Ever since the Amp Show, I've been literally dreaming about getting a new Bogner amp. For several weeks, I have on my “To-Do” list “Call Bogner!” in
big, bold letters. I was so excited to
work with Reinhold and record some demos, and I was itchin’ to make it
happen. I had been playing another
Bogner amp, the Uberschall, that afternoon at my new teaching studio at
Westwood Music. It got me thinking,
“Man, I gotta call Bogner and see what’s up with the demos thing.” I didn’t get a chance to make the phone call
and chat with them about getting one, because when I got home that evening, I
had an e-mail in my inbox from Reinhold Bogner, saying “Hey, man, We’re doing a
video shoot for my new amp, the Alchemist.
Do you want to come down and play some stuff?” I hit him back right away, “YES! Where and when?” We set up the shoot for Thursday, just a few
hours before my flight back to Milwaukee
for Christmas. With a bit of luck and
some grace from the Highway 101 Traffic Gods, this just might work.
I arrived at Line 6, where we were shooting because they are
helping Bogner with the marketing of the Alchemist. I got to have a look around one of the most
cutting-edge guitar companies in the world, which was amazing. Into the studio, and I get to bust out my
arsenal: My trusty PRS Custom 22, a Fender Strat and TC-90 with Seymour
Duncans, and my trusty Gibson CS-336. I
figured between those guitars, we should get something cool, and I could show
off what got me the gig – my versatility.
First, I just plugged in the guitars, one by one, into the Alchemist to
get a feel for how everything worked.
It’s an awesome amp, and it covers a LOT of ground, and has built in
delay and reverb. I just noodled around
for a bit, finding the jazzy settings, the bluesy settings, and the
tear-your-face-off-and-throw-it-at-you settings. We loaded up a couple of backing tracks,
including “Final Mission for Spearmint Children” and “Passive Attack” (See the
Japanese guy above), and a couple of my own tunes, “In Memory Of” and “Whatchu
Lookin’ At, Human?”.
I got to lay down some tasty licks in Line 6’s studio and
hang out with some guys who design the toys that we guitar players use to make
our music. It seemed like everyone dug
my playing and the session, and it was time to roll out to the airport. Handshakes all around, and a parting gift
from Line 6: their new M-13 pedal system.
Too cool. I won’t have time to
play with it until I get back from Wisconsin,
but it will be a really sweet Christmas present.
The video editing should be done in the next couple of days,
so if you want to check out the Bogner Promo vid, visit
www.bogneramplification.com. Let me know what you think about the shoot
and the amp.
Special thanks to:
-Reinhold Bogner for building the best amps I’ve ever heard
and letting me play on them.
- Aaron, Ben, Rich, and Line 6 for making great gear and
hooking me up with an M-13.
-Craig and Blas for letting me use the eEnik tunes, and
staying up late to get me the mixes in time.
-Juan Carreon at Big Hit Studios for drumming, recording,
and mixing on “Whatchu Lookin’ At, Human?” and “In Memory Of”.
-Jorjeana Marie for supporting me in reaching for the stars,
and for helping me lug all of my guitars around LA and taking me to the
airport.
