Lunch Report - Tuesday May 3,2011 - Another Early Edition

[gitman001]

Welcome to another early morning edition of this weeks lunch report.

Lunch… the Sandwich Redux….
I could have hit copy and paste from yesterday, but I will mix it up a bit today. Another roast beef sandwich waits for me by the front door, this time with some grapes and an apple to go along. There will be a stop for coffee, probably XL today. Tuesday’s are another busy day for me with pretty much the same schedule as yesterday – teaching at school from 8 – 3, then off to the studio from 3:30 – 9. I really do consider myself lucky to be able to play guitar for a living, and I know the summer months are coming, school will be out and my schedule calms down quite a bit. I know I can rest then!

G&L content….
Up today is my first G&L, a 1993 s-500 that I bought used around 1999. This is it’s story.
I had a student that I had been teaching for a while named Mike. I remember the circumstances like they were yesterday – Anyway, one day Mike comes in, with what looked like a regular strat. Low and behold it was not a strat at all but an s-500. I had never really heard about G&L’s before, and at that time I was playing an American standard. So when Mike plugged in I asked him to play a G chord to see if we were in tune together and WOW I nearly fell out of my chair. That thing had just eaten my strat for lunch ! It was the sound that I wanted my American standard to have. I was forever changing pickups and tinkering the guitar but it never had THAT sound. So he came in for lessons the next week and same thing, I was blown away by the sound. I had to have one…. I quickly found one through a friend of a friend and had it sent to me from Calgary.
Here she is…..




It has been my number one guitar for many years. I absolutely love it.
On to today’s question. How did you discover these brilliant guitars? Did you stumble onto them like I did? A chance meeting in a music store? Following Leo for years? Or Maybe you knew what was what and didn’t have you head in the sand like I did. I know if I can get some of my students on here they would totally blame me for getting them addicted too!

Non G&L….
I teach students with ages ranging from 10 – 80. I thought I would post some of the highlights and lowlights from the previous day. Monday the highlight would have to be working on some VI-II-V-I jazz-blues with my 78 year old student. We are always going over old standards, but this week he was going jamming so he needed some improv work. The low…. Probably Justin Beiber’s “one less lonely girl” (Being a full time teacher is not always glamorous) But hey if you are 10 and that is going to inspire you than I will show you how to play it. (PM me if you are ever in need of the chart )
Segue to this weeks question…. What album inspires you time and time again? For me it is Robben Ford’s “Handful of Blues” album. If you have not heard it stop reading NOW and go find it. Tasty, tasty playing. I never get tired of it. I know it is super hard to narrow it down, but see if you can pick one to share…. Hey, maybe its not even a guitar album – I am always looking to expand my listening but sometimes don’t know where to go, so post your inspirational album and maybe it will in end up in a whole pile of playlists around here.
Here are some tunes featuring the s-500 (Same setup – the Route 66/Z 2x12, AC+, Fulldrive.) I hope the point of these videos isn’t missed…. I simply wanted to show the guitars in action – they are true rehearsals (mistakes and all) and I just want to make sure that I am in no way trying to pull a “hey look at me” or promote the band in anyway. I am a pretty humble guy who is passionate about playing and teaching guitar. But judging by yesterdays comments I think they were totally taken in the right context

Here is a cool Cult tune we do in the second set (sometimes there are too many buttons to click while trying to get into position for a solo!)

[youtube]p1oI7bX_uiI[/youtube]

Speaking of mistakes – there is a glaring one at the beginning of the next tune, but the s-500 sounded to good throughout the rest not to share. A little to much digging in and not enough paying attention! And yes we actually do play this song live - surprisingly it packs the dance floor every time

[youtube]-rXYx3of9vc[/youtube]


I look forward to everyone’s responses…. This is the first board I have taken part in and it is cool to be apart of such a diverse community of players.
Scott

[yowhatsshakin]

Morning gitman!

Great videos again!

