13 years old and can play like Paul Gilbert! This kid rocks the house! He’s the real thing fo-sho! Not just your mechanical prodigy, this kid has feel. Check it out!
Archive for February, 2010
Top Dawg: Anton Oparin
Posted in guitar, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, top dawg, tagged guitar, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, top dawg on February 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »
This Just In: George Lynch and the Skull Crusher!!!
Posted in buying gear, effect pedals, Effects, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitar pedals, tagged effect pedals, Effects, GAS, gear, gear announcements, gear reviews, guitar, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitar pedals, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, overdrive on February 5, 2010| 2 Comments »
I announced the Skull Crusher back in September when it first came out. Based upon the KASHA overdrive (but with some upgraded wiring and electronics), it has since gotten the attention of several prominent guitarists. Now George Lynch is playing through it, and HE LOVES IT! Check out this video:
How’s that for an endorsement. I’ve said all along that the KASHA overdrive is just about the best overdrive I’ve ever played, and I’m not alone in saying that. With guys like George Lynch touting how good the Skull Crusher is, you owe it to yourself to check it out! I know, some people don’t go for the look, but it’s the tone that matters.
For more information, go to The Tone Box site!
Playing Just for the Love of It
Posted in Guitars, tagged guitar, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, thoughts on February 3, 2010| 1 Comment »
I’m not ashamed to say that I’m very involved in my church’s music program; and I also play music for my kids’ school masses as well. I’ll admit that a primary driver of my involvement comes from my sense of duty to my parish community, but much of it also comes from just wanting to play guitar – ALL THE TIME! So even though it’s a church service, I don’t care; at least I get to play. 🙂 Today, for instance, was my turn to do music for my kids’ school’s weekly mass. I usually do it solo, but this time I invited a couple of my cohorts from Mass Hysteria, my Sunday Mass band to play. Only one of them showed, which was no big deal. The point was to play some music together, and get the kids rockin’!
And that’s exactly what we did. With my buddy Dave on acoustic, and me on piano and Blondie, my Tele, we just played our hearts out, both in praise, but also because at least for us, it’s pure enjoyment. Dave and I have been playing together for years, so we inherently know how either of us is going to react to pretty much any situation. There are no expectations, no judgments. It’s just loving to play music together, and sharing that love with whoever’s listening! Today was particularly special because the kids (about 500) really sang their voices out with us, and clapping their hands, and rockin’ the house. It was such a charge that it made my whole day.
And I guess that’s the point of me wanting to play so much. I just want to share the joy that I get from playing music. It’s not about image or how good or bad I am relative to others. If I can spread a little joy, maybe that’ll have an effect on others, and they in turn will share their joy with even more people.
You see, playing music to me is like a drop of water falling into a still pond. The drop might be insignificant in and of itself, but once it strikes the surface of the pond, its impact sends ripples in all directions, affecting the entire pond. For me as a musician, I’ve always been aware of that effect that music has on people. Joy is contagious. And joy spread through a medium like music can change the world.
How Did I Miss This?!!! Introducing the TC Electronic Polytune!
Posted in accessories, announcements, buying gear, effect pedals, Effects, GAS, gear, gear announcements, gear find, gear reviews, guitar, guitar accessories, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitar pedals, guitar reviews, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, pedals, tagged effect pedals, Effects, GAS, gear, gear find, guitar, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitar pedals, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, tc electronic on February 1, 2010| 6 Comments »
Could this be the last tuner pedal you’ll ever need?
I don’t see how I missed this! I scour the ‘net daily for new stuff, especially from companies that are known to create really high-quality stuff – like TC Electronic. These Scandinavians are incredible inventors, and I haven’t seen or played one one thing of theirs that I didn’t like – though I could rarely afford it. But they’ve come out with a new tuner – yes, a tuner, of all things – that is completely different from any other tuner on the market. It’s called the “Polytune.” As its name implies, it is a polyphonic tuner; that is, the tuner can detect all your strings at once, and you can see which ones aren’t in tune at the click of a foot switch. Unlike traditional tuners that require you to check each string individually, with the Polytune, you strum your open strings. The LED’s will show you which strings are in tune and which aren’t.
In my experience, more likely than not, at any given time only one or two will be out of tune. So imagine the time you save by NOT having to check and tune each string – only the ones that need it! Check out this video to see how it works!
And at $99 bucks… SOLD!!!
Here are some features:
- 0.5 cent accuracy
- Standard size box
- Tune by strumming
- Can automatically switch between chromatic and polyphonic tuning (it will detect if you’re hitting a single string)
- Customizable preference settings
- Has a 9V output jack for powering other pedals
- True bypass
- Adjustable reference pitch from 435Hz to 445Hz
- Supports drop tuning all the way down to B!
- Works with 4 and 5 string basses as well
It may not have the accuracy of a TurboTuner, but who the hell gives a flying f$%k! .5 cent accuracy is nothing to shake a stick at, and the fact that you can see the tuning of all your strings at once is incredible! Can you say KICK ASS!!! I’ve never even seen this thing and I want to give it 5 Tone Bones! Check out the TC Electronic web site for some detailed information!
Could this be the last tuner I’ll ever want? Until someone comes out with something better – and at a better price, for that matter, probably not. I want to get one right now. Unfortunately, they’re only available for pre-order. Hmm… oh well, I supposed I can wait. 🙂
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