What's that noise?

Went to El-5 last night to help out with things, mostly getting the mic cables straightened out so they would hopefully correspond to the channel inputs on the recording mixing board. Somehow it looks like the whole snake and other connections will have to be redone, as nothing really worked after that.

As for the suckage, there are two reasons:

1. I accidentally set off the room alarm when I entered the studio. No I don't know the code to disarm it, I'm just glad KW was in the area to reset it. LT was showing a practice room to somebody at the time.

2. I need to learn more chords, 'specially of the open voicing nature (read: B and F), as I got lost while trying to play along on Blackie during an informal jam.

Just got Blackie my Yamaha acoustic back from GC: action lowered after having the bridge saddle filed down, a Fishman undersaddle pickup installed, plus a case.
I tried out the improvements through an amp in the acoustic department...

I am blown away by the sound and playability, should have done this sooner!

I tried to play some parts over each other in Audacity, the latency is horrendous in that program so I must try my usual recording program (Cakewalk's Music Creator).

Made another trip to GC after the weekly blood-letting for labs. I originally needed to exchange my copy of "Zappa plays Zappa"* that had horrible bit rot on the first disc, but also planned to see what options I had for guitar rehab ideas. I didn't get a fresh copy of the DVD, but I will be called when a copy ships.

Anyway, I checked out case options for the acoustic that GC has, nothing but soft cases that only offer dust protection and not much else. I did however pick up a new strap, a strap button, and a new tuner to replace the one that crapped-out on me only after barely two years of light service. Now I'm able to actually wear and play the acoustic instead of having to sit down and play. Next: a case and a proper setup. A pickup system is being thought about but not that important at this time.

As far as "FrankenStrat" the not quite to spec Stratocaster copy by Hondo, I was originally thinking to get a pre-wired replacement pups and control harness from Carvin, until I saw this control system that holds promise. With this I can keep the stock pups that I don't mind at all and just replace the the controls. No soldering required! I would still need isolating foil for the pup/control cavities and a new jack for they are needed, but this control system could open up things sound wise on "This Old Axe"®©™.




* Great performance all around on what parts of the dual DVD I could watch. Dweezl even plays his father's famous SG on some tunes.

This last Thursday, I went to GC (Guitar Center for those who have no interest in such things,) to check things out since I haven't been there since the my medical situation. I picked-up a copy of "Zappa plays Zappa" on DVD*, a copy of "Bass Player" (N.T.S.: Subscribe already, will ya?) Finally a guitar cleaning kit from Dunlop.

Why the cleaning kit? The acoustic that I have since 1986 that needed to get cleaned and restrung... badly. For those who want to know, it is the same acoustic used on "West Side of the Universe". Now that this is done, all I need is a quality case for it, a set-up (high frets here and there), and hopefully I can budget somehow an underbridge saddle pickup system.




* I will have to exchange the DVD since disc one has really bad bit-rot from the factory. Bummer, great performance anyway!