At Winter NAMM 2011, under the “Compact” line of pedals, TC Electronic released seven new pedals in a more standard footprint. I spoke about about the Corona Chorus in my previous article, and it is very promising. Now you might say, “So what? There were lots of pedals release at NAMM.” True, but from my standpoint, this is a major departure for TC Electronic; not in terms of engineering and quality, but of its movement into the mainstream.
Think about it: For years TC Electronic has been producing incredible effects that are always highly rated, and known for their high quality. The only problem for me, and while it might not seem like a big thing to others, but it is a big thing to me, was the form-factor of TC pedals. I have always had a problem with their size and shape.
People might say that it’s the tone that should matter and not the form-factor, and I would agree to a point. But from a practical perspective, because of their size and shape, I’d have to sacrifice too much real estate on my board to accommodate an original TC pedal. So though I’ve loved the pedals for their tones, I’ve always passed on them purely because of I’d have to change my board. That is definitely changed with TC Electronic’s new Compact Line.
The Compact Line in a Nutshell
As I mentioned above, the Compact line includes seven pedals. It’s great that TC came out with all of them at once as opposed to staging the releases. It definitely makes a bigger splash. One thing that I can say about the Compact line is that TC had versatility in mind with these pedals. All the modulation effects include TC’s new TonePrint feature, which lets you load settings by major artists into the pedal directly via a USB connection. How cool is that?
Anyway, here are video clips I found on YouTube that really demonstrate the pedals’ capabilities:
Flashback Delay
Corona Chorus
Vortex Flanger
Hall of Fame Reverb
Shaker Vibrato
Mojo Mojo Overdrive
Dark Matter Distortion
The pedals that really catch my ear are the Corona Chorus and the Vibrato, which is VERY cool. Unlike tremolo, vibrato is a pitch modulation, where tremolo is a volume modulation. That could really come in handy!
TC Electronic comes out with the Corona Chorus (announced at Winter NAMM 2011). From what I’ve been reading and watching about this chorus pedal, it’s a winner! Very tweakable, with three different modes including their classic SCF chorus, Tri-Chorus, and TonePrint, which allows you to download settings directly into the pedal via a USB connection to your computer.
I have never owned a TC Electronic device; though I’ve tested a few of the Nova line pedals, and they sound great, one thing that has turned me off in the past is the size of the pedals I tested. Now with TC Electronic’s new compact pedal line, all that tonal goodness TC Electronic is known for can be had in a more standard form factor!
I don’t have a lot of chorus pedals; in fact, I only have two (BOSS CE-2 and a Homebrew THC), and I love them both. I use the THC for acoustic guitar, and use the CE-2 for electric. But I was just thinking that I’d like to have a more tweakable chorus to accompany my CE-2, as it’s kind of on the bright side, and sometimes I want something much darker, plus the versatility of the Corona would be awesome to accompany the CE-2 on my board. And no, I wouldn’t remove the CE-2 because it has a very distinctive tone that I have not been able to duplicate with any other pedal – ever.
From the techie side of things, the Corona is true bypass, and as TC Electronic puts it, Analog-Dry-Through, which simply means that the dry signal through the pedal stays dry and the effect is blended in. Very nice. That would definitely make it easy to put in front of an amp.
In any case, as usual Andy at ProGuitarShop.com has created a demo video. It’s pretty sweet:
When I get any guitar, one of the very first things I do is to test it out clean. I know, I already did a clip of the guitar dirty, but that was just a spur of the moment thing, and I literally only spent 15 minutes with her when I recorded the first clip. But tonight, I wanted to really take some time to dig in, so to say, and run Lana through her paces.
