My Alternate Bio and Picture Pages
It should be called my Fender Page
I like everything from 50's music, Blues, space music, newage music and classical . Kitaro, Enya, Suzanne Ciani, Mark Knopfler and The Mighty Sparrow are my fovorite artist.
I played guitar in a band called the countdowns in the late fifties to 1965. I started in computers around 1985 with a 2k computer connected to a B/W TV. This was before real graphics, let alone sound. Ten years ago I
started in computer music by modifing MOD and CMF music files to my liking and later found there were programs where I could
compose my own music. I got myself a Kawai Midi keyboard that I could hardly play and worked day and night until I composed some
music using an old version of Midisoft Studio. Later I learned to compose with computer programs like cakewalk using my knowledge of guitar cords and
notation. I did some of this music years before I decided to start a website. So some of this music is an accumulation of work I have done over 10 years ago. I have done most of the melody an solos with the virtual piano in Cakewalk 4 through 7 in my older sequences, but in the newer sequences
I use an old Peavey Patriot guitar with the strings adjusted to the MIDI pickup I have installed on it. I found this gives me greater accuracy and quicker response. I input most of the solos, even Sax with the guitar and on screen notation. I then edit each track until it sounds the way I want.
I now have over 50 songs on my originals pages. I have a separate page with over 185 of my favorite oldies and standards. I have sequenced some
completely from memory. Some are done partly from sheet music with the melody and harmony added from memory. I also have a 70's and on page and a new MP3 and Real Audio page with some 40 year old sound clips of the Countdowns.
These clips were salvaged from the original old dried out real to real tapes of the Countdowns performing live at an after hours club. I have just added a few real time clips of recordings of me playing and singing....... Listen at your own risk.
The songs on the site represent years of work
and are only a small part of the music I have done. They
have been done mostly by trial and error methods using
various software programs from simple algorithm programs in the early days,
to Midisoft Studio, Powertracks, BBW and Cakewalk. I use
these programs to paint an overall musical picture in the
same way someone would use a drawing or art program.
Almost all of the songs were finalized and edited in
Cakewalk where tracks were added and notation adjusted by sound one track at a time, even
one note at a time. How do I find the time? Well, this is about all I can do now that I am disabled for health reasons and had to retire 3 years ago. I have hours of music here for your
entertainment and listening pleasure, which is the main
purpose of this web site.
The Technical Stuff
For my equipment - I use a 650 MHg. Pentium III with 512 meg. of memory, a Romtec Trios with three selectable 40 gig bootable drives and a 60 gig accessable D drive from all three.
This lets me transfer file from one operating systems to another and test the sound. It also lets me store and do my work free of hackers and virus infections since I only access the internet from one bootup drive only. For sound I use a Creative AWE64 sound card with 8meg. of memory on board.
Three sets of amplified stereo speakers with a sub-woofer. This system is almost equal in output and quality to my smaller guitar amplifiers.
I use a Kawia MIDI keyboard with MIDI in and out to the sound card. A GVOX MIDI pickup on a guitar to the serial port and microphones directly to the sound card with software interpretation to MIDI.
I also have a new 1.5 gig Pentium IV with a Soundblaster Live sound card in it.I use it mostly for recording and as a backup music computer. I have a Fender Acoustic - Electric Mandolin and several other guitars including a Gibson Epiphone Sheraton II, 5 Fenders including a 1993 Black Fender 60's strat with an aged pickguard, knobs, covers and vintage pickups,
a new Brown Sunburst Fender Tex-Mex Strat with Fender Custom Shop Texas Special single coil pickups installed, a 1997 Brown Sunburst U.S. Telecaster,
a 1996 Natural finish Japanese Fender 50th Anaversary thinbody Telecaster, a Vintage Yellow colored Ash Body 1993 Japanese reissue 70's Strat with the large CBS type headstock and a US. made 80's Peavey Patroit.
My Favorite guitars for the 50's sound are the Telecasters and the Strats through an original 100 watt 70's Fender Twin Reverb Tube amp.with 2-12" Orange JBL Speakers (You can't get a better SOUND than that for oldies!).
I also have a Randall RG 80-112SC 80 watt amp.a Fender Roc-Pro 70 watt amp. a Laney 30 watt amp. and a mint and playable original 1957 Premier 120 Tube amp.with the original Jensen loudspeaker in it.
I use several pedals, but found running the fenders in a lineup of first, a Boss RV2 digital delay, then to a Danelectro Fab-Tone or Ibanez FZ7 Fuzz and finally a Morley PWA II Wah gives me everything I need tonewise.
The only effect I use on the Twin Reverb Amp is a Tremolo Pedal. It has more control than the Amp tremolo and can not do any harm to the old Vintage Amp Speakers that can't be replaced.
I just switch on the one I want and have no problems with the wah level turned down.
