Tuxedo.

I really don't care for black and white p-basses. However, I've switched this one up for Halloween. Damn...those big pole-pieces look HUGE...I think that I'll leave the cover off.

Presidential? (show recap, equipment woes, etc.)

I don't see the resemblance, and it's sort of troubling me. I should've had more than one beer, then I wouldn't even care this morning.It was good to finally meet Katherine--having a face to put with a name is pretty wild. She's been really great to us, and I hope that the benefit was successful.

Our set was alright--we ended on a strong note, anyway. People love Girls of St. Maggie's Parish, and it's always cool to get a reaction from the first two notes. We had one near fail on the newest one. I hate that crap--you play beautifully during rehearsal, and just about eat shit on a stage. Oh well...we'll just have to work on that one some more.

The new speakers are a lot brighter than the blown Chinese set. It sounds really great soloed, but with the rest of the band, I miss the dull tone. I ran the gain up a little high, but I need to pull some of the highs out. Now that the 4x10" is mine, I need to figure it out. I'd like to do it up with Duratex, along with the electric grandparents. Once I get that project completed, I've been really interested in some DIY cabinet designs that are out on the Talkbass:



A 1x12" might be really cool. I've been looking at lots of smaller alternatives--I'm so tired of hauling big cabs around town. I'll be needing serious amps for later this summer, though, so I can't get rid of the big guns (both Josh and Greg are looking for extension cabinets). For bar shows, though, a little (light) cab that handles 200 watts is what I'm after, assuming that I'll get some PA support. I totally need to get one of them Radial boxes--I'm starting to prefer DI to FOH (gasp).

EEK!!

Man...this is horrifying:



I've been watching some Hammond videos since I have to do it on Friday. I can't remember if Greg's has waterfall keys or not. I might not be able to do the glissando that I want to do (maybe I'll just eat some Popeye's first). It'll be an easy part, but hopefully add to the track. I hate the idea of burying my (actually decent for once) bass part that I did on the chorus, but I think that between the two of us, it'll be tasteful.

Greg's is an M-100 or M-102. Spinets got the nod for some classic tunes, which is awesome since BLC has two of 'em. I don't miss fold-back. His definitely has a wicked reverb tank.

This is an M-102. This article got me thinking about the song, again (wow):



This is an M-100, and it sounds totally majestic to me still after all these years. Not my favorite song, though.

Mine is a "rare" M. They only made a few of 'em in 1947 or 1948. It has waterfall keys. What it really needs is a new amp with a line out (has a hinkey field-coil speaker setup) and percussion, like an M-3. Booker T was the coolest M-3 user (check out those Marshalls, though):

Awesome.

Soldering basses while on drugs is quite a challenge. I finished the orange one, and it's a little bit fatter and meaner (the string attack thumps). The best parts are that I got rid of the stupid S-1 switching and the high-end "icepick in your ears" shit. I don't think that the tinfoil cap really makes a difference but it seems to work just fine (a little bit less cut, almost wah-wah-esque).

The next project is to fix the busted pickup in the green one as well as the backwards volume control.

Recession Rock, Part II

Thank you to The Norse Audio God for being a third set of ears, and Greg for putting up with my crummy playing.

Tonight, I did my parts. The setup was easy: The Electric Grandmother on a Gamma, with an MK-219 about 10' off the front, and the Beta 52A up close on the center of the cone. The JDI fed some 'mystery' preamp as well as Mesa Número Dos. I tracked in the control room, which is much more comfortable (even with the dog watching). I used The Orange One, although The Green One was at the ready just in case the Fender let me down. Twelve tracks of bass in a single night ain't too shabby, and it sounds nice.

I think that I did some pretty subtle expressive things with timbre and note duration that really fixed a lot of the slop in my parts--we certainly haven't beat these songs into the ground yet, so there was some learning. I'm glad that I've learned to tighten up a part or loosen it as appropriate. I did some intentional re-writes, so it's a little more interesting, but, as usual, I pulled an O'Dea, and didn't play the same part twice and instead did some improvisation in a couple of sections. I'm pleased with my bits.

Some of the sounds so far are amazing, especially the envelope on the kick drum--it's beautiful, in a Body Lovers sort of way (that's the Beta 52, again--a great microphone, really--there's a really subtle hall effect from the room on the low frequencies which is nice in the overheads). The four overheads sound great, and really pulled off some wicked stereo effects without automation. Some of the lyrics are disturbing enough to distract me from playing, but I got through it.

Pretty much, the record will sound something like this (Joe Osborn's playing just plain rules. Not quite, but y'all get the idea (it ain't sunshine pop, but rather sunshine pop-influenced--I love that stuff).

BTW...those headphones are totally awesome. I need to get a pair of those. This got too epic, and I require sleep.

How Good It Was...Black Hoes

I thought that was the lyric for a long time. When I admitted that, we all had a good laugh.

I'm relegated to the black hoe for the time being, while I await parts. It worked all right at practice, and we even got some Walk Among Us-esque sounds at one point on 'Blood Trail' (specifically, the 4-bar bit before the chorus on 'Vampira').



Greg's "new" Gibson sounds amazing, and never feeds back (zero resonance on that design, which totally lends itself to amplification). He had some tuning issues, but I think that I need to set intonation, too--it's been a couple of years since I actually used this bass for a band situation, and with the Colorado, instruments require seasonal adjustment.

