Tilted Musicians Unite
 

As requested....A place to slam roadies and discuss what clubs suck to play.

Better than nothin! :D :thumbsup:

Asta!!

Also a new place to find ...

musicians in massachusetts! anybody?

That could be a name for a band. Musicians In Massachusetts..could be called M.I.M. for short.

Asta!!

Hmm... still unclear as to the purpose of the thread/sticky, but I'll ask:

Any (electric) bassists about? I've just started taking lessons, but would love some helpful tips!

I'm in the same boat as you, just started bass, since drumming wasnt my forté
I also write MIDIs if anyones interested, I posted one in tiled literature

what about dj's? Do we count? if it doesn't what about making music via Reason or another program does that count??

I'm a guitar player.... anyone needs help or wants to discuss then PM me!

DJ's count in my opinion. I don't know if we want to start critiquing mashups ... but it's all music to me.

Anyway, here is my first contribution. It's a repeat of a post I made several weeks ago asking for critiques, but it got buried in a matter of hours:

http://www.chessclubrocks.com/songs/leche.mp3

http://www.chessclubrocks.com/songs/apes.mp3

These songs would fall into the large category of "POP."

Doug

well I'm not a mashup dj so we won't have to worry about that one.. I'll have to give those mp3's a listen in a few.. I'll check back with ya when I get a chance to listen to them a few times. :thumbsup:

Listening to Leche right now. I like it a lot...wow...I love yer voice man. I can picture myself singing along to this and probably will if that means anything to you. You guys got a pretty good sound. Influences? Sux it got burried. If I had seen it I would have replied you know this haha. Nice note towards the end...and now a guitar solo...I like. Wow great song man. I especially like the organs? On the intro and outro very beautiful...okay now onto Apes

Hmm this one sounds fun...already it reminds me a little of Weezer or something like that...Jimmy Eat World maybe. Haha catchy...reminds me of good ol 80's music kinda. Oh I like the piano riffs. Cool I liked that one too. They are now in my i-Tunes :D

Great stuff man got any more? Not sure I could provide any form of advice or suggestions so to speak...didn't really find anything wrong with them. I'm sure thats what you were hoping for though..sorry can't help ya there. Sure someone else will though.

Asta!!

I wanna learn the harmonica, they're fucking cool, can anyone here play?

Do they come in all keys?
If not, can I get D minor?
Can you get chromatic ones?
How much would expect to pay?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can answer these for me :)

They do come in various keys and modes. Check out http://www.hohnerusa.com/harmonicas.htm.

How much do you want to pay? You can get them for a couple of bucks or several hundred.

Thanks for the kind words ... but that's not me singing lead. I do some of the background vocals. I'm the keyboard player/arranger/theory snob in the band.

We go back in the studio in March. I do have some that I recorded at home ... but they are pre-pre production.

Doug

Hey cool, thanks man.

I've been playing for a few months now, maybe I can pass off some stuff I've learned:

Do they come in all keys? Yep! You can get practically every key in a diatonic harmonica or you can buy chromatic ones. Most people recommend starting out with a C major harp for learning purposes, but if your goal is play some songs right off the bat get a G, D, A or whatever key you need.
How much would expect to pay? A professional Honer harmonica will cost you no more than about 35 bucks, depending on where you get it. But there are lots of different brands and each have a different sound. The best advice I can give is: Don't start off with a cheapo! You will end up frustrated as hell if you get a cheap plastic toy one, spend the extra 20 bucks now to avoid the aggravation.

Hint: It's not as easy as the pros make it out to be, so don't quit right away. With some practice you can learn to play anything under the sun.

Here's some good websites to help you start out:

http://coast2coastmusic.com/general/learn.shtml
http://www.harmonicaclub.com/common/lessons.htm#1
http://www.volcano.net/~jackmearl/ <---This last site is kind of a hokey "harmonica tab" site but has some easy, cool sounding songs to play. Good luck!

Edit: On the Honer site than vanblah posted, the Diatonic Special 20's and Marine Band brands are the best bang for your buck.

