Johnbee58
If the day ever comes when I have to record on something as small as a smart phone that will be the end of my recording days.  I refuse to work on something that small.
 
JB

Amen to that! And this is something that worries me greatly. The music composition, music innovation leads to new music technology and next great thing in music equation has broken down. So Beethoven writes or envisions Moonlight Sonata, which needs a better piano...so the piano forte comes into being. This leads to Wagner taking up the challange a few years later, which leads to The Ring Cycle. The Beatle's take or their producer, engineers take the sonic arts techniques of the avant-gardes, primitive pop songwriting and early recording technology which they push to the limits. Leading to the expansion of the studio and said technology. No one is pushing composition to the next level...meaning no one is pushing music technology to the next level...and so there isn't much innovation going on in regards to music technology. And hence music making starts to contract, which means some fool will and already have started to make music with their phone.

As for Jim - we'll agree to disagree. I know what you're saying about heat and all the other stuff...I've built PCs for myself in the past. But I've just filmed a sequence with the main character is on a dragon flying through the sunset. There's wind in the characters hair, and clothes which I created through the physics engine. Amazing.

I read something really interesting too this morn...at 2 in the morn when I couldn't sleep - that it took Disney Pixar an amazing and inordinate amount of render hours to create some of their well known flicks. All on massive desktop render machines too - I created an 8 minute 3d animation and sonata accompanying this animation...some 100 odd tracks in 5 months. And I didn't put my foot down till the last 2 weeks. So 9-4 in the morn to finish. I'm about to go to the next level with my Arthurian legend piece I'm working on - and I've swallowed all the information on HDR and 10bit color depth now...this was last night...and I have done all this with nothing more than a mid range gaming laptop.

Now The Incredible Bulk my 8 minute 3d animation is still a little rough around the edges - I was learning as I went...but I will deliver in a piece or two, and when I can get my hands on some more 10 bit video tech a HDR 4k Hollywood 3d animation...and only with a gaming laptop.

But then again - I'm willing to take risks with the tech.

No offense was meant - even if I was jousting a bit with you Jim.

Ben

As soon as my current one turns sour.  I try to use it up before the expiration date.
 
Kind regards,
 
tecknot

The StudioCat desktop I got from Jim two years ago is the single best investment in my music I have ever made.  It is SO rock solid and transparent to the creation process that I can completely focus on the music now.  I'm spoiled.  (BTW, I'm a heavy duty hobbyist and hopeless gearhead, but not a pro.)  When this rig hiccups in the slightest I will get another one from Jim.  But it hasn't been close yet.  So who knows when I'll get another one?  Based on my experience, I'd recommend buying the best you can afford from a pro and using it until it no longer makes sense.

I'll get a smartphone or laptop when they become available with 43" displays

Thank you for those tips Jim!
As chance would have it I needed a large pipe organ on stage Sunday. I tried two, the Kontakt Factory sounds preset and the "Full Pipe" organ in the Korg M-1 on the laptop. Surprisingly in a side by side comparison the M-1 sounded more detailed than the Kontakt sample. 
FYI I used the M-1 in my laptop with the standard internal sound and a midi keyboard controller. I could detect some slight delay. It was so nil that it didn't hinder me. I never took the time to see what the latency actually was. I'm sure I could have done better with an outboard interface.

tobiaslindahl.  I build my own desktops but that is not for everyone.  Same holds true for factory build's (e.g. a Dell).
There are many that want a "plug and play" system and a self built or factory build requires more than "plug and play".  Thus the custom builders come in as they have the expertise to do exactly that and deliver a fully configured specialized "plug and play" system to their customers.  
 
An off the shelf factory built system takes some knowledge to get it set up for use a recording DAW.  Not just "tweaking the OS" but removing factory installed apps that can or potentially can interfere with recording.  A point in that is a Dell laptop that I bought last year for off site recordings.  I worked on the Dell factory disc image install but was not able to fully get it to the point it could reliably record - with my knowledge and help from some Dell engineer friends (at Dell HQ in Round Rock Tx) I still had an occasional drop out (about every 20 minutes) when recording.  I was able to overcome this and get it set up for recording but that took a complete clean install of only the OS, needed drivers and the DAW software and recording interface drivers.  Which brings us back to the point of why many buy the specialized/setup systems from DAW builders, such as Jim Roseberry (with his 25 years of experience with this). 

