Musicgearsource.com

Behringer celebrates 20 years

2009-02-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

2009 marks the 20th Anniversary for BEHRINGER. To mark the occasion, Chairman and CMO Uli Behringer and CEO Michael Deeb hosted a lavish birthday party Wednesday evening at the Anaheim Hilton Hotel.

With the theme of "20 @ 20", twenty new products were unveiled including new compact, live and recording mixers, studio monitors, computer audio interfaces, power amplifiers, loudspeaker systems, commercial speakers and a new DJ mixer.

In addition, two new tube guitar amplifier heads and two revolutionary bass amp heads were debuted under the BUGERA brand.

To rock the anniversary party into overdrive, BEHRINGER invited the All Star Band from their new partners at Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp. Mark Hudson, producer of Aerosmith, Earl Slick from David Bowie and John Lennon, Bruce Kulick from Kiss, Kip Winger from Winger and Chris Slade from AC/DC laid down a solid night of classic rock. Uli Behringer sat in for a few songs on keys and was immediately drafted into the band for the rest of the evening.

The NAMM Show itself was an unqualified success; 50% more booth space and three performance venues. "We hit the show like a ton of bricks", stated Corporate Communications Manager, Scott Garside. "For the first time, BEHRINGER had a performance-oriented presentation, with stages operating pretty much at all times. We featured our endorsers for all BEHRINGER and BUGERA products and were extremely proud of the roster of artists with which we have the pleasure of working. These are all world-class musicians. We are grateful to them all for the generosity of their time and talent."

But there was more. Frequent appearances by members of Gwar and Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp celeb counselors, plus surprise guests, kept the booth crowded for autographs and photos. "I was also blown away by the pro guys who stopped by to tell us how much they use and appreciate our products", added Garside. "We have some amazing friends!"

Next Up
The next event in BEHRINGER's 20th Anniversary celebration is a visit by trade press and key dealers to BEHRINGER City in Zhongshan, China in February, 2009 to celebrate the 7th anniversary of the massive factory-city. Following that, Uli Behringer will be making a tour of North America to visit with dealers, salespeople and customers; very much looking forward to meeting them all.

For more information, visit their web site at www.behringer.com.

Manuel Rodriguez passes on

2009-01-30T19:13:00.000-08:00

Manuel Rodríguez, Jr., President Jimmy Carter and Manuel Rodríguez, Sr., at a recent meeting to strengthen a reciprocal charitable relationship among Guitar Center, the Carter Center and Manuel Rodríguez & Sons S.L. Señor Rodríguez passed away on December 25, 2008.

MANUEL RODRIGUEZ, SR.
-- Legendary Spanish guitar maker passed away on December 25, 2008 --

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, January 30, 2009 -- Guitar Center mourns the loss of legendary classical guitar manufacturer Manuel Rodríguez, Sr., who passed away on Christmas Day, 2008, in Madrid. At the time of his passing, Rodríguez's family was nearby, and his son, Manuel Jr., recounts being able to personally sense his soul cross over. Señor Rodríguez is renowned as one of the finest guitar makers of the Madrid school, and his beloved company, Manuel Rodríguez & Sons S.L. - a key GC partner - will continue carrying on his legacy in bringing to market the very finest classical guitars, preserving the design and quality of the master himself.

Sr. Rodríguez was born in Madrid in 1926. As a young man, he learned the craft of constructing flamenco and classical guitars from such key names as Santos Hernandez, Modesto Borreguero, Marcelo Barbero, Jose Ramirez and Sr. Rodríguez's own father. Under these figures' tutelage, Sr. Rodríguez grew a deep appreciation for flamenco music and instruments that are strong and balanced in sound while being visually beautiful. As he started building his own guitars, he made a point of continuously striving to innovate and improve the instrument. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1959, where he constructed instruments for the lively local music scene and did research with engineers from UCLA to radically improve guitars' design, including enhancements to bracings, frets, the bridge and more. He also established a family, as his wife Emilia gave birth to their sons, Manuel Jr. and Norman.

Sr. Rodríguez relocated to Spain in the mid-1970s and developed a dual approach, constructing fully-handmade concert guitars while also utilizing a specialized workforce, machines and meticulous quality control to manufacture student guitars with unprecedented standards. His sons eventually learned their craft from their father, and to this day Rodríguez & Sons is in large part a family enterprise, fully run by Manuel Jr., Norman and Emilia. Manuel Sr. was still working in the shop until a few weeks before his death.

Although Rodríguez called himself "simply a luthier and guitar maker, neither a good nor a bad one," that would be a severe understatement. His guitars have been praised by many top guitarists and composers, and his book The Art and Craft of Making Classical Guitars is available in three languages and is regarded as a definitive work on the subject. Today, Rodríguez guitars are the gift bestowed by the Federation of Entrepreneurs and the Chamber of Commerce on presidents and chiefs of state visiting Spain.

In recent years, Sr. Rodríguez was engaged in many charitable activities, notably partnering with the Guitar Center Music Foundation and the Carter Center in 2008 to donate one guitar per year for auction by the Carter Center. The company also hosted former President Jimmy Carter and GC's Eric Spitzer in Madrid for a tour of the Rodríguez & Sons workshop.

"Manuel was a giant in his field, influencing scores of guitar makers and luthiers that came after him," stated David Angress of Guitar Center. "He had a remarkable passion for guitars, and an intense drive to innovate and fine-tune the craft, while also being very modest. He was a truly kind, generous and humble man, and he will continue to inspire the whole M.I. industry long after he's gone. I feel blessed to have known him personally and call him my friend and a friend of Guitar Center's. The entire GC family sends its condolences to the Rodríguez family as we mourn Manuel's passing."

An Eddie Van Halen story

2009-01-30T12:18:00.001-08:00

Here’s an interesting story about meeting Eddie Van Halen, sent by VHND reader, Edward B. Fohrman, M.D. We hope you enjoy it.

It’s been almost ten years since my encounter with Eddie, but I remember it like it was yesterday…

I was “moonlighting” in an 8 bed ER in “the valley” while still a resident at UCLA. It started out a quiet, but steady night. The nurse handed me the chart for the next patient I needed to see. I looked at the name and saw that it read “Edward Van Halen”!!! I looked back at the nurse and she nodded and smiled…”Yeah, it’s him.”

Living in Los Angeles, I wasn’t much for being star struck, but Eddie was someone who I really had trouble hiding my excitement about. I was a keyboard player in high school in the late 80’s. Keyboards weren’t exactly the coolest instrument around, but when 1984 came out that all changed for me. I played by ear and learned every part. Eddie’s new exploration into synthesizers made me far more excited to be the keyboardist in my band…the solo in “Jump” and “I’ll Wait” were my favorites…

So, I walked into the room and met my patient while maintaining all sense of professionalism I could muster, trying not to give away the fact that I was treating one of my childhood heroes. Due to the strict rules (HIPAA), I can’t say what he was treated for, other than the fact that he needed to be treated for a minor injury.

I remember ordering a million dollar work-up including a CT scan just to be sure everything was okay…I was sure my medical career would be quite short if I ended up discharging Edward Van Halen only to read some crazy headline about how I missed a diagnosis and he ended up dead or something!!! Eddie was walking with a cane after having hip surgery. I asked him what happened…his answer was classic - “Thirty years of Rock ‘n’ Roll, man.”

