J.W.C. Learning Log

Today I got put a Tele through a Blues Jr and did some blues improv stuff. That was fun (it’s been a while). It’s also been a long time since I worked on arpeggios, so I found an A7 vamp on youtube and just focused on dominant 7th arpeggios (with a bit of pentatonic stuff sometimes for spice). That was very useful, as it made me think about the intervals a lot, and staying on A7 with no changes really made me think about the G in that chord, and that made me go for some G’s outside the arpeggio “box.” Anyway, very satisfying practice.

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Vamping improvs are always good fun Jason and a good way of concentrating on what works and what doesn’t. And of course “why” in the post match analysis. :sunglasses:

GAS attack. New guitar (Alvarez Laureate LP70e Daybreak Parlor) on the way…

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That’s very nice Jason, Happy NGD pending arrival ! :sunglasses:

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I received my new Laureate LP70e Daybreak parlor guitar. Waited 24 hours before opening it to let it acclimatize. It’s beautiful and sounds lovely. However, the action is higher than I prefer. That’s not unexpected, as it was also the case with my Alvarez MPA66ESHB. I think the factory sets them up a little higher than I’d like. Action adjustment will require removal of material from the saddle (and perhaps some work on the nut), so I’m going to take it into my local tech for a setup. I could probably do it, but I don’t want to bother.

I also got out my Mustang 90 and played that this morning. Started doing arpeggio practice with this backing track, but I was having so much fun that it ended up less like practice and more like just playing. Going to put some new strings on it, though.

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I love the clean fingerboard with no dot markers. Very pretty guitar.

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Thanks; I’m really loving the look of it, too. It’s an ebony fingerboard, bridge, and headstock plate, which is a great contrast with the very subtle “daybreak” burst on the top.

Another comment on the Mustang 90: I forgot how noisy P90s can be. Fortunately if I angle just right the noise goes away. There are a lot of electronics and computers and crap in my office.

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Nothing meaningful to say, but ‘like’ your posts, Jason. I always enjoy the insights.

Needless to say, I’m feeling a hankering for more of your playing again. Look forward to the moment when you are ready and inclined to record :grin:

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The new acoustic is still at the guitar shop having its nut and bridge seen to, but I changed the strings on my Mustang 90 and did a basic setup on it. It wasn’t terrible, but it was a bit off. I adjusted the neck relief from .012" to .010" and tweaked the intonation and action (oddly, two of the six strings were slightly high). It feels a lot better. I’ve been having fun combining those P90s with a fuzzface.

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Still feeling inspired by the P-90s, so today I learned the first section of Sabbath’s Fairies Wear Boots. (Pretty sure Iommi used a P-90 loaded SG on that one.) Some interesting stuff in there, like those octaves that slide around. It’s not quite up to speed yet: I’m playing it at 80% of the recorded tempo.

I’m still using a fuzzface sound, but I should probably see if I can come up with something that uses a treble booster like Iommi’s tone. I don’t have a stand-alone treble booster, but I have a digital version in the Boss GT-1000CORE, so I think I’ll see how that does.

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Ugh. My bends with vibrato on top need work.