New Bling ... musical bling

[kenny]

My guitar asked, "Does this amp make my @ss look fat?



The Tone King Imperial Mark II is what they call a boutique amp, hand made in America.
Had to pay for it and wait months for them to make it.
It has that clear, vintage, shimmering, chimney sound of those holy-grail early 1960s "Black Face" Fender amps, only better.
Black face is not a racist term here; it refers to a time period when Fender amps had black control panels. In later years they were changed to silver.



The Gibson is one of a limited-edition run of 500 meticulous reissues of a particularly-fine 1961 ES-335 model.
It sounds heavenly.
The actual original 1961s cost well into the 6-figures so this (2014-made 1961-reissue) was a bargain.

Les Pauls (I still have to take pics of mine) are solid wood so the notes can sustain forever, but these 335s are semi-hollow with a solid block of hard maple running down the middle of the body.
This gives them a warm round tone with some tonal qualities of an acoustic, but also with some of the tonal characteristics of Les Pauls.

I. WANT. THIS. GUITAR.

It's just so nice looking Kenny- and I'm sure it plays as good as it looks.
335's are far more likely to get more attention than LP's simply due to the more complicated construction and limited numbers.

I'll trade it for a GIA-fully natural red diamond of equal carat weight!

Seriously, it has around 97% of the tone of the $25K and up late-50s and early-60s ES-3x5s we played that day.
Through the Tone King amp it's like holding up a can of whipped cream and squirting it directly into your mouth till your cheeks bulge out!
It's that sweet, thick and rich!

 

[kenny]

I'd play this bass while riding my West Coast Chopper down Sunset Boulevard at sunset!

 

[jordyonbass]

... but it was the WORST balanced bass I have ever played. The neck-dive was so violent that I would have to constantly hold the neck and was very limited with what I could play due to that issue. Even a big, 6 inch wide leather strap didn't have enough friction to stop the dive.

Do what all the masculine refrigerator-sized heavy metal bass players do ... tie a huge bouquet of pink helium balloons to the E tuning gear.

I could always go with a Steinberger, they eliminate the problem by having no headstock at all!!

 

[Rockdiamond]

This is one super heavy bass.....and super kewl to look at...though it's not all that great a player..
1969 Dan Armstrong acylic

Some of these guitars greet visitors to DBL including this DA.....I am so lucky to have the privilege of hanging this type of art in our offices....

Kenny- I pegged you as a classical music lover...
Can I ask your favorite guitar player(s)?

 

[jordyonbass]

Wow, that bass is amazing! It brought back nostalgia for me, I remember when I was a teen I was building a Flying Vee bass with a hollow perspex body, filled with lava lamp oil like the telecaster Kirk Hammet from Metallica had in the Cunning Stunts DVD. I made the body and had a neck, just had to get a lot of electronics and hardware but unfortunately it all never came to fruition and my father threw away everything when we had a fallout

 

[momhappy]

Very nice bling, kenny I grew up around guitars because of my dad. My DH started playing a few years ago and I love listening to him practice because it reminds me of fond memories of listening to my dad play.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Here's one of a 1980 25th Anniversary Straocaster I bought brand new. Piece of $hit- I thought it was cool for about a day, then it was just a heavy dull strat. The 'early 80's Gibsons and Fenders were horrible...

The pic was taken in 1980 at the famed Copacabana Nightclub.
Yup, Ricky Riccardo's place on E60th St.
The one Ray Liotta gracefully eases into with Lorraine Bracco on his arm in Goodfellas.
I was playing with a guy named Mike Quashie....he made us wear those costumes. He was known as the "Limbo King" from Trindad.
Truth is, I was very lucky to be able to experience a lot of joy playing over the years.

 

[jordyonbass]

Nice RockDiamond!! My best mate's father has a strat with hand painted sistine chapel type paint work on it. I always thought it was dull too, his telecaster sounded waaay better.

My own personal music journey started around the age of 10 when I started on saxophone but by the time I was 16 I was onto the bass guitar. I'm obviously a heavy metal lover but I've played in cover bands and acoustic duo/trios. I'm what I would call a rock-world bassist and hired stage performer. But I've also played stoner rock bands, thrash metal, groove metal, speed metal, death metal and black metal bands. Here's a few shots of my band evolution hahaha

 

[jordyonbass]

I'd play this bass while riding my West Coast Chopper down Sunset Boulevard at sunset!

One hand on the throttle, one on the neck to stop the headstock from getting smashed

 

[kenny]

Great pics RD.
I'll see if I can find any of me performing a long time ago.