Whoa, extensive, thanks FR.
I'd probably get a simple one for learning, probably C major, but my goal is to use it in my band, and we play with drop D instruments and so usually end up in D minor. So in theory I'd need a harp to play Dm, or D blues or something similar (if I could throw a flat fifth in there I'd be loving it :)). My musical theory isnt quite strong enough to work out which harps I could do this on, but I think there'd be at least diatonic harp that wasn't Dminor that I could play Dminor on, or I could just get a chromatic one I suppose.
After a glance in the net, it definately looks trickier that I first imagined... ah well the bigger the rewards I suppose :)
Thanks again for your input all.

Here's also a really good website for cross-harp, which is used mainly in blues and rock compared to folk. Some of it requires basic music theory knowledge, but coast2coast does a good job of making it easy.

http://www.coast2coastmusic.com/diat...oss_harp.shtml

So, what about collaboration? Anybody want to try it?

Who has the ability to record music with PC or Mac? What are your skills?

I have been involved in online music collaborations before. They've been fairly successful but I want to reach a different group of people.

---


Me:

Keyboards/Synth/Piano any style

I can record up to 8 tracks (although I rarely need more than 4) at a time. I have yet to push my computer past it's limit (24 tracks and counting).

That sounds cool. I've seen 'em before but never contributed at all.

I could contribute electric/acoustic guitar (and harmonica :D ) in a lot of different styles, and my roomie might be able to do vocals depending on the style. Tracks wouldn't be a problem either.

Drummer over 30 yrs here. I also play some guitar and violin. Been in numerous Chi Town bands in the 70's and 80's. Hard rock and Blues .. :cool:

would this be the spot in which to plug upcoming gigs and such?

I guess ... the only problem I have with a sticky thread like this is that I foresee it growing out of control pretty quickly.

Maybe we could request a gigs sticky and a collaboration sticky (if enough people are interested).

Might as well be.

For those of you in bands, what's the best way of getting one together in college? I was in a few bands throughout high school but coming up here changes the whole "jamming" dynamic. Any tips?

It's pretty much the same. You need to find a place to practice and surround yourself with people who have the desire to play. It's funny but I found that early college kids were LESS disciplined about getting together than older college kids.

improvisation can become a really complex game if you move out from the idea of "jamming"---running into players who approach it from different angles/backgrounds can be one of the most interesting things about being in a university space. i would look at it as an excuse to push your horizons, your abilities. fool around with making constraints. copy a kandinsky painting and use it as a score. get a copy of cornelius cardew's "treatise" and try to figure out how to play it. abandon reliance on chord changes. train yourself into "dissonance"


btw, i posted a list of upcoming performances in my journal. have a look.

They're already up :D. I'd suggest a "Tilted Emcees" but theres like MAYBE..3 of us total here haha be kind of a dead thread.

Asta!!

Oh..nevermind.

Asta!!

Posted before the new threads existed ... and then didn't exist.

Any Memphis locals out there? My band has a gig this Friday (February 4th) at The Buccaneer starting around 10:30 ...

I just wish to know one thing...is their a airport in the US that won't have some asshole security guy threaten to confiscate my extra strings (violin) when taking it by plane..and possibly one that knows the rules about musical instruments as carry-on (ie. I really should be present when they examine, handle with care... etc.) gar!...it's maddening...

While there isn't a specific law that gives musicians rights to carry on their instrument, if you know the airlines policies in advance and let them search the baggage in front of you there should be no problem with carrying on your violin. A long time ago I actually found a page that had a print out of a legislation that was printable and designed for you to show to the airline but I can't find it now. I'm sure if you did a more thourough search you could find it.

