Just found this article about “setting up your guitar” on the Gibson.com site. Its from back in 2007, but it still applies today. Especially if you have not set up your guitar since 2007!

Check it out:

Gibson Tone Tips: Set It Up

Proper Guitar Set Up is Critical to Playability

That’s right, set it up. Or, if need be, get someone else to set it up for you.

Whether you set up your guitar yourself, or have it done by a professional tech, a good set-up is crucial to achieving not only optimum playability but maximum tone too.

By “set-up,” we usually mean a combination of things that all work toward keeping your guitar in good condition, somewhat like the full tune-up you occasionally give your car. On a guitar, a full set-up generally includes adjusting neck pitch, string height, and intonation, and pickup height relative to strings.

It might also include conditioning the volume and tone controls (potentiometers), selector switch, and jack with a squirt of contact cleaner/lubricant, and lightly sanding―or “stoning”―the frets to remove slight divots and uneven spots that have emerged with heavy playing.

Let’s elaborate a little on the benefits of keeping your guitar ship-shape.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY CLICKING HERE.

Two weeks ago I wrote an article titled “How Many Guitars Are Too Many?”

In that article I wrote about something called Guitar Acquisition Syndrome (better known as G.A.S.).  If you missed that post, CLICK HERE to read it.

I have since learned that there is an official web site dedicated to the (somewhat desirable) disease… called GuitarAcquisitionSyndrome.com.

Living With Guitar Acquisition Syndrome

There is even a book available that can be purchased on Amazon.com.  Just click the image to the left if you need immediate help with your addiction.

From the review: This is a fun and unusual book. Your “normal” friends won’t understand it, you won’t really learn anything specific about guitars or collecting… What you will walk away with after reading this book is the comfort of knowing that you aren’t alone in your affliction for acquiring guitars (and that many people are worse than you).

G.A.S. is best described as the uncontrollable need to purchase “just one more” guitar.  Then, when the new guitar arrives, the G.A.S. symptoms return. It’s a never-ending cycle that can be… terminal.

G.A.S. is a growing epidemic among guitar players young and old, regardless of how long one has been playing.

G.A.S. is not rational and appears to be a sister disease to “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder”. 

Since it is easily stimulated through the visual sense, it highly recommended that those suffering from G.A.S. avoid the local Guitar Center, Sam Ash and MusiciansFriend.com as very serious financial hardship and/or marital difficulties may occur.

Clearly, the key to curing G.A.S. is early detection.

Research has shown that those who suffer from G.A.S. today had symptoms for many years that were most likely ignored.

I invite you to participate in the official GuitarBuzz reader poll designed to expose early warning signs.  Please answer the following question:

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I read that Gibson alone offers over 150 different varieties with their standard, reissues and artist series. Add to that all of the other manufacturer’s models and you have several hundred different “looks” to pick from.

BUT THAT’S NOT ENOUGH!!!

For all of you wanna-be guitar designers, click on the image to the left and watch your screen morph into a guitar designers pallet of options.

Be patient as this site may take a minute or two to load…but I guarantee it will be worth the wait!

This is an amazing graphics application that will allow you to customize the Color (Plaintop, Flametop, Quilttop), Body (Finish, Binding, Pickguard), Neck (Ebony, Rosewood, Maple, Inlays), Pickups (Bridge, Neck, Screws), Hardware (Tuner, Bridge, Controls, Toggle) and so much more.

Read more…

A few weeks ago I posted this picture of Joe Bonamassa with a “portion” of his guitar collection as a part of my review of his Phoenix concert.

Joe Bonamassa and his Guitars

I LOVE THAT PICTURE!

I use it as the desktop background on my computer as well as a constant reminder of how “few” guitars I actually own!

The truth be known, I own 9 guitars. They are:

1. Fender Squier Strat
2. Alvarez Yairi Acoustic
3. Taylor 414-CE Limited Edition
4. Rogue Acoustic Resonator
5. Schecter C-1 E/A Quilt Top
6. Traveler EG-1 Travel Guitar
7. Gibson Les Paul Standard
8. Taylor Solidbody – Deluxe Walnut
9. Gibson CS-356 w/Bigsby Custom Shop

OK…now let’s look closer at this list. The first 2 are really my daughters. They are in her room and she’s the one who plays them (the most). So that really means I have 7 guitars. And since the Traveler guitar is only played a few weeks a year (when I travel) I really can’t count that one either. So I guess I have 6 guitars. The Rogue Resonator was an impulse purchase when MusiciansFriend.com blew them out for $99 bucks on one of their “Stupid Deals of the Day” and it’s really more of a decoration on a stand in our living room (with it’s shiny cones) so to be honest…I really have 5 guitars.