I decided that I really don't like the mid-range contour on the Quarter-pounder. It's just not as great as a Whopper. Lots of bass and sparkly highs doesn't really suit the #2 Booger well. I'll be happy to get a flatter-sounding pickup back in my life. I found a response graph that was way impressive last week when I ordered parts, and now I can't find it (bummer). The new setup should be as flat as flat can be, which is especially cool considering that the Booger amps are all about sucked-out mids. The tone is described as 'raw' as well as 'woody', so I figure that I can't really go wrong. It's probably the most expensive precision bass pickup out there, but I found a hell of a deal--if it sucks, I can certainly sell it. I need to figure out WTF is up with cloth-covered wire, because I've always done PVC (in the Stratocaster and the black hoe). It actually sounds a lot easier (and no burning plastic). I can't remember how the grounding plate works, so I'll have to research that, or crack open the black hoe (which, as it turns out, is totally a 1962 re-issue...I shouldn't have messed it up with the new pickup and bridge...oh well...).

I really wanted to try out one of these, though. Curtis Novak is in Wimberly, TX, where my Nitwit is from, which is almost worth the extra effort for a fully custom pickup. If the new one works, great, if not, I'll totally be on the phone with Wimberly.

The only thing that I'm conflicted about is fucking with my setup the week before recording. I know that some people take great pleasure in such things, but I like tried and true, even though the bass will get buried amongst the vocals, I'm certain, and totally okay with (I give the best tone that I have, and if it gets drowned to serve the song/record, oh well). There's a backup plan just in case I forgot how to solder or something.

For those who care...the new pickup is all hand-wound (scattered, but not custom), and the resulting bass will be hand-wired. Do I get a gold star? That crap is all about the marketing, really...all that I care about how the rig sounds. I'm tryin' what other players recommend at this point.

I Want One.

They ship in late February / early March. The specs are much more groovy to me than the old H4, and it sounds pretty great. I require a new multi-track since I gave away the 8-track, and my 4-track is too expensive to fix. I really like the Zoom H4, but the interface is confounding, really. It appears to me that they've fixed a lot of my gripes in the new one (H4n).

It looks like a taser, but that's cool. I've been looking for a box like this for a long time.

Really Real Rage; Damn The Man

Today, I wasted two hours at the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder's office to not register or title a truck. The problem comes down to what the revision number is on the 'Statement of Fact' form. The content is exactly the same, but my revision number wasn't acceptable to the bureaucrats.

I came uncomfortably close to a homicidal freakout with the shotgun of doom. I got home and was reduced to freaked-out pacing and yelling at the cat. I decided that I ought to play some bass for therapy (as I often do), instead of shooting those giggling bureaucrats with rat-shot in the face. They're on the list now, however.

The 'Frito Bandito' (Mahoney's new nickname) inspired me to fill said truck and park it in their lot with rotting garbage. This is what I will do early next week. I need to pick up some restaurant waste so that it's totally awesome. I'm sure that I'll get a ticket, but maybe we'll make the news. Free advertising, friends...

I tried to watch TV, but I had to turn it off because I was this close (holding fingers close together) to getting medieval on its ass.

Because I was completely pissed off, I totally broke the orange one. I was learning a fucking INXS song, of all things:



I broke the pick guard off at the output jack. It was hanging by a screw, and that made me angry enough to start drinking.

I needed an excuse to replace that hinkey 'parchment' one. I opted for a brown tortoise one, a la the hot rod (wicked, but with a side-mount jack) precisions from a few years ago. I'm thinking that I ought to go all out, though, since it'll be in pieces, and just do all the mods that I want to do now, since I can do it outside of the bass, and then basically drop the new setup in.

I'll be internet shopping tonight.

Funny As Hell.

Steve Harris rocks, for sure. That clanky tone is horrible and totally un-precision-like. I've never been into it. Apparently, this guy totally is, though:



The best part is when he puts his foot up on the monitor (like in The Trooper video). My black one is set up just like the Harris bass (without the maple fingerboard or chrome), and I've always thought that was funny.

I need to resurrect that one. Maybe for some shows, or the record. I don't know. I'm thinking that the orange one is due for a mod or two. It has served me well so far, but it's on record, so it's time to mix it up (and this time I'll sell the parts instead of putting 'em in the suitcase o' pickups). More later.

The Devil Plays a Rhodes Piano.

I spoke with an electric piano tech yesterday, and he was all "consult manual" and "use your ears" and "you really can't break anything," which is cool, but these things are a pain in the ass to adjust. Luckily, this one only has slight issues with slightly wonky action (too slow) and a couple of notes that just aren't clean.

I found some helpful stuff on the YouTube. Voicing is truly an adjustment nightmare (and dude mispronounces timbre, which drives me nuts):

They Throw Away The Best Stuff In Boulder County.

I put out an APB for a Rhodes piano a couple of months ago. Today, my West Virginian got one that "looks clean". I'll pick it up tomorrow morning (I beat him to the yard today). Even if it's a fixer-upper, that's acceptable--so many parts are available. Apparently, it doesn't have a stand, but does have a hard case. Hopefully, the vast resources of BLC will be able to make a go of it....then, we can play the piano song live.

Whoot. My 61-key Kurzweil doesn't quite have the stage presence of a Rhodes.

