Sonic Handprints in Rock Walk @ Guitar Center, Hollywood
 

A while ago my wife said she wanted to learn to play "fuzz bass". So last weekend we went to Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA to buy her a short scale Epiphone EB-0 bass, 'cuz they are totally metal and fit her small hands. I've been to many GC locations, but not that one. Outside in the front entryway they have all these handprints in cement from heavy duty rock performers. I was most impressed with Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley (The Founding Fathers of Rock) and Black Sabbath. Then, close to the entry way they had Sonic Youth! I didn't realize they had ever done this. We took pics, I'll post them soon. Signatures turned into (bronze?) plaques by each handprint. The wife's hand fit pretty snugly in Kim's rather petite print, which gave her quite a boost of confidence going into the whole thing.

Normally I think these kinds of things are pretty lame, couldn't care less about the stars on the walk of fame, but the Rock Walk was actually pretty cool. The vintage room is insane too, I played a cruddy rendition of Eight Miles High on a 1965 Rickenbacker 12 string, which only costs $7,700-something dollars.

Meanwhile, the 3-point bridge on the bass has failed while I was trying to adjust the action, anchoring post totally came out of the wood. I could return it, but I'm thinking of replacing the poorly designed bridge with a Hipshot Supertone bass bridge designed for just this purpose. I might have to epoxy the bridge post anchor though. She wants an Orange solid state practise bass amp, I'm curious about the Kustom Deep End tube/solid state hybrid.

Thoughts, concerns?

I'd go with the Kustom or maybe try something by Warwick. Their practice amps are all solid state but very good. How loud will she need it? If it's mostly for home a valve/ss hybrid might be too loud, even if it's low watt.

The Kustom DE-50 has a knob to add gain to the 12ax7 tube preamp, which is a totally different knob from the volume. Not widely distributed. I might drive to Alvas Music in San Pedro to check one out. I would also be using this hypothetical amp for my 90's Fender Jazz Bass (made in Mejico), AND the 60's-70's vintage Fender Pedal Bass i just won on eBay (super excited, hasn't arrived yet, check it out: http://www.led-zeppelin.org/joomla/s...live-gear/1541, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_01qgGQ8AI, http://www.ebay.com/itm/230670060725...#ht_500wt_1192 It looks so good on that round red rug I might have to get one too)

I am on a student budget, probably gonna be super poor come December

Weirdly enough that Zeppelin page is the most informative one on the internet about this instrument. All the other vintage Fender stuff seems to be really well documented. Playing organ basslines with my feet while simultaneously playing guitar is going to be fun/challenging. Maybe later I can afford some effect pedals to play it through to set up some droney atmospheric backgrounds, etc...

I was surprised and somewhat pleased to see the Sonics represented in such a show-biz-centric mainstream-rock atmosphere. Kind of how I felt when T & L got Fender signature guitars.

that was done at the time of the "don't knock the rock" festival in august 2003. also one of the first times they aired 'the year punk broke' w/ 'blues scale' (i think the panel w/ thurston, markey etc is a feature on the forthcoming DVD?).

i was supposed to go but the 'rolling black outs' halted flights ... someday i'll get over these things...

I can only play a little guitar currently