8th October 2014 Lunch Report – Prison cell? Could be!

[Goat]

Lunch was a really good home-made vegetable chili soup with home-made bread. Its 10 weeks now since I last had much control over what I got to eat for lunch… more about that later!

Scenario… You’re stuck in a small room for 3+ months, with loads of time on your hands to play guitar. You don’t get to leave the room much, you can’t turn the volume up because of other folk around, and you only have one guitar to play and one small amp. (Sounds like a prison scenario…!)

Question: If you found yourself in that position tomorrow, so no time to buy any gear, what of your current stuff would you have in the room?

G&L Question: If you knew in advance you were going to be in that position and could buy a shiny new G&L guitar or bass first, (and amp of your choice if you wish), what would it be? And why?

I’m not in prison. Really I’m not! But I am in that position.

Of my current gear, I opted for a Roland Micro-Cube for its smallness, and because I can’t turn a valve amp up enough to drive it anyway. The Cube has basic effects built in, and a headphone socket etc. so it’s doing a good job as a bedroom amp. For the guitar, I chose a Strat with red/silver/blue Lace Sensors.

If I’d had time to choose a new G&L it would have been a Fallout. I’ve been watching a few (ok, a lot) of guitar Youtubes and have now got Fallout GAS . It just seems it would have been versatile for lots of styles and light enough and comfy enough to play in bed. Lightness would be good for picking it up and putting it back on a stand at stretched out arm’s length too! I recon it’d be easy to get lots of different sounds straight from the guitar without having to lean over to fiddle with the amp.

I guess I’d better say what’s happened to me.
I've been non-weight bearing since my right lower leg was shattered during an assault 10 weeks ago.
There's a lot of damage and large fracture gaps so it's barely started to heal yet . If I put the leg down for long it starts to swell up and go a strange colour, so I’m keeping it raised up in bed much of the time. I could put a bit of weight through it, but it would be taken by the screws at the ends of the titanium rod that's holding the leg together and if the screws get bent they can't take the rod out at some future time, so I'm being careful! Titanium definitely has its place, but that place is not in my leg.

The situation does have some benefits. As I don’t have kids and having split with my lady a while ago, and as cooking for myself is awkward for now, my mother is cooking for me . Her food is really good!

I hope all you guys are doing well and are fit and healthy. Good to see many of the same ‘faces’ here still.

[KenC]

Hi Goat,

I'm sorry to hear about your injury, and hope the recovery is swift and comfortable.

I was in a small room, non-prison situation (actually a small basement apartment) for nine months during a job change a couple of years back. That started out with a new guitar (a Godin archtop) and my upright bass amp, but that combo didn't work out. I swapped the Godin for a '98 ASAT Classic, and went through several amps and a couple of more G&Ls before I got settled into a new house.

If I had to pick a some of my current gear that would fit into that old apartment, it would probably be the G-200 and an '86 ASAT for guitars and either the El Toro or Lynx for a bass. The guitar amp would be my Blues Junior (good breakup at low volumes with the master volume), and the bass amp would be my old Ampeg B-15N (incredible tone from the moment it becomes audible). A basic pedal setup for the guitars would take some thinking, but I would most likely end up with an EBS TremoLo, and Xotic Effects AC Booster and a Boss TU-3 tuner. Any pedal into a B-15N is sacrilege IMO, so it would just be the tuner for the bass.

As a sidebar on my old apartment, it was in a house that was sublet to several guys going through divorces. The girlfriends who had led to some of the divorces were there a lot of the time. Needless to say, there were plenty of sounds that I really didn't want to listen to coming down through the ceiling. My solution was to trade whatever amp I had been using for a Roland JC-120, and invest in a digital delay. Whenever the entertaining started upstairs, I would run the ASAT Classic through the delay (with the regeneration set up high) and then through a BBE Bench Press set as a limiter and into the JC-120. I'd strum one chord and let the signal chain take care of the rest. Within a couple of minutes there would be a wall of diffuse sound that could block out everything going on in the rest of the house.

No time to ponder the new G&L and amp I would go with. I'll try to check back in later tonight.

Ken

[yowhatsshakin]

Hi Goat,

Thanks for posting an LR. That has been a while since anybody on this forum did that.

Question: If you found yourself in that position tomorrow, so no time to buy any gear, what of your current stuff would you have in the room?

