June 12th, 2023

Homeskoolin' Volume 227, Tom Bukovac, "Got A Girl In Cincinnatti..."

Chapters
00:00 - Song and dance, without the dance / Medley Michael Jackson - Beat It
03:45 - Thank you for comments / Robert Baker help with YouTube Channel
05:00 - Old concert programs (Eddie Van Halen photo of guitars)
06:10 - Wynonna Judd / Dave Letterman / Epiphone Crestwood best "chopper" ever had / Dan Huff story
07:30 - '64 Lake Placid Blue Fender Jaguar
08:00 - Cranking the mute on (cool sound, but goes sharp) / Adjustable individual string mute
09:45 - NFL cards (Hewrtitt Dixon)
10:36 - Kameron Marlowe - one-take singer / James Otto - loudest singer
12:00 - Coming to Nashville and getting vintage acoustic guitar with songs in it
13:00 - Watching YouTube and numbskulls who don't know shit
15:30 - "Strat Tuesday" video and joke / Ole Clevelander
16:25 - "Catch 22" band, spandex, hair, metal, glam
17:00 - Hearing damage & wearing ear protection / Hearing aid story
18:13 - Meaningful compliments are from people that don't overuse them / Club soundman compliment story
20:56 - Strat video comments / Rewire Strat tone controls
23:00 - Strat guitar shape & ergonomics


Notes
Uncle Larry talks about mutes and numbskulls.

September 17th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Saturday Night Bonus Jam “Point Of Contact”

Chapters
00:00 - Playing the chopper


Notes
Hello friends…a while back my dear dear friend sweet Greggy Voros gifted me a wonderful old 54 Esquire chopper that i have been slowly but surely trying to turn into the monster that i absolutely know it can be.

From the start this guitar had a hell of a lot going for it (super lightweight and the neck is to die for) but it had a long way to go. It started with refretting, then trying to find the right pickups…i ended up finding some great pickups, an original bridge pickup from a 1960 tele custom was a nice addition.

The original bridge saddles were driving me insane, so i just had my dear old friend Phil Crabtree install a set of Callaham compensated steel saddles. I picked it up from him today, Philly works alongside Tom Murphy at the Gibson custom shop. He is one of the sweetest kindest souls that has ever walked this earth. Thats him pictured at the end of this video.

Lord did these saddles help a lot…a MAJOR step in the right direction. The intonation is sooo good now, the string spacing is perfect, and the thing is just ringing beautifully acoustically, great sustain.

I swear the older i get i am focusing more and more on what i have always called the “point of contact” in guitars.

The purity and trueness of the way fretted and open notes pop out of a guitar, whether its electric or acoustic. The way the notes ring and sustain without an amp.

It’s the first thing i look at when i am checking out any guitar I haven’t seen before. It’s amazing how many guitars there are out there, even “high end” instruments, that just have terrible “point of contact”.

Strangled sounding dead notes all over the guitar, which could be caused by many things….a shitty bridge, bad fretwork, a fingerboard that is separating slightly from the neck, a pinched nut slot, and the worst offender, just plain dead wood.

April 11th, 2021

Homeskoolin’ Volume 102, Tom Bukovac, “Smear Chopper”

Chapters
00:00 - Rock jamming with bends
05:05 - Hello, class!
05:17 - Thanks for 100 & 101 shows
06:00 - "Never fronted a band" / Orbiting
07:16 - Eastlake / Gildan
07:43 - Gibson "Chopper" / Trace Foster
08:47 - Tweed Deluxe / Pedals / Rock playing
09:40 - Duesenberg giveaway at show / Thanks


Notes
Sunday post gig reflections and some gratuitous smears on an ugly old chopper that has stolen my heart.

Sincere thanks to all you Homeskoolers for your undying support.

Homeskoolin merch available at www.guitarhouse.net
Paypal tip jar is tombukovac@gmail.com
Venmo tip jar is @Tom-Bukovac-1