AKGs and Fender combo HELL YEAH (1)

2DT did a good piece about the evolution of moe and how it relates to K-On and the early days of anime heroines such as those in old-school Ghibli movies, which led to me making some massive rambling comment about the characters. There’s a great discussion going on there if you’re interested but I wanted to make a proper job of elaborating on my comment to 2DT’s article…namely how it’s more to do with the fact that I’m a shameless tech nerd.

To summarise my previous experience of this show: I approached K-On as a music-centric comedy with the appreciation of the characters and their goofy charms surfacing later. I’ve not seen many viewers make a big deal out of the musical techniques or equipment though…apart from Lelangir, but that was on his old blog that I can’t find links to any more(2).

K-On has a lot of gags and references that I think musicians would appreciate even more than everyone else, especially early on in the first season (Kakifly is a musician, or knows a few. I’m sure of it[3]). When 2DT’s post prompted me to think about exactly why Mio and Azusa were my favourite characters, this was what sprung to mind: it was down to the music and I could relate to those two more than the others.

Because of the appeal of Azusa as the ‘serious’ or ‘straight guy’ role of serious musician in a room full of kids who want to slack off and have fun, her character is perhaps one that frustrated band members can relate to. My memory of her introduction to the story is a little hazy now but iirc she walks in from the jazz club with plenty of good intentions and proper musical experience, which appears to be wasted when she’s forced to dress in embarrassing outfits and eat cake.

My music geek brain immediately felt for her then asked itself “why a Fender Mustang?” because K-On’s another example of how these guitars enjoy a cult following in Japan (Solanin, anyone?). I reckon part of the reason is the short scale length and slim neck are comfortable for players with small hands; it was originally sold as a student model so the likes of Azusa playing one makes a lot of sense. The controls and circuitry are easy to customise so between this, the playability and the relatively low price, the Mustang lends itself well to youngsters who want to modify or repair their instrument on the cheap.

Why is a (minor) classic of musical Americana popular in Japan? During my online travels around the Mustang history I stumbled on Hisato ‘Char’ Takenaka, a guitarist who made his breakthrough in the mid 70s with a funky jazz/blues technique played on a Fender Mustang. It earned him quite an enduring domestic fan following: I’ve read reviews that call him the “Jeff Beck of Japan”! His hit tune SMOKY has fast, skilful playing with plenty of whammy bar pitch dives and fretboard virtuosity; no doubt the scale length and sensitive vibrato bridge of the Mustang work well with his energetic style, and off the back of this high-profile endorsement Fender found plenty of customers in Japan who wanted a Mustang like Char’s.

Could Azusa’s choice of instrument be a subtle nod to the generation of Japanese kids who were inspired to pick up a Mustang and aspire to be the next Char? It’s an interesting thought. I must admit that any musician is very prone to gravitating towards certain styles and gear because of those who inspire them; I know I was.

Similarly, Mio’s behaviour and choice of instrument immediately made me think “I can see where she’s coming from.” It’s cruelly ironic that she’d rather step back when playing live but for a number of reasons winds up in the spotlight. A crowd of people listening to every note you play is embarrassing so was Mio written in as a leftie Fender Jazz Bass player to get attention and entertainment value from the discomfort that results? Or did I miss another reference this time? Suggestions welcome.

Back when I was still deciding what instrument to play, a friend lent me his cheap Squier Jazz bass (right-handed) to try out. Being a weedy self-conscious sixteen-year-old, I figured that if I did get into a band I could merrily plunk away at the side of the stage…without the fact that playing right-handed felt clumsy and *wrong* to me being too obvious.

There must be many other fellow southpaws out there who are overjoyed when they find left-handed instruments…I struggled for years with ‘rightie’ guitars until the looming threat of RSI in my fretting hand gave me the excuse to track down a leftie bass and make the switch. If it weren’t for hearing the Verve’s A Storm in Heaven I may never had made the decision to learn guitar in the first place but as it turns out, Simon Jones played a J-bass on that album(4). They’re great sounding basses, anyhow.

One moment I found utterly hilarious in the early episodes was how Yui’s choice of instrument came about – most of the time it’s a case of “my hero plays one…” or “it sounds cool…” but “it looks cute!” is very…Yui-esque. I’m not sure though how many people know how much a Les Paul costs when new, but it was the comedic icing on the cake when she walked out the shop with something worth more than what the average adult earns in a month after haggling the clerk down.

