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Welcome To My Guitars Page!
This
is just a place where I've posted some pics of me with some of
the guitars I've possessed...still have some of them, others I've
let go to someone else who could use them more than I could.
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And this is where it all begins. I began playing guitar at the age
of 8 (1963) when my Dad purchased his 1963 Gibson Country & Western
flattop model, which is in the center of the photo to the right. At
the age of 8, a full-sized flattop guitar was enormous on my small
lap and I had to learn to adapt to playing more up on the neck as
opposed to over the sound hole because my arms just weren't long enough.
But that didn't deter me as Pop showed me how to play three chords,
C - F - G7, in the progression for Streets Of Loredo by Marty Robbins.
I probably drove everyone in the house crazy playing that song over
and over for hours on end, but it wasn't long afterward that I learned
other chords from watching others play. There were particular weekends
where several of the folks my dad worked with would get together and
have a hootnanny (we call it jamming these days) and I learned quite
a bit from watching those sessions. For some reason (maybe because
I seemed to take over my Dad's guitar) Pop sort of withdrew from playing
the guitar very much and I wound up with his guitar...in spite of
the fact that he and my mom purchased several others for me over the
course of time. I kept going back to that 1963 flattop...it was in
my soul and no matter what song I would be trying to learn, somehow
I always used "the Ole Gibson" to learn it. The one thing I regret
is that it was not taken care of properly when I was younger. It was
always kept in a flimsy case, which was replaced at least three times
because we moved around a lot, but in 2000 my wife, Tess, bought a
nice hardshell case for me to put it in. That does nothing now for
the cracks in the finish, but it still sounds great! I have thought
about having it refinished but I balk on that idea because I'm afraid
it will ruin the great sound which comes out of it now. |
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After
having sold all of my electric guitar equipment in 1975, I had almost
30 years of not ever playing electric guitar music, short of plugging
in my accoustic-electric models. So in the Spring of 2004 my wife
inspired me to get back into playing electric music. The first purchase
was the Gibson SG Standard (far left) which felt so natural to me
having previously owned a Les Paul. Although I've had to work on my
chops, the licks have been coming back to me and I have been able
to learn songs that I have only thought about learning because I had
no electric instrument to play them on. It's been a real treat for
me, so much so that Tess bought me a second electric guitar, a Hamer
SATQ (3rd from left). Although it is an imported model of the Hamer
Sunburst it plays great, not too much different from the Les Paul.
I swapped the generic humbuckers that came on it for a set of Seymour
Duncan '59's and the sounds that come out of it now are simply incredible.
Recently I was in our local music store and they had another Hamer
Sunburst SATF on sale so I picked it up and played it. I was so impressed
with how well it played that I left the shop with it (2nd from left).
It took a little bit of pursuasion on my part to Tess, but she agreed
to let me have it. In fact, the silver Strat copy (4th from left)
and the black Bass (far right) were purchased at the same store along
about the same time. My wife is an awesome lady! Since that time she
has picked up the red and blue Strat copies and added them to the
collection. She even bought the stands that all these guitars appear
on in these pics. |
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And
Now For A Bit Of Nostalgia
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This was my first
guitar, given to me by my parents for Christmas 1965. I was 10 years
old at that time and had already been playing on my Dad's 1963 Gibson
Flat Top pictured below from the time I was 8. Imagine an 8 year-old
learning to play chords on a guitar that is almost as big as he
is...HAHA!
By the time I got this
Silvertone I was playing Beatles songs by ear from the radio. On
the bottom right of this pic is my sister's phonograph on which
I managed to destroy several of my Beatles 45's and a few LPs by
moving the tonearm back and forth throughout the songs to learn
how to play them. If I could only have those records back I would
be worth a lot of $. It's a shame that we didn't have music on audio
cassettes or CDs back in those days.
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My First
Guitar
1965 Silvertone
1448
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1967 Conquero
Bruno Violin Bass
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This pic has been a long
time coming...I have given up on trying to locate the pic of my
band in which this bass appears, but a kind soul on the internet
answered my request for a pic of his which is identical to the one
I had. Thanks Gene! Although it isn't a Hofner, it was close enough
for me, I just wanted a bass guitar with the violin shape.
