How many musicians do we have here at LH?

[Rolf]

For what it's worth, I play bass in various groups in and around New York. Lately, I've been in a Grateful Dead cover band. Before that, it was a Pink Floyd tribute. I have several custom shop type basses, including three Laklands and a Ritter. Three of these are five-string basses. My bass rig has enough juice to make your pants flutter at 30 feet, particularly in larger spaces.

I started playing guitar in 1966 in St. Louis after seeing the Beatles live at Busch stadium. I switched to bass in 1971 and played in a folk rock group for the next five years. Then stopped altogether, went back to college and earned a doctorate in economics. That brought me to NY and Wall Street. Now, I'm back to discovering my roots and reviving my early fascination with JBL: When I was 18, I built my first custom cabinets, based on a D123, LE20 and LX2. Later, around 1974 I built a nice PA out of JBL pro stuff. So I've come full circle. More than you need to know, right?

[louped garouv]

thought some musicians would get a kick out of this one...

http://denver.craigslist.org/zip/1004947693.html


as found in the "free" section of denver's CL

Old Gibson Wedge shape guitar from 1950's.
Looks like rocket ship. Brown case is coming apart at
seams. Cleaning out my fathers home and have lots
of stuff for free. Luke

I replied "please do not give that guitar away...
it is worth some serious coin...
take it to an appraiser and get a decent amount for it, please..."

to which the poster replied...

"You are the only honest person of the 300+ who emailed. Thanks."

looks like someone is having some fun....

[maxwedge]

Figured I better show myself! I'm a old punker from the SF bay area.
The 1st picture was Punk show we put on with the Dead Kennedys in 1979. I'm on the right and the band was called The Vandals.

The next 2 pictures are of a Power Pop band I helped form in the early '80s called Smear. The 1st is a Halloween show in 1984 and the other is in 1985.
I'm playing the red Gibson SG in both of these.

I stopped gigging in 1992 but I'm trying get it together again and write some tunes.

[doodlebug]

Cool pics, MaxWedge! I used to have all my old band's glossy - and in my case - cheezy - promotional pictures but no live-on-stage pics like those. All my pics went up in a house fire some 15 years ago now so all I have left are the memories.

BTW, I say cheezy because I used to do the Top 40/R&B type stuff in the 70s, playing up and down the east coast in all sorts of bars and halls. So there I was in these bands with the exact same double-knit suit with the pointy collars and open necks in some sort of embarrasing, unnatural pose a la the old Doo-Wop groups. Still, we were funky.....

Later I did the Holiday Inn/Ramada Inn circuit for a while, where you were booked by corporate HQ into all those sad hotels along the Atlantic Coast Interstates highways. It was regular pay and regular gigs but miserable.
Thanks goodness there weren't any promo pics of that part of my life.

Looks like MaxWedge was far more happy in his pics.

BTW, the are some great war stories here. Its like those moments in the movies when a bunch of folks arrive at the same place and realize they've all been on the same road only to discover they weren't really alone after all.

Cheers,

David

[maxwedge]

Thanks. Yeah it was fun but we never made a lot of money and played mostly originals. Stupid day job/career probably kept from being more successful but yeah, ya got to eat.
This is how I started using JBL, I was always our sound man.

I finally bought a scanner and now am scanning all that old stuff I saved.

PS: Sorry to hear about your loss of your pictures. That box of stuff is one of my most prized possessions I have.

[maxwedge]

If it wern't for musicians (and public speakers, lol) we wouldn't have a need for speakers, like JBL ect.
This is my 50th anniversary Les Paul.
PS..that shed in the back ground houses my old PA!!!! Mostly JBL (drivers in the house).

And the rest.....
......

[Fred Sanford]

If it wern't for musicians (and public speakers, lol) we wouldn't have a need for speakers, like JBL ect.
This is my 50th anniversary Les Paul.
PS..that shed in the back ground houses my old PA!!!! Mostly JBL (drivers in the house).

And the rest.....
......

