It was a mild Friday that I took a drive down to the Triangle area in North Carolina.  I was driving to visit with some customers as well as to attend a clinic with Andy Timmons at the Raleigh Music Academy, www.raleighmusicacademy.com.  I’ll elaborate on RMA later.

Andy and I had spoken on the cell a couple of times and swapped a few emails.  He’s a fan of the Xotic BB Pre Amp and a user.  I’ve seen it; it’s on his pedal board!  So I was really excite to be able to finally put a name with a face, and it didn’t hurt to that I was going to see some blistering guitar.

A year or two earlier, I had met with a very well know guitar player.  I thought this meeting was pre-established, because I had spoken to his guitar tech, gotten passes, knew his previous tech very well and worked with his former signature guitar manufacture.  However, the meeting was very uncomfortable to say the least.  My expectations were perhaps set to high and I was thoroughly disappointed.  I would never make this mistake again.

So with a very casual approach I introduced myself to Andy, and with no expectations, I received a very warm reception.  Andy’s just a great character.  He needed to finish setting up and it was cool just to step back and what things happen.

The first clinic of the night was about tone.  When I think about tone, mainly, I’m considering the amp, guitar and perhaps an effect or two.  But Andy went into a lot of detail that admittedly I have taken for granted.  The room was filled with most young inspiring guitarist.  When I say young inspiring guitarist, I mean kids who haven’t been playing that long and were just getting into guitar.  There are several signs, but I’ll leave that to your imagination.  But please don’t take offense to that, because afterwards, I was in the same category.

Andy just didn’t talk tone from the point of view of just amps and guitars, but he compared different picks, from the audience, to his personal pick he’s used for many years.  The point was to show them all the different tones and textures various materials produce.  This was just a great approach teaching elements of tone.  We went into strings, set up, pick attack, cables, effects loop, on and on.  We spent a great deal of time on dissecting what tone really is.   I thought it was just an excellent example and exercise.

During the break we all sat and had dinner.  Thanks to Paul at RMA for bringing in a great buffet.  Got to chat a bit and cool down.  While we were finishing, Paul (RMA Director) was preparing for the second set, Songwriting.  Paul and some of his students played a composition and then afterwards broke the song down and how they came up with the certain pieces, chorus, etc.  I was sitting next to Andy, when a funny thing happened.  Paul was explaining how you could substitute chords here and there.  There were a couple of chords he played and Andy and I looked at each other and said, “That’s sounds like one of Jim Croce’s old tunes”.  I found that a little uncanny to have that type of connection.  But it’s true, we both like Jim Croce.

It was time for Andy to begin his final set of the night.  He started out with a couple of ballads off of the Resolution and That was then, This is now CD.  Just blazing!  When I hear someone sing or play guitar, I want to hear it as it was played on the CD.  And it was just that.  All the emotion and nuances were tucked in there.  And man, the BB sounded great!!

One of the last exercises was, the kids had to write down a chord; major or minor nothing fancy, and put it into a hat.  Andy randomly pulled out a few chords and with the help of another guitarist, wrote a song right in front of our ears and eyes.  Later I would compare this to seeing something being manufacture out of nothing, totally creating something from a blank slate.  What was really interesting was how challenging the chords where.  Totally unrelated.  When the body of the song was done, a few more chords where chosen for the chorus.  As each chord was read, the audience laughed and giggled.  Andy turned a little red probably thinking, “How am I going to make this work?”  He puts the chords in the song, made sure he had the 3rd and they were off.  He had written a pretty interesting song in about 30 minutes, along with a lead line.  I just thought this was amazing and intimidating, to be able to run circles around me with not just playing, but songwriting and tone.  Can you feel inspired and beat down all at the same time?  To quote Spinal Tap, I threw it out, use my guitar as a coffee table.

If you have an opportunity to go see one of Andy’s clinics, you should take the time to do so.  Beginner or advanced, it as well worth it.  Andy has a cool website to, www.andytimmons.com.  Do yourself a favor and get both CD’s: Resolution and That was then, This is now.  There’s some exciting guitar work that’s fresh, not to far out of the box and overall nicely written.  A remarkable talent Andy has being able to weave complex style effortlessly.  A true world class player.  You know, I didn’t get into this business to meet all my hero’s.  It’s all about the free lessons, baby!!  Some of us need all the help we can get.  Mainly me.

About a year prior to our meeting, I had spoken to Andy about his pickups.

Around July or August of 2006, I had Hiro (Xotic Guitars) build me another Xotic Strat type guitar.  Prior to ordering this guitar, I did a little research on some of the things I wanted.  However, there were several fixations I was sold on that I didn’t want to change.  Things such as left handed tremolo, big frets, brass nut and pickup configurations.  For this guitar I went with 6000 stainless steel fretwire.  Honestly I was a little disappointed.  They didn’t feel that much different than the 6100’s I have on the other Xotic.  I guess I’ll be searching for something bigger, if that’s possible?

As I said, there were some things I wanted and they included a big “fat back” neck, Dimarzio Cruiser pickups and Budz Purebreed pickups.

You know sometimes you ask and you shall receive.  This neck is the biggest neck I’ve ever held in my hands.  In fact, Louisville Slugger called and they wanted their neck back!  And then Barry Bonds called and ask to borrow it so he could continue he quest for 751 homers.  With no more “juice”, he said he needed some big lumber.  I mean this is a big neck.  Do you get it?

Regardless of it’s size, it already has a nice broken in feel.  Your hand easily slides into place providing a warm & fuzzy feel.  Warm & fuzzy just meaning comfortable.  Didn’t want you to think I actually had fuzz on the neck!  Saved that for the amp.

With it’s large back side and jumbo frets, they dwarf the string gauge.  Normally I use 11’s but they just felt like wet noodles.  So on with the 12 gauge I went.  Haven’t graduated to the Josh Smith 13’s yet, but perhaps one day I’ll be there.

Did I mention how big the neck is?