Nobody in my neighborhood played
bass, much less possessed one. So I asked my dad if I could trade
my Silvertone for a bass which I found downtown Ft. Worth in the
musical instrument department of Leonard Brothers department store.
It was sooo cool to me because I thought it would be great to have
a bass like Paul McCartney's. This one came close as it is shaped
like a violin. I played it for a few years and sold it to a fellow
band member when I got my electric 12-string.
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Although this
is NOT the actual instrument, this IS one that is identical except
the one I had was a darker shade of red...maroon actually. I can't
seem to locate the only photo I have of me holding it in the group
shot of the band I was in back in '69. Also featured in that band
photo is my Violin Bass guitar which I had sold to another member
of the band so that I could have some money to go in with my parents
to buy this 12-string.
Ok, the name of the band was
Witches Brew and we never really got the band off the ground. We
did have a couple of gigs but nothing to get very excited about.
Heck, we were all 9th graders.
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1968/69
Electric Hollow Body 12-String
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1963 Gibson Country & Western
Jumbo Flat Top
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This
is the one I first learned to play on. My Dad bought this guitar new
in 1963, I think he paid like $250 for it *COUGH*, which might as
well have been $2500 by today's economy. This photo features me as
a 17 year old punk who thought he was really "BAD" because he played
2 premiere Gibson guitars, this one and the Les Paul featured below.
Actually this one was still my Dad's, but he eventually let me leave
home with it a couple of years after this photo was made. I LOVE my
Dad...who wouldn't? This guitar still plays really great, and to this
day it is still lovingly referred to as "the Ole Gibson." Although
it isn't as pretty as it was when it was new. It has literally been
around the world a few times in a cardboard guitar case. I now have
a hardshell case for it, thanks to my wife. I knew she was going to
be the right woman for me because she actually bought that case for
me before we were married. I LOVE my wife! |
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Oh but I was bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bad
to the bone with my Les Paul! I went to work and paid for this one
myself! In 1972 you could get a Les Paul Deluxe for just over $400.
Recently I saw one just like this one on display in a glass case
and the price tag said $2300. Needless to say I wanted to cry because
I sold this Les Paul a few years after I got it for $400. At least
I got the majority of my investment back, figured since it was used
I should deduct $10 from what I paid for it.
I was really inspired to
have a Les Paul after having seen Ronnie Montrose playing with The
Edgar Winter Group in 1972. Ronnie, as did many professionals, played
a Les Paul. I never could play it like him though :(
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1972 Gibson
Les Paul Deluxe
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I
am very greatful to have parents who enjoyed keeping me happy with
new musical instruments. This 1971 Yamaha Classical was yet another
guitar they gave me for Christmas. All my guitar playing friends
at that time were playing Yamahas so my dad didn't want me to feel
left out I guess (perhaps he got it for me with hopes that I'd leave
his Gibson Flat Top alone, but fat chance of THAT happening).
I kept this
one for about 15 years before I sold it to an Army Buddy in Germany
who didn't have a guitar to play in his barracks. After I got my
Ovation (featured next) this little guitar saw very little playing
time and mostly just sat on the guitar stand collecting dust. I
was quite happy to give it a new home where it would get a lot of
attention.
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1984 I made friends with a guy who played Ovation guitars. He played
an Adamas, and wouldn't you know he had this 1984 Shallow Bowl Collector's
Model on the side just sitting there in the case. He always insisted
that I play this one whenever we played together, and eventually I
bought it from him for about half of what he paid. I began playing
this guitar when it was new and played it for 8 more years before
going back to my Gibson roots and buying my Starburst. I held onto
this guitar for about 2 years after I got the Starburst and ended
up selling it to another friend who told me that it was his "Dream
Guitar." It played really nice and had a great sound, but there was
just something about Gibson that was calling me back to get a new
one to be my main guitar. |
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1984
Ovation Collectors Edition
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This 1992 Gibson Starburst Flame
is the one I use now as my primary chord-banging guitar. It has
a pickup similar to the one my Ovation had so I could plug it in
and get a little loud if I wanted to. That comes in very handy for
when you are performing. I remember trying to play into a microphone
with my (Dad's) flat top and fighting the feed back and trying not
to bump the mic boom when I get to jammin' really good.
