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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 4:16 am
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1. What inspired you to play the guitar (bass)?
My milkman. I saw him play at a wedding when I was about 8 or 9 or so.

2. What do you remember about your first guitar (bass)?
I Remember lots about it. A Framus arch top with a full size neck on a 3/4 size body. Cedar top. Mahogany back and sides and neck with ebony board. A very beautiful and well made guitar that was awful to play.

3. What was the first song you learned?
When I was a little bitty baby my mama would rock me in the cradle in them old ....

4. Do you rememeber your first time on stage?
School gymnasium. Not that there was an actual stage as such.

5. Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage?
Nothing really hideous. The usual stuff. Broken strings. Missed chords. Missed lyrics.

6. What is your favorite piece of gear?
My Rivera Fandango.

7. Do you have any advice for young players?
Start on an acoustic and don't switch to electric until you are confident enough to play on stage with the acoustic. Then actually do it.

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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 1:36 pm
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1- My first inspiration to play guitar was listening to and watching Ace Frehley. I didn't think there was anything cooler in the whole world.

2- Still have it. It's an early 80's Fender '57 AVRI. And I remember I played it every day for at least 3-hrs a day.

3- The first song I learned on it was like most people back then. The rhythm parts to Black Sabbath's Iron Man.

4- High School Gym. We put together a small band and played one song for a rally. It was AC/DC's Shook Me All Night Long. On bass was a kid who would eventually become the legendary Fieldy of KORN.

5- One night I was playing drunk (it was my birthday) in front of my hometown crowd. I jumped off stage to play a solo and the other guitar player stepped on my chord and unplugged it. The crowd wanted me to do it again. In the middle of doing it again, a stage hand stepped on the chord going into my amp while adjusting the mic to the amp. So it happened twice, back to back. Needless to say, there wasn't going to be a 3rd attempt. Most in the crowd thought I was too drunk and was doing it myself.

6- My favorite Piece of gear is my Fender '57 AVRI. First guitar, a lot of memories. It's basically locked up in a safe now. I'll probably be buried with it.

7- PRACTICE!! Know what you like to hear and practice it long and hard. Figure out what you're good at, and practice it even harder. If you think you're not very good at something, there's only one way TO get good at it. Practice, practice, practice. Oh yea, and don't forget to practice. It may not be the most fun thing to do. But it's a whole lot of fun to play something perfectly all the way through. Especially in front of a crowd. And there's only one way to get there.

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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 1:52 pm
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1. What inspired you to play the guitar (bass)?

Several factors, but I'll give credit to my older cousin who played guitar and turned me on to a lot of bands.

2. What do you remember about your first guitar (bass)?

Hard to play. Really crappy no-name guitar.

3. What was the first song you learned?

Stairway to heaven

4. Do you rememeber your first time on stage?

Yep, I was 17 years old, playing in a bar and too young to be there!

5. Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage?

First gig ever with a cover band ... go to play first chord and everything sounds awful. Keyboard player blames out of tune instruments. We re-tune as the set progresses - finally in tune at the end of the set. Turns out after some investigation, the keyboard player accidentally transposed his keyboard before the set started. :/

6. What is your favorite piece of gear?

Martin Acoustic

7. Do you have any advice for young players?

Play along with recordings of your favorite artists.

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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 4:28 am
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1. What inspired you to play the guitar ? Seeing Ritchie Blackmore playing his now, famous white Strat on ABC's " In Concert " TV show way back around 1973.

2. What do you remember about your first guitar ? It was a Fender Bronco which my folks had bought for me in 1973 with a Fender Champ . Wish I still had both of them.

3. What was the first song you learned? Deep Purple's " Smoke On The Water ! "

4. Do you remember your first time on stage? yes I do ! I was 16 years old and in High School. I was in a band called " Eternity " which played a assembly at our Junior High School across town. We did 3 shows that day and were treated like Rock Stars even though we weren't that good. We had girls asking us for autographs, phone numbers, etc. It was great !

5. Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage? Yes. Eternity was booked in 1975 to play at a CYO Dance , which we use to have on Friday nights over here. Well after we had set up our gear , we decided to sneak outside and down some Peppermint Schnapps. I had drank half a pint by myself and when we got on stage, I had put my guitar on and proceeded to vomit all over and then passed out. Needless to say , we didn't play that night and my folks weren't too pleased.

6. What is your favorite piece of gear? Right now, it's a tie between my Epiphone 1956 re-issue Les Paul w / P-90's and my recently acquired, 2012 Squier Standard Strat in Sunburst.

