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JohnnyB

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Everything posted by JohnnyB

  1. I like John Scofield's musicality and melodic improvisation, but I don't like his distorted sound at all. Brooks? Enlighten me.
  2. I've thought and I've thought, and none come to mind.
  3. When it plays like buttah. Or when it sustains for days. Or when it feels alive in your hands (but that would be creepy).
  4. I bought a used Eclipse 12-string in vintage orange in Oct. 1998. Sold it a year later to get a new Anniversary, which I knew I'd play more, and I was right. Wish I had a pic of that 12-string to share, though.
  5. In the spec chart, it has "Year Range" as "unknown." It's a 25th Anniversary. Wouldn't that narrow it down a bit? I guess the math's too complicated -- what's 1974 + 25? Not to mention that the serial number's intact, which gives you the date. I don't think any 25ths went for $1299 NEW!
  6. Saw this at the KALB.com website: "If you have a relative in Bay St. Louis, Gulfshore or Bilox area and have not heard from them we suggest you try to go to www.wlox.com . This television station in the area has a "find a lost relative" area." Also, I came across this paragraph at this online news report describing the current state of Bay St. Louis: "They suggest the best method of trying to contact friends and family is by HAM radio as there is no power, no landline phone service or cell phone service. There is a HAM radio operator stationed at WLOX; call sign is WX5AAA."
  7. That's hilarious! Within a day and a half, he dissed one of the forum's sponsors and main suppliers of Ferrari parts--the one with the impeccable reputation for customer service. He already has his detractors and the "benefit of the doubt" supporters. Sound familiar? How long until he names Jack Russell Racing, Traimpz348, and Tmobileguy as the new "axis of evil"?
  8. Easy to take the high road if you're not part of the history. Let us just say that the reactions and inquiries are based more on experience and observation than wild speculation. Putting people down? You have no idea.
  9. "Luke": Either you own a tool rental business in Rockaway, NJ and are playing dumb, or you have no idea why we care.
  10. Aha! In case anyone was wondering ... http://cgi.ebay.com/Multiquip-2-submersibl...1QQcmdZViewItem But wait, here's a different story for HFC members who aren't cruising for sump pumps: http://cgi.ebay.com/Hamer-Californian-Doub...1QQcmdZViewItem
  11. I hope you have something like one of these: They are soooo worth the extra money. Dunlop Turbo winder, illustrated above. I have one and I'll never use a cheap winder again. Planet Waves Pro Winder/Cutter Planet Waves Ergonomic
  12. Based on my experience with the Hamer Anniversary, I think the T-I Power-Brites will give a good balance of clarity, smoothness, sustain, etc., with more clarity than nickel and a smoother top end than stainless. I'd go with 10-46's, at least to start. They've always sounded really good on the Anniversary, and I suspect the same would go for the Standard with that massive plank of mahogany. And don't worry about going on about strings. Some strings help a great guitar reach its potential, and some kep it from getting there. What I used to do with a new guitar is buy maybe 5 or more sets of strings that varied by brand, composition, and build technique, as candidates for that guitar -- like Tomastiks, Elixirs, Ernie Ball Classics, D'Addario Chromes, etc. Then I would restring and play the guitar every day until I went through the selection range. By the end of the week I had a pretty good idea which strings did what -- or took away what -- from the guitar's tone, playability, tuning stability, etc. I figure over the life of the guitar, it saved money and time, because in the first week I found whatever I was looking for, rather than trying a new string now 'n' then over a period of years.
  13. Every company can produce a bad batch from time to time (except, perhaps, D'Addario). Personally, I've found EB to be one of the most reliable and consistent and DR one of the least. Your whole box-o-strings is exhibiting the same flaw from set to set -- that indicates it's a batch problem. And since you got them off eBay, it makes me wonder if someone intercepted some "seconds" headed for the trash and decided to make some money. To cut your losses, you might want to go to the local shop and get a dozen "D" strings since the others seem to be OK.
  14. I'd suggest either Tomastik-Infeld Power-Brites or Ernie Ball Pure Nickel Wrap Classic Rock'n'Rolls, depending on your amp settings, your tonal preferences, and how much your Standard's maple top contributes to the tone. My short list includes Tomastik-Infeld Power-Brights (GREAT-sounding and sustaining string, especially for guitars with a lot of mahogany), Ernie Balls -- either Slinkys or pure nickel-wrapped Classics, and Elixirs. Add GHS Boomers if you like more steel in the sound of the wrapped strings, but I personally am not fond of them. Elixir 11's made my Newport stand up and bark like no other string, but that's a hollow spruce top guitar. The TI Power-Brites had a similar effect on my Anniversary. Given the mass of mahogany in a Standard, that may be a great one to try out.
