Six Sick 6-String Things

For me, picking up an instrument was an amazing thing. Being relatively late to the game at 17, a few of my buddies already had guitars, and with all of us being hugely into music, I knew I wanted one too. I found that learning even the basics of guitar gave me insights into the music I was listening to. I was now hearing the detailed stuff that I hadn’t before.
Here’s a ‘role-call’ of my 6-string things. Even though I don’t play nearly as much as I used to, I still think they’re pretty awesome.

‘The Hanneman’

Acquired: 1993
Fretboard: Rosewood
Inlays: Pearl Dot
Binding: None

Backstory: My first electric guitar. I bought it in my first semester of college from this dude with crazy slicked-back hair. This was an exciting purchase as my buddies already had guitars, and another friend had drums setup in his parents basement. Our version of jamming took place. Great memories.
Though I was never a big Slayer fan, I saw Jeff Hanneman playing a black & white guitar on the 'Seasons in the Abyss' video and thought it looked so cool. I styled my first axe on his. Even though it's a Stratocaster shape, it's got a pair of humbucking pickups in it. The body is basswood, making it my heaviest guitar. It doesn't see much action anymore, but it has by far my most playing hours logged on it.

Riffage:
Nirvana - Come As You Are, Zep - Stairway to Heaven, Pantera - 5 Minutes Alone, Rage - Bombtrack, AC/DC - Back in Black, COC - Albatross

‘The Cypress’

Acquired: 1996, Reacquired: 2019
Fretboard: Rosewood
Inlays: Pearl Rectangular
Binding: Front of body & neck

Backstory: My buddy Sean needed to free up capital, and I wanted a second guitar - one with that awesome Les Paul shape. Money changed hands and this burgundy woodgrain beauty was mine. As I remember, it was about the same time I cut my hair and got a real job. Ten years later, as I was looking to liquidate assets before leaving for Australia in 2006, Sean bought it back from me. It then was sold to at least two other people before coming back to Sean, and now, upon his big cash out to go sailing, I bought it back from him in 2019. The most traveled of my fleet, I don't think I'll want to sell it back to him if he does comes asking... Installed the cool 'top-hat' volume knobs on it in 2019.

Riffage: Zep - Over the Hills and Far Away, Tool - Forty Six & 2 (Bassline), COC - The Door

‘The Jager-tar’

Acquired: 1999
Fretboard: Rosewood
Inlays: Pearl Sharktooth
Binding: None

Backstory: Numero tres. Being a huge Dimebag Darrell fan and hearing the sounds that guy pulled from his guitars, I had to get an axe with the locking tremolo system on it. I saw this worn axe with that prestigious name in a pawn shop for about 180 and knew I had to grab it. I slapped the orange stag sticker on it and put away a few Jager-bombs as I got acquainted with it. The maple neck is super smooth and fast, action nice and slinky when you drop some pressure on the bar. The amount of different tones I can get from those pick-ups and selector are incredible. For some reason though, I never really got into the big whammy dives like I thought I would. I waffled on selling this beast, but decided keep it. It's just too bad-ass to give up.

Riffage: Metallica - Fade to Black, Pantera - Floods

‘The Gorgon’

Acquired: 2010
Fretboard: Rosewood
Inlays: Pearl Dot
Binding: Front of body & neck

Backstory: Sort of a hand-me-down from Sarah who long ago decided guitar wasn't for her, this easy-to-play Telecaster knock-off just rocks. I threw a pair of nice abalone volume knobs on it and slapped on the cool Medusa decal. It sounds great when I run it through the Guitar Rig processor on a little laptop in the garage. It's got low action and light strings - the kids love to play it too. Thanks babe :)

Riffage: Mastodon - The Sparrow & Curl of the Burl

‘The Chimera’

Acquired: 2013
Fretboard: Rosewood
Inlays: Serpent Insanity
Binding: Front of body & neck

Backstory: I walked into the now defunct Absolute Music on Upper James and immediately saw this thing staring at me; a Les Paul body finished in an orange'ish flamed top with an absolutely stunning serpent pearl & abelone inlay on the neck. What a piece of craftsmanship. I worked a few extra hours OT and made my first brand new guitar purchase. The Chimera is the mythical beast of combined animals - in this guitar it's the body of the tiger, and the neck of the serpent. Just looking at it still blows me away. Goes to show that if you keep your eyes open you stumble on a real treasure once in a while...

Riffage: AIC - What the Hell Have I, Bowie - Rebel Rebel, Pearl Jam - Garden

‘Pneuma Verde’

Acquired: 2020
Fretboard: Ebony
Inlays: Split Rectangular Pearl
Binding: Front & back of body, neck

Backstory: You see your fave guitar style, in your fave colour with a beautiful quilted burst top, gold hardware & the 'G' name on it. Do you pass it up? Hell no. You buy it. Awesome split pearl inlays on an Ebony fretboard and front & back binding were the gravy touches. This thing radiates like a sun-drenched rainforest. I threw a nice Seymour Duncan in the bridge pick-up for some extra quality, and holy damn does this thing sound good and play niiiiice. I keep it in Drop D tuning for the heavier stuff. I say it's the last guitar I'll ever buy, but you never know…

Riffage: Tool - Pneuma, Opeth - Heart in Hand

Inspiration & 9 years

When it comes to musical instruments (guitar in particular) and being inspired to play one, there are only a handful of people that captivate me simply by *watching* them play. Where the visual component of them playing the instrument makes the sounds come more alive and elevates the music. For me, it's Hendrix and this guy; Steve Vai.

And while we're talking visual, try not to astounded by this custom triple-necked beast with a 13-string harp on the tailstock. While instrumental music is not for everyone, I still highly recommend watching (and of course, listening to) this video - even just once - to see what an instrument can do in the hands of a master. Amazing feel, phrasing, style, even backdrop. Watching Steve playing 'The Hydra' here just blew me away.
It's always great to have something inspire you, especially on a special day (#9).

Nearer, But Far Away

Now 2 years into this pandemic, it feels like more than ever we're a country, world & people divided.

Vaccines have kept diseases and virulent infections at bay for decades. I'm no medical expert, but I'd pretty much guarantee that every self-proclaimed 'anti-vaxxer' in North America who is alive today has had a vaccine at some point in their lifetime. A vaccine that protected them from falling ill with Chickenpox, Diphtheria, Hep A & B and Measles (among others). They've never known what it's like to be sick with those ailments because their body (and the body's of everyone else around them) had been equipped to deal with it. That's herd immunity. That's protection.

An excerpt from today's Globe & Mail:
"As for the convoy of 'Freedom Riders (trucker blockades) they have it all backward: They want all restrictions lifted, while rejecting the one thing that dramatically lowers the risk of lifting restrictions. They want the pandemic over, while refusing to do the thing that most contributes to ending it."

Here was my exhausted, down to brass-tacks rundown on it (as I texted to a friend who still has vax hang-ups):

Everyone is going to die one day. EVERY-BODY. The naive general consensus (particularly among unvaxxed) is that the vax somehow nullifies human immortality. I could see the apprehension to the jab if it did that... But we all die - guaranteed. Now, do you want to likely stave off that inevitability by getting a vaccine that has killed nobody, or chance a bad case of a virus that has offed almost 6 million peeps worldwide and counting? Should be a no brainer. Die soon? or Die later? But be absolutely assured; the death will happen.

 

Look at this frightened, ignorant imagery.
Untrue.