The VT Musicians Thread

[leemond2008]

haven't posted in here for a while.

a few weeks back I bought one of these

Loved it in the shop,  and didn't hesitate to buy it, got it home and played it alongside my Takamine 12 string and realised that it didn't play or sound anywhere near as well as what I thought it did and actually wasn't as good as what I already had, put it back in the case and returned it the next day, I was gutted but at the same time relieved because now isn't really the right time to be spunking over £300 on an impulse buy.

[leemond2008]

Also I've dug out my bass and been playing that a fair bit over the last few days, I've neglected it quite a bit just lately, I'm not much good on it but I've set my sites on Hysteria by Muse, waaay out of my league but I'm making progress on it.

this is the tab that I'm working off.

 

[mjmooney]

1 hour ago, leemond2008 said:

now isn't really the right time to be spunking over £300 on an impulse buy.

This is a concept I struggle with. 

[Xann]

Pretty insane new function on the Koala.sampler. Separation of individual audio tracks in a mix. The dream since sampling was in its infancy.

I suppose it's the start of a new generation of affordable tech, as there's been pretty good software that can do this for a while, but it cost.

This is ok at it for beer money .

 

[Marka Ragnos]

On 23/07/2022 at 19:57, KentVillan said:

Do any of the guitarists have any tips for playing outdoors with no amplification? I've been asked to play at an event of around 100 people, an open space with no walls... and there's no power.

The two options as I see it are to get a very loud acoustic guitar, or to get some kind of battery amplication. Does anyone have any experience of this? I'm worried it's just going to sound very flat / inaudible.

I've heard that brand new heavier gauge phosphor bronze strings help make the instrument louder. 

[mjmooney]

Impulse buy, couldn't resist.

[mjmooney]

 

[TheAuthority]

On 04/09/2022 at 14:46, Xann said:

Pretty insane new function on the Koala.sampler. Separation of individual audio tracks in a mix. The dream since sampling was in its infancy.

I suppose it's the start of a new generation of affordable tech, as there's been pretty good software that can do this for a while, but it cost.

This is ok at it for beer money .

 

Wow - that's a game changer.

(what an awful song though!)

[TheAuthority]

9 hours ago, mjmooney said:

 

Reminds me of

 

[TB]

On 10/06/2022 at 10:08, Mister_a said:

Does anyone else own a guitar from their birth year?

I have two acoustics from 1971, both Japanese Martin rip-offs (a.k.a. Lawsuit guitars lol), one 6 string and one 12.

It's the best acoustic in terms of sound, and playability, even though it only cost 250 quid (compared to a 1971 Martin, you can see why i went for the cheaper option!).

It has obviously been a while since I visited this topic... No 1956 guitars in my house, unfortunately  - or any other instruments from that year. Some older: my grandmother's small body mid-30's (?) Levin acoustic with a neck so heavily warped that it's only fit for bottle-neck playing, my father's 50's steel-string acoustic guitar (which I brought down from the attic at the age of 13 after deciding I'd like to learn to play the guitar, having found some chord charts. Literally played 'till my fingers bled due to the strings by than being more like razor wire), my mother's 50's mandolin and 3/4 sized violin.

None of them ever played any of those instruments that I can recall.

Next up in line year-wise among my instruments is a 1962 Höfner single cutaway acoustic/electric that was the first guitar I bought myself.

[TB]

On 18/06/2022 at 13:11, veloman said:

One bloke who played in the band I was in had a "Tokai". I really couldn't tell it apart from a Strat, really nice sound (I thought). Anyone ever had one of these ? Are they still about ?

 

On 18/06/2022 at 15:12, mjmooney said:

They are. I've never played one, but they do have a good reputation. 

I've played some old Tokais. Really nice guitars, and they play just as good as and sound very like my ESP Frankencaster and my Fender Strat. Cannot comment on current ones.

[Marka Ragnos]

At the moment, I have a much-beloved Martin 00-15M manufactured about five miles from my house and an equally adored Fender American Tele Performer series with a neck humbucker. 90% of every sound I need I can get from those. 

I possess a pretty amazing Chinese SX jazz bass I bought for like $125 ten years ago -- they are excellent reproductions but getting hard to find now to that early standard. There's a Yamaha acoustic I rarely play, and a Seagull dulcimer that's fun but I've never recorded with it.  

I use Logic to record with an AKG-420 and an amazing StudioV3 tube preamp that totally improves the whole set-up.

