WILLIE’s LARGEST U.S. BOX SET EVER – HIT SINGLES, RARITIES AND TRACKS FROM 60 ALBUMS ON A DOZEN DIFFERENT RECORD LABELS

Personal favorites range from four historic local Texas singles (1954/55 to 1960) to dozens of studio & live career touchstones, including collaborations with Waylon Jennings, Leon Russell, Roger Miller, Ray Price, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Webb Pierce, Julio Iglesias, Faron Young, Hank Snow, Highwaymen (Waylon, Johnny Cash, Kristofferson), Lee Ann Womack, and more!

100-page full-color booklet with introductory essay by Mickey Raphael, and 8,000-word biographical liner notes essay by Texas journalist Joe Nick Patoski!! (read the full story here, PDF file)

All these could be YOURS!

All you have to do to enter this contest is to comment on this post providing a valid email address and a name!

On 30 August one person out of all of you commenting on this post will be awarded with the Willie Nelson’s 4 CD collection, One Hell Of A Ride.

The winner will be announced by email!

So, gentlemen, start your engines this very moment!

For more information on Willie Nelson and Legacy Recordings see this link here https://www.legacyrecordings.com/

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Note: What I am going to write here should not be considered a review. It is not since you need more time in order to write a review. These are just my practical observations on playing MY new Line 6 Variax 600 guitar. I don’t want to say that all Variax guitars behave the same, because frankly I don’t believe so. This is not a review of how it feels, I will not say here if the sound of Gibson models is close to the real Gibson model or anything like this, this is not the reason for this post. I started as a fan of Variax possibilities, I truly believe this is the way to go in the future and I do support this as much as possible. Read on…

Later edit: please read until the end because of a last moment phone call.

So, yesterday evening I have received my new guitar, a beautiful Variax 600, blue. I can tell you I have waited almost 3 weeks for this guitar to come here from UK so I didn’t have the chance to test it, I saw this particular guitar for the first time when I opened the box.

I opened it, took the guitar out, I am sorry I didn’t make a movie out of it, it should have been interesting, but I had no camera and no patience to wait anymore. The guitar is nice, I love the finish on the neck, natural wood color, I had no problems with the quality of details, playability, or general feeling of “cheap” as I have seen some people saying on the internet. Nothing in this direction, but hey, I get excited pretty fast and a new guitar can blind you in the first days from that point of view, right?

So, let’s test it to the rehearsal room!!

I plugged everything together, as you probably know if you are familiar with Variax guitars, you need 2 input lines in the PA, a guitar input, as usual, and a voice input, for the acoustic guitars. There is a foot switch that makes the…switch between the two lines. Done! Let’s see the baby in action!

First, a jazzbox model, because it was set there. I started to pick a few notes…surprise! I was picking a straight D major chord and the notes were…well, how to put it, not right! The notes on the G string sounded like having some kind of flanger or rotary effect, like in a wave, coming to me and then disappearing back! WTF?! I switched to an other model, then to an other one, then to an other one…

General result?

The Spank models, meaning the Stratocaster emulations, on all positions had big issues with G string from 2 points of view:

• volume: the volume of the G string was lower than the volume of the B and D strings. Picking the notes in a chord gave me the impression that one string was not present there. Playing the same pattern on the 3 strings gave me the impression that somebody was having fun with the volume knob while on G string.
• sensitivity: when picking B string or D string from as smooth as I could to hitting them hard, they sounded as they should, low in the first case and loud in the second case. Well, not the same situation with G string. When picking notes on G string easily, you can barely hear the notes, while when increasing the force applied on picking the same notes, the volume suddenly jumped, it was like having only 2 levels of volume on G string.

Gibson models gave me a beautiful sound for distortion, I was quite happy with how my guitar sounded on Gibson models through my BOSS processor…except at one moment when I had the sudden impression that I was tuned to some radio station, since my guitar suddenly started to make a hum-buzz-radio-like sound that scared me since the volume was high on the PA.

At one moment I had the surprise to see that a string just disappeared from the mix…it was not there anymore, WTF?!! As I have understood from somebody from the internet having similar problems, switch to an other guitar and then back to it. OK, I did and the string was there. That sounded too much like a reset on a computer. I know this guitar is a computer but come on…

On a 12 string guitar, the low G note on low E string was way too powerful, IMO, produced a strange resonance. Now, I can not be sure if this was real or just an impression caused by the particular room conditions, because the 12 string is produced by kind of an octaver or something. Now, this low G note may have been resonating with somebody else in the room, like the speaker or drums, or who knows, I can not tell for sure but the impression was that playing a F, G, A sequence, the G was louder and that was not good.

