sir, will you be watching John Mayer this May? :)

yep! :)

Sir how many guitars do you own right now? and what is your favorite? by kawayan

5 electrics, two acoustics, a really cool lap steel, and one bass :) i love em all, but the Variax is the most useful

Hi Sir, can I just say, you look really good in that default pic here in Formspring! I suggest that you turn your head a little bit to the side though for a better angle. …nyahahahahah

noted. LOL!

between electric and acoustic, what is your dream car? haha by Akelle

i’ll answer that if you answer this: if a ball is dropped from thirty feet, and bounces back 18 feet, then what is the brand of the ball? ;p

Hi Francis! Last November while on vacation back home, I met up with Lucielle Fidelino to ask her if she would try to spread my bands cd. I gave her I belive an 8 song cd. What are the chances it’ll get airplay on NU? We’d like to play shows there soon. by frzrsnatch

i’ll try and get in touch with her but you can also send your cd to : NU107, Suite 102, AIC Gold Tower, Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City

Bong Baluyot reminds me of a young Leo Martinez. Hihihi

OONGANO!!!! LOL!!!!

Do you listen to submitted demos beforehand before you play them on In the Raw? And how do you choose what to play for a certain episode? I’m sending my demo in a week and I’m nervous. by jmarcilla

when i can, yeah. basically i play almost everything, from the really good stuff to the not-so-good. then i dispense objective advice, which i hope is also received objectively :)
i’m a musician too, and we all love what we write, and i understand that. but all of us overlook certain things and an outsider’s opinion, if constructive, should always be welcome :)

how is benito doing? by kawayan

he’s eating and barking according to the vet, and on his way to recovery :) thanks for asking!

Sir fan niyo po pala yung boyfriend ko pati yung friend niya pwede daw po ba pa-kiss? HAHA! jookee! pahingi daw po autograph at papicture nadin daw po… LOLZ!! HAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!!

sorry, no more kisses from guys. oks na yung dalawang beses sa pisngi sa aking life. To borrow from Rico Blanco (when he encountered a certain person who asked for a really odd request), “Handshake na lang.” :p

Chief, a quick question: what, exactly, is the “Hazarai” knob for on a Stereo Memory Man? by tapsilogic

it’s basically a store/recall button for any mode on the SMM :)

Nels Cline’s Square King has this guitar part that sounds like Rivermaya’s Faithless. Strange pero galing man!

he’s awesome in wilco, and his Nels Cline Singers stuff is great. yeah, he can be melodic, or strange, jazzy, punked-out… genius player :)

You’re so COOL! \m/ (i’m sorry that’s a statement not a question.)

awww, thanks ;p i disagree but hey whatever ;p

ask via formspring.me. if i’m in a good mood (ie, bagong kain, bagong ligo, bagong jebs etc), i answer ASAP. whatever questions i don’t answer have either been previously answered, or ruined my bowel movement :D

Sir Francis, who’s the guitarist you admire the most? If you had to rate the best guitarists in the world, who will they be? Kasama ba si Buckethead sa lista nyo? Hehe!

Overall, it’s Pat Metheny, for the sheer range of his compositions, his technical prowess, and the overall HEART in everything he does, whether it’s a complex suite or a quiet acoustic tune or an abrasive dissonant piece.
i don’t really rate guitarists; i just respond to the musical vibe they have in their playing and compositions. Jimi Hendrix too definitely…
there is no such thing as ‘the best.’ this isn’t an Olympic event… it’s music :)
but yeah, Buckethead is great. check out Nels Cline; he’s currently my fave of all the modern guitarists :D

sir.. Whats ur Fav Performance at NU rock Awrds Ever..( me.. its gonna Rivermaya back on 2003)

i’ve yet to really enjoy an NU Rock Awards show… i’m normally doing a lot of things months before the show and until it’s over. it’s the same every year: the team work extremely hard to make sure the show runs smoothly. it’s no joke, frankly. i don’t even watch the TV specials… it reminds me of work LOL!!!
when i retire, i’ll probably watch everything and enjoy em objectively. ask me then hehe :D

Musta po yung Ozawa band? Magaling po ba sila? Gitarista pala dun yung makulet na may ari ng 6underground nakakagulat.

Ah oo, si Bel Sayson… ikakasal na yun hehe! yihi!!!

Hello Sir Kiko, any tips for an acoustic set-up on guitar, amps and effects if any?

a comfortable action… and that’s it. i’ve heard weird effects applied on acoustic but generally it’s not to my personal taste.

sir brew have you tried playing jackson guitars? I’m planning to buy a rhoads but then I wanted you insights on this brand:D what do you prefer: a jackson kelly or a gibson explorer? by valenetic

Jackson is really good at metal-oriented guitars. i like the Rhoads, and the Kelly too :D

i’d go for the grandaddy: the gibson explorer :)

Ser sabi ni Senyor Mon Legaspi ng Wolfgang tropa na daw kayo college pa lang. Nagkametal band ba kayo nung panahong iyon?

Yes indeed… Mon was one of my bestest friends in college, along with Kenyo (and formerly O’n’L) manager Bong Baluyot and 6CycleMind’s (and Afterimage’s) Chuck Isidro :) We ALL dreamed of rockstardom while hanging out sa Aristocrat in DLSU… those were the days :) Mon and i kinda had a band together, but it didn’t last… i left to join Afterimage. i introduced him to Iron Maiden; he in turn turned me on to GBH and a host of other punk/hardcore bands. we both loved Metallica and Megadeth way before most people ever bothered to :)
Mon is one of the few people from my college days who, over the years and the career paths we took apart and together, i would consider one of my oldest dearest friends :) He is one of the most frank, artistic, and romantic (hehe!), friends i’ve ever had :D

sir what are your guitar care tips?. by kawayan

clean the strings everyday. do not expose guitar to sudden extremes of temperature. make sure it’s balanced when you place it on a guitar stand. start there :D

Sir, as a rockstar marami bang chicks na lumalapit sayo? hahahahaha

not really. i get boys who want to know what pedals i use lol! ;p that’s fine by me… unless they ask for a kiss. which HAS happened. twice. (eeeewwwwwhhhhhh…!)

by the way, the ‘rockstar’ concept is absolute bullshit. just be the best musician you can be :D

Are you watching the Tears for Fears concert? :-)

yep :)

Ano po size ng baywang mo?

27 ;p

for your questions, formspring.me. any questions i don’t answer are a.) already answered b.) i probably forgot that i haven’t answered previously or, c.) much too personal. thank you for understanding, and thank you for asking :)

Sir Kiko, have you tried Ibanez electric guitars? I’m planning to buy one and I wondered which one has the best sound pero yung presyo eh mababa. What amplifier would you use for it? Thanks! ^__^

i had two Ibanezes: an AR200 and a semi-hollow Artcore. i loved em both but had to sell them because i needed money for more important things.
just look for one that fits your budget, and as for the amp, same thing. but buy something that makes sense: if you’re in a band that’s just starting out, buying a stack is not a good idea. unless you’re rich of course :D

How do you archive the answers here on formspring? Kelangan link to tumblr? by perfektus

on formspring, i just answer and they are posted as i answer them so the archiving is automatic. then i cut-and-paste em to tumblr ;p

What are your views on Britpop?

i like all kinds of music, so i like that too. i was a Blur fan more than an Oasis fan when Britpop was at its peak. but these days, i’ve come to love em both :) the British tend to have a more quirky adventurous approach to rock and pop

Why do I see some guitars with red guitar strings? Where do you get those? Why are they red?

hmmm, well i’m not sure if you’re referring to custom-coloured strings (which are hard to find here) or the phosphor-bronze strings on acoustics. the former i forget what brand… the latter, well the material contributes to the colour.
sorry if my answer seems vague… my only concerns when buying strings are the gauges (0.11-0.49) and the material (nickel-plated)

so any plans of settling down anytime soon?? - maybe kids? not cameras or guitars…babies as in umiiiyak na bata ;)

why are you pressuring me?? ;p LOL!

What are you doing this Holy Week? Lipa lang with the family?

i didn’t go home; i decided to stay in Manila. i washed a lot of dishes … and lemme tell you it can be a spiritually uplifting experience, specially if you consider that such a tedious torturous task is a mere niggle compared to the sacrifice made by JC :) i couldn’t compare it, so i can’t complain… but i had many spiritual insights as a result :)

My dad told me to try playing Earl Klugh songs. Okay ba yun?

Earl Klugh reminds me of summers when i was a kid. he’s a melodic player, and learning to play a melody has more meaning than melting the fretboard ;p sure, check him out :) he’s a bit too tame for my tastes but still, he’s a respected player

Ser totoo ba na kapitbahay mo si karl roy? kung oo, lagi ba kayo jamming tugtog?

actually naging kasambahay ko sha for a couple years. we’re related sa mga lolo namin, which was something we discovered a few years ago. funnily enough we never jammed in the house…

Sir Francis! Ang cool nung frog rock niyo but I can’t really do it right :’( i usually fall. How do you do it?

i don’t know, i just jump sideways and get my heels to meet hehe. i can’t jump sideways to the right though…

who is your presidential candidate? by juvil

right now, Gibo

Sir, what’s the secret to having The Edge’s sound? Any tips?

the secret is… you have to be The Edge himself :D to approximate his sound, meaning the surface characteristics we all identify as The Edge’s Sound: a delay, and a Herco guitar pick. wait i’m not sure if it’s a Herco… but you can sandpaper the edge of your pick so there’s friction when it hits the string. there’s a tone there that’s er close to The Edge

how did you get that good in playing your instrument sir? i wish i could play the way you do.. by dnomyars

thanks… but honestly i’m still doing my best to be a good player. i usually try to find out what i can’t do and work on it :) there are things that other people can do naturally that i find difficult to execute even with a lot of practice, but that’s okay. i do believe your strengths and weaknesses define your voice. i’ve heard/seen technically perfect players who don’t actually have their own voice. i’m still not sure if i found my voice yet but each day i get closer… and that’s fine by me :)

ask via formspring.me. i don’t answer everything specially if i’ve answered a question previously, but i do read all the questions. thanks, much respect :)

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

What can you say about the Pinoy music scene? And what do you think about Electrico?

It’s in great shape, artistically :) however, since a lot of local bands have become successful, the really young ones tend to copy them… i’ve received demos from really new bands that sound like copies of Urbandub/Typecast/Chicosci. it’s a natural cycle of course… but i’m waiting for a band that sounds fresh. i remember when i heard Urbandub for the first time… they didn’t quite sound like anybody else locally and that’s why they made an impact :)
I haven’t heard new Electrico stuff yet but i do like ‘Hip City’ and ‘We Satellites’ a lot which had Amanda Ling on keys :) their sound on those albums is beautiful. the next album will probably be different

top 10 favorite pinoy guitarists? :-)

in no particular order:

Noel Mendez
Mike Elgar
Kakoi Legaspi
Noli Aurillo
Jack Rufo
the dude from Enemies of Saturn (forgot his name arrgghhhh!)
Cynthia Alexander
Mike Villegas
Edgar ‘Koyang’ Avenir
Julianne Tarroja
Jerome Velasco

maraming magaling na Pinoy guitarists; it’s in our blood :)

Magkano po mag guitar lessons sa inyo?

Depende. kung magtatanong lang about scales, chords, or modes, libre po (you can actually learn those in the library or the internet anyway). if it’s a serious series of sessions, depende on what you can afford. i’m quite considerate :)
honestly, i don’t really like charging for lessons BUT… when people get things for free, they take lessons for granted. you have to get the attitude of getting your money’s worth, gets?

How do you find girls with boy’s name? like me. my name is FRANCIS, and yeah i’m a girl. :)

That’s cool… truthfully it took me a long time to like my name. ‘Francis’ sounded gay and/or feminine to me lol! but you know, whatever. just be thankful your name isn’t Efren or Gunigundo. those names don’t fit girls LOL!

Hi Sir! Wazzup?! :)) Sir bigay naman kayo idea para puntahan sa Holy Week! :D by berylchan

SIMBAHAN!!! :D no seriously :) Holy Week is a period of prayer and reflection, so take the opportunity to do so and clear your mind and soul :) kung gusto nyo, simbahan out-of-town para road trip na rin :) whatever you do, don’t forget the essence of Holy Week
magdasal ka; plano ko kasi bigyan ka ng failing grade wahahahahahahaha!!!!

Whats the best wireless for guitars? DO you adviseWhats the pros and cons with wireless?

Hmmm… well my wireless is a true-diversity Maxon which has been near-flawless for twenty years or so. i’ve run around huge venues with it and rarely experienced signal dropouts. i’ve also tried Sennheiser wireless systems and they’re great too.
with wireless sytems i think you just have to watch out for stompboxes behaving differently. for example, when i use the Fuzz Factory with a cable, it does those wild self-oscillating things. with a wireless, it doesn’t happen; i have to change settings on the box to get the oscillating effect to happen. it probably has to do with a cable and a wireless having different impedances or something. also some wireless systems supposedly change your basic tone a bit. i haven’t really noticed, so its fine by me.
i tend to play better wireless though. probably has to do with not worrying about stepping on the cable; i end up focusing on just playing :)

i haven’t really checked up on wireless system technology lately but way back when, you had a choice between a single diversity or a true diversity system. the latter is preferrable since it essentially has two receiving channels; this means if channel A can’t find your transmitter, channel B will kick in and find it, thereby avoiding dropouts. Line 6 recently released a digital wireless system; haven’t tried that yet. anyway with the older systems, you have to be within line-of-sight for the system to work perfectly… although i have played behind a wall with the Maxon and it still worked.

sir kiko may Gretsch ka ba na gitara? kumusta po ang tunog ng brand na yun?

Yes, i have a Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet with a Bigsby trem. the tone of a Gretsch is a bit different from say a Les Paul. it sounds best clean to medium overdrive. good for dirty rock :)

How often do you visit Lipa? Malakas ka ba uminom ng kapeng barako?

Not too often unfortunately; i don’t really have much days off. pero kapeng barako, madalas. actually basta kape, okay ako :D

ask me via formspring.me :) No deeply personal intrusive questions please thanks!

ano po bang pedal ang recommended ipartner sa Boss metal zone? by epamolarcoiii

hmmm… depende sa tugtugan nyo. maybe an EQ set to ‘flat’ with the level slider above zero to raise the volume a bit for solos

If you could only have 3 guitar effects forever, which ones would you use? by Beramonde

A good distortion or overdrive, and a good delay, and i’m happy :) though my current pedalboard has six boxes (three distortion/overdrives and three delays, all set to do different things) it’s basically just a distortion/delay set-up :)

Hi sir Francis, this is Rommel of CAPO.(if you can still remember our band.)All your inputs worked for us. By the way… We can’t classify our music to a specific/standard genre. More on fusion of different styles po kasi. How/What do we call that music?

Hmmm… i dunno, it’s R&Bish pop i guess. you have really nice songs though :)

You’re a Porcupine Tree fan right? have you heard The Incident? What do you think of it?

I have it but i haven’t listened to it straight through yet; haven’t got much time. but the first four cuts are definitely up there with their best work :) i love PT

Francis. it’s me your fan Chris (the guitar player fan who talked you about Clapton and Van Halen, etc’s). It’s been along time since I’ve chatted with you. Question ko lang. I need some tips in slaving amps to get a “brown sound” in a cheaper way. I’m also going back with my analog pedals that’s why I’m tone chasing for a brown sound-like when I’m playing. Can you advice some good amps besides Peavey,Marshall, and EVH Fender, so I could get a decent VH sound? - Chris

i’ve never tried slaving amps together; i only have one anyway. slaving two amps for that ‘brown’ sound isn’t cheap! ;p my cheap advice is: shop around for an all-tube amp with amp distortion that you’ll be happy with, and get a booster or an overdrive for more gain. what Van Halen did in the early days to his amp was actually dangerous, and we now have amps that can replicate the process safely. i tried the Peavey 5150 before, which EVH designed but i didn’t like it at all. i love VH’s early sound, and i sought that as well. maybe i should’ve tuned down to E-flat and used a phaser with the 5150, but even then, i’m no VH-level genius ;p I’m sure EVH and other peeps can make that amp sound great, and maybe you can, but i can’t.

EVH himself in interviews has said that you should know what tone you seek, and it should be in your head and fingers. i love his tone, but faced with the equipment he designed to get that tone of his… well all i can say is it didn’t work for the mortal that i am.

you can get an imitation of his sound with a cranked modern amp i guess but to get his actual tone… you have to be him ;p

Im used to guitars w/ humbuckers as pickups but lately Im planning on using single coiled ones like Telecasters.Its really different for me but I know Im just not exploring its potential.Any tips so that I wouldnt just limit my self to what i was used to?

just embrace that clear single coil sound, and all will be well :) and be prepared to re-assess your technique: single-coils are unforgiving and naked. a bum note is a bum note :)

ASK ME ANYTHING - Formspring

ano ang pinaka masasabi mong guitar cover mo na kuhang kuha mo at pinaghirapang aralin?…(instrumental only)

Wala ;p noon pa mang mga panahon na hindi pa ako marunong mag-gitara, napabaon na sa isip ko na ang Pilipino ay magaling mang-gaya. madalas ko marinig nuong ako’y musmos pa: bakit ba tayong mga Pilipino ay napakahilig manggaya? kaya’t nung naging seryoso ako sa pag-gitara, iniwasan ko iyon. may panahon na pinag-hirapan ko matutunan ang mga istilo ng mga idolo ko tulad nina Eddie Van Halen, at Yngwie Malmsteen, at yung ‘Far Beyond the Sun’ ay nakuha ko dahil may nagbigay sa akin ng instructional tape na ‘Note for Note.’ pero napansin ko na ginagaya ko lang ang mga idolo ko… tinig nila ang lumabas, hindi akin. kaya’t kung may natutugtog ako na masyadong katunog nila, maski na nakakamangha, binibitawan ko. mas mahalaga ang malaman ko kung papaano nila gawin ang mga bagay kesa gayahin lamang sila ng lubusan. kumbaga ganito: ‘sa kordang Em at C, ganito ang gagawin ni Van Halen, ganyan ang gagawin ni Clapton, hayun ang ginawa ni Malmsteen, heto ang ginawa ni Metheny… ano kaya ang gagawin KO?’ paano kung… paghalu-haluin ko? maski pangit ang nagawa ko, basta hindi ko masyadong kinopya sila, ok lang. mas tatanggapin ko na maging pangit na ako, kesa maging magandang loro nila. gayunpaman, hinahanap ko pa rin ang aking sariling tunog at tinig sa larangan ng pag-gitara at musika.
teka, dumugo ilong ko hehe

How do you explain your own guitar sound?

i don’t know… i don’t really have my own sound yet, i think. maybe i do, but whenever i hear myself, i can tell where my influences show. i’m too close to it to be objective about it. i know what i like to sound like though, and i prefer a warm sound overall.

i am a girl, but i love joe satriani. which of his songs do you like best? by aiyaboi

ah, a girl who likes bald men is a blessing for shiny heads lol! i like the entire ‘Not Of This Earth’ and ‘Surfing With The Alien’ albums, specially the song “Lords of Karma”. the ending melody that fades out is simple yet majestic :)

HI Sir Francis..I just want to ask some tips on tweaking my Squier Bulletstrat, what should I do with the bridge, the strings and whatsoever about it..or some references on it..(sorry for the long question..) Thanks!

the first thing you have to check is the neck, if it’s back-bowed or warped/twisted. its best if i can see it, but start there :)

Is there any dealer of Gibson guitars sa atin ngayon? ihave been looking around pero wala ako makita, i wonder why?

I think it used to be distributed by Yupangco. why they don’t anymore, i have no idea

What setting should i use to take pictures on concerts, events, or any low-light situations?

i’m assuming you’ll be shooting things or people that move. concert lighting is erratic, so there’s no ‘universal’ setting really but start with an ISO setting of 400; that way, you can set the shutter speed where it’s not too slow (unless you want some blurring), and you do need to set your f-stop to the widest opening available on your lens. of course higher ISO settings also result in more noise, and less crisp details. try to get a fast lens (f1.4, f1.8, f2, f2.8) too; they tend to be more expensive but well worth it. you can probably also set your camera to ‘shutter priority’ and leave it a 1/60 and let the cam make the necessary exposure adjustments, although i would encourage you to just do things manually and make all the adjustments yourself.
try not to use a flash by the way. ask permission if you can from the show’s producers, but generally, using a flash during a concert is a real no-no. it results in amateurish photos that lack depth and nuance (specially since most amateurs use strong flashes so they can get their memorable snapshot) but also it’s irritating and distracting for onstage performers and performances. it’s actually rude. trust me; i know ;p

oh that’s so cool your dad is a semipro. mmm I know what you mean about the basic photography course. I took one last year and mostly all I learned was the same as you stated, along with how to handle criticism from my professor. thanks for reply :) by honeyinthetummy

i learned the technical stuff from the thing that every camera owner has but is hardly given attention: THE MANUAL ;p

who is your favorite cartoon character?

GIR from ‘Invader Zim’ :) i also think Ponyo is rather cute :)

Ask me here - Formspring view past formspring entries HERE

if you could have only one guitar, what would it be? why?

The Variax because it has a lot of different guitar tones, and it makes my projects faster to do :) it’s practically limitless. i’ve always wanted a Coral electric Sitar but can’t afford one, but there it is, modelled within the Variax :) a turn of the knob and i have a virtual Les Paul. it’s really amazing but i think few people take it seriously because it’s not a ‘real’ Paul or whatever. but it is quite an amazing guitar :D

prior to the Variax, my Hamer Standard, with it’s Seymour Duncan 59 and JB pickups, was my ultimate guitar. the pickup combination is classic, and having both pickups on produced a nice nasal tone.

sir kiko,uwi ka naman sa lipa..lapit na fiesta dito,hehe..anyway,what can you say about elegee custom guitars?have you seen and played one?

Happy fiesta!!! unfortunately, i have work even on my days off from NU, so going back to Lipa is difficult, schedule-wise.

I’ve had Jon of Elegee work on my guitars and he’s really good. his Elegee guitars are well-made and Jon can make any design you like. maybe i’ll have one made from scratch someday

if you will form a collab band of your choice, who are the members taht you would pick?? :)) kiko, go back to dubai!!! we miss u here!!!! <3

Wendell Garcia or Robert De La Cruz on drums; Rommel De La Cruz or Louie Talan on bass; Diego Castillo on guitar; and Ebe Dancel or Pochoy Labog on vocals :)

Dubai? sure! just send a couple plane tix, plus accomodations at the Burj Dubai (or whatever its called now) ha! LOL! :) Dubai is a nice place, and i’m glad to have been able to visit it

hello! just curious, do you go to Conspiracy bar? i believe that’s a classic pinoy artists’ haven =)

i haven’t been there in years; yes its an artists haven indeed :) i rarely go out to tell you the truth ;p

what’s your take on lomography?

it celebrates serendipity which is rather cool. but all things considered, i still prefer actual photography. kinda like Guitar Hero vs a real guitar. i have a Fisheye but i hardly touch it. every photographer should try it though :) it is fun, which is the entire point

this was probably already asked but… what camera do you use, and have you ever taken photography courses before?

a Lumix LX3 and a Canon 5D Mark II. my dad was a semi-pro photographer, and he’s kinda back into shooting which is great. i still can’t hold a candle to his photos ;p so i kinda learned from him when i was growing up and he gave me some tips. i was a Comm Arts student for one term in college and Basic Photography was one of the subjects and while i did learn how to process negatives and deal with the darkroom and inhale the chemicals, i didn’t really learn how to shoot there. the teacher was an ‘artiste’ who couldn’t be bothered to teach the basics so he sucked. i mostly relied on just holding the camera, making mistakes, and learning in the process. Like life itself :D

hi francis! :) this is bochang, from the band Midsummer. you played our song (if i’m not mistaken)last december 2009,in your show intheraw. I just wanna know if there’s any chance that you’d play it again?what are the machanics?thanks, sir :)

Sir! nag gagawa po ako songs pero instrumentel lang siya, rock style po.kung mag papasa po ako sa IN THE RAW, mai paparinig po ba siya on air?

