This channel documents my journey as a music lover and a musician.
Ever since I could remember being able to hear, I remember the music I heard. My parents would play music from their favorite artists, as loud as our ears could handle, daily. They played it all except for Heavy Metal and Punk Rock. My interest in these aggressive genres of music is where my journey as a musician began.
It took me close to 5 years to evolve from the garage, but once I did, I went on to do countless recordings and concerts, as well as work with many reputable names in the music industry. You will see that I have the videos to prove it.
"Prog Rock Jock" is a nickname that an old bandmate gave me 20 years ago. He called me this because I was obsessed with Prog Rock. Plus, while I always denied it, he felt I was a bit athletically inclined.
I couldn't think of a better name for this channel, so I picked this one because I just wanted to get on with it.
Let's Jam!
-August aka Joe
Пікірлер
thanks man... this made me go on a little Pixies-youtube-bender, checking some late eighties live gigs
I bought a used squire and the owner swapped out the "squire" logo for a regular precision one. So I don't own a squire.😂 I did a setup, filed the frets, slapped some pickups and it's a player. I've done a tone of sessions with them, nobody knows the difference.
Wow an old Wreck Room shirt. I played there a few times in the early and mid nineties.
I was around 22 and I traded my 68 or so Jazz Bass for a new Aria Pro II (John Taylor of Duran Duran was playing one). That is the biggest gear regret I have, it’s the one that got away😢
00:26 Good stuff, keep it up
Sounds great ..wow..what a voice! That bass tone is pretty sick, too...i wish i could hit that high note! Bravo, PRJ!
Thank you! I appreciate it!
Amazing job, my friend....what a voice! That bass tone was sick, too... Bravo.
try guitar amps... mv50 clean... 108 spkr etc etc for this bass
Dont know the song but sounds great, good job
Did u heard it by the way
Havent picked up my bass this year... Life probs.
Hey man, I really hope you can put those life problems behind you soon and start playing your bass again. I’ve totally been there many times, even right before starting this channel. You have my empathy. 🙏
gutsy effort ,,,,,that's putting it out there, thanks 🎸😎👍
I really enjoy videos like this, but I learned my lesson. I’ll never buy a bass on line cuz I sold myself by watching videos. It doesn’t matter how nice it is or how many reviews you watch. ALL THAT MATTERS IS HOW IT FEELS IN YOUR HANDS. GO AS FAR AS YOU HAVE TO AND PLAY IT FIRST.
I need a fretless ray
По поводу SR не знаю, но вот я прям фанатею от Roadstar (заисключении RB830, она у них не удалась)
Мне тоже нравятся басы Roadstar! Я только вчера посмотрел один.
I'm glad I found this channel. That pickup by the bridge alone makes me miss playing bass a little.
Welcome! Yes, this was a special bass.
Cool video. I'm aware that this is a video about this particular bass. However, I would put the electronics and the bridge on the jazz bass that I used to have.
Thank you!
Wow what a voice!
Thank you!
Prog Rock Jock = Karaoke King 👑
Thank you!
I sold an Alembic years ago that i regret selling.
1300 has treated me well!!! And now I have her up for sale on offer up. Gone lighter on the weight, but that is one bad a$$ bass. ❤
Those Ibanez Premium basses are excellent. I once recorded with an Ibanez SR Prestige that belonged to the studio cuz my Rickenbacker had developed a backbow prior and i didn't know how to adjust the truss rods at the time.
I have a thing for early 70's Jazz basses. Nut, tje new amps & cabs are far better.
I've always felt that that typa wood grain looks like colby jack cheese.
😂
What's going on in A-town? Still have seen any videos by Low End Lobster for many, many months.
Hello! Thanks for checking in!! I've been changing it up a bit but more gear/instrument videos are coming soon...Unfortunately, the location where this was filmed is closed but some new things are happening here in Atlanta, and Low End Lobster is actually back!!
@progrockjock I would like to do a series about the history of the electric Bass... There's a lot incorrect information there.