Nice assortment of toys- I could live quite happily with that harem!

je

[JBL 4645]

If it wern't for musicians (and public speakers, lol) we wouldn't have a need for speakers, like JBL ect.
This is my 50th anniversary Les Paul.
PS..that shed in the back ground houses my old PA!!!! Mostly JBL (drivers in the house).

And the rest.....
......

Nice collection of musical guitars to electrically buzz the neighbourhood!

[Rolf]

Wow. Is these all really your guitar's? Make me think about Pink Floyd .. The wall.

[svollmer]

I've been playing drums since I was a kid. Still play in a band regularly (AC/DC, Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy kind of stuff). All of us have full-time jobs, so even though we take the music seriously, we don't take ourselves too seriously. We think of the band as our form of golf.

Our "claim to fame" is self-producing a couple of CD's that have sold enough to pay for the projects and we've had a couple songs used in independent film soundtracks. "No music budget? Call that Vollmer band; they'll give their stuff away free!"

We like to be tight and love to be LOUD. Here's a picture of the band with my old black Slingerland set with a custom 28" bass drum. I'm playing a new Ludwig set now that I really like. I had to downsize the bass drum to 26", like Bonham, because Ludwig wouldn't make me a 28". Smaller bass drums sound better, but bigger ones look badass and feel like you're sitting on a big HOG with tons of power. And hey, it's only hard rock; looks are important!

[JBL 4645]

We like to be tight and love to be LOUD. Here's a picture of the band with my old black Slingerland set with a custom 28" bass drum. I'm playing a new Ludwig set now that I really like. I had to downsize the bass drum to 26", like Bonham, because Ludwig wouldn't make me a 28". Smaller bass drums sound better, but bigger ones look badass and feel like you're sitting on a big HOG with tons of power. And hey, it's only hard rock; looks are important!

What about earplugs then and do you suffer from tinnitus?

[svollmer]

What about earplugs then and do you suffer from tinnitus?

WHAT??????


Seriously, I'm the only one in the band with permanent ringing in my ears. And I'm not in front of the guitar amps.

However, I am the only one in the band who used to work routinely with hammer drills, jack hammers, etc., so I think that noise added to the drums caused my tinnitus. On the plus side, I still seem to hear very well. At least I haven't noticed it getting worse.

I'm trying to prolong that by wearing earplugs every time I play the drums, go to a concert, or work around loud machinery. The band can't play any "quieter" because I love loud drums and the guitars have to keep up with my noise level. If I can't play the way I do, I'd rather not play. So, I'm stuck with loud and am religious with the earplugs.

[JBL 4645]

WHAT??????


Seriously, I'm the only one in the band with permanent ringing in my ears. And I'm not in front of the guitar amps.

However, I am the only one in the band who used to work routinely with hammer drills, jack hammers, etc., so I think that noise added to the drums caused my tinnitus. On the plus side, I still seem to hear very well. At least I haven't noticed it getting worse.

I'm trying to prolong that by wearing earplugs every time I play the drums, go to a concert, or work around loud machinery. The band can't play any "quieter" because I love loud drums and the guitars have to keep up with my noise level. If I can't play the way I do, I'd rather not play. So, I'm stuck with loud and am religious with the earplugs.

Do you regret that you tried to play tough guy I don’t need earplug ear defenders are for pussies. Wrong on many counts!

Trouble with bands and don’t take this wrong. Concerts like live PA should have a new SPL db code implemented!

One any crowd member that stats shouting or yelling is to be thrown off the premises as this encourages other people to start scream and shouting and that’s worse than listening to band! Your ears will be surrounded easily by 100db screaming and shouting yelling and whistling!

Tell me I’m dead wrong.

If the audience remains quiet like as in HUSH!! Till the band finishes each track then appalled afterwards.

This would reduce the hearing loss by many db the band can also play at softer level there’s no need for artificial amplified music to be blearing at over 100db for many hours.

I wouldn’t go near to live PA stage without earplugs and I’d be standing many meters back! Then again I don’t think I want to be near to people who screaming yelling shouting and whistling! A wolf whistle can easily peak at 10 feet at 115dba! That is not healthy for ones hearing!

