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MichaelT

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Everything posted by MichaelT

  1. I'm glad I sold my '78 Strat. It was evil. I wish I hadn't sold my Electra Workingman. There's a couple other guitars I had when I first started playing but they were sufficiently horrible so I don't miss them much. Others I've sold over the years, I don't miss much. Pretty much just the one I wish I could get back because it was my first decent electric guitar.
  2. That's all I use for all my guitars, which include 8 Gibsons. I think I have 5 Hercules stands. Two at home, two at band rehearsal spot, one spare to take to gigs.
  3. We've gone up exponentially, as expected. I think 163 last night. Some people are just being stupid, such as hosting and going to a "coronavirus party" and then someone there got it, probably passed it to the others there and then they passed it to others, etc. Only one here in our county so far and he's quarantined.
  4. Seeing how Stonehenge was built would be pretty cool but being a musician, I'd probably want to be in on the late 60's and early 70's music scene. That's the music I enjoy the most and having the opportunity to jam with those guys would be fun. I'd have to be able to take my lovely lady with me, of course. I wouldn't want to be in a life without her in it.
  5. I had seen him before and actually blocked his ads and stuff on Facebook after viewing one of them. He was criticizing some other guitar youtube guys or online instruction or something and that doesn't sit well with me. Everyone learns differently and wants to learn different things. Some want to "master the guitar" and some just want to play a few songs with friends. He was critiquing the "mastery" folks. The Facebook Live session with Steve Vai yesterday was really nice and fun whether you're a "shredder" or not. He was talking about how it's not a competition with anyone else but yourself and only as much as you want it to be.
  6. All I have to say is that after owning my Hummingbird for two weeks, I really love the guitar. It plays and sounds incredible. I've wanted one for years and this is definitely a bucket list guitar for me. I'm very happy with this choice.
  7. Here in Kentucky, they've closed schools until April 6th, at least. Bars and restaurants dine-in is closed until further notice and we have a number of gigs lined up this month through June that may or may not happen now. I work in IT and a lot of what I do, I can do remotely but still have to come into my office at the distillery at this time. I'm keeping my door closed and locked unless necessary. Grocery stores and other big box stores have been probably down to about 1/2 to 2/3 stock on their shelves with all milk, eggs, bread, toilet paper and paper towels gone along with hand sanitizer and soap. Grocery stores and big box stores are closing from 10 PM to 7 AM to allow their staff to restock during that time. Starbucks closed except drive through. Some restaurants still allowing drive through or pickup at this time. It's a mess.
  8. My lovely lady has recently started playing flute again. She played in high school and we do a couple Marshall Tucker Band songs with flute in it, Can't You See and working on Heard In A Love Song. She plays flute on those and has played live with us on Can't You See at every show over the last couple years. She was using a borrowed one and then bought her own. It was actually quite funny because she casually mentioned that she had opened a Guitar Center Gear Card and bought a flute. Of course I was supportive because she's supportive of me and my 14 guitar addiction. She also sings a little so we do get to play music together, although different instruments.
  9. I played a J15 a while back and loved it. It was a great guitar. I just got a Hummingbird though and that's my bucket list guitar. Had they not sold the J15 a couple years ago when it was on clearance for $1100, it would have been mine.
  10. It does. It's a rather largish pin. I think my GC sales guy gave me the D'Addario thing you're talking about for the output jack. I think it unscrews and this piece screws in with the straplock on it. I've not put it on yet. That guitar may or may not ever leave the house, at least not right away. :) The guys in the band asked if i was bringing it to rehearsal tonight and I said, "But, seriously, if y'all wanna see it you can come to my house, pass the security and background check, wash your hands, put on a biohazard suit and look at it through thick paned glass."
  11. We have a couple of direct boxes on the stage that go to the snake for the PA. I probably won't use it with the band much simply because taking it to the places we play would get it damaged or stolen. I was thinking more like acoustic duo or something, which I can use a direct box for it as well. I don't think I'd need an amp for it and it would probably explode plugged into that Marshall. :D I'm definitely looking for the right strap for it and some kind of locking mechanism for the strap. I'd have my friend who is a luthier/guitar tech do it. He's done guitar work for Billy Gibbons in the past and knows his stuff.
  12. Good luck! I got out of the band scene for over 20 years and got back in a couple years ago. We're doing 2 or 3 gigs a month, usually one nighters. We have a dedicated sound man and we pay him an equal share (usually around $100.00 each per night) and he helps load in and load out as well as setup. And, my 22 year old son comes along and I buy him some food, a drink or two and pay him $20.00 and he helps load in and load out, helps get everything hooked up. At this point, I'm not interested in drama either. Good luck and I hope it all works out!
