Halowords

I found the audio, have not gotten around to seeing the video footage, but Zappa doing Stairway is just wild. Thanks for the heads up! -Cheers

The Ghost of Tom Joad by RATM, original by Bruce Springsteen. The RATM version just has so much more palpable anger than the more melancholic rendition by Bruce. The original seems more fitting for the times and the sadness, but RATM is an anger-inspired call-to-action and just works better for me and seems to fit the mood of Tom from the book. I also like the NIN version of Dead Souls better than the original from Joy Division. -Cheers

Porcupine Tree. Steven Wilson's main band (although his side project Blackfield is pretty strong as well), they get labeled Prog Rock or psychedelic rock (their early stuff at least), they make just flat out beautiful, thoughtful, and catchy (in a good way) music. Rapidly rising as one of my favorite bands of all time. Steven Wilson is kind of like a modern day John Lennon. Porcupine tree seems inspired by bands like the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Rush, and similar styles, but really transcends the influences in the sense that they do not come across as hacks imitating their influences but make something that seems fresh and new. Highly recommend them. Jawbreaker. One of my old favorites, they are a rock/post-punk type of band. Just a great rock band. They are big in the indie crowd, although defunct for quite a while now. More influential than most will ever know or bother to find out. -Cheers

Not necessarily any of them. I guess I would like to get somewhere in the ballpark of Clapton on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," or Blake Schwarzenbach from Jawbreaker. But honestly, I am thinking the general tone of my guitar, which sounds great strummed unplugged, only a bit thicker/growlier/warmer. Not light years away from where it is now. I only compare it to a Les Paul because the one that I had was able to have a nice, thicker sound that I have now. But I am NOT trying to replicate or clone the sound from any artist. Just trying to get the tone I associate with Les Pauls I have heard and that I associate (for right or wrong) with the slightly thicker body, perhaps the covered pickups, and maybe the single-cut design. That being said, I think a Hamer Studio or PRS will get pretty close. If it is not EXACTLY like a LP, that is fine. But I want to make it sound like what I want it to, not trying to clone/replicate anything. I want to sound like myself, only moderately fuller/thicker than I do now, preferably taking the guitar I have now or eventually getting something that will get that sound. -Cheers

Close. It was for a superior LP TONE. Not familiar with Washburns overall. What model is that? Any thoughts on that guitar, why it is as good/better than a LP? Not necessarily looking for it to LOOK at all like a Les Paul, just want that thick tone. But I do appreciate the input. I will probably end up with a Les Paul or similar build. Thinking about trying to build my own guitars as a hobby, and so I can putz around with the exact specs I want. In the meantime, is there anything I can do with my Studio for a slightly thicker/fatter bottom end and smoothed-out highs? Will something like an Octave pedal or an EQ pedal be worth checking out? I would also be interested in trying some Seymour Duncan Seth Lover PAF-style pickups. They have always sounded pretty intriguing to me. -Cheers

I know people often ask for, or talk about, a guitar that sounds like a Les Paul that ISN'T a Les Paul. This is a little different question. Kind of. Does, or maybe a better question is WILL, Hamer make a custom guitar to the mass of a Les Paul? I love my Hamer Studio, the my Les Paul (that I sold a while back) had that thicker, less trebly sound that I really like. It is not a huge gap, but it is a noticeable difference. Despite that, the Hamer Studio is a more fun guitar to play simply because the neck is nicer. The heel . . . Scratch that, LACK of a heel on the Studio, makes me more fluid playing up and down the neck of the guitar. So while I would like a thicker sounding guitar with an amazing low end crunch/growl/whatever, and Gibson gives me the mass I need for that, I do not think I can sacrifice the neck that I love so much on my Hamer. So, my basic questions are: 1) Would Hamer custom make a guitar (preferably the Studio or Artist design, but I would could learn to deal with a single-cut again) with the thickness of a Les Paul (in body & sound) and the heel/neck of my Studio? I know it would be pricey, but that would be my dream guitar. 2) Does that guitar already exist? Somebody referred me to a Monaco Elite. However I thought they had a heel as well, and were not as thick as a Les Paul. -Cheers