Check out this video here.. "Larry Graham and Stanley Clarke, sex machine. Awesome.
Please do it - I would watch it!
I'm on the same train! I sold my Ken Smith Black Tiger 5 about 10 years ago and still regret it even though I sold it for the price I paid!!!
Thankfully I haven't had to sell a lot of instruments. But I do remember having to sell a '90s MIJ Fender jazz bass 5 years ago. It was pretty average, but looked really cool (off white with white guard) and it was a jazz bass, so automatically cool. I got it relatively cheap ($500ish), was pretty happy for the deal, but when I had to let it go, I couldn't sell it for months when I really needed some extra cash. Which was super weird, given that J bass is probably the most popular bass out there. I ended up selling it for a little less than I paid for it. MIJ basses cost so much more now. A few years later, I've developed an itch for a jazz bass once again, and couldn't find a good one for like a year and a half, until a perfect bass popped out of nowhere just 30 mins away from where I live, for a really good price. Now I have a way cooler MIJ Jazz bass, so I can't really say I regret selling that white one, I just regret selling it that cheap. And wouldn't mind if I still owned it today.
Thanks for sharing your story! I love reading this stuff!! So great that you found an even better J Bass so close to you! I really dig them in all or off white too! In a lot of ways, I think the MIJ Fenders are probably the best Fender has to offer outside of Custom Shop and maybe American Deluxe. The Japanese really take pride it their craftsmanship. I know we're talking about basses, but I've played some amazing Japanese Strats that feel & sound just as good as custom shop Strats side by side. I've never owned MIJ Fender anything but I've tried out quite a few. I was late to own a Jazz Bass because I always preferred the look Precision Bass and kind of still do, but after buying and selling an 86 MIM PJ (passive/active), a 68 P, an 83 P, a 67P and the 66 P, which I still own, I finally bought a 2007 MIM, Natural-Finish Jazz that I really like but it needs a little fret work. I'm going to get to work on it hopefully, before this year ends.
mad respect for that Arise poster - P bass player here . love Spectors too.
Man, I still LOVE that album so much. "Desperate Cry" is my favorite track on that album.
I had a Tobias Growler I sold to a co-worker because his daughter was desperate to play bass. I might as well have swapped him for a bag of chips based on what I sold it for. I felt for him because I knew he was broke and wanted to do something nice. It is funny that dude tried to bully you into the $700. That probably still goes on...
Makes me want to get my twin wash board turntables out and jam with you.
Let's jam!!
The times were different, you didn't have to sell a kidney to buy a great instrument. I also sold a lot of instruments (including a Fender P-Bass from 1971), sometimes at ridiculous prices... No regrets, that's how it is. It was part of the journey. Greetings from belgium
Well said! Even though my words convey messages of regret, I try to avoid using the actual word because you're right, "that's how it is". I only wish I could get 3 out of the 4 basses I let go of. I've had dozens pass through my hands but my Pedulla, 2 natural finish Stingrays (one fretless) and that Ken Smith have been my favorite basses to play. I drove out of the state to buy my Pedulla back and I'm glad I did. I asked my wife and kids to bury it with me or even cremate it with me when my time comes. On a more positive note, one of my very best friends, whom I call my brother, is from Belgium.
