ADA Depot - A Forum To Support Users of ADA Amplification Gear
Miscellaneous => Discussions => Topic started by: Dante on February 03, 2016, 03:48:55 PM
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Yup. I'm playing Billy Gibbons' role in a local tribute band (in addition to the cover band I'm already in)
Using the ADA MP-1 Classic rig. Billy's playing isn't as much about tone as it is about bending, fingering, etc. It's a bunch of fun, but I don't foresee a whole lotta gigs from it, they only played like 5 times last year. Still, it'll be fun to gig.
BTW: I have to wear a fake beard made of REAL hair (eeeeeewwwww)
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Hey Dante, cool, do you have a gold top LP ? Great guitar player Billy, with him it seems "all" about the fingers, listening to him taught me allot about bending and squealing. Do you do Waiting for the Bus All Day, one of my fav songs off 3 Amigos.
Maybe time to grow a beard LoL.
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Waiting on the Bus, Tush, Nationwide, Francine, all kinds of great old stuff and some of the 'new' stuff from their resurgence in the late 80s/early 90s. Pretty cool.
I do have a Gold top, but it's an Ibanez, because I like double cutaways ;) I plan on using that and one of my hollowbodies and my Explorer, and...
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Well it could take a few years until saved up enough beard to look like Billy ::)
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We need a pic of the band with the fake beards!!!!!!
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Yes good thinking EL,so Dante show us !!!
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No band pics with me yet...here's their Faceb**k page, you can see the guy in the middle wearing my beard (I gotta wash that gross thing)
https://www.Faceb**k.com/Tres-Hombres-A-Tribute-to-ZZ-Top-143200629065497/
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Ahhh early years beards jejeje not that gray! lol
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UPDATE: We had our first get-together last night.
I was not nearly as polished as I would have liked, but we went through as many tunes as we could fake an came up with 10 strong ones, 4-5 weak ones, and about 10 more that we need to learn. I have marked the strong 10 for next week, focusing on getting the real solo riffs down (I was improvising most of my stuff last night)
Jammin with these guys was a lot of fun, they totally get the idea of dynamics and they're really good at keeping a pocket while I get lost in solo-land. I'll develop some 'tells' for them to know when I'm getting out of the solos, but man it was fun jammin and makin stuff up on the fly. I like to keep a little 'creative spot' in many of my cover tunes for that purpose, but I am able to JAM with these guys, and that's a whole 'nuther thing.
I used my MP-1 Classic and got some awesome feedback sustain with my small-bodied semi hollow Ibanez...man that sounded good. Since I'm only using three patches and a boost, I may be converting my GT-8 and Mesa Boogie DC-5 combo into the ZZ rig and saving my rack rig for the cover band. I'll probably go buy a cheap 4x12 for large stages and simply power it with the Boogie combo (damn...I just let a pair of split stacks escape me on Craigslist)
The guy that put this thing together runs a local sound / lighting company, so we'll always have that covered and he is well connected in the area for getting us great paying gigs. We only have 3 people in the band, so getting paid well is much easier than a band of six :/ Also, we only have to play for 2 hours and I still make as much $$ as I do in a 4 hour gig with the cover band. WIN!
This is gonna be a fun project, I can tell already
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I never played in a tribute band but I have covered a few ZZ Top tunes in my day.
Waitin for the bus..Jesus left Chicago, a fool for your stockings, Just got paid and my fav Beer drinkers & hell raisers.
What was your set list?
Some real bluesy licks! I can totally see how easy it would be to get lost in solo-land :lol:
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Here's what we have so far, many of these are done with the live versions in mind
What We Have So Far
Tush
Jesus Just Left Chicago
Waitin' for the Bus
Blue Jean Blues
Heard it On The X
La Grange
Francine
Cheap Sunglasses
Sharp Dressed Man
Got Me Under Pressure
More Songs For Later...
Just Got Paid
Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers
Legs
Gimme All Your Lovin'
Tube Snake Boogie
Pearl Necklace
My Head's In Mississippi
I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide
Party on The Patio
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Here's what we have so far, many of these are done with the live versions in mind
What We Have So Far
Tush
Jesus Just Left Chicago
Waitin' for the Bus
Blue Jean Blues
Heard it On The X
La Grange
Francine
Cheap Sunglasses
Sharp Dressed Man
Got Me Under Pressure
More Songs For Later...
