Ok, being old sucks. Mick Jones of the Clash now of Carbon/Silicone still speaks to me and my likes. This next musical bisquit is about seeing the doctor.

My favorite band for the 70's, 80's, 90's was ZZ Top. I had great seats for several shows in my area during the Eliminator tour. I became disenchanted with them because each show was exactly 84 minutes. This was due to the early application of sequencers, midi, computerized lighting effects. The following clip is from the Deguello tour.




From Gibson:

A Sneak Peek at the Billy Gibbons 1959 “Pearly Gates” Les Paul from Gibson Custom!
Is there a Billy Gibbons Pearly Gates model in the works at the Custom Shop?Well … that would be a Texas-sized yes! Gibson Custom has already spent many weeks working in conjunction with legendary guitarist and artist Billy Gibbons, as well as multiple vendors, to develop a limited run of arguably the most legendary guitar ever, his beloved Gibson 1959 “Pearly Gates” Les Paul.
In this picture, that’s Billy’s “Pearly Gates” guitar on the right (as if you needed me to tell you) with the color sample by Gibson Custom sitting next to it. Release date of this icon is set to be in the not-too-distant future. Stay tuned for updates and details …






Then they entice me with some of dis......The following got no vids but please listen.


Last observations, Gibbons had this weird move during "Sleeping Bag" he'd block the view of his hands during a particular part of the solo. In hindsight he was probably using an Ebow. I remember during this time every guitar player would go to a show and lift licks and technique. I figured it was a Bill Hamm (ZZ Top Manager) move to protect Gibbon's intellectual property.
A weird fact: in the 90's Bill Hamm's wife was kidnapped and killed when she went to a Houston Pharmacy.

"That Metal Show"

Two messages, "That Metal Show" is very enjoyable. Never being a real metal head my self the show is enlightening and informative. I can remember the bands and some songs but Metal is an integral part of MEG (Modern Electric Guitar). Second, Eddie Trunk made a point of lstening to older established bands new stuff. The following is a clip of Yngvie not swearing, in itself is amazing!
"th

Eric Johnson 2009

Well if you've never heard of Eric Johnson, he's one of the best. (I really need to spend more time at this). Eric Johnson is a guitarist from Texas that came to my attention in the mid ninties. Johnson was one of the players I read about in the magazines and was an acclaimed technician i.e. he new his music, chord scales, equipment etc. His early releases are amazing a very jazzy and dynamic feel. In hind sight he was one of the Texas guitar players mined by recording A&R people. He's still a great player still putting out amazing music.

Beware of counterfeits,

I posted an article about counterfeit guitars a while back and how Chinese factories will make whatever guitar you'd like. This is from Gibson 2 years ago, it's still pertinent especially now when a lot of used guitars are popping up on ebay. - X Oh yeah I've asked Fender for a comment or a statement on policy and have yet to receive anything.

Gibson Leads Industry Fight Against Counterfeit Gibsons
Ellen Mallernee 06.06.2007
Last year, 15-year-old Jonathan Jakubowski of Cary, North Carolina emptied out his savings account to purchase a Les Paul he found advertised in the local newspaper.

Of his decision to buy a Gibson, Jakubowski explains, “Eric Clapton is my main influence, and he played Les Pauls for a long time.”


Intending to purchase the advertised Les Paul Standard, Jonathan and his father visited the seller at his house, where they were persuaded instead to purchase a Wine Red Les Paul Custom, which the man said he’d bought off a traveling musician. Jonathan paid the man $1,000 for the guitar, but once he got it home, he could tell that something wasn’t right.


“I’d only played Les Pauls in the guitar shops, but something tipped me off, and I ended up going on the Internet to see what some typical signs are for a fake guitar,” Jakubowski says. “The first thing that struck me was that there were three screws in the truss rod cover instead of two.”

The staff at a local guitar shop confirmed Jakubowski’s suspicions—the guitar was a counterfeit. The high school sophomore alerted police, and following an investigation, the North Carolina man who’d acquired the guitar from a Chinese website and resold it to Jakubowski was arrested on two felony counts of criminal use of a counterfeit trademark.

This is but one of several reports that have prompted Gibson to lead an aggressive industry fight against the growing problem of counterfeit instruments being shipped from and sold by outlets and individuals in China.


“Protecting our consumers’ investments and the Gibson name is paramount,” says Ric Olsen, Director of Security and Loss Prevention at Gibson. “The ultimate goal here is that we want people to be happy Gibson customers. We’re trying to protect their investments by thwarting the counterfeit problem.”