While awaiting the official report from the radiologist, Eddie asked if I had a smoke. I laughed and said, “You know those things will kill you.” At this point I couldn’t hold back any longer. I mentioned that I was a huge fan and that back in high school my band played a ton of Van Halen tunes. I said that I had just bought a Fender strat and mentioned that I was from Chicago originally and was on a blues guitar kick playing a lot of Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

He said that he had tweaked a guitar that was being mass produced by Peavey - the first model of the “Wolfgang,” and he said that if I gave him my contact info he would make sure to get me one.

I’m thinking to myself…yeah right - another L.A. moment - “I’ll have my people call your people”…and I’ll likely never hear from him again. One can only hope, so I gave him my info and discharged him with follow-up instructions.

After I was done with Eddie, I was suturing up a patient’s hand laceration. Eddie, on his way out of the ER, entered the room, all smiles, and reiterated his thanks and stated he’d call me when he had the guitar, and then he was gone. My new patient’s jaw dropped and he sat there frozen. I just smiled and said,”Yeah, it’s him”.

My shift ended and I met my girlfriend for breakfast. She was a celebrity make-up artist at the time and had done a lot of MTV and VH-1 shows, including “Behind The Music” and Lenny Kravitz’s “Fly away” video. Ironically, she was on her way to meet Lenny and brought me with. When I mentioned my story of meeting Eddie Van Halen, Lenny was very positive about things…he said that if Eddie said that he was going to get me a guitar, then he probably would. But I was still skeptical.

Needless to say, about a week later I got a call on my cell phone. The voice on the phone asked, “Eddie?”

“Yes?,” I said.

“Hey, it’s the other Eddie, and I got that guitar I told you about.”

WHOA!!!

We made plans for him to swing by my house, which at the time was a little apartment I was renting on 3rd and Robertson. I hung up with him and started calling everyone I could. No one would believe this if I didn’t have a witness!!! Luckily my girlfriend (now my wife) came over and as she was walking in, she smiled and said, “He’s here… just drove up in his custom Porsche blasting some music.” She said it was Tori Amos’s “Jaurez,” off her To Venus and Back album.”

He soon arrived, walking in with his cane in one hand and a guitar case in the other. As he opened the case I laid my eyes on a gorgeous sunburst Wolfgang with pull pin for dropped D tuning and the works. The neck was amazing. It played so easily, like nothing I’d ever really felt. I sat there as Eddie basically gave a guitar clinic for me and my girlfriend. I kept peeking at her in the corner of my eye as if to say, “This is surreal! I can’t fucking believe this is happening right now!!!”

I hopped on the keyboards and we jammed together, trading off between Eddie on guitar and me on keys, then switching to Eddie on keys and me on guitar, but most of the first hour was spent watching Eddie do his thing. He took a few requests too. It was simply incredible.

I had friends who returned my call while Eddie was there, asking if I could just put the phone down and leave it so they could listen in.

He ended up hanging out for almost two hours. I only took ONE picture of him the entire time…I was too embarrassed to ask him to autograph the guitar or even get in the picture with him. But then I thought…I’m never going to sell this guitar to anyone, so who cares? The experience itself and my memory of those two hours is worth more than any autographed guitar, anyway. Plus, I still play the guitar frequently…I figured Eddie would have preferred that instead of me putting it in some vacuum-sealed case for display.

At the end of the evening, I invited him to dinner, as I was meeting some friends out, which he declined. He never asked me for anything. He just made good on his promise. We actually hugged it out before he took off…I was pinching myself and giddy as hell. I thanked him for the gift…it’s priceless.

Edward B. Fohrman M.D.
Department of Anesthesiology
Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago

P.S. I’m so glad to share my story with the Van Halen News Desk’s readers. Ed is such an amazing talent, who was a man of his word and expressed tremendous gratitude and generosity. And, he was really just a cool dude! I feel so fortunate to have met him and for the time he spent jamming with me.

By the way, I’m currently working at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, but in my spare time I play in a local band…we’re playing this weekend and for the first time I am NOT playing the keyboards…I’m the guitar player!!! Rock ON!!!

as printed on the VH news desk

Build your own Looper by Keith Vonderhulls

2009-01-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

Understanding the 3PDT Switch and Building a True Bypass Double Looper

Most people who own a true bypass boutique pedal are familiar with what the little blue 3PDT switch looks like, but very few are actually aware of what is going on when they step on it aside from the fact that it turns the pedal on or off. Let’s take a look at how the switch does what it does and then go a step further and actually build a simple true bypass looper with 2 loops.

3PDT stands for “triple pole double throw”. The 3PDT switch that is a standard in most pedals is also what is called an “ON-ON” switch. This means that the poles are always connected to one of their throws. In this case there are 3 poles and each pole has 2 throws that it can switch between. The number of throws each pole has will tell you how many positions a switch has. So the 3PDT will only have 2 positions. In the diagram below, the red arrows indicate where a connection is made. You can see there is no “OFF”.

Here we have an example of the 3PDT wired for true bypass with an LED status light. The pole on the left is connected to the signal from your guitar, the pole in the center is connected to the signal going to your amp, and the pole on the right is connected to the -9v power supply (more commonly referred to as “ground”). In the “engaged” position, signal travels from your guitar to the pole on the left. The pole on the left is now connected to the top left throw. The signal now travels to the circuit…let’s say a fuzz circuit. The fuzz does it’s thing and now it’s sending the newly distorted signal to the top center throw. The top center throw is now connected to the center throw, which is connected to your amp. The right pole is now connected to the top right throw which send negative current to the LED. Since the LED’s positive terminal is already connected to +9v, the circuit is now complete and it lights up.

Here we have an example of the 3PDT wired for true bypass in the “bypass” position. The poles are still connected to the same things as before, but now the throws have changed so the guitar signal does not go to the fuzz circuit anymore and there is no longer any negative current going to the LED. Since there is a jumper from the bottom left throw to the bottom center throw, the signal from your guitar is passed directly to your amp with out any alterations made to your original tone. Since the bottom right throw is connected to nothing, nothing is what happens in the bypass position and the LED status light turns off.

Ok. So now that we understand how the 3PDT footswitch works. Let’s build a true bypass double looper. Here’s the layout. You’ll need:

1 enclosure (125b or larger)
5 ¼” mono jacks
1 ¼” stereo jack
3 LED’s with bezels
1 battery snap
3 4.7k resistors
2 3PDT footswitches

First connect all the Ground connections. These are the black wires in the diagram below. Connect the black battery wire to the “ring” of the in jack. This will create a master power on/off switch when you plug in your instrument cable. Connect 4.7k resistors to the anodes (positive ends) of each of the LEDs. You can use a pair of needle nose pliers to bend the leads into circles to give you something to solder to. Then bend the other end of the 4.7k resistors into circles and connect them to the red battery wire.

Now connect the negative ends of the LEDs to the lugs of the footswitch as shown in the diagram below. Now you can see how the LED circuits will be completed to or broken from ground when you step on the switches.

Now we begin the tricky part - routing the instrument signal. The green wire shows the direct “bypassed” route that goes straight from the tip of the in jack to the tip of the out jack. When the on/bypass switch is turned on, the signal is sent down the brown wire to the A/B switch where it will be routed to one of the “send” jacks. When the signal comes back from one of the “return” jacks it will be routed to the purple wire which goes back to the green wire that runs to the out jack.

Now when we wire the send/return jacks to the A/B switch, we can see that when the switch is in the “A” position, the signal will loop through the brown wires and when the switch is in the “B” position, the signal will loop through the purple wires.

There ya go. Take your time. If you need to trouble shoot, use the “continuity” setting on your meter and trace out the signal paths. Thanks for reading.

