Drum Set Up The studio dimensions of Disc Ltd. is a 35 x 20 room with wood flooring and medium acoustics. Bass traps line the longer walls at the top to reduce room boom and to even out the bass in the room reverberation. We set up the drums along one of the longer walls with professional 6-foot sound absorbing baffles behind the drummer. Having the drums in the main studio gives a mild amount of reverberation to the sound and using the baffles assures a high degree of presence to the sound.

Input #1 - The Foot Drum

Microphone Selection I selected an Electrovoice RE-20 microphone. This is a large diameter dynamic microphone that has variable D ports. The large diameter diaphragm assures that the mic picks up all of the low-end generated by the foot. The variable-D ports assure that you get a smooth, natural sounding low end. The microphone has smooth frequency response to the highest audio frequencies and therefore will capture the "snap" of the foot also.

Alternate Microphones I would have preferred a RE-27 microphone which is similar to the RE-20 but with a lower-weight diaphragm and coil assembly, giving it a truer sound. Microphones that I would be happy with in a pinch are the Shure Beta 57, the Senheiser MD-421, the Shure SM-57. I would not have been happy to use an AKG D-112 which a lot of people use but sounds like s**t. I would have been unhappy with any kind of condenser microphone which would have a "restricted, cardboard-like" sound - even the best condenser mics have this characteristic. I could have used a good ribbon microphone.

Microphone Placement I like maximum "skin tone" of the foot drum so I almost always place the microphone at the outer diameter of the drum. In the middle, you get more low-end thud but few of the harmonic frequencies that are being generated by the skin.

To get all of the shell sound, I place the microphone diaphragm even with the back of the shell. This means I get both the shell and the skin tine. I usually place the microphone at the top of the drums so that any pillow or blanket used by the drummer does not muffle the microphone pickup.

Microphone Equalization & Sound Check
The equalization I used is as follows

Setting

Purpose

+ 9 dB @ 50 Hz, Shelf Response

Gives the drum good low-end push. The amount should be an amount that causes a slight increase in level when you put the equalizer in the channel.

- 6 dB @ 400 Hz, peak response with Q=1.5

Reduces the cardboard sound and increases foot drum / bass guitar clarity.

+ 4 dB @ 4000 Hz, peak response with Q=1.5

To add sufficient hard beater sound

I brought up the level so that the peaks of the foot drum caused the tape machine's meters to read +3.0. You can overdrive low-frequency instruments on analog tape and they sound better because of this Generally for analog recording I equalize the drums before the sound is recorded on tape. If this was a digital recording I would record without equalization and use thse kinds of EQ settings during the mixdown.

Mixing The Foot Drum The foot drum is the sound in the production that I start with. After I set the foot drum, I pretty much leave it alone, mixing the levels of other drum and rhythm parts to be correct with the foot at a fixed level.

Since I equalized before recording, I don't do much equalization during mixdown. I add a slight amount of plate reverb with a very short reverb time (1/2 of a second) which helps make the drum sound like it's part of the drum kit rather than sitting in your lap. [See snare drum description for reverb parameters.

Input #2, #3 - The Snare Drum

Microphone Placement Approach
I used two microphones to pick up the snare. One microphone is on top of the snare and one is on the bottom. Since I am "micing in pairs" of microphones, I want to have both mics be the same model of microphone. I particularly like the resultant sound for analog recording. If you mic the top of the snare only you will usually have to use EQ to get the snare to sound right. With two microphones, its a matter of blending levels.

Microphone Selection
I selected my favorite dynamic microphone, the Shure Beta-57. This mic has a very true hypercardioid pickup pattern (that stays the same at all frequencies) which allows you to properly reject the high hat from the microphone's pickup. The moving mechanism of the microphone (the diaphragm and coil) are 1/2 the weight of the older SM-57 and therefore the Beta version does a much better job of capturing the transient.

Alternate Microphones
I would have preferred a ribbon microphone like the Beyer 500 series (or even the 260 series), because ribbons would get a clearer attack. A set of condenser microphones like AKG 414 would have sounded good but there would be less high hat rejection (the pattern is not as true for all frequencies on the 414). Other microphones that I would be happy with in a pinch are the EV RE 15 the Senheiser MD-421. I would not have been happy to use an SM-57 or SM-58 because of a muffled sound due to the transient not being picked up properly and because of increased leakage (because these microphones' pickup patterns vary with frequency).

Microphone Placement
I put the microphone at the edge of skin and angle the back so that the rejection of the microphone points at the high hat. For the bottom microphone, I make a "mirror image" of the top microphone. If I were using the MD-421 microphone I would turn on the bass roll-off. With the 414 microphone I would both turn on the microphone pad an the bass roll-off.