Ain't It Ugly?

I went to the rock-stick-megahaus (and got a flat tire, again) this afternoon. I picked up strings and wandered about and saw this monstrosity:

Dialed In.

The Ampeg preamp doesn't even sound as dirty as the Mesa. That low-fee "amplifier meltdown" sound has, for better or worse, become integral to our sound. I can do loud and relatively clean (like Ampeg does really well). Like deafening loud--when the SPL blurs your vision, you know that it's loud.

I'm running it at 1930 watts mono-bridged into the 4-ohm 8x10". It's not quite wide open, but getting close enough that the limiter engages (whoot). A huge step up in headroom from the Mesa, which runs 225 on a sine wave test rig (only rated at 180, if I remember those specs correctly).

Some creative eq was required to approximate the tone of the Mesa, after several calls went out to "people with Mesa bass amps." I actually think that we got a good interpretation, with extra real low end headroom. I can actually do some articulation on the low notes and it's intelligible now. I can't be all sloppy, though. It's a compromise, but I left practice with a happy band and self.

No person in their right mind would actually want a bass to sound this way. John called my tone "very unpleasant" tonight. Hey, man...it is was it is. I'm covering a lot of sonics with that extreme grind. Context is everything with bass guitar. If you don't realize that, you wind up with lame, generic-sounding records.

At least I didn't have to break out the generic stomp preamps to make me sound like everyone else. I've cultivated a unique tone, apparently, with the OC, and it sucks when a somewhat rare piece of equipment eats shit (take note, folks, because it happens before a relatively big show--Tom Murphy's law).

EEK

I have audio from the RC at the Larimer in which The Chief stands on the bass neck for a couple of seconds at the end of the set--it sounds truly horrible. I'm sure that the mighty Black Ho didn't hold its tuning.

This is pretty cool, even if it's an ugly instrument:


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Now playing: Overcasters - My Acid Rock Band, Part IV

Wow, Dude

The denatured alcohol tube actually seems to have worked. In more gear news, the orange bass requires fretwork (dressing and crowning). I don't think that I've ever worn out frets this quickly--there's some really sharp edges now. The Overcasters' practice regimen is rough on equipment.

Monster Cables Suck, String Cleaning Gizmo, etc.

The hinkiness of Monster Cable isn't any real news to me, but I was starting to get annoyed. Luckily, the offending cable was found out--it seemed to be cutting out when the loud drums were hitting the hollow body. This caused the jack to vibrate and short the hinkey plug.

I've never been a fan of molded plugs. Mine are usually Rapcos (or Horizons, as the case may be) with Neutrik plugs. Switchcraft (more expensive) makes a good connector, too. My cables all have the lifetime warranty, but I usually just cut 'em up once they fail (so no 'lucky' trashman attempts to use 'em). Expensive, oxygen-free wire, silver solder and shit just isn't a selling point for me. Maybe for studio wire (a la Greg), but not for a live rig.

After the cable silliness, practice was pretty okay. It'll be better next time because the momentum won't be lost.

I got called out on dead strings! I really don't think that anyone listens to my playing, much less my tone. The current set was a week old for the Meadowlark show (I usually change 'em two days before a show, but BLC is okay with dead dead strings, so it's optional). They're just a little over three weeks old, and grimy enough that intonation is fucked up. Unfortunately, playing this much means a $20 investment in strings every other week. What to do?

The internets learnt me about this. Nichols turned me onto this denatured alcohol research. Boiling strings is stupid. I used to do that when I was a teenager (poor), but it only works for about a day with Rotosounds; the silk wraps come off, too. Now that I'm using medium-gauge los cheapies (sans silk), recycling strings seems to make more sense. This weekend, in an absinthe-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder blur, LRC and I built two of "the bass string cleaning tube." She's pretty handy with heavy inhalants like PVC cement. We needed two wine corks for the project as well, so we drank ourselves silly.

I'm cleaning my spare set at the moment. I'll switch 'em out for practice on Wednesday. I need to save $20 in strings to break even with this gizmo. It seems reasonable. If it works, I'll give one away to some poor SOB (sorry ol' bassist).

Indeed, if the gizmo works, I'll probably switch back to stainless, with the relatively short (couple of days) half life. They start out brighter than nickel wounds, but when they start to die, you're done.

What's Next?

Here.

I thought that the Joe Strummer model was a horrible thing (including stickers for 'customization' is a bad plan). Today I saw this one, which is actually pretty cool.

I'm personally waiting for the Jad Fair signature model.

Clothes Shopping

Man, I hate shopping for clothes. This one reason that my closet looks like a super-hero's--limit the choices, and I can get ready in like thirty seconds.

I'm working on building up the wardrobe of decent clothes, though, mostly for the rockshows. I've allowed myself to get too big for any of my nice clothes. It would certainly be less expensive to just waste away to fit into the "skinny jeans," but I think that I'm pretty stable at the current weight.

This photo really makes me feel fat, though:



The show was pretty good, apparently. I need to do something more as far as my dieting goes. I so don't think that the stripes worked.

I'm dreading the shopping, really. In TX, I could just cruise down to the ropa usada, where you get to wade through waist-deep warehouses of clothes and pay a nickel a pound--I was describing this to LRC, and she had no concept of such a thing (a NYTimes article here). I got that cashmere overcoat there (for $.70), but I gave that to Matt Stemwedel (of Maraca 5-0 fame) back in the day. I wonder how he's doing often.

