keep your cool, don't overstep your mark yet ........ i say YET ....

small claims court handles cases like this....you need to prove tho you had an agreement so any email or even text/whatsap ...and you need to prove you never broke your side of the agreement in any way .....

if you can provide proof you delivered the service and it was you contracted to do this ... just take it to small claims court ...or see a lawyer often just a legal letter informing the venue you will proceed with legal action is sufficient... maybe even a lawyer who is also a muso ....will even offer to write such a letter at a reduced rate or pro bono ..as i agree venues/corporates often view the muso as the "little guy" who can't afford legal services.

unless the venue has gone into bankrupcy , if you performed you get paid...

thats why any booking should be via email.... as one can dispute a handshake deal ...but if it's in an email.....say no more

well needless to say being full time muso i am in a few bands , over various styles ( i am the current bassist performing with the pop/funk artist Nan / solo instrumental jazz guitar / jazz guitar in in The Retro Jazz duo / indie rock guitar for the Bad Sheep/ acoustic guitar in a pop duo / electric guitar for a 4 piece corporate function band ) so i get to play a lot of styles BUT it's a lot of work and often it consumes my weekends and home life .often out till all hours .and to add to my schedule i teach music as well but as i said obviously i do this to earn a living so take it seriously ...but for me i wouldn't want it any other way, music is my passion.

as a tutor i would highly advise anyone who plays music to casually jam or join a band as music is like a language and we get better at it it when we "speak" to others .

playing with others can be either an ego boost or a knock to our confidence depending on if you better or worse than your jam/band mates but if given the choice of the two, i would rather be the worst player in a band (obviously still good enough to keep up) because thats when i find you get the most out of a band, as i grow more when exposed to better players and in fact i still actively seek out better players than me to jam and hang with.

so no need to play professionally or use valuable family time but i would encourage anyone who loves playing guitar/bass to play with other muso's... yes you need to commit some time and effort (bands are hard work) but at the end of the day what you reap from it will be as the ad goes "priceless"

btw on fb there are sites where muso's can advertise for people to jam with , and a few open mic nights ...Mike Smuts has a rock jam every tues in jhb and /Musicworx has a jam every thursday

get out and play your guitar :woohoo: you won't regret it

been a while since i last posted here ...... playing in quite diverse bands right now ...the corporate event, Retro Jazz duo ...pictured below and the loud original Indie rock band "The Bad Sheep" i get to play jazz and also rock out


nothing like a white room and a white piano ........ us performing at a Gallery exhibition opening in jhb this year

this is purely opinon but ..........wow thats truly the ugliest guitar i ever seen ...oh no maybe it isnt look at the ernie ball musicman they made for albert lee signature ........ http://www.music-man.com/instruments/guitars/albert-lee and it even looks similar to St.vincent

NO question ernie ball musicman guitars and basses are superbly built and fabulous sounding ..the steve morse music man i obsessed over many years ago....and i love their basses...........but wow whoever is in their body design dept at moment must love bo diddley ...and all things very angular ........


beautiful instruments but really some of the body shapes..........

i know Ronnie from Allbang and strummit (shop near northcliff jhb) had some refinished ones USA and original 60's or 70's going ...so maybe give him a call ......i almost pulled the trigger on one before i had my custom guitar built .... it was about same or less than what you would pay for the MIM at the price you quoting ...can't hurt to call him

Banditman wrote: That's priced down here in East London. You guys in the bigger centers usually get better discounts thanks to competition between the big shops.

well shop around then ...cos if you know what you want you can just order it from a store in CT or JHB places like Bothners and Marshall music ship gear and have branches everywhere ....and a lot of the time there's a good 20% - 30 % off the marked price ..... which if you get a good deal would be a huge saving.... and even if you pay a few hundred for courier

but yes the price is very high .... i seen some original USA ones doing the rounds for less than that of course 2nd hand so shop around.... rule of thumb in this economy is keep the cash on hand and soon as someone advertises one make an offer ... cash money talks ....


