Moving!!

Today I got the call I have been anticipating our orders are coming this week posting us to Canada! needless to say A and I have been really excited all evening. In preparation for this I have slowly started to pack up Indian River Studio for the move. it is amazing how much incredible gear I have. I was looking at all the boxes of amps and guitars and gear that I have has made me realize just how lucky I am to have such a supportive wife who truly love my craft as a musician and song writer. It was a rather sad moment packing up all my gear because I love playing and using it. Even though it is only a couple weeks where it will be in boxes it is still hard to not have it out and on hand so I can record whenever I want. I do look forward to this new assignment because while we are up in Canada the final home for Indian River Studios will be built. The plans are drawn up and soon we will be breaking ground on this wonderful new home where A and I will live and enjoy my music and her incredible sewing! So for now, have a great evening and we will be back on soon!
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Fender G-DEC 3 Thirty Blues Edition 1st Report

Well, on friday the man in the brown truck dropped off my new G-DEC! I had a funny feeling from the moment I got the package in the house until I got the amp unpacked and plugged in that this was no ordinary amp. From the moment I turned it on and saw the soft blue glow from the information screen to the first notes I played the experience only got better! There are 100 factory presets of classic Fender amps. The quality of these patches is first class! Then there are the 100 backing tracks which you can play along to. Again, Fender really did an amazing job getting some of the most elite artists and having them record the tracks. I then hooked up the amp to my computer and started to fool around with the Fender Fuse software. This is where it gets really interesting. I was able to manipulate the software in the amp to make my own settings and then rename them. Now the information screen has my named patches. Talk about a totally custom amp!! The amp comes with all the associated DVDs and software packages(Fender Fuse, Amplitude Fender LE amp modeling software and Ableton Live Lite 8 Fender Edition recording software) I will post more as I delve deeper into this amazing amp. As always to my amazing wife A, Thank you for  such amazing gear! I love you!
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New Tool in the Sonic Arsenal!

Well, what can i say? I have a wife who spoils me! The latest tool coming into my studio is a new Fender G-DEC 3 Thirty Blues Edition. I tried one out a while back and really liked the freedom it gave me in terms of not needing a band. With this little amp you can load your backing tracks onto an SD card and go play live. The great thing is no band drama and consistent performance. I am also looking forward to the capabilities that this amp brings wiht the Fender Fuse software. I will be able to manipulate the sound of my amp and also build the set list effects so I do not have to do the pedal dance when playing. Once the amp arrives I will post pics and also give a full report on it's pros and cons. Until then see you later sports fans! To my gorgeous wife A, once again you spoil me more than I deserve! Thank you babe! I love you!

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The Great Tone/Volume Knob Debate

As I was flying back from Kingston Ontario the other day I was listening to one of my favorite guitarists Jeff Beck. I was appreciating how he uses his volume and tone knobs so well to further accentuate his music. While I am not anywhere near the calibur of player that Jeff Beck is, I find that I am much more comfortable using an expression pedal. I tend to make small adjustments with the tone and volume knobs when playing> I think that the main reason for this is because I use the expression pedal for big swells. I will also admit that it is also because I am not good at using the volume knob for swells while picking. Some of the forum "friends" I have tease me because while they are very well vresed in the volume knob swells, they can't do an expression pedal swell to save their lives. So, to sum it all up as an incredible player I know once said..."It's all good"!

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A performance report on my Fender Road Worn 50s Telecaster

Well, I have now had my RW Tele for a week. In that time I have had the opportunity to go over this beautiful instrument from head to toe. The relic job is in my opinon very well done. The places where the great Fender craftsmen did the relicing are flawless. it really looks and feels like normal wear and tear on the guitar. The hardware relicing is also first rate. The fit of all components is perfect. I could not find a single thing wrong with the fretwork. The intonation was right on. I did not have to make any adjustments. I did make a slight adjustment to the height of the strings but found no fret buzz what so ever. The next thing was to plug her in. This is where I really fell in love with this guitar. The Tex-Mex pickups are in a word incredible! The neck pickup is as smooth as silk and has an angelic quality to it. I was able to make this guitar sing! I felt like a kid at Christmas! New tones, new adventures! Then I went to the bridge pickup and well...had my hair blown back by the tone and sheer aggressiveness of it. I was able to go from twang machine to a roaring monster with just the turn of the volume knob on my guitar. I have not been able to put this guitar down. Both plugged in and unplugged this guitar sounds gorgeous. It is begging to be played. Yes, I used to be a skeptic of the whole reliced guitar thing. Then one day when my gorgeous wife A was in one of her classes I went to my local guitar store to try out some amps and happened to play a Blonde RW Tele. I was impressed with it. And now as Paul harvey would say ' That is the rest of the story" A, as always I can't tell you enough just how much I love you and also how blessed I am to have someone who believes in me and my music like you do! I love you!To everyone else have a great weekend!

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