But I did dig up some good sites: http://www.booklivemusic.com/news/10...e_Security.pdf and http://www.menc.org/information/info...musicians.html
I'm not sure if law got passed or not since 2001, but it's worth checking out!

you my friend are a smart man......:thumbsup:


i play drums, bass and guitar......

we write and record all our own stuff..........mandolins,banjos,harmonicas,synths....hell we use just about anything we can find......

pawn shops usually have some fairly "out there" instruments.........i'm working on a collection of different kinds lately.........

heh heh--thanks, sir.

btw, if any comrades are near philadelphia
please consider the following performance options
look here:

www.clairaudient.org

under the news link
the lovely e-poster
can be seen by clicking on the thumbnails.

deteriorate series

clairaudient is doing a new live soundtrack for bill morrison's film "decasia" sunday, 6 feb. at 2 pm.
windsleepers--the poetry-oriented element of the collective--is doing a reading 7 feb at 7 pm which is linked directly to the decasia performance.

logistical details at the website.
pm me for more exact directions etc.

http://www.purevolume.com/yakdance
I did some of the background "Oh Oh Oh Oh's" vocals on the song Happy Healthy Humans. I'm working with these guys on some post production stuff, and potentially some live effects work right now.

sos tonic new york city:

http://www.tonicnyc.com/

this is one of the best spaces in the states for experimental music
and it is facing eviction.
there are not anywhere near enough venues in the states that support these various scenes: losing tonic would be a huge blow to all of us, musicians and audiences alike,
do what you can.

WHAT!!!
I can't believe it...donated.... :eek:

OK. So I'm in Memphis. Anyone interested in a little regional gig swapping? You can listen to the MP3's I've posted and let me know if you think you'd be a good fit.

We'd go as far as Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta and Oklahoma City. Can't get much further than that on a weekend warrior type gig.

My band, Chess Club, has been described as a cross between Pixies and Velvet Underground. Whatever ... I call it Pop-Noir.

Doug

looking for feedback....

my group did a new soundtrack for the film decasia (pr stuff posted earlier) and now the recording is up...if you have an hour or so to space out and/or listen, please check it out:

www.clairaudient.org

check under the performance link

i am not the one to be able to make evaluations of this kind of thing--i am pleased with the outcome, particularly the second half (because it is moving into new space for us)--i think it works apart from the film (i am more sure that it works with it)---so let me know what you make of it.

btw: the set was done with a volume constraint. you can play it at the levels you like, but live is was much less loud than we usually are.
loud is good, you see.
less loud is also good, but requires more control.
because loud is *that* good.

Keyboard players ... what amps do you use? I'm tired of lugging around my set up and want to consolidate.

Currently I play through two JBL EON 10's crossed-over to an EV sb121 sub. using a Behringer Composer as the crossover and a Rolls 6-ch. line mixer.

I just want one amplifier in the 200W range. Going MONO!!!

Doug

PS - Anyone want to buy some self-powered speakers and other equipment?

Random question:

Does anyone know what setup John McLaughlin used in the Bitches Brew recordings? His tone is so fucking sexy and cool. I've been trying to tweak my current guitar to get the sound but I'm not having too much luck.

Any TFP'ers play musical instruments
 

Anyone here play any musical instruments? Or read music?

I play electric guitar primarily, have been for about 6 years now. I tried the piano, violin, clarinet and sax, but nothing is as good as the guitar. I can read music, but I'm very slow and prefer to play by tab or by ear. :)

I've played piano for 15 years and flute for 9 years. I can somewhat play several other instruments, but not well enough to count them. :) And yes, I can read music.

trombone baby!!!! all the cool people play it. i've been playing for about 15 years. i get all the chics!

I played the french horn and trumpet in my school years, but it's been quite some time since I last had my hands on either.

I've been singing since 5th grade and've been playing bass guitar for about 3 years now. And yeah, I can read music pretty well. Years of music theory'll do that to you...

Yup, Piano for 6 years, trumpet for 7 years, guitar for 2 years, and drums for bout 3 years. And yea, i can read music, first from piano so the rest were easy.

I play bass guitar (15 years) and I'm currently learning drums (6 months) and guitar (2 years)

Here's another thread started on this very same subject....

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=61111

and this one:

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=386

guitar for 3 years but i play every day (i can't remember a day i didn't play)

alto sax for 8 years

baritone sax for 4 years

And this one time.. in Band Camp.... lol

I played t-bone all through school/university. I didn't get any chicks. But I was amongst the very few that were chicks.

