I just found out that the show for tonight has been cancelled. Smokin’ Joe Kubek couldn’t make it down from Wichita. That’s how it goes sometimes. You can’t get upset because it’s out of your hands. My guys were eager to play tonight as this was the target show that we were rehearsing for. Last night was more of a shakedown cruise.

Last night as I went to Springfield (10 miles north) to pick Hugh up, I realized that the storm was far worse up there. We got stuck once and a nice couple pulled over and helped push us out. A random act of kindness. So, after seeing how Springfield was last night I am thinking that it was much worse to the north.

Guitar players are an odd lot. We are constantly seeking the elusive tone; always trying to find something more.

Electric guitarists realize early on that they are working with a two-part instrument (guitar/amplifier). The guitar and amp both affect the sound equally. So, to find your own unique voice you have to, by trial and error, find the right guitar and the right amp. Most conversations between guitarist’s involve discussions of which guitars and amps they would like to get their hands on.

There is an odd glitch in the technology revolution for the guitar player. Amps that are powered by vacuum tubes sound better than any solid-state/digital gizmo. As long as there have been electric guitars, amp manufacturers have been trying to ditch the arcane tube for some new, revolutionary design. There are some really well made solid state amps that serve a particular purpose. I have tried most of them. There are jazz players that can only achieve their particular tonal nirvana with an ultra-clean sounding solid-state rig. There are a plethora of digital amps that emulate the tube performance and some are amazingly versatile but, for me, the tubes work better.

If you are old enough, you can recall going to the hardware store with a worn out T.V. tube to match it with a replacement. If you couldn’t find the right one, no T.V.

This afternoon I was playing my little class A tube amp and it started cutting out. It has been sounding a little odd lately. After going through every worst-case scenario I could think of I figured out that I had a bad tube. I called every music store in town and located the desired el84 tube (soviet made) at Hoover Music. I drove up there in a frantic rush and was so happy that they had one I bought six. I replaced every tube in the amp and it just sings. It sounds better than ever.

Now, if I could just get my hands on an old Gibson reverse-body Firebird for some g-tuning slide. Or maybe an SG… or a Strat… another Tele….

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