Tweed Couch Guitar Therapy Session

It seems there is always something. Managing the home, kids activities, maintenance of vehicles, work, sleep... There is always something that can get in the way of becoming a better player or simply getting to play the instrument that we love. Of course, it's not that these things aren’t important either. A matter fact they are likely more important which is why it is so frustrating to not be abl...

My start into the music world came as a teenager playing campfire songs for my friends in the church youth group. Soon that turned to playing in a garage band with some friends. We played a pretty eclectic catalog of Skynyrd, Nirvana, Police, Sublime, Tom Petty… My brother joined a music ministry group and that is when I started really paying attention to Christian music like Jars of Clay, Newsboy...

As mentioned in the podcast intro, I am not a licensed therapist. What I am is a Doctor of Chiropractic. With that said, I couldn’t get anyone to do a group therapy session with me… so I think I will do another ailment that plagues the musician and this problem is: Low Back issues. But what causes low back problems?  Should I go see a doctor? Can low back problems be prevented? Is there a way...

For years I have wanted the much hyped Gibson Les Paul 1959 Reissue. Of Course, there are many reasons to want this iconic, desirable Holy Grail guitar. And honestly there were even more reasons that held me back from purchasing but today was my day! But… What makes an R9 different? How close is it to the real deal? Is it really worth about $7k usd? Did I actually pay that much? What compelled me...

Fender guitars have been an icon for as long as the solid body electric guitar has been around. The telecaster was the innovation people were looking for. The stratocaster was the look people loved. Then the Jaguar and Jazmaster wowed the world with glitz and style. Of course where would they be without a quality amp behind them. Fender amplifiers have also been there from the beginning. Inspiring...

There are times in everyone's life when they know exactly what they want and this is no different for a guitar player. It could be a guitar like their hero, an amp with all the features, the pedals with the cool name and sound, or other gear that fits the look and mojo. Whether it be for tone or the aesthetics, we are puting compromise aside and diving in deep to the what and the why of no comprom...

Have you ever owned a guitar that you loved but wished were a little different? Maybe you wanted a guitar you couldn’t necessarily afford. It could be that you have particular wants but the guitar doesn’t exist. If any of this sounds like you then you are probably in the market for a Partscaster. But what is a parstscaster? Are there any iconic players who use them? What have we owned and why? Doe...

Back in the last week of July, my 13 year old cork sniffer Owen and I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee and visited 6 guitar shops in one day. We checked out the iconic stores of Gruhn’s and Carter Vintage. We toured the more modern stores of Gibson Garage and Guitar Center. We looked outside the box and made our way to Corner Music and Fanny’s House of Music . But what are these guitar stores like...

There is nothing more frustrating than putting your heart and soul into a guitar performance just to find out afterwards that you were barely heard. It is easy to blame the drummer banging on their skins. It is easy to blame the bass player who thinks the low end is where you find the energy. Its easiest to blame the keyboard player who believes they need to play all the bass notes and the middle...

Join Dr. T and Lloyd as they do a short story therapy session of what it was like to tour Germany right after the Berlin Wall went down.

Unless you started playing electric guitar in the 50’s or 60’s, almost every electric guitar player starts their journey with a solid state amplifier. Some then move on to tubes, others to modelers, and some stick to solid state. Regardless of where you started or ended, no one can doubt the impact of a tube amplifier. Of course, there are vintage iconic amps from Fender, Marshall, Vox.. The moder...

After over 20 years of festivals in Oshkosh Wisconsin, Life Promotions has extended Lifest to Johnny Cash’s Farm in Bon Aqua, TN. Of course, with a new region and a new venue, you can expect some new challenges to present. Fortunately for Life Promotions they have a recipe for success with bands they know, competent production companies, dedicated volunteers and workers, and a drive to make this f...

