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Archive for the ‘new gear’ Category

Reason Amps Bambino Video Demo Now Available!

Posted in amplifiers, amps, Amps/Amplification, buying gear, GAS, gear, gear announcements, gear find, guitar gear, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, reason amps, reason bambino, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 22, 2009| 1 Comment »

I like to keep track of where my visitors come from, and I was surprised to see a YouTube URL that was a referrer to GuitarGear.org. Curious, I clicked on the link, and lo and behold was a video demo of the brand-new Reason Amps Bambino! Check it out!

The guy on the guitar is none other than Obeid Kahn, the designer of the amp, and absolutely SICK guitarist in his own right. That dude can make a Strat do just about anything! What chops!

For more information, go to the Reason Amps web site!

I will be geting a Bambino in for a review in the next few days, so hang tight! Damn! Based on that video, I can’t wait to play it!

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Put Balls on Your Pedalboard

Posted in effect pedals, Effects, GAS, gear, gear announcements, gear find, guitar, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar pedals, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, pedals, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 22, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Electro-Harmonix Riddle: Q-BallsQ-Balls, that is… Introducing the new RIDDLE: Q-Balls from Electro-Harmonix, an envelope filter for guitar. The RIDDLE also has a brother for bass called the ENIGMA: Q-Balls.

So what exactly is the RIDDLE? As EHX put it, the RIDDLE is an “envelope controlled filter for guitar.” Synthesizer players have long known the beauty of adjusting a signal’s envelope or volume profile by emphasizing or limiting certain frequencies to create wholly unique sounds. Now, apparently, that is available for guitar with the RIDDLE. Check out this very cool demo video:

Damn! He did all that with an acoustic guitar!

I’ve grown to appreciate EHX over the last couple of years as they’ve come up with some really cool, thinking out-of-the-box pedals, like the Q-Tron, and of course, the POG. Yeah, they have your basic overdrive, distortion, delays, reverbs, etc., but stuff like the RIDDLE that open up the tonal possibilities of your guitar are quite commendable.

I’m not sure if the RIDDLE is something I’d use, but I’m writing about it here just because of its cool factor. Maybe I’ll take some time this weekend to see if I can’t check it out at a store.

For more information on the RIDDLE, go to the EXH web site.

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Progress Report: My Saint Guitar Goldtop Messenger

Posted in announcements, GAS, gear, gear announcements, goldie, guitar, guitar gear, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, Saint Guitar Company, saint guitars messenger, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 18, 2009| 2 Comments »

Goldie’s ready for her clear coat! OMG! I just can’t believe it! We are so close now! Had a bit of a setback because Adam, in addition to being a luthier is also a professional forest firefighter. What a guy! Anyway, enjoy the pics!

To see all the progress pictures, see my “Goldie” dedication page.

For more information about Saint Guitar Company, see their site! FYI, Adam’s come up with a Vintage series. I believe this is going to be a semi-hollowbody, with real classic styling.

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New Gear: Elite Tone Smooth Boost

Posted in announcements, buying gear, distortion, effect pedals, Effects, GAS, gear, gear announcements, gear find, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar pedals, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, overdrive, pedals, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 18, 2009| 1 Comment »

Elite Tone Smooth BoostIf I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. The market cannot have too many overdrive pedals. 🙂 As you know if you read this blog with regularity, I just love ’em. I know… there’s nothing like the sound of a cranked amp, yada-yada-yada… But to get to the type of amp drive that I like; that is, with both pre-amp and power tubes contributing to the distorted sound, the volume levels will make your ears bleed. Enter the overdrive pedal, which gives you that breakup tone at any volume level! And the reason I love OD pedals so much is because I personally haven’t come across any two from different makers that sound exactly alike. Sure, many cop the tone of some original design – can you say Tube Screamer – but even the “clones” have voices all their own as their manufacturers add features or make the original circuits more efficient.

The brand-new Smooth Boost from Elite Tone promises to be a VERY interesting take on the overdrive pedal. Don’t let the name fool you: This is not a pure booster pedal. Even Elite Tone categorizes it as a distortion/overdrive pedal. Here’s the description from their site:

Brand new offering from Elite Tone a simple subtle unique boost effect pedal. The Smooth Boost features a circuit architecture that supports, enhances and optimizes your existing tone with delicate transparency. This simple yet multifaceted effect, achieves hi fidelity tube like signal boost, compression, sustain, overdrive and even mild distortion. The smooth boost can also be adjusted remotely with guitar volume and produce a lush twangy tube like sound as the volume is rolled back. With the signal maxed it adds mild harmonic overdrive and a touch of distortion.

What really intrigues me about the pedal from the description is the phrase “The smooth boost can also be adjusted remotely with guitar volume…” Wonder if that’s actual mechanical control through a specific input, or it’s functioning like other OD pedals that respond to input gain. I’m going to have to do more research.

Holy GAS Attack, Batman!!! This handmade pedal only costs $99 direct!!!