Keith Vonderhulls
keith@buildyourownclone.com
www.buildyourownclone.com

musicgearsource.comBuild your own with Keith Vonderhulls

Guest Column : Adam Reiver from Floyd Rose

2009-01-27T20:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first installment of Trem Talk! Having been a dedicated Floyd Rose Tremolo user for the past twenty-five years, owner of D-Tuner Inc. (EVH D-tuna) and now work full time with the Floyd Rose Marketing team I have had my share of experience working with all types players from iconic guitar legends to young kids that have never changed a string on a locking tremolo and everything in between. It never ceases to amaze me how something so simple can get so complex and frustrating just from lack of basic knowledge.

Floyd Rose has grown over the years and has many products available from tremolos: Original, Pro, Seven String, Speedloader (even a Speedloader fixed bridge – yes, fixed bridge as in non-tremolo!), every individual bridge part imaginable, to a complete line of guitars. Over the next few articles for musicgearsource.com I will touch on all of these areas in detail with some tips and tricks that will take the mystery out of your Floyd Rose Bridge.

I figured that I would do my first article on two topics that I am asked about the most: A basic string change and how to “float” your bridge properly.

Note: I have used several different guitars in the photos – this is for demo purposes only – but you already knew that!

Basic String Change

Step 1:
Unlock the three clamps at the nut with the 3mm Allen wrench provided with the guitar or bridge. Note: You can remove them or just leave them loose.

Step 2:
Set the fine-tuners on the bridge to the middle of there tuning range. Note: A good way to find the middle of the range is to turn the low E string fine tuner all the way in, turn the D string fine tuner all the way out, use the A string fine tuner to find the center between the E and D fine tuners – Now, adjust all fine tuners to the same height at the A string fine tuner.

Step 3:
Change one string at a time (starting at either E string) by first loosening the string and unclamping it at the saddle with the 3mm Allen wrench.

Step 4:
Cut the ball end off the replacement string with a pair of wire cutters.

Note: I sometimes run the strings from the headstock leaving the ball-ends in the tuning pegs then trim the string above the fine tuners – this is just a matter of taste.

Step 5:
Place the freshly cut string end into the center of the saddle and tighten the clamping screw until it is difficult to turn.

Step 6:
Thread the other end of the string under its nut clamp and under the string hold down bar, then to the tuning key and tune the string. [Pull on the string until it is tight around the tuning key and retune.]

Step 7:
Repeat 2 through 5 until all strings are replaced.

Step 8:
Check your tuning on all strings once again.

Step 9:
Re-clamp the three nut clamps.

Step 10:
Check your tuning once again making any adjustments this time with your fine-tuners only.

Floating Your Bridge:

Or should I say re-floating your bridge? This seems to be one of the biggest problem areas for a lot of the consumer (and pro) customer service calls that I receive. “Hey man, I can’t get my bridge in tune and it is tilted forward – I have been working on it for hours! This thing sucks!” I would be frustrated too if I was trying to tune my guitar for hours. Once I show people how easy this is they can’t believe it, I hear this a lot – “I have been setting up Floyd’s for twenty-five years, I wish that I knew this back then!”

OK – Here we go.

Step 1:

Block your bridge.

There are several ways to do this: The best way is to use the Floyd Rose tremolo stopper (available direct from Floyd Rose).

Roll the Allen screw on the stopper down until it touches the block of the tremolo.

BE SURE THAT THE BASE PLATE OF THE BRIDGE IS LEVEL TO THE BODY.

If you do not have a tremolo stopper, I like to use a couple of guitar picks or any flat stable material wedged into the cavity.

Step 2:

Increase the spring tension.

You can either add an additional spring or just tighten the 2 spring tension claw screws. This will insure that you have a nice tight solid block and give you a stable tuning environment to work in.

Step 3:

Set the fine tuners to 50%.

Tip – to find 50% easily, turn the low E string fine tuner all the way in, turn the D string fine tuner all the way out, use the A string fine tuner to find the center between the E and D fine tuners – Now, adjust all fine tuners to the same height at the A string fine tuner.

Step 4:

Tune your guitar and lock the nut (make sure that you are locked and in tune – if you have a Speedloader, use the range tuners in the saddles to do the tuning at this point).

Step 5:

Remove the extra spring and unblock the bridge so that it can go up and down – your guitar will go out of tune – don’t panic…. Just go to the next step.

Step 6:

Ok Skippy, this is the part where you are going to say “oh snap!”

Reset the spring tension.

TUNE THE A STRING ONLY BY ADJUSTING THE 2 SPRING TENSION CLAW SCREWS. Once the A string is in tune all of the strings will be in tune and your bridge will be floating.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me at: adam@floydrose.com

To order any Floyd Rose Tremolos or Parts direct from Floyd Rose call: 732-918-7001.

For more information go to: www.floydrose.com

Photos by Lauren Reiver (Yes- My 12 year old daughter!)

Thanks for reading!

Adam Reiver

Trem Talk with Adam Reiver

Namm 2009 in review

2009-01-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

Paul Reed Smith glistening. Nice.

St. Blues NAMM 2009

Eastwood guitars NAMM 2009

See more amazing Winter NAMM 2009 coverage by Harmony Central here

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2211215

Feature Interview : Reverend's Joe Naylor Pt.2

2009-01-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

MGS - Hi Joe! Good to talk again!

JN- Hey Tony. Nice to hear from the 'source again!

MGS - How are things at Reverend these days? Looks like you have a whole new line of guitars out.

JN - Things are going great. We introduced the Set-Neck series in January, and added several new models to the Bolt-On series. Now we have a a total of 22 models, 11 in each series. Something for everybody.
MGS - Did you go to NAMM this year? How did that go?

JN - Yes, we had the best NAMM show and best month (January) in company history. NAMM '07 coincided with the release of the Set-Necks, and our 10th anniversary, so we hit big. We tripled production quantities for 2007, but we are now backordered again. We'll increase quantities again shortly. I don't like to be too far backordered, but it is a positive reflection on the product... demand is high for a reason.

MGS - Tell us about the new guitars out. Alot of them look familiar. What made you decide to go that route?

JN - Well, the influences for the Set-Necks are obvious. We wanted to offer something that has some familiarity. But these are not copies. If you take a close look at the specs. and descriptions, you'll see that every model addresses issues, and is a well thought out, unique design in it's own right. You'll also notice that every model has the Bass Contour control, which takes the versatility to a new level.

MGS - What was the biggest challenge with bringing these new guitars to life?

JN - The long design process. I worked on the drawings for over a year. When you finish a design, you have to back away from it for a while. Even if you think it's great, you need to show it to people you trust, get some opinions, let it stew for a while. If you look at it six weeks later, and you still think it's great, and everyone in the office still thinks it's great, then you probably have a keeper. But more often than not, it goes through several revisions before it reaches that final level of approval.

MGS - Tell us about the pickups in these guitars. I see some interesting combinations in the Buckshot and Gil Parris Signature model.

JN - We're still using the same pickup designs we used in the discontinued USA series. The same humbuckers and P-90's have been in service for about 8 years, and have stood the test of time. The Revtron is our take on the late 1950's Filtertron, and we've been using it for about 3 years now. It's interesting, because we use the same pickups in the different models, but people play them and swear they're different pickups. What they're really hearing is the difference in body design and overall construction.
The Buckshot features a tele-style bridge pickup and the aformentioned Revtron in the neck The bridge pickup is the same one we used in the old USA Hitman and Avenger TL models. It's an overwound single-coil, and has the classic upper-mid twang, but with more drive and a thicker tone. The Buckshot is for the tele player who wants more beef. But the cool thing is you can still thin out the tone with the Bass Contour control, if you want a more traditional sound.

