Conference napalm::guitar

    1992 was the year I bought a Steinberger, something I thought I could
    never afford.  Also, thanks to a clandestine meeting in a parking lot,
    I can now practice Frippertronics in the safety of my home.  Finally, I
    got my first Marshall, but I sold it...what a wimp!
    
    							Brian

    I bought a 5150 1/2 stack and a Boss RDD-10

    After 22 years of playing (and not playing) bass, I bought my first
    electric guitar - an Epiphone SG.
    
    Oh my God - what have I done?
    
    Dave

    1992?  Lesse...
    
    I bought very little guitar gear, a couple of stomp boxes (used),
    some strings...
    
    Oh yeah, I did buy an acoustic, an Alvarez-Yairi DY-50, in early '92.
    
    Now *recording* gear, on the other hand...'92 was *the* year for that!
    
    Greg

    
       ....I didn't buy anything from KittyHawk in '92!!!
    
    
       Only bought three items, all from Hughes and Kettner:
    
    		ACCESS MIDI preamp
    		ACCESS stageboard
    		GL212 speaker cab.
    
       Great stuff! Not cheap, but it doesn't let you down soundwise!
    
       Oh Yeah  - a lot of strings and picks!
    
    							-B{}{}M-

	Sold:
		Nothing over $50.

	Bought:

		SOHO QTR-1 *blowout* preamp
		Fender Am. Std. Strat
		Peavey Studio Pro 50  <-  Nice Amp
		Boss RDD-20 Digital Delay
		3 days at Berklee Summer Guitar Camp
		SKB 6 space rack
		Marshall 4x10 Cab	(thanks b()()m!)

   Big equipment swapping year for me.  I moved across country (NH to CO)
   then decided I needed new stuff to jam with all the new people I met.

   Sold:
	Kitty Hawk M3 60w combo (Loved the sound, but wasn't thrilled with
				 the workmanship nor overall quality.  Made
				 a profit on this sale, since I got it at a
				 blowout price.  Now that KH has gone out of
				 business, I'm convinced I made the right move.)

   Bought:
   	Ibanez CT-5b 5 string bass (my first brand new axe in 10+ years)
   
	SOHO Acoustics QTR-1 preamp (are Chas and I the only ones?)
	Digitech DSP128+ signal processor (thanks Coop)
	4 space rack (thanks Boom)
   
   	(2) noname 2x12 slant cabs (thanks Coop)
   
   	Marshall JCM800 model 2205 50w head (thanks Greg)
   
   	Carvin PB150 bass combo
   
	Shure Promaster(?) PA with (2) 1x15+horn cabs (thanks read only noter)
   
	Yamaha MT44 4 track recorder, with MT33(?) mixer (thanks Greg)
   
   	Peavey Mark III bass head
	Peavey 2x10 cab
	Peavey 1x18 cab
   
	A house with a larger music room to store all this cr*p in.  :-)
   
   Sold again:
	Peavey Mark III bass head
	Peavey 2x10 cab
	Peavey 1x18 cab


   I was looking for a "dual purpose" (guitar and bass) setup.  Couldn't do
   it, so I sold off the Peavey stuff, use the Carvin for bass, and the
   Marshall and 2x12s for guitar.  The rack setup sits idle right now, 'cause
   it's not worth it to me to sell it at this point.

   And of course I had just bought my Amer. Std. Deluxe Strat last year, so
   that still feels fairly new.  Oh, and I put a new pickguard on it this
   year.  So yeah, it's been a fairly active year, equipment wise.  :-)

   -- Sam

    Sold my Crate G60XL solid state combo to a fellow DECcie for use with
    her nylon-string classical...
    
    went and bought a new Peavey Classic 50 4x10 in its place (all tube).
    
    Bought too many CDs
    
    Oh yes --- the Carvin DC135 in Koa natural finish  HOW COULD I FORGET!
    (ordered it in 1991)
    \Gary

   Oh, I forgot.  I also bought a Sabine ST-1100 guitar tuner, and about $50
   worth of accessories and components (Ozite, etc) to work on some of my
   stuff.  Had to get that horrid snakeskin Tolex off the cabs that Coop sold
   me, you know...  :-)  Oh, and about $75 worth of cables, etc.

   -- Sam ("what do you MEAN it costs $35 for a set of 5 string bass strings?")

