August 9th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 483, Tom Bukovac, “Playboy”

Chapters
00:00 - Those Blues are played
06:42 - Hey friends! / Dead clean Gretsch Playboy amp
09:02 - Blistering gig with Vince Gill / Band being tight
13:35 - Ann Wilson gig and getting tight
14:07 - Finding quality through Instagram post about restaurant (Deg Thai)
16:40 - Hellcat stereo system / Dire Straights - Tunnel of Love / Bob Seger - Night Moves


Notes
Uncle Larry plugs straight into some of Valco’s finest work …and raises questions to The Lord Himself about the great and eternal mysteries about the magical powers of live music.

This circa 1960 Gretsch Playboy amp is the cleanest one you will ever find kids....Ebo worked on it and when he handed it back to me he was like "dude, that thing is fuckin' CLEEEEEEEEEEAAAAN"...

he rarely says shit like that
1500 LOCAL PICKUP ONLY friends

two things Uncle Larry doesn't do....
1) eat oysters
2) ship amps

the thumbnail is some poor kid puking out of the back of an Uber on lower Broadway that i captured last night on the way home from the gig... welcome to Nashville Tourist Hell my friends

You might want to re-think that next summer vacation....

here is the link to Uncle Larry's new instructional guitar course...over eight hours of detailed professionally shot multi camera lessons with tabs....
if you check the comments and look at what people have commented on Gearpage (if you can stomach it) t has been getting rave reviews from even the most skeptical tight ass consumers who desperately WANTED to hate it.
https://www.brettpapa.com/maximum-lar...

And here is a link to the new “Maximum Larry” t shirts and all other Homeskoolin swag
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/to...

if you are being thoroughly entertained by the content of this channel, and you feel led to make a donation to the guy behind the guy, please feel free

the guy behind the guy's PayPal address is:
tombukovac @gmail.com

the guy behind the guy's venmo address is:
@Tom-Bukovac-1

August 7th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 482, Tom Bukovac, “Hot Tub Larry”

Chapters
00:00 - Altoids box amp
02:31 - Something Tony Iommi would play
02:40 - Lesson: Bending root note to sound like 60s
04:23 - VCB (Viewer Comment Bin) / Hornswaggling & horsetrading / Hot-tub Larry
06:44 - Replacement speaker for Deluxe Reverb?
07:36 - Gus video (Stalker Guy) / Lying about $1,000
09:29 - Learn to trust a blank calendar / Tumbleweeds
12:15 - Descriptions of videos / English language
13:35 - Straw tone and descriptive words for sound / Lynyrd Skynyrd neck pickup solo?
16:49 - Coated strings and other things


Notes
Uncle Larry delves into some blazing hot VCB and serves up some breath freshening tone with an old 55 LP Custom an a custom amp built into an Altoids box made by the fine folks at
Deluxe Amplification out of Dayton TN
www.deluxeamplification.com

August 5th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 481, Tom Bukovac, “The Mind Of The Musician”

Chapters
00:00 - Peavey amp
02:15 - Bench video


Notes
Uncle Larry...aka "the hornswaggler"...delves into the ancient psychology that bounces around inside the mind of the average working musician.
He discusses the paranoia of work scheduling…and even sheds some light on the up and down rollercoaster of emotions that are always at play during the many seasons of the typical lifer musician’s career…all whilst putting some brand new D'Addario 013s on a 64 j-50

My dear Grandma used to always say "The Lord loves a good old Peavey amp"...

these old Mace 320T's are not easy to find...these were purportedly the ACTUAL models that the Lynyrd Skynyrd boys REALLY used in their heyday....six power tubes delivering 160 watts of bone crushing Mississippi Marshall tone.

this particular example is barely limping along and definitely needs some love, but even considering all that it STILL sounds damn good.

i would bet this amp has never even been serviced one time in these first 50 years of its life... but the thing still runs, and even the reverb and tremolo effects still work.

i have said this many times in the past and i will say it again...Hartley Peavey was DEFINITELY the Leo Fender of his day, making affordable "field replaceable" gear that the common man could fucking COUNT on every night, no matter what the gig or the conditions were like.

i would like to personally thank a Homeskooler named Christopher Kueffler for dragging this beast down from the snowy north.

