nickgrooves's forum posts 170

Wow man. You did a LOT of work there. Big thanks.

If you stare at it long enough, it becomes one of those Magic Eye pictures ...

;)

Suggestion / Idea / very minor Complaint:

I would love to have that left margin navigation / TOC found on Pro pages. I like our Gear Porn tab and all that stuff but the main tab is just a huge endless pile of chaos. I don't understand why the Pro pages have that nice TOC making navigation so easy ... and users don't. Our stuff is already organized and suborganized the same way. Adding this feature should be exceedingly easy. Please?

Thanks for listening.

Who is the fool, mate? I was well aware that your last comment was 28 days old. So what. Nobody had responded to you, and my reply about the search engine is still valid. ;)

Man, that issue is even bigger than profile images. Every picture of gear is going to fall under that category. The manufacturers own the rights to the images of their gear. But, my personal ethical feeling, is that we are not claiming any ownership to these images. We are sort of doing the opposite; building little shrines to honor them and laud them and with regards to the gear it's like we are probably helping to generate more buzz and maybe even SALES of these products than any other website so ... I doubt anybody would mind. But technically, I believe it is a violation of copyright. But I'm not an attorney.

Because DD-20.

Anyone heard of those Red Witch pedals? Violetta seems really appealing.

So what is the Hold function for? and does anyone use it?

By appealing, do you mean sexy artwork? or sounds like a decent pedal? Because all the Red Witch pedals have attractive lady artwork ...

Probably already been said but, if I had one suggestion to make to improve this site ...

I would love to have that TOC in the left margin, that is found on Pro pages. I like our Gear Porn tab and all that stuff but the main tab is just a huge endless pile of chaos. I don't understand why the Pro pages have that nice TOC making navigation so easy ... and we don't. Our stuff is already organized and suborganized the same way. Adding this feature should be exceedingly easy.

PLEASE!

Since I don't think anybody specifically mentioned this ...

Sting is an excellent world-class performer. After all these years, he still kills it live. His vocal range and intonation is the same if not better than his "prime" early years. His stage presence is magnetic, even if you don't like what he's doing. And he is a damn great songwriter (the proof is in the many millions he makes each year in royalties). But most importantly, in my opinion, is the fact that he can still perform at a world class level.

Sting, Stevie Wonder, Buddy Guy ... there are VERY FEW musicians who have managed to "age well." And it's not because of talent. It's because of work ethic and maintenance.

Your name will still show up in the search results, so if a friend is looking for you they'll find you.

http://www.swiftfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Banner_DC-vs-Marvel.jpg

"No power on Earth …" except Doomsday. I guess Doomsday v.1.0 would defeat Hulk.

This is a great topic. I don't know what's better, the fact that it's on EB in the first place ... or the fact that you're taking it so seriously. I'm so happy right now, I have found new friends :) haha

Well I am going to keep this really simple. I grew up liking DC because (yes, it's true) they were my Dad's comics. I actually remember the moment when he explained to me that there were super heroes and super villains. It was all very exciting to learn. Batman instantly became my favorite, not sure why. But this was cemented for eternity when Michael Keaton's movies came out. Also when I fell in love with Danny Elfman's scoring. Anyway, fast forward to college, and I still have read only a handful (like five or less) Marvel comic books from cover to cover. Tons of DC books, barely any Marvel. Now I did watch the Hulk TV show reruns, and I did see the Captain America TV movie special (1989?) but I was much more interested in the Flash TV show and other DC titles. Now fast forward to recent years (2008-current) with all the Marvel movies. OH MY G-D yes. This is what I was missing. I am such a huge fan of Marvel now. I actually shed a tear [of joy] near the end of Avengers: Assemble. Batman and DC are still my favorite for the reasons above, but I'm definitely into Marvel much more than before. Agents of Shield is one of my regular shows (along with Arrow and Flash, duh).

Who would win? I gotta vote DC. Gotta stay true to my roots. ;)

I'm with you man. I hate looking at blurry or pixelated photos even if only for a moment.

My confusion is how there are so many Pro artists with no profile image. Who is creating their profiles? Why go through the trouble of generating their page, entering their name and band history, and genre.... but not upload a photo? I uploaded one for the guitarist from PUSA because I had it handy. I don't really have time to add others, though. Busy enough adding my own gear so it can appear on my EB.

edit: "generic pictures with white background of gear that I own, but is not yet in the system"

I noticed that too, but did not think to ask. I guess a better question would be, what are Gear IQ points and why do they matter? Do we get a prize for obtaining a high number? It doesn't look like they are related to post count in the forum, so it's not a sign of how long someone has been active ...

I hate to say it, but this might be the first Marvel movie I'm not at all excited about.