A great DAW is the sum of everything (parts, performance, quiet, tweaks to BIOS/OS, etc).
When you go to a professional of 25 years, there's nothing left to guesswork/happenstance.
All the details have been attended to... 
Speaking for myself, I've built/supported thousands of machines.  
That amounts to many thousands of hours of experience. 
IOW, We don't rely on NewEgg "user-reviews" (often flawed with pilot error/inexperience) or PC part-picker.  
It's no different than a guitar builder, auto-mechanic, contractor, etc.
 
I'll liken it to a Fender style bolt-on neck guitar.
Almost anyone can bolt together a "Parts-Caster".
However, it will not be the equivalent of a Suhr or Anderson... unless you have advanced skills/knowledge/experience.
 
I like PRS guitars... for the exact same reason.
I don't have to upgrade/change anything.
Paul's guitars consistently look/sound amazing, play amazing, and they're easy to maintain.
It's all in the fine details.
 

If you pickup a Fender custom-shop guitar... and compare it side-by-side with a Squire, the difference in quality/playability is pretty obvious.
 
Same with a Gibson Les Paul...
Pickup a R9 and play it for a while.
Now, immediately pickup a Les Paul Studio model.
 
In the case of PRS, their stock "Core" models are typically excellent in most every way.
But pickup one of their Private Stock guitars.
Makes you wonder just how much better one can build a guitar.
Everything is done to perfection.
IMO, John Suhr and Tom Anderson have done the same with Fender style guitars.
 
Everyone has to live within some means.
High-end gear isn't practical for everyone or every situation.
 
One of my best friends likes to collect guitars.
He jokes... "I don't have money to buy Custom Shop or PRS guitars."
Ironically, his guitar collection cost a whole lot more than mine.
The difference, I have three... he has around 300.
 
 

Three is a good number of guitars to have, and I sometimes wonder which three it would be.  I have, uh...more than three.  :)   BUT...less than 200.

Wanting a Suhr Modern Select...
Had a Suhr Modern Pro a while back.
Fits that Super-Strat role well (pickups have umph - but not super high output).
Today's my birthday, so maybe it's a NGD.  May liquidate a couple of things to make it happen.
 
Three to four seems to be the right number for me (all electric).
I'd like to have a nice Taylor acoustic at some point... but I fear it would open a (new) rabbit-hole.  

<way off topic>
Jim,
I'd look at a Grosh retro classic in swamp ash.
Mine is just a "cannon", notes just "explode" off the fret board.
I've played some Suhr's, I own two Grosh's...
</way off topic>
 
T

Happy b-day Jim! Hope you get that Suhr!

Jim Roseberry
If you pickup a Fender custom-shop guitar... and compare it side-by-side with a Squire, the difference in quality/playability is pretty obvious.
 
 

It depends on what Squire. The Classic Vibe series is tough to beat out of the box.
 
But the only great strat or tele you'll ever own is the one you build yourself. The custom shop guitars aren't really very "custom" at all. They're mostly just custom colored bodies. Try to order one with a neck size or body size other than what's on their regular store bought guitars. They won't do it. But you can order a tele body that'a a full inch bigger on every side from Rutter's Guitars. I can (and have) ordered necks with a 1 3/4" nut widths from Northern Redfish Guitar Parts. The only noiseless pickups worth owning in my opinion are the Dimarzio Area series. You won't get them from Fender. I like using linear tapered pots for quick staccato pinky-round-the-volume knob swells and tone-wahs. You won't get those from Fender either. (I also open up and remove most of the dampening grease from the pots so they'll turn easier.) I also use a specific size Orange Drop .047uf cap to get a better wah sound from the tone control. I'm not sure, but I don't think Fender will do that for you. I use HIPSHOT O-Ring Knobs which have some concentric rubber 0-rings around them that give your finger something to grip hold of when doing swells and wahs. I only use 5-hole 3-Ply parchment pick-guards so I don't have a bunch of screws ruining the looks of my teles. I like the way early 50's headstocks look with a circular string retainer and a 53 style logo in the same place they put them back then. Fender won't do that logo for you, but you can find them on eBay and apply them yourself. Lastly, like a lot of guys from Roy Buchanan to Danny Gatton, I won't use any saddles but the original 3-barrel brass. Nothing else has that thick meaty sound. You can still get those from Fender, but their American made teles have the bridge holes cut in a different spot to accommodate their newer (and worse) bridge / saddles. I'm not sure if the custom shop will make a body cut for the older bridges. if not, you have to find a used MIM body somewhere (they still use the older bridges) or have one custom made.
 
