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I don't seem to have a problem with left hand right hand coordination from day to day as long as i warm up a little. I do have days where everything I play sounds boring and not creative, you know you resort to old tired licks. When that happens I play a little than put it down for a while and come back to it. When I warm up I don't play scales I just do chromatic runs up and down the neck on all strings. If I start playing this scale or that scale I end up using scales to much and not creating any real music. I just pick a spot and try to go in a different direction that I normally do and hope something musical comes out, usually a fifty fifty shot at coming up with something that pleases me. It's the same live with me, I get pissed of with my playing if I resort to often to tried and true licks, Sometimes I screw up just to find something different or push myself to be creative, but when it works it makes me happy inside. Cool Beans Gene

The last note in the solo from Theme From An Imanginary Western by Mountain is the most perfect harmonic. Very hard to do also. Cool Beans

I learned by ear early on, Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, Page, Allmans, Johnny Winter, Deep Purple, so on. I never practiced scales, I guess I did by immitating others. I still don't sit down and practice scales, I just play and try to make things sound good to me. Later when I gained knowlege of modes, scales, and other technical names for things, I discovered that I was already using them all the time just by playing licks I liked. The one thing I have done is transpose standard positions to other areas of the neck so I could string together longer runs. What i like to do playing live sometimes is to pick a place on the neck that is not where I usually go and see what happens, sometimes sucks, sometimes very cool. To me expression trumps technical knowledge, if you have both you rock. Cool Beans Gene

Really good single channel amp, guitar volume down for clean, guitar volume up for classic crunch, add pedal for different gain structures, solo's. Done. Cool Beans Gene

First on the 2014 hit list this year is incomming. JB strat as new at a kiiler counter offer price. http://reverb.com/item/70165-fender-artist-series-jeff-beck-stratocaster-guitar-2013-in-olympic-white Cool Beans Gene

Most of the time unplugged on the couch watching tv. Lately I'm using a Fender superp champ XD with the new EHX soul food into the clean channel, it gets good amp feel at low volume. I also have the orginal Yamaha THR 10 that sounds great, but not as amp like as the XD and Soul Food. Cool Beans Gene

Right now Reverend has some real nice working mans guitars, they are imports, they are on the expensive side of imports, but the ones I own and have played can compete with any big name brand "Gibson, Fender" type axe. If they could be built in USA at the same price point and be as good as the Rev's, I would be onboard for a try. Cool Beans Gene

A nash e-52 esquire that really does justice to word killer. It simplly kills My first Les Paul in 35 years, it really is a differert animal then a Hamer studio or Monona Elite. It's rounder and looser sounding not as focused.

It's ugly, a Les Paul should not be green unless its a goldtop with stain, oxidation and mildew. Cool Beans Gene

You know I forgot about a Rick bass. Must add to list. Cool Beans Gene

I have one in Salmon blush color and I do love it, all stock, sounds like a good vintage strat, plays better. Cool Beans Gene

For me the only Hamers would be an orange sparkle Newport Pro with a Bigsby, a nice Korina Jr, a newer Phantom in a unique color or any super desirable tree fiddy type deal. I want to find a Reverend orange dot neck Ron Ashton V. A newer Jeff Beck white strat just because. These are atainable to me. The inprobable and not likely to get because of price unless I just get lucky, go insane and loose all fiscal reponsibility or win the lotto are: Gretsch White Falcon and a Huber Krauster II. Cool Beans Gene

I treated myself to a new Les Paul Traditional in honey burst. Cool Beans Gene

Check to see if the cord end is metric, metric ends are just a little smaller diameter then inch USA type plugs, also it only takes a little bump with a cord plugged in to mess up the switchcraft 151 jacks used in most Hamers. Cool Beans Gene

Mesa Boggie MKIIb, Hated it. Okay clean, good sustain on the lead channel, terrible mid gain sounds. I live in the mid gain type of sound and use my guitar volume to go from clean to mild overdrive, then boost with a pedal for more gain. This amp just would not do that. It had no personality at all. Just a very generic sounding amp, An amp should be organic and breath, and become as one in the guitar player. Not bad, but far from a great amp. Cool Beans Gene

Thats just so darn cool. Who would of thunk it!! Cool Beans Gene

I'm gerting more refined, not faster or technical. Now that i'm older I'm more relaxed and I work on feeling and expression more than anythink else. I now understand stuff that used to seem lame to me because it has more emotion and vocal like experssion. If that means getting better. than well yes. Cool Beans Gene

I had an 81 white dean elite ordered custom with ebony board and black binding. I sounded great but also had the don't put pressure on the neck or it will go out of tune syndrome. It is long gone to a shop in Charlotte NC in the 80's. I still have a 78 Dean elite in plain mahongany tobacco burst that is a great playing and sounding guitar, but the bridge is almost in the wrong place. new strings will barley intonate right, but after playing them a while there is not enough room to adjust intonation, I guess I could swap the tunomatic for a bridge with more adjustment range or have the bridge moved. That guitar has a great neck and plays like a dream though. Cool Beans Gene

I just use the cheap multi purpose Oregon sharpener fron Lowes, I can sharpen an 18 inch chain in 10 minutes on the saw and it does fine. Cool Beans Gene

Early Cream, like Badge and sunshune if your love are great, and almost any AC/DC. A lot of the early VH solos were short and very nice, Many of the Led ZEp solos ripped also. Most of the really good solos are like someone singing. Cool Beans

I love Premier Guitar, I've had a subscription for years. one of the few mags I respect and cant't wait to read every month. Man, you are a star. I read that article and the guitar turned out looking great. Cool Beans Gene

I have a Volcano H90 and a Reeves Gabrels model, they are both killer guitars. I could have bought a used USA Hamer for the price of the Reeves Gabrels, but it is a unique and great guitar that can't be be found in the Hmaer line up. They still need a little fret tweaking to be great. I have never had to do that to a USA Hamer. Cool Beans Gene

As guitar players get older they always seem to go for the classics, Fender strat and tele, Gibson les paul, SG 335, V, explorer. I guess some of the PRS line up is now in that vein. How do you compete in a mass market with the classics? That would be a question to start with? Is what you are selling going to appeal in the long run to that mass market? What would make them switch over to your product? Some never will because of the iconic stature of the product name, even if the product is subpar. The mass market likes mass recognition of brands. The only way I could see Hamer ever going again and retain it's quality would be a small shop for people in the know. But thats what they were the last 10 years. Can enough profit be made in that market? Cool Beans Gene

When I said Lambert was flaming, and Freddy was not, I know they both were/are gay. Freddy was more manly in his gayness, he had cool rock guy traits too, which I didn't mind watching. The Lambert guy moves more like a woman on stage. I'm not gay bashing or anything, I just don't like Lamberts stage presence. It's not costumes that I don't like either, it's the way he walks and moves that I don't care for. Cool Beans Gene Wallace

YUCK!!, Freddy was gay, but not flaming. I can't watch a man prance like that. I saw Queen in 1975 and they killed me. This guy does have a voice, but he's not at all the guy to front queen. Cool Beans Gene