Sessions

Pretty much all of the time I spend on musical stuff, is my own material, my band’s stuff, or at the least a something I’m invested into for long term. I don’t often work on other people’s musical projects. Last year I was asked to help out on something and I wanted to share it with you. It’s not specifically guitar related, but more of an overview of the recording process, and how it related to my guitar playing.

My singer, Rob, has a really nice studio. Since I've known him, which is approaching 2 decades, he has always done his own recordings, and we’ve done about 8 official recordings for the bands we’ve been in together. He’s also done a lot of recordings for other artists. In most cases these projects usually have their own dedicated guitarist, so I’m usually not involved in those adventures.

However Rob was approached for an interesting project. A local author, Tony McMillen, had a book coming out, and it’s centered on the bass player of a fictional band, named Frivolous Black. The band is supposed to be very “Black Sabbath” esque. Tony had 2 songs he wanted to be available to download, as a companion piece to the book. Rob asked me if I wanted to play some lead guitar on it, and I was flattered.

Tony came down one night, and Rob set him up to play some rhythm guitar. After dialing in a great dirty rhythm guitar tone, using Rob’s Fender Hot rod Deluxe and Rat Pedal, Tony jammed along to a click track, outlining the song. Afterwards Tony did some vocal takes for reference.

Anytime when I record at home, especially when doing instrumental parts, I like to have a cue to signal a change is coming to the next part. It may not end up in the mix, but it’ll help me keep the flow. Tony’s vocal takes helped a lot in this manner.

Rob & I gathered on another night to map out some stuff that would help out the recordings in the future; arrangement tracks, as well as some clean-up. Some guitar parts had to be moved around, just to get them to line up more with the beat. It’s a lot of tedious stuff, but it makes adding other tracks in later easier if the source tracks are nice and tight with the beat. Rob ended up doing some rhythm guitar tracks to compensate and adjust for some glitches that sometimes occur when moving stuff around. It could have been done through cut and pasting, but it was easier, time wise, to do it this way.

The next session was Drums. Rob’s wife, Tia, plays drums in our original band “The Goodbye Theory”. Her style was a good choice for this 70’s heavy rock feel. They set up some mics on her drum kit one evening, and on the next day started to track her drum parts. Since everything was now aligned to a click track, all she had to do was play along to the Rhythm guitar and vocal tracks.

In the past we would try to track the drums, while putting down a rhythm guitar scratch track, and vocal scratch track at the same time. About 2 years ago we switched it the other way around. This gives the drummer a consistent backing track to play to, with cues. So far we’ve been able to do a couple of EP’s as well as other demo’s and recordings and get some great tracks this way. In a couple of hours Tia was done.

The next session our bassist, Jen did her bass parts. I had gotten some Ampeg Bass pedals, and we fooled around with them. The Fuzz bass pedal was nice, but a bit over the top. It was more Motorhead than Sabbath, so we used their bass preamp pedal, rather than a fuzz, and it gave that warm tone, with just a bit of grit.

After that it was up to me. I got one of Joyo’s “Californian” pedals for xmas that year. It’s basically a knock off of Tech 21’s Boogie DI pedal. We ran that into the DAW, and the only other effect I used was my Vox Wah. Tony had requested the feel of Faries wear boots by Sabbath. Thankfully My Wah pedal still worked. It hadn’t been on my board for a long time. One issue came up though: one of the songs didn’t really have a “solo” break, just a few parts between the choruses and verses. I put some stuff in those spots, each time playing a similar line that varied a bit. I tried to imagine 70’s Birmingham.

Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi lost his fretting hand’s finger tips just before they were to get signed, in a machine shop accident. Once he healed up, De-tuning his guitar to C# with light gauge strings, and some rudimentary fingertip prosthetics enabled him to play. I can certainly see how that made them sound different, and I tried to capture some of that. Slower guitar parts, bigger notes, not a lot of flash.

