REVIEW OF GREENBOY FEARLESS F112

I drove out to Dave Homer's Gigmaster Soundworks (a little Northwest of Battle Creek, MI) and picked up my Greenboy designed Fearless F112. Dave had taken a little longer than projected for the build, since his day job schedule had gone crazy, but it wasn't that much of a delay. The build looked beautiful...I'd gone for black with red highlights, and he'd gone a bit darker than I had anticipated, but with much classier looking results. We tested it and one of his F115 cabs out on his deck, and initally I was quite pleased...the F115s are really nice as well, by the way. And Dave is a great guy, very knowledgeable and laid-back, a very easy person to do business with! It was a long drive but worth it.

When I was first testing the cab at home I had some doubts about its handling capacity, it sounded to me like the speakers were "bottoming out" on the low notes, especially with the electric bass. I took it to a couple of gigs and felt the same way, which made me kind of anxious...had I made a mistake? Was it too small after all? I have a fairly aggressive right-hand attack sometimes, and I wasn't sure what was going on. I wound up calling Dave "Greenboy" Green who designed the cabinets, just to see what might be up. He and I talked for a while about musicians, amps, basses, and the kinds of tones we liked...he too is a very good guy, very easy to talk to about any problems. He suggested that the distortion might be coming from the amp itself (a GK 400RB), and that it might be underpowered for the job with a setup like this. I'd been coupling it with a 4/10 cabinet, and I hadn't noticed any real problems, but I went to my good friend Doug Wolgat, who offered his GK 1001RB for a comparison.

Well, Dave was right! We ran the F112 through the 1001RB, and it cleaned right up. We played Doug's Fender Precision and Jazz Basses through it and it sounded clear, with the dark creamy Fender tones shining through like a champ, even on the low notes at substantial volume. Next weekend he loaned the amp to me again for a gig at a medium-sized club, and it kicked ass with the trio! I was using a Kawai FB2 (the "Poor man's Alembic") and a Diamond Series 5-string Schecter, and they both sounded amazing. While my band The Shelter Dogs aren’t super ultra loud, our drummer can get enthused and isn’t shy about the volume on a Bo Diddley number or two, and I had no trouble keeping up with him. We never mic drums or bass on gigs like this. While  I'd brought the 4/10 cab along just in case, it never got used. These F112 cabs seem very transparent, and give out pretty much what you put into them.  Which may mean rethinking your amp and eq settings! Apparently the distortion in my amp, which was undetectable with my old cabinets, was really noticeable with the F112. I did the last set at the gig with the 400RB, Doug having gone home with the 1001RB. I found that if I backed off the Master some (I’d been using it dimed for years), and compensated with the Gain, I could use the amp without any distortion at all. I DID have to change the eq settings…the 400RB has a pretty distinctive midrange hump (which I actually like) that was a bit over pronounced with this cabinet. But if I backed the mids off a bit and added a little bass, I was back to the target tone I wanted.

I haven’t done an upright gig since these last experiments, but at home today it seems to be confirming what I initially thought when I played through the F112. It’s really really nice! With the 40s Kay Swingmaster and a Rev Solo direct into the 400RB, it’s not hard to get a very natural “like the upright but louder” thing happening. It’s not only really clean and clear, but it seems more resistant to feedback…I’m not sure why this should be, but here in the practice room it sure is. I'm sure with a larger amp like the 1001RB for more headroom (I gotta get one of those, by the way!) the results would be even better. I tried the Fishman Pro Plat with it as well, but it just seems to magnify the shortcomings of that preamp…I’ll play with it further, but it doesn’t seem to be helping much. It really doesn’t seem to need it. I’ll be playing the upright out onstage this weekend, and I’ll write more then.

As it is I’m feeling really positive about this cabinet!! The tone (now that I’ve figured out what’s up and dialed it in) is exceptional, the loudness is very impressive, and the folks who stand behind it are excellent. Did I mention that it’s beautiful and weighs only about 33 pounds? Pretty cool stuff. I’ll admit that I was skeptical at first, but now I’ve gotta say that if you’re looking to upgrade your rig to another level (and cut size and weight down considerably!), you should really look at these babys. You’ll like ‘em, I think.

Back On The Horse In The Infinite Quest

I've been noticing that recently I haven't been playing my instruments around the house all that much...something I've learned over the years to associate with depressive legs of my Bipolar cycle. Well, I do pick up a guitar or bass and doodle around late at night while watching TV, and that's certainly better than nothing (also, kinda fun), but to get back to where I want to be I need to get back to a regular practice routine. Especially if I'm gonna be leaping over some of the hurdles that I see coming up soon...new recording, touring, doing some free clinics, maybe some web stuff. So I'm back on the horse!!

