Ask Larry something, in the VCB box below, with very little chance of a reply….just kiddin’ class!
965 thoughts on “Ask Uncle Larry – VCB”
Hey Tommy!
Considering there’s many great guitar builders today, who have got a lot of knowledge from earlier generations. How come the average guitarist thinks the quality/vibe of modern guitars (thinking of handbuilt ones) tends to fall short of what vintage guitars does? You would think after all this time, construction and sound would evolve and improve. Would you say there is a placebo effect to some extent or did they just hit the nail right on its head at the time? Of course there will always be shitty vintage guitars and good modern guitars as well, but it seems there’s a higher chance of a vintage guitar being good than a modern. Cheers from Norway!
Good morning Tom,
I got an off topic question:
In a video with Don Kelly he mentioned that he told every new guitar guy in his band to get the amp off the floor.
In your videos i see your amps always right on the floor whether it is in the studio or live.
Do you possibly have a clue, why he´s telling so and what´s your opinion on this subject. I personally find, that it depends on the stage floor, what position of the amp sounds better. How do you see it with your experience.
Thank you for an reply and go on with your show ….I´m a big fan and try to steal as much as possible for me.
Cheers and take care
Dirk
Wuerzburg / Germany
Hey Uncle L; I really enjoyed the interview you did with Joe
Vitale a while back. He lives close to me I have done work for him at his house what a fine human being he is, He speakes very highly of you. By the way I do have an even numbered Firebird. Its a Firebird 2 Moog designed the electronics.Haven’t seen too many of them. Things are cookin in the hall of fame city .Zac brown saturday.
The ‘podcast’.. very candid stuff. “read the room”..and “keep your mouth shut” are the ones that ring out to me.. and ‘give everyday your best’. Great conversation and insight, IMO.
Oh man .. an OLD DODGE VAN! Reminds me of my beat-up old green Sportsman van I had early 70’s to move my gear around. The wiring was so messed up that if you put your foot on the brake pedal and turned off the key, it still ran until you lifted your foot!! But it sure hauled a lot of gear. Yours look lots nicer, though.
Tom, I am headed to Nashville next week with my son and I wanted to stop at some of your friends restaurants, but Farmland AND Kitchen Downtown are closed… Where is a good lunch and breakfast spot.
THANKS BUK!!!
“And there she was.. by the door and she says..
She won’t take it no more.. took my dog and porch..
And I’ll roam, all about the country ways..
Outside those county walls..
Till the end of my days..”
To have the pleasure of seeing a guy like yourself play his ‘58 Burst, i just wanna say, that the price ain’t right; it’s a steal!
How do you deal with noisy pickups and those vintage single coils? I got spoiled with Tom Andersons quiet circuits but I want a few early 70s Fenders in my little toolbox of guitars.
Tom, you have a huge library of amazing guitar tones on record that I really enjoy when you share. As a prog rocker, do you keep any Camel records in your dusty vinyl crates?
Do you like the sizzling guitar tones of Zappa on Jeff Simmons hits such as ‘Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up’? https://youtu.be/OlTjGMDTLGI
Hello Tom…..two session questions…
1. is it your upper octave synth like guitar part on Lainey Wilson’s Things a Man Oughta Know? POG/delay/lo pass? brilliant part and all around arranging on that….ive noticed similar synth ostinato parts popping up a few pop country golden tracks…
2. any headphone mix session protocol? particularly with regards to rhythm (click, drum mix/eq, kick level) etc and how it relates to your own levels?
In one of your videos, it looked like you had a custom foam gig bag or a lightweight hard case, for your burst. We saw a glimpse of that. Would you mind sharing who made it or what it is? I’m always looking for a decent lightweight option that still offers protection.
Hey Uncle Larry: Just giving a shout out from Hall Of Fame city. Festivities start pretty soon and of course the game.I would also like to thank you for Homeskoolin ,love the vibe of everything. Thanks for all you share with us.
hey uncle larry, greetings from germany,
love the show and even more you…
who would be your all time favorite band if you could put one together, with any musician, from any era, dead or alive, who would you pick…?
lets say, 1 drummer, 1 bass, 2 guitars (apart from u of course), 1 keys, 2 male and 2 female singer….
love, ralf
if i could put together any four musicians to make one amazing band it would be these guys….
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Ringo Starr
and George Harrison
Do you’ve got a favorite tube brand, that you use in your Matchless amp?
For example, do you use only NOS tubes?
And do you change tubes often or do you leave the tubes as long as possible in your amps?
