Keeping Up With The Johnsons

Unboxing the Gibson Robert Johnson L-1

Most of my post on this blog have been about guitars and stuff that had
recently come into my possession, and this one is no different. But instead
of a “review” after having used the kit for a few days, this time I waited
for much longer to make up my mind about it. As is fit if the gear in
question is Gibson’s L-1 Robert Johnson signature Blues guitar. You know the
man: enigmatic Bluesman

The Shy Guitar Hero’s Strat

Please excuse the low-light, funky color photo

Eric Johnson must be the nicest guitar slinger around. At least he doesn’t present a hyper attitude like so many lead guitarists do. When you see him, the phrase “favourite son-in-law” comes to mind. Bleached strands

Commemorative Marshall

Looks kinda cute!

I’ve been trying out a Marshall JCM1 50-th Anniversary amp over the last few days. It is one of their commemorative series and represents their take on the JCM 800 in a 1 Watt format. Big, screaming lead tones

Soldering for St. Peter

I’m on a ZZ Top trip lately, and so I decided to put “Pearly Gates” pickups into my PRS SE Bernie Marsden Les Paul Style guitar. For the uninitiated, “Pearly Gates” ist the nickname Billy F. Gibbons has given his apparently near-heavenly ’59 Les Paul. And some heavenly tones it does have, and a beautiful ‘burst maple cap, too. For my PRS, nothing can be done about the latter, but I tought I’d try to get a grittier Texas Blues tone with those pickups from Seymour Duncan. And it was a premiere for me soldering on one of my guitars. So, here goes:

The stage is set. Note the wiring diagram from the Seymour Duncan website on my laptop.

It Goes A Long Way…

… towards a versatile amplified guitar!

Last Sunday was a fun day. Europe’s largest online music store had it’s annual summer party in the little village in Franken where this family-owned business is still situated (one would not be amiss to say that Treppendorf is an annex to the Thomann warehouses!). It was cool event with nuclear-level Blasmusik followed by gigs of different groups on the wickedly nifty stage in a large beer tent. Plus workshops and tours through the impressive warehouses. I’ll have more to post on that event on my other ‘blog shortly, when I’ve developped the film.

Spruce and Rosewood vs. Mahogany

My son (the real musician in the family) fretting out the "A Hard Day's Night" chord on the Martin HD-28

Buying and selling guitars has become part of my quest for guitar proficiency and the unattainable “right” tone.

Of Substance… and Learning

Sometimes the gear is good to you, and makes you want to learn

My posts on this ‘blog have been rather materialistic, gear-oriented, and I’m sorry for that. This is not what music is about. If one’s not careful, they’ll turn into a guitar collector in no time. If, like me, you’re a few steps down that road, fear not. There are exit routes. From time to time, along comes a piece of gear that makes you use it.

Alter Schwede! *1)

*1) literally translated: Old Swede! Esp. in northern Germany, it’s an exclamation of surprise, respect and awe. As is fitting.

Greeting you with my new Strat

It’s been long since I posted, but now I’ll have to or I’ll burst from excitement. And with the new guitar that is hanging around my neck in the lead photo, my musical forays finally approach the title theme of this ‘blog. You see,

Tone vs. Cost

Fender Champion 600

This is rather embarrassing. You see, I got a very inexpensive tube amp by Fender called the Champion 600. Man, does it have tone!

A Guitar, Two Dead Men and a Telephone

One of this week's happy faces, the one of my new Gibson Les Paul Gary Moore BFG

This has been an eventful week. On Wednesday, I got a new guitar, I swapped the Road Worn Player Stratocaster for a Gibson Les Paul BFG, Gary Moore’s signature model. A dead bluesman’s guitar.

The Apple webpage on 6-th of October 2011

In the early hours of Thursday, messages popped up on Twitter that Steve Jobs had died after a long fight with pancreatic cancer. To me, it felt like the death of a distant relative.