@@progrockjockThe two stingrays must have been monsters. My biggest regret... A fender p bass fretless from 1996 sunburst with rosewood fretboard and lines (I'm a big fan of the police). Nothing extraordinary but definitely a regret, yes. Today, I prefer jazz bass but I don't have any truly exceptional instruments. You are lucky to have an instrument that you cherish more than anything
Ha, great vid of the younger PRJ😂. At least you have that, I only have a couple of pics of my Wal Mk1 when on stage supporting Heaver 17. I was only playing it that day because there was an issue with my Status after the first song (battery I think lol) As I've said already, I wish I'd stuck it under the bed for 20 years. The thing about the Smith vs your P bass is most other band members will be happy to see the P bass coming out of the case rather than the Smith. Guitarists will be thinking that you'll be going into their domain. The Smith has such an iconic piano cutting mid, especially if you favour the neck pick up that it can sit on the mix rather than in it. Anyway sod'em! I'm grateful that everyone is happy to see my BBNE2 at the gig. It manages to cover all bases.....and they like the pwitty LEDs 😂😂
Great to hear from you, man!! I hope all is awesome in your world. Yeah, my wife was laughing at that video too. I was 30 in that clip. All of my close friends tell her how high-pitch my voice used to be, which was actually an asset when cutting vocals in the studio but those days are long gone now. I even struggle to speak at that pitch 😂 Man, I LOVE HEAVEN 17!!!! What an impressive entry for your resume! I wish I owned a Wal Mk1. I looked at them a few weeks ago but had to stop looking due to the price tag. Too far out of reach now. Speaking of that, I've been selling off instruments, so I can prepare to find one great bass that covers a lot of bases (or basses 😉) for me. I sold one of my fretless stingrays and I'm planning to sell BFR, so the pressure is mounting for me to re-visit "Sledgehammer" before that happens. The takes I cut aren't up to par. I know I can do better. With the P Bass vs the Ken Smith, you're exactly right. One of my old drummers referred to the KS as "The Tonight Show Bass". He hated that thing but years later, as we were playing together on another gig, he told me that my Pedulla Buzz Bass brought out a side of my bass playing that was welcome and reminded him of me when I was in my mid 20s. As you said, it was usually the guitar players who would battle me more than anyone else. I meant to comment on your BBNE2. Those basses sound great and have a classy design, so I don't see why anyone would complain. LEDs?? I thought only Mark King had those!
@@progrockjock ha, thanks the reply brother. Yeah, Mark King, I have imposter syndrome when I put the LEDs on 🤣🤣
Thanks man I really appreciate your honest insight into this very human matter. I'm currently facing this predicament as I broke my ankle the day I got married two months ago and now need to sell my 5 string Ibanez SR605E. It stings a bit because it's my first bass upgrade I bought for myself after playing for 10 years. But you gotta do what you gotta do. Thanks again brother for the video. Have a great day man 🤙
Hey man, I appreciate you! I'm sorry to hear about you breaking your ankle. I sold my Ibanez 506e a couple of weeks ago and I already miss it terribly, but guess what? There will be another bass down the road and it will be better. That clip of me from7/15/2004 was about a month after a climbing accident I had in Bronson Canyon (Los Angeles). Everyone who witnessed the fall would agree that it's a miracle I lived to sell that bass. Congratulations on your marriage! It's great having a family to share music with on a daily basis.
@@progrockjock thanks for the kind words brother. My wife happened to play acoustic guitar as a child and I made sure we brought that guitar with us when she moved down here 6 years ago. I jam out to the songs she's singing often. Keep doing what you're doing man. There are plenty of bass players who appreciate what you put out.
Hope you don’t mind me chiming in but wanted to say sorry about your ankle but congrats on your marriage. I feel like this video came out at a perfect time for you! Take care
Just got my first bass back that I bought 30 years ago. Went missing for 23 years after dude disappeared I had let borrow it. Yamaha bb300 think it's an early 90s based on pickups.
That's a cool bass! Love those old Yamaha P's. How did you get it back? It is the same exact bass, or just the same model?
Haven't sold anything I regret yet but I have passed up a few basses I should have bought
I hear ya, man. I just let one get away about a week ago. It was a double-humbucker stingray. Other than that, it's usually the ones that I've owned and sold that usually torment me. I have to be the only owner of the instruments too. I actually drove to Alabama to buy my Pedulla, which I had traded for a Custom Shop Stratocaster. If I still had this KS-6 and my 2 stingrays, I guess I wouldn't feel bad at all, but it is what it is.
We all been there.. I sold a Spector (NSJ) and a Lakland (55-94) in my past & I’m still hurting bro🍻🍻
Oh, man. Sorry to hear that. I love Spector basses! Lakland also makes a great bass. I've played a couple that I really liked.
Hey man, it's Rich the tech from SA ATL here. :)
Rich!! What's going on, sir??
NPR did a story on Stradivarius violins vs high end remakes. Professional violinist were split 50/50 on what they thought was the real thing.
It is kind of interesting how the well runs dry for artists. There is a fertile time when all their youth, energy, hunger, and influences collectively shapes the sound of the times they are in. Dave Matthews Band, Phish and PJ for me.
I totally hear ya!! The "hunger" is the main thing a lot of these bands lose once they get a taste of mainstream success.
This bass has an empty bucket sound. This bass was made for commercial use and is far from the original Gary Willis GWB
I used to like Extreme a good bit. Then one day I started Pornograffiti and said “why was I into this?” I think I listened to them for Nuno rather than the songs… Found your channel with this video, cool stuff!
Oh, wow! I was having a conversation about Extreme just a few days ago!! I also bought their first album on cassette but burned out during Pornograffiti, as well. I also still like Nuno. I saw him a few years ago on the Generation Axe Tour and he was great!
I have this guitar, love it's tone. I usually play a Casino on gigs but I want to upgrade the tuners with these and I have a roller bridge to also install. The bridges I use are smooth on the top for easy muting with the palm of the hand. I'm looking forward to playing the guitar on music jobs. I think the pickups sound great. A lot of guitar for the money.
Easier than a 30inch short scale (like a mustang or Mikro?)
Easier than the Mustang but almost as easy as the Mikro series. The difference in the latter is minimal.
I have a Walnut satin of this bass and the only real gripe I have with it is that the neck is too long and I have a hard time stretching my hand, one more lil issue is that when I first changed the strings the 5th string did not fully fit through the bridge but I got it to play
Thanks for the video. Ive never played a bass in my life, but i love Ibanez guitars and my experience with them have been fantastic. Its refreshing to hear from someone outside of my particular scene.
It sounds like Fugazi Joe!
I have nearly the same bass, but red where your Sunburst is, and it’s an HH. It’s ridiculously good. It makes me feel bad for my Ibanez that I’ve really got set up right and sounding pretty damned good, for a $375 bass. No mods. But the Music Man. Besides the beauty, and the feel, and its outrageous sustain, is the sound, and this double pickup layout is the end all. Of course all basses, make, well, bass. But not like this MM does. Plus it does so without compromising any other parts of the tone you desire. But I actually was compelled to comment because I am STUNNED at the diversity of your music in that very, very, few people like the huge r age of music that I do. I see Mr. Bungle, near the top of my book for best albums ever made. Then Arise. Louder Than Love. The Specials. Nuff said.
Thank you for reaching out! I really appreciate you recognizing my eclecticism. I truly love all of the music behind the artwork on my wall, as well as the iTunes screen saver displayed in the background of most of my videos. I never got to see any version of The Specials nor did I get to see Sepultura (unbelievable because I introduced them to a lot of my hesher friends back in 89) but Bungle and Soundgarden are on the long list of bands I've seen live. As for the Stingray HH - I totally know what you're saying. Not to sit here and talk you into watching more of my content, but back in April of this year when I was in New York, I played a double-humbucker Sterling Stingray that blew my mind. I became of obsessed with owning another one (natural finish with maple neck and fingerboard) and was so close to making it happen last weekend, but unfortunately, someone else beat me to it. I prefer having an HH Stingray from now on.
I don't know, dude. Interesting video, and you're obviously a thoughtful guy, but I think you're greatly overanalyzing and feeling lowkey guilty about a fairly common ebb and flow of taste. To be honest, I think the more discerning, intelligent people get into different stuff over the years. (And as there's only so many hours in a day, that naturally means other things are gonna get left behind.) When I see old friends on FB that I haven't seen in literally 25yrs, and they're rocking the same Exodus and Celtic Frost t-shirts they were back then...maybe a little itsy bitsy part of me thinks their loyalty is cool, but the larger part of me thinks they never had any interest in expanding their horizons. Or, to be fair, they could be doing where I'm at now: reconnecting with stuff I was into years ago and had gotten out of. I mean, I don't THINK that's what they're doing, these dudes. I think they've been pretty much the same people since Lincoln High, but it's possible. There are years and yyyyears where I have no idea what they were up to. There's bands I ADORED, then totally got out of, hard. Some I can now appreciate again, after years of not digging them. Some I still really don't feel at all. Like, most metal. It's hard to picture myself as a metalhead. But for a couple years there, I dressed straight out of River's Edge, had a bunch of thrash cassettes. Now, other than maybe early Metallica and a few Anthrax tracks, I couldn't listen to that stuff for five minutes. Most of it seems so generic and monotonous. I'm like, I used to really DIG this? Then I was super into 10,000 Maniacs and REM and They Might Be Giants, all that early alternative/ college rock stuff. And I can't say I really dig any of it now. I can appreciate that Peter Buck was an innovative guitarist, but I tried listening to an REM mix a couple years back and I had to bail after a couple songs. It did NOTHING for me. On the other hand, I loved Morrissey and the Smiths when I was like eighteen. Then for YEARS I didn't listen to him. Around the time of Morrissey's You Are The Quarry album, I got super back into him. Me and my girlfriend (who is a literal OBSESSED Morrissey fan) have seen him live like eight times in the past few years. (Oh, side note: probably the best of those late 80's college rock-type bands, in my opinion, was Throwing Muses. I had kind of forgotten about them, and they never really got the success of, like, the Pixies or REM, but they're so good. Thanks to Spotify I've totally gotten back into them. If anyone reading this long-ass tome wants to check them out, I'd start with their album The Real Ramona.) I don't know. People change. And sometimes they then change back. Now with Spotify, I'm bumping all the classic rock stuff I had the albums of when I first got into music. I'm lowkey obsessed again with Zeppelin and the Who. And the Stones! I loved them when I was a literal CHILD, then for years the "cool" me never gave them a second thought. Now I love them again. Sticky Fingers is like the greatest album ever. Tastes change. Who knows? Maybe I'll try REM again in the future and totally reconnect with it. I mean, haha, I doubt it, but it's possible. My point, like nine paragraphs ago (😊sorry) was don't feel compelled to honor any of the opinions you expressed in this video. A lot of music, why it connects, is about where you're at at the time. I'd say that's what it's MOSTLY about, to be honest.
I'm just about speechless right now! The parallels almost make me feel like you may have looked into my music collection! Every band or musician you've mentioned I have been into at some point and have seen many of them live. Sadly, I have yet to see Morrissey but maybe someday, sooner than later, I hope. I love Kristin Hersh's voice, as well as Tanya Donelly's but I wasn't really into Belly when Tanya went on her own. Have you ever noticed that 4AD doesn't put out anything that sucks?? You ever listen to Red House Painters? Seriously, I could go on right now but my response would be thrice as long as your comment 😂 However, I will write more back later. Thanks for your words!
