February 3rd, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 397, Tom Bukovac, “Trappy Birthday”

Chapters
00:00 - Trying out an acoustic and talking about birthday party / Shows
05:11 - George Gruhn enters the picture and a cool bass (George Harrison) / Tons of knowledge coming through
13:45 - Guthrie comparing acoustics


Notes
A little morning visit to Gruhn Guitars in Nashville TN…starring our birthday boy Guthrie Trapp, George Gruhn, Tony Nagy and a pair of ebony rod 43 D-28’s….
hard to beat the sound of that old wood friends

January 27th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 395, Tom Bukovac, “The Dregs Of Winter”

Chapters
00:00 - Jimi-esque Blues
04:13 - Rod Stewart? Hey, friends!
05:22 - Hey, friends part 2 / NFL / Taylor Swift / Josh Allen
07:18 - Lesson: Quick pickin lick
07:54 - Goldtop Gibson Les Paul neck pickup
08:36 - Watching NFL
09:35 - Bluesy playing / Whispering guitar / Tweed Deluxe
10:56 - VCB (Viewer Comment Bin) / Hiwatt, Sound City, Orange amps / Big Daddy Don Garlits
12:43 - Sustain, not feedback
13:07 - Good guitar through crappy amp or visa versa?
14:34 - Cliche chords and dissing guitar players for using them
14:45 - Lesson: Funk voicing
15:58 - Fun work week...
16:15 - "Guilty" on dissing common guitar voicings... / Be more decisive on your choices
17:55 - Back to Fun work week / Music business / "Old car in Country video"
20:25 - "When will you be happy with your guitar collection?" / Buying, selling guitars to get what you want
22:10 - Lesson: Picking and skipping strings
22:38 - Gibson ES-150 / ES-350 Charlie Christian
23:49 - Passion - going through life without passion
26:23 - "Cool pedal?"
27:24 - Fender Precision Bass color suggestions


Notes
Uncle Larry tries to give some comforting words about the dead zone we are now entering ….now that the season is officially over.

Brace yourself friends…for the dregs of winter

it probably should be noted that in approximately 1100 videos spanning the last five years, I have never once asked you to “like” or “hit that subscribe button”….

however, if you guys ARE in fact learning some shit from these videos and you are in fact getting some real entertainment and actual enjoyment out of them, it’s never a bad idea to hit the ol' tip jar…donations are my love language...it always helps and it is always EXTREMELY appreciated

PayPal is Tombukovac@gmail.com.
Venmo is @Tom-Bukovac-1

here's that old hippie refin bass....i forgot it didn't have a guard...been a long time since i've seen this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm_KZSYSiGc

January 25th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Bonus Jam “Untitled”

Chapters
00:00 - Plucking into an amazing melody with bass


Notes
Some Saturday morning driving music for the class...i just put this up so i didn't forget it...

just gimme a studio, some coffee with half and half, a good engineer, some synths, a drummer and a cool singer….see ya in a few hours

January 14th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 389, Tom Bukovac, “The 101 Club”

Chapters
00:00 - Looping with brethren instruments
09:31 - Hello, friends! / Blake Shelton
12:26 - Don't feel like talking / Lake Placid Blue Fender Stratocaster & matching Fender Precision Bass
15:19 - 5 way switch, position 2 and 4 are too dark / Forgotten sound


Notes
Uncle Larry REALLY felt like playing some guitar (and bass) tonite after getting home from day two of tracking with dearest Blake Shelton at the legendary Blackbird Studios in downtown Nashville TN.

Blakes new album is finally “in the can” after the last three years of working on it.

Loving these two old instruments that are featured in this little poorly lit video….(replete with the phone falling right off the “camera stand” in the heat of battle) and thought you guys might enjoy seeing them together.

They have known each other in a past life….

These two rosewood board sex kittens were built right on the cusp of when the original Fender factory in Fullerton was taken over by the CBS bean counters…both instruments are very close in serial number…and they both have aged to the EXACT same greenish hue from their original Lake Placid Blue .

If anyone out there has the Telecaster to compete the set I’m all ears

Thanks for watching friends.


oh, and if you guys want to learn about "advanced phrasing techniques" check out this fella....
i've been told it's VERY deep stuff, but i don't quite understand it yet....maybe some of you guys can help me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWdUDiGhSv0

January 10th, 2025

The Guitar Case…..A Brief History

Chapters
00:00 - Snowing in Nashville
00:40 - '63 Fender Jazz Bass / Case
02:54 - Earliest Fender case owned
03:46 - '60's Fender cases ('60, '63, '64)
05:22 - Gibson cases (Les Paul)
05:45 - Gibson archtop cases ("California case")
06:56 - Gibson SG cases
07:33 - '62 Gibson SG case
07:55 - Early 60's Gibson / ES-335
08:30 - '70s Gibson cases / Doubleneck case
09:28 - Gretsch case '60s


Notes
Hello friends …Uncle Larry might be snowed in, but that doesn’t mean he can’t make a little video that shines a little light on the most criminally overlooked part of the whole wide world of vintage guitars ….the guitar case.