I remember when I first learned guitar and I couldn’t afford a Fender Stratocaster. I wanted to look and sound like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Van Halen, Jimi  Hendrix… Eventually I ended up with a Fender Strat but it didn’t look or sound like the ones my heroes played. So I started modding. Of course, there is way more to sounding like these icons than parts and materials bu...

Back in July 2000 I went to a festival in Wisconsin with a band named Echelon. I still remember watching other bands like Audio Adrenaline, Third Day, Relient K, and the OC Supertones. So much fun. From 2004-2008 I started going with my own band named Second Adam where we were known to play anywhere between 5 and 7 shows over the course of the 4 day event. A few years later I became part of Stage...

Barber shares a terrible acoustic gear fail which inspires Dr. T to share his fail with an acoustic as well. Check out this episode of the Tweed Couch Guitar Therapy Session where we share a short story from the couch.

One of the greatest compliments a guitarist can receive from a manufacturer is the opportunity to have their own signature gear made. Whether it was Les Paul, Zack Meyers, David Grissom, or Jarod James Nichols. The list goes on and all of this gear is almost as impressive as the person who inspired it. Of course, most of these instruments weren’t designed simply to just sell widgets. They were des...

Jason goes on a "Guitar Safari" for a new acoustic and comes home with more. Check out this episode of the Tweed Couch Guitar Therapy Session where we share a short story from the couch.

I remember when I was 13. I remember thinking the tone came from that sweet guitar. Slash on his Les Paul. Stevie on his Strat. Edge on his explorer. Richards on his Tele. BB on his 345. Of course, eventually I would play these guitars and wonder why I couldn’t sound like them. So I started tone chasing. Ultimately I found myself in the same place that many other budding guitarists found themselve...

Broken strings, burnt tubes, bad cables. These are all gear issues that can ruin a show. Of course, many of these problems can be prevented with proper maintenance of your gear but sometimes these things just happen. This is why having a good backup is important in the event of not just complicated problems but catastrophic failure. But how often should you change tubes? What do you do with a scra...

If you have participated in a guitar forum. If you watch YouTube reviews. If you have talked with a sales associate at a guitar store. Then you have likely experienced cork sniffery. If you have only played a hand full of tube, modeling, or solid state amps but believe tubes create ultimate tone for all. If you believe you can only get a great tone from expensive gear. If you believe the logo on t...

There is nothing more frustrating than being musically inspired or having a gig coming up but not being able to do it because of health problems. As mentioned in the podcast intro, I am not a licensed therapist but I am a Doctor. I have a Doctorate in Chiropractic and I have been licensed to treat patients in the state of Texas since 2012. So I think it might be time for me to educate the world on...

Whether you have just a few guitars, pedals, and amps or you have a warehouse full like Billy Gibbons or Rick Neilson. At some point in your life you find yourself wanting to sell your gear to either pay a bill, make some room, or to buy more gear. Whatever your motivation, know that you share a common thread with people like Eric Clapton, David Gilmore, and Ted Nugent who all sold a number of the...

Not everyone is cut out to be a touring musician. Not everyone is a session player who shreds 7 days a week. You may love playing guitar by yourself in your room or in the garage with your buddies. Maybe it's your calling to serve at church or teach lessons. But usually at some point in a musicians hobby or career they decide they would like to try playing in front of people.  But how do you...

Back in the 50's, 60's, and 70's, before the internet, guitars were either purchased locally or from a catalog. A local guitar shop would often become a hang out for musicians who wanted to see what was new or talk about what they liked. As the 80's and 90's came into full swing, so did the big Guitar Shop chains. Sam Ash (1924) and Guitar Center (1959) expanded out of their respective states and...

The KEMPER PROFILER™ is a leading-edge digital guitar amplifier and all-in-one effects processor. As a guy who has used many “modeling type” amplifiers, this was the first digital guitar amp to really nail the full and dynamic sound of what we call “guitar tone”. For me, it gave me that “amp in the room” or “amp on the recording” sound. Now part of what makes the Kemper special is the ability to p...