Microphone Routing, Equalization & Sound Check
I activate the phase-reverse on the console channel that I am using for the bottom snare microphone. If the two microphones are mixed together without a phase-reversal, the snare will "thin out" because of phase cancellation of the lower frequencies generated by the drum. I like to phase reverse when I cut so that the multitrack mater can just be mixed. I like to record onto two tracks and blend the two microphones later during mixdown. I always note on the log sheet for the reel, "Sn Bottom" and put a phase-reverse sign after the words.

Often I will avoid equalization during recording but sometimes a slight increase of presence or treble is needed to get the right amount of snap. I always equalize the top and bottom snare channels at the same frequency but I usually use peak EQ on the top microphone and shelf EQ on the lower microphone. This is because the snares on the bottom of the drum generate more high-frequency energy.

Setting

Purpose

+ 4.5 dB @ 7000 Hz, Shelf Response

For bottom snare. To increase "attack" of snare drum.

+ 4.5 dB @ 7000 Hz, Peak Response, with Q=2.0

For top snare. To increase "attack" of snare drum.

I brought up the level so that the peaks of the snare drum top mic caused the tape machine's meters to read +0.0; and brought up the level of the snare drum bottom mic to cause the tape machine's meters to read -3.0. You can overload an analog tape machine track easily if the pickup of the microphone is all high-frequency percussive energy - this is why the bottom microphone signal is recorded at a lower level.

Mixing The Snare Drum
The top snare track is used to establish the general level of the snare in the mix - usually equal to the foot drum level by ear. I bring up the bottom snare track until there is enough snap.

For the drum mix, I will have three reverbs activated (see last week's tip). On the top snare I will blend the shortest reverb with the medium reverb. For the bottom snare, I usually only use the shorter reverb. I pan both tracks center. The chart below lists the programs use and suitable substitute programs I could have used.

PROGRAM FUNCTION SETTINGS SUBSTITUTE SETTINGS NOTE
PLATE Attack
Predelay: 0.0
Rev Time: 0.5 sec
GATED
Predelay: 0.0
Rev Time: stock

provide s attack/snap to the reverb

HALL Hall
Predelay: 18 ms
Rev Time: 1.8 sec
NONE

provides good-sounding natural ring out

PLATE Room
Predelay: 10 ms.
Rev Time: 1.5 sec
ROOM
Predelay: 5 ms.
Resizev Time: 1.5 sec
smoothes transition between programs - makes reverb denser

Input #4 - The High Hat

Microphone Selection
I selected a 414 large-diameter condenser microphone. I activated maximum bass roll-off and put the pad to "-10". I put the microphone on hyper-cardioid. The biggest factor that caused me to choose this microphone was the availability of the hypercardioid pattern.

Alternate Microphones
I could have used any condenser microphone that had bass roll-off and a pad. I would not have used any dynamic microphone, because the high quick transients put out by the high hat would have been muffled by the best dynamic microphone. I could have used a good ribbon microphone with a figure-8 pattern (bidirectional), which rejects the snare drum better.

Microphone Placement
I put the microphone about 8 inches away from the high hat and kept the cymbal between the microphone and the snare drum. Sometimes too much snare can get into the high hat mic and pointing it out away from the snare helps, as does the hypercardioid pattern. I made sure that the axis of the microphone was in line with the axis of rotation of the cymbal. I turn the bass roll-off switch to maximum and turn on the microphone pad.

Microphone Routing, Equalization & Sound Check
I will often add a slight amount of extreme highs to accent the "sizzle" of the high hat.

Setting

Purpose

+ 4.5 dB @ 12,000 Hz, Shelf Response

For increased sizzle of the cymbal

-6.0 dB @ 200 Hz, Shelf Response

To reduce snare drum pickup as well as reducing ambience.

I brought up the level so that the peaks of the high hat read "-6" on the console's output meter. The high hat is all high end and will overload analog tape at "0" level.

Mixing The High Hat
I mix in the high hat after I bring up the foot and snare drum. I usually pan the high hat right and slowly bring up the high hat fader. When the image shifts right, this is a good level. Even with no high hat track in the mix, you will hear high hat through the leakage into the center-panned snare mic. When the high hat track gets present enough in the mix you will hear the high hat shift to the right.

For the drum mix, I use the shortest reverb on the high hat track.

Inputs #5. #6 & #7 - The Toms

Microphone Selection
I selected the Shure Beta-57 microphones to pick up the toms. The biggest factor that caused me to choose this microphone was the true hypercardioid pattern and how even the rejection is at all frequencies.

Alternate Microphones
I could have used the senheiser MD-421, or any high-quality dynamic microphone with a "true" pickup pattern. I could have used a good ribbon microphone.

Microphone Placement
I put the microphone on the toms much as I place the top microphone of the snare. I point the rejection of the microphones towards the nearest cymbal. The microphone is about a quarter-inch away from the drum skin at the edge of the skin.