I also played sax, but am now on guitar (electric and accoustic)

I've played piano for almost 30 years now. Guitar and other instruments as well. I also read music and play by ear. I'm the theory snob in my band.

I can play drums/percussion pretty well. I am also currently learning to play bass.

i play the piccolo = 6 years
sax for about 2

i want to start learning how to play the guitar.
i'm thinking of buying one in a couple months.

I've been playing bass for about 4 years hard. Ranging from electric bass to double bass. Seems to be working out for me well since I have a few schollarships lined up for me.

I play double bass, primarily (4 hours a day practicing primarily) and sing as well, though that's a recent venture. And I read music, yes.

guitar for about eight years, I also used to play violin and trumpet :P

Sounds fun. I've got a 4 track mixer on my desk. I can do guitar, sax, bass, or my specialty, voice.

*EDIT*

Oh, piano, and (even though it sounds stupid) recorder (to an advanced level).

I have been playing guitar for about 10 years with the last four focused mainly on flamenco (solea and tangos are my favorite). I have also been mixing and producing techno for about 7 years (I use a jp8000, mc505, and xl7 going through fl studio). I am kinda of a musical recluse though since I live in an area where people think flamenco is a pink bird and raves are unheard of.

This is a cross post between Music and Artwork. I read a suggestion somewhere that we should post requests for critiques in Artwork.

Anyway, there some new music of my band up at www.myspace.com/chessclub. Let me know what you think.

We're till interested in gig swapping between Memphis and towns close enough to drive to.

I play alto sax as a music ed major.

It's good to see the influences music has had on people and the passion people can have for it.

I can play anything with a single reed, but not necessarily well. I like Bari sax best though.

I also play guitar, but just enough to sing along to.

Guitar= 6 years
Drums= 2 years
Trumpet= 4 years
Baritone= 3 years
Vocals = 1 year

I've sung and played at a handful of events, mostly public talent shows.

For You, and anyone else in the learning bass mode. I've been playing for close to seven years now, backing up with Guitar for five, and starting to record alittle on my own (on my second album, finally). Now that some of my credentials are laid down, I can say that to be a really talented bass player, you must be open minded, and ready to learn alot of music theory. Learn all the scales, (major, minor, and all the pentatonics) and modes for sure. A good site for this is www.wholenote.com or www.activebass.com. They are both excellent. It takes a while before you can do the slapping technique.
Recommended bassists to follow:

Geddy Lee (a la Rush) for speed. Songs: Freewill, YYZ, Tom Sawyer, Limelight
Flea (a La Red Hot Chili Peppers) for speed and funk style slapping. Songs: Aeroplane, All around the World, Californication
Jaco Pastorius (solo and weather report) For harmonics and jazz (VERY ESSENTIAL). Songs: Portait Of Tracy, Continuum, Teen Town
Chris Squire (a La Yes) for good solid rock (Songs: Roundabout, Heart of the Sunrise)
Simple Minds: Love Song, Sweating Bullets
and Finally, Victor Wooten, to just blow your mind. (billy sheehan Does the trick too).

Feel free to ask specifics. Some other bands that are worth a listen are:

Black Sabbath, Parliament, Led Zepplin, Kansas, LTJ Bukem, Pink Floyd, The Police, BareNaked Ladies.

Good luck To you All,

Love,

Mouse

Musician, singer, songwriter here. :hi:

I play an electric bass. The music - well, it's a mixed bag.

/Fender fan

I've been singing most of my life but I'm looking at 4 years with guitar, 3 with electric bass, banjo, mandolin, piano, and analog synth, 2 years on drum programming, non-sample based noise music, djimbe, doumbek, pipe organ, and I've dabbled in harmonium, cello, sarood, balinese gamelan, and mbira. I record all my stuff myself except for my first album, but I've got 3 others out and I'm working on the 5th and 6th ones simultaneously right now. Should have number 5 out before I leave Stockholm in December. I usually have my stuff online for free download, doesn't cost me anything to make it and I'm damn flatterred when people like it, so it's win-win. I do have four songs up on this myspace.com thing, so if you feel like it, here's the link http://www.myspace.com/andersolson/ I also make hip-hop beats for a friend of mine who's a rapper and play guitar and do backup vocals for a joke emo band called The Winter of Our Discontent http://www.purevolume.com/thewinterofourdiscontentnc that's just plain awful.