The Gil Parris features two humbuckers and a Lace Sensor Burgundy in the middle position. The Lace is a high output, hum-cancelling single-coil, and it matches up really well with the humbuckers. With the 5-way pickup selector and Bass Contour, you can easily move between rock, jazz, and country tones. Gil covers all that in one song!.. he's very happy with the end result. It's now one of our top sellers.

MGS- What made you decide to discontinue the amp line?

JN - We were getting screwed by our main supplier in China. They raised prices but did not raise the quality control procedures. So we ended up doing a lot more work here than we planned on doing. The amps were fine after we were done with them, but we weren't making money. We dropped the amp program, and decided to focus on guitars only.
MGS - I just saw them in a major retailers online shop. This is pretty big for you guys, its got to be exciting.

JN - We are now aggressively pursuing dealers. The dealer list has doubled in the last two months. I hired a full time sales director, Ken Haas. He's main job is signing on dealers. Give him a call if you are an interested dealer, or if you know a shop that would be a good match for Reverend!

Road report with Greg Howard

2009-01-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

Last time we spoke to Greg he was finishing up with Aerosmith. Now Greg is reporting in from NYC where he is getting ready to do SNL with Green Day.

MGS - Greg, thanks for taking the time to chat with us again. We sure
appreciate your time and attention to detail. The last interview went
over great!

GH - Not a problem. Roadies have too much time on there hands anyway...

MGS - Whats been up since you completed the Aerosmith tour?

GH - I took six months off to work on my house and other projects
that are always lacking when I'm gone for 2 yrs straight. Oh and to
hang at home with my wife and dogs...

MGS - You are in Japan right now?

GH - I was when you emailed me the questions. Now that I'm finally
answering them, I'm in NYC doing Saturday Night Live.

MGS - Whats your favorite thing to do in Japan?

GH - Shop, shop, shop. Lots of great toys, gadgets and tools here. Oh
and noodles...

MGS - Is Green day playing any of the same venues that Aerosmith did
last year?

GH - Not too many. Green day doesn't do sheds (ampitheaters), since
there's no pit... But, I'm sure we'll hit some of the same arenas...

MGS - How did you get the Green Day gig? They are pretty hot right now
arent they?

GH - I got word of it from my Travel Agent. Made a few calls, found
out the production manager was a friends with alot of people who knew
me, so I got alot of recommendations. And yes, they're really hot, my
first gig was live tv at the Australian Mtv Awards.

MGS - You seem to enjoy this part. Can you give us a rundown of the
gear that you are setting up every night? You know we love all the
details.

GH - Basically Jason plays a couple of 335's outfitted with piezo
bridges, these are fed via a stereo (TRS) cable to a box that switches
between the acoustic (piezo) and electric (humbucker) pickups. the
acoustic sound goes to a Di the electric through a Line 6 DL4 delay to
a Crybaby to a EB volume pedal then out to a couple of Bob Bradshaw
modded Marshalls into two Marshall 4x12's. Not too complicated. Just a
great rock sound. I do all the switching of the pickups and the delays,
Jason does the wah and volume.

MGS - You run the Line 6 DL-4s by hand?

GH - Yeah, all the switching. And yes I just push the buttons on the DL4.

MGS - Any smashed guitars or basses yet?

GH - No. It's punk rock, so you never know.

MGS - Do you have to work harder with the Green Day guys? Seems like
they are a little out of control and beat the living snot out of their
gear.

GH - Well, it's a faster paced show. And it can be a little crazy. But
I take the same precautions as any gig to make the rig bulletproof.

MGS - What trem are they using for BOBD?

GH - Sorry, that one's a trade secret. ;)

MGS - Im guessing it was a Pro Tools chop in the studio and a track live.

GH -Yeah, it is syncopated with the drums, hence the track.

Quick Pick Review : Creation Audio Labs MK 4.23

2009-01-27T19:31:00.001-08:00

Review
A pedal looking like it came out of a monster car garage somewhere this chrome daddy will impress even the biggest gear critics out there.

With its chrome mirror finish , true bypass switching and pure clean boost this might be the perfect lead pedal for alot of serious tone junkies out there.
This pedal is CLEAN. Alot of clean boosts out there claim to not monkey with your tone but the MK 4.23 delivers on that promise. Why spend thousands of dollars on the right amp and guitar setup and boost your leads with a boost that mangles your sound you spent so long on? There are a ton of boosts on the market and sometimes a colored boost is a good thing if you are wanting to modify your base tone.

If you are happy with your tone and want the cleanest studio quality for boosting leads or need a pure boost to beef up a long line of pedals the 4.23 is the best solution I have come across so far. And lets face it this is the coolest looking pedal I have seen in awhile. The added bonus of being able to check my hair when I am going for a lead is worth the price of admission alone.

All kidding aside this is the cleanest studio quality boosting device I have come across in my 20 years of playing guitar. No annoying midrange hump , no flabby bass boost, no bass loss. What you get is your tone good or bad bigger and louder. This is defiantly for the players who have invested alot of time and resources into their rigs and need a lead kick that leaves the tone alone.

I spoke with Sarge who runs Creation Audio and he told me that the one and only Ty Tabor from Kings X was stopping by to have the Redeemer circuit installed into his guitars. This is very exciting for Creation Audio as well as the thousands of Kings X fans out there. Look to hear Creation Audio on the new Kings X album set for early 08 release.

Simply put, this is the cleanest, quietest and most sonically transparent boost pedal out there.
You won't believe what you hear... and what you DON'T hear!

The MK.4.23 gives you from zero to +24dB of crystal clear boost to dial in to your liking. Noiseless boost with no signal
distortion, zero tone coloration and quiet switching when you engage the circuit. YOUR TONE, only more of it without
adding the noise typically associated with an increase in gain.

We also think you'll like what you see. The sleek, 16 gauge stainless steel body and white LED's quite literally reflect
premium materials and craftsmanship that will attract as much attention as your tone does. The small footprint and
pedal board friendly design of the MK.4.23 means that you can add mega punch to your effects arsenal with minimum
impact on your pedal board or gig bag space.

Use the MK.4.23 as a straight forward boost pushing your amp, as a gain tool in front of your pedals, as a
volume boost after your pedals or even in your effects loop on your amplifier for killer power amp boost!

The MK.4.23 can also be used directly to mixers/recorders with high fidelity results. World renown producer/engineer
Michael Wagener uses this unit at his WireWorld Studios (www.michaelwagener.com). The Creation Audio Labs MK.4.23
and the REDEEMER circuit were both used extensively on the new Skid Row album released October, 2006.
Get more album details at www.skidrow.com.

The MK.4.23 BOOST from Creation Audio Labs:
For guitar and bass
Zero to +24 dB boost
No signal distortion
No tone coloration
No phase reversal
Quiet switching
Hand wired and built in the U.S.A.

We recommend an external power supply (>80mA tip negative) such as the Visual Sound 1-Spot.
An internal battery is optional.

