www.CostaRicaTicas.com

This 'amp' talk reminds me of a scene from the movie Spinal Tap. Rob Reiner is interviewing Christopher Guests's character, and asks him about
his specially made amp, which has a volume control setting of 11. He asks him "why not just make 10 louder"? Christopher Guest thinks for a few seconds, then replies "well...it's not 11". That was a funny movie!
Sure, it was a parody, but much of it was 'true to life'.

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

"Marshalls overrated??? Are you serious? Just curious, how old are you?
Certainly, Fender, Mesa Boogie, et al. make great amps, but if you're playing rock, nothing beats a Marshall "

Agreed GringoTim. All of the notable rock-and-roll guitarists over the past 25 years have typically used Marshall's. Eddie Van Halen's "Brown Sound"
on Van Halen I was due in part to using Marshall JCM 800's. His tone on that record was insane. I called it the Brown Sound because I shit my pants the first time I heard the record.

The only thing that comes close to the experience of having a great orgasm, is playing through a Marshall JCM 800 full stack turned up to 10.
You can feel it right down to the bone.

ICE

Back in my 70s Rock and Roll days...as a keyboard player/singer...I didnt mind the marshall stacks. The only thing I minded were the guitar players who didnt know how to tune their axe...playing at levels of 10+ ... I actually would tune the guitars for a couple of my players over the years.

Back to this thread, you all might want to check out https://costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/vi ... hp?t=12715 for an update on the 1st annual Mongers jam in CR. No more than 150 Watt amps allowed ...

I used to wear a T-shirt to practice, a black shirt with vivid white skull and crossbones, and the legend: "Tune it or die!"

As I only have five senses remaining, I'm very protective, maybe even paranoid about my hearing. A lumber picker who won't turn down to reasonable levels will drive me off the stage and out of the band faster than you can say "decibel."

I am sick of hearing the bullshit excuse, "But I have to turn it up this loud to get the tone I want." That's a myth. If you know what you're doing with your gear, you should be able to find that tone at whisper levels.

When I was doing the jingle gig, I self-produced. That means I ran the studio controls, recorded the parts, mixed and mastered. Despite go-bows and other sound-shaping devices, the guitarists who played too loudly were impossible to record. The real pros know the difference between living room volume, studio volume, stage volume and stadium volume. As a band leader, I bet that I've fired a half-dozen players for refusing to mix with the other guys onstage. Everyone apparently wants to be Eddie Van Halen.

Hey, unless you're banging Valerie Bertonelli, I don't want to hear it.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

El Ciego,

I'll be coming to CR sometime in September. I'm an old ex-bebopper who blows guitar and piano and would like to sit in with y'all. Yep, I'm from the south. New Orleans, ie. Actually, now adays I play more of what I refer to as 'Cocktail Jazz'. But I can still swing.

And this sounds like icing on the cake to me. I've been wondering how the Jazz scene was in CR.

Wes

[quote=
"WesleyDick"]El Ciego,

I'll be coming to CR sometime in September. I'm an old ex-bebopper who blows guitar and piano and would like to sit in with y'all. Yep, I'm from the south. New Orleans, ie. Actually, now adays I play more of what I refer to as 'Cocktail Jazz'. But I can still swing.

And this sounds like icing on the cake to me. I've been wondering how the Jazz scene was in CR.

Wes[/quote]

Wes,

Always good to have another musico with us! The jam is set for Friday, September 1 at 5:00 p.m. at the Sportsmen's Lodge. Hope you can make it.

Regarding jazz in C.R. Like here, the scene is there but it is a fairly small scene. The Jazz Cafe near the University (east of Gringo Gulch) is a happening spot with great live music, most of it jazz. Also, there's an obviously automated jazz station, 95.5 FM, a "smooth jazz" format heavy on David Benoit, Sade and Anita Baker. Nice mix.

I have been very impressed by the caliber of the musicians I've heard in San Jose. There are many, many fine players.

Personally, I'm a hack. I have a nearly useless left hand (insert joke here) and play fairly poorly. I do sing well, but my keyboard skills are...er, well... forget about it.

Welcome to C.R.T., amigo! I hope our paths will cross in Costa Rica. Look for the white blind dude. That be me.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

Ok, regarding the 'jam' this coming Friday night at Sportsman's... What time, and what's the equipment situation? I have some equipment I could supply. Is anybody coordinating this thing? If El Ciego gave me a brief recap last night but before I haul everything I own I'd like to be sure it's needed/wanted.

So... what time and what do we have and what do we need?

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

Tman busted his ass to get a keyboard and amp to the SL, and thanks to his associate managed to get a mic stand.

Tman and I were the only musicians who played. I had bad laryngitis and couldn't sing. Tman surprised me both with his level of skill playing the keys and his singing voice!

Now, my question is this: Where were all the other dudes who expressed interest? Oops, I think I know...

Thanks Tman for jamming. Next year we'll try to formalize things a little more. Percussion is needed, guitars, bass and vocalists. Hey, birth is fairly painful, but at least now we've established a tradition.

Play on, bobba....

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

Thanks El C. It was a pure pleasure to jam with your talented self...and hey, I thought that was a great blues voice, not laryngitis ...

There were a few appreciative brothers in the crowd, AND i DID get a couple chicas give me seductive winks for our efforts. Of course, I kept that to myself El C because you were already getting too much attention.

The best part of not having more players gig with us was...we got to keep ALL the tip money. There was more than 12k colones to split between us which back in the day wasnt bad for a couple hours work. Sure covered my bar bill for the event...on top of the free drinks Bill the owner was plying us with. Shit, its a good thing I remembered those basic 1-4-5 progressions after a few tequilas.

Until next year... Keep on jammin...yeah

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All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts...

I offered my equipment and services and nobody ever contacted me. That's whyI didn't bother showing up.

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

Hey Bilko,

No recriminations or accusations here. We were at worst disorganized. Maybe next year?

Peace and harmony,

Paul
--0-

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

Absolutely. As a SF Giants fan, I am used to the phrase 'wait till next year.'

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

Geez Bilko,

Giants just blew it and pretty much ended this year with a late inning loss to the Brewers…but will Barry be back next year?

We had a great time at the SL…wish you had joined us!

El C and Tman, you guys were great! It was fun just to watch the chica’s reaction to some good music… Just another part of a great weekend.

Mendo

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"It takes a lot of good beer to make a great wine"