Microphone Routing, Equalization & Sound Check
I routed the toms to two tracks using two busses (4&5). All three inputs were routed to both busses, and the pan pots associated with the routing matrix, allowed me to pan the smallest tom (#1) fully-right, tom 2 in the center and tom 3 (the floor tom) fully-left. The toms are panned according to the audience perspective but made more extremely panned then how the drum image would be if heard live.

I will often EQ the toms much as I do for the foot drum. I boost the smallest tom at a slight higher bass frequency because, compared to the other toms, it generates less very low frequency energy because of its smaller size.

Setting

Purpose

+ 9 dB @ 50 Hz, Shelf Response

(Use 80 Hz for smallest tom)

Gives the drum good low-end push. The amount should be never be an amount that causes more than a slight increase (2-3 dB) in level when you put the equalizer in the channel.

- 6 dB @ 400 Hz, Peak Response with Q=1.5

Reduces the cardboard sound and increases drum/guitar clarity.

+ 4 dB @ 7000 Hz, Peak Response with Q=2.0

To add a metallic attack to the toms.

I brought up the level so that the louder hits for tom 1 & 3 read "0" on one of the console's output meters. The middle tom should read "-3" on both the Left and right meters.

Mixing The Toms
I mix in the toms after the foot snare drum and high hat. I pan the two tom tracks left & right and slowly bring up the faders. There will come a point that I notice an increase in room ambience - at this point I reduce level slightly (2-3 dB). I make final level adjustments when I hear the tom rolls For the mix, I use the a combination of room and hall reverb on the toms.

Inputs #8 & #9 - The Overhead Cymbals

Microphone Selection
I selected two Crown C700 condenser microphones. These microphones are primarily used for picking up the cymbals and the small diameter head on this microphone does the most accurate job of doing this.

Alternate Microphones
I could have used any condenser microphone. If I had used a microphone without a bass roll-off feature, I would attenuate the bass with a filter on the console. I would not have used any dynamic microphone, because the high quick transients put out by the crash and ride cymbals would have been muffled by the best dynamic microphone. I could have used a good ribbon microphone.

Microphone Placement
I put the microphone pair slightly higher than the highest cymbal and use a 120 degree angle between the microphones (a "wide" XY configuration). The more severe angle and the proximity of the pair to the cymbals increases the cymbal pickup and reduces the level of the snare drum

Microphone Routing, Equalization & Sound Check
I will often add a slight amount of extreme highs to accent the "sizzle" and presence of the cymbals.

Setting

Purpose

+ 4.5 dB @ 10,000 Hz, Shelf Response

For increased sizzle and presence of the cymbal

-6.0 dB @ 200 Hz, Shelf Response

To reduce tom & foot drum pickup as well as reducing ambience.

I brought up the level so that the peaks of level reach "0" on the console's output meters. You will usually get the maximum level when there is a tom roll and a lower level )around "-6" on crashes.

Mixing The Overhead Cymbals
I mix in the overheads after the rest of the drums are in the mix. I listen to the overall drum tone change as I increase the level - in particular how the snare drum sounds will alter. Besides giving presence and volume to the cymbals, these tracks will tend to increase the attack on the snare drum and the toms.

For the drum mix, I use the attack reverb and a slight amount of room reverb.

DRUM MIXING - Reverb Notes

What's Reverb like today? An engineer of ours told me a few weeks ago that there was less reverb in mixes today compared to those of say 10 years ago. One of my recording instructors had talked about this also. I told Chaz (the engineer) that I thought he was full of s**t and there was every bit as much reverb being used today.

We met with gloves on in the mastering room (with the truest monitor speakers in the building) and listened. Chaz is occasionally a recording instructor for RID and has a choice collection of current R&B always with him. I wanted to see what changes in reverb there actually were in this idiom.

After several CD cuts were played, we pretty much agreed with the changes but had different ways of describing the changes in reverb sound for the 21st Century. Gone in today's mix of today is the long-tail reverb of last decade, and if it was present it was in very restricted amounts. There is every bit as much reverb in the mixes but shorter reverb that often is more of the instrument's sound than of room effect added later.

So What Does One Do Differently? The stock programs in effects units usually have factory presets like the reverb used a decade ago. There are two time parameters that are usually "out of whack" for today's mixing.

PARAMETER

DESCRIPTION

PRE DELAY Also known as initial delay, which is the length of time that the reverb takes to build up after the direct sound occurs.
REVERB TIME How long, in seconds, that it takes for the reverb to die away.

So the first thing to be done to your hall programs is to cut the time parameters listed above in half. This means the reverb is established twice as fast and dies down twice as fast. Room and chamber programs need the reverb time parameters reduced by 25% to 50%. These few changes in parameter settings make reverb more like today's reverb sound.