Someone of her stature jumping with a Les Paul slung over her shoulder is impressive (5)

The episode where they book a studio when the club room at school is closed highlights the attention to detail in the show’s artwork that probably slips right by all but the real gearheads: the rooms are kitted out with Pearl drum kits, JCM900 series Marshall half stacks, Ampeg SVT bass rigs and…something that could be either a Roland JC120 or some blackface Fender combo. Hard to be sure at that particular angle. It’s like trying to discern whether the realism is repeated product placement or whether it’s for the viewers’ benefit. Not that I care either way.

In any case, I wager this post was probably more fun to write than it is to read, but eh.

Footnotes

1. All the Mio fanart shows her wearing K-701s…how anyone could afford a set of those on a student’s budget is anyone’s guess. I recommend the K-240 mkIIs on personal experience though.
2. I recall him mentioning that Yui’s playing technique improved over the course of the two seasons, such as using different chord shapes. Nice touch.
3. A fan of P-Model and the pillows at least, if the character names are anything to go by.
4. Jazz Basses are used by Chris Friedrich of Caspian and Dominic Aichison of Mogwai too, which influenced my eventual decision. Check ‘em out if you can!
5. Solid mahogany and maple? Those things are heavy!

Classy

I’ve been following High School of the Dead and Shiki only a couple of eps behind people who’ve kept up with them properly but K-On!! is the one thing I’ve found time to watch every week. My earlier attempt at explaining my position only caused misunderstandings, although the resulting discussions made up for the disappointment I felt at the time. I just can’t bring myself around to the view of the hypothetical ‘haters’ for the simple reason that the series shouldn’t elicit a stronger negative reaction than a mere lack of interest…a view I can explain with my view on moe. And cats.

The idea of it being a moe show is in fact relevant to me. Because I don’t consider myself to be a fan of it, nor do I care for working out which of the contradictory working definitions is the ‘right’ one, it might seem strange that I’m enjoying the show partly because it’s a moe series. Incidentally I’m going on it being ‘a non-sexual appeal of cuteness that brings about feelings “Aww…~” from the viewer.’ If that really is what moe is all about, I don’t see why people make such a fuss (positive or negative) over it. Anyway.

K-On!! is well-made, no-brained feelgood TV. I don’t feel any sort of attraction towards a bunch of 16- and 17-year old adolescents either (except for Mio perhaps, since she often behaves like someone older than 17… re: two pics of her here). I couldn’t however put into words why I enjoy sitting down for twenty-five minutes every week watching this sort of thing. That is, until I stumbled on the awesomeness that is Maru.

Image taken from his official blog

Maru is an internet celebrity who’s achieved the feat of being a lolcat in a very literal sense; as opposed to being a meme/fictitious character invented by people with a pirate copy of Photoshop and too much time on their hands. When real-life cats aren’t asleep they provide endless hours of amusement just by being themselves, which is something you either appreciate or you don’t.

In the same way that K-On!! will either entertain you or bore you to death, some won’t see the appeal in the company of a cat as shown in Maru’s Youtube antics. Like K-On!!, there isn’t a planned storyline or underlying message; it’s merely Mugumogu’s photos and home videos of what her pet gets up to around the house. Most cats provide some degree of this entertainment value in addition to the companionship, although Maru is exceptional with his tricks involving the boxes.

Even so, it never fails to put a smile on my face…in pretty much the same way that watching each episode of K-On!! does. Maru is just a cat doing ordinary cute, dumb cat things for the amusement of the viewing public but the girls of K-On!! are doing ordinary, dumb, cute things…and I like both.

This is hardly a great leap for me: Azu-nyan==lolcat

We watch different shows for different reasons. Mock The Week is lowbrow satire on current affairs that makes me laugh, High School of the Dead is an edge-of-the-seat gore-fest, the BBC three-parter of Sherlock was a murder-mystery, Shiki is…well, I’m not sure what to make of it yet. Watch this space and all that. Both K-On!! and Maru are both about doing ordinary cute activities, or doing very little at all.