Steve Blutcher is a master pickup artist.  He’s had women from all over the world.  You should see this guy at NAMM.  In reality, Steve is a master pickup artist making some of the best pickups in the world.  Based on Andy Timmon’s recommendation, I called Steve and filled him in on what I was trying to accomplish and that Andy suggested I try the Dimarzio Cruiser pickups.  These are single coil pickup without the pole pieces, but with twin blades.  What really turned me on to these was a video Andy did for us several months ago.  The tone he was achieving through the BB into his Mesa’s was extremely close to what I hear while running the BB through the Fuchs.  The Cruiser’s were a little meatier and throatier, just want I was after.  So the order was placed and soon they were delivered.  Just today, I played a modded Traynor through the Cruisers.  The Traynor, which was modded by a local musician, is another story, but the Cruisers definitely love high gain amps.

Sean at Lovepedal is a friend of mine.  We share the same back aliment.  He told me about a guy named Budz making some of the best pickups he’s ever heard.  If you ever do a web search you’ll know there are a million and one guys hand winding, building, relic-ing some guitar, amp or pickup.  Usually, all claiming to have the secret sauce for true vintage tone.  What makes this guy any different?  Sean is another genius in the field of pedal making.  He has creditability with me and a ton of other guys out there.  So I took his word for it and call Budz.

Budz sent me a Purebred to install in the bridge position.  Upon getting the guitar, I immediately tuned up and plugged in.  I went through each position, using the clean channel, just to listen how each chord rang out.  After I did this, I went back through the selections I liked the best.  The Cruisers sounded really good from neck, middle and bridge.  Big, warm and beefy.  Each had pleasing characteristics.  However, I kept going back to the Purebred.

Can a pickup be touch sensitive?  We talk about amps having this feature all the time, but I can’t recall anyone ever saying this about a pickup.  Well, this one does.  You really have to pay close attention when you play.  It will pick up every nuance.  The Purebred is extremely well balanced and articulate.  Each chord rings sweetly creating deep string separation.

Through the dirty channel each pickup sounded great.  However, this wasn’t a live situation.  That’s a different story altogether.  “That’s a different story”.  Sorry I just had to put that in there.  Loved Airplane the movie.

At a local blues jam, I finally got a chance to play the new Xotic in a live situation.  I had heard the Cruisers before and my expectations were met.  But not having experience the Budz pickups, I just kept it on the Purebred for the entire set.  My signal was very simple, BB in to the amp and that’s was it.  Let me tell you; 12 gauge strings, BB pedal into a Fender Deluxe with a Purebred, and doing that Stevie Ray lick where you hammer on and pull off on the A sharp, A string 1st fret, hit the G (6th string) and resolution on the E (D string 2nd fret), you would have thought Stevie’s guitar and amp’s were right there.  I was truly amazed.  I was finally getting that big, throaty sound I’ve been looking for.  Now I just image what a whole set of Purebreds would do!

Budz also produces Purebred’s in a tele format and make some very interesting tele barrels.  I highly recommend checking these out.  Give Budz a call tell him I sent you and get the pickups.  You’ll be glad you did.  Budz can be reach at www.budzguitars.homestead.com or at 734-475-2355.

Hiro just does an amazing job with these guitars.  We don’t have a tremendous amount of circulation, typical problem with small luithers, but look at all the bigger name builders today.  They started out small, no one knew who they were, and now their guitars are increasing in value everyday.  Take my good friend Gene Baker.  Ever tried to purchase an original Baker Robben Ford?  Those guitars retailed for $3,950, now you can’t buy one for under $5,000! Most Xotic strat type guitar will retail between $2,500 and $2,700.  Compare to other builder, these guitars are very competitively priced.  Contact a Xotic dealer near you for details.

Earlier I mentioned the Raleigh Music Academy.  The academy is located on the outer rim of Raleigh, NC.  They provide lessons on just about every instrument.  However, it not just about lessons.  There is a focus on band performance, working with a group.  With a full-blown stage, PA and lighting, it gives it’s student real stage experience.  This is an awesome outlet for kids wanting to experience live situations.  There are several similar facilities around the country that help young musicians grow. The Raleigh Music Academy is a professional teaching facility with a great staff.  Keep your eyes on the web site as they have many clinics through out the year.  For Andy Timmons’s clinic, they had people flying in from Chicago and NYC.  That ought to tell you something.  Please feel free to contact Paul at, http://www.raleighmusicacademy.com/.

I hope everyone is having a great summer.  Please feel free to drop me a line or two.

By the way, I’m not sure if Andy loves porkchops or not.  There’s an inside joke there.  One thing I regret not asking Andy at the clinic was, I wanted him to show me how to play Physical by Olivia Newton John!  I actually purchased that album way back when and I think I still have it somewhere.  Perhaps I’ll pull it out and comp some licks off of it.  Licks being guitar riffs.  Get your mind out of the gutter.  Ha, Ha!!  Andy is Olivia’s musical director.  Great job!

For Andy’s two CD’s, he definitely gets a 10 on the Playloud scale.  But as for Olivia, well she’s definitely an 11!!!!

Ben Leck

“With High Gain many things can be accomplished”

Up, up and away…well I just lifted off to attend NAMM 07. This is my 6 or 7 NAMM show. And as I rise above the clouds can I only think….I hope this bird doesn’t fall from the sky in a fiery inferno similar to that of a Phoenix rising from the ashes. No seriously, I’m wondering what will be new and exciting this year? What can we expect from the big guys and smaller boutique builders? Where is technology leading us and how will that shape our music, gear and sound? I really don’t have a clue. We’ll just have to wait and see when I return.

However, I have a confession to make. I’ve become complacent with my gear and tone. Is that ok? I mean I know there are many of us suffer from GAS and the pursuit of that ultimate gain stage. But what happens when it’s over? I’ve heard of post partum depression, but post..gear tone depression? Does this even exist? Could I have discovered a new type of trauma?

Some of the best advice I’ve heard about beating depression is getting busy, working, being active. If this is the formula then, it’s not working. I’ve very fortunate that I get to play in a new 30 million dollar 3,000 seat arena almost every Sunday. Any my glorious Fuchs and BB tone is being routed through a $360k digital mixing board. Yes a $360k mixing board!!

