All the latest goss here...!

Nov 2022

I update my midi-transposer program with new features. It converts midi drum files from one format to another - e.g. AD2 <> SD3 or SDS etc. Its free on my my Download page...

May 19 2022

I went to see Deep Purple live in the Volkspark, Mainz with F, my lovely daughter. I could write a book about it but I will leave that to others. Lets say the band was fantastic. 2.5h, error free, a pleasurable performance from Ian Gillan and jaw-dropping performances, especially from Simon McBride. I knew he was good from a live album I have from Don Airey, but he was simply stunning. For those wondering: Steve Morse had taken a break and Simon came in April as a 'hired gun' - he surpassed all expectations. Since then StM has actually left the band leaving everyone wondering and hoping... Just a word for StM: He is a legend and has his own style and sound - an odd choice but it worked well and he co-wrote the last 10 albums.... But remember, hiring a very good guitarist to play those songs in that 'cover showcase' format is actually easy. No, I could not do it of course, but if they want to keep playing live for another year or two then keep Simon - the Perfect Stranger! If a DVD of any 2022 'Simon' concert(s) comes out then I will buy it. Thanks F. for a wonderful unexpected rock-night!

May 2022

It is hard to believe but it has been a year, well almost... I had issues with my eyes and after a series of setbacks I now have finally found some stability and I am slowly crawling back on my feet again. I could not continue with live gigs, but today I cleared up the tools abandoned with Tweety in my music room and it is now ready for spraying this week. My Engl has a bad clean-cut button and a presence pot needs replacing... All now on my radar again - it can then be sold - maybe lol...

Recently I found a small alu-case with all my old software and other items I used in my previous CAD/CAM company SUPERDRAFT GmbH in MG. I messed around with it and to my amazement I got it all working on a virtual machine and have it now running 100& on my Windows host - plus running from any usb bootable mem-sticks too. I spent days extracting and updating the old help file to Word (.docx) - it is now 99% done.

June 28 2021

I have stripped down 'Tweety the Strat'. A bolt on the neck had sheared off inside and I rounded off some places on the body which were too sharp. It was the way it came and I thought I could live with it, but no, that is also true of some women I knew... It is now ready to be painted and laquered again and then I will post some pics. It now is 100% identical in shape to my 1989 Fender.

Next week I will be in hospital again - another eye op. Cateract. I try not to think about it...

May 2021

I am a little proud of myself, if I may say so. I have benn repairing my Jet City 100H amp and what started out as a simple exchange of output jack sockets, turned into a 3 week crash course in advanced electronics. I put Humpty-Dumpty back together but the OD Gain was cutting out and the normal Gain was taking over. I thought it was changing channels on me... Anyway, good old Stone explained the role of Opto-Couplers and switching systems, and I found myself studying a wad of schematics, looking fór a shortcut, and pulling my hair out. Anyway, after a shitload of cleaning contacts, new soldering and measuring components I found no operational error. I finally found the error today on the actual Gain pot - and nailed it.

My Engl is next - I need to replace the presence pot and repair the Hi-Low cut-switch for the clean channel.

March 2021

A big jump in time since the last post. The most recent updates are the numerous recording bouts on the first song (to simply learn) and the laying down of the basic composition recordings for the next. I now have 15 songs lined up - pending...

I replaced all the cheap jacks on the back of my JetCity 100H amp with Marshall jacks. I am sure they are just as cheap from China too, but they are fully enclosed and do not bend out of contact or break so easily. I also replaced the stupid cheap LED power lamp with a standard 6,5v Fender bulb-socket lamp. That is really nice.

09 October 2020

Very sad to hear about Eddie van Halen. He bounced on the 70's scene and simply wiped the slate and reset the bar so high, that 70's guitarists sounded old overnight. He was a genius. I have maybe 5 top game-changers and he was one of them.

I sold stuff on eBay - bought a Presonus firewire Interface with 8 ins/outs to replace my olde Terratech Phase 88 pci interface.

09 August 2020

Well, it was a lovely day for a wedding. Body and neck now happy as one. I will test it in the next few weeks and probably keep it. It was a new but roughly cut bought-body and I had to work it hard as the pockets were off center and the shape is slightly clumsy for a Fender. You would never notice it, but my Fender is slightly more gorgeous. The front Fender pick guard looked like it was not happy with the masculine curves either. Anyway, I fixed all that but I am wondering how it will sound. I have a decent block of Red Alder, which I should have maybe cut myself from the outset. We shall see.