	I bought an Aria Pro II viper 40 after ordering and cancalling
	a Silver Series Strat.
	2 leads
	4 plecs
	1 electric tuner
	1 Marshall miniature amp
	1 slide
	Ralph Denyer's Big blue book
	A play along with a tape teach yourself guitar course
	A whole truckload of guitar magazines - mostly filled with
	cr@p. 

	I've got my eyes on a 1 yr old Marshall 8020 that's almost the
	right price and a couple of extra long cables ... but they aint 
	quite mine yet ;-)

	Next year will see the amp ( if I don't get it soon ); maybe a 
	box or two and a cheap acoustic. I don't plan on expanding this
	any more.

	I had my first jam with a group of guys who've got together to
	play for the Christmas do here ( at first I was mightily 
	embarrassed, but they were helpfull picking backing stuff that 
	I could play easily & after a couple of beers I relaxed and it 
	was fab - a bit like being a kid again ! ). Reluctantly I let 
	them browbeat me into getting up on stage for a couple of 
	numbers at the party. I won't be loud in the mix - but I'll be 
	heard ;-) ( now all I need is a cool riff so that when I get 
	introduced I won't look like a complete moron :^) )

			Nik.

    I added a new American Std strat, a Digital Delay, a Phaser, and a Dean
    Markley amp to my collection this year!
    
    8^)

    Off to new homes...
        Applause 6-string acoustic
    	Fender Deluxe 85 amp 
        '79 Carvin DC-something electric guitar 
        Epiphone C-60 classical 
    	Fender F-350(?) Twelve string acoustic 
        '90 Fender made in Japan Strat  
    
    New in '92...
    	Seagull SM-12 Twelve string acoustic
    	'92 Am Std Fender Stratocaster
        Ibanez tube screamer
    

    In ...
    
    Kitty Hawk M3 (since touched up by Jay Tashjian and an
    incredible amp running on 2 Sovtek 5881 power tubes
    and GT preamp tubes)
    
    Marshall 4X10 cab
    
    Tak F-360 acoustic
    
    Boss EQ and Chorus pedals
    
    Gone ...
    
    Guild TC-300 semi-acoustic
    
    PV Artist and PV Special 130 amps (traded for Marshall cab)
    
    Cerwin-Vega PA speakers (traded for KH head)
    
    Tak F-360 acoustic

    I bought a Gibson SG (Wasn't that from you, SMURF::BENNETT ?) and a
    Les Paul Studio model (I snagged that before it hit the note). 
    For general practicing and hacking, the SG gets the most use.

    
    Not much in the way of guitar toys, but a big PA year.
    
    
    
    IN: 
    
      20th Anniversary Les Paul Custom
      ElectroVoice 8 channel Stereo mixer board
      16 Space Rack
      8 Channel Microphone Snake
      DSP 128+
      JBL 632's (pair)
    
    
    ON THE WAY OUT:
      Hagstrom Swede 
                                   
    
   Kevin
    
    

    
    Lessee....
    
    - a Taco-caster
    - an Ibanez Tube Screamer
    - a $5 reciever           |
    - a $15 tape deck         |---> econo-stereo to jam with
    - a $40 pair of speakers  |
    - Jazz Jam Trax
    
    It's not much, but you see I'm worse off than you married guys....
    
    ....I have an EX-wife!!!! ;-) 
    
    
    
    guy
    

    >>It's not much, but you see I'm worse off than you married guys....
    
    >>....I have an EX-wife!!!! ;-) 
    
    
    I have BOTH! Thank god for my wife without whom I could not deal with
    my EX!
    
    Steve (18 more payments!)

Stienberger GM4T
Teac DA-P20 DAT
DECpc 450DX2
a real nice vocal monitor for performing
SM58

slow year....

dbii

    This years adds:
    Fender tele
    Ovation acoustic/electric
    Yamaha 8 channel power/mixer
    Ibanez tube screamer
    
    This years upgrades/repairs
    Had Wurlitzers replace pods,pot pickups,re-dress frets,general overhaul
    on my Les Paul. Bought new in 69 it was time.
    Repaired an old Trainor practice amp that hadn't worked in 5 years.
    Rebuilt old PA columns (? spell) were 4 10"s now added crossovers 12 "
    bottoms, 2 10's mid, and piazos for high end. And casters so I can 
    actually move these things.
    Sent banjo out and had a new skin, bridge put on.
    