This is fairly similar to the iyashikei concept, except it’s cheering me up in a way that requires the smallest amount of conscious effort or thought, as opposed to giving the sense of serenity and introspection of Yokahama Shopping Trip or its upbeat spiritual sibling Aria (which coincidentally also features a cat that does very little apart from lazing around and being awesome). I do love iyashikei but I get a similar, yet distinctly different, kick out of K-On!!. Or indeed watching vids of Maru, or sitting around at home with my current houseguest.

I was hoping that the second season would feature more of the music now that Asuza is a full-time member of the band and when they’ve used some genuinely enjoyable songs for the end themes (I don’t care much for the OP Go! Go! Maniac!, although Utauyo! Miracle is an improvement). A personal highlight though was the Fujirock segment because it conveyed how live music events can be so inspiring and how that particular festival has something UK ones don’t: tidiness. Honestly, I’ve promised myself to go one year if only to enjoy the music festival experience with fellow fans who clean up after themselves.

I also love the attention to detail: Mio uses D’Addario bass strings, presumably to suit her student budget (our old bassist swears by Rotosounds), and AKG studio-quality headphones (I love my K-240s when monitoring for the clear sound and the comfort). for a show that seems to pride itself in simplicity and straightforwardness, there are those little things that I still appreciate – deep down, I want it to be more about the music, because that can still convey the message of friendship while taking things further than sitcom-style gags.

As someone who doesn’t usually care for moe, I don’t consider it to be an important factor when deciding whether I enjoy a series or not but I’m hardly offended or turned away by its presence either. My guess would be that there are those of us who are more concerned with it interfering with other elements that make a TV show or film entertaining and successful in what it sets out to do for the viewer.

Beautiful. That is all

So for heaven’s sake, don’t take this as another pointless attempt at rationalising or justifying the K-On!! lovers or haters, or a declaration of what I think moe ought to mean to the rest of you. I’ll save my energy for in-depth intelligent posts on Despera (when it airs) and Mouryou no Hako (when I get around to finishing it). And I’ll save the criticisms for the people who think that The Sky Crawlers sucks. Besides, the state of the Industry is a complex issue that has little, if anything, to do with the appeal of moe in of itself.

And if it starts to get on my nerves, I just sit back and watch a cat play with a box.

Yes, it’s shallow, commercialised and derivative but truthfully as long as it makes you smile, who the heck cares? I’ve done at least three drafts of this post before wiping the whole lot off the screen and starting over; this is by its very nature a show that’s difficult to write about because there’s not much to it beyond the obvious observation that it’s cute, undemanding fun. That was before my word count began to mushroom…

2DT beat me to the punch in highlighting its celebration of transience, which really hightlights how it’s a production that’s wildly popular now but years down the line won’t be as well remembered as the more, how should I say, sophisticated examples of animated TV. I actually think the fact that it’s so disposable is very much in keeping with what it’s portraying (a short phase in the characters’ lives), but also what it’s paying tribute to.

Seeing a commercially-governed animation studio using contemporary music – a hobby that I’ve invested a significant amount of my spare time, money and enthusiasm in over the past decade or so – and sending it up with moe could I suppose have me feeling annoyed. “Why are these moe girls skipping gleefully over the graves of Hendrix, Moon and Bolan?!” Maybe I’m too old to really understand K-On, in the same way that I look ruefully at what’s on MTV and the radio these days and start to sound like my dad.

As a tale of how a bunch of kids form a not-at-all serious rock band it’s a cute pastiche of what rock and roll is all about – for sure, my own tastes lean towards music that’s more, well, serious but at the end of the day rock music is, and always was, for the kids. It’s music by and for young people, marketed to make money and is concerned with short-term popularity; Light Fluffy Time is no My Generation but it’s very much in this rock and roll tradition!

I got the reference immediately…then felt really old all of a sudden

I’ll leave the arguments about how shows of its ilk are having a negative effect on the quality of the anime industry’s output as a whole for those who know more about it – there’s still enough stuff made that appeals to me and I don’t know enough about the Industry and its issues to speculate on that. But I am a music fan so I can’t help but (over-)think about how it fares as a show about music.

An anime about a rock band is doubly Relevant To My Interests really. Beck is a more realistic potrayal of this theme but K-On is after all a comedy rather than a drama. Being able to play well without much practice or haggling with a shopkeeper so you walk away with a Les Paul Standard for the same price as a Yamaha Pacifica are comedic but highly improbable, whether you’re familiar with musical instruments or not. It certainly doesn’t carry the dramatic weight of, say, Koyuki and co getting their first gig.

