wha's actually turns me off more than making me choose this brand. I have a couple of great Carl Martin pedals, but their wah seems to be prone to noise. So I guess if I get one, the BBE wah may be the first to get a test. We'll see.

Thanks for picking up the LR duties and making a great start.

- Jos

[bassman]

I vote for the black pickguard but you could really use both of them. The cream PG looks great too. I would suggest using one for 6 months and then switching to the other. It will feel like you have a new guitar. LOL

I don't use wha-wha pedals so I have no opinion.

Revise that- I really like the way you play your wha pedal. I think the band clips sound great!

The band clips sound great.

[sirmyghin]

I like a wah pedal, when used right. They are pretty versatile, and in guitar music can leads a nice vocal quality to the lead voice. Solos with wah, not so much, usually, but work well as an enevelope filter. I agree with Rampage, most people are overdoing it, for example, metallica.

[BadJaxx]

unhesitatingly and unwaveringly for the cream pg...always thot red and cream looked good...

i think a wah is cool for certain things...but care should be taken to make sure it's not overused...

good vids and playing...

[gitman001]

Alright, We are at
cream 8
Black 7

keep em coming!

[sirmyghin]

oh, black

[CGT]

My vote goes to the Black pickguard. It looks stunning with the red.

As for the wah, I love it when other people play it but I prefer to play clean myself.

Lunch yesterday was a barbecue chicken sandwich from a takeout place in Montreal.

[gitman001]

Thanks sirrmy and CGT, now the black has jumped ahead!! Still 2 days to go...
Black 9
Cream 8

[CGT]

Black 9? Cream 8? Double Double 7? Sounds like you're going on a Tim Horton's run for the forum. (For non-Canucks, Tim Horton's is our iconic national coffee chain.)

[BadJaxx]

(For non-Canucks, Tim Horton's is our iconic national coffee chain.)

and is yet another good reason for us to invade Canada...

i liked Horton's better than Starbucks...

[sirmyghin]

(For non-Canucks, Tim Horton's is our iconic national coffee chain.)

and is yet another good reason for us to invade Canada...

i liked Horton's better than Starbucks...

The coffee is garbage (so is starbucks for that matter.)

[suave eddie]

One more vote for the black pickguard.