Edward

I thought it was Adam Shankman? Honestly, I'm just checking IMDb since I recall seeing "From the director of Hairspray" on an ad plastered on a bus I got stuck behind on the motorway. EDIT: Just looked up John Waters. He wrote the screenplay for Hairspray, but didn't direct. I think Justin Theroux and some other guys wrote Rock of Ages. John Waters wrote and directed the original 1988 film, Hairspray. After the broadway success of The Producers taking an old film and turning it into a musical (and subsequent musical film of the stage show), Hairspray was taken on the same way. John Waters gave it his blessing, but he wasn't to my knowledge much involved in the project (he does have a tiny little cameo part in the 2007 film. During the opening number "Good morning Baltimore", he appears as "the flasher who lives downstairs"). John Waters is a {censored}ing genius.... I'm still holding out for the stage version of Crybaby. It's like a cool Grease.

He'd be using modeling amps, modeling guitars, digital effects, MIDI, Floyd Roses, self-tuning robot guitars, and every other bit of innovative musical technology that cranky Hendrix traditionalists have been complaining about for the last 40 years. And he'd be on Twitter. I like to think so. My "what if..." on Jimi has him sleeping on his front that fateful night, so he doesn't choke on his own spew. He runs away from the world and hides, hating the rock and roll cliche in which he has been trapped, only to emerge afresh in 1977, re-energised and enthused by the sheer passion of punk rock. He gives many interviews in which he extols the virtues of this "new" movement taking rock back to its roots, draws a link between the spirit of punk and the blues. The old farts hate him for it, but he gathers a whole new generation of fans. He drops from the mainstream throughout the 80s, hating the stupid, macho cliche bull{censored}. Reappears as an Elder Statesman figure in the grunge era. In March 1994, he persuades Kurt Cobain into rehab. They later record an album of co-written material. On the first night of their tour, a handful of old farts from the Sixties show up to shout "Judas!" at Jimi. Jimi snorts derisively at them and says "Please, brother..... I'm a musician, not a history exhibit". End. Ha...... Jimi was experimenting with studio trickery to the full, one of the first to use f/x boxes, the works. You better believe he'd have used everything available to him by now. Of course, we could also be making a grave error in even assuming Jimi would still be playing guitar - whose to say he wouldn't have moved on to compose entirely with computer sampling and such like? I like to believe, at least, he'd be one hell of a lot more open-minded than most guitar players are today.

Any of the Marshall pedals are nice - surprisingly good, too, if they're still as cheap as they were. The Boss Bluesdriver I always liked too, though it's not worth twice the price of the Marshall pedals IMO.

You know, I don't think someone should force themselves to like anything. Often people will say, "just keep playing that guitar so you get used to it." I don't agree with that. I think the guitar should conform to YOUR NEEDS, and not vice-versa. You're the important one...not the guitar. Agreed. Like what you like, don't but into thhis crap that "X is a classic, you must have one in your sonic palette" and all that bollocks. A lot of my favourite players are LP guys; me, I used to like them but I don't anymore. They just don't excite me on any level these days, though the real killer is I hate how most of them look.

Followed by Henry Rollins, Danzig,Lee Ving and David Lee Roth. No idea who Ving is..... Danzig and Roth I get.... but Rollins? Why would that be funny? I don't recall him ever being a homophobe or making a big deal out of all his conquests or anything..... actually, he seems more in touch and comfortable with his own heterosexuality than most rockers.

Never did understand the sheer level of hate for Bono. Sure, the guy can be a pretentious arse, but it amazes me that people just don't understand what he's trying to do half the time. The world will never be changed by some rich rock stars throwing money at problems. If things are gonig to improve, it needs a major change of approach from all of us. But then, I guess a lot of folks don't like that - might mean an end to cheap fuel and consumer goods.... :poke: It's the Grammy's what do you expect? The gave Best Rock Vocal Performance to Lenny Karavitz 4 years running. I dig some of Lenny's music but Best Vocal Performance doesn't enter ones mind when listening to him. Based on what I've heard of his stuff, all I've ever thought was "third rate Hendrix-wannabe".

Sounds like we are on the same page. You take all the pink guitars and I'll take all the figured maple bursts and we'll both be happy, mate!

the only one i like out of all of those is the sg/viper rip off one I really like the Les Paulish one. I'm sick to the feckin' back teeth of figured maple and bursts - young Pinky Paul there is a very refreshing alternative.

