For those concerned about power cables....

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On 8/25/2018 at 7:22 PM, plissken said:

Check it out....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fdVwxOGAt0

When that guy plays his guitar, why does it sound so DISTORTED? Is that the You-Tube audio or is it supposed to sound like that? I hope that's not how it's supposed to sound! If so, I can't understand how anyone could listen to it for even 5 seconds! Awful!

 

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13 hours ago, plissken said:

 

It's just a crummy mic that they are using to record. You can listen to him on Tidal. He tone from grungy and distorted to blissfully buttery, silky smooth. 

So are you saying that he is sometimes "grungy and distorted" on purpose? Are you also saying that some of that distortion heard on that YouTube video was caused by a lousy microphone? I've never heard a mike do that even when severely overloaded. His voice sounded fine, his guitar sounded terrible - must have been 50% distortion. Reminded me of a cheap car radio with the volume turned all the way up so that it was clipping 100% of the time! Yuck!

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7 minutes ago, Chopsrr said:

 

I agree with the crappy mic bit. It's just the built-in mic on the camera, and yes, it was overloaded, adding much of its own distortion to the sound, but only when the guitarist was playing those loud riffs. 

 

And yes, a lot of those effects pedals are designed to do just that, add distortion. That's why he was referring to some of the settings as "lead", and some as "rhythm", or "DIRTY rhythm". DIrty meaning distortion. This can also be achieved by over-driving the tubes in the head amps. Or I suppose with some of the newer, solid state head amps, there's something in there to add that tube distortion sound. Probably a DSP or something.

Thanks for the clarification. But if you don't mind answering, why would anybody want to listen to distortion? I don't get it.

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15 hours ago, fas42 said:

 

I have a younger brother who is totally into the "Gotta play in a band!" mentality - I built his first, valve amp, from a kit, and build the speaker cabinet too when he was a youngster - his group was the only live gig in our small country town!

 

If you have never stood a couple of feet in front of a classic Marshall amp setup, and "felt" what the experience is like when a guitarist who has the skills gives it a bit of a burnout - then you will never "get it".

I don't think it's important that I "get it", Frank. After all, I have rarely heard any rock or reggae or soul, or country music that I would want to listen to (but there are a few exceptions), I've never heard any rap or hip-hop that I didn't find utterly disgusting. Just the form of the latter two I find lamentable. How much lower on the evolutionary scale can music go? What are heading toward? Just beating on wooden logs and screaming? I guess if it did descend to that there would be millions who would hail it as the best music ever. That's their prerogative. And there is no accounting for taste. I don't like Brussels Sprouts or lamb either.

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8 hours ago, jabbr said:

So why ask? ?

 

Electric guitar creates sounds that typically come out of a tube amplifier and which are themselves mic’d and amplified for the audience. The sounds are distorted to you, and indeed involve feedback/nonlinearities etc but the intention never was to replicate an acoustic guitar. The sounds are as the artist intends. What’s the big deal? Many people like lamb and Brussel sprouts ?‍♂️

I asked merely because I was somewhat taken aback by the incredibly nasty, high level of distortion from that guy's guitar. I really have not paid any attention to that type of guitar playing and didn't realize that that sound was actually desired. I have, of course, heard of "fuzz boxes" for electric guitars, but I never associated the "fuzz" with that level of distortion. I am surprised that some people like to listen to that. That's all.

 

 

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8 hours ago, christopher3393 said:

 

...is wonderful!

 

 

 

Drums and other percussion instruments add the "spice" to many kinds of music. Where would Brazillian Samba, Cuban Cha-cha, Mambos and Beguines be without percussion instruments? But just like with food, spice alone isn't very nourishing or very palatable. The music of Les Baxter, Martin Denny, and Arthur Lyman are made exotic by the use of unusual percussion instruments from Africa, India, and Southeast Asia and the Malay Peninsula.Japanese Koto drums and Chinese percussion instruments also add color to music. But that's not what I was talking about. I was projecting forward to a "western" pop music form that was reduced solely to beating on logs accompanied by random yelling - probably the oldest and most primitive form of music made by humans. My point was that we went through that 100,000 years ago, when people were living in the caves of Lascaux in France and elsewhere. I'd hate to see the general trend in pop music devolving back to that and I meant the post as an exercise in reducto ad absurdum, with tongue planted firmly in my cheek. 

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3 hours ago, Blake said:

 

So you have boring/bland musical tastes...  Honey Badger Don't Care!!!  

 

 

My response is based on yours and not generally what I would come out and say, but in you case, I'll make an exception. The difference between my musical taste and yours is that I have some.

 

 

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4 minutes ago, wgscott said:

 

 

Was that mess supposed to explain to me why people would want to listen to such a horrible sound? If so, you failed. Our unfortunate National Anthem sounds bad enough without doing what Hendrix did to it!

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43 minutes ago, fas42 said:

Some early specimens ...

 

 

 

 

 

Link Wray, I've never heard of, but I was actually a fan of some of Marty Robbins' music - Mostly his "gunfighter ballads" like El Paso, Running Gun, and Big Iron as well as the Ballad of the Alamo.  I also liked Roy Orbison (Pretty Woman, Blue Bayou, Bourne on the Wind etc.). I was also fond (as a kid) of Frankie Laine (High-Noon, Mule Train, Cry of the Wild Geese, Hanging Tree, etc.).  Like I've said, there are exceptions to everything, even musical taste.

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6 minutes ago, diecaster said:

 

Another artist considered a master of his craft that you do not like. Surprise, surprise.....

