Songcrafters.org

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Hey all.

All the guitar parts for this were done on my new 3w Laney Mini-Lion battery powered amp - a mere £35 in the Andertons January sale.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22CU5F14kOs

I bought it for sofa / travel playing, but it's way cooler than that. It connects to the Tonebridge app where you can dial up virtually any famous guitar tone you can think of. For this song I used 3 layers of guitar, all played on an Epiphone Les Paul (my sofa guitar) and recorded into the MBR through line out from the Laney:

Left channel - Day Tripper intro tone
Right channel - Doctor Robert main guitar
Solo - Queen Bitch (Ronson)

I was never happy with the previous version of this song - wrong key, and something not quite right about it, so I re-wrote the chorus and changed the key and overall feel / style. I'm much happier with it now.

All recorded on the MBR. Garageband drums, pianos and synths, plus my Fender Jazz bass (broken - both tone controls got sheared off so only the volume works, but it got 'stuck' on a great tone luckily). Vocals are through my SM-58.

The little Laney is bloody fab. Not a toy - a proper tool and pretty loud. The MBR + iPhone + Laney is a very small but powerful recording set-up.

Greeny is back... Long live the Greeny! A great song (The original version too) and i really like the tones you're getting.

But let's not beat around the bush. Greeny could get great tones out of an electric toothbrush so before all of us Songcrafters are going to run and buy that Laney Mini Lion(* i'd say... Try before you buy :)

(* Not to say that it doesn't sound good... More like my own "i don't want to get gas"- type of meditation.

Fantastic piece of work, top class performance and production and that guitar sounds great.  Willie

I vaguely remember this song Tim. I'll have to listen to the original version again but first off; this new version is really good. The vocal sounds like a comfortable range for you and it's a great melody and lyric. The new Mini Laney sounds cool in your song and as the video demo shows, it is very versatile for a small amp. A real good investment!

Greeny! Wonderful to hear back from you! The recording on here is absolutely amazing! I can't believe you got such tones our of a tiny amp! I'm doing a lot of exclamation marks buy I can't contain my excitement!  :)

This was already a great song but it's true I think you made it even better here. It's just like what the beatles did with Revolution 1... ;)

Great new version, Tim! And that little Laney looks (and sounds) like a very cool piece of kit. Now I want one!  ;D

Sounds great Tim

I said I'd be back for another listen "tomorrow" (https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=32587.msg395731#msg395731), and I let you down. You didn't have to rerecord it just to get my attention!

This is just a great Greeny song – for the Best Of album. The guitar sounds on that amp are great – not that you don't consistently deliver great tone without it.

I'm a fan of happenstance: The tone you get is the tone you can get with the limited gear you've got, however you got it. This is mostly a disposition that keeps me from going down the rabbit hole. (When I'm in Garageband tweaking a part I imported from my MBR, I can get lost in the tweaking possibilities. If I had so many possibilities – before I even recorded a single note – I can only imagine how long I'd browse and mess around.)

I was at a department store (i.e. not a music store) in Antananarivo a couple of days ago and I swear I saw that amp for sale. On closer look – and I really did have to take a close look – it was just a Bluetooth speaker made to look like a guitar amp.

Quote from: Ted on January 10, 2023, 01:16:45 AMI said I'd be back for another listen "tomorrow" (https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=32587.msg395731#msg395731), and I let you down. You didn't have to rerecord it just to get my attention!

This is just a great Greeny song – for the Best Of album. The guitar sounds on that amp are great – not that you don't consistently deliver great tone without it.

I'm a fan of happenstance: The tone you get is the tone you can get with the limited gear you've got, however you got it. This is mostly a disposition that keeps me from going down the rabbit hole. (When I'm in Garageband tweaking a part I imported from my MBR, I can get lost in the tweaking possibilities. If I had so many possibilities – before I even recorded a single note – I can only imagine how long I'd browse and mess around.)

I was at a department store (i.e. not a music store) in Antananarivo a couple of days ago and I swear I saw that amp for sale. On closer look – and I really did have to take a close look – it was just a Bluetooth speaker made to look like a guitar amp.

