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The Big Al Good Mojo thread

sonar

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Jan 10, 2003
Messages
3,589
Seriously, JT, the humble Pro Jr is a great amp. My son just got a new Tweed Pro Jr IV. I was blown away by how really musical that amp is. A true classic Fender. Any honest time spent with one is an ear opener. Harmonicly rich, chimey bell like highs and a girthy growl when wound up. How is it a bad thing?

I used a tweed Blues Jr, dead stock, on my last East Coast Club and Festival Summer Tour and in clubs and studio dates for years before. Used right, Master up high and footswitching the Fat option covered all my needs. Other guitarist and soundmen loved that amp.

In the late 70's I used a solid state Yamaha G100112 II replacing the Blackface amps and Musicman amps I favoured. The Yamaha sounds great with a rich smooth singing voice and was the first affordable, high quality channel switching amp available at that time, I still have a pair and use them sometimes. I later got a Legend Rock n Roll 50 G50112 to use with the Yamaha in a stereo set up.

That setup of Yamaha and Legend amps was my main rig until the early 2000's when it just became easier to hump the Blues Jr as I was mostly doing Blues gigs and simplified my rig. Still the Yamaha/Legend combo got used for Rock dates and though I own and use many, many amps I'd have to say the Yamaha/Legend pair is my favorite.


Interesting stuff.

I occasionally played with a guy in an old band that used the 2X12 version of the Yamaha G100. (Lefty who played a right handed guitar upside down, but didn't flip the strings.) I always thought the Yamaha was a good sounding amp and have recommended it to others looking for a SS amp.

I recall seeing a few used Legend heads floating around Chicago in the mid to late 90's. I don't think shops could give them away back then. It's a shame I never took a flyer on one after reading your post.

I never got along with the Blues Junior, but am quite fond of the Pro Jr.
 

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
Had a G100 210 for years. I got tons of compliments on my hard rock tone. The parametric EQ was outstanding.
 

57Strat777

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Jun 10, 2015
Messages
347
Big Al - I am praying for you and wish you a speedy recovery! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts over the years, which BTW have immensely helped me with choices I have made about guitars. Thank you for all that you do to help us!
 

Big Al

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Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
OOps!! I did it again.
Ok, everytime I survive one of these surgeries I buy a nice piece of gear to celebrate and act as an incentive to heal. This time it was a nobrainer. You al know I have some nice high end stuff and lots of workhorse utility pieces. I don't collect, my stuff was gathered over decades as tools of the trade.

Until now. I love the humble Melody Maker. I've gathered up a few singlecut Mk I versions. Including a near mint example and a clean excellent duo pickup D model, [my favourites as the D models are Fender killers. I like the Melody Maker D in Mk I, II & III versions but I's the most].

I found a near mint Epiphone Olympic D, [the epi twin to the Gibson except headstock shape and tortoise shell pickguard instead of the Gibson black], a great companion to the Gibson.

Almost the full set. So I bought a vg+ Epi Olympic from Buzzy at Lark Street and filled the hole. So now I'll have both Gibson singlecut MM's in single and duo pickup as well as matching Epiphone singlecut Olympics, single and duo pickup.

A collector has been born.
 

T.Allen

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Joined
Sep 11, 2014
Messages
2,662
OOps!! I did it again.
Ok, everytime I survive one of these surgeries I buy a nice piece of gear to celebrate and act as an incentive to heal. This time it was a nobrainer. You al know I have some nice high end stuff and lots of workhorse utility pieces. I don't collect, my stuff was gathered over decades as tools of the trade.

Until now. I love the humble Melody Maker. I've gathered up a few singlecut Mk I versions. Including a near mint example and a clean excellent duo pickup D model, [my favourites as the D models are Fender killers. I like the Melody Maker D in Mk I, II & III versions but I's the most].

I found a near mint Epiphone Olympic D, [the epi twin to the Gibson except headstock shape and tortoise shell pickguard instead of the Gibson black], a great companion to the Gibson.

Almost the full set. So I bought a vg+ Epi Olympic from Buzzy at Lark Street and filled the hole. So now I'll have both Gibson singlecut MM's in single and duo pickup as well as matching Epiphone singlecut Olympics, single and duo pickup.

A collector has been born.

:laugh2:
Welcome! :dude:
 

Pellman73

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Joined
Aug 9, 2016
Messages
1,762
OOps!! I did it again.
Ok, everytime I survive one of these surgeries I buy a nice piece of gear to celebrate and act as an incentive to heal. This time it was a nobrainer. You al know I have some nice high end stuff and lots of workhorse utility pieces. I don't collect, my stuff was gathered over decades as tools of the trade.

Until now. I love the humble Melody Maker. I've gathered up a few singlecut Mk I versions. Including a near mint example and a clean excellent duo pickup D model, [my favourites as the D models are Fender killers. I like the Melody Maker D in Mk I, II & III versions but I's the most].

I found a near mint Epiphone Olympic D, [the epi twin to the Gibson except headstock shape and tortoise shell pickguard instead of the Gibson black], a great companion to the Gibson.

Almost the full set. So I bought a vg+ Epi Olympic from Buzzy at Lark Street and filled the hole. So now I'll have both Gibson singlecut MM's in single and duo pickup as well as matching Epiphone singlecut Olympics, single and duo pickup.

A collector has been born.

sweet!
 

Big Al

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Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
Very cool :salude
Lets see some pics Big Al.

I'll try and get Nick to snap some. I cannot get to my computer to post, [I've been using my smart tv to post.], so I'll have him email pics to post to someone who can.
 