In '92, I took care of an '88 Stratocaster of an American physics friend still looking for a place to live in Amsterdam. That guitar sounded pretty good through my Lab Series L5, but I was still a LP man at the time, ort least I though. So I was never on the lookout for a Fender. But after moving to the US, I found G&L entirely by happenstance. On a trip to downtown, my wife and I stumbled over The Zobrist, a small mom and pop store managed by Ron Stoehr at the time. He is actually the one who introduced me to G&L's and showed me what wonderful guitars they are. Especially the G&L ASAT. In the 2-3 years before their demise about a decade ago I purchased 3 G&L's at his store. Seriously had the bug (and still have). I only took my Legacy Special from the store wall. The others were custom ordered and I still remember the anticipation when opening the case a couple of weeks later when Ron and I would gawk over a beautiful guitar. And then to plug it in, my golly, ...

Have 'Handful of Blues' in my collection too. Love the simmering rendition of 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'. But the album that always inspires me is 'Exile on Main Street' by the Stones. Just cannot get enough of it. Has been my favorite album ever since I heard it for the first time. And being self-though, one of the watershed momoents for me was when I realized that it almost comes natural to play along with the album if you tune your guitar (preferably a Butterscotch Blonde ASAT Classic or Bluesboy ) in open-G and have a capo nearby.

- Jos

[BillEvans1956]

I teach students with ages ranging from 10 – 80. I thought I would post some of the highlights and lowlights from the previous day. Monday the highlight would have to be working on some VI-II-V-I jazz-blues with my 78 year old student. We are always going over old standards, but this week he was going jamming so he needed some improv work.

78 years old? Wow. There's hope for me yet then (54 years young). Keep on rocking! Thanks. Bill
P.S. S-500. Nice guitar. Now, how can I justify buying one of them for myself then? <lol>

[sirmyghin]

Hey Gitman,

That S-500 story was something for sure. My first G&L experience I didn't even plug the bugger in and knew I wanted it. I am more worried about that feel than anything, thereafter I'll work out the specifics. The fact G&L would build to spec for me was the icing on the cake. I had heard of them, never played them before that though.

My favourite tune to hear, is Vai's - Whispering a Prayer. I don't have a sustainer, or even an ebow, so I can't really play it and have never tried. It just makes me happy to hear though. The Count of Tuscany is another piece (Dream Theatre) with some very awesome guitar work, excellent unison parts. The intro solo is amazing though (and no, it isn't a shredfest).

When I get together with another musician and jam we spent a lot of time on standard chord progessions, and blues's etc. It is just fun to kick back and rip them up, go back and forth and such. I have been missing that aspect of playing in recent years, since my band folded and I started doing my own thing. We need to communicate with eachother to some extent through music though and some good jamming is the best way to do that. No goals, no aims, just have some fun.

Great playing dude.

[darwinohm]

Scott, roast beef is always good!

The Blue S-500 is very similar to mine other than the birdseye neck on mine. The pickguard really has the vintage look.

Great story on your fist G&L encounter. My first G&L was a trade with a private party, meeting in a parking lot half way. I had a Tele and he had a Legacy hss in transparent Red and the Swamp Ash body. I didn't play it but if it played half as good as it looked, it would be a keeper. It was a keeper but eventually was traded for a Legacy with a Maple fretboard and GOT neck, a looker for sure. I do not believe that there is a bad playing G&L. If you like lookers, the G&Ls are hard to beat. The Ash bodies are some of the best in the industry. I have 15 Fenders and there are probably 2 lookers in the bunch. They rest are really nice, but not stunning lookers. The transparent finished G&Ls that I have are lookers!! The bonus is that they sound so great.

I watched your yesterdays videos last night and I watched the todays videos earlier today. They are cool stuff and thanks for posting. The S-500 does crank!

Keep it up Scott, you are raising the bar. Next thing you know there will be a Gitman signature S_500.

