Greetings all! This is my 1st post here. I've admired Joe's playing since '87, but attending the Sweetwater clinic was amazing. It's the first I got to see Joe upfront and vocal about his composition techniques (describing his tunes). I've been a play-by-ear player for 30+ years and anyone well-versed in theory that can apply it in such a melodic way...well...my hat's off and I'm certainly a Satch fan!

Not only was ita fab visit for me & my family...it was awesome to win a Satchurator to boot! I've always been a tone fiend & now have a chance to explore a little more of Joe's world. From posts I've read...it sure looks like he has a lot of great fans willing to literally go the distance to meet him & watch him play.

All the best to you folks! God Bless!

Just listened to the Chickenfoot video/demo's...cool stuff!!! I think it's awesome that these guys get together and the personalities of all come out in the mix well.

One thing I've found, every time I hear some of Joe's tunes it reminds me of a good friend of mine...Nori Bucci, out of Niagara Falls, NY. If you get a chance...goto http://www.noribucci.com and check out her music & artwork. Or, just search for Nori Bucci on iTunes and have a listen of Recurring Nightmare...a hard-hitting electric instrumental that I could see her jammin' with Joe with. She holds her own.

Cheers everyone!!!

My condolences, too, Tony. Wow, death is always a tough thing to talk about. Yet, nothing soothes our uneasiness like good friends to share in our grief..'cause we all get there at different times of life.

I spent 30 years of my life raised heathen. :-) No spiritual belief except this very subtle nagging on the inside that there must be something more out there. Until I met Melissa. Now, I've been a believer of Jesus for the last 20 years and have seen two totally different impacts on my life & vast differences of perspectives.

I once had a curiosity with death...where will I go? If anywhere? Typically a fear because of the unknown. And , now I have a confidence in a new & perfect beginning. Total peace about this next eternal life, and a new outlook that stays fresh every year regarding a need to live each day to it's fullest.

It's carried over into my music, too. Where I once was a learning guitarist in a late 70's rock band...playing Zepp, Blue Oyster Cult, Skynyrd, Stones, Yes, etc....now I spend it playing in our local church and...where songwriting was once elusive and quite a struggle...now the lyrics come with a renewed focus...and the music is much easier to develop now that I can let go and let the Holy Spirit take control and drive my inspiration to a work that honors Christ & not myself.

Agape love is certainly where it's at. That self-sacrificing love that holds a higher regard for the person beheld...than for your own needs and perspectives. Well...that's my story. It got me through the times of watching a father-in-law pass from colon cancer...or seeing my grandmother pass from it just being her time with age (and I lived with her in those days).

But, what a drive in music, too, eh? Look at the works out there and look at what is truly spiritually driven...there's a marked difference if done in the proper perspective. So, death for me is the ultimate new beginning...the mark of being set free from the decay of this world that saddens us all...and of a new hope of a life that's forever unchanging. :-)

Peace everyone! Sorry to digress so much from a board that honors Joe's music. But, I've seen enough posts here to see what a band of family you've all become...especially you 'old timers' in here! :-)

BTW, PeaceLily...thanks for the welcome you gave me! Appreciate that!

GG2: What price range are you leaning toward? You can often get a decent buy on craigslist if you know what you want. I had an Orange 120W head 3 decades ago so I've been down that road. I tend to stay away from some of the solidstate + multi-effects amps. But, in a pinch some will do.

I personally have a VOX AD30VT that you can grab used for about the $150-200 range. I like the way they've designed the circuitry so that you can get an edge of distortion like an old Fender Tweed and then kick up the input volume to distort a bit more. Some overdrive circuits aren't quite so smooth (usually either one extreme or the other).

I'm typically picky about tone in subtle ways. I normally wouldn't have given this amp a 2nd glance, but I got it on a trade for some desktop support work and have come to LOVE it for some all around practice.

Has one 10" speaker in it (ok, but I'll replace it with a 12" some day). 15 watts will be ok for you if you're looking for portability/studio/or apartment levels. You won't be impressed much with sound unless you're going for a small Class A tube amp and intend on cranking it. If THAT's the case...think about a 5-15W tube amp where you can crank a little. An amp putting out 5W is incredibly loud with the right speaker. The speaker selection is everything, too, but can be changed later.

GG2: Well, I peeked at the SF Bay area (peeking at where Santa Clara was) on craigslist. Here's a couple recent links in craigslist that look like some nice contenders. I've had a Line6 head...not bad for practice for a variety of situations (i.e. plugin an ipod and play along with headphones).

The Vox can be serious little tone contender. It's tube and I just love the way tubes saturate. So...there ya go...my 2 cents worth! :-)

Brad

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/msg/1669713426.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/msg/1667650883.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/msg/1665904570.html (this is what I have)

Also...if you have a tech friend...goto http://www.ax84.com and check out the doberman amps...plus the amp kits they sell. I used to do a lot of forum on this site. It mainly consists of amp techs & hobbyists looking to emulate high end saturated distortion in bedroom level volumes. Don't let the 5W-15W levels fool you...these amps scream and are as loud as you'll need for studio, apartment & playing out mic'd up.

Wow...I missed a few weeks of viewin' here and had 20 pages to catch up on! :) Well, the Arizona bill passage is just another "fine" example of legislators that don't need re-elected. Really, if the law gets any more flagrant in position they might as well declare marshall law and be done with it. :O

A thanks to Mr. Luini for posting my Sweetwater pics in the photo area...I still love that shot with the kid Joe had come up onstage for a pic of his pick in hand...THAT's what you call sensitivity & hospitality. Hollywood needs more of it, Joe...superb attitude! :-)

Grant, I hope you're recovering from those long runs...but, I STILL think you need to try the Badwater Marathon while yer young. :P

woodman - got yer point. Didn't know the entire implication, I spose, but is it now a case of 2 wrongs don't make a right? Or, are we on the same page? Yet, I do know...three rights make a left! :-O

Stu - busy! ...and more busy... :-P I work at a university and the year end is crazy. Kids are gone now so it's lightened a little.