Lunch Report-Monday 12th september-

[supereiv]

Hi, for my first time as a lunch reporter, I will talk a little bit about me first.

I'm in my mid-thirties, turned 36 two weeks ago to be more precise .
I'm french and live in Paris suburbs (so please be kind with my broken english ). That's a beautiful city, but life's really expensive nowadays. I use to say that Paris is the perfect place to be in august, when Parisians are all in holydays . That city has the reputation of the most visited city of the world, and the parisians have the reputation of the least friendly people of the world... It's sad...but true I must say.
Well, lunch was some left-over from sunday's menu : home-made stuffed tomatoes with fusilli, and a yoghurt.

let's start with a non G&L question :
what's the last band/artist do you discovered recently and really liked ?

I bought two albums of Gov't Mule and I must say it feels like fresh air to listen to that... I'm not that impressed by the soloing of Warren Haynes (though he is a really good guitarist ), but his composition skills, and the good taste he shows song after song are invigorating.

G&L question of the day : MFD are the signature sound of G&L to me (with exception like the Legacy and the Bluesboy's Seth Lover), so wich MFD do you prefer/love/hate, and why ?

I must say I didn't try all types of MFD, but I'm really in love with the ASAT classic bridge pickup and, of course, the ASAT Classic Custom neck pickup. As far as I know and I've listened to, the big MFDs of the ASAT Special are really impressive ! I find these pickups addictive, after 3 months of playing my ASAT CC exclusively, it's really bizarre to play my Legacy again (which has di marzio area's) . These pickups seem to always sound "right" I can't explain this with other words... By the way, it's exactly what I heard in the video posted in last week LR, the ASAT special of that Dutch Guy seems to always be at the right place with the right amount of gritt !

Well I have to go back to work (more on that later)
have a good day fellows

Xavier

[stagecoach]

The closest I got to Parris was my first holiday out of Australia to Switzerland and I was chasing a lovely swiss girl. This is when I found out long distance relationships. Would love to see more of Europe one day

Newly discovered artist - I think these guys a German, but I came accross this group called "Blue Steel" and like there style and adventure of music. Taking a Michael Jackson song and making it country
[youtube]gNJiwdwxPqc[/youtube]

I like the ASAT MFD Specials (as that is all I have ever played). Went to a jam session on Sunday and took along my 1994 50th aniversary Tele that I use to love so much but I decided to retiaer and hadn't used it for a few years. I thought I would bring it out for a play. After the first song I wished I had my G&L.

[glvourot]

I was in Paris back in March. We had a great time. We would always at least try to speak some french and that seemed to help, so I didn't find the people any less friendly than anywhere else. I look forward to returning to explore the country some more !

The band I recently discovered was actually one I missed the first time around. They are called Sebadoh. The album is called Bakesale and it came out in 1994, great alt/grunge sound to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucTggA3xC0E
I love my S-500, I think its the PTB system that really makes G&L shine. But the big MFD's in my SC-2 are my favorite pick ups by far. I love how you can get those sweet mellow tones or turn it into a rock machine without using pedals.

[darwinohm]

Xavier, welcome and I think there are many of us that would love to visit Paris! And the age of 36 is prime time in life but believe me, it gets better!

I really don't have any newly discovered artist but I do have a rediscovered one. It is a fellow Minnesotan, Paulette Carlson. She was the singer for Highway 101 for many years. She dropped out of sight for close to 20 years to raise her daughter and just resurfaced. She is still in fine form and it is great to see her back.

I like all of the G&L pickups and do not have a favorite as such. Our lead player sat down and recently tried a few of my G&Ls and did not find a great difference in any of them. He loved that G&L tone and commented about it again this weekend while using my Legacy with the Roland Synth. He is a Fender player and is very impressed with the G&L.

Looking forward to the rest of the week!!-- Darwin

[BadJaxx]

NON G&L...

you aussies mite be familiar with her...
like the sound of her guitar too...

[youtube]U8MY1cWAohI[/youtube]

[supereiv]

Well, thank you Darwin, it makes me confident to know the better is between now and the end

As for the Parisian being, it's strange, but there's an unofficial rule that make the waiters of the zillion café absolutely detestable. Nobody knows why, but it's 9 out of 10 times like this . Actually, we use to laugh about it.

Last but not least, a video that made my day :

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbo94x ... azos_music

[sickbutnottired]

I, like a lot of the other posters would love to visit Paris.