In addition to the Starburst,
I still have the 1963 Flat Top, as well as a Yamaha 6 string and
a Yamaha 12 string that I play just to have some acoustical variety.
This one has a really sweet and crisp tone and is a lot of fun to
play. The cut out gives you just a little more reach up the neck
for pickin' them high notes.
Yes, I'm standing in the
crosswalk on Abbey Road in this shot. NOT!
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..."and she's
buy-aye-ying the stairway to heaven..."
You talk about expensive...This
little hummer will knock a serious dent in your wallet! Not to mention
make your neck and shoulders ache. I thought the Les Paul was heavy!
But the versatility of the double neck is a great thing. And the
electric 12-string has a unique sound and is great if you're an
old Byrds fan like myself...'60's music was so pure. (By the way,
this isn't really my guitar, but I sure look good holding it don't
I?)
With the music today many
guitar players have gone with guitars with single-coil pickups,
such as the Fender Strat, but I still prefer the "throaty" sound
of the humbuckers that Gibson uses. (Ok so I'm still partial to
Gibson...sue me!)
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Well,
the double-neck SG isn't mine, but THIS Vintage Cherry SG Standard
IS MINE! After not owning an electric guitar for almost 3 decades
I finally got back into the electric guitar business with one of my
own...thanks to my lovely wife Tess! What seems so amazing to me is
how well I could play electric licks on this guitar. I suppose much
of it has to do with the fact that I'd been playing lead guitar bits
on an acoustic since I sold my Les Paul in 1975. But this guitar is
so darn easy to play it isn't even funny. Couple that with a really
nice effects processor, the Korg AX1500G, and this guitar makes me
sound like I know what I'm doing! I love it! I love my wife! I love
Rock n Roll! I considered
getting a Fender Strat instead but I just love humbuckers so I opted
for this one. Tess eventually picked up some Strat copies (featured
below) which I enjoy playing. |
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| It's
funny how I've always been a Gibson guy, yet I have also sort of had
my eye on Hamer (pronounced Hay-mer) guitars since the early 1980s.
Martin Barre (Jethro Tull) switched from his vintage Les Paul to playing
a Hamer for a while and his was the first one I ever saw in action.
This little beauty, another one that my sweetheart Tess bought for
me, has a very nice quilted maple top with what is called a honeyburst
finish...but this particular model is referred to as the Sunburst
by the Hamer company. This is a very ornate guitar with abalone inlays
completely encircling the body, fingerboard, and the headstock. I
have not grown tired of playing the SG, but I have found it quite
difficult to put this one down very often as it plays every bit as
good as the SG, or the Les Paul I once had. This guitar got equal
time with the SG on my latest CD. |
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With digital cameras it
is many times difficult to capture a good clear shot of the flaming
maple top on this guitar, but they are there so you'll just have
to trust me on this one. If I were to put any of my guitars up against
a Gibson Les Paul it would have to be this one. The neck on this
guitar is incredible, and this is still an imported Hamer! I will
eventually convert the pickups on this one like I have the Quilttop
and put some Seymour Duncan '59's on it, but for now it still sounds
pretty good with the generic pickups.
Some day I will have a Hamer
made in the USA! If these imports play this nice, I can only imagine
how awesome it would be to play an American! I would really like
to try an Explorer model, but I am always drawn back to the basic
Les Paul Double Cut design.
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As I had Tess make these updated
pics with some of the more recently acquired guitars, it occurred
to me that I have never had my picture taken with the Yamaha 12-string.
So, here it is. There is nothing at all fancy about this guitar
except that it sounds really nice for the amount of money which
was paid for it. In the 1970's all of my guitar-playing buddies
were playing Yamaha guitars because they were quite inexpensive
and they had a really great bright and crisp sound. Yamaha continues
to be inovative and they still make some really nice acoustic guitars
which sound really nice.
Behind me you can just see the
right side of my Yamaha DGX-200 electronic keyboard. This thing
is essential and very handy in making backing tracks for my home-cooked
recordings. Yamaha kicks booty!
