I was thinking about this the other day... It's sometimes helpful if we know who we're talking to, so just as a matter of curiosity, I was wondering "who" our membership is. How many "pro" players, how many intermediates, and how many new players, and who are they?

So how about a questionnaire?

How old are you (range)?
How long have you been playing guitar (range)?
What style(s) do you play?
Do you play other instruments? Which ones?
Are you in a band (or have you been)?
Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)?
If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals, clubs, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?
How often do you play live?

I'll start:

How old are you (range)?
Chronologically 52, mentally 25.

How long have you been playing guitar (range)?
About 45 years.

What style(s) do you play?
Primarily rock\hard rock and NWOBHM, but I've also played blues, jazz, country, disco, funk, and pop/top 40.

Do you play other instruments?
Yes

Which ones?
Bass, drums, some keys. I also sing lead (baritone with some tenor range).

Are you in a band (or have you been)?
Yes. About 5 presently - a '70s disco band, a Chicago tribute, an Etta James tribute, and a couple of weekend top-40 bands. I also do a lot of freelance\sit-in work - I seem to be the guy people call when they need a sub for guitar, bass, or drums.

Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)?
You betcha.

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
Concerts supporting major label albums, though the majority of that was in the mid-late '80s.

At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals, worship, clubs, cruise ships, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?
All of the above . Mosly clubs and corporate gigs now, but every so often something bigger comes up. For example, I'm flying to Germany in July to play the Headbanger's Open Air festival.

How often do you play live?
Two years ago, I was down from every night to only 4 or 5 nights a week. But times have changed and clubs don't want to pay enough, so I only play a few times a month now. That said, the summer festival season is upon us, so the disco, Chicago, and Etta bands will be working a ton.

How old are you (range)?
Mid-30's

How long have you been playing guitar (range)?
20+

What style(s) do you play?
Alt-rock, Alt-country and singer-songwriter type stuff.

Do you play other instruments?
Yes

Which ones?
Mando, Slide, Ukulele, some Pedal Steel, keys, Hammond, drums, bass

Are you in a band (or have you been)?
Turning down more and more for studio work. Getting old, just love the studio more.

Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)?
Yep.

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
Again mostly studio stuff, my work is on TV, movies regularly... toured with bands in the last 15 years, got to meet a lot of great people and was fun!

At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals, clubs, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?
I produce, own a pretty nice studio and have a number of artists on my record label.

How often do you play live?
Once to twice a month.

I mostly geek out on the studio side. Been mixing and producing about 14 years now and have got to work with some A-listers and great people. Makes what I do sound even better. Trying to song-write more too, cause my work is on TV and movies but I notice the people that write the songs get the better deal :-) Also love my guitar collection, got my own signature guitar too made by Danny Songhurst.

Fun stuff...

How old are you (range)?
I'm in my 20's.

How long have you been playing guitar (range)?
8+ years.

What style(s) do you play?
Rock and Hard Rock, Metal, some Metalcore/proggy stuff, country, pop, funk, and dance (electronic).

Do you play other instruments?
Yep, I play trumpet and have been playing electric bass recently on some of my recordings (for convenience and lack of a bass player nearby). My vocal tone stinks, so I mostly keep to singing layered background vocals.

Are you in a band (or have you been)?
Yep -- Balanced is my main band. We do mostly classic to really hard rock. I also do studio session playing and producing with a few other acts in a few different genres.

Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)?
Yep. I had a session job for a while 2 years ago. Now the playing I'm doing is still largely "professional," but it's more on the independent label side of things, since I self-produce in my studio. I'm continuously expanding my personal studio, and hope to build it into a large and hopefully sought-after pro studio eventually.

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
Major label demos, major label songwriting/session work, publishing company showcases/demos, independent/smaller-ish studio session work, co-writing with/for other artists, etc.

At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals, worship, clubs, cruise ships, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?

How often do you play live?

I generally don't gig right now... being a full-time college student makes it really hard to rehearse and play live with my band. So pretty much everything I'm doing now is in the studio.

