Rain

That's ususally how it feels when you get back on the guitar after a couple of weeks playing bass...

They had surpsingly low latency for their interfaces, even the inexpensive one. I had a uber cheap Fast Track for my travel rig and it worked surprisingly well, although purists would probably snear at the converters and such. I bought it as an alternative to my trusty old Delta 44 with its breakout box, but never got another computer with a PCI slot, so the 44 was history.

Great to hear from you as well, Tim. I hear you on the Mackies and Adams - and serious gear in general. I was starting from scratch and completely broke, so a friend bought the M-Audio monitors and a little Samson mixer for me so that I could work on a gig that was coming my way, and I repaid him afterwards. This adds some value to them, too. Funny you mention Alesis - I also keep a pair of inexpensive ones that I bought in NY when I needed something portable. Although they don't have the "sentimental value" of the old M-Audio, I figured I would keep them to play music downstairs. Since they're poewered and flexible in terms of connectivity, they still have their use for casual listening.

I still have my old M-Audio Studiophiles which I got 21 years ago - quite a few notches cheaper thank yours, though. But you got to start somehwere and these were my first monitors - quite an improvement from my previous setup, actually. I've not plugged them in in over 10 years, although I'm sure listening to music on them would bring back tons of memories. Even just the sound they made when I powered them on. I wrote so much music on them, I can't bring myself to get rid of them. I like to see them there, in the background, as part of my musical history I suppose. Fortunately, they're quite small. I am still thankful for M-Audio - these guys made affordable, reliable gear. I think everything in my humble studio was made by them - interface, monitors, keyboard, drum pads, preamp... Heck, I still have the old lanyward, too.

So terribly sad. Turning 50 in a few months myself so this hits closer to home.

Diary of a Madman was my first album. Back then I thought I wanted to to play bass. Then I heard the solo in Over the Mountain and that changed everthing. Glad I finally managed to visit his resting place a few years ago.

Talk about a warm welcome! Thank you, guys! It's great to get back in touch - and to see that no matter what, the spirit of the CH lives on. I believe you'll see more of me around here. @Shane_B./Bub - Ah, that's like making friends again all over again with an old pal! Good to see you here. Huge horror and TNBC fan too. I can put that one as a "background noise" and listen to it 3 or 4 times in a row - although I obviously watch it almost religiously a few times a year. I never get tired of it, even after a few decades...

Had not logged in since early December 2020. 13 months! Unbelievable... I've often thought about my good old CH buddies but the year was extraordinarily hectic. And yet it's strange how sometimes one of you guys' name would just pop in my mind out of nowhere, and I'd find myself thinking - I wonder how this guy has been doing... Even folks from the old newsgroup in the late 90's - Craig Olmstead and Bob Beals and all. It's amusing how a bunch of people you've never met in real life occupy such a place in your existence. As for I, life has thrown me a few curve balls but I am alive and kicking - and still making music. I even bought my first 7-string in March. (My first guitar equipped with EMG's, too. I don't hate them.) You need to challenge yourself, right? Call it midlife crisis. I figured it may a bit late in life to start violin, but 7-string isn't that much of a stretch. I am a Gibson/Fender guy, and I usually stick with classics - the last guitar before that was a butterscotch Tele. Schecter really wasn't a name I had any affinity for. If anything, I had a somewhat unfavorable opinion of them. So when I started looking, I was thinking maybe ESP, since that's what a lot of the people who used to buy Gibsons buy nowadays. But I couldn't find a 7 that had all I wanted until I started looking at Schecters. And I was extremely surprised when I received this one - the Hellraiser C-7. A very nice instrument. It's also my only guitar that's not a solid color - they call the finish black burst. I call her Domina Mortem. And she rocks. Anyway, good to be back, you guys.

Indeed, my friend. Indeed!

Sorry to hear that. My condolences.

Bapu's Rambo thoughts of the day, new and improved: now with guitar.

Thanks for posting this, man. I appreciate more than you could know.

