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Guitar Care: Traveling Tips for Protecting Your Instrument

If you are traveling with your guitar, here are some tips on how to protect it.

1) Make sure the case is sturdy. You want a case that can withstand being thrown around or dropped without worrying about your instrument getting damaged. There are many cases made of hard plastic or metal that will do this for you; however, if you would like something softer, there is always leather and fabric options available as well.

2) Include padding in the inside of the case to keep the guitar from moving around too much when transporting it (this also prevents any damage caused by striking other objects). Some people use old clothing they no longer wear because it already has lots of padding built into it, but whatever material you choose, be sure that it is soft enough to not damage your instrument.

3) If you are taking a drive and have the car moving around with bumps, try putting something in between the guitar case and other objects inside of the trunk so they don’t hit each other too hard (you may need more than one object). If this doesn’t work well enough, you can always wrap the guitar case in blankets or pillows for added protection.

4) If you are flying (which is much more dangerous as your guitar will go through a lot of shaking and can get thrown around quite a bit), it’s best to put something soft like clothing between the instrument itself and where it might bump into inside of the case. You can also purchase special “guitar socks” which will help to keep it in place and protect it from scratches or any other minor damage. As a final precaution, you might want to put your guitar in a hardshell case specifically made for air travel – this will give it the most protection if something does go wrong.

In the end, it’s important to be as careful as possible when transporting your guitar. By following these simple tips, you can help ensure that your instrument arrives at its destination in the same condition as when you left. Happy travels!

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Dog Training Tips For Traveling Musicians

An extra security measure for traveling musicians is to make use of dog training tips for traveling musicians. Musicians will feel more secure and comfortable while traveling if they get the assurance that they will have protection from any security problems.

Extra Security Requirements

Traveling musicians can’t ignore the need for this extra security measure as it will put an end to the problem of travelers who suffer from physical or mental problems. It will not only help you to solve your problems related to feeling nervous, or stressed, but it will give you the peace of mind that you are safe while traveling.

Traveling musicians who have been exposed to this problem have been advised by their people to keep a watchful eye on their dogs. It is necessary to train your dog to protect yourself, your family, and your belongings. Let us look at some of how your dog can serve as extra security.

To begin with, training your dog is essential as you will need it to have full control over your dog. The dogs will be vulnerable in front of visitors and there will be an issue if they are not trained. You should be able to give the proper command to your dog to restrict its movement and protect yourself.

The moment you are in a room where visitors are present, it is important that you allow your dog to follow you. You can give commands such as “Follow me”Stay with me.” It is advisable to let your dog move towards your ears.

If you let your dog wander around the room then it might wander off. Another way to keep the dog from wandering off is to give it a treat when it has been guarding the door or the furniture. To ensure that your dog will respond to the command “follow me,” you can use a fake collar or leash.

Dog Training Tips

The leash of your dog should be easily attached to your hands so that it becomes difficult for your dog to escape. For extra security, you can buy a leash that can be snapped. Do not attach the leash to your dog’s neck as it might pose a danger.

When you take your dog to a public place, you should keep the dog under a spot of attention. This will help you to protect yourself from any kind of attack from people or intruders. You might want to consider looking into a GPS collar, which can be very helpful in case they run off. It’s not a bad idea to avoid letting strangers pet your dog when they are young either, as it might lead to a serious problem. You should never walk out with your dog while it is being trained.

The main way to train your dog to follow you is to make it think that it is walking at your side. When it follows you, it should act very obedient so that you can learn how to command your dog properly.

The most important tip for protecting yourself while you are traveling is to train your dog to sit calmly. Your dog should be accustomed to sitting quietly without whining or barking. This will train your dog to be more obedient.

You should teach your dog to act as a protective guard for you even when the dog is left alone. Train your dog to sit at your side while you are busy, and bring it with you as an extra security measure when performing.

Conclusion

Apart from these, there are many other dog training tips for traveling musicians available. It is necessary to learn them to protect yourself and your company while traveling. The more tips you implement for extra security, the safer you’ll be.