[Muleya]

I found G&L mostly because I wanted a strat-style guitar with certain features. To get those on a Fender, meant getting an American Deluxe. I didn't want to pay as much as a new guitar would cost, and there are so many used Fenders on the market, it can be a real chore to sort through all of them. I had heard of G&L, and a little research showed that most of the features I was looking for came standard on the Legacy. More research showed G&L was well reviewed. PLUS, there were fewer on the used market (I suppose could be a pro or a con, but it was a pro for me!) and they are better priced on the used market than Fender. One day I found MusicGoRound selling one that caught my eye for right about what I wanted to pay. Called them up and they said it was in excellent condition, so I bought it and never looked back!...it's the one in my avatar.

There are a number of albums that inspire me to play, but Eric Johnson, Ah Via Musicom is right there at the top of the list! I cannot play any of those songs all the way through in any form I would share with anybody, but I love working on them and playing them in my own handicapped way! And then there is more attainable stuff like Boston and Rush.

I'll try to watch the videos this evening...not supposed to do that kind of thing here at work!

[RampageFan]

Another great report today Scott! Your band sounds awesome! Would love to see you guys play! Really like The Cult cover you posted. That S500 sounds great, and great playing as well!

I really like reading how people discovered G&L. In 1986, I saved my money to buy a Charvel with a Kahler bridge. I had played it in the store and that was the guitar I wanted. When I went to buy it, Rick, the salesman was sitting and playing this guitar that sounded incredible. It was the Rampage. He made me try it before he would sell me the Charvel. And the Rampage was cheaper, so he wasn't trying to squeeze me for more money. I played the G&L and immediately fell in love with it. The only thing was.... IT WAS PINK! I had to bite the bullet and buy it anyway because of the way it played. And stupid me, around 1992 I had to have a Les Paul and I got rid of the Rampage. Regretted it ever since. At the time, the Rampage wasn't a popular model, but after Jerry Cantrell, everyone wanted one, and you can never find them anymore. They've become a highly sought after guitar. Every guitar I've owned since then has been compared to that pink guitar. And none ever had the feel like that one did. But luckily, all is well now that I've finally found another one!

Thanks,
Dave

[BadJaxx]

after recently getting into single coil guitars and buying several, i came across a used, mint, ASAT Classic S for a good price and decided to try it...
got it, love it....very impressed...
want another G&L....lusting for an S-500...but in selling mode right now...so REALLY didn't need to watch your vids to find i want that sound and thus increase the GAS...lol

for the last few years i've only listened to my playlists and concert DVDs, so i can't really name an album anymore...so i'll just list SRV and EC....Tin Pan Alley and Double Trouble...can't listen to them without wanting to play along...


Dave...yeah, but...we know you miss that pink...

[blargfromouterspace]

Scott - nice playing. That Dr. Z is pretty damn nice.Those AC boosters are fantastic too. I've seen plenty of people using them recently, might be time to buy one myself!

I find Jim Campilongo a source of inspiration. His playing on "The Little Willies' self titled album is inspired genius. It's what I listen to before I leave for gigs. It puts me in a good place mentally - it reminds me that guitar playing isn't all flashy licks, and to have fun - his playing is very playful! He plays unlike virtually anyone I've heard before, yet his playing is unmistakably 'country' in style. Learning his licks requires a lot of patience - not so much from a speed or purely technical point, but because of the approach - its different from other guitarists.

My first G&L came to me after 8 years of lusting for one. Like Jaxx, my first was a Classic S. I've done some light modifying and now it's an even better guitar than it was previously. Since I got the first I've gradually sold any guitar in my possession without the G&L name on the headstock.

[gitman001]

Thanks for the comments guys. I am finally home after the 2 day guitar playing marathon.

Jos, great stones album, which one of those beauties do you keep in open G? and stayed tuned for some stones content tomorrow

Bill, you need to start teaching a few students then the s-500 is a business write-off. problem solved, thank me later!

Darwin, i must say that sounds like a sketchy first encounter.. i agree with you about the ash... 4 of mine are ash, i guess i am an ash-man The signature sounds also sounds like a fantastic idea I think i have already ordered what i will consider to be my signature... more to come on that tomorrow

Dave, you got to love 80's guitars, the first guitar i bought with my own money was a purplish, pink BCRich Warlock - man i wish somebody HAD talked me out of that one!

