Joe,

Just wanted to say thanks for the autograph you gave me at Bone Bash 3. I didn't mind missing half of Journey's set to get to meet you (I went to the concert to see you anyway)! You rocked. You have great stage presence and it truly looked like you were having a blast. I remember seeing you at a Day on the Green with the Greatful Dead (remember that show at the Oakland Coluseum....sheesh must be about 15 years ago now). You were great then and now you are amazing. I don't know if you heard Neil Schon say that the first time he heard you play he wanted to break your fingers, or not. While it was mean fun, it goes to show what respect your fellow guitarists have for you (I'm one of them). I don't want to break your fingers, but I definitely have a lot of respect for you and you are a major source of inspiration in my own guitar playing. Thanks again and rock on (can't wait for the next G3)!

Best Regards,

Howdy Joe,

I was looking at the picture page for the Fillmore shows (I was there Friday night and had a great time. You guys rocked)! and I noticed the picture of one of your pedal boards shows two DS-1's patched together in series. They had identical settings which makes me wonder why you need/want two? Hmmm. Thanks again for the awsome show in the city.

Best Regards,

Mike.

I read on melodicrock.com that Joe might be joining the super group Planet Us (Neil Schon, Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar). Is this true? I'm not sure how I feel about this. In a very selfish way, I hope he doesn't do it because that would take time away from his solo career. On the other hand, it would get Joe a lot of exposure and introduce more fans to the wonder of Joe which would be good for him. Hmmm...how do you feel about it?

Best Regards,

Do the Stu: Phry says you might be able to help me with Joe's delay settings while playing live. Using my G-major I can get close using Delay1 = 613 ms and Delay 2 = 650 ms, both with about 20% feedback. Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer!

Best Regards

Mike

Do The Stu: That's cool...thanks anyway. I'll post on a gear oriented site like johnpetrucci.com and see what happens there. Lots of Satch fans over there and maybe someone will know.

Best Regards,

Hi Everyone!

Does anyone know for sure which songs Joe uses his Palmer Speaker Simulator on? I know he uses it tons in his home studio, but I'm curious if it shows up on his CD's. Not counting Engines, of course, which he has publicly acknowledged making much use of the Palmer. I think I hear on Crystal Planet, but I'm not sure. Hmmm....

I'm joe -nzing for a good Evening with Joe Satriani show at the Fillmore. Last time I saw Joe (besides G3 at the Chronicle Pavillion), there it was his last show before collapsing with pneumonia. I could tell he wasn't feeling too hot, but he put on a great show anyway. Lot's of trippy jams near the end. Let's rock Joe!

Best Regards,

Stevee T:

Thanks for the reply regarding Joe's use of the Palmer Speaker sim. I thought of asking Joe, but I don't want to distract him from making us the new CD!

I checked out your website. Very cool. I love the trippy tunes. I dig your chromeboy too. Do you ever play it, or is it more of a collectors piece? If I ever get one I would probably be afraid to take it out of it's case. I'd probably hang it on the wall in a glass case.

I'm a big Ibanez JS fan too. I have two. A BP and a BSB. Well, three if you count the JS6 I custom built for myself ( Finished JS6 pics ). I dig your Les Paul as well. I have an 82 Les Paul Custom that I bought new in 82 for something like $1100 USD. Sounds cheap now.

Thanks again for the reply!

Best Regards,

Mike.

P.S. Click this link if you want to see actual construction pics fo the JS6. This page will take some time to load as it has a ton of pics on one page (someday I'll get around to breaking it up). Construction Pics

Stevee T:

Thanks for the kind words regarding my JS6. I'm glad to hear you play your Chromeboy and your JS2PRM. I'm sure you make good use of them. Regarding the Palmer, I thought that was you. If not, my apologies! That unit has been on my mind a lot recently since I've just purchased one. I was listening to Crystal Planet and the guitar sounds had that simulated kind of vibe and that's why I thought I would ask you guys and gals here.

hoiguy79:

Thanks! Actually, the body was cut from a solid block of wood. I drew the outline on the block and then used a bandsaw to cut it out followed by cleaning up of the edges with a robo-sander. I hand radiused the edges as well. By the way, I dig your Satriani Doll. The guitar replica is outstanding.

civgeek:

Thanks! The guitar plays great too. I hand profiled the neck and made it a little thinner than a true JS. Regarding Hearst Castle, I couldn't figure out what you were referring to so I looked through the pictures again and found the picture I think you're talking about. That is actually a picture of me and my wife in front of the Trevi Fountain in Italy! What a great trip that was. I'd like to go back again some day.

Best Regards,

Stevee T:

It's just a hobby. The JS6 was actually my third build from scratch so I had a little bit of experience under my belt. It's a ton of work, but very rewarding when you plug in and rock! Especially when it's a JS. As you know, the mahogany is very warm sounding and the hardtail bridge adds to the sustain as well. It's a great sounding combination. I'd love to compare it to a real JS6 one day. I got into the JS6 after seeing Joe play his Mohog in the Extremist video (on The Satch Tapes). Thanks for the kind words.

Civgeek:

Cool, you know the Bay Area! Of course I'm very familiar with Hayward too. I drive through it every day on my way to work (I work in Foster City, just over the San Mateo Bridge). Yes, it has been raining a bit here lately. But, as you know, January is a big month for rain around here. You're right about the amount of rain too. When it rains it really rains around here. Thanks for checking out the JS6.

Stevee T:

Yes, a Floyd would be nice on a JS6. I would definitely make good use of it! Maybe on the next one. For this first one I wanted it to as close to Joe's Mohog as possible. Cheers.