Side note, current gear vs. dream gear. Go.

Draconis man..........great fuckin' stuff you do.


and you play them all.........nicely done.

<b>Current gear:</b>

<i>The following is for studio:</i>

Young Chang PG185 (6'1" grand piano)
MAudio Keystation 88
Native Instruments Colossus
Native Instruments Bosendorfer p190
P4 2.4G w/ 2GB RAM and scads of disk space on numerous drives (both SCSI and ATA)
Sonar 4 (soon to be 5)
SoundForge 8
All of the Izotope software
Various other VST, DX and VSTis (no illegal software)
Aardvark Q10
a pair of Tannoy PBM 6.5
Proton 100W Power Amp

<i>the following is for live playing:</i>

Roland JV 1080
Korg CX3
Oberheim OB12
Oberheim MiniGrand (piano module)
Fatar Studio 90
Yorkville 200KB

<b>Dream Gear:</b>

New computer
More modular synths (preferably the kind that I can build myself)
Better studio monitors
ditto on the studio amp (what I'd give for a vintage Macintosh amp in perfect condition)
another 15" for the Yorkville

I guess I don't have a lot of dream gear. Just upgrades for what I already have.

- Doug

Trumpets
 

Trumpets are simply the best people on the planet. I rule them along with my cohorts Phil Smith, Allen Vizzutti, and Wynton Marsalis. Fear us.

i remixed a song, if that counts. the original is by viktor vaughn (mf doom)...called "change the beat." i found the acapella and added some sound.

here is a download link if you want to hear it.

Current:
Roland JP-8000
Casio CTK-50
Edirol PCR 30 midi board
Apple Powerbook G4
Dell Dimension 8300
Cubase
VST's (ReFX Vanguard, and Linplug Albino are the main ones)


Dream:
Some drum machines
sampler preferably an Akai
a moog or equivalent
modular and/or analog
anything I can make use with.

www.myspace.com/forceismachine

Check it out, and the idea of remixing is cool, perhaps.

playing guitar for 15 years now. I'm currently working on my Masters in Jazz studies at the University of North Texas.

John McLaughlin, bitches brew... I'm not sure. He wasn't big on effects throughout his career. It was in his fingers man, all in his fingers.

Gear vs Dream gear?

Current
Gibson es 335
Fender Deville 65w tube amp
Fender Deluxe 40w Tube amp
Roland Cube 60 amp
Route 101 Telecaster
Gibson 1963 J45
Boss ME-50
other odds and ends

Dream gear
Would love a Polytone amp
Get some individual effects, a Line 6 delay, RAT, nice Passive Volume.
Want a Taylor Acoustic
Want a decent Classical
Would like to have a nice American Strat

ok,
i'm a guitarist, bassist and was trained at piano.
i am currently playing bass in a gold coast metal band "the sever project" just started gigging after getting the band togeter about a year ago, (spent plenty of time getting everything right) we are a 7 piece metal band.
do a search for us on myspace.
ummm, i have been playing guitar for about 15 years, i own 1 b.c. rich warlock a laney aor 50 all tub amp and quad, a ibanez rg an epiphone les paul and an ltd bass.
i was also in gold coast based horror rock band sweet decay. got out of that for many reasons .....
worked in the music industry from about the age of 14 with my own radio show on community radio, writing for metal mags putting on gigs running pa's and i worked for a small record label in melbourne for a year or so.
i think that's about it .... there are a few more things that i have done , but that is all of the major music related stuff that i have done....
so ..... being new here .... hi!

Welcome Alpha....