I also was unaware the SG body shape first appeared as a model of their Les Paul line.
I see it only existed for one year, 1961, and that Gibson now makes a reissue of it.

Don't be too hard on people calling it an SG since.
After all that shape was called a Les Paul for only one year, but Gibson has called it SG for the last 53 years.

SNIP
"1961 Les Paul Tribute In 1961, Gibson took a quantum leap forward in style and design by updating the traditional single-cutaway Les Paul to a sleek new double-cutaway design, known simply as the SG Standard after 1962.
The guitar has been a rock essential ever since."

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-USA/1961-Les-Paul-Tribute.aspx

... and what an unusual design for the vibrato bridge!

 

[kenny]

IN the '70's axes from the '50's were just old- they were not that hard to find, and cheaper than new guitars at the time- boy things have changed.

No Kidding!
Today an original 1950s Les Paul could buy you a respectable Argyle pink diamond!

 

[kenny]

Passive basses came on the market first, all the stuff through the 60's and early 70's was recorded on passive basses. I cannot recall when active basses came out but the main difference between the two is the control that can be had over the active basses register. Passive basses only have pickup volume and overall-tone pots which do not control the bass or treble so ability to have the bass' sound sculpted before amplification is limited. This is not necessarily a bad thing as a certain sound can usually be achieved easily without too much fiddling around with the knobs, so if you love the tone of a particular bass you know it won't deviate much.
So obviously in the reverse the active bass is sonically more versatile but may require very specific adjustments to get a certain sound. This is probably bassist-OCD that many other people don't hear though

In an active vs. passive audio comparison, I'd say the active bass has a brighter, punchy and clear sound while a passive bass is more a warm, full sounding instrument. But it's not a rule, I have a very aggressive style and can make a passive bass sound more like an active bass than some bassists who actually play an active bass.

A lot of it really does come down to personal preference, with some instrument makers doing basses with active/passive switching so the one instrument can be even more versatile. There's really no set rule as to which is better

Interesting.
Sounds like an active bass has a built in preamp with more flexible tone control compared to a passive.
Of course gain before a long cable run is always better.

 

[kenny]

Lately it's much harder for me to justify buying new guitars as I have less opportunity to play them.
But I've still got a few tasty pieces.

Oh really?
DO tell.
And DO post pics.

We love pics ... well, I do.

 

[kenny]

Those are some beautiful axes, boys!!

For DD we bought a Les Paul Studio, which is still her go-to guitar. We also bought her a blue hollow body Gibson, similar (but not nearly as exquisite) to yours, Kenny. I'm kind of an audiophile, so listening to her learn to play on a $75 guitar simply wasn't an option around here. I love the tone of a Gibson.

She's actually pretty good, and has played (while singing) at local clubs. But she decided that it's a not a secure future, so now she's studying premed.

Gibson rules, Fender drools.

Awesome!
I LOVE my Les Paul Studio.
Almost all of the sound and playability of the more expensive LPs with little of the labor-intensive expensive bling.
Super Duper value!
I also love the Gibson tone, both the Les Paul and the semi-hollow ES-335s though for very different music.
I'd LOVE to get one of their large deep-body Gibson L5 CES with the carved solid spruce top but they run $9,000 to $12,000 ... that's not going to happen.

High Five to DD!

You wrote, "We also bought her a blue hollow body Gibson"
Which one?
Is it an ES-335 ... like one of these three?



Or was it one of those arch tops with a much thicker body and a tailpiece that extends to the bottom of the body, like this?



About girls/women playing electric guitar ... I've noticed it can be a boy's club thing.
Sexism, you know.
Even the names of guitar effects pedals sound like they were named to appeal to adolescent boys, Swollen Pickel, Way Huge, Green Rhino, Aqua-Puss.

 

[kenny]

I fund this one, and bought it from someone right here in NYC for $1500.
I would never sell it, but if I tried to find one like it today, it would easily be $5k, and you can never really tell these days. With vintage guitars going for the prices they are, and the fact that the technology exists to produce a brand new "aged" guitar which is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.....who knows what's out there today.

Yeah, besides the lower price that's a big reason I just bought a reissue NEW Gibson 335 and instead of a true vintage one, same with the amp.
I'm pretty non-trusting and averse to being ripped off by clever people.

 

[kenny]

Kenny- I pegged you as a classical music lover...
Can I ask your favorite guitar player(s)?

I'm all over the map.
As a kid I wanted a piano but got a guitar because we couldn't afford a piano.
As an adult I finally got a nice grand and took several years of classical lessons from a very fine teacher.