The way you pose your question, it would be my music room with 71 G&Ls, couple of PRSs, and 2 Mesa/Boogie amps in it. However, if it is required to pick only a single amp and a single guitar, I would pick the Mesa/Boogie 5:25 mini-stack and my maple board Broadcaster. Although it is extremely hard to pick the one G&L I would bring along. It is so much clearer in my head which one I wouldn't bring (yes, that is singular) than the other way around.

G&L Question: If you knew in advance you were going to be in that position and could buy a shiny new G&L guitar or bass first, (and amp of your choice if you wish), what would it be? And why?

Mmm. Don't have any real desires because I own most of their 'new' stuff. But a Butterscotch Rustic ASAT Special would be nice perchance. Yup, I know. They do not offer that model but I know the Dutch G&L importer had (at least) one built for Jan Kwakman, a guitar player from Volendam.

Get well soon buddy. And enjoy the TLC

- Jos

[darwinohm]

Goat, now we know why we haven't heard from you for some time. Hope you recover well from this mess, sounds like a very delicate situation to heal. I bet it is like jail!

I could not pick one guitar out of my 50 as the only one. Every time I pick up a different one I always say to Ginny, "boy,this guitar is sweet". That is how i feel about every one of them. I recently tried one of them with vintage frets and I couldn't believe how easily it played, almost effortless. If I were cooped up in a hospital room, I would probably bring the Bigsby Z-3 with the little 5 watt Valve Train so I could do a little surfing. If I had to have a new build I couldn't even decide what it should be as I have everything that I could imagine covered. It also makes it very easy to leave guitar stores. I am currently on the look for a Vox Ac15 but am in no hurry.

Hang in there Goat and recover as quickly as possible. Thanks for the LR. -- Darwin

[Fumble fingers]

it is hard to pick just one like Darwin said ..... maybe my maple board Broadcaster as number 1 with my Fallout or cavalier tied for second ..... amp wise if the room was scant maybe my Carvin V3m micro amp with 2x12 slant top , switchable 7,22 or 50 watt should do it ....... if I had to buy gear for a small area maybe a Line6 POD HD 500 , a nice set of ear phones and a self powered speaker for when no one is around

as for new .... maybe a black SC2 with wood binding , maple board , matching head stock with crème pick up covers , locking tuners , saddlelock , quarter sawn neck with gloss vintage tint neck ...... my next amp will be a Carvin VT50 modified by Hasserl him self , I will buy it new and ship straight to his house and play it the first time when it's all done

hope you have a speedy recovery , it sucks it happened in the first place and glad you can still play

[sam]

Hey Goat,

Truly sorry to hear of your misfortune, hope your recovery is fast and with no complications. Hope the criminals were caught and fully prosecuted.

Question: If you found yourself in that position tomorrow, so no time to buy any gear, what of your current stuff would you have in the room?

Toss up between the WR Signature ASAT and the new project now named ASAT Bluesboy Special and amp would be the Boogie Lone Star Special for 5, 15 and 30 watts

G&L Question: If you knew in advance you were going to be in that position and could buy a shiny new G&L guitar or bass first, (and amp of your choice if you wish), what would it be? And why?

Would find an ASAT Super and a Mesa Boogie Mark V for the room. A Super because the mix of specs from the Jr, 25th Anniversary and the 42 / 43 gauge wound pups is a sound I want to hear. The Mark V because it is the do it all Boogie amp.

Don't over do it, you don't need any set backs. Hope yer up and playing soon.

[KenC]

I think the shiny new G&L would be a fretless bass. I might have to flip a coin between an L-1500 (THE most overlooked G&L in current production) and an SB-2 (which I have never heard in person). Either one would be spec'd with a swamp ash body, trans orange finish, and a quartersawn #8 neck with a rosewood fingerboard. If I went with the SB-2, the pickguard would be cream and I would try to wrangle cream pup covers from the factory.

The amp would probably be something by MarkBass, but I don't know their product line well enough to name the model.

Ken

[HLG]

Not a problem.
If the judge was to say 90 days in the hole,
It would be the maple board Broadcaster and the 64 Princeton reverb. I could do that easily. Might even enjoy it.
As long as he let me have a guitar cord.

[yowhatsshakin]

As long as he let me have a guitar cord.

That could very well be your punishment!

