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Ken Myers, Guitars

I don’t know why most bios are written in the third person so I’m writing this myself and I don’t care if it breaks some unofficial band bio rule.

I started playing guitar back when I was about 10. I wanted to be a rock star of course and so my parents signed me up for a classical guitar course at Essex Community College. I soon learned that although I could play things like Classical Gas and some other cool tunes, I wouldn’t be filling any stadiums or attracting any groupies. I tried to convince my teacher that I needed to learn to play rock. My teacher was an excellent player, a Japanese man who played a custom 7-string classical guitar. He was pretty amazing to hear and watch play. However, his view of teaching me rock started out by “performing” the great rock classics, “ By the time I get to Phoenix", and "Sweet Caroline". Not only did this slightly go against my view of what rock was but also hearing these songs sung in a heavy Japanese accent started me in search of another teacher. 

But before I move on, I want to convey one story that has stuck with me all these years:

I was going to purchase a classical guitar for class. My guitar teacher had picked out a particular model Yamaha classical guitar. I found a local shop and purchased one.   I brought it in and my guitar teacher said it was "too dry" - "get another one", he said. I didn’t know anything about guitars so my Dad and I conveyed this back to the store owner. They ordered one for me and when this new guitar came in, I took this one to my teacher, expecting better results. He looked the guitar over and said that it too was "too dry". Well we took this one back as well and when the local store owner conveyed this message back his supplier, the helpful person told him he had an idea on how to fix it. He said, “George… tell you what you do, piss in it” and I ended up with whatever they had on hand before anyone got any ideas to help moisturize any guitars…

I ended up taking lessons from the guy I bought that classical guitar from, trading in the classical for an Epiphone hollow body. My Dad and I put together a Heathkit guitar amp and now I was ready to make some noise. My long time friend, Bob Watson and I set up in my parent’s living room and we played "Wipeout" about 10 times. I was hooked but figured we’d needed more songs.

I played guitar in Junior and Senior high, where I met Jim Dorsey and Irv Groat. We played with different band members throughout those years, at dances and other functions, culminating in playing at a dance at our own high school.  The groupie goal wasn’t quite kicking in but it was a blast. I was able to sit in for Bob’s band once at a small nightclub after that and that was probably my last “gig” for about 22 years. We all went our separate ways and I went to UMBC. I lived there and of course I needed beer money  - so I sold all my now little used equipment (which ended up being an Ovation Viper – solid body 24 fret neck that I got from Gordon Miller's Music in Towson after trading in a Fender American Tele that I hosed up after taking the advice of a friend to “file down the frets and get the action better”, and a Peavey Standard 130 watt head with 6 10” cabinet). I gave up on the rock star and groupie goals and set my sites to programming and a career – and beer.

I had picked up an old ’68 Danelectro convertible with a ‘68 or ’69 Silver face Fender Vibro Champ amp early on from a kid on my street. I still have these today and this carried me along until about 5 years ago when I started making enough money to be able to afford some of the toys I dreamed about as a kid. I started out with a nice 414CE Taylor acoustic that has great tone and is a dream to play. I had goals of sitting around the fire at a campground etc. entertaining friends. I don’t sing so I was hoping to have friends that could. I started taking lessons again just to keep me picking up the guitar at least once a week. I decided to buy an electric guitar and went looking for just about anything decent in the $500 range and ended up with another Tele. I picked up a ’72 reissue that played and looked pretty nice. Not having anyone to play with at the time I got bored with lessons and needed more toys. I had played a midi guitar at Bill's Music back in the 80s and really was amazed at the sounds that could be produced. So I decided to get a guitar that had the synth output, so I bought a Roland GR-33. This introduced me to Brian Moore guitars. I picked up an i8.13 that kept me busy for a while playing entertaining noises like steel drums and chanting voices and other far less useful sounds. My friends have heard me say “I’ve got more toys than talent” and that certainly holds true today.

As referenced in some of the other bios, the band got back together for Irv’s 40th birthday and with such encouraging words as “...well you guys didn’t suck”, we decided to make a go at it. We’ve been working pretty hard at updating our song list and it’s really amazing what practice will do. With the addition of Vern and Ken to the already merry band we have such a good time at practice it’s amazing we ever learn any songs. Learn them we have and I’m pretty happy with the way things have come together.

We got our first booking from our drummer a while back for a crab feast and I decided to get more toys to be ready. I ended up with a PRS Hollowbody 2 with the piezo bridge. This is a sweet and versatile guitar – the piezo produces a convincing acoustic sound through the PA and the humbuckers sound pretty good through my Fender Hot Rod Deville (4x10”) amp. I use a Boss ME-50 for chorus, delay, etc. This works out pretty well but some of the songs required a lot of bending for the leads. I kept a wound 3rd string (11s come stock) for a while and broke them frequently so then changed to a plain 3rd but the 11s take a toll on my wimpy fingers. I had ordered a Deluxe Strat before the PRS came in and kept the 9s that came on that. The single coils left me having to change amp settings when I switched guitars and I went to Guitar Center to find some replacement pickups that would give me more power and less noise. Guitar Center is a bad place for me. I ended up coming home with a suitable replacement pickup and another PRS. I got a Custom 22 in purple with the Artist Package - another amazing guitar with a tremolo bridge that actually stays in tune.

OK so with an arsenal of equipment like this I have no excuses (except for the distortion that the Deville puts out, I’m thinking of adding a new amp to my pile of toys, suggestions accepted) and anything you hear that doesn’t sound right is directly attributable to my lack of ability.  (Just remember my motto – “more toys than talent”) I’ve had a great time getting back together and I think that our friendship and common experiences and tastes come through in our music. We enjoy playing and hope everyone enjoys listening to us as well. So if you get a chance come on by and tell us “...You guys don’t suck.”

Latest equipment update – now I use a Marshal AVT275 for an amp. Anyone want to buy a Deville?

Newer latest update 4/23/04 – traded the Marshal in on a Mesa Boogie Roadking. I still have the Deville if anyone is interested…..

Newest,  newer update 1/05 - I bought a Boss GT6 pedal to replace the ME-50 that the freakin' heating and air conditioning worker, Jeff, stole. I wanted to try something a bit different that had more features. Boss-GT6

4/05 Additional guitar added to the lineup and one retired. I picked up a Custom 22 with a stop tail in the Brazillian Limited Package. Nice guitar. I use this as a drop d guitar and backup for the Custom 22 with the trem bridge – you know what happens when you break a string on a treb bridge…. PRS model history I retired the Brian Moore – it was such a different feel from the other guitars that it became uncomfortable to play.

You can email me at KenM@MLCrisis.net