Thursday Lunch Report - September 1st, 2011

[CGT]

Good afternoon fellow G&L enthusiasts. I've been engaged in several projects these past couple of months and have had little time to reply to many of your many fine lunch reports, so let me make up by contributing one today.

Today's lunch was simple: organic salami and cheese with pickles and Dijon mustard on whole wheat bread, followed by a glass of chocolate soya milk (which is better tasting than "real" chocolate milk, I might add).

Over the past six weeks I've been practicing a couple of hours a day. (The heat wave in July made it far too hot to go out, so I stayed indoors, cranked up the A/C and played guitar). After all this intensive practice, I find it increasingly difficult to go from my Legacy to my other Strat-style guitars. It's not only that my hands are accustomed to the way the neck feels but my ears are also more attuned to its sound. Quite simply, when I play other guitars, I notice that I can't achieve the same tones. Sure, if I just want to noodle, I'll grab the Squier that sits always at the ready, leaning against my amp, but when I get serious I must drag the G&L case from its storage space and fire up the Legacy.

So today's non-G&L question is this: When you do practice, what do you reach for first? And is that number one a beater or the love of your life. If the latter, is it kept in a case or out so you can latch onto it whenever the fancy strikes?

The G&L question is this: Is there a characteristic G&L sound that carries across the entire range of instruments, be they Legacies, ASATs, S-500s, etc.? If so, how would you describe it.

Finally a music video for your musical enjoyment; Marillion performing their epic track Neverland at the 2004 Marillion Weekend (3-day concert/fan convention) in Holland. This track is to Marillion as Comfortably Numb is to Pink Floyd. Steve Rothery's ethereal playing is a joy to my ears and eyes. I've been to the past two Marillion weekends in Montreal and I've seen this track performed on the Marbles tour as well, it is always a live highlight. Enjoy.
[youtube]rWFuzjqJYpY[/youtube]

[stagecoach]

I generally practice in front f the computer with head phones on. Why the compute, because it has software to slow down the song I want to learn (as well as my CD data base on it). I also use a MIM strat unplugged and headphones only on 1 ear. The good guitar is at my parents place with the PA ready for the next gig.

I only know my G&L ASAT special as it is the only one I have ever played. I just love the quack of the rear PU through my Deluxe Reverb

[Philby]

I don't have the luxury of a lot of spare time (kids), but I have a couple of semi-hollow guitars within arm's reach that I can pick up and noodle on unplugged and still hear myself reasonably well. They're both cheap - an ASAT Tribute S/H, and a Washburn J9 335 clone. They both play perfectly and put some of my more expensive instruments to shame. Occasionally I'll indulge in the luxury of playing them through my amp modeller with headphones on. For the most part the 'good' guitars stay in their cases and I'm slowly forming the opinion that I wouldn't miss them much if they were gone.

I haven't heard enough of the G&L range to know if there's a common characteristic sound. Based on my ASAT's the word 'ballsy' comes to mind. That's probably a product of the MFD pickups. A non-MFD guitar like a Legacy would probably be more traditional sounding though. So my answer is..... I dunno.

[blargfromouterspace]

That Marillion concert looks and sounds like quite the event, great light show. Is it just them that plays or do they have other bands on the bill? Is that JC-120 hes playing through? I haven't listened to a lot of prog rock recently, I think I'll have to put some on this week.

I don't know about a characteristic sound, but certainly there's a characteristic feel that all the G&Ls I've played have had. The one I grab is usually the one on top of the pile of cases which more often than not is my Bluesboy.

That red Legacy in your avatar still taunts me. I love it!

[CGT]

@Stagecoach, I've tried playing unplugged or with one ear, but I don't get the effect I want. I practice with an amplifier while wearing musician's plugs with 25dB attenuation. I also play at the computer because that's where I work and because I usually play through amp sims plugged into a small solid state amp.

@Philby. I haven't had the luxury of a lot of spare time over the summer which is why I've been playing so much, which may seem counterintuitive except for the fact that I work from home, so getting out the Legacy and playing for a couple of hours is often my way of unwinding after a long day because it's too late to get out. I agree with your qualification of the G&L sound as ballsy. That description extends to the non-MDF Legacy as well. I find that the stock Legacy pickups have a warmer/raunchier sound than stock fender pickups, which is one of the reasons I picked it up. It had something more to it. Ballsy would certainly be a way to describe it.

@Blarg. Hey, I checked out The Prairie Oysters! I like! Marillion concerts are quite amazing events, especially as they are attended by raving mad fans who absolutely adore the band, so you're unlikely to hit a Marillion gig crammed with business types checking out the latest hot thing or dudes who bring along their indifferent spouses. The are usually opening acts. The current European tour is a double-headlining thing with Canadian prog rockers Saga.

Rothers is indeed playing a JC-120. It is a thing of beauty with gorgeous bell-like yet surprisingly ballsy tones. Of course, his rig looks like NASA mission control but that core JC-120 sound is spectacular. I've recently started using that particular sim on Amplitube 3 and I am blown away by it. I was talking with a sound engineer about a week ago and he was saying that the 120 has a very characteristic sweet sound among solid state amps. And although I truly admire Rothery, it is not because he plays through it that I've become enamoured of the JC-120 sound. I don't like playing with overdrive and I find that the Jazz Chorus amps have a perfect balance between warmth and clarity. Sadly, I am smitten and hope to get the real thing eventually.

My red Legacy was the find of a lifetime. I bought it last New Year's Eve at a clearance sale at a nearby music store. The owner dropped the price from $700 to $500 because it was the last day of the year, he needed to balance the books and all the dudes with extra Christmas money were looking for guitars from those OTHER TWO companies, which shall remain nameless. He told me point blank, he couldn't move it because it lacked that cursive F-logo on the headstock. Long story short. I asked him to put it aside (no deposit required, to boot) and went home to consult the Significant Other, who responded that I shouldn't wait until the first Tuesday of the New Year to get it because it was too good a deal. (Too good a deal meaning I would not lose any money selling it if I changed my mind or had buyer's remorse.) The rest, as they say is history.

[sirmyghin]

To practice I fire up the Mark and grab my ASAT or CArvin, both in their cases before practice. Sometimes if I am feeling ambitious, I bring out the pedal board (buggers heavy). But the more I put on it ,the more I want to pull it out for one reason or another. Then I also need to get out all 4 cables. If I plan to do more than drill though, it comes out.

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

CGT,

I like music from a lot of different bands. There is a shorter list that I love and Marillion is on it. These guys write and play through their hearts. I appreciate musicians who continue to reach. Marillion presents a very lively blip on the radar exposing their ever-open door to creative forces.

[supereiv]

To practice I'll take whatever guitar that's out at the moment, but I only have two electrics, so the choice isn't that difficult
I practice most of the time unplugged with my ASAT classic custom, imo, it's the better way to have a clean technique... I learned that way of practicing long time ago when I was studying music. There were a bunch of shredder drilling all day long...unplugged. I soon found out why.
Well it's suited to work on technical things only... as for fun, I have to be plugged in, with or whithout pedals, depending on the mood I'm in.

As for the distinctive G&L thing.... The feel of course, but I'm thinking about that way they have to pass through the mix so easily, and to all the different USABLE sounds they have. It seems they always fit where other guitars seem right in your bedroom only.