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How I Recently Restored A Tired Old Guitar

If you’ve been following me for any amount of time it’s probably quite clear that I love guitars. I mean LOVE guitars. They’re more than just an instrument to me, their also collector’s items and works of art.

Well, I came across a no-name guitar recently that was in rather rough shape. It had some broken machine heads, peeling paint from a poorly done paint job, a scratched up fret board, and basically just needed some all around love. I liked the way it felt in my hands though. It just had the right weight and balance and fit my body so well. It also had a nice shape, and if it were in good condition it could really be a beauty.

As you can tell, I was struck with a vision. So I took it upon myself to see what I could make of this old beauty.

Stripping it Down

The first thing I did was strip the guitar down to it’s body. This meant removing the strings, the machine heads, the pickups, the pots, and all of the supporting wiring for these components. With all of this removed the body was free of any components that could be damaged as I started my work. First I had to get rid of the peeling paint job.

I tried a number of techniques to get this done. A paint scraper was too aggressive, I felt like I was going to damage the body right off the bat. Steel wool seemed to work, but it was impacting the finish beneath the paint so I had to keep thinking. Then I tried using a pressure washer on a gentle setting, and sure enough that did the trick. I’d hesitate to recommend this technique outright, because if you’re not careful with the water you can definitely damage the guitar. That said if you think this is the right way to go, you can get an idea of what size pressure washer you’ll need: https://www.thebestelectricpressurewasher.com/what-size-pressure-washer-do-i-need-to-clean-concrete/. One thing I didn’t get around to trying but also had in mind was using paint stripper, I just didn’t have any on hand.

With the paint removed I turned my attention to the fret board. It was extremely delicate work, but I got some fine grit sandpaper and smoothed out all the scratches. I started off with 300 grit and eventually moved to 500 grit to smooth it out once the scratches were taken care of. I continued with some general cleaning and polishing since I had the guitar dismantled, and once it was all set I started putting the pieces back together

Bringing It Back To Life

With the guitar body all cleaned up, it was time to turn it into a beauty. I replaced the old poorly-applied coat of paint with a fresh coat of stain done right. Once that was dry I put clear coat on to make sure it would last. I also touched up the stain on the fret board – no clear coat required here though, as it just wouldn’t have felt right on the fingers.

Then it was time to put the electrical components back in. There was nothing wrong with the pots, so I just reinstalled them as they were. I took the opportunity to replace the pickups, as the stock pickups were kind of garbage. The guitar was fitted for two strat-style pickups and one humbucker, so that’s what I replaced it with. It took a bit of soldering and patience, but eventually I got everything put together well. In hindsight it would have been better to wait until I’d restrung the guitar so I could actually test out the pickups, but hey, there’s a first time for everything.

The last piece of the puzzle was to replace the machine heads. I picked out a matching set from Amazon and they luckily fit just perfectly with the existing holes. With that in place it was time to put on a fresh set of strings and see how good the seemingly new guitar sounded. Guess what? It sounded fantastic.

When all is said and done I had to ask, was this worth it? Well, since I had a basically brand new guitar I wasn’t complaining. I’m not sure I’d do it again though because it sure was an awful lot of work, and I already have plenty of guitars as it is. That said, it is a beautiful guitar and I’m proud to have it as part of my collection.

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Why Your Music Studio Needs a Futon

When most people think about a music studio set up, they envision the speakers, monitors, mixing board and even an individual loosely holding on to a pair of headphones as they scream into a pop filter. However, what most people never take time to consider is the actual everyday furniture that is needed in the studio. Sure, quality technology is must, but what about the other items necessary to make the area functional for each occupant?

Yes, a top of the line ergonomic chair may be great for listening to playbacks, giving directions and experimenting with Pro Tools, but it is hardly enough to maintain a great working environment. In most cases, a futon or two can make a huge difference in your setting. Let’s discuss a few reasons why your music studio needs a futon.

