you know that computer that lets you see how a hair cut will look on you before you even get one? well i bought one of those to help design a pick guard. with the help of carrie sweet, and an awesome computer, this is my mock up. notice the sensual curves. this is no mistake. the pick guard is like the nipple tassel to an otherwise nude guitar. the pick guard covers up just the right amount of body, leaving what's behind it to your imagination. lets take it one step further and throw some make believe hardware on this piece.
that's the right stuff. so now it's off to find pickguard sheeting and a way to cut the pattern out.
so the last time we were here we wet sanded the guitar up to 2000 grit. started getting that reflection. now it's time wax it. there are a lot of choices. compound rub, cleaning wax, swirl remover, protective wax, plain old wax, polish. you name it, they got it. the guy at the auto zone was a real boner. he tried to confuse me with his ignorance and i fell for it. "you can't use this shit for a guitar", he says. i don't know what to do. i go home to find out that that's exactly the type of shit i should be using. i go back and get a few things.
now im sitting at home with turtle wax, mother's cleaning wax, and also 3m's rubbing compound. let's save some time and tell you after trying every combination, the mother's cleaning wax ruled the most.
i buffed it by hand because i was afraid of burning through the finish. plus nitrocellulose apparently doesn't hold it's shine like these new guitars so buffing with a machine is sort of pointless. at least that's my excuse. here it is after a few rub downs
holy crap, look at this thing shine, shine, shine, like 409. let's check out what the back has to offer.
this thing is feeling alright to me. it's not the worst that i've seen. since i'm using the vintage hardware, a little swirl here or there is going to feel natural. now it's time to figure out the headstock and the pick guard situation.
last night i just couldn't take it. i checked to see if the clear coat was hard enough with my fingernail and it passed the test. it's on. i busted out my wet sandpaper. 400 through 2000 grit. first with the 400 to take off the orange peel and uneven spots. it's important that the whole thing is matte and there are no shiny spots. done! then i kicked it up a notch to 600 grit. done! then i watched the wu-tang movie and went to bed.
then wu-tang movie was awesome, by the way. they murphed the industry. murphed it kid!
when i woke up, it was time to check the method. i decided to take the 800 grit and start rubbing it down. here's a picture.
so i was getting pretty inspired and went all the way. 1000 grit. 1200 grit. 1600 grit. and all the way to 2000. the finish line for sanding. if you held the guitar up to the light you start seeing some reflection. check it.
now isn't that beautiful. so the next step is to buy some wax and figure out how i'm going to buff and polish this piece. off to auto zone.
my friend michael told me that in the world of recording records, the drum sounds are what separate the men from the boys. drums are the ultimate pain in the ass because there are so many components working all at once. then there's the issue of how good the drum set is, how good the room sounds, what kind of mics are used, where they are positioned, phasing, and most importantly, the performance.
i usually record drums with two mics and tons of compression, but since i'm trying to become a man..... four mics and no compression! that a huge step in some kind of direction. and even better, i'm letting someone who knows how to play the drums lay it down. it's about time i gave it my all.
brian 'the skin slapper' brunac came through and did a great job. i pointed the mics and pressed record. everyone else was nice and quiet. it couldn't of turned out better.
this post is about tradition. the tradition of rollerskating to live organ music. in the 1960's, dj's started to take over the rink. they said that the turntable was here to stay, the organ was a thing of the past.
dominic, the lone organist, held his ground. he knew that the 45 was going to be a passing phase. and he was right. so after like 40 years, dominic still rules the rink. at least on tuesdays.
we went to go party with him last tuesday and here's a video i made. i guess recording video and skating is illegal in california. they came down on me pretty hard. at least i got some footage. enjoy!
in my days working at a studio, they always used a big chart to map progress. so with a piece of paper and a sharpie, i present to you the chart for the cmg record.
it's a little bit more done than this, i just got tired. we have a deadline of july 29th so i needed a chart to organize what it is that needs to get done. because every time i ask myself what needs to be done i draw a blank. not anymore. thank you chart.
i will be showing updates on the chart from time to time and then mixing, mastering, straight onto the itunes, into your computer, onto your ipod, into you car and straight down your ear holes. word.
notice the sensual curves. this is no mistake. the pick guard is like the nipple tassel to an otherwise nude guitar. the pick guard covers up just the right amount of body, leaving what's behind it to your imagination. lets take it one step further and throw some make believe hardware on this piece.
that's the right stuff. so now it's off to find pickguard sheeting and a way to cut the pattern out.
