Hi all! I just test drove a Carr Mercury, amp over the weekend. Wow! It's hard to believe that it's only 8 watts. That thing blew me away. It's so musical. It would make a great recording amp. I'd never gig with it, as it costs $1950. Get this, it's a 1-12" combo. If any of you get a chance to try one, do it. They sound great!

Joe: Have you ever tried one?

later,

First off, I'd like to say my thoughts are with those in SoCal. I hope you all are okay. It's wierd, I was just there a month ago, I can't believe that it's burning so badly. That totally sucks.

Wooohooo, tomorrow I pick up my new Genzbenz, G-Flex cabinet. -Borrowing my mate's 2x12 Recto at the moment. It's much better having my own stuff.

DCK: -Got your faculties back yet? That's gotta' be a strange feeling.

Michelle: Have a good time at the concert(s)! And, of course we talk about everything, and nothing here. It's great!

Michelle: That was efing funny!

DCK: Holy shiite, this G-Flex is phat with a capital PH! It has more balls than just about any 4x12 I've played through. It's not really hyped at all though. All of the freqs' have a good balance and come through very clearly. You might want to use Vintage 30's, but the speakers that come stock kick ass. I can imagine that a 4x12 version would be brutal. I love this damn thing. By far, the best cab I've ever played through. Even though it's ported, it's tight and punchy. 'Twill knock yo' dick in da' dirt. I def. recommend trying one out.

Laters...

DCK: I haven't tested the Diablo head yet, I'm sure I'll get around to it thoough. I"m still reeling from the tone of that little Carr Mercury amp, talk about efficiency!

On the "Joy to the World", Luke and EVH collab. - Ed does some cool shred. Sounded like the same old ED, but with a bit more attitude. It was cool. I heard it on noneradio.com.

962: No probs, I really like that cab. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it fits me perfectly. Were you the one getting the ENGL Powerball head? I hear really good things about that one, what a price tag though! There are far too many great amps out there. I cannot afford to get them, but test driving them is fun.

Laters....

DCK: I wouldn't call the Mercury a high gain amp. However, it has full bodied tone. Actually, the gain is almost perfect by itself. Although, we put a couple of different distorions in front, I can't remember which ones, and it was really great sounding. The thing is only 8 watts, but it is loud as hell, and very toneful. Overall, a very musical amp. I kind of compared it to a Valco on some super steriods. Bear in mind, it's not an amp for metal. More suited for Rock, blues, and chicken' pickin'.

The price tag is crazy though: $1900, for a single 12" combo. They're in huge demand. It was only in the store for a few days and was purchased by someone across the country.

Laters....

Clarky: That was a great insight into Fripp. I love his attitude and his steely sarcasm. He has, indeed contributed to the music world in huge ways. -And yeah... from what I've read about him, he probably doesn't see it that way at all.

Everyone, have you read the Vicar Chronicles? It's on Fripps website. It's pretty damn funny. Well.... I found it amusing, anyway. The Vicar Chronicles

Mikesb: Do you play? How long have you been playing bro? I don't care what anyone says about any guitarist. If that player is on the G3 tour, it is for good reason. I choose not to view art as competition, in any way, but rather a statement made solely by the artist. It is what it is, and you either like it or not. Especially since we, the audience, can not really fully understand where the artist is coming from. Art is a very personal thing, and in the case of music, we are fortunate that it is shared with us. It is also great for the artist, if there is an audience that will listen. ;-} Laters.....

Mikesb: Cool! Yeah, those guys floored me as well. -Still do in many ways. Yeah... Yngwie is Yngwie. It seems that many forget this. I still think he deserves respect, especially because of the impact he caused on the industry. I thought he put on a cool show in Phoenix. It was fun.

laters...

Ethn: It's all good bro'. My comment was really directed towards the critics that felt Yngwie's style "sucked", and was "boring". I think it's fair to say that most concert goers, at this point in time, know what they're are getting into where Mr. Malmsteen is concerned. He does what he does, not much variety to be had, but it's still good. I hadn't even read what you posted. I just think it was unfair to make general points, re: "he sucks", without giving any kind of reason why. I can't say that you are part of that.

I agree with you, if you pay money, you expect to get something in return. I enjoyed the show in Phoenix, but Yngwie was not really a reason for me to go. I wanted to see Joe and Steve. I actually found alot of the antics to be amusing. Yngwie seemed to be smiling/laughing a few times as well. Sorry you had a less than favorable experience. That sucks....

Clarky: that's way cool man..... That's something to be remembered for sure. There are few that can say they played on the same record as Fripp. -Awesome!

Mikesb: way to go on the Godin! Those are very cool guitars, espacially the LGX-SA. Great Price. ....Hey, we're talking gear now.

Michelle: - Sounds like you had an awesome time! That's really great. I look forward to reading the rest of your story.

Laters...

Clarky: That's nothing that fabricating a few brass shims won't help. Gary Brawer has to do this for Joe, cause his gits have compound rads. and at the nut end turns into about a 12" rad. You'll be able to get it real low, no problems.

