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Please don't stress over the project Danny. I hope things are on the upswing for you regarding the house fire damage and recovery. That is, of course, a priority for you. Best wishes to you. Greg

What are you using for your loop switcher, Six? Greg

The expression "dark side" is an expression of die-hard tube enthusiasts, one that I have encountered on occasion in conversations as I describe my setup to them. Those of us that use modelers have a far different perspective on the versatility and quality of the systems now available in the marketplace. The bad rap on modelers to the skeptics relates to the questionable tonal quality of some of the first and earliest ventures, primarily regarding the distortion effects available in those units. Much has changed over the years as the digital technology has evolved regarding the newer products. I find my Kemper and Fractal units to be superb in accuracy to what I might anticipate with tube play. Playing through a sterile amp and a quality cab even replicates the "air push" of tube amps.Is it it precisely the same as tubes? No, but in a group playing environment, or in a blind ear test ( check out the Chappers- Captain review on the Kemper vrs. Tubes), I believe it is very difficult to hear or feel a difference. even for the experts. and from a recording standpoint, they also excel. So Dark Side is a good collar for modelers to wear, in my opinion. I have no problem with it. That said, I still enjoy playing my amps but in an active group environment, I have set up my equipment to cover all the variations in styles the group needs with less fuss and pedal pushing. Have fun with it. Greg

This is terrible Danny. I am so sorry for your difficult situation but so glad that you are safe and that the destruction wasn't worse than it was. We are all wishing you good thoughts and prayers and my hope is that soon all will be well again in your life again.Your priorities are elsewhere so take care of them and yourself. Greg

"Dark Side" indeed. I have invested much ( money and time in tweaking) into like-devices and there are rewards down the line in the effort. I don't know anything about the Boss unit, but it is all about finding something that inspires and promotes m=one's musical enthusiasm. I have my tube amps as well but the modelers can be very fun. Congrats and have some. Greg

Can you run your Line 6 HD direct into the powered speakers to see if it is a problem with the POD? I have Apple computers so I am clueless about Window operating systems. I don't use my HD 500 anymore but it seems like I had patches that would quit working on occasion, but I never had the entire unit freeze or quit operating through a direct system-POD into amp. I never ran it through the computer except to record on occasion though. Greg

What an inspirational speech. I constantly try to encourage my guitar playing friends to give singing a try, regardless of their perceived talent. Sadly most persist on shying away from it. But on occasion, one might give it a go and I can see the shell slightly crack open. The word I capture in my life anymore is "joyful". It might be redundant in my remarks here on the forum but for me, music is just that, whether playing or singing. Further, if you can share your musical pursuits with others, that joy is only amplified. Thanks for sharing this. Greg

Tone, comfort and playability are the most important considerations in buying an acoustic. As a woodworker, I am always attracted to the glories of the wood as well, but sometimes the least adorned are the best sounding. Even identical models can have tonal variances. I am less impressed with signature choices, though I too have lusted somewhat at times over a PRS Santana styles myself. Fortunately I too have plenty of electric options and can tame the the GAS beast in me....for the moment. Greg

...hit the neighborhood again for another July 4th block party. The organizer of the day chose our name and made the drum head banner .My brother-in-law, the drummer, asks me to gather up some troop each year to play for 2 1/2 hours in the evening before the fireworks. It is a close cul-de-sac neighborhood and the residents are out in the streets cooking on barbeques and sharing time with their neighbors all afternoon. The evening begins with a children's parade to patriotic music on their scooters, bikes and tricylcles and then the band kicks in. Some gather to watch, others are in their driveways and on the street having their burgers and sharing conversations with friends and family....all very casual and a lot of fun. I get to be frontman though I don't know how good I am at that.😋. A couple of the players each provided a couple songs that they sang but I end up doing most of the vocals and this year I played an acoustic and an electric on different songs. Here's my good friends that generously gave up their holiday time to bring some musical joy to the neighborhood. Oh, and we each got paid $50 from the fireworks funds. It doesn't get better than that. Me on the left. Greg

Beautiful playing Mark. Your instrumentals always touch me and provide inspiration to all of us yearning to play as well as you. What a wonderful outlet you have for sharing in Spain, and thanks for sharing with us. Ian, this is great! Your fingerstyle is growing by leaps and bounds, a testament to your dedication and practice. So nice to see you still creating new music for all of us to enjoy. Well done. my friend. Greg

Ditto on the Loudbox. I have a Marshall 50sd that I bought 12 years ago. No comparison and no comparison to any of my electric amps. The state of current technology in my opinion Greg

I am putting up 3 new wav. tracks and jettising the previous mp4's. a bit of an oversight on my part before. Vocals with mix, vocals dry, vocals wet-maybe a little too wet if you think so Danny. It is a preset from Nectar 2 and there are many others to switch out, or you can use this as a template to tinker with effects in your DAW and see what works best to your ear. Mixing is not one of my strengths and I always think I sound better with effects. As a singer, I am a little self-conscious and insecure sometimes. Hope this works for you and helps out with the project, always fun! You never know what road you are going to end up on down the line in these collaborations. Greg

The vocals are up as well as a 2nd reference track with the previous mix. I kept the vocals pretty dry with a little compression. Danny, can you add some reverb and delay to the vocal track or would you like me to? I usually pick a nice mix out of Nectar 2 for a vocal track but didn't for this. I thought since you were mixing it would be best for your to enhance the tracks. Mandy, this is a sad, sad song...my wife said to let you know it was totally fictitious.Sad chords, sad song. Greg

Still listening to it, just an update. Greg

I will try to get started on it this weekend. A 3 hour gig tomorrow and band practice Fri.-two different bands. My voice will be fried for a few days but I will at least get a start on a melody line and conceptual lyrics after all this. Greg