Jaxx, I am really sorry about the GAS pains - we need to find some meds for that, i know i could have used some GAS meds about 3 G&L's ago.

See you all tomorrow
Scott

[gitman001]

Hey Jamie,
I have only had the Z for about a year, i was playing a marshall that i had for years and years, and knew it was time to move on. You should hear this thing in person.. the camera does a good job ( for a video camera ) but it is one of the fullest sounding amps i have ever played. In fact, in some ways it kinda lead to trimming the band down from a 5 piece to a 4 piece about 6 months ago. I also love the xotic stuff, it is really transparent.
Scott

[vulpesoutfoxed]

'tis a beautiful S-500 you have there, love that blue finish.

I pretty much stumbled across G&L. When I was rather young (some may say i still am) and had just started working, I decided I needed a nice big amp to really shake the walls down. I hit many of the local shops and played most the amps in stock, only to not find anything to my liking. Finally I went into a tiny guitar store called Starsmith Music who dealt in Ampeg amps, and G&L guitars. I asked them if I could play one of the Ampegs, a Reverberocket 50 watt half stack. The salesman powered up the amp asked me what type of guitar I played, I proudly proclaimed a Squire II strat. It was my guitar in being such was the coolest guitar in the world to me at that time. He grabbed a G&L legacy off the wall and handed it to me to plug in without really saying anything about the guitar. I was amp shopping after all right? I sat down, strummed a G chord and was in awe with both the amp, and the feel and sound of the guitar. Something with that combination just seemed magic to me. Needless to say, I bought the amp. Walking out of the store to get my truck to load the amp, I turned to a friend that had gone with me and swore that I will own one of "those" guitars. Went home started researching the G&L guitars found out about the Leo Fender connection that made them all the cooler to me. Several times went back to the store just to drool over the guitars, spotted a Belair green legacy that i fell in love with and started saving my pennies. It took me about a year to get the money saved up and the guitar was still there. I was able to make it mine only about a week before the store shut it's doors for good.

[CGT]

Lunch was a Mama Burger at the A&W in Brockville (getting back home from a few days in Montreal).

My first encounter with G&L was back in the 80s on the back page of Guitar Player Magazine. I remember the ad with the picture of Leo leaning an elbow on a headstock, as well as the powder blue SC-1 ad with the raging metal dude, but I was a Gibson player back then. After I getting into single coils a couple of years back, I saw an S-500 at a local shop last winter (and before I could say, "hello" someone else grabbed it and put it on hold), that piqued my interest, so I checked out the online forums and kept G&L and in the back of my mind, a few weeks later, I got a great deal on a Legacy and it is now my number one guitar.

With respect to players who inspire me, I'll have to cite a few who are off the beaten path. Steven Rothery of Marillion is one inspiration. His tasteful melodic soloing is very much in the vein of David Gilmour, but not blues based. The California Guitar Trio is another inspiration, their acoustic work is simply astounding in its clarity, craftsmanship, tonal and compositional excellence. Their latest album Andromeda is the first disc with all original material and it is astounding. But my favourite piece of theirs is called the Marsh. It is the piece that got me started playing seriously after years of neglecting the instrument. I've attached one of their performances of this piece below.

[youtube]APJr6cDlQXM[/youtube]

[gitman001]

It looks like i have some listening to do on the weekend.

vulpesoutfoxed, i remember playing though the Reverberocket years ago, what a great amp - you still playing it?

CGT, I know the A&W well, have eaten in that one a few times myself...Both of my parents grew up in Brockville and now my wife and i keep our boat in a marina near there.

Great first encounters everyone, thanks for sharing

Scott

[vulpesoutfoxed]

Scott, Yes I still have the Reverberocket and play it regularly. Never bothered getting another amp until just recently when I needed something a little easier to move about. I don't think I would ever part with the Ampeg, or the Legacy that became my first G&L. Feels so much like being home when playing those two pieces of equipment.