    Things sold
    Martin D-28 Bought it in early 70's. I wasn't impressed with the
    guitars mellowed ageing. It sounded better new.
    
    If still employed in 93 I already started my add list.
    
     Bob
    

    
    
    The major addition this year was the Strat Plus - months later and it's
    still my favorite.  Also added some MIDI stuff, but that's a different
    conference  *8')  Not bad for a guy with two ex-wives...
    
    

    bought this year.........
    
    an Epiphone pr300 acoustic
    a metal slide
    
    
                                               staynz

	Planned GTS attacks for 1993 !!! 

	I got a feeling 1993 is going to be another year of cronic 
    GTS flair-ups. I've already got a lot of classic symptoms of the 
    following ailments ;^{)

	Les Paul Fever- Very common for guitarists in my age group.
	Some people claim they get temporary relief by strapping a
 	couple of 10 pound barbells to their shoulders. I've been 
	suffering with this infliction for years, but in 1993, I plan 
	to nip it in the bud.

	Stratacausus infection - Otherwise known as Jimmy Hendrix disease.
	People with this disease generally need to have at least three Strats
	before they can even hope to live normal lives.

	Vibraverbosus - I'm in the high-risk group for this disease which
	only seems to strike guitarists with receding hairlines ??

	Reso-phonia - You should never play slide with someone else's 
	bottleneck. I did, and now I'm cursed with this dreaded disease.
	Characterized by uncontrolled drooling while reading mail-order
	catalogs.

	Steel-lap syndrome - If left untreated, can develop into full-blown
	case of "Emmons Disease".
	
	The Crybaby Wah-Wah'z - People with this rare phyciatric problem
	can be identified by constant rocking of their right foot, while 
	making fish-like facial expressions. Believed to be more common
	in bottle-fed babies.

	Guilditus - Epidemics of this dibilitating disease seem to occur
	whenever the Smothers Brothers appear on TV.

	Cronic Want-Advertizer hebejebees - Usually brought on by ads in
	the Want-ads that read "Old Guitar for sale. Bought new around 1959.
	Says Gibsun on the headpiece. Asking $50.00".

	The good news is that most of these are curable !! I wonder if my HMO
	will cover any of the bills ??

	Have a great 1993 !! Hope Santa leaves you a GTS fix.

	Mark 

    

    What I bought:
    
    8 track r2r, mixer, lexicon 'verb, gates, compressor, half track,
    and assorted recording goodies...
    
    Traded a motorcycle for a Gibson LP Custom
    
    Got my Strat back
    
    Picked up a new wireless (Samson)
    
    Picked up a Laney practice amp
    
    Traded a Charvel for a 4x12
    
    Bought two 4x12's
    
    Bought a Boogie rack 
    
    Got a QuadraVerb
    
    
    Bought a LOT of wire.  :-)
    
    
    Sold off:
    
    Ibanez 570
    Marshall head
    Zillions of little things
    
    
    More... Too much stuff to list - why did I even bother?  I dunno.
    :-)

    
    	Err...lemme think..
    
    	Oh yeh, I bought a Strat (62'neck, unsure about the rest of it.)
    	and fitted my Charvel with active EMG's. Bought a Phaser.
    
    	Played my first gig.
    
    	J.
    
    	(Next year....a Gibson! Pssst...anyone wanna buy a Strat?)

GTS 1992 (just under the wire - bought it last Saturday)

	Guild F-Series Acoustic Electric
		24-frets, 4 band equilizer, even looks good!

also in 1992

	Digitech Compression/Sustain stomp box
	misc. mike stands, cables, etc.

       
       JEEPERS! - I wrote .5 a little too early. I came across a used
    TOA MX-106 powered mixer for $300 and couldn't resist. We used it
    at band practice last night and it works real well, nice and clean!
    the built-in delay isn't as long as I'd like it (Seems like about 250ms
    and I'd like at least 500ms). But it has a full patch bay built in
    for adding effects. It was cheap enough to where I can easily sell it
    if I want to upgrade.
       
