Ever play Felix's Guitar?

[Colton]

If not, i drew up a really shitty example of how it may look/feel.
I impress myself if i can get a note out of the thing. Of course he could probably snap mine in half by touching it.

[Banned]

I think your example is just about right. Ask Felix why he likes that huge action (maybe 1/2 inch at 12th fret), he says he does not want to make to easy and he doesn't like to play too fast.

Gallowglass and myself get a great laugh at that statement, Felix does not like to play fast. This is the guy who plays "Green Grass and High Tides" and makes that three guitar song seem like a Hurricane standard.

[HurricaneBob]

LOL Colton!

[Gallowglass]

Having played Felix's guitar, I know where you're coming from. When you first heft it (if you're average height it will come to about your knees) you're just like WTF? How does he play this thing? I like to see people get up there for the first time and attempt it. It's alot of fun. Strange thing is-after you play it for awhile it actually begins to feel comfortable. There's something really weird about it.

[bassist_25]

You forgot the dual-switching Fender combo amp setup that Felix sometimes sets up and requires a degree in engineering to know how to properly work.

[Colton]

Having played Felix's guitar, I know where you're coming from. When you first heft it (if you're average height it will come to about your knees) you're just like WTF? How does he play this thing? I like to see people get up there for the first time and attempt it. It's alot of fun. Strange thing is-after you play it for awhile it actually begins to feel comfortable. There's something really weird about it.

It wasnt the first time, but each time it sure feels like the first time. Hell, it makes it feel like its the first time ive ever held a guitar.

[cruseaudio]

I was offered a long time ago at peter c's, but I already heard about it and declined making an ass of myself

If I learned one thing from listening to him you gotta get those strings up to get that tone!

Here's to bloody blistered fingers

Some day he might offer again and I might give it a shot. After a few beers of course, it makes looking like an ass easier

[FatVin]

You guys are wuss's, it's not set any higher than my acoustic, ya gotta work a little harder to bend but it's not that bad. I have more problems with the strap and the guitar being down around my my knees that I do with the strings...jeez guys butch up a little

[songsmith]

At the risk of turning this into a tech thread, Vin, what gauge strings do you use? Bluesmen like those heavy gauges... I love the tone they give, but my hands are chewed up by work accidents and tendonitis, and are small anyway (you know what they say...), so I can only go .010's at the most. Felix likes heavies, but shake hands with him once... you'd swear he's wearing rawhide gloves. I'm admittedly too wussified that way. But very manly and studlike in others. Thought I'd clear that up.--->JMS

[Colton]

You guys are wuss's, it's not set any higher than my acoustic, ya gotta work a little harder to bend but it's not that bad. I have more problems with the strap and the guitar being down around my my knees that I do with the strings...jeez guys butch up a little

butch down and try out mine once

I wish SIT made something smaller than 8's!

[FatVin]

First, What's wrong with a tech thread, we should do them more often.

Secondly, jeez, gang take a joke already

Thirdly, yeah traditionally bluesman like higher gauges, there's nuthin wrong with that, there's nuthing wrong with using lighter strings either (>8's, really?, wow) If you've got a sound you are happy with then whatever gear you use to get that sound is right, right? It's all good.

finally, Since I set my action a little higher than some of you might, in order to accomodate slide, my take on action is probably a little different than the metal heads and you non-slide players (not that there's anything wrong with that) I can't quite get the bend action I like out of .11's, I'll break .09's too often let alone .08's and below so I use .10's with a heavy bottom end. the over all effect like a heavy .10 or a light .11.

At least when you play Felix's guitar you can fairly certain that you are not going to bust a string.

[Banned]

Vin, what is the rest of your rig? I know you mostly play a Strat.

[Colton]

I was just jokin back big guy, but onto the tech stuff =)

Yeah, I love those TINY strings, Ive been playing them for years upon years, and anything else just doesnt play right for me.

And on another note, i just replaced my high E string, after three years one finally broke. Ive got a rose on the back, and I literally shake my entire guitar by holding it up with the bar and going nuts.

Them little puppies have more of a life expectancy than i would have thought, and im sure its a suprise to you.

When playin felix's guitar, im not worried about breaking a string, just a finger!

[FatVin]

Wow, I didn't think anybody cared....

I use a Peavey 212 sheffield, and a Fender Frontman 212 as a speaker cabinet (The Chinese made Fender amp keeps over heating due to design flaws but the speakers work great, I did a Custom modification) I don't like pedals as a rule but I have a Boss Analog Delay and a Boss Tremolo. I use a Sabine st-1000 tuner (highly recommend them)

The "Strat" is a collection of parts I put together out of need about 15 years ago and my Tele (tuned to "open G") is a squier.

I own a Hamer semi hollow 335 copy but I don't like to play it out

I own a Crybaby and one of those Peter Frampton voicebox deals but they don't really fit what the Wiseguys do.

[Banned]

It's all a matter of what you're used to, I think. The other guitarist in HF1, Phillip DaPussie, is Felix's size and strong enough to snap me in half like a twig, but he whines like a woman in football season when he tries to play one of my guitars with heavy strings on 'em.

Other factors, like the setup or neck shape/scale, can make a big difference, too. A guitar with .011s can be way easier to play than one with .009s. The Fender SRV Strats are a neat example. Every one I've ever picked up plays like butter, but I think they come stock with .011s.

[bassist_25]

I prefer medium guage strings on my basses. I use to use GHS light Boomers on my fretless, but I found that they continually stretched and were always going out of tune. I'm currently using DR Red Devils on my Carvin. While they aren't quite as bright as they were when I first put them on (about 2 1/2 months ago), they still sound amazing and are really just slightly a bit "darker" sounding than when they were brand new. It's funny though, because you can see that I usually pluck over the rear pickup because the coating is worn down right there.

[Charltor]

I really like the Zakk Wylde GHS BOOMERS lo-tune strings. All of our original songs are in Drop A, B, or drop C tunings and I use these religiously. If your gonna go low these strings are the shit--11-14-18-36-52-70!!!! You can get low without the tension getting loose and sloppy. You get calloses on top of what you already had till you get used to them, but they are where it's at for down tuning. Plus if your car breaks down home from a gig , the .70's make great tow cables.

[YankeeRose]

...but he whines like a woman in football season when he tries to play one of my guitars with heavy strings on 'em.

Tsk, tsk, tsk Jimi...another stereotype? There are a lot of women who enjoy football, straight ones! (Not that there's anything wrong with that...)




Colton, the way you've played Felix's Guitar, you sure covered that you had any kind of trepidation about it. Rock on!

[Colton]

Colton, the way you've played Felix's Guitar, you sure covered that you had any kind of trepidation about it. Rock on!

You must not have been listening!
I mean, thanks!

I'll be sure to keep my own handy for next time

[the herald]

Its hard to play a lead on that thing cause my hands kept gettin caught in my shoelaces!

[redawg]

This shit is over the top funny. He let me play his guitar while he played mine at a Sunday nite Hitching Post show I felt like the new bass player for Metallica for a couple of songs How low can you go