DetroitBlues

Another month as passed and winter is starting to set in. During these cold winter months, I get a little stir crazy. This is the time of year in which I miss playing in a band. Not that I'm a touring professional on the local bar scene, but rather being able to step away from the computer and actually stand up next to bass player and drummer. It's a wonderful experience to say the least. It's an opportunity that only a few HOC members actually get to enjoy on a regular basis. It's a little disheartening to read about other member's complaining band-mates, not having the right gigs, negative feedback from audiences, and so forth. What they may not realize is just how lucky they are to be able get a whole band together, even if its just for a jam. I've tried to put together a regional HOC jam at a couple VFW halls, but they all want money, even though the purpose is to entertain ourselves and some of our nations veterans. I've tried to put together a band, but finding people willing to travel, like the same music, and having a practice space is near impossible. Everyone wants to be paid, no one wants to travel, everyone expects someone else to find a place to practice. What ever happened to enjoying the thrill of making music? What does money have to push us so much? Tonight will be my first opportunity since last January to play with a band. Granted it will only be a three piece with myself and the bass player sharing vocal duties, but it still going to be a lot of fun. The anticipation for tonight is nearly killing me today as I sit down and write this blog. Both the drummer and the bass player are in the band I parted ways with. But as I have learned, there were no hard feelings when I left as they felt two guitarists were one too many as it was. It worked out for them that I left, for a short while anyway, until their lead guitarist quit because of volume issues they had with him. But I guess that's how it goes. We've seen so many of our guitar hero's come and go from bands and never truly understanding why bands broke up or a member went into a different direction. All we know is the music they produced together and that's how we chose to remember them. The small little behind the scenes parts we never see as an audience or as a fan make a huge difference. Members come and go. There always seems to be someone else ready to fill the shoes of the departing member. Never hurts to be ready on a moments notice if you're looking. Keeping up with contacts and making new contacts helps open doors for you if you don't like taking chances on Criagslist for bands seeking the next Guitar hero. The first time I played with a real band was in fall of 2010. I loved the blues, I could do a bunch of bluesy licks, play some great I, IV, V rhythms. I thought I had it all down and ready to gig. Showed up for the first rehearsal, and wham! Smacked in the face right off the bat with songs, chords, and progressions I never did before. My guitar was tuned down 1/2 step because I was an avid Stevie Ray Vaughn fan and thought all blues guitarists were tuned down 1/2 step. I struggled to keep up, kept making simple mistakes playing rhythm and didn't have a good time. I was very unprepared. When the band told me "NO" the first time, I went and tried out with another band. But once again, not knowing any real songs killed me. They expected some blues guitar veteran to step in and show them how it's done. I felt like a fool when they asked what I knew or what I could sing, I had nothing. No song lists, no lyrics, nothing. I was stuck again and again had an awful time. I spent a couple weeks listening to the recordings of the first band, going over the rhythms, printing out the lyric sheets, and getting myself prepared. I was determined not to fail this time. I talked my way into a 2nd tryout with the first band. I was told "No" again, but this time I hung in there. No tuning issues, no lost parts, no flubby mistakes. I was having fun playing with a real blues band. I was asked to come back for a third time, but this time as a member of the band. I remained with them for three months, even got to take lead a few times. But doing my homework, being diligent, and pushing the door back open paid off for me. Taking chances and being prepared helped me so much. As I said, tonight, I'm going back into a band, even if its just for a jam. I've become friends with these guys, there's no expectations, nothing to lose, and everything to gain. If things go well, who knows, maybe we very well could become a whole new three piece band playing a strong blues-rock genre. That's a lofty goal for sure, but at the least I will have some fun. I've been practicing a whole bunch of songs, know several of the song lyrics by heart, I'm ready to go. Will anything really come out of this? I don't know. Will I be prepared? Absolutely. Will this be a step in a right direction musically? Without a doubt. Keeping these contacts and knowing they're gigging regularly, it leaves the opportunity for the future. Who knows, they may know a band seeking another guitarist. It's a real blessing for me to be able to join these guys for a couple hours. I've very thankful I can do this. I hope that the rest of you that are lucky enough to be in a band realize just how wonderful it really is. For those wanting to do a band, know your stuff going in. Know what they're playing and bring the lyrics sheets. Those are valuable tools I need to have so I know when to make chord changes, breaks, and what key to play them in. Until next month! DetroitBlues

