Today it's about keeping it simple. Lunch is a PB&J, a large glass of homemade limonade, and a slice of cherry pie from the bakery across the street from where I live. I was thinking today that if someone had asked me 25 or 30 years ago what I thought I'd be doing now it would have no resemblance at all to how things turned out. But I can't complain. I've had some pretty good jobs over the years and I think my favorite gig was scouting film locations in NY during the late 80's/early 90's. I worked on a couple of series, some small and large films, and a bunch of videos. Probably the best video shoot was Def Lepard's "Hysteria." Hysteria, which went on to sell over 15,000,000 copies, came out after drummer Rick Allen had his car accident, and the electronic kit Allen designed along with Status Quo drummer Jeff Rich and the Simmons company was quite innovative and interesting to look at. The band were nice guys who were easy to work with and it was a fun shoot. The exterior shots were filmed at the old ILGWU summer camp (which was built in the 30's) in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, while the interior dance sequence and accompanying shots were done at the old Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal (built in 1889) in what is now Liberty State Park. I've always liked the title track and hadn't seen the video in years so it bought back some good memories.
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Question 1: What was the best job you've had? What was the worst?
Amps:
Keeping with the theme of keeping it simple and having a small place with neighbors close by I either have to play using headphones or use a small amp at home. I have a Roland Cube 20 with built-in efx for headphone practicing but much prefer small tube amps and use these during the daytime or for "low volume" jams with friends. First up is the ubiquitous Vibro Champ which now belongs to Mr. Ed. A 66 in near-mint condition. I'm not sure why, but I've come across a lot of student amps that look like they've never been used. Perhaps like the proverbial guitar-under-the-bed, a lot of Champs, Vibro Champs and others got bought for or by someone who used them a few times and then stuck them in the closet?
Next is a Titano 314 which is essentially the same as a Magnatone 213 Troubadour. Great Maggie vibrato and a warm, clean sound.
The next one is a Vox AC-4 which also now resides with Mr. Ed. Has all of 3 watts but definitely sounds like a Vox.
Next is a Supro T16 in Bahama Blue. This one has a 6x11 "car radio" speaker, 1 6V6, a 5Y3-GT, and a 12Ax7. Compared to the Vox it weighs almost nothing but it sounds surprisingly good and gets a lot louder than I would have thought.
Last is a "Firefly" built by Chandler Amps. According to my notes it's a push-pull 1.5 watt tube amp utilizing two 12AX7 preamp tubes and a 12AU7 preamp tube in a self-split power tube configuration. One of the 12AX7 tubes is in a switchable cascade boost circuit. It's a great sounding little guy and I love the look of the "Audio Generator" case it's housed in.
Question 2: What was your first amp and what small amps if any do you have?
Question 3:
It seems as if so many guitars over the past 10 (?) years or so are flamed or quilted up the wazoo. From cheapies to small fortune brands and custom builds it's almost become overkill in my humble opinion. Though I do think that G&L does some of the best tops on a production (or even custom) instrument I've seen. Do you tend towards the simple and understated look or go for the flame and the quilt? Please post some pics of tops and finishes you really like. Here's one I'd love to have:
