BigWheeledWagon

No kidding. At times when I have a migraine, any loud noise or bright light is absolutely unbearable -- it's a guranteed way to make me vomit. I think the singing/playing part wouldn't be so bad -- I find that anything I can do to take my mind off the migraine can be helpful -- but the noise and lights of a show . . . I once had a migraine come on while I was in court, right before I had to give an appellate argument. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but after I was done, it was 100 times worse. The adrenaline and nervous energy that often times feels pretty good after an argu

If I remember the Kot book correctly, Jeff allegedly suffered a panic attack after partaking of the "special" brownies and while listening to Television's "Marquee Moon." I'm not sure the experience was attributed solely to marijuana, and if you've read some about Jeff's difficulties with panic attacks and migraines (as luck would have it, Jeff writes about this in today's NY Times), this is something he's always struggled with. The experience did deter him from using pot anymore (despite the wikipedia entry's contradictory claim that he would not be detered), and the book made it seem that

I've always suspected as much. Thanks.

To quote Lance from "Pulp Fiction":

I don't have any delusions that I'm going to get this amp up to boutique status (or at least the quality most perceive as boutique status -- I'm sure there are some "boutique" amps that are utter crap); I'm just trying to get the most out of it that I can. Honestly, I've been pretty happy with the sound I've been getting with it recording so far -- due mostly to the lower volume needed to get it into the "sweet spot." As for the size/power of the amp, I don't see this as a drawback since the size and wattage were the exact reasons I bought it. I intentionally bought the lowest wattage tub

Is that the infamous show on the "Being There" tour where Jeff got into it with the audience? It would seem to match up time-wise. I recall a descripton of the incident in the Greg Kott book -- crazy stuff. Nothing like the humorous banter that Jeff engages in now. I'd be curious to hear that particular show. Perhaps some of the folks in the "Reflecting Off of Your CD" section would be of some help finding this one if you asked around there -- I'm amazed at some of the extensive collections some of the B&P guys have. Good luck.

I couldn't agree more. I was also really excited to see a newfound appreciation of "Summerteeth" -- for a while it seemed that Jeff sort of rejected the sound of that record, if not the songs themselves, and John and the rest of the guys who were in the band at the time felt a certain level of resentment at how Jeff and Jay made a lot the album without them. In general, it's been nice to see the band embrace their past in general, including their alt-country/roots rock origins. I mean, there was a time where Jeff pretty much repudiated A.M., and then last night at the Ryman, he played sever

Wow, Wilcoworld got that poster up for sale quickly. I can't wait until mine arrives. As for the Ryman poster from 2 years ago -- it was a limited edition, like the newest one. I think they may have run a batch of reprints at some point, but the Hatch Show is pretty in-demand and doesn't typically produce huge numbers of any one print. Oh, and speaking of the Hatch Show, a friend of my wife's married a guy who had worked there at some point, and he was able to arrange for them to print their wedding invitations. I don't know if the bride was all that happy with the invites not being

This is my first time doing more to an amp than changing out the tubes, so thank you all for putting up with my stupid questions. That said, how big a difference is there between a ceramic speaker and a AlNiCo speaker? Is it an issue of quality (I've noticed AlNiCo's are typically more expensive) or do they each have potentially desirable sonic qualities? Weber actually sells both in the 6" size (intended primarily for the Champ), and the ceramic is pretty reasonably priced ($24). Does the material used in the speaker affect the voume at which it breaks up? I've noted above that I don't

Dammit -- I missed those. I got one the last time they played the Ryman (it's now framed and is the central focus of my office), but didn't see them this time. Anyone want to post a picture? Oh well, they'll probably sell some on WilcoWorld -- they did last time.

Well, after I saw Wilco at the Ryman in '06, I figure I would probably never see a better show again. I was wrong, because just a few days short of two years later, I saw one that was slightly better. Amazing. While I enjoyed the no-amplification "Acuff Rose" in '06 a little better than "Someone Else's Song" this time, I thought the setlist was better this time. In fact, if they had played "I'm Always in Love," they would have played every Wilco song I could have wanted. The first encore was amazing -- my wife, who's not generally a fan of going to shows, remarked on how hard they rocked.

That was my original thought -- why spend much of anything on an inexpensive amp? Then again, this amp has become my primary recording amp. I don't really play out much anymore, so that makes it pretty much my primary amp (for the time being -- one day I might get a little boutique recording amp). So, I'm starting to think that for a small investment I can really get a lot out of this amp. As I noted, I've already been surprised at how good it sounds as is -- I bet I can get this baby to sound like a much more expensive amp. So, while I may not shell out for an RCA blackplate, I may inves

I second this (or third this, as the case may be). Also, it's pretty important, if possible, to avoid having any AC cables in your rig (or from elsewhere) run parallel to audio cables. If you have to have them close to each other, cross them at 90 degree angles. This will help kill hum.

