Monday, June 16, 2014
A Quick Follow Up
My PureSalem now has a name! I have been emailing with Rick Sell, who not only confirmed that it is, in fact, a PureSalem protoype, and that the body is a solid piece of mahogany, attached to a solid Mahogany Neck- that he likes my name for the model- so, it's now officially a "Louie". I know, naming guitars is just a childish thing, but this is at a slightly different level. You can say it's yet more childish, but considering the names for his other guitars : Brave Ulysses, Tom Cat, and Sad Fester, I think it's a vote of confidence that he agrees with the name "Louie De Palma"- the guitar is short, dark, angry and has no tone control.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Another Guitar??
Yes, I bought another guitar. Now, you might think that this blog is about buying guitar stuff, and in the micro-sense, it might be. What I mean for it to be is a documentation of how I'm finding my way, in what I purchase. I don't mean letting my stuff define me, but the reverse- how my self-definitions play into what I purchase.So, I'm finding that, as a complete music nerd, the most resonant ( geddit?) purchases are those that involve music. I don't know why I'm so stuck on music. My Dad played guitar, but not professionally. My Mom sang in the church choir, but again, nothing professional. I can't tell you why I started trying to be a roadie at 15, a sound engineer at 25, joining bands in between, and not really quitting that circus until I was 37, thus meaning that somewhere around half my working life was based on music and sound. So, at this point, me buying guitars isn't about fulfilling a fantasy of being a rock star or something. It's more like a woodworker buying a new Bosch circular saw, or a day trader buying some penny stocks. It's me asserting my little self over the course of my time, here.
That doesn't mean that I'm not aspirational. If I had the money for it, I'd have a Martin D-28, customized to be fully left handed, and a vintage Jazzmaster, again lefty, and a couple of Gibson guitars, most likely a vintage Melody Maker and an early 1970's SG, and a Mesa Boogie Mark II, and an Orange custom Reverb, and an H&H I/C 100, and so on, and so on. Two of those "aspirational" things are the lovely guitars from PureSalem, and vintage, early 1960's mutant guitars- you know Supros, Nationals, Burns, Danelectro, Silvertone, Teisco, and so on.
So, by a fluke, I was able to meet several of those aspirational desires, this week. I got a PureSalem guitar. Don't look for it on their website, because, when Rick Sells was looking to make his guitar company, he tried out several designs at several different manufacturers. The prototypes that he made that represented manufacturers that he didn't ultimately go with, he sold on Ebay a few years back. One of these was bought by a fellow lefty less than 10 miles from me. I never knew that guy, but he decided to sell his prototype on Ebay, and I bought it. So, mark the "PureSalem" box checked. How about the mutant factor? Well, the design is about one half a Silvertone/Danelectro 1448, with the remaining half taking bits from the Silvertone/Kay 1410, and the 1963 Gibson Melody Maker. Doesn't that pretty much fill the bill?
See, it's a solid slab ( I can find no seams, joints, or bindings, and the stain and poly are fairly thin, leading me to believe it's real, solid wood) of what appears to be Mahogany, with a definite, and set Mahogany neck, and a single pick up- so you've got your Gibson there. The small scale (17 Fret) neck, the body shape, all on one side tuners with a paddle headstock definitely calls up the 1448. The red color, pickguard shape and humbucker voicing calls up the 1410, but really, yes, this is a mutant. It's got a few problems, typical of this kind of purchase- there's some glue on the neck from where they were sloppy installing the nut, the action is set on Slide ( almost a quarter inch up from the body, and about half that from the upper frets. The prior owner liked really thick strings) the Humbucker is a muddy no name, and the tone control has come loose and is therefore useless. But, all that is tweakable.
So, why should you care about my purchase of a guitar you will never, ever own? Why should it matter to anyone but me? In a way- it shouldn't. That's part of my point in this blog. Most folks when they talk about stuff, are trying to make you envious of their stuff. They are saying "I got this, it's cool, and you should want to get this, too". The ultimate aim is for their ego- I have cool stuff, therefore, I'm cool. Well, I know I'm cool enough for me. If you think I'm cool, well, good for you, I guess, but it doesn't matter to me. If you think my stuff is cool, again, good for you, I guess, but it's far more important to me that I think my stuff is cool. What's more important than any of that, is the question of your ego, your cool, and your stuff. See, I'm offering up my process to legitimize your process. So, if, let's say, you're a book collector, and a former Librarian- then, I'm presenting this as an encouragement for you to talk about what makes for a cool book, in your book. Let's say you dig cars- well, then, I'd want to hear about some obscure Auto that only you can explain- get the picture? I'm talking about the stuff as a way to get to the ideas.
