Does Anybody Still Care?

clockwork green · January 31, 2011, 02:06:25 PM

It seems like nobody gets that excited around here anymore about tone, gear or new albums. A few years back it seemed like every High on Fire, Electric Wizard or YOB album got completely dissected for it's tone and gear. Even albums by other bands with less history but epic tone were still lauded. When Electric Amps or Emperor Cabs came out it definitely created quite the stir as did D*A*M effects. It just seems like things are dead. I don't hear about the bands of other members...great bands like Cough, Hooded Menace, haarp, Dark Castle, Bongripper or Salome don't get discussed. Has that new car smell completely faded or are we just sitting around waiting for the new Dopethrone, FZ-2 or obscure vintage amp to come out of nowhere like Sunn and Matamp did? I may not want to copy what a band like haarp is doing but I am curious how they get such huge tone. Those all aluminum Electrical guitars seem cool...has anybody tried or bought one? I still love gear and I still love making and listening to heavy music and fortunately there is still some out there even if out of the hundreds of records I buy each year I only find 5-10 that really surprise and interest me.

Danny G · January 31, 2011, 02:42:40 PM

We are all getting older, and all these loud amps are making us deaf \m/,

peyotepeddler · January 31, 2011, 03:05:11 PM

i don't see it as a lack of caring or not branching out

for one, it took years to build up the old jamroom with its quality members, so we have a very small pool to draw from now, and lets face it, most here have been around the block with tone searching and discovery...........not that we always "find" it, but in that search a lot of mystique and mystery is lost

as for bands that i'm digging tone wise, the newest bongripper is killer, and my current favorite is anything by thou, killer southern band there, cheers for nola

as for my tone quest, for now i'm back to plugging straight in and cranking, i was muff'in for awhile before that, although i'm likely to pull the trigger on a ehx stereo pulsar, funds are low and i'm itching for some tremolo

cheers

justinhedrick · January 31, 2011, 03:41:00 PM

new bongripper is really good. emporer cabs and ampeg heads for one guitar player and a marshall for the other guy, no?

i honestly think the new trend in "stoner" amps is going to be a huge resurgence of low end peavey type gear (KMD amps, anyone??).

as for the dissection of tone: i think tone is so subjective that maybe everyone has subscribed to the "to each their own" philosophy? I for instance couldn't see myself using Shep from weedeaters tone with my band, but i enjoy the hell out of listening to it!

Chovie D · January 31, 2011, 03:48:17 PM

links to good new music/bands please.

Discö Rice · January 31, 2011, 04:12:00 PM

Quote from: clockwork green on January 31, 2011, 02:06:25 PM
It seems like nobody gets that excited around here anymore about tone, gear or new albums. A few years back it seemed like every High on Fire, Electric Wizard or YOB album got completely dissected for it's tone and gear. Even albums by other bands with less history but epic tone were still lauded. When Electric Amps or Emperor Cabs came out it definitely created quite the stir as did D*A*M effects. It just seems like things are dead. I don't hear about the bands of other members...great bands like Cough, Hooded Menace, haarp, Dark Castle, Bongripper or Salome don't get discussed. Has that new car smell completely faded or are we just sitting around waiting for the new Dopethrone, FZ-2 or obscure vintage amp to come out of nowhere like Sunn and Matamp did? I may not want to copy what a band like haarp is doing but I am curious how they get such huge tone. Those all aluminum Electrical guitars seem cool...has anybody tried or bought one? I still love gear and I still love making and listening to heavy music and fortunately there is still some out there even if out of the hundreds of records I buy each year I only find 5-10 that really surprise and interest me.

There's like six thread topics in this post. People would respond to those faster than a thread asking if you're the only one that still cares. I still Play. There are lots of threads about new gear (agile and xaviere guitars) building your own effects, drums (although there only four drummers that I know of that post here) etc. There are a number of music threads in general discussion at the moment. In fact, having never heard of Haarp, I'm gonna check them out when I'm done responding.

peyotepeddler · January 31, 2011, 04:13:51 PM

Quote from: Chovie D on January 31, 2011, 03:48:17 PM
links to good new music/bands please.

i'm avoiding myspace like the plague, so i'll give you last.fm links

http://www.last.fm/music/Bongripper
http://www.last.fm/music/Thou

fuzzfarmer · January 31, 2011, 04:37:10 PM

I just saw Haarp last saturday night.