That is how I felt about Ant-Man, but I went to see it out of some sense of fanboy obligation. And when I say fanboy, I mean of all comics and superheroes in general, and for that matter, most Sci-Fi that gets green-lit to the silver screen ... unless of course we are talking about Maze Runner, Riddick, Jupiter Ascending, Ender's Game, etc. etc. .... anyway ...

THE POINT is that Ant-Man ended up being better than I had expected. I actually enjoyed it. I may not buy it, and I may not watch it again on TV (internet) for 8-10 years, but heck it wasn't that bad really. So ... I suspect Deadpool will be the same or better. In that I mean, it will be (1) better than we expect and (2) enjoyable even if you never read the comic (like me) and know nothing about the character (like me) and are only going to see it because it's Marvel (like me).

edit: thanks Boom for the correction. It's a 20thCentFox film not Marvel.

haha OK he is right though, we got a little carried away. I wish that would happen on one of the two threads I started earlier this week ... I guess nobody uses the DD-5 or DD-7 anymore :(

This will be my first time making a guitar. Will it be easy ...?

No. Having watched the process a few times from start to finish, I can say that a LOT more goes into making a guitar than you probably think (since you've never done it before). I understand there is only one pickup, but you still have to route the pickup cavity and solder the connections. So there will be less work involved, to a degree, but the biggest hurdle is getting the jigs and tools and bit depths and guides all working together in concert. Once that is all set up in your shop, is it really so hard to route a second pickup cavity? Not really.

Now if you are starting with a kit, that will make it WAY easier. And bolt-on necks are certainly easier. The MOST IMPORTANT THING is to make sure your neck fits really snug into that neck pocket, AND aligns with your bridge the right way. You do not want to sand the neck too much so that it glides in and out of that neck pocket. The tighter, the better. Even though it is being bolted on, you want a tight fit.

So how "from scratch" are you thinking of going? Like starting with a rectangular block of wood? or getting a kit?

you'll understand 1 pickup guitars when you're older... treble is our friend if our technique is up to snuff (your guitar has a tone control, bud)... harsh, you say? get a better amp... even the thinnest, most ear-splitting fender bridge pickup will be an ear-pleasing sound through an ac30, for instance.... or try that harsh pickup through a tweed deluxe, you might just enjoy the extra bite and spank.

So, my general opinion about this topic is that you have to match or "pair" your guitar with pedals and amps that complement it well. Not unlike pairing wine with your meal. You choose the meal first, then pair the wine. You choose your guitar first, then pair it with pedals and amps (or just amps) that complement. Then you pair speakers with your amp (unless you bought a combo). So to tell someone they need to buy a better amp ... not quite. There isn't anything wrong with his/her amps in terms of quality, not necessarily. What you meant to say was "get an amp that better complements your guitar of choice."

Well that's my 2¢

Have you looked at Stewart Macdonald? (stewmac.com, I believe)

I bought a Stew Mac neck for my Fender frankenstrat. Fit like a glove, and I love the feel. It's one of my favorite necks of all my guitars. Headstock came in a rectangle, you shape it however you want. Tuning gear holes were pre-drilled. Includes fret wire (already installed).

I agree, as a fan of Steve Vai. I'm also a fan of Satriani, and Andy Timmons, and other cats in that category of guitar soloists / solo artists. But I'm probably a bigger fan of Vai than the others.

One of my favorite things about Vai, is that he's admitted many times in interviews that guitar did NOT come naturally to him. He "had to work very hard at it for a long time..." I love this because a lot of his fans probably think he's just an alien or prodigy. But no, he had to work and put in the hours just like the rest of us. He has also said that he's not that great of an alternate picker. But clearly he is pretty great at it. I think he means compared to someone like Steve Morse who is known for picking every note super fast. Vai does do a bit more legato articulations and whammy than Morse.

Yes of course, that was already understood. I too am a parent (2.5) starting preschool next week, and I teach lessons, so I understand about family life and work schedules. My secondary pedal board can wait as long as is needed. My students will be OK with their cruddy unreliable cables a little longer until it is convenient for you to solder. I may end up giving them away as holiday gifts, as I usually spend $3-5 per student on stocking stuffers. A nice hand-wired cable would make a great gift.

So much knowledge on this website, and it's free. Technology is great.

I am not going out of my way to find some esoteric cable that will do a certain thing attenuating some high and accentuating some mids. ...

Oh man, I am sorry dude but I am only interested in cables that will make me play better ... ;)

Sounds like very reasonable terms to me. I have a secondary pedal board that needs patch cables, and I have a bunch of students who need good instrument cables. If you can shoot me a quick "hello" email (since I don't have yours) I am happy to respond with specific measurements for the patches and, how about ten 10' cables.