- Jos

[Goat]

KenC - I nearly bought an '86 ASAT Special last year, and indeed would have bought it if I hadn't been seriously into a certain young lady who, despite being a professional musician, couldn't understand why I needed any more guitars . She said all she needed were her one piano, one cello, and her one set of vocal chords (pro opera singer who also occasionally played cello in an orchestra and she was phenomenal; a far better musician than I could ever be). I recon an '86 ASAT into a Blues Jr. would be a fine choice and any pedals would work well with it And the G-200... if I had one I wouldn't let it out of my sight.
I was playing with the guitar generator earlier, and oddly I constructed a Fallout with the spec you list. Then I decided I already have 2 trans orange guitars and I recon a Fallout suits a more brash/less restrained colour choice. I've always had 'sophisticated' looking guitars, and fancy something a bit more 'put your sunglasses on guys...' Although I doubt I'd ever buy a metalflake, I quite fancy Tangerine or Royal Purple metallic for a Fallout. Tangerine would end up the same rosewood board/cream pickguard and pups, and probably a matched headstock. Purple would be a black pups, white pickguard, Ebony board.

Jos - If I had a music room like yours, I would pull my bed into it, order take-out food, and probably never move again! And choosing a Broadcaster makes lots of sense.

Darwin - the lovely lady I'm no longer with is the main reason I haven't been around. Supporting her music was more important to me than my own last year.... but eventually the 'pipe band needed me back, my 6 strings were calling, and she wanted a different type of relationship to what I wanted. We never fell out, we just decided it would never work long-term

Fumble - another vote for the Broadcaster. I'm guessing the re-fret made a difference to your enjoyment. You have the SC2 so carefully spec'd I suspect you are going to pull the trigger on it soon anyway... I know you're gigging your Fallout; anything you particularly like about it, or would change about the one you have?

sam - sounds like you're a real Boogie fan! Nice choices all round

HLG - OK you're starting to make me really want a Broadcaster now, but I've never seen one in the UK. My ebay searches have been set for a couple of years to email me if one comes up, but I think the only one that has was in Australia. I at the guitar cable!

Thanks for the 'get well soons' guys. I will do my best!

[KenC]

I was playing with the guitar generator earlier, and oddly I constructed a Fallout with the spec you list. Then I decided I already have 2 trans orange guitars and I recon a Fallout suits a more brash/less restrained colour choice. I've always had 'sophisticated' looking guitars, and fancy something a bit more 'put your sunglasses on guys...' Although I doubt I'd ever buy a metalflake, I quite fancy Tangerine or Royal Purple metallic for a Fallout. Tangerine would end up the same rosewood board/cream pickguard and pups, and probably a matched headstock. Purple would be a black pups, white pickguard, Ebony board.

I agree that a Fallout should have a bolder look. Part of the charm of early SC-series guitars and SB-series basses is how basic the cosmetics were. Those bodies look good in blue, red, black and white. They just wouldn't be the same under a Cherryburst or Green Swirl finish.

Every time I try the G&L Builder, I gravitate towards something Clear Orange and fretless. My '99 L-1500 is Clear Orange over a very tight grained swamp ash, with a maple board. I think it would have looked better with a rosewood board, but I don't plan on letting it go just because of that.

Ken

[Fumble fingers]

Fumble - another vote for the Broadcaster. I'm guessing the re-fret made a difference to your enjoyment. You have the SC2 so carefully spec'd I suspect you are going to pull the trigger on it soon anyway... I know you're gigging your Fallout; anything you particularly like about it, or would change about the one you have?

the re-fret was a game changer because I can play the Broadcaster now as I couldn't before , it always felt great and sounded great , that B-caster can make a bad amp sound good , crazy but that's what it seems like to me ... same with my Cavalier a re-fret made a winner out of that too all though I didn't get stainless frets on the "B-caster" because I didn't want to risk changing the sound any .... Broadcasters are the "BOMB" and mine is my favorite of all G&L's .....

I have a SC2 now , but the DF bridge ruins it for what my band plays (alternate tunings) , some of my spec's are generic for any guitar I would order like locking tuners and quartersawn neck but the color scheme is from watching this darn thing for months
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-G-and-L-G-L ... 43c8d7dd78

I wouldn't change anything on the Fallout , it seems better balanced than the SC 2 because of the smaller head stock , otherwise both are close , light and comfy .... the Fallout and my Cavalier are tied for second out of 12 G&L's .... the only thing G&L could do for the Fallout that it don't all ready have is offer a 2 for 1 deal

[KenC]

I have a SC2 now , but the DF bridge ruins it for what my band plays (alternate tunings)

Eric,

What kind of tunings have you had problems with? I had my Cavalier tuned up to an open E for a while (not down to an open D like sensible people do), and my Skyhawk in some sort of open fifths tuning (C-G-D-A-E-E, IIRC) without any problems. They even held tuning reasonably well after a couple of weeks in the case. The only time I had to fight the DFV in either case was the initial change to the new tuning, which was just like doing a string change all at one instead of one at a time. Oh, and I might have run a top light/bottom heavy set for the fifths tuning.

