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Posts Tagged ‘GAS’

Gear Review: Guitar Scale Magnets – Major Scale

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 15, 2010| 8 Comments »

Click on the picture to see the magnets.

 Guitar Scale Magnets – Major Scale Strips
Summary: Great “cheat sheet” for learning where the various major scale modes start on the fretboard. Very convenient, and very easy to install!

Pros: Magnetic base strip attaches easily to the side of your fretboard. The strips provide a superb way to visualize the starting point of the major scale boxes.

Cons: Just a nit, but only available for 25.5″ scale guitars. Not a really big deal as that’s pretty much a standard. Of course, I have different scale lengths, but they fit my Tele perfectly!

Features:

  • Base strip has a very weak adhesive that sticks to the side of the neck, but will not peel varnish.
  • Magnetic strips are made of the same material as those “refrigerator stickers.” They’re pliable and very easy to use.
  • Major scale strips include all keys from C to B.
  • Includes scale charts for all modes. Very handy.
  • Comes with a convenient storage tube for storing the strips when you’re not using them.
  • Great way to visualize the modal starting points in any key.

Price: ~$19.99 plus $5.00 S&H

Tone Bone Score: 5.0 ~ I’m a very visual learner, and having visual cues helps me learn much more effectively.

I’m not much of a guitar theoretician, not because of not wanting to be, but simply because with my busy lifestyle, having the time for academic pursuits is limited. So for my learning, I rely on tools and videos that will help me learn concepts quickly as opposed to traditional step-by-step methods that dissect the concepts into chunks. It may not be the best method of learning, but it’s all I have. But besides that, I’m also a very visual learner, and definitely a learn-by-doing type of guy. So if I can get my hands on something that will give me visual cues, my learning experience is much more valuable to me.

Enter Guitar Scale Magnets. One of the things I’ve been wanting to learn for awhile is modal theory. It has always interested me, but I’ve never seemed to have the time to really sit down to learn it – nor did I have the funds to take lessons (I spend it all on gear). So when I found out about Guitar Scale Magnets, I was immediately intrigued, and asked Jason Ellestad, the inventor of the guitar scale magnets to send me a set of major scale magnets to review.

In a word, these things are awesome! Made of the same magnetic material as those flexible “fridge” magnets – but not at thick – the magnets provide a very convenient way to learn the major scale modes by giving you visual cues of the starting points. Of course, you still have to learn the patterns, but you get the patterns on a couple of 8.5 X 11 sheets that you can tape to your wall for reference. Not bad for $19.99.

To attach magnets to the side of your fretboard, Jason provides step-by-step instructions. But you don’t even need the instructions. The base strip, of course, has no markings on it, so it’s easy figure out that it’s the base. It also has a weak adhesive that’s tacky enough to stick to your fretboard, and stay in place as you play, but not strong enough that it’ll peel your varnish. Once you have it in place, it’s just a simple matter of finding the key you want to practice, and laying it on top of the base strip. Each key is color-coded to show you the starting points for each mode. Click on the picture above to see an enlarged version of what they look like.

I won’t belabor how useful I’ve found these to be. I’m just going to recommend that you try them out. Jason has three types of strips available: Major Scale, Pentatonic Scale, and Learn the Fretboard/Tab strips. So if you need some visual cues for learning your scales, Magnetic Scale Strips are a great tool! For you teachers out there, I think these would be invaluable to give to your students to help them learn and practice in conjunction with your curricula.

For more information, go to the Guitar Scale Magnets site!

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The KASHA Overdrive Revisited

Posted in aracom amps, effect pedals, Effects, GAS, gear, guitar, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitar pedals, guitar tone, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, overdrive, pedals, PLX18 BB, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 14, 2010| 1 Comment »

I know, I know… I talk about this pedal A LOT, and I’ve already reviewed it a few times… (here’s the original) But I keep on discovering so many great things about this pedal that makes me want to talk about it. Just when I think I’ve got it dialed in, I find yet another thing that it does that just completely turns me on!

Tonight, I was screwing around with my song Strutter yet again. I’m done writing it, but I wanted to practice, and that song is really fun to practice to; I just mute the lead tracks and have at it. Mind you, all I wanted to do was practice and play “Blondie,” my Squier CV Tele – I didn’t have anything else in mind.

