Talkbass.com Forums

Sugoi!

Talkbass.com is an internet monster and, strangely enough, I had never even heard of it until a few years ago. This is a shame, because it is a great place to find anything related to the bass, either electric or upright.

I cannot figure out why I did not know about it, as it has been around since 1998-- it is not like I have been avoiding the internet…

Talkbass has something for every bass player: there are general forums to discuss the state of the instrument, as well as dedicated forums for parts, strings, accessories, effects, and repair hints. There are also forums to discuss technique, recording, live sound and management.

If you are looking for gear, there are classified ads for basses, amplifiers and effects(with oodles of listings) and sponsored forums with special deals for Talkbass members.

My mind is always boggled by the amount of traffic on this web site. As of today, Talkbass.com has:

178,492 members

703,194 threads

10,379,774 posts (more than 10,000 per day are added)

Talkbass is run well, and the moderators do a good job of trying to keep things civil, but I just cannot go there very often. And the reason why is not unique to this site – I have a hard time accepting the amount of meanness and hatred that people enjoy posting on the internet. Just check the reader comments on ANY news article posted on the internet if you do not know what I mean. It scares me if I think about it for too long.

Sometimes even the most innocent threads can eventually degenerate in political diatribes, name-calling and ugliness, forcing the moderators to close them. Some people just seem to relish in putting other people down and goofing on them and their equipment. These folks are generally make huge numbers of posts, and I have to think that if you have the time to make 10,000 (or more) posts…

… maybe you are not spending enough time playing your bass.

Mahalo!

Stewart MacDonald Guitar Supply

Como estas?

If you like working on guitars, or if you just enjoy woodworking, you have check out Stewart-MacDonald of Athens, Ohio. They have been selling guitar parts and luthier’s tools for over 40 years, and are the best in the business.

I first found about Stew-Mac when I needed to find some grabber strap buttons for a Kubicki bass, and The Man recommended that I check with them. They had them, and pretty much every part I have needed since then. They carry OEM parts for both electric and acoustic guitars, as well as a panoply of bodies, necks, pickups, bridges and tuners in case you want to build your own guitar.

Stewart-MacDonald also has every tool you will need to build or set-up your own guitar, rewind your pickups or replace worn out frets. For example, they carry files for every application, including ones for nut work and cleaning up sharp fret edges. If you need it, they have it.

If you are still learning guitar repair or set-up, they also have sell plenty of how-to books. My favorite is Dan Erlewine’s How to Make your Electric Guitar Play Great!. Every guitarist should have a copy of this, even if they don’t ever plan on working on an instrument. It gives a lot of insight into why guitars play the way they do, and how minor adjustments can change the way they play. It is $20 well spent.

There are also juicy repair hints on the stewmac.com website in the “Trade Secrets” section. I am on their mailing list so I get the Trade Secrets newsletter via e-mail, and there are lots of clever tips on improvising tools and repair solutions.

Go to stewmac.com and see what they have to offer!

Mahalo!

1980 Aria Pro II Les Paul Copy

Aloha!

This Les Paul copy is a mongrel and a one-trick pony, but it does a pretty good trick. That trick would be sounding like a Gibson Zakk Wylde Les Paul and nailing that Black Label Society tone.

First off, this is a 1980 Aria Les Paul that was made in Japan, but I do not consider it a “lawsuit” guitar, as it does not really have the Gibson headstock shape. But it is still a very good quality copy, and a terrific player.

This Aria is appointed like a Les Paul Custom, with triple binding and gold hardware galore. It is a set-neck guitar (most Arias I have seen had bolt-on necks), with a pancake body and a thick cap. It has an ebony fretboard with pearloid trapezoidal inlays.

There have been a few modifications to it over the years with the goal of making it a better player. Vintage Grover tuners (a direct replacement) were installed as an improvement over the no-name original equipment heads, and Joe Glaser installed a new bone nut.

This guitar plays very well, and the original frets are still in great shape and I was able to get a very low action with no buzzing. I would say the neck has more of the baseball bat 1950s feel to it, which is my preferred profile. It is not too bad on the back, weighing in at around 10 pounds, which is ok for a non-chambered Les Paul.

But the electronics package is what turned this old Aria into a metal machine. When I bought it somebody had already installed a set of Zakk Wylde EMG-ZW pickups: an 81 at the bridge and an 85 at the neck. It was wired like crap and had a lot of hum when I got it, so I went through it and put in new pots and it was ready to go.

And it sounds exactly like the Gibson Custom Shop Zakk Wylde model that I used to own, for about 1/6 the investment. It has a metric ton of output and is the crunchiest guitar I have ever owned. It does not work as well for conventional rock or country, but it does exactly what it is supposed to do.

So, if you like the Zakk Wylde sound you too can get it in a playable guitar for not too much cash, as long as you are not too hung up on brand names.

Mahalo!

Martin D-18V Guitar

Aloha!

I have tried the rest and finally bought the acoustic guitar I wished I had never sold, a Martin D-18V. This model perfectly captures the look and sound of an old Martin dreadnought, and I cannot believe I sold the last one that I was lucky enough to own.

A lot of folks like the simpler appointments and throwback look of older guitar models, so the wise heads at Martin introduced the vintage series of guitars which have these classic looks and features and are ready to play right out of the box.

This D-18V has plenty of vintage styling cues, including the rosette, headstock shape, pick guard, hardware (little bean tuners!), fretboard markers and neck profile. The vintage-ness carries over to its construction, with scalloped braces (light strings, please) and top bracing that is more forward than the regular D-18.