Here's a friend playing my piano.
I blurred her face.



I'm self-taught on guitar and have played acoustic steel string about 50 years and also have played in clubs etc.
I play/sing James Taylor, Neil Young, old folk song type material.

Here I am around age 20 playing, again with a blurred face.
I left my fancy Guild at home and brought an Ovation guitar for my 18 months in the Philippines.
Since it has synthetic bowl instead of solid wood back and sides the Ovation guitar was less-vulnerable to the humidity damage in that moist climate.



Who are my favorite guitarists?
That's tough since I'm all over the map and there are a zillion guitarists I admire.
Andy McKee comes to mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddn4MGaS3N4

Also James Taylor and Bruce Cockburn ... to play their material just as they play it is quite difficult ... especially since they make it sound so relaxed and effortless.

I've only played electric about a year but am getting into Wes Montgomery, Larry Carlton, Pat Metheny, Chris Cain, and of course the three Kings, BB, Freddie and Albert!
Today I learn lots of stuff my students request.

 

[kenny]

Very nice bling, kenny I grew up around guitars because of my dad. My DH started playing a few years ago and I love listening to him practice because it reminds me of fond memories of listening to my dad play.

Thanks.
Does DH play acoustic or electric?
What kind of music?

I love when people play real instruments in their home.
I'm afraid this is dying out.

 

[kenny]

Jordy, love all your pics ... too hunky for words.

I'll bet at every gig every lady in the audience flings her bra and panties at you.

 

[jordyonbass]

Yeah but it is usually just the wife's, haven't you seen the jokes and memes? Nobody wants to sleep with the bassist!! It's singer, guitarist or nothing!!

 

[jordyonbass]

Passive basses came on the market first, all the stuff through the 60's and early 70's was recorded on passive basses. I cannot recall when active basses came out but the main difference between the two is the control that can be had over the active basses register. Passive basses only have pickup volume and overall-tone pots which do not control the bass or treble so ability to have the bass' sound sculpted before amplification is limited. This is not necessarily a bad thing as a certain sound can usually be achieved easily without too much fiddling around with the knobs, so if you love the tone of a particular bass you know it won't deviate much.
So obviously in the reverse the active bass is sonically more versatile but may require very specific adjustments to get a certain sound. This is probably bassist-OCD that many other people don't hear though

In an active vs. passive audio comparison, I'd say the active bass has a brighter, punchy and clear sound while a passive bass is more a warm, full sounding instrument. But it's not a rule, I have a very aggressive style and can make a passive bass sound more like an active bass than some bassists who actually play an active bass.

A lot of it really does come down to personal preference, with some instrument makers doing basses with active/passive switching so the one instrument can be even more versatile. There's really no set rule as to which is better

Interesting.
Sounds like an active bass has a built in preamp with more flexible tone control compared to a passive.
Of course gain before a long cable run is always better.

Yeah to put it in much simpler words lol. Plus signal output from active basses is so high it can cause amps to start 'clipping' as well. Usual answer is to turn down the volume on the bass or hit the signal cut button on the amp if it has one

 

[Rockdiamond]

Wow, that bass is amazing! It brought back nostalgia for me, I remember when I was a teen I was building a Flying Vee bass with a hollow perspex body, filled with lava lamp oil like the telecaster Kirk Hammet from Metallica had in the Cunning Stunts DVD. I made the body and had a neck, just had to get a lot of electronics and hardware but unfortunately it all never came to fruition and my father threw away everything when we had a fallout

Sorry that happened Jordy -it truly blows when parents can't understand how much music means to a kid.
I was really lucky in that regard.
Once I started playing, at age 13, my mom took me to Sam Ash and bought me an a brand new ( at the time) 1970 ES-175D- I just loved the way it looked...but I had no clue at all that you could not really play rock and roll- my kind of rock and roll on it.
I traded it a year later for a 69 LP Deluxe- before I learned that I'd need Humbuckers to get the growl I wanted. My first LP lasted about 6 months. Today, I'm sure I'd love it......


Check out the old EB3- I never liked those basses......
You can also see a Kustom Amp to the right of Steve - the singer. To bad it's not in color, the amp was red sparkle.
Sounded like crap, but looked so kewl.
That was my first paid gig- Holy Family Church, on Utopia Parkway in Queens.

Kenny- I nearly pooped myself when I saw your post- ... I'm really happy to see your picture!!
I know exactly what you mean about JT.
It's the easiest thing in the world to watch him play. Doing it in any manner that even comes close is a life's work for us mere mortals.