I just watched some hi-lites from the Boston Jim Irsay show and when I saw Peter Wolf come out I was in awe! Where does the energy still come from!!! Peter is 77 years old but was all over it and then some! I could tell by the smiles on stage everyone was diggin’ his presence as well. Uncle Larry, you killed it on the J. Geils tunes, as a New Englander from the 60′ and 70′ it was so heartwarming to hear and see Peter again, super job on the REO songs too, you looked to be having a blast up there yourself! What a wonderful show it must have been!
Sorry, typo, I meant “Planet TD-1”. I freaking LOVE that tune, and it has voicings I can actually grab with my tiny pinky. I think I have pinky envy, BTW.
Larry I like listening to Stevie Ray on the David Bowie Lets Dance stuff, cool to see how SRV’s style meshed with Bowie’s or vice versa. What are some early popular records you were on that the Homeschoolers could listen to, to hear your style on maybe something out of the box. Maybe something prior to 2005. Trip The Witch is a great example but hoping for something earlier.
Just watched the downloaded show Uncle Larry…Once again, STELLAR!
Lookin’ forward to catching a live show sometime, I want to catch one of those “flying picks”! I’ll wear my homeskoolin’ swag!
Heading to the Jim Irsay show on 7/15 with my gf, sis and her husband. We will be dining at a local Italian place two blocks from the venue. You are cordially invited to dinner with a +1. 5:30 rez, rsvp. I did see the original Barnstorm band in 1973? When Rocky Mtn Way was huge!
Hey Tommy!
Considering there’s many great guitar builders today, who have got a lot of knowledge from earlier generations. How come the average guitarist thinks the quality/vibe of modern guitars (thinking of handbuilt ones) tends to fall short of what vintage guitars does? You would think after all this time, construction and sound would evolve and improve. Would you say there is a placebo effect to some extent or did they just hit the nail right on its head at the time? Of course there will always be shitty vintage guitars and good modern guitars as well, but it seems there’s a higher chance of a vintage guitar being good than a modern. Cheers from Norway!
no placebo….sadly golden era martins/gibsons/fenders are way better than anything any of those companies is doing today. i wish it wasn’t like that
Good morning Tom,
I got an off topic question:
In a video with Don Kelly he mentioned that he told every new guitar guy in his band to get the amp off the floor.
In your videos i see your amps always right on the floor whether it is in the studio or live.
Do you possibly have a clue, why he´s telling so and what´s your opinion on this subject. I personally find, that it depends on the stage floor, what position of the amp sounds better. How do you see it with your experience.
Thank you for an reply and go on with your show ….I´m a big fan and try to steal as much as possible for me.
Cheers and take care
Dirk
Wuerzburg / Germany
Hey Uncle L; I really enjoyed the interview you did with Joe
Vitale a while back. He lives close to me I have done work for him at his house what a fine human being he is, He speakes very highly of you. By the way I do have an even numbered Firebird. Its a Firebird 2 Moog designed the electronics.Haven’t seen too many of them. Things are cookin in the hall of fame city .Zac brown saturday.
The ‘podcast’.. very candid stuff. “read the room”..and “keep your mouth shut” are the ones that ring out to me.. and ‘give everyday your best’. Great conversation and insight, IMO.
Oh man .. an OLD DODGE VAN! Reminds me of my beat-up old green Sportsman van I had early 70’s to move my gear around. The wiring was so messed up that if you put your foot on the brake pedal and turned off the key, it still ran until you lifted your foot!! But it sure hauled a lot of gear. Yours look lots nicer, though.
Tom, I am headed to Nashville next week with my son and I wanted to stop at some of your friends restaurants, but Farmland AND Kitchen Downtown are closed… Where is a good lunch and breakfast spot.
THANKS BUK!!!
Drea from NEO
I know it seems like a silly question, but I would like to support your friends.
Yeah man….i swear any time i fall in love with any place its guaranteed to close…seems to always work that way/
“And there she was.. by the door and she says..
She won’t take it no more.. took my dog and porch..
And I’ll roam, all about the country ways..
Outside those county walls..
Till the end of my days..”
To have the pleasure of seeing a guy like yourself play his ‘58 Burst, i just wanna say, that the price ain’t right; it’s a steal!
How do you deal with noisy pickups and those vintage single coils? I got spoiled with Tom Andersons quiet circuits but I want a few early 70s Fenders in my little toolbox of guitars.
you gotta do the hum dance….but its worth it
Uncle Larry ; can a 68 Plexi be changed into a super bass?
yes…easy for a good tech
Tom, you have a huge library of amazing guitar tones on record that I really enjoy when you share. As a prog rocker, do you keep any Camel records in your dusty vinyl crates?
