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Good Side Hustles For Musicians To Make Some Extra Money

Howdy guitar gang! It's approaching the holiday season as I pen this blog, and for some musicians that just slaps them in the face with how much money they are NOT making at their craft. What to do? Throw in the towel and get a "real job"? If you're 40-years old and still playing video games all day and living with Mom and Dad, yeah, probably a good idea, but for the rest of you... listen up! So we all know the problem with musicians getting a day gig, lack of flexibility. I mean, who...

The Ultimate Word On Made in Korea Fender guitars (MIK)

Howdy once again guitar gang! So, boy howdy is there a TON of confusion over the Korean made Fender guitars, and I'm NOT talking about the Squier moniker here, I'm talking about the honest-to-goodness Fender's! As a point of reference, please read my last blog on Made in Japan Fenders, since it dovetails in with this blog nicely. First, I have a confession to make, and it's a biggie! When I saw my first MIK Fender Strat at a Pawn Shop, I thought it was a fake. Yep, me. I've co-authored...

The Ultimate Word on Made in Japan vs Crafted in Japan Fender Guitars - IS MIJ BETTER Than CIJ?

When you start trying to determine the difference between a MIJ and a CIJ Fender guitar, odds are you will do a search, and odds are all you will find are forums, and on those forums you will find many differing opinions on the topic and ultimately you just may wind up even more confused than when you began! Here, we shall break down the confusion as much as possible and present the information in the most simple and clear manner possible so as to not waste your time or leave you scratching your head. Late 1981: ...

What Happens When You Raise the Height On A Guitar Pickup

Howdy guitar friends! So I've already penned the worlds best blogs on: How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Telecaster for ULTIMATE TELE TONE! How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Stratocaster for ULTIMATE STRAT TONE! How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a Humbucker for ULTIMATE TONE! How To Adjust (Set) Pickup Height on a P-90 for ULTIMATE TONE! But recently I've been getting questions like this: "I want to make my bridge pickup louder and a lot less bright, what can I do?"...

Music and Guitar Break Through the Barriers of Dementia and Alzheimer's

Okay guitar & music buddies, in case ya need it ... here is yet another reason to play guitar! I recently made a trip to see an elderly gentleman that I had not visited in quite some time; his lovely daughter had informed me that her dad had been declining rapidly in the throws of dementia. He did not remember me, and his daughter told me that he even failed to remember her from time to time. Putting sentences together was difficult for him, and even simple conversation evaded his grasp. Folks, this...

Labor Day 2019, It's great to be an American!

Hi fellow guitar tone geeks, great to be with you all on yet another LABOR DAY weekend! I’ve been fighting a bit of a cold this weekend, and I feel soooo blessed! Say that doesn’t make sense, well, let me explain! You see, when I get sick, I get to be sick in a nice snug home with heat and air-conditioning, and running hot cold water, and plenty of readily available food (with pop-tarts and chicken noodle soup as highlights), plus I have a nice comfy bed with big fluffy pillows … like I said, I’m blessed; and grateful. Even on my most miserable days, I’ve got it good. Very good, indeed...

Must Know Info For Guitar players, Singers, Musicians.

Howdy guitar and musician Gang! This blog will be short and sweet and straight to the point, as a matter of fact I don't think I'll even write it, I'll just direct you to watch the video. And, here's the best part: the video is under 1 minute! If you are a working musician over oh, say thirty something, you are in serious danger of falling into the Trap of only playing the music you grew up on, thereby rendering you totally irrelevant. Folks, unless you want to stay stuck in whatever year you graduated from...

Guitar Players, Why You Should Know Some Jazz Chords

Howdy guitar gang! This one is gonna be short and straight to the point. If you can't play some big, full complicated Jazz chords, you're missing out on a lot. Why, well read on! A few years back I was asked to play some background "jazzy" guitar for a wedding dinner. They had no particular songs in mind, they just wanted it to sound like sophisticated jazz during the time the guests would be eating. I'd never played any real jazz, but I took this as a great opportunity to learn, and I...

Bass Players, The Gear You Need for 2019, 2020, and beyond!

Summer NAMM 2019 : The Low-Down Now that the dust has settled on another NAMM show am once again drawn back to December of 1950 when an unassuming bespectacled guy named Clarence opened up his case to roaring laughter. “Nobody will EVER play THAT” was the consensus. The instrument Clarence Leonidas Fender had just unveiled was, of course the worlds first solid body electric bass. It was also the worlds first bass with frets, which is why he dubbed it the “Precision” bass. Yep, NAMM is always...

Galacta Vise, Super Cool Guitar Compressor Pedal Kit

Hey fellow guitar tone freaks! So ... last night I had a wonderful experience I just gotta share with ya! In a scant hour or so I built my own guitar compressor pedal. It was a fun, easy build but the best part is that it's actually a totally great sounding and full featured compressor. In a minute you can watch my build video, but first let's talk a little about the Glacta-Vise pedal ... it's features and sound! A lot of guitar comp pedals are really stripped-down control-wise, some...

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