Got the Purple One
There was never any question about it. Like the Oracle said in Matrix II (before the series devolved in a mess of hokey mumbo jumbo) "You've already made the decision, now you have to find out WHY..."
Woke up and was unusually productive for the morning. Went for a jog around the lake, hit the gym like a good boy, and worked out. Came home and called Fred from Divided by 13 with some hesitation: "he said he would have the amp ready for me today, he hasn't called yet, is that a sign, should I hold on to my cash and keep mooching the Bogner off Dave?", "is spending this amount of money right now on anything a frightengly obvious act of stupidity?"
He answered and said it was ready.
...I said I'd be over right away.
Well, that was easy, "when in doubt, just act rashly and deal with the consequences later". The reality is that I thought it was the right amp, so fuck the money. Bad comes to worse, I can always sell my ass on Santa Monica. ...Uh, or do freelance web design. Was that my "out-loud" voice again?
Drove to San Pedro in the midst of the worst Los Angeles traffic I've been stuck in in years. Every highway was bumper-to-bumper, every street; packed, every light; red. Finally got to Fred's and walked into his workshop. There on the floor was the most perfect little deep purple amp head on top of a 2x12 cabinet. He looked like a proud papa letting me take his daughter to the prom. I unsheathed the cash for the amp, with a barely audible groan of deep financial pain under my breath. In the long view, a really good amp lasts for decades and only gets better. Marshall and Fender amps from the 60's and 70's are like gold, and the tone only improves with age. Hopefully my new purple baby will be with me as long as there is a ..."me".
Loaded it up and piloted my car back into the deadlocked Los Angeles stupidhighway. The plan was to beat the guys to rehearsal and set up the new amp and be ready to play and give it a healthy tryout. Didn't work out that way. Took a total of 4 hours just to go to San Pedro and back, total insanity. I am lucky and don't have a problem with road rage, but after 3 1/2 hours of stop and go traffic, I not only wanted to be dead myself, but I was imagining all sorts of creative murder scenarios for absolutely everyone I saw on the streets. Nice feeling.
Finally rolled up to rehearsal and got to work. Too late to hook the amp up, so I just played my existing setup. We ran the set twice. Riss and our friend, producer Brian Virtue showed up with a cake for Stephen (and Chris's) birthdays. They stayed to listen to the set. Including them, so far only about 6 people have heard us play. Looking forward to the show.
We finished up, and it was finally time to take my Div by 13 home and PLAY! Hooked it up to the new Telecaster and made some rock. Fucking shit, this is a wonderful amp. It's really beautiful. All my hesitations about it not being loud enough are apparently null and void. It's crazy loud. Just 37 watts and 2 12" speakers, but this thing was blowing my work room apart. Actually, without a master volume, it's almost impossible to turn down! I need to call Fred to see if there is anything I can do to turn it down while keeping the tone, but this is minor - I didn't get it to play in my room, I got it for the band, and what is important to the band is TONE. Wow, this amp has tone all over the place. Probably the prettiest clean tone I have ever heard. The overdriven tone is awesome, too. Very rich and warm, not harsh and white-noisy. The way I like the distortion on the last Queens record - very vintage, very classic and warm. More Cream than Korn...
Dave's sound is very identifiable, and there is a ton of guitar work going on in this band. His tone is really overdriven and chorused. I was surprised to find out that he really doesn't use many effects at all, even though he is characterized as having a very processed sound. My goal is to find a really warm natural overdriven sound that will fill in the gaps between the lows of the bass, and the "detail" and highs of Dave's parts.
Comments
Steve!
Good to heat you're happy with yor sound, guitar, amp. can't wait to hear you guys in Europe on tour. hope the album release is near (any details?).
have a nice day (though it's still the middle of the nigth in your area).
Obvious
Posted by: Obvious | September 18, 2004 04:54 AM
Good for you Steve...Congratulations!
Posted by: Cori | September 18, 2004 05:24 AM
Build it and they will come.....No master volume - yeah yer a neighbor I want living next to me. All I have to say Steve, is that purple amp better kick some serious A** - I cant wait to see the set up - will you unveil it at the show??
