Spotlight Licks: Will McCranie

This edition oif spotlight licks features Augusta native and current resident of New York, New York, Will McCranie. Will is a veteran of the Augusta music scene, having won countless Lokal Loudness awards and opening for a bunch of national acts. He is known for being an acoustic singer songwriter type but at heart he is a smokin guitar player. He has toured the east coast as a solo artist, as a back up player and with his band the Will McCranie Trio. Here is a lick he does in drop D tuning. He says it is his way of doing some of the very cool synth sounds of Pink Floyd. He shows you everything you need to do in the video. Check out Will and keep up with his shows at http://willmccranie.com/

Black friday= Christmas Coming

I know its been a while since i have last posted. I have been busy hanging out with my little baby girl. Its hard not to want to spend every waking moment with her. With that being said, it is time for me to give you some cool gift ideas for your musician loved ones. Lets start with some stocking stuffers.

Some great stocking stuffers are strings. Every bass and guitar player needs strings constantly. Guitar slides rule. They are small and there are many kinds to choose from at Rock bottom. Guitar straps are great too. Straps now a days can have your favorite band on them, slogan and come in all different colors. Instrument cables are great too. They go bad often and you can never have enough. Picks are super cheap and every guitar player needs them on a regular basis. I can only dream of getting a stocking full on my gator grip picks. One cool thing i have seen in the store lately is the fender baseball. They are awesome looking. Get one while we got em. They aren't going to be available long. Things like this fit in a stocking very easy and are on the low end of price.

Some cool mid priced things are all over the place at Rock Bottom. We got some great acoustics starting around $120. There are some great bass, banjo, guitar and mandolin starter packs too. They come with everything a player needs to get started. They have the instrument, picks, amp, strap, tuner and picks all in one package. We also have some great practice amps too. The fender Mustang 1 is the new must have amp. It has all kinds of effects built in, hooks to your computer and even has a headphone amp to help out parents and neighbors when a player just wants to crank it up. We also have some great headphones available too. There are also lots of different kinds of pedals available too. from crunchy distortion to far out flangers we got them. Pedals are always a great gift idea for your player loved one.

We also have lots of gifts for that "big gift" you might want to get. We have a ton of great Fender, Gibson, Guild, EVH, Gretch and every other top brand name guitar available. Come on, who wouldn't want a USA Fender or USA Les Paul waiting for them under the ole tree on Christmas morning. The prices on these top name guitars and basses are too low for me to list. There are some awesome amps i need to mention too. We got some marshalls. There is a JCM 800 head I look at every day that i wish would end up under my tree. How about an Ampeg SVT  with an 8x10 cab? Your bass player would flip if they got it! Lots of top quality Pearl, etc drum sets too for the aspiring drummer are all over Rock Bottom. There is the EVH 5150 half stack that is calling out to be put under a tree. We also have the highly sought after 50 watt version of the 5150 too.

With all the choices there are for your musician for Christmas it will be easy for you to pick up that "must have" item for them. Stop on down to Rock bottom on Black Friday or any other day between now and the big day and get that Xmas shopping done! I am also offering a free lesson with every purchase of a guitar. happy Holidays and happy shopping!

Check This Out:Gibson Guitar Day w/ Ministry

This Thursday, March 22, at Rock Bottom Music Augusta is Gibson Guitar Day!!!!! We will be having insane sales on all things Gibson and will be doing a Gibson guitar clinic with Mike Scaccia from the band Ministry and Rigor Mortis. I LOVE MINISTRY!!!! The Psalm 69 album was one of the best of the 90's. The guitar sounds on it have inspired me for years. The songs are timeless......come on Just One Fix and Jesus built My Hot Rod are insane!!!!! Along with mike doing a clinic Rock Bottom will be giving away a $1200 Epiphone Les Paul that is killer looking and killer playing and giving away a kick butt acostic guitar too! Look for all kinds of other stuff to be handed out also. The clinic starts at 7:00 on Thursday night. There are no sign up fees and no cost to come. Its free gat nap it!!!!!! All ages are welcome too. There is also no cost to get in the running for one of the guitars either. Rock Bottom is located in downtown Augusta Georgia on the corner of 8th and Broad Streets. Make sure you stop down at 7:00 and catch this. It will be educational, awesome, fun and you can get some very cool free stuff. These clinics have been hits in the past so be there or be square!!!!

Jammin Gift Ideas for Christmas

It's that time of year again......The time when you spend quality time with loved ones and buy gifts for them. Every year i get asked what would be some good gift ideas for the musician in some one's life. I am gonna give you some good ones.

