My Drexel U. bro T4D asked me to host The Well this week. Fire away.
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
The Well - Part XXVIII: Life... don't talk to me about life.
Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
-
Re: The Well - Part XXVIII: Life... don't talk to me about life.
Why are you moving back to Philly? Not enough crime in Houston for you?
Comment
-
Re: The Well - Part XXVIII: Life... don't talk to me about life.
How did you get into working on pedals and amps and such?
BTW, I am really enjoying the Ibanez Phaser pedal, I use it with my Peavey Bandit 65...sounds really good. Thank you again!
-daveI don't believe anything I say and only half of what you hear....
Comment
-
-
Re: The Well - Part XXVIII: Life... don't talk to me about life.
Originally posted by Virtual Kevorkian View PostI'll kick it off with my usual one:
Detailed/brief history of listening and gear preferences, and things you've noticed about your technique along the way?
For a long time, I was mostly a guitar-chord-amp guy. My first decent guitar was a Bradely bolt-neck lawsuit SG copy, which then pushed me to a pair of '69 Gibson SGs, complete with giant chrome Vibrola. About that same time, my first "good" amp was a 1973-ish Fender Twin. After a while I got tired of the tuning problems, and traded the SGs for a 78 Norllin maple-necked goldtop LP standard. Thanks to Alex Leifson and Pete Townsend, I traded my Twin for a Hiwatt DR103 100-watt head, and added a couple of Ampeg V4 cabs. When I wanted a backup for that, I found the new ones didn't sound the same, so I exchanged my brand-new "backup" Hiwatt for a Marshall JMP 2203 head. I found the Marshall had the crunch I was looking for, and its master volume worked a lot better than the Hiwatt's, making it easier to control. Then, I went through a downsizing period, as I first dropped to a single Marshall quad cab, and then replanted the 2203 head into Marshall 2-12 combo cabinet. When that was stolen, I replaced it with a JCM800 2203 and a 1960 2-12 cab, later downsizing again to a 4010 (2204 chassis in a 1-12 combo). Somewhere in there, I decided Les Pauls were boring, and traded into a white Dean V.
The combined influences of Alex Leifson, Andy Summers, and Pat Travers inspired me to build my first pedalboard, around the time I acquired my first 2203 head. At first, it was mostly just chorus, flange, and analog delay. When I started playing out with my band in college, I added a GE-7 as a solos boost/overdrive, which worked fine into an already-overdriven Marshall. I experimented with some rack stuff in the late 80's, but that same basic pedalboard was really "my sound" from then until the present day. During college, I got more in the Fender thang, my backup Tele displaced the Dean as my #1, then I had a mutt Strat for a while, then back to various Teles. The two best were a black 84 Schecter PT and a MIJ double-bound Tele that I Nashville-ized. My current guitars are attempts to re-create those "two that got away" without spending a ton of money.
These days, a small amp is good enough for me, and I'm presently rocking a monster 13 Watter. My sound is actually closer to what I thought I was getting back in the day, but it's actually better tone than what I got out of the 2203/2204. So, even though the amp has changed drastically, it's still "my sound" only moreso.
The thing I've always noticed about my technique is that it's been consistently awful for all these years. I spend way too much time goofing around with my gear, and not enough time practicing. It helps that my idols and main influences are more song- and feel-oriented players, rather than "chops" types.Last edited by Rich_S; 05-10-2008, 11:27 PM.Tra-la-laa, lala-la-laa!
Rich Stevens
"I am using you; am I amusing you?" - Martha Johnson, What People Do For Fun
Comment
-
Re: The Well - Part XXVIII: Life... don't talk to me about life.
Originally posted by Jake View PostWhy are you moving back to Philly? Not enough crime in Houston for you?
Originally posted by darnright View PostHow did you get into working on pedals and amps and such?
The amp thing started back around 2001 - after being ampless for 10 years or so, I went looking for something small but decent to start playing again. I was appalled at the prices for simply, quality amps like silverface Princetons and the like. On the other hand, I was experienced and mature enough not to want to settle for some cheap piece of junk. So, I decided to build one myself, and started researching the web. I spent a lot of time on AX84.com and 18Watter.com. I eventually settled on a Mashall 18 Watter, partly because the Bogen donor amp I started with was well-suited to that, and also becuase Robbie McIntosh played one on some of my favorite tracks on the Pretenders' Learning to Crawl album. Given the time constraints of full-time work and parenthood (not to mention two long-distance moves) it took me four years from the time I started searching the web to the time my 13 Watter was done.