Dimensions: 3.25" wide x 4.75" long x 2.5" tall (at top of the knob)

Quick Pick Review : Eastwood Savannah

2009-01-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

Savannah 2006
Reminiscent of the Gretsch 6120 but with enough features to give the guitar its own distinctive look.
For 2006 we have two model, trapeze tail (STD) and the BURNS Mark 9 (DLX) tremolo model. We have also added a Gold pickguard and truss rod cover and binding on the headstock featuring the new Eastwood logo. " The 2006 Savannah is the closest you will get the the classic Gretsch sound and feel for the money hands down. With its semi hollow singing tone and classic looks the Savannah will turns heads for sure. Equally at home with jazz , blues or even Chuck Berry riffs this Eastwood guitar is a true value for the money. The Burns trem system gives you the swamp/ surf effect in spades but dont try the Van Halen dive bombs kids, this one is for ambient vibrato! Able bodied sweet tone and classic looks at an unbeatable value is what the Savannah is about. " Check one out soon!

Quick Pick Gear Review : Fernandes Revolver

2009-01-27T19:21:00.000-08:00

The Fernandes Revolver is a dream machine. We've taken a classic design and updated it with a sleek contoured body and state of the art components to make it one of the most exciting guitars.
Featuring a double cutaway Alder body, bolt-on Maple neck with extended access to the high registers of the 24-fret Rosewood fingerboard and licensed Floyd Rose locking tremolo system, the Revolver brings the power to the lead guitar player. Comes equipped with Fernandes dual high-output humbuckers ( Fernandes Sustainer in the Pro model), Gotoh-style die-cast tuners and ultra-comfortable body shape. Available in Metallic Black, Metallic Red & Metallic Blue .

Review

The Revolver Pro we tested took us back to our youth with the Floyd Rose tremelo system and its powerful sound. This trem system stayed in tune even under heavy whammy abuse. Its just alot of fun to play. The Sustainer system not only gives you endless sustain but also has a second mode that gives you the sustain and simulates feedback. The only problem with this system is getting used to it and then going back to a non Sustainer equipped guitar. Its no fun at all ! The Revolver Pro features classic strat type styling with modern day features that qualify it for the largest stages around and is a total blast to gig with. Check one out at your local dealer today."

Guest Column : Roger Mayer

2009-01-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

Hello to you guitar players and music lovers. I would like to say that I hope in the following articles to help and give you some insight and develop a method that will result in lots of pleasure from playing and experimenting with sounds. As with most things it always pays to start at the beginning again and remind yourself of the basics. It's all too easy to make assumptions about anything and go down a dead end. There is so much mis-information out there to be challenged and put in the correct perspective.

Guitar Effect Systems and Recording Basics you may have forgotten.

Most guitar players when asked what their favourite guitar player solo is will refer to a specific cut or track from a vinyl album or CD. Very few will refer to a live performance as the experience of relating their joy of hearing their guitar hero live can only be shared by someone who was also there. This may seem obvious but it is highly relevant as almost all reference material available to guitarists is heard through their own sound system at various volume levels in a wide range of surroundings. It is therefore unreasonable to assume that the sound they struggle to emulate can be easily obtained e.g. in their bedroom with a couple of pedals and an amp without any basic understanding of the signal path and knowledge of sound recording techniques. Listen to a CD player plugged into your Hi Fi sound system and then into a guitar amp and you will find a huge difference in sound quality. That is the first basic step in understanding that your favourite tone was produced by a guitar amp then recorded and gone through a complicated mastering process and the final end product be it vinyl or CD produced by a plastic injection moulding machine. This is then played on an electronic system designed to reproduce all sorts of music. So where do you start and how is it possible to succeed you may ask. As with almost all problems you start at the beginning with a keen understanding of basics and a firm objective to finally achieve. There are no simple answers or any rules that can't be broken but success can only be achieved by following a logical plan that has been designed to aid further understanding. Jimi and I broke a lot of new ground and created revolutionary sounds when we recorded but I can assure you that we both certainly knew our objectives and were committed to follow a path that would lead to ultimate success and the results achieved were not down to luck and I hope that the following hints will help you to achieve your sound.

Guitar Basics: Always judge the acoustic properties of any guitar without plugging it in. This is done best in a quiet place where it will be easy to hear the natural sustain of the instrument and any nasty fret buzz. Put your ear close to the bridge and then the nut listening closely and checking for any rattles or strange twanging sounds as faulty seating of the strings can cause this. Most production bridges and nuts are cut and optimised for a particular set of strings and these may not be perfect for the set you are using. Make sure that the screws holding down the scratchplate are tight and that the machine head mounting screws or nuts are also tight. The importance of getting the guitar to mechanical perfection should always be the first step as this is the source of tone and problems in this area can sound horrendous at maximum volume. I am assuming of course that the guitar is in tune and that the string intonation has been set correctly.

Pickup and Guitar Control Basics: Magnetic coil type of pickups converts the change of magnetism caused by the string vibrating into an electrical signal. They are made in varying configurations e.g. Single Coil and Humbucking and have varying tone qualities. These types of pickups all suffer a loss of high frequency detail by cable or internal capacitance. The optimal output signal can only be heard by connecting the guitar into a high impedance low capacitance type of input e.g. a typical guitar amp front end. A typical guitar volume control value is 250K or 500K and the tone controls of most guitars actually connects a capacitor across the pickup to produce a bass tone. Once high frequency detail has been lost to capacitance it cannot be restored by subsequent equalisation.

Guitar Lead and Connector Basics: The optimal guitar lead has no capacitance and zero resistance whist providing total screening from all electrical signals and freedom from any form of handling or vibration induced noise. In the real world capacitance, resistance, screening and handling noise are all directly proportional to length so the shorter the better. You can easily hear the difference between a lead 10 feet long and one 30 feet. The connectors should all be spotlessly clean as the magnitude of signal current is very small indeed and any dirt especially nicotine coatings can cause problems and even radio pick up. Use a cotton bud soaked in cleaning fluid to clean jack sockets on your guitar, amp and effects to remove dirt.

Microphonic Noise: After the above procedures connect the guitar straight into your favourite amp with a 10ft lead and start by setting the amp up for a basic clean tone. Check the guitar for any microphonics by tapping the guitar around the pickups with the rubber tip of a pencil to see if any rattles from screws, dry solder joints, mounting springs or the pickup just hitting the scratchplate occurs. Check the volume and tone pots also by tapping lightly on the knobs listening for crackles etc. Pickup selector switches must also be checked and cleaned from time to time as the contacts are not sealed. The actual pickups can sometimes become microphonic themselves and will squeal when used at high gain due to the coil vibrating relative to the magnet. All microphonic noise becomes a problem with maximum gain and feedback scenarios and it is nice to know your feedback is intentional.

Understanding Amplifier Characteristics: Use the guitar straight into the amp as above with a short lead and take some care and time to understand the action and interaction of the controls as there are many combinations. Remember that small diameter control knobs should be turned very carefully in small increments, as it is very easy to miss that sweet spot on your amp. Once you find a sweet spot take note of it. The sweet spot will change, as the overall volume changes so understand the changes that have occurred. You also have the added fact that your ears change their frequency response with volume and time spent listening to high sound pressure levels so it is important to take a few notes of settings used and come back to them. The object of the tests is to form a mental picture of how the controls work and interact with each other without any effects. Guitar amps normally have their first volume control after the 1st Valve/Tube stage and effects often exploit the merits of overdriving the front end so try the amp out with just a guitar.

The above hints may sound obvious but I can assure you that any time spent making sure your guitar is mechanically perfect before you start adding effects will pay you back tenfold as you progress along the way to your ultimate tone. Playing the guitar unplugged will also improve your picking technique as it is much easier to hear any fret buzz from bad fingering techniques and Jimi did this all the time to improve his chops. We will now get down to the more interesting part of connecting up effects in the signal path.

