Lunch Report for Wednesday, August10th 2011

[y2kc]

Hey,

I coated the Brazillian Cherry floors this morning. There will be a ton of those to do in the future because builders were using it like crazy during the McMansion building era. Around 1995 the builders around here went crazy ripping down homes and building new homes from lot line to lot line. The Brazillian cherry was attractive to them because it was cheap and also because they could deliver a dark floor without needing the skills normally needed to produce a dark oak floor. This rain forest species turns dark with clear sealer. 99% of our floors have always gone dark so these will be a breeze.

The builders also cheated on finish so the floors now need refinishing. This is a good thing for me and my workers.

Music discussion: Instrumentals

When I got home this morning I put in a Les Paul cd to listen to while loading the dishwasher. This three record set has an equal amount of instrumentals as it does Mary Ford cuts. Face it, that guy could do anything. Whats weird is that Les is the only one that ever made a Les Paul sound like that. Most of us now associate a Les Paul sound with Eric Clapton and the Bluesbreakers album. Good instrumentals on that.

Do you listen to instrumentals? Some of my Favorites are Steve Morse and Speedy West.

G&L question: What if the new short scale G&L was a set neck. Other bolt on companies have made the jump. What if they made one model with an Asat shape but you could order it however you wanted.

Would you step up and order and be the first on the block with a set neck G&L?

O.k. I have estimates to give this afternoon ( thank goodness ) so I must go and do paperwork get out of my overalls.

y2kc

[sirmyghin]

I love Instrumental music, Morse and the Dregs rock, I also listen to a lot of Satriani , Vai, recently I acquired Bucketheads Colma, Stanley Clarkes new album (may as well be instrumental), a Wooten album, Tiersens Dust Lane (another may as well be instrumental), Dave Martones Clean.... Yeah I might like instrumental stuff a lot. I gravitate towards instrumental pieces while I compose as I find it more difficult than standard songs. Lyrics make everything a bit to easy to capture and relate to, and I don't feel like singing either way. It has made me a better player by far. Having become infinitely more interested in jazz lately.. The lists have exploded.

Not sure I would be interested in a short scale G&L, but if any company has a chance it would be them. I generally don't like the feel of things less than 'fender' scaled for guitars. I am a bassist, so I am used to big meaty, high tension wires. I like light strings on a long scale though.. Playing is just so effortless then.

[jonc]

instrumental's make up a large part of my "playlist" and include but not limited to Art Tatum, Henry Mancini, Al Caiola, Dick Dale, Ventures, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Los Straitjackets, Johnny Smith, Hank Garland (especially Jazz Winds From A New Direction featuring a 16-year old Gary Burton on vibes) and a ton others. i would definitely be interested in a set neck G&L but find it odd that folks call 24.75 "short scale." that's a term i reserve for Mustangs and other guitars of that scale length as 24.75 is not short by any means.

[sam]

I spend a fair amount of time listening to instrumental guitar. A few of the usual suspects include Vai, Satch, Eric Johnson, Zappa, Duane Eddy, Dick Dale, Jeff Beck and Frampton's "Fingerprints" gets in rotation lately.

Can't say a short scale would be on my buy list but there seems to be a market for it.

While I have guitar funds at the time, a set neck ASAT version would be nice. But all guitars should be shaped like an ASAT

[Kit]

I prefer to listen to instrumental music, specially if I'm listening while I'm working. "Kind of Blue" has been on my regular playlist, also "Blow By Blow" and "There And Back" by Jeff Beck. When it comes down to it, my most favorite SRV tunes are "Riviera Paradise" and "Lenny," both instrumentals. I also like to listen to downtempo music, much of it is instrumental. A favorite of mine in that genre is Thievery Corporation.

Personally I don't really perceive any difference between a bolt-on neck guitar versus one with a set neck. So just because a guitar is a set neck does not make it any more desirable than one with a bolt-on.

