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So… This is weird, but…

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

…actually kind of cool once you give it a listen. It’s called a Woogie Board, and it’s the world’s first – you got it – electric washboard. Before you laugh in disbelief – I actually couldn’t believe the PR company that sends me press releases on new products would send this out – but this thing is for real.

The Woogie Board features a solid mahogany body with dual piezo pickups, a three-way switch, and a Tele control plate, completely handmade by Saint Blues Guitar Workshop in partnership with Cody Dickenson. Sounds like I’m describing a guitar! Ha!

But this thing is meant to be plugged into effects boxes like a wah, delay, flange – whatever. And it produces some VERY cool sounds. Check out the Woogie Board video and sound page!

Admittedly, something like this really ain’t for me, but if you do roots style music, this could be an instrument that you can add to your sonic arsenal.

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Follow-up and Gig Report: Aracom PLX18 BB Trem

Posted in amplifier reviews, amplifiers, amps, aracom amps, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, PLX18 BB, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 7, 2010| 3 Comments »

I’ve been using the Aracom PLX18 BB Trem in my studio for the past couple of months, and it is simply a great amp. As I’ve written in the past about this amp, I’ve made some modifications to it such as replacing all the stock pre-amps with NOS (the JJ EL84’s are killer in this amp, so no need to even look for NOS for these), and replacing the stock speaker with a Fane Medusa 150.

As most GuitarGear readers know, my go-to gigging amp is my beloved, customized Aracom VRX22. But every now and then, I like to take my other amps out for a spin. For this evening’s church gig, I took the PLX18. Based upon tonight’s experience, it looks like I’m going to gig with this amp a lot more.

One thing that I’ve come to love about Jeff Aragaki’s amp designs, is that he has got the vintage Marshall mojo down. Mind you, he doesn’t make clones. He takes the original circuit designs and innovates on top of them. The PLX18 BB started out as a classic “Bluesbreaker” design, but with improvements to the circuit to make it much more efficient. The result is a real smooth-sounding amp that – like the amp it is modeled after – has tons of clean headroom, and needs to be absolutely cranked to get grind. But when it grinds, it’s so rich and smooth and dynamic, you just close your eyes and let your fingers do the talking!

Such was the case tonight. About a year ago, I re-arranged a classic Catholic hymn and gave it a bluesy, folk-punk vibe (think a cross between Death Cab and Clapton). I know, it sounds like a weird mix, but amazingly enough, it works. People know the song really well, but this arrangement gets them nodding their head in time – it’s cool to see! In any case, I also arranged it so that there was plenty of room in between verses for little solos. It’s a somewhat slow song, so you can’t go overboard, but the phrasing really lends itself to a lead played with an amp just at the edge of breakup, with lots of bends and vibrato.

And it helps to have an amp that has a lot of natural sustain. The PLX is just so damn good at that! I played the amp in the “clean” channel that I had almost cranked up all the way, since that’s where a vintage Marshall sounds great, and of course, it was plugged into my attenuator so I could crank it and still have a manageable volume level. The PLX is so responsive to attack and volume knob adjustments that it makes playing just a dream. Throughout the song, I just closed my eyes and got into pure expression mode. It was one of those occasional experiences where the tone just takes you right into the Zone! When you’re in the Zone, you just can’t do wrong. Hearing the PLX sing with my Squier CV Tele – I just floated away in absolute bliss.

For our closing song, I actually didn’t play, and gave “Blondie” over to my guitar cohort Dave so I could thump out on bass. For that song, I activated the wonderful Kasha overdrive pedal, in the Hot channel to really slam the amp with gain. The great thing about the Kasha overdrive is that it’s a really transparent overdrive pedal, and allows you amp to do it’s magic. With the OD engaged, the PLX took on this incredible character. It’s a bright amp by nature, but the tone became really jangly and ringy, with just a touch of compression coming from the EL84’s. It helps that I replaced the original JJ pre-amps with the NOS ones. In any case, talk about creamy smooth but articulate overdrive! Listening to that just got me thumpin’ out on the bass! We had a lot of fun with that song. Kind of felt like the White Stripes as we only had two instrumentalists (though it was two guitars, or a bass and guitar – no drums). It was raw and edgy, but oh so cool! You gotta just dig moments like this!