You can and listen to live real orchestra it’s a whole different thing. It can only reach so loud! But the audience is HSUH! Because what are doing! They’re listening to detail of the performance. With PA its just noise! Overlapping frequencies producing random noise not music, noise!

If each member in the band is trying to out do you then you have an ego issue in the band! It has to be tamed so for fairness for yourselves and the audience listening because tinnitus is no fun at the beach!

I don’t even like high peak middle range frequencies on film soundtracks that are too bright. At home I can re-EQ balance the issue but in the cinema I have to reach for earplugs if it goes too high because, I know now that middle range tones is damaging to the ear. I’ve got my fair share of mild tinnitus that can last for days on end and its enough to put me, so far down in the dumps with deep depression.

[svollmer]

Do you regret that you tried to play tough guy I don’t need earplug ear defenders are for pussies. Wrong on many counts!

Trouble with bands and don’t take this wrong. Concerts like live PA should have a new SPL db code implemented!

One any crowd member that stats shouting or yelling is to be thrown off the premises as this encourages other people to start scream and shouting and that’s worse than listening to band! Your ears will be surrounded easily by 100db screaming and shouting yelling and whistling!

Tell me I’m dead wrong.

If the audience remains quiet like as in HUSH!! Till the band finishes each track then appalled afterwards.

This would reduce the hearing loss by many db the band can also play at softer level there’s no need for artificial amplified music to be blearing at over 100db for many hours.

I wouldn’t go near to live PA stage without earplugs and I’d be standing many meters back! Then again I don’t think I want to be near to people who screaming yelling shouting and whistling! A wolf whistle can easily peak at 10 feet at 115dba! That is not healthy for ones hearing!

You can and listen to live real orchestra it’s a whole different thing. It can only reach so loud! But the audience is HSUH! Because what are doing! They’re listening to detail of the performance. With PA its just noise! Overlapping frequencies producing random noise not music, noise!

If each member in the band is trying to out do you then you have an ego issue in the band! It has to be tamed so for fairness for yourselves and the audience listening because tinnitus is no fun at the beach!

I don’t even like high peak middle range frequencies on film soundtracks that are too bright. At home I can re-EQ balance the issue but in the cinema I have to reach for earplugs if it goes too high because, I know now that middle range tones is damaging to the ear. I’ve got my fair share of mild tinnitus that can last for days on end and its enough to put me, so far down in the dumps with deep depression.

Wow! I didn’t know that I said I tried to play a tough guy. Just that I get off on playing good rock music with enthusiasm. And yes, there is a decibel code implemented on concert PA’s; it’s called “You.” If “you” think a band is too loud, “you” are free to walk away or use ear plugs. Yes, you can turn down a PA so it’s not loud. But, the whole point of live rock music is that it’s visceral. I like to feel the bass drum punch me in the chest. If you don’t like that, don’t go see bands that play that way.

If the audience sat there quietly and applauded politely after each song, like you suggest, EVERY rock band experiencing that would think that they must suck! So yes, you’re dead wrong as far as rock concerts go.

And you’re really making a stretch (actually an unfounded assumption) about each member trying to “outdo” each other without knowing me or ever hearing my band. I play loud, they mix in and it sounds good. Then, unfortunately for you, the whole thing gets amplified by the PA to an even louder level.

I don’t know when the last time you went to a rock concert was, if ever. But I can tell you that every band, including ours, doesn’t play nearly as loudly as bands did in the 60’s – 80’s. And I’ve been to several shows where the PA sounded very, very clear and detailed, just quite a bit louder than a typical home stereo. I don’t agree that “with PA it’s just noise! Overlapping frequencies producing random noise not music, noise!” PA’s today are very good and I’m sure there are many LH members who own and run PA’s who would agree (and be offended by your gratuitous assertion).

[maxwedge]

Wow. Is these all really your guitar's? Make me think about Pink Floyd .. The wall.

All mine.

They don't get all the love that they used too, except for a few.