So I hooked up my Aracom PLX18 BB and started playing over the rhythm track. Folks, this amp just oozes classic Marshall “Bluesbreaker” tone as is, but just for shits and giggles, I decided to switch on my KASHA Overdrive to add a little flavor to my tone because I was working on a new song recently where I loved what this pedal did – especially with the PLX18 BB! For that song (which I’m still writing) I didn’t want to add too much gain. All I wanted to do was add some texture. So I thought it might just sound good while I practiced over Strutter. Man, was that a good call!

Here’s an A/B clip of sorts of the first two verses of the song. In verse 1, I’m playing the PLX18BB with nothing added – just a touch of room reverb as an insert in the mix. In the second verse, I switch on the KASHA overdrive (still with some reverb in the mix). The pedal is in the “Hot” channel, and I set the gain knob at 12 o’clock, which just provides a bit of a gain boost (it’s capable of adding up to 15dB of boost in this channel), but this channel also sustains for days, adding a touch of high-end sparkle. Here’s the clip:

Please excuse the little playing mistakes I made… 🙂 It’s nothing really egregious. In any case, when you compare the two verses, the difference in tone is actually subtle, at least to my ears. But from a playing standpoint, the amount of touch-sensitivity and sustain that was added made the second verse so much more musical and so much more inspiring to play. And speaking of subtlety, I think that is yet another mark of a great overdrive pedal. To me, overdrives should be transparent, they should never alter your tone – that’s what fuzz and distortion are for. At the most, they should simply add EQ emphasis, and that’s it. And that’s why I love the overdrives I play through: Tone Freak Abunai 2, GeekMacDaddy Geek Driver, Creation Audio Labs Holy Fire, the KASHA overdrive, TubeScreamer, and believe it or not, a Bad Monkey. They all bring to the table their own little voicings, but none of these alter your basic tone.

Great gear evokes a sense of inspiration – at least in me – that makes me want to keep playing and playing and playing. I just can’t say enough about this pedal. At around $200, it is worth every penny I paid for it. Thanks, John Kasha for coming up with such a fantastic pedal! Now back to playing!

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Guitar Gear and HOT CHICKS!!!

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 14, 2010| 2 Comments »

What is it about guitar makes it immediately associated with hot chicks? Hey! Not that I’m complaining. Take a look at this smaller version of the free poster from The Tone Box (click on the picture to download the full picture – it’s 18mb – so it may take a bit):

It was this picture that made me ask the question above. I suppose manufacturers figure if they get us to sport wood for their female representatives, that image will make us sport wood for their products. Interesting. Interesting indeed! While I have an incredible appreciation for the female form, as a buyer of guitar gear, nice tits and a great ass will only serve to distract me. And if your gal is extra slutty (which does nothing for me at all), I won’t even bother looking at a manufacturer’s gear. It’s not that I’m a prude, but I’m really not swayed by that because even though I’m a red-blooded, American horn dog who loves the female form, I’m also a tone FREAK-I-ZOID, and in the end, I don’t want the distraction. Just f%&kin’ demonstrate how the mutha-f%^ka sounds!

I can just imagine a rather funny situation. Let’s say this kind of advertising actually works, and every guy who views the sexy ads has the same reaction to the gear. You could go down to Guitar Center or some other place and be able to tell whose seen the ads. They’d be the guys that are slightly bent over, faking that they’re doing the pee-pee dance, or unabashedly flaunting the bulge in their pants (or they could do the cucumber bit like the bassist in Spinal Tap).

But maybe some manufacturers have learned the lesson that no matter how many hot chicks you put on your ads, it’s how your gear sounds that matters, and heaven forbid! The sound and how it pleases people so much that they spread the word that is what actually sells your product. Off the top of my head, Goodsell Amps was notorious for using hot chicks in all their visuals, but perhaps even they learned the lesson. I remember the first time I went to their site after seeing a recommendation on The Gear Page. I happened to be at work when I clicked on the link, and had to close the page immediately because of the scantily clad chick sitting on a Goodsell amp.