He uses a lot of great musicians as well- in particular Michael Landau on electric guitar. You'd swear that's a real pedal steel - it's a strat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McgrjJ4LlBQ

Andy Mckee- SUWEET!!!

 

[kenny]

He uses a lot of great musicians as well- in particular Michael Landau on electric guitar. You'd swear that's a real pedal steel - it's a strat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McgrjJ4LlBQ

Not a pedal guitar!
Good catch.
I'd have never guessed.

He must be using a volume pedal since he's not touching the guitar's volume knob.

I'm really glad you posted this.
It's a new technique I'm going to learn.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Kenny- do you have any Fender Guiitars?

 

[kenny]

Kenny- do you have any Fender Guiitars?

Didn't you read?
GIbson Rules. Fender Drools!



Seriously, no I don't but would love to add one to my stables one day.

Soundwise, how would you compare the Strat and the Tele?

Honestly if I buy another guitar it will be a Gibson L5, to play that old jazz that Wes played.

 

[jordyonbass]

Here's my current gear list:

- GK700RBII solid state head unit (for the growl I love)
- Ampeg V4B 215 bass speaker cab (vintage equipment that Duff Mckagan used on the first ever GnR Aussie tour, this thing is the size of a fridge lol)
- Warwick 410 300w bass speaker cab
- Fender F100H head unit
- Fender 412 guitar speaker cab
- Various pedals and stomp boxes

It's funny how I have just posted my gear list in this thread; for the last couple of years I didn't have any changes to my gear line-up but in the last 7 days I have sold Ampeg V4B 215 and have listed the Fender head unit and stack for sale. Originally I was planning on buying a brand new Hartke LH500 as it's a cheap amp that sounds amazingly clear and smooth for it's price (I would post the link to a video from the gig we played that made me fall in love with that particular head unit in order to show how good the tone is unmic'd, but posting that is against PS rules I think) although the Ampeg Portaflex looked like a good option as well.

Unfortunately I have just discovered that my GK700RBII has contracted a few problems since I last used it 12 months ago and I am now in a conundrum:

The Hartke that I wanted to buy can be easily bought with the funds from selling all my miscellaneous gear, granted it's not as powerful or versatile as the GK - but it sounds sooooooo good. If not better than the GK at lower volumes.
The GK sounds great when it's cranked up and is probably the loudest 500 watt solid state head unit I have ever used, but it's got problems and the cost to fix is unknown - plus it runs on US 110v power which I need to convert it from. So the repair/conversion cost could be more than the brand new Hartke LH500.

Do I opt for the cheap head that sounds great and have useless, expensive gear sitting around? Or do I bite the bullet and get the expensive head unit fixed since it's worth twice the price? Maybe take the amp to a technician and get him to diagnose before repair and green light it if it's same cost or equal to the cheaper head unit?

 

[Rockdiamond]

Kenny- do you have any Fender Guiitars?

Didn't you read?
GIbson Rules. Fender Drools!



Seriously, no I don't but would love to add one to my stables one day.

Soundwise, how would you compare the Strat and the Tele?

Honestly if I buy another guitar it will be a Gibson L5, to play that old jazz that Wes played.

AS a player, he tele is so crystal clear that it's a much harder guitar to get just right, but when you do it's just right.
Modern Telcasters have a lot of tricks to make them more versatile through pickups than the original concept. Three pickup versions and more forgiving pickups
Basically the tele provides such a pure tone in the Bridge position, it's really up to the player to get the tone just right using their fingers. The treble is so fierce, its' very easy to provoke a really bad feedback. Interesting Telecaster fact- Jimmy Page recorded the first four Led Zeppelin albums using a Telecaster. He got such amazing raunch from that guitar in the studio. Live, he was known for 59 Sunburst Les Pauls
There's other notable Rock and Roll Players
In general, the Telecaster is known as the prominent guitar in country music due to it's "twang".
James Burton defined the sound of electric guitar for a generation with a sound you simply could not get that sound with a strat.
Listen to Ricky Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou"

A strat gives you more tonal possibilities by virtue of the fact that it's got three pickups- and the bridge pickup is more forgiving played on it's own.
The guitar came with a three position switch
Someone figured out that if you got the pickup selector switch stuck between positions, it produced an "out of phase sound"
"Let it Rain" by Clapton personifies the tone- as well as many Hendrix tones.

