diablo175

Mmmmm. John Petrucci Signature model. <drool>

Gotta admire the depth and complexity of the project. I might not totally relate to the style but I certainly marvel at the scope and enormity of the project. My hats off to you Zen. I wish I had your tenacity and creative instinct.

Hear, hear! +1 again. Burned out indeed! Initially you'd think it wouldn't kill them to ease off for 6- 12 months but then, DT lacks the big time revenue from mega commercial successes, which probably necessitates the non-stop cycle of touring and album recording. Arguably John Petrucci could afford to take 6 months off and do another G3 or solo album (both of which Portnoy provided drums) and lately, Jordan Rudess has been quite visible and active in side projects (Slash's album comes to mind).

Without an excellent drummer, average joe radio listener will never hear your band, because your band will be shit. If your drummer sucks, your band sucks. Period. No exceptions. I think the point was more along the lines of you could get a capable drummer to fill in and Average Joe Radio listener wouldn't really notice. It's been said and I agree that MP is a huge part of DT and some mighty BIG shoes to fill. Prog rock/metal ain't easy music to play either- all those funky time signatures...7/8, 5/4, 5/16... and that's just in one song +1 my wife is a HUGE DT fan and if there ever was a person with LESS musical inclination and aptitude...I'd be surprised!

Tough call... I voted for Jackson (lumping Charvel in with Jackson clinches it) but BC Rich definitely has some serious contention for that spot. I am little surprised Ibanez didn't get more votes. Ever since Vai and Satch and the host of late 80's shredders who were endorsers for Ibanez came forth, I'd have expected a bigger response. In the end, I still think the archetypal metal axes belong to Jackson, though. BC Rich may have the more extreme-looking axes but Jackson has long been the name and the standard for metal music of all kinds.

Hmm. I wanna SS bad but I'm not badass enough to pull off seriously pink. BTW- that trem arm does NOT look like a stock OFR arm- NEVER have seen a OFR arm with a Fender style cap on it!

Does anyone know if this is still available? I know that ads often stay up despite the item being long gone. Have sent the seller two messages. No reply yet. If any of the HFC-ers in the Edmonton area are willing to snag it and ship it, I'd be real appreciative. Maybe even get a pat on the back and a hearty "Attaboy!"

Agreed. But divorce isn't- Unless... I were to sell one of my Cali Elite to pay for it. Then it's technically not buying another guitar. It's swapping one for another.

I'd consider adding it to my stable because of the reverse HS but it's missing the last 3 frets I normally associate with USA Cali's. This and the prospect of divorce if I buy it are holding me back.

I feel your pain on both levels- I tend to need 25- 100 takes to get a part down in a respectable condition. To avoid unwanted interruptions or audio additions, I first initiated intensive training for the wife to instill the following: 1) NO entering the recording area unless house is burning or we hit the powerball jackpot and 2) NO making any noise if no. 1 applies. Secondly, I relocated my studio to the basement which we refinished to block off a 8' x16' room for the studio and added lots of sound proofing and a door with a lock on it. Now if I could just get around to actually recording again...

Complete with "flyod rose" trem And extras: "Auction Includes: Hammer Guitar and a Hammer case." Hammer- perhaps an unkown period/line of production somewhere between Hamer and Slammer series?

Well, there's one just like that on eBay right now... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=250644524334 Complete with "flyod rose" trem

Happy B-day, man. Still enjoying the Blitz!

I was a huge King Diamond fan- I'd take Them and Conspiracy as my faves. Stellar guitar work in those 2. + 1 on War of Words and Vulgar Display Damn, they were heavy! And just amazing leads in War of Words. Brian Tilce, I think was one of the guitarists in Fight. How about Helloween? Very good Euro-metal from some shredders in Germany. Better than Scorps and Accept IMO.

Zebra IS a stretch but they were very talented. I'd add Countdown to Extinction as two of the best offerings from Marty Friedman-era Megadeth. Also would add Judas Priests Unleashed in the East as good sample of live Sturm und Drang, lock-step tight timing and classic, soaring and growling Halford vocals. And lastly you can hardly ignore Iron Maiden for late 70's 'til present metal offerings. My fave is Powerslave.

Absolutely a fan of 2112. I really dug the concept/prog-rock vibe of 2112 which was a departure from the bluesy muscle of songs like Working Man and a bit more complex than the radio friendly vibe of Fly By Night.

I hate to see that beauty go to E(vil) Bay. I'll see if I can somehow scrape up some cash. I'll pm you soon.

If I weren't so hugely broke at the moment...

+1 As a public school teacher and the faculty advisor for the guitar club, I wanna help. Count me in!

+1! I've owned only two stock Cali Elites, one had OBL's and the other SD Parallel Axis. Gotta say the SD's, to my ear, are far superior. Much more punchy with clearer highs and less sludge. Haven't worked up the cash or the nerve to mod a perfectly good USA Cali- though I do have a MIK Cali that has some awesome after-market SD's and an OFR...

Good luck finding a flame Cali for $1,400 anywhere... Already got one. Just not as flamed as the Emerald one

It's been stated already but I doubt anyone's engine is even gonna have starter key brought out given that price. Sheesh! If he drops it a by about 500- 600 clams I'll throw my hat in the ring!

...talented, reliable singer for the band.

Ouch. I hope not. I've posted classifieds for singers on CL at LEAST 8 or 9 times in the last 6 months. Granted, some of the gems we've auditioned should have posted a classified similar to that one.

ROTFLMAO!