Willie G. Moseley

Yup, today's market prices (sounds like I'm ordering fish at a restaurant). I mean, I scored a '63 ES-335 in the '80s for $185 but noting such could potentially turn this thread into a brag-a-thon, which isn't what I intended. Sorry for any confusement, and thanks for calling it to my attention so I could clarify.

The inquiry about what kinda budget instruments are still around that prompted a fairly extensive thread a while back got me to wondering about what singular instrument I'd want on a desert island if the instrument had to be a budget item. Admittedly a bit warped, but I thunk the fabled/notorious HFC $350 limit should be the max something like that was worth. My choice (presuming there was a guitar player on the same island w/ whom I could jam) would be the same as I cited on the budget instrument thread: A Peavey Foundation bass or Patriot bass (I like the ergonomics on the latter instrument better). The 2012 Vintage Guitar Price Guide has just been released, and Foundations (made '83-'02)range from $225-$275, and a Patriot Bass ('84-'88) is (Good grief!) $125-$150. For that matter, an active Forum variant from the mid-'90s is $275-$325. The price range is for instruments that are unmodified, in Excellent condition, and that have their original case. And all of the above-cited instruments were American-made. Other choices for "tree-fitty desert island guitars (or basses)"?

UPDATE: Turns out the SG/Les Paul was a '62, which he used with Humble Pie; the entire Town and Country album was recorded with it. Frampton had traded it off in '71 for a deal on another guitar, but John Nady (of the wireless company) ultimately acquired it and gave it back to PF in the '90s. Frampton says that guitar also survived the Nashville flood; he lost 40 guitars that were stored at SoundCheck.

The Missus and I caught the show in Biloxi at the Beau Rivage last night. Album done first, then PF announced that they weren't going to take a break but instead would play straight thru, and they did a lot of other newer stuff, including several excellent instrumentals from Fingerprints as well as Humble Pie's "Four Day Creep". The encore was "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at this show, as well. What was cool about the album portion was that for the most part Frampton used more than one of his 3-p/u Les Paul Customs, and had a guitar cord instead of being wireless, to reference the historical/nostalgic vibe, I suppose. Great extended guitar battles between Adam Lester and PF on songs like "I'll Give You Money". The tone on a red ES-335 that PF used in the second set was to die for, and he also played what appeared to be an early 60s SG/Les Paul, which was apparently modded; it still had the ebony-block tailpiece decoration but no vibrato. First time I've seen him playing a guitar with that silhouette. Frampton did his usual good job establishing a rapport with the audience, and his chops seem undiminished. Several acoustic numbers played on a Frampton's Camel Martin were excellent. The experience at the venue had some awkward moments---it's a half-circle, about performing arts center size (maybe 2000?) but there's a round "pit" a couple of steps down, so that allowed standing in front of the stage. To seated patrons in the first few rows, the view of the stage is mostly cut off; about all you could see were the musicians' heads...so thank goodness for the Jumbotron/Diamondvision/whatever thingamajig. Also, I had a photo pass, and there did indeed appear to be a narrow photo pit in front, but security would not allow anyone in there---passes or not. First time I've had that experience but I still managed to get some OK shots.

RE: Venue restrictions---when STYX was out doing their double-album tour last fall (The Grand Illusion + Pieces of Eight), for some reason they couldn't do it at the Hard Rock Cafe venue in Biloxi, so that show was presented as "An Evening w/ STYX" on the band's web site (and probably when someone bought tickets online as well, I'd presume). That distinction was the difference in the Missus and me deciding to go either there or to Atlanta to the Cobb Energy PAC, where the albums were presented in their entirety; we chose the latter and were glad we did. Going to Biloxi Friday for the Frampton gig, but it's at the Beau Rivage, not the Hard Rock.

The first interview I survived...er, conducted with Lemmy was for the Bastards album, when Wurzel was on board. Turns out that one is my favorite Motorhead studio album except for the inclusion of the gawdawful "Don't Let Daddy Kiss Me". Otherwise, has the best overall assortment of riffs in the band's history, FWMOW. Live, still gotta go w/ No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith with the classic Kilmister/Clarke/Taylor lineup. I enjoyed the tour documentary VHS from '91 when Wurzel was in the band...the film points out that the entire Gulf War took place while that tour was going on...

