mr. papa

Funny, but I think it was EVH's uncredited solo on 'Beat It' from the 'Thriller' album. That solo saved me from myself, as I was an urban R&B punk until I went over to playing guitar. After that, it was The Edge's tone on 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', Muddy Water's slide guitar on 'Live at Newport' album, and the live version of 'Killing Floor' by Hendrix--the version where he gets up under it and kicks its ass up over its shoulders. I think he scared Clapton and Beck to death with that one. Still scares me... I just heard an old Marvin Rainwater track called 'Hot and Cold' on Dylan's Theme Time Radio show the other day. Holy crap, what a guitar tone! Turns out it was Roy Clark. I said, God DAMN the pusher man! that was good tone.

It may have just been my amp (Rivera Chubster) but I didn't like Seth Lovers in my hollowbody guitar. I thought the neck pickup was too bassy and the bridge pickup was too bright. I have that opinion about lots of Gibsons, though, so it could be me, too, but I wanted a tighter-bass neck and a fuller-mids bridge pickup. If I could do it again, I'd go '59s or maybe a JB / Jazz combination, or Fralins. Sounds like the Rio Grande's are closer to that.

Word. Also, I'll add the solo from "Here She Comes Again" by the Cars (more Easton) and the cool little 12-string guitar fill from "Free Falling"--the low notes 'dum-dum-dum-dum...de-de-dum'--which is pretty much the whole point of the song. The rest of it is just the framework for that part, IMO.