The next session Tony came up to add some rhythm guitar tracks and vocals to the completed bits. It’s a lot easier to play along to an actual backing track than a click track, and it certainly worked, bringing a lot more of the 70’s feel to it, while reacting off of a real rhythm section.

I showed up to this session, and brought my lil rig again, just in case he wanted something extra. It was a good idea, as he had me do some extra bits on both songs, as it’s his project, and I’m there to help bring his idea to life. I listened to some of his vocal takes, and he did some doubling that captured the essence of the early 1970’s in England’s industrial area. He doesn’t SOUND like Ozzy, but he really nailed that feel and color that comes to mind.

At this point I was done, and as always it falls on to Rob to sift through and mix. It’s not the most exciting part to me, it takes a trained ear, and a lot of perspective to deliver a great mix. it can be a lot of work, not just getting levels, but making sure the EQ of each instrument doesn’t intrude on another. Even more daunting is making this have the feel and approach of a 70’s British proto-metal band. My hat’s always off to him in this arena.

Overall it was a fun project to work on. I never knew Tony before this so, it certainly adds to any stress of “am I giving this guy what he wants?” element. Thankfully I have worked with everyone else before, so that eased things a bit.

Here’s a link to Tony’s book, and a link to the tracks we did.

LINK - Book

LINK - Music

I don’t think this project will turn me into a session player like Steve Lukather, or Mike Landau, but it was fun working with Tony, as well as going a bit outside of my comfort zone.

Gigging Practically

 

 

 

So we have a gig coming up, Saturday, March 17th at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston. It's been a long time since my original band, The Goodbye Theory has had a show, February of 2015. It was right in the middle of a series of blizzards and snowstorms that dumped about 5 feet of snow in less than a week. Climbing the snowbanks with my gear, felt like I was climbing Everest.

 So I'm boiling down everything to what I really need to bring to a show. My pedalboard usually has a couple of drive pedals and a boost, and some odd noise making device like a Sub N up, Synth 9 or some filtery pedal. Stuff that I like to have, but yet haven't found a place for in my bands tunes yet. My bandmates  gives me an "oh really" look whenever I try to find a way to get that into a song, especially the B3 organ sound. I know it's out of love though. As much as i Love gear, and all the extra tones I love to have access too, practicality wins out. I'll have 15 minutes to get my stuff on stage, get it running, and 40 minutes to play through some post-2000's rock music. I need a rhythm sound that works with a boost, and a way to engage my chorus and delay for some parts that require some ambience. That chorus and delay probably only gets used 3 times in a set, depending on the songs in it. As orgasmic it is to have a pedalboard with all that other stuff on it like my EHX Synth 9, or TC, or extra drive choices, this is going to be down and dirty.Overall, it's less stuff to go wrong. How much gear do I really need for less than 3/4 of an hour's of music?

2 Guitars are coming along for this, as I have a need for a drop D guitar for certain songs. In the 3 years Since our last gig, I've gotten some new guitars, and while I do love them, I'm planning on taking my tried and true PRS's to the gig. They both play well, and their sounds compliment each other in the set. I was planning on bringing my Fender Mustang, but the 24" short scale compared to the 25" long scale is pretty wild, especially if I'm playing them both in the same set!

Right now the most important item I'm planning on bringing is a Guitar stand, Yeah I'm looking for a Dual electric one. It's no longer a good idea to have a guitar resting against an amp, waiting to slide off and go smash on the floor.I've been to gigs where I've seen that happen to other musicians, and it's not pretty.

I always seem to forget something when I finally get to a gig. A cable or something like that, nothing that would stop me in my tracks. The singer for one of my old bands once forgot his guitar amp, but that's another story..

Silver Sky Blues

So the big news recently within the guitar community is PRS Guitars releasing a 3 Pickup, bolt on guitar, designed with John Mayer, The Silver Sky.