Said it before, will re-emphasize here---Frampton is a hugely-underrated guitar player and songwriter. To wit: Anybody ever heard him play the blues? I haven't. Methinks theres a legit reason for that.

A few months ago I wrote an article about mid-'80s Peavey basses, and it was recently printed. For utility basses, particularly in some of the places I've played, I've always done well with Foundations (since the mid-'80s), which are basically a Jazz Bass-type of instrument (1 1/2" wide neck @ the nut, two pickups, same controls as a Jazz, etc.). A Patriot bass was part of the profile, and surprisingly, after I was through comparing them, I found myself liking the Patriot perhaps even more than Foundations. Its body ergonomics seem to fit me just right (different from the Foundation), and the neck profile was nice, even though its width is 1 3/4" at the nut. It's got one Super Ferrite pickup in a "sweet spot" style (a la Music Man Sting Ray, G&L Climax/L-1500, etc.), which would make for a lot of space on the pickguard for me to be able to stick on a handrest exactly where it will be the most comfortable. All that extra space also means an extra pickup could be installed wherever as well; i.e., this would accommodate such a mod fairly easily...however, a second pickup might complicate where to put a handrest, but that's personal nitpicking. And there's some folks who really like Super Ferrites, and some who don't. Said pickup itself could always be replaced. I've always felt that comfort is the most important facet of a decision to utilize a particular instrument. If it's a utility piece, you can and should mod it to get the sound you want, but make sure it "fits". For me, the Patriot seems to be a perhaps-overlooked example of that notion.

"Neece doogeh..." ---Inspector Clouseau

Tambien es mi nombre. FWIW, "Sentinel" was actually the short story by Arthur C. Clarke that begat 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Oldfield reportedly knew about that connection. I actually prefer Tubular Bells 2 to the original. The live version on Exposed (based on the first version) was brilliant.

Speaking of the Romantics, their version of "Little Latin Lupe Lu" just about tops Mitch Ryder's original on accounta it's in a segue from "What I Like About You" (MTV concert)

RE: "You're No Good"---to me, the definitive cover version was done by Potliquor.

Some of these are chosen simply because the production is better and/or the instrumentation is denser, and no disrespect meant to the original classics: As much of a Peter Green fan as I am, I like Judas Priest's version of "Green Manalishi" better. I actually prefer Devo's "Satisfaction" over the Stones' original, perhaps because the original is so "familiar" as an iconic song. From a pure arrangment-and-chops p.o.v., I'll take the Vanilla Fudge's cover of "Shotgun", but have always liked Jr. Walker's sax. "This Wheel's on Fire": Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & the Trinity "Hush": Deep Purple "Atlantic City": The Band "It's A Small World": Andy Kaufman and the B Street Conga Band DEBATABLE TUNES: "We Gotta Get Out of This Place": Blue Oyster Cult "Summertime Blues": Blue Cheer "Stop in the Name of Love": Hollies "Black Magic Woman": Santana "The Man Who Sold The World": Nirvana "Ain't That A Shame": Cheap Trick "Fanfare for the Common Man": ELP "All I Have To Do Is Dream": NItty Gritty Dirt Band

Hey Polara, who introduced "loud, country-blues-based psychedelia" to the marketplace in the first place and what were some exemplary songs?

Who?

My recollection from an interview w/ Thorogood is that he used (and most likely still uses) ES-125TDCs. Thinline w/ a Florentine cutaway, not as fancy, but still w/ P-90s. The ES-175 was available for a while in a thinline version.

Oughta be a new thread about albums chunked outta cars. Examples for me included Quicksilver's Piece by Peace and Uli Jon Roth's Electric Sun

Be careful! There's a coupla islands off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica that's gotta buncha them genetically-engineered dinosaurs, and they may have made it to the mainland by now!