So I hooked her up to my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe because it just has killer cleans. Came up with a simple chord progression in D, recorded it, then laid down the lead. The “rhythm” part of this clip is with the neck pickup coil-tapped. The lead is with the guitar in the middle position, no coil-tapping. Give it a listen:
One of the first things that struck me was the super-organic, acoustic quality of the rhythm track. The inherent sustain creates lots of resonance, so it acts like the resonance chamber of an acoustic guitar. That’s really amazing. The guitar is probably about an inch and a half thick where the neck meets the body (no joint as this is a neck-through guitar), then tapers out to less than an inch around the body. At first glance, you wouldn’t expect this guitar to have so much sustain and resonance, but Perry’s design somehow creates tons and tons of sustain. Excellent!
When I played the lead, the humbuckers were simply thick and juicy, but without even a hint of boominess, even through my Hot Rod Deluxe, which can get pretty fat in the bottom end. Though I ultimately recorded the lead in a single take, I recorded it after about an hour of looping through the chord progression, just playing lead lines.
To me, that’s the mark of a truly great instrument. I lose all track of time when I’ve got a great instrument in hand. I’ll play for hours on end, and not stop. That’s how good Lana is. She can absolutely sing! I’d put her up against a Les Paul any day; and that’s saying a lot! Can’t wait to hook her up to my Plexi-style amps!
As to the recording, the guitar was recorded completely raw. I didn’t add any compression or EQ or do any mastering. The guitar was plugged straight into my Hot Rod, and I just set the Reverb on 3 to give it just a little grease. But that’s it. What you hear in the recording is just that.
By the way, even before I do the formal review of Lana, she’s going to get 5 Tone Bones. I know, I’m letting the cat out of the bag, but this is such a damn great guitar that I’d be lying if I gave her anything less than a 5!
If you’re looking for a great custom guitar, Perry is the man to talk to. I don’t have his contact info in front of me, so I’m not providing it just now. Perry, if you’re reading this, please let the folks here know how to reach you.
Okay… hmm… what to say… How about OH MY F-IN GAWD!!! I recently wrote about Perry Riggs last week, and true to his word, he sent me out the guitar. It arrived this afternoon via FedEx. Funny aside, my wife called me up as soon as it arrived, and asked me, “Did you buy another guitar?”
I replied, “No honey, I didn’t. Why?”
She said, “Because a Gibson box just arrived from the FedEx guy. You bought another Les Paul didn’t you?!!!”
“Really honey, I didn’t. I promise!” I exclaimed, “It must be the guitar that I’m reviewing.”
“Well,” she said, “As soon as it arrived, I said, ‘He got another guitar!’ but the FedEx guy said, ‘You can never have too many guitars!'”
Gotta love it!!!
Anyway, as soon as I got home, I didn’t wait. I opened up the box, took the guitar out to my studio/garage, plugged her into my trusty Fender Hot Rod, and started playing. Didn’t do an inspection, didn’t make any measurements. “Lana” as she’s called is one of the most beautiful guitars I’ve ever seen in my life! She weighs something like six pounds, and her neck is perfect – really similar to a 60’s Les Paul neck, so I felt right at home, right away!
Well, I just had to share how she sounds, so here’s a clip (sorry for my little “clams,” I did this quickly in one take before I have to leave for tonight’s Sharks game at the Tank):
I played the first part of the clip in the bridge pickup, then in the second part of the clip, I switched to the neck and activated the coil tap to get that spanky, single coil tone. But unlike a single coil, the notes continue to sustain. Man, I love this guitar!
You have to be here to appreciate it fully, but Lana sustains for days! I can’t believe the natural sustain this guitar has! It’s as much as any Les Paul I’ve ever played, and she’s an absolute dream to play! Notes even bloom like a Les Paul, which is amazing.
Gretsch Electromatic G5122 GuitarSummary: Big hollow body Gretsch tone in an affordable guitar. This is one impressive-sounding axe!
Pros: Unlike higher-end Gretsch models, this guitar is pretty basic and straight-forward. But that’s okay because it has tone for days! And for the price, it just can’t be beat.
Cons: None.