Ken

[Fumble fingers]

the trouble is we switch tunings between songs in the middle of a set , you just can't re-tune the DF guitars quick enough in that time frame like the saddlelock guitars ..... plus you have to set up the DF spring tension in a compromise between the two settings so it's never level , seems like when the DF is level the " stay in tune window " is much larger than when the DF is at a angle .... we play standard tuning half step down and dropped D wich is C# when half step down ....

[Goat]

Brief update guys

I had further X-Rays on 24 Oct, a month ago, (the 3 month mark after the leg got broken) and.... no visible healing . Probably because of the severity of the damage they said.
They are not going to X-ray again until January to hopefully give it time to do something worth seeing in the images.
During the last month since then it's felt much better and I'm starting to put proper weight through it - it feels stronger every day



Now what would you do if you knew you were going to be out of action for quite a lot longer than expected? And you needed to cheer yourself up a bit.
And if people whose opinion you value suggested that the best guitar to fill the time would be a Broadcaster??? This thread got very expensive, very fast.
NGD thread coming soon. Awaiting Parcelforce....

No way could I run a Broadcaster through a Micro Cube... My brother has kindly hauled me round what I suspect will be my best amp for the job... a Cornell Romany Plus http://www.dc-developments.com/cornell_ ... _combo.htm

I'm really missing the lunch reports. Even one a week would be good!

[KenC]

Goat,

I'm sorry to hear about the slow recovery. Hopefully the NGD will be better medicine than what your doctor has been prescribing.

I've never played a Broadcaster, but my '86 ASATs and '84 SC-2 sound great through just about anything I've played them through. Being a living room guitar player (when I've gigged, it's been on bass), my current amps are an early Blues Junior and a '70s Champ. I've also put a bit of time in on my old favorite bass amp, an '82 Bassman Ten. The one amp they haven't sounded good through is a Jazz Chorus; they're just too bright for its voicing.

Experimenting with OD pedals could be a comparatively cheap way to pass some time...

I do miss the lunch reports. I've posted a couple since the tradition was brought to a close. As much of a pain as it could be to nominate the next lunch reporter, it was easier to write up a week's worth of reports on a Sunday night than it is to post them individually when the inspiration strikes. The forum has been missing something without them. A lot of times it feels more like G&L's unofficial technical support department.

Here's to hoping your leg is on the mend!

Ken

[Fumble fingers]

looks like a sweet amp !! ..... did you get a Broadcaster ??


for the music my Band plays , I would have to take the Fallout and Carvin V3m and write a Heavy Metal Blues song and start a whole new Music category ...lol

[fianoman]

Goat

Bummer about your leg and the incident that brought it about. My brother crushed his leg a year ago and is now hobbling about with a cane. Not bad considering they were deciding if they should amputate or save it. Hang in there and keep playing to pass the time!

That Cornell looks sweet! My kind of small amp.

My last minute grab would be my Carr Mercury, very similar to the Cornell, along with my home grown six string. It is my go to duo and is very versatile with custom switching to select any coil on the guitar (3 Dimarzio pups H-S-H) and the Carr lets you dial in all kinds of distortion or clean down to an eighth watt. It also lets you swap tubes so I can use 6L6, KT88, EL34, or EL84 (my crunchy fav).

For a new purchase, I think I would have to try a hollow Comanche with a Will Ray bridge pup and a saddlelock bridge. Seems versatile. And I would switch up amps with the Carr Impala, a new model for them with 6V6 bottles, trem, reverb, and attenuator again. It starts with the early Fender amp vibe and adds some Carr touches. Another nice low watt line is Swart amps. Hmmm… maybe a Fallout instead. Darn – thought I knew!

Hope January finds you in better shape! Give us an update on that amp and NGD. Cheers.

[darwinohm]

Goat, great to hear you are doing better. Something must be changing if it is feeling better. Sweet looking amp, looks like a Fender clone. Looking forward to the new guitar pictures. Hang in there! -- Darwin

[Goat]

Thanks guys. The hospital physio was very happy with my progress today.

