It's Friday Lunch Report 10-25

[darwinohm]

I have some time today as I am heading up to Brainerd this afternoon for a gig tonight. As usual, I will be picking up Kari, my daughter and we have a blast sharing time together during the trip. Lunch will be some Chicken Noodle soup.

Question: How many of you have one or more of your family members playing with you and what do they play?

I have spent another 20 hours this week on our recording. I probably have 4 songs somewhat completed, another 8 to complete lead guitar and some drum track and a total record of 3 more songs. I had forgotten how time consuming this is. We are doing some things differently this time as we have a G&L Legacy wit a Roland GR 20 guitar synth. This is a great tool for us recording as we can make things interesting. Another thin we are doing is Terry, the drummer is using my Roland Handsonic 10 for the drum work. It gives a great sound and drums are so hard to mic and record. This is making it a lot easier for me. How many of you have experimented with recording, what do you use, and what software are you recording with?

Recording gives us an opportunity to experiment with different guitars. The G&L Legacy with the synth works very well and sounds good for a lot of things. Steve has also grown fond of his Bowling Ball Swirl Legacy and is using it a lot. He has not used the Asat yet because he had new strings on his American Tele and has used it for several tracks. We have a lot more to do so an Asat will be in the mix. We have done a song which I am questioning how it sounds in the bed of the song. Steve loves it. I am going to lay down a rhythm track with the Asat Alnico next week and see what it does. In the end I will select tracks each way, have the band listen and we will decide what we want as a group. We are very democratic about this. The Asat Bass has been getting a workout. I am somewhat surprised with the differences in the pickups between guitar while recording. It is not nearly as noticeable when we are gigging. This is especially true with the bass guitars. I listened to the demos of the Asat mfd's and alnicos last week. The mfd's are fatter but the alnicos are clearly my favorite. The question has been asked many times before but what would be you favorite Asat and elaborate a bit as to why?

The LE-2 should appear soon. I was close to ordering one but didn't. My reasons are hard to explain and I'm not sure why I didn't order one. The biggest reason would be the pickguard. I think the color is beautiful and although the SC type body isn't my favorite, I really like my SC 2 with the DF that I already have. That was a big part of the reason for me not ordering the LE-2. The roasted neck is awesome. I think it is a wonderful guitar for those of you who have ordered one. The fore arm and tummy cuts are really nice on it. For those of you who were on the fence about it, Why didn't you order one?

I will check in Saturday afternoon for your replies.Have a great weekend everyone!-- Darwin

[Fumble fingers]

when I ordered my LE 2 I didn't think the "burst" would look good on the small SC body or maybe make it look even smaller ....So I ordered transparent blue no burst on my LE 2 ..... now that I've seen a couple Blue Burst SC 2 on epay I would have probly chosen the standard LE 2 Autum burst color , but either way I can't wait !!

Burst sure looks good on this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-G-and-L-G-L ... 3048wt_992

[Craig]

when I ordered my LE 2 I didn't think the "burst" would look good on the small SC body or maybe make it look even smaller ....So I ordered transparent blue no burst on my LE 2 ..... now that I've seen a couple Blue Burst SC 2 on epay I would have probly chosen the standard LE 2 Autum burst color , but either way I can't wait !!

Burst sure looks good on this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-G-and-L-G-L ... 3048wt_992

I am surprised that you were able to order a different color finish from what was decided. I don't recall any color options being offered.

[willross]

Great to hear of the family band. My son is a fine singer, but needs a bit of coaxing...

Haven't recorded in a while, but am tightening up my skills to possibly work on a project with Paul Allender. We'll see.

I got cold feet after playing an SC-2 and it not getting comfortable with the shape. From a collection standpoint, I regret that decision...


Cheers,

Will

[Fumble fingers]

Craig , Bob said no problem when I ordered , but if 007 came in Autum Burst that would be fine with me , but my kids got me a custom made guitar strap for my Birthday that would go perfect with the Transparent blue LE-2

[Ldavaz]

I don't record at all and never have, analog or digital. I prefer playing live with a band. I do record loops for practicing, but that gets boring, too. I have two sons who are excellent and different guitar players, neither of whom plays with me because they play with their friends and different styles of music from me.