Features:
Laminated maple hollowbody 16″ W x 2.2″D
Laminated maple top
Laminated maple neck (24.56″ scale)
Rosewood fingerboard
22 medium jumbo frets
1-11/16″ (43mm) nut width
Vintage style machine heads
2 Gretsch chrome-covered Dual-Coil humbuckers
#1 tone pot control setup
G-Arrow Knobs
Adjusto-Matic bridge on rosewood base
Bigsby® B60 vibrato tailpiece
Gretsch knurled strap knobs
Chrome-plated hardware
Urethane finish
Price: $675-$699 Street
Tone Bone Score: 5.0 ~I’m all about value, but when you get value along with fantastic tone, I’m all over it! This is a SWEET guitar that also feels as good as it sounds!
I’ve never been one for pure hollow body guitars, but the Gretsch Electromatic that I just played during my lunchtime has completely changed my mind about hollow body guitars. I literally was blown away by the sweet sound that the guitar produces, and also by its incredible playability. For me at least, this is one guitar that I’m going to have to take a real serious look at.
Fit and Finish
There’s a reason why this guitar is so affordable: It’s made in Korea. But that shouldn’t stop you from considering a non-USA made guitar. Both PRS and G&L use Korean manufacturers for their affordable lines and for good reason: The quality of the workmanship is excellent. The Electromatic line from Gretsch is no exception. The finish is incredible, with the poly coat evenly applied over the body with no bubbles or gaps. I played the walnut stain model, which is a reddish-brown, and the thin, translucent stain brings out the gorgeous grain of the wood, producing and almost wine-red effect. Very sexy.
The Bigsby trem bar finishes the look to give the Electromatic that classic, vintage Gretsch look. Truth be told, I’ve never been into Bigsby trems, but it just works for this guitar. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
For a Gretsch, the Electromatic Double Cut is quite simple. Not sporting the filter knobs and switches that you normally see in the higher end models, the Electromatic has a pickup selector, a single tone knob (next to the bridge pickup), independent volume knobs for each pickup, then a master volume knob. That’s it. If you’re looking for simplicity, then this is a great guitar to have!
How It Sounds
Most reviews of the guitar’s sound are very good, though there are some who don’t like it. I think it really depends on the amp you play it through. I played it through a Mesa Royal Atlantic at a local shop, and it sounded absolutely gorgeous! In fact, the tone was incredibly acoustic. The G5122DC is generally known for its “twang.” But dialed in correctly, I could see using this guitar in my acoustic sets. Really. The neck pickup was definitely my favorite, with the middle pickup, which allowed me to blend the two, coming in a close second. The bridge pickup’s tone is definitely twangy. Overall, tonally, this guitar is very versatile. I could see using it in a variety circumstances, not just limit it to blues and rockabilly. I love it! I’m going to get it! 🙂
Update May 13, 2011 – Since I’ve been seriously evaluating this guitar (and am picking it up today, as a matter of fact), I played it through a few amps and also directly through a PA board, and my Fishman SoloAmp. It’s going to do the job and then some for my solo gigs!
Playablity
Gretsch’s have always been known for their playability, and the G5122DC is no exception. Didn’t matter where I was on the neck, I could get great tones out of this guitar, and it always felt incredible. The action was perfect on the guitar I played, and frankly, I just don’t have a single complaint about the guitar; not a one. I love the thinner profile of the neck, and the gentle “C” feels like a 60’s Les Paul neck. Not sure what kind of rosewood they used, but it’s very smooth to the touch, and digging in feels amazing!
Overall Impression
Here I was all GASsed out after getting my Les Pauls, but this Electromatic G5122DC is a clean machine. Add a little ‘verb and some slapback delay, and you’ve got a great rockabilly tone. Take out the delay and add just a touch of ‘verb and back off the volume knobs, and you’ve got an incredible acoustic tone. How incredibly versatile!