This record is really growing on me (it's only taken a year):
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Now playing: Grinderman - Electric Alice/Grinderman

I'm All About Solutions

That title is totally consultant-speak, isn't it? I can't help it--that's how I learnt to writ, really. It applies this time, I promise.

Further research on the food allergy front has commenced. As it turns out, my grandfather is allergic to tomatoes [good information, MOM (I could've used that information years ago), but giving 'em up is going to be fuckinghell since they're my favorite fruit]. I know that shellfish hurts me (two months in Louisiana will teach you). Two other possible culprits are dairy products and eggs.

Shellfish are easy easy to avoid since I reside within the (mighty) Colorado; those other three are in virtually everything, and so much more difficult to avoid. I'm trying my hardest to cure the skin and GI problems once and for all. This shit has been getting me down since I was 15 (excepting that test of the 'mint chocolate chip ice cream' diet--my skin and guts were totally groovy for the first time in years--I think that I'm okay with dairy prod).

The second solution was at Robb's Music today. I talked to Jeff at length about what I was trying to do--he was suggesting that I build something. That's certainly okay for someone who gets electronics (which I don't, really--easy DC and open and closed are just about it for me). I should've gotten his numero de telefono, but I was too freaked out. Meanwhile, I was still on a quest for a non-buffered output a/b box. Robb's does not stock such a device, according to the bald elf with a rasta hat that helped me out. Dude suggested a passive volume pedal with a tuner out jack:

"You're kidding me, right?"

"It's right here, man."

Amazing. I've been thinking about a volume pedal for quite some time now, and presently have an excuse to own one. This seems like it will solve the problem of "tuner tone suck."

I certainly will require a fucking pedal board. I have some shit for it, and I'll mix it up (thank you Matt Winkleman). I need a wicked fuzz pedal (probably two of 'em), now, and the options are limited. I already have the mighty compressor, a couple of flangers, and the DI--I recently heard some envelope filter nonsense that made me want one (probably a nice one or some other interesting filter device).
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Now playing: the body lovers - 2. 5-32

Bad Luck City Press?

Or, at least a mention. Here.

Dude totally got a deal with Lakland, and I'm jealous because that's a pretty pretty instrument. I'm not so keen on all that maple, but whatever. Those Dark Star pickups are bad ass. Tempting to have a pair installed in one of my precisions.

Amplifier Heaven

is where I'm residing. The Booger is sort of like a different amp now, but seems to have a lot more even response. It's not breaking up so easily--I got very accustomed to playing under-biased. It's not farting out on the slow creeper anymore, so that's awesome. I need to change strings, in a bad way. These were a week old at the last show, September 1 (seems like yesterday).

The OC can still play, even after what seems like an eternity of time off. I love playing with them.

Our goal is to work up the new stuff for the November 10 show. I like the new ones more than the old ones, for sure. They're much more musically rich--now we know how to play with each other, and we all can dig counterpoint and melody. Our high fiddledy practice tapes aren't particularly enlightening. No problem.

Hilarious.

This has been on craigslist for months. I wish that my grill cloth had indians on it. I've finally figured out that RSS feeds are the way to browse that shit. Such a silly amp, even if it's probably loud as shit (when bad ass steve is visiting).

Carvin 1x12 combo amp, Model #X60A circa 1989, 60 watt amp w100 watt British series speaker, bass, mid, treble, presence, reverb. 3 channel amp, chan 1 clean, with pull bright knob. Channel 2 pull lead drive knob for drive channel 2, channel 3 pull lead master knob for high lead master #2. You can get a very clean bright to overdriven bluesy to a cranking Marshall sound. Powered by 2-EL34 and 3-12ax7 preamp tubes. On back panel, eff send and return , headphone input, external speaker jack, speaker imp switch, foot pedal jack. Comparable to Mesa Boogie MK I Combo Amp, amp size 18x18, in great working condition, very clean, asking $495 obo.

Burning Tolex Blows

I totally think that I've gotten instant lung cancer (whoops). Hope that this silly cabinet turns out nice.

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Now playing: Cocteau Twins - the itchy glowbo blow

Show Post-Mortem; Gear Gripes

It wasn't horrible, but not perfect, either. I was fucking stunned when some people thanked me during dinner with my sweety (across town) later in the evening. That was really strange for me. I think that I maintained my coolness and was pleasant.

I had a moment of unfocus during "Love, It's Not Working." I was getting far too into it. The tempos were agonizing on some of 'em. It made the BLC feel like speed metal. A guitar player missed a few critical pickup notes on a solo (put on your surprised face). I missed loud drums a lot, seriously. All in all, though it wasn't too bad for two full practices and one power trio practice (that one sounded great).

Three shows in the last month or so with three different bands...that's pretty good in my book (the rules).

Post-shows gear gripes:

My SWR 1x15" sucks (we all knew this). That one is relegated to practice cab status. I don't even trust it to deliver after it fucked me on that recording session. I hate that. I can't hear it on stage.

I can't bitch about the electric grandmother too much. She's served my dumb ass well for years. I ought to check the speakers, though. Kurt wanted to do that a while back, and since they're the originals, it might be a good idea. I hate my lame tolex repairs. It's a little lacking in the low end, but kicks like a mule. If I replace speakers, I think that I'll put a couple of different kinds in there.

