Recent content by Bob Hoover Ross

I would argue that neck-through construction defeats the purpose of semi-hollow or chambered construction (other than weight-reduction). The body wings on neck-through basses contribute very little to the sound of those instruments. But most of your list -- piezo pickup, 35" scale length...

Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean literally "stolen" I just meant copied. Verbatim. I updated my earlier post.

Okay, totally arbitrary question about an old progressive rock album that has nothing to do with the music...but I'm hoping maybe some prog freaks here have some insight into the (presumed) drama surrounding this question: Did Kim Poor -- who is credited with the artwork on Steve Hackett's...

Yes! ^^^THIS! At the time it came out it seemed like a much better system than either the Floyd Rose or the Kahler ...but it seemed to disappear very shortly thereafter. Always wanted one.

Photo is from Paul Van Patten's senior recital at the Berklee College Of Music circa 1983. That's Paul on the far right, me on the far left, Rich Stevens and Bill Champitto in between. We're playing a tune Paul composed entitled "Skin Tight" scored for four clappers. Or clappists. Whatever you...

This tune came on the radio while I was driving last night, and I was instantly captivated ...mostly by the happy, sing-song-y chorus, and the goofy "la la la la la" interjections. Both seemed conspicuously atypical of modern metal...and a welcome respite. If you had told me it was Mr. Bungle I...

I use D'Addario Chromes (12-52) flatwounds on my archtop f-hole hollowbody "jazz" guitar...the higher stiffness/tension actually seems like an assett on that guitar. If I had a ton of wherewithal -- and a few more guitars -- I'd try those same flatwound strings on a solidbody guitar, because...

Hold my beer...

Didn't realize they were gone! I had avoided basses with mahogany necks ever since living with a Gibson EB-0 for several years and hating it. But that was ~40 years ago, and in the ensuing decades I've learned that I probably hated that EB-0 for any number of reasons that had nothing to do with...

Did not pay any upcharge for "all-black" but I lucked out and got an all-black ebony board anyway!

I have a Warmoth 5-string fretless neck that came on a bass I bought second-hand in 1996 or '97, and judging by the lacquer-checking on the body the instrument was definitely several years old by the time I got it. But I can't remember if this neck was Warmoth's "Super Wide" or their "Wide 5"...

Mine started and ended with McLaughlin: After hearing what he did on his Johnny McLaughlin, Electric Guitarist album, and then seeing him live with the One Truth Band from the front row, I was ready to throw in the towel completely on guitar playing...but I definitely realized that anything I...

Thread Drift: Irrespective of which tubes are in it, how are you liking the amp? Is it for gigging, or just at-home use? How are the clean sounds, or is it already getting crunchy at any usable volume? Been thinking about getting myself a small all-tube combo -- mostly for recording and at-home...

As someone who is so talentless when it comes to applying finish that I have butchered even the simplest Wipe-On Poly, I'm going to humbly suggest wax; specifically, Howard Feed-N-Wax. Won't be as impervious to scratches as a harder finish, and may require re-applying every year or two or five...

I've been recently digitizing/archiving my cassette collection, and I recognized that during one ~6-9 month period in 1985, every guitar part I played was recorded through a Rockman! Sometime in the early 90s I bought a second-hand Scholtz Rockman Sustainor (the half-rack preamp/tone-shaping...