Connecting Effects into the Signal Path: The guitar should connect to the first effect by the shortest lead that gives the freedom of movement on stage. This will ensure optimal tone quality up to the input of the first effect. Now in the case of say just one effect an additional cable connection must be made to the amplifier that may be some distance away. There are various effect bypass techniques and tone sucking problems that may occur and an understanding of these is important.

Hard Wire Bypass: Often hailed as the magical simple answer but it has several drawback which include increasing the total system cable length as now the guitar cable and effect / amplifier cable are effectively as one. This means less detail and the possibility of picking up cable and electrical interference due to the fact that the amplifier cable acts like an antenna with a pickup coil at the end. Also the high output impedance of the guitar is carried through to the next device in line. Not all effects are happy with pickup coils connected directly to their inputs as due to the high impedance and the reactive nature of the coil, problems can occur which include high/low frequency oscillation and various radio pickup problems. Switching clicks and pops are always a problem when coils are passively switched and are impossible to eliminate due to the energy stored in the coil itself.

Tone Sucking: This is best described as a loss of tone quality when in bypass and can be caused by several factors. The input of the effect is now always connected to the guitar even in bypass mode but this will only cause a problem if the input impedance of the effect is not high enough or if capacitance has been added to the signal path.
Tone sucking achieved notoriety with the early Wah designs and the adoption of a high impedance buffer in front of the wah was pioneered by me in 1967 and is used as the solution nowadays in the standard Cry Baby pedals and described as a Hendrix modification. When FET/electronic switching as opposed to a stomp box switch is used great care must be exercised in design to ensure that the signal path and buffering used is of the highest audio quality and careful checks should be made to compare bypass performance. Always remember to check bypass performance with the effect connected to the amp with the shortest lead possible thus isolating cable length losses.

Using High Impedance/Low Output Impedance Buffers. These are standard building blocks in any audio recording system and the fact of life is that any recording you have heard will have had your favourite guitar tone passing through them many times over. They have many uses and advantages in audio and not widely used in the early retro guitar effects due to cost considerations as low noise transistors were both expensive and hard to find. When I worked on recording studio console design for Olympic Studios where Jimi recorded the recording chain contained many such buffers so there should be no doubts as to overall performance. The audio performance of a well designed buffer will not contribute any discernible coloration or add noise to the guitar and transforms the pickup output impedance to a much lower value that will enable long leads to be driven with no audio high frequency loss. The buffer also allows the splitting of the signal for multi- path processing, connecting to a tuner, and direct connection to medium impedance inputs of recording consoles and machines. The use of a buffered output to an amplifier is to be preferred as you effectively create a zero lead length low noise connection that is impervious to electrical interference and in fact a speaker lead can be used with no hum or noise. Switching low impedance audio to various devices becomes easy and click free.

Recording Interface: The simultaneous direct recording of guitar signals is very helpful in obtaining the final tone as it gives fulll control of the many possibilities of adding echo or other effects. The guitar should be connected to a direct box or a buffered spitting device and then to the console. The effects chain then follows with the final buffered output connected to the amp or if two amps are used via splitting device which preferably has an isolated output to eliminate ground loop problems. A multi- path recording chain was used for Jimi's studio recordings to give flexibility of using several different amplifier types as well a direct signal to the console. The final tone you hear on the record uses a blend of direct and microphone signals with additional limiting and or compression plus EQ and multi- path techniques to produce the final sound design required.

The actual subjects of recording methods and performance set-ups deserve a book, as does the complexities of various guitar effects. A basic approach should always be used to eliminate any blind alleys or outrageous manufacturer claims and to confirm progress when trying out and evaluating system changes. Above all don't change more than one thing at a time or your quest will never end. The answers will be different for all scenarios e.g. Live Playing in Small Club/Large Club/Stadium/Bedroom, Recording in Live Situations/Large Studios/Small Studios but all share the same basics of understanding signal path problems and limitations and I hope I have answered some questions and prompted you to take things easy and have fun in making progress.
Author:
Roger Mayer. Jimi Hendrix FX Guru and inventor of audio effects and recording studio equipment.
Started in 1964 with fuzz effects for Jimmy Page and continues to innovate today with new effects for 2005. Designer of many effects that have and are used by leading guitar heroes. A wide range of 20 effects available today produce unique tone colors that cater for all styles of music.
www.roger-mayer.co.uk
Sound design with Roger Mayer

Guest Column : Greg Howard - Aerosmith tech

2009-01-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

As with any first article, I should introduce myself first. My name is Greg Howard and I'm a touring guitartech. I've toured for the last 10 years with the bands such as King's X, Cry of Love, Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes, Linkin Park, Aerosmith, and Green Day. My basic job is to set-up an artist's guitar rig and maintain his touring arsenal of guitars. This entails any repairs/maintenance on all electronics (amps, effects, etc) as well as intoning and setting up the guitars themselves.

I've worked for guys who have massive switching systems and others who just use a guitar, cable, and amplifier. I've tuning anything form a banjo to a twelve string. In other words this job can be anything and everything. Most people ask me how to get into the business, since it seems like such a great job. And it is, you get to travel the world on someone else's dime, hang out with rockstars, and get paid on your days off. But you're also away from your family most of the time, you must follow someone else's schedule, you ride around in a big steel tube (tour bus, airplane, etc), and you spend untold hours waiting around. Waiting to load-in, waiting on lunch/dinner, waiting to set-up, waiting to soundcheck, waiting for the show to start. "Hurry up and wait" is a phrase heard often in this business. Don't get me wrong, it is one of the greatest jobs in the world, but nothing is perfect.

I started out like just about everybody else, I was in a band. After years of setting up my own gear, I found out that you can actually get paid to set-up someone else's gear. And you usually make more money than the person you are setting up for (at least the smaller bands). I started out touring in a van and playing every dive bar/club in the US. Eventually I worked for bands that were opening for the bigger arena acts, and I got to graduate to a bus (although usually not a nice one). I met other crew working for the bigger acts, made friends and contacts, and moved up the ladder. This business is all word-of-mouth and you're only as good as your reputation. If you do a good job, you usually get noticed and get called for the better gigs. I moved up pretty quick and have been lucky to work for some of the best and most talented people in the business.

I'm currently on my 8th month touring with one of the top acts in the world. We've sold out arenas and stadiums all over the world and we've done almost every TV show imaginable. I'm lucky to be surrounded by a great crew and a band who treats us well. I still miss my family and friends, but try to stay in touch through email and the dreaded cell phone.

I hope this gives some insight into my job and I want to get into the details in future columns. If you're interested in getting into this line of work remember what a lighting guy once told me "This is the hardest business to get into, but it's even harder to get out of". See you on the road. GH

Guest Column : Tony Farinella from Evidence audio

2009-01-27T19:14:00.000-08:00

A Creative License for the Bypass Business?

Something bugs me. A difference of opinion. Well, it’s ok when it’s someone else had a different opinion than me, but when I start to question my own opinions it’s a hard feeling to shake. What am I wrestling with? The idea that every instrument cable is good for someone, somewhere. That a “hierarchy of quality” does not apply to any tool used in the creative process.

I wasn’t conflicted until I recently built a new cable and offered it out for feedback. I am well aware of the strengths and additional weakness of the new model compared to my better models… to other cables… let alone compared to perfection which is no cable at all. The thing is however, one person told me he liked it more than my better, “less-compromised” design. How can I be happy about THAT?