  13. I've not worked things out that far but the singer in my band loves playing acoustic and there's a couple other guys here locally that I've met and talked to that do acoustic sets and I might try to sit in with them, maybe play at a church or something. We also go to other peoples' houses from time to time and play music or have people over to our house and play. My lovely lady plays flute and sings so it's always fun for us to play with others. If you talk to kidblast, he does acoustic solo shows a lot. He would be a good one to talk to and there's probably a lot of others here who I don't know as well.
  14. I've been playing music since grade school, started playing in bands in high school around 1981. I played, gigged, toured, recorded up until about 1995. Went back to college, had a family, a couple of awesome kids (who are now 18 and 22), a couple of horrible marriages and didn't play any gigs at all during that time and wasn't playing guitar nearly as much as I once was. About three years ago, I bought a brand new Gibson Les Paul Standard and started playing a lot. A year later, I was band ready again, bought some gear and started looking. The first band didn't work out very well but a few months later, I found the guys I'm with now. The drummer had played a few gigs, maybe 100 or so. The bassist played guitar and switched to bass to plan in a band. He had never played in a band before, never played live. The singer plays guitar as well and he hadn't been with a real band nor played gigs until then either. We added our guitarist/keyboardist/singer last year and like me, he's played a few hundred gigs. Since then, we've played venues large and small and probably have played 25 to 30 gigs with 12 booked so far this spring/summer. All that being said, we're all in our mid 50's so it's never too late. I go to bed early because I get up early for work during the week. But, on Saturday nights, I sleep in a bit so I can stay up until midnight, 1 or 2. There are some solo musicians or duets here that play the early show from 5 to 8:30. It can surely be done and it's never too late as long as you have the desire to do so. I found my bandmates on www.bandmix.com and there's people on there that just want to jam, some that want to gig regularly, etc. Local music stores sometimes know people or have bulletin boards. Maybe talk to other musicians in your area and see if there's a local musicians Facebook group or something of that sort as well. People still come out and hear us old farts rock because the people that go see live music are our age and we play songs that we all grew up with. Good luck!
  15. That Hummingbird came into a whole house of Gibson guitars. Gibson Les Paul Tribute (pictured, named Goldtoppy on the custom truss rod cover), Gibson Les Paul Standard, Gibson Les Paul Classic, Gibson Les Paul Traditional, three Gibson Flying V's along with an Ibanez Jiva, Schecter CR-6, Fender American Pro Strat, Oscar Schmidt Classical, old Dixon Flying V and of course, Conrad. :) I'd just never owned a really nice acoustic before and this was/is a bucket list guitar. I play mostly electric guitar in my band but a guitar like that needs to be played so I'm going to find other venues and outlets for it. Thanks everyone!
  16. I posted a few questions in a thread a few weeks ago about the Hummingbird. I played a few others in the meantime, including the J-45 between then and now. They (Guitar Center) sold the specific Hummingbird I had played before that sounded so amazing. They did, however, get another one in and I played it Saturday and it played even better, sounded as good and I played it for a while. Needless to say, it came home with me. I took a few preliminary pictures and will get some more this evening. I spent most of Saturday evening and part of the day yesterday playing it. Thank you to everyone for your input. In the end, I chose the one that I was able to play. I was pretty well sold on it anyway and when this one played better, sounded just as good if not better and just felt right, I went with it. According to the inspection card, this guitar was inspected on 02/20/2020. This guitar along with my late 60's or early 70's Conrad acoustic. I can't find much information about it other than it was either late 60's or early 70's, made in Japan. It's a parlor style guitar, with a V shaped neck, adjustable bridge. It's not a bad guitar and I got it at a flea market for $75.00 a couple years ago. I probably overpaid for it but in with the package was an old Gibson string guide which I thought was kind of cool along with some old strings and other junk. It cleaned up pretty well for such an old mistreated guitar. And, my 2017 Goldtop Tribute photo-bombing the picture. Although I also have a Les Paul Standard, Les Paul Traditional and Les Paul Classic, that Tribute is probably my favorite.
  17. I've replaced a few of mine with these as well. I didn't realize that the pins on the guitar were different. I'll have to try to figure out which ones are on which guitars and which straps. :)
  18. I'm going to try to respond and answer all questions and responses. But first, thank you everyone who has responded. I really appreciate all your input. First of all, the one I played was a newish Hummingbird Standard, probably a 2018 or 2019 but I don't recall. There were two things that blew me away. One was the feel of the neck, the action and general playability. Second was the sound because it had such a deep and rich sound. Third was just the sunburst look and the pickguard and the overall look of the guitar. I played a 60's Hummingbird back in the early 80's when a guitar student of mine brought one in. It's been on my list for a long time but I'm primarily an electric guitarist. This guitar will mostly be one for me to enjoy playing with friends and just around the house. If I get an acoustic gig from time to time, I'd play it. I might play it on a song or two my band does since it does have the electronics for it. It really is just one of those guitars I've wanted for decades. I have played many other acoustic guitars, Gibson, Taylor, Martin, etc. I prefer the Gibson acoustics in general simply because they feel a lot like my other 7 Gibson electrics. My experience with other acoustics in general is pretty extensive but I've never owned a good quality acoustic guitar. The look, feel and sound of this one blew me away. A big part of the reason I want the Hummingbird is for the look but if it looked great, played terrible and sounded terrible, I wouldn't want it. The Epiphone version just didn't make the cut, although my lovely lady agrees that it would have been easier on the wallet. I think I'm going to go with the Standard or one of the vintage/true vintage models or at least check them out. Any guitar I own gets played regularly since I play a few hours a day. Apparently, from what I'm reading, there's a different feel and sound with the squared acoustics? I think that may be what I liked about them and this one in particular. Then again, it could be because most of my life I've been on stage with loud stacks of amplifiers.