7. Do you have any advice for young players? Yeah I do ! Start off on a Acoustic instead of having your folks buy a ton of gear that if you get frustrated , you'll probably end up selling . The Acoustic will give your fingers the strength they need and will also make you a much more versatile player. When you are ready to step up to Electric , keep it simple and don't go nuts. Wait until you're confident in your abilities before you become a gear hound and one more thing , learn how to play the blues because if it wasn't for that , you wouldn't have Rock, Metal, or whatever you listen to today !!!!


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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 6:04 am
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1. What inspired you to play the guitar (bass)?
Originally, seeing Lonnie Donegan playing skiffle


2. What do you remember about your first guitar (bass)?
It was a cheap no name acoustic with a string action so high it was unplayable.I took the bridge and filed it right down which helped but it eventually got sold and I ended up making a Strat copy after hearing a group playing Del Shannon's "Runaway"

3. What was the first song you learned?
Walk don't run

4. Do you rememeber your first time on stage?
Yes, we played half a dozen instrumentals at a local scout hut for the young scouts who were mesmerised

5. Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage?
Not really, I broke a string once and needed to change it, so grabbed a high stool put the guitar on top and proceeded to change the string while I told a joke (which went down well actually)

6. What is your favorite piece of gear?
A zoom 4040 floor effects pedal , I've had it ages and enjoy tweaking sounds

7. Do you have any advice for young players?
Keep practising, your fingers will get better and not hurt all the time

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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 1:09 pm
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1. What inspired you to play the guitar (bass)?
My dad was a musician from the time he was a kid. Granted the accordion was his instrument and he played polkas but it's WI so that kind of music is pretty popular. He still plays regularly to this day at 71 years old. I just grew up watching his bands and thought there was something so cool about the whole thing. I started as a drummer at 15 and later picked up bass and guitar.

2. What do you remember about your first guitar (bass)?
My first bass was an Ibanez lawsuit copy of a Rickenbacher 4001. It was smooth to play and all but I'm only 5'6" so it just always seemed HUGE to me. Got it for $200 from a friend, traded it after a couple years for a newer Ibanez. All before I found there was such a thing as a short scale bass.

3. What was the first song you learned?
Just What I Needed - The Cars

4. Do you rememeber your first time on stage?
As a drummer it was a "talent night" at school, sophomore year. More memories then talent but it seemed like a good idea at the time. The amps for the guitars were crappy, my drums were pretty cheap. Probably glad that smartphones with video capability weren't around back then.

5. Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage?
Hasn't everyone? The most embarrassing moment I ever had on stage was at a New Year's gig, maybe 7 or 8 years ago. It was in the tavern of a big hotel, and there was a wedding in another hall at the hotel. The wedding reception ended before our gig so we had a lot of people from the wedding walking in just after midnight. I announced we were going to play a "special" song for the bride to dance with her father. Oh wait, that's the groom? Damned awkward.

6. What is your favorite piece of gear?
Tie between my '78 Musicmaster bass or my Montara acoustic. Those are the two that get the most playing time.

7. Do you have any advice for young players?
Just enjoy it, always enjoy the music. If you strive to be perfect, you'll probably be disappointed. If you strive for stardom, you'll probably be disappointed. Learn to play because you enjoy it. Even in the small time cover band I'm in people in the crowd can tell if you are enjoying what you're doing. I just think music should first and foremost be fun.


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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 1:20 pm
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WI KISSfan wrote:
I announced we were going to play a "special" song for the bride to dance with her father. Oh wait, that's the groom? Damned awkward.

:lol: The embarrassing stories in this thread are funny.

Did you ever go to start a song, someone counts in "ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!!" .... everyone plays the first chord and then stops and looks at each other? ::::cricket cricket:::: That happened in a cover band I was in. :oops:

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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 2:00 pm
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strings10927 wrote:
WI KISSfan wrote:
I announced we were going to play a "special" song for the bride to dance with her father. Oh wait, that's the groom? Damned awkward.

:lol: The embarrassing stories in this thread are funny.

Did you ever go to start a song, someone counts in "ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!!" .... everyone plays the first chord and then stops and looks at each other? ::::cricket cricket:::: That happened in a cover band I was in. :oops:


Yep, been there and done that.

About two months ago we had a gig and the drummer counted off and we started the song, in A, but the kicker was the guitarist a different copy of the song list in front of him so after the initial chord the drummer and I went in one direction and he went elsewhere, quite obvious.

