G3 Show in Nashville - Gilbert, Petrucci and Satriani!

So yesterday me, Nik and my wife hop into a rental car and take off for Nashville entirely too late because Nik was dumb enough to take only a half day off from work. That meant that he would inevitably be delayed (and he was).

So we get to Nashville with plenty of time before the show, but not enough time to go hit the guitar stores like we wanted. Plus, Nik was in charge of bringing the digital camera, which he did, but he forgot the memory card. Thanks Nik. ;) Luckily, I ran into a guy I know from the Jemsite forum named Wade (who happens to also be from Memphis). What are the odds?! His digital camera batteries were almost dead, so we pooled our resources and took his memory card and placed it in our camera so we could keep taking pictures. Worked out great!

The show started around 7:20pm, which was earlier than originally scheduled. We were there in our seats already, so it didn't affect us. Paul Gilbert opened the show with "Get Out of My Yard" and then went into "Hurry Up". He played a few more songs from "Get Out of My Yard" and then he and Bruce Bouillet started ripping some old Racer X stuff. It was awesome! Bruce Bouillet was simply incredible and played the crap out a Les Paul (of all things to use for Racer X material!) ;) Gilbert was true to form and ripped some amazing licks. His performance overall was less than I expected from an entertainment aspect, but I really do think he might not have been feeling well that night. Still, it was awesome to see him as I had never had the pleasure of watching him perform live before.

Next up was John Petrucci. All I have to say is "WOW"! Holy shit this guy is gifted. His playing was pick melting fast, but all very toneful and melodic where and when it counted. I was so impressed by his performance, and even my wife who isn't a player leaned over to tell me how beautiful John's playing was several times during his set. He started with "Jaws of Life" then went into "Glasgow Kiss". His set ended with "Damage Control". For several songs he was playing his new Music Man "Ball Family Reserve" JP guitars... some 6s and a 7 string.

Then finally Satriani came out and put on a incredible show. He played "War", "Satch Boogie", "Flying In a Blue Dream", "Super Colossal", "Circles", "Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing", "Surfing With The Alien" and "Always With Me, Always With You". I was really close to the stage when he came out and it was just so awesome to get to see this guy up close. I mean, he is one of my biggest influences... I must have listened to "Surfing with the Alien" at least ten thousand times. :) He was flawless, as usual, and seemed to be having a good night despite a mishap with his stage monitor during the early part of the first number. It was quickly replaced and the show went on without a hitch after that.

The end jam was incredible. They played "Foxy Lady", "Purple Haze", "Goin' Down", and "Jumpin' Jack Flash"... at one point with Satch on a Les Paul!!!! Gilbert did his drill thing and John played with a rubber chicken as a joke at one point. :) It was an awesome show, for sure. Afterwards we got to meet Paul Gilbert and get some photos... and also out-of-the-blue I happen to spot Mark Tremonti hanging around outside! So I snapped a photo of Nik and Mark. He was a really nice guy and I enjoyed meeting him and chatting about Alter Bridge and guitar playing.

So, despite our late start and the camera snfau, the night was a success overall. I'd do it again!

New Guitar!! Gretsch Power Jet Firebird

Yes!! I finally got a Gretsch. :) I have been wanting one for some time now and recently, for some reason, I was really craving a Duo Jet. So I did some research and finally decided on the Power Jet Firebird instead. Basically the same guitar with a few more appointments... and it's red. :)

The Power Jet is a single cutaway Mahogany set-necked guitar with a chambered Mahogany body. With the awesome TV Jones Power'Tron pickups the tone is unreal. I opted for the Bigsby Vibrato tremolo ('cause I love trems) and the Bigsby also has another distinct advantage on this guitar... it adds more coupling and mass to the guitar top thus increasing sustain and resonance (as compared to the fixed trapeze string retainer, which is an option on this guitar). The neck is a nice profile, (not too thick/not too thin) and it has an Ebony board with a 12" radius which is perfect for getting the action low. The 22 frets are medium jumbo and are very close to a Dunlop 6105 profile. I have it strung with D'Addario 10s, but I am considering switching to 9.5s to see if I like them on this guitar. The 10s are a tad stiff for me, but I may be able to get used to it.

The switching controls are pretty bizarre if you're not familiar with Gretsch. First, there are no tone knobs. Tone is controlled via a three-way switch on the top bout, and (looking down at the guitar in playing position) to the left of the Tone Switch is the three-way Pickup Switch. The knob on the lower bout at the cutaway is the Master Volume and the two knobs on the lower bottom are individual pickup Volume Knobs. The Tone Switch works very well, surprisingly. In the middle position (called pos. 1) the switch is "on" or the equivalent of your Tone Knob on 10. The switch in the down position (called pos. 2) is like having your Tone Knob rolled off slightly... and the up position (pos. 3) is a more aggressive Tone Knob setting similar to it being turned almost all the way down. Very effective feature and much faster than having to use a knob to dial in these settings. Otherwise, the rest of the controls are pretty straightforward.

