I always feel in some way like i'm coming back home when i get the time to join in on the conversation at my favorite forum..Its always good to see the old familiar names ..This is truly the one and only place i have found where its not just a bunch of blow hards spotting off but people who are truly knowledgeable about Stratocaster ..

Can some one tell me the ending saga to the lonely boy guitar and what our friend from down under is up to these days..

Also can someone catch me up on anything important i may have missed while on the road with any of the ol'e timers on this board...

Happy Thanksgiving to all ..

Looking forward to passing the winter and off season with you all...

Xhefri's new build thread is now playing at the local theater. Tickets are reasonably priced but it is a B.Y.O.B.......

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Welcome back to the Forum. Did you have a fun touring season this year? I will let others tell you the saga of the lonely boy guitar. There is a petition for Ceri to build another guitar, he says he will when things slow down for him. Someone has already told you about Xhefri's build. Texasguitarslinger is in the process of building her own guitar.

Is there any information on what kind of guitar I have...Which guitar is the best...and which pickup is the best...you know the usual stuff.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Welcome back. Lonely Boy is alive but not well. He is now number 2 behind a beautiful blue stunner. Vinny was awol for a good while after a heartbreak, but returned a few weeks ago with a very choice new release. It's on utube. He is going to the big time. It's just a matter of time. Elvis II.

Well It seems each year out on the road with the wife and kids at home is getting harder and harder on me..
That manager job at guitar center is calling my name louder and louder each year..

You know the one where they use someone that knows the local music scene to bring in all his buddy's.
So they buy gear for a month or so before throwing him off the floor and putting him in exile in the back room to open cartons and put strings on guitars and such..

Never mind that last comment i'm just tired..

No it was a really good season we secured a casino contract for a few dates through the winter and had a 70% re booking's for next years fixed events so i can't really complain..

Then tragedy struck and our lead guitar player and one of my closest friends passed away in his bed 3 days after our last show..He was 51 and had two small children so my heads still spinning about that..

Lets see i switched from a SG to a US Master guitar Works Sporster Skinny for my Humbucker guitar..

Switched from my old wore out Marshall JCM800 and Bassman to a Randall RM100 MTS module amp..For those not familiar it is a power amp that takes 3 plug in pre amps that are powered by twin 12ax7 or 12aus7 in each voiced pre amp..The amp itself has 4 KT88 tubes in power section of the amp..The modules i'm using at present is a Twin Reverb,Bassman and Marshall Plexi..

The reason for the switch is my vintage amps just where not holding up and started costing more to keep them up and running..Both the Bassman and the JCM800 are going to be rebuilt at Voodoo Lab over the winter..

The Randall is a excellent amp and those vintage modules sound very close to the originals especially in live settings..For studio work where i can rent amps i may use the real deal still..But i'm very pleased with this Randall setup..It is nothing at all like a Vox modeler or a Line 6 modeling amp these are 100% tailored tube pre amps that just sound fantastic..

Since buying the Randall i have sold off the majority of my dirt pedals and have gone back to nothing more than a tubescreamer,fuzz,wah,Delay,Tremolo ,Vibe and reverb..
The only thing i wish Randall had was a built in Reverb or Tremolo like the amps it is built to mimic..

The only new Strat i added to my arsenal is a 91 American Standard in Aqua Marine..I think it is Fender paint code 084 but i'm not certain at this moment..It has absolutely great clean tones but really suffers when overdriven ..
I picked it up for $400 with a Fender USA case while on the road ..I then had the frets redressed and a major cleanup done to it..Although the finish and neck is virtually flawless the guitar was not well cared for and needed a full cleaning..


I did buy a 1983 Dan Smith era Strat with that weird Tremolo ..It had some balls but the trem could only be used pushing down and although it had a good dirt tone i just never really bonded with it so i sold it for a small profit..

Most off all i'm glade to be home ..I look forward to sitting back for a couple weeks and then seeing what kind of commercial studio work i can pick up as well as maybe a few students maybe a worship band position or something like that for a few months if it fits in with our winter bookings..

I also failed to mention i became a Grandpa earlier this week ..Its amazing even though i'm only 44 how old being called Grandpa can make you feel..But holding that little guy makes it worth the teasing..

Good to see several old friends still on the forum to share there knowledge and experience..
I would also like to say hello to those i have not had the pleasure to exchange post and thoughts with yet..
I look forward to exchanging post with you all in the cold days of winter...

Who's been a busy boy then????

SO come on Invader, share a link for the band eh. Lets have a look.

Really pleased to finally find someone with some knowledge of the Randal module amp. The clean and crunch sounds good does it? All I've ever seen advertised is these high gain players using it. Hammett and Darrell. So I thought it was mainly a high gain specialist and that the clean would suffer.

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No no and no

Welcome back Invader. Sounds like good times for you except for losing your bandmate . I just became a grandpa myself recently and am loving it. I bought my grandaughter a pink Squire Strat before she was born, that little girl is such a life changer .

Our site was way out dated it is temporarily closed ( All you get is the broken link message) It should be reopened by the end of the week or the beginning of next week and i will be more than happy to post it then to all though's interested as soon as it is up and running.

Here is the guy i took my que from on the Randall module amps..His name is Rod Welles and i meet him through another forum ..He is a tremendous player with great toen and if there is anyone who can show how a Randall module amp can be used for Blues its him ...http://www.myspace.com/therodwellesbluesband His My space page
http://rodwelles.com/ Rods website..

His website has his Randall set up listed as well as reviews of Randall Modules and sound samples of some of the modules..

Hey Mr Invader.CC, nice to have you back. For some reason I hear a Willie Nelson song playing backward in my head:

Go'in home again, I just can't wait to get back home again,
I love making music with my friends,
but I can't wait to get back home again….. (Instrumental)….

Liked your take on the Randall Amps. Sounds great!

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

Welcome back home my friend!! Glad to hear from you!!

Welcome back, man! glad to see you're still rocking it out!

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http://www.twitter.com/CAE_Music

Xhefri ..Its my brother with the same first name how are you ? Its been to long ..Glade to see you are still building fantastic guitars..

I still have my Ultra and took it on the road for the first time since buying it..I don't think i will do it again though because everyone was complaining about me having it sitting next to me in the van as if it was a person..As well as demanding it rode in the passenger seat when it was my turn to drive or sitting in the chair next to me at restaurants or spooning with me in the hotel bed..I even took to handcuffing it to my wrist like in those spy moves when in bad neighborhoods ..

As far as the reverse song goes if my wife doesn't quit giving me a honey do list every morning when i wake up that song played the right way will have meaning real quick..


.........I'm happy to see all thoughs who have stopped in to say hello..Without coming off sappy i would really like to say how great it is hearing from all of you..........

Iv'e never met you so...... " Hello It Is..... ....."

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Man, you are an OCD as I am with my guitars. Some of my nice peices I show to friends, and am kind about it, but just let them look. I let one friend play one of my mint Vintage White (with Maple fret board; 1988) Strat Plus' and he dropped it on a thin carpet on a cement floor. It was toast. Cracked the finish all the way down into the wood..... He felt sooo bad.... And I have heard some real horror stories, like the one about BB King, and other pro-players getting their pride and joy ripped off by some bimbo. Now I know why some guys gig with MIM Strats or older beater guitars. Now, BTW, I have a Beatles song stuck in my head.... "No, No Honey don't..... you say you will when you won't , oh oh, honey, I won't......." What those honey do lists!

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

Who do you tour with?