That’s not to say that it’s a series whose characters are completely lifeless archetypes all of the time. I’m able to accept its sillier moments because of this, which means I appreciate the character study that does happen: I recall how I intended to take up bass before deciding to learn the guitar so I can relate to how Mio made her choice of instrument through wanting to contribute without being held back by self-consciousness.

Conversely Ritsu, usually the energetic and most positively-minded member of the group, had a moment of self-doubt in the third episode of the second season after feeling left out of the spotlight. Given how negativity is never a problem to her, it’s interesting – yes, interesting! – to see a previously hidden side of her character emerge. We also hear that story about why Mio took up the bass and see Mugi inspired by Ritsu’s attempt at playing the keyboard to write a new song…a lot happens in that episode.

In the same way that Lucky Star shamelessly name-dropped and made obscure otaku-centric references, K-On makes some obvious nods of its own. More interestingly for me it goes further in a way that I’m not sure your typical member of Kyo-Ani’s audience cross-section would notice; unless they were a musician themselves…surely a minority group in the viewing figures. Given how notoriously calculating the writers of this show are in aiming their products at the consumers I can only assume it’s deliberate but still…although employees at Fender commented on the show quite honestly, would the fandumb notice?

A bit more recent, to cater to you youngsters

The more serious moments are true-to-life for anyone who’s tried to get together with friends and perform music live but excempting that swiftly-rectified guitar headstock gaffe early on, the little things are spot-on too. Now every anime fan knows what a left-handed Fender Jazz Bass in sunburst looks like, although I daresay most people would already be familiar with the iconic image of a Les Paul Standard and know full well how those beauties cost more than the equivalent to $500US from new.

I’d say K-On is around 90% mindless moe froth but maybe it’s that other 10% that makes the difference; namely the little details that needn’t have crossed the writers’ minds, but did. Who wondered whether Azusa plays a Mustang because it’s a suitably affordable, short-scale model that has a cult following in Japan, or whether it’s a reference to something else (Solanin perhaps)? ‘Guitaku’ is a niche kind of fanservice in itself when you think about it.

The unbelievably moe nature of K-On has a side-effect of making it completely inoffensive to serious music fans and it’s still more Perfume than Pink Floyd, but in some ways it’s as rock-and-roll as any other.

The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds is a great small venue (around 300 capacity, give or take) so while the sound isn’t of stadium quality it’s cosy enough and gives a sense of close-ness, for want of a better word, that’s more intimate to me than those larger venues. In this case the support act were a local band called Glissando and the headliners worked to a set comprised of highlights from their latest album and some old favourites.

In the role of support Glissando made a pleasant yet inobtrusive job of warming up the audience for the main event; they’ve been likened to the Cocteau Twins but since I’m not familiar with their material I can’t vouch for that. Anyhow, Glissando are a haunting mix of tolling drums, echoing guitar riffs and otherworldly vocals that feels tender yet vaguely unsettling, in a good way I hasten to add. The convention, if there is such a thing, for ambient/post-rock bands is the lack of lyrical content but in Glissando’s case the vocals are part of the instrumentation and heighten the mood of the pieces. I don’t have an overwhelming urge to buy their records but their live act worked very well indeed.

I’ll admit right off that Mono are hands-down one of my favourite bands and their concerts have a legendary status so I had very high hopes for this. I’ll also admit that I was two pints of ale and a double whiskey for the worse when I walked into the venue and was at the front near the far right hand side of the stage so probably wasn’t in an ideal position for a hardcore audiophile. Nevetherless, the sound they can create is quite something: it veers from plaintive, chiming piano and clean guitars to the tinnitus-inducing wall of sound.

The set opened with Ashes In The Snow, complete with the same faint wailing and tender glockenspiel introduction as the studio version. The live rendition closely followed its recorded counterpart but the obvious appeal of the live experience is the frequency range, in the bass range particularly: stripped of the orchestral arrangement this and Burial At Sea felt more raw and immediate.