I have three ASAT's. I just bought an identical 1998 ASAT Classic (sunburst alder/maple neck) to one I already owned which is the best guitar I have ever played. I think that guitar is unique in that it has a scalloped fretboard, done perfectly. I feel sure this must have been a factory job; both these guitars feel handmade and are very nicely finished. It took me about 30 minutes to precisely set up the new one last night. That is the hallmark of a finely-made guitar with close tolerances. I could take any guage string, choose any action and it would fall perfectly into place with unwavering intonation. I find this very rare.



Two of my ASAT's have MFD's, but I would like to have the Alnico's or at least hear how they sound. I will probably just buy a set and swap.

[KenC]

Family members: Both of my sons love music. The ten y/o struggled on cello and string bass in the school band for the past two years, but this year he switched to alto sax and loves it. Getting him to practice the bass was a struggle more often than not, but with the sax he practices on his own until his mouth is too sore to continue. I've been learning along with him, so that I can help with any problems he runs into. He sounds much better than I do, though. My seven y/o is starting to play electric bass. I've taught him a couple of basic scales and shown him a few songs, which he has been working on pretty diligently.

Favorite ASAT: I loved my maple/ebony '86 enough that I went out and bought another one.

LE-2: I guess I just wasn't that thrilled with the way it turned out. I was all for the "rock pig" concept, but when the consensus started heading toward roasted maple and premium finishes I started drifting away. When it ended up as an upgraded Fallout, I lost interest. If I ever end up getting a Fallout it will be a hardtail, and will end up with an aftermarket pickguard and no neck pickup. Somehow that's the one G&L model I wouldn't feel bad about modding...

Ken

[blargfromouterspace]

Family - My dad plays a bit of guitar, but seems to play less and less every year. He's borrowing my nylon string to learn an Al Di Meola song, not an easily accomplished task for someone who plays maybe half an hour a week! My great aunt and uncle play in a seniors ukulele band in Singapore that I think could be hilarious, but is more than likely just terrible.

Recording - I don't like spending too much time on it. We recently recorded some demo videos for my new band and it was fun - live takes, no overdubs, just a zoom stereo thing and two shotgun mic's aimed roughly at the two singers. Quick and painless. This is in stark contrast to the last band where getting one single guitar part was taking an entire evening which I think was to satisfy the ego of the particular band member who took on the role of producer without any discussion on the matter. Anyway....

I'm with Ken on the LE2, it could have been more unique. The roasted maple neck is very cool though and I'm looking forward to seeing how they've turned out.

Fave ASAT - The Bluesboy. I love the combination of sounds. I'd love to see a 'Super Bluesboy' one day, with a saddle-lock bridge, the SC-2 bridge pickup and the Seth Lover in its usual position

[jdavies]

Family
I play in a band with my son playing all our own songs. People ask as why we pick such obscure covers and are amazed when we tell them they are all originals. My son plays drums and is a very creative and talented player with great energy and enthusiasm. Just the right amount of over the top to put on a good fun show of quality music. One brother and nephews all play and write very successfully and my eldest brother is/was a great flautist. My mum still plays viola in quartets, trios and orchestras (at nearly 80) and has just come back from a mainly walking trip to Turkey!!!

Recording
I have our gear permanently miced up so i can hit record on any of our sessions. What I don't seem to find time for is reviewing all the songs and picking out ones to mix for a CD. I seem to record and mix everybody else's band but our own (perhaps because they pay me)

The LE2
I got myself and SC2 and a nice fallout that I'm really happy with. The Le2 went through such a committee process I'm not sure it will gel into a better guitar than what I already have. The way these guitars are made I'm sure it will be every bit as good though.

ASAT
I wouldn't mind an ASAT special as I already have the SC2 which I like the sound of but I think it would duplicate much of what I already have.

cheers
Jeremy

[Sprinter 92]

Question: How many of you have one or more of your family members playing with you and what do they play?

I don't have any family members that play music.

