I've got some advice for ya A.B......STOP BUYING EXPENSIVE PRS GUITARS & take up knitting......

Ok.....Jokes aside I'd like to know how you pulled off this early retirement too crhfish.........

Oh & I just thought of another instrument that I ROCK the hell out of & "No" it's not the skin-flute........Cowbell & of course MORE Cowbell......

"I've got some advice for ya A.B......STOP BUYING EXPENSIVE PRS GUITARS & take up knitting...... "

Ouch the truth hurts! I'm not even going to try to justify that one!

But fwiw, my wife doesn't read this site so you don't have to be on her side! haha

I'll throw mine into the mix . . . I don't have a ton of time these days to interact on the forum, but I'm out here lurking!

How old are you (range)?
33

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

What style(s) do you play?
It's varied throughout the years, but you could just call it "rock." I grew up on tour with my parents - all my early memories consist of singing into microphones in front of seas of faces in random places. Sort of a folk-rock style dominated my early music years. Started running sound for my parents around age 8, playing/singing with them as well as solo gigs. Early styles were country/blues/folk, high school was all about punk rock, went about as heavy as I could later (screaming and all), and have since found a happy medium somewhere in energetic epic rock-land with lots of delays, both dotted 8 and 1/4 note.

Do you play other instruments?
Yes

Which ones?
Vocals were always my main emphasis, guitar was for accompaniment originally. I also play bass, mandolin, some banjo, piano, the saw, or whatever else I can get my hands on.

Are you in a band (or have you been)?
Yes. Have been constantly in at least one band since I was 12.

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

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
Backing bands for album releases & tours throughout the years, producer & recording engineer, FOH, and for the last 11 years I've been the full time music director at an 1100 person church - think rock band, not choir.

At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals, worship, clubs, cruise ships, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?
Worship. I've had numerous opportunities in recent years to tour, etc., but Jesus has my entire focus & I serve where I'm needed the most for His glory - at this point in the local church.

How often do you play live?
At least once a week. Always with the 11R through the PA. I love it so much that I've sold almost all of my old gear.

Optional Q's
I'm married, have two kids under 3.

Other favorite hobby
Photography. Check out my flickr site for recent work I've done.

Examples of songs I've written, recorded lead vocals, played most of the instruments on, and produced/recorded in my home studio:
The Unknown
Almighty
You're Still Here

My office at work:




And in the spirit of X-Mann's extensive video post . . . I don't have many videos of me playing, but I found this one that someone at a conference videotaped with a shaky handheld camera and stuck on YouTube. It's just acoustic (through 11R believe it or not), but you'll get a good sense of "me." I actually play electric guitar 90% of the time with a band . . .

Great stuff man! Great pics, love the home studio. Thanks for posting the originals too man, sounds great!

We have the same Martin! \m/

How old are you (range)?
29 (Will be 30 next January)

How long have you been playing guitar (range)?
Since I was about 12-13...let's see, that's...carry the pi...I guess 16-17 years, but for about 5 years after I turned 19 I only picked it up on occasion so not nearly where I should be this long playing, got serious again at about 24 or so.

What style(s) do you play?
Hard Rock (old school and new, mostly original), Praise & Worship, Bluesy stuff...

Do you play other instruments? Which ones?
Trumpet, Bass, baritone uke...

Are you in a band (or have you been)?
Been in several, none that ever did anything much. Play full time in the church Worship team as lead guitarist.

Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)?
Never paid, but have been doing the church thing and lots of smaller cell groups and youth events with our church with just acoustic.

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
Church, cell groups associated with church, church events...lol.

At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals,
clubs, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?
Every week at least once, sometimes as much as 3-4 times.

How often do you play live?
Every week (again, just church though)...

Do you ever record with your Eleven Rack?
Weekly...

If so, do you record covers & or originals?
Originals only. I can enjoy covers, but not when I'm doing them. I would rather focus my energy on my original material.

Have you ever used your Eleven Rack out at a live gig?
Every week at church, works great, but looking to upgrade to the Axe Fx 2 in the not-so-distant future...

What are your favorite hobbies besides music & guitar playing?
Love to hang with my wife and kids, enjoy shooting guns, hanging with the church fellas, going to movies, writing (music & stories), griping about politics (lol), so on and so forth...

Optional Q: Married, single
Married 6 years to wonderful woman, 2 beautiful kids, Joanna (2) and Jack (8 weeks), Blessed man...

aussiebail,

I was in the oil and gas business, mostly natural gas. I helped start a company and had a minority interest. I was lucky, at the right place at the right time. The company went public, got really big, to big for me and I sold my shares. I had a non compete agreement that lasted for 2 years. By the time I could start up again the business here was a train wreck. It still is. I may jump back in just waiting until it feels right.