I'm sure that there are septic tank specialists who are considered "masters of their craft", but I don't have a septic system, so why should I care? Ca-peesh? If I've learned anything posting on this forum for the last 10 years it's that you "rockers" have really thin skins!

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5 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

 

try some Bounce!

 

You'd have a lot of fun at a NoLa house party?

Izzat NoLa  North Los Angeles, or New Orleans Louisiana? 

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1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

 

New Orleans - did LA try to steal something else from New Orleans?

I asked because I'm used to seeing New Orleans Louisiana spelled with all Caps NOLA.

 

 

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41 minutes ago, wgscott said:

 

Lighten up, Francis.

Who, might I ask, is Francis?  Bacon?  Scott Key? Anne Francis? Francis the Talking Mule? 

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35 minutes ago, wgscott said:

Q:  Do you know what the last two words of the national anthem are?

 

A:  "Play Ball"

 I like it!

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11 hours ago, mansr said:

Now he's pretending to have never heard an electric guitar. It's getting rather silly.

Stop putting words in my mouth! Of course I've heard an electric guitar. How would I know that I don't like the sound, otherwise? But I've never heard one make THAT noise before. Like I said, you rockers sure are thin skinned. I wonder why?

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5 hours ago, wgscott said:

 

 

http://bfy.tw/K3KT

Sorry, I've never seen the movie Stripes, so the reference meant absolutely nothing to me. 

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4 hours ago, Blake said:

Apparently he never watched the movie Stripes, thought NoLa might refer to North Los Angeles, confused about these new things called "electric guitars", "disgusted" by hip hop/rap, and I am also guessing he yells at kids that get near his lawn.  Yes, it all makes sense.  He must throw killer parties.

Do you sleep on silk sheets to avoid abrading your micron-thick skin? Your lack of taste is exceeded only by your inability to accept that not everybody shares your love of the banal. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

 

Let's not get too down on George.

 

He likes Italian cars, and puts the wah-wah pedal to the metal in his Alfa.

This last weekend I found a nice paved road out in the Nevada desert that led to a closed mine (looks like it's been closed for many years). The road just stops at the rusty and locked front gate. But that gate is 33 miles from the main highway! I was able to drive at a steady 130 MPH for almost the entire 33 miles with my Toyo R88R tires singing the whole way! It was glorious. Reminded me of my driving the Targa Florio circuit in Sicily, but without the turns! I might do it again, this weekend. I'm still looking for a twisty and little used road in this area, but the only ones I've found are pretty well used! I like this one road that goes to Lake Tahoe from south Reno, but it's fairly well traveled as is the road to Virginia City.  I was really spoiled living in Silicon Valley, CA. a 20 minute drive would get one into the Santa Cruz mountains and some of the best driving roads in the country! Below are two pictures of my Alfa. They're self explanatory. Her name is Sophia, and she's a real lady! Even Ferrari owners nod approvingly at her!

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37 minutes ago, kumakuma said:

 

You should watch it. Bill Murray plays a mean electric guitar in it.  

Sorry Kumakuma, Not my cup of tea. I'm a real fan of Film Noir, and I generally don't watch many movies made after 1970. Again, there are exceptions - mostly for sci-fi flicks especially space operas.

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1 minute ago, Richard Dale said:

I can just imagine you listening to 'Born To Be Wild' during your drive ...the cello version of course

If you look carefully at the interior shot I posted, you will notice on the center stack on the dashboard near the lower right-hand corner of the picture, there is only a blanking plate where a radio or stereo would normally be. IOW, there is none. That's on purpose. The "song" of that OHC, flat-cranked, 3.0 lire V-6 in full song is all the music that I require when driving the Alfa. Maybe that's something that only a gear-head can appreciate.

Actually, as much of a stickler as I am for high-end audio in my home, I am totally indifferent to it in a car. My daily driver, a VW GTI, has the standard "Monsoon" stereo in it. While driving around town I listen to Reno's brand new classical radio station KRCJ. The radio is stock. No special speakers, no aftermarket amplifiers. It sounds just OK. I've never heard a car stereo that I thought sounded "right" anyway, and just think that a car is too hostile an environment for decent sound, so I don't bother!

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16 minutes ago, Fluffytime said:

 

This post is the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

Glad you liked it (words dripping with sarcasm!). I didn't enjoy posting it at all. I don't like being harsh with fellow audiophiles, but Blakes lack of tolerance and general nastiness made me take a harsh line with him. Seems like a lot of people here need to learn that just because tastes differ, it doesn't mean that one has free reign to insult those with whom you disagree. Lots of people on this forum have told me that they hate classical music, find it boring, etc. Do I try to change their minds or convince them that they shouldn't denigrate people who do like it? No. I never do that. I don't care what other people listen to personally. I might not understand forms of music to which I never listen, and I might say verbally say that I don't like it (just as many have told me that they don't like classical music or jazz), but I don't generally denigrate the people who hold those opinions. This fracas started because Some guy on a You-Tube video was playing a guitar with a resultant sound that was total distortion. I don't listen to the types of music that use that kind of instrumentation, so I'd never heard an electric guitar do that. Since then, I have been castigated, made fun of, been told that I am boring and would be no fun at a party, all because I eschew and am not very familiar with modern (post 1965) forms of popular music. I have to wonder how many of these "rockers" could stand up to a grilling on grand opera? Or could tell the difference between an oboe and a cor Anglais? Very few, I suspect, and why should they? They don't listen to those kinds of music and I wouldn't expect them to. Yet, they come all unglued and whip up a Jihad against me because I don't know one electric guitar from another, or have never heard one that was really distorted as on that video. 

Sorry to be so long winded here. But I had to get that off my chest. Now, go ahead and let slip the dogs of insult!