But that was a group thing, when I said that "bride and groom" thing that was all on me, even the crickets were quiet at that point :lol:


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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 2:12 pm
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1. What inspired you to play the guitar (bass)?
My best friend in high school played guitar. Also, another kid in high school would regularily play electric guitar at pep rallys and stuff, and i wanted to try.

2. What do you remember about your first guitar (bass)?
It was a Taro brand classical handed down to me by my uncle. We called it the Taco. I handed it down to my brother, who still has it.

3. What was the first song you learned?
The opening riff to Money Talks by AC/DC

4. Do you rememeber your first time on stage?
It was an open stage at a crappy neighbourhood bar. We each got a free beer!

5. Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage?
Blowing the opening riff to a song that was only guitar, and then starting over.

6. What is your favorite piece of gear?
My Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster

7. Do you have any advice for young players?
Practice scales and chords, not just songs you like. Keep your thumb in the middle of neck on your fretting hand. It gives you more reach. I too often play with my thumb over the top of the neck.

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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 2:22 pm
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What inspired you to play the guitar (bass)?
Used to sneak into my brothers room and “borrow” albums. Pink Floyd The Wall was one that grabbed me and I was a Gilmour addict at a very early age. Needed to get a guitar to figure out what he was doing.

What do you remember about your first guitar (bass)?
It was an utter POS and I knew I had to get better to justify getting a better guitar.

What was the first song you learned?
Mother by Pink Floyd

Do you remember your first time on stage?
Yup… it was the High School Talent show. I remember being very nervous because we were not allowed to use electric guitars so we had to adapt our original tune into an acoustic version so I was nervous it wouldn’t fill up the Auditorium or translate like we wanted. I remember the lady pulling back the curtain to let us go on and seeing the stage from that perspective reminded me of the cover to Rush’ Exit Stage Left and I remember thinking it was a positive omen and we ended up bringing the house down with our original song done on acoustic guitars. We did not win but we did get a first place vote from the music director of the school and so I thought that was worth something and the applause was enough for me. I really miss playing with those guys. … I just remembered that we even had the Foreign exchange student from Denmark with us for an extra guitarist to help fill things out LOL. That was a fun time.

Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage?
Yeah… playing an acoustic show at a local coffee house that was booked by the bass player and right before we went on the Singer found out we weren’t being paid and pitched a fit and ruined the show. Not sure what he was expecting but we were just trying to build chops and get some exposure. That was the end of that band. In hindsight, we should have cut him loose long before but we couldn’t find anyone was willing and able to sing.

What is your favorite piece of gear?
I don’t own that strat yet. Was my Hot Rod Deville but it was stolen. I suppose now its my Partocaster.

Do you have any advice for young players?
I’m probably the last who should be giving advice as I’m not that good and I don’t play out anymore but I will say if you form a band, make sure you can tolerate the people you’re with and don’t settle.

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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:02 pm
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WI KISSfan wrote:
5. Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage?
Hasn't everyone? The most embarrassing moment I ever had on stage was at a New Year's gig, maybe 7 or 8 years ago. It was in the tavern of a big hotel, and there was a wedding in another hall at the hotel. The wedding reception ended before our gig so we had a lot of people from the wedding walking in just after midnight. I announced we were going to play a "special" song for the bride to dance with her father. Oh wait, that's the groom? Damned awkward.

Ouch. Mixed age couples aren't that rare anymore, possibly due to the internet making mingling between different age groups more common. It might be an easy mistake to make, but best avoided! :p

I think the worst small mistake I have made was after singing "Happy Birthday dear Sammy", switching to "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" assuming Sammy was a guy. I don't think too many cared or noted the belated switch to "She's", because it is a good drinking song.


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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:38 am
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arth1 wrote:
WI KISSfan wrote:
5. Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage?
Hasn't everyone? The most embarrassing moment I ever had on stage was at a New Year's gig, maybe 7 or 8 years ago. It was in the tavern of a big hotel, and there was a wedding in another hall at the hotel. The wedding reception ended before our gig so we had a lot of people from the wedding walking in just after midnight. I announced we were going to play a "special" song for the bride to dance with her father. Oh wait, that's the groom? Damned awkward.

Ouch. Mixed age couples aren't that rare anymore, possibly due to the internet making mingling between different age groups more common. It might be an easy mistake to make, but best avoided! :p

I think the worst small mistake I have made was after singing "Happy Birthday dear Sammy", switching to "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" assuming Sammy was a guy. I don't think too many cared or noted the belated switch to "She's", because it is a good drinking song.