You see, I’ve always had this notion that there must be an absolute reference with regard to how a cable performs. That reference is perfection. Perfection is passing a signal without changing it. Perfection can not be achieved, so the goal as a designer is to come as close to possible and be deliberate in one’s errors. Errors are deviation from perfection, resulting from less than ideal materials or design. These deviations result in coloration of the sound. Error a few specific ways and you can color the sound bright or obnoxious. Error another way and you color the sound by collapsing dimension. Error another way and you color the sound by making it dark and rolled of. Hell, error enough ways and you’ve got yourself a cable that’s so bad that it stinks up the room before you plug it in.

What I do is the best I can for a given budget of materials and construction. I sure as heck don’t shoot for something ideal for Jazz. Or Rock. I don’t even design for guitar – I design for analog audio’s entire bandwidth. When I make errors I do so knowing the errors I make are going to be friendly and honest to music. They’ll serve the music in a way that doesn’t fatigue, doesn’t annoy -- doesn’t make one stop making music and go check email, clean the garage, think about the bills while playing on stage, etc. But the fact is, the less money I have to spend on a cable, the more errors I am forced to make -- and the farther I am from away from (unattainable) perfection.

This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I’m surrounded by people making choices on what to build and what to buy who have NOTHING in common with me. The guitar market is filled with everyone making products that have a unique voice. People buy pedals that are designed to have a signal output that is fantastically transformed from the signal input. People pay good money for amplifiers which don’t simply change voltage level from a low level to a high level; but they impart their own sonic signature during the process. Woods are chosen for guitars and pick ups are wound in precise fashion to sound different from one another. And it’s all good! Every artist (builder) gets to throw his paint on the canvas and every critic (player) has a valid review -- positive or negative.

Yet I can’t participate in this dynamic so fundamental to the industry! Or could I? Could I just start building one cable to sound dark and warm for crowd “A”, and another that’s lean and sterile for crowd “B”, and so on? I’d have something for everyone and a bunch of new stuff to sell, right? Then when a guy decides to move from crowd “A” to “B” I get to make another sale to the same guy.

No. Get thee behind me Satan.

Ever hear of true bypass? Buffered bypass? Either way… when people press that bypass button they are counting on something. I need to be counted on the same way as people count on a bypass. You step on the button and you want to be damn sure what’s coming out of that box is the same thing going in to it. I can’t think of any other product in the signal path for a guitarist with the same universally demanded mandate as a bypass switch -- besides cable!”

So, as long as I’m in the “bypass business”, there must be a hierarchy of transparency and neutrality which I strive for. When a person swaps guitars for a song, or steps on a pedal to play lead, I owe it to them to let them hear the choices they have made and reflect those choices in their music.

Trying to bring this full circle to my conundrum… as I introduce new cable products for the same application, I get nervous about feedback where someone likes my “less good” model more than my better model. While I appreciate it, I feel as if I’m staring down into a trap. One where I’m supposed to agree with the musician, and violate my value system. How on earth can I strive for a reference with my designs, and sell something two steps short of it as better than something only one step short of it? Unless perhaps, I can apply the notion of “creative license”. Not so much a creative license that I take with my designs, but one that a musician takes with his gear.

Perhaps therein lies the answer. Perhaps there are two worlds where different rules apply:

1) Creative Process: Anything goes. Whatever tools you use or attach to your guitar that float your boat and let you FORGET about the tools, are the best tools for the job. Use a coat-hanger if it touches your soul.

2) Studio Process: Here the job has far less to do with creating the sounds but capturing and mixing them in a way that preserves them to be shared with others. In this application there is an absolute hierarchy and a careful evaluation methodology must take place in order to choose cables which are as neutral and transparent as possible. The artist had his chance to get creative and manifest whatever sounds were right for the time, and now the job is to make sure those don’t get messed with.

With this justification I suppose I have greater comfort providing different answers on the same issue. If someone is plugging a cable into in his guitar; I should relax and embrace the idea that in some cases “more wrong” might be right. But in the studio between a mixer and tape deck? Hierarchy applies!

Let me know what you think. Me? I still think I’ll stay in the bypass business.

Tony

Author Tony Farinella owns and maintains Evidence Audio
tonyevidenceaudio.com
www.evidenceaudio.com

Guest Column : Mickey from Soultone amps

2009-01-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

Feeling like a teenager, with a hard to please English teacher, I did much fretting over my assignment, “The 18 watt Marshall: Then and Now.” Usually this led to heavy eyes, followed by a sound sleep. And in typical fashion, reminiscent of my imprisonment in the NY public schools back in ‘76, I waited until the 11th hour to get serious. We’re talking about a severe case of writer’s block compounded by every possible distraction.

The 18 watt amp must be the most documented amp in existence today. There are users groups, an online community dedicating to building them, hosts of kits offered, and every possible tweak explored and beaten to death. The latest topic of conversation in those circles is “Should we buy into the 18 watt PCB kit?” Honestly, that’s where it’s gone. They’re practically raining from the skies, washing up from the churned gulf, or getting hauled out with the Friday trash. The perceived rarity led to a flood of clones. Oh well.

So what is it that keeps Mickey wide awake, burning the midnight oil? Octal tubes. Big, fat, powerful, liquid or crunchy, power amplifier tubes, of the types 6L6, KT66, EL34, 5881, 6550, and the diminutive and understated 6V6. But hey, you might say, “Talk about overdone, Mick – you’re going from over-documented to l’typicato!”

Perhaps… but what has me excited is what is fundamentally the same about all these tubes, and what has been hitherto under-documented. The fine art of tube mismatching, both from a push-pull pairing all the way to output transformer primary mismatching. Sound dangerous? You’d love to just plug those sweet little 6V6 tubes in your Twin, but are scared to death? Feeling wide awake now?

Surfing the internet tides, we find scads of information, much of it from the tube manufacturer literature of the day (the proverbial horse’s mouth), discussing power bandwidth, and impedance matching of output pairs. Much is said about “Reflected Loads” from speakers, and both tubes and x-former hardware being unable to take the current changes. So what are they talking about? Every output type of tube is rated for nominal impedance matching of the output transformers.

In the world of linear electronic devices, reducing the loading of an operational amplifier by 50%, would result in the transistors attempting to deliver twice the current. Meltdown is imminent. By applying the same logic to the tube, we assume we just fried a perfectly good tube. But in truth, it’s not the case. Tubes are simply not linear devices; so what does the tube do? The answer is partially why we prefer the tube to the transistor in the first place: Distortion.

Distortion of the amplifier stage, while desired by many guitarists, is undesired by virtually every other application of the tube. Distortion is the product of clipping occurring in the output section, where portions of the signal, as measured on a scope, would exhibit DC like characteristics. The signals appear to be clipped – kind of like your lawn! When the tube literature of the day was written, the manufacturers were unanimous in their pursuit of squelching any distortion in the circuit. Hi-fi stereos, communications devices, broadcast radio – all of these applications are diminished by distortion. So nominal loads were calculated to reduce THD (total harmonic distortion).

I keep saying “Nominal Loads”. This is because audio amplifiers do not see a fixed load. In truth, your speakers have impedance anywhere from 6 ohms to 100 ohms, depending upon the frequencies. They are a reactive load. As such, the load reflected back through the transformer to the output amplifier is always changing! And THD is calculated, in a well documented hi-fi power amp, against frequency. Because the tubes, against, different reflected loads, are delivering varying THD. More or less of the signal component power is in the form of distorted signal.

By swapping tubes, and not matching to the nominal impedance is nothing more than what may be happening in normal operation – other than shifting the power bandwidth (frequency response at specific power) and THD. Not to mention this nominal impedance mismatch at the output transformer is being done every time somebody yanks a couple of the output tubes! Furthermore, the output transformer is a device which takes high-voltage at low current swings, and converts it to low-voltage at high-current swings. So the portion of the amp which really wants to be matched as closely as possible is the speaker impedance.