Kit

[darwinohm]

y2kc, Les Paul was magic. There were others who I really like, Chet, Mark, James Burton and Vince Gill is no slouch either. I love instrumentals as I never pay attention to the lyrics anyway. I am always listening to those instruments!

Most builders take the easy way out. When I was working as a distributor, most of my issues to deal with were installation rather than product issues. There were also some very good contractors and they were the ones that were fun to work with.

I wold not like a set neck as much as a neck through. That eliminates any neck joint issues that may show up years later. I do like the longer scale.-- Darwin

[Philby]

Hi y2kc. It's funny you should mention McMansions as today's local newspaper is predicting that rising energy and water costs, coupled with financial turmoil, will make them uneconomic to live in. Australian suburbs are full of these ugly super sized boxes, so the sooner they're dozed the better IMHO. I'm glad you're able to profit from the shoddy flooring though.

I've never much been into instrumentals. In fact I don't think I own an instrumental album of any sort. If there's no vocal I tend to lose interest. My favourite guitarists are the guys who know how to weave in and out of a song, doing whatever needs to be done to support the song as a whole. If I had to listen to an album of instrumental guitar it would be some sweet fingerstyle in the style of Chet Atkins or Mark Knopfler.

[yowhatsshakin]

Howdy Casey,

Lots of jazz is instrumental, and I love jazz. Always been a big fan of Pat Metheny in about any setting he has been part off. Although, he did make a beautiful album with some Polish chanteuse. And of course, 'This is not America' with David Bowie. Likewise for Bill Frisell, who is always interesting, and John Scofield. I like rock instrumentals when I hear them, but for some reason I never buy those kind of albums.

I would buy a set neck G&L guitar, like a set-neck G-200, but I am not sure whether I would like G&L to go that way. If they want to change something with the neck, I rather like them to go back to 3-bolt with Micro-Tilt as discussed yesterday

Nobody has been able to make the Les Paul sound like Les Paul but Les Paul. He has always done very interesting stuff with his instrument, either by what he played, how he recorded, and/or what mods he made to his guitar. In that sense Mr. Polfuss has never been duplicated by anybody.

- Jos

[willross]

I love McMansions! Fine woods, antique bricks stolen...uh, sourced from old city streets, marble, love it... Instrumentals are music.

If I could get a G&L ASAT made to my specs in LH, I'd maybe go with that Leo Fine Tuning Vibrato & Classic bridge combo. Then either go Bluesboy or Custom with the new P-90...


Cheers,

Will

[stagecoach]

I love my instrumentals of a few different styles and I have lots of CD's without any vocals at all. My friends always thought I was crazy listening to music you can't sing along to -
The Ventures, Shadows, Dwayne Eddy, Johnny and the Hurricanes, Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, Lindsay Butler, Barry Thornton, Dick Dale, Various bluegrass albums and probably a lot more that I can't think of at the moment.

I remember an interview that Les Paul did in which he said that on the album he did with Chet (Chester and Lester) that he could play what I played, but Les could not copy Chet

Here is one of the many favorites I have
[youtube]Ni8KBhnebwE[/youtube]

I wouldn't go for a short scale, but I could be interested in a Baritone as I have stated before

[darwinohm]

Jerry and Chet, that was hot. I didn't remember Jerry picking like that although I remember he was hot!!! Thank for posting that clip. It made my day. Chet and Paul Yandell also light my fire.--Darwin

[y2kc]

Chet and Jethro Burns did some nice stuff. The Chester and Lester stuff is priceless. I had every Chet album as a kid and went to see him once here in the big city. I saw Jethro Burns here in a park playing with Steve Goodman. Those were good days.

y2kc

[KenC]

I'm definitely a fan of instrumental music, but as with many others on the board this happened when I began to listen to jazz. As a string bass player, I tend to pick jazz CDs on the strength of the bass playing. John Coltrane consistently picked bassists who would mesh with what he was trying to play on sax, and all of them have been influences on my playing and a source of hours of listening enjoyment. Jimmy Garrison's minor-key drones and double-stop solos are probably my favorites elements of the Coltrane catalog. On guitar, Grant Green would be my favorite instrumentalist, and I can listen over and over to most of Eric Dolphy's work without getting bored.

