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 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

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.

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

November 26th, 2021

Homeskoolin’ Friday Night One Take Freak Out

Chapters
00:00 - Building a loop / Bass
01:10 - Switch to guitar


Notes
I decided to do a one take freak out before going to have some curry at my favorite place on this lovely Friday night…and here it is lads…replete with the occasional “blue note” that goes along with any first take…..hahaaaaa

Oh…and guess what cats??? Plexi Soul CD’s are coming!!!!!!

August 10th, 2021

Homeskoolin’ Bonus Loop Only For You To Practice To

Chapters
00:00 - Track to play along


Notes
Ya know guys, when my solo record comes out very soon, theres gonna be TWO VERSIONS of it….one is the actual record, and the other one is gonna be the same songs but with my solos taken off so you can play along. In honor of that, here is the loop only from tonights broadcast you can jam to. This was two tracks of my red Firebird and one track of me on my 66 P bass.

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

April 25th, 2021

Homeskoolin’ Volume 103, Tom Bukovac, “Herkermer Pushbroom”

Chapters
00:00 - Def Leppard - Bringin On The Heartbreak intro
01:32 - Hello, class! / Genius guitar parts
02:26 - House party / Rolling Stones / Fine music
03:56 - Busy schedule
04:25 - VCB / Play what the song needs
06:50 - Wish some songs were different / Suggestions
07:36 - Major and minor connection - "Not how I approach" lesson
09:15 - Rare gear exception - Speakers / Pickups
11:50 - '51 Fender Precision Bass / 1st year for fretted bass


Notes
A brief chat on the art of making records and a look into the VCB

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