    
    							-B{}{}M-

	Christmas and a late December birthday have netted the following:

	Furman PL8 Plus Power/Light module for the rack
	H+K Red Box
	A *real* music stand - solid steel with black "orange peel"
		finish

	Well, I just got over my first GTS attach for 1993. I am now the
    happy owner of a Dobro "Hound-dog". I traded a bass I built from parts
    last summer towards the Dobro. The bass was collecting dust and just 
    didn't fit in with the rest of my collection. 

	The Hound-dog is an inexpensive American-made wooden Dobro with a 
    round neck. It has the same resonator, bridge, and coverplate as they 
    use on more expensive models. This "Bro" plays very well and sounds
    great. It appears to be made entirely of maple and has a sunburst finish
    with a satin texture. 

	The shop did not have a case for it, so I'm planning to order one
    soon. I would also like to find a pickup that can be installed without
    cutting any holes. The tuning machines are sort of low-tech so I might
    upgrade to a set of Schallers. 

	This puppy is just the ticket for playing bottleneck slide. It 
    practically plays itself. I've got it tuned to open D right now 
    [D A D F# A D]  but I plan to try some alternative tunings soon.

	
	Mark 	

    
    
       I'd like to hear the other tunings you try, if you don't mind.
    I never have messed around with the slide.  Guess I'd like to try 
    something different out.
    
       By the way.  Does the Mandolin Bros. have a catalog?  Someday
    I want to go there and cruise the shop for a half day.  
    
       Thanks.
    
       Rick.
    
    

    Mark,
    
    Good way to start off '93 by satisfying your GTS habit.  I'm sorta
    casually looking for a Dobro, because I *love* the sound.  I've heard
    the Hounddog is a good instrument; I'll be interested to hear how you 
    like it after a 10,000 note trial run.  Please post your impressions.
    
    Do you also plan to play it in standard Dobro tuning: GADGAD?  That's
    the only tuning I've ever used.
    
    Are there shops in the Boston area with Dobro's on display?

    Prediction: 1993 is going to award my GTS with a guitar synthesizer.
    Since I haven't looked into it yet, I don't know which one, etc... 

    steve

    /Do you also plan to play it in standard Dobro tuning: GADGAD?  That's
    /the only tuning I've ever used.
    
    Is that *really* how people play Dobro's? I generally use open G 
    (D G D G B D) or open E (E B E G# B E) when playing slide. Open E is
    basically the same as open D, just up a step. I actually like the sound
    of open D better, but E generally fits my vocal range better. GADGAD
    seems like a really weird tuning - although it's been mentioned here
    before (well, a lot of weird things have been mentioned here before :;)
    
    /Are there shops in the Boston area with Dobro's on display?

    I saw one similar to the one Mark described in Wurlitzer's on
    Commonwealth Ave (near BU) a month or so back.
    
    - Ram

    Whoaa, serious brain fade on my part.  Gad, how could I think of
    playing with those big fat major seconds in there? In the limited
    amount of 'bro playing I've done, I was pretty certain is was GBDGBD.
    
    Ram, when you switch from open G to open E, do yu have any problem with 
    taking the fifth string up from G to B?  Or do you have a string
    appropriate for B and then une it down to G?
    
    Waiter, more coffee please...
    

    The Music Emporium<sp> past Porter Sq. in Cambridge has some National
    Steels and Dobro's.   It a great shop to check out.  
    
    [From Harvard Sq, head off down Mass Ave to Porter Sq.  The Music Emp.
    will be on your left not more than a mile past there.  Small place so
    keep your eyes open.]
                           
    Rick.

    Thanks Rick...I've been meaning to check out the Music Emporium, and
    now this adds to the incentive.

    
    
       DO NOT bring money!!!   It is a very cool shop, not your typical
    Ibanez/Fender/Gibson with a couple of acoustics thrown in.  Come to 
    think of it, this place is just an acoustic shop.  
    
       Last time there they had a cajun accordian.  Anyone could pick it 
    up and play and not sound bad. This thing was great fun and I almost 
    took it home with me.  But, the Chief Financial Officer, Deb, was 
    standing right beside me and she said something to the effect that I 
    could spend money faster than a drunken sailor.  
    
       "What's your point?"
    
       "Grrrrrrrrr."
    
       [Backing away quickly.]
       "Okay, okay, lets get outta here."
    