Posted by: billymcd | September 18, 2004 07:41 AM
Steve--does it have that new amp smell? Yummy.
Thanks for these posts bro, it's like watching the "Hearts of Darkness" documentary on the filming of Apocalypse Now. The behind the scenes stuff. Truly special.
Can't wait to see you guys live...
Posted by: Kevin | September 18, 2004 10:26 AM
Glad to hear that you appreciate your fan's input, Steve.. (nyah to you naysayers calling my girls a "gaggle")
Just so you know, I personally would pay a lot of money to buy your 'ass'....ladies, are you with me? :)
What's this, though, about NOT having it for show? sniff, sniff, indeed. C'mon man, forget about slowing down or taking too much time, You KNOW you want to bring it!!!
Anxiously waiting to see the "purple" amp!
jezzi
Posted by: jezebel | September 18, 2004 10:37 AM
I can't wait until the purple amp is unveiled...have a vision of you Steve going onstage with the amp covered up in some black cloak, and you unveiling it like a magician.
Posted by: ylais | September 18, 2004 10:47 AM
woohoo congrats on the new amp, Steve! hope she treats you good! no throwing into the pool action with this one.
perfect choice I think. Purple is one of my favorite colors, too.
you only live once, just go for it.
I really enjoy reading your posts. You have a great sense of humor! :0)
Posted by: mortisha8 | September 18, 2004 01:09 PM
STEVE!
i near pissed myself when i saw that photo of you giving the fingers to your amp(the poor thing... r.i.p.) lying at the bottom of the pool..........just goes to show though, that anger can produce a great piece of art sometimes....
i heavily relate, an am happy myself to now be in my thirties and less self-destructive and other desrtuction-related mentalness...
it was johnny lydon in the PIL song 'rise' that sang, "anger is an energy!, anger is an energy!"
and good luck with the new purple monstrrr!may it live as long as you, as you say, ....and not meet its' demise at the bottom of another pool somewhere
although....purple and blue do look good together.
skot
Posted by: skot | September 18, 2004 07:14 PM
SWEET.
Posted by: chris | September 18, 2004 07:36 PM
you keep on saying how pretty it is... could you post a picture? im dying to see it now! i cant wait to see it live in concert either, you have to hit montana when you tour! dont forget me!
paperdove
Posted by: paperdove | September 18, 2004 07:43 PM
plus, what would you have used that money on anyway? it certainly isnt helping you any just sitting there... and then you would have used it on what-- food? gas? shit that would have been used up and not memorable at all? exactly... you made the right decision. you rock.
but i guess you will have to make this cd go platinum, wont you? :)
paperdove
Posted by: paperdove | September 18, 2004 07:45 PM
Steve,
Glad you are enjoying the gear buying experience. I always find it extremely nerver racking. Then again I am not that great of a player so I always am beating myself up the whole time telling myself buying a new guitar isn't going to make me any better of a player.
My tele is one of the equire models they did last year with the set neck and the archtop body. Its funny that you are replacing all the silver parts with black and I am doing the opposite on my guitar. I am trying "bling" it out with some chrome parts and even some kind of custom pickgaurd.
Thats my thoughts for the day,
Pony
Posted by: WhitePony | September 19, 2004 12:19 PM
Was there ever a doubt you wouldn't buy it?
So are you inspired now to write a song called "My new Purple Baby"...?!
RP
X
*who's guessing you have to keep going and having a look at it, just to make sure it's there*
As for you girlies, this really is beginning to sound like the embryonic groupie stage, n'est pas? ;)
Posted by: RecklessPrincess | September 19, 2004 01:17 PM
Princess, nooooooooooo, not embryonic groupies, merely avid supporters of TPC that wouldn't mind being the opening act on their tour....if we offered to schlepp as well.
Don't blame a girl for loving the kisses!!