I had the impression of a strange behind-the-note effect in some cases, again on G string mostly, like picking the G string, hearing the clean G note and then behind it a long distorted but very low volume tail, like a low volume distortion. Strange. I can not tell you on what guitar because I have stopped looking at the models and focused more on how the particular notes sounded. Like I have never done with any other guitar, I have started to take every single fret and play it in order to see if sounds strange on some notes…

I also experience a strange noise on an acoustic model that was set on custom bank, so I just switched to custom bank and started to hear a noise like when the cable is broken and you move it around to have the two pieces in contact.

At that moment I was already mad with the fact that the guitar was not what I expected but what happened after this really put an end to it: I tried to save a model on the cutom bank following their procedure described in the book and that was the end of it, after this I wasn’t able to start the guitar anymore, nothing made any noise anymore, the guitar was dead!

I unplugged everything and called the guys at the company that sold me the guitar decided to ask my money back since I needed a reliable guitar, not a toy, but there was nobody there at that moment.

I called Silviu, my friend who owns one and told him about my experience with it and he somehow convinced me to give it another chance and have it fixed or replaced by the company instead of asking the money back. Also, I experienced a loud noise when pressing the foot switch and I was also mad at it because it can not be used on stage like this, imagine hearing a shot amplified as loud as possible every time you switch your guitar from acoustic to electric. He explained me, however, that this is normal and not a bug, you just need to turn of Phantom power on your mic line. Well, good to know…

I am going to call again the guys from the company to see how I can fix this and keep you posted.I expect a good feedback from the guys who sold me the guitar, I hope for the best and I hope to end up with a good, reliable guitar that can be played on stage.

By the way, I have also attached a few pictures with the guitar and yours truly!

Later edit: I have managed to get the guys on the phone and they told me to cool down cause there is no problem, the guitar is actually a computer (of course) and needs a bit of “tuning” using their Workbench software so I should get back to them with the guitar, they will connect it to their computer and “re-tune” it, kind of how they do it with your car computer, when something goes wrong. Strange, very strange, but efficient, if it works. So, I am happy with this solution and probably tomorrow I will take a day off to go to Bucharest to tune my guitar. Damn!

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Due to the buzz my post of a few days ago about Tiago Della Vega generated and the discussions about this guy lacking other skills but speed, I have decided to show a video I have found on YT with him playing a slow instrumental song, Isabella.

The fact is that I was a bit surprised about him not jumping right from the start to those fast phrases, I guess I had a predefined idea that this is all that this guy, Tiago Della Vega, is, a fast player. But he also has nice phrasing, a good tone and a beautiful song structure, so without any other words, I give you Isabella and Tiago Della Vega, the fastest guitar player in the world, 2008 playing a slow song.

I ask myself if it isn’t boring for him to hold a long note…hmm

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There is this little game I like to play when I have idle moments (like when waiting in the car, waiting for food at the restaurant, you get the point). I like to listen the song that is on the radio, CD, etc and figure out the tonality, chords, etc.

It is a game of ear training and of course it doesn’t work all the time, but if you start paying attention you will see that you start recognizing particular phrases, particular chord progressions that you have previously heard in other songs that you have already played.

It is a fun and useful game to play and I found myself “playing it” a lot of times and I can not tell you the satisfaction when you figure out a sequence.

I had the idea of this post after listening this morning a song that had a pretty straight forward chorus that I instantly recognize, helped also by the chord at the end which makes an unmistakable mark: Dm, Am , E, Am A7. Now I can’t be sure it was Am as tonality, maybe they played it in Gm or in Bm, or in Em, who knows, but the sequence was unmistakable.

An other interesting game to play is to think of you playing particular note sequences on the guitar and try to “hear” those notes, or the other way around, to take a slow(stick to slow!) sequence and try to think of those notes on the guitar neck; you will see that if you have let’s say a D, C, Bb (note) sequence and you “see” it on the guitar neck as a D, C, B, you will instantly fell something it is not right there, your musical sense will let you know you are not right.

These are two interesting games to play for the moments you don’t have the guitar with you!

Try them and you will see how fun they are, especially the first one with figuring out the chords. OK, and another one: stay away from jazz if you are not very good at it

Anybody else playing such “games”?

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Patience was the song that really turned me to rock music and I have always thought the sound there is the most you can get from an acoustic guitar.