The majority of the Gibson counterfeits appear to originate on e-commerce sites based out of major cities in China such as Beijing and Shanghai, though Olsen says, “That’s not to say we don’t have domestic problems, too. People will try to make up their own version of a Les Paul and start selling it, but the major battle is this China crisis.”


Other sources for counterfeit instruments are auction websites like eBay, which currently have hundreds of instruments resembling not just Gibson guitars, but also other brands. Some even feature trademarked headstocks and logos, but upon close inspection the guitars don’t feel or sound like a true Gibson, the serial numbers aren’t registered with Gibson, and most are not of good standard of quality overall.


Pricing can also be one of the easiest giveaways for a phony guitar. If a guitar is up for an online auction at a fraction of what it would typically cost, consumers are taking a great chance by purchasing it. Consumers should also be wary of sales that offer exorbitant shipping prices that exceed the price of the guitar.

Still, Olsen cautions that it can be difficult for a non-professional to distinguish between fake and real.


“There were victims who really had no idea what they were getting was fake,” Olsen says. “Until you actually plug the piece in or take the truss rod cover off and notice that there’s Teflon in there rather than the metal nut, it can be hard to tell to many consumers.”

With so many variables to take into account—the weight and finish of a guitar, the tone and playability, electronics and hardware, among other things, Gibson urges consumers to leave the detective work to its Customer Service department.

Though some guitars are especially deceptive, Gibson’s Customer Service Manager Jason Davidson says, “Usually we can spot a fake right away. They’re absolute garbage. They play terribly, they feel terrible. They are only made to look like a Gibson, and they do a poor job of that.”

To curtail the growing problem, Gibson advises all consumers to purchase Gibson instruments only from Gibson’s network of authorized dealers, found on the company’s website at www.gibson.com.


Consumers are also encouraged to contact Gibson’s Customer Service team, whether the guitar in question is new or used. “We have professionals that know these pieces inside and out,” Olsen says. “They know if a knob was the wrong year. They’ll know that a wire that was used was incorrect.” Consumers may even send Gibson Customer Service pictures of a guitar that they have questions about—full front and back photos and close-up shots of the front and back of the headstock are best.

“We will continue to do everything in our power to protect our consumers and the integrity of our family of brands,” says Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “We hope that by issuing this warning our consumers will be armed with the right information to protect themselves and understand what they need to do to ensure that what they are purchasing is indeed an authentic Gibson instrument.”

To report incidents, consumers should file a police report, and may also visit http://www.ic3.gov/.

For questions about a guitar’s authenticity, contact the Gibson Customer Service team at service@gibson.com or 1-800-4GIBSON.

How to Spot a Fake Gibson
To ensure the authenticity of a Gibson, consumers can check any of the references below when examining a guitar:

Measure the guitar to check that it’s not undersized. Correct measurements can be found on www.Gibson.com.
Examine headstock and headstock logo to determine that they match those of authentic Gibson guitars.
Check to see that all pearl is inlaid.
Check that Les Paul model script is always in cursive.
Verify that there’s not a three-screw truss rod cover.
Check the control and pickup cavities for sloppy routing or wiring.
Make sure the pickup cavity is not painted black inside.
Always ask for the Gibson Owner’s Manual and Gibson Warranty Inspection card.
Check the wiring. If it’s plastic it isn’t a true Gibson.
When all else fails, contact Gibson Customer Service at
1-800-4GIBSON.

Revitalize your speakers

Tone Tips: The Good Doctor’s Dry Speaker Tip
Dave Hunter | 02.25.2009
This time out of the box, Gibson Tone Tips is going to live up to its name very precisely by giving you a simple and direct tip that can instantly improve your tone, in certain circumstances. And in doing so, I’m going to lean on the expertise of one Mike Zaite, the man behind respected boutique amp company Dr Z. While talking with Zaite some time ago he passed this great little fixer-upper tip along to me, and it’s too good not to share.

In short, this is one fantastic way to perk up the sound of your amp by “reconditioning” its speakers — or you could say “reacclimatizing” them — without doing a thing to them other than giving them a short vacation from the dampness, moisture, and humidity of your current environment. Let’s let Mike continue in his own words:

“Speaker cones are weighted and measured in grams. It doesn’t take a whole lot of weight difference to really throw a cone off from sounding the way it should sound. Now, when you store an amp, the worst thing you can do is put it in a damp basement or in a situation where it’s going to be able to wick up moisture. It’s amazing how a speaker can do that, and now all of a sudden you have a dull, dud-sounding speaker, because it doesn’t take much water to throw it off. It’s amazing how just a few drops of water can really change the response and characteristic of a speaker.