…or “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” Many have probably heard this saying, though it’s not real Latin. But who cares? It’s a cool saying, and something I always remember when I visit gear forums. The great thing about the Internet is that it has made the world a lot smaller, but the darker side of it is that it has allowed people to exercise a certain anonymity, and some folks use this anonymity as a license to be an asshole. It’s really too bad because the Internet after all was meant as a way for people to collaborate. But that doesn’t mean it’s all bad; and in fact, you can gain lots of useful information on the various forums – I belong to several – that can help you in your buying decisions. But just remember: Don’t let the bastards grind you down.
In light of this discussion, the Internet and web forums are great resources for learning about gear. But here are some rules of thumb to consider when doing a search for some new gear:
Never ask an open-ended question: “What is the best __________?” That’s just going to invite lots of useless discussion, and oftentimes lots of argument. Instead, phrase it like: “I want to achieve __________ kind of sound. In your experience, what would help me get there?” With your question framed like that, you’ll still get a lot of answers, but they’ll be much more focused.
Just because someone “sounds” or gives seemingly intelligent responses, doesn’t mean they’re knowledgeable about a particular subject. On the Internet, you have to remember that until you’ve proven someone’s bonafides, everything they say is an opinion.
Verify, verify, verify. This simply means what I say over and over again: You have to play something to truly know if it “fits.” Going purely off the word of someone – even someone whom you trust – could be an expensive learning experience. Believe me, I’m quite familiar with this. 🙂
Take what you hear or read from manufacturers with a grain of salt, and don’t get pulled in by their bombast. There’s one manufacturer in particular that I won’t call out by name that is notorious for this, claiming things about his product and charging a super-high price, and he uses a $10 part that does most of the heavy lifting. Instead, get opinions from other users and see if they’ve made comparisons between competing products. That’s more valuable than the hyperbole of a manufacturer.
There are probably more I can think of, but these should suffice for now…
As you know, I’ve had a guitar custom built for me by Saint Guitars. It’s a thing of beauty. Well, another custom guitar builder contacted me about doing a review on one of his guitars, and I have to say that that is an absolute thing of beauty! Made by “part time” luthier Perry Riggs out of Houston, TX, I have to say that just based upon the looks of the guitar in the pictures below, that if that’s the result of a part time gig, then this dude is onto something!
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I’ll provide more details once I have the guitar in hand, but here are specs on the guitar above:
Through neck – flamed hard maple with mahogany center
Pau Ferro fretboard – 24 frets, Gotoh mini tuners
25.5 string length, bone nut
Gold tint jumbo frets
1 ¾ neck width
.88 at nut
.94 at 12th fret
Abalone dots, both side and position
Mahogany body with a ½ inch quilted maple top, tinted cobalt blue
PRS style “binding no binding”
Fralin unbuckers – Coil splitting available via the tone cntrl
Gotoh wraparound bridge
Approx. weight: 6.5 lbs
I absolutely DIG that Gotoh wraparound bridge! It makes setting action and intonation so easy, plus string vibrations seem to transfer so much more efficiently to the body with just a single point of contact.
But here’s a cool video of the making of a Les Paul Supreme:
What I found interesting in both the article and the video is how the neck is cut. Where the body is cut using a CNC, the neck is cut by hand. The dude in the video cuts the neck with a band saw, with no guide! And he’s fast!
As for the Les Paul Supreme, that’s a thing of beauty. But it’s wierd how there’s no access plate to the control cavity. I think you access everything through the bridge pickup cavity. This is definitely not a guitar for the do-it-yourself folks. But it sure is pretty…
For my Les Pauls, I just dig the plain tops, and though I’m not averse to flame tops, they’re not my first choice – at least for Les Pauls. My ’59 replica has a very subtle flame that is only apparent when you look at the guitar from the side. But head-on, it looks like a very cool plain top, and that’s what really appealed to me about that guitar. Having said that, I dig flame tops on other guitars. For instance, my Gibson Nighthawk has this really cool flame that combined with the translucent amber finish, give it an incredible 3D effect. If it was a plain top or just opaque lacquer, think it would lose its charm.
