Post Thanksgiving daze

Yesterday was a really great post Thanksgiving day time. My wife, A and her mother were doing their crafty sewing masterpieces(an awesome pillow set for our nephew). I was in the studio all day finishing up a new song called "Brooklyn". It was a very productive day yet one filled with new discoveries. As anyone who reads this blog can tell I love my Fender Teles. I was trying to get this one harmony part on the song recorded and just could not get the sound I had in my head. So, what do I do? I put down my Tele and pick up my Strat and take a pass at the song. Well, I have to say that the sound I was looking for was defenitely not going to come from my Strat. After several more futile attempts with my Strat I finally put her down. I went back and picked up my HWY 1 Tele named Dacks and well after some minor tweaking of my amp I have the exact tone I was looking for. Now all that is left is to add some drums and strings and Brooklyn will be ready for mastering!! The old saying is true, you can always come home!
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Thanksgiving

Well, it is that time again. Folks are traveling, everyone has a few days off and Turkeys are scared for their lives..:) Tomorrow is more than just about food football and days off. It is more a celebration and giving thanks for life. Think about all the things in life that you have and think about how lucky you are. I for one think of my wife A and how very blessed I am to have her and even to know her. She gives me a reason to be thankful everyday because she is such a wonderful wife, friend , soulmate but most important person. I am thankful for this great country we live in, for the gorgeous home we now own and will retire to and just enjoy life. I am also thankful for the gift of making music. What a true gift it is. I live a charmed life...in my opinion and am most thankful for A! Happy Thanksgiving my friends!!

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Studio Design

It is an exciting time for me right now. We have my wonderful mother in law down for a Thanksgiving visit..:), I am really lucky because I have a fantastic relationship with her. We have our gorgeous property in the North Country and are going to be selecting our final home design soon and last but not least..I have finalized my Studio design for Indian River Recorders.The control room is going to be 15 x 20 with a 10X10 machine room area. The main room is 20X30 and the iso booth is 10X10. The great part is that this will be a full service studio out in the country where there are no distractions and an artist can concentrate on their music. I am excited to just be able to bring this to the North Country. I will post some schematics sometime in the near future.
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Tribute to Jim Campilongo

I consider myself to be a humble small town guitar player. I have had some success as a guitarist and as an engineer. I left that job many years ago to serve my country in the Army. I have started back to writing and playing much more than I had in years. I attribute this to my wife. A, has been the inspiration for my playing and writing. She supports it and always encourages me to play, write and record. One of my Tele heroes is Jim Campilongo. Jim is an incredible guitar player who's work I really enjoy. Jim is a world famous guitarist who is such a musical influence that Fender is actually making a signature model Telecaster after his. One would think that with all this success and fame he could just blow off people. Not Jim! I recently wrote a song called "Brooklyn". I have been recording bits and pieces trying to get it just right. One thing I have been looking for is the tone, that perfect setting to really make this song shine. I heard the tone on one of Jim's songs "Dagger Through My Heart". I emailed him asking him a few simple questions on settings..what does he do, Jim sends his producer an email asking how they recorded the song so I could try and get the same tone. This is a true gentleman. He has answered every email I have ever sent him. He doesn't have to do that, but he does! Why, you ask? Well, it is because Jim is a really great man and artist! Jim, Thanks to you my friend!
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Christmas Music???

Ok, I am one of those guys who loves Christmas. I love everything about it with one exception...it is November 17th today....why am I hearing Christmas songs on the radio??? I am a traditionalist and believe that you don't put out Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving and you definetely don't start the Christmas music  before the Macy's Thanksgiving parade!!!
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Great North Country Telecaster Festival

Today, I was down in my studio going over a new song I had recorded when I had an idea. I see all these really neat festivals in the North Country, but I have yet to see one dedicated to our wonderful Telecasters. So an idea was born. Once I get back home I am going to see about starting one. This would be something which in my opinion really bring some great things to the players up north. More details will follow.
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Studio day

It is amazing how whenever I go into the studio to record I am excited. Today is a studio day. Later this afternoon I will go down into Indian River recorders and start to lay down the tracks to a new song that I wrote this week. What is so funny is that I own this studio...I can record up to 200 tracks and the possibilities are limitless. The fun part is even though this studio is mine..I still get that same thrill asI had the first time I ever recorded. I go down plug my guitar into my amp set all the mics up and get all levels set. Maybe it is the fact that I am creating music or just the fun of sitting in my studio and being in control. I make the decisions on what and how I will record my music. No producers, managers or bandmates to tell me that they don't want to be there etc. What a wonderful modern age we live in.
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Home

