User Group Day - Accounts, Impressions and Photos

[speed2dirt]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

we want to hear about the jam - high points? surprises? funny stuff? c'mon fill us in!!

High points:
Gearjoneser rocking ZZ Top to perfection on rhythym/lead guitars & vocals

Surprises:
Evan can sing and sing really well.
Frank can rip on slide guitar.
Seymour is an amazing guitar player. He has this trademark move, kind of like Dimebag's squeal, that when you hear it you know it's Seymour. It's this choppy time thing, like he's hitting a killswitch really quickly, but he's not. It's all in his picking. It's a really cool move!
Cathy Duncan is super nice and was an awesome host.

Funny:
MJ razzing Seymour to play one of the TeleGib reissues. Finally Seymour gives in, picks up the guitar and plugs in, and there's no sound. "Frank, you didn't hook up the pickups? Wow! This is embarrassing... Frank, I want to see you in my office Monday morning." It was really funny.

 

[formula73]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

we want to hear about the jam - high points? surprises? funny stuff? c'mon fill us in!!

This!!!!! This!!!!!

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Did anybody get any video??

 

[speed2dirt]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Evan,
Thanks for the opportunity for us to go to the factory. I had a great time. I was amazed by how big of an operation you guys have in that one building. My thought before going to the factory was "Why do they charge $80 for pickups?" and after the factory visit was "How do they only charge $80 for pickups?" I guess you make your profit in quantity because that was seriously an expensive operation we were looking at.

The Q&A with Seymour was awesome. He's such a down-to-earth guy. I guess I always thought Seymour would have a rockstar persona since he has been so vital to the sound of rock n roll. Nope, not at all. You get the impression that he's grateful how things have transpired and the relationships he's truly valued with Les Paul & Seth Lover. And man, does he have a ton of stories. It's like opening a music encyclopedia, but it's been his storied life. Crazy! He signed the pickup I wound and The Pickup Handbook I brought. That is a treasured book given the majority of the content is about Seymour and here I have it signed by Seymour himself and Warren!

Warren was also very unassuming. He just joined the group like the rest of us. No elitist, rockstar attitude there. I was waiting for him to take the stage at the jam session, but unfortunately he didn't. That would have been awesome though! Also kept thinking, I should have bought a Warren DeMartini pickup and had him sign it. That would have been an unusual & collectible pickup. Too bad I thought of it once they closed up the garage sale.

I also met Ray, the production floor manager. It was neat hearing him talk about the process. All the reports he watches daily to see how they're doing. Hopefully, they can get some computers in there for you Ray, so your reports can be automated and not so manual! Also, cool to hear that the machines we wound our pickups on were brand new. He said they just set them up this week!

And last but definitely not least, Dewi: thanks for all your hardwork! You made this possible by doing all the leg work. It was noticed & appreciated!

 

[tone4days]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Seymour is an amazing guitar player. He has this trademark move ... It's this choppy time thing, like he's hitting a killswitch really quickly, but he's not. It's all in his picking. It's a really cool move!

yup, i know the exact thing you are referring to ... we all asked about it after the last UGD ... evan asked seymour to help us by describing how to do it ... evan transcribed what seymour said into a post on this forum .. no idea how you would search for that post now though ... it has to do with downstroking the thumb and rolling the index and middle fingers upstroke - all on the same string - there is a bit of muting and 'pulling/snapping' to get it just right ... one can roughly approximate it with a flatpick, but it doesnt have the same quality ... its really hard (for me, at least) to do reliably, but when i get it, i always grin .. you have to get a quarter note triplet thing going ... it almost reminds me of being a guitar technique analogous to the purdie shuffle on drums

 

[Scott_F]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

I now know the regret many of you experienced by not going to UGD1. Wish I'd been there. Glad it was a success.

 

[Aceman]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Hey guys! I don't even know where to begin...The first step is probably getting home! I won't have anything significant until Sunday night but look out then.