I pretty had to sign up for eBay in 2003, to sell some gear because I had lost my day job. I found the concept to be intriguing at times, and would occasionally all hot n' bothered about something I really coveted. If I won it, I felt a type of personal sense of accomplishment or elation, if I didn't win, I actually seemed to pout for a short time (but kept it to myself). Most of the time when I've sold stuff, it's been for more than I probably would have gotten at a guitar show or consignment to a vintage store...but there's also been the added facet of shipping, and making good on something if it's damaged, which has happened a couple of times. I think the eBay commercial that showed women and men on a football field battling over a vase that's up for auction is on the money concerning the attitude of many participants. But recently I've gotten a bit tired of trying to do business this way, and perhaps it's primarily been due to an ongoing mess where I won something about 45 days ago and sent a USPS money order. I didn't have enough funds in my PayPal account, and my personal policy is not to add funds from an outside source to PayPal---eBay alone ought to be able to carry it (but I realize not every eBay participant would take such a tack). The m.o. has apparently been lost in the mail, and the seller is patiently waiting while the Post Office investigates. That being said, it's obvious that I don't like eBay's policy of PayPal only, and if the amount of an auction is more than I have in PayPal, I inquire if the seller will take a USPS m.o. The ones that will take a money order is about three-to-one over those that won't. Between eBay's "PayPal only" policy being established, recent promotions (that pop up between log in and My Summary) and other annoyances (including shipping, but that's technically not eBay's domain), I've gotten kinda put off with this type of buying and selling. A couple of weeks ago, I passed through a town where one of my favorite vintage stores is located, and I consigned a bass that I would normally have put up on eBay, just to see what would happen. I can always get it back (when I'm back in the area after the standard consignment time expires) and put it on internet auction but I'm just kinda stepping back from that. Which begs the question if anyone else has gotten tired (or "fed up", and there's a difference in the terms) with dealing with eBay and is reverting---if only as an experiment---back to some other way of buying and selling in an egalitarian manner. Comments?

Probably the Allman Brothers w/ every guitarist they've had (that's still alive) participating, on accounta the concert would last a long time and would put out some great music. Would love to see Cream again (saw and heard 'em 27 OCT 68), but it would have to be sonically appropriate for me to enjoy it; i.e., not w/ the tonal mix of the reunion concerts that were done in the middle of this decade (it's been noted here before---and not by me---that there's a big difference in a Les Paul or Firebird thru Marshalls and a Strat thru tweed Twins). Venue would probably be Chastain Park in Atlanta

I don't have any particular brand loyalty, but I do take an opposite tack at times: Certain brands and companies (and retailers, for that matter) have been so aloof and/or unprofessional that I am not interested in doing business with them. There are more Ford trucks around than there are Lincolns, and if I was considering a (new) utilitarian instrument, I would probably gravitate, perhaps surprisingly, towards Peavey first, because Hartley's mantra still seems to be "quality equipment for working musicians at fair prices", as it's been for decades. Factors into that orientation would include my minimal musical talent (I don't need anything fancy), + most patrons at most venues where most of us play don't know or care about the name on a headstock + I play bass, and Peavey basses have a good reputation over their history, if one looks at what the company was/is trying to accomplish + Hartley Peavey's done me a coupla favors and I would want to try to reciprocate by purchasing and using his company's products.

Runt (first album w/ the Sales brothers). Includes "We Got to Get You A Woman"...we were singing "Leroy, boy is that you..." around the college dorm before the song was a hit. Something/Anything. It's a double album, BTW

My favorite Dean silhouette as well---the Les Paul meets Explorer vibe is a unique paradox. Bought a US offa eBay about 3 yrs. (cherry sunburst) but didn't keep it 'coz the neck was too chunky. There were some much earlier Caddys, however, that had a slight V-taper neck. Still wouldn't mind having one of those if I could afford such.

See the O.C. for my take on the so-called Rebel Flag. Not appropriate for here but this thread is referenced there.

"Overnight Sensation": Motorhead