For the guitar and bass player in your life some good under $10 gifts would be pick holders that attach to the guitar and look like over sized picks. Also some picks, guitar cleaners and cleaning rags are cool. Some cool gift ideas under $20 are guitar stands. You can always use a guitar stand. Instructional and music song books are always a great idea, there are even some for drummers too! Some head phone and ear buds are an awesome idea for parents who want their kid to play but could use some piece and quiet too! There are a Marshall set of ear phones but they are over $20. Also in around the $20 range is guitar slides, glass and metal ones. They are so much fun to use. A couple packs of strings and capoes are always use full. Close to $20 bucks are some cool old school looking Fender tins. They have awesome pictures of Fender guitars and amps of old and ooze old Americana. They look great hanging in any jam or practice room and are even good looking enough to go in any room of the house! For $14.99 Rock Bottom has some really cool 3 pack of Fender strings that come with a cool fender collector baseball. It is very unique and a present that will make anyone look cool who gets it for someone. Prices from $20 up are some really good guitar/bass cables. We carry top quality Fender and Dimarzio brands. For a big gift for the musician in your life are any T.C. Electronic floor pedals. They are top quality pedals. They have many kinds like delay, phaser, etc. Always a winner are the fender Mustang amps. They hook up to your computer and have a million effects and sounds that are down loadable. The Mustang 1 starts at $99. For the electric guitar player the hot new guitar is the Charvel DC series. They are hot rodded goodness that look incredible and sound killer. They start at $349. They have a finish on them to die for. Also I have heard that Jonathon bought out a music store that was going out of business and we are the only store that has the amount of these that we do. They are not available to retail again until after the new year. Rock Bottom has scored a bunch and they will go really quick so get down and get one! For the acoustic player the new E.S.P.s are really hot. That company has really upped their game and come out with a great product. We also have some good quality guitar packs that have everything you need to get started. Depending on the kind of guitar it has a guitar, amp, strap, picks, tuner and dvd that come with it.

Foe the bass player lots of stuff listed above works plus the hot bass amp right now is a little practice amp called the Ampeg BA112. It is small but packs a ton of power and boom. It has that classic Ampeg sound too! There are also bass packs that got everything you need to get started playing. One thing that is good for a bass or guitar player is a cool new strap. They come in leather, have your favorite bands name on it and come in tons of colors and are made from a ton of different materials too.

For the drummer in your life his favorite type of sticks is always a winner. There is also some cool double stick set holding stick holders that clamp to a drum stand or cymbal stand. That way they can always have a stick within reach when playing that gig! They come in at under $20 too! Any drummer can always use "more cowbell." Cowbells start at $14.99 and go up from there. There is also tons of cool percussion stuff that adds color to any drummers playing. Things like Cabasa or a Guiro.

For any musician a ukulele is a cool little gift. They seem to be real popular right now. Rock Bottom has them starting at $39 and have soprano, baritone and concert sizes! Rock Bottom also has an assortment of hip T-Shirts and Hats that sport your favorite amp, guitar, drum, musical brand and even Rock Bottom!

These are some of what I think makes cool gifts at all levels of price range. Something I think makes a great gift too is GIFT CERTIFICATES for lessons! I got them and they make great stocking stuffers ;) Rock Bottom offers them for the store as well. So while your out Christmas shopping this year come hit Rock Bottom!

Rock Bottom Presents: NBC 26 Drum-A-Thon

At 10:00 a.m. on Friday November 11,2011 until Saturday November 12,2011 at noon, NBC 26 and Jay Jefferies will be doing the 26 hour "Beat Cancer" Drum-A-Thon. It will be at Television Park-1336 Augusta West Parkway, down by the Augusta Mall. All proceeds of the event go to benefit the 12 Bands of Christmas, which helps pediatric cancer patients. Everyone is welcome to participate and here is how:

1)Register. You can register by email- director@12bands.org . by fax at 866-626-4148 or by getting a registration paper (at rock bottom) and mailing it in to 12 bands p.o. box 12623 augusta ga 30914.

2)set a goal for how long you think you can play.

3)ask friends, family and co-workers to sponsor you. there is a pledge form on mail in sheet or online.

4)turn in the pledge sheet prior to drumming.

5) the top 10 drummers who raise the most money will get entered into a drawing to win a limited edition Pearl Drumset to be drawn at the conclusion of the Drum-A-Thon. (12 noon on saturday 11/12)

12 Bands, NBC 26 and Rock Bottom Music are doing as much as they can to "Beat" cancer away this holiday season. The drumset that is up for winning is not the run of the mill cheap starter kit. It is a kit a seasoned drummer would love to have. The kit comes with high quality birch shells and heavy duty hardware. Its a Pearl VSX set in strata black. We have a VSX kit in stock at rock bottom that you can come look at(its in gold though and NOT the one up for winning) that can give you an idea how it looks. So do what you gotta do and sign up, get some sponsors and drum! Or sponsor a drummer that is doing it so you can do your part to "Beat Cancer."

Product Review: Pearl Throne Thumper

This product review is on a drummer's product, the Pearl Throne Thumper. While I am just a novice drummer, I see how cool and use full this product is. What the Throne Thumper is is a device that attaches to your drum stool/ throne. When you hit your kick/bass drum it vibrates your seat. I like it's concept from two points of view. One is from a sound man's point of view. Alot of times a drummer will ask for the kick drum to be blasted through his monitor so he can feel it. While I understand a drummer wanting this is causes two problems. 1- It takes up all the sound spectrum in your monitor, not allowing things you could really need like lead vocals, guitar or keyboards to come through as clean and good as you need them. 2- It causes the amps to clip when you have to run it as loud as most drummers will need. With the Throne Thumper the vibrations give you the feeling of hearing it and gives you the thump you wanna feel when hitting the kick drum.

