Steve Haynie

Jackson or B.C. Rich-- Are you more into the hair or into the metal?

Flight information is what we need to know. How early do we arrive? How late do we leave?

Yeah. Was Hamer not trying to shed its "metal guitar" image since the move to Connecticut? A Scepter or a Scarab really scream "METAL!" at first sight. Early Dean endorsers included Kansas and The Doobie Brothers. B.C. Rich came up with some designs that can only be used in metal. Not just metal, but death metal and beyond. The blackest, darkest, most woeful metal needs B.C. Rich! They could use Satan as their "biggest" endorser.

About 30 years ago a Hamer Standard was made for Dave Hlubek of Molly Hatchet. It had the Confederate battle flag design. When I met Dave about 10 years ago he said his son owned that guitar. Considering how many of his other guitars got away from him, it is sort of good knowing that guitar is close by. Hopefully the son knows better than to let it back into Dad's hands again or it may disappear. As far as I know, Duane Roland had his Hamers up to the day he died.

Specifics can come later, but do we arrive early on Friday and leave late on Saturday? Will Friday just be an evening get together or a full day? Can you give a schedule so we can book flights?

The best sounding acoustics I heard have had either a great tone or a great player finding great tones. By that I mean that some of them jumped out with a sound like magic as the guitar was toyed with in a store while others just sounded great because someone had a playing style that brought out the best in what they had in their hands. The Martin Golden Era line has different bracing that makes them sound better than their modern counterparts. They sound significantly better and list for an extra $1000, too. There are sizes other than dreadnoughts in the Golden Era series. Trying a 50's Martin OO changed my opinion of smaller bodied guitars. It was great. Someone around here who was/is a Michael Hedges devotee played a large bodied Lowden that was supremely beautiful sounding. I have heard a high dollar Breedlove that sounded worth the bucks. Way back when the local store sold Bourgeois they were extremely expensive and also magical sounding. They had a "belly" on the tops that was supposed to be a normal part of the design. One guy who was more of a country and bluegrass player had half a dozen high end acoustics and felt that the Bourgeois was the best sounding of them all. Of all the brands mentioned above, you should be able to find one used for $3000 or less. As everyone mentions, different woods and designs make these guitars suitable to different tonal ranges. As Jonathan asks, what are you planning on playing? You might find that an Ovation long neck is going to suit you best.

Whoooaah, mannn! That is one heck of a lot of scrolling down to get to your band. You got my vote, but dude your band is screwed! You reeaally need to be closer to the top of the page.

Is Paul Hamer going to be speaking to us on both days? Are we going to gather together on Friday during the day or in the evening? What kind of schedule do you have in mind? Right now is the time to look into plane tickets versus driving 14 hours each way. If there is going to be a long drive there just needs to be more stops along the way. Two nights in a hotel or just one is a question a lot of us need to answer. The big thing I have to work out is how to handle closing my office for a few days or paying someone to work for me while I am gone.

His presence affected this message board in a positive way.

Cheap Trick is having a Memorial Day sale in the online store through Monday. Some items are 60% off. I found a long sleeve t-shirt for $14.00 and some of the CD's are marked down, too.

Dax Nielsen on drums? How many songs did he play? How long was the whole show?

Riot (not Quiet Riot) was a great band from the end of the 70's right before the explosion of hair bands in the early 80's. It was probably Mark Reale's thinning hair that kept that band from getting the promotion they deserved.

If Steve Stevens could talk to us about his days as a Hamer player it would be killer.

Avoid the last weekend of the month, please.

This weather report explains a lot about the situation.

I thought this was going to be another Peavey bashing thread. Stadium logos are OK with me.

A better album than Van Hagar's opening salvo that year? I say yes. ABSOLUTELY!

Bill, if you ever need a big amp behind you again let me know and I can drive something up the mountain.

There is an Iron Maiden in the cross walk.

What you put on your fretboard is your business. I guess that is one way to keep people from borrowing your guitars.

Most of my guitars have rosewood fretboards. That must be a sign. For bolt-on bass necks maple is the way to go.

Painkiller was the debut of Scott Travis on drums. It has some gems on it. Angel Of Retribution is worth checking out, too. Get those two if you are looking for later Judas Priest albums. The first one was Halford's last album with the band, and the second is the first after his return. The two studio albums with Ripper Owens are different. The first one, Jugulator, can be described as Judas Priest sounding like the bands they influenced. The second one, Demolition, works back toward what Judas Priest should have been doing all along.

Glenn Tipton finally has his own web site. Here is the link. There is a page dedicated to his guitars with comments about them.

I like the song in the first video better. The music is great, but the Cookie Monster vocals throw it off for me. However, the two songs are good. I may have to make an exception for this band's singer.

Being able to sing takes you anywhere you want to go. You can pick your band members. There is always work for a studio singer or backup singer. A great singer can go far. A vocal master does not even need other musicians to have fun.