The sound is so clean and warm that nothing can beat it and the fact there are no drums there gave me the feeling of being closer to the song, like the song was recorded by a few guys playing the guitar for fun, like we used to do at one party or another…

Now I have discovered on YT this version of Patience played by Velvet Revolver and even if they didn’t change that much to it, the new voice makes it sound different while keeping the rest of it makes it sound the same. New and still the same, does it make any sense to you?

How do you like this version? Did you know it?

PS: Listen closely, did one of the guitar players played a flat note on 1:21 or is it just me?! I love those moments!!

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Today I have received this pres release by mail and I think it would make a news of maximum interest for guitar fans all over the world: legendary guitar builder Dean Zelinsky, founder of Dean Guitars exits Dean guitars.

I will publish the press release in the form I have received it:

LEGENDARY GUITAR BUILDER DEAN ZELINSKY EXITS DEAN GUITARS

CHICAGO, IL-July 22, 2008 - Dean Zelinsky, founder of Dean Guitars, announced today that he has parted ways with the company that he founded in 1976, which still bears his name.

Having sold Dean Guitars in 1991, Zelinsky played an integral part in the brand’s recent resurgence in popularity, effectively putting Dean Guitars back in the limelight after becoming re-affiliated with the company in 2000, during the tenure of its recent owners.

Zelinsky, discussing his not yet announced new venture, stated today, “I wanted to get back to what put Dean on the map originally — building high-quality instruments that shape both the image and tone of guitar players, from the beginner to world-class professionals.”  Regarding Dean Guitars, Zelinsky says, “I can no longer attach my name to the reputation, quality and direction of Dean Guitars or its current objectives.”

Zelinsky stated the announcement with details of his new venture will be released on Tuesday, August 26, 2008.

About Dean B. Zelinsky:
Zelinsky is a pioneer in the custom high-end guitar market, and is legendary for creating stage-worthy electric instruments that have exceeded professional players’ expectations since he founded the original company in 1976.  His innovative designs have been embraced by rock and roll’s top artists spanning three decades. The spinning fur ZZ Top guitars made music video history in the ’80s along with the “ML” design, which became as much of a part of “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott as his crushing riffs and gregarious
persona and which remains a heavy metal standard today.

The roster of world-class guitarists who have relied on Dean’s craftsmanship and creativity have included the following: “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott (Pantera, DamagePlan), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Leslie West (Mountain), Michael Schenker, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill (ZZ Top), Trent Rezner (Nine Inch Nails), Jerry Cantrell, Elliot Easton and Rik Ocasek (The Cars), Rik Emmett (Triumph), Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Sammy Hagar, Kerry Livgren (Kansas), the Doobie Brothers, Nancy Wilson (Heart) and many more.

Denise Dorman
WriteBrain Media
Chicago / Destin / OC
O: 630.845.4694
C: 630.215.5623

http://www.writebrainmedia.com
http://www.twitter.com/WriteBrain
http://myspace.com/writebrainmedia
http://www.linkedin.com/in/writebrainmedia

Could this be the end of an era? Will Dean guitars change after the founder left the company? How do you think this will influence guitar businesses?

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After the post about Tiago Della Vega (aka the fastest guitar player in the world, right?), I have looked some more on YouTube to find more videos about him or similar performances. Well, I did find a few, but I have decided to write about something else today and that is branding in online presence.

The fact is that I am not a marketing professional, I have not studied marketing in school but I have become more and more aware of it’s importance over the last years, no matter what’s your field.

I had this post about why marketing a band is so much like blogging, I suggest you read it if you haven’t done it already, and today I have found appropriate to cover this subject from a more “practical” point of view, being motivated by a new discovery on YT.

The idea is simple: make yourself seen, come with a particular something that will help people identify you. There are many good musicians out there, most of them playing very good, but not always become known. Why is that? Because they don’t have an unique presence that help people identify them. Maybe it freaks you out when you see Marilyn Manson or other artists like him, but that guy has an unique presence and that helped him position himself well on this crowded market.

The fact is that a little something can make the difference, and this is where I come to the reason that started of this post: a lot of people promote themselves on YouTube these days. A camera and a computer and you have just about everything you need, right? But there are so many (not-famous)people that play or sing on YouTube, how many do you actually remember once you close the browser’s window?

Fretkillr rules!

Let’s see, from my point of view: fretkillr. I love this guy’s music and channel, I subscribed to it. But why do I come back? How did I manage to remember him the first time? OK, he has a lovely acoustic guitar music, but did you notice the fact that all the time he films himself from a particular position where only the guitar is seen but not him?