Let's get down to how this thing works. It is powered by it's own 200 watt amp. You hook up speaker wires very easily to the amp, much like home speakers, and run the other end of the wires to the thumper which hooks up just as easy. The Thumper itself easily just hooks up to your throne, right under the seat with a fast clamp attachment system. Here is where you will have a couple questions...How do I hook it up to the drums? With electric drums you just run your 1/4 inch cable out of your drums into the Throne Thumper amp, then run a cable to either your electric drums amp or to the p.a. you are running to. For acoustic drums you have two options. One is run a splitter cable off of your kick drum mic (you have to have one), run one line to the p.a. and one line to your Throne Thumper amp. The other option is just run off the out of the mixer board into the throne thumper amp. There might be other ways to do it at a gig or practice but these are the best ways I can think of. If you are just jammin at home or practice just stick a kick drum mic on your bass drum and run the line straight to your Throne Thumper amp. On the Throne Thumper amp you have a level adjustment for volume and low pass. You just adjust those to get how much you want to feel it.

The amp and the Throne Thumper itself are not that heavy or bulky and is easily carried around. It is very easy to hook up, so easy a drummer can do it !!!! LOL!!! We just got them in down at Rock Bottom Music and the price is $299. We have one hooked up on the stage and you are more than welcome to come give it a try. Once you get on it you might not want to get off. Not only is it very functional and serves it's purpose well, it just plain feels cool. Anyone that has tried it so far has not wanted to stop playing. The Throne Thumper is made in conjunction with Buttkicker. They are the ones who make the things that vibrate your seat in your home theatre. So get your butt on down and try the Buttkicker Pearl Throne Thumper!!!

check out the video of randy carver jr demonstrating it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fk1p1lY2zg&feature=channel_video_title

Rock Bottom Music Month: Inventory

This edition of "Rock Bottom Music Month" is going to focus on our store itself. Rock Bottom has two locations, one in downtown Augusta on the corner of 8th and Broad, and one in Aiken South Carolina on Pine Log Road behind Blockbuster. Rock Bottom has grown from a mail order store to a franchise. We carry more inventory than any store around. We carry tons of brands of every instrument. We have just started carrying Epiphone/Gibson. I came in this week to find around 100 of them being delivered! The new Fender Mustang amp has been a big hit, along with all the starts, teles and everything else Fender. Jonathon has made RBM the biggest Pearl drum dealer in Georgia. Line 6 amps, Egnater and Marshall are just a few of the amps you will see. There are more drums and cymbals than anywhere within 200 miles. Cables, picks, strings, drum heads,you name it its there. Jonathon and the staff will beat any mail order or advertised price. If its not in the store it can be ordered. Just ask. Along with being a a music store Rock Bottom is like a rock and roll museum. There are tons of signed guitars, drum heads and other things. Tons of cool posters and albums everywhere. Even if you dont play there is tons of cool stuff to look at, like you are at a Hard Rock Cafe. We have a teaching staff that can teach you about anything you want to learn. There is also tons of Rock Bottom gear you can get, like hats shirts and hoodies. We got techs to work on guitars amps and everything that can need fixed. Everyone that comes to Rock Bottom already knows this stuff, but all the out of state readers dont ;) Come down and check us out sometime. Check out the Rock Bottom website at http://www.rockbottommusic.com
or call at 706-724-1172
Check out some pics of Rock Bottom at http://www.flickr.com/photos/48717650@N06/?saved=1
there are a couple pages of pics. go to the bottom and click through all the pages. see you at Rock Bottom!

