Good News/Bad News
Whether the news is good or bad depends on how you "voted" in my survey about replacing my "homosexually pink" guitar. I spent last week going to local guitar stores, and I played dozens of guitars. I played flying V's, I played all kinds of strat style guitars, I played a Hamer guitar, I played a Gretsch Chet Atkins style guitar (think Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats). I played actual strats. I even played an Epiphone SG.
My conclusion: None of them sounded any good. The Gretsch was interesting, but not $1500 interesting. The Hamer was not too bad, but not good enough. Plus it was made in China and I couldn't bring myself to buy a Chinese made guitar. I then came home and plugged in my Ibanez (the Pink Monster) and my Yamaha (The Black Beauty) and I finally figured it out. All the guitars I played sounded just as good as the Ibanez. What I've been really looking for is another Yamaha SG. And I haven't found another guitar like it because I haven't been looking for one. Of course, you can't buy them new anymore since Yamaha doesn't make them. So if I want another one, I'll have to look on Ebay. Which I'm not sure I want to do. I hate to spend $1000 on a guitar on the internet only to find I don't like it after I get it. And that's about what I'd have to spend.
So the verdict is I'm keeping the Ibanez. I'm going to try to tweak it a little bit to make it sound more to my liking, which will be cheaper than getting another one. Not to mention I enjoy playing it and love that it's flashy and loud (in every sense of the word).
In other music related goings on, I'm still having a great sense of musical frustration. I think I'm starting to figure out where it's coming from. In other bands I've been in, all the members of the band are equals and all collaborate on the musical direction and in creating the music. I don't get that from this group. It doesn't really feel like a band. Sure, we play together, but I don't see some commitment from all the members. For example, I emailed the group last week to find a day to rehearse for a gig on this Friday. I got NO RESPONSE. Not a one of them said anything as to what day would be good, nothing. Also, I don't see a commitment to learn new music, unless you put the sheet music in front of them and say "Let's do this". Granted, two of the other musicians are teenagers, but is it so hard to take a song I send in an MP3 and learn it?
Perhaps part of it is that some of the musicians are teenagers. They've got their own thing and finding time for the group is tough. Which I get. But the other thing is that we're not doing some of the music I want to do. I've got a heavy side to me that needs to be massaged. I grew up with Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Metallica, Anthrax, all of the real heavy Heavy Metal bands. We don't do anything like that. And we can if we want. But the few songs I tried to introduce to the group basically fell on deaf ears. So there is my frustration. And it appears everyone is expecting me to carry the load. I have to schedule the practices, create the set lists, bring new music to the group. This wasn't supposed to be my band. And if it was, we'd be doing my music.
So where does that leave me? I'm not sure. I'm just going with the flow right now. It would be nice to get together with a bunch of adult musicians and form a real band, just a cool 4 piece that can totally rock for the Lord. But is that what I want or what the Spirit is moving me to do? We shall see.
My conclusion: None of them sounded any good. The Gretsch was interesting, but not $1500 interesting. The Hamer was not too bad, but not good enough. Plus it was made in China and I couldn't bring myself to buy a Chinese made guitar. I then came home and plugged in my Ibanez (the Pink Monster) and my Yamaha (The Black Beauty) and I finally figured it out. All the guitars I played sounded just as good as the Ibanez. What I've been really looking for is another Yamaha SG. And I haven't found another guitar like it because I haven't been looking for one. Of course, you can't buy them new anymore since Yamaha doesn't make them. So if I want another one, I'll have to look on Ebay. Which I'm not sure I want to do. I hate to spend $1000 on a guitar on the internet only to find I don't like it after I get it. And that's about what I'd have to spend.
So the verdict is I'm keeping the Ibanez. I'm going to try to tweak it a little bit to make it sound more to my liking, which will be cheaper than getting another one. Not to mention I enjoy playing it and love that it's flashy and loud (in every sense of the word).
In other music related goings on, I'm still having a great sense of musical frustration. I think I'm starting to figure out where it's coming from. In other bands I've been in, all the members of the band are equals and all collaborate on the musical direction and in creating the music. I don't get that from this group. It doesn't really feel like a band. Sure, we play together, but I don't see some commitment from all the members. For example, I emailed the group last week to find a day to rehearse for a gig on this Friday. I got NO RESPONSE. Not a one of them said anything as to what day would be good, nothing. Also, I don't see a commitment to learn new music, unless you put the sheet music in front of them and say "Let's do this". Granted, two of the other musicians are teenagers, but is it so hard to take a song I send in an MP3 and learn it?
Perhaps part of it is that some of the musicians are teenagers. They've got their own thing and finding time for the group is tough. Which I get. But the other thing is that we're not doing some of the music I want to do. I've got a heavy side to me that needs to be massaged. I grew up with Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Metallica, Anthrax, all of the real heavy Heavy Metal bands. We don't do anything like that. And we can if we want. But the few songs I tried to introduce to the group basically fell on deaf ears. So there is my frustration. And it appears everyone is expecting me to carry the load. I have to schedule the practices, create the set lists, bring new music to the group. This wasn't supposed to be my band. And if it was, we'd be doing my music.
So where does that leave me? I'm not sure. I'm just going with the flow right now. It would be nice to get together with a bunch of adult musicians and form a real band, just a cool 4 piece that can totally rock for the Lord. But is that what I want or what the Spirit is moving me to do? We shall see.
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