But wait… I almost forgot… I re-tuned the Schecter to “Open E” a few months ago when I thought I wanted to play slide… an idea never really took off so the Schecter is hardly being played at all right now and the Gibson is a Custom Shop that I’d hate to see get damaged so when it comes down to it… I ONLY HAVE THREE GUITARS (that I actually play).

I keep telling myself (and my wife) that I still need all of them because they all sound different. Some of my other favorite excuses are:

• They are all going up in value and we would lose money if we sold them.
• There is a unique guitar for each “genre of blues” that I play.
• Different kinds of wood sound different.
• This is not a “new” guitar, it’s used.
• I am not going to keep this one very long.
• I could not pass this deal up!
• I need a guitar in every color.

My wife says it’s a sickness and she is right.

It’s called GAS. Not the kind of GAS sickness you get after 2 tacos and a bean enchilada…but G.A.S. as an acronym that stands for Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.

Please understand that the acronym G.A.S. is not my creation. “G.A.S.” was coined by Walter Becker in his 1996 Guitar Player article when he wrote that “G.A.S.” was “Guitar Acquisition Syndrome” [CLICK HERE TO READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE].

Guitar Acquisition Syndrome (also known as Gear Acquisition Syndrome, both abbreviated to G.A.S.) is used to describe an uncontrollable urge to acquire and accumulate multiple guitars. G.A.S. should not be confused with collecting and G.A.S. is similar in many ways to very mild obsessive compulsive disorder, hence the sickness my wife believes I have.

Even when financial means are not available, the G.A.S. sufferer will do anything to procure the instrument. Be careful around these folks. G.A.S. has been known to highly contagious and spreads quickly. -Squidoo.com

Read more…

OK… so I don’t have scientific proof…or an inside scoop…but I have been wondering for some time why Gibson has been releasing all of these artist-played, custom-shop-relic’d, ultra-expensive signature guitars.

For example, the Jeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood – available for just under $25,000.00!

Then today (courtesy: Nashville Business Journal) I read this:

Gibson Guitar owes the Internal Revenue Service nearly $450,000.00!

Gibson Guitar Corp. faces a federal tax lien of nearly $446,000, according to Davidson County records filed today.

The Internal Revenue Service says the Nashville guitar manufacturer owes more than $442,600 in corporate income taxes for 2007 and 2008 and $3,350 in payroll taxes for 2006. The tax lien follows various legal and financial issues in the past year, including a federal raid over rare wood, allegations of price rigging and the downgrading of the company’s credit rating by Moody’s.

In an official statement, the company said Monday afternoon that the tax lien is associated with penalties and interest claimed due by the IRS. Gibson said the penalties and interest resulted from mistakes on 2006 through 2008 tax returns that were prepared by an independent tax and auditing firm that is no longer employed by Gibson.

“The company is currently amending each of these returns and believes that once amended returns are filed, substantial tax refunds will be due and that any penalties or interest claimed due will be abated.
Read more…

Jeff Beck in the "Gibson Showroom"

If You Have An Extra $25,000 Laying Around…

From Gibson.com… The 1954 Jeff Beck Les Paul Oxblood is the most detail-precise reissue of this hallowed instrument ever produced by Gibson Custom. All of the intensively accurate Custom Shop craftsmanship is there. From the one-piece light mahogany back to the accurately-arched carved maple top to the light aluminum wrapover bridge to the one-piece Beck-profile mahogany neck with long-tenon neck joint. Beyond even these, however, the instrument exudes the vibe of the original, with a feel, sound and finish match that pay homage to Beck’s own modified Les Paul. -GIBSON

Available in very limited numbers, the Jeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood from Gibson Custom will come in two different series.