       I didn't realize how close I came to releasing the demon.  
         
    
       Rick.  
    
    
       PS: It's funny.  Deb gave me that "CD in a book" for Christmas - the 
    one on Ferrington Guitars.  Thumbing through it, she asked me if I
    wanted a custom made guitar.   Yeah, sure, if you don't mind me
    spending three grand.  
    

	Nice store. Then just redid the intonation and action on my
	Guild and I'm very pleased. The price was decent, too.

	Cambridge Ninja directions (from northwest):

	take rt 2 to Fresh Pond Pkwy. Fresh Pond has 2 rotaries. You
	enter the second rotary and 12 o'clock, exit at 9:30 onto
	Concord Ave. A couple of lights down Concord is Walden St.,
	take a left. Walden ends at Mass Ave. about 2 blocks from
	the Emporium. Take a right and grab the first parking spot
	you can find.

	Note that 2 blocks further down Mass Ave towards Porter Sq. is
	Cambridge Music, which always has a great assortment of used
	tube amps....

    
    
      Hi Charlie,
    
      I always stop in a Cambridge Music after Music Emp.   
    You're right about the tube amps.  Seems the back room
    there always has about 12-20 hanging about.  But my 
    impression has been, (everytime) that they were beaten
    and trashed.  I never did look for a price considering
    what I saw.  Maybe I should have - I dunno.  Something
    about an amp that looked like the American Touristor 
    luggage Gorilla had violent sex with...
    
      Ewwwwe, now there's an ugly picture in my mind.
    
      Regards;
    
     -Rick.
    
    

    
    
       And...
    
       Why did you go there, instead of Fiddlers Choice over in Jaffery?
    
       (I still haven't fix my Guild.)
    
    
      -Rick.
    
    

/    Ram, when you switch from open G to open E, do yu have any problem with 
/    taking the fifth string up from G to B?  Or do you have a string
/    appropriate for B and then une it down to G?
    
    No - because the *5th* string doesn't change. You're going from
    (D G D G B D) to (E B E G# B E), so the fifth string is the only one
    that *doesn't change. I just use standard string sets (like medium to
    light - I prefer slightly heavier strings for slide, but in general my
    favorite all-around srtings are Dean Markley Medium-Light Acoustic
    Bronze - a real nice compromise between lights, which I genrally can't
    stand on acoustic, and mediums, which are a little tough for doing some
    of the blues stuff I try to adapt to acoustic from electric).
    
    I do a lot of stuff in standard and dropped-D tuning also, so I usually
    transition through a standard tuning when I'm going from open-G to
    open-E and do a few tunes in between. I don't really know why, but it
    seems like it could be kind of a strain on the guitar jumping directly
    from open-G to open-E all the time.
    
    - Ram
    

    Does anyone fool around with open A at all?  I've seen some mention
    of stuff in books on Dobro technique, although not nearly as much as
    for open D.  I find it real natural for blues licks.
    
    /rick

>      Why did you go there, instead of Fiddlers Choice over in Jaffery?

	Cuz Porter Square is 3 miles from my house?

    
    
    
        Good answer!!!
    
       (I forgot you moved. You *were* in Nashua, right?)
    
    
       -Rick. 
    

    ... so where's the *real* GTS note ???????
    
    Paul

   re: .-1

   I don't know, but this is as good a place as any.

   For me, it's not really a GTS attack, just a "I need something *different*"
   attack.  I'm currently using a Soho Acoustics QTR-1 all-tube preamp (KH
   Quattro in a previous life) thru a H&K Red Box direct into the PA.  The
   clean sound is wonderful - almost as good as my Marshall JCM800.  Add _any_
   distortion however, and even thru the Red Box it sounds like a chainsaw on
   speed.  I want to either a) mellow out the QTR's sound, or b) replace it
   with something that'll give me the distorted tone I want.  I use this in
   a two piece folk rock, country, blues, and traditional band, so I don't
   need "killer" shredding distortion, but I need to get gritty once in a
   while (for our SRV tunes, for instance).  Because it's a two piece, there's
   no reason to bring a whole amp rig onstage (eg, my Marshall and a cab) so
   that's out, so what would the enlightened masses out there recommend?  I
   don't need MIDI, and I'd like to keep it cheap.  

   Suggestions?

   -- Sam