How old are you (range)?
39

How long have you been playing guitar (range)?
Several years of on-again/off-again

What style(s) do you play?
Metal. Faves are Zakk Wylde and Kirk Hammett

Do you play other instruments?
No


Are you in a band (or have you been)?
Yes, a Slayer cover band

Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)?
Nope

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
None

At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals, worship, clubs, cruise ships, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?
Home Studio =)

How often do you play live?
None.

How old are you (range)?
I am 43

How long have you been playing guitar (range)?
About 25 years

What style(s) do you play?
I like RUSH, Racer X, Greg Howe, Andy Timmons (coolest local guy EVER!), Yngwie, Dream Theater, Stride, Symphony X, Helstar, Pantera, Priest, Ark, Pagan's Mind, Adagio, Kansas, Maiden, Lynchmob, Dokken, Satch, Eric Johnson, SRV, Ed Guy, Cloudscape, Porcupine Tree, etc...

Do you play other instruments?
No..not really..I guess it depends on your definition of "play"..

Are you in a band (or have you been)?
Nope..No one wants an old, fat, ugly dude that sucks in their band..go figure?

Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)?
No..have made money from playing in the past, but not much, and never enough to live on for more than a few hours.

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
I played in "metal" bands in college and after, was in a band that won a "Battle of the Bands" and got to open for Blue Murder/Billy Squier (weird bands to tour together eh?)in like 1988, opened for Eric Johnson that same year, also opened for Greg Howe and his brother Albert (Howe II), then after college played with some cats that opened for Pantera a lot..they were local back then and played at "Joe's Garage" in Fort Worth several times a month..was coolest times of my life back then! But I suck now, so no one wants me

At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals, worship, clubs, cruise ships, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?
I don't. I just jam with a few other old guys near me now and again.

How often do you play live?
Every night I can..in my "man cave"..! LOL..!

How about a few more questions........

1) Do you record with your Eleven Rack?

2) If so, do you record covers & or originals?

3) Have you ever used your Eleven Rack out at a live gig?

4) If so, how did it sound & work for you?

5) What are your other favorite hobbies besides music & guitar playing?

Optional Q: Married, single etc...etc....etc...

Most of us that have been on this forum for the past 2+-years know most of this kind of stuff, but this could be cool for the newer peeps.....

Peace! X-Mann

How old are you (range)?
I feel like I'm in the early 30's range now that I've lost those 38 F-in lbs of fat....

How long have you been playing guitar (range)?
Since I was 12 & heard M.J.'s "Beat it" solo w/ some guy named Edward Van Something or other.......

What style(s) do you play?
90's covers, Pop & Melodic Rock & my own brand of original instrumental type melodic, pop, Tremonti infused Saraceno slippery legato type music......

ALL 11-Rack audio clips......

X-Mann Originals.......
http://soundcloud.com/udamann88/322-1

http://soundcloud.com/udamann88/hero-mix-1-no-master

Neil Zaza Cover of "I'm Alright"......
http://soundcloud.com/udamann88/im-alright-x-mann

Do you play other instruments?
I slap da bass man.......& program drums & Rap like a white boy in heat.......

Are you in a band (or have you been)?
I play(ed) for the all 90's tribute band "The X-Generation" for 3-years & was the sub for the Mega-80's band..........6-years at Kensington church as a non-paid player & 4-more as a paid Semi-Pro......(playing out & or even getting paid doesn't make you a pro though in my mind though)....It makes you a working musician & that's way cool too .....fwiw

Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)?
NO.......I played 50+ shows a year for 3-years straight (so a little over 160 shows in total)......but kept a day job.......& had to quit last year due to a great new job.......but I sure do miss the gigs.......& sub w/ other bands now that X-Gen folded.......

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
Bars......(The Fat Years....lol)


On T.V.............


More Bars....(Shitty Camera Phone Video)


Opened Sterling-fest for R.E.O. Speedwagon..........

Played side gigs at a Mega Church w/ some real Pro musicians......& used the 11-Rack..........(1st gig out w/ my 11-Rack & I had just lost the 1st 15lbs too)

More Church Chat......w/ the 11-Rack & I lost all the weight here......Yea!