Disclaimer - this may sound like heresy for a rock musician, but I don't like loud music. I can put up with it at a concert, but ultimately, I hate to trade clarity and intelligibility for loudness. Another reason why I prefer studio to stage. Likewise, although I’ve owned many big, loud tube amps throughout the years, to practice and at home, I naturally gravitate towards small, transistor practice amps. I like to be able to play through an amp and still watch a movie or something. Even in Triode mode, I never managed to push the Marshall half stack past 1 in this room. After I bought the Tele a few weeks ago, I did a bit of research and I decided to grab one of these little Champions. I wanted something simple and small that could deliver Fender type of tones without peeling the paint off the walls. I'll not try and pretend that it sounds even just almost as great as the old '59 Bassman or your old Twin - but honestly, to practice, I'll choose this puppy every time over amp sims (hardware and software) and other little transistor amps I've owned. Even the British setting is relatively decent. And it's just a lot of fun to play. Probably my favorite of all the little amps I've owned, including the tube Randall. Again, this is not for purists - but me I do believe in using different tools for different things. Never ceases to amaze me how far we've come. I wish we'd have such affordable and good sounding gear when I started out. The bigger models have some extra features, like a second channel and all, but to me, that defeats the purpose - if this were to play live or record, I'd opt for something different entirely, not a bigger version of this.

That's actually some pretty decent gear for a "low budget" studio, man. Plus, you have a Mac in there - so you get instant pro setup points.

Here. Just to counterbalance the pinkness... All kidding aside, it's pretty nice that you Epi came with a hardshell case. Even more bang for the buck!

My cat Googlie ran away for two weeks while I was in the ICU a few years ago and came back a couple of days after I got home. For weeks afterwards, she followed me everywhere in the house, stood outside my studio door when I was working and would jump in my lap the minute I sat down somewhere. She even hissed at my wife when she approached me. Meanwhile, our dog kept on barking at her own butthole when it itched...

Agree. One of the things I had to let go due to circumstances. I love to play bass (or to try to, anyway). The good thing is, I sold it to my bass player.

I've always had extraordinarily conventional, boring tastes and guitars are no exception. The first quality guitar I've ever played belonged to the father of a friend of mine, and it was a '57 black Fender Stratocaster. I was 12. That became the holy grail to me - even in an era (mid 80's) that was all about flashy superstrats and pointy guitars, that guitar held its own - respected guitarists like Dave Murray, Matthias Jabs and Glenn Tipton played (modded) black Strats. Not like my cheap, sunburst Les Paul copy. That thing was about as metal as a cowboy hat or a bolo tie. Les Paul's really didn't get much love for a while... When I saw David Gilmour in Live at Pompeii, it only reinforced my determination to someday own a black Strat - albeit not necessarily a 57, but if possible, with a similar headstock and neck color. Eventually, I go a cheap Strat copy from Sears, then a Fender Squier black Strat and, ultimately, in 96, the real black Strat I'd always lusted after, and it's been with me ever since. I've sold, traded or given away most of the gear I owned through the years but not that one. That being said, I picked up electric guitar because of Randy Rhoads, and last year I figured it would makes sense to at least test his design - so I bought a super cheap one, just to get a feel. I must say I love the ergonomics. Having studied classical, I feel right at home with the playing position. I may grab a better quality one in the future. But ultimately, my main line up is remarkably traditional - and finally feels complete with the new Tele.

She's her mommy's lap dog. The only time she comes into the studio is when my wife's not home. She just sits there, looks depressed and sighs. Actually, we've lost a few in the last couple of years, we're down to six. Although we've been fostering, so, yeah, back to 9 or 10 most of the time.

I remember I heard a guy playing a Telecaster with a B Bender in a bar - I was only dropping by but I ended up staying until the end of the set just to have a chat with him and to ask him how he did that stuff. Took me forever to learn to love Telecasters, but I was hooked to the B Bender on the spot. Maybe on the next Tele.

Hey, Kenny - good hearing from you, man! And always a joy to hear you play too!

I'd have a tough time picking between her and Arthur. But he lives downstairs, mostly on the fridge or in my gym. She's the only cat allowed in the studio (I don't mind the dog because she's very quiet in here).

Not sure what you mean...

Thanks, Paulo. Considering what some family members, friends and fellow forum members have been through, I have absolutely no right to complain. Hope life's been kind to you.