I’ve been back on the Heritage Owners Site, posting sparingly at first, but watching the other members’ posts with great interest. What I really like is the random gallery generator at the top of the screen. Nothing worse to set off a fit of G.A.S pain then seeing all the other Heritage options out there I could be playing. I think after having my 140 for a few months, the honeymoon is over. I guess at this point, I understand now why Brentrocks astounds us with his near daily transactions on both Heritages and other rare guitars. This past month, Brent’s near famous ability to sniff out bargains across the web has netted him a beautiful, yet neglected H150 Goldtop from Rhode Island. Immediately after reading he pulled the trigger I sent him a PM that when (since we know it’s not a matter of “if” ) he decides to move the guitar for the next purchase down the road I'd like to have it. I was shocked to know two unnamed others already solicited Brent for the guitar. Amazing to say the least that others think the same as me. But the focus of my blog for this month is not about someone else’s trading habits, but rather my own feeling of G.A.S. I’ve been eying several different options, just something different that what I already have. The only certainty I have is knowing that I want one single coil type guitar (Stratocaster or Telecaster) and a humbucker/P-90 type guitar at the least. This past month, I was able to secure a 1990 HFT-445 thanks to Brentrocks passing on his custom HFT-450 to KPB810. So my acoustic G.A.S. has been addressed. But what about some other kind of guitar electric guitar I’d like to play? I placed an advertisement on Craigslist about trading my recently acquired 1996 Fender Tex-Mex Stratocaster for an equivalent valued Telecaster. After waiting a couple of weeks and no responses, I’m keeping the Stratocaster- for now. But I did see a couple Paul Reed Smith Mira’s on Craigslist for sale or trade. One guy was interested in the 140, but wanted some cash on my part. That offer was hardly a deal to me. But the bug has bitten me. A solid mahogany, two humbuckers, single cutaway has become my new source of G.A.S. pain. I began to ask others about the Heritage 137 guitar. I played Steiner’s last year and really enjoyed that guitar. It has a nice cherry finish to it along with a black pickguard and some sweet P-90 tones to it. Since a PRS Mira doesn’t seem to be an option, perhaps a Heritage 137 will be the newest affection I have. Then there was a fateful trip to Guitar Center. I went to Guitar Center with another co-worker and one time Heritage Owner to look at a Peavey Wolfgang Special (MIA model). While he was wheeling and dealing with the guitar sales dude, I picked up a vintage Gretsch Corvette. Solid Mahogany, single cut, tremolo, humbuckers (GT Filtrons actually), in a nice cherry finish; not bad for a vintage guitar. But the guitar had a poor neck reset and the electronics were marginal, so much for that value vintage piece of gear at $499. I did notice the Gibson Les Paul Specials, but this time I decided to try a Gibson Les Paul 60’s Tribute Gold Top with P-90’s. Now I have another guitar I want. The action was right, the tone was great, and the finish was cool. So now what do I do? I put a post up on our beloved HOC forum, “FS/FT TWO FOR ONE.” I put both my H-140 and my Tex-Mex Stratocaster on the forum asking if anyone would be interested in trading my two guitars for a gold top H-150. Doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen as headstock repaired guitars, as sound as the repairs are, are almost a kiss of death on a resale. While it bothers me a little too much that no one wants it, it is a reminder of something my wife and I say to each other often, “God only gives you what he thinks you can handle”. That means to me, if he wanted help me get rid of my guitars, he would. So I’ve removed the listing again then began discussing why I’m not liking the 140 with Brian (KPB810). My problem boils down to tone. I’m an avid blues player and trying to get my 140 to play the blues in a tone that is warm and buttery to me is near impossible. I can grab my strat and get what I want out of it every time. I’m going to replace the remaining old pots and one of the caps to see how that affects the tone. Brian is a big help and an all around great guy. I’m a free advertiser for his amps because the quality is outstanding and his belief in backing up his work is second to none. He has the same attitude when it comes to my 140. He wants me to be happy with it too. As this month wraps up, I still have the same guitars I started the month with and added a couple new pedals to the mix. G.A.S is a terrible thing to us which I think there is no cure. Many on the HOC have what others may consider as ultimate collections, but even to them it’s never complete. I realize G.A.S is something I should learn to deal with and know that there are many important things in life I need first before another guitar. Life has a funny way of reminding us of that.

I have to admit, old habits die hard. I'm still a posting fool.

Bulldog- Haven't noticed a thing. Thanks for reading. I'm hoping to more of a monthly blog than a hailstorm of daily posts.

