Steve Haynie

Brian and Vic-- it looks like 2012 is YOUR year. Live it up!

Go with "Passonate Prince."

Keith Richards preferred black Telecasters because the wood they used for opaque finishes (not as good looking) sounded better to his ears.

Wow! Half of the Atomic Punks in that video are now half of Steel Panther. Michael Anthony certainly proves just how much of the credit he deserves for Van Halen's sound.

Engrave it with a logo that says, "Gadzooks."

Trying a Danelectro before they were reissued or expensive changed my mind on quality versus tone. They have something special about them.

If some people cannot make the rescheduled date and take the refunds, it might open up some good seat locations.

Shows are still listed on the Van Halen web site through June, so if there is an illness the current dates would be postponed rather than the later dates. Fortunately, the postponed show for which tickets are in hand is only 14 miles away. There is no need for any of us to get time off from work, so no arrangements are screwed up.

The same guitar is on eBay right now.

Just start a thread for donations/raffle tickets.

If an insurance company was left having to pay the store, the dad owed the insurance company. If he knew his kid was diagnosed as having an attention or discipline disorder he was liable from the moment they entered the store. Too many people assume retail stores have insurance to cover all their merchandise for customer abuse. Most do not, and my guess is that it can get expensive. Fire and water damage is one thing. Breakage is usually between the store and the customer.

Same here. The local store ate the cost of a lot of abuse, but we stayed on top of everything to make sure accidents did not happen.

It is neat seeing how the angle changes the flame on your Sunburst, Gene.

You might have to use a couple of those matches you saved.

That is sooooo nice.

How long did it take just to tape that top?

The older you get you can either look at things as how others see you, or you can see things as what YOU want to do. Be the old guy who makes everyone mad by not listening to anyone else. If you play rock and roll, then you should do it with that in-your-face attitude that includes playing a "fuck you" shaped guitar that calls attention to itself. If your fingers aren't flying you can still give everyone the flying finger!

It depends on when the Studio was made. Early 90's models, called Sunbursts, can have thin necks. If you cannot make a decision on a guitar think about whether or not you need a new amp. Some nice amps can be had for $1000.

The liner notes for Red Octopus says that the producer, Larry Cox, was trying to keep the Airplane sound while pushing the band to have a more updated sound. The main carryover is the backing vocal style of Kantner and Slick. The Red Octopus album is a mix of different sounds rather than one continuous set of 70's rock radio. It kept them going and it is no secret that anyone could have quit if they wanted. Enough members did quit.

The song has been stuck in my head the past few days so a copy of Red Octopus was purchased over the weekend.

Welcome back home.

Stranger was my favorite song of the evening. When some people were yelling requests I calmly said, "Just play Stranger again." Mickey Thomas heard me and laughed about it.

Both sound good, but it is the playing that makes them sound good. The Diablo does sound a little more full. A second comparison of how each guitar works in a mix would be good. zen's point about comparing the guitars with the same pickups makes sense, too.

Last night Starship played The Newberry Opera House, a 400+ seat venue almost in the middle of nowhere. The original event listing, season brochure, and tickets read "Jefferson Starship" along with photos of the band touring as Jefferson Starship. There was a switch, however, and that change in bands is significant. There are two groups using the name Starship. Paul Kantner leads the official Jefferson Starship which has band members that go back to the 70's and 80's band. They reach into the Jefferson Airplane catalog along with early and less radio hit oriented Jefferson Starship music. Mickey Thomas has been doing shows in Las Vegas as Starship with a show that is full of radio hits, and that group is currently touring. The Mickey Thomas version of the band played last night. The Newberry Opera House gets many, or maybe all, of its performers with corporate sponsorships and possibly ticket subscriptions. There are package deals on tickets within a series. Seeing the audience arrive for the evening there were some old hippies, but then there were some people who appeared to be in their 70's that may have been there just because they had tickets from a package or some other reason. Thinking about how original members of Jefferson Airplane are now in their 70's it is normal for people in that age range to have an interest in a Jefferson Airplane show, and the Jefferson Starship never abandoned its Airplane roots. The show for the evening was not really the old hippie band. Instead, it was going to be tilted more toward the 80's and pop hits of the first generation of MTV videos. While someone around 30 in 1982 would be around 70 today the crowd should have been closer to mid-40's because it was more focused on what Jefferson Starship was doing toward the end of its original run. There were many people in their late 40's and early 50's while the majority of the audience seeemed to be in their late 50's and 60's. Maybe four people were in their 20's. Oh, gosh. It was another one of those old folks shows. My ticket was for front row center, as perfect a location as one could hope to score. Researching youtube and setlist.fm gave me an idea of what to expect. At 62, Mickey Thomas can sing all the songs for which he is known as well as he ever did. Unlike other singers who sang in a high range that now have lowered the octaves or keys in which they sing, Mickey Thomas hit his high notes. The Grace Slick stand-in, Stephanie Calvert, can really sing without having to try to be Grace Slick. She was there to sing the duets and satisfy the people expecting to hear White Rabbit. It was really a Mickey Thomas show that respected the old Airplane fans. The audience looked old. The band did not look young except for the girl. They played like a young band, though. There was no lack of enthusiasm for the music. Still, they were the hired backing band for Mickey Thomas. The total time for the show was just under 90 minutes. This version of Starship is worthwhile, so if you get the chance to see them go ahead. You will be impressed if you like the music at all. The set list was consistent with what had been posted for shows from last year, so this should be accurate. Layin' It On The Line No Way Out Jane Sara Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now Stranger Set The Night To Music White Rabbit / Miracles / Count On Me / Somebody To Love Fooled Around And Fell In Love It's Not Enough Find Your Way Back Encore: We Built This City And for the sake of Mr. Matthes aversion to the song We Built This City, I saw people leaving before the encore. They must have been worried about getting out of the parking lot quickly. After all, with 400 seats there must have been thousands of cars to create an after-concert traffic jam.