I've been listening to these old Skynyrd records RELIGIOUSLY since i was a boy....i always wanted to mess with one of these amps just to see if there was any of "that Skynyrd magic" in them, even though i always suspected it was just their hands making those tones, and not that particular amp....

however, to my amazement, in just a brief amount of time messing around with one, i can already immediately tell that these amps REALLY ARE responsible for delivering a large part of that legendary tone.

on several old Skynyrd tracks, i always thought Gary was getting what i picture in my mind as a "straw" tone...
there's a fizziness to the distortion on a lot of his sounds that reminds me somehow of a distorted guitar sound coming through a straw...follow me on this friends.
there's like a reediness to the distortion that makes it unique.

this particular lead break on "saturday night special" is one many examples of that "straw tone" in my humble opinion.
i also would bet my bottom dollar that Gary was using the neck pickup of "Bernice" on this solo, with the treble on the amp cranked.
you can hear it if you listen REALLY close...it's a neck pickup, not the bridge

prove me wrong friends..

August 4th, 2025

Homeskoolin' Bonus "Enter The Dragon"

Chapters
00:00 - Jimmy Page Super Dragon amp
02:02 - Playing the amp


Notes
Uncle Larry gives ya a tour of a very cool new amp built by the folks at Sundragon out of NYC

Everything about this amp is about is deluxe as you can get, even the way it was packed in the shipping boxes with the covers on it was a work of art

This is obviously the result of someone building an amp and sparing absolutely no expense in the process ...the absolute best shit money can buy...which I reckon would explain the 22K price tag

I kinda get the same feeling playing this amp that I do when I fire up the old Durango Hellcat for whatever that's worth

Hope you enjoy this video friends

Trying to capture the sounds of this beast with an iPhone mic is like trying to put an ocean in a ziplock sandwich bag, but hey, we do what we can around here

here is the link to the Sundragon website...cool stuff here friends
https://www.sundragonamps.com

August 3rd, 2025

Homeskoolin' Volume 480, Tom Bukovac "A Guitar Is Born"

Chapters
00:00 - Bringing a Strat back
20:16 - Playing the Strat


Notes
Holy shit friends....I've doing this a looooooong time and I seriously don't think i have ever been so completely stunned by the way a guitar turned out after a MUCH NEEDED mini- restoration

check out this site friends....there is a BUNCH of really good shit on here
https://musiccitybridge.com


And….I just realized that Dann Huff finally launched the YouTube channel he has been talking about doing
I am so excited for him
Check it out friends
• The Experience with Dann Huff

August 3rd, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 479, Tom Bukovac, “First Glimmer Of Fall… Transitions…”

Chapters
00:00 - Looping some sweet tunes
06:21 - '69 Gibson SG Standard
07:00 - '58 Fender Telecaster
09:02 - Chopped '59 Fender Stratocaster
10:21 - '53 Fender Telecaster Blackguard


Notes
Uncle Larry regroups after the final run of his busy summer touring schedule….
it's been a TON of fun, but like the old saying goes, it's good to home friends

Special shout out to all the sweethearts who came out last night that I failed to mention in this video
Jimmy and Jill Fox
Frank Amato
Mark Reis

Great times boys...Hello Cleveland!!

here is the link to Uncle Larry's new instructional guitar course...over eight hours of detailed professionally shot multi camera lessons with tabs....
if you check the comments and look at what people have commented on Gearpage (if you can stomach it) t has been getting rave reviews from even the most skeptical tight ass consumers who desperately WANTED to hate it.
https://www.brettpapa.com/maximum-lar...

