Carstens Grace BC signature amp

[paranoid]

Originally Posted by Funbags

You have lost your mind if you love this tone!

The cellphone video sounds like a typical full-range guitar tone, whereas Billy's video sounds fizzy and shrill. You can literally hear the pick-scratch against the string when he plays single note leads. That's not "articulation". It's an ice-pick in my ear holes.

to each his own

[paranoid]

Originally Posted by Funbags

You have lost your mind if you love this tone!

The cellphone video sounds like a typical full-range guitar tone, whereas Billy's video sounds fizzy and shrill. You can literally hear the pick-scratch against the string when he plays single note leads. That's not "articulation". It's an ice-pick in my ear holes.

you have any music i can listen to, btw? I'm not looking to pick on tone or anything like that, just curious what other pumpkins fans guitar players are doing music wise.

my free/jazz metal instrumental duo is here- http://fredcracklin.bandcamp.com/

my solo songwriter (with lots of guitar) is here- https://adambosse.bandcamp.com/album/fireflies-in-a-jar

[Funbags]

Strangely enough, I still like Billy's songwriting, but can't stand his guitar tone post Zeitgeist.

Between the MAXIMUM STRUMMING on acoustic, and IOMMI BEESWARM on electric...it's pretty dire.

[houseofglass11]

Originally Posted by paranoid

you have any music i can listen to, btw? I'm not looking to pick on tone or anything like that, just curious what other pumpkins fans guitar players are doing music wise.

my free/jazz metal instrumental duo is here- http://fredcracklin.bandcamp.com/

my solo songwriter (with lots of guitar) is here- https://adambosse.bandcamp.com/album/fireflies-in-a-jar

Cool. I’m gonna check your stuff out in a little bit. Here’s mine:
https://emptyshells.bandcamp.com/

That’s a demo from some sessions that we abandoned. This song has been re-recorded and will be on the album we are finishing up. It’s taking forever though.

[spguitar0]

Originally Posted by paranoid

you have any music i can listen to, btw? I'm not looking to pick on tone or anything like that, just curious what other pumpkins fans guitar players are doing music wise.

my free/jazz metal instrumental duo is here- http://fredcracklin.bandcamp.com/

my solo songwriter (with lots of guitar) is here- https://adambosse.bandcamp.com/album/fireflies-in-a-jar

Mxr sub machine into an orange rocker 30 layered with my old Diezel Herbert here.

https://youtu.be/EKS4PSrRA0M

[AveryLoren]

Originally Posted by paranoid

90% of your tone is from your hands/fingers..

I don't care if its coming from a world famous multimillionaire guitarist, that's just completely stupid to say. Come over and play a tele through my JC 120 and make it sound like Slayer and I'll give you all my gear.

[AveryLoren]

Originally Posted by spguitar0

Mxr sub machine into an orange rocker 30 layered with my old Diezel Herbert here.

This is freaking awesome! Orange and Herbert are my dream blend.

[spguitar0]

Originally Posted by AveryLoren

This is freaking awesome! Orange and Herbert are my dream blend.

Here's the instrumental version of our song Disappear. I ripped the strumming pattern from Daphne Descends. Big fuzzies on this one. I told the producer I wanted Siamese dream meets big modern and heavy. https://youtu.be/67TGCrmwNhQ

[paranoid]

Originally Posted by AveryLoren

I don't care if its coming from a world famous multimillionaire guitarist, that's just completely stupid to say. Come over and play a tele through my JC 120 and make it sound like Slayer and I'll give you all my gear.

No, not stupid to say at all, but I’m not going to tango with you on this because I feel like you’re not going to get it.

But I’ve heard/worked with players playing a Mexican strat through a $100 Princeton solid state and sound like a million bucks, and dudes playing through 10k gear and sound like total shit. The guy that played the cheap gear? He can play through anything and sound great, because he’s a great player. Gear imo is bought for taste of the player, how said player know it will sound with its band, etc etc.

Stupid to say. Christ. Don’t be a Dick.

[paranoid]

Like it’s amazing to me bill frisell can get a gorgeous jazz tone out of a telecaster.. a guitar not built for jazz tones. How is that? He still sounds like frisell no matter what he plugs into.