Loving Steve and Dave because they have that certain "je nais se quoi"
Entre nous,
jezzi
Posted by: jezebel | September 19, 2004 01:53 PM
STEVE
can you read me? can you read me? come in....
Q: wood you mind if i save the double fisted finger at amp shot to put on my screensave program
lovin it, and still pissin myself laughing...
yaow!
skot
Posted by: skot | September 19, 2004 02:30 PM
skot~where is the shot you are talking about? or anyone? i must be blind? or skot's imagining it! :P (love ya skot and i'm going to put a link to your website on my website..we'll all be linked up like chain mail)
Posted by: ylais | September 19, 2004 06:13 PM
oops! i just went to the main page and saw it...where am i today..? well my excuse is it's 2am here...
hovering around your site again Steve, awaiting the next installment..:D
I hope you didn't mind me referring to what you said about Dave's guitar playing in this last installment, on Dave's blog. I just was amazed as you said that he doesn't use any effects. He must play so fucking well! You know right?
Love to all
Lisa
xxxx
Posted by: ylais | September 19, 2004 06:17 PM
What happened to the orange amp after the gardener fished it out of the pool?
I mean hey, it's a part of rock history now! :D
Posted by: ylais | September 19, 2004 06:23 PM
steve, i was just wondering if you could give a rundown of what you're using on your pedalboard?
just to satisfy my own personal curiosity.
Posted by: JT | September 19, 2004 07:16 PM
hey ylais!
website linkage to my webpage wicked! thnk-u
your photos are the best!!!
posted you on my circulatory system yesterday already over here on the left coast eh?
my brother is just syncing up the scene from 2001, near the end, called 'Jupiter and Beyond", with Floyd's "echo's" so im off to.....oh the planets have aligned, and no one flows around the sun.....
yo S.I.
choo,
skot ;)
Posted by: skot | September 19, 2004 07:23 PM
Steve! I'm so glad you got the purple one! oooooohhhhhhhhhhh so exciting!!!!!!! Also, as a sufferer of road rage, I can say that it's not recommended killing people. :)
Posted by: Jess | September 19, 2004 08:12 PM
dear everyone,
disclaimer: it was my first time, so you jaded ones beware of the following instructions:
THE RECIPE(found on the net)
ingredients:
1 cd player: insert Pink Floyd's 'Meddle'
[disclaimer: apologies to the love of my life PF for misquoting you earlier as i was just TRIPPIN on this recipe........and so,]
1 DVD player: insert Stanley Kubricks' "2001" -advance to chapter 28: 'Jupiter and beyond'
pause "Echos" on the third piano 'ping?', note, hit of the key....
okay, hit play on the DVD, and when the title "Jupiter and Beyond" fades to black, fading, fading fading......start "echoes"
feast your eyes.
it is beautiful syncopations....
and just reaffirms the significant link between the universe and the womb.
Posted by: skot | September 19, 2004 08:21 PM
Ok a couple clarifications:
ylais: the orange marshall cab didn't go in the pool, I sold it to my friend Nate about a year ago (before I knew I'd be needing it again), the one that went in the pool was a 70's Fender twin.
And I didn't say Dave used NO effects, just a few - a chorus, delay and an octaver. Some guys have HUGE pedal boards, or racks of effects, Dave runs a pretty light pedalboard.
JT: Everything is in flux now, through the years it keeps changing, but recently I have an appetite to use as little as possible. I just re-did my pedalboard today: Boss Superchorus, Div by 13 "Switchhazel" (A/B switcher with A+B, and a "boost"), and Div by 13 "Dyna Ranger" overdrive pedal (not sure if I'll use it full time, testing it out now) ...and that's it.
Posted by: Steve Isaacs | September 19, 2004 10:27 PM
Thanks for the clarifications, Steve, but what about the purple amp? ...and the price for your ass :)?
Posted by: jezebel | September 19, 2004 10:29 PM
Price for seeing your ass perhaps? :)
Jez, you are encouraging naughtiness in me! :P
Hugs
Lisa
xxxx
Posted by: ylais | September 20, 2004 10:41 AM