How many of you have experimented with recording, what do you use, and what software are you recording with?

I don't do any recording.

The question has been asked many times before but what would be you favorite Asat and elaborate a bit as to why?

My favorite Asat is the Asat Classic. I like it because the pickups are very versatile. I like the bite of the bridge pickup and the smoothness of the neck pickup. I haven't had a chance to try an alnico equipped Asat. I've watched a few videos and I liked what I heard.

The LE-2 should appear soon. For those of you who were on the fence about it, Why didn't you order one?

I've paid zero attention to the LE-2 project. In the past I've purchased limited edition G&L's such as the 25th Anniversary, Comanche VI & Asat Super. I just didn't bond with any of them and I ended up selling them. All of my current BBE guitars are regular production models.

[glvourot]

My brother plays guitar and is very good at figuring songs out by ear. He is 9 years older than me and is the reason that I wanted to learn guitar. He got me hooked when he showed me how to play " Sick as a dog " ( Aerosmith ). We only ever played once in a band situation and it was great fun. He lives in Australia now.

I would like to learn how to record in the future.

My guitar buget will be spent on golf clubs this year, so no LE2.

[darwinohm]

Thank you all for your responses from yesterday. Looks like some of you have family members to play in a group. That is awesome. Also some of you enjoy recording a bit. Thanks for the input on the LE-2. It is always an effort to get a group build on a product. We all have very specific things that are a must. Have a great day, I am going to unload the van!!!!-- Darwin

[GDub]

How many of you have one or more of your family members playing with you and what do they play?

My wife and I have been in a band together for 10 years. She runs the show! She fronts the band on vocals and plays accordion, writes and/or arranges all the songs, books the gigs, wrangles the rest of us for rehearsals, etc.

How many of you have experimented with recording, what do you use, and what software are you recording with?

We record in a studio owned by a friend of ours. All our albums (except for the one we're currently working on) are essentially analog--meaning tracked on 2" tape and mixed down to 1/4" before being digitally mastered. Old school! No patches, note moving, pitch adjusting... More like live. Also, we don't use effects during recording that we probably wouldn't use at a live gig. The reason: we want the recording to sound like we sound (more or less, obviously) when we're playing live.

favorite Asat and elaborate a bit as to why?

'98 ASAT Special. It's just a good one. Heavy, but "special" . I'm a fan of the big MFDs.

The LE-2 should appear soon.... Why didn't you order one?

I'm haven't been in the market for another guitar for a long time so I haven't followed the LE-2s progress.

--GDub

[darwinohm]

GDub Wrote:

My wife and I have been in a band together for 10 years. She runs the show! She fronts the band on vocals and plays accordion, writes and/or arranges all the songs, books the gigs, wrangles the rest of us for rehearsals, etc.

Wow, you are lucky. I find the arranging is extremely important and you are lucky to have someone who does that!

We record in a studio owned by a friend of ours. All our albums (except for the one we're currently working on) are essentially analog--meaning tracked on 2" tape and mixed down to 1/4" before being digitally mastered. Old school! No patches, note moving, pitch adjusting... More like live. Also, we don't use effects during recording that we probably wouldn't use at a live gig. The reason: we want the recording to sound like we sound (more or less, obviously) when we're playing live.

I don't even know anyone who still has this kind of equipment or knowledge of how to use it. Sweet! I agree on effects. I find that any effects that are added during the editing takes away from the tone. I also have any effects added in the input chain to the recording. I do the editing as necessary but keep to to a minimum. I do adjust levels and such as needed.

98 ASAT Special. It's just a good one. Heavy, but "special" . I'm a fan of the big MFDs.

The Specials are great guitars. It always surprises me at the differences in weight. I have been buying hollow Asats recently to keep the weight down. I have an Ash Legacy that is the heaviest guitar that Ii own. This weekend I used my Pink Lady bass for the first set and switched the rest of the night to the Carvin Koa which is over 2 LBS less. At my age, it really makes a difference! Thanks for checking in -- Darwin

[Philby]

Hi Darwin,

I'm still catching up on the weekend, so late to the party as usual.