Zephyr - OMG....
Seymour
Custom shop artifacts
Evan's Gretsch (played it!!!)
Winding pups
Warren D
The [can't discuss - top secret]
Jam Awesomeness
Seymour's chops!
Frank's chops
MJ's chops at pup building
The factory
The food!!!!!
And Cathy, Dewi, and everyone else....

Each of these will need an entire post. Stay tuned!!!

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Funny:
MJ razzing Seymour to play one of the TeleGib reissues. Finally Seymour gives in, picks up the guitar and plugs in, and there's no sound.

He didn't want to play it because it had 10's on it. Poor MJ was just delivering the message from Cathy: "Give Seymour the TeleGib!" but earlier when he said he wasn't going to play his Schecter I tucked it away in the back and left it be. I didn't even tune it up. Turns out we put Zephyrs in it for a photo shoot. The photo doesn't care if the pickups are plugged in. LOL

Other moments:
Awesome: Kat Dyson ripping it up on guitar
Double Awesome: Jamming (lap steel) with Kat on bass, Joe Gore on the guitar.
Triple Awesome: The french fries. Seriously I'm not kidding around. They must have been cooked in MSG, chicken fat, and crack because they were amazing.

A very fun jam overall. Everyone played well together and we filled the whole street with some killer guitar tone!

 

[Aceman]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

I will second the fries and heard similar that comments from a number of individuals. I called my wife the next morning, and the fries made the report out of truly awesome events. She didn't quite get it, and I couldn't explain it. You had to be there.

They were like Zephyr Fries...crisp, clean, articulate. Everything about them was bigger.

 

[johnb]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

This was an amazing event..Everything about it was so kool!.. A new appreciation for the work that goes into our pickups! The patience of MJ and her humor! How to pronounce Dewi's name! How nice Kathy is! What good food was served! Seymours playing..Evan, Frank and all the great players...And who can forget Ace Man in person...One kool dude! Thanks to all who made this possible..I have renewed brand loyalty!

 

[johnb]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Those fries were amazing...And those zepher pups...If a rich uncle dies, I"m in! Hope everyone has a safe trip home.

 

[Aceman]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Turns out I have a little free time! Like I said, this will take multiple posts, and you'll have to wait for pics.

Got there right about 9. Many bro's had already filled the loading dock area. Most importantly - coffee & donuts!

For those of you who went last time and didn't return - WTF? for those of you who didn't go - oh man. There are not words to describe what you missed!

This is quite simply one of the most awesome gear and music experiences ever! It was like being one of those people who got shrunk and shot into that dudes body in that 70's movie - except you were getting injected into the heart of tone!

Like i said - I'll be posting responeses and general stuff for days about this....so stay tuned.

 

[Evan Skopp]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

They were like Zephyr Fries...crisp, clean, articulate. Everything about them was bigger.

This is quite simply one of the most awesome gear and music experiences ever! It was like being one of those people who got shrunk and shot into that dudes body in that 70's movie - except you were getting injected into the heart of tone!.

:thanks:
:approve:

 

[Aceman]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Zephyr Pickups are TRULY AMAZING. I take back anything you may be able to find using the search function on this forum. Let's leave the price issue out of it for a moment...

The very first session I went to was Frank's secret den of awesome tone machines. One of the things we did there was listen to some Zephrys. This was not a GC listening experience. Frank had two strats and two single cuts (Larivee's). These guitars were made from the SAME slabs of wood. On the strats you could see where the grain matched up. Everything about these guitars was as close to exactly the same as possible. They were played through the same amp (Mesa, if i remember correctly.)

In one guitar of each pair was the Zephyr. In the other, was a pickup made exactly the same as the Zephyr, except with 'normal' pickup materials. So we got to listen to a Real Zephyr, and a Mock Zephyr (bridge and Neck, singles and buckers).

To start with - the mock zephyr was pretty nice sounding. Wouldn't have minded having those. It was a good sounding strat and a good sounding single cut.