In setting up the reverb for mixing the Giftvs drums, the following changes were done from stock settings:
PROGRAM FUNCTION SETTINGS ORIG SETTINGS
PLATE Attack
Predelay: 0.0
Rev Time: 0.5 sec
Predelay: 0.0
Rev Time: 1.8 sec.
HALL Hall
Predelay: 18 ms
Rev Time: 1.8 sec
Predelay: 24 ms
Rev Time: 2.2 sec
PLATE Room
Predelay: 8-10 ms.
Rev Time: 1.5 sec
Predelay: 0 ms.
Rev Time: 1.8 sec.




The next great hope for the music business is about to come out of the gate. Though they still don’t have a firm release date, the MySpace store has moved forward with their first big promotional push, debuting massive billboards in New York’s Time Square that feature the Jonas Brothers and Lil Wayne and play up the service’s myriad options.

The store will allow fans to stream millions of songs for free in an ad-supported framework, and sell digital downloads with help from the Amazon MP3 store. “The idea behind it was to sort of create the ultimate music experience,” says Chris DeWolfe, the site’s co-founder. “You’ll be able to see the top songs your friends are listening to. Eventually you’ll be able to buy tickets and merchandise and ringtones.”

The new service is a partnership between top labels Universal, Sony BMG and Warner, and the smallest major label, EMI, is reportedly in discussions to join soon. But MySpace officials have yet to hire a chief executive officer for the service and won’t give specifics about prices, what the website will look like or even when it will launch. Some in the music business wonder if a music store based on free, ad-supported streaming can make money to justify the partnership. “Kids are so used to getting music for free on MySpace because of streaming,” says veteran major-label executive Robin Bechtel. “If someone is so used to streaming music, why is someone going to buy it?”

MySpace founders DeWolfe and Tom Anderson argue the service will succeed simply because it’s the first to seamlessly combine social networking with a range of music sales. “When you look at things like iLike and Facebook, they don’t have the full songs, in most cases, and they don’t have official artist pages,” Anderson says. “People aren’t interested in music on Facebook in the way they are on MySpace, That’s one of the big keys here.”

No doubt drawing on lessons learned from his collaboration with choreographer Twyla Tharp, David Byrne took his sold-out show Zoellner Arts Center in Bethelehem, PA, and created a show that used his various collaborations with producer Brian Eno (including the recent Everything That Happens Will Happen Today) and bodies in motion to advance the ambiguous narratives his multi-cultural rock — think of it as modern dance for people who don’t like modern dance.

Byrne — looking fit, trim and sporting a magnificent shock of silver hair — handled all guitar duties with surprising aplomb, expertly replicating the pneumatic wheeze of chords on “Home” and the angular funk of “Cross Eyed And Painless.” He was backed by a keyboardist, drummer, bassist, percussionist, and three back up singers. By “Houses In Motion” the ensemble was joined by the dancers, who zig-zagged back and forth across the stage in ever-shifting formations, sometimes enjoining the backing singers in the choreography, and, just as often, Byrne himself, who even at 56 years old is still fleet of foot. Midway through “Once In A Lifetime,” one of the dancers literally vaulted Byrne while he took a guitar solo.

Following “Life During Wartime” — which turned the theater crowd into a de facto dance party — Byrne got a standing ovation (his third of the night) during the artsy hustle of “I Feel My Stuff,” which closed out the set. Byrne ended the night with a churchy, contemplative rendition of “Everything That Happens Happens Will Happen Today.” “Nothing is different, but nothing’s the same,” he sang, summing up the evening.

Set List
“Strange Overtones”
“I Zimbra”
“One Fine Day”
“Help Me Somebody”
“Houses in Motion”
“My Big Nurse”
“My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)”
“Heaven”
“Home”
“The River”
“Crosseyed & Painless”
“Life is Long”
“Once in a Lifetime”
“Life During Wartime”
“I Feel My Stuff”

“Me and the band are really looking forward to this one,” Paul McCartney says of his upcoming Tel Aviv concert, taking place 43 years after Israel banned the Beatles from performing there. “It’s the first time I have ever been to Israel, or really that part of the world so I am very interested to look around and look at the situation, just personally. I am going to be interested as a tourist just to look around and meet the people.” Despite outcry and even some threats from Palestinian groups, Macca promises the show will go on. Tel Aviv’s “Friendship First” concert — as McCartney dubbed previous first-ever shows in Quebec and Kiev — specifically is about music and promoting friendship. “Music can help people to just calm them down. I also think it can be very interesting for change,” McCartney says. “I always cite a John (Lennon) song ‘Give Peace A Chance’; if you watch the footage from back then, about a million people outside the White House chanting that song to Nixon inside the White House, I think that had an effect.” As for what Macca has in store for his first Israel show, “We’ve been rehearsing some songs we’ve not done for a while but that’s all I’ll tell you.” McCartney and band will take the stage September 25th at Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park.
This week’s featured artist on the Breaking blog is New Jersey’s the Gaslight Anthem, who put a punked-up spin on Springsteen-style blue collar anthems on their new album The ‘59 Sound. Click below for more on the Gaslight Anthem, including behind the scenes video on the making of the album and live footage of the title track.