The Highway One models have a 43mm nut width as opposed to the normal 42mm nut width found on the majority of guitars. For me, that 1mm makes a HUGE difference while other people don't even notice it. Oh, that's good to know. Makes a huge difference to me too.... though I'd already ruled out a HW1 on the basis that they only produce a lefty with a rosewood board, no maple. Dealbreaker for me. I have limited experience with MIMs as their left handed provision is, at best, a joke (Standard Strats and Teles only for guitar, Std J Bass only for Bass). What I have seen of the standard models, they're nice. Prefer the Strats as they're closer to the vintage spec - hate the si saddle bridge on the Teles (could be changed, of course, but if I can get what I want elsewhere to begin with...). Not that I'm one of these said vintage fanboi "everything was best in 1954" types (you know, the ones who'd claim that green cheese was the best tonewood if that's what Leo had been able to buy cheapest and had therefore used in 54...), but it does seem to be the case that it's the odler style that appeal to me. If I was looking for a readily available, decent basic Strat (or was right handed) I'd be trying out the MIM range, but in my experiencethe CIJ range just has that extra oomph.... A lot of them are basswood, if that's an issue for you, but there are other options too. Their lefty options aren't by any means perfect, but it's a much, much better tange of options, IMO, than even the MIA Fenders. The CIJ guitars are close enough to the MIAs, IMO, that it's not worth worrying about.... unless you absolutely have to have nitro finish.... and even if I liked that, I sure would consider it worth doubling the price of the guitar over.... I have a CIJ 71RI Tele which is hands down the best guitar I've ever owned or played. In fact, it's the only guitar I've ever idly picked up just to try in a shop (as opposed to looking for a specific one) and ended up buying.... While it's obviously not a direct comparison, it more than holds its own against my MIA 1994 US Std Strat (which I bought new back when) - superb guitar itself, but these days I wouldn't see any value in the 'MIA' tag alone.... not when you can - again, if you can find a shop that stocks them - a CIJ that is very comparable for half the money. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking Fender US - they're superb instruments and I'm always impressed by their consistency. I love their 57RI Strats, and I'm even really impressed by all the mods to the new American Standard model (the two post trem with the old school saddles now isn'tg the ugly as sin lump that it looks on my MIA, the overall standard is superb, and I love, love, love the combination of glossy fingerboard and satin back of the neck). I'd love one.... thing is, they seem to still sell for GBP800 or so that I've seen (a lefty MIA 52RI I can't find for less than a grand new or eight hundred used). I simply cannot justify spending that on a guitar, tbh.... even if I did play out regularly again, I don't see it as an expense I'd want to make, not with guitars of the quality of the CIJs out there. FWIW.... are you particularly stuck on it being a Fender? If you're near London, it might be worth dropping in with Brandoni - www.brandoniguitars.com - I'm gonig to be looking to them for my net "Strat" - they seem to be really high quality stuff, markedly cheaper than a Fender - obivously, you're not paying the premium for the name; undoubtedly great for the money that Fenders are, you do still pay something for the big brand attached.

MIA, the difference is unbelieveable! The difference? No, I find it completely believable that a guitar at twice the price can be superior in several respects. What I find quite unbelievable, in terms of what those differences add to the instrument for me is the price. YMMV.

MIA necks are a tad wider and have rolled edges. It might account for the difference in feel. Yes. I much prefer the more 'vintage spec' of the MIM necks. I also have a very distinct preference for the vintage-style, six screw trem over the two-post option. I actually have an MIA Std I boguth new back in 1994. Still love it, but had I known then what I know now, I wouldn't have spent the extra on MIA. The MIAs I really like are the vintage RI models, but those are more than I'm willing to spend, even on the used market, and I'm no fan of nitro. I have a very distinct preference for a good modern poly finish that won't wear so quickly or easily. I'd probably have quite a few of the vintage style MIMs, but their left handed provision is piss poor (Std Strat and Tele, Std J bass - that's it), so I am instead looking at non-Fender alternatives.

Learning an instrument by playing in public performance right off the bat isn't necessarily the best way to go about it, but it's working for me. My earliest guitar learning experiences were like that, at a local church youthgroup. I went from being able to play one chord in three (I joined in with the other guitar players as and where I could) to, after a few weeks, being able to play all teh chordz.

A: Gibson can make a great product. B: I don't believe you have to pay Gibson prices to get Gibson quality. If you want to pay top dollar for Gibson, PRS, et al. Go right ahead. Those are great guitars. For me that would be a dreadful waste of money that would make me inconsolable. Even if I were to buy a Gibson, it would be used and at a giveaway price. I wouldn't mind owning one. I just don't think they're worth the money. Before I'd buy a Gibson, I'd by the Epi, rewire it, add GFS pickups, mod the hardware and have a guitar that plays and sounds so close to a high priced Gibson that it would make the stockholders sad. Also, I'd take my family to Disney World with the difference in Gibson price and what I spent. Besides which, I think most Epi Standards play well and sound pretty good anyway. I've been playing guitar for over 40 years and was around when Fender and Gibson were the only game in town. They're not anymore and it's silly to presume that they are. I have seen all kinds of guitars wear badly, suffer abuse and look like {censored}. I believe it's called relic'ing. Truth.

About 8 months ago, I was looking to buy a Jackson RR5, went to Ed Roman guitars in Las Vegas. He had a white ... or at least it used to be white w/black pistripes, NOS one. All the hardware was super tarnished, paint was yellowed like a smokers teeth (no offense) and was still asking $1349 with no case. When I commented that Musicians Friend had them for $1049, the salesman approached Ed about the price and said he wouldn't budge since it was a low serial number. Call me retarded but do serial numbers really matter on a production model import? That's like saying it's a low serial number LTD or NJ series for Gods sake! Total f'n tool. I can see it mattering on something rare or collectible, but in terms of playability, for the most part I'd rather be buying a guitar a year or two after the model first goes into production, as by and large by then any design quirks and inconsistencies in production have usually been nixed out, and the average model off the production line is likely to be a better guitar. JMO.