Archive for category Journal
Playing A $25,000 Guitar…
Some of you know that I just took a position at Des Moines Iowa’s best guitar shop: Professional Music Center. Pro Music is the one place in Des Moines where you can actually try out and buy the gear you actually want. There always have the best stuff and it is always in the best condition. Needless to say, I was a customer long before I was an employee.
As part of a new redesign for the shop, Pro Music now sells vintage guitars. Many of the guitars are going to be priced somewhere between $800.00 to $3,000.00; however, there is one 1956 all original Gibson ES-335 (Mono) with a Bigsby sitting in the case priced at $25,000.
Our guitar tech, Shane, has been going through the guitars getting them ready to be sold. Yesterday it was time to give The Gibson some TLC. Normally it takes him about a half an hour to forty-five minutes to get a guitar ready. For the ES-335 he spend a little over two hours because he was so nervous something was going to go wrong.
Of course, when he was done he had to give it a test drive to make sure everything was in top condition. He plugged it straight into a Dr. Z MAZ and let it sing.
It was the first time I had heard real PAFs. Not just pickups designed based on PAFs, but the actual pickups that were being produced while the patent was pending. It was like a religious experience. These were the most musical, creamy, articulate pickups I had ever heard.
I’m standing there in a daze as Shane is playing this guitar and feeding me all sorts of gold nuggets of information when suddenly he holds the guitar out towards me.
I was a little surprised, but I wasn’t going to say no.
It felt like I was using china as cymbals. I couldn’t play well enough for that guitar, but it didn’t matter. It was astonishing. Every note was clear, perfectly balanced and beautiful.
After about ten minutes I gave it back (time stops when you are playing that guitar). I realized that I had just played and heard the Holy Grail of humbuckers. From here on out, this is what I will compare every other Gibson too.
Keep sharp,
-Jed
Being A Guest Worship Leader
For the next to Sundays I’m leading worship at a church I have never lead worship for. It is called Real Life Church in Ankeny, Iowa. My friend is a worship leader there but will be on a missions trip in the middle east reaching out to Muslims (that’s a missions trip and a half). So I’m filling in for the next two weeks.
Although some of the people there know me, for most of the congregation this will be the first time they have worshiped with me (or met me for that matter).
This is an interesting challenge. Most of the time when I lead worship it is for people I know very well. It feels like we are family. This time the security of familiarity won’t be there. So I feel like I need a “strategy” (that’s not the right word but it will work) for the next two Sundays.
Here’s what I’m thinking. If you have any other tips I would love to hear them.
1. Select songs we both know. I’m only there for two Sundays and my agenda is to lead them in honest worship, not teach them a song I think is really cool.
2. Start the worship by sharing scripture. The Word of God is one of the best inspirations for worship. It has a way of resetting my brain for worship. Hopefully this will have the same effect on a congregation I have never met.
3. Eye contact and smile. Never underestimate the power of these two acts when leading worship. I won’t be a robot about it. Their will be moments when it is just me and God, but I also need to bring others to that place.
4. Be genuine. It can’t be faked. I can’t lead where I don’t go. I can never expect other to genuinely worship if I don’t first.
Should be a great experience. I’m am really looking forward to this.
Keep sharp,
-Jed
The First Time I Played A Timmy
Last night I was able to steal some time in between work and friends to play the Timmy. I didn’t really know what to expect. I heard so much hype about the Timmy before I ordered one and even more after, I was afraid I was going to be disappointed. You know, like when Star Wars Episode One came. You wait in line for hours then you see the movie and the only thing that comes to mind during the poor dialog and slow moving plot is all the things you could have gotten done instead of being in line.
I didn’t have time to set up my board; I didn’t even have time to get my guitar. Just Q’s Eric Johnson Strat through the Timmy through the Mesa Lonestar Special. No delays at all; already it’s not looking good for the Timmy.
Plugged everything in, turned the standby switch to “On,” pressed on the true-bypass switch to reveal a shiny blue LED and let a monstrous D chord ring out.
My life was changed.
I will save more detailed descriptions for a Pedal Profile but I loved what I heard. It lives up to all the hype. I almost forgot about the friends I was suppose to meet.
Needless to say I put Velcro on this pedal as soon as I could and it is sitting proudly on my board, where it will stay for quite some time.
My conclusion is: if you don’t have one, get one.
Keep sharp,
-Jed
The Arrival
Last September, my gear broker-code named “Q,” ordered two Timmys from the legendary Paul Cochrane, one for me and one for him. For many who have been waiting for this holy-grail-of-tone-in-a-box it has been a painfully long one. We were first told if we would get around January of 2010. That didn’t happen.
Apparently, Paul decided to redesign the pedal. The power plug in thingy (this is what happens when I’m in a rush) has been moved up to the top of the box (I don’t understand why more pedal makers don’t do this.) The button has been moved farther down towards the bottom of the box so it is less likely that the knobs will be moved when the player presses down on the switch (love this). Also the clipping switch has been put on the placed outside of the box. This is really sweet for me because I wouldn’t touch it if I had to unscrew the bottom just to switch it.
The redesign and a issue with the paint added to the waiting time.
I friend of mine asked me if it was worth the wait. I don’t know yet. It just came yesterday and I haven’t had a chance to play it. Be sure that a formal Pedal Profile will be made on this pedal.
Keep sharp,
-Jed