Love him or hate him, John Mayer has become a very big guitar and pop culture presence. Personally I like his stuff, but I'm not an expert. But, what I have heard, I like. His appearance on Chappelle's show is hilarious. I also hear he's got a pretty good sense of humour, even when he's the focus is on him:

John really became a modern day strat hero, with a few various signature models, some factory, as well as some custom shop and master built versions. In October 2014, he ended his association with Fender. When an artist/endorser leaves a company, it's not like a race car diver loosing a sponsor. They can still play a guitar, they might not get compensated, or they don't get the support from the company. 

Enter PRS. Name a guitarist, any guitarist. Regardless of any endorsements they have, more than likely they have a PRS in their collection. They may not use it live, but they have/had one.

John Mayer connecting with PRS wasn't a surprise. They collaborated with 2 guitars that he's ended up using in his tenure with The Dead & Company, the Super Eagles:

Above - Super Eagle I

Above - Super Eagle II

The prices on these were not cheap, at 5 figures. Does PRS make guitars that are worth that much? Well I have some experience with PRS, and their workmanship is fantastic. Apparently others agree, as these were pretty much sold out before they hit dealers. So there is a demand. Maybe not for you, maybe not for me, as I personally can't justify a guitar at half that price for myself at this point in time. Oh and by the way, lets not forget the John Mayer J-Mod amp that comes in at $6k.

The Silver Sky clocks in at about $2200-ish. Now what does a new top of the line Fender come in at? The Fender professional Stratocaster is listed on their website at $1499. Personally I think that is a bit much, even for Fender. I don't doubt the quality of the work of the men and women there at Fender, I just think they've been making strats for so many years, it probably doesn't cost that much to make. I always think that G&L makes great Fender style instruments, with excellent production quality and options that don't drive the cost up, and are an excellent alternative to Fender.

With companies like Suhr, Nash, LSL, Danocaster as well as others making great strat style instruments, that come in at around the same price point as the Silver Sky, I don't see what people are up in arms over PRS releasing a Strat style guitar, for one of their endorsers that made his name playing that style of instrument. They've done some tweaks to make it their own, and in some ways kept things as they were.

PRS also has had experience making guitars like these in their past: The EG series.

They were meant to fill the hole in the marketplace that Fender players flocked to: USA made, Bolt on neck, Pickguard, and a tremolo. From what I understand, PRS lost money on these, after all their design, engineering and cost to make, they would be as expensive as their set neck models, which would be an issue as they were meant to be a cheaper alternative. There was every possible pickup variant possible, even using Lindy Fralin's Domino style pickups.

In the late 1990's I personally skipped out on buying a USA made EG that had 3 Single coils, in black, with a black pickguard. Think if Sting or the Edge replaced their Strat with a PRS. it was $599 with a case. I went back the next week and of course it was gone.

So the Strat style guitar isn't really anything new for PRS. Even a few years back they had a version available as an SE for a reasonable price. I kind of regret not pulling the trigger on one of these, but at the time I couldn't find a local dealer that had one.

Personally I'm hoping this re-launches EG inspired variants like we had in the past. 

I do think that the internet's humour is pretty good regarding this though. I laugh because it's funny, and I'm not offended as a PRS and a Fender owner.

I have a vintage-ish styled Made in Japan Fender Strat. I love it. I paid $325 for it in the late 90's and really enjoyed it. In the past 2 years I upgraded the bridge to a Mann Made PRS style tremolo, and put Seymour Duncan stacked single coils in it. All in all I have just under $1k into it, including the initial purchase cost. A super deal overall, and it's a Strat done to my specs. I have a 1993 PRS CE 24 Bolt on Maple top that I've had since 1995. I also have a 2008 PRS Mira (core) Maple top. 

Will I buy one of the Silver Sky guitars, replacing my strat, just to add to my PRS collection? Probably not. Do I want one? After seeing the specs and the details, Not really. Maybe my mind will change once I have one in my hands, I dunno. I know that when players connect with an instrument, nothing else matters at all. Some people think the silver sky is goofy looking or too expensive, and that's ok. With $10K super eagles, with all of their unconventional electronics and switching options selling out at their announcement, I'm guessing the price of the Silver Sky with a traditional and more popular style will be worth it to the players that bond with them. At this point in my development as a player, I'm kind of indifferent. I'm much more concerned with my personal instruments and my own musical projects, rather than obsessing over all of this. I know there are people up in arms about all aspects of this situation. I'd rather focus on the positive things, as I have to spend so much time not playing an instrument, and when I do get to play, I want it to be fun, and not a heady debate with critics that probably don't play beyond their bedrooms, or where they post to message boards from.