I should feel very fortunate and happy about what’s available, somewhat to my disposal. Don’t get me wrong I’ve very happy, but I feel like I’ve climb the mountain, so to speak, and I’m looking for a higher peak. But the question is, what am I looking for? Indiana Jones had the Holy Grail, Yu-Gi-Oh had the Egyptian God Cards (I hope that gets a laugh), what do I have?

But, I feel like I’m abandoning my fellow Gear Heads. Actually I feel like the uncool kid in High School. While all the “cool” kids are driving the latest greatest car that mommy and daddy bought or wearing the new fashion, there’s old Benny Leck driving the clunker and wearing hand me downs. But don’t get me wrong there’s nothing wrong with that and I’m not calling my rig outdate. But I see a new amp, pedal or guitar and its like “Yeah that’s cool, but just not interested”.

Am I sick? Have I lost the will to get tone? How do I get the passion back? Can I be saved? Am I missing out? Would love to hear your suggestions on how I can get out of this funk.

Well now that I think about it, at this year’s NAMM show, we’ll be releasing two new pedals, the 2-channel AC Booster Plus and BB Booster Plus. Well….wait…..wait a minute….yeah it’s coming back I can feel it. New pedals, new tone! Perhaps that’s the remedy. Santa will be coming to town soon. (Right Hiro?) He’ll be bringing me a new Xotic guitar (Actually I just found out that my new guitar will not be finished till the end of January. Slipping back into a slight funk). This one is similar to my first Xotic. See the picture of Paul of Yesterday’s music and me. I basically did the same guitar but in a brown color scheme. Some differences are, a C-shape boat neck, 6000 stainless steel fretwire and a bone nut. There are different pickups this time to. There are 3 DiMarzio Cruisers, courtesy of the great Steve Blutcher and a new pickup by Budz of Budz Guitars. Budz got some pretty interesting stuff. His new tele saddles look really cool, worth checking out. Once I have this guitar, I’ll be reviewing Budz pickup. He’s website is www.budzguitars.com. Check him out and tell him I sent you. Check out Dimarzio’s website simply, www.dimarzio.com. Steve is a great technician and extremely knowledgeable. He definitely can lead you to want pickup will work for your sound.

This year has been very exciting with endorsements. We’ve added Eric Johnson, Andy Timmons, Jonathon Trebling (Rascal Flatts) and many others. By the way, special thanks to Andy for recommending the Cruiser pickup for my new guitar. Can’t wait to try it out. And if any of you see Eric, offer to buy him a $3 cup of green tea. He loves the stuff. Man, I hope he remember this inside joke.

Speaking of Andy, upon confirming his endorsement he sent me his latest CD Resolution. The last time I hear Andy’s playing was back in the 80’s with his band Danger Danger. Hope I’m not stirring up any bad memories. Honestly, I don’t recall a single song they did, but no matter. His new CD is filled with Tone! Right from the start it hits you square in the eardrums. And we’re not talking just wailing guitar. Man the guy can play anything. What do you want? Rock, Jazz, Country, Swing, ok maybe not swing.

Andy’s sound is shape largely by a couple of Mesa Lonestar’s. I don’t have a look of experience with Mesa’s, other than maybe a Mark II here or there. But after checking out the videos on Xotic’s site and Youtube.com, they are on my list of “To-Do’s” for NAMM.

Around the same time Andy and I hooked up, he was so impressed with the BB pedal he recommended us to Mesa’s Sales Manager Steve Mueller. Steve immediately purchased a BB. Because he liked it so much, he wanted to try our other pedals and ended up buying an AC. I think my next amp purchase will be a Lonestar head. Just seems like the right fit. Now in this business, its common knowledge that we manufactures scratch each other’s back, right Steve? I see Lonestar in my future. Hey remember Lonestar in Space Balls, great movie.

After wearing Resolution out on my iPod, I downloaded Andy’s previous release “That was then, this is now.” Again, we’re seeing the full spectrum. However, I think I like this better. There are many more of those goose bump moments we’ve experience during the right climax of the song. Each CD is thick with tone! If you don’t have it, please put this on your list of things to download this year. On the Playloud’s It Goes To 11 scale, Resolution is a solid 10 with that was then a definite 11.

By the way, some of you may not know that Andy is the musical director for Olivia Newton-John. I’m going to request that on his next CD, he covers Olivia’s “Let’s Get Physical”. Can’t wait! Platinum baby!! Andy…don’t forget I’m still waiting on that autograph glossy of Olivia. You see when I was, man I can’t remember, the “Physical” album came out and I had a huge crush on her. There was a book at the local library that listed all these actor’s and actress’s mailing info. I wrote her a little mention how much I enjoyed her music, yeah right her body, was a big fan and all that, and looked forward to getting that 8×10 glossy autographed photo. Well here we are 20+ years later and I’m still waiting. I guess it got lost in the mail.

One thing I hate about the New Year is every magazine and TV show looking back at who died that year. I’m the glass is half empty kind of guy, so it’s not so much reflecting back on their lives and what they have accomplished, its more like “man all these people I know are dying all around me, pretty soon there memories will be lost and maybe I’ll be next soon.” Don’t like that feeling of knowing someone only by the TV show they did and now its over. Feels like a friend is lost, hope to see them soon.

For our Japanese readers, I’d like to hear from you. Japanese culture has always been a fascination with me. I remember several Japanese anime type cartons growing up. Wish I could remember them. But, I’d like to hear from you. Partially on, do you have open jams in Japan? In American, these jams usually are held at a local bar. There is a sign up sheet for those who want to play. Usually you have about 900 guitarists to one or two drummers and/or bass players. But these are simple I, IV, V chord jams with a three song limit. I’ve had a lot of fun at these events and highly recommend them. I’ve actually followed a couple of these guys “open jam careers”. It’s very interesting to see the growth of these guitarists. Some are young teens and other are in the middle age crisis mode. I’ve notice great strides they made in just a few years, pretty neat to watch their progression.

What’s different about being in Japan? Is this type of thing common? As I understand, there is a park, perhaps in Tokyo, where on a Sunday the park is open to having bands play. But not in the sense of playing a concert, almost like a music showcase. I think either they were advertising their music/style for getting gigs or record deals. Does this still go on? Please email me any link of pictures or music files and any information you may have.