The first 50 of these historic guitars will be carefully aged by the master luthiers at Gibson Custom to look exactly like Beck’s original, then personally hand-signed, numbered and played by Beck himself.

The next 100 guitars will be prepared with Gibson Custom’s pioneering V.O.S. finish, bringing the total run to just 150 rare instruments. Each one also comes with a specially produced Gibson Custom case with Beck’s signature silkscreened on the top, a custom care kit and a certificate of authenticity.

The 50 “Hand-Signed” and “Beck-Played” are on sale now… (better hurry!)

I want to know…who buys these guitars? I mean…seriously!

David Schiller has written a book that should be in the library of every guitar player.

Order GUITARS from Amazon.com

This is not the type of book you will read in one sitting nor is it the type of book you will read in sequential order from front to back.

After turning the first few pages you soon realize that “Guitars, A Celebration of Pure Mojo” is a virtual guitar encyclopedia that has been compressed into a 4″x6″ treasure chest.

There are over 500 guitar photographs included in amazing detail. The book includes guitars that made history, changed the course of music and inspired new generations of players.

Just a few of the famous guitars included: The amazing Gibson L-5, Rickenbacker’s “Frying Pan”, Les Paul’s “Log.”, B. B. King’s Lucille, Willie Nelson’s Trigger, Eric Clapton’s Brownie, The J-160E that John Lennon played during his 1968 “bed-in” with Yoko, Jimi Hendrix’s hand-painted Flying V in full psychedelic regalia… Are you ready to order your copy yet?

Also included are profiles of famous builders including C. F. Martin, Orville Gibson, Leo Fender and the mad genius Lloyd Loar. Individual luthiers like Linda Manzer (her Pikasso II has 42 tunable strings), the maverick Ken Parker and old-world artisan John D’Angelico are also profiled.

Marrying visual pleasure with layers of information, “Guitars” captures the soul, the magic and the raw mojo of the instrument we all love and adore.

I already know what many of you are saying…”Who is Crystal Bowersox?”

Crystal Bowersox is one of American Idol’s Season #9 frontrunner girls. She is certainly my favorite.

One reviewer wrote : The 23-year-old former farmgirl and single mom has a headful of dreads, a chinful of facial piercings, and a mouthful of sandpaper-and-velvet.

She’s been strumming and singing since the age of 10 and cites trailblazing blues women like Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, and Sista Otis as her own musical influrnces. Her most notable “idol” might be Melissa Etheridge–as evidenced by the “Melissa” autograph on the body of her acoustic guitar.

She looks destined to make the “Top 12″ — especially after her soulful performance last night of “Give Me One Reason”.
(video below)

I noticed that her electric guitar has not been signed. Looks like a great place for a “GuitarDaddy” autograph! Hey Crystal, is that space for sale?

The internet is amazing. Blogs are even more amazing.  The internet and this blog have allowed me to “re-connect and communicate” with many people.

Twelve years ago, I lived in Seattle, WA and worked for a well-known technology company. I was in sales management and had a team of sales professionals who worked for me.

I have always believed that success is directly tied to the quality of the people you associate and work with on a daily basis.  It’s hard to succeed totally on your own. The truth is… any success I realized in the corporate world was more a factor of my ability to identify talented salespeople and encourage them to work for me than any personal achievements of my own.

(By the way, that same axiom holds true today — surround yourself with as many successful people in the music world as you can. You will learn from them and they will inspire you to grow as a guitar player.)

OK… Back to Seattle… No one called me “GuitarDaddy” then. I did not even play the guitar! But the seeds of my six-string love affair were being planted…

One of the talented salespeople who worked for me was a young man by the name of Brian Oaks.

While I will always remember Brian for his drive, determination and professional sales skills, I will NEVER forget how he often spoke of his love for the guitar.  I will admit that at that time, I did not understand how ANYBODY could be passionate about a guitar… but time sure has opened my eyes.

A few years ago, the internet allowed me to re-connect with Brian and over the past month, that re-connection evolved into this blog post as Brian allowed me to interview him about his life and the guitar.

Brian’s passion for the guitar and music drove him to leave corporate sales and the security of a weekly paycheck to pursue his dream of playing guitar professionally.

I believe Brian’s story is one worth sharing with the readers of TheGuitarBUZZ. Enjoy!