Just Got Paid
Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers
Legs
Gimme All Your Lovin'
Tube Snake Boogie
Pearl Necklace
My Head's In Mississippi
I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide
Party on The Patio
Nice :thumb-up: Awesome selection! I always wanted to try Velcro Fly and Can't stop rockin live...hmmm?? maybe it's time?
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Cool stuff Dante!
I can sub you if you want Dante, I already know half of your list there... >:D
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I do have a Gold top, but it's an Ibanez, because I like double cutaways ;) I plan on using that and one of my hollowbodies and my Explorer, and...
Nah, you'll need a copy of his fur-plaided one - and preferably with the axe-rotating hip-strap arrangement ;)
Aaaand.. you'll need to grow a beard. A big one..
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Fake beards = much easier
We looked into the spinning guitar thingy...too expensive. The fuzzy guitar part wasn't so bad, we thought we'd just buy cheap Explorers and glue the fur on. However, in order for them (or any guitar) to spin, you have to wear a friggin HARNESS that has a swivel in the front. And, you gotta be sure your wireless pack is attached to the guitar (not in your back pocket). It's too much. Not worth it.
Chucky - anytime you're at a gig, you are welcome to come onstage and use my gear, I'll go get you a Leffe at the bar
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Hi Dante, R U singing too ?
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Right now, the only two I'm singing are Blue Jean Blues and Jesus Just Left Chicago. My voice is best used sparingly - haha- and I like to harmonize, so I'd rather just sing backups.
I will probably be singing some more leads later, but right now, I'm just focusing on learning how to play the songs and working on my solo cues for the rhythm section.
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singing with a fake beard... cool !!!
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Too bad you live on the other side of the world,would love to see you play. :thumb-up:
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Get some pesos and file them down. Billy said in an old Guitar World interview that he used pesos instead of plastic/tortoise shell picks.
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Andy,
I know about the pesos. I read an interview with him decades ago where he said he used a quarter. I tried it back then and hated the tone. I do like the thickness, but that shrill metal on metal attack didn't sit well with me.
BTW: We had a great rehearsal last night, sounded tighter than ever. Now, we need to add some more songs and work on the intricate choreography ::) before our first show = July 2nd. We're playing at a VERY popular spot, on the river, where lots of boaters stop in for fish tacos & beer. It should be a very busy day, on 4th of July weekend (U.S. Independence Day Holiday).
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Good stuff Dante.... I love ZZ Top. Grew up working with my Pop in the garage in the 70's listening to them on his old stereo. I do Blue Jean Blues in my solo acoustic shows.
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I have a 1978 Silver Series Ibby Strat copy that the body is covered with black fur, and the cutaway bouts are shaped and painted like horns. that would probably be suitable for that kind of gig :lol:
Harley 8)
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Hey Harley, that's pretty out there LoL. How about a pic ?
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Yeah, I gotta see that
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I'll try to get a decent pic of it. Right now all I have is my phone
Harley 8)
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Good stuff Dante.... I love ZZ Top. Grew up working with my Pop in the garage in the 70's listening to them on his old stereo. I do Blue Jean Blues in my solo acoustic shows.
My dad hates when I call him Pop. I didn't realize it until one day when I called him dad, he lit up. Who knew?
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OK Dante and Richard,
Here is the old Ibby I mentioned earlier. Not the greatest pix, but you get the idea.
Harley 8)
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hey Harley, one word... uggly ! just uggly the way i love :thumb-up:
let me know if you sell it
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:lol: :thumb-up:
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I actually like the looks of the guitar too!
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Wow Harley, what an axe :thumb-up: , I suspect it plays quite nicely also >:D
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That's pretty dang cool, I'll tell ya what
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Hey Harley, this is a 90's Kevin Costner's signature "Dance with wolves" guitar... really rare ! :lol:
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Hey Gang,
OK, here's the story on that guitar.
In 1989, I met a kid who had that guitar and he never really learned how to play, and he saw my setup at the time, and offered to sell me the guitar, even though I didn't need it. I gave him $25 for it.
