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eric johnson's decent into madness

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3/25/2000 8:37 PM

eric johnson's decent into madness

so i'm flipping through the useless may 2k issue of guitar player--which they insist on sending me for free?--and i come to a page about ej's live rig (24). here are some quotes:

"fuzz faces are really temperamental, so i use a rubber band to hold the pedal together because the screw that secures the bottom plate affects the sound."

"the distance between the pedals really affects how sweet and pure the distortion is--which is why i place the tube driver _on top of_ the echoplex."

in the final paragraph, the writers notes that ej "likes brass cable connectors ... because they roll off a little high end."

-------

rant_mode

how can he possibly stand going to a gig somewhere and plugging in his power strip to some *UNKNOWN* line supply--after all, he strikes me like one of those audiophiles that claim they can hear the difference in power cords. i'm shocked he doesn't have a contractor come in and certify the power before he plugs the amp in. i mean, where does it stop? the nuke power plant? the quality of plutonium?

how long does he take to decide on which tube to plug in and use?--that makes a difference WAYY more than this other crap!

perhaps i've got tin ears... i don't think so. i do think i'm GODDAMNED lucky i can't hear differences of screw placement in my amps and metallic construction of interconnect plugs. seriously, i couldn't take it and would end up in a straight-jacket.

sorry eric, but i think this is 99% psychoacoustical, and 1% real. christ, it all strikes me as blatanly OCD. someone should a/b/x him... where's arny krueger when you need him?

/rant_mode

kg

3/25/2000 9:46 PM
Marc	Ken: Is there a chance that EJ is just tweaking the interviewer's and reader's reality? It seems to me that a rational person couldn't really make those 'screwy' statements without a tonge superglued to his cheek. On the other hand he might have been standing to close to his own speakers for to long and shaken his brain loose. Marc

3/26/2000 6:28 PM

quote:
"Is there a chance that EJ is just tweaking the interviewer's and reader's reality?"

I don't think so after meeting him once. He truly is obsessive and his tech told me about some really wacky stories of things had to go through because Eric swore it made a difference. I think he's a great player but worries about all the wrong things (IE: removing screws from stomp boxes, etc, etc)

Than again if he was pulling a "spoof" on the reporters it's a strang thing to do because it makes EJ look like he's out of his mind when the artical goes to press! (ha, ha)

quote:
"It seems to me that a rational person couldn't really make those 'screwy' statements without a tonge superglued to his cheek."

This is true, provided he is rational and does not suffer from O.C.D.

quote:
"On the other hand he might have been standing to close to his own speakers for to long and shaken his brain loose."

Ha, ha....this could also be true! (ha, ha)

Speakerlunacy: Madess brought on by being subjected to high spl's for long periods of time from a speaker cabinet.

3/25/2000 10:09 PM
Mike D.	Zig-Zag vs EZ-Wider I wonder why Eric didn't discuss this. This is very essential for proper tone, and magazine interviews.

3/26/2000 2:20 AM
Marc	wonder if that with the glue or without. guess we'll never know. Me, I prefer no glue, less mess to get in the way of a good draw.

3/26/2000 6:20 PM

Of course, any real DIY-er has built at least one water pipe from hardware store parts, and amazed his friends (but the jocks still got the girls).

Wow, it's been years... I don't even want to KNOW what the stuff costs theses days! I'll stick with caffeine and alcohol (and the occasional antihistamine).

Reid

P.S. "Why, when I was your age we had to walk five miles to school, and you could get an ounce for $25."

3/27/2000 4:04 PM
pHiLtHy	>>Of course, any real DIY-er has built at least one water pipe from hardware store parts, and amazed his friends (but the jocks still got the girls)..... P.S. "Why, when I was your age we had to walk five miles to school, and you could get an ounce for $25."<< Uh-hum... a real DIY-er didn't have to even pay the $25 ;^j pHiLtHy

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