Uncle Larry takes you through several decades of these often forgotten and highly under-appreciated vessels that kept all the guitars of yesterday in one piece.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll learn, you’ll complain…but mostly, you will REMEMBER.

Ladies and gentlemen…I bring you…episode one of the critically acclaimed one part one season docu-drama…”The Guitar Case”

January 10th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 388, Tom Bukovac, “The Feed Trough & The Egg Basket”

Chapters
00:00 - Rockin' out to a loop, starting with bass
11:47 - What's up friends / Snow day / Fires
12:54 - Lesson: Circle of fifths & fourths
15:10 - Don't ever put all your eggs in 1 basket / Multiple feed troughs
19:25 - Pet peeve of fired musicians / Trash talking head musician / Networking
25:51 - Lesson: Faster, cleaner chords
27:28 - '58 Gibson EMS 1235 double neck / Less than 100 built / Abalone Vintage


Notes
Tom Bukovac heats up the tubes in old narrow panel tweed Deluxe on a snowy day in the not so Deep South….and also recounts the ancient tale of “the basket and the trough” (that’s pronounced “troff” Stringlocker…you know, like one of those things cows eat out of?)

January 7th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 386, Tom Bukovac, “Mic It Up”

Chapters
00:00 - Beautiful sounds from the 90s
08:43 - Hello, friends! / MN Chorus / Talking Scott Baggett / Christmas lights
10:40 - Loading out shows / Bands and being a bass player
12:16 - Phases of guitar players life
13:53 - Tube amps vs modelers / Oxbox
15:27 - Miking an amp / Different kinds of mics
19:37 - Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix
20:20 - Lesson: Demonstration of miking an amp (video)



Notes
Uncle Larry explores the dynamic subtleties and tonal possibilities of a couple 70 year old P90s and gets into some deep talks regarding mic’ing tube amplifiers

the microphone tutorial at the end was made by my dear friend Drew Bollman....engineer to the stars...
thank you my dear man

January 3rd, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 384, Tom Bukovac, “Empress New Clothes”

Chapters
00:00 - Some crunchy goodness
02:25 - Hello, dear friends! / Morgan Wallen
03:54 - Dan Huff and producing record
05:49 - Empress new drive pedal / Controls / Distortion
07:13 - Gibson Les Paul Goldtop clean into amp
07:35 - Pedal demo
09:12 - Bass to match Lake Placid Blue Strat
11:30 - VCB (Viewer Comment Bin) / Getting excited about music / 1978 Elvis Costello / Bruce Thomas bass
13:47 - Born without tone? / Being able to decifer tone
16:13 - Did you see you have a stalker?
17:48 - Nasty weather
18:37 - '57 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop / Outro playing


Notes
This is basically a live recording from 1978…try to imagine being in a band THIS good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KI9eN-AY1s

December 26th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Volume 381, Tom Bukovac, “Lake Placid Christmas”

Chapters
00:00 - Spacey Rock jam
01:04 - Hello, friends! / Christmas
02:21 - Betting games and winning money /  Chris "Sticks" McHugh setting up drum kit
04:02 - VCB (Viewer Comment Bin) / What Rocks harder Strat or Tele?
04:20 - Strat Rock
04:39 - Tele Rock
05:03 - Tom needs to Rock Out more / What's wrong with mellow?
06:18 - Sports Bar Blues vs. airport "Tootsie's Bar" Alt Country?
07:28 - Why do you like old stuff? / Old stuff is made better
08:14 - Fender solid state amps analogy
09:27 - Forgotten era of sound
10:03 - John Cordy video distorted story / Modeling amps vs old amps
16:05 - Insane burst feud with Voyxu
20:32 - '65 Fender Stratocaster Lake Placid Blue & matching bass
22:13 - Lesson: C#min cool buzz sound



Notes
Uncle Larry gets deep into some post Christmas VCB

Happy holidays dear friends

December 13th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Mad Loop Friday”

Chapters
00:00 - Playing bass to a loop
01:04 - Switching to overdub guitar
02:14 - Another overdub


Notes
Uncle Larry gives it to ya on a Friday night old school r&b style

A little thing I made up through a luscious old 64 electric instruments twin reverb

When I was a young man, you were TRULY SOMEBODY if you had yourself a twin reverb…it was a rite of passage…still is I suppose

November 1st, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Nashville Guitar ER”

Chapters
00:00 - Show off Lin Crowson shop


Notes
Lin Crowson fixes my chopper 63 Fender Azz Ass

You can reach Lin on instagram (i_got_broke_guitars) and Facebook

June 4th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “On The Job....(Analog Version)"

Chapters
00:00 - Setting up session to play bass
03:11 - Recording the song


Notes
Uncle Larry plunkin' on his old '59 P bass in his natural habitat once again...

ya' know come to think of it, I've actually had that old bass longer than 95% of my other instruments, i remember buying that thing back in 2007, right after getting booked on a very lucrative Faith Hill tour haha.