Not too darn much to begin with, maybe a couple of hours a day if I can squeeze that in, and some on upright, some on electric. I'll leave the guitar for the late-night doodlefest and the jam sessions for now. I've got a lot to get together as it is. But I think I can do this!! There's plenty to work on. Hopefully I can augment my upright work with some lessons from Janet Cannon, who I was working with last year before everything kind of hit the fan. She's a classical bassist and really knows her stuff! Those lessons helped my upright playing in a major way, and I'm still just getting started. Music is one of the infinite quests...you're never done, there's always something to find just over the horizon. And that's why it's so cool. Wish me luck getting started back up!

Esmerelda And The Vampire

In the interest of alternating between serious deep issues and their polar opposites (well, I AM bipolar, after all) I'm posting this bit that I found while cleaning up the other day. I can't remember when I wrote this, but it was some years back...it's not a song, and not a poem really either. A bit of doggerel perhaps, but appropriate for the upcoming Halloween season. Vampires have been done to death, but they hadn't been when I put this down, so there, hah.

ESMERELDA AND THE VAMPIRE

Her full name was Esmerelda La Conchita De La Crown

And she was the most beautiful girl in parts ‘round here, hands down

When she walked by the boys and men and everyone would stare

And it was generally agreed, “She’s fairest of the fair”

Her lover’s name was Sandor, no last name was ever known

And Esmerelda loved him as a poet loves a poem

No one ever doubted that they were the perfect pair

When people saw their flashing eyes and long black wavy hair

The trouble all began when Sandor just dropped out of sight

And Esmerelda cried for him from dusk until the light

Until one night she heard a tapping at her windowpane

She looked outside and saw at last...Sandor What’s-His-Name.

“Dear Sandor, I can see that you’ve become a Vampire now”

“Well, actually, I have, but Baby, how did you guess, how?”

“You’re tapping on my window in the middle of the night...

And, well, I have no balcony, and I live up three flights.”

“My dearest Esmerelda, come and fly away with me

I’ll give your neck a nip and then a Vampire you shall be!”

“Well actually, my Sandor, that does sound pretty nice,

But then we’d have to kill folks, and we’d both be cold as ice.”

“But Honey, if you leave me then my Vampire heart will break

You might as well just finish the job, and through it drive a stake!”

“Oh, Sandor, you will always be my sweetheart Vampire man

But don’t despair, my clever brain has hatched a clever plan!”

Now San and Esmerelda run a Blood Bank in St. Clair

And if a pint goes missing no one either knows or cares

They come home to a heated casket big enough for two

And since they’re Vampires now, they’re probably happier than you

 

Once More Into The Breach, Dear Friends, Once More

So, after over a years layoff, I return to write in my blog...wandering into the place, dusting off the cobwebs, scaring off random rodents, and opening the windows to let the Autumn light filter in. It's as hard starting again as it is resuming an exercise routine (which I'm also starting to do). The joints are creaky, it kind of hurts to bend this way or that, I get tired way too easily, and I'm dismayed at the shape I've gotten into! But the only way to go is forward really. We are creatures bound in the traces of linear time, after all.

The reasons for giving up writing were pretty normal...I had a hellish few years, is all. Finding my friend Tom dead in his house was very bad, and still haunts me. But after that, the roller coaster seemed to pick up and Cyn and I were swept up in the craziness. My Mom breaking her back, and her subsequent surgery and recovery, then my Dad breaking his NECK, and his very traumatic time in the hospital and later at home, that was tough. But the sudden emergence of my Mom's hidden heart condition, the desperate three months in the hospital, and her death were what smashed me to earth. I'm still trying to cope with that, and to spend time with my Dad, who's even more devastated than I am. As I said, a pretty hellish time. So for a while, writing and sharing my thoughts online just wasn't on, except for short notes on Facebook and such, which was as much as I could manage.

But now, as I have a minute to draw back and think, I realize that perhaps getting some of this out on this virtual paper may not only be good for me, but perhaps might strike a chord in some of you folks who are going through your own losses and traumas, and maybe even do a little good. Some things that we must go through are universal, we're all on the bus together...even though for most of us, the route it's taking is sometimes puzzling. And if you'd like to discuss any of the issues I write about please feel free...it could help us all, maybe. There have been great, wonderful moments interspersed with the pain, and I want to look at how it all weaves together, and if the patterns in the fabric imply some meaning.

Don't think I'm gonna just be writing dark poetry on black paper with black ink in an unlit room, though!! As most of you who know me are well aware, I have a rather goofy and hopeful side, and it's often to the fore. I'll be writing about my musical endeavors, hijinks with my crazy and creative friends, family hoohah and hanging on the farm with the cats and the chickens. As well as whatever ridiculous observations about Life, Nature, Sex and Art spring into my somewhat twisted brain. And you're welcome to read or not, and respond if you feel like it. I'll try to shoot off some stupid thing or other every day if I can! Till next time, Peace and Love,

Todd