In my next post I'll detail what I had to do to get all the factory "new-ness" off the guitar and what I had to do to set it up. Not an easy task if you've never done a setup on a Gretsch before. ;) But for now let's just say I have it setup like a speed demon and this thing kicks ass! Super low action, good tuning stability (which will get better as all the new parts begin to settle) and even the Bigsby works beautifully without going out of tune. I still have more to learn about fine tuning Bigsbys and stabilizing floating Gretsch bridges (more on that in my follow-up post to come).

Overall, I am extremely pleased with this guitar and it fills a big gap in my collection. The tone is incredible, fit and finish much better than I expected, good fretwork and a beautifully shaped bone nut! I'm not going to be able to put this thing down for a long time. :)

New CryBaby Wah - Zakk Wylde

I have been needing a wah pedal for my computer-based recording device (Line 6 TonePort UX2). My sales guy at Guitar Center (Devin) convinced me to get the Wylde CryBaby. At first I was skeptical, but once I got it home and heard it on my gear I really love it! I like Zakk Wylde, but I can't say he is my favorite guitarist, so this decision was based purely on Devin's recommendation. He was right. This wah has an insane sweep. I like a powerful wah pedal... one that you know is on when you're using it and this one has it in spades.

If you like a strong wah wah, I highly recommend this one.

New pickups for Deluxe Strat

I was playing my Deluxe Strat recently and finally decided to replace my OEM middle and neck Noiseless pickups with some DiMarzio stacked singles. I got the Virtual Vintage Blues pickups, and they are quite nice. Very good tone and output balance in combo with the DiMarzio Fast Track 2 bridge pickup I put in there when I got the guitar years ago.

I wish I had done this sooner because now I can switch pickups on higher gain patches and keep a consistent tone and volume while playing. The original SCS Noiseless pickups are nice, but they were very bright and had pretty low output. And, to boot, they couldn't be adjusted too closely to the strings without exerting the dreaded magnetic pull that causes loss of sustain and "warbling" notes. The DiMarzios, on the other hand, have low magnetic pull and lots of output. They are a little less bright and sound very full and "mean". Just what I like. ;)

Guitar Room Changes

I decided to put some posters on the wall and clean up the room a bit. Without the drums in there the space feels huge! :) I have debated on whether or not to paint the walls a different color and put up some of the sound tuning foam squares. Still thinking about it.

In the meantime, my collection is growing nicely. Still many pieces I'd like to have (that never ends), but I am very happy with the line-up at the moment. They are all good guitars and serve their purpose well. ;)

No More Drums :(

Jonathan came over today to pick up his drums. Unfortunately, we were unable to really jam on a regular basis due to our conflicting schedules, so he decided to come and get them so he could actually practice for a change. ;) Totally understandable, but I regret that our free time wasn't reconcilable. I really had a lot of fun playing with a real drummer for a change instead of a computer-based one.

Now I have tons of space in my room again. It's amazing how much space even a small kit takes up, and you don't realize just how much space they eat until they're gone. I added some posters to the wall and a new 7 slot guitar rack to help accommodate my guitar addiction, which I may need to seek professional help for soon ;).

I also have a new desk on order that has rack space built in and more top surface area. This desk should help tremendously since the tiny one I have now is super overcrowded with speakers, monitors and music devices. I have the desk on order, so it should be here soon... but I don't look forward to putting it together. :( Put-together-furniture is a major pain in the ass. But it will be worth it once I get everything done and integrated.

CS Relic Strat Setup

I finally decided to really dig into my new Custom Shop Strat Relic and get it setup perfectly. The main problem with it was tremolo stability when using the bar aggressively. A common problem with Strat tremolos unless they are setup properly.

The first thing I did was remove the strings, springs and bridge from the guitar. Then I polished each of the six pivot screws by wrapping the smooth shank part of the screws with a small piece of 1500 grit sandpaper and spinning them with an electric screw driver. This is a quick and easy way to polish and de-burr tremolo screws. After that, I put a small swipe of synthetic lithium-polymer grease on the pivot of the bridge plate before re-installing the unit. I also put a small amount of the same lube around the top of the newly polished screws for added lubrication during tremolo use (very important step!).

I then re-installed the springs, put some new strings on it and setup it up to float (about 1 full step of pull-up on the G string at the 12th fret). Once I got all this adjusted I reset the height of the outer two trem screws so they are nearly exactly flush to the face of the trem plate with the unit pulled all the way up. I raise the inner four screws higher so as to reduce friction. This allows the trem to pivot on the two outer screws like a modern, two-point tremolo... but the inner four are still there for support and tone transfer.

