BigWheeledWagon

Oh and as for reverb pedals, what do you guys think? I guess I should just head down to the shop and try some out.

I also recommend the Holy Grail.

Oh also I play a Jaguar if that helps. Here are some amps I'm thinking about:

 

Blues Junior

Pro Junior

Both are good choices. If you're looking to get a tube amp that will break up a really low volumes, I recommend a Fender Champ -- seriously inexpensive, but nice tone for the cost. Not much going for it as far as features (you'll need a good reverb pedal), and you will have to tweak it a little (at the very least re-tube it immediately -- the factory tubes aren't great), but I've been very happy with the nice, warm overdriven tube sound I can get at very low volumes -- great for recording. If your budget and living space allow for it though, the two amps you've mentioned above should make you pretty happy. If your budget can allow for even more, there are some really great low-wattage boutique amps out there like the Swart Space Tone.

Count me in the "not at all alike" camp (I'm not "Highly Suspicious" of MMJ -- sorry). Speaking of MMJ, I'm a little underwhelmed by "Evil Urges," though there are still 3-4 songs as good as anything they've done.

Did anyone mention "It's a Wonderful Life"?

 

"Big Fish" is another one for me.

"Nobody's Fool," end of "Verdict" with Paul Newman

 

You couldn't safely ask my wife this question. She bawls at Hallmark commercials.

"Big Fish" chokes me up every time. That and "Field of Dreams."

Yeah, it's a VST instrument (a tad different than a VST plug-in, but it still operates in a little interface, but it involves using MIDI to program the triggers for the samples) -- I use it with SONAR. Musician's Friend was selling version 3 pretty cheaply not too long ago.

I love Native Instruments Battery -- you can trigger it using a midi controller or program it on the "piano roll" (which is the easiest way to visualize it mathematically) or actual music notation. Anyway, if you choose the right samples (these aren't patterns, but individual hits), it sounds pretty realistic. The trick is sort of randomly adjusting the velocity of the hits and the timing to make it a little imperfect -- like a real drummer.

I've been wanting to make a les paul or sg, but the thought of doing a set neck scares me.

Exact same problem here. I'm quite curious about this.

What do you mean: "EQ if running DI."

He means that if you directly input your guitar (DI = direct input) as opposed to using a mic to pick up your amp (or your acoustic), you will need to use equalization to counter the brightness you would get. I would recommend not going in directly -- I hate the way it sounds.

Also, I recommend changing ALL your strings every time, and although some like the duller sound of old strings, I generally try to put new ones on before recording.

I hard-tailed my strat years ago but have since returned it to its original (well, better) state. I believe I used a small piece of wood, but it honestly could have been a few pieces of cardboard. I'd really recommend just increasing your number of springs (if possible) or using something like a trem-set. Hard-tailing is such an extreme option -- if you suddenly miss having a trem (and you may, even if you think you won't -- I did), you can't exactly pop in your bar and go.

I listened to all the Wilco albums during my drive back from St. Louis the other day, and it's the first I listened to SBS in awhile. I still love it, though I definitely overplayed it last summer. It's one of those albums that marks a very specific moment in my life. There were so many changes happening in my life last summer, and SBS was the soundtrack for all of them. It was nice to revisit the album and all of those memories a year later.

It's funny how that happens -- Summerteeth was that way with me. The summer after I graduated from college, well, a lot of change was going on, and that disc was spinning all the time.

Another job well done. Congratulations.

Also - does the band make money on this? I thought they were just the topic of the documentary, but I have no idea how these things shake down behind-the-scenes with accountants and stuff.

They should be making money, since the movie features the band's music -- just like they get paid when their songs pop up in any other movie (I didn't mean to suggest that they got paid as "actors," though there may have been some sort of payment for likeness rights, etc.). I think Jeff shares his take from royalties with the band to some extent, even when he's the only credited songwriter. I'm not sure about any other financial arrangements, but even if the movie lost money, Jeff should be collecting royalties for the use of the music. The band was with Reprise when filming started, so I imagine Reprise had a lot to say about the arrangements and their stake in the pre-YHF songs used.

