CNN article on B.B. King

CNN recently posted a nice article about B.B. King and how generally cool the guy is. Apparently he's setting up a little museum in his hometown in Mississippi. Nice. Here's a link to the article if you want to read it:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/30/music.kingofblues.ap/index.html

One section of the article that particularly struck me was how B.B. King was dissapointed by the lack of blues music on the radio in America. I'm annoyed by it, too. I really wish that you could turn on a "classic rock" radio station and hear something by Savoy Brown, Stevie Ray Vaughan, or even...B.B. King! Maybe I should give this satellite radio thing a shot.

Oh, and Live 8 is coming up this weekend. I'll post my thoughts after I see it (although I'm not interested in most of the bands playing in the various shows, the reunion of David Gilmour and Roger Waters sounds pretty intriguing.)

Albums

I'm bored. I have time. Here's my album collection:

The Allman Brothers Band
Live At The Fillmore East
The Best Of The Allman Brothers Band

The Beatles
1962-1966
1967-1970
Abbey Road
Anthology 1
Help!
Let It Be
Let It Be Naked
Magical Mystery Tour
Revolver
Rubber Soul
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles (White Album)

Bob Dylan - The Essential Bob Dylan
Dave Mason - Alone Together
Derek Trucks Band - Joyful Noise
Devo - Greatest Hits
Duke Ellington - Live At The Newport Jazz Festival '59
Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left To Lose
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
Grateful Dead - The Best Of Skeletons From The Closet
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters

Jeff Beck
Beck-Ola
Blow By Blow
Rough And Ready
There And Back
Truth
Wired

Jerry Garcia - Garcia

Jimi Hendrix
Axis: Bold As Love
Band Of Gypsys
Electric Ladyland
Live At Woodstock
Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection

John Lennon - Acoustic
John Mayall - Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
Kris Kross - Totally Krossed Out

Led Zeppelin
BBC Sessions
Led Zeppelin I
Led Zeppelin IV (Zoso)

Los Lonely Boys - Los Lonely Boys
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

Neil Young
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Harvest

Nirvana - Nevermind
Paul Halley - Angel On A Stone Wall
Paul McCartney - Back In The U.S.
The Presidents - The Presidents Of The United States Of America
Rage Against The Machine - The Battle Of Los Angeles
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

The Rolling Stones
Beggars Banquet
Forty Licks
Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!
Let It Bleed

Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour
Roy Buchanan - The World's Greatest Unknown Guitarist

Santana
Greatest Hits
Santana
Supernatural

Sly & The Family Stone - Greatest Hits
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - In Step
Taste - On The Boards
Thelonious Monk - This Is Jazz
Traffic - Welcome To The Canteen
Van Halen - The Best Of Both Worlds

The Who
Live At Leeds
Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy
Who's Next

The Yardbirds - Ulitmate!
Yngwie Malmsteen - Concerto Suite For Electric Guitar In E Minor
Yo-Yo Ma - Japanese Melodies

Micellaneous
Concert For George (Harrison)
Ocean's Twelve soundtrack
Matrix soundtrack

"Free Music"

Try clicking on the "Free Music" link on the sidebar. I dare you. :O

Speaking of Stevie Ray Vaughan...

I love his main guitar, the one Stevie called his "number one." He beat the living hell out of that guitar, and it would still pull through and provide that sweet, full, wonderful tone. Just take a look at the picture below:



Look at the size of those strings! They're like telephone wires! I don't know how he managed to bend those strings so far considering that they were so heavy. I know a lot of other blues players now mimic that strategy of using thick strings to get that slick sound, like Henry Garza of Los Lonely Boys.

Also, you just gotta love that worn out finish on the guitar's body. I believe Stevie Ray Vaughan bought that guitar used as it was, so that guitar definitely received its fair share of wear and tear. Just so cool; I wish my guitar looked (and sounded) like the "Number One."

the goodness that is Stevie Ray Vaughan

I went to the mall last night and bought a Stevie Ray Vaughan (and Double Trouble) DVD called "Live at the el Mocambo," because I heard it was a great show. Boy was I happy with my purchase. He's just such a vicious, agressive, soulful guitarist...and it all comes out in this one concert. I own a few other SRV concert DVDs, but this one is by far the best. Wow, I'm still recovering from watching it; the concert is that good.


SRV himself

My collection

I own a few instruments. I started playing guitar when I was six years old (which was about ten years ago; now you know how old I am *gasp*) on a no-name 1/2 size nylon acoustic. I later graduated to a 3/4 size Dauphin nylon acoustic, and I recieved my first electric guitar for my 12th birthday.

My electric is a Fender Stratocaster standard, made in Mexico. It was a new guitar, but I'm not sure exactly when it was made (I'm guessing around 1999 or 2000). It's black, has a maple neck, three single-coil pickups, tremolo...the basic package. I'll try and put up a picture of it sometime in the future. I haven't fooled around too much with it, although I plan on upgrading some parts in the future, like the pickups and the bridge/nut.

Right now I have a laboring Ibanez Tone Blaster 15R (15 watts, basic preamp stuff w/ reverb). It's done a good job until recently, but the nut of the input has been breaking off recently. Also, it's not really loud enough to use during a performance, so I may have to get a new amp soon.

Regarding effects, I have an Ibanez TS-9 distortion pedal and a Dunlop CryBaby wah, neither of which I use too often. I don't have a pedal board, nor a power supply, so it becomes kind of a hassle to set them up for a show or even for practice.

To sum up my guitar collection, I received a Guild acoustic after eighth grade. It plays well, although the neck is a bit sticky and I put way too heavy strings on it, but I still use it with some frequency.

I also have some random instuments: a few recorders, a harmonica, tin whistle, hand drums, stuff like that. I really focus on guitar, though. I'll delve into my favorite styles of music soon.

Welcome

Hello, my name is Billy, and welcome to my blog: Humbuck Coil.

Why Humbuck Coil, you ask? Well, the title comes from the name of a part needed to complete a Humbucker guitar pickup, the coil. I love music, especially guitar-focused blues and jazz, and I'd like to share my love for music with you. Hopefully I can teach you about what I know about guitars and music, and I hope that I can learn something from you, too.