Originally, it was just your basic white Strat copy. All the original hardware was on it, but the pickups were trashed. The neck and middle pickups were still in the guitar, but not working. The bridge pickup, was replaced with a DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker, but it was a home made installation. Both the body and the pick guard looked like it had been cut out with a chisel to fit the humbucker in there. The pickup wasn't even mounted with the adjustment screws, it was just suspended with the jagged points of the pick guard holding the pickup in place against the coil windings :crazy:
I bought a Floyd Rose and some new DiMarzio pickups for it, ( Pro 151 PAF, and two DP- FS1's ), a couple of CTS Pots, and a new 5-way switch. Then I took it to a local Luthier who got the neck ready while I went to work on the body. I had him route the body for the FR first, then I took it home and filed the cutaways with a wood rasp to get the rough shape. I then sanded them down smooth and got a sheet of black fun fur from Pat Catan's, and glued that on where I wanted it. ( I also cut the monkey-grip handle in the body usind a small hole saw and hand cranked drill). Then I took it back to the Luthier, and had him paint the cutaways white with black tips. He did that and assembled the whole thing, gave it a complete line up and balance, and I bought a Lochness Green hard shell case for it. We had a good laugh over that guitar when it was done.
It plays very fast and has a decent tone. The tuning machines are the original chrome Schallers that were on my 1980 STRAT, and the pick guard, was the original from my 1983 57' RI, Schaller Strap Locks completed the package. I've used that for a lot of gigs, but never for recording. I was never really satisfied with the tone for other than live gigs. Maybe I might try some new pickups in the future for it, but I haven't picked it up and played it in years. I liked the way it looked with the pink pickup covers, and I still have the pink covers for the single coils in a box somewhere.
So there you have it. When I first completed the guitar, I used to refer to it as the "Beast." Then, I learned that d*ck Dale named his Strat by that name, so I had to change it to Sonofabeast.
Harley 8)
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Great story, great name for the axe!
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Reminds me of when I installed a humbucker in my Jap Anson strat, I didn't have a chisel so I used a screwdriver and a hammer to make the cavity large enough :facepalm:
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Hey Harley,how did you come up with the name Sonofabeast?
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Hey Harley,how did you come up with the name Sonofabeast?
Hey MJMP,
I called it the Beast for a few years, and it seemed to fit, with the fur and horns. It looks kind of beastly, don't you think? Anyway, after learning that d*ck Dale had named his guitar the Beast, I just figured since mine came later, and can sound every bit as aggressive, then it had to be "Son-Of-A-Beast."
If you say if fast, it comes out Sonofabeast!
(It's a lot more printable than "Son of a bitch!")
Harley 8)
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Ah yes i see now :lol:
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Hey harley,
Do you have an amp matching the guitar ?
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Hey Tomy.
Why would I need a furry amp when I have Ozite covered ADA Split-Stacks?
(Unless I covered everything in red shag fur, then I could get a gig with Murph and the Magic Tones at the Ramada Inn)
Harley :banana-guitar:
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Why would I need a furry amp when I have Ozite covered ADA Split-Stacks?
(Unless I covered everything in red shag fur, then I could get a gig with Murph and the Magic Tones at the Ramada Inn)
Harley :banana-guitar:
I'll be here all week....Try the veal!
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:lol: :lol: :lol: I knew someone was going to catch that one and follow through :thumb-up:
Harley 8)
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One gig in the books, another one on the calendar. We had our first gig yesterday to a packed house of partiers. It's 4th of July weekend here in the U.S., a celebration of our independence from jolly ol' England, and an excuse for a 3 day party. The venue is next to the river, people can arrive via the docks on the water or the highway outside the front door.
It is a very popular spot for bikers and other forms of quality society like musicians. Many musicians relish these gigs because the venue is almost always packed on weekends, there are only so many weekends in a summer so they're rare gigs, there's a huge main stage and a smaller back stage. They have the back stage band playing while they switch bands on the main stage so the music never stops. They are known for their fish tacos, but I think the :beer: may have something to do with it too. Of course, because it's always packed....we get paid well. :banana-upsidedown:
Here's a pic of me in the beard, I'm the one on the right, with the Minions goggles on my hat :o
O0 :poop:
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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :thumb-up: That's great! You definitely look the part.
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Very cool Dante :thumb-up:
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Nice beards :lol:
Harley 8)
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Here are a few pix from the gig
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That looks really cool :thumb-up:
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It looks like you guys were having a lot of fun, and that's the whole point :thumb-up:
Rock ON!!
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That's awesome! :banana-guitar: