|
Q:
What is the history behind Guitargeek.Com?
GuitarGeek: The quest for unraveling the mysteries
behind guitar and bass player's rigs started
at a very early age for GuitarGeek founder,
Adam Cooper. During a childhood trip to Disney's
Magical Kingdom, Adam was found wandering to
the front of the Tomorrow Land stage to see
what those "big noisy boxes" the Surf
cover band, Papa-Doo-Run-Run, were playing through.
In later years, this curiosity continued as
some of the Geek staff went on to publish the
critically acclaimed underground music-zine
Whirlpool. Early versions of the GuitarGeek
layouts appeared within Whirlpool's earnest
and idealistic pages. This exposure led to the
GuitarGeek layouts being featured from time
to time within the slick pages of the alt-rock
magazine Alternative Press. The first internet
version of GuitarGeek appeared on the web in
late 1994. The simple block-like diagrams of
the Geek's early days were a far cry from the
site's current eye-popping schematics but the
site soon became the holy grail of onstage rigs
on the web. Since then, GuitarGeek.Com has won
numerous online awards for design and unique
content as well as being featured in GuitarWorld,
GuitarPlayer, Guitarist UK, Total Guitar UK,
The Net UK, and The Boss/Roland User Guide.
Q: What computers do you
use at the top-secret GuitarGeek Compound?
GuitarGeek: We enlist the aid of the following
high tech gadgetry to keep the GuitarGeek healthy
and happy:
Chicago MainFrame Facility:
Macintosh Blue & White G3/350 Mhz - 320 Ram
(Guitar Geek Design, Database, Sound Design,
Internet)
Macintosh Power Mac 7100/80 Mhz - 72 Ram
(Scanning, Printing, Faxing, and File Backup)
Macintosh Centris 650/25Mhz - 8 Ram
(Early Design, Word Processing, and Punishment)
Milwaukee Satellite Office:
Macintosh Titanium Powerbook 550 Mhz - 512 RAM
(Geek Development - Apache, MySQL, BBEdit)
Macintosh Blue & White G3/350 Mhz - 356 RAM
(Geek Staging Server, CVS Repository, MP3 Server)
Q: Where do you obtain
the information for the layouts?
GuitarGeek: Close to 95% of the information
we use to construct the GuitarGeek layouts is
gathered directly from the artists or road techs
in detailed interviews. In the case of reclusive
or deceased artists, we compile their rigs from
eye-witness accounts, live concert footage,
old magazine articles, or biographies.
Q: What computer programs
do you use to draw the layouts?
GuitarGeek: We use a simple combination of over-priced
graphics programs like Adobe Illustrator and
Photoshop to render the fetching images you
see on the site. We basically illustrate all
the images in Illustrator and prep them for
the web in Photoshop.
Q: Is there a Computer
Program that generates all these amps and pedals
automatically?
GuitarGeek: We wish! Each and every gadget on
the site is painstakingly drawn up one by one
by the Geek staff to bear a striking resemblance
to the original product.
Q: How long does it take
to make a GuitarGeek layout?
GuitarGeek: That depends on the complexity of
the rigs. The Cape Canaveral size setups of
guitarists like Toni Iommi or Eddie Van Halen
can take a whole day to construct whereas smaller
rigs that consist of only a single pedal or
amp may only take an hour or so. We also spend
a enormous amount of time drawing up new and
obscure pieces of gear as they are needed.
Q: What's the deal with
the Top 100 Layouts page?
The Top 100 list is strictly based on which
layouts on the site are viewed the most based
on our GuitarGeek stats program. It is not a
Top 100 list of all time.
Q: I play geetar! Can you post my setup?
GuitarGeek: Just because you and your good buddy
Skeeter just bought a new metal-flaked V-Wing
guitar, the newest Super Fantabulator pedal,
and have written 3 "freakin' killer tunes" in
your papa's woodshed doesn't mean that it's
time for you to submit your "rig" to GuitarGeek.Com.
I really wish we had the time to accept submissions
for every axe-slinger out there in riff-land
but unfortunately we can't. Aside from all the
major label guitarists featured here on the
Geek, the remainder are artists that are either
signed to small independent record labels or
have releases out on their own well established
labels. The big difference between these folks
and young Skeeter is that they are actively
releasing records, getting press in big magazines
or small zines, receiving extensive college
radio airplay, or touring the world in a beat
up Ford Econoline van. Get it?
Q: I play in really "awesome" cover
band. Can you post my setup?
GuitarGeek: Uhhh No.
Q: Where can I get the images to make my own
layout?
GuitarGeek: Be creative and draw them up yourself!
Q:
I love those cute little pictures! Can you send
me the gear images so i can make my own GuitarGeek
setup?
GuitarGeek: That's very flattering but i'm afraid
it's just not possible. We've spent countless
hours developing the look and feel of the GuitarGeek
site and would rather the images remain within
the design savvy realm of the site.
Q:
I've seen people posting their own crude versions
GuitarGeek-style setups on the internet using
your images. Can I do the same?
GuitarGeek:
Only if you like breaking copyright laws and
doing hard time in a federal prison.
Q: Why doesn't GuitarGeek.com
show exact amp and pedal settings in the layouts?
GuitarGeek: We have two fundamental reasons
for not detailing exact amp and pedal settings.
Reason #1: Most major label artists are on extremely
tight schedules and we are typically allotted
only 15-20 minutes to speak with most of them.
Since we chart the exact signal flow of each
and every rig, this is usually barely enough
time to cover the all the basics. Reason #2:
Start twiddling knobs yourself! Part of the
fun in getting new gear is exploring the sonic
limits of it. We've taken an enormous amount
of time to track down all this gear now it's
time for you to come up with your own unique
sounds and tone. Have fun!
Q: How long will it take
for my GuitarGeek request to appear?
We have no way of knowing really! Some artists
don't do interviews, some only do interviews
for a few weeks out of the year, some are no
longer releasing records, some are in the recording
studio and can't be bothered, some are on well-deserved
breaks from touring, and some are, sadly, dead.
Lining up these interviews is a very challenging
job and often takes zillions of phone calls,
a million or so faxes, twice as many emails,
and then sometimes, months and months of waiting.
Add up all these various factors and you see
what we're up against! We are as as curious
as the next gearhead to see more rigs but sometimes
these things take time!
Q: How often do you update
GuitarGeek.Com?
We strive to post 15 or more new setups to the
site every two weeks. However, due to the availability
of your requested artists, and everyone's various
scheduling snafus, sometimes this noble goal
is thwarted. If the site seems a little stagnant
please keep in mind that we are continually
working "behind the scenes" tracking
down your guitar heros and fiddle with new gear.
Q: "_________" (fill in
guitar hero) is the most popular guitarist of
all time! I can't believe you don't have him/her
on the site! Geez... and you call this a Guitar
Site???
A: It's all about getting interviews with the
artists. Keep in mind that the bigger the artists
the harder it is to actually get an interview
with them.
Q: Why isn't my guitar
hero on GuitarGeek.Com but this other wanna-be
is?
We don't play guitar hero-worship here! Within
the amazing GuitarGeek database we spotlight
artists that sell millions of records as well
as underground artists that sell less than 1000
records, artists that are world reknowned virtuosos
and some artists that can't play two chords
to save their life, artists that cherish their
instruments and artists that smash their instruments.
We love em all and hope you can learn something
new from every single rig depicted here. Just
because you see one artist on the site and not
another doesn't mean a thing. It just means
we haven't been able to interview your hero
yet.
Q: Most guitarist's rigs are posted all over
the internet. Why aren't they on the site?
A: There is a lot of information posted on the
internet for most famous guitarists. The problem
with most of this information it is that it
is usually just made up of simple gear lists.
While this is informative, it hardly gives us
exact details on how the artist's charts the
signal flow of their rigs. We prefer to interview
the artists or their techs to get the whole
scoop.
Q: Why do the GuitarGeek
setups read left to right? It seems backwards
since most inputs on real stompboxes are on
the right with the out puts on the left.
A: The main goal of GuitarGeek.Com is to trace
the signal flow of each player's rig. Reading
information from left to right is second nature
for most of us so that's why we chose to chart
the rigs that way. Despite this little switcharoo
we think you'll figure it out.