Another question. Will the AK95, or similar guitar, with a floating bridge stay in tune if I do bends, or will that knock it all out-of-whack? And if so, should I get a different model, or have a TOM bridge installed, or something else? -Cheers

Do you happen to know how easily/bad they feedback, or how they sound through an overdriven amp or through low-to-moderate distortion? The AK 95 sounds cool, but I am guessing I would have to try the t-shirt-through-the-f-hole trick or something to get it to NOT feedback. If I could still use my Fulltone OCD pedal, or run it in overdrive with pick attack, in my basement and control feedback if I ever join a band and gig with this thing, it sounds mighty appealing as I like the idea of a larger, fuller sounding jazz box that can be run nice and broken up in overdrive for going from super-clean to classic/indie rock. I have also read that installing "two violin-like soundposts underneath the bridge (one at each extremity)" can help with feedback. Anybody ever hear of that as an option? -Cheers

Tom, do you mean this Ibanez Artcore model: Ibanez AS73 This one: Ibanez AK95 This one: Ibanez AF95 Or something else? If there is a model of Ibanez Artcore that is remarkably better than the others, I would love to hear about it, or if there is one that works best for my overdriven rock and messing around with blues, jazz, and playing unplugged once in a while (not expecting it to be as good as a pure acoustic guitar), please let me know. -Cheers

Mine too . . . eventually. With my budget and a baby on the way, while I would LOVE a Heritage, it might wait for when I have more time, money, time, and baby gates. I think the Heritage H-550, the Roy Clark, and the H-576 look awesome. But for the immediate future, the Ibanez Artcore or Artstar might be a bit more practical for me. When I get a better job, a/o the baby is here and sleeping in a regular schedule, I will be in the market for a Heritage, and maybe a Hamer Artist. -Cheers

More specific question . . . If I go the Ibanez route, I think I will be looking at: Ibanez Artcore AS73 or AS83 (Currently in production) OR Ibanez Artstar AS80 (Older, no longer in production, Chinese made semi-hollows) What is the difference between the two (if anybody knows)? Specifically in terms of quality, sound, etc. Any criteria for choosing one from among those choices (year, features, problems, etc.)? My apologies for this being non-Hamer. -Cheers

Any idea which model of Ibanez Artcore (or older version, the Artstar) will have the best acoustic properties while still having a sustain block (or whatever you call them) and the proper dimensions to prevent feedback, or at least make it controllable? As for stuffing a shirt into a hollowbody or semi-hollow to prevent feedback . . . Interesting idea. How well does it work? -Cheers

I guess the one thing keeping me from considering an Ibanez Artcore (or the similar lower-priced models from various brands) is that I do not know what the difference in quality and sound is. In effect, what is the difference in tone and quality from a superb Gibson L5 or ES-335, Heritage H-535 or H-550, and a nice example of a more budget friendly Ibanez Artcore, Yamaha AE500, or something of that ilk? What is the drop off? As an aside, if you have a sales pitch for the Ibanez Artcore, feel free to give it! I'll listen if you have any thoughts on them. -Cheers

Good to know. Any experience with the H-550? I actually emailed Heritage directly with my dilemma and they got back to me right away and recommended I check out The Heritage H-550. They were very quick, which was cool, but obviously did not write a book listing and explaining all of the features of the guitar, why it was THE right one for me, etc. I have thought of the H-535. Quite a bit in fact. Just wondering if one of the thicker/wider semi-hollows or hollows w/ some sort of solid block will get the same rock tunes I am looking for but still do acceptable unplugged acoustic stuff. If not, then the more semi-hollow H-535 style is fine. -Cheers

Note to self: Try to check out a Hamer Artist or Hamer Artist Korina. Hey Heritage fans . . . Any of you ever try a Heritage H-575, H-576, H-535, or H-550 as an overdriven rock guitar? How do they do unplugged, clean, and overdriven or distorted? Not looking for metal out of this guitar, just wondering how much they feedback, how they are clean and plugged in, and researching all of my options. Thanks for all of the input so far. It is greatly appreciated and I will add the recommended guitars to my shopping list to try and check out and try to test drive at the local guitar shops. -Cheers