Chris Haskett

Getting the car off the cinderblocks in the front yard and back on the road…

admin — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:32:06 +0000

Sorry, sorry, sorry I’ve been so remiss in tending to these pages. I’ve been BUSY! An EP’s worth of electric material will be ready in a few days and the acoustic CD will follow fast. Also, this WEBSITE will (finally) be getting its much-needed overhaul. Thanks Brian!

PROGRESS!

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:57:21 +0000

Happy to announce that both the acoustic and electric records are creeping along. The acoustic record is basically recorded and I’m slicing it down (some of the takes are too long) and will, with Elliott Sharp’s assistance, choose the best ones and then do some EQing and mastering (again with Elliott’s oversight). No release date or title yet. Both should be clearer once the work’s closer to done.

The electric record (working title “Private Language Argument”) is moving in fits and starts. The drums and some guitars are recorded and bass and other overdubs are inching forward. Greta Brinkman graciously lent her labors to two tracks and the remainder will be completed by the awesome Mike Baker and the inimitable Ashish Vyas.

It’s frustrating that everything moves so slowly. But at least it’s moving.

Brandon Finley’s drumtracks…

admin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:38:52 +0000

I’ve started doing stereo mixes of the drum tracks so various people (TBA) can add tracks at home and send them back. I can do some of the macro/preliminary guitar work now but really have to wait until the tracks are more complete to do any detailing. Right now, we’re hopefully looking at about 10 songs. Not thinking of titles yet.

SO WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON WITH ALL THE RECORDS????

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:13:51 +0000

OK, here the state of things musical: the drum tracks for the next Haskett/Finley release are in the can. Various guitars,basses and samples are yet to be tracked but it is coming along. The Haskett solo acoustic record is likewise due to start tracking in the next week or so. Elliott Sharp has graciously offered to lend production guidance when I feel I’m going astray. It’s all going slower than I’d like but at least it’s all going.

Stay tuned.

And I’m migrating content to the new WordPress-friendly site as I get time. LOTS AND LOTS of new tune and pix yet to come!

PRS McCarty

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:56:11 +0000

Unquestionably the best electric guitar I’ve ever owned. When I first got it I was so happy I called Paul and I was so happily worked up that he actually thought I was mad about something. It is just super sweet. Better than any Les Paul I’ve ever had. It really, really sings (even moreso now than I’ve reset it for light top -heavy bottom [i.e. 10-52] strings!)

Nice little story goes with this guitar:

I was at the factory doing overhauls on my CE’s as Rollins Band touring used to take its toll and the then artist rep, my friend (the remarkable and wonderful) Bonni Lloyd said, “We owe you a guitar, what do you need?” and at that point I didn’t really need anything but I said, “Well let me check out one of these new McCarty thingies.” She said, “Well we only have one right now and it’s a custom for a client but you can try it.” So there I am sitting on the floor of the room with this guitar and it is LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT! This guitar is amazing. Butter. I had just gotten the second Led
Zeppelin box set and I’m sitting there playing “Bring it on home” and all this Zep stuff and I tell Bonni, “You’re NOT getting this back. I want you to get a time machine, go back in time, remake this guitar without the tremolo and then give it to me.” All the while plinking
away at Zeppelin and Bonni says, “We don’t have any time machines and we need to take the action down on that one and ship it out.”
Just as I’m saying, “Take the action DOWN? It’ll buzz, who’d want that?” I look over at the case and the strip of tape says “;J. Page”

Bummer.

But that’s not the end of the story: a few weeks later Bonni calls and says, “Your guitar’s ready.” “What guitar?” I enquire. “Your
McCarty” says she. "When we made the one with the trem for Jimmy Page we figured he wouldn’t actually like it so we made a standard
out of the sister cuts of the same wood. He likes his so you get the other one.” Someday maybe the two guitars will meet. I DID actually meet Jimmy Page once. Our conversation ran something like this:

ROSS HALFIN: Jimmy, this is Chris Haskett.
JIMMY PAGE (for it is he): Hello.
CHRIS HASKETT: Hi.
Or maybe I said “hello” and he said “hi” There was nobody there to transcribe this historical event so we’ll never be sure.

Martin D-25 K2

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:45:06 +0000

This one’s a bit of an oddity. It’s a regular D-25 but Koa top, back and sides. Very dark sounding and not easy to incorporate with other instruments. It’s a little quiet for using live but it has a really lovely kind of bittersweetness which is perfect for those John Martyn moments…

Kelly Dano

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:39:43 +0000

Rick Kelley from Carmine St Guitars made these. I generally don’t like playing with a middle pickup but this was such a bargain and so cool I couldn’t resist. It was also an incentive/reward for starting a new project. The string spacing threw me a bit but replacing the saddles with regular tele saddles did the trick. Another of the guitars I set up for LTHB strings just because it has enough twang to make the extra oomph of a .52 E really work.

Hofner somethingorother

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:36:07 +0000

This is a gorgeous Hofner mongrel from the 50′s. The tag inside claims to be a bass body but it’s obviously a guitar. Too nice to travel, it lives in London.

Harmony Monterey

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:27:53 +0000

I used to have three of these “pawnshop specials” and they were all playable in exclusively different parts of the neck. Now I’m down to the “slide” one. Great for country blues. Instant 78rpm lo-fi tone and it all comes from the spraypainted finish..

Not sure of the age of this. I’m guessing mid-50s. Anybody know?

Epiphone PR5-E

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:23:33 +0000

As I’ve been doing a lot more acoustic playing lately, I’ve needed some reliable but not oh-so-precious guitars to drag in and out of clubs. I’ve settled on these for now as, if you weed through to find a good one, they really sing and also the new electrics are pretty damn good. The one in the picture is one of the originals that had a 1/4″ and an XLR but the newer ones have a cool dual piezo system that sounds really good. They’re a little light on the low end but sing the top mids. Good for my stuff but, like I say, you have to dig through some to find the ones that really sing.