My Acoustic Control Corp. 406 (that ugly ass 2x15" that used to be in PMFS) sounded really smooth and nice with a little string noise; just how I like it. Apparently it was shaking clothes 20' out (just how I like it). I might transition that one into the OC when no one is looking. It needs work, so I'm moving that up in my projects list. Many of the bass players on the lists seem to be doing the Line-X thing for durability. I can dig that. Tolex gets hurt too easily, and Ozite isn't even an option if you have pets (although I've fired cat junior, feline number one is still here, for a time). The sound guy, Don, accused me of being "one of the loudest bass players in Denver." Also, he said it was a "killer rig." Awesome.

My Booger was solid, although I need to get it into a shop to fix those 4-ohm outputs and punch it up with some 6550s (probably while the mighty Tarmints are out conquering the west coast). It's not loud enough for the OC, and I'm so not into solid state sounds. If I can eek out 50 more watts, I'll be cool, at least until some damn fool guitar player gets a bigger amp or a new booster pedal. I really could get a couple of big amps going just for the OC.

My Orange One needs some help--American made is too weak for my playing, apparently. She's going to get a new brass nut, a new bridge, and new pickups (duncans or rio grandes, most likely) when she's not looking. Okay for BLC, awesome for the OC, but it wasn't the right bass for 4 a.m. because the g-string is too bright. I should've turned down the treble, but I wanted crunch for the loud part. Ah, hindsight....

I need to get a bypass box for the tuner. I've seen schematics on the internets. That pedal is a little tone-robbing asshole, and the output jack is all fucked up (too much beer).

Got some bass projects, for sure. That'll keep me amused on the cheap for a month or so.

Put On Your Surprised Faces, Busy, etc.

Andrew's ride cymbal ate shit at practice. It cracked and made bad sounds. I wasn't terribly surprised, because that fucker is a primary cause of my hearing loss. After 17 years with it, he was quite upset (said that he wanted to cry). Apparently it's some big, expensive, turkish-made Zildjian. $400-800 for another. OUCH. I could pick up another bass for that. My eyes are open for a replacement.

Greg hooked me up with some pickups. I'll have to cannibalize black covers, because white ones are hokey.

Dinner with LRC and her girls tonight was quite tasty. Truck stop cuisine isn't all it's cracked up to be. If I see another slim jim, I might lose my shit.

I slept about 20 hours after getting home. I'm only now beginning to feel human again. I have new tales to regale with, though.

Until very recently, I'd forgotten about the Pigface. The only time I remember hearing 'em was 1991 or so, at that heroin 'party' with people shitting themselves in Boulder. It's not too bad, really.
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Now playing: Pigface - Kiss King

Assmaster?

I've been looking for a fuzz pedal for months--mostly for rocking out at home (I might have a couple of applications now, though). I've purchased and returned several. They've all been way too tubey, man. If I want that, I can just crank the preamp gain, or use my compressor all wrong. (Been getting "synth bass" with no pedals on the practice rig. Totally dance-hit worthy.) I thought that the Frantone was cool, but had a nasty "animosity" freak back during rests. It's totally not cool enough to cope with that shit. That Peavey with the fuzz channel that BLC now owns was killer. At least I can use it occasionally.

I'd love a Maestro Bass Brassmaster, but they're way too over-priced. >$500 for a pedal seems stupid--I've driven cheaper cars.

I suppose that I could build one (certain friends of mine would endorse that idea), but I stumbled across this:


Paul Barker and some homeless guy named Josh are the dudes behind this one. It has a pink triangle, too! Perfect. Mean. Actually thinking about it. Still pricey ($262).

I talked to Suthers about building some pedals. I require a a/b/c switch and a fuzz. I need that guy's numero de telefono.

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Now playing: Metallica - The Call Of Ktulu

Number Eight?!?!

it's a Fretless mim fender jazz bass, Midnight blue. e-dogg's additions are the Schaller humbucker spick ups, a Brass nut. a bad ass bridge, Strap locks, and custom das bruderziehe wiring.

I'll redo the electronics for something more user-friendly. I'll probably redo the nut for heavier strings. It sounds killer, although I suck at playing in tune sans frets. It's a different animal, completly.

I also got a "broken" sansamp bass di, which i fixed in under 30 minutes. they should've used a "real" switch with threads. tech21 might sound great (and really be forward-thinking), but they use ghetto parts. A simple replacement that costs an additional $0.10 is all that was required. SWR cabs actually do the same thing (backwards) by using screw terminals instead of solder. They must not sub out assembly to wetbacks or something--I've never met a mexican that wasn't "born to weld " (Soldering is totally welding lite). This tool ought to be quite helpful for the oc (the only reason that I begged it off of e-dogg). that passive di sound ain't so grand.

Getting My Fix

I get terribly bummed out Tuesday through Friday because I'm having music withdrawal. With the OC on summer sabbatical, I've been despondent for too long. It's amazing that I haven't shotgunned myself in the face.

Tonight was the first time in three (!!) weeks that the OC has convened to rockpractice (tm). We actually sounded really decent (better than some bands at shows). No one had forgotten the songs. It was great to have the kaptain back up on his feet, although he looked quite wobbly at times. His voice is back and mad as hell after being all cooped up for months. I know nothing about singing, but doing so with a cramped diaphragm has to double the effort. It would be like me using a foam mute or something.