Yes, the mixed age couple angle was one that didn't enter my mind, there were several guys in tuxes so who could tell?

An important lesson for everyone is, don't assume you know what you're talking about. Unless you know the person make your "announcements" very general in nature.

A couple of my coworkers were there that night and they still haven't let me forget that one. :lol:


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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:13 am
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1. What inspired you to play the guitar?
Don't remember--I've wanted to play guitar as far back as I can remember.

2. What do you remember about your first guitar?
Hmm, my first was a toy plastic one, but it had six strings and you could actually tune it.
My first real one and decent one was an Asian made student model Classical guitar--I still have it & still play it

3. What was the first song you learned?
I do not remember

4. Do you remember your first time on stage?
Yes--did you want details?
I can laugh about it now--but it was a disaster, although it fuelled my desire to get up there again and do it better.

5. Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage?
My first time playing in a band in front of an audience.
We didn't have enough time to prepare, and we had gone through a few groupings as people dropped out.
Just before we played the screw holding my strap knob on flew out of my guitar--the screw did this--strap locks wouldn't have mattered. I broke two strings (I was holding the neck so it didn't hit the floor-just the broken strings.) I borrowed a guitar (A much nicer one actually)
During one of the 2 songs we played my mind went blank and I forgot the chords--so I turned down the volume on my guitar and faked it.

6. What is your favorite piece of gear?
That changes from day to day.

7. Do you have any advice for young players?
Do it for fun above all else--so even if you take it seriously it will always be fun.
Develop your own style--but that doesn't mean you can'r copy or borrow from others.

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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 7:51 am
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1. What inspired you to play the guitar (bass)?

Well in my case, this is a bit tricky. The first time I started to play guitar was when I was 4 years old. My folks got me a 3/4 scale classical from a local luthier as an unclaimed repair and sent me out for lessons. That said, I was honestly too young to remember what had motivated all of this (other than many people on Mom's side of the family also played). What I do remember most however was that even at this young age, I wanted an electric guitar (which my folks never got for me) because I wanted to play the same music my older brother listened to...at that time, a lot of 4 Seasons, Shocking Blue, Beach Boys, Elvis, etc.. In lessons however I was painfully exposed to the likes of "The Sam Fox Modern Guitar Method" (later replaced by Mel Bay) and after 3 years of having to play "Little Brown Jug" and "When The Saints Go Marching In", I quit.

Later when I was 17 and had my first job (pushing grocery carts and bag boy at a local grocery store) I realized that I didn't need Mom and Dad to get me an electric...and if anything, getting an electric guitar would likely annoy the living crap out of them since they never wanted me to have one (LOL). I still had that 3/4 classical (a Giannini) and still remembered a few chords from my early lessons, so I went to the music store where I had first taken those lessons and bought a -really- cheap Kay electric (talk about a canoe paddle, LOL!)...2 months later, I got a Memphis Les Paul knock-off which I still have (and traded the Kay for a P-bass clone which I also still have) and I've been going at it ever since.

I guess to sum that all up, mostly it was because I wanted to play the kind of music my brother was listening too.

2. What do you remember about your first guitar (bass)?

I remember quite a bit about that very first guitar...at the moment it's sitting about 6 feet away from me, LOL! Again, a Spanish made Giannini 3/4 classical. In my early days I had pluncked a bunch of stickers on the body, which I removed later when I got back into music...really didn't need "Count Chocula" on the front of my guitar when I hit my late teens and early 20's (although looking back, maybe I should have kept the Snoopy...). I will say that despite bearing MANY scars from my youth and considering she was an unclaimed repair back in 1969, she's actually held up well over the years. Still a lovely instrument and today she's always had a really lovely tone to say the least.

Now that first electric...the Kay mentioned above....gads, what a piece of crap! I got her new for about $80...she was very literally a neck slapped on a flat chunk of wood. The neck wasn't even real rosewood...it just had an ebony stain (that started coming off the first week I had her). No regrets at all about having traded her...I still have the bass I got for her and that sucker still rocks! Interestingly enough, the bass is also a Kay...probably mid to late 60's, with a 6 bolt neck. Her previous owner (the bud I traded her with) had slapped some '73 Fender pickups on her and over the years, I replaced the tuners and the bridge with Schaller. Really great instrument and I wouldn't trade her or sell her for anything...that sucker's just got more balls than ANY other bass I've ever played.