Cheers Ted.

I'm quick and spontaneous with GarageBand these days. I always want it to be instinctive and not fret about stuff. If there's something I don't like I'll just start the whole track again.

I think these mini-amps have come on a long way. I have a mini-Marshall stack that cost the same price and it's awful - basically a toy. These Laneys are proper amps: even the stand-alone sound / tone is great. Now I'm regretting buying the baby one as the next one up has fx on it. Highly impressed though.

It's got a laid back groove going on.....plodding is not the right word because that sounds more languid than this ........comfortably sprawling might be a better term.....I picture you sprawled out on a velvet chesterfield......you with your velvet loungewear ......no spandex here ...........velvet on velvet................a haze of smoke wafting about the room......and this song swirling out of the evening half-light.......serious songwriting here....evocative and also damn catchy.....I don't remember the previous chorus....but what you did here is fantastic........just like the velvet loungewear you are rocking in my minds eye.....

2nd listen.......yeah baby......I love it.....I may have to get some of them velvet loungewear for inspiration......let's see what Amazon has to offer.......comfortably sprawling.....that piano really works here......and of course I am gonna say I love the solo.......cause it's damn tasty......and cause I am a solo loving kinda guy...really great song

Well up to your always high standard, great tones all round, especially like the Beatlesque, piano, well played and well done.

I have to admit that because of Greeny i had to check out that Laney Amp Lion :)
It's clearly a good amp, but what makes it great is Greeny himself.

So until they'll make a Greeny pedal i'm able to hold my gas...

(That sounds a bit suspect).

I am equally impressed by the tuneage and the amazing tones you got out of this amp. Great jangle to accompany this super strong song. I must download this one when I am home and off my tablet. 

Blooby

I didn't catch the first version but I'm really digging this badboy. It all sounds great, killer lyrics and perfect playing. Really love the bass, I'm a bass whore and you always nail it every time in tone and mix on every one of your songs.

And after a couple listens I'm really loving that guitar solo at the end. Delightful and soothing.

A fan letter:

The thing about "This Isn't Hollywood" that I find poignant, is that there really is a psychological affliction that affects most people to some extent:

We feel and act as though they are the main character in reality (if not in all of human history). Hollywood makes it worse; it makes us solipsistic. We consume thousands of hours of Hollywood-style storytelling, and we begin to expect our own lives to have a character arc, and we expect the world to exist to support that arc and to tell only that story.  We become callous towards the world – those we don't view as the main cast or supporting characters – because they don't matter to the story. The most afflicted, people with personality disorders, barely accept that other people have their own lives at all. But each of us is somewhere on this spectrum.

And you shine a hard light on this affliction and deliver an antidote in the form of a catchy, digestible song.

I don't often get romantic about "the power of music" (I tend to view it as an addiction), but this is just great songwriting and music that skillfully delivers a message, without didacticism, irony, cheekiness, etc. It just delivers.

I'm such a fan of this song, I think I'm embarrassing myself.

A clever song and it's made all the better because it's got that greeny stamp on it.
Excellent performance.
That amp sounds excellent.

I could have sworn I commented on this... oh well, I am 63 ish.

that Laney sounds great but it doesn't sound that different than your usual great sounds you get!  But hey, what a cool thing for almost free...

I love electronics!  I actually really thought the orig on this song you did was superb... and I can't imagine this is an improvement but what do I know?  What I think is cool is that you wanted to redo it and that I can totally understand... it is hard though to improve on great.. maybe different great...

the site is better when you are near Tim... for many, many reasons... Cheers!

Great song all around! Love it. 8)

Great song, the music is in a style that I really like.
That amp sounds really good.
Love the lyrics, vocals and the piano melody.
Excellent guitars

Darren

wow, Top class as always my friend,great sound, so pro. well done

Great sound - cool playing!

Welcome back, Tim and congrats for the new amp - you can almost put it into your pocket. It sound so good and dynamic.

The song itself is pure gold Greeny song with great lyrics!

Good song, musically and lyrically. Cool bass lines. That little amp sounds great. Nice work!