01 August 2020

Time for the wedding next weekend. Tweety body and neck...

July 2020

I have taken days sound-checking my Engl Blackmore amp with different cabinets, speakers, guitars, pedals and my Rocktron. It has a good solid hard rock sound with the Hi Gain off - a bit like classic Thin Lizzy, but when you engage the Hi-Gain for a touch more juice, a la John Sykes, it then has a modern metal gain voicing, which I did not ask for. I am still trying pedals, but tbh I now think I am ready. It is odd but my Les Paul and V30 speakers sound the worst with the Engl. Snarky.

My biggest interest actually now lies in all the VST amps I have, and if they can do better. If yes, then I sell the Engl because I do not play live with it.

I have also wasted a lot of time trying to get a TerraTec Phase 88 pci card (not rack) to work 100% with my Windows 10 64-bit correctly. This is a fantastic I/O interface with really low latency, but originaly made for 32-bit. So this here is for the nerdy Googlers in 2020: The card and I/O box work great with the very last drivers 5.51 for Windows 10 64-bit from TerraTec before they died in 2007, but the Digital Output thru the SPF/DIF cinch socket does not work. It stays muted. Period. All later drivers (5.54) for a cloned follow-up model (TS88) are fine, but do not fix this issue. So am I worried? No. I route 2 regular output channels as my main outputs instead of the SPF/DIF.

21 June 2020

Big update on this website - pictures galore! Gig lists... All the stories... All coming to you for free!

June 2020

The new Tweety body is hanging out to dry... Clear laquer pending... I am still torn whether to really replace the original Tweety body or not... There can only be one Tweety... Replace or keep it? We shall see very soon.

June 2020

The new Tweety body is hanging out to dry... Clear laquer pending... I am still torn whether to really replace the original Tweety body or not... There can only be one Tweety... Replace or keep it? We shall see very soon.

May 24 2020

I will be tracking the first ever home-recording song in the next few days. I wrote it 2 years ago and forgot how to play it (ha!). I recorded the bass guitar last week. Sounds oddly good.

May 15 2020

I have re-installed my Musik computer and all is perfect. I have made the finishing cuts on the new Tweety body and have sprayed the first layer of wood filler. The neck is on the worknech too. I am also doing this web site so now you know.

February 2020

Sold my long-time friend - My Fake Plexi. I have mixed feelings about it, but the new Marshall is simply better for my hardrock style.

February 2020

All parts have arrived for the rebuild of Tweety - pending.
My Ceriatone will be sprayed black inside and I finally got a metal grid for the rear panel - pending.
I will drill a hole in the rear and move the wet/dry fx loop-knob away from the front - pending.

Last but certainly not least, I bought a Gibson Les Paul Standard. WTF? they all say! Well, for years now I have starred at my Les Paul Traditional in the corner and not played it that much. It is a beautiful guitar but after my hand-OP the neck has become too fat for me, and of course I have not practiced much as in the past. I love playing it for recording as it stays in tune and the Seymour Duncan PUs sound great, but otheriwse it is a 1500€ coat hanger.

The new Les Paul Standard looks and feels identical but it has a "slimer" 60's neck. A Gibson "slim taper" 60's neck is very much a full neck compared to my skinny neck on my ESP guitar(s). Still, it is very playable and the Gibson Pro-bucker PUs sound great as they are.

December 2019

I have bought myself a real Marshall 1987x Plexi and I am very happy now. My Ceriatone Plexi was good, but this has all the Marshall voicings and aggression without a master volume mod. I always wanted that and looking back now I should have spent the difference and bought one 8 years ago...

I am (or was) working on a new body and repairing my old Tweety Strat. I have robbed old Tweety of all its parts and I am just waiting for small parts to arrive before I add the neck and setup the bridge. Once that is done I will strip it, sand-paper it down and then paint it. My original Fender will then be due for some wood repairs around the tremolo bridge. I will probably sell my darling Les Paul Traditional. My hand never recovered from the operation years ago and the neck is too thick for me. That will be a sad day when that goes...

I bought myself a pedal which absolutely blows me away - it is the Freqout pedal and it emulates an amp which eagerly squeals into feedback. I hit a note and there is instant feedback with a harmonic of my choice. Plus my amp can be played quietly. I wish I had this years ago...

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