Vocalist and Bass player in my youth for "RoXauF"...as in, Get Your..heh

Cany say I miss the Lifestyle much....though there are those days

IM from florida, and have been playing guitar for about 6 years or so. I have some stuff i recorded a couple years ago when i started to really get into the instrument... does anyone know any places that i can get some free hosting of mp3s so i can share them with the community?

<a href="http://www.myspace.com" target=_blank>Myspace</a> is a good place to start.

I've played flute now for about 15 years. I also play the piccolo as many flute players do. When I was doing my music education degree I had to learn several other instruments you'd find in a concert band (saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, etc.) I have a pretty decent singing voice too, but I'm not very open about it.

Whenever I read the gear some people have, it makes me want to cower in fear. I'm an amateur DJ (with some talent that no one knows about, apparently). I recently started experimenting with music production using whatever software I could find and my M-Audio Keystation 49e. I've got a large amount of unfinished ideas and experiments, with a few completed (albeit raw) works.

My productions are in the trance genre, but i've been trying to get into house more as thats what I spin primarily. My bassline is where I need serious help. The casual experimentation i've done isn't helping much. Anyone have any pointers?

Oh, I failed to mention that I have an extensive computer background...and practically no formal music background. :D

I would suggest that you learn how to play bass. The only way to become a fisherman is to go fishing.

BTW, I play bass and guitar.

Musicians Unite for the late Joe Strummer...
 

:thumbsup:

When will be the muscicians unite?
:orly:

I know when... When an artists die...

Correct me if I'm wrong.. :surprised:

Just like the late Joe Strummer of the Clash Band who has a movie , a true to life story of him. I only know the title The Future is Unwritten,. but I don't know when it will be release,.

Seldom :(

Actually, this thread was a response to a request to set up a different forum that would enable collaboration and critique of musical projects by those of us who are musicians. It has strayed from its original intent, but I'd still like to see us do something like that. The problem is one of organization. Hard to do in a sticky since the thread would be impossible to devote to just one thing. It's also already being done very, very well at another forum.

I've been playing sax (soprano, alto, tenor) now for about 28 years. It used to be my sole source of income for about 8-9 years till I burned out on the business. I still play pro, but it's certainly nice to pick and choose my gigs now...

care to pm me that other forum van?

Classically trained violinist here. I studied formally for 17 years (ending in college) and have played in total for 23 years. There were a few years worth of piano lessons throw in there, but that never really stuck (considering I hardly practiced).

With a full time job very much detached from music, I've found time to perform with a local community orchestra and in local area gigs. There are days that I metaphorically kick myself for not having pursued a career in performance, despite having been convinced years ago, when I had the opportunity to make the decision, that it would be too challenging and not rewarding enough.

I can't help wondering whether it's too late to reconsider.

I'm a guitarist here. Although I'm a self taught for the most part. I play acoustic and Classical guitars although I'm still trying to get a electric guitar soon. I'm wondering what's a good design and brand should I get also what kind of music/songs it will suit with it. XP

I'm a professional musician - mainly guitar, but I also do gigs on keys, bass, and sing. I love my job!

So I just bought a new guitar today, and I am in love with it. It's an Ibanez RG Series, and it is a monster. Cost me a little over $600. The sound is amazing and it just looks so badass.

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/585...s001ka7.th.jpg

And here is my bass that I've had for a few years now. It's a Peavey T-40 that was made back in the '70s to compete with the Fender JazzBass. I think it was around $250-$300. It's heavy as hell, but with that weight comes (with no surprise) an extremely heavy sound.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/3...s003dv5.th.jpg

dunno if it is tilted enough to fit, but here is a thing

http://www.mediafire.com/?bpjrhxwj3vn

enjoy n flame

i miss my synth back in au but i´ve just "inherited" some guitars from my ex during what i´m told is called "the flood." i´m no guitarist so i don´t think i´ll be using the good one much but the other is a crappy one so as i´m into experimental music and creative ways to use instruments or household items i´m off to buy a saw to revive what i used to do t an old guitar back home which is to run the back of the saw over the strings to create a screeching sometimes resonant noise. also where i live there is an old piano upstrairs which is pretty out of tune and my landlord said i can have it so once i drag it down to my room i´ll be making out of tune music (i have no intention of tuning the piano.) i´m curious to hear about other people´s expeience in improvised instruments.