I totally agree. It is a great time to be playing, gear-wise. Everything {schematics} is readily available thanks to the internet and there are TONS of Geppetto geniuses making classic stompboxes and amps in their garages / basements, and selling on Etsy and eBay for reasonable prices. Unfortunately for me I found the stompboxes I like before the boutique brands found me. But I saw a Mooer pedal the other day that sounds just like my MXR script phase at half the price. And I'm not even sure that Mooer is still considered a boutique brand. Guitars are no different. Suhr used to be a boutique brand. Now, their strats are everywhere. I did manage to buy my A/B boxes from a garage genius on eBay. They are true bypass and one even has a tap tempo button (which saved me from having to place a separate tap switch on my board).

I highly recommend everyone look around their neighborhood or local city and see what can be acquired on the streets before running to a big box store/brand. Just make sure you play it first, or hear it first, before you buy. As there may not be a return policy or warranty.

I am excited about all this customization talk. I am DEFINITELY buying some cables. Since there are no private messages on Equipboard, I don't see a conflict of interest providing my email address ... nick [at] nickedelstein [dot] com. Jacks in the pedaltrain is a brilliant idea BTW but since I don't have that kind of a board, I'm sticking to cables for now.

AMEN! Preach it brutha.

I can build you a quality 20' guitar cable for about 5$ leaving $4 profit for me at that price.

Sounds like you have just discovered your next business venture, buddy. I would buy a ton of cables from you at that price ... and resell them to other people for $7 :P

hell if I know! I usually run this signal chain: good guitar----> polytune----> vox ac30

But how many plugins are on that recorded signal? ;)

If you are recording in the studio, and you are looking for a unique sound to stand out on the track, or make that song unique, then maybe a boutique pedal is what you seek. Or maybe a plugin, with some crazy sounds on it.

But like Jimmy says, if you are seeking a boutique pedal as a collector's item or as a supplement for practicing and talent (not YOU, but the proverbial "you" readers) then just avoid them at all costs. Your wallet and your talent will be better off.

That's funny to me, because I just got done reading an article about how all Big Muffs sound different and players who use them tend to only use 'the one' and it's irreplaceable. I have never been a fuzz guy or a heavy dist guy. I have never plugged into a Big Muff or little Muff or Sovtek Muff or Pi. But, being heavily afflicted with G.A.S., the thought has crossed my mind to at least play through one at the store on occasion.

... that's why your blues junior was okay overnight. It was idling. While that's not the same as standby where only the heaters get current and there's no HT on the plates, in a cold biased amp the idle current is pretty easy on the tubes.Fixed bias has more inherent crossover distortion but also produces more clean headroom per watt. ...

All that said, don't do that to your amp again, man.

Not planning to :) But you bring up an interesting point about letting the amp run or idle. I have heard many players say they like to leave their amps on after soundcheck, or running about an hour before the gig, so the tubes can warm up and sound their best. I've seen this first hand, too with Fender [amp] guys like myself. What are your thoughts about that? Have you heard this yourself?

Yeah man! Les Paul, famous as he was, is probably still underrated as a guitar PLAYER... I haven't looked at a list of "top guitarists" in a long time, but Les should be near the top. That dude was unbelievable. Chet, too. Those guys reinvented guitar playing a lot more than Jimi Hendrix (uh oh, blaspheme?), Clapton, and Page combined. I may be doing in a slightly different direction here than what you were thinking, but I get what you're saying :)

Curious why you said it's deceptive? I don't see any catch in the ad listing. Free shipping.

PS: Definitely more footage than you need for a patch cable, right? unless going back to your rack gear...

Yeah, definitely taking my guitars to the "dentist" at my earliest convenience.

None of my guitars feel like they have relief issues or intonation problems, or else I definitely would've run to the shop (because I couldn't use them on a gig). But I do agree having them looked at periodically is a wise move. I guess I let that slip.

Can't really put my proverbial finger on the "mojo" aspect, they just feel right. If forced I would probably say a combination of the fret wire, neck scale, string action, and bridge hardware. Secondary for me would be the shape of the neck particularly the shoulders (not necessarily thin vs thick).

I have a gorgeous Godin classical electric, with the synth jack. I bought it for the classical sounds and have done very well with it in studio sessions, wedding ceremonies, corporate luncheons, etc. you get the idea. But I am starting to be awfully curious about the synth jack. I've never been a guitar synth head because I play keys. So there's that. But, seeing all the gear on Equipboard has gotten me wondering.

I lived in Charlottesville, VA for a short time and there was this guitarist who would always be playing somewhere downtown. Solo, with his Roland synth and loop machine. It was impressive but I'll never be that guy. I'm more interested in outside-the-box uses. Open to all ideas and suggestions.