In this case the ideas are as follows:
1. It's not magic, but if you follow your muse, your singular desires, eventually, your ideas will manifest. In my case, take a look at the manifestation- this little guitar checks off a lot of boxes, and not necessarily compatible ones, and yet, here it is, purchased for less than the price of a decent family dinner at a restaurant. I don't think it's a deity, or magic force. I think it's a matter of tuning your perceptions, and essentially, creating a radar for the way you want to see the world. I really dig the stuff I was describing above, so I was turning my attention towards it. When things conformed to that set of desires and aesthetics, I would pay more attention to it. That allowed me a better "eye" for what I wanted. I'm not saying we create our own reality, but I'm saying we choose what to put our minds into, and that affects our perception of our actual reality.
2. None of us are alone- think about this- wanting a guitar made by PureSalem, a lefty, and following both Gibson and Sears catalog aesthetics is a pretty obscure, lonely thing- and yet, there was somebody almost within walking distances to me who evidently at least partially shared that aesthetic. That's an incredibly comforting thing- none of us are truly alone, no matter how alienated our lives make us. If you look, you will find like-minded individuals.
3. If you examine both yourself and your "evidence" ( the physical traces of your mental existance) you might come to a different understanding than if you kept it to a purely mental exercise. For example, through this purchase, I've come to understand that most of the reason why I like PureSalem is that these are not "trash" guitars, they just reference guitars that are. So, not only does this guitar scratch the itch, it fills the desire- because nothing is more "trash" than an old Silvertone, but this is actually a fairly high quality guitar, and I wouldn't like it as much if it weren't.
4. Owning something is a collaboration. In this case, there is the guitar, as is, then, there's what I'm doing with it- playing, and tweaking, and adjusting. It doesn't matter if it's a camera or a fridge- it's all an interface between you and the manufacture.
5. Pictures can be better than words- have a look-see:
That doesn't mean that I'm not aspirational. If I had the money for it, I'd have a Martin D-28, customized to be fully left handed, and a vintage Jazzmaster, again lefty, and a couple of Gibson guitars, most likely a vintage Melody Maker and an early 1970's SG, and a Mesa Boogie Mark II, and an Orange custom Reverb, and an H&H I/C 100, and so on, and so on. Two of those "aspirational" things are the lovely guitars from PureSalem, and vintage, early 1960's mutant guitars- you know Supros, Nationals, Burns, Danelectro, Silvertone, Teisco, and so on.
So, by a fluke, I was able to meet several of those aspirational desires, this week. I got a PureSalem guitar. Don't look for it on their website, because, when Rick Sells was looking to make his guitar company, he tried out several designs at several different manufacturers. The prototypes that he made that represented manufacturers that he didn't ultimately go with, he sold on Ebay a few years back. One of these was bought by a fellow lefty less than 10 miles from me. I never knew that guy, but he decided to sell his prototype on Ebay, and I bought it. So, mark the "PureSalem" box checked. How about the mutant factor? Well, the design is about one half a Silvertone/Danelectro 1448, with the remaining half taking bits from the Silvertone/Kay 1410, and the 1963 Gibson Melody Maker. Doesn't that pretty much fill the bill?
See, it's a solid slab ( I can find no seams, joints, or bindings, and the stain and poly are fairly thin, leading me to believe it's real, solid wood) of what appears to be Mahogany, with a definite, and set Mahogany neck, and a single pick up- so you've got your Gibson there. The small scale (17 Fret) neck, the body shape, all on one side tuners with a paddle headstock definitely calls up the 1448. The red color, pickguard shape and humbucker voicing calls up the 1410, but really, yes, this is a mutant. It's got a few problems, typical of this kind of purchase- there's some glue on the neck from where they were sloppy installing the nut, the action is set on Slide ( almost a quarter inch up from the body, and about half that from the upper frets. The prior owner liked really thick strings) the Humbucker is a muddy no name, and the tone control has come loose and is therefore useless. But, all that is tweakable.
So, why should you care about my purchase of a guitar you will never, ever own? Why should it matter to anyone but me? In a way- it shouldn't. That's part of my point in this blog. Most folks when they talk about stuff, are trying to make you envious of their stuff. They are saying "I got this, it's cool, and you should want to get this, too". The ultimate aim is for their ego- I have cool stuff, therefore, I'm cool. Well, I know I'm cool enough for me. If you think I'm cool, well, good for you, I guess, but it doesn't matter to me. If you think my stuff is cool, again, good for you, I guess, but it's far more important to me that I think my stuff is cool. What's more important than any of that, is the question of your ego, your cool, and your stuff. See, I'm offering up my process to legitimize your process. So, if, let's say, you're a book collector, and a former Librarian- then, I'm presenting this as an encouragement for you to talk about what makes for a cool book, in your book. Let's say you dig cars- well, then, I'd want to hear about some obscure Auto that only you can explain- get the picture? I'm talking about the stuff as a way to get to the ideas.