Breaking: The Gaslight Anthem

After Rock Band stole music game headlines last year with its drum kit and expanded options, the folks at Activision knew they had to strike back big. Guitar Hero World Tour marks a giant leap forward for the franchise that jumpstarted the music game craze, featuring a drum kit and microphone but also a new guitar design and the ability to build your own tracks in a virtual studio.

The drum kit contains three drum pads and two virtual cymbals, which makes the percussion experience all the more realistic. The pads themselves are also velocity-sensitive, so the harder you hit them, the louder they sound. The new guitars are especially impressive: there’s a touch-sensitive patch on the neck that allows for sliding solos and more realistic hammer-ons, which allows players to look more and more like Eddie Van Halen (but hopefully with better dental work).

As for the song lineup, there’s an excellent balance between stone-cold classics like Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” (which is incredibly difficult to sing), Jimi Hendrix’s “The Wind Cries Mary” (which is equally difficult to drum) and Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher” along newer hits by Tokio Hotel and the Mars Volta. But the most unique aspect of Guitar Hero World Tour lies in the new studio mode, which lets you put down up to five tracks on a single song, meaning you can birth anything from a minimal drum and bass track to a Neil Young-esque three guitar attack. Once those songs are recorded, players will be able to upload them and let the online community go to town on them. Guitar Hero World Tour hits stores on October 26.

Las Vegas staple Tom Jones will release his first U.S. album of new material in 15 years, as 24 Hours hits stores on November 25th. Just as Jones’ 2002 Reload (which did not get a domestic release) featured a plethora of guests, Jones will welcome U2’s Bono and the Edge on one song this time around, as the U2 duo wrote and perform on the new song “Sugar Daddy,” which was written specifically for Jones. Over half of the new material was co-written by Jones himself and produced by Future Cut, who have also produced for Lily Allen, Kate Nash and Estelle. The album will also feature Jones covering Bruce Springsteen’s Devils & Dust cut “The Hitter,” as well as covers of songs by Tommy James & the Shondells, Pumali Panthers and Carla Thomas. “It’s all very well just singing songs, but for this record I really wanted to get properly personal,” Jones says. “I’ve been getting reflective recently, looking over my journey through life, and I wanted to make something that was all about me, my stories, to get that down in song. In other words, you listen to this album and you get the real me.”
Rock’s favorite Republican Ted Nugent has sent a copy of his new book Ted, White & Blue: The Nugent Manifesto to Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. In fact, Palin was at the top of Nugent’s list to receive an advance copy of the book, which documents Uncle Ted’s ideas on “how to fix America.” In a letter to Palin, the Nuge writes, “As a proud fellow American hunter, fisherman and lover of Alaska’s soul cleansing magnificent Spirit of the Wild, we who live our American Dream by God, truth, logic, goodwill and decency, thank you for bringing such defiant common sense and self evident truth back to the GOP and politics.” Ted, White & Blue is Nugent’s latest book, following such Oprah Book Club-worthy titles like God, Guns and Rock ‘n’ Roll and Kill It and Grill It. Ted, always the marksman, closes his letter to Palin by saying “We wish you Godspeed for the best hunting and fishing season of your life.”
The makers of Guitar Hero have a new music game in the works, as DJ Hero might finally hit shelves next summer after two years of development. As the name suggests, DJ Hero feature a simplified plastic scratch deck instead of a mini plastic guitar to hit prompted cues. Whereas users follow a guitar’s neck on the screen for what notes to play, DJ will forecast its moves using the half-arc of a vinyl record on the screen. Part of the game’s long delay to stores — besides the inherent difficulties in getting the rights to sample-heavy hip-hop tracks — now appears to be Activision’s plan on making DJ playable with Guitar Hero gear, allowing users to create mash-ups between the rap and rock genres, which hopefully means playing along to the OJayZis mixtape is within our grasp.
The Big News: Metallica only needed four days to storm to the top of the charts, as the current cover boys sold 490,000 copies since its Friday release. While the shortened week prevented the band from setting a personal one-week sales record, they did manage to sell 400,000 more copies than the number two record, Young Jeezy’s The Recession. Kid Rock’s Rock N’ Roll Jesus stayed embedded at three, while Jessica Simpson’s country music crossover Do You Know scored fourth with 65,000 copies sold. Slipknot’s All Hope Is Gone rounded out our top five.