If you've got netflix subscription, you can also go that route -- some of their films can be watched online (don't know about this one) and don't count against your dvd list. If you are looking for a pirated/uploaded/free kind-of situation (and I'm not saying that you are -- you didn't specify your monetary expectations), the movie is copywrited material, and both the filmmaker and the band make (some) money from it. Most folks around here (myself included) frown on taking money out of the bands' pockets -- especially when they have been so generous with us fans in sharing a great deal of music for free.

UPDATE:

It looks like the online viewing feature is not available for IATTBYH on netflix -- sorry. Bigshoulders made a good point -- the film is certainly worth waiting a few days to get your hands on a DVD copy -- especially for the superior audio quality.

I am waiting for a latenight drunk to watch that show.

 

The MHD channel is 90% garbage, but occasionally has some great stuff. My faves off there so far: the "Soundstage" episode with Emmylou and the guy from Dire Straits; the "Music in High Places" Ryan Adams ep in Jamaica (he's high as a kite, I'm guessing it was filmed post-Gold pre-Cardinals); and the Roseanne Cash / Steve Earle "Crossroads" episode. I also dug the Kanye West "Life and Rhymes" but they quit playing it since his mom died (she has a very sweet appearance in that show, she gets up and shows us her dancin' feet).

Yeah, I hadn't really watched that channel until the word "Radiohead" jumped out at me from the channel menu. I remember catching that Ryan Adams special years ago (maybe on VH1?) while I was in law school -- it was indeed after "Gold" and probably before "Demolition," but certainly before "Rock N' Roll" and "Love is Hell."

Appeared to be heading off-topic, and then . . . you saved it with the gear pics offer. I for one, am interested in Radiohead's gear. I am always amazed to see how they get some of those sounds. I've got a HD channel called "MHD," and they have been showing a Radiohead performance (I believe it was taped in Nigel Godrich's studio for VH1) of most of "In Rainbows." Amazing. I found myself watching it as much to check out the gear and how they put it to use as to see the amazing performance.

I've purchased a few pedals on ebay and have had no problems. The main thing is to read the description carefully and only use sellers with a ton of positive feedback. I've only had one problem on ebay -- very recently actually -- purchasing some software. The guy never sent the item, but paypal refunded all of my money.

If I didn't change out my D-15 it might swallow me in. That guitar needs some brightness to it, the bass tone alone will cause one shit their pants.

I hear you. If my old Gibson Dove doesn't have new strings, the bass is overwhelming, and I have to really play with the mic position and eq to record it. The ridiculous adjustable bridge doesn't help (why Gibson, why?).

Are you referring to acoustic strings? I would hope so. My local shop gives me a 3 pack special at $20 even for D'Addario phosphor bronze.

 

Let you know how these extended life strings work. I'll probably change my stings in the next week. I bet I go back to the regulars. Just love that ever so fresh feel!

 

How often do you guys change out? I'm like once every two weeks with atleast an hour of playing per day. It seems my electric strings have lasted longer since I swiched to 12's and the fact I don't get a chance to play at loud volumes very much.

Same here -- about twice a month, sometimes slightly more on my tele. When I was younger and played a little more, I changed them weekly. It's a good opportunity to clean the guitars, do any needed maintenance, etc.

As for embracing "thuddy, beautifully worn strings," that's not for me. I know some like the sound (I've read an interview with Jeff and Jay about the sounds on "Summerteeth" where they laud old, used strings), but I'm pretty compulsive about changing them out. One of the guys at the music store I worked in as a kid toured as Buddy Guy's rhythm guitar player (he spent his down time at the shop), and he changed strings daily. Of course, he had a sponsorship and a guitar tech. Even when not on tour, though, he changed them out daily,

Thats what I've been playing with on my acoustic for the past few months, really no difference between them and the Martin's I used for so long.

Several years ago, I made that switch as well, and I actually prefer the D'addario phosphor bronze. Let us know how the extended life series work out. I also change strings a lot, and I would be willing to pay a little more if I could change strings a lot less often.

