So I haven't posted in a while... or built anything in a while... despite a drawer full of unbuilt pcbs and a shelf of shiny boxes sitting next to my desk. As strange as it is to say...
...it's because I've actually been using the darned things.
A little over a month ago I moved to Nashville to see if there was any possibility of me playing guitar for a living. My wife and I both left good jobs where we were previously and felt that the time was right to take a leap of faith and see where we landed. It was scary. And exciting. And nerve wracking.
A week and a half ago, I landed a tryout to play with an up and coming country artist. I got the job. I learned 46 songs in one day, rehearsed with the band a couple of days later, and went on the road for our first run of gigs in Louisiana. They went great, and I'm having a blast.
I'm posting this for 3 reasons:
1) Several folks on here wrote words of encouragement to me when I mentioned that I'd be taking this step. Thank you all for doing so... they were/are more appreciated than you know!
2) To encourage anyone who might be in the process of making a similar decision in their life. Go for it. My primary motivation in doing this was the fact that I never wanted to look back at life and think "What if...?"
3) To thank all of the folks who have guided me on this board with my builds, as I'm actually using quite a few of them in my live rig and get lots of compliments on my tone and the builds themselves. I have no doubt that the tech skills I've learned and honed as a result of this forum will serve me well as I continue to pursue this.
Here's a quick shot of the board I'm using on the road this month:
(http://www.danekinser.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Gigboard-Sep13.jpg)
As you can see, it's almost entirely homebuilt stuff. The Looker Tremolo (which is excellent in its own right) will be replaced with a Cardinal Trem as soon as I can get it boxed up. Look for a demo.
If you want to hear them, here's some clips of them in action: http://www.danekinser.com/?portfolio_183=justine-blazer-band (http://www.danekinser.com/?portfolio_183=justine-blazer-band). My lead tone is typically Afterlife -> FatPants -> Aristocrat -> Grapevine -> Aquaboy.
Thanks again for all of the encouragement guys. I've got gigs coming up in Detroit, Denver, Cincinnati, Chicago, etc. If any of those are near you guys, would love to meet up face to face!
Total blessing. It's great making a living doing something you love.
awesome dane. good luck to you bud.
Congrats dude, really nice playing!
That's great for you, Dane! Doing what you love.. And you won't have to think this "What if...?" anymore. Sometimes, this "What if?" is killing me. But then, it's too late. Whatever...
Really happy for you, man! Good luck. I wish all the best!
Hector
Aw man, I totally missed the memo about why you were moving to Nashville! That is so awesome--taking the plunge can be scary. Best of luck!
Love that you toured first in Louisiana, which is where I'm from originally. The Louisiana Hayride is actually the event at which Elvis started to get big. My mom lived down the street from (slightly underground) country star Johnny Horton as a kid. Last but not least, Kenny Wayne Shepherd is from my hometown. Country runs deep there. So much so that as a kid I didn't think of it as a separate category of music at all. It was just music!
I see the Triforce on your board! Still one of my all time favorite color schemes.
Ha! Yeah dude, moved out here a few weeks ago. Absolutely love it.
Yep, I always have a chorus on my board. Child of the 80s. ;D
Man, Thanks fantastic. Good for you. Enjoy the ride. What do you use for a pedal board cam? What a great idea!
That's some fantastic news! Glad things are working out for ya, bud.
Quote from: jimilee on September 11, 2013, 09:42:00 PM
Man, Thanks fantastic. Good for you. Enjoy the ride. What do you use for a pedal board cam? What a great idea!
I just position a little Flip style camera wherever I can find a steady spot! I hope to eventually install a little tripod mount to one of the boards, but I haven't gotten that far with it yet!
Way to go Dane!
You got a fan in me.
Jacob
Quote from: jkokura on September 11, 2013, 10:16:21 PM
You got a fan in me.
Likewise! One of your Blender boards is inside the War Kitty pedal in the picture, and you may recall that the Sonic Vibe was one of your boards as well ;)
Hey Dane, being a celt I love the Gaelic Groove. It all looks fantastic for you and the wife. Wish you all the best fella.
Mike
This is awesome man!!
Best wishes from Spain, if you ever come to play here I'll travel anywhere and buy you a beer.
It takes some courage to go that step further and you've done it, so I wish you luck.
Adán
Congrats on landing a gig. Also, I knew you were a good player but that's a really excellent clip. Manages to be speedy without being showy. Very professional. I'm rooting for you to have lots of steady work. :)
Good on ya mate, for taking the plunge, you've definitely got the chops for the gig, love your lead faces too ;D
Quote from: midwayfair on September 11, 2013, 10:35:59 PM
I'm rooting for you to have lots of steady work. :)
Bingo. Don't care much about fame... just want to feed my family doing something I love! And thanks for the kind words... you're a heckuva player so that means a lot coming from you!