The only time I use the guitar tone controls is when I use amp Distortion, which is very seldom. Personally I like a Twangy clean sound.
Some of my Electric Guitars and Fender Amp.
My Real Audio and MP3 Page with recorded sound clips of the Telecaster and Me trying to sing. (HA, Ha, Ha!)
Real Audio and MP3 Clips Page
My favorite Guitar - a "MINT" 1993 Japanese reissue of a 1972 CBS Strat. (Simular to Yngwie Malmsteen's Strat)
This Guitar feels and sounds better than any American strat I ever tried for under $1400 and after that I was afraid to touch any of them.
As you can see, I love Maple Fretboards!
This Guitar was discontinued in 1994 due to the fact that it was made better than the American Strats at the time with individual routed pickup slots and good tone woods.
Fender made a business decision to stop importing them and go to Mexico to make their Standerd models.Using Poplar bodies and a 1 ply pickguard and complete routing out of the bodies for the pickups. The routing was done on not all, but some of the US. strats as well to save on production time.
If you own a 1990 and up US. made Strat Press or tap on the pickguard. Always check this before you buy a used Strat. I always check since I almost bought a 1995 American Strat in the past that was a piece of junk. They even put the damn input jack on the cheep 1 ply pickguard on it, compounding the problem even more.
That's why Todays new US.and Mexican made Strats are now routed the right way with a 3 ply pickguard. I don't know what they are doing with the Squiers Strats made in Indonesia and other countries. The last time I picked one up at the music store I almost cut my hand on the unfinished frets.
They still use the cheeper Poplar body and standard pickups on almost all the Mexican models except the artist and surf models, but the quality is very good. You can install Vintage or Texas Special pickups on it and make it sound great. Just call Ken at TNT Custom Guitars and get a 3 ply pickguard with Fender pickups of your choice...
The Japanese models are all good through the 1990's, but not much before that. They were still experimenting and learning how to make a good strat by making other brand name strat copies.
The Japanese reissues are now back in production with an alder or basswood body (1993 models were alder or Ash bodies). The new production models come with US. made Fender Vintage or Texas Special pickups for around $600.
The only problem is, they are not being imported for the US market and import taxes and transfer rates may bring it over the cost of a good American made Strat. --A NEW NOTE- Apparently Fender is finding there is a market for these again and is now offering a Japanese model in their Artist Series on their website. It's called the Iron Maiden Strat but is only available with Duncan hot rail pickups (neck and middle) and a Duncan Jr. Humbucker at the bridge. Check it out at ( www.fender .com)
My mint 1993 Black Fender 60's Strat - as close as you can get to having the real thing
with trem cover, all vintage hardware, vintage pickups, aged plastic parts and 3 individual pickup routs in the body.
The 60's style Head Stock on it with no Truss Rod Adjustment Nut and beautiful vintage lacquered finish.
3 of my other Fenders and Twin Reverb Amp.
My Fender 70's Twin Reverb Amp from the back showing the Orange JBL speakers
1997 Sunburst US. Fender Telecaster (after installing a Tortoise Pickguard)
1996 Thinbody Fender Telecaster
Sunburst Fender Fat Stratocaster
Stratocaster after installation of TNT Custom Shop Pickguard with Fender Texas Special pickups.
TNT Custom Guitars (built to your specifications)
All original 1957 Premier 120 Tube amp.
Natural Finish Peavey Patroit
Gibson Epiphone Sheraton II
My Harmonicas.
Fender Electric Mandolin.
To My Family Pictures Page
for the curious
I use "Ersatz" sounds to bring out harmonics
that normaly would not be heard.
The best example I can give of what I am talking about is in
"Scorched Land" Mid. Listen closely to the sounds in the background.
In this song I make use of Ersatz sounds to a high degree. -(You can almost feel the heat!)
In some songs I use multiple melodies and several complex harmonies on different tracks all at one time, with slightly
different timing to achieve the sound I want. I also blend unusual instruments to
achieve new and strange sounding instruments without the use of special patches.
I do this on the drum tracks as well as instrument tracks.
One of my original compositions "Five Live" Mid
is an an example of this harmonic and timing use.
For Sax and Trumpet I edited notes one at a time for volicity and timing to put some feeling in these instruments.
I can think of a melody and play whatever I want on my new musical instrument the computer. If I get it wrong I just delete or move the
notes on screen and arrange the music the way I like it.
I had some 8 years of real on the job playing experience composing and arranging for my band
the Countdowns and playing up to as many as 6 to 8 gigs a week in the late 50's and early 60's. We played in the Philadelphia, Pa. and South N.J. area.of the U.S.A.
In the old days I had to transpose the sax music by hand.
Today I just click with the mouse and the melody is transpsed.
Isn't it great !
I just hope you enjoy this music as much as I do creating it.
Updated 9/12/2002
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