GD) How long have you been playing guitar?

BO) About 25 years…I remember getting my first rental guitar in 5th grade (Gibson Sonex 150)…. I started taking lessons and really getting into it pretty fast. My grandparents bought me my first guitar in 6th grade from Kennelly Keys Music in Burien, WA. It was a 1983 Sienna Sunburst Fender Strat. I still have it today and it is 9/10 as far as condition goes and remains safely tucked away. Having a great first guitar really helped me learn.

I will say that there were some years during and after college that I did not play much. I wanted to be a doctor in college and then ended up in sales. During those years, I played but did not practice much. About 10 years ago I met someone that moved up to Seattle from Nashville. We became great friends and that is when I really started back at it.

GD) Who are your major influences?

BO) I always dug the session guys more than anything growing up. Dann Huff, Jerry McPherson, Mike Landau, and Gordon Kennedy were big when I was young. I loved how these guys could come up with the perfect part, solo, and sound for a song. That was inspiring to me. Still is…Today All the above still inspire me but also guys like Gerry Leonard, Michael Lockwood, Tom Bukovac, Kenny Greenberg, Shawn Tubbs, Brad Paisley and many others. Each of these players approaches the instrument in a different way. GREAT learning opportunity to learn from diverse people!

When it comes down to it I love guys with confidence. This is rock and roll to me. Seeing Tom Bukovac, Mike Landau or Kenny Greenberg live is pretty stupid cool. Listening to Jerry McPherson come up with some amazing part is too. Confidence is a major influence to me as I am trying to get better at it.

GD) How would you describe your playing style today?

BO) Well I hope I sound like me! I am definitely a pop/rock guy heavily influenced by country and roots rock. I love the sound a cool vibey & guitar into a great amp with a memory man delay. I love making chunky rhythm and the fun ambient/washy stuff too. I love simple lines that make a part and love a solo you can sing to…. Since being in Nashville I have totally been digging into the great country players and using my fingers a lot along with the pick. I have always used a “hybrid picking” style (Mark Knopfler ) but even more so now. I sound like Brian Oaks with a little of my influences mixed I hope.

GD) Tell me about the move from Seattle to Nashville:

BO) Well I loved working for Dennis Jones but I think I loved guitar more (chuckle). I think there is a time in all our lives where if we are really honest with ourselves we know what God created us to be. I believe for me that this is music. I just had to make the jump. I knew I was good enough (to an extent as the talent here is scary!). I just did not want to come to the end of my life and say I wish I would have… It has been the best thing I have ever done less marry my wife Stephanie and have my 2 kids Tyler and Abigail. Dreams are powerful when you have a talent. If those two things are there, you have to run with reckless abandon in that direction. I moved down here in my mid 30’s. That is late to an extent but it was the best decision for me. I do not regret a second of it. I have the best job in the world.

GD) What are you working on right now?

BO) I play for country artist Mallary Hope. AMAZING artist on MCA Records. I have also been on tour with Point of Grace and Mark Schultz on the Come Alive tour. That has been a ton of fun. Will be continuing that tour this winter on the West Coast. I play for a lot of artists not on “tour” as it is expensive to get a band on a tour bus so we do fly dates or short runs. I played this summer for Warner Bros. artist Whitney Duncan when she was doing band shows. That was a lot of fun.

I am also producing a live record for a church up in Chicago with Brent King in May. He is an old friend and is Ricky Scaggs engineer. Great learning experience there. There is also session work too, but I am enjoying playing live right now so that is what is taking up the most of my time.

GD) Describe your live rig: guitars, amps, effects, …

BO) It depends on the gig, but I have been using my Matchless HC-30 and a matching Matchless 1×12 cab. That amp just seems to get most of what I need with my pedalboard. That amp at 9 is magic. I have to use in-ears, which I am not real fond of. I know the amp sounds good in the house even if it is not great in my ears. I also have a Divided by 13 FTR 27 I love too.

On the winter run for the Come Alive tour I am taking a 1966 Fender Bassman head and a Naylor Superdrive 60 on the road. The Bassman is amazing sounding and has lots of vibe. The Naylor is the best amp I have ever played for solos and big Rhythm.