Once all the setup was complete and everything "settled" back in I was very pleased with my work. The guitar stays in tune much better now (even with heavy trem use). I also opted to switch from D'Addario 10s to D'Addario 9.5s. 10s were feeling a bit stiff to me, but plain 9s were "slippery" on the round fretboard and thin fretwire. The 9.5s are a perfect middle ground. Not as stiff as 10s, but you can still grip them when bending and the tone is bit thicker than plain 9s, as you might expect.

Pickguard Change to Malmsteen Strat

I decided to change out the boring mint green pick guard that came on the Malmsteen Strat with a slightly off-white one. Now the pickups (which have mint green covers) contrast nicely with the pickguard, much like Yngwie's does. ;)

It was a very simple and straightforward job, just removing and transplanting the electronics... no soldering required. The only thing I had to do was counter-sink the screwholes since this pickguard had flush screw holes.

New Guitar Order - Ibanez 20th Anniversary RG

I just ordered a 20th Anniversary RG from Rich Harris at IbanezRules.com. I am very exited about this guitar because they were first issued in 1987, back when I was just a kid. I always wanted a guitar like this but I couldn't afford it.. so as soon as I heard about this re-issue I just had to have it. ;) Photo above is from the '07 NAMM show, courtesy of Rich Harris.

The re-issue will have the original Wizard neck profile, but this time with titanium reinforcement rods for added stability against warping (a common problem with thin necks like these back in the 80's). The neck joint and bridge are all original issue. I ordered mine in Desert Yellow, which is the coolest color ever for a guitar. It's also available in Road Flare Red and Black. Photo to left is from www.ibanez.com.

I plan to add DiMarzio PAF Pros to the neck and bridge and a DiMarzio SDS-1 single for the middle (all hot pink, of course). ;) These pickups are period correct and were readily available at the time the guitar was originally issued. I already have procured my neon green knobs and pink switch tip. I have a neon green DiMarzio cliplok strap and the pickups on order as I type this. I should have everything together by the time the guitar arrives. It's going to be super retro 80's for sure. Rad, dude!!

New Guitar!! Music Man Stingray Bass

Well, I decided to see if I could get my awesome sales guy, Devin, at Guitar Center to take back my Schecter 5 string bass and swap it for an Ernie Ball Music Man 4 string Stingray. Luckily he was able to pull it off for me even though I was beyond my 30 day return time period. All I had to do was pay the difference on the Stingray.

The Music Man is a much better bass, as you might expect. ;) The resonance and tone is far superior to the Schecter and there is minimal buzzing. This thing plays like a dream and sounds so good plugged in. It has active treble, bass and mid knobs and a single bridge humbucker. Despite only having one pickup the controls on this thing allow for a surprising amount of different tones.

Like I said in my Schecter review a while back, this will mostly be used for my own personal recordings and for guest bass players that come over to jam. It's a pretty nice bass that should cover those functions adequately, I think.

All in all, this was a super upgrade and probably the bass guitar I should have gotten in the first place. ;)

New Guitar!! EB Music Man Morse Y2d, De-Purple Burst

Finally, after more than 8 months Guitar Center called to tell me my Y2d arrived. I decided to get rid of my EBMM Petrucci because I never could really bond with it, or get the tremolo to stay in tune the way I thought it should. Boy am I glad I made this decision, because I have never played a better feeling neck than the one on the Y2d.

I originally ordered the guitar from my guy, Devin, at Guitar Center with the Floyd Rose option but it came with the Tune-O-Matic... not sure if that was a GC screw-up or an EB screw-up. Regardless, I wasn't too disappointed when I opened the case because I wasn't sure if I was even going to like the guitar since I'd never even laid eyes on one, let alone played one. As soon as I played the first note I was madly in love with this thing. ;) So much so, that I plan to keep it and order another one in Tobacco Burst with a Floyd.

Fit and finish is excellent. The only thing I needed to do (apart from putting my favorite EB Hybrid strings on it) was rectify a couple of string noise issues on the high E. The nut was causing the infamous "sitar" sound when playing the high E open. A very slight, careful adjustment to the front of the nut slot with 2000 grit sandpaper fixed that, no problem. Then as I began to play it more I noticed the same thing happening on the high E when playing above the 12th fret. Since this is a Tune-O-Matic style bridge I instantly knew the saddle slot needed a light sanding; after that, the problem was gone! ;) It now plays perfectly after some minor action, truss rod and intonation adjustments to compensate for the Hybrid string set I like to use. Man, this neck is ridiculously good!

The pickups sound great, and the overall tone I get from this guitar is very reminiscent of the Petrucci. Not surprising, since they use very similar pickups in the bridge. This guitar is brighter, however, which I am sure is due to the Poplar body wood and the "top-loading" Tune-O-Matic bridge. The sound is very defined with hot output, but still articulate. I really like that. You can play a chord with nice, fully saturated distortion and still hear every note in that chord.

