hey guys
some of you may know me as the guy who created AxeFxTutorials.com. when i got the Axe-Fx Ultra back in 2007, it clicked with me and i understood how to use it pretty well. i joined the forum and many people had questions on how to do things. i made a video showing how to use 2 guitars at the same time for guitars with electric and piezo signals, and that's what started my journey on making tutorial videos for the Axe. i would get countless DMs and emails over the years and expanded my help into AxeFxTutorials at some point.
i started creating "premium content" which i sold directly, in addition to the free videos i offered on YouTube. to this day i still owe many people a 3rd AX8 video. i know some really resent that this hasn't been done yet, and i too hate that it hasn't been done. to make up for that, at the time i included a different video for free (footswitch strategies), but that doesn't fulfill the promise of course. in 2018, i attempted to record content for the video, and even posted a video teaser. but i was stopped again with its production by what i'll explain below. my website has also severely strayed and has been out of date constantly over the past few years.
in 2014 i believe, i lifted a 12u rolling rack case to load into my car. it had an in-ear setup, my axe, and other rack gear which made it pretty heavy. probably 100 pounds. that day, i lifted it and twisted weird and something slipped in my back. i was in severe pain at that moment, but had to get to rehearsal. i quickly grabbed a screwdriver, un-racked most of the gear, put it in separate smaller rack cases, and proceeded with rehearsal.
over time, that injury got worse and worse. over the last 3 or 4 years, i've had days where i couldn't stand. any movement caused 10 out of 10 pain, almost making me pass out. i started going to chiropractic to address the issue, but it was still not "fixed." we couldn't really source the main issue, even with x-rays, so it somewhat remained a mystery. some days were totally fine, while others i was completely bed-ridden.
over the last few months, perhaps some progress was made. i had another 10/10 pain situation, but this one lasted 5 days. i couldn't stand or walk for 5 days. what a discouraging situation. i had to crawl to use the bathroom, and even that was full of pain. of course no work, no gigs. but after it subsided, it seems i've finally narrowed down the issue to a specific thing. my L5 (lowest vertebrae) shifts to the left often, causing sciatica and shooting major pain down my left leg. it also causes the back pain which prevents me from standing.
with this knowledge, my chiropractor is now focusing on this area, and i'm finally feeling like there's a light at the end of the tunnel. i'm definitely not out of the woods at all, but perhaps this optimism can help me be more positive in general and on the path to healing.
so this has affected me for years now. 90% of the time, i can't sit down normally in a chair for more than 5 minutes at a time. it starts hurting like crazy. and once that starts, i can't stand up for long either. i have to lie down, stretch my back, and sort of reset things. then i get another 30 minutes to an hour before i have to lie down again. and some days are totally normal, but those are sporadic.
so i didn't mean to type a sob story, but rather to say i truly hope to get back to creating videos and of course finishing the AX8 video that many people were promised. i assure you, i have not just "not done it." daily life has been extremely difficult and it's something i really didn't want to share publicly.
i've been asked how could i not do the video or other videos, yet still post on the forum. well if i'm stuck lying down all day, typing on a computer is one of the few things i can do, so i tried to help there. i'm also on the beta team, and sometimes requested to do this or that, or make a video to help with a new concept or feature. so some of the recent videos may have been a request for that.
i'm looking at 2020 to be the year i figure out this back issue, be able to stand, sit, and walk like a normal person, allowing me to do the work i need. i've been gigging throughout this time, but some days are extremely challenging to stand and play music for 3 hours, let alone take out the trash at home. i'm just sick and tired of lying down for 90% of my life.
i'm really glad other people like Leon (2112) have produced such amazing content. i used to write an article on every single axe update when they were released, explaining and showing the new features, and would create videos for major changes. it was great. i'd love to do it again. and i hope this will be the year i can return to it.
thanks for reading thanks to anyone who has supported me in the past. no replies needed. i just wanted to express what's been going on.