I almost forgot, I recently changed string vendors. There was an amp show in Charlotte, NC where I met Bill from Firewire Strings. This is a company out of Canada that utilizes military technology to help make almost anything better, strings, tubes, cables, etc. I wasn’t able to pry out of him the specific technology. I guess next time I’ll try the Jack Bower method.

Bill sent me a set of 11’s. I strung up my Xotic on a Tuesday night to prepare for the open jam on Wednesday. After tuning up, I put the guitar away until I went to the gig. At the open jam, I was number 397 on the list of 900 guitarist, I pulled the guitar out and it was in tune! Immediately I noticed that these strings had a different feel from others that I had used. They felt broken in and maybe a little more compression. After playing each of our three songs, checked tuning and we were there. Still at 440!

The Firewire sets list for about $11, probably street around $10. With the added cost, you’re going to save in the long run with not having to change as often. The special technology Bill mentioned, helps these strings last longer than regular. Please check them out at www.firewirestrings.com. They currently have a few specials for you to take advantage of.

Only a few more hours until we land in LA. For those of you not attending, I’ll try to bring you a full report soon. I’ll be updating you on my “condition”. Hopefully it will change. Your e-cards and motivational thoughts can be sent to, playloud@triad.rr.com. No suggestions from Old Dogs Ears, you know who you are.

Time: 6:05am
Location: Los Angles Airport

I know its 6:05 in the morning and I’m continuing to write this column, but we just finished the NAMM show and there’s a lot to tell. By the way, what’s on the minds of musicians at 6:05 in the morning? Going to sleep.

I’m exhausted. Four days of living in what sometimes sounds like a trash compactor. The noise levels at NAMM can not only damage your ears, but also scramble your brain. However, what an exciting show. We met some very exciting players.

In a past column, I review a promo CD by a cat named Matt O’Ree. Since last year, Matt has won Guitar Center’s King of the Blues contest and gaining popularity. NAMM also asked he and the band to play at the Hilton Friday night or should I say Saturday morning. Matt had the great spot of 12:30am. Actually it was 12:45 once things got started. This would have been the first time I’ve seen Matt’s band live, other than him just jamming at the Fuchs’ booth. Man, his tone is THICK! Chunky Soup thick! This also marks the first time I’ve heard the Fuchs’ Train 45 at a volume level beyond 1. That thing is insanely loud. Matt’s configuration was very simple, Les Paul into tube screamer to wah and straight into the Fuchs. Simple, big and thick!

The first song they launched into was ZZ Top’s Cheap Sunglasses. Billy Gibbons was kind enough to sing lead, however he looked exactly like Matt. Go figure.

There were two of the most exciting players at the Xotic booth this year. Jean Baudin and Paige Harwell. You may know Jean from the youtube video of him playing the theme to the Mario Brother’s video game on his 11-string bass. Kiyoshi and I were waiting in line to get lunch. Jean and his girlfriend ask to cut in front. I agreed only if he would come to our booth and check out some pedals. He agreed and actually showed up. Creditability was established from the get go.

It’s not often you get so see a master of an 11-string bass do some amazing things. And its not often you’ll have a bass amp on hand that will actually hand a low F#. Next time we’ll be better prepared. That was a little of a let down, but just to watch was a treat. Please check out his site at www.jeanbaudin.com.

Paige’s career has been pretty extensive. Some of you may recall a country band, Reckless. They got to be pretty popular in the mid-90’s. Some pretty cool video’s at Paige’s site, www.paigeharwell.com. Paige’s style is pretty unique. He mixes country twang with metal shred. Check out on the video link the track, Palmerized. Not sure if I’ve experienced this type of mix and match technique before. He certainly has his chops together.

Some of you may have heard about some of these players. The interesting thing is how you learned about them. With Jean, it was the Mario Brother’s theme. With Ben Lacy, he just walked into a vendor’s booth and blew everyone’s mind. I believe Paige can be one of those guys as he started to play something very familiar, with his own technique, that if the environment at the booth had just been right we could have possibly made some history. For most players, they picked up the guitar after hearing Eruption. I’m certain Paige perhaps had this influence, but I haven’t confirmed. I’ve never heard Eruption “chicken-picked”! One of the parts I could hear distinctly, that finger tapping section near the end of the solo, Paige chicken-picked this part! How cool is that. I think he should highlight this on his site as I’m sure it will get rave reviews.

It’s now boarding time and time to get back to normal. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Ben Leck
ben@xoticeffects.com

It’s been a couple of months since our last column.  With vacation and everything else that comes with summer, it’s now time to get back in the swing of things.  But, it hasn’t been all leisure time.  I’ve been working on a product and CD review for this month’s column.  This months column also officially launch’s the official Playloud rating scale.  Normally scales rate 1 to10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best.  However, mine goes to 11.

To begin, I got a call from a San Antonio native Ruben V.  He ran down everything that was going on with the new CD and touring.  Any artist that contacts me, I always request a CD of their latest stuff.  I promptly received Ruben’s latest CD Labor of Shame.  When I listen to a new CD, normally only listen to the intro of each song and then go back and listen to the entire catalog.  However, the first track’s wah induced lick provided enough hook to reel me in, (Man is that a cliché or what!).

Ruben learned of our pedals from Jim Gaines, who has produced records for Santana, Blues Traveler, SRV and recently produce Ruben’s latest CD.  He’s also work with Richard Mullins on previous releases.  Richard has worked with SRV and Eric Johnson.  I think Ruben keeps good company or is it the other way around.  As you read and hopefully listen to soon, the CD is a product of great teamwork.  Speaking of good company, Ruben has shared the stage such artist as Gatermouth Brown, George Thorogood and The Fabulous T-Birds.  Growing up playing singing into a Panasonic cassette recorder really paid off.  Remember kids, it’s not always about having the best gear, it making the best of what you got.