“So what I do when I store speakers is [I] get the little silica bags that come with electronics components, throw one of those in the box, close it up, put that speaker away for a little while to let that silica soak up all the moisture of that cone. And you’ll be amazed how wonderful that speaker sounds after the moisture’s been taken out. It’s nice and dry and reedy sounding, and now you’ve got a cone that responds the way it was supposed to, with this earthy tone to it that’s just unbelievable. People use hot guns, they do this, they do that, and boy, you just never really get them right. But just put a couple of those little silica bags in and just leave it be, and it’s such a natural way of wicking the water out and drying the cone out nicely, without overheating the surround.”

The good Doctor adds that this isn’t just a good way to store speakers you aren’t using, but is also a great fix for a dull sounding amp, especially one that you know has been stored in potentially moist conditions, or one you have just acquired. Carefully remove the speakers, and box them up with some silica bags for a week or so as per his instructions, and chances are the newly dried out speakers will bring the whole amp to life. Try it out on your own amp(s), and see what kind of difference it makes.

Happy New Year!

From Tony James of Carbon Silicone. -X

Reaching for Greatness
31/12/2008 18:23:14



I’ve been reflecting back, as you do, during these quiet, still days between Christmas Day and New Years Eve... there’s a frost on the ground which instantly transforms this breathtaking countryside into something verging on magical and that transformation inspires my thoughts as we look forward into another year.

I wake up on days like these with a fresh blank sheet of paper (on my laptop obviously..!) ready for ideas to flow and I feel the energy rise and I cannot stop. Here’s the News - And this is what I know.....

We will raise our game ..write better... find new ways to get the ideas across in the middle of the greatest revolution that ideas and creativity has ever known. Give it away and still make a living when the rules change daily? Yes it’s a struggle but was there a more exciting time for Rock and Roll?

We need to play more shows. Everywhere. Meet more people, create a Community. Have better art. Find places for that art.... on T-shirts and beyond T-shirts. Have more films with this music as their soundtrack. Embrace Youtube, everyTube. Understand that it’s the ideas that count, not the production values. Film it on iSight, Camcorder or Flip Mino - in HD or Phone Cam. Make the moment of creativity the show, the gig.... Make the studio a show. Make our own show. Film what we’re thinking... have an opinion and say it for real, regardless of how it plays to a wider audience, make it for real, sharing the experience, and have a laugh - that’s a show. Then take that show on the road. I want to be part of that show.

Jump on that digital freedom train because boy, has it left the station, and if you ain’t on board yet start running - because it’s gonna take even more creative ideas and fresh innovative thinking to stay ahead because there’s no easy ride ahead for any artist - if you care about what you do. But, what an exhilarating journey - this is the time that, for the first time, we truly hold our destiny in our own hands......how incredible is THAT!!!!

Oh, and I’ve said it before, but we need to do it our way. Never compromise. Make sure Art triumphs over Business. Never, never dance for the man (and it’s oh so easy because as we all know, he plays SUCH a seductive tune sometimes doesn’t he)...... And I still need to find the time to learn to play the guitar solo from “Goin’ Home”.

Meanwhile.

Can’t tell you how much it means that we’ve seen more people walk through the door at our recent shows than ever before.. and above all I’ve seen something in the faces of those people and the people I’ve talked to after the shows here in London and in Paris last week. It’s a feeling that we have something special.. a special secret something - that this band of ours is a secret bursting to get out.. a Bubble about to burst. That’s you out there. And it’s growing.

It is up to us. It’s not about who we were - it’s about who we could be.

This could be our year. Come with us.

tony james
Dec 30 2008

Of Course! Billie Joe Armstrong!

I overlooked Greenday's Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day's guitar player. Greenday, great songs. -X
Tone
The next in a series of step-by-step guides to home recording
12.08.2008

