BigWheeledWagon

Well, if this is your first trip to Nashville, you'll probably want to spend some time downtown, so you might as well stay near the Ryman. You can check out some of the honky-tonks, etc., if that's your thing -- I'd recommend Tootsie's for that sort of thing.

I imagine the forum bouncers will probably move this thread elsewhere, so I'll engage in a little non-Wilco discussion here and say that I'm not sure seeing Son Volt is the second best thing to seeing Wilco. I have no idea about how the live shows have been with the current incarnation of the group, but I saw Farrar solo a few years ago, and based upon my experience, I would probably pass on seeing him live again. He seemed utterly bored to be there, and the whole thing had a going through the motions quality to it.

If you have the notorious 'adjustable saddle' of the mid-60's Epi/Gibby, that is a tricky beast (and a tone sucker, IMHO).

 

If you cannot get the screws to achieve a good height, ypu may need a neck reset and/or new nut. My advice? go to a goos luthier for a proper overall setup. Check out www.frets.com for some good setup tips.

 

Also, if you want to get the guitar to sound really good, have the luthier replace the bridge (and screws) with a traditional one. It will greatly improve the sound.

 

That is if you are not sentimental about keeping orininal parts. I have a 1970 Gibson Dove with that type of bridge and I want to keep it:

I've got '67 Gibson Dove with the notorious adjustable bridge, and I've been reluctant to change it out just for authenticity's sake as well. My dad bought it new, and although it now belongs to me, I thnk he'd be upset if I modified it in any way. Apparently, changing out the bridge also would affect the collectibility of the guitar -- collectors know the bridge is problematic but see it as an essential part of those model years. I've gotten used to the bridge and can now usually keep it from buzzing.

i dont think im too cool to wear earplugs, i just dont like the way they make things sound, though i think i will pick up some hearoes and see how i get on

You're not too cool for earplugs, but it does appear you are too cool for apostophes and capitalization. Just kidding. I'm glad to see that you're taking the initiative to protect your hearing. I wish I'd done the same thing years ago when I did misguidedly believe I was too cool for earplugs. Hopefully by starting this thread you've also made a few other young musicians consider protecting their hearing.

I thought of looking into this,what have your experiences been?

Unfortunately, my experience has been that this was way too expensive an option for me to pursue -- at least back in the days when I was still playing in bands. However, a quick browse of Musician's Friend shows that such a device may now be had for around $100.

this thread makes me sad. my grandpa played "hawaiian guitar" with hank williams, and his lap steel he was going to give me was pawned by his gold digging second wife.

Wow, sorry to hear about that. I've got my great-grandfather's banjo, and although he didn't use it to play with Hank Williams or anything, it means the world to me to have that link to him. In fact, same goes for my dad's '67 Gibson Dove, which he kindly gave to me. Anyway, my condolences to you.

Back in the day, the drummer in my band always wore earplugs, but the rest of us did not. I now wish I had. Every now and then out of the blue my ears will start ringing (thankfully not all that often). So, while earplugs are inconvenient and make it hard to sing, they will be worth it in the long run. Another (albeit expensive) option would be to have an in-ear monitor/earplugs.

It occurs to me that you might get some more replies to this question if you post it in the tabs section as well. Drummers who could help with a transcription may not think to check in the forum for discussing gear (even though your question does involve what gear to use, it is also a question about how to play it). Good luck learning the part -- drums are the instruments with which I have the least experience, but I can only imagine that Glennn's parts are not the easiest to replicate.

I didn't realize that the color chosen often dictates the wood used for the body. I, too, like the tone of ash much more than alder. Makes sense, thought, that they would use ash for a finish where the wood grain shows through some. Alder doesn't present much of grain pattern -- it's the reason I'm grabbing a replacement swamp ash body for my strat project (well, that and the fact that the original body appears to be perhaps, um, poplar -- yikes. I guess that's what Fender used on their cheaper Japanese Strats in the 80s).

UPDATE

So, I've made a little progress. Upon doing a little stripping away of the finish, I am not happy with how the original body wood might look refinished with a stain so . . . I'm getting a replacement body. Swamp ash with a flame maple top and black pinstripe between the top and the body. I'm going to put a clear amber laquer over it. Oh, and a decorative leather pickguard.

