Musings Of A Muleskinner--Deke Dickerson's Blog

Musings Of A Muleskinner--Deke Dickerson's Blog


Great musician and historian. Read on!

Trios

I love trios. Always have. They are dynamic and incredibly intimate musically. There are several that come to my mind's forefront as soon as I think of trio.
The Police, Cream, Band of Gypsies, more recently Wolfmother, Muse, and that's omitting the jazz trios of today and yesteryear. Here's some fab videos of these groups.
THE POLICE

Cream

Band Of Gypsies

WolfMother

MUSE

Violent Femmes

John Scofield Trio

Are they Listening?

What's the difference?


I've been thinking a lot lately about how obsessive we as guitarists can be about our tone, sound and overall audible presentation. All of my guitar friends use pedals of some sort or the other to change the sound of their axe. We all seek out amps to give us the sound we hear in our minds. We buy guitars and pickups based on internet reviews, compressed video internet feeds and opinions. Then you've got the cats buying up the $2K plus road worn style instruments that are put together from new stock, stressed to show 40 years of wear and tear and then sold for a very pretty penny. It's like the new designer thing in guitars.If memory serves me right it all started back when Gibson made good instruments with a guy named Tom Murphy. He distressed by hand lots of Les Pauls and created a niche market for these prized axes. Now builders like Nash, Glendale, and Senn are making built to order "relic'd" guitars in addition to the big two having their main and import lines representing the market, too.
That brings me to my original reason for this rant. The money we sink into gear. At the end of your next show count on your hands how many folks come up to you and say- "man, I love the use of the (insert fave pedal in here) on that bridge section" or "that beat up looking guitar sounded rad" etc. You get the idea. Yes, these are tools I use myself. I have a populated pedalboard replete with two overdrives, a wah, two octave pedals, delay, tremolo, and reverb. I have a 20 year old Strat I take out that earned it's road worn status with every nick, paint chip, and busted tone knob intact. Sure, it's great to hear from attendees the show rocked but I can't recall the last time someone made a point to ask or see what made "that" sound. Something to think about the next time G.A.S.(gear acquisition syndrome) sets in. We all love the sound our gear gives us but I highly doubt anyone in fandom really cares.

strings and radii

I've been playing guitar since 1987. Back then I knew nothing about string gauges, neck radius and their effect on playing. I didn't know anything about tube vs. solid state amps and my fascination was with making music. The gear was secondary. Sure, I knew what "good" instruments were but I didn't have the insight and research I've accumulated the past twenty years. That brings me to the point of this post.
My first acoustic had action that was akin to the telephone lines sagging from the poles in winter. Equally challenging was the mastering of chord shapes, nevermind barre chords. I learned on that axe and it served me well. The strings were probably .013-.056 like most standard acoustic strings. The action was about 1/2 inch off the board. Again, I didn't know better and just learned on the guitar.
Move ahead one year and I get my 1988 Fender Stratocaster Plus, an American made guitar that had "cutting edge" technology on a classic format. The Strat plus had locking tuners, the first version of the Wilkinson roller nut, a trem setter, and Lace Sensor pickups. These were all innovations at the time and still work. The only upgrade I've done since then was to put the second version of the LSR roller nut (which works better IMO) and re-wire the rear tone knob to blend the front/rear pups. The original wiring had the rear tone as a TBX tone control which now is the middle on my axe and the other tone is wired to blend the front/rear when twisted.
This guitar played (and still does) like a dream. The action was close enough to play chords without developing carpal tunnel but high enough to not fret out when playing. I've had every gauge string on there since my youth. I've had the action raised and lowered and have settled on a happy medium. The point is I didn't really notice any major difference between that and my ASAT Classic. I should have.
The neck's radii are different on each. The Strat's 9.5" and the ASAT's 7.5". My PRS has a radius of 10" and the Epiphone Alleykat is very Martin-esque for an electric at 12" (most acoustics are 16" or more). To reiterate I've been oblivious to these things since I was a kid and now as I type with a split fingernail on my left hand middle digit I can't help but think the combination of 3 hours of rehearsals on D'addario XL 10s and tonight's hour on the 12 string finger eater remind me that while we as musicians sweat the small stuff on our gear maybe in the long run we're better off just doing what feels right and recognizing our body's limits.
Sadly, I'm probably going to play my electric now - the G&L Legacy (9 inch radius) b/c it has light electric strings (.09-.042) and I really love the feel of that maple neck in my hands.
Truly, breathe and play what you feel.
If it works for you go for it.

Recording

I've been busy the past day and a half learning songs for service and rehearsing with the Groove Motive. I've also demoed a few tunes we are working on for December's gigs. Since I've not really put any time in recording the Z-28 I decided to do some today.
I made a blind sound test for all my guitarfiend friends. The first sample is a redo of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" where I used each of the guitars for a different track. You, the listener are to figure out which one played what part.
I'm attaching the older POD rec'd version of it, too. Both have groovy sounds but in my ears the tube amp has a bit more character and vibe.
DISCLAIMER-I did use a Visual Sound Axle Grease Delay and a MODTONE Tremolo on two separate tracks for color. Thanks for listening. enjoy.

Pickup Preference

I spent the last 45 minutes playing guitars through my Z-28 amp. It's a 6V6 based amp with an EF86 preamp. The characteristics it has as an amp are touch sensitive response and a very quick breakup if you crank the volume. It's spartan with regards to tone controls which from left to right are Volume, Bass, and Treble. These three knobs provide you with a plethora of tones depending on how you use them. Both of the tone knobs increase the gain when dialed past noon. The volume's pretty much how much gas you want on the sonic fire.
Like I mentioned I spent a bit playing different guitars through the amp. Maybe it's because I grew up playing a Strat but I like the snap and dynamic of single coils through this amp. I started out playing a humbucker equipped PRS and while the tones were definitely rock quality there wasn't that clean sparkle that single coils provide. I found an interesting setting that cleaned up the 'buckers nicely but for all means and purposes I had to chill my attack to keep the tone clean. If I were doing an all blues style of music this combination would rock. It'd also be good for most classic rock styles. For the dance and funk stuff though I prefer the sound of my ASAT Classic or Strats. They have that neatness and crispness I want to hear. Clarity may be the better word. Also, b/c the output of those two axes is different I think it keeps the EF86 from clipping as quickly as it does with the 'bucker equipped guitars. YMMV but for me it's all about the definition and I can't help but love the sounds I can get with a strat and my Dr. Z.

Dr. Z Z28 w/Humbuckers

The last of the Z28 demos. This one showcases a Les Paul in open A tuning and an Epiphone Alleykat doing a variety of rockabilly, blues, and jazz. Thanks for listening. Enjoy!