Crushing.

Looked like Randall and Marshall half stacks AB'd on opposite sides of the stage, with mainly a tubescreamer for dirt. Bassist was using what i think was a mesa boogie solid state job into mesa 8x10 or something.

Edit: I was kind of thinking the same thing " Does Anybody Still Care?" . When I posted that bongzilla vid i found, amongst the tard threads in general discussion.

Discö Rice · January 31, 2011, 04:42:48 PM

So far, in response to the question of whether or not anyone cares about these bands, my votes are as follows:

Haarp - no
Cough - no
Dark Castle - yes
Salome - no
Hooded Menace - Better than Haarp, Cough, and Salome. Will give them more of a listen.
Bongripper - no. not that they suck, just not interested.

All of the "no" votes are for the sole reason that they're just boring. I've heard plenty of really loud amps in my day - all I ask is that a band brings something new to the table, even if they aren't hauling around 12 million watts of boutique guitar rigs. I don't need to hear any more straight up doom or black metal. Played the fuck out.

Hemisaurus · January 31, 2011, 05:35:43 PM

Isn't that more General Discussion, or album reviews and such?

I don't enjoy wading through that kind of stuff, so I guess I never cared

Discö Rice · January 31, 2011, 05:55:55 PM

Yeah, it is, but album reviews isn't the most well trafficked forum. General Discussion would've worked.

Chovie D · January 31, 2011, 06:12:09 PM

nah, the OP is gear relelvant. No one in gen disco knows what a D.A.M. or matamp is.

Bongripper was meh....thank for the link tho.
I guess i stopped caring after dopethrone and that was what 15? years ago.
I was always more of an amrep scum rocker than a doomchile anyway.

as for gear, I dont see much new that excites me. The aluminum guitars look cool , i suspect Buzzo uses em simply because you cannot break the headstock in flight. the only 'new' effect I like is the octane 3 by zvex..screww the octave, its a great fuzz, but its expensive.

I dunno...meh.

Discö Rice · January 31, 2011, 06:29:55 PM

Gen disco? What the hell are you talking about? I don't know what age group you're trying to lump me into, but as far as Matamp goes, I've been listening to you guys coo and cluck about them for years. I've seen and heard them played, but I've never owned or tried to find/buy one because I'm a drummer, and that's where my money goes.

spookstrickland · January 31, 2011, 06:32:29 PM

Might be the Economy, if you don't have the money for your newest Tone maker then some times it's kind of hard to get excited about them. I know I get depressed some times when I'm broke and can not afford the gear I really desire.

Discö Rice · January 31, 2011, 06:35:07 PM

Quote from: spookstrickland on January 31, 2011, 06:32:29 PM
Might be the Economy, if you don't have the money for your newest Tone maker then some times it's kind of hard to get excited about them. I know I get depressed some times when I'm broke and can not afford the gear I really desire.

yep.

Chovie D · January 31, 2011, 06:40:29 PM

gen disco = general discussion, sorry for the confusion

I remember when my buddy Spanky from Bongzilla ordered a matamp way back when. He saved for a long time and it cost thousands and he had to wait a long time for them to build and ship it over seas to him. When it arrived the fucking thing was broken. Thats all I know about matamps. I never bought into the super expensive amp thing myself. I just used whatever was at hand and a pedal.

Killer tone can be had for dirt cheap. Fact. You dont need the latest 'tone maker' or todays super popular vintage peice.

Discö Rice · January 31, 2011, 06:44:23 PM

Quote from: Chovie D on January 31, 2011, 06:40:29 PM
gen disco = general discussion, sorry for the confusion

I remember when my buddy Spanky from Bongzilla ordered a matamp way back when. He saved for a long time and it cost thousands and he had to wait a long time for them to build and ship it over seas to him. When it arrived the fucking thing was broken. Thats all I know about matamps. I never bought into the super expensive amp thing myself. I just used whatever was at hand and a pedal.

HAHA alright. I misunderstood. Sorry.

clockwork green · January 31, 2011, 07:33:08 PM

I'm just feeling a general apathy in all of music but especially here and this goes back to stonerrock.com. It relates to the bands, the gear, the albums and the shows. There have been good moments like the Sleep reunion shows. This is the only forum I post on here...gen discussion is just absurd and I lack the energy to post album reviews. Maybe people are excited about Agile's but they more like the kind of gear musicians need to get rather than want to get.