I really like the MFD pickups. I don't really have a favorite. I find that ASAT Special to be capable of wide range of sounds. Of course, I don't have a special right now.

I saw Lucinda Williams at the blues festival in Portland this summer. I am enjoying her Blessed album. In the past I have found her to be a little too, hmm what's the word. Serious? But I really like some of the stuff on the record.

jg

[yowhatsshakin]

Hi Xavier,

Good to hear from you and a fine start as LR! And Paris has always been one of my favorite cities in Europe. Whenever I have visited your town, whether on vacation or for work, I always felt at home which for me is indicated how frequently I get lost trying to find some place. Really love your metro system which always gets me where I want to go.

non G&L question :
what's the last band/artist do you discovered recently and really liked ?

It is not really a single band. Through a fine podcast available here in the US called 'The World Café', I got to know a band called 'Middle Brother'. Actually it is a side project by the lead singers of 3 different bands: John McCauley of 'Deer Tick', Taylor Goldsmith of 'Dawson', and Matt Vasquez of 'Delta Spirit'. Great bands all and worth taking a listen to!

G&L question of the day : MFD are the signature sound of G&L to me (with exception like the Legacy and the Bluesboy's Seth Lover), so wich MFD do you prefer/love/hate, and why ?

Tough question Xavier. Like you, I like them all: the 'classic', vintage looking MFD's for their nice snarl in the bridge and hint of creaminess in the neck, the large ones in my Broadcaster for their added warmth compared to traditional Tele pups, and the the overwound ones you can find in models like the Super and Junior which add more output but also more midrange. So I'll abstain picking one favorite

- Jos

[Kit]

Xavier, if I'm not mistaken, you may well be the the first Lunch Reporter from Paris. Welcome!

I like to visit Paris some time, but probably not in the near future what with the cost my first child heading off to college next year.

A couple of years ago I discovered Gorillaz. Through several albums now I still like their music. Another group that I like recently is Hockey, which as far as I know has only put out one CD.

Kit

[Ahryn]

Cool, wouldn't mind seeing Paris one day (not just because I am a Luc Besson fan).

Last band that I discovered that I really liked?

[youtube]pUyvNTMEioo[/youtube]

These guys, I picked up Monster Monster and its EP Monster and I find that I really like how diverse these guys sound, especially considering it was started by the former drummer of Underoath.

When it comes to the MFD pickup I actually only got to try out a tribute SH ASAT classic before I ordered my ASAT, I must say I love the big MFDs but I can see what you mean about the ASAT classic bridge PuP, it's a monster I loved its girth but the complexity of the ASAT neck PuP alone and the middle position with the ASAT bridge is just amazingly awesome

It is like the sound that comes out of the guitar is the same sound I hear in my head, weird I Know but isn't that what the tone quest is for?

[Philby]

Salut Xavier,

I've been to Paris twice, once in June and once in October. I much preferred it in October when all the tourists had left and the locals were happy to have their city back again. Maybe I've been lucky, but I've found most Parisians to be charming. I think their attitude softens once you try to speak French. I'll always remember a gorgeous waitress who spent 15 minutes trying to find the English translation of Noix de St. Jacques for me on a menu. There's nothing beats queueing with the locals in a boulangerie to make you feel part of Paris!

I'm really enjoying listening to this guy lately. He's a talented local musician who has started getting a wider coverage on the back of a new CD. Although he's a drummer in another band, all his solo stuff is loop and sample based.

[youtube]8UVNT4wvIGY[/youtube]

Hey BadJaxx, awesome song from Mia Dyson. I saw her live about 5 years ago and was amazed at how good she was. I'd never heard of her before. She plays awesome slide guitar. Her Dad is a luthier and builds all her guitars for her so I guess guitar was always in her genes.

G&L Question - The big MFD's in the ASAT Special are awesome and the MFD's in the ASAT Classic are not far behind. I bought an S-500 thinking those MFD's would be equally fantastic but was sadly disappointed. Whereas the MFD's in the ASAT's enhance the tele experience, I thought the MFD's in the S-500 detracted from the strat experience. I like my S-500 much better with non-MFD pickups in it.

[KenC]

I spent two weeks in Paris in 2000. It was the end of spring and absolutely wonderful. We had two unpleasant experiences, and both were with older waiters in restaurants that weren't frequented by tourists. The best experiences were the crepe vendors on the streets.