Stevee T:

Since you have both chrome JS guitars, how do they compare? Are there any tonal differences between the two? Is one finish better looking than the other? Just curious.

Best Regards,

Stevee T:

Cool...Thanks for the review on the chrome JS guitars. I thought that the new one looked a little darker in the pics I've seen.

QUESTION FOR GUITAR PLAYERS:

I've been messing around with Surfing with the Alien and find that I just can't quite make the stretch that occurs at 2:29. Particularly the pull-offs from 8 to 3. Anyone else who has tried it have trouble with this part? Either my hands are small or Joe's are huge. Maybe I'll just tap this part....

Best Regards,

civgeek:

You know, I've noticed that classical position Joe takes sometimes now that you mention it. I'll have to give that a shot. And that's a great idea about trying the lick on a lower string higher up. Why didn't I think about that? I'm not ready to give up on the 8-3, though. It's a matter of pride now! And I'm actually only 5'6" by the way. I can do the 7-3 pull no problem. Guess I'll just woodshed a bit more.

OME:

The Cherry Lane transcription I have by Jesse Gress shows the 8-3 pull 4x at the end of the lick mixed in with the 7-3 pull. I double checked to make sure I wasn't misreading the tab. Guess I'll just have to suck it up and try harder! That lick definitely fits into a minor pentatonic blues scale. Thanks for responding.

Best Regards,

Mike.

OME:

You're absolutely right. Even Joe doesn't play his own songs note for note live. Regarding Surfing with the Alien, I think I just have a complex about my short fingers! I'm gonna get the 8-3 pull if it kills me, dammit. Civgeek had a great idea about how to play it note for note (see below). By the way, I checked out your tunes...very cool. Is that a Stratocaster in your myspace photo? I have one just like it. Black American Standard with rosewood fretboard. I love that guitar.

civgeek:

Well, the classical positioning helps. I can just make the 8th fret, but it is mighty uncomfortable and not very clean. Your idea about using the B and G strings was perfect, however. I still can't believe I didn't think of that. Doh! Thanks.

Best Regards,

Question for Recording Engineer Types:

Did anyone notice what looks like a guitar cabinet speaker attached to Jeff's kick drum in the studio pics for Joe's new album?

http://www.dunnett.com/satriani/satriani.html

Any idea what that is all about? Wonder what they are piping into the drum. Too wild, man..too wild.

Best Regards,

Hey all,

I had a long, hard day today and went into my studio to unwind. I dialed up All Alone from Time Machine, turned down the lights and cranked my JBL LSR28P's. Man...what a great tune. If you haven't listened to that one in a while, dig it out and give it a spin. Just beautiful. The guitar tone is very well engineered. Sounds like a bit of re-amping to get two simultaneous amps ala Stevie Ray or maybe he's got a touch of the Fulltone Ultimate Octave switched in. Dunno. And of course Joe's phrasing is spot on. Just sharing. Peace.

Best Regards,

Marcus

Kiko kicks a**. Thanks for the link. It's players like that that make me realize how much more I need to practice. LOL!

Best Regards,

Zinc Master

Mmmmm....Vanilla Frosty.

Damn, just when I lost my annual "holiday 5." Oh well, just gotta run a little harder at the gym.

Best Regards,

Mike.

Zinc Master

Yeah, kinda weird that they would supply chocolate only. In actuallity I rarely eat fast food. Having said that, I always thought that Wendy's was one of the better ones.

I see you're from Indiana. I spent 5.5 yrs in Lafayette IN while going to Purdue. I had a blast there and I loved going to Chi Town on weekends. I also dug the Fall season with all the color changes. I have to confess, though, that I was glad to come home here to the Bay Area. There's no place like home.

Best Regards,

Suzie2000

I had the pleasure of meeting Joe during a Bone Bash concert here in the San Francisco Bay Area. 107.7 The Bone is a local rock radio station and they sponsor an annual concert called the Bone Bash. I say during the show, because I literally left seating area during Journey's set to meet Joe and get an autograph in the concession area. He was very cool and laid back. His autograph is one of my prized possesions!

Best Regards,

cuthbert1776

I just saw your post about the Feast of the Hunter's Moon. I went to that almost every year when I was going to Purdue. It's a really cool festival. My favorites were the Buffalo Burgers, the hot cider and the candle making booths. It was a great way to take a much needed break from my studies.

Best Regards,

cuthbert1776

Man, sounds like a blast after hours at the feast. Too bad I always had to get back home and study....

Best Regards,

Question for the Techinically Oriented:

In the April issue of Guitar Player mag there's a great article on Joe (as I'm sure most of you know) and he graciously describes his recording process. A couple of things struck me and I also have a technical question.

First the question. For those who know what summing outside the box is, I wonder if Joe sums out when mixing or is it all in the box. I say Joe, but I guess I mean whoever mixes his music. I wonder if Joe has an opinion (Joe? :-) ).

Things that struck me were how much it appears he relies on his Palmer speaker simulators. In one of the photos you can see two of them (the originals by the look of them). He said he saves a few solos for traditional micing techniques. Incidently, you can see some really nice gear if you look closely, i.e. a couple of Distessors, the UAL stuff, two! STT-1's, a Mackie 1604 (I've got one of those), and a....BBE Sonic Maximizer? That last one confuses me. Never been a big fan, but you never know. Maybe it just gets used as an exagerated effects occasionaly.

I also liked how he used his own JSX amp (even giving the settings) and a SM57 and SM7. Very obtainable stuff. Of course he then runs it through a Neve 1081, UA LA2A and Protools HD.

If anyone has any idea about the summing thing let me know. Thanks!

Best Regards,