Today started out like any other day. I got up, got ready for work had a wonderful relaxing breakfast with my gorgeous wife A, and went to my office. The work day was good no issues to make the blood pressure rise and just a very productive Friday. When I got home there was a huge envelope waiting for me. It was the deed to our Lake front property in the North Country. This is the All American dream...we have several acres right on the lake. It is such a joy to know where we will build our dream log home. I felt very emotional thinking about how hard A and I worked to get to this point. A, grew up in Brooklyn so she never had land and a lake to live on. That was something of dreams for her. Now it is a reality, all the efforts on both our parts have paid off. Once we are up north again we will build and I will have the studio built to start my North Country recordings. The thing I am most excited about is to give my beloved A the dream home she so deserves! Thank you A for all you are, your love and just being you!

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Veteran's Day

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day. Originally it was Armistice Day to honor the end of the "War to end all Wars". Many people of  the teens in the last century thought and felt that we would truly never fight again in a war as brutal and wasteful as the Great War. We all know that history does repeat its self. Why..because we do not study and digest and really remember it. We are therefore condemned to repeat it. Of all days this is one that I truly dread. I think of my friends who I have marched off to war with I am here alive and well, some of them are not. Some were buried in Arlington National Cemetary with all the honors and fanfare of a deserving warrior who gave his life in defense of his country. One chose a quiet solemn burial of a simple Soldier high in the mountains of his beloved Idaho. Some wanted to have nothing of the Army associated with their final resting place. These are the men we should celebrate and honor and Thank. These fine young men are the ones who deserve this day in their honor. Those of us who have gone off to war and fought and came home have our reward, we have our lives to live. We have our families to love and we have endless possibilities for our future. All because of these fine men.

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How small is too small

As I sit here and think about the gear I have and playing out I wonder to myself how small is too small. I have several different rigs that go from a Fender M80 Bass 160 watts per side in stereo to a vintage Peavey Bandit 65 rated at 65 watts to a Marshall MG15 at 15 watts to my favorite amp, my Fender Super Champ XD. The Super Champ is a beautiful tube amp rated at 15 watts. It is loud...I am talking really really loud. The size clubs that I will be playing in ,this amp fits the bill. If for some reason I need more volume..well then that is what a mic was invented for..:) I like how it is only 25 lbs. The M80 weighs in at a nice 80lbs without any extra cabinets...add cabinets and you are talking around 200lbs of gear. The Marshall is a nice little amp at 20 lbs...and it too cranks for a nice vintage Marshall sound. The Peavey weighs in at a good solid 60lbs. So, in my opinion...I think that taking the Marshall for the harder stuff...and my Super Champ for everything else is perfect...so I guess in this case small is huge.

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Great Books for Teles

From this forum I am sure that everyone knows that I love Telecasters. In my humble opinion there is no better guitar out there. The Tele is a well rounded instrument that can cover all genres of music like no other guitar. Amazon.com carries  The Fender Telecaster Handbook: How to Buy, Maintain, Set up, Troubleshoot and Modify your Tele by Paul Balmer and Andy Summers, and is  to be released  in January. The forward is by Andy Summers of Police fame. I ordered mine and am incredibly excited for it to get here. The reason I chose to write about this book is because it covers what several different books do. So, instead of having to purchase a ton of books...you have this all in one volume. Hope that this helps.

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Fender Friday

Well, today was the last Fender Friday at Musician's Friend. It was a great way for folks to get a high quality Fender guitar at really crazy price. It is a sad thing but then again they never had to do it in the first place. I never took advantage of it but I feel sorry for the guys who were saving and hoping to pick up a new guitar at the bargain price. There is a bright side to this story. American Musical Supply is really good about beating prices. If Musicians Friend gives 20% off AMS will give you 25%..so it is still within your reach to get a quality Fender! I hope that this helps all those looking for a beautiful Fender Tele.
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Records

I remember a time when a band would start, work hard and dream of getting a record deal. I remember being in 2 bands that were very promising. Both of these bands had our own special sound. One was back in the mid 80's before I went into the Army. Great group of guys all talented all combining several different musical tastes and styles into a really sharp unique sound. We played out alot and got really good. We even got a record deal...and then...the band fell apart. The second band was when I had gone back to college. We were really good. Our style was defined as "Rocking Cow Punk with undertones of Blues". This time we went further, we played everywhere...we had a huge following and we recorded an album...then...the band fell apart. Our lead singer got "God" and left. No hard feelings...understand..too cool...we found a new singer..no go. We lost the dynamic of our guy. Today's musicians are so lucky. They no longer have to deal with trying to get a record deal. With a minimum investment of a few thousand dollars you can buy a multitrack digital studio. This studio will have effects and capabilities that rival the big studios of Nashville, NY and LA. With a little studying of the gear some hard work and some good songs today's musicians can make a record without the problems of the past...the record labels.  I am one of those guys now who has a full service studio. I am so lucky because anytime I feel the urge to record, I just go down stairs into my studio, turnon the recording light and create my music. What a wonderful world we live in.
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The Greatest Team in Baseball...The New York Yankees