Also, if you can recommend some artists I can listen :)

edited to add: Godin website says "Custom RMC electronics with 13-pin connector for direct control of Roland GR Series and Axon AX100 guitar synths" ... are there no other brands?!?

So at what point do you recommend checking the truss rod? For some reason, I have always been afraid to touch my rods. My luthier doesn't seem to mind at all. We have a dentist relationship. I often will procrastinate bringing him my guitars for setups because I'm afraid he will change something I like and it will all go to pot :P

I love Radio Shack. It [was] the only place you could buy a MIDI cable if you had a gig in at 7 PM on a Friday and all the guitar stores were closed. Spent many hours at Radio Shack over the years, especially as a kid. Got my first RC race car from the Shack. Anyway I digress ...

I had a coil cable of theirs. Black, small coil diameter, 10 or 20' whatever it was. Broke just like the Fender cable. I take care of my cables. I think it's a problem inherent with coil cables. The monster one I bought seems to be holding up well. The rubber insulation seems to be thicker than the other brands. I'm keeping my fingers crossed .... but then there's the lifetime warranty :)

Well I am impressed, and mind-opened. You make some very good arguments for lighter gauge strings. Regarding the fundamental bit, I am wondering now if that is why Jeff Beck and Steve Vai and so many other cats who do lots of harmonics and squeals prefer lighter strings (whether they know it or not, it sounds like they get more overtones and harmonics from those thinner strings). Very interesting.

My guitars are, by design, heavier and denser because I believe - whether it is wives tale or urban legend or fact - that heavier weight and denser wood gives some added sustain. I also know (I'm pretty sure this is fact) that dense wood like mahogany tends to have more lows and mids, whereas lighter woods like swamp ash and basswood have less lows/mids, which is just one of the many reasons strats and les pauls sound the way they do.

So basically I agree with you, there are so many factors... the wood type, the fretboard type (ebony bounces notes off the fingerboard more than rosewood, for example) and of course the string gauge. Heavier strings does not guarantee more sustain or better tone. But maybe, perhaps, it can help lean you in that direction.

Oh thanks man! Much appreciated :) Yeah, that Soundcloud track is actually a sampler of a bunch of our recordings, which I use to book gigs. On our first album, I wrote a song called "Count Your Blessings" and halfway through the song I arranged that quote from "So What" to introduce the piano solo. The tempo and mood just felt right, you know. When I was making the sampler, I just cut straight into the "So What" bit and then after some piano jam, cut to a different track. Just trying to showcase some of the things we do.

Grant Green, Jr. lives here in Atlanta and plays often. I've actually never seen him, crazy as that sounds, because I'm always gigging myself. But I know the drummer and pianist who play with him. I am most definitely a fan of Grant Green (sr.) but did not really listen to him until college, by which time I was already well on my way to developing my own playing style and likes/dislikes. I am definitely a fan of Green's work, and his guitar tone (for Jazz) but I can't say he's one of my big influences. But I would recommend him to any guitar student. Same with Wes Montgomery. I don't think his playing was technically amazing, but it's extremely tasteful and I know it was influential at the time ("Wes Coast Blues," for example). Kurt Rosenwinkle (sp?) is the kind of Jazz guitar I listen to lately.

So, this may be a silly question but ... I have a Boss DD-5 and I've always wondered who uses the "Hold" setting. I have the Ditto and the Boss RC-2 loop pedals. I just came across an ad for the Boss DD-7 advertising "Up to 40 seconds of recording for sound on sound (Hold mode)."

Does anyone use the Hold setting? and under what circumstance? and why is it better than a loop?

Thanks for taking this seriously. I am curious to see who uses it and why.

... the better ventilated modern cab seems to be a lot easier on them. I have never got the HW hot enough to fry an egg on the control panel, knock on wood!

So, couple months ago I was playing guitar in an off-Broadway theatre production (Avenue Q) and you know it was six shows a week, 7pm-11:30pm kinda schedule. Anyway my amp was a small Fender Blues Junior. One night I get home and realize I left the amp on! It was past midnight, everyone was long gone, theatre was locked until 7 PM the next evening ... I prayed and went to sleep. Next night, I walked up to the band loft and sure enough the amp was on. I switched it off and let it cool down for a half hour, but then I had to switch it back on for the 8:00 curtain. I was nervous but man it played totally fine and has not had a problem since (it's my practice amp so I would've noticed by now).

Yes, that is true many famous guitarists - another one being Jeff Beck - use light gauge strings. But it is a fact that thicker strings will increase your tone and sustain. If you want my opinion, thicker strings are preferable. I play .10's or .11's on my electrics so we aren't talking about bass strings or .13's. The .12 set I mentioned was acoustic strings.