Blog
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Issues with my Studio Monitors
I’m currently having issues with my studio monitors which is keeping me from mixing the songs that I’ve been working on. I plan to attempt a repair to the monitors but in the event that I’m unsuccessful with the repair it may be a while before I can release any more music.
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Updated Look
You may have noticed that the site has a new look. It should now be easier for you to find my videos, albums and guitar backing tracks. There is still some work left to do but I hope that you are finding the new changes useful.
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Check This Out: Wolfgang Van Halen Hears 5 Seconds Of Summer For The First Time
I’ve been a huge Van Halen fan since I was about 12 years old. I always knew Eddie Van Halen had a son, but I only knew him as a bassist and guitarist. After stumbling across this video, I learned he’s also a very talented drummer. If you haven’t seen a Drumeo video before, the premise is that they bring a drummer into the studio, select a song the drummer has never heard, and ask them to figure out the drum part without ever hearing the original. The results are often interesting, sometimes leaning toward flashy. What’s most impressive about Wolfgang’s take on this song is his intuition to leave space for the singer. There’s one exception: at 12:27, toward the end of the song, he plays a half-time, double bass drum part. Even this flashy moment fits the song perfectly and doesn’t overpower it.
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Writing New Music
I haven’t recorded any cover songs in a while but I am working on writing some new music of my own. This video shows a solo for my most recent writing session. My previous album was heavier but my next album will likely be more bluesy and ambient.
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Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HH HT E Pickguard Replacement and Repair
After purchasing my new Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal I noticed that the pickguard was warped near the bridge. Had I inspected the photos taken by Sweetwater I would have noticed this before buying it.
Before Replacement
I was initially going to just deal with the warped pickguard simply because after set-up the guitar played perfect. After a couple weeks the warping had gotten so sever that I had to lower the bridge pickup substantially to keep it from touching the strings.
I thought I’d be able to just order a new pickguard online and swap this out for the new one. This proved to be difficult. While there are almost endless options available for the Floyd Rose version of this guitar there are almost none for the hardtail model. Luckily, there was an individual on a Charvel Facebook group that had just finished a remodel of their guitar and had the original pickguard. The pickguard still had the protective film on it.
Removal of Old Pickguard
Before putting the new pickguard on I of course had to take the old pickguard off. I made sure to take plenty of pictures to make sure I didn’t get anything out of place when installing the new one.
Factory shielding paint 
Once I had swapped the pickups, pots and selector switch onto the new pickguard I started to screw it onto the body. That’s when I noticed an issue I didn’t fully expect. The screw holes didn’t line up.
I noticed that when trying to line the holes up that I had only two choices. Either line the lower holes up or line the top holes up. The could be due to improper drilling of the holes at the factory but with the fact that the warping got worse over the course of a couple weeks after getting the guitar this issue may actually be due to the body shrinking. I’ve never had this issue before but the shrinking body theory is backed up by the fact that if you hold the guitar under light just right you can see a rippling effect under the clear coat just behind the bridge. I attempted to get a picture of this effect under the clear coat but was unable to capture it with a camera.
Repair
I decided to line the bottom holes up for the pickguard and then fill the top holes so that I can drill new ones. To fill in the original screw holes I super glued toothpicks into the old holes.
After the super glue had dried for about 5 minutes I cut the toothpicks flush with the body using a razor blade.
The next step was to drill out new holes using a 1/16″ drill bit. After drilling the new holes I’m happy with the results.
New pickguard installed using newly drilled holes End Result
It’s been a week since the pickguard was replaced and it’s still lying flat. As you can see from the photo below the old pickguard had become extremely warped.
Old vs. new pickguard -
Something This Way
I’m not entirely sure what style of music this song could be considered. All of the songs that I’ve been writing recently have this same type of feel to it.
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Skyline Drive-In
I was born in 1980. Many Saturday nights as a child were spent at our local drive-in. We would pack up a couple blankets and a pillow or two. As a kid it seemed like an adventure. We would watch a kid friendly movie and then the second movie was geared more toward the grown ups. As a kid it was exciting.
As an adult with 3 kids I’m a little disappointed that there aren’t as many drive-ins around anymore. Luckily though, there are still a few left. One of which is the Skyline Drive-In in Summersville, KY.
Photo Credit: Tina Kincaid The Skyline Drive-In is about a 2 hour drive from where my family lives. But the 2 hour drive through the countryside to get to the drive-in was absolutely beautiful. The drive down there was worth the price of admission itself. Speaking of which, $10 per adult and $5 per kid was a very reasonable price.
We reached the drive-in about a half hour before dark so I sent my two oldest kids to get drinks and popcorn, which was also reasonably priced. $5 for a large pop and $5 for a huge bucket of popcorn.
As we sat, watching the sunset and waiting for the first movie to start, I couldn’t help but notice how much the drive-in reminded me of the ones from the 80’s. It was uncanny, from the sign at the entrance all the way to the look of the poles holding the screen up.
To my surprise, the drive-in wasn’t crowded at all, there was plenty of room. So much so that I’d wished that we had brought some lawn chairs. Instead we opened the back of our van and spread out in the back. As the first movie started, Despicable Me 4, I noticed that the sound quality was much improved over the 80’s. When I was a kid we had an AM/FM radio that had small speakers connected to it and sometimes there was the small single speaker that was provided by the drive-in. Now, the vehicle I was in has a complete surround sound system with a subwoofer. Even with the improved sound and noticeable better video quality, it never took away from the nostalgia of the whole experience.
During the first movie the kids enjoyed everything about it as we sat under a full moon. The full moon was an added bonus that I hadn’t even considered as well as the subsequent falling star that we witnessed.
As the first movie’s end credits were rolling came the announcement over the radio that the concession stand would be closing at the beginning of the second movie. My two oldest kids once again went to the concession stand to get us something to eat, this time it was Funnel Cake. At $5 each it was yet another good deal.
As if the funnel cake wasn’t enough, the second movie began to play. A movie that me and the kids were more excited for than the first. Back To The Future. Not some remake, just a good 80’s classic. The experience was perfect. Absolutely perfect, and a great way to end an already perfect night.
After having some slight trouble starting our van at the end of the night (the downside of having a full surround sound system with subwoofer), we exited the drive in. Our way up the road was lit by a Dollar General sign. I believe the Dollar General was there when we got to the drive-in but you can never be too sure when it comes to these things. I will admit that the long drive back home wasn’t as enjoyable as the drive down there was, but the trip was a worthwhile one and it will be something that I think my kids will remember as they get older.
Skyline Drive-In
Drive-In Movie Theater located in Summersville Ky. We sell a variety of food at the concession stand.
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“Stress Fractures” Now Streaming
My new album “Stress Fractures” is now finished and available for streaming on YouTube. I’ve worked hard crafting this album over the past 6 months. This is a complete DIY effort that I feel reflects my own personal style of songwriting. The full album will be available on all major streaming platforms and online stores on May 24th.