3. What was the first song you learned?

Again looking at those early years...probably had to be "Little Brown Jug" or "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"...after 45 years, it still gives me nightmares thinking about it! The first REAL song I learned...Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water"...although admittedly, it was just the opening riff and it took me years before I went back and learned the rest of it 8) .

4. Do you rememeber your first time on stage?

Gads yes! LOL! It was the second band I was ever in and we had just broken up (although I can't remember why we had broken up as we all got along and stayed friends for many years after). The DAY after the break up the lead guitar player, George Sayre (still an incredible musician, now living in Luxembourg) called me and said we had a gig...I said, "But George...we're NOT a band any more", LOL!!! The show ended up being a block party on Cleveland's near West side...I think we really only played a total of 8 or 10 tunes, but we did some seriously extended jams that took a good 2 hours. By the end of the show, we actually had like 4 or 5 guys playing guitar, 2 people on bass and 2 drummers...playing the same drum kit, at the same time! It was really quite a spectacle. After the show, the locals took up a collection and we all made a staggering $45 a man...which isn't bad since we weren't supposed to be paid at all for it!

5. Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage?

Haven't we all? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While not specifically "embarrassing", the term "gig from hell" comes to mind...a frat party I played back in the late 80's. Murphy and that damn law of his were in FULL swing that night. First and foremost, I'm guessing there was something seriously wrong with the electric at the venue we were playing...we had 2 microphone's short out, one PA speaker actually started smoking and caught fire and the pickups in one of my guitars fried on stage. If that wasn't bad enough, the lead singer showed up with laryngitis. And my wife (girl friend at the time) was running sound and everyone kept blaming her because no one could hear the singer...and that was all just in the first set! In the second set (after some quick patch jobs on the electric) we did the classic Wipe Out and I had this crazy drunk chick jumped on stage and dropped to her knees right in front of my crotch...all I could feel was my wife's eyes burning into the back of my skull!!!!!!!!! But wait...there's more. After all of this (and I'm sure there was more that I've simply blocked out over the years), we didn't even get payed! The drummer who had setup the gig said we were supposed to get $50 a man, but after the show he said "oh...no...we were just doing this as a favor for a friend". That was my 3rd band and yea...we broke up the next day.

I'm sure there's been MANY other moments on stage...we all forget licks, lyrics and every now and then there's some degree of lameness (yea, I've gotten drunk and tripped over my own guitar cable while falling off stage), however that frat party just stands out in my mind as a single moment in time that I have NO desire to ever repeat.

6. What is your favorite piece of gear?

Hhmmmmmmm. That one's tough because there's just soooooo much to choose from. If I had to narrow it down to just -1-, it would have to be my '96 Standard Strat (MIM)...she's always been my #1 since my wife got her for my birthday back in August of 1996. That said, there are some notable others... The Roland GR-30 guitar synth has been SUCH a wonderful tool and toy for me...there really are some days where I think I'm really a sax player in a guitar player's body, LOL! And being able to do piano and keyboard work on a guitar....sweeeeeet. Also, when it comes to terms of "what I use the most", I have this little Ovation Applause acoustic that I snagged in a trade at a guitar show a few years back. I have 2 other Ovations that I love and use on stage (a 6 string Celebrity and a 12 string Standard Balladeer) along with a Seagull S6 that I really love, however this little Applause is just -fun-. With my Giannini sitting to my left, that Applause is sitting to my right...it's the guitar I do most of my practicing on and that particular guitar usually goes with me to the park, camping or to the river. She's not the greatest sounding acoustic, but she plays VERY well, she has passive pickups so I can plug in if need be and because she's an inexpensive guitar, I'm not totally terrified of taking her with me should I go rambling around somewhere.

7. Do you have any advice for young players?

DON'T GIVE UP!!! Soooooooooo many people will pick up a musical instrument, guitar or otherwise, and after noodling for 15 minutes when they don't sound like their favorite recording artist, will put the instrument away because they don't think they have any "talent". As a person who's also a digital artist and photographer and as a person who's won a number of awards for his work, including a community college "Talent of the Year" award (2011 Lorain County Community College), I'm here to tell you that there isn't any such thing as talent!

In my mind the term talent suggests some "ethereal gift" that takes away from the hard work, dedication and passion of the individual. Think about it - if you had to have open heart surgery, would you want a doctor who is merely "talented" or would you prefer someone who's spent years learning and PRACTICING his (her) profession? If you have to get into a plane, do you want a pilot who's just talented or would you prefer someone who's at least spent A LOT of hours PRACTICING in flight simulators? That bridge you drive across every morning to work...would you want the designers and builders to be "talented" or would you prefer someone who has studied engineering concepts and has actually PRACTICED them (notice a reoccurring theme there?).

