Steel Notes Magazine
February 2017
Hetson , Charlie Paulson , singer Christian Martucci , and drummer Roy Mayorga . He played bass during 2011 for the band Stone Sour , including the band ' s Avalanche tour and their appearance at Rock In Rio . Jason is also the backing acoustic guitar player and singer for Corey Taylor ( lead singer for Slipknot and Stone Sour ) and the bass player for his solo band / side project Junk Beer Kidnap Band . Jason toured with Sebastian Bach from 2012 to 2014 , joining them at Rock in Rio 2013 . He also performed on their DVD “ Abacholypse ”. Jason also played bass in Prong from 2013-2016 , performing on the 2014 live release “ Unleashed in the West : Live in Berlin ”. He plays on the last album " Prong X No Absolutes ”. In 2016 Jason teamed up with old band mate Roy Mayorga , to play bass on the summer / fall tour for Ministry . Jason has also played with Dave Navarro , Jerry Cantrell , Scott Ian , Ace Frehley and Dave Lombardo ”. Jason was very friendly and even in the madness of fan signings , kept his sardonic humor alive and we had some fun goofing off .
Renee and I then split up . She went to the Tone Pros ( www . tonepros . com ) booth for the Doug Aldrich signing . ( www . facebook . com / DougAldrich . official ) “ He founded the band Burning Rain with Keith St . John in 1998 and has played previously with the bands Whitesnake , Dio , Lion , Hurricane , House of Lords , and Bad Moon Rising . In 2015 , Doug was touring as guitar player of former Deep Purple bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes band . He is currently in the band Revolution Saints and the Dead Daisies ”. I am very familiar with all of Doug ’ s music and he is one of the tastiest guitar players I have ever heard or seen . But I had to take a break so missed out on this one .
I went to the Hilton Lobby area for my “ lunch ” break . To sit and relax , take a breather from standing and walking . I am glad I did as I caught the band Union Hobos ( www . facebook . com / UnionHobos ). “ Union Hobos is an original high-energy rock band with a unique , timeless sound that captivates all ages of music fans . The melodies are a mix of Old Time Rock & Roll , Grunge , 70 ' s Rock & Country that will stick in your head long after the concert has ended ”. They are a mainstay of the NAMM event . Their set was a great blend of country rock rootsy americana grooves . I just sat there in pure bliss enjoying my break .
We then met up and went to the next indicated thing on our agenda for the day . We met up with Hugh Thomas of 13 th street guitars , at the PLEK booth . ( http :// www . plek . com / en _ US / home ) “ The Plek Station is a high-end tool system for professional luthiers , guitar repair experts and technicians . The Plek Station is a compact machine developed around the high speed , high accuracy Plek technology but which is small enough to be used in repair shops , custom building and a range of other scenarios . It is a tool that not only performs precise fret dressing , nut slotting / shaping , bridge slotting and engraving but also helps with quality control and R & D . All of these procedures will reflect the working style and judgment of the operator , whilst at the same time allowing a far greater degree of accuracy . The Plek Station ' s ingenious scan mechanism gives you a way of looking at a guitar ' s fingerboard and frets in microscopic detail , as well as a way of working with that information . All scans performed on the machine are undertaken under string tension , either real or simulated , meaning that you see the contours of the neck and frets under actual playing conditions . This is a major breakthrough since the Plek illustrates precisely what needs to be done for perfect fretwork in any style , executes this rapidly , and delivers perfect results when the instrument is re-strung . In repair , the station achieves superior playability and frees the technician from time-consuming and strenuous handwork . Viewing a Plek scan allows the user to decide between dressing and a partial / complete refret by showing exact fret heights and projecting post-dress results . For luthiers , the Plek Station speeds up the production process and raises the quality of instruments to an extremely high and consistent level .”
Hugh was busy doing business when we got there and when he was done said hello and I took a picture with him and the PLEK machine . ( www . 13thstreetguitars . com ) ( www . facebook . com / 13thstreetguitars ) “ Hugh comes from a long line of woodworkers and is continuing the family tradition . Staff Sergeant with 10 years of electronics repairs in the United States Marine Corps , Top of his class at Musicians Institute , and now thousands of happy clients later , Hugh is still keeping quality of work as his # 1 priority . Constantly learning and evolving the field of stringed instrument repair , Hugh has developed techniques and attention to detail that keep clients coming back again and again . Fine fretwork , setups , electronics installations with meticulous quality , custom projects and modifications . All work performed at 13th Street Guitars is done using Hugh ' s techniques and strict quality control . All work is guaranteed 100 %”. I have been going to 13 th street guitars for over 10 years . I
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