Tonight I got the thrill of watching the Yankees with their 27th World Series Championship. In my opinion they are the epitome of baseball. I am thrilled to see another trophy back in our beloved New York! Congrats to the Yankees and all Yankees Fans!!!
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Tele care and Relic guitars

It is amazing at how we value different things. I have always been the type that takes care of the things I have and try an prolong the life of them. I have always tried to keep my guitars in pristine condition. I clean them regularly and have gone as far as to have the Fender Guitar cleaning kit. It has an assortment of waxes and polishes and misters to really give your guitar's finish a nice luster and also protect them. I also learned how to set up my guitars. This is great because it not only saves me from taking them and paying someone else $50 twice a year, it is a way to  prevent any issues further down the road. So the long and short, I love my guitars to look exactly as they did the day I got them out of the box. I can't help but laugh at the guys who buy the same guitar as I have...but get the Road worn or relic'd guitars. It is sad to see that people are so fake and have to buy a brand new guitar and I mean new...not one that is vintage and beat up from years of being played. These guys say that they like the look and feel of these guitars. I say..get off your duff and really play..go out and gig that is how your guitar will be relic'd. I am sorry for the rant, but this new generation wants everything handed to them and do not know the value of hard work to attain your goals.
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Bring on the Twang

It is amazing the differences between the vintage and modern bridges on my Teles. My first tele is a 2009 Fender Standard Telecaster. It has the modern bridge...six individual adjustable saddles. Each saddle can be intoned and height adjusted seperately. This makes setting up your guitar very simple and easy. It also give a long sustain to the guitar. The draw back...it is really big...and  in my opinion it takes away from the astetics  of the guitar. No longer is there the clean simple lines of a Tele. Now, don't get me wrong, I do love this bridge. The amount of sustain that the guitar has makes it really great for soloing and classic rock. My second Tele is a 2009 Fender Highway 1 Telecaster. This has the vintage 3 barrel bridge, grease bucket tone circutry and nitrocellulose finish. The vintage 3 barrel compensated bridge, now that is a masterpiece of engineering. Each barrel has 2 strings on it, and one intonation screw and two height adjustment screws. Setting the intonation and action on this for some is a mystery....but after a few times of working through the process...it is actually pretty easy and in alot of ways alot of fun. This bridge gives the Tele its signature TWANG...that very distinctive sound that no other guitar can emulate, immitate, reproduce. To take it a step further...add brass barrels and you are in Twangville USA. In fact it is so twang and bright that some folks find that they have to roll off the tone on the guitar and the highs on their amps to tame it down. Personally as a die hard Teleman...I say bring on the Twang!!
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Dacks has arrived

Well, after much anticipation my new Fender Highway 1 Tele arrived today. I have decided to name her Dacks(short for Adirondacks) after the region where we will retire on our farm. The friendly UPS guy dropped her off when I was at physical therapy(torn rotator cuff). Needless to say as I was driving home and I saw thew UPS driver pass by me on our street I was really excited. I kind of tortured myself by not opening the package until after I took A to the jewelry store to get her engagement ring cleaned and repaired. Once we got back home A was so sweet and told me to open her up. Well, Dacks is even more beautiful than I had imagined. When I took her down into my studio and plugged her into my Super Champ and just rolled some volume on...man oh man did she sound awesome. I can't wait to do some serious playing and recording this weekend!! Seeing how it is Veterans Day weekend it will be nice...a long weekend to play and record...and A will be crafting and our beloved Holly will try and make up her mind on who she wants to be with. I am so excited to get back home to the North country that we love so much and play with everyone I can up there!! Play well and post more tomorrow.
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Anticipation

Well, thursday my gorgeous wife ordered my new Fender Highway 1 Telecaster for me. It is Honey Blonde, maple neck, 3 saddle bridge and the Grease Bucket tone control. I am excited...kind of like a kid at Christmas. It is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow..and to make it even more sweet...I am off from work. I still couldn't believe that A ordered it for me. I have told her that I really don't need anymore guitars now. I have my one Tele which I call Brooklyn...my Strat and now this new Highway 1 Tele. It is so funny how as a grown man I am like a little kid waiting for this guitar to get here...I guess the old addage you never grow old is true. Thank you A!!! Not just for the gorgeous new guitar but for loving me the way you do...it keeps me young!
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