You Can Keep Your Singers and Musicians Happy

If you enjoy collaborating on your projects, then you know how great it can be to combine your creativity with others. This is especially the case if you’re working with multiple musicians and singers. However, the problem is that if you are working with more than one artist at a time and you would like to record them separately, it will often require a lot of waiting for those who are not in the booth. The best way to keep up the morale in the studio is to offer a futon instead of a chair. In this way, the individuals will feel more laid-back and relaxed, which inevitably makes better music.

You Can Get A Little Rest

It’s no secret, most musicians and engineers do some of their best work in the late night and early morning hours. This is often when inspiration seems to be at its peak. However, once that inspiration starts to wear off and exhaustion starts to fade in, then sleep is inevitable.

The great thing about the futon is that not only does it function as a couch, but also as a bed. This means that you do not have to worry about the long drive home. And even if you have a home studio, you don’t have to worry about the long walk to your bed. Having a futon in your studio ensures that you get the maximum amount of creativity out of your project because you don’t have to worry about finding a bed. You’re practically already in your bedroom.

Listening Parties

One of the best parts about finishing up a new project is letting people hear it for the first time. There are a lot of artists and producers who enjoy throwing huge parties so that they can play their music. However, if you prefer debuting your latest music in the environment in which it was originally created, then you can easily host a listening party in your studio.

The futon will allow your guests to get comfortable while listening to each track. Sure, you could clutter the room with chairs, but many will feel more at home if they are able to relax and listen. A futon is great for providing this type of environment.

The Takeaway

There is nothing more rewarding than making music. It is essentially creating something out of absolutely nothing. And one of the best parts is that you have your own space in which to create any sound you want. However, if you want to get the most out of your time, then you need to make sure that you have the proper setup. While it does require state of the art technology, it also requires comfortable everyday furniture. And luckily, there is nothing more convenient than a futon. It’s perfect for any occasion.

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Update and An Announcement

Hi guys, hope you all are doing lovely. Just a quick post to keep you in the loop, we’ve got some exciting news. First, we have completed the first song for our debut EP. All of the parts have been thoroughly worked out, we’ve completed the full recording/tracking process, and have completely mixed it out. Not to brag, but it sounds absolutely killer. The song is called “When I’m Gone”, and we can’t wait to release it for you all to hear. It is a blend of rock with contemporary electronic music. We haven’t yet set a deadline for the release of our EP, but as soon as we have something in order we’ll let you all know. Stay tuned.

And now for the exciting announcement…

Private Show This Saturday

Yes, you heard that right. We are going to play our first gig as the Trio this Saturday! We’ll be playing some old music that each of us has to bring to the table, a few covers, and of course we’ll be trying out our brand new song “When I’m Gone”. If you want to hear it first then this is the place to be. A friend of ours was kind enough to let us use their basement as the venue – the place is totally sick. It’s decked out with a full granite bar, leather couches, a pool table, a top-notch electric fireplace, and a huge aquarium.  The place is just the spitting image of luxury. There will be plenty of room to relax, unwind, and party with the regular crew.  Out of respect for our very generous host entrance is extremely limited, so if you want to come get in touch with Ryan, Jack, or myself and we’ll reserve you a spot. They’ll also fill you in with all the details like how to get there, where to park, what to wear (yes, this is going to be a fancy party all right!), etc. Once we’ve reserved all the spots there won’t be any more and you’ll be refused entrance at the door, so don’t hesitate!

The party is going to start at 8 pm, we’ll be chatting with all you lovely people and hanging out for a bit before we start. We plan to take the stage around 10pm. We’ll do a single intermission where our good friends The Heeby Jeebies will play a short set of their tranced-out psychadelic jams, then we’ll come back to close out the night. It’s going to be absolutely insane and we really can’t wait to see you all and throw down hard. Tell your friends, this is going to be huge.

That’s all for now, we’ve got a pretty solid week of practice and preparation coming up so we’ll be busy. Be there or be square, and stay classy.

Cheers!