As far as effects I have a big Trailer Trash board that has basic food group stuff on it that I use for dates when I need a lot of options. I run 2 Line 6 delays, as I need more than 3 presets. I love the Memory Man but the Line 6 works great when I need presets. I have an old Nobles ODR-1 for overdrive and a Xotic Effects RC Booster if I need to add a little dirt to the clean. I also use an Fulltone OCD on the board too for a little extra muscle. I have an Arion Stereo Chorus (old one) for that Leslie thing, a AYA R-Comp compressor when I need it, a Sweet Sound Mojovibe for univibe stuff and a Fulltone Supa-Trem for Tremolo. With this board many are run through a true bypass looper to keep my signal chain clean.

Less is more and I usually keep it pretty simple as the more distortion you use does not translate very well out front sometimes. I run delays a little hotter live too as they can get lost out front. I love the tape delay settings as each repeat gets more nasally and translates well. Also for really vibe stuff the multi-head setting on the Line 6 is stellar to me.

For guitars that depends on the gig again. For instance on the Come Alive tour I took my Duesenberg Outlaw TV. This guitar pretty much goes with me everywhere. I also have my Jeff Senn Tele that is a staple now too. For the vibey stuff I took my Gretsch Tennessean with flat wounds. Jerry McPherson told me to do this 10 years ago and I never went back.

I bought Fender Aerodyne Tele from Mike Britt of Lonestar that is pretty cool too. This next run I will probably bring out my Gibson SG Heritage too. Great guitar and the Humbuckers sound great through the Bassman.

I aIso play Eastman mandolins (Amazing) that I take on tour as well as a Deering 6 String Banjo.

For acoustics it is my McPherson for sure. I have to capo quite a bit and it intonates no matter where I capo. They make amazing instruments. I would not leave the house without it. It is just one of those guitars that is effortless to play.

I also use Tone Freak effects on my smaller board and Elixir strings. They are the only strings I can play because of my sweaty hands. The sound great and last WAY longer than a normal string. I use them on everything. I am also putting Lollar pickups in everything I can. I have them in my Senn Tele, my Les Paul Goldtop and now in my Les Paul Jr. Love em’.

GD) What is your guitar-playing highlight?

BO) I was playing for James Otto last year when his single “Just Got Started Loving You” was at #2 on the country charts. When we did it live I played the opening riff with just me and the high hat to start the song. On the last show I did with him we opened for Lynyrd Sknyrd in front of about 9,000 people. Was a real rush when the crowd went nuts for the song when it was me at the front of the stage.

GD) Any new recordings / CDs in the works?

BO) I have always been more interested in making other people sound good. I love writing so I hope you will hear some of my songs on the radio!

GD) And the Duesenberg???

BO) Where to start… The owner of the US side of the company is my dear friend Nathan Fawley. He supported me when I first moved to town. My first Doozey was the Outlaw TV. He had me do demo clips for them on their website along with Chris Rodriguez (Keith Urban), Rod Janzen (Dierks Bentley) and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty). No pressure there! That was a great help to me early on.

It is the one electric that covers SO much ground to me. It can do the strat thing, the rock thing and the big neck sound jazzy thing. The TV also has an alligator skin covering that just looks sweet too. The craftsmanship is great and it is really easy to play.

I also have a multi-bender that allows me to do pedal steel licks. If you have not played one, you have to. It is a great tool.

[ END ]

I love to hear about people who follow their dreams.  Like Brian said, talent and dreams can be very dangerous! Congratulations Brian, on all of your achievements.

Visit Brian’s MySpace site by CLICKING HERE.

You can also follow Brian on Twitter by CLICKING HERE.

Finally, Brian wanted share a few of his favorite guitar links… Please check out:

www.elixirstrings.com
www.mcphersonguitars.com
www.duesenbergusa.com
www.tonefreak.com (Go Brian!!)
www.eastmanmandolins.com
www.lollarguitars.com

We all have our “favorite axe”.

Now… try to imagine that favorite axe… STOLEN from you.

That’s what happened to B.B. King, and his beloved Gibson ES-345… Lucille.

As the story goes, B.B.’s main gigging guitar was stolen earlier this year.

Miraculously, it was recovered in a pawn shop by an honest man who knew he had found a guitar that was not your every day Gibson… Read the full story by CLICKING HERE.