When I got home, I opened up the page, but my first thought was, “What the F$&K does this have to do with the amps?” Like I said, I’m not a prude, but I couldn’t be the first one who asked the very same question. I actually found it kind of obnoxious. It reminded me of the old Comdex show in Las Vegas back in the 80’s when electronics manufacturers would hire scantily clad models (read: topless) to attract geeks to their booths. I went to the show a few times, and I can tell you from personal experience, I was a hell of a lot more interested in the round orbs of fleshy goodness than that actual goods. Such was my response when I first went to that site. However, if you go to the Goodsell amp site nowadays, you’ll see that it is just a plain old amp site now – no hot chicks on the home page. Maybe Goodsell figured that the expense of hot models didn’t bring in more sales. You think? 🙂

I’ve got some ideas on what actually works nowadays, but that’s a bit beyond the scope of this entry. I’ll maybe talk about my ideas in a future post.

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Parts Is Parts: Introducing AmplifiedParts.com

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »

For the DIY guitar enthusiast, having a good source for parts is crucial. There are lots of parts sites out there, but this new site really intrigues me. It’s professional looking and well laid out, and for goodness’ sake, you can find stuff!

I don’t know how many times I’ve gone to parts sites that are just not very well done, and their search function actually works! I particularly like the home page. There are only a few areas to interact with, but they’re meaningful. For instance, I found myself perusing the new items, featured products, and most popular products boxes for quite awhile.

The only problem with sites like this is that I start experiencing GAS!!! Damn, I’ve been looking at getting another speaker, like a Celestion Alnico Blue… OH STOP IT!!!

Anyway, even for a new site, their prices are in line with other retailers. But I do like the fact that they specialize in amp parts. Now THAT’s useful!

They’re good enough to get a banner on GuitarGear.org. Click on the banner to the right, or click here to go to their site!

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Fewer New Overdrive Pedals? Pah! Here’s One from Wampler

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 10, 2010| 2 Comments »

A couple of months ago, I asked the question, “Where have all the overdrives gone?” in response to a trend that I was noticing that there seemed to be fewer new overdrives being released after a long period where new overdrives from different pedal manufacturers were coming out every week. I guess they were waiting for NAMM to come because “They’re BAAAAACK!”

The latest to arrive on the scene is actually a re-issue from Wampler pedals: The Limited Edition Pinnacle(2) reissue. Wampler is an effects company I’ve known about for a long time, but have never actually played or owned one – even though I’ve always been impressed with their tone. In any case here’s Wampler’s explanation for coming out with the re-issue:

The original Pinnacle(2) evolved into the pinnacle over the span of a couple of years. During that time, we’ve had a ton of customers ask us about coming back out with the original version which had a stomp-switchable gain boost. While the current pinnacle and the original pinnacle 2 were 95% the same circuit-wise, some felt that there was a certain ‘magic’ to it. Since we’ve had so many requests for it, we decided to come out with a limited version of it complete with the gain boost stomp switch. We are only building a small number of these so unfortunately when it’s gone – it’s gone. At this time, it is only available on this website.

So how does it sound? Well, it can do quite a bit, actually. But it is really known for its ability to cop a great “brown sound” tone. Here’s a great video that demonstrates this (this dude can cop EVH pretty good):

I find it amazing that the amp he used was a software amp. AmpliTube has really come a LONG way!

As Wampler mentions, there are only going to be a limited run of these pedals. But here’s the real winner for me: This pedal is only $179.00! I need to tie down my hand so it doesn’t reach for my wallet!!! 🙂 It’s definitely worth a look!

I really don’t know why I love overdrive sounds so much. I guess that there’s something really primitive inside me that loves that growling tone. Who knows? Who cares? I love ’em!!!

For more information, go the Wampler Pedals site!

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New Gear from NAMM: T-Rex Tonebug Distortion Pedal

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Oo-la-la! T-Rex will soon be releasing a new distortion pedal called the Tonebug Distortion. Not much info on it yet, but it is supposed to lay on tons of gain. I was fortunate enough to see a video from the folks at GearWire that quickly demonstrates what this pedal can do.

Admittedly, I’ve preferred overdrives over distortion boxes, but I’m really liking the tone from this puppy! Don’t know if I’d shell out $399 for it, though. But T-Rex pedals are premium pedals, so that’s not a surprising price.

For more information, check out the T-Rex site!