As I’ve mentioned, the PLX18 BB Trem is Jeff’s oldest amp design and unfortunately, his least-known amp. It’s tough to compete in the market when there are so many boutique, vintage Marshall-style amps on the market. I’ve played many, but the PLX18 BB is special. Others who own one of these will attest to just how special this amp sounds. Even though it’s not quite as versatile as the VRX22 that can get me over-the-top gain, for what it does, I can’t think of a better amp. Mind you, this ain’t just a one-trick pony. For blues, classic rock, and country, it’s simply killer. So if you’re looking for that classic “Bluesbreaker” tone at a price that won’t break you at the same time (the head is $1345, and the combo – which I have is $1750), I encourage you to check this amp out! And if you do get it, you won’t regret it in the slightest!

As far as equipping it, pay the extra for NOS pre-amps (the JJ EL84’s are just fine – I actually prefer them), and even though Jeff recommends an Eminence Red Fang Alnico to be paired with the PLX18 BB, for my personal tastes, I prefer something with a bit tighter bottom end; hence, the Fane Medusa that I swapped in. If you still want bright tone, then an Eminence Governor works insanely well, and will give you nice mids and high-mids, and I hear the Celestion Gold sounds killer in the the combo! YMMV…

For more information on this wonderful amp, check out the Aracom Amps site!

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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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It’s Unavoidable: You’re Going to Sound Like… You!

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , , , , , on January 28, 2010| 3 Comments »

I was talking to a friend one day who noted something that the great Carlos Santana once said: “I can pick up pretty much any guitar and sound like me.” It wasn’t said with any arrogance. It was just a matter of fact. That statement spurred the thought that maybe there was something to the statement: Your tone is in your fingers. I’ve leaned towards that line of thinking for a long time, and have gotten into numerous debates between those who say your tone is in your gear versus the fingers camp.

My personal belief is that your gear gets you your baseline tone, then it’s your fingers articulating the strings that layer on the expression. Yeah, yeah, I can just hear the nitpickers who’ll come along and say, It’s not your fingers, but your heart and mind. That’s true as well. But they are the driving mechanisms. Your fingers produce the sound. But I digress…

Over the years I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve come across many people who’ve asked the same question over and over again: What kind of gear can I get to sound like ____________? It’s probably obvious who the person is whom is asked about the most – Van Halen and the “Brown Sound.” In the past, my answer to this question has usually been, “You’ll have to do your research, and get the exact specs of the signal chain of that particular artist,” in an effort to avoid directly answering the question; or sometimes, I’ll be rhetorical and ask my own dismissive question back, “Why do you want to sound like __________?”

But after lots of thought on this, I feel compelled to qualify the motivations behind my reluctance to answer the question directly. Think back to the top of this article and what Santana was noted saying. The reason I’ve avoided getting into a discussion/instruction of how to sound like someone is because one thing I’ve realized in all the years I’ve been playing is that no matter what gear I have, I’m going to sound like me. Different kinds of gear will make my tone brighter or fatter or richer – whatever – but ultimately, when it comes to actually expressing my musical thoughts I’m going to sound like me. And that goes for every other guitarist or musician out there.

And it really is unavoidable that we sound like ourselves because each of us has our own unique approach to the guitar, affected by several factors (including, but not necessarily limited by how we think, how we feel; and ultimately, in how we express those thoughts and feelings. I’m not sure this is really just a “tone” thing, either. For instance, listen to old Van Halen with the brown sound, then listen to the Sammy Hagar years, or even Eddie playing on Jacko’s “Beat It.” EVH’s guitar tone is significantly different in all those settings, but it’s unmistakably EVH. The same can be said of Santana. Listen to early Santana and more recent stuff. The sound of the guitars are different, but there’s no mistaking who’s playing the guitar. These guys just sound like themselves!

And that’s the point of this entry. Your gear gets you your tone, your fingers create the sound, but it’s your expression that identifies you.

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How’s It Hanging?

Posted in accessories, GAS, gear, gear find, guitar, guitar accessories, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 26, 2010| 3 Comments »

Your guitar, that is…

I dig cool, off-the-wall stuff. Remember the Harmonic Capo I wrote about? I actually never got one, but that never reduced its cool to me. But this new, cool thing is something I’m definitely going to have to check out. It’s called the Guitar Hanger, made by the guys at The Guitar Hanger company. As the name implies, this little contraption literally lets you hang your guitar, much like you would a shirt or a pair of pants. Check out the video:

Right now, I’ve got all my guitars in my studio in their cases or gig bags, lined up along a wall, taking up valuable floor space. But with guitar hangers, I can free up A BUNCH of floor space. With guitar hangers, you could do something like this:

How cool is that?!!!! For more information, go to the The Guitar Hanger web site!