R.B.M. Month: Brian Thrift

In the next article to be written for "Rock Bottom Music Month" I will be honing in on Rock bottom salesman and "Dr. Downtown" , Brian Thrift. Brian has been a fixture in the Augusta music and music store scene for 18+ years now. He has played in bands like Uncle Woody, Tokyo Joe,Dancing Green, Wire,(his first band) Burning Bush and did three amazing cd release parties with Keith Gregory. His first guitar was an Ibanez Roadster 2 that was white with a black pick guard. He got that guitar because he thought it looked like Jake E Lee's guitar. His two favorite guitar players are Jake E Lee and Eddie Van Halen.He has been playing guitar for 25 years and has been into music his whole life. The things that got him into music are 1)The soundtrack for Smokey and the Bandit movie. The song "East Bound and Down" by Jerry Reid made him obsessed. He could not listen to it enough. 2) Was "Cinnamon Girl " by Neil Young. The sound Neil Young's amp made in that song made him wonder how someone could make a guitar sound like that. 3) And this is MOST IMPORTANT, was hearing Eddie Van Halen for the first time. Hearing Van Halen changed his life forever. He knew when he heard Ed that he really wanted to play guitar. His dream guitar is even a replica Eddie Van Halen " Frankenstein" guitar made by Fender. He played out heavy from the years 1989-2008. Brian is such a fan of guitar he named his kids Zakk, after Zakk Wylde and another Edward Jacob, after Eddie Van Halen and Jake E Lee. Having worked a lot years in music stores Brian has seen alot of trends in music and music gear. He says he has sold more Fender guitars and products than anything else. He says some of the craziest trends and products are guitar synths and those little plastic Danelectro pedals. He says after seeing all the trends in music, from glam to grunge, metal to rap metal and everything in between, the common thread between all of them is rock and roll. No matter what style, it leads all of them to the same thing- loud rock and roll guitars. I agree. He can spot a new player a mile away. The advice he would give them? If you are into rock music get an electric guitar, if you are into Garth Brooks or folk music, get you an acoustic guitar. If you are getting your first guitar, get yourself a hard tail. Do not get a floyd rose whammy bar. I asked him how the Augusta music scene has changed since he first started in it back in the 80's. He says it seems like it hasn't changed at all. He says there is always a group of kids playing whatever is popular at the time, be it grunge, metal or whatever and it's what everybody is doing. The scene doesn't change, just what they are playing. Brian is a very knowledgeable and helpful salesman. He has been an asset at Rock Bottom Music.He has worked at all the big Augusta music stores and says "A World of Music" was at one time the best music store ever and says being at Rock Bottom is the same way. Rock Bottom IS ROCK AND ROLL and will go down in Augusta music history the same way as World of Music and that he is proud to be a part of Rock Bottom. He says Rock Bottom is not a corporate machine and he has found his home. I agree Brian, it's a blast getting to work with you! Next time you are in the store make sure you say hi to Brian and ask him about Eddie or Jake!!!!!!!!!!

check out some more pics of brian at http://www.flickr.com/photos/48717650@N06/

Rock Bottom Music Month

I am declaring the month of Febuary "Rock Bottom Music" month. This month I am going to dive right in to all things Rock Bottom. From the people that work there to products we carry and services we offer. I will also get into the concerts, in store appearances, and clinics that get held there. These things have everything to do with getting inspired to play and knowing what products you are going to be playing, plus it gives me something new to write about. I will also get into the head of Jonathon Karow and see what makes him tick and find out what it takes to keep all the things he has going successful. I have had some students over the years want to be performers, concert promoters and talk about opening their own store one day, so Jonathon will have some insight for them. There are quite a few characters at Rock Bottom so I will have alot of good things to write about. First up will be Rock Bottoms instrument repair tech Kevin Ellis. His piece will be up the beginning of next week. So keep checking in and keep reading!

Meet Guns and Roses Drummer Steven Adler

This Friday at Rock Bottom music, the drummer from one of the greatest bands in history (Guns and Roses) will be doing a meet and greet and signing autographs for fans. Be there around 5-530. He was part of the team that wrote songs like Sweet Child O Mine, Welcome To The Jungle and many other classics. You will not have too many times in your life to meet a true rock legend....and its free and all ages!!!!! He will also have some members of his band, Adler's Appetite, there too. Chip Z Nuff from 80's glam band Enuff ZNuff will be there. Chip is a legendary radio guest on "The Howard Stern Show." If you heard him you know what I mean. Other band members, who are all very well known in their own right are Rick Stitch, Alex Grossi and Micheal Thomas. Get down to Rock Bottom Friday. The band is also performing at Sky City that night. Tickets are on sale at both Rock Bottom locations.

End of the Year

It's the end of the year 2010. So many things have changed, for the good and for the bad. I would like to do a little year end wrap up and thank everyone who has made this blog a success. This blog is something I started for my students as a place where they could get a little extra something with their lessons and learn about things that go with being a fresh musician.The blog has done very well and has readers well beyond the 40-50 students I have. We regularly get 300-400 hits per week and on lots of occasions we will have 400+ hits a day and in the case were T.C. Electronics picked up on the product review of the Polytune 1000+ a day. We have regular readers all over the globe. I would like to thank the guys who write here. Stoney Cannon, he has wrote about how to get your butt in gear with promotions and press packs, something I would have never even thought of doing and its a VERY IMPORTANT part of being a musician. Micheal "Dork" Dinkins has brought on incite into being original and how bands work and how the people interact with each other, again something I would have never thought of writing about that has benefited my students and many others. Mr. Eric Rinker who has given an insight into how things sound and come up with an awesome multi Media "Spotlight Lick." Thanks to all the guitar players who have contributed to "spotlight Licks" so far. There are people and press who have helped spread the word of the blog Jordon Zeh, Coco Rubio, Verge , Metro Spirit and everyone who "shared" on facebook. Look forward to many new things in the coming year, more guest writers, product reviews, more rock star interviews and many many new things. I would also like to thank Rock Bottom Music and Jonathon Karow for being ultra supportive of students and their musical education. As a student you should also make some New Years Resolutions to become better players and reach for your goals. You students have achieved alot this year and 2011 will be even better! Most important I would like to thank my students. All of you have been very loyal and hardworking. You guys make doing all this fun and exciting. I look forward to working with you all in the coming year. Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Time = Musical Gifts