Working at one of my alltime favorite studios all week, Reel Recording in Nolensville TN, a magical place that was conceived, built and operated by the one and only Shannon Forrest.

Mr. Forrest is an absolute genius, current drummer of Toto and formerly of Steely Dan and Mike McDonald.

The boy is an expert on 2” tape machines and cool analog gear in general, and one of the finest recording engineers in the world...the sounds he gets in his place are simply fucking unBELIEVABLE, for lack of a better word.

You may remember we cut the whole Plexi Soul record there years ago.

When you work at Shannon's place you are taken back in time, hearing the sound of real analog tape machines and using giant racks full of the OG hardware versions of all the legendary pieces of outboard gear that all these plug ins that people use nowadays are modeled after.

It's just the coolest shit ever, and not only does Shannon REALLY know how to operate all that vintage gear, the boy knows how to fix all of it too.

A true renaissance man...i would be afraid to find out what his IQ actually is.

I literally cannot find the words to describe how good that old analog tape sounds when you are standing there at that beautiful old SSL console.….it’s still the best sounding shit I have ever heard to this day. The shit that it does to drums and guitars is just magic.

I'm producing a record out there all week for a dear gal from Rochester named Kathy Wilson.
Got a smokin little combo together consisting of Shannon on drums…Jerry McPherson, John Shanks and myself on guitars and basses....and sweet Timmy Lauer on keys.
Lots of fun.

November 13th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “I Have A Mansion…”

Chapters
00:00 - Getting ready for the show


Notes
The unmistakable sound of Joe Walsh…it has NOTHING to do with any gear. I have personally witnessed him play through literally 500 different amps and about 1000 different guitars from five feet away or closer…and it always sounds EXACTLY the same.

So keep that in mind regarding any upcoming gear purchases you may be considering.

Having an absolute ball out here in San Diego kids…fun and crazy rehearsal yesterday.

So great to see all these old friends and have a blast playing some killer old rock and roll songs.

This little video stars sweet Nathan East..my dear old pal Joe Vitale, sweet Victor, Mark Reis, and Joe’s wife, sweet Marjorie.

She makes my whole day when I see her out there in the crowd dancing and boogyin’ her ass off during rehearsals…such a great vibe, kinda like Stills….not

I have also come to really look forward to the inevitable moments when our friend Stephen (undoubtedly the most thoughtful joyous well adjusted person in rock and roll history) comes out to the gigs where I am hired by the person in charge to play guitar, and then kicks me off the stage before I have even played a note…always a highlight for me.

If he would just be nice to me for 5 seconds I could help him fix whatever is going on with those re-everythinged old tweeds that look like they got puked on by Hendrix Himself that he struggles with…hahaaa

but as a wise man once said to me many years ago (in a slow southern drawl) “Tommy, you just can’t help some people”

October 10th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Bonus Jam “Wish You Were Graffiti”

Chapters
00:00 - Recording of Tom playing with Page and Waters and adding some sugar


Notes
Sometime…somewhere…in the very distant past….Uncle Larry engaged in a cosmic jam with Jimmy Page and Roger Waters….

For many decades it was thought that this strange and surreal event was never recorded…but this extremely rare footage was recently unearthed.

Our editors worked tirelessly to restore the tape to as close as possible to it’s original condition, please disregard any signal degradation and tape warble.

November 15th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Purple Rain & Tickets Go On Sale Wednesday”

Chapters
00:00 - Marshall amp
02:09 - Behind the scenes (Joe Walsh) / Folding Bicycle


Notes
https://www.ticketweb.com/event/tom-bukovac-uncle-larry-w-3rd-and-lindsley-tickets/12680615?pl=3rdlindsley

October 17th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Volume 168, Tom Bukovac, “The Shank”

Chapters
00:00 - Bass loop playing
03:00 - Hello, class! / Update
04:03 - '63 SG / Playing
07:17 - Lesson: Chord changes
09:11 - Playing over loop - winging it and winning
13:12 - Thanks


Notes
Uncle Larry makes a crazy loop in front of God and Everybody….and takes a ride on a stolen 63 SG….

Fall is here

Chargers minus 4.5 tonite…thoughts?

