Gigs are great. Fly gigs are special. Weekend events are amazing. Doing all 3 with some of your best friends in the world… priceless.

Of course getting a gig, with fantastic gear and tone, is only one part of what makes touring special. Doing all this in a different region or town where you get to take in the sights, food, and visit a few guitar shops along the way is pretty awesome as well.  

But how did the show in Minneapolis go? Who all was there? What kind of event was it? What gear did we play? How many Vox amps do you need? How many Tele’s do you need? Can you get a good complementing tone if both players play the same type of guitar? Who provided all the gear? And… what makes a sound guy a party pooper? 

Well we will discuss this, and more on this group therapy session with Lloyd, on the Tweed Couch.

There are many reasons why someone picks the gear they have. Influence, recommendation, budget, necessity… but at the end of the day, the gear that is picked creates your tone. Of course after a few decades of playing and some transitions in life you may find yourself a gear hoarder and what you have created is a timeline of tone.

But why did we purchase this gear in the first place? Is there a good story on how we got it? Did we get the sound we were looking for? What happens to the stuff that doesn’t get played anymore? Should I sell it off? Do we still have our first guitar? And… is the gear you tour with different than the gear you have at home?

Well we will discuss this, and more on this group therapy session with Lloyd, on the Tweed Couch.

Sometimes you just feel claustrophobic. You go one direction in tone… then another… then another. You join new bands, you scratch the itch of the new gadget, you find a deal you can’t pass up… years go by and then you see it and you feel it. Cluttered and Claustrophobic. 

Now I realize this is a blessing and I also realize that this is a first world problem. So today we will talk about my recent Gear Purge and my justification of it. Also we are going to talk about where I’ve been the last couple months and the life changing diagnosis that has led me to my current situation and my new normal.

But what gear is Dr. T getting rid of? How do you choose what goes? Will there be any regrets? What life changing event happened in the last 8 weeks? Can I still continue to podcast over 40 times a year? Will the dynamic or the format change? And… what does this     mean for the fate of the Tweed Couch?

Well we will discuss this, and more, on the Tweed Couch.

I’ve said it for years, “Failure IS an option”. Most people hate this statement but it’s true. Of course I’d rather see success and sometimes things are out of your control but nevertheless… It is an option. Another statement I often remember saying was, “If you fail to plan. Then you plan to fail”. It is because of these statements that today we will discuss the failures we have seen, what we did to solve it, and how we took action to make sure we never had to deal with it again.

But how important is a backup? Does it matter what cases I use? Can others learn from my failures? Should I worry about my other bandmates? What do I do when the whole sound system fails? Does duct tape really fix everything? And who breaks a bass string?

Well we will discuss this, and more on this group therapy session with Jeromy, on the Tweed Couch.

90’s country made a positive mark on me. I loved the stories they told, the sense of pride they carried, and the twangy stringed instruments. Of course Country wasn’t always like this. Country music pioneers, for better or worse, created new sounds and new tones by mixing genres in order to infiltrate and widen their market. People like Conway Twitty & Johnny Cash paved a way for 90’s country artists like Billy Ray Cyrus, The Dixie Chicks, and Sawyer Brown. People of the early 2000’s like Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, and Big & Rich paved a way for today’s artists like Florida Georgia Line, Morgan Wallen, and Jason Alden. And that brings me to today’s topic of John Rich of Big & Rich. A little on his career, a little on his extracurriculars, and a lot on his whiskey “Redneck Riviera”.

But Where did John Rich get his start? Has he ever been in a full band? What is Texasse? Is his whiskey any good? Does it Mix well? Can you class up a Redneck Riviera? What does Proof mean? And is this the American version of a Canadian whiskey?

Well we will discuss this, and more on this group therapy session with Nick, on the Tweed Couch

There is no denying the ease of use of a modeler when recording. Sure there is an argument of simplicity when you put a mic in front of a speaker, hit record and let it be what it is… but there are downfalls of the analog situation too. Amps are bigger, have less options, more noise artifacts, and of course the elephant in the room… sheer loudness in order to get the tubes cooked and the speakers moving. Pedals have their issues too. Cables fail, powering issues, number of pedals, size of the enclosure, and of course buffering and impedance issues.

But why is a modeler such a good option? Can you record more than one track? What is re-amping? Does phase matter? Is phase really a math equation? How do you use modelers with an interface? Do you even need an interface? Can you fly with it? And… IR’s are they a tone game changer?

Well we will discuss this, and more on this group therapy session with Beth, on the Tweed Couch.

If you are listening to this then you have probably been there. You sit down to watch a movie and somewhere in there you see guitar gear. From Tom Hanks’, That Thing You Do to Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap… nothing is more engaging, entertaining, and aggravating to a guitarist than a movie with guitar gear.

But what does Steve Vai, Ralph Macchio & Brittany Spears have in common? Did Back to the Future make critical Gibson, Fender & PRS errors? Is Huey Lewis’ hearing okay after Marty’s band audition? How great was LaBamba? How bad was the Buddy Holly Story?  Is Stairway really denied? Is it really possible to turn to 11? And what is this thing called… suspend disbelief?

Well we will discuss this, and more on this group therapy session with Paul, on the Tweed Couch.

Ah the age old debate.. Is tone really in the fingers? From the grip of the neck to the pluck of a string. This debate has been heard time and time again. Of course the gear has to play a part too, right? I have been told that a 51 Nocaster is magical and a 59 burst is godly and if the right Marshall Plexi gets cranked to 11 then “ultimate tone” is achieved.

But where does most guitar tone come from? Does the gear really make all the difference? Can you get heavy metal tones out of an acoustic? Why is this subject even a debate? Should you focus more on gear or technique? Where does this stem from? And if tone is in the fingers then how does a robot play a guitar?

Well we will discuss this, and more on this group therapy session with Chris, on the Tweed Couch.

It is hard to believe that nearly 3 years ago I started a podcast because all of my bookings had been canceled and I missed my music friends. Now that the gigs have started to return I thought about stopping this podcast and moving on with life.

But when I returned to gigging, what I didn’t expect was a stronger connection with the people I talk and play with a handful of times a year. Of course there have been frustrations, time constraints, thoughts of quitting, and naturally exhaustion but overall I love my music community that has now spread throughout the world into your music community. I have gained great support and new friendships with people I would never have met. Like Ohm’s in Hawaii, Ramsaphoto, and Steve from Kentucky. You guys rock and I thank you for the encouragement.

But… What is my co-host’s favorite thing about the podcast? Has anything been learned? Who is their favorite of the co-hosts? Do they have any more final thoughts? And… What possessed me to ask these people to do group guitar therapy?

Well we will discuss this, and more on this 100th Episode group therapy session with Barber, John, Lloyd,  Beth, Jeromy, Paul, Chris, Nick, Owen, and Jason… on the Tweed Couch.