Every year around this time I get alot of questions for parents and significant others about what to get their loved ones for Christmas. I get that so much this time a year I decided I should write a little bit on it. For someone just getting interested in music I would recommend on of the Strat, ESP, Banjo, Acoustic and Bass "packs" that we carry. They are packs that range from $99-$200 that have the guitar ( or whatever instrument), amp, strap, picks, cords etc. that you would need to get started. They are a great idea! A Fender Mustang amp is a great step up for the guitar player who is ready for that next step up amp or someone looking for a great practice amp. We got them for $99 for the smaller one. Instrument stands, Rock Bottom T-Shirts and stools are great. Some great "stocking stuffers" are strings, harmonicas (everyone should have one), guitar polish and fast fret, guitar slides, the snark clip on tuner and metronomes. For the gigging musician you could never go wrong getting them the TC Electronics "Polytune" floor tuner for only $99, mic stands are great (you always seem to need one ), a nice new guitar strap and a string winder\string clipper tool sets. These are all great ideas! For the parent who needs some peace and quiet we have the 800 TV Headphones that plug right into most amps. They let the player here what they are playing without everyone else hearing them! These are some of the items i recommend. There are tons of ideas for every price range to keep your musician loved one rocking out and happy. Another great idea is gift certificates for lessons for the budding musician or for a loved one who just wants some new licks. I will be glad to accommodate anyone with a lesson gift certificate! So get on down to Rock Bottom Music and get that Holiday shopping done !

Spotlight Licks: Michael Baideme

This "Spotlight Lick" is one from local guitar hero Michael Baideme. He has played in a ton of bands for years here in Augusta.He has won countless Lokal Loudness "Favorite Guitarist in Augusta" awards too. He is currently in Sibling String, The Endalls and Famous Last Words. He is a salesman at Rock Bottom Music during the day. He regularly plays 3-5 gigs a week here in town. Check him out on Mondays at the Loft with Famous Last Words and Wednesdays at Joe's Underground. His week end gigs are at various places. He is an encyclopedia of licks. Here is a bluesy lick that is one of his favorites based in E. Click on the tab to make it larger.

Dear Rock Star: Stacey Blades

This is a new thing I am doing. When ever I get to work with a "real" rockstar I am going to ask them a couple questions to help inspire and guide up and comers. The first one that I am doing is the lead guitar player from L.A. Guns. While he is filling Tracii Guns , the original guitarist and founding member of Guns, he has also [played in alot of other bands like Super Cool ans Smack(amongst others). He is from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He has played on the last three L.A. Guns releases and has toured the world with them since becoming a member in 2002. He also released a book in 2009 called "Confessions of a Replacement Rockstar." He has been a go to guy for many a 80's metal band as a replacement guitar player. He and L.A. Guns were just in our little Augusta, Georgia this past friday, November 19, at Coyote's. Rock Bottom Music brought them here. Rob Boggs, from Quest Sound, mixed them. I got to be the right hand man to both Rob and Jonathon on this show (which is no easy task) and provide the amps that both Phil Lewis (lead singer and rythym guitar player) and Stacey Blades used. My amps have been used by many a rockstar but this was heads and tails above all the rest for excitement for me! After getting everything set up, and before soundcheck, I got to shhot the breeze with Stacey Blades.

Me: What got you into music?
Stacey: I come from a musical family.Everyone was way into piano and always played it.

Me: Did you take any lessons?
Stacey: I took piano lessons at age 9. I got my first guitar, an acoustic, for christmas when i ws 11. I started taking guitar lessons at age 15. After that it was on!!

Me: Who is your guitar playing hero?
Stacey: Randy Rhodes. He was my guy and still is.

Me:Did you ever get to see him play live?
Stacey: No I didn't. I wish I did.

Me:You have any advice for any up and coming guitar players?
Stacey: Listen to as many different players and styles as you can and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!!!!

Me: What advice would you leave a musician wanting to be in a band?
Stacey: Love what you do. Give it hell> there is absolutely nothing you can't accomplish if you try.


Stacey Blades and all of L.A. Guns were a joy to work with. World class pros with a great attitude. They tore the roof off the place. The musicianship was amazing. If you get a chance to go see them do it. here is a video of one of my favorite songs, Rip and Tear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvh0n3Gfq7c

here is some of stacey rippin it up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXsJtjpKpBY

Spotlight Licks : Brian Thrift

This week's "Spot Light Lick" is a Jake E Lee inspired lick from Rock Bottom Music's very own Brian Thrift. Brian is an Augusta music scene veteren guitar player. He has played in countless bands and is a great player. He is a premeire salesman too. He has worked at many an Augusta music store. His lick is based on the 4th position of the A minor pentatonic scale. It is a great example of pull offs. Just click on the tab picture to blow it up bigger. Have fun!

