This page features some of the various musical experiences I've had over the years. I plan to showcase a different story on a regular basis. So keep checking back. If you have comments, please send them my way. Contact me

Page Updated - October 25, 2025

Vintage Geeks
by Kirk James

In the Summer of 1993, I was living on the East Coast in Connecticut.And a musician friend of mine needed me to fill-in and host the weekly jam night at a bar called Woodys Tavern. No it wasn't owned by Ron Wood. And I 'm sure he never passed through the place either.

I filled in for my friend and jammed with his band as he was out of town for that night. We played the opening set and then had other local musicians sit in and play some great music. As the night progressed, quite a number of musicians came in with their instruments and band members. Most of the players brought their own guitars and plugged into our amps and PA system.

There was this one group of three young guitarists that brought in their own vintage guitars and amplifiers. A '62 Stratocaster, a '67, a "Black Face" Super Reverb and a Twin Reverb. They had special handmade cases that protected the original pristine finishes of their cherished collectible possessions.

They had driven about an hour and a half from Rhode Island for this night of music and it was certain that they wanted to perform together. I noticed that of the three vintage enthusiasts, only two of them brought guitar amps to play through. So I approached the third guy and offered my 1990 Fender "Red Knob" Twin for him to play through. That way he could play at the same time as his buddies.

He gave one look at my amplifier and turned up his nose and said,"A 'Red Knob Twin? 'Those amps Suck. No thanks!" Apparently he didn't realize that was the only spare amplifier to plug into and that I was running the jam that night.

Well, if that's how he felt, then it was gonna be me jamming with his buddies instead of him. His friends didn't sing and it worked out fine for me to go back up on stage to sing and play with them.

And after one song, the "Vintage Snob" comes up to me and says "Hey that amp sounds great! What did you do to it?"

I calmly said "Nothing. It's straight out of the box."

"You're kidding right? You had to have Hot Rodded it somehow."

"Nope. It's stock... so is the guitar."

With a determined and insistent tone he replied "You must've replaced the speakers, upgraded the tubes, you did something to it didn't you?"

Then I got socked into his frame of mind and hastily returned."Have you stopped to think that great tone doesn't always come from the gear? And that knowing how to play is a pretty damn important element?!"

Needless to say,that kid was surprised that a newer guitar rig could sound so good even though it wasn't a highly desirable vintage collectible. And for some reason... he didn't get the chance to play through it that night. Sorry Dude!

Forever searching for the perfect tone... He'll never look at a Fender "Red Knob Twin" the same again.

(The Jam Night was on Tuesday July 20,2025)