The Cornell is a sweet amp. Dennis Cornell builds amps for Eric Clapton, Robin Trower, Hank Marvin, KT Tunstall and many others. The Romany I have is very 'Fender'. In my opinion he makes the best Marshall Plexi 'clone' out there too, although it's a little subjective because Plexi's were not all the same (Marshall had a few supply problems and substituted components often at the time). The Cornell versions sound great and are more reliable too. I don't need that sound but if one comes up at a good price on the 'bay in my corner of the world, I'll have it

Ah, the NGD.... I have a Broadcaster sat downstairs . It arrived 3.5 hours ago.
I am the most patient person I know, which is a good thing because the Broadcaster has been sat in a cold warehouse and truck for the last 3 days, so I'm not opening the case until it has acclimatised and then been given an extra few hours because I'm OCD . I know many people say it's BS and the guitar isn't going to explode if I unwrap the packaging and take a peek, but it's what I've always done with guitars if they are shipped in winter. I once didn't do it with a set of bagpipes and I really regretted it ! So about this time tomorrow I'll be 'unboxing' it. Gives me time to think of names anyway...
I'll take some pics and do a thread in the not too distant future.

[Goat]

Goat
My last minute grab would be my Carr Mercury, very similar to the Cornell, along with my home grown six string. It is my go to duo and is very versatile with custom switching to select any coil on the guitar (3 Dimarzio pups H-S-H) and the Carr lets you dial in all kinds of distortion or clean down to an eighth watt. It also lets you swap tubes so I can use 6L6, KT88, EL34, or EL84 (my crunchy fav).

Is it easy to re-bias the Carr fianoman? Looks like an amp I'll have to check out. I think I saw/heard one on a Fallout test on Youtube.

I'm considering a Tribby Fallout for Christmas. I don't have any Tributes, and after buying this Broadcaster I can't afford an American Fallout! There's a nice SC3 (1st gen) I know of available, that I really would like, but the price is too high and although it would be a player for me if it felt good, the BC was a priority for me.

[Goat]

Goat,
Experimenting with OD pedals could be a comparatively cheap way to pass some time...

After much re-experimenting last year, I settled on one I really like and don't see myself changing it any time soon. It's the Wampler Paisley Drive. Coupled with a Barber Tone Press for compression and clean boost, it's soooo good.

[fianoman]

Is it easy to re-bias the Carr fianoman? Looks like an amp I'll have to check out. I think I saw/heard one on a Fallout test on Youtube.

I'm considering a Tribby Fallout for Christmas. I don't have any Tributes, and after buying this Broadcaster I can't afford an American Fallout! There's a nice SC3 (1st gen) I know of available, that I really would like, but the price is too high and although it would be a player for me if it felt good, the BC was a priority for me.

Very easy. Steve Carr has added a raised bias pot on the chassis and two external probe slots for your meter. 5 or 10 minutes to change a tube and be playing again.

You do have to use a yellow jacket converter to use EL84s in it. I am in tight quarters so the Carr has been my go to while all my Fenders sit idle.

I have been very impressed with my Trib ASAT and would not hesitate to buy another, the Trib Fallout for one. They pack a lot in there for the $$. Don't get me wrong, my USA Legacy is pretty sweet too but for a kick around guitar for not much coin, the Tributes are nice.

[Goat]

Thanks fianoman. Good info to know, both on amp and Tribbys.

Been playing this BC through the Cornell. Oooooh. Fabulous clean. Good with amp distortion, but not quite as much to my taste as my ASAT Deluxe at lower volumes. I think I need turn it up a bit more! I'll try it with pedals over the weekend.

[zapcosongs]

Thanks fianoman. Good info to know, both on amp and Tribbys.

Been playing this BC through the Cornell. Oooooh. Fabulous clean. Good with amp distortion, but not quite as much to my taste as my ASAT Deluxe at lower volumes. I think I need turn it up a bit more! I'll try it with pedals over the weekend.

Hey Goat. Sorry to hear about your injury at all. If you were in the States and knew who did this to you, I think I'd be able to help you get some justice here.

Congrats on your Broadcaster. Funny, but I might well select my '86 ASAT (basically the same thing) through the '66 Vibro Champ.

My wife is making turkey soup and dumplings with the Thanksgiving leftovers. Wanna join us tomorrow? - ed

[Goat]

My wife is making turkey soup and dumplings with the Thanksgiving leftovers. Wanna join us tomorrow? - ed

I could be very tempted!!! Thanks

[Brock]

If I had to get an additional instrument and small amp, I'd get a mahogany bodied G&L L-1000. I'd keep that. As to an amp, I'd like to play around with is the dUg Pinnick model Tech 21 amp and maybe a small, fast single 15" cabinet. That head sounds like dUg! I really don't want to sound like dUg though, but it's cool, and it would be fun for a few weeks, and who knows, maybe it can sound like me too.

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