However, the drums seemed muted to me, as was K's guitar. I'm convinced that he needs more speakers for better dispersion amongst los bastardos de amplificadores. Mabe the sound is a lot better on the other side of the "stage." I think that we need to turn up the drums.

More adjustments on the menace have improved string to string balance, and I'm starting to get really comfortable with the instrument. Maybe the satin neck is easier than the black ho's gloss one? The black ho definitely has more tightness in the low end (I'll refrain from full-blown innuendo here). On the journey home I decided that I might be able to regain some of that black ass by using the elusive "bass shift" switch on the Booger.

My schedule has eased at work. Thus, I can now do twice a weeks with the OC again. Mondays are still feeling ridiculous, but Wednesday is new and improved with a second driver, even if I though it was a horrible idea. I'm fucking stoked about that. It means no more Wednesday night is "date night," though. Maybe LRC can see the OC sometime, though. I hope that she likes/understands what we're doing. This feels more like "my band" than any of my previous (or the other current) band(s). Once I'm established in the BLC (work on the 15 new songs), I'm sure that I'll feel more ownership there.

After listening to us tonight, I'm completely convinced that we need to record a 7" (at least) for release soon. I'll bet that we could get it done pro bono, or at least low fee, from our friends. If I hadn't donated the eight track to the "i have no ideas" kids, I'd totally do it, although I'd have to purchase microphones (mine have all been stolen, except for that Shure 55sw, which I'm going to fix and gift to someone soon). Even if we just did a live thing, it would be pretty fucking good. K managed to get a couple of great musicians to play with us. This band needs to get into a studio and spread our weedy vibe soon.

More Bass Foolishness

I've been looking for something like this, actually. The OC is pretty much at the limit for SPL in our current space, so I wouldn't be able to use it there. I'm really looking for a Marshall Major 4x15", which is way cooler. I think that those electric amp (was matamp?) guys are building 4x15s in a tall configuration. 160 pounds?!? 1800 watts?!? So stoner metal, man. Hell yes.

I fear that my practice rig just isn't quite going to cut it with dos guitars and violence and vocals. I really need to get my act together and re-tube the preamp, get a beasty power amplifier and another electric grandmother-sized cab for the sad fuck shitty. Maybe I'm all wrong, and they practice with headphones or something.

I attempted to fix the orange bass today. Seems to have the unbalanced (loud) low end that I require now. I'll check it out on monday. I really like the tuning stability and ringing high end, but I miss the duncan pickups that the black ho has. It's a process, and I shouldn't be so stressed out about tone, but I am. I'm a ramblin' man.

Meanwhile...back at the ranch....the ebay write up is well worth the read. Dude is talking about ohm matching? WTF is that?!? He used Carvin speakers, too (cheap ass). Nichols would appreciate that, though. The weed wolf must be dude's personal pet. Check it out:

Monstrous and bowel loosening 4x15 hotrodded BASS CABINET. Here's the basic rundown... this cabinet i found used, originally from a friend and bassist, and it had some blown speakers. the original speakers were a joke, and were pro audio, not bass, i believe.. a feeble 300 watts total... so i purchased the carcass and decided i would ressurect this rig as a massive portal of evil, a project, the biggest bass cab i could get my hands on, so to speak,...because of its obvious potential. these cabinets were peavey originally in the 80's and very rare. a slightly more common model had 2 15" speakers on one side and two 10" and a horn and an possibly an eight or something on the other side, i dont recall exactly.. anyway, the 4x15's were the less common of the two designs. this amp is gargantuan in size as you can see. it dwarfs a poor marshall cab in size and in stature (deliverance bowel wrenching low), i assure you. anyway, so i immediately bought four brand new cast frame carvin 800 watt 15" drivers (they are all less than a year old, i have receipts), and installed them, creating a BASS cabinet rated at an ungodly 3200 watts,and this is no joke! this alone was around 500 bucks cos they were like $129 a driver.(x4). i also wired it professionally with new, xtra thick speaker wire (for added bass via less electrical resistance) and configured the OHM matching so that it can be run in stereo as two 2x15s simultaneously or as a mono if you wish. (there are two seperate inputs). also, i gutted the thin, crappy, aging, insulation padding on the inside, and re padded the internal with a lush, thick new padding (after cleaning the entire inside of the cab out thoroughly). this keeps the frequencies from bouncing off each other and themselves as they are prone to do in cabinets with no baffling on the inside. it has the effect of making it a full, LOW, thick, mmmppppphhhhhh sound... i tell you, you have never FELT bass like this mother. not on your ampeg 8x10, not on your mesa 12"s not on anything. before you believe the fantasy that tens can get as low as you really, really want, you should hear this thing. trust me. and then you will see my son. nectar of the gods! of course im using quite a bit of power since i put such hardcore bass 15"cones in the weapon. i use two qsc 1450's, sometimes an ampeg svt 4 and a power amp combo. but you do not need to use that much overkill power unless the torture is what you love! still, under my command, this rig literally, and i mean "literally" shakes the concrete walls of the jam rooms. volume wars do not concern you any longer my friend.they will Feel your domination IN THEIR LIVER as they submit and prostrate themselves before the aural onslaught! I have also put industrial casters on it, large nice wheels, and believe me, never has an object been more a match for the wheel than this center of mass. it is VERY heavy. to heavy and large to ship, i might add, so unless you can arrange otherwise, it is pick-up only from HOUSTON,TX 77034. im going to start bidding at 450, thats less than the cost of the new drivers alone.. i easily have over 700 invested already in it, but my path is going elswhere and i cannot pursue this project as i once did. also for an extra 60 bucks, if interested, i will include 4 yards of brand new marshall elephant grain tolex (the kind on a marshall 4x12 stock cab) black, it comes in a roll, and i was going to use this to recover the outside eventually. i have the tolex spray on glue as well to do this job. this is an option im giving only if you are interested, as my original intention was to add new corners and tolex to completely finish hot rodding this into a one of a kind king daddy bass rig. hearing is believing my friend. this is not your average bass cabinet. in different circumstances i would refraim from parting with this monolith, but for now it is here starting at a deal of the century low price. bid with confidence, (see feedback). and i can arrange for you to try it out if interested. (in houston). questions welcome.Crush your enemies...see them driven before you...and hear the lamentation of de women....... unleash the fury. with this rig the ladies will finally call you PAPI ! .....DEATH TO FALSE METAL.

