Testosterone

[Structo]

Hehehehe, I always thought it was noo-trick myself.

[bcmatt]

I worked in a guitar store here in Canada for 6 months (the big one), and it was quite enjoyable despite being in the humidified acoustic guitar room for most of the day when it was really amps that I loved most, but I learned a lot...
not least of which was that I really dislike John Lennon and his song "blackbird". I used to think it was a nice song until I experienced it approximately 5 times a day by chotchy teenagers or college kids; often to try and impress some girl they dragged along. It didn't matter how perfectly someone could play it, it made me hate it more. I'd much rather hear "smoke on the water" played badly and out of tune by a beginner for the first time.

People working in a music store are not easily impressed by show-boaters; there is a reason we make ourselves scarce when these guys reach for a guitar, and it's not intimidation. It gets quite tiring when people come to "perform". Admission is free to the store, you don't need to prove you can play to get in. Maybe some stores are like that, but those places are best avoided.

[Cliff Schecht]

Blackbird is a McCartney song, probably his most famous one. I'd get that right before talking too much shit about it . It's a great song but by no means my favorite Beatles song..

I've been getting a lot of compliments lately when I step into the acoustic room. I don't showboat, I'm not that good of a lead player anywho, but I play a style that not many young guns play and I think the guys working in shops can at least appreciate that.

I don't know of stores that make you audition to get in but I sure as hell do know of stores where the employees don't give you the time of day (or let you play any of the instruments in a few cases) if you don't explicitly state you intend to buy something. They'll be cool if you are a regular customer but this again implies that you will probably buy something. TBH I'm not totally against stores like this though. The guitars in GC and the like have been handled, mangled, banged around and usually are setup very poorly by the employees. The "pickier" shops tend to have cleaner guitars with at least a passable setup and are willing to spend a lot of time with you if they know you are serious. It also helps to keep the guys (like my dad) who go into stores just to plunk around, kick tires and BS with the shop guys without buying anything out of my way so I can shop!

[Structo]

What I really hate is when I am in a store trying to ask the salesman something and some kid is banging out some heavy metal lick minus the Cookie Monster voice.

I think they should have a separate amp room where all these kids can step up and compare johnsons.

That would make the rest of the store much more calm.

I can't imagine what it must be like to work at a Guitar Center, I would be in a rage after one day.

[Cliff Schecht]

There was a pretty funny video posted here or somewhere a while back of the typical day in the life of a GC employee. It was pretty much him holding up a camera so you could see his angry reaction to all of the terrible noodling that was happening in the background. Supposedly the guy was a good musician too (aren't most GC employees ) but that's besides the point..

[M Fowler]

My local mom store is a good store and I know everyone there so that helps including TAG member benoit. Haven't run into TAG member Jana there yet

They have an amp room set up to play and also have a pedal board display with amp/head phones so those guys can jam out without us hearing it.

If fact tonight is a PRS guitar clinic so I am off to that.

Mark

[Cliff Schecht]

Mark I just realized that you are in Minnesota.. Do you have white pasty skin and talk through your nose as all of my Minnesotan friends do (and I have quite a few friends from there..)?

[bcmatt]

Blackbird is a McCartney song, probably his most famous one. I'd get that right before talking too much shit about it . It's a great song but by no means my favorite Beatles song..

Oops! I like Paul, so now I am torn. Well, really it is a good song, I've just OD'd on it in the form I was force fed for 6 months. Since I'd heard that John was a real nasty Mofo from a guy that used to share gigs with them back at the Cavern in Liverpool when he was a kid, I wanted to blame him for my recent torture. Guess that song has got me again by making me look like an idiot.

[M Fowler]

I got the darker skin tone from the elbows to the fingertips on the left arm only from hanging it out the pickup window.

Also sporting the fluorescent white legs, light up the dark path at night

We speak Norske around here!

[Structo]

Out here in Oregon we don't tan we rust.

God, I swear this has been the crappiest Spring and Summer I can recall.

We just finished five straight days of rain. Most of those days didn't get above 70.

I know you guys in the middle of the country are having a dry spell, so you are welcome to all our rain until we need it.

[Bob S]

We've had temps in the 90s for 2 weeks now in the Metro Detroit area.
One downpour but it was a doozy.
At least it's not snowing.
Michigan - where the wind blows & the Lions suck.

[M Fowler]

Raining all summer here and now high temps with humidity wilting my great hair!

[jaysg]

hehe...when I'm testing an amp, I tend to emit oddball rude noises and non-sensical playing. What I'm doing is trying to concentrate on the tones the amp makes, especially how distortion decays to clean and how compressed it gets when you hit it hard. I'm not that good a guitarist, but I do know a low end riff a pal of mine wrote which is wicked fast and bloody difficult...nothing like muscle memory. I'm going for the, 'what the hell was that?' response from the punters.

[ampmike]

Great thread guys,funny stuff as well.We got to get some TAG tshirts.It would be cool to have some type of meet one day,Mikey

[M Fowler]

Mikey buddy I retire January 2, 2012 and I plan to be at the amp shows so one of these days we will meet hopefully.

Mark