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I sometimes wonder…

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 25, 2010| 8 Comments »

…if I’m getting too jaded. I’ve reviewed so much gear that I don’t seem so easily impressed as of late.

What got me thinking about this was my latest review of the PRS Sweet 16 amplifier. I played it. It sounded great, but I wasn’t overly impressed. I suppose from a pure tone perspective, I could give it pretty high marks, and my 4.5 Tone Bones rating reflects the overall quality of the amp. But at around $1700, even though PRS calls the Sweet 16 a “mid-priced” amp, there are lots of other amps in that power class that cost far less and sound just as good, if not better.

What’s in a name?

Or maybe I’m not falling into the hype trap. It seems that every time PRS comes out with something, people rave about it and assume it kicks ass without really even trying it. That’s great for PRS to have built up that kind of reputation, and probably a reason PRS gear can still command such high prices: People are willing to pay based upon the name because they know there is a certain level of quality of which they can assume will be in the gear they buy – even sight unseen.

I also suppose that when I factored in the price, it kept me from giving the Sweet 16 higher marks; and that’s the practical side of me speaking. For me, I don’t give a shit about the name or the model; I only care if it sounds good. If some gear’s tone or playability simply blow me away, I’ll pay a higher price. For instance, I’m looking for vintage or vintage re-issue Les Paul. My buddy has a number of them, and I just have to get one to add to my rig. I won’t mind paying a premium for that guitar when I find one not just because it’s an LP, but because I’m blown away by the tone. But with the exception of Goldie, none of my other guitars have cost over $1000, and half of them cost under $500. Furthermore, all my amps with the exception of the Aracom PLX18 cost under $1000 as well, and the PLX18 with its vintage-style circuitry sounds way better than the Sweet 16 and still costs less.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that I don’t see the point in paying a high price for just “good” tone, as in the case of the Sweet 16. I’ll pay for great tone, but as I stated, there are lots of different gear out there that have great tone and a great price. The Dr. Z Remedy amp is a great example of that: GREAT tone at a great price. By the way, the street price of $1499 makes it a much sweeter deal than the Sweet 16.

I’m probably going to get jumped on for posting this, but so be it. I know what I like, and I know what I’d pay for some gear. It all boils down to tonal preference in the end. I’ll pay for tone that inspires me, but I’ll never pay for a name.

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Quick Review: PRS Sweet 16 Amplifier

Posted in amplifier reviews, amplifiers, amps, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, guitar gear reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 20, 2010| 5 Comments »

Ever since Paul Reed Smith came out with amplifiers, I’ve been a little dubious about them mostly because anything carrying the PRS logo will invariably cost an arm and a leg. Don’t get me wrong PRS makes freakin’ incredible gear, but said gear also has a relatively large barrier to entry. So it came as a nice surprise that the PRS Sweet 16 is much more reasonably priced than one might expect of a PRS. For a hand-wired amp at just under $1700, that’s getting into Dr. Z territory, and that’s a GREAT thing!

During my latest sojourn to Guitar Center, my wanderings took me to the “quiet room” where GC has a few amps and guitars for people to play, isolated from the rest of the store. I like going in there because usually they have nicer gear like Custom Shop Strats, and high-end Gibsons. For amps, there’s always nice ones like classic Fenders (they’ve had the same silverface Twin in there for awhile now), and this time, they had the PRS Sweet 16 with its matching 1 X 12 cab.

Features (from PRS)

  • Hand-wired in Stevensville, Maryland
  • 16 Clean Watts (Smooth Overdrive at Max)
  • 2x 6V6 Output Tubes
  • Cathode Bias
  • Master Volume (Exits the Circuit at Max)
  • Reverb
  • Volume, Bass, Treble, Mid, Reverb, Master, and Bright Controls
  • Vintage-style Black and White Tolex Look

Fit and Finish

What can I say that hasn’t been said of PRS gear? It’s invariably lovely stuff! The black and white tolex and black grille cloth give the amp a very cool vintage look. As expected, there’s nary a blemish or seam out of place with this amp, and as expected, both amp and cab are super-sturdy. But that’s a given with pretty much any PRS gear.

How It Sounds

Here’s where we get into a bit of murky territory, primarily because even in an isolation room in a store, it’s not an optimal place to test – at least for me because I almost invariably don’t have my own guitars available when I do “random” tests. But that’s okay, I just spend a bit of time getting guitars that are close to what I have or had. With this test, I used a Strat and a very nice ES-335.