Once the amp was done, and given the wealth of info on the web, it was only natural to start mucking around inside my pedals. I also think I'm more discerning in my advanced age, and can hear the differneces various mods make. When I was younger, I don't think I would have cared that much.
Originally posted by newking70 View Postprovolone or whiz?
Originally posted by Kindred_SpiritsAs a former Drexel student, what do you think about the current President, Constantine Papadakis?
I'm old-school, and like to think colleges should be sort of isolated from the real world. But this is the real world, and colleges have to be run like a business, where the bottom line, and growth, and marketing are important. It's kind of sad, but that's what schools have to do these days to thrive, and in that respect, CP seems to be doing a great job.Last edited by Rich_S; 05-10-2008, 11:29 PM.Tra-la-laa, lala-la-laa!
Rich Stevens
"I am using you; am I amusing you?" - Martha Johnson, What People Do For Fun
Comment
-
Re: The Well - Part XXVIII: Life... don't talk to me about life.
^And on a related topic, why doesn't anyone make a Philly cheese steak with Philadelphia Cream Cheese?sigpic
"Add about a half-a-teacup o' bass...."
--'King' Curtis Ousley
Visit me on Facebook
Originally posted by LewguitarIn our heart of hearts we're love. That's who we really are.
Comment
-
Re: The Well - Part XXVIII: Life... don't talk to me about life.
Originally posted by BigAlTheBird View PostAnd question wise, you prefer Pat's, Geno's, or some place else?
Originally posted by ginormous View Post^And on a related topic, why doesn't anyone make a Philly cheese steak with Philadelphia Cream Cheese?
Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View PostHow do you feel about snakes?
Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View PostFavorite:
band?
Close seconds:- Chicago (original lineup)
- Deep Purple II (Giilan/Glover)
- Pretenders (First of Second lineups)
- Joe Jackson Band (original lineup)
- The Attractions
Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View Postbeer?
Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View Postguitar?
(BTW, BiGal - I remember this gig. We ate dinner at Jim's Steaks on South Street before the show.)
Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View Postmovie?
Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View Postbook?
Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View Postcar?
Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View Postplant?
Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View Postbird?
Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View PostPink Floyd album?Last edited by Rich_S; 05-11-2008, 03:16 PM.Tra-la-laa, lala-la-laa!
Rich Stevens
"I am using you; am I amusing you?" - Martha Johnson, What People Do For Fun
Comment
-
Re: The Well - Part XXVIII: Life... don't talk to me about life.
All jokes aside....what's Philadelphia really like?
UPenn is on my list of potential grad schools, but it seems like everything I've ever heard/read about Philadelphia always seems to involve gang activity and/or gun violence. And the city that Boo-ed Santa Claus. What gives?Last edited by Jake; 05-11-2008, 03:50 PM.
Comment
-
Re: The Well - Part XXVIII: Life... don't talk to me about life.
I love Philadelphia. I've been away so long that I don't really have a feel for whether all the crime trouble they've had lately is real or just sensationalized news coverage.
The think I like about the city is it age - the sense of history. It's a city you could live in, unlike many I've seen that are only open from 9-5 weekdays. University City is a great place and U of P has what I think is the best radio station in North America, WXPN. My Dad is a U of P alumnus, Bachelor's and Law School. Philly is also great place because it's so central - you can be in New York or Washington in a couple hours by train.Tra-la-laa, lala-la-laa!
Rich Stevens
"I am using you; am I amusing you?" - Martha Johnson, What People Do For Fun
Comment
-
Re: The Well - Part XXVIII: Life... don't talk to me about life.
Did you ever wish you were an Oscar Meyer weiner?Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:13; 10:9-10
Teknon Theou
https://soundcloud.com/you/tracks
Complaining that there are hypocrites in church is like complaining that fat people use the gym. Where else would you have them be?
Comment
Comment