At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals, worship, clubs, cruise ships, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?
When my job is not killing me (& it is) I fill-in all over the place........I like to write songs, make videos & do jams w/ my 11-Rack brothers all over the globe.......

I created a series of videos called "X-TV" that was 100% Eleven Rack influenced.......


Helped make a video for a global jam with all of my Brothers "O" Eleven.....


How often do you play live?
Every day I play live for my two dogs Rocco & Zeus.......& I think that they love just it! I also just did a global video jam w/ some new (& old) buddies that will break real soon........Lead by a very interesting/creative soul named Cranky.....somethin.....somethin.....Ray.....somethin....

I like to dress-up in costume & it doesn't take much to make that happen.......I love dogs & animals........Chicks with HUGE Racks........Beer........Going for long walks (ok, 13.1 mile runs..lol)......Being held tight on a cold night .......Beer......& anything to do w/ some dude named Mark Tremonti......Oh & add more boobs & even more beer & you have a great idea of who I am, what I look like, what I play like & what I'm all about.............I'm also a HUGE fan of THIS forum (& it's peeps) & the Eleven Rack.........The Eleven Rack is a game changer......It makes you a better player & helps you create music......

Oh......& I gave myself the nickname "X-Mann" & just loved it until my mom got on Facebook & started calling me it....... ....& now I'm fine w/ just plain old Tim......

Peace! Tim (aka X-Mann, Guitar Hobbyest, lover of music, Husband, Father & Alter Bridge lover) \m/

How old are you (range)?
I am 44

How long have you been playing guitar (range)?
About 34 years

What style(s) do you play?
Really like songwriting - all styles of rock, blues, pop. Love 80's hair metal.

Do you play other instruments?
Only a little.

Are you in a band (or have you been)?
Not currently. I was in a band in the San Francisco Bay Area called "The Particles" from 1990-2000.

Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)?
No.

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
I've played out at clubs. Only local band stuff though.

At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals, worship, clubs, cruise ships, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?
Not currently. I really love recording in Pro Tools and am engineering/mixing these days.

How often do you play live?
N/A

To answer X-Mann's questions:

1) Do you record with your Eleven Rack?
Yes, though not as frequently as I'd like.

2) If so, do you record covers & or originals?
Originals

3) Have you ever used your Eleven Rack out at a live gig?
Always

4) If so, how did it sound & work for you?
It's great live, for guitar and for bass gigs.

5) What are your other favorite hobbies besides music & guitar playing?
I used to play golf in the summer and hockey in the winter ( I AM Canadian after all, and if I didn't play hockey, I'd have to renounce my citizenship! ) I sucked at both, but it was fun and some exercise. But I don't do either much anymore; just work, piddle around the house, and hang with my wife and our two kids (9 and 13). Everything else seems to be music related - gigging, learning songs for another gig, maintaining my gear, writing.

Optional Q: Married, single etc...etc....etc...
Married.

How old are you (range)?
46ish

How long have you been playing guitar (range)?
36 years

What style(s) do you play?
Who knows? I just call it rock-n-roll.

Do you play other instruments? Which ones?
Keys, bass, Cajon, and I sing

Are you in a band (or have you been)?
Played with two bands for about a decade during the late 80s to late 90s.
These days I mostly play with church worship bands.

Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)?
Quit my job in 95 to go full time with the music, but by 97 my wife and I were building websites for a living.

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
clubs, youth functions, colleges, festivals

At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals, clubs, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?
Church worship bands

How often do you play live?
As much as I can.

Do you record with your Eleven Rack?
I'd love to but haven't had time.

If so, do you record covers & or originals?
I would record both.

Have you ever used your Eleven Rack out at a live gig?
Always

If so, how did it sound & work for you?
It has been wonderful, and I get lots of nice compliments on my sound.

What are your other favorite hobbies besides music & guitar playing?
Hey, I workout! I enjoy hiking and taking photos in the great outdoors.

Am I married?
Married my best friend in 1991 and we've been blessed to be able to hangout together 24 hours a day for the last 20+ years.