but that aside yes i dig that pic you posted very pretty indeed

good luck

very nice indeed

clean tone is very tricky in many ways ........

it depends on what type of clean tone you want? i know the Blackstar amps a few of my students use them...and they are awesome ... and i have got some great clean tones when messing around with em ...just stock

something to bear in mind is that many of the sparkly clean tones are created by using a "fenderish" style guitar into a fenderish style amp ...

so if you trying to get sparkly clean with a les paul or ESP it may not be as great as a strat or tele ...coil taps work ...so so BUT a true single coil jangles just so much more than most any coil tapped humbucker

and another point is clean tone is created by a lot of headroom...so keep the gain very low and boost the master ....

and most clean players even back off on the guitars volume knob a bit (about 10 - 25%) when playing into tube amps...this also helps give you a boost when you want to fatten your sound or solo just roll up the volume then roll back down after ...trick is to find the sweet spot different pickups and pots react differently

also a compressor pedal can make clean notes pop ...especially when we talk country clean /dire straits

and many clean sounds we perceive as clean actually have some breakup on it ..thats why we prefer tube amps for clean than solid state which is crystal clean

before you spend money on a mod to your amp maybe just 1st try a Fender strat or tele ...


i own an Engl thunder 50 tube amp which is also kinda seen as a metal/shred amp yet i get the warmest,sweetest cleans from it with my tele

also maybe before you mod anything ask someone who plays clean a lot to use your amp and try get the same or similar tone from it that they used to.... often even a players feel/technique can make a huge difference

hope that helps some ....let us know how you proceed

if you keen on buying one of the cheaper wood models i know someone who was selling one 2nd hand of course in great condition and for a very good price .............yes they very light ....not sure if he still has it or it sold but if you keen and in the market msg me and i will find out for you if it's still available...i have no clue what model it is but i have played it ...he's in jhb

one of my ex students has an original parket fly all carbon graphite and thats so light you won't believe it ... now thats a gem BUT at top dollar ...and he'll never sell ........

often all thats required to get your "theory" together is a good tutor

you tube and online lessons can offer a lot and some are brilliant but often they are short (as in length) and can't cover the basics so you are expected to have a solid understanding of basic theory concepts to understand whats being explained

but Theory is NOT hard it just takes patience and the trick i find is you need to start at the beginning ...and work through it in a logical fashion, music and math is very much the same in this respect... if you miss a step it can make what you trying to learn seem way more complicated than it already is .

welcome to the forum , enjoy

we love telecasters ?

and Manny builds em well ......great thread

and interesting use of oak .......

mmm wishlists....

my current setup is great and i'm happy ? ...

BUT i would if it's a fantasy wishlist ..... want to own an original 50's Fender telecaster .... i could never afford current pricing ...but i did say it's my 'fantasy " wishlist

a kemper and yes i too have played through one ... is a must buy for any studio session muso or even for a studio owner who can dispense of all that pesky mic'ing at sessions and and having to have special amp rooms to record loud amps....and of course can get recordings done that sound like the amps on 11 through 4x12 cab and not disturb the neighbours ..

so yes an essential item for that market


**but yes i agree 100% with Singemonkey ... definitely NOT an essential tool for the gigging muso ...especially doing original music ......cos when i play in my indie alternate band The Bad Sheep i play a tele into an Engl 1x 12 50W tube amp and get exactly the sound i like and i get the sound guy to mic it up and i get ....like Singemonkey said ..THAT 1 sound but THATS MY SOUND and i don't need more................

so would i use a Kemper unit if i had one ...yes of course i would ...

do i have any complaints about the unit NOT at all .........

would i like one if father xmas dropped one off...hell yes ........

BUT do i NEED one as a gigging muso ...not at all in fact if i had that amount of money to spend i'd buy more vintage tube amps or guitars ....

as a fingerstyle player myself...i can say that don't worry about asking advice from others when it comes to this..... as it's the comfort factor that matters.... so best option is to NOT RUSH it and play as many guitars in your budget that you can till you find the "best fit" or one that simply screams out to you......and yes you may just be surprised what that guitar is..... since we all have different idea's what constitutes a comfortable feel ...and for fingerstyle thats what it's all about....