The good news is that the basic design is very simple.
You can find really nice examples of $500 Fender Strats and Telecasters in Guitar Center.
Unlike an L5, the cheapo versions sound and play very much like costlier ones....
I love them both equally

 

[Rockdiamond]

Here's my current gear list:

- GK700RBII solid state head unit (for the growl I love)
- Ampeg V4B 215 bass speaker cab (vintage equipment that Duff Mckagan used on the first ever GnR Aussie tour, this thing is the size of a fridge lol)
- Warwick 410 300w bass speaker cab
- Fender F100H head unit
- Fender 412 guitar speaker cab
- Various pedals and stomp boxes

It's funny how I have just posted my gear list in this thread; for the last couple of years I didn't have any changes to my gear line-up but in the last 7 days I have sold Ampeg V4B 215 and have listed the Fender head unit and stack for sale. Originally I was planning on buying a brand new Hartke LH500 as it's a cheap amp that sounds amazingly clear and smooth for it's price (I would post the link to a video from the gig we played that made me fall in love with that particular head unit in order to show how good the tone is unmic'd, but posting that is against PS rules I think) although the Ampeg Portaflex looked like a good option as well.

Unfortunately I have just discovered that my GK700RBII has contracted a few problems since I last used it 12 months ago and I am now in a conundrum:

The Hartke that I wanted to buy can be easily bought with the funds from selling all my miscellaneous gear, granted it's not as powerful or versatile as the GK - but it sounds sooooooo good. If not better than the GK at lower volumes.
The GK sounds great when it's cranked up and is probably the loudest 500 watt solid state head unit I have ever used, but it's got problems and the cost to fix is unknown - plus it runs on US 110v power which I need to convert it from. So the repair/conversion cost could be more than the brand new Hartke LH500.

Do I opt for the cheap head that sounds great and have useless, expensive gear sitting around? Or do I bite the bullet and get the expensive head unit fixed since it's worth twice the price? Maybe take the amp to a technician and get him to diagnose before repair and green light it if it's same cost or equal to the cheaper head unit?

Hi Jordy
First question- do you have a reliable amp repair person? Any idea how badly the GK is damaged or what's wrong with it?

Personally I really love Hartke - I have one in my studio and it's an amazing workhorse.
I also actually prefer reasonably powered amps over monster amps. This could be due to the different type of music that we play, but what I have found is this: any stage in a room that's large enough to need it generally will have microphones on the amps or direct sound for the bass. So slightly smaller amp helps on the back at the end of the night, save space on the stage, and also your bandmates ears.

 

[jordyonbass]

Hey RockDiamond,

I have been referred onto one by some friends as my usual guy closed his shop, I am hoping that just the volume pot needs rewiring but I am not convinced that is all that is wrong. I think I may take it to him and get him to diagnose and price up the repair and conversion. If it's more than the Hartke then I may just buy the Hartke.

Because I play in some very loud metal bands and don't always have my cab mic'd or head unit DI'd, I need that extra grunt sometimes. But that GK is the loudest 500w solid state head unit I've ever heard, my old Warwick 500w didn't hammer like the GK.

 

[kenny]

Do you guys wear hearing protection?
I hope so since hearing damage is gradual and cumulative and usually not noticed till it's too late.
We all eventually lose hearing in the highest frequencies anyway so why help the natural age-related decline by exposing ourselves to harmful high SPL from live drum sets and amplifiers?

I had a pair of these made, and love em.

https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/hearing-protection/erme.html



You must make an appointment with a participating local ear/hearing professional who pours hot goo into each ear canal.
The goo cools and solidifies to form an impression that is shipped Etymotics.
Those are used to make the plugs that are firm, durable, and custom-fit your ear canals.

They make interchangeable attenuators in three levels of sound reduction 9 dB, 15 dB and 25 dB, which easily pop out for cleaning the inserts.
Jordy, if you know anyone in a heavy metal band I hope they wear the 25 dBers.

Unlike foam earplugs or the swimmer-type rubber ones that reduce highs frequencies more than lows, these deliver a flat frequency response, just at lower volume.
One side benefit is it's somehow easier to hear what someone is saying when wearing these in a high SPL environment.

Pricey but very nicey!

I store them in these protective hard plastic pill bottles I bought at a pharmacy.

 

[jordyonbass]

I do nowadays Kenny but I never did when I was younger, there is a noticeable difference between my left and right ears with the left being worse (probably because I always had the drummer on my left side). Have worn them for years since, can't remember the brand of the ones I use but they cost me $100 and cut volume and not certain frequencies out like many plugs do. It's odd as it's like hearing everything at a lower volume.