Acoustic vs Electric: What Should I Start With?

As an instrument teacher I am asked very often, " I am wanting to start playing guitar, what should I buy? An acoustic or electric guitar?" I never really thought about it too much at first. I would just reply " What ever you want." I thought about it real hard about a year ago how i should answer this. I came up with a couple of good answers. I will break them down. That way any people who have just picked up my card and are thinking about playing or purchasing a guitar can get an answer.

1) What type of music do you want to play? This helps me decide what to say. If you are into Nirvana or Slayer why would you want an acoustic? If you are into Jack Johnson or Joni Mitchell why would you want an electric? You pick the guitar based on what you want to play. If you are a rock, metal or grunge person you want the guitar that's going to give you the sound of the music you want to play. That guitar is an electric one. If you are into singer song writers or acoustic music in general you want to get an acoustic guitar. Basicaly you look at the type of guitar the bands that you are into are playing and get the same type. If Toby Keith is playing an acoustic and you like him, you get an acoustic. If Tom Morello is playing electric, you get an electric.

2)What is your budget? If you have around $150 and up and you want to rock out with an electric get one. If your money situation at the time has your budget below that get an acoustic. If you are into the metal and rock you are going to need an amp and that is extra money. If you want to get playing on a low budget go ahead and get the acoustic and then save up for the electric and amp. You can get a good acoustic for $150 and lower. We have tons of them at the store that are great.

Those are the two main factors I look at when answering " Should I get an acoustic or electric to start with?" I have heard a million times that people are told they should with acoustic then go to electric. Really it is up to you. The guitar is set up the same for both. All the theory, chords, scales etc.,you use on one you will use on the other. It is really just based on what kind of music you want to play. I can say that when you start it is EASIER to play an electric because the strings are lighter. Some of the acoustic guitars coming out now a days are alot easier on the hands then they were 10 years ago. So if you are wanting to buy a guitar and start playing think about what I just wrote and then go buy one. See you down at Rock Bottom Music!!!

Product Review: TC Polytune

This months product review is on TC Electronics Polytune floor tuner. I know I have been writing alot about tuners but they are so vital I feel it is necessary. I came across this product and felt it needed to be talked about. I review products I believe in and believe will be an asset to players. This Polytune pedal is one of the most amazing pieces of technology I have come across in a while. I am gonna get the specs out of the way first.

The tuning accuracy is +/- 0.5 cent. The power supply is a 9 volt battery or 9 volt dc adapter. The input impedance is 500kOhm with the pedal on. Reference pitch is A4=435 to 445 Hz (1 hz steps). The current draw is 45-50 mA.

Lets get down to the tuner itself and its features. It is a true bypass pedal. I put the pedal in many areas of my pedal chain to see if it messed with the sound any. I had a Cry Baby wah, Boss d-3 delay, Boss eq, Digitech Whammy pedal, Boss super Chorus, MXR Phaser and an Angry Troll linear boost pedal ran in my board. I put the Polytune before and after every signal pedal to see how it did. It had no effect at all no matter where I put it in the chain. I dug that. I HATE floor tuners because they normally mess with my sound. This one did not. First big reason I liked it. Next is what it can tune. It can tune your guitar and any 4, 5, and 6 string bass. There is a button on the back on each side of the pedal. You hit the button right under where is says Polytune to select guitar or bass. It also lets you pick if you want the display to read the typical "needle" or if you want it to stream. This is a chromatic tuner and a POLYPHONIC tuner. Polyphonic is a fancy way of saying IT TUNES ALL THE STRINGS AT THE SAME TIME!!!!! I had seen the ad for this tuner in a guitar magazine and was very intrigued. Now that I had one to try I was excited to do it. First though I had to set it to the tuning I wanted. The button on the back lets you pick if you want standard, 1/2 step down, whole step down and then some. I picked 1/2 step down and went for it. I strummed all the strings and damn if it did not read them all. It was easy to read. Its got double dots to represent each string, almost like mini side ways needles. I tuned up and then just hit each string individually. If you just hit a string it automatically switches to a chromatic tuner. That works the other way too. If you want to check all the strings you just strum and it automatically switches to polyphonic. It is just as accurate weather its in chromatic or polyphinic modes. You can not only pick if you want standard, 1/2 step down , etc for your tuning, you can also calibrate if you want it to be down to A=435 or up to 445. You just hold down both buttons on the back and use each individual button to go up or down with the pitch. Simply amazing. I tuned up three different guitars with it. My Berkshire, my Gibson Explorer and my acoustic/electric Taylor 810. It tuned each one with ease. I then checked each guitar against two other tuners- an intellitouch clip on tuner and my $300 Korg rack tuner. The TC was dead on. The intellitouch gets you close. The korg gets you there too. The TC was the first tuner that I ever used that I DID NOT HAVE TO DO ANY ADJUSTING TO!!!I have always hated floor tuners, and most clip tuners, because even after I tune I have to sit and still do adjustments. The Polytune was perfect. I used the Polytune at my gig this weekend and also found out two more interesting features. One is that if you use the adapter feature it also has a power out so that you can use it to daisy chain pedal power off of!!! It also has an ambient light sensor on the front of it that automatically adjusts the brightness of the display depending on how bright the area the pedal is in. You will always be able to see the display!!!! This pedal is more than good enough to set up your intonation on your guitar too. I set up my Gibson Explorer with it just to test it out and my ear told me the tuner was dead on.