I'd love a band that changes everything and puts a new twist on things but I'm fine with bands like Hooded Menace that are straight-forward but still good or at least add some good tone...the haarp album hits hard.

VOLVO))) · January 31, 2011, 07:42:18 PM

I'm glad you posted this.

lordfinesse · January 31, 2011, 08:29:30 PM

I guess I would post more if I had more time. Since our 2nd kid arrived in August, I've really had my hands full with work and home stuff. Husky (and everything else) has really taken a backseat. I am still excited about music. I'm really excited about the new Husky album, and can't wait for anyone who is interested to hear it. And since it's named after a guitar amp (Garnet), and everything was recorded with, and in some cases reamped, using only Garnet amps, I guess it's gear related too. We do love them Garnets. After the album comes out, I want to talk Garnet amps with whoever cares, especially over a beer if possible. Pissy is more of the professor on the subject, but I'm still happy talking about them.

I have a slew of pedal mods coming up, if I can ever get around to them. That's the thing... if I can get into a routine with some stability, I can address the things that are always on my mind (free willie), like that tap tempo tremolo I want to build, and a/b-ing between two delay pedals, or even two unique pedal chains. And the thread where one of you guys picked up a Xavier or Agile guitar and modded it to total sweetness just makes me want to do the same. I do enjoy talking about gear. Especially well made stuff that is cheap, like Music Man amps. I almost bought an early 80's Ibanez Roadstar II for $150 last week, but he had another buyer before I could get it. It was all original, blue burst with the sharp edged body, not rounded like some.

I wish I had more time to talk about all of these things on this forum. It has taken me about 50 minutes to type this reply. No shit. As I type, my wife, both kids, and the babysitter are all buzzing about nearby. Life's distractions seem to have been cresting for about 4 months, with no end in sight yet. Don't get me wrong, it's happy times. Just a little hectic, with not much time for music related stuff. Having said that, I still seek out new stuff, and wonder how they get the sounds. Dungen, for example, is probably my favorite band in the world right now. I listen and wonder, how do they get those sweet drum sounds? Especially on the toms? As for guitar tones, I'm pretty sure I hear a strat through a Marshall. It's nice. And the piano sounds like maybe room mics.

Anyway, that's a sample of what's going on in my world, and some stuff that's on my mind. I hope my kids will have an interest in music, and play in bands, and want to talk gear with me.

core9 · January 31, 2011, 08:32:50 PM

I check out this site daily and it does seem like we lost a lot of members, but I'm sure we can keep the fire going until the others return, or new people join.

I'm presently using a Matamp Green Legend 140 w/matching stack, and a new GT120 into a Mesa stack. Using the new D*A*M M-13 Meathead and an SG. Running the two rigs in stereo through a Radial XY box....flip the phase switch and its' fuckin magic.

http://reverbnation.com/cursetheson

VOLVO))) · January 31, 2011, 08:34:55 PM

I love Husky. Pissy knows. Post whenever ya can, man. We're all here to read it!

eyeprod · January 31, 2011, 08:50:09 PM

Not much excites me these days, personally. I'm not into trying a bunch of different gear anymore. There was a time I thought it sounded cool, but after some time messing with shit I'm forced to conclude that the old tried and true is the best, and finding deals equals way more than spending a bunch on some so-called holy grail. There's no magic transistor or diode. The cheap stuff can get you the same basic sound. Tubes sound similar enough that only geeks notice subtleties, and all the bands with the same fucking tones and rhythms bug me really fast anymore. I'm really happy with what I've got, so I don;t see a need to covet anything else.

I've always been into classic hard rock, so again, the latest supposedly great bands don't excite me in the least unless it's something like stone axe, where they capture an essence of old greatness. Even they have gotten sort of old to me now. I dunno, I guess it's sort of on a downward slop for the moment. Even my own music is often boring to me, but I like to hope that if I keep riding it like a rollercoaster then things will bound to go up again before long.

Just spare me the cliches of any given moment and I can make it through.

mortlock · January 31, 2011, 09:51:56 PM

thats where borbetomagus comes in..legendary band..drop a mike into the bell of a sax and amplify the crap out of it and you'll know what im trying to say..

Jor el · January 31, 2011, 10:34:04 PM

I have always loved the Jam Room.
I lurk, rather than post, because I don't know that I really have anything to add. You people have the knowledge - and your sharing of it is greatly appreciated.