"Thank you for your order. Please find your order details and delivery instructions below.

3/2/2008

Wilco, Ryman Auditorium

Number of tickets: 2, Seat Locations: Section SECTION 7, Row H, Seats (5, 6)

Orchestra All Ages"

Much better!

I just received this email:

Dear Fan,

As per box office request, your seat locations to the 3.2.07 Wilco show at the Ryman Auditorium have been upgraded! You will receive a new order confirmation with your new seat locations shortly.

Nice.

My vote is for sunburst. Surf green just seems so campy.

Same thing happened to me after about 40 minutes of trying. My "orchestra" seats are Section 11 row C 1,2. I'm happy I got tickets but I'd rather be on the main floor...

What a weird presale. I got tickets only after about a minute of trying, but they appear to be further back in the balcony that the ones you got 40 minutes later. Crazy.

When I first tried to get tickets (at 10:00 precisely) it told me none were available, but I kept trying, and I got some. Here's the weird thing, though. My confirmation says I have orchestra seats, and I clicked on the orchestra pull-down. My seats, however, are listed in Section 11 -- which is balcony. Row F, Seats 1&2. Weird.

Please Wilco, consider Georgia or a little further North Alabama (Huntsville, ect)

and South Carolina... Mobile, Nola, Nashville is still a really, really long drive...

but willing to drive, hopefully Mobile if nothing else...

 

Just Wishful Thinking and Hopefully Ya'll can hear me

Nashville may be a long drive for you, but trust me, it you make the drive, it will be worth it to see Wilco play at the Mother Church -- their last show at the Ryman was unbelievable. At his solo show in Nashville back in January, Jeff promised a return to the Ryman -- I'm glad he kept his word.

Not read one of his books for about 30 years but he has clearly got his head screwed on.

 

Isn't his son a musician? Or is he a writer who doesn't own up to being King Jnr? The latter, I think from some article I read recently....

He's got two sons -- one goes by the pen name Joe Hill and briefly tried to hide the fact that he is King's kid (before the media picked up on it anyway) so he could try to get published on his own merits. His publisher didn't even know until after the book came out. You've got to respect his attempt to make a go of it without trying to use his dad's fame. His book "Heart-Shaped Box" is pretty good genre fiction. It reads a lot like his dad's work from the mid-eighties.

Generally, Uncle Stevie makes some pretty good music picks for EW -- he's also recommended Spoon (one of the few bands playing today I like as much as Wilco) several times.

Yeah, the banjo is fun, but I will say that the transition from playing guitar to playing banjo is not as intuitive as, say, guitar to mandolin. Still, the banjo just has that extra something -- I would recommend it to anyone.

$80 sounds cheap because it is cheap. Several years ago, I made the same mistake you are contemplating making. I, too, had never really played lap steel and thought that since I would just be messing around with it, I might as well get something inexpensive. The damn thing will not stay in tune. At all. You would not be able to gig with it, and even if it would stay in tune, you wouldn't want to gig with it -- it has a terrible tone. I would recommend saving up a little and checking around for a bargain on a used lap steel at your local music store or pawn shops.

That was my original thought, too, but there is, in fact, a "Holy Stain" (I'm assuming the "Strain" is a typo):

http://www.ehx.com/ehx2/Default.asp?q=f&am...2F56_Holy_Stain

I have no experience with said pedal, however, so there is little I can offer in way of advice about whether to purchase one. The descripton does make it look like it would be pretty effective in achieving that classic shoegaze sound, though.

So much for the 335...I got a reissue Jaguar from the early 2000s. I got a great deal on it so I'm pretty happy. It sounds really good, I just think I'm going to change the bridge out to a Mustang one, which would rid it of the two biggest problems I have with it: The strings jumping out of the saddles and the slight buzzing whenever my hands aren't near the neck/body. Anyone know if it's easy to do (I could do it myself) or otherwise?

 

I'll take some pics of it next week when I get back home so ya'll can see it.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Jaguar was designed as a jazz guitar and as such was intended to be used with heavier guage flatwound strings (I'm talking .11-.13). Heavier guage strings like this will be less likely to jump out of the saddles, and setting the bridge closer to the body while adjusting the saddles upwards should minimize any string buzz.

