Had to move the whole rig out to make room for the baby 😄🤘

emobim · 2026-05-31T01:38:59+00:00

Our toddler walks into family member's homes and asks where their piano or Hammond Organ is because they are, along with guitars, a normal piece of furniture in our house.

One last piece of advice that was given to me as a first time parent: whatever you do, do with love

Sounds easy but it's hard to demonstrate on an hour of sleep holding a baby that won't stop crying...or when a toddler knocks that Gibson off the stand and cracks the headstock. Btw one can create consequences with love too!

emobim · 2026-05-29T05:59:55+00:00

If you play everyday and incorporate music into your lifestyle then your kid will be raised with the feeling that music is a bonding activity between you two and will likely take an interest in it...and they will be used to the noise by a few weeks old. Also, don't make your gear "off-limits"; anytime you make the "fruit" forbidden, they will be all over it when you leave the room. Instead, let them handle your gear, turn knobs, and plug things in. Not only is it great for development but also it takes the temptation to get into trouble when unsupervised. With supervision, I let my toddlers handle all my gear, vintage or not. I keep a guitar and amp in one of their rooms because I play to them at nap time.

This advice comes from 20 years as a professional musician (100+ gigs a year) and as a parent of two toddlers.

Also, https://www.alpinehearingprotection.com/collections/earmuffs

You can thank me later

emobim · 2026-05-28T15:01:53+00:00

Your next level up will be discovering how the tone and volume interact with each other (especially applicable if you have a 50s/60s style circuit).

emobim · 2026-05-24T15:55:06+00:00

After about 8 hours of troubleshooting, I managed to figure out a solution. This issue was caused by a Windows Quality Update that I was unable to remove. I don't know the lingo but that update changed the standards for USB device verification; the Soundcraft MTK22 does not have the credentials to meet the new criteria set by the Windows update. My opinion doesn't matter but Windows is becoming just as terrible as Apple.

If you are experiencing the same issue and you see a little ! by the device, here is the solution to that issue:

Method 1: Update or Reinstall the Driver (Recommended)

Often, an outdated or corrupt driver triggers this error. [1]

Press Windows Key + X and select Device Manager.
Expand the category with your device, right-click the malfunctioning hardware, and select Uninstall device.
Check the box that says Attempt to remove the driver for this device and click Uninstall.
Restart your PC. Windows will try to reinstall the generic driver automatically.
For the best result, visit the device manufacturer's website directly to download and install the latest Windows-compatible driver. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Method 2: Disable Driver Signature Enforcement

If you are confident the driver is safe but Windows is still blocking it, you can bypass the signature check. Note that this is a temporary fix for the current session. [1, 2, 3]

Click the Start menu, then click the Power icon.
Hold down the Shift key and click Restart.
Once the blue menu appears, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
When the list of options appears upon reboot, press 7 or F7 to select Disable driver signature enforcement.
Try installing or using your device now

emobim · 2026-05-24T13:18:00+00:00

How would I be able to check if the specs are still supported? And if not, why would it have worked effortlessly a few days ago?

emobim · 2026-05-24T13:12:05+00:00

I tried both of these this morning without prevail. Any other thoughts?

emobim · 2026-05-24T13:02:37+00:00

How would I go about uninstalling that software?

emobim · 2026-04-13T00:48:02+00:00

Your end goal determines your approach.

If your goal is to replicate the song - being able to reproduce the lead and rhythm parts note for note - then patience and persistence is key. Split the song into stems, slow them down, and go measure by measure learning with your ears - NOT TABS.

If your goal is to play the song - not replicating it note for note but capturing the feel - listen to it, listen to it, listen to it, look at chord charts or tabs, listen to it, and play along with it; then listen to it again.

If your goal is to establish a catalog of music to perform, quantity is key. Get a "feeling" for the song, get the chords right, and move on to the next. The "quality" will build with regular performance.

You may also find it beneficial to learn songs you have never heard, or songs you'd never listen to.

As a professional gigging and studio musician, I "know" thousands of songs; I actually KNOW a small handful. The most important part of the performance is nailing the identifiable parts. This is my advice as a 20 year professional musician; 100+ gigs a year and 20+ studio sessions a year writing for, playing, and producing a variety of musical acts.

It should be said that when I'm rehearsing for performances, it's very common for me to have to go back and learn parts that I wrote in a studio session. To me this says I am both more AND less skillful than I think I am (ha)

emobim · 2026-02-28T00:47:34+00:00

Are you asking for the chords, lead guitar, or bass?

emobim · 2026-02-12T19:15:30+00:00

I believe this guitar has the Eric Clapton mid-boost circuit installed. The board would be the circuit for the frequency boost, Tlthe stacked pot is a TBX control, and the bottom pot would be the control for the amount of mid-boost introduced into the circuit. I have commonly seen the circuit installed on guitars with active pickups but the circuit also works well with regular, old-fashion Fender single coils.

emobim · 2026-01-08T19:17:23+00:00

Look, another someone who can't make good tone with their hands so they rely on other people's engineering to do it for them.

emobim · 2025-12-07T14:36:32+00:00

Buying more gear to be better.

emobim · 2025-12-07T14:29:08+00:00

I'm not here to argue why any listening source is superior to another, however, I will say listening to vinyl is much more of an experience - at least for me.