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1970's Vintage
Yamaha 12-String
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Johnson Stratocaster
Copy
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It's
funny how sometimes you see something in your local music shop that
you KNOW is just a copy of something much better, but you just go
ahead and buy the copy anyways. I have never been fanatical about
Fender guitars but a lot of really great guitarists play them, and
some hardly play anything else. So it just seemed like a good idea
to add a strat (even a copy) to the collection. Surprisingly, this
little guitar plays pretty nice. It has 3 single coil EMG-designed
pickups which offer the full range of Strat tones. Howard, the salesman
at the shop, set this thing up for me as if it was his own. He made
the action fast, and he fine-tuned the intonation for me. I'm still
adjusting to playing this thing because I had grown accustomed to
resting the heel of my picking hand on the bridge of my non-tremelo
equipped guitars...something you can't really do on this one without
slightly bending the pitch of the strings. |
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Some of you are probably looking
at this and whincing as you shake your heads. But sometimes you
find some pretty neat items on an ebay auction and since my wife
is an avid ebay shopper, she always thinks of me! I just LOVE my
wife!
The price was right on each of
these Strat copies, purchased about two weeks apart...actually the
blue one was an accidental purchase as my wife unintentionally placed
a bid on it...and won! These are not the best guitars in the world
as they wouldn't stay in tune when I first got them, however I put
some Fender/Schaller tuners on them and that nade a very big difference.
A little lowering of the saddles and some intonations adjustments
made these things play pretty nice...and that humbucker pickup really
screams! Very little investment involved but they work.
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A Pair Of Phat-Strat
Wanna-Be's
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A New Rock &
Roll Face! This was worth every bit of work!
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A funny thing just happened.
I have had the new tuners on these two guitars for less than a week
and I have found a new home for one of them already! The young man
in this pic is named Mario and he was at my house recently and just
fell in love with the Blue Strat. "That's an awesome-lookin' guitar,
Mister Larry! Can I hold it?"
During the time Mario and his
family were with us, Mario hardly took his eyes off of it. After
giving it some thought I asked Tessie how she would feel if I gave
this guitar to Mario and she agreed it was a great idea. I only
wish I could have had a picture of him when he found out he would
be leaving our house with this guitar...he lit up like a Christmas
tree and was totally excited..."wired" is a better term. The reaction
was worth the investment I put into this axe.
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Here is yet another Johnson Strat
which just happened to arrive at our house while Mario's family
were packing up their vehicle for their trip back home...funny how
this worked out, one guitar is on it's way out just as another one
arrives to replace it.
I have enjoyed playing the silver
Johnson so much that when I saw this one on the internet for a rediculously
low price I showed it to Tess and she bought it. I like this one,
it plays very nice, has great action and intonation, and I really
like the maple fingerboard. With the EMG Designed pickups it gets
the full range of classic stratocaster tones.
There is yet ONE MORE Johnson
on it's way...it's a Catalyst with a red quilted maple top...more
about that when I post the pic later...
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Johnson
Cream Color Stratocaster Copy
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Johnson Catalyst
California Strat
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Did I mention that my wife really
loves me? Well here is yet some more proof of THAT...the new Johnson
California Strat! This thing has a very nice quilted maple top with
a transparent red finish. It is the first guitar I've ever owned
with a Floyd Rose tremelo system with locking nut and I really like
it! It's fun doing dive bombs with it and still being in tune to
continue playing!
It also comes equipped with two
humbucking pickups which are not really the best in the world, but
they don't sound too bad either. I am not sure if I wil upgrade
these to Seymour Duncans...that may be something I will do on down
the road but for now I am enjoying playing it just the way it is.
With the three position pickup switch I can get some pretty interesting
sounds with it. I LOVE YOU TESSIE!
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I am NOT a bass player by any
stretch of the imagination, but I HAVE owned a violin bass when
I was a teen (I have not been able to find any pics for this site).
I have been using my Yamaha keyboard for the bass lines in my recordings
but now I have a bass guitar to use instead. It is only a 3/4 scale
but I figured that since I am not a bassist that it really wouldn't
matter on my recordings, particularly since I don't have the ear
to tell the difference.