It never ceases to amaze me that when it come to most things, people generally tend to value learning, education and experience, however when it comes to the "arts", somehow people suddenly believe it's something your born with...something that you have or you don't...something that was given to you. However if you ask any ballerina worth her salt where those calluses on her feet came from, the last thing she's likely to say is that they were a "gift"...she had to EARN them. Likewise, these calluses on my fingers weren't given to me - I had to earn them!

Very simply, playing a musical instrument...again guitar or otherwise...is a -SKILL-. To be truly good at something, whether it's being a doctor, a golfer, a carpenter or a guitar player, it takes years of practice, passion, practice, dedication, practice, determination, practice, learning....oh...did I mention practice? For those first starting their journey into this thing we call music, I'll leave you with the wisdom of Ted Nudgent, "Practice, practice, practice. Practice until you see blood coming out of your fingers...THEN you'll know you're on to something...".



Note to OP; Fun topic...thank you!


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Post subject: Re: 7 Guitar Player Questions
Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 9:19 am
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Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:33 pm
Posts: 811
Here are my answers

1. What inspired you to play the guitar (bass)?
I always wanted to play guitar, even though I started on piano first (I tried mightily, but couldn't match my brother for skill on that instrument) and later French horn in Junior high (because that was all that was left by the time I got there at sign ups).
As an eight-year-old, I was initially intrigued by Joe Walsh's slide playing (even though I didn't know what he was doing or how he was doing it); but by the time I actually started playing at age 19, I aimed at being the missing link between Muddy Waters and Keith Richards. Jimmie Vaughan was another inspiration. Blues and bluesy rock were (and still are) my favorite types of music.

2. What do you remember about your first guitar (bass)?
I was spoiled. My first acoustic was good (a 1986 Fender F250 that sounded and played well) and my first electric was great (a 1980 G&L F-100). I still (miraculously) possess both of them to this day.
The acoustic would be overlooked by brand snobs, but everyone who plays it agrees it's an excellent guitar; plays great, sounds excellent. There are better acoustics out there, but not for the money.
The electric is another rare bird that is somewhat unique, even amongst G&L F100 models. According to the serial number, it's one of the earliest G&Ls to leave the factory; it also has a sunburst finish, a rosewood fretboard, a hardtail bridge and the Series II neck profile, which are all (in themselves) rare features for an F100 (combined, those features make it very unique). It's in AA++ Excellent condition, and plays, looks and sounds amazing.

3. What was the first song you learned?

First song I learned was "Sympathy for the Devil";
first slide song I learned was "Little Red Rooster";
first harmonica song I learned was "Midnight Rambler".

4. Do you remember your first time on stage?
Yep.


Oh--was I supposed to tell you about it?
My brother spiked my beers with shots of tequila and signed me up to play an open mic night at the (sadly departed) J&J's Blues Bar in Fort Worth. I told them to play a shuffle in A, closed my eyes, played harp and sang my heart out. Did that again with a swing rhythm in E, and then left stage. The audience responded favorably, and I was hooked on performing.

5. Ever have an embarrassing moment on stage?
Yes. I got over it.

6. What is your favorite piece of gear?
Kinda torn here.

First thing that comes to mind is my Telecaster. After the customization I've done to her, she does just what I want a guitar to do.

Effect Pedal?
My TS9 Tube Screamer is rarely turned off, but my Lone Wolf Blues Company Harp Break is funkier and cooler...and unlike the TS9, it works for harp or guitar.

Microphone?
The 1946 Astatic 200S that I use for harp and the Shure Super 55 I use for vocals.

And of course, my Fender '63 reissue Vibroverb is my perfect amp.

Final answer?
The Screamin' Armadillos "Big Tex" Telecaster

7. Do you have any advice for young players?
-Learn how to play complete songs; don't be an Intro King.
-Don't obsess about playing a song "exactly like the original." Make it your own.
-Write your own songs.
-Don't obsess over what gear your hero uses. Get the best gear you can afford and then learn how to use it well.
-Play with other people. It doesn't matter how good you are by yourself if you can't play with other people (solo acoustic artists and Lincoln Durham excluded...although Linc plays with, erm, BY himself because he doesn't "play well with others").

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Good Vibes To Y'all!
Blues, Rock and Outlaw Country
Texas Roadhouse Music at It's Finest...


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