Family Band Members: I played in a band with my brother (a drummer ) years ago. My Dad has played banjo in jazz and bluegrass bands for as long as I can remember, but I've yet to share a stage with him.

Recording: I have a small studio set up under my house. It's nothing more than a couple of mics pointed permanently at some amplifiers, connected to some decent pre-amps, and running into a PC loaded with Cakewalk Sonar software. I rarely record more than one track at a time these days. A while back I recorded a promo CD for the band I was in over a couple of weekends in my living room. I agree that capturing the drums is the hardest, and the drummer needs to be mindful of the balance of his/her instruments. Hi-hats and cymbals need to be played more softly than usual so as not to overwhelm the other drums. I think the recording turned out pretty well for a bunch of amateurs. Unfortunately my sister-in-law (the singer) decided to strip out the electric instruments at mixing (me on ASAT Special, and the keyboard player) to make the band more marketable to the acoustic-folk-festival scene. A couple of us left soon after. I've uploaded a tune here for anyone who's interested in the sound of my living room ha ha.

Favourite ASAT: The Special, hands down. The big MFD's are soooo flexible and cover so much ground depending on the amount of gain and EQ used.

LEII: I haven't been following development of the LEII as I'm not really interested in a guitar built by consensus. But it will be interesting to see how it turns out, especially the roasted maple neck against the autumn burst body.

[KenC]

My Dad has played banjo in jazz and bluegrass bands for as long as I can remember, but I've yet to share a stage with him.

Wow, jazz banjo - that's a lost art! I have my grandfather's old Bacon tenor banjo, with the original hang tag from around 1930. He played in a jazz band in New York City speakeasies back during Prohibition. My hands are way too big to play it, but I love just holding it and thinking about what those gigs must have been like.

Ken

[Philby]

My Dad has played banjo in jazz and bluegrass bands for as long as I can remember, but I've yet to share a stage with him.

Wow, jazz banjo - that's a lost art! I have my grandfather's old Bacon tenor banjo, with the original hang tag from around 1930. He played in a jazz band in New York City speakeasies back during Prohibition. My hands are way too big to play it, but I love just holding it and thinking about what those gigs must have been like.

Ken

What a great heirloom to have, Ken. Does it smell like moonshine? My Dad taught me tenor banjo chords long before I was big enough to hold a guitar. A tenor banjo neck is the perfect size for a kid to learn on. As much as banjos have become the butt of jokes, they really make sense in the context of a pumping trad jazz band. They're just about the only unamplified stringed instrument with enough oomph to cut through trumpets, trombones etc. etc. I read somewhere that John Lennon was a tenor banjo player long before he was a Beatle.

[darwinohm]

Phil, too bad you haven't had a chance to play with your dad. Is he still playing?

I have talked to others who have used Cakewalk. I don't know much about it but my impression is that it was preferred over Garage Band. I have GB on my pc but have never used it and probably never will. I apologize that I can't listen to your clip because I am on older software and it doesn't do cloud. I would love to hear it.

The large MFS are great. Like you, I am waiting to see what the LE2 looks like.

Now for the banjo and it is interesting that Ken responded to that. I didn't realize that Banjo was the topic of a lot of jokes. A classmate of mine has a doctorate in music and made a good living playing Banjo. I last saw him at the Minnesota State Fair. At 75, he is still going strong with Jazz and Dixieland. He also does many of the old standards from years ago. As a side note, my first instrument was a Banjo that I found in our attic when I was 4 years old. I started on that and picked up a mandolin later when I was probably 6. Those are fond memories. Thanks for jogging them, guys!-- Darwin

[Salmon]

I read somewhere that John Lennon was a tenor banjo player long before he was a Beatle.

[KenC]

I didn't realize that Banjo was the topic of a lot of jokes.

Being a southerner who transplanted to the northern reaches of New England, I heard my share of them. It's that whole Deliverance thing. I don't think they cross over from the five-string banjo to the tenor, though. Somehow comping on "Stardust" doesn't go with whittling and chewing tobacco...

Ken