And here is a link to the new “Maximum Larry” t shirts and all other Homeskoolin swag
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/to...

if you are being thoroughly entertained by the content of this channel, and you feel led to make a donation to the guy behind the guy, please feel free

the guy behind the guy's PayPal address is:
tombukovac @gmail.com

the guy behind the guy's venmo address is:
@Tom-Bukovac-1

July 30th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Controlled Psychedlia”

Chapters
00:00 - Playing Doors - People Are Strange


Notes
Take a trip with Uncle Larry and his old buddy Leo “Lidor” Ellis

July 29th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “For Old Car Lovers Only Part 2)

Chapters
00:00 - Pontiac GTO history


Notes
A nostalgic look back through almost 60 years of history here friends...
i have pieced together the full list of the four owners of the 1967 Pontiac GTO

1) Frank Musso (1966-2012)
2) Al (don’t know last name) (2012-2020)
3 Bruce Shaw (2020-2024)
4) Uncle Larry (2024 to present)

it’s truly amazing how organized some people are....due to Frank Musso’s amazing record keeping, this car is one of the few old cars left that tells a real story
hope you guys enjoy this walk down GM memory lane

July 28th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 478, Tom Bukovac, “Breakneck Redneck Mock Turtleneck Bottleneck”

Chapters
00:00 - Nice, mellow playing with some slide into rockin' Cash Blues
13:40 - Working at the Al Capone castle / Jeff Steel
15:58 - Thank you for course!
18:26 - Spitfire tortoise guard on Jeff Senn guitar / Singing and playing
22:19 - Steely Dan and Walter Becker and not giving a fuck


Notes
Uncle Larry gettin pretty weird on a Monday night before the NFL football season starts...

remember when i sold off my ENTIRE extensive late 60's Marshall collection a while back in one fell swoop?
well....i've slowly rebuilt that stash over the last year....and now i'm back up to 3 old basketweave cabs and 4 plexi heads haha.. i suppose you could say it's an illness friends

here is the link to Uncle Larry's new instructional guitar course...over eight hours of detailed professionally shot multi camera lessons with tabs....
if you check the comments and look at what people have commented on Gearpage (if you can stomach it) t has been getting rave reviews from even the most skeptical tight ass consumers who desperately WANTED to hate it.
https://www.brettpapa.com/maximum-lar...

And here is a link to the new “Maximum Larry” t shirts and all other Homeskoolin swag
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/to...

if you are being thoroughly entertained by the content of this channel, and you feel led to make a donation to the guy behind the guy, please feel free

the guy behind the guy's PayPal address is:
tombukovac @gmail.com

the guy behind the guy's venmo address is:
@Tom-Bukovac-1

July 28th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “How To Play Slide Guitar In Under 5 Minutes”

Chapters
00:00 - Lesson: How to play slide


Notes
A made this quick video tonite for a friend of mine who is starting to get interested in playing slide.

I just wanted to show the extreme basics of what I learned about slide in the early days so he doesn’t adopt and practice any bad habits

but sadly the video was too long to text to him, so I just decided to post it here on YouTube instead ….

Who knows, maybe it was a sign from God (or whoever/whatever you believe in) that this little video might actually be beneficial to more than just one person in the end

Hope this helps kids

I absolutely love and HIGHLY recommend these slides made by Liquislide
https://theliquislide.com/

They are AMAZING …check one out friends

The guy who designed them says they have scientifically proven that the liquid that is inside them makes a difference to the sound ….
Hell I don’t know, maybe it does …honestly I don’t even care about that.
I just LOVE the way they feel…best slides I have ever tried

July 27th, 2025

Homeskoolin Volume 477, Tom Bukovac, “Mona Lisa’s Blues”

Chapters
00:00 - Ole time Rag
08:24 - Hello, friends! / Schedule from Gill gig
09:17 - '56 Danelectro Bass
10:24 - Old car show? / Hellcat
12:00 - Derek & The Dominos - Layla (Eric Clapton)
14:15 - Derek & The Dominos - I Am Yours
16:00 - Lesson: I Am Yours
18:35 - Jimmy Gordon


Notes
Just checkin in with my Homeskoolers after getting home from a weekend run with Little Vinnie's Traveling Circus

This summer has literally flown by my friends

Seems like just yesterday we were firing up the first rehearsals for this gig...
and now this upcoming weekend is the final run for our little ensemble…

and just take a guess what fine city will be hosting our final out of town show....

if you guessed Cleveland Ohio, you were correct.
how fitting right?