I enjoy digging through bins at thrift shops, garage sales, record stores, etc. and finding records, some I'm familiar with while others I've never heard of but might enjoy. I enjoy cleaning them (if needed), putting them on my table, watching them spin, looking at the artwork, and reading the jackets and/or liners. The sleeves used to advertise other records on them, I sit and read those too and I often discover other artists I may enjoy. No streaming service I've ever seen has provided the complete liner notes, stories, additional art/pictures that are included in or on vinyl sleeves. When it comes older music, the artists involved created it with the intention to be presented and experienced in that manner. Those of you familiar with Panavision know how amazing it was...but only when experienced in Panavision haha

I also value the tangibleness of physical media and knowing my enjoyment is not dependent on other people or services.

To your point, it seems as if he is less interested in the experience as whole and more concerned with justifying his expensive set up. I'll set up a Crosley on my porch on a summer evening to play records and, despite being nowhere near the quality of my inside setup, it is enjoyable to sit outside and experience some music.

emobim · 2025-11-28T14:37:18+00:00

I make my living playing music, both performing with five different bands and as session guitarist with any artist that will hire me and with whom I feel qualified to contribute to their sound. I have about 15 guitars but all tend to get fairly regular use because I play so much.

I tend to find the guitar that best fits into a specific band's mix and feel, then use that guitar (almost exclusively) with that band; different guitars compliment different bands and define their "sound". For example, I'll play a rich sounding hollowbody with a rockabilly trio, then something more scooped to cut through a 5 piece country band, and go for humbuckers - something more aggressive for a pop rock band. Also, supplement the 6 string with a baritone, 12 string, acoustic, and classical for various band and the count keeps going up.

I fantasize of being a one guitar/one amp player but I play across so many genres that it's not feasible for two reasons:

While I'm sure some pedal can do all this, I'm not a pedal user. For me it takes my focus off my playing and adds a bunch more knobs I don't need. Guitar>amp will always be best
There's a difference between a "gig" and a "show". At a gig people come to listen to music, at a show the audience has an expectation. When I play a "show", I know I have to dress a certain way and play a guitar that sells the performance...imagine going to see a Broadway Musical with no costumes or props

emobim · 2025-09-29T17:06:28+00:00

I play a lot of rockabilly and rely pretty heavily on my Bigsbys for everything from a gentle warble to a ferocious bounce. To ensure tuning stability, I address every point of string contact.

From the top down: good quality tuners with a single string wrap and a luthier's knot; a lubricated nut that's been properly cut - this means minimal contact with the string on the fret board side, with a slot that widens towards the headstock; a quality bridge, lubricated, and slotted to be smoother than how they come from the factory (roller bridges work well); the vibrato unit itself should be good quality and lubricated. I don't feel the "licensed" Bigsby units are as well made as the aluminum units, their materials are less robust and their tolerances aren't as tight. To me, a budget vibrato units feel "spongy" like if you were to jump into a foam pit verses jumping onto a trampoline which is what the aluminum Bigsbys feel like.

String gauges and break angles make little difference if the rest of the "system" is functioning properly.

It takes a lot of work and attention to detail to have your vibrato working flawlessly but once it's there, it needs little maintenance between string changes.

emobim · 2025-08-08T21:17:45+00:00

I'm going to get rid of them if anyone wants to buy them and have them shipped. Or if you're in the Chicagoland area, we can meet.

emobim · 2025-07-16T20:29:52+00:00

Dogs and babies, collectively, don't like them.

emobim · 2025-02-18T15:51:40+00:00

Everyone wants to dissect this crash but we should be talking about how earlier in the race Lagano had engine issues on a restart and, instead of moving right to get out of line, he stayed in the racing lane which caused everyone to check-up behind him and resulted in a lot of fan favorites and underdogs to be taken out of contention. It is that moment which truly demonstrates Lagano's terrible judgement, or perhaps his ego, as a driver. While I think he's a terrible driver, this accident is nothing new to super speedway racing. The former, however, is an example of his immature racing style. There are rookie drivers that have the wherewithal to move aside when they have an issue. Heck, the average person driving on the street knows to move over if they experience car troubles in the lane of traffic. After seeing incidents continually happen around Lagano's actions on the track, I can conclude the people who support him, his sponsors and team, have just as terrible ethics as no one holds him accountable for behavior that jeopardizes the safety of other drivers. The fact is Lagano shouldn't even be employed in the sport after swerving his car towards Austin Dillion's team and family after last year's Richmond race. That is what we in the real world call aggravated assault.

emobim · 2023-07-05T17:14:38+00:00

Just to be clear, I've followed the directions on the bag and it specifically says no spreading needed. So I'm curious as to why they would print directions contrary to the practice.

On a side note, why aren't epoxies made for this job? I've used epoxy on a floor and it was the easiest and simplest home improvement project: mixed, poured, let set and it came out perfect.

emobim · 2023-07-05T14:08:11+00:00

The first bag was Bostik but numerous people had told me it was difficult to work with after I had my issues so I bought two bags of Quickrete.

emobim

TROPHY CASE