…high-end Yamaha acoustic/electric guitars haven’t taken off in the US? It’s not as if Yamaha instruments aren’t known in the States. But what you most commonly find in US shops are the sub-$1000 guitars.
I’m a little embarrassed to say this, but I didn’t know Yamaha had a whole lineup of high-end acoustics until I started doing research for a new acoustic-electric last year, and I happened to go their site to see Yamaha’s handmade line of acoustic and acoustic-electric guitars. These appeared to be on par with any American high-end acoustic with respect to materials and design, and they’ve been building these for years!
When I finally made my decision on a new acoustic-electric and comparing many different brands I ended up buying a Yamaha APX900, which is just about the best stage acoustic I’ve ever played! But a couple of months after I got that wonderful guitar, I saw a press release that Yamaha picked up Steve Lukather and he was playing their LJX26CP model. Curious, I looked through the Yamaha site and saw this beautiful lineup of various handmade guitars.
The LJX26CP is a handmade, medium-jumbo guitar with a natural finish. Here are some specs:
Top
Solid Engelmann Spruce A.R.E.
Back&Side
Solid Rosewood
Neck
5ply (Mahogany + Padauk)
Finger Board/Bridge
Ebony
Body Depth
100 -125mm (3 15/16″-4 15/16″)
Nut Width
44mm (1 3/4″)
String Lengh
650mm (25 9/16″)
Tuning Machine
Open Gear
Color
Natural
Finish
Gloss
Preamp
System62
Standard Accessory
Hard CaseX
The very cool thing about this guitar (and others in the new lineup) is the new SRT pickup system, which is an improvement over the incredible ART system, which is what I have in my APX900. I chose the APX900 over all comers because of this pickup system. It is by far the best pickup system I’ve ever used in any acoustic, hands-down. But SRT goes even further than this by adding microphone modeling and other tone-shaping features to further enhance the natural sound of a guitar while plugged in. I wish I had that in my APX!!! OMG!
What got me thinking about Yamaha guitars was recording this song:
With this, I mic’d my APX900. It sounds pretty good, but I really had to do a lot of EQ and other adjustments to get a richer sound. As you can tell, the tone is pretty bright, which works pretty good, but I really don’t like applying EQ to guitar tracks as I want to capture the natural sound of the guitar, whether it’s an acoustic or electric. Anyway, I was thinking to myself that it would be great to have a guitar that has a killer tone both plugged in and unplugged. That’s when I thought of the LJX26CP.
What I wanted was to have my cake and eat it too. While my APX900 sounds absolutely fantastic on stage, from what I’ve been able to gather on the LJX26CP is that it also sounds killer unplugged!
So circling back to my original query, it’s amazing that these amazing guitars with amazing electronics haven’t caught on more here in the states or why Yamaha hasn’t invested more in marketing their top line in the States. Maybe they think the market’s too saturated. Who knows? It’s not as if the guitars are completely inaccessible. You can special order them, and if you’re in Europe or Asia, you can get them online. But as someone once told me, “There’s room in this world for people who are good.” That totally applies to gear. And if Yamaha brought these guitars to shops, I have no doubt that they’d do well here. It just takes getting the word out and coming up with messaging that differentiates it from the competition.
Without a doubt, the big differentiator for Yamaha’s guitars is the SRT system. As if ART wasn’t impressive enough in previous models, SRT looks like it will blow ART away! I definitely want an LJX26CP! Luckily for me, the local shop where I get a lot of my gear is a Yamaha dealer, and they can order one for me. I sure wish I could play it before I order it; hopefully, they’ll have a return policy, or allow me to not buy it if I don’t like it. Chances are that I will indeed like it.
In any case, from personal experience with Yamaha guitars over the years – my first acoustic was a cheapo Yamaha FG335 that my dad gave me for my 18th birthday. Those inexpensive, it had a fantastic voice that was comparable to high end acoustics. I performed and recorded with it for years! To me, Yamaha totally gets it with acoustic guitars, and even its budget models sound and play great, plus they’re very well-built.
Guitar Gear 