I know one player that really likes the Silver Sky already, and I don't think he's worried about the guitar critics. His name is John Mayer.

Leaving for NAMM 2018

And so it begins, with a weary early morning flight to the West coast.

What will this year's show bring? Will the pedal madness subside? Something new that can take your dreams and put them to music? Who knows, but it all starts here!

The big bummer is getting excited at the show, and then going back to a hotel with no guitar to put all that energy into making music. Add in a red-eye flight on Sunday night, which makes Monday a wash. I'll be lucky if I can do any creative noodling by Tuesday after I get home from work.

Anyhoo it's all worth it.

Here are the links for Performer Magazine's website and social media stuff, please follow and subscribe. You'll stay in the loop on our NAMM18 madness, as well as some cool articles on recording, performing and making the most out of any musical situation.

http://performermag.com/

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

So in the spirit of today's travels, Going Back to Cali

Short Scale Goodness: The adventure continues

So a previous post covered some interesting short scale guitar goodness; I mentioned that I'd been jonseing for a short scale Fender Offset. Thankfully my wife (say it like Borat) reads my blog, went extra special for me this xmas and picked this up for me:

A Squier Mustang HH.

First off I'm not a name or brand snob in any way. Cool is cool. So I'm not put of by the Squier name. Most other retailers offered it n Black, or a shade of blue that is reminiscent of an old Shelby cobra. Musicians friend offered it this season in White or the Surf/Bel Air Green color mine came in. Colors are a personal preference, and I know where my tastes lie, and my wife knows me oh so well.

This guitar is alot of firsts for me:

First Squier guitar

First String through bridge guitar

First mail order guitar purchase

First short scale instrument

First Guitar given to me as an Xmas Gift.

Out of the box how does it play? Pretty good. First impressions: The frets could use some polishing, a decent setup and a good set of strings. But these are issues I'd have with pretty much any new guitar. Considering it's an Indonesian made instrument, and comes in at a really reasonable price point, I'm not surprised, and in some ways very pleased. We couldnt get new instruments anywhere near this quality for the price when I was starting out. I was lucky to get a used Hondo Strat copy for $100 in the mid 1980's.

Sound wise it's pretty nice, The twin humbuckers are really cool, and when used together sound really full. I look at a guitar like this as a great platform to do all sorts of mods. But If I'm going to do any changes, I'm going to wait and see after a bit of use. So far after one night of practice with my Original band, The Goodbye Theory, I don't have any issues with them, which is a great sign.

Squier stuff seems to get a bad rap in some circles, but they do offer some unusual fender style instruments that are just off the beaten path, like the P-51, or some seriously modded offsets like jaguars and jazzmasters. The price point isn't a bad place to start if you're not a purist.

I brought it to practice, and it sounded great, although it certainly needed a proper setup, which it got last weekend. During disassembly, we figured out that it was made on July 4th, 1997! It got some nice fret polishing, a truss rod adjustment, a new set of strings and a proper intonation.

After all that I brought it to practice and it played and sounded great. It's ultra light as well!The strings are still breaking in, but the setup alone made it a much better instrument!
Possible future upgrades might be, locking tuners, a better nut, some graphtech saddles. But these are items further down the road.

A buddy of mine has a 74 mustang, and comparing mine to his, It's an interesting take on a classic. Modding a vintage or even one of the newer Fender or Squier vintage versions with humbuckers fall in the "not worth it" category. I could have a made a partscaster mustang, but part of the coolness is it's an inexpensive guitar that doesn't need a lot. 

