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Here's another one that graced our dorm room wall ... from Joe Walsh's 1973 album:

Cheers, Peatle ... great observation about the age spread. This could easily be a brother, sister, father, and grandfather combo.

NOTE: This was supposed to be in the "Excellent Cover Bands" thread ... ooooops!

Right back at ya, CG ... I appreciate you taking the time to find talent to introduce it to us. I'll be up-front that I'm not really a serious blues fan. But talent is talent, which always can truly be appreciated apart from the genre.     

Like this, Bill?

The TREMOLO

I really can't imagine owning an electric guitar without one. There is so much that can be added to a song or a solo with the discrete use of a Tremolo, that can't really be done any other way. There are basically three variations / styles:

1) Fender --- I haven't owned a Fender guitar for years, but I was never really a fan of their various tremolo systems. The ones I used didn't stay in tune well, and they don't have a very wide pitch range. Good for some subtle shimmer / wavering, but not much more.

2) Bigsby --- their roller-style tremolos are okay for adding some "shimmer" here and there, but not much more. They're also notorious for reducing the amount of sustain. They're very easy on strings (no stressing across a fixed bridge) and also easy for changing strings, comfortable in the hand, and require very little adjustment.

3) Floyd Rose --- the Floyd's offer the greatest amount of pitch change, usually being able to pitch up 5 tones, and down a full octave. The strings can be locked down in the Floyd itself, but a locking nut or locking tuners are a necessity for tuning stability (I prefer Grover 106 locking tuners), because a locking nut requires making a few holes in the headstock joint, which ultimately weakens it. The Floyd's are also hard on strings, as they're being stressed across the fixed bridge every time it's used.

A few years ago, a machinist named Eric Stets came up with a tremolo design, that could retrofit any guitar without any modifications to the guitar itself. Our own Russell Harding first introduced them to us several years ago on Chordie, and I'm glad he did (thanks, Russ!). The "Stetsbar Pro II" has similar range to a Floyd, but the bridge floats with the strings so there's no string stress. They simply bolt into the existing bridge holes on most guitars with ease. I've retrofitted a few guitars with them, and we agree that it's the best of all worlds. I installed one on a Gibson SG for a friend, and the extra few ounces of weight pretty much eliminated the imbalanced neck-nose-dive SG's are known for. Add a set of locking tuners, and you're all set.

Online Review: https://www.guitarinteractivemagazine.c … o-system/#

And not to be outdone, Frank Zappa also came up with his satirical version of the famous Sgt. Pepper album cover:

Great selections, Peatle ... there are more songs about redundant / defunct occupations than I first thought. The Jim Croce song is a real workout to play (as is "Time in a Bottle"), and I've gotta give a "shout out" about Morse Code, 'cuz that's my last name. Fantastic stuff!

Magenta    "Anger"    Real World Studio, 2010

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Apv7p18d0

Showing their softer side, this beautiful ballad is part of Magenta's 2010 DVD release "Live at Real World", Peter Gabriel's studio in Bath, England. This song is from their 2004 studio album "Seven", a concept album about what are traditionally considered "the seven deadly sins". With the music written by Rob Reed (playing piano in this clip) it is a true masterwork of composition, featuring singer Christina Booth's wonderfully expressive voice. Since beginning in Wales in 2001, Magenta have had a prolific career (over 30 releases) which still continues. Another live album (Now We Are Seven) was released this past October. Hope you enjoy this.

Making barre chords comfortably (and quickly) may be as easy as changing the way a person holds the guitar. Personally, I've found them much easier with the neck tilted up at a 35 to 40-degree angle, and having it tilted back a bit so it's slightly facing me. I find this requires a lot less wrist / finger contortions for making regular & barre chords. Here's a pic of the great Andre Segovia demonstrating:

A rounder neck radius may also help, like a 14" instead of a 12".     

Pierre Bensusan    "Wu Wei"    (original)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b23L99oBt_Q

French-Algerian guitarist Mr. Bensusan composes / plays exclusively in DADGAD tuning, which would be considered an alternate for most of us.     

Here's another one I had pinned to my dorm room wall. Brand X was a jazz fusion project which featured Phil Collins on drums, and that's him leering through the venetian blinds. This is the cover of their 1976 album "Unorthodox Behaviour":