Vic’s Garage
“Cut Out for Tranquility and Adrenalin”

 Arthur (Skip) McDonald

This garage was not just a place for me to practice with “The Blue Steel Band,” or another chance to rip and shred on the guitar; yes, this was great therapy. When that garage door closed, I felt I could let go of everything and be at peace, my mind was serene. I miss Vic’s garage, I haven’t found any place that can give me that tranquility. We practiced in this garage for nine years, after which time I moved to New Hampshire from San Jose, California which is where Vic’s garage was. Playing the guitar is my true love, for other than going out of tune has never given me any hardships.
After we set up, at the corner on the floor there’s a lawn mower, then a massive black Ampeg four speaker, five foot bass amp. Behind that is a poster of a Los Angeles Rams football player, (Vic is a die-hard Rams’ fan, everybody has a downfall.) Lance stands tuning his vintage Gibson bass guitar. To his right Mike, Vic’s older brother, sits behind a four-piece drum set with three cymbals. Mike’s drumming style was banging but not harmonious, heavy on the crash of cymbals. This noise was humorously irritating as we tried to tune our guitars, and we were always telling him to quit. The twang of guitars tuning up at the same time is havoc. Looking to the right, pinned to the wall was my all-time favorite poster – Jimi Hendrix. As in most any garage, in its back corner is a six-foot-tall, three-foot-wide white water heater. In front of the water heater was a black Peavey five-foot PA column with a black Peavey PA amp on top. Numerous wires came out of the amp’s front, with knobs, five up and seven across. These knobs each had numbers one to ten circled around them, with words under each one specifying their function.
 As you look to the right there is a door to get into the house. There stands Vic, patiently waiting for Lance and I to tune up so we could start to jam. Vic is standing behind a mic stand, his mic and harmonica in his hand. Between Vic and I, there was a door with a window that went out to the side of the house. Behind me was a two-piece, light brown four-foot-high by three-foot-wide Marshall speaker and guitar amp. That amp had about 15 knobs across the top numbered one through 10 around them, and as in the PA amp, words specifying the knobs’ functions. This was the amp that carries the nitty gritty sounds of classic rock and roll and blues from Lane’s Fender Stratocaster.
My guitar, “The Strat,” was sleek, thin, black and white bodied, with a long fretted wood grained neck. On the bottom of the body are three small knobs, numbers zero to nine.  The knobs controlled the volume and tone of the guitar’s sound. Strategically placed, the knobs allowed you to easily change settings while playing. In the center there are three oval half inch wide, three inch long, white with small silver metal studs pick-ups. These pick-ups acted as a mini-microphone, receiving the sound of the strings as they are played electronically and sending sound direct to the amplifier, so every note and chord can be heard. Ready, set, play – we were ready to jam.
In the next Issue of
“The Point”
The Beat Goes On!