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A Few NAMM 2010 Eye-Catchers

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 8, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I was persuing YouTube today to check out some cool stuff from NAMM, so I got a few vids that I thought were worth sharing.

The first if from Fender (yeah, I know, it’s mainstream, but Fender has been doing some interesting stuff). This is Acoustasonic Tele, which is a half acoustic / half Tele. As you know, I have the Acoustasonic Strat, but this looks like it’s even better! Check it out:

Here’s a really cool thing for acoustic guitars – no more string pegs!

Ever wanted a Tube Screamer in an amp? Well Ibanez has come out with a 15 Watt amp they appropriately call “The Tube Screamer.” It features an authentic Tube Screamer circuit in the front end, and has a half-power switch (pentode-triode) switching. It will only cost $299. Probably mostly solid state, but it has 2 X 12AX7’s in the pre-amp stage and a pair of 6V6’s to power it up. Interesting. Here’s a demo… At least the amp sounds decent (read: I don’t necessarily like how it’s being played): 🙂

And here’s a new overdrive… the HAO OD-16, handmade in Japan. The NAMM vid I found on this was private, so I did a search for another. Apparently it has a street price of $300… yikes! I’ll do a bit more research on this one. Sounds very nice!

That’s it for now. If I find more stuff, I’ll post it here. There are lots of videos to wade through….

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Gear Find: Toadworks Ajax

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Toadworks AjaxBeing sick sometimes has its advantages because even though I’m half brain-dead with a head cold, I can take some time to surf the web in search of gear. This morning, I read a press release on Harmony Central about the new Toadworks Fat City Dual Overdrive. Being a big fan of overdrive pedals, I went to the Toadworks site to read about this new pedal.

I had tried a Mr. Ed distortion awhile back – it was okay – but I wasn’t thrilled – but I’ve always dug dual overdrives and stacking, so this looked promising. I read about the pedal, and it sounds really cool. All hand-wired with high-quality components. Also, a little out of my price range at around $300. Still, it looks like it’s worth checking out just to see how it sounds.

While I was on the site, I started looking at all the other pedals Toadworks offers, and the one that REALLY caught my eye was the Toadworks Ajax. Rather than try to explain it (since I’ve never even used one), here’s the product summary from the Toadworks site

Ajax is essentially a 2-channel line mixer, combined with a buffered Y-splitter, with the ability to invert (180°) the phase of one input signal, as well as one of the output signals.

Ajax has a wide range of uses, including:

– Two-channel mixer – With independent input level controls, Ajax can act as a simple 2-channel mixer.
– Multi-guitar interface – Ajax has two buffered inputs, allowing you to connect (and play) two different instruments at the same time.
– Input phase correction – When combining two signals, there is always the possibility that the signals may be out of phase with each other. Ajax can invert the phase of one input to eliminate unwanted frequency cancellation.
– Multi-amp interface – Ajax has two output jacks, allowing you to send the signal to two different amplifiers simultaneously.
– Output phase correction – When connecting the two output jacks to two separate amplifiers, you may find that the amplifier outputs are out of phase with each other. Ajax can invert the phase of one output to eliminate unwanted frequency cancellation.
– Stereo expander – when using two amplifiers (or recording direct to a stereo interface), it can be desirable to invert the phase of one of the amplifiers, creating an ‘expanded’ sound – this is especially useful with modulation effects such as chorus, flanger, etc. The output phase inversion is performed using the stomp switch, so this can be done on the fly.
– Effect Combination – If you are lucky enough to have two Ajax devices, you can split the output signal of the first unit, applying varying amounts of effects to each signal indepentently, and recombining the signal using the second Ajax. Using this method, you will have access to new sounds and effect combinations that are otherwise impossible.
– Simple buffer – Putting Ajax first in your signal chain will provide a simple buffer, eliminating concerns about signal loss in true-bypass effect chains.
– Clean boost – Both the input and output Level controls are capable of linear boost, making Ajax a simple clean boost with no frequency attenuation.

This pedal is very intriguing to me, as I’ve recently been experimenting with playing two amps simultaneously. I know, you can do that with an ABY pedal, and I do that, but I really like the phase inversion and the input and output boost. This has lots of possibilities. Funny though, this pedal has been out for a year, and there is very little information or reviews on it.

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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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 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!

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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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 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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