Big Al

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Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
:laugh2:
Welcome! :dude:

Yup, I've discovered my inner Slubowski!!

I'll never be able to gig again so now I'll have a different focus to accumulate gear. There is no way to know how or even if I will be able to play and it won't be until 8 weeks or so till I can come out of my mega sling and try to work that arm. I know it won't function but like before I may be able to grip the neck and hook my thumb over the fingerboard to hold on and play.
 

Ken Fortunato

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Feb 26, 2006
Messages
2,742
Yup, I've discovered my inner Slubowski!!

I'll never be able to gig again so now I'll have a different focus to accumulate gear. There is no way to know how or even if I will be able to play and it won't be until 8 weeks or so till I can come out of my mega sling and try to work that arm. I know it won't function but like before I may be able to grip the neck and hook my thumb over the fingerboard to hold on and play.

That's GREAT!!! I'd love to have an MM, BUT... I need a Nocaster first... I've been itching for one for 10 years now... I just can't seem to find the one that says, "Take me home"... A lot of nice ones... Just not "The One", if ya know what I mean... :peace2

I think the main issue that prevents me from pulling the trigger, is this thing... I truly love this guitar, for all the right reasons... Whatever I hear in my head, comes out of the speakers, without even thinking about the guitar... Crazy shit... :laugh2:

37777967262_62906ddd4e_b.jpg
 

Big Al

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Apr 24, 2002
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That's GREAT!!! I'd love to have an MM, BUT... I need a Nocaster first... I've been itching for one for 10 years now... I just can't seem to find the one that says, "Take me home"... A lot of nice ones... Just not "The One", if ya know what I mean... :peace2

I think the main issue that prevents me from pulling the trigger, is this thing... I truly love this guitar, for all the right reasons... Whatever I hear in my head, comes out of the speakers, without even thinking about the guitar... Crazy shit... :laugh2:

37777967262_62906ddd4e_b.jpg

Jeeze loueeze, Kenny, that is a spectacular Stratocaster!!:salude:hank:hank:yah
 

DaveSG

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Joined
Apr 16, 2007
Messages
126
I think the main issue that prevents me from pulling the trigger, is this thing... I truly love this guitar, for all the right reasons... Whatever I hear in my head, comes out of the speakers, without even thinking about the guitar... Crazy shit... :laugh2:


You are a lucky man. Most of us are still trying to get there. But...once you do, maybe it gets a little boring and you need a new tone quest:hank
 

DaveSG

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Apr 16, 2007
Messages
126
Yup, I've discovered my inner Slubowski!!

I'll never be able to gig again so now I'll have a different focus to accumulate gear. There is no way to know how or even if I will be able to play and it won't be until 8 weeks or so till I can come out of my mega sling and try to work that arm. I know it won't function but like before I may be able to grip the neck and hook my thumb over the fingerboard to hold on and play.

If it is anything like my old '63 Melody Maker was, those guitars have necks that hands are just meant to rest on comfortably. Its hard to describe, but others who've owned these guitars say the same thing, and I have to concur. If you needed a guitar that would give you the best shot at ease of playing, hard to make a better choice than a nice old MM.

The other thing that I think we overlook is...if we take the # of guitars we own and divide that by the amount of time we spend playing, that number might look shockingly low if it gets averaged out per month. Depending on the size of the collection, a guitar could easily have a 1000:1 ratio of sitting vs playing. I've got 8 guitars in my small collection. If I play for 10 hours in a month, that is a 1:900 ratio playing to sitting! It tells me that we have guitars for more than just playing. They are art. So even if playing is a struggle, you can still find enjoyment of them through other means. Man, hang them on the wall so you get to look at them all the time see their beauty in the moments you are not hearing their beauty.

That '71 SG Standard I posted in this thread pages and pages back...I have it sitting around the living room right now and every time it catches my eye, it makes me smile. I think about how I first came to love those guitars when I was a kid, who I listened to that played them, my old friend from high school that used to play one, waiting for years trying to find one, the cool chance of finding this one, etc ,etc. Lots of positive vibes. Hang tough my friend!
 

shred

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Nov 13, 2003
Messages
4,667
The limbic payoff is real :biggrin:

Hey Big Al, I’m really glad you’re back home and posting again. All the best man!! I hope you get a chance to make some glorious guitar noise soon!!
 

Big Al

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Apr 24, 2002
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The limbic payoff is real :biggrin:

Hey Big Al, I’m really glad you’re back home and posting again. All the best man!! I hope you get a chance to make some glorious guitar noise soon!!

Hey old friend!! This is by far the most difficult surgery of the 4 done on that arm. It is still 50/50 and the pain this time seems so much worse. Last two days have been very rough. I have the awful feeling that it will prove fruitless and after all this, I will lose my arm anyway.

The muscle and skin graft look bad and my chest hurts so much. I can feel how unstable the arm is, it is so different this time. For the first time I lack the confidence that I'll be ok and I am so afraid. The docs seem hesitant to offer a positive outcome and insist it is still too early and the extent of the damage and resulting loss of bone and soft tissue makes it to hard to call at this point.

It sure hurts some. Gotta just get through the days I guess. I'll be glad when they pull the drain out of my chest. I hate that thing.

Funny for the first time I feel old and I look old now. It is hard to realise that I'm not the bull of a man I was and I no longer am strong and fearless, but old and fearful.

Still, I'm here and love sharing love of music and gear with my forum bros. This thread has helped me get through some of the hardest times of my life and I can't thank you enough for that.
 
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