  15. You can't remember which because it was both. According to the FAQ about the crash at http://www.skynyrd.com/faq.html#e: "How did Skynyrd's plane crash? According to the NTSB report the pilots miscalculated the amount of fuel provided in Lakeland, Florida on October 18, 1977. When they refueled in Greenville, South Carolina on the 20th, they compounded this error by believing they had more fuel than they really did. The airplane was also experiencing some mechanical difficulties which required the pilots to operate the right engine in the "auto-rich" position which burned fuel at an excessive rate. The combination of these problems resulted in nearly complete fuel exhaustion. The pilots changed course and headed for an airport near McComb, Mississippi but the plane stalled near Gillsburg, Mississippi and crashed in swampy woods. "
  16. According to Wikipedia, Skynyrd broke up for 9 years, with various band members fronting different bands. To quote: Hiatus, 1977-1986 Rossington and Collins formed The Rossington-Collins Band between 1980 and 1982, releasing two albums. Pyle formed The Artimus Pyle Band in 1982. Collins formed The Allen Collins Band in 1983. Tragedy struck the band again in 1986 when Collins crashed his car while driving drunk near his home in Jacksonville, killing his girlfriend and leaving him permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Then there's this gem of a FAQ on Skynyrd.com: Over the years how many different people have been members of Skynyrd? Eighteen -- Ronnie VanZant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Ed King, Billy Powell, Larry Junstrom, Leon Wilkeson, Bob Burns, Artimus Pyle, Steve Gaines, Rickey Medlocke, Custer, Hughie Thomasson, Randall Hall, Johnny VanZant, Mike Estes, Owen Hale and Jeff MacCallister. There have been eight backup singers -- Cassie Gaines, Leslie Hawkins, JoJo Billingsley, Dale Krantz Rossington, Carol Bristow, Debbie Bailey, Debbie Davis, and Carol Chase. I think Artimus Pyle's band has more early Skynyrd members than Skynyrd itself does.
  17. Jet my ass. They were flying in a Convair 240. They ran out of gas, and had encountered some engine trouble but Ronnie insisted on taking off as scheduled with words to the effect of "What the hell... if it's your time it's your time." Death by stupidity in my book.
  18. He's Egyptian like Rudyard Kipling was Indian. What I didn't realize until you posted that, however, is that Copeland is American -- son of a CIA agent and eventually educated in California. He didn't settle in England until he was 23. So score a good drummer for the Americans ... sort of.
  19. I wasn't really nominating everyone on the Brit list as greatest band. I stretched on the list just to show that 2nd and 3rd tier bands from the UK are also good, creative, and influential. And I even left out Bowie. Point is, if this were a discussion of greatest rock bands, would a US band even crack the top 5 against the Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks, Cream, et al? I'm not gloating, just overwhelmed. Someone asked me once who my favorite rock/pop drummers were, and without intending it, they were all Brits -- Ringo, Charlie Watts, Stewart Copeland, Phil Collins, Carl Palmer, John Bonham, Ian Paice... I could go on. The Americans would be Frank Beard, Jim Keltner, Jim Gordon, Bun E. Carlos. Two of them are studio musicians and the trail gets cold pretty fast after that. Beach Boys are one of the best U.S. contenders for best band in terms of songwriting and vocals, but how much of the drumming was Dennis Wilson and how much Hal Blaine? How much guitar work Carl and how much Denny Johnstone, Glenn Campbell, etc.? Similarly, Steely Dan are serious contenders, but primarily for songwriting and vocals. They cherry-picked LA's best session musicians to fill out the ranks according to a given album's requirements. It's telling that two of the main American bands of the mid-60s trying to blunt the British Invasion were Paul Revere and the Raiders and Gary Lewis and the Playboys. Followed by the Monkees, who even had a Brit lead singer which boosted their appeal.
  20. What becomes apparent from this thread is that, although rock 'n' roll came from America, when it comes to the best bands, the Brits have it all over the US. USA band top contenders: Van Halen Beach Boys Doors Steely Dan Skynard Allman Bros. ZZ Top Eagles Santana perhaps? Tom Petty 'n' the Heartbreakers Cars CSNY Ramones Jimi Hendrix UK Bands: The Shadows Beatles Rolling Stones The Who Kinks Led Zeppelin Police Yes Emerson, Lake, & Palmer Elvis Costello and the Attractions Sex Pistols Cream Blind Faith Derek and the Dominos Pink Floyd 2/3 of Jimi Hendrix Experience Animals Moody Blues Deep Purple The Hollies The Fixx Queen UB40 U2 Depeche Mode Eurythmics The Cure Long John Baldry Manfred Mann Rod Stewart / Small Faces Spencer Davis Group Van Morrison / Them Yardbirds Zombies From a quality/influence/legacy point of view, Brit rock by and large CREAMS US rock.
  21. FYI? Um, ever hear of Howard Roberts? First one is a USA Epiphone with spruce top and Frequensator Tailpiece from the '60s. Second is a maple-topped Gibson. Third is a maple-ply MIK Epi. He also had the Fusion and Fusion II with Gibson. There there's Joe Pass. ... and B.B. King And Ace Frehley as was mentioned before, Bob Marley, Joe Perry, Zak Wylde ... the list goes on and on.
  22. Don't forget Silvertone, his last endorsement before I blinked. Remember, he can play anything he wants. He CHOOSES Silvertone.
  23. What, they get bonus points for effort? I'd never rate a retarded, one-dimensional band as #1. And while we're discussing self-destructive Southern Rock bands, I'm surprised no one mentioned the Allman Brothers. Gawd, those guys were/are good.
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