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It works on both levels

November 17, 2009

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You may remember this equation:

Well, Teresa just found this interesting article about herrings. So I guess it y'know, works on both levels.

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The ABG Manifesto: Husky White Duke

I PLAYED WITH FRETS AND I LIKED IT Although the blog doesn’t reflect it, there’s been plenty going on these last 24 months. The blues band, Gatorwater has been gigging regularly and just recorded eight tunes in October. After a 20 year pause, the old college band—The Dynamo Theorem played its first show—I had to remember how to sing! I’ve been playing trumpet with regularity, building bikes, and of course my steadies—drawing and designing. Although it feels like I’ve slowed down with the bass building, that’s really not the case. I’ve worked on about a half-dozen bass guitars and even got my hands on an old Ampeg Baby Bass that needed a little love. It’s safe to say some of the blog silence has been due to a bit of a tangent. Having spent so much time working on fretless acoustic bass guitars, I found myself rediscovering frets and solid bodies… and I liked it. The best place to begin this new journey in the ABG Manifesto is with a short-lived bass I called the Husky White Duke ...

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An ABG Manifesto: Chapter Three

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AN ABG MANIFESTO: CHAPTER TWO

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Your 1999 Indie Rock Uniform.

What's strange about this drawing for me, is that the guy is a blend of the three members of the Dynamo Theorem (my old college band)--it looks like all of us in some odd way and yet it looks like none of us. Making this a very uninteresting drawing for most of the world. thank you.

AN ACOUSTIC BASS GUITAR MANIFESTO

AN ABG MANIFESTO: CHAPTER ONE The trouble with the acoustic bass guitar (ABG): Can’t project at same level as acoustic guitar—needs amplification. This is why bass amps and the upright bass are so big—it takes a lot of air to push low frequencies. Most piezo systems seem to accentuate the negative sound qualities of the instrument: tinniness, clacking. Under-bridge piezo pickup tends to send a weak low-E signal because of the string pressure on the bridge—requires adjustment. Bridge isn’t adjustable and seems to require seasonal or annual adjustment, which is tedious. Big-time feedback issues. Have to fill sound hole and/or EQ. WHY BOTHER? I’m not exactly sure why I bought an ABG, but I went out and got one within a couple months of starting on bass. This was back in 1999 after playing trumpet for about a decade. If I had to guess, it probably seemed closer to upright bass (which it’s not (which I still haven’t transitioned to twenty years later)). I think there’s just a certain ...

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