I know this has been a long winded review. I can not help myself on this one. I actually got goosebumps using this tuner. I got hyped up. I know its a dorky guitar player thing to do but I want everyone to know how great this is. It is a must have for any bass, acoustic/electric and electric guitar player. Rock Bottom Music has them on sale for $99. There is no floor tuner that can compare and it is just as good as any high dollar rack tuner. For $99 you can not beat this. It is a must have for any serious player. Get down to Rock Bottom and check it out. I am very much thanking Jonathon Karow for letting me get my hands on this pedal. The TC Electronics Polytune is beyond a homerun!!

for more on the polytune go to http://www.tcelectronic.com/polytune.asp

The Importance Of..................Practicng at Standard Pitch

This installment of "The Importance Of" focuses on practicing at standard (440=A) pitch. I'm not talking about band practice or free jamming, I'm talking about when you are going over scales, chords or anything from our lessons. It's important for a variety of reasons. One is that when you hear, say for example, an A note, that you know that it is really an A note. I practiced for years tuned to the tuning i used for my band, 1/2 step down ( low to high- Eb, Ab, Gb,Db, Gb, Bb, Eb), and it made my sense of pitch all whacked out. When i would do my ear training i would always get the note a 1/2 step off!!! Knowing what a note sounds like and being able to tell what it is, is a great tool to have. When you can listen to a song and not have a guitar in your hand and figure it out is awesome!!! I do it alot when i have songs to learn for a fill in gig. Once I started doing all my practicing in standard pitch my ear got nicely fine tuned. When I practiced my scales tuned to 440 I was able to learn solos alot easier. Granted, when I play with my band I still play a 1/2 step down but, I know the note i want to hit that I hear in my head because I know what that note is now!!! So a word to the wise, get yourself a tuner and do all the things I give you to do tuned up to standard pitch!! We have so many tuners at Rock Bottom Music at low prices there is no excuse for you to not be tuned up!!! We have some incredible Seiko tuners, Korg tuners, and the new "snark" and some others i know I am missing. So get a tuner and get to getting that ear and your hands in shape!!

Check This Out: Mark Schulman Drum Clinic

On September 9, 2010 at 7 p.m. at Rock Bottom Music Augusta world class drummer Marc Schulman will be doing a clinic. He is well respected in the rock, pop and jazz communities. Along with being a drummer , he is a classically trained cellist. When he was a teenager he played with the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic. He is currently the drummer for world wide recording artist Pink. He played drums for her " I'm not dead" and "Funhouse" tours. He also plays a little cello for her too. Some of the other bands\artist Mark has played for are Sheryl Crow, Foreigner, Stevie Nicks, Destiny's Child, Billy Idol, Cher (on her Believe and farewell tours), Udo Lidenburg and Eikichi Yazwa, he was Velvet Revolver's drummer when they did Ozzfest ( I was at that Ozzfest!!!) and he was the drummer for 80's hit makers Simple Minds. He got to play the Glastonbury Music Festival for over 200,000 people when he played with Simple Minds!!! That right there is a musicians dream come true!

Marc is an educator as well. He taught at the Los Angeles Music Academy. A guy with this much life experience and worldly knowledge who is an educator has alot to offer up and coming musicians as well as a seasoned musician. Being a drummer and a cello player he will have a lot of insight into how music is put together and what it takes to become a master at both. With the world class players he has [played with he will have wisdom to share that he learned from working with them. Mark will have stories of being on the road all over the world. With him being an educator he will be able to put it into terms we will be able to learn from. He is also music producer trained audio engineer and is part owner of West Triad Recording Studio in Venice California. He will have vast knowledge on how to achieve desired sounds in a studio environment.

So make sure all you students of mine or anyone looking for something cool to go to, or anyone looking to learn something new, get yourself down to Rock Bottom Music , located on the corner of 8th street and Broad street, in downtown Augusta Georgia on Thursday September 9, 2010 at 7 p.m.This is a FREE and ALL AGES EVENT!!!!! Rock Bottom's address is 758 broad street. the number is 706-724-1172 if you need any more info. Stop down and tell me hi!!! I will be there.

Product Review: Egnater Rebel 30 Head and Cab

This product review is going to be on an outstanding amp....The Egnater Rebel 30. Lets start with a little history....30 years ago Bruce Egnater wanted the tones of his favorite players and could not get it with off the shelf amps.He was an electronics graduate from the University of Detroit's Engineering School. He opened his own repair shop in 1975 to help players get their own tone and to make amps with More distortion and louder volume. For 30 years Egnater has been a benchmark of quality and tone. The particular Egnater amp I am going to give a review on is the "Rebel 30." There are many great Egnater models, such as the Rebel 20, the Tweaker, the Renegade and Tour Master series.