Guitar Center has 10 packs of D'Addario's for $34.99 in sizes 9&10's.

 

Sucks for me because I just swiched to 12's and I'll never go back, hell 13's or 14's might even come in to play.

I went through a phase with 13's a few years ago -- I figured if they were good enough for Stevie Ray, well . . . yeah, I'm no Stevie Ray (plus it really messed with the setups on the affected guitars). I'm back to 11's.

Musicians Friend often has good deals on bulk strings -- I've gotten cases of D'Addario's fairly cheap. I tend to only order by the case (or whatever the bulk order is). Also try ebay. I used to work at a music store, and after knowing the markup on a single pack of strings . . . Still, with the advent of the internet and musicians friend, it's amazing any independent music stores still exist. Maybe I should go to my nearest one right now and buy a single pack of ridiculously over-priced strings.

I'd love to hear any thoughts folks have about the pros and cons of these guitars? I assume it's the same type of stuff as American Strat vs. Mexican Strat vs. Squire Strat? Most people seem to think that the mexican strats (for your value) are the best buy in that threesome, right?

 

I am in the market for a new axe and I have always been intrigued by the SG series...

Personally, I don't know that the American Strat vs. Mexican vs. Squire comparison holds up with those guitars. I think the Mexican Strat would be more along the lines of, say, the Epiphone SG, and the Gibson models would be all up to the quality of an American Strat. It would be more like the comparison b/w a standard American strat vs. a Strat Deluxe vs. american vintage strat (though I guess in reverse order to match your comparison). When it comes to electric guitars, I'm a Fender guy, but I think Gibson tends to win out in quality in many cases. Fender will put their name on some sub-par stuff; Gibson generally will label the sub-par stuff as something else (Epiphone for example -- though there are plenty of quality Epis out there).

As for your second question, while some feel that the Mexican Strat is your best buy, I've found many of them to be of significantly lower quality. Then again, I've run across Mexican Strats (or Korean) that sound great, but I haven't found it to be the norm.

So I googled this b/c I didn't know what you are talking about, and pretty quickly ran across this thread:

 

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/archiv.../t-1842574.html

 

 

 

Kinda weird to get referred back to the forum you started with!

Yeah, the P&C has been much discussed around here -- especially in the wake of AGIB due to the prominent use of the pedal on that album. There are certainly folks who love it, but I get the sense that it's probably a bit more of a novelty pedal than a day-to-day piece of equipment. I don't mean "novelty" in a pejorative way. It's great to have a few out-there pedals to add a little color/texture/spice/ whatever (like a Digitech Whammy pedal or a Kaoss Pad, for instance). I can't speak from experience, though -- I'm not about to put in the money and effort needed to get hold of a pedal I can't try first at my local music store. I would love to play with one for a while, though.

I got in such a bad rut I started buying all sorts of books, tapes, vocal guides, theory books....etc. This one was hands down the most helpful.

 

If you can swing a couple of serious lessons in chord theory you'll be amazed the doors that are opened. I have had the recent good fortune to begin working with a producer/keyboardist/theory wizard. You should seek out a type of instructor like this. He's pointed out some new "ways to go" with songs and how to make much better chord changes and get to chords you want to get to. He always tells me, "It's not rocket science, it's just chords." Seriously.

This would pretty much be my advice. Studying theory and messing with some weird scale often inspire new songs for me.

That guitar looks really cool, especially the pickguard. What is it made from?

 

And btw I agree with you two, very much!

Thanks. It's hand-tooled leather. The hardware is all chrome, even though the pickup covers look black in the pictures. The body is swamp ash with a flame maple laminate top and a contoured binding.

8/12 - Wilco/Andrew Bird

8/13 - Radiohead/Grizzly Bear

 

A good two days.

Wow! "A good two days" is an understatement. To begin with, seeing Wilco and Radiohead back to back would be dream come true (hell, seeing them at all would be amazing, but back to back?!), but the opening acts alone would be an amazing two days.