Did you notice that nobody knows his real identity, who this guy is, what’s his name, etc. This created a particular cloud of mystery around him, causing interest and people speaking about him and coming back to him.

We have here in Romania an example of a band that started as a project/experiment, nobody knowing who these guys were, nobody knowing they were even from Romania, and this caused a wave of interest. The guys made their identity public only about 6-7 months after the project started to work. And what do you know? By coincidence, they guy is from my city and we used to know each other 10 years ago from recording in the same studio here. That’s marketing.

The kitchen concerts

Also, an other example, not that successful, but interesting from the point of view of creating a name/identity: concerts from the kitchen! Right! This guy films himself singing and playing the guitar from his kitchen, creating a series of clips gathered under the name “concerts from the kitchen”. I think he changes angles and environment a bit too much on his videos, but if he would keep his “thing” he may be easily remembered as “the guy who sings in the kitchen”. Not much, but it creates him an identity!

Here’s the guy:

Sandi Thom, the girl that lived her dream

And as a 3rd and final example, a girl that made it big, Sandi Thom, if I am not mistaken, started having daily concerts from her basement, streaming these shows live on her website. An unique point of view and the strange location and the internet made her big. That’s marketing, right?

Do you know any more artists with unique presence on YouTube?

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I know that playing really fast is not quite related to music, even if Symphony X or Malmsteen fans will contradict me, but this guy here,Tiago Della Vega, deserves mentioning here since he plays really (and I mean really, really) fast.

I have posted here some time ago something about a guy that said he is the fastest guitar player in the world, but what he did was actually playing with his right hand only, not not actually playing the guitar.

Tiago Della Vega here plays a song at the fastest tempo I have ever seen so far, 320 bps, to a point where it seems he doesn’t actually play anymore, but just move his left hand over the frets.

The fact is that it is quite annoying and really is not music anymore, but for the sake of the record, you just have to listen it till the end. So, without any more comments, I give you Tiago Della Vega, the fastest guitar player in the world…

Well? Anybody dares to beat this guy? In playing the guitar, I mean…

Later edit: To all of you coming from StumbleUpon, thank you for visiting in such large numbers!! I am impressed! Please don’t forget to give a thumb up to this page! Thank you!

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Reading Jon post about Riffworks software inspired me to have this small post here about a new toy: Propellerhead Reason 4.0.

I start to fall in love with all Line6 related products, at least so far with Variax guitars, Tone Port interfaces and now with this virtual studio software that kicks ass!

I love the drums they deliver, nice tones and nice loops also. I have no MIDI controller for the moment and I have not recorded anything with my guitar, but drum loops are sooo much fun for the moment!!! I think I will get one of their Tone Port interfaces to be able to record easily whenever and whatever I want, but after I pay for the guitar.

For the moment I am conducting a small market research, to see what is the best value for the money regarding these Tone Port interfaces. For the moment I think that Line 6 Tone Port KB37 is the best choice since all the others give you enough to record your guitar, bass and voice but you still need a MIDI controller of some sort to play with everything else. This little toy, KB 37 delivers this too. Seems that for what you need at home it is a great tool, at least this is what I know so far. I haven’t tested it, I have only seen reviews on the internet but seems like the best value for the money. As all the rest of Tone Port interfaces comes with a big part of the power that POD delivers, amplifiers, effects, plus a software to manage them all.

But if you already have a keyboard that you can use as a MIDI controller, then I guess UX2 does the job.

Anybody else having one of these at home?

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These days I am in one of those periods where nothing really comes to me easy, in terms of inspiration, or whatever you want to call it…

I didn’t post anything yesterday because nothing came to my mind. Period. Yesterday evening while rehearsing with my band, I searched for a better “solution” for the guitar part of one new song and frankly it was not that great. Seems it is a general state, I guess it may be the weather, outside it is sunny and beautiful while I am in here…well…

I guess everybody faces such periods but in artistic environment they really suck! How about if you are a composer pressed to deliver a song by the end of the week and you don’t have any good phrase yet and nothing comes to mind? How about if you are a writer and feel empty of all those great ideas that used to come to your mind a few years ago?

I guess I am not the only one facing such periods, isn’t it? What do you do when it happens to you?

PS: You know, any answer you may come up with must be better than the one I saw on a funny poster, with a monkey squeezed in a corner saying (whenever I feel like working) I squeeze into this corner and wait for it to go, guess it won’t last forever…

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