Lets get the amp specs out of the way. It's a 30 watt all tube amp. The clean channel has volume, bass and treble knobs. Wattage control from1-30 watts. It has "tight" and "bright" switches and on the back a reverb control knob with "spillover."The overdrive channel has volume, gain and a 3 band eq knobs. Wattage control from 1-30 watts and "tight" and "bright" control switches. There is a tube mix knob to select your taste of a mix between 6V6 tubes and EL84 power tubes. There is also a reverb knob on back with "spillover."There is a xlr direct record out with play and silent mode recording mode. There is a buffered effects loop and a spot for a footswitch to change channels and turn on and off the reverb. the wood that they are made from is birch plywood. The last spec is there is a 100v\115v\230v voltage selector. There is a very classy\timeless look about this amp too. Black and off white with a beautiful black and white speaker grill cloth with a very tasteful, cursive, Egnater logo on top of the grill cloth.

Now let's get to how they sound. I played few different guitars for a good bit of time each on this amp. I will break it down guitar by guitar. On all guitars i used the same settings for each. On distortion channel the gain was all the way up, low at 3\4, mids at 3 and treble all the way. On clean channel had eq all set at 12 o clock. I messed with the tube mix a little on each but always started it right down the middle. Tube watts was always in the middle.

The first guitar I played was Micheal Baideme's 2003 Les Paul Custom Shop Historic Art '59 Re-Issue. This guitar is amazing in it's own right but through the amp it had a full and rich sound. Pinch harmonics took on a new and exciting tone for me. There was a tight low end and was a perfect mix of vintage and modern guitar tones at the same time. With gain 1\2 way it lost no sustain, all the way up it was endless. The distortion was nice and gritty. I turned the tube mix all the way to 6V6 side and it was very Fender sounding. I messed with the "tight" switch and it made a difference. It made playing a "metal chug" sound very clear at any volume. It really does make it sound "tight." For that reason I kept it on for all guitars. No matter how loud I put the amp the notes and chords very very articulate. I was very pleased with this guitar and the amp. They were a perfect match.

The next guitar was my Berkshire "John John" model. This is my main guitar so i know how this normally sounds in comparison to "my sound." With my pick up selector in the mid position and single coil on it sounded very bluesy. Gritty and dirty, just how i like it. I put my "double' coil on it it had a very 90's alt rock sound. Very awesome.Very Pearl Jammy. I stuck the tube mix on all the way EL84 and it sounded very Black Label Society "Stillborn" tone. On the clean channel on my bridge pick up it was very twangy, chicken pickin, git-r-done ish. Pick up's both on it was very 80's ballad, "Nothing Else Matters" tone. Pure money. I loved it. This amp on clean and overdrive was so crisp...so clean. Bass notes clear asa bell on this channel. The pick ups in my guitar are seymour duncan jv and the jazz.This amp was a perfect mix of the Peavey 5150 and VHT classic 6 that I use to get my tone.

The next guitar was an ESP Viper 300 M right off the shelf at Rock Bottom. It has active EMG 81 and 85 pick ups. On the dirty channel it was a terrific monster of modern metal guitar tone. It sounded like a mesa triple rec on steroids. It was Breaking Benjamin and Avenged Sevenfold tone depending on how hard you played. This guitar with these pick ups just growled!!!No matter how fast or how loud i got every note was crystal clear and shimmering. On the clean channel there was still some grit on the sound because of the high out put pick ups.

The last guitar I used was also Micheal Baideme's. This time it was and amazing ORIGINAL 1963Fender Stratocaster.Of all the guitars, I loved the sound of this one the best throughout this amp. They ALL sounded amazing, this one was just it on this day and time for me. Plugging straight in with the same settings on distortion, this thing had huge balls. ACDC Back In Black all day long. With gain halfway it sounded more Hendrix than Hendrix. I listened to Micheal play on it while it was on clean. So much chicken pickin snap. The mids shined, the trebled shined, the bass shined. Freddie King would give his right arm for this sound, as would I. I think this guitar sounded like gold on the clean channel on this amp.


The Egnater Rebel 30 head and cab are just plain godly sounding. Egnater has been around for over 30 years perfecting amps. This one could be called damn near it. They are priced at the Rock Bottom price of $749.99 for the head and $279.99 for the cab at Rock Bottom Music. Jonathon Karow has a wide selection of tube amps at our store. You need to get down to the corner of 8th and Broad and check these out. They are selling quick at that price. We also have the Egnater "Tweaker" in. Micheal Baideme, who graciously let me play his awesome guitars for this review, bought a "Tweaker" head and is in love with it. An Egnater at this price is a done deal for me. We also have an insane deal on the all tube Peavey XXX amp.$900. That's for the head and a 4\12 cab. If your guitar player you need a good tube amp. Get down to Rock Bottom and at least check this out. Tell 'em John John sent you.