Quote from: hoodoo on September 11, 2013, 10:36:03 PM
love your lead faces too ;D
Ha! Our drummer is one of those cats that looks absolutely pissed when he plays. We get into face battles on stage.
Go get em, Dane. I hope that your new gig scratches the itch.
This is great! Congratulations!
It's always great to see someone achieve escape velocity. Congrats and best wishes for a long career!
This is fantastic news dude.
So cool that you are chasing your dream. Good on ya!
Not so much 'dream chasing' as 'dream getting', I gather? Well done, and congratulations :)
Please remember us when you reach stardom. :)
Josh
I just checked out the pedalboard cam clips. Dude, you were in Shreveport! That is where I'm from originally.
Quote from: gtr2 on September 12, 2013, 12:57:01 PM
Please remember us when you reach stardom. :)
Ha! No amount of pedal endorsements could keep me from building and playing my own crap ;)
BTW - that blue delay on the left is a Multiplex Jr. It absolutely kills dude.
Quote from: Bret608 on September 12, 2013, 03:36:58 PM
I just checked out the pedalboard cam clips. Dude, you were in Shreveport! That is where I'm from originally.
That's awesome! Yes, hitting the casino circuit down there. Had a great time... a little hot though!
Good for you Dane, you got the chops and the heart to do that job! Will be praying for you.
Man... I am inspired. Good work! Your playing is pretty, and so are your pedals.
PM me with your new addy Dane. I've got something for you.
Josh
For anyone who happens to remember my initial post, I wanted to write an update to the story... particularly for anyone who's considering making a similar leap of faith in life or career. When I started this thread, I had just moved to Nashville and landed my first regular gig here.
Tonight, many gigs later, I played Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Atlanta on the first of many tour dates opening for Miranda Lambert.
(http://www.danekinser.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/VerizonSideStage.jpg)
Moral of the story: If there's anything you never want to look back on and think "What if I'd tried?", don't wait another day to do it. I believe we have dreams in our hearts for reasons bigger than we can imagine.
For those who don't care about story morals: some DIY builds made it on stage as well ;D Specifically, an Aion Refractor, a JMK Moon Lander, and a MBP Aristocrat.
(http://www.danekinser.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/VerizonPedalboard.jpg)
Post of awesomeness! Way to go!
This is super awesome. I have a friend of a friend who is kacey musgrave's bassist.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Congratulations! What a ride!
Dude, you are living the dream, still using the pedal board can??
i'm sure we are all proud of ya dane. keep up the great work! :)
Awesome Dane!!!!
Josh
That looks fun :)
Way to go, Dane. Keep it up!
Fantastic, Dane. Congrats on doing what you really want to do.
Thanks for the love friends. Seriously... I wouldn't have had the courage to pursue this without the encouragement of countless friends near and far. It's funny how other people can see things in you that you can't.
Again... I posted this thread for anyone considering taking a leap of faith in life. I hope someone out there finds this encouraging in some way.
Quote from: midwayfair on October 20, 2014, 03:21:41 AM
That looks fun :)
It didn't suck. :D
I'm glad to hear everything is working out! Your leap of faith is inspiring!
This is great! There is a lot to be said for making that leap. It takes a lot of courage to make that change and I salute you. I also salute your wife, who made the leap with you, for being so supportive. That speaks volumes about the type of people you both are and the relationship you have together. I wish you the best!
Congratulations! It's so cool that the pedals you built from the amazing circuits offered on this forum are being used so well. Good for you!!
Holy cow, I missed this whole thread. I haven't been on boards too much lately. Dane, that is great. I'm glad you like Nashville. I love it myself. Continued good luck to you man.
Quote from: AntKnee on October 21, 2014, 01:28:06 PM
This is great! There is a lot to be said for making that leap. It takes a lot of courage to make that change and I salute you. I also salute your wife, who made the leap with you, for being so supportive. That speaks volumes about the type of people you both are and the relationship you have together. I wish you the best!
Yes. She was a HUGE factor in me coming out here and trying all of this. She was convinced (and was probably right) that I'd never be happy if I didn't at least give it a shot.
Quote from: televisiondown on October 21, 2014, 05:09:54 PM
Congratulations! It's so cool that the pedals you built from the amazing circuits offered on this forum are being used so well. Good for you!!
Yes. I'm certainly not the first person to be using them on such stages, but it's yet more affirmation that the things offered here are at or beyond pro level. Hats off to all of our amazing designers who make our musical adventures that much more fun.
It's also super fun to see the gear nerds approach the stage before/after a show to see what we're using and have no idea what those pedals are ;D