Hear Hear !

I'm with Steveo on this one. Nice to meet another person who knows the name Vizzutti. Sadly my wife has vetoed my plan to name my sons "Miles" and "Vizzutti".

Trumpet here - 30 some years.
some Guitar, Drums, (anything else brass you buzz into), etc.

I've seen Phil live - what a show. And don't forget Jens !

Hey guys; I decided today that I'm going to learn how to play drums. I already play guitar, trumpet, trombone, bass, and piano so music theory is solid.

So I'm wondering some:

Beginner's technique
How to hold the sticks properly
Warm ups
Beginner Theory

Thanks already for the help I know I'm about to recieve. Just so you know I'm Kitless. I have a practice pad and some sticks. Just want to get rhythm and playing technique out of the way before I get lost in the junk food that is the kit.

I've mainly played guitar since I was 8 years old (play some keys, drums, and brass). I studied classical guitar and music theory for 3 years. Along the way, I picked up electrics and learned various styles. I toured nationally playing lead with a heavy rock show band for 5 years and have played in many local groups to this day. While I love my metal and fusion, I really enjoy slide, finger picking styles, hellbilly country, roots music, classical, and rockin' blues (ala SRV).

The search for tone has been the source of much GAS in my life (guitar/gear acquisition syndrome). I found that much of your sound comes from the way you use a pick, your finger tips, finger to fret position, vibrato, harmonics, muting, damping, etc. You can take three guitar players and put them on the same rig, play the same part, and they'll all sound a bit different (tone, timbre, inflection, etc.). My current bass player suggested that my tone was a little too round during a run I played in one of my leads. By turning the pick a bit I was able to get enough bite to make the difference. He was very curious because I got the sound without adjusting my amp or guitar tone.

To make a long story short, sometimes the tone you're looking for has a lot to do with technique combined with the swell gear.

My current gear:
4 Fender Strats (2 US, 1 Mexican, 1 Japanese)
'61 Gibson Melody Maker (modified with a Duncan JB, EMG Hz single coil, Khaler vibrato) amazing tone variety on this guitar.
'64 Fender Mustang (upgraded with Duncan JB and EMG Hz single coil).
Epiphone Papa Chubby Korina Flying V with Duncan P90 stacks (sounds like a Gretch)
Marshall 100 watt Plexi Stack - gray tweed speaker cloth (new in 1981)
Marshall JCM 800
MesaBoogie MkII
Carvin Vintage 50 head and 2 4x10 cabs
Peavy Classic 30 with 12" extension (amazing little workhorse of an amp)
Line6 Pod Pro and Pod Pro XT
Digitech and Lexicon digital rack effects.
Ibanez Tube Screamer (1982)
Vox wah
Behringer FBC1010 programmable Midi controller.

I've got more stuff, processing gear, etc., but this is the gear I drift in and out of most. I tend to work mostly with my Line6 gear. It takes a while to tweak with the PC interfaces, but I get some really tasty tones that usually requires 2 amps, various stomps and eq's. Just save your patch and go seamlessly from Chris Issac Wicked Game to Perry Mason by Ozzy... and more. (if only I'd could get a paid endorsement)

BTW - None of the modified old guitars had collector value. Someone screwed them up first.

No they DO NOT count, not in my book. They can create music by they are not using an actual instrument to do so. It's all computer software these days and you would be using other music that real musicians created. So sorry NOPE.

I have to disagree with you there. I was classically trained on the violin and self-taught myself piano. I've had several years of music theory. I am a working musician (although it's not my full-time job). Just so you know where I'm coming from.

DJs have a place in modern music.

The art of taking samples from an existing piece and turning it into something new is definitely viable. In fact, a lot of modern music is recycled structure and melodies from the past.

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