Yes for both questions :) just call me through the NU offices and remind me :)

what can i do to not be bored by myself?

it depends. you can put on lipstick and dance naked in front of the mirror wearing only army boots maybe. you can clean your room. or repaint the walls. learn cross-stitching. eat ice cream while standing on your head. start a private diary pretending you’re someone else. pray. meditate. study ion propulsion engine technology. write a treatise about styrofoam. look for Ramon Bautista as Diwata on Youtube. read the Bible. or the Koran. or Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha. watch  James Cameron films and ponder where Michael Bay falls short. dress up your kid sister’s Barbie dolls and pretend they’re this year’s presidential candidates. learn about terraforming on Mars. take a walk and really truly appreciate a sunset. etcetcetcetcetcetcetcetcetcetcetc ad infinitum

Ask me here - Formspring view past formspring entries HERE

Is there any significant difference between a Maple and Rosewood when used in guitar manufacturing?

yeah there is. from my experience, maple fretboards give a snappier tone, and notes ‘open up’ quicker. with rosewood fretboards, notes seem to sustain first, and then open up, and generally gives a smoother tone. i’ve had a couple of maple fretboard guitars (a strat and a tele) and compared them to rosewood fretboard counterparts. the difference is noticeable, and i prefer rosewood. by the way, i did the comparison unplugged.

your top 3 presidential bets are…

Haven’t made up my mind yet. weighing who’s the least neurotic, and the one who mudslings the least. Politics these days is more about dissing each other’s personalities and not about proper platforms. Granted, politics anywhere in the world has always had a ‘showbiz’ angle to it. but when that angle seems to take precedent over everything else, it’s not right. i’m pretty sure though that i’m not voting for Erap. Noynoy comes from an incredible lineage, but is he himself fit?

i truly believe though that unless we stop corruption at its most basic level (meaning our everyday personal dealings), it doesn’t matter who’s president. we’re trying to move on and away from someone who seems to embody corruption, sure. but as long as the average person does not do anything about his/her personal encounters from corrupt practices, nothing will change. we need a psycho-cultural overhaul.

paul gilbert, john petrucci, joe satriani, steve vai … choose one?

Vai :D

do you like proms?

No. i was too shy and insecure to attend any. and it’s too late now hehe

how much do you love niña sandejas? you two are so cute please dont ever split up.hehe

Thank you for the sweetness :)

How much? Real love is priceless, and should not be quantified :D

We’re approaching our fifth year, and this is my longest relationship ever. we’ve been through the best of times, and the worst (mostly my fault), and everyday is a blessing and we’re very happy indeed :)  and i best stop rambling because i’m getting all choked up :D

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sir brew, what brand of strings do you recommend for ones having “acid hands” like me. i’ve tried various strings (ernie ball, d’addario, dean markley, and some cheapo strings) and all of them lose their shine and smoothness esp the first 3 strings which corrodes with my “acid hands” even if i dry my hands before using my guitar.

even if you play guitar just for a couple minutes, make it a habit to wipe the strings clean :) as in every time you touch the guitar; or even when it’s just on your guitar stand. cleanliness is key :) i use either d’addarios or ernie balls and they last the same time. SIT strings are pretty good too; they seem to get stretched out the fastest.

most important: check your diet… if you drink a lot of beer or alcohol, that’s a shoo-in for having more acidic sweat ;p

What is the reason why i idolize you so much? and what is the top secret in playing guitar?

Whoa… well only you can answer that! i blush… ;p i just hope you don’t photoshop me naked or sacrifice little animals.

the top secret to anything, i believe, is love :) love the guitar, love music, and everything else after that is fluff :)

Happy Holidays! i dont know if its appropriate to ask you here but i was wondering where i can send my stuff for NU Airplay?

NU107, Suite 102, AIC Gold Tower, emerald ave, Ortigas Center, Pasig City :)

In your opinion, what’s the best local album for 2009?.. With best local album, I mean something you’ve listened to over and over and you won’t mind listening over and over again. :)

i haven’t really listened to any album local or foreign nonstop lately; haven’t had much pleasure-listening time the past year. i would recommend highly Peryodiko’s album though :)

If ex president erap win this election what do you think his next scandal? note: it should be evil. evil as he did last time :3. jk.

hmmm… it’s probably a better idea to look for people like Efren Peñaflorida and focus on the great things that make a positive difference in our country. scandals are fun to discuss but we should avoid wasting time on things like that really… best we put our minds and thoughts on better things :)

Where could i get “sana ako’y marinig” chords? thanks:)

Someone asked that in one of my very first formspring entries. You can listen to the song here and the chords are written below it. :)

You can send me more questions about music, guitars, photography, travel and what not HERE. To read previous formspring questions answered click HERE.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Djorielle: Bands, music, rock n roll evolution in the Philippines…How does 70’s, 80’s, 90’ and the present differs from each decade? on your personal point of view that is, and which do you prefer?