  19. I've been playing guitar a long time and have had Gibson electric guitars since 1984 (4 Les Pauls, 3 Flying V's. Recently, I played an Epiphone Hummingbird and it played really nice, looked really good. Then I played the Gibson Hummingbird and there was a HUGE difference in sound. It sounded incredible. I've always liked the look of the Hummingbird and now the sound made it even more appealing. It's $3849 for a new one and the 125th anniversary one is $5499.00. I thought about getting the 125th anniversary one but that's considerably more money. There are only going to be 125 made. I'll certainly play them both but not as much as my electrics, since I play lead guitar in the band and we gig regularly. I've never owned a really nice acoustic guitar and I'm going on 55 years old and it's a bucket list kind of thing. I can afford either one. All things being the same, as in sound and construction, playability and all being the same, would the 125th hold its value or go up in value more than the regular version? What's your opinion? I'm not looking for reselling it but for passing it on to my sons. I have played many other Gibson acoustic guitars and this one just blew me away. It is definitely on my list of guitars to buy this year. Links: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SSHBHCN19--gibson-acoustic-hummingbird-standard-vintage-cherry-sunburst https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SSHAABG19--gibson-acoustic-hummingbird-125th-anniversary-autumn-burst Thanks in advance.
  20. My board consists of a my Line 6 G30 wireless receiver, Crybaby wah and tuner in the front. Boosta Grande boost, Boss Chorus, Boss Delay, Boss Noise Gate in the loop. I pretty much only use the chorus and delay for a few songs for a clean style tone, the wah on a couple of songs, the noise gate between sets and when I use my guitars with the single coils. The only thing I really need is the tuner and have a clip on for it if need be. I always bring extra cables so I can plug in direct if I have wireless or board issues. I'm mostly running through Marshall tube amps so I don't really need any more gain than that and the boost is just for lead/solo boost. I do use the volume and tone controls on my guitars to control levels and could do without the board easily and have often. What I don't understand is the sheer number of different brands and pedals for the same thing. Where there used to be just a few in the 70's and 80's, there's now hundreds for each function, it seems. It's so overwhelming that to look at a display of over 100 pedals, what would you even try out? The Crybaby I've had for decades. Tuner is new. Wireless is new. Noise gate I've had for decades. Chorus and Delay are new and I went with Boss because I knew the brand and what they do. I got the Boosta Grande at the recommendation from Courtney Cox from The Iron Maidens when I was talking gear with her and I liked the sound of her boosted solos. How do others find out about all these different brands and names of pedals and what they do?
  21. MichaelT

    TV?

    We have a few series we watch on regular TV - The Walking Dead, Evil, Nancy Drew, 911, some music stuff on Axxess, The Mandalorian on Disney. Most of the time I'm playing my guitar, she's playing her flute or we're playing with the band. We usually DVR our TV shows and watch them during the day on Saturdays and Sundays. We watch the occasional movie on Netflix, HBO or Amazon Prime. What kills me is that we have over 2000 channels with the various media and they play the same crap over and over.
  22. Sunday I took my Standard and my Marshall to play music with some friends. We hadn't played together before and they're mostly country players. I'm not a great country player so I turned down a little. The drummer said he needed to hear more Marshall and could I turn up a bit louder. I said, "Oh yeah, it'll get loud." I mostly followed along but played some CCR, Eagles, SRV and a lot of tunes they knew together. It was a lot of fun and way outside my comfort zone, which is a good thing. Played a gig with my band Friday night after being sick for 8 days straight. It was brutal. Today, relaxing, probably playing either the Goldtop or Strat tonight, or both, learning new songs for Thursday's rehearsal.
  23. They may or may not be talented. The few seconds I saw of it when I looked up from playing my own guitar was some really bad lip synching. I think that's pretty standard for the "superb owl" but it doesn't sit well with me. I don't care to see choreographed dancing when it's supposed to be live music. Yet another disappointing half time but it's been pretty disappointing for a very long time. But, this is what a lot of people want to see and hear these days.
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