Debuts: LL Cool J’s Exit 13 led the second wave of debuts, coming in at nine with 44,000 copies, or a third of the copies LL’s Todd Smith sold in its first week in 2006. Supertramp-samplers Gym Class Heroes only managed to muster the 14 spot with their new album The Quilt. Comedian Mitch Hedburg’s posthumous Do You Believe In Gosh? charted at 18, Kardinal Offishall’s Not 4 Sale claimed 40 and Okkervil River’s The Stand-Ins placed at 42.

Last Week’s Heroes: Outside of the debuts, this week’s top ten shared a striking resemblance with last week’s with one notable exception: Lil Wayne cashed in on his VMA and SNL performances as Tha Carter III bumped up from 10 to eight thanks to a 2% sales increase. The biggest loser had to be the New Kids on the Block, as their The Block spiraled from two down to 16 thanks to a 72% sales decrease.

Stone Gossard steps out of Pearl Jam temporarily for four solo shows, the Crystal Method schedule DJ nights and the Sea & Cake alert you to their Car Alarm. Follow the jump for the complete set of dates.


Stone Gossard
October 1 – Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre
October 4 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
October 11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Avalon Theatre
October 18 - San Francisco, CA @ Grand Ballroom

The Crystal Method
October 9 - Newport Beach, CA @ Tentation
October 10 - San Diego, CA @ GIANT
October 11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Vanguard
October 16 - Daytona Beach, FL @ The Coliseum
October 17 - Tampa, FL @ Green Iguana
October 18 - New Orleans, LA @Ampersand
October 22 - Boston, MA @ Underbar
October 23 - Charlotte, NC @ The Forum
October 24 - Nashville, TN @ Limelight
October 25 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
October 31 - Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater
November 7 - Knoxville, TN @ World Grotto
November 8 - Orlando, FL @ Firestone
November 13 - Denver, CO @ Beta
November 14 - El Paso, TX @ Studio 69
November 15 - San Francisco, CA @ Ruby Skye
November 21 - Houston, TX @ Riches
November 22 - St. Louis, MO @ Dantes
November 29 - Chicago, IL @ Vision
December 2 - Boulder, CO @ The Fox
December 3 - Calgary, Alberta @ Warehouse
December 4 - Vancouver, BC @ Celebrities
December 10 - Las Vegas, NV @ Wet Republic
December 11 - Columbus, OH @ Sugar
December 12 - Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
December 13 - Dallas, TX @ Lizard Lounge
December 17 - Windsor, QUE @ Boom Boom
December 18 - Toronto, ON @ The Social
December 19 - Minneapolis, MN @ Epic

The Sea & Cake
November 7 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
November 8 Washington, DC @ Black Cat
November 10 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
November 11 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
November 12 Boston, MA @ Middle East
November 13 Montreal, QUE @ La Sala Rossa
November 14 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
November 15 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
November 28 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
November 29 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
December 2 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
December 3 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
December 4 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
December 5 Pomona, CA @ Glass House
December 6 San Diego, CA @ Casbah

Stephen Colbert will spend the holidays with Elvis Costello, Feist, John Legend, Willie Nelson and Toby Keith on the host’s Comedy Central special A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!. The one-hour special, scheduled to air on November 18th, has a plot about Colbert being snowed in in an upstate New York cabin, so he and his musical friends play tunes to pass the time. All the original songs were written by Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger and David Javerbaum, who also collaborated on the Broadway version of John Waters’ Cry Baby. Jon Stewart will also be on hand, duetting with Colbert on “Hanukkah,” while the entire ensemble will come together on “(What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding.” A DVD of the special will hit shelves a week later, with proceeds benefiting the charity Feeding America.

  • Eminem’s mother Debbie Nelson will release her memoir My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem in November. The book contains Nelson’s side of the stories found in some of Slim Shady’s songs.
  • Nate Dogg suffered another stroke, his second of the year. Luckily, Nate is in stable condition and shows no sign of brain damage. He is due in court September 24th to face felony death threat charges.
  • The Langerado Festival is migrating once again, this time setting up shop in at Bicentennial Park in Miami. The full lineup will be announced in November.
Circa 1946 Epiphone Electar "Zephyr" model, 8 String Lap Steel Guitar. Serial # 7422. The Fisch/Fred Epiphone serial number list shows this # to be from 1942. The “Master Voicer” control pot, which appears to be original, has an E.I.C. code and dates the part to 1946 (140617) It appears the guitar was started before WW2 and finished after. It makes sense and is plausible but it’s just a theory. That’s the reasoning behind calling it a ’46. Now back to the guitar.