The paint job is gorgeous and, as usual from EBMM, everything is perfect. Great fretwork, awesome neck profile, flawless binding and finish... a perfect 10! I can't recommend these models enough. If you are on the fence about buying one of these, just order it... you won't be sorry. ;)

Do YOU have a Y2d, or want one? Post a comment!

New Guitar!! Bought a Custom Shop '60 Relic Strat

Well, I walked into the local Memphis Guitar Center just innocently shopping for inexpensive stuff when I mistakenly picked up this Strat. I instantly fell in love with it and had to have it. I demo'ed it on a Savage amp in the "Vault" at Guitar Center and I was able to really tell a difference in the tone of this guitar versus my other Strats. It was both chimey and ballsy at the same time, and the neck and middle pickups were just insane with tone. Once I got it home and played it on my amp I was not disappointed.

This CS Strat is the 1960 Relic Stratocaster. Fender Relic guitars (also known as the "Time Machine" series) are "aged" by the Custom Shop to show years of wear and abuse. They really do a good job of this, and all the nicks, scratches and dings look believable and are placed logically over the areas of the body where you'd expect wear to appear on a guitar as old as one from the 60's. Another cool thing they did is coat it with a "thinskin" nitrocellulose lacquer (just like the originals back in the 50's and 60's), which is a natural type of lacquer that wears over time giving the guitar that cool look everybody loves. So this guitar will continue to "relic" the more I play it, which is neat. ;)

They send out these guitars from the factory strung with 10's. I normally play with a hybrid set on most of my other guitars that is a combo of 10's on the wound strings and 9's on the unwounds. I plan to continue stringing this guitar with a regular 10 set. I like the tone I get with 10's on it, and since it has the tight 7.25" radius, it further benefits from the slightly thicker strings which help reduce buzzing. The action is a tad higher on this one than I am normally used to, but I do plan to mostly play blues with it and the cleaner tones I'll be dialing in need to be as buzz free as possible. It's taking some time, but I am adjusting to the stiffer action and strings nicely. ;)

The pickups on these Strats are the 60's series which, quite frankly, sound amazing! I can really get a nice bell-like tone or a super growling, fat SRV tone depending on the pickup selected and my amp settings. Very versatile tonally. I can imagine playing everything from Surf and early rock to Funk and Blues with ease. A Strat like this is capable of it all. Check out a quick clip I did on the neck pickup. Not the most shining example of my playing, but you can at least get an idea of how it sounds. :) Amp used: '64 Fender Deluxe Reverb.

The frets are the thin and short vintage wire, which is admittedly not my favorite, but the extra roundness of the fretboard helps make chording easier... however, the roundness and low wire do add more friction when bending strings. I am considering changing this wire when it's time to do a re-fret. That will be a while from now, but nevertheless I'm thinking about changing it to something more like Dunlop 6105 (which is skinner than jumbo, but just as tall).

Fender also gives you a certificate with your Strat to prove authenticity. There are other goodies in the case (and it is a nice case, I might add!). They give you a guitar polishing cloth, a Fender cable, ashtray cover for the bridge, a 5-way selector switch in case you don't like the stock 3-way and some extra springs for those people who like to put telephone cables on their guitars. :)

I am very pleased with this Strat! More to come as I set it up and continue to break her in...

What do you think about CS Strats? Click Here to leave a comment.

Purchased Cubase and DrumaGog

Now that we had a new computer, mics and the FirePod to capture Jonathan's drums, we needed something to record them into and, finally, tweak the sounds of the kit. Since we are not lucky enough to have a great room to record in, nor the budget for thousands of dollars worth of microphones... we turned to the VST plugin, DrumaGog. :) I bought Cubase SE3 to record, edit and mix with, and soon I'll be purchasing the VST mastering plugin by Izotope called Ozone 3. Cubase is shown in the top right.

The results we are able to get with this basic off-the-shelf software and hardware is stunning. Using the DrumaGog triggering plugin, we can easily replace Jonathan's snare, bass drum and toms with real drum hits (recorded with high-end equipment in a great studio) while keeping the room mic tracks intact for cymbals and overall room tone/reverb. Check out this test clip of Jonathan playing a simple beat. We are still learning how to improve the sound with post EQ and more advanced use of DrumaGog, but for a first try this is impressive. DrumaGog is shown above.

Since I record mainly with Line 6 stuff (either my Pod XT or TonePort), mic'ing up and dealing with all that is not a problem for me. Still, it's not an easy thing to just get a great guitar tone with the computer, either. We have lots to learn about mixing and mastering. More clips and music to come as we get it written and recorded! ;)