Up through this weekend, work was kind of crazy, and when I’m not working, I’m JAMMING. Not really. But I will say I’m well rehearsed for the show on Friday night. The usual loosening of limbs and fingers, the familiar blisters crowning the tips. Hour-long sessions going by like five minutes. A relief and a joy, seriously.
I’ve been using the new tuner I got for Christmas (thanks, ma Stewart!), a Korg Pitchblack with “true bypass.” That last bit sounds very Christmas Story / Red Ryder, but in fact it’s really great. With my old tuner, even if I had it switched “off,” the battery would keep draining down unless I unplugged the cables from it. Not any more. That thing stays parked on the floor 24-7. And not only does it save on nine-volts, but the “true” bypass means that the signal isn’t weakened at all, even with a weak battery in there. It’s also way more readable, way more accurate, and it adjusts with my capo placement.
All of this tuning — the fact that I need to do it so much (never noticed as well before) — only underscores the cheapness of my guitar itself. But I’m working towards a solution. I’m saving up some money, and I plan on picking up something like a “real” version of the Gibson copy I rock currently. Aselin has given me some advice, knowing my needs and my budget, and so I’m on the lookout for an 80’s or 90’s Les Paul Special. An ebay search has been stored and is checked regularly. Here’s a pretty one from 1996:
Oooooooh!
Also in the works is an amplifier tune-up. This might end up making a bigger difference than a guitar upgrade. I have (currently visible in the header of this site, actually) a tube-driven head of indeterminate age, manufactured by a Chicago company that also made Silvertone amps. Apparently, they’d just slap different labels on everything they made — but the quality was uniform, and decent. It’s a pretty good amp, is what I’m saying, and I’ve never had it serviced. And it’s about time.
I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to show a little care and attention in the area of gear. I hesitate to say it, but it’s like I’ve finally accepted that I’m a “real” musician, after a whole life of being “just a singer” or someone who writes short, sketchy songs because I “don’t really know what I’m doing.” No, man, no. This is just what I do. And it could stand to sound better. And so it will. Trust me.