I have a gig on the 4th of July and I will keep an eye on progress here. Nutty, can you let me know when things are set for me to work on a melody and lyrics? I will be busy the next few days and ready to help out by next weekend. Thanks. Greg

Seems simple enough to me.😃 I will share this with my wife. Greg

Very nice Mark! I wanted to get to Gruhns but ran out of time. Probably best...two years go, i ended up buying a Tele from them while I was there..so hard to resist. Enjoy and Congrat. I hope to meet you next year as I missed the opportunity this one. Greg

Awesome combo, and man am I jealous! I am a tele guy who doesn't have a thinline or a Princeton. And a 12 inch speaker to boot! I am fighting the gas so bad now.....Congrats. Greg

Sweet Cap. So glad you have found a live outlet for your terrific guitar work! The vocalist is well-suited for the Bon Scott sound and very authentic, in my opinion. No spinning on the floor? Maybe a head bob? Great stuff! Thanks for sharing and have a blast! Looks very , very fun. Congrats on the opportunity to perform. Greg

Hey Nutty, maybe I can sneak in on this with lyrics and vocals if you are unable to find a volunteer. My approach is often to try and hear a melody line with some phrasing based on syllables rather than words. For me, it is harder to work backwards from words to melody lines, as a created lyric sometimes does not fit the amount of space for phrasing it in a pre-established song structure ...kind of hard to explain. Hence, coupling the lyrics together with a melody line after the song structure is established seems easier to me if the writer and melody maker is one and the same. I would never argue the point with Elton John and Bernie Taupin though. I will need an invite to the shared files. Let me know if this helps. And if someone has an idea for a theme? Greg 😀

Thank you Diane and Mike for sharing your experiences these last few days. With wit and humor your daily journalism has been the final thing I read before I turn off the hotel room lamp for another blissful rest each night here. Joyful reminders of each fascinating and invigorating day at the Guitar Gathering , launch my slumbering dreams of tomorrow. It’s a blitz, as I look back in reflection. The workshops ( how often does one get to jam with professional guitarists, I ask slack-jawed, and gather up bits of wisdom from them in the process) the instructional classes, the world class entertainment, the graciousness, encouragement and humor of Steve Krenz - these are all there for the wide-eyed attendees .....myself included. Yet as I reflect on all those moments there, awaiting departure to home, my greatest takeaway is the people themselves. Experienced or novice, this is a unique and joyous opportunity to see old friends and make new ones in our guitar community. I met Popeye ( Mike) who is largely responsible with his hard work alongside Steve to relaunch the new Gatherings. I met Colder who has given so many positive contributions to the forum community. I met two wonderful gentlemen from my corner of the states, the northwest, who got waylaid in Denver in-route and lost a day of activities but still found enjoyment in the remaining days of activities. These are just a few-the list goes on. I reconnected with old friends from the previous years I attended , as if it was just yesterday, catching up on things in their lives. And then there is the warmth and support of the entire Krenz family that just inspires me to be the best person I can possibly be, much less musician. It is the people , folks, who complete the package at the Gathering. In all of this, my greatest highlight this year was finally meeting someone whom I have known for a decade through the forums as a musical kinsman, Ian D from the UK. We have collaborated, along with others, on numerous song compositions in the subsection of Song Composing Collaborations which Ian created on the previous student site. To finally meet this charming , witty Brit was a joyous moment for me and I confess to stealing as much of his time and good vibes as I could over the next several days. One can never find greater satisfaction in life, I believe, than the comfort and joy of family and good friends . May we meet again Ian, my brother. in final thought to our forum friends, someday plan to come to Nashville and share some remarkable days and collect some lifetime memories at Steve’s Guitar Gathering . And thank you Steve and family for all the hard and at times arduous work in preparation and overseeing this event , making our stay with you one of our live’s treasured moments. With gratitude.... Greg

Carrying an electric around in a gig bag works out fine. I have done it both times I went to the Gathering. I also bring a little Yamaha amp that can operate on batteries with its own little carrying bag. Maybe next year I will invest in a travel worthy gig bag for an acoustic as I currently use a foam injected hard shell case to check in my guitar. The check in attendants always ask if it is a gun.... Greg

Learn and Master Guitar by Steve Krenz was my jumpstart for returning to playing guitar after 38 years away from the instrument. I was a self taught novice with a mastery of basic barre and open chords which, in my younger years, allowed me to compose many original songs, as I was more a writer than musician. That said, I was content with my limited skill level and knowledge of the instrument and of music. Then work and life intervened and the guitar went into the closet. In 2008, after 3 thumb surgeries for arthritic maladies, I decided I might be able to once again play. While recovering with a cast on after my 3rd surgery, I purchased the LMG course after researching the internet for options, bought my first nice acoustic guitar and began studying the course before I could even play. I made the commitment to not just play, but to learn some music theory which was so lacking in my past. I was persistent and committed to the course and made it through all the lessons. Did I master them all? No, but the coursebook and the CD's remain on my desktop for frequent reference to refresh the aging grey matter that keeps misplacing some of the teachings. I have completed the Blues course, but will concede that I never be more than a novice soloist. The knowledge gained from these courses though, gave me the courage to participate in local blues jam classes offered at a couple of local community colleges , where I met other musicians like me who just wanted to get out of the music room and meet other like minded musicians. None that I met were brilliant musicians but all were eager to share time together having the joy of learning the genre and making music together. I have played now in several bands built out of these associations and perform on occasion to live audiences. All of this as a result of a calculated decision to buy a course created by Steve Krenz 12 years ago. I keep thinking that I will someday get past lesson two in the fingerstyle book but I still have the rest of my life for learning. I know I should be a better player by now than I am, but I am just grateful to have made the wise decisions in 2008 to give the course a ride.... Greg

Me too! Greg