In this case the ideas are as follows:
1. It's not magic, but if you follow your muse, your singular desires, eventually, your ideas will manifest. In my case, take a look at the manifestation- this little guitar checks off a lot of boxes, and not necessarily compatible ones, and yet, here it is, purchased for less than the price of a decent family dinner at a restaurant. I don't think it's a deity, or magic force. I think it's a matter of tuning your perceptions, and essentially, creating a radar for the way you want to see the world. I really dig the stuff I was describing above, so I was turning my attention towards it. When things conformed to that set of desires and aesthetics, I would pay more attention to it. That allowed me a better "eye" for what I wanted. I'm not saying we create our own reality, but I'm saying we choose what to put our minds into, and that affects our perception of our actual reality.
2. None of us are alone- think about this- wanting a guitar made by PureSalem, a lefty, and following both Gibson and Sears catalog aesthetics is a pretty obscure, lonely thing- and yet, there was somebody almost within walking distances to me who evidently at least partially shared that aesthetic. That's an incredibly comforting thing- none of us are truly alone, no matter how alienated our lives make us. If you look, you will find like-minded individuals.
3. If you examine both yourself and your "evidence" ( the physical traces of your mental existance) you might come to a different understanding than if you kept it to a purely mental exercise. For example, through this purchase, I've come to understand that most of the reason why I like PureSalem is that these are not "trash" guitars, they just reference guitars that are. So, not only does this guitar scratch the itch, it fills the desire- because nothing is more "trash" than an old Silvertone, but this is actually a fairly high quality guitar, and I wouldn't like it as much if it weren't.
4. Owning something is a collaboration. In this case, there is the guitar, as is, then, there's what I'm doing with it- playing, and tweaking, and adjusting. It doesn't matter if it's a camera or a fridge- it's all an interface between you and the manufacture.
5. Pictures can be better than words- have a look-see:
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Blue Glasses
So, I still like Lookmatic. I've found that Mezzmer has a few frames that function better, book Lookmatic still has better style, and are just spot-on excellent for prescription sunglasses. So I got a pair of the "Jones" in black ( evidently their last pair, as the frame is not on their site any more) with blue lenses- let me tell you the blue lenses are key- they actually seem to work with my eyes such that I see details better, and more clearly when wearing them- it's like "Hi Definition" sunglasses. Very cool, and if you have blue eyes like me, I suggest you give them a try.
Guitar Fetish
So, in trying to build the "Stagcaster" I've made some mis-steps- the Aluminium pickguard just didn't work out as every one I tried just didn't fit, and the guitar tech that I asked to check my set up actually turned out to be less savvy than me and now I've got some fret buzz (I'll fix that- probably have file down a fret or two, and will raise the action ever so slightly) but one thing that worked out great was going to Guitar Fetish for parts. The Tele Knobs look great, and function much better than the stock knobs, the copper fill acts as a pretty good noise gate, and best- the Alnico neck pick up sounds great and balances perfectly off the existing bridge pick up. The result is a quiet, but ideally "Telecaster" sound- as in there's a good amount of "spank" or treble response on the attack, and the notes ring out in a chime, with a slight upper mid boost on the decay- this versus the bridge means that on the three positions the bridge tone is slightly harsh and biting, the middle (out of phase) position sounds bright and full, and the neck position sounds bright and bell-like- that is, nothing sounds like a strat, or generic single coil- everything is well within the range of tones you'd expect for a telecaster- but it's got just that little extra bit of signal strength that makes it best for a twangy, steely sound. Good stuff, and now, I think I'll look into some of the other things they sell....
Monday, May 26, 2014
It doesn't have to be big
Little things can make me happy. But what's a little thing? I got this little computer lamp at IKEA . a five dollar USB LED lamp which might seem little, but I use it about 3 hours a day, and it's noticeably saving me money because I'm not using desk lamps. That seems like a big deal to me. I guess it's a matter of perspective. I don't get real excited by new TVs. I know other people do, but I'm more into the technology of my Roku box, than the monitor for it. I get very excited by new CDs, but I've got basically the same stereo I've had since my son was born - I just have added new components. Which is why a blog like this is interesting to me- I find it fascinating what seems important to other people, so I'm hoping that others might find it interesting what I find important. It doesn't have to be big, it just has to be big enough.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Now, it can be said- the Noisemaker Effects Plus
Ok, you may recall that I got this for my birthday, more than three weeks ago- so, why so long to talk about it is that it was a bit defective. Matt was very candid with me, and admitted to me that he never got particularly excited about the design on these, as he wasn't really operating on his wheelhouse- duplicating old designs wasn't really his bag. So, I suspect with his mind on other things, it wasn't his best work. So, he offered to have me send it, and he'd fix it, free of charge. Now, keep in mind, I didn't buy it from him- I bought this second hand at Reverb- which, by the way, has serious problems, and I wouldn't suggest going there- and he still was going to fix it. So, again, his customer service is incredible, and, I strongly suggest you patronize him, if you need a guitar effect.