It came from a Memphis Estate Sale, so it’s got soul built in. It had pedals attached at one point but I was too late to get the parts that were on it. I would have liked to have seen the set-up, useable or not. There are 4, 1/8th” holes behind the bridge and 2 in the headstock, 1 goes completely thru the other does not. There are a couple chips in the paint on the back. I swapped the knobs with my 48 Zephyr Deluxe because they work better on the steel. My personal favorite tweaker of amps and rewinder of pickups, Steve Tillyer, rewound the pickup and it sounds great. One screw holding the control cavity cover has broken off. These issues are visible in the pictures. Email if you’d like detailed pictures.

All the remaining parts are original and overall the guitar is very clean. 8 nickle epsilon tuners, chrome handrest and tailpiece/bridge. Master Voicer and Volume pots appear original and work great. The volume and tone range available is remarkable. Very comfortable string spacing and good string height above the fretboard. 22+1/2” scale length.

Original fake Alligator covered hardshell case is in good shape, latches work, original handle is good, 1 neck rest block is missing on the interior and there is a spot where the pedal stuff wore into the top.

This is a great sounding, great playing lap steel from the 40’s with the added beauty of having 8 strings. It’s tuned to A6th at the moment. Perfect for beginners or seasoned pros looking to add an old timey tone to their rig.

Usual eBay rules of etiquette. Email any pertinent questions or for additional pictures.

Pay Pal, Bank Type Checks or Money Orders. Payment must be received within 5 days of auction end.

Shipping and handling costs determined at auction end via winning bidders preferred carrier. Insurance optional. Will ship World Wide costs determined at auction end. Ignore any shipping info further down this listing. Costs will be determined at auction end.

Good Luck!

ANTIQUE ELECTRIC GUITAR

LAP STEEL IN ORIGINAL CASE

Fender Princeton Model Lap Steel Electric Guitar, c. 1946 - 1948 made in Fullerton, California, serial # A727, Oak wood finish, stainless steel metal fretboard. It comes with it's original old case . Case shows years of wear and needs help. This guitar sounds like a MILLION DOLLARS.
One of the earliest Fender instruments, this Princeton steel dates to the very first period of the Fender Electric Instrument Company, soon after the departure of "Doc" Kauffman and the changeover from the K&F partnership. These early steels are the genesis of the entire Fender operation, which was a very small struggling local concern in 1947-8 with very limited production making all of these first instruments extremely rare. The Princeton was the least expensive of a three-model line, but the differences in the instruments were relatively minor. All of these early steels were made of whatever woods Leo had in stock…this one appears to be golden Oak with the typical very thin "waxy" finish typical of the first Fenders.

The pickup is the famous Fender "Direct String" unit, which is still considered one of the best sounding steel pickups ever designed. The aluminium fingerboard carries roman numerals designating the positions and headplate has the inscribed "Fender Electric instruments, Fullerton California" lightning bolt logo. Original tuners are simple non-descript openbacks probably made by Waverly. Despite its primitive appearance, this is a great-sounding well-designed steel. Certain elements of the design are still carried over from the earliest K&F instruments, while others will persist into the 1950's with the plastic-covered Champion steel. This Princeton carries a very early serial number (#A727) and is a fascinating historical piece, playable evidence of the Birth of Fender!

Overall length is 28 3/4 in. (73 cm.), 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) deep. Scale length is 22 1/2 in. (572 mm.). Well preserved overall, substantially original with some play wear. In August, 2008, the pickup was re-wound to original spec by Lindy Fralin…these pickups have a plastic sleeve inside the coil surrounding the strings and are notoriously prone to failing as this collapses. This one has been expertly restored to full functionality preserving the original tone. The very thin finish has average playwear and the aluminium fingerboard has some minor scratches. The chrome pickup/control plate has some most of the plate worn off. Please see pictures. Very Good + Condition. JUST ONE OF FENDER'S BEST.

Please feel free to ask questions before bidding.

DON'T MISS IT !!

PLEASE DO NOT USE THE EBAY CHECK OUT. THE EBAY CALCULATOR IS JUST AN ESTIMATE. I WILL SHIP THE MOST REASONABLE WAY POSSIBLE.

I WILL GLADLY QUOTE YOU SHIPPING UPON REQUEST.

BID WITH CONFIDENCE !

You WILL be pleased.

Thanks for shopping here. Check out my other neat estate sale finds.

YOUR SATISFACTION IS ALWAYS GUARANTEED.

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PLEASE NOTE: YOU ARE BIDDING ON PREVIOUSLY OWNED VINTAGE ITEMS THAT ARE DESCRIBED TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, AND AS ACCURATELY AS POSSIBLE COLOR, CONDITION AND SO FORTH, MAY VARY IN OPINION. I ALSO DO NOT PROFESS TO BE AN EXPERT IN ANY SPECIFIC FIELD. PLEASE VIEW PICTURES AND FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE BIDDING. VINTAGE ITEMS MAY SHOW SIGNS OF USE OR AGE, AS WELL AS NATURAL FLAWS AND IMPERFECTIONS.