Of course, there are other options for the non-jazz player or those that prefer lighter guaged strings. I know that a lot of Jag owners replace the original bridge with one from a Mustang so that you only have one groove per saddle, eliminating the liklihood of the strings jumping. Another option I've heard of is modding the guitar with a "buzz stop" -- a bar mounted above the tremelo system to increase the angle of the strings behind the bridge thus decreasing string buzz.

Here's a previous discussion about the pros and cons of the Blues Driver:

http://forums.viachicago.org/index.php?showtopic=28204

Gruhn is a true Nashville landmark. As a teenager, I would spend hours just staring at all their old Gibson flat tops and their amazing assortment of antique Martins and dream of one day owning one (still do -- though I do now have a '67 Gibson Dove). I'm glad to hear they've successfully entered the internet sales arena (or at least have a website for browsing). They really do have some wonderful unique old guitars, and if I had an extremely valuable vintage guitar, it is the place I would take to have any work done.

I may just have to head over there this weekend and marvel at some guitars I will never be able to afford (or at least justify the expense of buying one to my wife).

So as some of you remember (from a previous post) I was awaiting a '69 Barney Kessel Original that I had ordered from a vintage guitar store based in Nashville that I had found online. I had been waiting for about a month while I put down deposits and figured out my money situation to make it work.

 

Well it finally arrived Thursday morning (while I was at work)...so I anxiously awaited til I could get away a couple hours to go play it for a bit. I finally made it home around 2pm, washed up a bit, and began the process of unpacking the guitar. I got down to the original hard case and was having trouble getting the last latch open and thought perhaps they had hidden the key somewhere within the packaging. I called the salesman who sold it to me, and he was talking me through it and can even be quoted as saying 'Im gonna walk you through this man, I cant wait to hear your reaction when you see that guitar'.

 

So the excitement and suspense was building. I finally got the case open and to my surprise the strings were broken off (a little inconvenient but whatever), and the bridge was also off the guitar, which is common when shipping hollow bodys. Then I noticed a slight hairline crack at the base of the neck and thought, 'well he never told me about that but whatever, Im sure its fine'. Then I flipped the guitar over, only to find that the guitar had been destroyed in shipping. It looked as though someone stepped at the base of the neck and pulled up on the neck in an attempt to rip it out. It was a sad sad sight.

 

So while I battled with the red tape of getting my money back (which isnt going to be a problem as it was insured through UPS), and the fact that this beautiful guitar would never be the same. I sent a couple pictures over to the guitar shop and they said they could restore it and sell it to me at a newly appraised price. This seemed like a good option at the time, but I then decided to shop around again to see if I could find another one out there.

 

And I did!

 

Instead of shipping it this time, I drove down to LA myself to pick it up at a place called Voltage Guitars (this dude has sold guitars to everyone from Kurt Cobain to Richard Gere), and I now am a proud owner of a '68 Barney Kessel Custom!

 

So despite the tragic events that lead to it, I ended up with a nicer guitar for a few hundred bucks more and a 5 hour car ride. And let me tell you this guitar sounds incredible.

 

So if any of you want to get a restored '69 Barney Kessel Original in a few months (or however long it takes to get it fixed), let me know as I will be the first person they contact about it.

I'm glad to hear that things worked out in the long run, but what a horror story. I can't imagine the sick feeling you must have had upon seeing your guitar destroyed (typical UPS -- I never ship anything with them that is the least bit fragile). What Nashville store did you order from originally? Other than the UPS fiasco, how were they? I'm always looking for good places here in Nashville (and there are several).

I'm pretty sure the tune tiles are crotales:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotales

Glenn definately has crotales (or something akin to them) in his setup (an extensive group of them no less), but I think the tuned tiles of discussion were something else entirely. If I recall from IATTBYH, they were more akin to ceramic tiles than to crotales and thus had less of a bell-like tone and more of a xylophone or vibraphone tone, but I would have to go back and watch the DVD again (never a bad way to spend a few hours).

After watching Glenn open for Jeff back in January, I am still in awe of the amazing variety of his kit and his ability to work with such a wide tonal pallet.