I'm currently writing a "trans-media" novel with a character's songs woven and recorded into the novel. The demos are meant to sound like recordings from 1978-1979, when the novel is mostly set, and I use a lot of VSTs for things like a Roland CR-78 drum machine, etc. 

I love the Martin. It sounds like this: 

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by Marka Ragnos

[mjmooney]

I thought I'd finalised my arsenal. 

Then you had to go and mention the Seagull dulcimer... 

[TB]

5 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

At the moment, I have a much-beloved Martin 00-15M manufactured about five miles from my house and an equally adored Fender American Tele Performer series with a neck humbucker. 90% of every sound I need I can get from those. 

I possess a pretty amazing Chinese SX jazz bass I bought for like $125 ten years ago -- they are excellent reproductions but getting hard to find now to that early standard. There's a Yamaha acoustic I rarely play, and a Seagull dulcimer that's fun but I've never recorded with it.  

I use Logic to record with an AKG-420 and an amazing StudioV3 tube preamp that totally improves the whole set-up.

I'm currently writing a "trans-media" novel right now with a character's songs woven and recorded into the novel. The demos are meant to sound like recordings from 1978-1979, when the novel is mostly set, and I use a lot of VSTs for things like a CR-78, etc. 

 

I've got one of the first Chinese Gitane replicas of the Maccaferri/Django-style D-sound hole acoustics. Absolutely love it. Fast and wide neck.

 

 

[Marka Ragnos]

1 hour ago, TB said:

 

I've got one of the first Chinese Gitane replicas of the Maccaferri/Django-style D-sound hole acoustics. Absolutely love it. Fast and wide neck.

 

 

I bet that’s amazing. Some of those Chinese luthiers are the best on earth, IMHO. I had an early Chinese Epi Dot from about 15 years ago that was probably as good as many Gibson ES models of that era. Love listening to Django. My dad introduced.

[Marka Ragnos]

1 hour ago, mjmooney said:

I thought I'd finalised my arsenal. 

Then you had to go and mention the Seagull dulcimer... 

It’s my wife’s favorite when I play, so that helped me make my case .  Plus over here it only cost $125. I’m on a guitar-buying moratorium now. 

[mjmooney]

8 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

I’m on a guitar-buying moratorium now. 

Yes of course you are. So am I. Honest. 

A dulcimer isn't a guitar, though. 

(Although I used that one when buying a bouzouki, may not get away with it again). 

[leemond2008]

11 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

At the moment, I have a much-beloved Martin 00-15M manufactured about five miles from my house and an equally adored Fender American Tele Performer series with a neck humbucker. 90% of every sound I need I can get from those. 

I possess a pretty amazing Chinese SX jazz bass I bought for like $125 ten years ago -- they are excellent reproductions but getting hard to find now to that early standard. There's a Yamaha acoustic I rarely play, and a Seagull dulcimer that's fun but I've never recorded with it.  

I use Logic to record with an AKG-420 and an amazing StudioV3 tube preamp that totally improves the whole set-up.

I'm currently writing a "trans-media" novel with a character's songs woven and recorded into the novel. The demos are meant to sound like recordings from 1978-1979, when the novel is mostly set, and I use a lot of VSTs for things like a Roland CR-78 drum machine, etc. 

I love the Martin. It sounds like this: 

 

Your Martin looks really similar to mine, I've got the 000-10e, I love mine, one of the best investments I've made.

9 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

I’m on a guitar-buying moratorium now. 

Me to, as I mentioned in my last post, I made an impulse buy and got a 12 string but decided to be a normal adult, I'm at least waiting to see how much these energy bills and everything batter my wages, as soon as I feel like I can still survive I'll be getting my Epi Hummingbird.

[Marka Ragnos]

8 hours ago, mjmooney said:

Yes of course you are. So am I. Honest. 

A dulcimer isn't a guitar, though. 

(Although I used that one when buying a bouzouki, may not get away with it again). 

Haha. I hear you. The prices on these have gone up a bit since last year. They are surprisingly loud, fyi. 

[Marka Ragnos]

8 hours ago, leemond2008 said:

Your Martin looks really similar to mine, I've got the 000-10e, I love mine, one of the best investments I've made.

Me to, as I mentioned in my last post, I made an impulse buy and got a 12 string but decided to be a normal adult, I'm at least waiting to see how much these energy bills and everything batter my wages, as soon as I feel like I can still survive I'll be getting my Epi Hummingbird.

They don't depreciate as far as I can tell. It's a nice tactic to justify buying, too. "I'll just sell it if we need the money." Haha. Sell it never, that is.

Edited September 11, 2022 by Marka Ragnos