I just don't see where the custom shop is much good for anything other than ordering over-priced guitars that won't have much of anything custom about them. But to each his own. I've been building partscaster teles since the 90's.
 
This last one I built cost me right at $500 and is better than anything you'll come close to getting from the custom shop, but they won't even do 1/4 of things I would like to have done, so it's a moot point. I kept track of my parts:
 
Neck: Northern Redfish Guitar Parts "Fatboy" wide Tele neck $89.00 + $30 shipping - (From Canada but made in Korea to the shop owner's specs from beautiful Canadian Rock Maple.)
Fingerboard: maple
Number of Frets: 21 (I like the look of 21 frets. 22 fret Fenders look like they have a hangnail in my opinion.)
Fret Size: 6230 leveled, crowned and polished
Neck Shape: Modern "C"
Neck Material: Canadian Rock Maple
Neck Finish: 400 grit sanded, Vintage Tint, Poly-Gloss finish
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5
Scale Length: 25 1/2
Nut Width: 1 3/4" (44. mm)
Position Inlays: Dot
Truss Rod Adjustment at Front
10 mm Standard Tuner holes straight bore through
 
Body: MIM Sunburst Fender: $95.00 (Shipping was supposed to be an additional $21.70, but was refunded because the seller was late shipping it.) Immaculate condition. Came with strap buttons, ferrules, jack and cup. I just waited patiently till one came up on eBay in my price range. It came with shielding spray in the pickup / control plate cavities, so I didn't have to buy any shielding tape.
 
TUSQ Nut Blank: $10.11
 
Control Plate with angled selector switch: $30.00 (I turn them around backwards with the volume knob at the front and selector switch at the rear.)
 

 
Control plate wiring parts: CTS Linear 250K pots, Orange Drop .047uf cap, CRL 3-way switch, Switchcraft input jack, resistor $33.40
 
Chrome Neck Plate w/screws: used - $3.41 + $2.95 shipping
 
Circular String Retainer from Guitar Fetish: $4.25
 
Chrome Gotoh Style 14:1 Tuners from Guitar Fetish: $25.95, shipping $5.00 (includes above item)
 
Chrome Pickguard Screws from Allparts: $5.00
 
3-Ply Parchment Pickguard from Allparts: $16.00 + $8.00 shipping (includes screws listed above)
 
HIPSHOT O-Ring Knobs CHROME: $17.58 + $3.98 shipping
 
Dimarzio Area T pickups (used): $97.50
 
Total - $477.13
 
If the custom shop would have even done all that, it would have cost me somewhere between $3,000 - 5,000. No thanks.

I think it was Brownie, but I don't really remember. Do you recall that tele with the strat neck EC played in Blind Faith? Bit of a partscaster there too. I still think he played better on that tele than any guitar he ever used. I don't know why he gave it up. Seemed to really suit him.
 

Oh my gosh, there are lots of old duds out there. I remember Phil Keaggy talking about a 50's Les Paul he bought in the late 60's. He thought he had a real gem on his hands and within a year or two "it was falling apart." That's when he sold it and bought that brand new '71 Deluxe (he put PAF's in it) that he's known for today. I had a '54 ES-175 that was a fine guitar, but I can't say it was better than any number of newer ones. My main guitar for about a decade during the 80's - 90's was a '67 ES-340. (Basically a 335 with a 3-piece neck and some alternate wiring which I switched to standard 335 wiring.) It was a great guitar, but before that I had a brand new Yamaha SA-2000 (335 type) that I liked even better. The only reason I sold the Yamaha was because it had an ebony fingerboard, and the grease from my fingers gummed up the fretboard terrible. I got tired of cleaning it every other day. Being old doesn't mean a darn thing to me. Old is just old. Like me.... (And I'd trade this old body in on a new any day!)
 
Bill