But, that takes time, so I only got a chance to really try it out, today. The executive summary is that it's a great, but limited pedal. To get it out of the way, no, it doesn't sound like a MXR Distortion Plus. Quite frankly, that's impossible. The MXR Distortion wasn't just one set of circuits, nor even a consistent set of components- a 1974 will not sound like a 1978, and even two 1978's won't sound exactly the same. So, no, you cannot clone a Distortion Plus. You can get close, and get inside the range they cover, but you can't nail down that moving target. That having said, this is aimed toward a distortion plus, but definitely is voiced differently. Some things the MXR does better, others the Noisemaker does. What it does exceptionally well is a medium gain midrange distortion ( with some small fuzz characteristics) that still has great note clarity. We're talking American Hard Rock crunch distortion. It's a great sound- and the way to dial it in is not intuitive. See, the limitation is that you can't really get great high gain, nor low gain sounds- you crank both gain and volume near to all the way up, and there you go- a "Marshall' kind of gain, but with presence. You also can't get that nasally bite that is most associated with the MXR- Randy Rhoads. Add an overdrive before it, and an EQ afterwards, and maybe, but my MXR can generate that tone by itself. So, no, I wouldn't use it to replace my MXR, but I will be using it- mostly with humbuckers at high volume.
Now, Matt has discontinued the pedal- you most likely will never own one which means that my point is not to get you to buy one. My point is two fold- the first, and primary one is this- with anything creative, whether making electronics, or sculpture- you're far better off with something original- duplication is never exact. The second point is that , at their best, products are a reflection of their producers. Matt is a good guy- that shows is how he conducts business, and in the products he sells. You cannot go wrong in dealing with a good person.
But, that takes time, so I only got a chance to really try it out, today. The executive summary is that it's a great, but limited pedal. To get it out of the way, no, it doesn't sound like a MXR Distortion Plus. Quite frankly, that's impossible. The MXR Distortion wasn't just one set of circuits, nor even a consistent set of components- a 1974 will not sound like a 1978, and even two 1978's won't sound exactly the same. So, no, you cannot clone a Distortion Plus. You can get close, and get inside the range they cover, but you can't nail down that moving target. That having said, this is aimed toward a distortion plus, but definitely is voiced differently. Some things the MXR does better, others the Noisemaker does. What it does exceptionally well is a medium gain midrange distortion ( with some small fuzz characteristics) that still has great note clarity. We're talking American Hard Rock crunch distortion. It's a great sound- and the way to dial it in is not intuitive. See, the limitation is that you can't really get great high gain, nor low gain sounds- you crank both gain and volume near to all the way up, and there you go- a "Marshall' kind of gain, but with presence. You also can't get that nasally bite that is most associated with the MXR- Randy Rhoads. Add an overdrive before it, and an EQ afterwards, and maybe, but my MXR can generate that tone by itself. So, no, I wouldn't use it to replace my MXR, but I will be using it- mostly with humbuckers at high volume.
Now, Matt has discontinued the pedal- you most likely will never own one which means that my point is not to get you to buy one. My point is two fold- the first, and primary one is this- with anything creative, whether making electronics, or sculpture- you're far better off with something original- duplication is never exact. The second point is that , at their best, products are a reflection of their producers. Matt is a good guy- that shows is how he conducts business, and in the products he sells. You cannot go wrong in dealing with a good person.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Some New Glasses From Mezzmer
I've got really pretty bad eyes. I don't have the worst prescription of anyone I know, but it's definitely on the worse side, not better. So I appreciate well made glasses. Mezzmer does glasses extremely well. They don't have the biggest selection, and basically, if you don't like retro plastic glasses, they have nothing for you. However, I do like retro plastic glasses, so they have plenty for me. So, I got two new pair from them- a pair of the Oscars in black, and a pair of the Astaires in brown. I like them as glasses, and they fit well, and are very well constructed. The only thing against, is that I have to get a new eye doctor. This one has got my prescription slightly off, again. I can still use these, but I can't use them for the reason I bought them- as computer glasses at work. I can read just fine with them up to about 20- 22 inches away from my face, but my computer at work is about 28-30 inches away, with small type. These will be fine for reading books, but because my doctor still doesn't listen to me, they will not function as I need them to function. It's definitely been that kind of day. So, I will have to go to another doctor, pay for an eye exam out of pocket, and then, I can order a new pair... Absolutely not Mezzmer's fault. and again, the glasses themselves are great. Just a pisser...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)