Green Day are perhaps one of the rawest groups out there these days. Not because of their punk roots, but because that’s the way they’ve always been and success hasn’t changed them.
Far too often groups leave their roots to find themselves, and in the process they stray from what made them successful in the first place. If you listen to Green Day’s Insomniac (1995), and compare it to American Idiot (2004) you get a similar feeling and sound.
Let’s take two greats from Green Day’s stockpile of classic songs. Insomniac’s “Brain Stew” is one of my favorite older songs from the band because it’s simple, it has a great beat and it’s raw to the core. Now look at American Idiot. All of the same reasons for liking the song still apply.
Armstrong has been a busy man. Not only has he driven Green Day to the charts many times, he has also collaborated on several other projects. The most well-known of these being the Foxboro Hot Tubs.
The Hot Tubs made their debut in December 2007. It became immediately clear that either Billie Joe and the boys were masquerading as a different band or there was an incredible group out there that sounded a lot like Green Day.
Turns out it was in fact Green Day recording under a different name.
Whatever name they record under, Billie Joe Armstrong’s will be one of the lasting influences from this era of music.
Billie Joe has quite a collection of Gibson guitars that he uses, including a signature Les Paul Junior . He also uses the ES-135, ES-335, 1959 Les Paul Special, SG and Fender Strats, among others.
Remember what I said earlier about Green Day’s music being raw? Well so is the guitar tone. The tone is basically made up of a Marshall amp and Armstrong’s Gibson guitars, so that’s what I’m going to use when recreating this tone at home. I’ll be using Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig 3 to make the tone. I’ll also be using a high-gain guitar, so you’ll need to adjust the settings accordingly if you’re not.

I started off with a modeled Marshall JCM800 amp with Master 9; Preamp 7; Bass 7; Mid 7; Treble 10; and Presence 8. Leave the boost button off or you’ll have too much gain going into the amp. If you’re using a passive pickup guitar, you might want to turn the boost on as a quick fix, to add more gain.
I’m also using a Marshall modeled 4x12 cabinet with the mic set at 57% towards mic B. The Dry/Air setting is at 3.91 and the cabinet volume is set at -6.4db.
I felt the tone needed a little bit of bite, but not enough to really affect what the amp is doing. I decided on adding a Screamer, but with modest settings. The Screamer is set at Volume 1.6; Tone 4.35; and Drive 2.65.
The last thing I added was a Tape Echo, not so much for the echo, but rather to add some depth to the tone. Settings for both Head A and Head B Time is 83ms; Bass 5; Treble 5; Rev Vol 0; Speed 1.16T; Feedback 3.62; and Exho Vol 0.31.
That’s it for Green Day. Download the tone and enjoy!

Mesa Boogies - Andy Timmons

Different Companies i.e. manufacturers endorse or back artists. Mesa Boogie went with this andy timmons guy. He runs clinics demoing equipment at music stores. The schedule is pretty gruling:
Dec 1, 2008 7:00 PM Hertlein GuitarsDublin, CAMesa Boogie Clinic Hertlein Guitars 6841 Dublin Blvd. Dublin, CA 94568 925-829-2170 venue info ::: show details
Dec 2, 2008 7:00 PM Spitzer’s SoundstageFresno, CAMesa Boogie Clinic Spitzer’s Soundstage 3821 N. Blackstone Fresno, CA 93726 559-224-5277 venue info ::: show details
Dec 3, 2008 7:00 PM Instrumental MusicThousand Oaks, CAMesa Boogie Clinic Instrumental Music 1501 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 805-496-3774 venue info ::: show details
Dec 4, 2008 6:30 PM Guitar TraderSan Diego, CAMesa Boogie Clinic Guitar Trader 7120 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92111 858-565-8814
He's been doing of few of theses, so last week he comes up lame, lame pay, lame hotels, lame.
They cancel that part of the tour this week he;s back cured of the lower back issue HIISSS WAAAALLLLETTTTT!. ___X.

From Mesa's news letter. -X:"Great news to report on our dear friend Andy Timmons.
He is back on his feet and off to a full recovery (more below)
His doctors report concluded that he simply aggravated his lower back (no additional issues), which most of us do at some point in our life. His prognosis is for a complete recovery and clean bill of health. (We kept telling him to use the casters on those 4x12 Recto Cabs!!!)On behalf of Andy and Mesa/Boogie, we want to thank those of you who tookthe time to call, write or email us with your concerns for Andy. We wereblown away by the outpouring of support and are so happy to be able toreport this good news. We also want to apologize for any inconvenience thecancellation of the Clinic Tour may have caused and are hoping to reschedulethese events sometime early next year. "
Please continue to visit http://mesaboogienews.com/click.html?x=a62a&lc=IMPC&mc=3&s=lMeB0&y=h& for updates.

John Mayer... The best, right now?

John Mayer seems to be on his game of late, heir apparent to guitar god status. -X


Mayer is rumoured to monitor web chaff and respond on his site http://www.johnmayer.com/. The following is a gear list from a simple web search.. - X
"Since the great crash, I haven't had a chance to update. So here we are. This isn't the newest information (which I don't have. Maybe I'll find out by the time the trio tour starts), but this at least gets us back to the last known gear list.