This Martin has a solid sitka spruce top, and solid mahogany sides and back. Note that the vintage series gets a nicely aged finish that is very thin. I am not fond of the newer Martins with really light colored tops, so the vintage tint brings the whole look together for me. The fretboard and bridge are made of ebony – good look finding that on a regular D-18.

The neck is fabulous, with great workmanship on the frets and fingerboard. The neck has a comfortable V shape to it, and the width at the nut is 1 & 11/16 inches.

This specific guitar is a 2008 model that was made during Martin’s 175th anniversary. It has a few light dings, probably because the finish is so thin, but I would not have it any other way. I think thick finishes really hurt the tone of acoustic guitars.

And the tone is what draws me back to the D-18V. I love the look and feel of the D-28, but I prefer the tone of mahogany, not rosewood. Also, the scalloped (and more forward) bracing gives the D-18V a fuller sound, making this the perfect guitar for me -- especially when I consider the classic vintage look of this thing.

These guitars are not terribly cheap, of course. The list price is $3349, with a street price of $2499, but you get what you pay for, and what you are paying for here is one of the best mass-production dreadnoughts around. By the way, I recently went on the Martin factory tour and got to see first-hand the care that goes into building these guitars, and it made me proud to own one.

It is good to have this guitar back in my stable, and hopefully I have wised up a bit, and will keep onto this Martin and not be distracted the newest, greatest thing that pulls into town. Hope springs eternal.

Oh yeah, and now I need to find a J-45. You got a line on one, Corey?

Mahalo!

Mariachi El Bronx Show at La Cita Bar in Los Angeles, California

Hello!

I had the good fortune of scoring tix to the Mariachi El Bronx record release party at La Cita last Wednesday, and it was a hoot. I don’t write a concert review very often, but I will give it a shot.

La Cita Bar is not a huge place, and the event was sold out, so they closed the bar down, and started letting ticket holders in around 10:00. The bartenders did an impressive job of keeping up with the crowd, and there was a real positive vibe in the place.

There was not a big wait before the opening act, which was the duo of Zander Schloss and Sean Wheeler. This was an acoustic set with Schloss on guitar and vocals and Wheeler on lead vocals, and my god they were awesome. I will have to buy their album, Walk Thee Invisible and write a review.

As I said, it is a small venue, and once the show started everybody from the patio moved inside so it got a little crowded. The stage is also small, and it was packed too but despite the closed spaces it was a great show.

Matt Caughthran is a great frontman, and kept the show moving, and all of the performers seemed comfortable in their roles, which are a bit of a departure from their punk rock roots. BTW, I love the way Matt phrases the English lyrics so they fit in perfectly with the traditional mariachi (norteno, maybe?) sound. One noticeable difference from the usual mariachi performance was the intense drumming of Jorna Vik. He kicked ass and brought the music to a whole new level. Me gusta!

I apologize that I have not included any live pics. It was pretty crowded, and there was no way I was going to stand there like a jackass trying to snap photos with my phone when there was a good show going on. I am not a professional…

If you get the chance to see Mariachi El Bronx (or The Bronx) live, you have to do it. They are on a European tour now, and the next leg of their US tour kicks off in the middle of September. Go to mariachielbronx.com/live for tour dates and ticket info.

Mahalo!

Mariachi El Bronx

Hi there!

I will be writing a concert review later this week for the Mariachi El Bronx show, so I thought I should lay some groundwork and introduce this band to you in case you have not heard of them.

Mariachi El Bronx is the alter ego of the Los Angeles-based punk / rock band, The Bronx. They have been prolific and successful, producing three albums as The Bronx and two more as Mariachi El Bronx, as well as participating in the Warped Tour and Coachella.

Their mariachi stylings are authentic (though the lyrics are in English), and it is obvious that the boys did their homework when writing and rehearing their mariachi musings. Here is some info from the band about how this iteration of The Bronx came about:

“ It all started as a way to flip the electric goes acoustic performance garbage, because that's never good. We were invited to play live on television but decided that a cheesy acoustic version of our song was not what we wanted to do.

The original El Bronx line up, featured guest appearances from Zander Schloss (Wierdos, circle jerks) and Keith Douglas (Mad Caddies). The project triggered something inside all of us that was unexpected. It's almost impossible to explain, but it felt like discovering a second soul within you. We instantly started writing new songs.

Mariachi El Bronx touches on many facets of mariachi music, the most well know being norteno as well as jorocho, wasteka, bolero and corridos. It may seem strange for a band that blasts the audience into outer space every night to take this direction, but mariachi music is every bit as much of a soundtrack to southern California as punk. They are seamlessly intertwined.”

They released their latest album yesterday, and it is very good. Perhaps a full review will works its way onto my blog soon. I am looking forward to their show at La Cita Bar in downtown Los Angeles tonight, and will let you know how it turns out.

Mahalo!

Rickenbacker 4003 Basses on Sale

Howdy!

I just got word that Musician's Friend is having a blowout on brand-new Midnight Blue Rickenbacker 4003 basses. They have been marked down from their usual price of $1949 to $1299.

This is an insane deal and you never see these basses at these prices. For comparison, search eBay and see what folks are asking for used ones...

If temptation gets the better of you, go to the Musician's Friend website and search for 4003, input your e-mail address and they will send you the price and a link to add it to your shopping cart.

Buy one today, and keep the economy going!

Mahalo!