Each track’s sound quality and mix is very professional.  Thanks to John Hampton at Arden Studios for the mix and with Jim Gaines’ influence, you wouldn’t expect any less.  The vocals came across smokey, rich and mature.  Especially on track 4, “Stay A While”.  The resonance had such a tranquil emotion feel, that I literally hit the re-start button 6 or 7 times to listen again.  I have a feeling at live shows; the women are fanning their breast.  Not because of the Texas heat, but because of the arousing influence his voice bellows.

Music is such an emotional thing, very nostalgic for a lot of us.  Ruben’s CD sparked memories of hanging out in blues clubs, beach parties, rainy Sunday afternoons and quiet times with my best women.  He’s got it all here, songs for the weekend bar scene, cocktail hour at the Blue Clam (lol), a shag or two, a little funk and definitely something for cutting a rug!  For those of you who don’t know what cutting a rug is, it’s dancing.

Some of the highlights include Stay a While, When I Hear You Smile, She’s Trouble, You Win….well its all good.  I invite you to check it out for yourself and experience the sounds of Ruben V.  On the official Playloud scale, I rate this an easy 8.5.  Please check out Ruben’s website, www.rubenv.com.

I can’t close without mentioning Ruben’s gear set up.  Here’s his current live set up.

Amps: 2-Dr. Z headS, Rivera

Pedals: RC Booster, Ernie Ball Volume, 2- Klon Centaurs, Keely Compressor, Fulltone Deja Vibe, Boss delay

Guitars:  G& L S500, ASAT Classic, Les Paul, Epiphone Flying V

There’s no question that Dr. Z has made a huge impact on the world of amplification.  If you haven’t heard of Dr. Z, you probably haven’t graduated from the gear you purchased at Target or Wal-Mart.  Seriously, his amps have significant tone!

UPS was kind enough to drop off a nice new red tolexed Garmen Ghia 1×12 combo the other day.  The 47lb cabinet looked great with its white piping and salt/pepper grille.  Love the electrified Z logo.  Talk about brand recognition!

The Garmen Ghia sports 18 watts via 2 EL-84’s, 1-5751, 1-12AX7 and a 5Y3 in the rectifier section.  And controls, only two; Volume and Tone.  The tone knob is unique.  It’s not designed to add or deduct bass/treble, but rather provide you the ability to thin or thicken the sound.  This is great for strats or single coil pickups, equally as effective on humbuckers.  The Ghia doesn’t have reverb, but the Tone knob provide a slight reverb effect.  I’d say if you turned up a standard reverb tank to 2 or 3, it would closely resemble that effect.

For the test, I used my Xotic Strat guitar and a Lava Cable plugged straight in.  Tone set at 12 o’clock and volume about 9 o’clock.  With the strum of the first chord, I could have sworn I heard Brooke Burke whisper something seductive in my hear, but  rather it was the sweet seductive chime of a G chord.  Each note well defined and sheer.  So inviting to turn up the volume and let her stretch her legs, but I kept my patience and allowed the resonance influence me as the blues licks came out in an improvised manor.

Turning up the volume, the sound gets bigger and encourages some twangy country licks.  Especially the nice bended 4th sounded great.  Crank the Z and it emulates some crunch a la AC/DC.

At any level, the Ghia’s balance and string definition remains constant.  No muddy tones to be found.  No over powering bass or treble ambiance, very defined throughout.

So who’s this for?  As awesome as the amp is, it does have some limitations.  If you’re looking for a high gain, big bottom, master volume type sound this probably isn’t the amp for you.  Need reverb, have your soundman add it on the back end.  Need effects, have your soundman add it on the back end.  The Ghia doesn’t have reverb and doesn’t need effects.  However, blues, rock and country, it nails it!  I think I know why Brad Paisley loves the Z’s.  It’s probably the best Tele amp out on the market today.

With pricing at a little more than a grand, it’s very affordable and a great value.  If you haven’t taken the Carmen Ghia out for a test, you’re missing the boat.  On the Playloud scale, this sweet piece gear scores an 8 out of 11.

Now I’m supposed to send this amp back, but the other night I had this strange dream UPS lost this amp.  Or at least that’s what I may tell them.

Hopefully for the next column, I’ll have some video of my rig in action.  We’ll just have to see how the mix comes out.  But the set up currently is, my Xotic guitar, Fuchs TDS 50, BB pedal, X-Blender with a Love Pedal Vibe in the loop.  OOOHHHHH!  Can’t wait for you to check it out.  Until next time remember…..Playloud.  Isn’t volume a good thing?

Eddie Berman (Indoor Storm) and myself at the Xotic Day.

Hey everybody and welcome to the third installment of the Playloud column. About this time you’ll see all the gear reviews in all the major guitar related magazines. Rather than provide you a different perspective review on the same products, I wanted to focus on some of the players I came into contact with. Some of these cats you probably may have heard of. But man, can they bend those strings!

Hopefully, some of the players you’ve never heard of, you’ll visit their sites, buy a CD or go see them in concert. These guys are working just as hard if not harder to make it in this business. Not mention, their talent would surpass a majority of the big names. Give them some support, it’s well deserved.

60 minutes once did a story on the Rolling Stones. Their bass player at the time made a comment about Keith Richards that stuck with me and made me more of a fan of Keith’s playing. What he was something like, “Watching Keith is like watching a kid on Christmas morning opening up his new toy. There’s this new excitement every time he plays. I find this an admirable trait. To have that type of attitude with your career is something I wish I had at times. I’m sure his salary helps motivate him, but I know people making a very good living, who are miserable.

Enter Jeff Pevar. Jeff had stopped and played a few minutes with his bass player. Not sure if he was a friend of Jeff’s or just a player from another band. The two jammed on some Hendrix and Jeff’s persona gave me the same impression as the Stone’s bassist encounter with Keith. Jeff really seemed to enjoy the accompaniment. From my point of view, each note lent itself to its own punch line as Jeff smiled from ear to ear. I’d love to know what the strings were “saying”.

Check out Jeff’s website, www.pevar.com. Some great photos there providing creditability to Jeff’s career. Jeff currently finished up a tour with Jazz is Dead. It was rumored that his pedal board included most of the Xotic Effects line up.

New Jersey native Matt O’Ree not only has some serious chops and pipes, but what an awesome marketing job his team has tone. I checked out a couple of NAMM booth sets and picked up his three song/Bio kit CD.