This was one of those deals at
the local music shop that I just couldn't pass up. The guitar came
with a small bass amp and gig bag, and was not very expensive at
all. We paid almost as much for the hardshell case we bought for
it as we did the guitar and amp. But the bottom line...it works
for me...that's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;)
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Galveston Double Neck Guitar!
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Even though I have played the
Gibson and Epiphone double neck guitars which didn't belong to me,
I never have had one of my own until we received this gorgeous Galveston
double neck guitar. The picture doesn't do this one justice because
that quilted maple top looks like it is on fire when you see it
in person.
I am updating this page about
30 minutes after we opened the box and took it out...of course the
first thing we wanted to do was take a picture. I have only played
around with it a little bit, but as I have the creative juices started
flowing. After settling a few setup issues this guitar will play
like a dream. The action and intonation of the 12 string seems really
good, but the 6 string is in need of a little work. It has 2 humbuckers
for each neck and sounds real good.
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This guitar looks much better
than it sounds and plays, but it IS a novel guitar to have. I enjoy
playing it, and that's about the most important thing about it.
My wife found this guitar in
one of the local pawn shops. It was brand new, the plastic was still
on the pick guard and pickups, and she got it for a song. The old
saying about getting what you pay for doesn't seem to apply to this
guitar as it really doesn't sound too bad and it plays alright.
It's DEFINATELY not a Fender, and my home-built is a much better
Tele than this one. But this one just feels good to hold and play
around on because of the flag! The best thing by far was the price,
and if I told you what it was you'd be laughing your rear-ends off...let's
just say it was less than $100.
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Trinity River American Flag
Telecaster
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This
was an incredible deal on an inexpensive guitar that has great playability
and lots of guts when it comes to sound. I was not too familiar with
ESP guitars, although I knew people like James Hetfield and Kirk Hammet
from Metalica have been using them. I first played this guitar at
my friend Swampman's house as it belonged to him until recently. He
sent me a message on Myspace and asked if I would be interested in
buying it from him, and for the price he offered to sell it I just
couldn't pass it up. I have made a few minor tweaks on it, mostly
in terms of setup, such as adjusting the action and intonation, and
this thing plays and sounds every bit as good as any Les Paul I've
ever played. THAT is a pitty, but as far as I'm concerned it's Gibson's
own fault. But that is another story to be told. |
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| My
latest addition...the Hamer Standard with Cherry Sunburst funish!
I have been really taken by Hamer guitars for quite some time and
I have really been enjoying the two Sunbursts I have. I have always
been intrigued with the Explorer body style and have had my eye on
a Hamer Standard for some time now. Although this isn't an American
made Hamer, I know I'm going to enjoy it because my other Hamers are
imports as well. And all I can say is that if the imports are this
nice, I can only imagine how heavenly the American-made Hamers are
to play...and for the price they should be! I can feel myself slowly
drifting away from Gibson electric guitars when I play my Sunbursts...this
one will be divine. |
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Helicaster
Home-Built Concept
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Ok, here is one for the eyes
of people who are into unique concepts. Since I fly helicopters
for a living and I have 4 Stratocaster Style guitars, I thought
it would be appropriate to create The Helicaster!
Using the basic design of the
front fusalage of a Bell 206 Jetranger and the electronics, bridge,
and pick guard concept of a Strat, and the Jackson neck with reverse
headstock, this will surely turn some heads and make people say..."What
the HECK is THAT?"
This guitar is still in the concept
mode for now. The pic to the left is really a fake...I shopped it
to see what I would look like playing the Helicaster. I think it
looks pretty cool, actually. Before I make an attempt at this one,
however, I have another project to build first:
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| I
became inspired to build my own guitar after having changed the pickups
in my Hamer Quilttop, so for about 12 months or so I looked at different
possibilties...mainly ones that will require the least amount of experience
and expertise. I just received the body for my Telecaster and I began
aquiring the rest of the parts a little at a time until I had everything
I needed to assemble it. I used a Tele neck from Mighty Mite with
a maple fingerboard and gold Kluson style tuners, and gold hardware
on the rest of it with a pair of low-cost pickups from Guitar Heads,
with gold cover on the one at the neck position. Tthe only thing I
found most disappointing about this project is that I had to use a
pick guard with this particular body due to the way it is routed...maybe
one day in the future I can build a rear-routed model so all the wood
can show. |
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Home-Built Telecaster Project!