BUT don't forget when it comes to acoustic instruments.... if it sounds bad unplugged .... or maybe bad is a strong word ...rather if it does not sound good to your expectations unplugged...plugging it in will not improve it .... so buy the tone you like ... and for fingerstyle sometimes a more mid range boost in tone is required to keep the clarity of the individual notes .... those lovely big bodied deep bass and mellow top and scooped mid jumbo's can often sound terrible with fingerstyle ...as the clarity is just not there...

so half a page to just say....you must play as many guitars as you can and buy the one you happy and comfortable with .............

absolutely agree... Kathy is a fabulous performer and very experienced , and more than that she is just such a cool person, and a musician /composer who has worked on so many levels from small solo gigs to big concerts.

hey don't mess with the MOJO...................... ? i love the smell of vintage guitars and their cases .... and i DON'T smoke... but it is the smell of "mojo"

just leave it ..........

studmissile wrote: are you going the custom built route?

yes i have a few builds already all done by hand .......... but now someone i know aquired a cnc machine and i would love to be able to have a program to get a tele body (just 50's vintage) no body contours just the plank with the neck and pickup routes ....i have some old wood (reclaimed) i'd love to make a barncaster or two out of ....

has anyone here have a program/info for CNC machine to cut a telecaster body ...

? nice to see other telecaster fans.........

as for the future of guitar............ it will always evolve ....with technology

if you think back to the days after Torres designed the nylon string as we know it ....guitarists of the 19th century ...toured for the 1st time since there was a guitar which was good as a solo instrument BUT the main influence was the railway system in europe which allowed easy travel from town to town and across countries.... these players were the 1st "touring stars "

then when in ragtime era banjo's and fiddles/violins were the rage .... with ragtime guitarists were too soft so they shifted to banjo (to be heard) until Martin found new ways to brace tops .... but they and other makers made the D18 which is called a banjo killer since it finally could compete ...again technology

then when big bands were in fashion in 20's/30's guitarists were so drowned out by the brass and increased volume ..think freddie greene with count basie.... he used to have the action way high over an inch off 12th fret and played his acoustic archtop with 18's on high E to get volume ..... because of all the physical effort involved with getting volume those early parts could only be chords 4/4 on the beats .... limiting guitar to a rhythm instrument.......... THEN the 1st pickups were invented and initially fitted NOT to guitars 1st but Hawaiian guitars (lap steels) but then after fitting them to guitars like early rickenbackers suddenly charlie christian could start soloing in big bands and they used radio tube amps ......... and the solo for guitars became a trend thanks to tube and pickup advancements

and then 50's saw fender design the telecaster or broadcaster 1st ......... then 1957 saw the invention of the humbucker ............... and it too changed music to what we know today ..........with electric solid bodies ....

and so on and so on ............ always technology ...be it the CNC machine/mass production techniques/travel /string technology/electronics/


so as technology changes the guitarist will evolve ....

on a more recent note... anyone see the voyageair guitars that because now we travel in planes we go they have designed.... folding necks that can fold and unfold in 60 seconds ...... and then guitars can fit in a back pack and be carried on as hand luggage ...another change due to technology this time of air travel and restrictions


then we see the profiling amps...getting tube tone from solid state .......

recording studio's that no longer need to be in a 500 square metre building but is contained in your laptop.... and offers equal quality

gibson have guitars that tune themselves .... even tho we crit it ... it makes life easy for many ...and may just catch on


so where will the guitarist of the future be ......???? well some like you and dinosaurs like me will still love tele's and princeton tube amps ....

but many will be getting fabulous tone from what the new technology of the time has to offer ....


now me i'm waiting for that full sounding PA rig that fills a room with pro quality sound but fits in a backpack and runs off solar power .... ?