The Sweet 16 must have a pretty hefty output transformer because this puppy puts out some volume, even with a single 1 X 12. It has TONS of clean headroom, which made me turn down the Master and crank up the volume to get even a little grind, which indicated to me that to really get this amp to get into serious breakup, the master has to be dimed as well. The predominantly pre-amp distortion just seemed a little flat-sounding to me; it wasn’t bad, but it was nothing special. I did crank up the Master for just a little while, and even with it dimed, the breakup was  lot like a classic Marshall JTM; tons of clean headroom, with a modest amount of distortion when cranked. Definitely an amp suited for classic rock/blues.

Clean was another story. Really nice cleans with this amp, especially with a Strat. The CS Strat I played produced a smooth and complex tone with a chimey top-end. Quite nice. And the ES-335 sounded gorgeous through the Sweet 16. Adding a touch of reverb, really helped fill out the sound, and it was great playing fingerstyle with both axes.

For EQ settings, I just moved everything to 12 o’clock and didn’t have to tweak at all, though I did switch on the bright control to get some top-end shimmer; especially when playing the ES-335. The Strat didn’t need it, and the fuller sound really helped bolster the natural thin tone of the Strat.

Regarding the reverb, I do have to say that I’ve heard better. It’s not that it’s bad-sounding. I just wasn’t really impressed with it. I certainly wouldn’t use it to provide a sustaining effect with this amp. The sag is enough with the amp that I can get my sustain with my fingers. The reverb is not as pronounced as a Fender reverb, and it’s not very springy. I liken it to an Aracom reverb that isn’t very intense. It’s there, but it’s a heck of a lot more subtle than a Fender. But like I said, it’s not bad, but for me, I probably wouldn’t use it. For recording, I’d record the amp dry and layer a reverb as an insert or side-chain effect. That said, that amp sounds great without a reverb.

Overall Impressions

My gut impression is that it’s a great-looking and great-sounding amp, and it’s a good start for PRS’s entry into the low-wattage amp arena, but there are a lot better-sounding amps in that price range and below.Good examples of this are the Reason Bambino, the Aracom VRX series, and the Dr. Z Remedy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the Sweet 16. I really liked it, but it’s not an amp that blew me away with its tone.

Despite my rather contrarian comments, the Sweet 16 gets a 4.5 Tone Bones rating. It’s well-made and great-sounding. If I ever get one into my studio, I’ll do a full review, and perhaps my rating will change. But it’s a solid performer nonetheless, and you could do a lot worse.

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Why I Hate Guitar Center…

Posted in Guitars, tagged , , , , , , , on January 20, 2010| 5 Comments »

Actually, I don’t really hate Guitar Center. I actually hate the fact that I have no self-control when I go there. It’s dangerous for me to go to Guitar Center. Why? It’s like shopping at Costco. I go in the store with a specific thing to buy, and end up with more than I planned for. Ah, the life of a gear slut. Luckily my bankroll isn’t limitless, otherwise I’d be buying things left and right. But on top of that Guitar Center is set up a like a grocery store in that you have to wander through the store to find what you’re REALLY looking for; along the way, you’ll pass some things that will catch your eye. They’re counting on that!

Wow! A Squier Bass for $169 – what a deal! An Epiphone Les Paul for only $599. It’s like that chick in that Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo with Turette’s Syndrome – always on the verge of blurting out some obscenity – always struggling to contain herself. In the case of a gear slut like me and countless others, it’s always on the verge of uncontrollably pulling out the wallet. But as I said, the limiting factor is the amount of money I have at any time, so luckily really major purchases are rare.

On my recent trip to GC, I was going there to simply pick up an extension speaker cable for my cab. I misplaced my old one at a recent gig, so I needed a new one. I went with only the intention of getting that cord. But of course, being in the pro audio section, I just had to pass by the microphone case. Then my GAS reason took over, and said, “You’re really not happy with how your guitars are sounding with the ribbon mic which is much better for vocals. Why not get a decent instrument mic that can handle high SPLs.” Dammit! GAS reason is so… reasonable… 🙂

Long story short, I ended up getting a Sennheiser e609. It was a great purchase, and my guitars haven’t sounded this good recorded – ever. Was it a good purchase? Yes. Did I REALLY need it? Kind of… and that’s the problem with GAS. That “kind of…” almost always turns into a “yes.”

Oh well, at least I sound great now… 🙂

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