Anyone interested in building their “brand name awareness” take note. All the bio, PDF headshots and music are in one easy to carry package. The nice thing you could certainly print these on demand in case information changed or you needed to add additional info. Makes good money sense. Studies show that people are more likely to view this type of material rather than other forms. Pretty Slick.

But now the serious stuff. This CD freaking’ rocks! Some good old school style with modern tones. Vocally it’s awesome as well. Rich and Smokey. I want to say somewhere like Ian Gillian and someone I forget. Not to discount the guitar playing, but the vocals I really liked. Different from what I’m commonly heard recently.

So what about the guitar? Nice overdriven brown tones, smooth leads and SWEET slide! Some of my favorite CD’s are the ones I can load up and just let it run all the way through. Even though this has only three songs on it, I kept hitting the re-start button so I could continually listen. Perhaps after this review, maybe a full length CD will show up on my doorstep? Wink..wink..

Please take a look at Matt’s site, www.mattoree.com. Please wish Matt luck at he competes in a local Guitar Competition. Rip it up!!!

Now I’m a little bias to what I listen to, probably my up bringing. But one of the most exciting players I met was Phil Sayce. I got the impression that Phil spent some time with the Buddhist Monks in Mongolia. He seemed to be meditating and was way in the ZONE on some killer blues riffs. Phil’s style to me has elements of Stevie, Gary Moore and an east coast guitarist Gibb Droll. However, as many of you know there is only one Stevie. But, Phil’s tone and phrasing at times, well if you closed your eyes you could swear Stevie was sitting right next to you. Phil had the licks down, but what also help was that “beat all to hell” strat. Man oh Man!!! Those 50’s vintage pups sounding killer!! Very throaty tone bucketing out of the speakers making you feel each ridge on the round wound strings.

Go pick up Phil’s latest CD Peach Machine, or down load the songs like I did on my iPod. And look for Phil on tour this summer with Melissa Ethridge. Phil’s site is www.phillipsayce.com.

BTW, if you run into Phil and he’s got his guitar, he’ll let you play it. This thing is really cool. Hope he has it with him next NAMM, love to check it out again.

One player that I am very fond of, that wasn’t at NAMM, is Theodore Zaris. The web’s resources are immense. Google makes it very easy to find something out of the ordinary. As I’ve stated in a previous thread, Malmsteen is the end all for me. Yeah there are people out there who emulate his technique, but as far as speed and note articulation there is no other. Until….

Typing in “guitarist” as a search topic in Google, I came across Theodore. His attack, articulation, speed and composition are similar to Malmsteen’s, but definitely his own style. I love fast guitar playing, but if the notes a muddy or just not saying much, well it’s a turn off. My favorite part of Theodore’s playing, clarity at 100mph. Just to watch him play is an experience. Aesthetically, watching his fingers hit each note is watching a true craftsman’s at work.

Please check out his web site, www.theodoreziras.com. I’d hope that some one brings him to states for some shows or at least an appearance at NAMM next year.

One guitarist missing from NAMM this year was Johnny A. However, I recently caught up with him at a show in Charlotte, NC. If any of you have not see Johnny play, he plays sitting on a stool for the entire show. I’ve never asked why he does this, but I think I know why I’ve over looked it before. The whole band is in tune, no pun intended, with each other and gelled nicely. Matter of fact, they seemed to be extra tight at this show. BTW, this is the third time I’ve seen them.

People I talked with who’ve never heard Johnny ask, “What’s he sound like?”. Um…Um, well…I’m not sure. I don’t think you can categorize his sound. Is it blues? Is it smooth jazz? Is it country? Is it rock? Well, you know what, its Johnny A sound, period.

One thing is clear though, his tone is glorious! About a year ago, I introduce Johnny to another amp manufacture. I really thought this amp would be great for his sound. After going back a forth a few times, it became very clear to me. My personal opinion, he needs to do nothing. If it isn’t broke, don’t fit it.

Johnny goes straight into the house system. No speakers were harmed during this performance. House PA and monitors are what you are hearing. Basically there are three tones coming from the amp; clean, crunch and lead. Clean is immaculate. Crunch is defined and warm. Lead is eloquent and cuts through the mix. His use of effects adds the right touch of color to supplement his tone, never overbearing. The use of a delay pedal was rich and added additional layers to an already robust signal.

One thing I’ve learned from Johnny is that he doesn’t compromise. Not with his tone or playing style. At all the shows I’ve been to, his band has performed a Hendrix medley. I know I’m going to get a lot of flack about this, but I’m honestly not a big Hendrix fan. It just never hit me like it did others. However, Johnny’s (and I’m assuming here) interpretation of Hendrix is the best I’ve ever heard. This has definitely peaked my interested in Hendrix, but I still favor the modern flare. It’s really incredible to see and hear. Please if he’s in your area go just for that, its well worth it. I can only image that when he sat down to plan this piece, its was going to be done right and done his way. See Johnny, I’ve totally forgotten about that short in the monitor cable at the beginning of the Charlotte show. If you weren’t there, that’s an inside joke.

You may have noticed Johnny has a signature model made by Gibson. I really can’t say anything that’s already been said. Other than, this guitar can do it all. As diverse his style is, this guitar is equally diverse. If you get an opportunity to check one out, let me know what you think. I’m equally as anxious to try one out.

As I’m writing this article, reality is hitting me on how many truly outstanding guitarist there are out there. It’s been a pleasure meeting all of them. I can only hope that I’ll be as good as them one day. When I grow up oh course.

Please remember to let those tubes breath…..Playloud.

Ben Leck

Zoey and Me

at Yesterday’s Music

I think my first open mike night had to have been around 1993 or 94. I remember it pretty clearly. Being bitten by the blues-pentatonic I-VI-V chord vamp, I was pretty stoked to play with a few guys who were working musicians. Most people will tell you that regardless of the amp or guitar you’re using, the sound comes from you and your hands. I do believe this. However I think you really need to be comfortable with what you’re using. For myself, I really only like playing through my equipment, simply because I know what I’m going to get.