Non-G&L question: I recently found CDs by Flat Duo Jets. I had heard the name as far back as the 1980s, but never found any of their material until this summer. The line-up is just a guitarist/vocalist and a drummer, but the sound is as full as most 4-5 piece bands. It's great rockabilly. I read somewhere that the guitarist has been touring with Neko Case (another favorite of mine).

G&L question: I have eight G&L guitars, and pretty much each one gives a distinct sound. Two have similar pickups (an '88 ASAT and a '95 John Jorgenson signature) and sound pretty comparable. The others cover the gamut of single and double coils, and each have a different character. I think the choice of amp has a lot to do with it. The big ASAT MFDs are painfully shrill through a Jazz Chorus, but sound great through a Fender Champ or Blues Junior. The double coils in my F-100 and Superhawk seem to be better suited for the Jazz Chorus (as is the ASAT Classic's neck pickup).

Off-topic gloating: My office computer crashed twice today, so I headed home early. On a whim I swung by the local used guitar shop to see if any G&Ls had come in. They said they had a reissue SC-2 in as-new condition at their other store (about ten miles away). Their description of the guitar floored me: red finish, maple board, three-bolt neck plate and a serial number on the vibrato bridge. That would put it as an '82 or early '83 model. I told them I was buying it, and asked the price (in that order). It was $700, with a mint condition hard shell case. One of the employees mentioned that he was working the day it came in. The previous owner was a classical guitarist who decided to try electric "sometime around the late 70s" but apparently left the guitar in the closet for the past thirty years. I won't be able to pick it up until Saturday and still haven't seen it, but I saw pictures that suggested it is very close to mint condition. I'll stop gloating now and drift away into dreams of my red SC-2...

Ken C

[darwinohm]

Ken, I would fall for one of those in great shape, especially in Red but Belair Green would be sweet too!!!-- Darwin

[KenC]

I passed on a black reissue at that same store a couple of months ago. It would have been a great deal, but the SC-2 was the first G&L model I fell in love with (just from pictures on G&LDP back around '99) and I didn't want to "settle" for a re-issue after that long of a wait. When they told me this afternoon that a re-issue was available, my immediate thought was that I would buy it if it was in Belair Green and the price was reasonable.

If my wife ever lets me order a new G&L, it will definitely be Belair Green. I'm not sure about the model or other options, but there would be no debate or second thoughts about the finish...

[blargfromouterspace]

Hi Xavier. I'd love to get to France one day. My brother is there at the moment somewhere, thought we haven't heard from him for a while. I have a long standing dream to do a bike tour of France. One day when I have the money I'll do it.

I like the MFD pickups in the Special the best. Those in the Classic are just a bit too fat for the tele sound I wanted.

I saw Lucinda Williams at the blues festival in Portland this summer. I am enjoying her Blessed album. In the past I have found her to be a little too, hmm what's the word. Serious? But I really like some of the stuff on the record.

Thats the exact word for it, thank you Jeremy! I've always had difficulty describing why I have never really enjoyed her music.


I've recently become very interested in Gospel music. I'm not a religious guy at all but it's just such good fun. When you get people with voices (and hairdos...) like this one, singing their asses off it's about as close to a religious experience I've ever got.

[youtube]Wh4A0OATN9g[/youtube]

[astutzmann]

I have been to Paris a number of times as I had a friend who lived there for a few years. He lived in the 16th area and we had a great time since he was able to show us around.

My wife and I also had the wonderful opportunity to spend a month in the south of france, we toured it all. While Paris may be filled with rude and unfriendly people (I lived in Boston for 2 years, same thing), the south of France is the exact opposite. Found it to be wonderful and the people to be amazing and friendly. While we enjoyed every region, I have a soft spot for Biot, a great place. We had a fantastic time there. The atlantic side is great but loved the other side better.

On a whim, I bought the Warren Haynes, Man in Motion CD. I LOVE IT. I can't stop playing it and my guitar teacher has taught me 2 songs on it. He wrote them out for me and showed me how to play them.

I have a bluesboy, legacy and special, all are great sounding. I love the sound of the special the best right now, but find I am always picking up the legacy, its the easiest to play and to me, the best neck. The special has a wide neck, #3 and while I like that, its action is higher so I struggle with it more.

Unfortunately, these are making me want 2 things right now, an S500 and also a hum bucker, either the regular hum bucker or a legacy with blades.