In an extremely abbreviated form: The 70s was the decade when a lot of the creative seeds were planted. The 80’s was when showbands ruled until corporate sponsorship came in and supported bands making original music (whether that was a good thing or not is still the subject of debates). The 90s was when the creative and commercial promises of local rock changed the local music industry, which continues to the present day somehow. people take the existence of local bands for granted these days but believe me, when i was growing up in the early eighties, very few bands made original music. Rock bands generally did the Shakey’s Pizza Parlor circuit doing Deep Purple and classic rock covers, though some of them tried originals and got airplay on RJ-AM. there was a band called Medusa that had an original called ‘Beware of Medusa’ or something, and i doubt anybody remembers them. Betrayed and The Jerks did originals too… this was in ‘81 and solo balladeers were the norm.

if ‘evolution’ is the operative word, you can’t really isolate each decade and say it was ‘the best’ or most preferrable. they all contributed to the present, and i’m glad that these days, its easy to find a rock fan who listens to 90% original Pinoy Rock. i grew up having to basically hunt down local original rock music (which record companies and FM stations hardly paid attention to). it’s absolutely great that, at least from my early teen years’ perspective, things have changed :) every decade had it’s share of crap and brilliance.

Bhurt: Hello Sir Francis. I’m a bit curious about Line6’s TonePort KB37. I’m still quite a newbie in recording and all the other aspects associated with it. So I’m wondering whether if this is a good “investment” for that. Thank you sir :)

That’s what i use and i do recommend it. The mic and line inputs and the keyboard controller have definitely made my life easier. so for me, yes it’s a great investment :) there are similar alternatives; just identify what your needs are :)

kelvin: sir kiko, I would like to ask you aopinions in using gain based pedals(overdrives and distorions) do you think that in playing various genres you must change your pedals? like in playing hendrix songs you use a fuzzface, and then you use other gain based pedals like metal muffs..

well… it really depends how you play your instrument and your other gear. if you’re playing metal, then okay, maybe get a high-gain ‘metal’ pedal; if you’re into classic bluesy rock, get an overdrive etc. that’s pretty obvious and maybe the easiest decision to make. but… let’s take Zakk Wylde. he has a heavy crunchy sound which he got from initially using a Boss Super Overdrive. it’s a great pedal but if you use one, you’re bound to say, “Funny… it’s not a high gain pedal, it’s not a ‘metal’ pedal even, did Zakk Wylde really use one?.” even his signature MXR overdrive pedal doesn’t have saturated gain; by itself through a clean Fender Twin amp, it’s not very metal. the part of the equation that’s missing is his cranked Marshalls, and of course, his attack. he’s a metal guy, but he doesn’t use a ‘metal’ distortion unit. let’s have another example: the Boss DS-1 Distortion (my first ever distortion unit… sigh). Satriani and Vai used it extensively… and so did Kurt Cobain. Does Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie sound like either Vai or Cobain? did The Cure’s Robert Smith use it the way Satch did? Same stompbox; different genres :)

if you can afford only one dirt stompbox, be it a fuzz or an overdrive or a booster or a ‘metal’ pedal, you can play any genre by say, turning up or down the gain knob, twisting the tone knob, lowering the guitar volume knob, turning up or lowering the gain on the amp itself etc etc etc… or by changing how you attack the strings. be creative; use your ears, your fingers, your imagination…when you’re at the mercy of economics, you’re forced to be creative with what little you have. and that’s a very important thing to remember, even when you’re no longer financially challenged. Creativity is what fuels the arts, including music :)

while we’re on the topic, may i interest you in an Electro-Harmonix LPB1 booster, or a T Rex Dr Swamp dual distortion? :D

You can send me more questions about music, guitars, photography, travel and what not HERE. To read previous formspring questions answered click HERE