[AveryLoren]

Originally Posted by spguitar0

Here's the instrumental version of our song Disappear. I ripped the strumming pattern from Daphne Descends. Big fuzzies on this one. I told the producer I wanted Siamese dream meets big modern and heavy. https://youtu.be/67TGCrmwNhQ

Amazing playing, tone and writing. I'm a fan!

[paranoid]

Originally Posted by houseofglass11

Cool. I’m gonna check your stuff out in a little bit. Here’s mine:
https://emptyshells.bandcamp.com/

That’s a demo from some sessions that we abandoned. This song has been re-recorded and will be on the album we are finishing up. It’s taking forever though.

This is great. Also, you’re a lefty?!? Me too!

[AveryLoren]

Originally Posted by paranoid

No, not stupid to say at all, but I’m not going to tango with you on this because I feel like you’re not going to get it.

But I’ve heard/worked with players playing a Mexican strat through a $100 Princeton solid state and sound like a million bucks, and dudes playing through 10k gear and sound like total shit. The guy that played the cheap gear? He can play through anything and sound great, because he’s a great player. Gear imo is bought for taste of the player, how said player know it will sound with its band, etc etc.

Stupid to say. Christ. Don’t be a Dick.

Yeah, it's completely asinine to say. Tone is not a component of your hands. Billy also thinks paint color changes the sound of a guitar.

[paranoid]

Originally Posted by AveryLoren

Yeah, it's completely asinine to say. Tone is not a component of your hands. Billy also thinks paint color changes the sound of a guitar.

you gotta be trolling. and I'm not basing this on anything billy has said, i'm basing this on experience and what a bazillion other guitar players have said.

[houseofglass11]

I consider myself a pretty good player and just from experience I can definitely make a cheap guitar/amp sound better than a novice just cause of good playing technique and knowing how to EQ. I mean yeah the “tone is in the fingers” thing sounds like a boomerish thing to say but it’s true to an extent. I’m reminded of a quote from Pink Floyd producer Bob Ezrin, he said “you can give David Gilmour a ukulele and he can make it sound like a Stradivarius”.

[paranoid]

let me put it this way.. i teach professionally (did the whole masters degree thing etc etc.. not trying to put myself on a pedestal here, just saying i'm not some dick fart working out of a music store).. have taught for 15 years now, at colleges, non profit music schools, etc etc., i've worked with nearly a thousand students in the course of that time.

here's a good example- i teach a blues group guitar course for players that essentially only play at home, never played in a band.. etc etc. some are really good, some not so much. i've had a few students, and this seems like a thing in the blues dad culture, not bother practicing anything that i had handed to them. instead, they'd show up the next week with a $2400 souped up strat, a fender twin with a klon, etc. all the right blues gear. still sounded like shit. why? they couldn't figure out how to touch the fret board (one guy would just hammer on it, via the anxiety he'd give himself over not being able to play), dig into his strings so hard the amp couldn't even react. it took months for him to trust me and turn it around, all of a sudden he started to sound good.

then he quit. lol. a good chunk of tone comes from your ability to play, how you hold the guitar, how you attack it, how your physical body interacts with the gear. like how can you make great gear sound good if you don't even know to play guitar or use the gear correctly.. which is essentially an extension of the instrument? if that's asinine to you then i guess ill see you in a few years when you've figured it out.

[houseofglass11]

Originally Posted by paranoid

This is great. Also, you’re a lefty?!? Me too!

Thank you! Yep I’m lefty, that’s wild you are too. It’s been the bane of my existence as far as guitar choices go. But I’ve acquired some unique and cool guitars over the years because of it. I just picked up a 1997 MIJ 68’ reissue Strat in natural finish with the big headstock. Super stoked about this one and they only made it lefty in the natural finish for a year or two.