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I finally have this project completed!
I had to drill holes in the body for through the body stringing
at the bridge, and install the string ferules, and had a friend
in a guitar shop assist me with making sure the neck and electronics
were installed correctly. This thing plays like a dream and surprised
the heck out of me! I am very pleased!
I opted for low-cost pickups
to begin with because I was not sure I would be able to build a
playable guitar, and I had planned to upgrade the pickups with some
Seymour Duncans or Bill Lawrences it this thing played good. However,
I am so impressed with the pickups I got from Guitar Heads that
I will probably leave things as is. They sound really good, especially
for the money...with shipping, I have about $40.00 total invested
in them and they sound great!
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Wouldn't you know that while
I was in the midst of getting all of the parts rounded up for my
Telecaster project, Tessie found an auction on ebay for this SG
body. This project will be a bit easier to accomplish since this
body came with all the pickups and electronics installed already.
All I will need to add to this is a stop tailpiece, tunomatic bridge,
a neck, and tuners. I am currently looking into purchasing a very
ornately inlayed neck from a guy in Taiwan who does beautiful inlay
work with mother of pearl and abalone...we are going to see if he
can do eagle inlays for us.
I believe this body was manufactored
for an Epiphone SG copy which you can find in most music stores
these days. It only comes with two control pots, one for volume
and one for tone.
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Black SG Project Is Coming Next!
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Some Other
Toys, Effects & Other Gear
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YAMAHA DGX-200
ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD
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An excellent tool
to have for making backing tracks as it allows you to store your music
as you compose it. It has all the bells and whistles most electronic
keyboards have such as pre-programmed beat and bass patterns, and
a multitude of voices for the keyboard. It's been an awesome little
toy for me. |
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are probably a load of guitar effects processors out there that are
better than this one, but for the price there are none that are as
versitile with such a wide range of effects and amplifier models as
this one. This has been one of the best additions to my gear for the
purpose of making my own recordings. It is loaded with an array of
varying distortion effects, flange, chorus, talk box, and wah-wah
effects as well. You can shape your sound into just about anything
you want with this baby, and it comes with a built-in guitar tuner
which can be muted so you can tune-up on stage without anyone hearing
it. I'm still learning how to use this thing but so far I'm having
a blast with it. |
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KORG DDD-5 DIGITAL
DRUM MACHINE
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Between this little beast and
the drum kit programs on my Yamaha keyboard, I have been able to
come up with some really cool drum beat patterns for making demo
recordings. You can either use the pre-programmed patterns on board,
or you can program your own, or even play live with this box...although
playing live is a bit cumbersome.
The nice thing about this is
it's portablility and you can plug it into your practice amp and
compose, or just jam along. The only drawback is that it tends to
have that thin "digital sampling" sound. I have since found something
a little better from M-Audio and it is featured next. I still use
the heck out of this little box, however.
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M-Audio
JamLab
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Here's a really great
tool for practicing your chops...the M-Audio JamLab computer interface
which uses the USB port on your computer and allows you to practice
with several drum tracks which were recorded live by a studio session
drummer. This is a bit more fun than using a drum machine because
you get the sound of a real live drum kit instead of the electronic
sound. Click on the image at left for a video demo from the M-Audio
website, it's worth a look. |
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Peavey
Rage 158 Practice Amp |
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As I
made my way back into playing electric music a few years ago, this
little 15 Watt Peavey Rage 158 was my first amplifier aquisition.
It's certainly not the best little amp in the world, but it isn't
the worst either. The only drawback to this amp for me has been that
it is short-handed in the effects department, ie., it has an overdrive
feature but it's always dry as there is no reverb. This has been easily
overcome by using my Korg AX-1500G. One of the absolute nicest features
about this little amp is it's portability. It is lightweight, it can
get quite loud, you can plug your CD player or computer sound output
into it and play along with tracks, and it also has a headphone jack.