So, I'm upgrading my little Fender Champ 600, and I wanted some opinions. There are not a lot of 6" amp speakers on the market; in fact, I've only found them offered from Jensen and Weber. Has anyone had experience with these? Any preferences? Should I just stick with the stock speaker? The first thing I did upon getting the amp was to change out the crappy Chinese 12AX7 tube -- it was microphonic on arrival and rattled at several frequencies. Luckily, I had a couple of decent 12AX7's laying around. I may change out the power tube, too, but it sounds good for now. It's actually an ele

Yeah, although there are a lot of folks who are insistent that the wah must come first, it really seems to be the one pedal that can go anywhere depending on what kind of sound you're looking for. I also used to like it toward the end of the chain for lead, but earlier in the chain for rhythm/funkier stuff (or was it the other way around -- I forget. Not really using the wah much now). Unlike the last poster, I put my overdrive before my distortion, but I rarely use them at the same time, so it doesn't really make a difference.

I've found that most folks recommend the following order: wah -- compression effects -- distortion/overdrive effects -- EQ -- modulaton (phase/flange/trem/vibrato/chorus/etc) -- delay/reverb. I think it's most important to put delay/reverb at the end since it is replicating a real-world ambient space. That way, it takes your guitar sound as it is with the other effects already adds it a creates the effect of you playing that same signal in a cave/cathedral/basement/big room/whatever. Although most prefer the wah at the start of the chain because it is essentially a substitute for using yo

Take him to Gruhn Guitars (400 Broadway, not far from the Ryman) -- he will be forever grateful.

Well, it's not so bad in that you will still be hearing Wilco play at a venue that is one of the most historic and beautiful in the U.S. and that seems to really bring out the best in the band. It is bad in the sense that there are no bad seats in the Ryman . . . except the obstructed view seats. I think that is why the Ryman goes out of its way to make sure people know what they are getting when they buy tickets for those seats. Still, I'd take an obstructed view seat at the Ryman over a normal seat at a lot of other places. If Sunday's show is anything like the show they played at the Ry

Working on an amp without previous electronics experience is, however, a great way to get shocked pretty good. It's important to remember that just unplugging the amp is not enough to avoid this problem -- you need to unplug it well in advance of working on it and let it rest a while to allow any stored juice discharge. I'm sure you probably knew that already, but I always feel obligated to point that out when folks mention they have limited experience dealing with electronics and are planning on working on their amp. Safety first and whatnot. I have some experience modding pedals and guit

Ah, an eloquent and persuasive reply, the rhetorical likes of which have rarely been seen since the ancient English common law case of Rubber v. Glue, in which the former demonstrated that the later's arguments bounced off him and, in turn, stuck to his opponent. Well played. I stand corrected -- though about what, I am not entirely sure. Seriously, though, the Primitives comment was meant in jest if that was what what inspired the reply. Otherwise, I was just offering my opinion about the interplay between newer and older Wilco fans and expressing that I'm happy to have any of them on

I'll be there, and unlike the last time they played the Ryman, I will be quite close to the stage (7th row). Hopefully this time I will also not have drunken frat boys sitting in front of me who yell while Jeff tries to play "Acuff Rose" with no amplification (they also harassed some poor guy who passed out in their row). I think this time I'm more worried about this newly-emerging group of angry Wilco "fans" organizing a chant of "sell-out" or "SNL/VW whores." Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the show, and I hope they get Hatch Show Prints to do the poster again this time.

This is an excellent point -- in the mid 80's right after CBS sold Fender, MIJ Fenders were very good guitars (and as noted, the only guitars produced by Fender for a while since the new management didn't have a US plant at first) -- arguably they were better than the ones CBS had been producing in the US prior to the sale. They did, however, often use different tone woods for the body. I don't know about MIJ Telecasters from this time period, but I know they used poplar for Strat bodies (not that there's anything necessarily wrong with that, but it does make a difference). So, if you have

I've decided that I hate Wilco fans that hate everything new the band does and label every bit of success the band has as selling out. JUST KIDDING -- everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I certainly understand those who are upset about the rescheduling of a show for which they had tickets, but I don't begrudge Wilco a little success and long-term financial security. Also, while Wilco certainly has had a great deal of artistic integrity, let's not forget that from its inception, Wilco was a band that was interested in selling records. Wilco was on a major label before they were ev

It happens all the time. Spoon cancelled several shows last year to be on SNL.

Yeah, shame on these new fans. If the first album of Jeff's you got wasn't a bootleg of his first show with the Primitives, then you aren't a real fan. Hell, the real hard core fans were rocking out to Jeff's early renditions of "Hot Crossed Buns" on the recorder in 2nd grade music class. In all seriousness, I've been a fan since the Uncle Tupelo days, and I remember arguing with my college roommate about whether Wilco or Son Volt would be better and the exciting feeling that Wilco was this great secret knowledge we shared, but I don't see any reason to hate the new fans. I'm glad when