And Then There Were Two

bands, that is. Just when I was starting to feel really down and stagnant musically, I got the call that I've been awaiting since November. This means a lot of homework for me, but since it's summertime, I'm sure that I'll have a lot of free time with people on vacations and whatnot.

I'm excited to play with Greg, Dameon, Josh and Kelly. However, I'm turning myself inside out for the opportunity to play with Andrew Warner again. He's one of the finest drummers in town--he's actually doing some really interesting stuff. It's a suitable rhythm section reunion. The shaman has been my secret agent, but I owe Feisch for the inside information. Love that kid.

They're a super-cool crew, and at least as raunchy as I am. The lyrics make me laugh, though; that's something that I'll have to get over:

"I saw your father last night...he tried to suck me off."
"My sister is a slut."
"Fuck all you fuckers. All of you can eat my shit."

I'm in the market for another Ampeg 8x10" cabinet with no hinkey horns, used and cheap, like me. Anything cool with small speakers will be considered. Email my black ass.

A Debut; Number Six; A Show; Down

The "terrible" Tidwells visited the OC during the Wednesday rock at seven o'clock. I really like Erin's folks. It was a supertreat for me to actually play for people. I think that we played alright. They're biased, but they seemed to enjoy the music. They were totally in the bass-side "kill zone," so it probably wasn't exactly balanced.

Number Six came to me completely stock except for those hinkey fender tapewound strings. A thorough cleaning and re-stringing with acceptable strings (los cheapis--XLs), means a usable instrument. I really really appreciate the graphite-reinforced neck and modern tuners. I think that the series/parallel switching is too silly to be practical. This FNO-colored bass sounds really great (albeit stock, gasp). After a 'real world' evaluation, I'll worry about the modifications that are potentially necessary. Certainly that whitey pick guard will go away for a tortoise one or a pearl one.

Last night, LindaRuth and I made it to Ye Olde Curtis street for The Paper Stars CD release show (110 mph on the 6th Ave. ramp). I knew nothing of Paper Stars, or Rabbit is a Sphere, but really wanted to see Chris Adolph (on sabbatical from Jupiter, apparently) do his thing. I really like some of our local folksy-types. Chris is one of the best. Joe Sampson joined him from the audience on drums for a couple of songs. People were into it. Love those guys.

Unfortunately, my elation from Chris' set was short-lived. Rabbit is a Sphere just doesn't do it for me. Starting the set with a number far weaker than Chris' closing song broke the energy down too much. This is my least favorite band right now. We cruised during their second song to pursue other amusement.

My doctor finally got in touch with me regarding what is now my "potentially life-threatening" condition. I told him that I wasn't inclined to correct my malady since the insurance company wasn't cooperating. His Hippocratic oath must have kicked in and he was freakin'. I'm really this close (holding fingers very close together) to just opting out. I don't want to do this shit for another thirty or forty years. It just doesn't seem like it's truly worth the effort. I'm sure that some people would be pisseed, but I'm selfish enough to not care about that.

Graphite Reinforced Neck?

Apparently, I haven't played a US-made Fender bass in a very long time. They've added graphite rods to the neck, which makes 'em a lot more stable (the classic-construction-flexy neck is evil). I've been looking for a backup for the black 'ho' bass (she's served me well for 4 years) while it undergoes some minor (but time-consuming needed tweaks to the bridge and nut). It turns out that the new necks are really awesome, and play like a piano, despite the musicshop-wretched setups (it's amazing that anyone ever purchases anything from a store--a shop that actually bothered to setup basses properly is a place that I'd shop exclusively). A backup like that might become numero uno if I get what I like, instead of settling (ick--this is like shopping for a new girlfriend or something).

Unfortunately, a black one is the hardest to find locally (like a girlfriend, or something).

Make A Statement Without Playing A Note

Ahh Yes...The Dave Mustardstain Signature Model....

I stumbled onto this shit (click that photo). I think that The OC are the only people that'll get a laugh from this one, even if it's a sweet-looking banjo. Megadeth was always really like pop speed metal to me. Dude can play a solo, even if it's the same one. My favorite record is "Rust In Peace" because Marty Friedman (of Cacophony fame--that's a serious wank-fest) is on it.