I did not help start the company because I wanted to. My company got sold and I did not want to move so I was forced to do something. I wanted my kids to stay put because they were doing good in school. Lucky, like I said. It was the right time to get into energy right after the Enron scandal.

How old are you (range)? mid 30s

How long have you been playing guitar (range)? 24 years

What style(s) do you play? Rock/Hard Rock & Metal

Do you play other instruments? yes Which ones? piano

Are you in a band (or have you been)?yes

Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)? yes but not so much anymore

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)? played everything from big arenas to small venues. Have played shows as tour support for: All American Rejects, 12 Stones, Hinder, Ace Frehley, The Nixons..

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

How often do you play live? 1-2 times per month tops

How old are you (range)?
Chronologically 57, mentally 12.5.

How long have you been playing guitar (range)?
About 50 years off and on. Out since 73+/-

What style(s) do you play?
At the moment, blues Staxx type band. Have played anything that paid money. Church to German UM-Pa music.
I'm naturally a ZZTOP fan (being from TEXAS), Johnny Winters, Warren Haynes, Allman Bros, Mountain, Trower, The Three Kings (Freddie, Albert, and BB) the BLUES in general since I was small. I don't know why a skinny young white boy from Galveston Tx would love the blues but I do.

Do you play other instruments?
No

Which ones?
NA

Are you in a band (or have you been)?
Yes. Blues band and a 4 piece Jam Rock Band.

Do you play (or have you ever played) professionally (full time)?
In the 70's and now. (I'm retired)

If so, at what level (clubs, concerts in support of a major label release, etc)?
Everything from small to med-large over the years.

At what level do you primarily gig now (large concerts, corporate events\festivals, worship, clubs, cruise ships, weddings, bar mitzvahs, house parties)?
Mosly clubs and corporate gigs now, but every so often something bigger comes up. Just played a gig for about 1500 at Pasadena fair grounds.

How often do you play live?
Two to five times a week.

Do you record with your Eleven Rack?
Yes

If so, do you record covers & or originals?
Both but I'm learning PT's and I use it for practice.

Have you ever used your Eleven Rack out at a live gig?
Yes, I'm trying to work it in more and more. BUT, I'm no X-Mann!

If so, how did it sound & work for you?
Amazing always. The included effects could be larger but, most everything is included to get you by.

What are your other favorite hobbies besides music & guitar playing?
Camping, Backpacking, Fishing

Optional Q: Married,
Yes, 3 kids two in college

I'm picking up on a lot of common traits between ALL of us for the most part.......& I think THAT is why this is such a cool place to hang-out & share your thoughts, ideas, songs, tunes, licks & pics.....

We all seem to be around the 12 to 15 year old mentality range, all love guitar, music, family, kids & we all wish we were just a little bit better of a guitar player (I want to be VSA if I grow up)...... & that's what keeps us going.......Plus we LOVE the 11-Rack like a FAT kid loves cake!!!......

I think most forums are like FaceBook so to speak where you ONLY post the good stuff going on in your life & or playing......but I believe that anything can be posted here.....people want to help & encourage each other on this 11-R forum........Plus I strongly believe in the "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything" phrase.....

SO....I encourage all the guys creating 11-Rack music, be it covers or originals to share what they are doing w/ no fear of being judged........In the begining I didn't want to share anything w/ VSA dropping AMAZING guitar licks & tones all the time.....but over the past few years I tried to learn from others here & challenge myself & I can really hear (to me at least) the progress in my playing & phrasing now that so much time has gone by.........

I've enjoyed this forum & it's User base more then I could have ever imagined......& I've found this thread very interesting in a lot of different ways too......

So share your music no matter where you are at in your musical journey....& my alter ego will give you a virtual fisting (aka fist-bump) or chest bump for your efforts...... & comming from a nobody/part time/crazy mo fo like me it should mean absolutley nothing really.....

I already salute everybody here who had the ballz to step up & share on this cool thread by Mr. Moff....... ....& hey all you LURKERS (Yea....YOU!), get a login & jump on in.....The water is fine & VERY warm in my end of the pool.... ....We'd love to see your gear & hear your story......

Peace! The 40-year old (Virgin) trapped in the mind of a 12-year old goof-ball kid...... (aka X-Mann)

PS - Thanks for letting me ramble like I do & try to bring the funny when I can......Just remember.....They can't all be jems people.....

See....Another 12 year old!!!!!

"X-Mann" is a mental creation of the player I want to be & not who I am (yea, right)...... ......I only post the good stuff & try real hard to impress (or not totally embarass myself) you guys.....

I do have over 50-friends on Facebook though & I can run like the wind now!!!!

Peace! eX-Mann