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Guitar Pickups for Playing Metal

In my search for guitar pickups I’ve read a lot about metal.

It is interesting to know bands such as Blue Cheer and Jimmy Hendrix were the primary root to heavy metal music but officially, Black Sabbath is considered to be the first heavy metal band. Other bands such as Zeppelin, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden came later.

Although many people may confuse heavy rock with metal music, it is crystal clear that heavy rock is based on blues music while metal music is based on the sound of electric guitar.

All of this has made pickups a very common topic of discussion among metal musicians. These are the three I’m looking at:

EMG 81 +85 Zakk Wylde set

The fact that they are used by the famous heavy metal premier lead guitarist Zakk Wylde, sounds very intriguing. They use Alnico magnet loaded coils, which allegedly make their output amazingly measurable. They also have a wide aperture which maintains a more natural tone – good for chunky blues chords and rhythm.

Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB

I’m reading that these have a flat EQ metal sound with a little mixture of stoner tones, which I found amusing. They claim a completely balanced coil configuration that results in a high-quality metal sound. They have precise harmonics and high output, which should give good sustain and distortion sounds.

Bare Knuckle Nailbomb

These are known to have a relatively high output and beautiful tone. They come with an array of options for covers and screws, so they can always look good when installed. Many guitarists like them since they work well for quite a few styles.

Although there are a ton of options out there, these three remain the most interesting options.

Cheers!

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A Sample from the Trio

Hello everybody!

Hope you are having a great day. Today we have a sample of our music to share, it’s was a trial piece that will likely not be developed any farther or included on our EP. It was composed completely in the box, no analogue instruments were used – kind of like practice for our electronic music skills 🙂 We hope you enjoy!

Alongside working on our electronic music skills, we’ve also been exercising our analogue chops. We’ve spent a lot of time learning how to improve our recordings with mic placement techniques, choosing the right microphones, properly setting our preamps, etc.

Of course, you have to go all the way back to the source. Ryan has been perfecting his drum head tuning, and even replaced some of his key drum heads. Jack is looking into getting a bigger cabinet to really let his bass amp shine. I personally have been looking through reviews to find the best guitar pickups to compliment my sound. While I love my guitar, it was shipped with some pretty shoddy electrical components.

Once we get all of our gear in order, we can really start to crank out some recordings and see what comes together. We are giving it our all and we are very excited to see how everything comes together.

Hope you have a lovely day and thanks for stopping by!

Cheers

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The Process

Hey guys,

Just a quick post to keep you all up to date.

We’ve been talking a lot these days about putting together our debut EP. We’ve each written a good number of songs in our days, but this time we want to approach the creative process systematically. At the end of the day, we know what we want. An EP that truly rocks. An EP that sounds new, cool, and catchy. And ultimately, and EP that we can be proud of.

With a clear set of steps, or algorithm if you will, we as a Trio can align our vision and make sure we stay on track throughout our songwriting, and ultimately EP assembling efforts.

So here it is, Tamarind Trio’s EP creation algorithm.

Or, put more simply, “The Process”:

We’re busy creating, and we’re loving it. We’ll keep at it, and maybe we’ll even have some sound samples to share along the way.

Talk soon 🙂

Cheers

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Site Launch

Hello all and welcome to our brand new site for our music production group Tamarind Trio! We are very excited to be up and running and hope you stick around to keep up with the latest and greatest news about our progress.

The site is still under construction, but we will be adding music samples and keeping you up to date with our lives with occasional blog posts. If you have any questions or recommendations about the site please feel free to contact us, we’d love to hear from you!

A little bit about our style – we are all rooted in rock music, but we’ve embraced the times and become well versed in music production. We integrate synthesizers, sampling, and DJing to bring a next-level musical experience.

We have started putting together a vision for our first EP, and we are very excited to get to work on it. We will keep the world updated with our progress via this site, so make sure to check back frequently and you won’t miss a thing 🙂

Thanks for dropping by – we’ll have more for you soon!

Cheers