Do you like the sizzling guitar tones of Zappa on Jeff Simmons hits such as ‘Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up’? https://youtu.be/OlTjGMDTLGI
Do you think Captain Beyond’s ‘I can’t feel nothing’ is high in musical nutrients? https://youtu.be/DVItOS_v84M
hey bro….i love zappa and captain beyond but never got into camel much
Hello Tom…..two session questions…
1. is it your upper octave synth like guitar part on Lainey Wilson’s Things a Man Oughta Know? POG/delay/lo pass? brilliant part and all around arranging on that….ive noticed similar synth ostinato parts popping up a few pop country golden tracks…
2. any headphone mix session protocol? particularly with regards to rhythm (click, drum mix/eq, kick level) etc and how it relates to your own levels?
thanks for your work.
hey man…no idea…i would have to hear it.
in terms of headphones…i need the vocal cranked. i like the phones loud and clean
In one of your videos, it looked like you had a custom foam gig bag or a lightweight hard case, for your burst. We saw a glimpse of that. Would you mind sharing who made it or what it is? I’m always looking for a decent lightweight option that still offers protection.
Hey Uncle Larry: Just giving a shout out from Hall Of Fame city. Festivities start pretty soon and of course the game.I would also like to thank you for Homeskoolin ,love the vibe of everything. Thanks for all you share with us.
thank you sir
What’s up Home Boy! Canton OH rocks…
hey uncle larry, greetings from germany,
love the show and even more you…
who would be your all time favorite band if you could put one together, with any musician, from any era, dead or alive, who would you pick…?
lets say, 1 drummer, 1 bass, 2 guitars (apart from u of course), 1 keys, 2 male and 2 female singer….
love, ralf
if i could put together any four musicians to make one amazing band it would be these guys….
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Ringo Starr
and George Harrison
Those names sound familiar…they have quite a ring to them…
Hi Uncle Larry,
Do you’ve got a favorite tube brand, that you use in your Matchless amp?
For example, do you use only NOS tubes?
And do you change tubes often or do you leave the tubes as long as possible in your amps?
Thanks.
i just use whatever Ebo puts in my amps..you would have to ask him
I just watched some hi-lites from the Boston Jim Irsay show and when I saw Peter Wolf come out I was in awe! Where does the energy still come from!!! Peter is 77 years old but was all over it and then some! I could tell by the smiles on stage everyone was diggin’ his presence as well. Uncle Larry, you killed it on the J. Geils tunes, as a New Englander from the 60′ and 70′ it was so heartwarming to hear and see Peter again, super job on the REO songs too, you looked to be having a blast up there yourself! What a wonderful show it must have been!
peter is soooo inspiring….great dude…as is duke levine
I ran across some Duke levine videos the other day and I love his whole vibe, great phrasing.
Hey, Tom! What is the best piece of advice you could give a 20 year old thinking about moving to Nashville to pursue music/guitar?
my advice would be to stop thinking about it and do it
you ain’t gonna get anything happening in Des Moines or wherever you currently are.
Sorry, typo, I meant “Planet TD-1”. I freaking LOVE that tune, and it has voicings I can actually grab with my tiny pinky. I think I have pinky envy, BTW.
Is it OK if I cover “Planet SD-1” at one of my “sports bar blues” gigs? I promise to never play blues over major.
sure man…just try to play it good
Larry I like listening to Stevie Ray on the David Bowie Lets Dance stuff, cool to see how SRV’s style meshed with Bowie’s or vice versa. What are some early popular records you were on that the Homeschoolers could listen to, to hear your style on maybe something out of the box. Maybe something prior to 2005. Trip The Witch is a great example but hoping for something earlier.
Hope the Head is better
Fan Man
Uncle Larry, im coming from New Zealand to Nashville on 23 July, i will be in town for a week, are you doing any gigs?
Cheers
no sir i’m not but you will have a blast here
Just watched the downloaded show Uncle Larry…Once again, STELLAR!
Lookin’ forward to catching a live show sometime, I want to catch one of those “flying picks”! I’ll wear my homeskoolin’ swag!
Best to you and yours Uncle Larry!
Drew H.
thank you mate
Hey Uncle Larry,
Whats your ideal fret hight ?
.042″
Hey Tom, have you ever noticed some guitar players speak a lot like how they play? A great example of this in my mind is Bill Frisel!
do i?
Yes Cool and intelligently
Fan man
Heading to the Jim Irsay show on 7/15 with my gf, sis and her husband. We will be dining at a local Italian place two blocks from the venue. You are cordially invited to dinner with a +1. 5:30 rez, rsvp. I did see the original Barnstorm band in 1973? When Rocky Mtn Way was huge!
Boston was fun…hope you enjoyed the show