Attention is probably the biggest upgrade any new guitar can get. New strings and a setup are worth every penny.

My wife (again, say it like Borat) is the best!

Not so Shameless Self Promotion

Not to sound like the singer in Sex Bob-Omb, but:

I'm in a band

Yep, I'm totally in a band. Two actually. My cover band is "The In-Betweeners", which plays cover songs, hence the term cover band.

 

My original band is "The Goodbye Theory", which plays original music. I have to say I love playing original music, but playing covers certainly is an interesting experience. For 2018 I wanted to share some of my original music with you all, and we uploaded our entire catalog to Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon music, well pretty much every music platform. As I don' t know how to share an Itunes link here's the remaining ones:

SPOTIFY

AMAZON

GOOGLE PLAY

So If you're interested, check some of our stuff out, however, if you Subscribe/Follow this page, I will get you a link to all of our music for FREE. Yes FREE. ALL OF 5 EP'S!!!

 

I know it kind of defeats the purpose of getting people to download our music, but It will get the music to people that like original music, as well as get followers to my lil blog, so it's a Win-Win-Win..

New Years resolutions - 2018

This time of year New years resolutions really come into focus. Goals to meet, changes in attitude, lifestyle and well being. I like most musicians, always have great intentions and dreams, and yet my personal follow through seems to be lacking on one level or another.

My 2017 resolutions were to play more. I did that. My cover band played some really cool gigs, and it was certainly a great learning experience in many ways. 

One of my other resolutions was to get all of my guitars setup and configured in the optimum ways for my musical adventures. All the mods and changes I've thought would be cool would be finally achieved. I kinda fell short on that on a few instruments I own. 

So for 2018, I want to continue 2017's promises to myself, with a few new angles:

1. Play more. Pretty simple to do, My cover band, The inbetweeners, will have some gigs, but I'd really like my original band "The Goodbye Theory", to get a couple of gigs as well. So I'm adding that challenge this year! We have alot of tunes that we like, and think others will like as well!

2. Guitar setups. Yes I want to finish this one too. Thankfully alot of them are already good to go. But I'm adding one big curveball. My 1993 PRS needs some serious love. I'll have a post on THAT project soon! My tele could use some electronics love, as well as some locking tuners. The White Floyd rose Strat could use some little touches, that when added up, will make it alot more playable. On the lower end of things, my Paul Westerburg First act needs some new tuners. Plus whatever mods for my Squier Mustang. So I'll be busy with those this year.

3. Recording. I recently got a focusrite 212 and a Digitech Cabdryvr Speaker/cab simulator, Studio one and well as some decent studio monitors. So I have no excuse to be able to write, record and produce some music at home. I'm not saying the recordings will be awesome, but I'd like to do this alot more. One idea I have is to do a track a month, with just one guitar. Yes it'll have bass and drums (or loops or samples), but the only one guitar to be used, Rhythms, overdubs, solos, and anything else. I have enough guitars to keep myself busy on this.

4. Less gear obsession. yes It's easy to say this now. Talk to me after Day #1 of NAMM2018. But I have enough gear and equipment to actually do stuff without any bottlenecks or road blocks. I can easily do the bulk of the meat and potatoes work. The rest should be the icing on the cake. Yes I have eaten cake icing right out of the container, but thats just a meal that doesn't fill you up in any way. So I'm looking at controlling my GAS for 2018. We'll see how that goes tho! I do have some pedalboard issues I'd like to sort out, but it's more on the side of getting what I have to work together better, rather than a new rig, but it;s a fine line between solving an existing gear problem versus getting new gear that'll get lumped on my existing rig.

5. Be more interactive, I'm already on facebook, instagram and Twitter, but I'd like this forum to also be a way to communicate. If you'd like to follow/subscribe to this blog that would be a great way to share our music/guitar related resolutions and interests. 

We have 362 more days left in 2018, and I plan on making the most of them, not just musically but overall in my world. Considering music takes up alot of my time, I know it's alot of "more and the same", but I'm ok with that!

Happy New Year!