But when he switched to the Zephyr's - just WOW. It was like going from regular TV to High def, or really good 3-D. I tought it was like the difference between a decent sound and after someone put it through an Exciter. Except there wasn't an Exciter.

I was still thinking about these driving home. Now - about the price. As you all know, I'm a price-performance guy. A GOOD $15 bottle of wine is way more valuable to me than an AMAZING $150 bottle of wine. Same with most things (like amps and guitars). However, not everything. I happen to have a Nakamichi stereo. It was monster expensive. No price performance compromise there. It cost a lot. However - it is monster awesome. I think that describes the Zephyrs. They are the Nakamichi of Pickups.

The were clearly more defined, more crisp, more dense sounding. I didn't play them, but Frank, and others who did play them said they were phenominally responsive. Same kind of response, clean or dirty.

I am reminded of when I first heard of Yngwie, and couldn't believe he was that good. After I actually heard him - sudden total reversal of opinion. Same here.

I don't know if they are my tone - I'd have to listen to them up against my favorite pickups. But there is no denying how amazing they sounded. You had to be there. If you EVER get a chance to hear a pair - and it's not likely you'll hear them in this kind of setting, try and do it.

 

[Aceman]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

:thanks:
:approve:

No Evan, thank YOU, and Seymour, and MJ, and Cathy, and Dewi, and everybody!

 

[guitarkid]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Man... I wish that I didn't live in Missouri!!!!! Sounds like you guys had an awesome time!!!

 

[Aceman]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Truly awesome moment, that really put things in perspective:

During the session with seymour, he was talking about how Les Paul took him to see Roy Buchanan. He saw Roy do this crying wail/sight sort of move working the volume and bending at the same time. So, just think about how long ago we are talking here. Les Paul taking a young Seymour to see an up and coming Roy Buchanan.

Then, in the middle of the jam, Seymour was playing did that move, and made that exact sound. Just amazing to hear Seymour talk about being around those guys once upon a time to me - and then just hear coming right out of the amp.

And that plucky/clicky/tremolo sounding thing Seymour rocks was pretty cool too!

 

[Aceman]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

For all of you VH this pickup fans. At the end of the Factory tour, Evan turned us over to MJ in the Custom shop. I know it's Seymour's House - but that was definitely MJ's room!

She went to a cabinet and pulled out something awesome: The original EVH Frankenstein prototype. There a couple of pictures here and there showing Ed with MJ in there. So, I have finally learned THE ULTIMATE SECRET to the VH sound as it relates to pickups.

SHUT UP and let MJ make it for you. THAT is what EDDIE did. I saw the pickup, I saw the pictures, MJ told the story. The end. Now - can we stop posting threads about how the dye in the plastic on the bobbin was blah blah blah.....

Everything you have ever heard about MJ is true. She is just awesome. I'm not sure how she is if someone doesn't listen to her. I didn't see anyone not listen to her the whole time we were there. Fortunately she mostly told us to eat or play!

 

[Aceman]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Frank played Jesse's Girl on a pink strat and danced with me briefly. I'm not sure what that means. He was upset that I tried to lead.

 

[Neckthruwarlock]

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Re: User Group Day - Your Accounts, Impressions and Photos

Ladies & gents, you would be hard pressed to meet a nicer bunch of folks. This is truly a one of a kind company. You would have to see it to believe it. Extremely high quality products made by people who really care about what goes out to the consumer. This is what American manufacturing was all about when Detroit was putting out the 55 Chevys, Cadillacs and T-birds that became classics "back in the day". You can still find it here in Santa Barbara at Seymour Duncan. That's what I got out of the visit. Thanks big time to Seymour, Cathy, MJ, Evan, Dewi and engineering wizard Kevin Beller for making us all feel right at home. For us guitar/pedal geeks and tone hounds, this was a walk on the clouds. How cool is this? Seymour signed a set of Live Wires that I received from MJ during the visit! Unreal! Are you kidding me? They are going in my USA Handmade 2001 BC Rich ASAP. I'm pretty stoked to say the least.

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