Here is the link to Uncle Larry's new instructional guitar course...over eight hours of detailed professionally shot multi camera lessons with tab....
if you check the comments and look at what people have commented on Gearpage (if you can stomach it) t has been getting rave reviews from even the most skeptical tight ass consumers who desperately WANTED to hate it.
https://www.brettpapa.com/maximum-lar...

And here is a link to the new “Maximum Larry” t shirts and all other Homeskoolin swag
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/to...

if you are being thoroughly entertained by the content of this channel, and you feel led to make a donation to the guy behind the guy, please feel free

the guy behind the guy's PayPal address is:
tombukovac‪@gmail.com‬

the guy behind the guy's venmo address is:
@Tom-Bukovac-1

July 25th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “For Old Car Lovers ONLY”

Chapters
00:00 - Shop where GTO was worked on


Notes
Warning…if you don’t give a fuck about old cars, PLEASE skip this video IMMEDIATELY and move on to the next “10 things you are doing wrong at the sports bar blues jam” video you were planning on watching

Todays feature?

Kiwi Classics and Customs in Franklin TN
https://www.kiwiclassicsandcustoms.com

It literally took me 56 years of searching before I found a single guy who works on old cars who isn’t clinically insane

and here he is…

This is his YouTube channel
• 67 Pontiac GTO, Tip Top Rag Top!!!

…and once I post this video he will be too busy to ever work on my stuff again

Bob’s your uncle

July 24th, 2025

Homeskoolin Volume 476, Tom Bukovac “From Pontiac To Kalamazoo”

Chapters
00:00 - Black Sabbath - Changes / Ozzy Osbourne & Beatles influence
02:21 - Tour bus on the road
06:27 - Picture this groove
09:25 - '67 GTO
12:42 - Paco from Argentina
14:51 - '61 Gibson J50
15:37 - Looking forward to show
16:12 - Friend Paco Gibson shootout
17:02 - R8
17:32 - Burst
20:18 - Neck pickup
25:25 - Conclusion


Notes
Uncle Larry checks in from the road ….this video covers a very wide everything from Nativity In Black to His/Her shifters

We start out with a small tribute to the Oz….
followed by a moment with Ronnie Mullins, the greatest bus driver in the history of show business

Then we have a new song and a check in from uncle Larry….here’s a link to the video of Kiwi working on my 67 GTO convertible for all you old car nerds
• 67 Pontiac GTO, Tip Top Rag Top!!!

and lastly we have my dear old friend Paco giving us a quick shootout between a new Gibson R8 and a real 1958 burst, Argentinian style

you can certainly hear and feel the difference in this video….but I have to say, actually being IN THE ROOM, the difference between these two instruments was “shocking” to say the least…and a good illustration of the contrast between two instruments with WIDELY varying price points.

Here is a link to my new instructional course friends
https://www.brettpapa.com/maximum-lar...

And here is a link to the new “Maximum Larry” t shirts and all other Homeskoolin swag
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/to...

July 22nd, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Bonus, “Summer School Of Rock “

Chapters
00:00 - School Of Rock


Notes
Hello friends

my dear sweet boys just completed summer camp at School Of Rock in Franklin TN and they absolutely LOVED IT

Over the years we have put them in a million different summer camps….indoor stuff, outdoor stuff, you name it….with varying results and wide ranging reviews….

but School Of Rock has been a huge fucking HIT with both of them….they loved every second of it.

If you’ve been on the fence about trying this with your own kid, I am telling you now friends…just DO IT!

