Music Stuff - Cool Stuff

Fender Blues Jr Once upon a time I bought a used Fender Blues Jr.  It was an okay amp, but I wasn't happy with it.  I did some online research and discovered Bill M's mods for Blues Jr amps.  This was before Bill M's mods were available as kits; all that was provided was information on what parts to buy and directions how to do the mod.  I also learned that I had a second generation circuit board, which apparently was a good thing.  Anyway, my favorite mods were upgrading the output transformer and switching from EL84 tubes to 6V6 tubes.  I also put a Celestion G12H30 Anniversary speaker in the cabinet.  I was able to squeeze some good sounds out of that amp. Eventually, some of the knobs started to go out and when I tried to replace them I messed up and killed the amp.  Marshall DSL15C On a whim, I decided to try a Marshall DSL15C (used) to replace the Blues Jr.  I had to do some mods to the ultra-gain channel to tame it a bit and remove some of the bite.  Other  changes I

Frankie Who? Frankie is a guitar. Before Frankie became Frankie, it started life as an Aims Telecaster.  It was a gift from a drummer in a band I played in back in 1980.  Here is what the guitar looked like before it became Frankie, when it was an Aims Telecaster, with and with out the ashtray guard.  These aren't pics of the guitar I had, but they look exactly like it.   Frankie Rises Frankie 1 The first life of Frankie happened when I took out the Telecaster lead pickup and put in a Dimarzio Super Distortion humbucker.  I used a skill saw with a steel cutting blade to hack out the tailpiece plate so a humbucker would fit. I also bypassed everything and put in mini toggle switch so the guitar was either on or off.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures. Frankie 2 & 3 I decided to bring Frankie back as a Fenderish Telecaster.  That meant a  lipstick neck pickup and a single coil Telecast bridge pickup.  The lipstick was a standard Seymour Duncan pickup.  The neck was jus

Something New!  I've never posted new song lyrics on my blog, so this is something new for me.  I wrote lyrics for a new song "Life Is For Living" during February 2021.  I can hardly wait to play and record the song with my band mates.  I have no idea if it will make the cut for the album we are working.  Time will tell.  Life Is For Living When I look back on the things I've done I have to admit that I've done wrong But I don't let that worry me none Cause there's a day ahead and it's just begun Life is for living Yes life is for living And I'm for living my whole life long Thinking about some friends I've had And how many times I've been stabbed in the back But I can't' let that slow me down Cause there's a day ahead and it's just begun Life is for living Yes life is for living And I'm for living my whole life long Reflecting back on the life I've led On the women I've loved when it was a sin I won't let th

Catchin' Up Yes, I am still alive and well. I hope you and your family and friends are too.  The past year has been, well, it was.  Like many musicians most of our shows were cancelled. We were fortunate to have booked a monthly date for a summer series Burgers & Blues at Pfeiffer Winery in Oregon.  The gig was outside with a large garden and grass lawn, with tables far apart so that everyone could stay safe while enjoying a night out listening to Blues. The Pfeiffer Winery gig is one of my favorites because we get to play all Blues, with Bluesy Blues, Jump Blues, Blues-Rock and Soul Blues.  Selling out every show was awesome!  Another favorite gig was on the Front Lawn Stage outside at Mac's Restaurant and Lounge, another all Blues gig, with spacing outdoors so people could stay safe.    Most of the other venues we perform at want more Rock with some rockin' Country and some Blues-Rock tossed.  Don't get me wrong, I dig playing Rock and some rockin' Country, I

 Win Some, Lose Some 2020 has been a roller coaster of a year for my music projects.   First, the Eugene Saturday Market had to downsize for the season which meant no music at the Market.  As the Stage Manager (which includes booking the entertainment, running sound and the stage) there was no work to do.  The worst wasn't being laid off due to a lack of work, the worst part was losing all of the community social interaction.   Next, the cancellations started to roll in for my band's gigs, as well as gigs with the Jesse Boden Band.  Then came late spring and summer when several of the venues where I booked my band had large outdoor spaces.  The venues put up outdoor stages with tables spread out across large lawn & garden areas so people could come out and be safe with social distancing.  Rewarding Experiences So, from June through September 2020 the Jimmy Haggard Band will have played several outdoor, safe shows.  It is amazing how appreciative the folks are who come out f

Live Music has not Died. As you all know, it has been a rough few months for musicians in the USA, and I am sure around the world.  The COVID-19 pandemic shut down bars, clubs, concert halls, festival venues, and any place where people would gather together to enjoy love music. So far, I've lost a lot of gigs in March, April, May, June and July, and I am sure there will be more cancellations to come. Enough of my crying about it.  Live Music is making a comeback in Oregon, with very carefully crafted safety plans in place so that people can come out and be safe. Band Mates Getting Together Luckily, my band mates have been able to get together once a week for a few hours to rehearse and unwind.  It's not the same as playing music for people, but it sure beats the hell out of nothing.  We have been safe.  The place where we rehearse has enough room where we can all stay 6 feet apart Inspiration! One thing that came out of the down time was the inspiration for a new

Next Life of my Franken Tele Hi everyone, it has been awhile since my last blog post. Well, I thought my Franken Tele was done and ready to live forever with the last set of changes.  It sounded great.  I had the frets leveled and finished, and had the intonation set.  Did I say it sounded great? But something was wrong. What the hell was wrong? It just didn't feel right when I played it.  I would pick up my favorite guitar, a Gibson CS-366 and would sound and feel great.  Yet, the Franken Tele felt a lot different.  For some reason I had an AHA moment. AHA! I realized the big difference in FEEL was the neck scales of Fender vs Gibson.  The Fender neck scale is 25.5" and Gibson neck scale is 24.75".  While 3/4 of an inch does not seem like much, it makes a major difference.  I use D'Addario XL Nickel Wound 11-49 strings because of the tone, longevity and that the wound strings are easy on the fingers.   The strings on a Gibson neck are not stretched as t