I didn’t recognise The Kidnapper Bell but it sat well with the rest of the set; less complex and layered than the more recent songs but in the live setting this isn’t such a bad thing. If nothing else it offered a pleasant surprise for those of us expecting performances of the newer songs and little else. The extra bottom end and presence also lent itself well to Pure As Snow (Trails of the Winter Storm), which started off in the vein of their more restful tunes but built up into an impressive crescendo; the pounding of the percussion gave way to borderline-atonal noise courtesy of guitarist Taka, as he coaxed a maelstrom of digital shrieks from his beat-up Jazzmaster and extensive pedalboard.

Sabbath, another old tune that made a surprise appearance, gave another change of pace with its atmosphere of serene reflection. The following number Yearning is one of the fan favourites and I can see why: the dynamic changes worked even better than they do on record because it allowed such marked shifts in mood. If there’s one limitation to their studio sound it’s the tendency to iron out these volume changes and mix the instrumentation down together; here, Tamaki’s basslines and Takada’s drumming pounded out louder and clearer than they ever did from my hi-fi speakers.

Follow The Map is a bit of a departure arrangement-wise, feeling almost like an intermission piece; even so, in its short (by Mono’s standards) duration this one still does a beautiful job of setting out its own narrative. It happens to be one of my personal favourites too: the joyous finale sounds great with orchestral backing but I was glad to hear the same strength of feeling with just Takada’ drums, Taka and Yoda on guitars and Tamaki on keyboard.

An inevitable yet stunning rendition of Halcyon (Beautiful Days) followed – from what I’ve read, they ALWAYS play Halcyon – and of course closing the set with the tearjerking Everlasting Light. Again, it’s credit to the band in that they can recreate all of this without session musicians or prerecorded samples: the orchestral part isn’t there but the spirit and impact comes across just as clearly. They played out almost exactly how I expected them to but with an extended intro here, a bit more FX pedal tweaking there and the physical expressiveness of the musicians’ performance.

If there were any interviews or signings I must have missed them but I was fortunate enough to briefly meet Taka and Yoda as they caught some air backstage afterwards. During the performance I had a vague sensation that, what with it being the end of the UK leg of the tour, the whole band were feeling a bit exhausted so I was reluctant to pester them with too many questions (I was still feeling overwhelmed TBH). Nevertheless they were happy to return my stammering thank-yous with some polite words and a couple of friendly handshakes – all in all then it was a very special evening.

Setlist

1. Ashes In The Snow
2. Burial At Sea
3. The Kidnapper Bell
4. Pure As Snow (Trails of the Winter Storm)
5. Sabbath*
6. Yearning
7. Follow The Map
8. Halcyon (Beautiful Days)
9. Everlasting Light

*I can’t be sure but I think this could just as easily have been Are You There?.

I’m still as enamoured with a minority shows, though. I’ve made a start on Fruits Basket and not before time either; it has a great iyashikei vibe with some impressive character dynamics that push it just out of the realms of mediocre and into the territory signposted Could Be Very Good Indeed. The latest episode of Eve no Jikan was exquisite as always, and came out sooner than I expected too. Reviewage for that coming right up soonish.

Higashi no Eden

The ending – which isn’t an ending after all – to Eden of the East was a fine way to finish what proved to be a fine series. After a middle section that gave me mixed signals it got its act together and piled on the Serious Questions to produce something remarkably close to what I’d hoped it would’ve been in the first place. I’m actually glad the sequels are going to be feature films rather than being made-for-TV because the subject matter and artwork won’t suffer from the small screen constraints. Of course, many were annoyed at the decision to continue it in that format but isn’t it preferable to squeezing a story of such scope into one TV run?

I’m glad the religious subtext wasn’t important after all: when the social commentary was emphasised instead it was much more satisfying. My recent travels followed by some more forays into the writing of Ryu Murakami have given my fascination with contemporary Japanese culture a kick up the backside so the interesting stuff bubbling under the surface here was really fascinating when extrapolated just outside the realms of the here-and-now. Excellent opening and ending themes too, which worked well with the imagery.

K-On!

A victim of the snap judgements and the argumentative approach that the fandumb breeds so well, K-On committed the cardinal sin of being on TV but not being Haruhi Suzumiya. Considering it doesn’t really aspire to be anything in particular apart from undemanding, cutesy fun I’d say it’s doing fine. I don’t think the issue fans should have with K-On! is important for the simple reason that there isn’t an issue to speak of; I certainly don’t see the point in paying attention to armchair experts who claim there’s a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way of watching it.