You will not regret it

July 21st, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Two More Days Friends”

Chapters
00:00 - Rocking with the wah - Mick Ronson style
01:23 - Mick Ronson wah / Brett Papa course
02:44 - Boss BP-1w Booster / Preamp / Thanks for many gifts
04:03 - '65 Gibson Firebird / Controls and layout
06:50 - Lesson: Tom Morello boing
08:08 - Lesson: Coolest note in E (Bb)


Notes
my dear friends and fellow rock and roll enthusiasts, these next two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) are the last two days to get my instructional course at the discounted $199.00 price tag..after that it goes up to the original list price of 299.00
https://www.brettpapa.com/maximum-lar...

Here is the link for the new t shirts kids...
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/to...


Also special thanks to:
Greg for the cool Cleveland mug
Chris for the tiny amp built into an Altoids box
Pete Thomas for the Larry’s hair putty

You guys are all sweethearts for being thoughtful enough to send gifts ...i appreciate it

and....i may have found just the thing to cover that nasty route on that chopper 68 Telecaster bass i got recently ...an original 70's Hunter Ronson tour sticker

looks a hell of a lot better with a cool pickguard don't it?

Todays rig
65 Gibson firebird I
Gretsch 6161 combo amp made by Valco

July 21st, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Thank You Letter”

Chapters
00:00 - Blues playing
03:24 - What's up, friends! / Tal/Buk show thank you
05:02 - Packages sent to the Bukovac Office catching up
06:00 - Thank yous


Notes
This video says it all for me right now

July 21st, 2025

Homeskoolin’ PSA “3 Things To Tell Ya”

Chapters
00:00 - Stomp tune
00:03 - Brand new t-shirts
00:55 - Tal Wilkenfeld and Tom Bukovac show
01:19 - Reverend "Gristleblower"


Notes
Hello dear friends

A few things to tell u real quick today

1) If you want a bitchin new t shirt go here
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/to...

2) you wanna see the most unrehearsed cover band in the history of music tomorrow night go here
https://www.3rdandlindsley.com/tm-eve...

3) if you wanna support a great guitar player who happens to be a fuckin really sweet guy check out Greg Koch

July 14th, 2025

Homeskoolin' Volume 475, Tom Bukovac, "Just South Of Hell"

Chapters
00:00 - Mamas Papas / Bon Jovi / Boston / Yes medley
00:24 - It's hot!
01:13 - Mick Ronson Wah
02:47 - '75 Guild G212 12-string / Guild F412
04:08 - Bent finger
04:30 - Uncle Larry's Garage Sale
05:27 - Jeff Senn
08:30 - GTO
09:19 - Friday night gig


Notes
Lord it's hot

I think its the first time in history that the humidity has actually exceeded 100 percent

The Guild is sold

Here is the link to the new t shirts!
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/to...

Here is the link to my guitar course friends
https://www.brettpapa.com/maximum-lar...

July 13th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 474, Tom Bukovac, “Hybrid And Lonesome”

Chapters
00:00 - Playing from the heart on '74 12-string
02:55 - Top of the pop
03:34 - Hi friends / Road update / Playing
07:27 - Stream of unconsciousness / Paying to record a song
09:02 - More lessons about hybrid picking
12:33 - Picking out individual notes


Notes
This one goes out to my dear friend Eddy Dunlap…the amazing pedal steel player in my current band

Pop a top for old uncle Larry friends

Here’s the link to my guitar course
https://www.brettpapa.com/maximum-lar...

July 12th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Bonus, “20 Finger Discount”

Chapters
00:00 - Professional playing


Notes
so, if you’re impressed by the keyboard room….just wait til you see the whole house!

here’s a little document displaying the mind numbing touch and talent over there on stage right

The legendary John Jarvis (piano) and Moose Brown (B-3)

I’m absolutely mesmerized by these guys every night, it’s literally amazing to watch and listen to

these cats are as pro as it gets

Team work makes the dream work friends