[paranoid]

Originally Posted by houseofglass11

I consider myself a pretty good player and just from experience I can definitely make a cheap guitar/amp sound better than a novice just cause of good playing technique and knowing how to EQ. I mean yeah the “tone is in the fingers” thing sounds like a boomerish thing to say but it’s true to an extent. I’m reminded of a quote from Pink Floyd producer Bob Ezrin, he said “you can give David Gilmour a ukulele and he can make it sound like a Stradivarius”.

exactly. it is a boomer thing to say but tire's truth in it.

the vibe I'm getting from this grace video is billy hasn't really picked up an electric guitar that much during covid, so he wasn't warm going into it. but the last time i saw him play in 2018 i thought he sounded as good as he ever has.

[paranoid]

Originally Posted by houseofglass11

Thank you! Yep I’m lefty, that’s wild you are too. It’s been the bane of my existence as far as guitar choices go. But I’ve acquired some unique and cool guitars over the years because of it. I just picked up a 1997 MIJ 68’ reissue Strat in natural finish with the big headstock. Super stoked about this one and they only made it lefty in the natural finish for a year or two.

nice.. i got a 89 mij start in NYC couple summers ago.. lefty and only $400!! couldn't not take it.

i know the lefty thing well. it's a pain. but i'm lucky, i live in western mass where a lot of alt rock dino's live (j mascis, thurston and kim were here, frank black).. so the guy they've kept in business who works on their gear has been building custom guitars here for a decade now, and i've had him build 3 lefty customs for me now. basically i get what i want in a guitar because the guy is building it for me.. love it.

on the negative side of that, I've never had the experience of playing like a true vintage jazz master, because they're so damn hard to find lefty.

[paranoid]

also house of glass-- what are you using for gear on that recording? tone is excellent.

there's also this video of my duo playing-- fun to watch my drummer. he's nuts. skip ahead to 12:20 to hear music though, first half is a really dumb interview.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1puvHXF029s

[paranoid]

I've got a guitar instagram account that i've been posting a bunch of vids with this amp.. if you're further curious about this amp go check it out @ adambosseguitar

[T&T]

Originally Posted by paranoid

I've got a guitar instagram account that i've been posting a bunch of vids with this amp.. if you're further curious about this amp go check it out @ adambosseguitar

sounds good. nice tones.

[Killly_Borgan]

Originally Posted by paranoid

nice.. i got a 89 mij start in NYC couple summers ago.. lefty and only $400!! couldn't not take it.

i know the lefty thing well. it's a pain. but i'm lucky, i live in western mass where a lot of alt rock dino's live (j mascis, thurston and kim were here, frank black).. so the guy they've kept in business who works on their gear has been building custom guitars here for a decade now, and i've had him build 3 lefty customs for me now. basically i get what i want in a guitar because the guy is building it for me.. love it.

on the negative side of that, I've never had the experience of playing like a true vintage jazz master, because they're so damn hard to find lefty.

Is that Trevor Healy yr talking about?

[paranoid]

Originally Posted by Killly_Borgan

Is that Trevor Healy yr talking about?

why yes it is trevor healy! do you know him?

[Killly_Borgan]

Originally Posted by paranoid

why yes it is trevor healy! do you know him?

I take all my guitars to him. I too live in W. MA. Been in few bands and quit a few more.
Trevor is fantastic! I'm hoping to get one of his Growler models. They're beautiful looking. Which ones did you have him build?

[paranoid]

Originally Posted by Killly_Borgan

I take all my guitars to him. I too live in W. MA. Been in few bands and quit a few more.
Trevor is fantastic! I'm hoping to get one of his Growler models. They're beautiful looking. Which ones did you have him build?

woah! do i know you? in any local bands? where in W MA are you? he's built me the lefty guitars that he has on his site, the purple lefty healer w/ sustainiac pickup, the green lefty healer, and a silver healer body hybrid with 70's strat neck. he's the best.

[paranoid]

here's video of me playing everlasting gaze with this amp.. used jimmy's drum track as backing.

(mod embed? i dunno how to do it)

https://youtu.be/YOxKMDNJ7BE

[paranoid]

ok now here's me playing to a super fucking fast live version of Siva from 1994. wicked excited with this one as i've been working on playing up to this speed for a while, and i join in on the free improv freak out in the middle. obviously, with the carstens grace amp.

https://youtu.be/H54mRd54MFU

[reprise85]

you're awesome dude

[paranoid]

Originally Posted by reprise85

you're awesome dude

Thank you!!