Originally posted by JohnnyBravo:
I kinda grew out of that phase pretty quick though as I discovered I couldn't keep up with those guys.



I know that feeling all too well!

First time I went "back to basics" was a month or so after MegaDeth's "Countdown To Extinction" came out. I had listened to Cacaphonys album, with Marty on it, so I knew where the album would be going. I had a friend, that I jammed with alot, and he could play every song on the album. I tried and tried... Lord knows I did, but I just couldn't. For several months, during this time, I would easily play almost 10 hours a day. Not to mention high school and the whole girlfriend thing. Needless to say I failed that year of school and we all know the GF story. So I went back to playing more classic rock stuff and getting my technique more in check.

After awhile, I started picking up things that I didn't learn before. Things like EVH type stuff and whatnot. That soon lead me to Steve Vai, which took me back to Joe Satriani. I was kicking along just fine, even got really heavy into Pantera (which I still am). And then I heard Dream Theater's "Pull Me Under". That song energized me and my playing so much!! But I couldn't anything else from the album, or figure it out anyway. I worked and worked, but couldn't get it. I had plenty of time to work on it too, because the band I was in, at the time, had broken up just before I heard DT. It all really worked out, as far as timing went. But I simply regressed back to simpiler things, to gain the technique that I missed before.

But this time was different... Because I got really heavy into Stevie Ray! This is when I sold everything I had except my HM Strat, which is the one pictured above, and my Peavey Special 150. I spent two nights a week at a friends studio, hanging out with some old timers and improvsing blues style music for about a year.

Life sorta took over at this point and the rest is nonhistory. I am not getting rid of the HM Strat, but am starting to look around for something a little newer. I have refreted the Strat two times and last week made what I think will be the final adjustment of the truss rod.

I have been eyeballing this puppy here...



Like Hetfield, I have loved ESP's for a long time, but the change I would have to throw down for one... that I want!(MH-1000)... I cannot justify. So, I thought this might be a decent compromise, after a little research I'm not so sure. Seems as though Agathis wood, which the body is made of, sounds really really horrible. So I will keep looking and reading...

Phillip Jackson `98 Mystique LS 262K+ and counting... ATX rebuilt @ 151K "This storm has broken me, my only friend!" RIP Dime