thanks.
some of you may know me as the guy who created AxeFxTutorials.com. when i got the Axe-Fx Ultra back in 2007, it clicked with me and i understood how to use it pretty well. i joined the forum and many people had questions on how to do things. i made a video showing how to use 2 guitars at the same time for guitars with electric and piezo signals, and that's what started my journey on making tutorial videos for the Axe. i would get countless DMs and emails over the years and expanded my help into AxeFxTutorials at some point.
i started creating "premium content" which i sold directly, in addition to the free videos i offered on YouTube. to this day i still owe many people a 3rd AX8 video. i know some really resent that this hasn't been done yet, and i too hate that it hasn't been done. to make up for that, at the time i included a different video for free (footswitch strategies), but that doesn't fulfill the promise of course. in 2018, i attempted to record content for the video, and even posted a video teaser. but i was stopped again with its production by what i'll explain below. my website has also severely strayed and has been out of date constantly over the past few years.
in 2014 i believe, i lifted a 12u rolling rack case to load into my car. it had an in-ear setup, my axe, and other rack gear which made it pretty heavy. probably 100 pounds. that day, i lifted it and twisted weird and something slipped in my back. i was in severe pain at that moment, but had to get to rehearsal. i quickly grabbed a screwdriver, un-racked most of the gear, put it in separate smaller rack cases, and proceeded with rehearsal.
over time, that injury got worse and worse. over the last 3 or 4 years, i've had days where i couldn't stand. any movement caused 10 out of 10 pain, almost making me pass out. i started going to chiropractic to address the issue, but it was still not "fixed." we couldn't really source the main issue, even with x-rays, so it somewhat remained a mystery. some days were totally fine, while others i was completely bed-ridden.
over the last few months, perhaps some progress was made. i had another 10/10 pain situation, but this one lasted 5 days. i couldn't stand or walk for 5 days. what a discouraging situation. i had to crawl to use the bathroom, and even that was full of pain. of course no work, no gigs. but after it subsided, it seems i've finally narrowed down the issue to a specific thing. my L5 (lowest vertebrae) shifts to the left often, causing sciatica and shooting major pain down my left leg. it also causes the back pain which prevents me from standing.
with this knowledge, my chiropractor is now focusing on this area, and i'm finally feeling like there's a light at the end of the tunnel. i'm definitely not out of the woods at all, but perhaps this optimism can help me be more positive in general and on the path to healing.
so this has affected me for years now. 90% of the time, i can't sit down normally in a chair for more than 5 minutes at a time. it starts hurting like crazy. and once that starts, i can't stand up for long either. i have to lie down, stretch my back, and sort of reset things. then i get another 30 minutes to an hour before i have to lie down again. and some days are totally normal, but those are sporadic.
so i didn't mean to type a sob story, but rather to say i truly hope to get back to creating videos and of course finishing the AX8 video that many people were promised. i assure you, i have not just "not done it." daily life has been extremely difficult and it's something i really didn't want to share publicly.
i've been asked how could i not do the video or other videos, yet still post on the forum. well if i'm stuck lying down all day, typing on a computer is one of the few things i can do, so i tried to help there. i'm also on the beta team, and sometimes requested to do this or that, or make a video to help with a new concept or feature. so some of the recent videos may have been a request for that.
i'm looking at 2020 to be the year i figure out this back issue, be able to stand, sit, and walk like a normal person, allowing me to do the work i need. i've been gigging throughout this time, but some days are extremely challenging to stand and play music for 3 hours, let alone take out the trash at home. i'm just sick and tired of lying down for 90% of my life.
i'm really glad other people like Leon (2112) have produced such amazing content. i used to write an article on every single axe update when they were released, explaining and showing the new features, and would create videos for major changes. it was great. i'd love to do it again. and i hope this will be the year i can return to it.
thanks for reading thanks to anyone who has supported me in the past. no replies needed. i just wanted to express what's been going on.
thanks.
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