I thought that dude called it quits because of his horse habit. I do know that he's recruited someone new for bass duties--that's amazing because I thought that David Ellefson was the only person that could put up with Mustardstain's shit.

How better to connect the classics than with a video? Tornado Alley? Tornado of Souls? Murphy vs. Mustardstain? There are so many good reasons that metal is dead:

Frou-Frou Foxes

I totally cannot figure out how to mobile post with the new phone. Cutech (tm) sucks. This Nokia is mighty, but the abundance of features puzzles me. The Luddite rides again, or something.

Anyhow, I saw a pair of foxes playing near the tracks in midtown Boulder this afternoon. I managed to snap a bad photo after getting one to look over its shoulder at me. It was a supercool (tm) moment.

Love when the chorus-ey guitars come in on this track. Liz Fraser is a great (albeit bizarre) vocalist.

The Overcasters are now loud as hell, but still seem to retain clarity. There are too many changes to really get into here, but it actually improved things dramatically. I was giggling during rockpractice (tm). K asks if I'm okay. Might have to increase the size of the array if the guitars go much louder, though (master is up to 8). John claims that I'm vibrating his nose, which is a wonderful thing. Sounds pretty mighty, and with performance looming, this is great.

I hadn't played this loudly since Heller wrecked the output transformer on the Vox. That was out of control bass; well past the edge of controllable. Now I'm completely in control of the rig, which is awesome (although the ceiling vibrating at the cocaine blues was pretty tough, as was the PA destruction at the lame lion's lair). The Mesa makes me happy, but I think that I might want to pick up its big brother (500 watts peak of the tube o' rama, 2x power, or something). Another alternative would be to clone and chain the rig. On third thought, there are a lot of things that I can do. Need to see how my ampeg is working out for Tito. I so want a sunn 2x18" cab.

A clerk commented about my wife today when I was doing obvious Valentine shopping (last minute, for sure). This didn't bother me as much as it used to. I smiled.

Snow, Man (I swear that I'm only bored and not actually trasheed)

I've spent most of the week waist-deep in snow, and I'm so over it. At least I haven't spent the night in the car again. Colorado is rarely like this, and why I thought that I was down with it. I'm glad that the officials urged everyone to stay home today--y'all not being on the "roads" really made my life a lot easier.

I scared the hell out of a women when I did a 40,000-pound wheelstand in her driveway earlier in the week. The look on her face was fucking priceless.

"Your front wheels weren't even on the ground!! How can you drive like that?!?"
"Yeah, it happens--it's a little nerve-wracking the first time. This job requires nerves."

<> Like an asshole? We short out the ABS (so the old trucks drive like the new ones, which is a little weird, I suppose) and switch out the rears for better (to the xtreme) ratios. Lots of gears helps you get up to a reasonable highway speed. A mighty 20-speed split-shift is all you really need with one of them Cummins diesels. We convert semis into "light trucks" (Boulder county's definition, not mine). The luddite shop rocks. < /post hoc commentary >

Yesterday, I had to rescue a driver that had lost his steering wheel on a bobsled run (apparently, Chevrolet sucks). On the way up the bobsled run, a stupid 17 year-old put himself in the ditch (the alternative was down a cliff). I attempted constructive driving instruction, so that we could get our three trucks out of the hole. He didn't know what the low gear was in his mom's [sweet] SUV. Kid didn't understand "keep your wheels straight." He was concerned that his VSC light was flashing. He kept saying that the VCR light was flashing, which confused me (I'm easily confused). This is Toyota's "vehicle stability control" anti-rollover thing to prevent dumb asses from rollin' (no drugs involved). These systems work, though--I tested the Ford/Mercury version out near Bonneville at that facility. It's actually a little frustrating when you want to go to the xtreme of four wheelin' in utah mud [yes, mud draggin', kids (one of my secret consulting hobbies, right up there with belly dancing, whores, museums, rock-climbing, and driving the i-5, drinking contests, ufo-watching, freakin' out the townies) the salt flats in March are pretty wet and wild]. I wanted to tell him that if that light comes on, you're driving like an asshole (truly), but since his mother was there, I didn't. Mahoney (coughing up blood on the scene after his surgery--so dramatic, really) harassed the kid for bad shovel technique--"you must not be Irish." I endured that shit for so many years.

The decision was made to not go ahead with our set on New Year's Eve. This is quite a relief since the weather has interfered with rehearsals a couple of times now. There are some issues that we have to address, and we will. I'm glad that I have a great band leader for once. Bad ass Steve went home this morning. Coming soon to a venue near you, and shit....

A couple of days ago, I installed the bad ass steve commemorative bass bridge--I'd forgotten that it's so much louder and ringing. I need to scale back my treble a bit (the clicky shit is quite distracting to me). I have metal-guy action back, though. I'm currently lusting for a 1960s Hagström 8-string that I've located (see bad photo--in gunmetal grey of all colors). It appears to be in great condition and is priced right and collectible, if anything. I'd have to re-learn how to use a pick for it to work, but it might be a cool addition. I think that Shannon was looking for one, so I could unload it for a loss if need be. I've decided to think about resale when I purchase instruments from now on. Amps are disposable, still. Also, lusting for a couple of Vox instruments that I'd never play.

Ain't trying to be clever or funny.