October 9th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Volume 166, Tom Bukovac, “And Your Bird Is Too Bright”

Chapters
00:00 - Funky playing on the bass
04:06 - Hello, class! / Loop
04:42 - ZZ Top swag / Sessions
05:32 - Lesson: Loop chords and little tablature
06:41 - Overdubbing loop and hitting out of the park
11:00 - Insight thoughts during playing / Motif or theme
11:54 - Steve Hackett and certain tricks / decending 6ths
13:35 - Firebird guitars / Brightness 250k vs 500k pots


Notes
I took a brief hiatus from some heavy gambling to film this little odyssey…this one goes out to Ray Dietrich…who changed the world forever in October of 1962…exactly 60 years ago…wow

Big thanks to all those who watch regularly and steal all my licks and concepts…use them in good health my friends.

Today’s amplification provided by Benson Electronics from Portland Oregon…the model is a very limited run of 3x10 tweed Bandmaster clones they recently made called a “Benmaster”

somewhat inconsequential side note:
from 3:04 to 3:06 is a good illustration of the kind of musical "telepathy" that can only come from one person...(the subconscious break in the rhythm in EXACTLY the same spot on both instruments)...that kinda shit fascinates me.

Paypal tip jar is tombukovac@gmail.com
Venmo tip jar is @Tom-Bukovac-1

September 14th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Volume 165, Tom Bukovac, “Flutter And Wow”

Chapters
00:00 - Hello, class! / Video intro about loop building lesson / '62 Strat
01:17 - Loop: Starting the loop
02:04 - Loop: Changing loops
04:02 - Get the bass / Tuning
05:38 - Lesson: Chords and progression
07:30 - Harmony H22 hollowbody bass
07:56 - Loop: Bass recording and play along
10:49 - Getting ready to solo / Looper
11:40 - Loop: Practice soloing
13:00 - Marshall 50-watt Combo Amp / Cleaning it up
13:45 - Loop: Restarting the loop for solo
16:35 - Tone (pickup, pedals)
17:34 - Loop: Take 1 soloing
20:33 - Summarizing


Notes
Uncle Larry takes the class along on a leisurely stroll to looptown….with a cameo appearance by his son’s old Harmony H-22 hollowbody bass.

Ampluhmicatiun provided by a ‘78 Marshall JMP 50 watt 2x12” combo with master volume.

If you guys are indeed learning and enjoying these meager low cost tutorials…the tip jar is just a click away…and it’s TOTALLY on the honor system.

paypal is tombukovac@gmail.com
venmo is @Tom-Bukovac-1

if you wanna buy some Homeskoolin merch go here...
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/me...

if you wanna buy my album "Plexi Soul" go here...
https://tombukovac.bandcamp.com/album...

if you wanna buy the album i made with Dean Deleo go here...
https://tripthewitch.bandcamp.com/alb...

I GREATLY appreciate all the past donations my good people….a couple bucks here and there makes this all make sense, and it keeps the old fridge stocked.

Thank you for watching friends, i mean it

September 13th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Bonus…”The Grass Is Always Bluer On The Other Side”

Chapters
00:00 - Kentucky Thunder warming up some fierce Bluegrass Country


Notes
I played a crazy gig tonite kids….a tv show honoring Vince Gill called “Giants” on CMT network….it’s supposed to air on sept 16.

I was in the house band playing behind some real bad asses….like Sting, Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood and many others…got to see a lot of cool people and re-connect with some dear old friends.

One of my very favorite parts of the whole gig was the fact that our band dressing room was right next to the Ricky Skaggs's band Kentucky Thunder's room, and we got to hear them warming up before the show….and they were kind enough to let me film a taste of it. i was quite surprised and honored to hear that a couple of the fellas are Homeskoolers.

Sweet guys and an absolutely INCREDIBLE sounding group of musicians….i sometimes try to imagine what it would be like to pick a banjo like this…must be a whole lotta fun

Personnel:
Jake Workman: acoustic guitar
Russ Carson: banjo
Gavin Kelso: upright bass
Mike Rogers; rhythm guitar
Dennis Parker: arch top guitar
Luke Bulla: fiddle

August 22nd, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Volume 159, Tom Bukovac, “Window Or Aisle?”

Chapters
00:00 - Pink Floyd - Mother play through (David Gilmour)
00:46 - Finally home / Thanks
02:19 - Listen to actual song / Compare
03:28 - Lick lesson
05:10 - VCB (Viewer Comment Bin)
05:40 - "One who dies with the most toys..."
06:49 - "Don't be sad" / Spider-Man
07:35 - Montage / Old gear
12:20 - Podcast - Tony Lucido, Paul Moak
12:59 - Epiphone Casino / Gibson SG / Les Paul Goldtops
16:45 - Old Rickenbackers and surgery / Bass cap (old Marshall)


Notes
Lord it’s good to be home…sweet Jesus.

Check out the Amazing Dawgs Tony and Paul on this podcast here if you're bored…pretty funny stuff