Clarky: yeah... Joe's guitars have a compound radius to the fretboard. Up top, it's similar to a strat. I think it's about a 12-13" inch radius. Then the radius gradually widens towards the body. I think it's something like 15-16" at the body. I'm not exactly sure what they measure, check the Ibanez site, they may have the dimensions posted. Anyway, Gary has stated that he has to shim the saddles in order to get it as low as Joe likes. If your axe has a single radius to it, just put some shims under the saddles to match, and you're all set. You may have to make them. I made mine out of brass, with a dremel tool. I wanted the base of my edge to be the same height at both the treble and bass sides, so I shimmed the lower three saddles to make up the distance.

Hope that helps.

Laters.....

Wow... it's lively today. I will refrain from commenting on the debate, except to say that I love what he did, and I didn't know him as a person. I was only about three when he passed away.

Michelle: Have you been listening to the late Bill Hicks again?

OCP: -that doesn't surprise me. It sounds really interesting all the same. It must take tons of time to do a fretjob like that.

Clarky: -Yeah, alot of it is trial and error, unless you really get to measuring things. You may find that multiple shim sizes are useful. I actually tore apart a cheap set of brass feeler gauges and cut my shims from that. -Now, if I could just figure out how to play the damn thing. ;)

Laters...

Joe: - I'm looking forward to the the NAMM show. I've never been there, but I'm told it's like a zoo. I still want to go and check out all the new gear.

Zach: Please shoot me a mail, detailing your trembolt. I may have a use for one.

Tonecapone: -Cheers to Jimi! Nice bro'.

laters....

Clarky: That should work really well.

Eva: - good to hear from you. Hope you're doing well.

hey all! It takes me forever to catch up to you guys! I just can't read all of it.

Hope you all are doing well.

Tastey: wow.... R6R is correct. My wife and I share the responsibilities. She's the greatest! She's a writer. She has only been published in an Aussie news paper, and one web-zine, but I love her stuff. She's also really great about me doing the music and college thing.

The new DT is effing great!

laters,

962 - re: King's X - Dogman is a good one also. I like all of their recordings. Listening to Earcandy as I write.

Hi all!

Clarky: Have you ever tried flying your tracks from the aw16 into your PC, that your running Cubase on? I find the wave editing power in Cubase is pretty f-ing good. You'll need a good sound card however.

Chris: Sounds great. My buddy, Jason Blake has been using Sonic Foundry and Vegas Pro for quite awhile. He loves them both. I'm using an old Mac G3 for my system. I'm thinking that when it comes time to upgrade, I'll be getting a very beefy PC. They're so much cheaper. I love macs, but the pricing is ridiculous. You hit the nail on the head, finding the warmest mic-pres and sound card is crucial.

and ... yes, Mattias is one crazy, freaky bitch. Blows me away every time I listen to him.

laters... Kell

Ha Ha.... Austin: -sort of an inside joke I was playing ... I'm glad someone got it. Go figure, it was you.

Looks like there's some good news on the Iraqi situation, finally.

Talk to you later..

Mike: You are way too kind my friend. I have a feeling that they're going to be a bit pricey. Please do not spend much on my account, as it will be a while before you recieve a check via postage.

I'm working on a similar pick design. I have a local shop that will be fabricating them from white delrin. It's going to take some time before the first few samples are in hand, but I think I'm on to something.

Have any of you heard the tracks Buckethead played on Vigo Mortensen's (sp?) new CD? He's effing amazing. The CD is very experimental, but (sorry to all the Vigo fans) I don't dig Vigo's singing. His poetry is pretty cool though, and the music is different.

Tastey: Don't worry, the guitar players were all trying to watch Satch, not your ass ... ha ha! Yes, the female guitar players as well. Where we men guitarists are concerned: it's one of the very few things that can distract us from paying attention to the fairer sex. -Just ask my wife. lol!

Bil: Hang in there! Get well soon. We're all sending the good vibes your way.

Mike/ovation: Thanks a bunch for the picks. They arrived on the 31st. I've been really busy fixing cars and spending time with family. I'll be sending something your way tomorrow. ;-)

TASTEY: Not sure what to make of your ... err ... situation. I don't want to be presumptuous regarding "stuff". I suppose anything is possible.

Mike/Ovation: You should be receiving something by U.S. mail in about ten days. ;-)

TASTEY: glad to hear things may be working out.

-well I put Tucson on the map at globaldust, for Joe and Steve.

-Kell

R6R: Zen Guitar is a great book. It's one of my favorites. Not the only one that anyone should own, but definetly one of the top five. Music is, afterall, an artform and should be regarded as such.

Slanshroom: If the software is for a G4, it will not run on your PC. Apples and Oranges ...

R6Rocker: Yeah ... It's not easy to write tunes. It's way more important to be able to create a great tune with lots of melody and direction, than be a fantastic wanker. Don't get me wrong, I love wanking just like everyone else, but the song is everything. As far as non musicians go; if you can write impressive and catchy leads in your great tune, then they love the whole package. I hope to be able to do this someday.

Slanshroom/Roy: No problem. Once you are in the position of being able to work with your own personal system, you'll be amazed at the options you're given.

OCP: I hear great things about using a compound radius. I don't personally have one, but some folks really like them.

WARNING: The following is about Hockey, not music.

I have to give huge props for our man Brian Boucher (goalie for the Phoenix Coyotes). He broke the record for longest shut-out streak (325mins, 45 secs without being scored on). He's stopped 130 shots in the last five games, giving the 'yotes a five game shut-out streak. That kicks ass!

laters....