Speaking of Coltrane, it never ceases to amaze me how many great guitarists and bass guitarists in all genres cite him as a major influence. I once read an interview in which Duane Allman claimed Ole! as his favorite album of all time.

In a rock/experimental vein, I'm a huge fan of Sonic Youth and many of their side projects. Some of Brian Eno's albums and Robert Fripp's work (and their collaborations) come up on my listening lists frequently. I also try to keep an ear open for new experimental music, mainly by reading Signal-to-Noise and The Wire.

I hadn't heard about any plans for a 24.75" G&L, but I will find a way to buy one as soon as it comes out. Having it on an ASAT body or a first-style SC body shape would be the ultimate for me. I don't expect the sound would be quite as good as the 25.5" necks, but it would be convenient for some of the chordal playing I like to do. I just had an opportunity to buy one of the MIJ Fender "Pawn SHop" Mustangs used at a ridiculously low price and was tempted to go for the 24" scale, but (a) Fender was trying too hard to make the pickups look like z-coils, and (b) as soon as I bought it a G&L I really want would come on the market...

Ken C

[zapcosongs]

Hey Casey.

Life is cherry, no?

I'm sure this is mostly because I'm ignorant, but putting classical music aside - along with some classic jazzy stuff, my mind tends to seek out the familiar comfort of a traditional song (which most often feature lyrics). I suppose deep down I feel that the instruments themselves are most powerfully seen as tools in the process of telling a story.

There are some instrumentals that move me. Many are along the beaten path. Some favorites - such as this one - are a bit off the trail, but with roots planted firmly in the classics. And seem to tell a story as well. Bach is in here somewhere, while my favorite guitarist (playing the electric and lead acoustic here in his customary understated way) plays exactly what I want to hear, when I want to hear it). Bach, I believe, would like this "tribute" of sorts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hMmMpZ64mQ

Ironically, the first record I ever got my folks to purchase for me (at age 4) was an instrumental. But it's been pretty much songs with words and music since then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERNdH-0OcXc

- ed

[Boogie Bill]

I'm not doing any instrumentals, but I'd like to do some surf music with our band.

Not interested in ASATs, so no to the idea of a set neck. Got my Gibsons for that.

Bill

[Craig]

I listen to a lot of instrumentals. The Ventures were what got me interested in playing the guitar.
Surfin' was my first stereo record and is still one of my favorites, with their version of Pipeline
being my all time favorite surf instrumental. For surf instrumentals I also like the Aqua Velvets, the Mermen, and
Los Straitjackets. The Hellecasters CDs all get rotation in my listening: Will, John, and Jerry are truly
amazing to listen to and I have had the pleasure many times of seeing them live when they were touring.

I also listen to a fair amount of electronic/new age instrumental music as well, with Tangerine Dream, Kitaro, and
Jean-Michel Jarre on the top of that list.

I also listen to a lot of jazz instrumentals, too, with Wes Montgomery, Pat Methany, Larry Carlton, and Gary Burton
topping that list.

[Dr B]

Peter Green "The supernatural" is an awesome instrumental. Very haunting sound for the time period (doubled up in the studio I think).

[stagecoach]

I remember an interview that Les Paul did in which he said that on the album he did with Chet (Chester and Lester) that he could play what I played, but Les could not copy Chet

I found it. the quote starts at 1.02

[youtube]69AFQzv6Jso[/youtube]

[Kit]

Here's one of my favorite instrumentals that I failed to mention (although I believe they are guitar-syncing and not live):

[youtube]Viqr6KHwJjc[/youtube]

[Dr B]

Peter is / was certainly the man.

I forgot to mention his version of 'The Stumble' as well - packed full of licks...so many kids of today have never heard of him...such a shame...the best guitarist you have never heard of...that's Peter Green.

He had the electric blues down man....such feel and phrasing. At his peak, probabl better than Eric for feel, and that's saying something....