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The Dog Ate My NAMM Report

Post author By joe
Post date January 26, 2013
6 Comments on The Dog Ate My NAMM Report

My idea was to scour NAMM’s five massive exhibition halls in a fast, efficient fashion, and then retire to a nearby cafe to pen witty yet informative summaries, which I’d post effortlessly via my cunning little i-devices.

Instead I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off and meth poured down its neck hole.

So much for the twice-daily updates I’d envisioned. But I am seeing lots of interesting stuff. Even the boring stuff is kind of interesting, because it says a lot about the current state of music, musicians, and musical instruments.

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Thankful

Post author By joe
Post date November 21, 2012
6 Comments on Thankful

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My Quiet Little Neighborhood

Post author By joe
Post date October 28, 2012
5 Comments on My Quiet Little Neighborhood

I finished up some post on little amps, and then went for a evening stroll around the block.

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Welcome to Tonefiend’s New Home!

Post author By joe
Post date August 2, 2012
4 Comments on Welcome to Tonefiend’s New Home!

Seymour Duncan’s year-long sponsorship of my blog has drawn to a close. If you’re reading this, you’ve already found the blog’s new home. Meanwhile, everything we said and did over the past year will be posted both here and in archived form at its old location on Seymour Duncan’s site, though new material will no longer be posted there, and comments will only be allowed on this new site.

I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone at SD, but it’s tough to know where to start! The warmth with they welcomed me into their musical family? Their willingness to consider my oddball ideas? The way they shared their knowledge so freely, routinely making me look far more knowledgeable than I am? Not to mention all the new things they taught me about tone.

Thanks for everything, guys! 🙂

Music Uncategorized

The Broken Banjo

Weird but true: After my experience last week with simulated gut strings, I ordered a banjo set, figuring I’d restring my beautiful Deering with “nylgut” for an old-timey pre-bluegrass sound. But as soon as I tuned up, BANG! The head ripped in two.

I went upstairs and told my wife, “That’s weird — I’ve had that head on there for more than 20 years,” and she said, “That’s really weird — Earl Scruggs just died. Your banjo must be in mourning.”

Maybe. Or maybe Earl was just saying, “Don’t turn your back on bluegrass too fast, now, son.”

I’m not much of a player, though I’ve used the instrument a lot on Tom Waits records. I bring the Deering to sessions, but he always says, “Why don’t you play one of mine?” He has a couple of beat-to-hell early-20th-century open-backs with crusty old strings — a sound he describes as “death banjo.” Which is especially morbid given yesterday’s sad news.

Anyway, I learned as a kid from Scruggs’ 1968 instruction book. I still keep it on my shelf.

Tags banjo, Earl Scruggs, gut, head, nylgut, resonator, strings

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Locking/Clipping Tuners

Raising the strings to pitch automatically clips the strings.

While auditioning parts as part of the ongoing Mongrel Strat Project, I tried out my first set of Planet Waves Auto-Trim Locking Guitar Machines. I’m really digging them! They lock to pitch via a little button on the back, much like Sperzel locking tuners. But when you raise the strings to pitch, they automatically get snipped by the tuners. Smooth!

They’re nicely made, with an 18:1 ratio and a substantial feel. (I got the six-in-line set, though they also have a three-on-a-side model.)

I’m especially digging the fact that, once you’ve snipped a string, it’s easy to loosen and remove the strings for changing pickups, pickguards, and so forth. There’s no curled or barbed end on the strings, so they slide right back into the tuner when your work is done. The only catch: The snipping process can be a bit tough with heavier strings. I installed am .011-.052 set, and it took a bit of work to slice through that fat E string. Not a problem in the end, but it could be an issue with higher gauges.

Now back to messing up some mongrel strats! In the meantime, what are some of your favorite tuners these days?

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And the Winning Secrets Are . . .

Post author By joe
Post date March 1, 2012
4 Comments on And the Winning Secrets Are . . .

sasquatch_flag_Snapseed — "We am have photo finish!"

It’s midnight here in California — March 1st. Which means the Secret Room’s first contest is over. The rules were simple: The tone secret with the highest user rating earns it author a $1,000 Godin Natural Summit CT, a versatile carved-top solidbody. The authors of the second- and third-most popular posts each win a set of Seymour Duncan pickups of their choice (excluding Custom Shop models).

Drop by the Secret Room and read the winning posts — or anything else that captures your interest. All you have to do is upload one of your best tone secrets. Read more here.

The Secret Room Uncategorized

The Secret Room, Day 2

too_much_mail_Snapseed — It's a world of secrets out there . . .

Holy cow! I had no idea there were so many secrets out there, and so many players eager to divulge them!

In other words: The Secret Room project is off to a roaring start, with hundreds of cool submissions, and I’m working overtime to get them posted.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a couple of thoughts about the process so far, and invite your input in comments. (I’ve closed comments in the Secret Room announcement post, because too many people were posting secrets there, rather than using the submission form.)

Bass Digital Effects guitar Pickups Uncategorized

NAMM-O-Rama!

Amazing things you see at NAMM, #1,287: The right hand of Bootsy Collins.

Amazing things at NAMM, #1,287: Bootsy Collins's right hand.

Just got back from a couple of days at the 2012 NAMM convention in Anaheim. And I’m glad to be writing about it rather than talking about it, because I have no voice left from screaming over several days of unbelievably loud ambient noise. How ironic that we evaluate the musical instrument industry’s new creations in one of the earth’s most acoustically abysmal environments.

Still, I had a blast. I saw tons of cool new things that will appear on this blog as they become available. I got to see lots of old pals and hobnob with great musicians, brilliant builders, visionary designers, and amusing crackpots. Fun was had.

I didn’t prepare anything like a comprehensive report. For an overview of all the product announcements and press releases, just go here. This is just a short video documenting ~~the misbehavior of my friends and colleagues~~ some cool stuff I saw.

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Oh — There’s Another NAMM Show?

Post author By joe
Post date January 18, 2012
1 Comment on Oh — There’s Another NAMM Show?

It has been brought to my attention that there is, in fact, another event this weekend called a NAMM show. I’ll be there Friday and Saturday with Seymour Duncan. If you’re at the show, please stop by. And tomorrow — Thursday — I’m playing a show at Taix in LA’s cool Echo Park neighborhood with my band, Mental 99. Please come by and say hi! (And for those who live in or near my fair city of San Francisco, we’re also playing tonight at the super-cool Madrone Art Bar.)

I’ll try to post pics of the cool stuff I see ~~in Nam~~ at NAMM!