That night there was an old silver face twin. You could crank that thing and it just wouldn’t distort. Someone had a RAT pedal and I just cranked the distortion pretty much all the way. The more the better, it was for me anyway. After the first song, someone asked if I could “clean it up”. Needless to say, what sounded like some cool blues riffs in the bedroom really didn’t fly on stage or in a band atmosphere. Bedroom distortion is totally different from on stage distortion.

It has taken me many years to realize what an important lesson that really was. First of all, I went in there thinking I knew how to play. I CAN PLAY A FIVE-NOTE SCALE! I should be able to play anything, right? Wrong. Secondly, three or four guys who I have just met, playing live in front of an audience, don’t really have a good feel for each other. No real chemistry. And finally, I CAN PLAY A FIVE NOTE SCALE!

Like a lot of guitarist out there, I had visions of rock stardom. The only problem is I didn’t have the discispline to even sit down and learn a song from start to finish. Didn’t even know how to write a tune. Yet, like a contestant just booted off American Idol, I was going to be the biggest thing since Van Halen or whomever. The blinders were definitely on.

So what does all this mean and where am I going with it. If you pick a band off MTV or VH-1, pretty much any band. What you don’t know is the story before they were this Multi-Platinum selling machine. If you ever get a chance to talk to your favorite band, ask them how long it took to get where they are? Ask them how many days did they go hungry or without a shower? Just ask them how hard it was getting to where they are now.

Now was it worth it? I’m sure it is, but how long do you attempt to make it until you realize, “I need a real job”?

Other than wanting to be a “world known guitarist”, I also wanted to play professional baseball. My father and I had a conversation about this. Sparing you all the detail, he asked me “What makes you think you’re going to make it?” At the time I just had a feeling I was going to. More of a vision really. But the truth is, I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t make a sacrifice and I let to many things get in the way.

To try to sum this up, try to envision what type of player you want to be. If it’s a blues guitarist, focus on finding your own sound and practice until you can play what’s in your head. While you’re doing this, your ears should get better and you’ll begin “hear” what sounds good or not so good from a tone perspective. And then you should practice some more. Play with as many people as you can. And then you should practice some more. And you should play as often as you can. And then you should practice some more.

I once read an article by Rusty Cooley. Rusty is one of those players that from another world, real scary. Rusty kept a practice regime and set goals for himself. He came across a very determined and disaplined player. Just download any of his videos from his site and I think you’ll agree. I think this is a great way to improve your skills.

Along with keeping a log of your progress, I think it is very important what and how you practice. First and foremost, practice your chords and scales with a clean tone. Distortion will hide your mistakes. Playing clean is also a great ear trainer. Play the notes as clean as possible so you can hear every note without any buzz. Find a place with out distractions. Learn songs from music that are totally opposite of what you normally listen to. For example if you’re into Jazz. Listen to country and see if you can bring a jazz feel to the song. Can really help you branch out.

I recently ask a friend of mine, Josh Smith, what did he do to become a better guitarist. Here’s what he suggested. “Challenge yourself by not only figuring out guitar parts, but learn how to play the horn parts in an arrangement”. This is a great suggested as it call really open up your style. Josh’s website is www.joshsmithandthefrost.com

Lastly, and this may be directed to the younger players, please do yourself a favor and get an education. Use both, playing guitar (or whatever instrument you play) and your degree, to further your knowledge. There’s nothing like having a good job to support your GAS addiction.

In next month’s article, I’ll be highlighting some of the players I met at NAMM. Some of them you may or may not have heard of, but definitely worth checking out.

Until next time….Playloud.

Ben Leck

Leck905@hotmail.com

January 11, 2006

Greeting Tone Seekers! It’s a brand new year and I’ll be bringing you a monthly web column dedicated to the pursuit of tone. For most of you, the search of that “sound”, we hear in our heads, is something that can just drive you crazy with GAS and keep you up at night. Is it the thrill of the chase to find that ultimate sound? Or has our childhood new toy obsession just evolved into a different type of toy? Probably for me the latter is my excuse. However, I’m sure we all share that emotional goose bumps on the arm state when we actually find what we’re looking for. Isn’t that what its all about?

So what are we going to talk about? Great question. Sitting down to contemplate what topics I’ll cover is similar to eating at a buffet restaurant. Where in the world do we start? Do I start with the latest, greatest new guitar builder? What about that new pedal you’ve been hearing about that just rocks? Or could it be about a certain technique that one of our favorite player uses? How about practicing? Should we get as detailed as what battery is better for your pedals?

Well several years ago, I was a member of the Toastmasters. For those of you who have not heard of this organization, let me give you a brief explanation. Toastmaster’s is a global organization dedicated to the art of public speaking. Upon joining you are required to give what is know as an “ice-breaker” speech. This helps the group know more about who you are. So that’s what I’ve decided to do for my first column.

At first I began with an interest in drums. My father played in a band and had a good friend who had a set. I remember pretty clearly pounding on those skins. Unfortunately, my parents had divorced and because I didn’t see my father that much he decided not to purchase a set of drums for me. Perhaps that was a good thing or this could have been a column about drumming.

Around the age of 11 is when I first started playing guitar. Typical story really, my best friend learned a song, show it to me and I was hooked. You probably recall clearly what the first song you learned was. Mine was Dio’s “Rainbow in the Dark”. What’s funny here is that I was totally into Metal during this time and continued to love it for many years to come and still somewhat do. Because of my mother and stepfather’s taste in music, I grew up loving Disco too! I still have the movie sound track to Saturday Night Fever in original vinyl. How in the world can someone love Metal and Disco at the same time? Well I just did, because it just sounded good.

Even getting more extreme, my stepfather and myself would travel to the little town of Sparta, NC (Near the upper western part of North Carolina). His best friend’s father, a fantastic flatpicker and elderly man with very weathered skin on his face and hands. I think his guitar was as beat up as he was. They both had a lot of miles. We called him Lighting. He moved around slow and steady, but could flatpick old mountain tunes with great fluidity. He was impressive to watch and helped me greatly because I learned how to change chords quickly by following him. Years later I finally learned to appreciate this type of music. I’ll explain later.