ALL SALES ARE FINAL.....UNLESS I GROSSLY MISREPRESENT THE ITEM.

~ CONTACT SELLER WITHIN 3 DAYS OF THE AUCTIONS END. ITEM MUST BE PAID FOR WITHIN 6 DAYS OF THE AUCTIONS END. ~


from : ebay.com
In my opinion, the Jetter Gain Stage Black (a rare find because he discontinued production) is the closest thing you will ever get to a Marshall turned to 11 through a pedal. The tone is dead on! And, you don't have to play too loud (Jetter builds his pedals for stage volume, not bedroom) to unearth that massive tone. I don't know about you, but when I played (recently retired), I always made sure I had two types of overdrive: the TS-808 Fendery sound and a cranked Marshall replication. That way I could set my amp to clean and choose tone as needed. There's never been a shortage of good 808's, but I had never found a pedal that satisified my desire for the Marshall tone until I got the Jetter Black. The Menatone King of the Britains comes close, but doesn't offer the clarity of the Jetter. If I ever decide to play out again, I'll be kicking myself for getting rid of this because they won't be around. The people who own them will keep them. Better take advantage of me while I'm weak. Here's what Brad Jeter said about his creation:

Introducing the Gain Stage Black™. Stripped clean and pure. The classic sound of an unmodded, unmolested, non-hotrodded, British 100W amp as it rolled off the assembly line in 1969. The sound that changed rock guitar forever. Take your favorite guitar, plug it into the Gain Stage Black feeding a clean amp and recreate the power and glory of pure rock and roll.

The Gain Stage Black started out in the design phase as a clean boost with character. I didn't want "transparency" , which to my ears, more often meant "sterile sounding. When the prototypes started sounding good, I experimented with how much gain to give the pedal. After getting it to where I thought it was a right, I had some folks play it with their rigs. When I asked them what I could do to make it better, they all said to give it some more gain. That is when it opened up and really became the Black! I began thinking it sounded very familiar to me at higher gain settings. That was when I fired up my vintage 100W and 50W Marshalls. Those very sounds were coming out of the Black when feeding a clean amp! I wanted to make sure I wasn't hearing things, so I built a handful of prototypes and sent them out to my beta-testers without telling them what I was hearing. To a man, all reported back that it was the most faithful reproduction of a classic cranked Marshall that they had heard.

There are several unique features incorporated into the Black's design. First and foremost, there are no clipping diodes utilized. This allows the pedal to be incredibly dynamic and amazingly responsive to the guitar's volume control. For a true old-school experience, leave the Black on and do it all from the guitar!

Another difference you will experience with the Black is how the Tone control works. Careful experiments led to the control affecting the narrow range of frequencies critical to the electric guitar. The entire control range produces a classic range of tones.

Finally, a speaker cabinet compensation circuit was designed, with the switch designations, "Closed" and "Open." In the Closed position, the black is leaner and works well with closed back cabinets, especially 4X12s. In the Open position, when using open-back combo amps, the "twack" of a closed-back cab is approximated. This was the intention but both positions can be used with any speaker cabinet type and you are encouraged to experiment!

The Gain Stage Black is currently in the production process and the anticipated ship date is late October, '07!

from : ebay.com
Ozark dobro-style spider bridge resonator guitar in excellent condition

Ozark are a very good make and this instrument is beautifully put together and finished...unlike a lot of the other resonator guitars in this price bracket which superficially look very pretty but are very dissapointing as musical instruments.

The guitar has a nice thick solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides and chrome plated fittings.

I have had this instrument upgraded with a genuine 'Dobro' TM sand-cast spider bridge and a 'Continental' hand-spun cone which has transformed its sound and overall quality.

This is the roundneck version, currently set up with a 'micro-perfect' nut riser and a tall ebony saddle for lap-style playing. (see pictures)

I also have a maple two-piece saddle (pictured) which I can install if the winning bidder prefers (and remove the nut riser) so the guitar will play as a conventional fingerpicking/ slide guitar with a nice low action.

Of course.. I will include the 'micro perfect' nut riser and spare tall ebony saddle anyway, so really this is two guitars in one... A lap-style steel and a bottleneck/fingerpicking slide!!!

The guitar is supplied with a padded bag which just fits inside an old-fashioned case (which I will include in the sale) and I will box and pack the whole thing very carefully.

I have one blemish on my 100% rating, negative feedback from a seller you did not like me criticising the broken item he had sold me.

I've included lots of photographs so you can see what a lovely instrument this is.

Please ask any questions you may have before bidding.

from: ebay.com

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