I usually carry this with me to work and I have taken it offshore
with me several times because it is so lightweight and portable. It
continues to serve me well. |
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Roland
BOSS DR-880 Dr. Rhythm Drum Machine |
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a really great Christmas present...the DR-880 Rhythm box by BOSS.
I have shelved the Korg DDD-5 and now I have some really great drum
sounds which sound more like a human drummer instead of something
inside of a box. This machine in so incredible as you can program
it to play bass notes to your user-programmed drum beats, and is already
programmed to play bass on the multitude of pre-programmed patterns
which came with it. In addition to being a drum machine, it also has
a BOSS GT-6 Guitar Signal Processor integrated in it...as well as
a bass guitar processor. It is a real blast to just plug a guitar
into and select a pre-programmed pattern and just jam along with.
My first experience with this was at my Myspace friend's house, the
Swampman, as this is what he uses. I will probably never use the DDD-5
again. |
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Korg
D-3200 Digital Mcorder |
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Another
fantastic present! For the moment I am still way behind in my learning
curve in using this thing. This thing is MUCH bigger than I am. It
has 16 tracks, plus 16 more virtual tracks for a total of 32 tracks.
You can use it for mixing, mastering, and it has a built-in CD burner
so you can burn your songs right to CD. I learned about this piece
from my friend Swampman as well, but it wasn't until after I got one
for myself that I learned what else it has onboard. Actually, this
device could be everything you would need to make your own music as
it has a built-in drum machine, as well as a guitar signal processor!
For the moment I am quite happy just to learn how to record and mix
vocals and instruments with it, but this machine has so much potential
that it is mind-boggling. I also purchased a Samson Studio condensor
mic to use with it and it works great! My music should begin to sound
better really soon! |
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CRATE
Power Block Amp & Crate 4 X 12 Speaker Cabinet |
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You know, there is so much about
my equipment which I must attribute to my buddy Swampman. He also
turned me onto this Crate Power Block as he had one of these in
his music room as well. But, NO, I did NOT buy his...LOL. My wife
picked this one up for me on ebay. It's 150 watts of raw power,
baby, and it's only about 10 inches long and 5 inches tall! AND
it is STEREO!
After we got the amp, my wife
went back out beating the bushes to find the cabinet to go with
it. It sounds great, but I have been using my Peavey Musician (100
watts) amp head on this cabinet which also sounds terrific, and
I'm going to use the Power Block as an amp for my Korg D3200 recorder.
This little amp head is so versitile it isn't even funny. The best
part was the price as Crate has discontinued this particular model.
Guitar Center, as well as other music stores, have had this on sale
for $99, but my little darling sweetie beat the sale price by a
pretty decent margin! Guys, it really pays to have a woman who not
only loves you to pieces, but who can find good deals!
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Even though I have posted
pics of a Conquero Bruno Violin Bass and an electric 12-string guitar
similar to the ones which I owned several years ago, I will continue
to be on the lookout for that one blasted pic of my band where both
instruments are pictured. I have made too many moves and packed/unpacked/repacked
too many boxes over the past 3 decades (or so) to remember where
it is, but if and when I find it, I plan to include it on this site.
I
have been really fortunate to have parents who really care about
me and my music. Although I drove them nuts sometimes with the style
of music I like, they still put up with me and always encouraged
me in my musical quests. Thanks, Mom and Dad! Now the heat is off
them and my wife gets to "enjoy" the sounds I make.
So far she hasn't complained
and she keeps me supplied with new stuff so I think she likes what
she hears...except that I recorded a song which she has grown to
dislike because she hears it all the time on her job. She still
puts up with me though! I
love my wife!
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This Site Is Lovingly Dedicated
To The One I Love And
Who
Puts Up With All The
Noise I Make
And Continues To Contribute
To
My Love Of Music.
I Love You, Tessie!
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Visit
LC's Beatle's Tribute Page and hear some audio samples of some of
his Beatles Cover Songs!
Click the image at left, or click
here to visit LC's Beatle's Tribute page.
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Visit LC's Composite Wings page and hear some audio samples of a
few of his original songs from the Composite Wings CD!
Click the image at right, or
click here
to visit the Composite Wings page.
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Thanks For Stopping
By!
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Click here
to email your comments to me!
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