@@progrockjock yeah, Kristin's great. She actually answered me once, back when KZread had private messages. I wish I'd printed it out. I was new to Spotify and had written asking how she felt about people listening that way rather than physical media. She was very gracious; basically, she said she's happy to have anyone listen any way they can, but she said for most artists Spotify pays literally like a tenth of a penny per listen. I don't know if it's gotten any better, but I confess over the years it and KZread have become the main ways I listen to music. I resisted for a while. But it's just so damn easy! EVERY album, pretty much, from back in the day, I can just pull it up on my phone. Every Dylan album, every Kate Bush album. Every single Beatles album. On my phone. I like to imagine a day when I'll have physical copies again, but I don't see it happening any time soon. I don't even have an actual stereo anymore. It's all Spotify. I have to be honest: I love it, haha. I really don't WANT all those CDs again. (Physical books, I'm fighting the good fight. I'll do the audiobook if it's something I've already read-read. Like, I just listened to We Need To Talk About Kevin, but there's an old paperback around here somewhere. Albums, though, I've pretty much accepted it's Spotify. The temptation is just too great.) Wrong by Nomeansno, for a long time that wasn't on there; just saw that it is now. I think that's the only one I ever searched for that wasn't on there...oh, the FIRST Throwing Muses, with "Call Me" and "Hate My Way"; I don't think that's on Spotify. Some licensing issue with 4AD, funnily enough. Someone put the whole album here on KZread though. I never much got into Belly either. I love the couple Tanya songs per TM album. They're usually poppier, less dark. But, yeah, I didn't really want a whole ALBUM of them, haha. I never listened to Red House Painters. The name has popped up a time or two. But I'm gonna make a point of checking them out on your say so. 😁
I don't know why I went on that whole Spotify confessional thing. Haha. I think I had assumed you were a "vinyl rules!" guy, but I listened again and you don't actually say anything like that. Yeah, definitely some parallels, dude. I don't know much of the Gabriel-era Genesis (though I do dig his solo stuff), but A Trick Of The Tail, their first one without him, I believe, is a favorite of mine. "Squonk" and the title track are two of my favorite songs from anyone ever.
I have some classic vinyl records. Most we inherited from my mom after her death. I definitely don't prefer vinyl or any other form of media over the iPod or MP3, but I don't have or use a Spotify account. I used to DJ with CDs in the mid-to-late 90s and the vinyl snobs came out of the woodwork to give me grief about it, but I stuck to my guns. Technology obviously prevailed and I'm glad it did.
I would've saved a pdf of Kristin's response! She's so cool in interviews!! I think about all of the opportunities (ie. Photos with Mike Mills and Stipe with the B52s, hanging backstage at Lollapalooza 93 & 94, other bands I toured with and opened for before they became successful) I took for granted, but still have a lot of stuff I don't feel comfortable showing because I worry about about people thinking I'm name dropping...like I just did. That's why it was hard for me to talk about 311. We were all kids back then, so it doesn't seem like a big deal to me. All I can say is that it's a small world and the musical world is even smaller. I have so much music on my hard drive that I could probably compete with Spotify....ok, maybe not, because I don't carry any modern-day pop music but maybe SomaFM 😂 The only reason I don't use Spotify is because I want all of my desert island music with me if I really end up on a desert island...but there's no power on a desert island either, so...anyway, I'm with Kristin Hersh: Get your music heard by as many people as possible. If only Nick Drake could see the effect his music has on people now. I'm not an avid reader but Phillip K Dick is another example of genius who didn't get to live to see the popularity of his novels. I'm with you on the CDs but I still have all of mine sitting in my basement but all of my cassettes are upstairs with the vinyl. Once I move all of those rare vinyls and cassettes to digital, I'm opening the ultimate online record store!
How bout just songs ??? I hate when my aging rocker friends start getting into blues … then slide guitar then play Amazing Grace 😡….extra hate it if they play it at some ones wake Sooo gay
Great topic I always get sick of bands I totally can’t understand how everyone but me listens to the same 20 bands My list is flexible But mostly Hendrix Rush Lynyrd skynyrd Eagles Basically any hard blues rock how they play funky yet rock out ( most of my friends play this style ) play that funky music whiteboy and any song close to that, and nirvana And a lot of alternative A lot of new and old country About how they daddy would whoop them with his big strong hands from working so hard all day lol
😂...thank you! You make some great points here! My list should've been longer.
Had no idea about commentary from Mars/Sixx. Frankly, after Dr. Feelgood it was over for them. Now they are an absolute joke of a bad lounge act hanging on. Vince at 350 lbs mumbling lyrics like a drugged out Elvis, can't believe people still pay money to see them.
😂...honestly, I probably shouldn't have mentioned what Mars & Sixx said because I feel like it took away from the real reason I stopped listening to them, which was long before hearing the unsavory things they said. When I saw the videos of them saying that stuff, I thought to myself, "I'm glad I quit listening to those guys!"