Up to this point, there’s really nothing special to tell. I’m sure its somewhat of a familiar and typical story. I think it was around 92’, that a guitarist whose name I forget, introduced me to the blues scales and how they work. The light went off in my head and something magical happened. I began to “hear” for the first time. Notes had meaning. Song and solo structures became easier to manage and figure out. I stopped reading tab and began using my ears to hear what was happening. Now this started a chain reaction. It’s amazing what happens when you start to “hear” what’s going on rather than just listening.

Because of the musical influences I had and the fact that my mother and father had careers in sales, I wanted to be that person a manufacture uses to demonstrate and promote their products. I guess you’d call this position a clinician. I came up with the idea of being an independent rep. My first call for employment was to Steve Blutcher at Dimarzio. A resume was sent and Steve actually took the time to speak with Larry Dimarzio about it. But they were already an established company and I really couldn’t bring any value to their company. However a few years later, Steve and I would become friends or at least good acquiesces.

My second call was to Terry McInturff. He was just starting to break out and pick up steam. Furthermore, he was just an hour away from where I lived. Seemed like a good opportunity, but Terry handled all his dealers by himself. Strike two, but I was motivated and pushed on. The next couple of calls where to Fulltone, Jaros Guitars and a few others. I wasn’t getting anywhere. However in 2000 things changed and I really stepped in it.

As I get older, I am continuously blessed by the people I meet and get to know. I’m extremely grateful for the position I’m in today. It’s taken a tremendous amount of work. Even with all the work I’ve put into my career, it wouldn’t have been possible with out the chance Gene Baker gave me.

Searching in Google, I typed in Custom Guitars. A small company called Baker Guitars came up. Someone named Gene Baker was the owner. His bio looked pretty good, but what really attracted me was the guitar. Now don’t let me confuse you, I didn’t contact him because I thought he had a cool guitar design. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that I have this uncanny ability to just look at a product and know, “this is going to be good”. So I emailed Gene and told him who I was and wanted to do. He agreed it was a good idea. It fit his future plans and he offered to bring me to my first NAMM show in January of 2000.

At NAMM, to be honest I had no idea what to expect. Not a clue. Not to mention, I really had no idea who Gene really was. Gene’s artist relation’s person at the time was Jeff Rivera. Jeff was Robben Ford’s long time tech. Jeff brings Robben down to the booth. Robben was a huge influence on me and he was standing right there! I listened in to Robben and Gene’s conversation. Come to find out Gene headed up the production and building process of the Robben Ford model while at Fender. Gene and Robben had begun talking about a Baker “RF” model guitar. Two years later it would be a reality.

Some of you may know the story of why Baker Guitars went out of business. I’m not going to rehash it. But I will say it broke my heart.

Because of the opportunity at Baker, doors opened up. Right before Baker closed its doors, I was introduced to Andy Fuchs. Now funny thing is I can’t recall exactly how I contacted him. But it began pretty much the same as with Gene. Andy wanted to branch out. I had a small dealer base. It was a win-win. Since 2003, I’ve been working with Andy. Also in 2003, I was introduced to Xotic effect pedals. I’ve worked with them about as long as I’ve been with Andy.

The accumulation of working with Baker, Fuchs and Xotic really made an impression on me concerning Tone. Baker Guitars incorporated the Buzz Fieten Tuning System, which by the way has spoiled me to the point I can’t really play a guitar without it, and with my ears being a little more sensitive I could really hear the difference. Andy was making a Dumble type amp. Being a touch sensitive amp and playing a Baker, I was forced to make some adjustments in my playing. Again, I continued, “hear” what was happening. How the amp reacted to how I played, mistakes stood out. With the Buzz Fieten System, when the guitar got a little out of tune, I could “hear” it and it sometimes drove me nuts. No matter how slightly the guitar was out of tune.

I’ve been a member of The Gear Page for a little over a year. What an awesome resource! I recommend it to anyone. I’ve learned a tremendous amount. Those members have given me honest feedback on several topics. I hope to meet some of you in the future. If any of you run across “Ole’ Dog Ears”, this guy really knows his stuff. Just be careful that he doesn’t get your booth turned off at NAMM. That’s a little inside joke.

Over the past 6 years, it’s been an awesome experience. I’ve been able to meet all of my favorite artists and learn about some great gear. I have plans of reviewing some of this obscure gear that you’ve only heard about. I hope it will also help these manufactures sell some additional product. There are so many fantastic builders, any support we can provide for them I hope is appreciated. After all they’re helping fulfill our GAS.

I hope you found this first column somewhat interesting. I want to make sure everyone understands that I am by no means the king of tonal knowledge. But like many of us, just continuing to search for that sound in my head.

In closing, let me leave you with some personal information and current gear set up.

My family consists of my wife and I and our three kids, Charleigh (8), Jackson (6) and Zoey (4). I’ve been promising Charleigh a purple guitar for her to learn on. One of these days I’ll get around to getting her one. Jackson, I’d like for him to learn the drums. With Drummers being hard to come by, I figure why not let him learn so we can jam. Zoey….we’ll its too early to tell but for now I see a bright future for her in the mosh pit. She’s the wild one. Having such an amazing family that supports what I do is more than I could ever ask for.

As for gear, my absolute favorite guitar is my Baker B-1. I can’t recall how or why I actually got this guitar, but it was sent to me prior to being sold to an upstate dealer. When I forwarded it on, the dealer called and said we’ve got a problem. A particular shipping company had broken the neck right out of the pocket. The case was unharmed. We’re all still scratching our heads on how this could have happened.

Phil Pitello fixed it for me. It plays as good as it did before the accident. Is that a testament to Gene’s luthier ability or Phil’s skills with repair? I’d like to think a little of both.

For amps and effects, I currently use a Fuchs TDS-50 4×10 combo. This amp is a monster in size and volume. The cabinet’s dimensions are 27” (W) x 30” (H), somewhat of a back breaker. The only effect I’m currently using is a Xotic BB pedal. Never really cared for a lot of effects between the amp and guitar. The signal is routed via Lava Cables. And that’s really it.

Until next month…Playloud.

Ben Leck
Leck905@hotmail.com