Dammit! I wish I hadn’t gotten wind of this pedal. It’s bad enough that my natural curiosity makes me want to check this pedal out, especially with that “remote adjustment” bit. But that combined with the price is giving me a serious case of GAS! Crap! 🙂

Anyway, the Smooth Boost includes the following features (from the Elite Tone site):

  • Engineered and constructed all by hand
  • True bypass
  • Battery Included
  • 2.1 mm diameter DC jack adapter (like boss style, etc…)
  • Extremely low ambient noise ( Not audible with effect full on and strings muted in many cases)
  • LED On/Off indicator

Okay… I’m sold. Sight unseen, sound unheard. Well… I am a bit more reasonable than that, but this is VERY COOL! At the very least, I need to find out more about this pedal!

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Progress Report: My Saint Guitar Goldtop Messenger “Goldie”

Posted in gear, goldie, guitar, guitar gear, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, Saint Guitar Company, saint guitars messenger, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 9, 2009| 5 Comments »

Sorry, no pics today folks… But I did speak with Adam this afternoon, and he said the guitar is ready to go into color coating. I kind of jumped the gun last time I wrote an entry on this… I thought it was going in for finishing! Actually it was going in for its base coat. When Adam got it back, he had to block sand it down. It took awhile because he had a family emergency that he had to take care of the last couple of weeks. But the guitar’s close to being done now – real close. The color coating will go on, cure for a bit, then the first coat of gloss will be applied to the top, block sanded down, then the final thin coat of gloss will be applied. Hopefully I’ll have the guitar in a couple of weeks! I’m so jazzed!!!

In case you’ve missed the previous pics, either click on the “Goldie” tab above, or just click here.

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Fender ’57 Champ Reissue: Are You Nuts?

Posted in amplifiers, amps, Amps/Amplification, fender, gear, gear announcements, gear find, guitar, guitar gear, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, rants, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 4, 2009| 50 Comments »

Fender-'57-Champ-Reissue

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Fender over the years. When I’ve loved Fender, I’ve really loved them, and when I’ve hated them, I’ve really hated them. Right now, I’m really hating them. I’m just aghast at the prices they’re charging for their new gear! This Champ ’57 Reissue from the Fender Custom Shop lists at $1295 with a street price of $999! This for a 5 Watt amp with a diminutive 8″ speaker.

Make no mistake: The parts for this cost less than $400! This pricing is absolutely outrageous. Yeah, I’m familiar with its history, blah, blah, blah. And even though I’m no electronics dude, and couldn’t possibly construct an amp myself, I know a few manufacturers who build hand-wired amps with more power and GREAT sound for even less!

Take for instance, the Aracom VRX22. This is a hand-wired, 22 Watt amp that simply kicks freakin’ ass, and the head sells for $895! Then, there’s the upcoming release of the Reason Bambino. This is an 8 Watt amp that will sport that distinctive Reason sound. This head costs $699! It’s my next amp.

I’m sorry folks, this is the same issue that I had with the Fender Roadworn series of guitars. I’m not really in to reliced guitars, but there’s no way I could justify paying $999 for a freakin’ MIM guitar, especially when I paid less than $400 a couple of years back for my MIM Strat.

MAYBE Fender’s production costs are much higher than the smaller run manufacturers (not likely), which is how they justify the price-point for this amp. But this amp is nothing special from my point of view, and as I mentioned above, the parts for this cost less than $400. Lots of people have built 5F1-based amps. Look at the Valve Train Amps Concord. This is a 6 Watt point-to-point, hand-wired combo with a 10″ speaker. It sells for less than $500.

Go ahead, you can argue all you want about the classic sound and history of the Fender ’57 Champ reissue. But to me, Fender’s just again trying to trade on nostalgia. If that’s what floats your boat, more power to you – and mind you – I’m not questioning the quality or the tone of this classic. It has done much to contribute to the sounds of rock and roll. I just want to make it very clear that there are clear alternatives out there that may not have the name but undoubtedly have great tone, and watt-for-watt, and dollar-for-dollar have A LOT more value.

Note that I have the Champ 600 and it is one of my all-time favorite amps. But it has limited usability outside of my home studio. And that’s another thing that bugs me about the ’57 re-issue. It’s a hefty price to pay for an amp that would see limited if any use outside of my studio.

Like I said, if this floats your boat, and the price of this classic reissue, more power to you. For me, I demand a lot more value for the money I pay.

Recent Update

I’m still not sold on this amp, even though I have indeed played it, and it has some real vintage mojo. The sounds it produces are fantastic, but I still can’t justify buying it for the price Fender wants for it. Besides, I’ve seen some late-50’s originals that sell for the same price on EBay! I would buy one of those before I’d buy the re-issue.

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New Gear: Tone Freak Effects Severe High Gain Distortion Pedal

Posted in buying gear, distortion, effect pedals, EL84, GAS, gear, gear announcements, gear find, guitar, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar pedals, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, pedals, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 2, 2009| 1 Comment »

Tone Freak Effects Severe High Gain Distortion PedalReleased in May (how did I miss this?), the Severe is “Tone Freak Effects’ answer to high gain distortion.” Oh man… This looks like a incredibly mean pedal. Set up like the Abunai 2 with a 3-way clipping switch, with level, gain, and tone, the Severe also sports a 3-way bright switch so it can be used with different amps. Very cool.

As Derek Tabata mentions on his site, the Severe will never turn your tone into a compressed mushy mess. The distortion can be laid on thick but, remains open. I can attest to this with the Abunai 2. You can lay on thick overdrive with that pedal, but it’ll never turn super thick.

With the Severe, Derek has taken high-gain distortion to another level! I’m amazed at how it sounds in the sound clips! Check ’em out!

Severe Demo Clip

Les Paul

Les Paul

Tom Anderson

Personally, I’m not a high-gain type of player, however, as I’ve gotten more and more comfortable soloing, I’ve found that I’m pushing more and more into high-gain territory. The only problem is that to achieve that with an amp means it has to be LOUD. That’s why I love pedals like this! You get the effect you need at far lower sound levels.

And you can’t go wrong with Tone Freak Effects! You just can’t! For more information, visit the Tone Freak Effects web site!

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Gear Announcement: Stage Ninja Guitar Straps

Posted in GAS, gear, gear announcements, gear find, guitar gear, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 30, 2009| 1 Comment »

Just announced today, Stage Ninja (http://www.stageninja.net) has just released a line of guitar straps made from 100% recycled material. No, it’s not paper, folks. 🙂 Actually the specific materials are recycled bicycle tubes, racing tires, and hemp. Because the straps are made of rubber, they stretch a little – up to 1/8″ – which is kind of like having built-in shock absorption. That’s kind of cool, and starting at $49.99, that’s not a price that’ll break the bank.

Now the company claims that the natural tackiness of the rubber makes it like having strap locks. But I’ve learned my lesson: Never leave home without strap locks! I don’t care how “sticky” something might be. Unless it’s locked on, it will eventually come off. But that’s just an aside… 🙂

Considering that Stage Ninja is located in Indianapolis, it’s no small surprise that they would take advantage of the used racing tires that must be piled up outside of the Indy speedway. What a way to capitalize on throw-aways! But it’s also responsible manufacturing. On principle I have to get one of these.

Why get so excited about a guitar strap? Simply because I dig product that are the result of thinking out of the box. Yes, it’s just a guitar strap, but made out of material that was never even envisioned to be used this way!

There’s not much information on these as of yet, and retailers do not have them in stock just yet. But they should be arriving soon!

For more information, check out their web site: http://www.stageninja.net.

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Gear Announcement: TC Electronic Nova Repeater and Nova Drive Now Shipping

Posted in announcements, buying gear, delay, distortion, effect pedals, Effects, GAS, gear, gear announcements, guitar, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar pedals, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, overdrive, pedals, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 29, 2009| 1 Comment »

Nova Repeater

The Nova Repeater news is a tad old, as it started shipping a couple of weeks ago, but retailers are still only taking pre-orders on it. I’ve been waiting for the Nova Repeater to come out for awhile, ever since I heard about it from Winter NAMM news. As TC Electronic puts it, this pedal is “No frills, with a sound that kills.” It truly is no-frills. There’s no programming of the pedal. It has a few features and that’s it. But what it has that I’ve not seen with other pedals is a feature TC calls, “Audio Tapping.” Essentially, you hold the tap tempo button down, then strum your guitar, and the delay is set based upon the strum. I can’t wait to try out this delay pedal! Here’s a demo video:

Nova Drive

Next up is the Nova Drive, which is an analog overdrive and distortion pedal that is controlled with a digital interface. Not sure how that works, but it does sound very cool. This is the same drive/distortion circuit that is in the Nova System, so if you know about that tone, you know it’s very nice. There are a couple of things that stand out about this pedal for me. First, you can change the order of the drive and distortion, making drive first, distortion second; and vice-versa. Second, you can also run the effects in parallel, which is totally – it provides a completely different dimension in the tone this pedal produces. It also has a MIDI input that you can hook up to a G Major system to program it. Not bad. Anyway, here’s another demo video:

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Fun With Re-Amping

Posted in amplifiers, amps, Amps/Amplification, aracom amps, fender, GAS, gear, guitar, guitar gear, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, prestige guitars, VRX22, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 27, 2009| 1 Comment »

My friend Jeff Aragaki, of Aracom Amps is an incredible inventor. Today he brought over a new unit that among other things, allows me to re-amp my amplified signal into another amp. I’ve heard of this being done before – it’s not new. I just never had the means to do it until today. The clip I recorded – and excuse me for the sometimes sloppy areas – is my Prestige Heritage Elite plugged into my Aracom VRX22 into Jeff’s new invention, then out to my little 1 X 12 cabinet and re-amped through my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Re-amping through the Hot Rod allowed me to take advantage of its reverb, but with two amps going at the same time, it totally fattened up my sound without making it murky. Freakin’ incredible. Anyway, give it a listen!

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