Also, here are two sites that have better pics of John's gear.

Scotty's Gear Page


Current Setup:

ACOUSTICS:

Martin OM-28JM John Mayer Signature - (x3, numbers 4, 48, and 83)

Martin D-41 (x2)

Martin J-40

Avalon U5 Direct Box


ELECTRICS:

Fender John Mayer Signature Stratocaster
- Sunburst Prototype (JM0001)
- Shoreline Gold w/Red Racing Stripe Prototype (Custom Shop)
- Charcoal Frost Metallic w/Grey Racing Stripe Prototype (Dennis Galuszka Masterbuilt)

Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Strat

C.W. Fleming Masterbuilt Fender Strat/Tele hybrid

Fender Crashocaster - Painted by CRASH (Maple Neck)

Fender Masterbuilt (John Mayer, Mike Eldred, John Cruz) Reliced Stratocaster (Black and white)


AMPS

Two Rock Custom Reverb (2x 50w head, 2x 100w head, 1 50w Custom Reverb Signature Head)

Fender Vibro-King (w/Cowboy Leather)


EFFECTS

Custom Audio Electronics RS-10 Midi Foot Controller with Expander Module

Roger Linn Adrenalinn I - BTMB Effect Box

Korg G4 - Leslie Rotary Speaker Simulator

Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner - Tuner

Boss DD-5 Digital Delay - Delay Pedal

Fulltone Full-Drive - Overdrive/Boost Pedal

Vintage Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer - Overdrive/Boost Pedal

Robert Keeley Effects
- Ibanez TS-808 Reissue w/True Bypass
- Ibanez TS-9
- Boss BD-2
- Keeley Compressor

Line6 DL4 - Delay Modeler

Ernie Ball Jr. Volume Pedal

Teese Real McCoy Wah


STRINGS

D'Addario EXP16 (acoustic)

D'Addario XL115 (electric)


VOCAL

Neumann KMS 105

Avalon V737SP


ACCESSORIES:

Dunlop Tortex Picks

Fender Guitar Strap

Kyser Quick Change Capo

Ultimate Genesis 100 - Guitar Stand



Older Gear:

ACOUSTICS

Martin OM-28V

Martin HD-35

Martin DM3MD

Martin 000-28EC

Martin OM-42


ELECTRICS

Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan #1 Replica Stratocaster (1 of 100 made)

Fender Jimi Hendrix Monterey Pop Festival Custom Shop Replica Strat

Fender 1956 Closet Classic Maple Strat (Black, given to David Ryan Harris)

Fender 1962 Custom Shop Hardtail Rosewood Strat (Lake Placid Blue, given to Buddy Guy)

Fender 1960s Custom Shop Burgundy Mist

Fender Buddy Guy Polka Dot Strat

Crook Custom Guitars Brad Paisley Model Stratocaster (Black and White)

Novax Expression

Fender 1959 Rosewood Strat

Novax XR

Paul Reed Smith Hollowbody - Gold

Gibson Flying V with Fender headstock/neck

Tokai Strat Copy

Rick Turner Model 1

Vinetto Telecaster Replicas - Blue w/Tortoise pickguard, Sunburst w/White pickguard

Benedetto Benny


AMPS

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Settings: Treble 6, Bass 9, Mid 4, Reverb 5, Presence 6
Bright setting off

Fender Blues Jr.

Victoria 45-410 Bassman Clone

Victoria Reverberato Head

Fender Super Reverb Blackface Reissue

Dumble Overdrive Special (x2, both stay at home)

SMF 15 - Watter


EFFECTS


Dunlop Crybaby Wah

Fulltone Super-Trem - Tremolo Pedal

Electro Harmonix Memory Man - Delay Pedal

Moogerfooger MF-104 Analog Delay - Delay Pedal

T-Rex CompNova - Compression Pedal

Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere - Leslie Rotary Speaker Simulator

Marshall BB-2 Bluesbreaker - Overdrive

Menatone Ms. Foxy Brown - Overdrive

Crybaby Q-Zone - Stationary Wah

Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive - Overdrive

Ibanez TS9DX Tubescreamer - Overdrive


STRINGS

Ernie Ball Power Slinky (electric)


VOCAL

Shure SM86

Shure Beta 87C

Shure Beta 87A

Shure Beta 58A"I'm Ashton Kutcher and I LOVE Justin Timberlake! Why am I so KICK-ASS?!?!"

randyfromDe Re: John's Gear List "