The bottom line is it makes me laugh but not to a degree at which I get a hernia and an asthma attack simultaneously, and the musical aspect is Relevant To My Interests. Quite frankly I find it easier to relate to a teenager walking starry-eyed around a guitar store than watching an obnoxious brat who threatens the integrity of the space-time continuum every time she gets pissed off about something. Besides, according to Baka Raptor the Haruhi light novel emphasises the aspects of the story I enjoyed more than the TV show did; the declaration “Sarcastic mental asides work better in book format…” is the point where I was sold on it. I couldn’t care less about the TV version, sadly, and can’t see why I ought to either.

Clannad’s Kyou chapter

Speaking of KyoAni, the final Clannad bonus episode played into the Kyou fanboy camp but was nevertheless a sweet little study into what happens when the unstoppable force of a tsundere girl meets an unmovable object in the form of a tsundere guy. In a remarkable state of astute observation Sunohara remarks how Tomoya and Kyou make a pretty good couple, exploring the little hints and ‘could’ve been’ moments that the main series and the Tomoyo After episode had to ignore. Quite frankly it didn’t feel completely natural after I exposed myself to a True End (twice) and a Tomoyo End but Kyou is a vivacious and expressive character who’s always fun to watch, and the feelings expressed all came across as genuine enough.

What this episode was fundamentally about was, I suspect, giving Kyou the screen time her fanboys were clamouring for but for the rest of us it’s another opportunity to let ourselves get swept along in the dramas and dilemmas of the old love triangle. I guess this would be just another high school romance with the unrequited crush thing going on, but the fact that it’s a revisit type of outing means that you already know the characters and how they feel about one another so all that’s left to do is speculate about how things could’ve turned out.

Aaand…I’m out. I want to watch something but after being treated to a small number of excellent titles, most things would now would blur into a mass of immature, derivative slush. I need a heartwarming drama about people I can give a stuff about (to replace the Clannad-shaped hole in my life), a grown-up piece in the IG/Bones vein that casts familiar ground in a new light (until the Eden sequels appear) and a gritty actioner that doesn’t do the boring-as-buggery Shounen Jump thing where fights are animated poorly, use hackneyed dialogue and last for bloody ages. I refuse to believe that ALL new anime is a load of bollocks so please take the time to list some worthy gems so I don’t have to. Then we can crack open the Pimm’s and enjoy the summer.

The best thing of the past couple of days is the fact that it’s the Sanja Matsuri festival, one of the annual events that are held in the local area. I mentioned previously that Taito City, and Asakusa in particular, are pretty quiet and laid-back but in the last couple of days it’s become much, much livelier.

The portable shrines are carried around town and even in rainy weather, as is here (see above and below) it doesn’t seem to lessen the locals’ enthusiasm to dress up and have a good time. I found their adherance to the old traditions and the atmosphere in general to be really heartening…the partying spirit is infectious and it’s quite something to see the local communities join together; something that doesn’t really happen back in the UK, for any reason.

The rain was a minor nuisance but Harajuku was still worth the trip. Beyond the bridge is the old temple in Shibuya dedicated to the old emperor Meiji and his wife Shouken. It’s built in a wonderful wooded area (allegedly founded with 100,000 trees!) and is reputedly one of the most spectacular in the country. I see no reason to disagree.

There were several weddings going on at the time but thanks to my excessive sentimentality I felt a bit uncomfortable taking pics of the processions themselves as they passed through the main courtyard. To be honest it felt like I was looking in on a very private event and mere pictures wouldn’t really do the whole spectacle justice. Suffice to say they were quite simply exquisite.

I’m not sure if it was anything to do with the festival going on in Asakusa and the surrounding districts but an entire street of Shibuya was closed off for a traditional style dance featuring people in local attire; considering that we were just passing through on our way home (via one or two shops) this was a nice surprise. Not as much of a surprise as this though…

Hatsune Miku crossplay? Believe it. Gives me one or two ideas for Ayacon actually. >_>

I’ve also discovered that certain things are cheaper in their country of manufacture – I’ll be picking up a PSP with a bit of luck, and have already splurged out a considerable sum of money on a Boss Blues Driver guitar pedal on the grounds that it’s cheaper than in the UK. Needless to say I’d pick up one of the Fender Japan Jazzmaster guitars if I could find a way to fly it back with me…seriously.