BTW- I just picked up the AmpKit Link for my iPod. I'm hoping to records some of my progress tonight if all goes well. My amp is in for some more hot rodding by KBP.

Thanks! I'm glad I'm not the only one concerned with their ability to play rather then post...

As some have noticed, I have not logged any posts on the HOC for most of September. (Thank you to Tully, Slammer, Koula901, and Steiner for asking me if everything was ok). I recently came to the conclusion that I spent way too much time on a forum discussing guitars, amps, and gear, rather than actually playing, practicing, and learning guitar. I’ve been a member of the Heritage Owners Club since the 9th of August, 2010. At the time I’m writing this passage, I’ve logged in 3,427 posts. 3,165 have been discussing various subjects on our forum. I decided that I must become a better guitar player first instead of a better critic. I’ve dedicated the past few weeks to learning songs I’ve thought about, but never actually took the time to learn. My goal was to have a complete set of songs that I could sing, play rhythm, and play lead to. I figured one set of songs is eight or nine songs for a 45 minute set. I thought if I can stretch out some solos, I could extend out some of the songs, but I haven’t gotten there yet. Learning solo’s has been so far the trickiest part of my learning process. Since I have a blues rock orientation, I wanted to stray from songs that have the standard “I, IV, V” formats. Like all rock songs, the roots of the blues are there, but mostly in the soloing minor pentatonic scales. I’m trying to put together some recordings with backing tracks to demonstrate my progress. My Line 6 Pocket Pod didn’t allow me to do both. My goal was rather lofty as I quickly learned. Being a husband and father of two, I cannot neglect my family to pursue my musical interests. I found I only learned five electric songs and one acoustic during the past few weeks. The solos on the songs are shaky at best. But I still jam to the songs every night. I think I’m getting closer and closer to getting each of them right too. I’ve been meaning to learn more, but I usually only have about an hour each night to play. During the evenings, I can use my amp, but without the proper effects and backtracks being heard, I cannot really perform the songs correctly. Typically, those sessions are ½ hour or so and I’ll play my blues covers during that time. My current song list is as follows in no particular order: All Right Now- Free Jenny Jenny (867-5309) - Tommy TuTone Jessie’s Girl- Rick Springfield Layla (Electric) - Eric Clapton Bad Case of Loving You- Robert Palmer House is a Rockin- Stevie Ray Vaughn You and Tequila- Kenny Chesney I spent a lot of time trying to learn all these songs, I had many more I wanted to learn, such as Takin’ Care of Business, Just Got Paid, Boys are Back In Town, Run to You, Hold on Loosely. Which perhaps, I’ll learn those songs next month, time permitted again. Perhaps next year, I’ll make another attempt at joining a band, but from the feeler’s I sent out, there are many songs out there that decent paying bands play, that I need to learn if I’m going to succeed. Since I was a boy listening to Foreigner, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Leonard Skynard, etc., I’ve always wanted to play guitar in front of an audience. Only much later in life did I realize it takes a lot more than courage to get in front of a group of people, it takes time, patience, and talent to prepare for that moment. I’m putting in my time and I hope I’ll have the opportunity to do what I’ve wanted to do for over 30 years. The patience and talent is still something I hope to develop as I go. As a footnote to this blog, I also wanted to point out how difficult it is to break the habit of being on the HOC nearly every moment I’m in front of the computer. Generally, I’ve only logged on to answer a message from another member. Other than that, I’ve stayed away. I recently caved in and logged on to see Mr. Brentrocks has picked up a gem of a Gold Top 150 which I offered to trade my ’85 Amber 140 for when he chooses to part ways with the Gold Top (as we all know he will! ). Today I also posted my Pocket Pod being for sale after witnessing just how incredible the new Peavey Ampkit is for learning, recording, and as a live multi-effects software through my iPod. While I didn’t look to hard into it, I suspect many were glad not to see virtually every new topic with me leading the way in responses when they log on. I put on my status, “What is was, what it is, and what it will be”. I wrote that because what I was is a forum junky, what it is, I’m guitarist, what it will be is a musician. I hope I haven’t missed much and I also hope to keep any offensive postings off the grid.

Nice blog, reminds me of my previous bands woes. They lost their lead guitarist because he was doing to much and got so little in return... Now they can't find a guitarist to play lead and sing. Your band seems to have a much improved mutual respect for each other, something we just don't see around here (in Detroit)