Category Archives: Performances

Blasted Surf and Apache Rock videos

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Blasted Surf – intense splashy surf instrumental, demanding stamina and speed. Lead guitar Conrad of Insanitizers, with bass guitar and percussion previously recorded. Just one guitar but often sounds like two. The guitar is a combination of two 1967 Japanese guitars, 24-3/4″ scale. Its two pickups have separate volume controls. Here bridge pickup is fully on, and neck pickup is just enough to smooth tonal edges. Original song, c. Conrad Swartz 2023 (BMI).

Apache Rock, extending the twangy percussive guitar approach of Jorgen Ingmann’s original recording by adding twangy percussive embellishments. Conrad performs with bass and percussion previously recorded. Here both bridge and neck pickups are fully on, for mellow yet chimey tone. Original arrangement by Insanitizers.

wild variations on classics

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Conrad writes: I performed these on the most inexpensive strat-type guitar I know of. Before doing this I leveled the frets, thinned the neck, replaced bridge & middle pickups, added weights to the internal vibrato bar, installed roller saddles, and adjusted intonation. This allowed a a string height of less than 1/16″ above the 12th fret, necessary for these two rapidly paced interpretations.

The upper one uses the middle pickup throughout. The lower one uses the middle pickup for the first half of the song, and the neck pickup for the last half.

Live performance video

Here we perform live near Portland, Oregon. Tom plays bass guitar while Conrad plays guitar and controls percussion with a foot pedal. The song “Day in Tokyo” is from our Flying Guitars CD album. We sound like a full band although we are compact, and our volume is adjustable to the occasion.

Tom and Conrad perform in Vancouver WA.

Telstar Guitar Rocks

What’s special? Combining chords with notes, abundant twangy vibrato, gorgeous reverb tone, new arrangement including original intro and ending. These complex chords usually go with jazz, but here they add energy.

Unsolicited comments posted by other guitarists: “Your exploding it with chords and reverb and vibrato is so fulfilling. Nailed it, amazing job!” “Who would have thought Telstar sounds so good as a guitar piece!” “A beautiful piece of music, and beautifully played may I say. Telstar had an unbelievable uplifting quality.”

The Steinberger USA guitar sports an aftermarket vibrato bridge with exceptional responsivity and tuning stability. What happened to the guitar’s headstock? It’s orbiting the Earth!

Super splashy “Waterfall” original

Conrad performs Waterfall in a new recording with extra-high levels of splashy reverb. Tom recorded bass guitar. We’ve heard a lot of enthusiasm about this recording and its unusual aspects. The intensity of splashy reverb is high yet the notes are mellow and clear. The vibrato whammies and string bends are unusually intense but fit perfectly. Finally, the guitar is a Steinberger USA, virtually never used for twangy music but Conrad modified it.

You may wonder about the absence of a headstock on the guitar. Virtues include a straight path for the strings and shorter string length; these help keep the guitar in tune. The guitar is more compact and its case is smaller and lighter, both simplifying transportation. Finally, replacing a set of strings is faster, taking about 5 minutes instead of 25 for a strat guitar.