Q: I have a Big Muff and
my cables plug into the top of the pedal but
you show them plugging into the sides. I'm confused!
A: Well don't be my friend. In case you hadn't
noticed these layouts are basically cartoons.
We take a bit of artistic liscense in placing
where input and output jacks go on various devices.
This is mostly to keep the pedals, amps, and
effects modular so we can lay out rigs in a
timely fashion.
Q: What gear do you use
to test out new gadgets with?
We test all incoming gadgets with the following:
Guitars:
1970's Gibson 335 - 1963 Fender Jaguar - 1990s
Fender Jazzmaster - 1990s Fender Stratocatser
- 1970s Fender Telecaster - 1960s Wurlitzer
Pawnshop guitar - 1990s Rickenbacker
Amplifiers/Modelers:
1970s Fender Princeton Blackface - 1960s Silvertone
Twin Twelve - 1990s Ampeg Reverb Rocket - 1960s
Magnatone Model 450 - 1970s Fender Vibro-Champ
- 1990's Line 6 Pod - 2001 Yamaha Stomp.
Q: Where do you test new
equipment at?
All of our gadget tests are conducted here at
the Top-Secret State of the Art Guitar Geek
Test Facility located deep within the heart
of downtown Chicago.
Q: Why don't you have the guitar(s) of each artist illustrated with their rigs?
Great Cheops! Depicting each and every guitar in each and every rig would be a monumental task! Unfortunately, this would occupy so much of our already limited time that we wouldn't be able to post more than a few rigs per month.
Q: What happened to all the great artists you used to have?
With the relaunch of the site back in September of 2002, we revamped our entire gear image collection as well as the way the mainframe server displays our wonderful guitar and bass rigs. All the older rigs safely reside in the archival section of the Guitargeek mainframe. We are slowly redrawing these rigs and adding them to the new database with our monthly archival updates. Please sign up on the Geek Mailing list to be informed of these updates.
Q: I picked up an issue of BOSS User's Group magazine recently and it had a section which detailed artist setups in a remarkably GuitarGeek-ish fashion. What's the deal?
The wonderful people over at Boss are big fans of Guitargeek.com. With our kind permission, they have displayed select guitar and bass rigs in the 2001, 2002 and 2003 issues of their popular Boss User's Group Magazine.
Q: Does Guitargeek illustrate the rigs that appear in the Guitar World magazine every month?
Yes! We've worked closely with GuitarWorld for many years doing illustrations and even a few gear reviews. That relationship led to the creation of a new section of the magazine called "Vulgar Display of Power." We draw up the rigs and Nick Bowcot of Marshall amplifiers does the text. It is found on the back page of each month's issue.
Q: I'm a Guitar Geek! Can I get a job?
There are no jobs here! We are all doing lifetime internships.
Q: Is it really illegal to try and make your own geek diagram?
Yes.
Q: This is the coolest site ever! How do you do it GuitarGeek?
We drink from the divine and neverending well of sweet caramel nectar known to you mortals as Coke-a-Cola.
Q: There are a lot of missing artists in your guitar database.
Not really a question is it? That said, you can't really expect every single guitarist in riffland to magically appear on the site. These things take time my query-less friend!
Q: What do the GuitarGeeks do for a living?
Good question. Truth be told, we are all highly unemployable but do manage to survive by freelancing in the computer-related world of programming and design. Oh yeah! One of the GuitarGeek staff once lived a whole two days off of his whopping ASCAP royalty check of $38.56.
Q: Does GuitarGeek.com need any new guitar or effects reviewers?
If you'd like to write full-blown gear review for us please send in a few samples of your review-esque writing. If you've never been published just fabricate something. Whatever you do, do NOT send in a resume' this will only infuriate us. We hate our own resumes so why would we want to see yours?
Q: Where can I find other sites like yours?
You can't! We ARE The Guitar Rig Database! BwWahhaHahaHah!!!
Q: What if my favourite band has already broken up? Will you even try and get their rigs?
Of course! Most of our favorite bands have bitten the dust. Just click on the request section of the main page and make it happen. Uhmm... William Reid, if you are reading this, please send in your Jesus and Mary Chain guitar setup!
|