In closing what may “suck” for every other user of the vacuum tube, becomes the artistic palette for today’s guitar virtuoso.

So what considerations should we give when swapping tubes?

First and foremost, be sure that the tube you are swapping does not exceed the filament (heater) supply of the OEM tube. This will fry your power transformer, the single most expensive piece of equipment in your amplifier.
That your amplifier has enough bias voltage to properly bias the tube in question. Improperly biased tubes will themselves have a reduced lifespan.
That we do not exceed the maximum voltages of the specified tubes

So, back to that late night dream of plugging the wonderful little 6v6 into my Twin. Can we do it? The answer, in a nutshell is yes. The plate voltage and bias of my Fender Deluxe is the same as the Twin reverb (V+ of 420V and –37 bias), and the 6v6 has a lower filament current draw. Be sure to bias, and let me know what you think!

NOTE: I would never plug the mighty 6L6 into my Fender deluxe, because I then WOULD fry the transformer.

Enjoy,

Mickey C.

Mickey C.
Soultone Amplification, Inc.

Guest column : Jim Wagner from WCR Pickups

2009-01-27T19:11:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone!

First, let me thank Tony for his generosity in supplying the column space here for me to share some thoughts on guitar electronics, namely guitar pickups, with ya'll. I thought that this first article should give you some background on myself.
Myself (Jim Wagner)and my reason for living, Carol Hadden, do the R & D, and building of pickups for WCR Guitar Pickups. Most people are probably unfamiliar with the name, as we do most sales through the various guitar forums on the web, and a mag or two (Vintage is one of them). It is very easy to see what we are all about simply by typing our company name into your search window, and hit ye olde enter key.

We have been having a fabulous time of it, and never could have dreamed what a great job this has turned out to be. We have music and musicians 24/7. How much better can it get?
10-12 years ago ( I really don't remember....) I was playing in a local band (another one) and for years had been using an old beat-to-hell '69 Gibson SG Special with some P90's in it. We did a ton of ABB music, and that was as close (it seemed then) as I could get to that kinda tone. What finally got to me was the terrible buzzing I got in the clubs. Some far worse than others. Knowing nothing about guitar electronics in general, I surmised the smartest thing I could do was switch to humbuckers. So, I got out my router, and installed a set. What brand, I don't remember. Cheap. I remember THAT part! HA! Well, it was a lot quieter all right, but had nowhere near the tone I wanted. Bought another off-the-shelf set. Same thing, I was just not satisfied at all. In shear desperation, I decided this could get real expensive, and did a little reading. I found out that the best sounding pickups were of course the PAF. But only SOME sounded good, most did not. Turns out they where basically hand-wound. And by a lot of different people. Some experienced, some not. Consequently, some where great, most where not. I believe this was due to the fact that some were made by experienced winders, and most were not.

Hmmmm. Hand-wound. That was a starting point. So, I bought a roll of wire, and am still doing that to this day.
It takes a long time to get what you want that way, and I do not advise people to consider doing it lightly. There are a lot of expenses involved, and the more you get into it, the more you will spend. A lot of trial and error comes into play.
Hand-winding (that's what I do) is like a fingerprint. You can get 2 guys, put them on the same machine, same materials, give them the same specs, and you will get 2 different sounds. I have just been a real lucky guy in the fact that a lot of people like what *I* believe to be great tone. I spent the first 5-6 years just winding, trying, and winding again to try to get what I was after. All of the early work was just rewinding existing stuff I could get my hands on. The good part was, I saw a lot of examples of what NOT to do.

It finally began to come together a few years ago. I had a few guys close to me tell me my work was starting to get some great sounds, and would occasionally ask me to rewind their existing pickups. Finally, one of them, a guy named Brian Haseldon, asked me why I was wasting my time rewinding, and that I should make my own and sell them instead. So I did, and have never looked back.
I had spent most of my life as a machinist, Millwright, fabricator, etc., and so had a lot of experience in building whatever it took to do the job. I built my first winder out of a hospital bed motor. It turned 40 RPM. It took me over 2 hours to wind a single coil. But that was OK, as it forced me to see what the wire did, and at a very slow speed.

The next one I built (and this sounds crazy, but was a LOT of fun), I made from a 10-speed bicycle. It took no power except for a good meal and some water to run it.
But it was still a little to slow, and involved some more hit-and-miss. So I really got serious, and built a really nice one that gave me absolute control over every single turn, and at almost any given speeds. I use it to this day.
Anyhow, the word spread through a few forums about the tones I was getting, and it finally got so crazy that Carol noticed how much work I had going on. She got in on it full-tilt, and I couldn't have been happier about it. I could not have come this far without her, and thank her everyday. Maybe not out-loud like I should, but I do anyhow.

So here I am, a happy guy, doing work I love, have great company and help from Carol, and now even writing a COLUMN about it!!! I get calls and orders from musicians I could have never hoped to meet or talk to in normal life. And I try to help people as much as I can in trying to figure out how to get the sound they have looked for years to achieve. Very satisfying indeed when I get e-mails and phone-calls telling me how they couldn't stop playing until their fingers fell off, or the wife made them let their kids get some sleep...........
The entire story is a lot more complex of course, but should give you an idea where WCR came from. I hope it gave you a little insight to me and what I do. I am very dedicated to this work, and never plan to quit.
Next time, I will start talking more about the pickups themselves, and how they work.
Thanks for your time, and I'll talk to you then.
Jim Wagner
www.crcoils.com

Gutar Manifesto : Roy Brooks

2009-01-27T19:09:00.000-08:00

This past summer I sat down and wrote The Guitarist's Manifesto, a 115 page
book about some of the things I have learned through my thirty years as a practicing
musician and working guitar player. Steve Martin once said "Talking about music
is like dancing about architecture". In a way The Guitarist's Manifesto was my first
attempt at dancing about architecture. My second attempt is this column. Until
I wrote that book I never thought of myself as a writer or a guitar instructor. But
somehow I managed to write something about playing guitar that hopefully contains
information that a student of the guitar can use. Though The Guitarist's Manifesto
is but one book of many written about the subject of playing guitar. The possibilities
of what can be learned and played on the guitar are endless.

I started to really appreciate how much information there is out there when I
decided at the age of 41 to learn how to play jazz. My reason for learning about
jazz was not specifically because I thought that I wanted to one day become a jazz
guitar player. But I saw that the things that I needed to learn so I would not get bored
with playing my instrument were some of the things that were pretty much required
in order to play jazz. I found that I really needed to brush up on my music theory
and things like chord construction and harmonized scales. And I had to learn to
stop relying so much on tablature. In my quest to learn more about jazz and jazz
guitar I started doing searches on eBay for some of the books that I had read about
in my nearly thirty years as an avid reader of Guitar Player magazine- books by Arnie
Berle, Ted Greene, Joe Diorio, Les Wise, Don Mock, Ron Eschete, and Vincent Bredice.
And once I finally acquired a big stack of books by those cats I saw that most of those
books were written using standard notation. And it was up to me to figure out what
fingerings to use. I could have resigned myself to thinking that this stuff was just too
hard for me. But that kind of attitude was not going to make me a better musician
or guitar player. So I put in the practice time. As I got more familiar with reading
standard notation I started buying and reading out of jazz improvisation books that
were intended for all instruments- things like The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine
and Arnie Berle's Comlete Handbook For Jazz Improvisation. And I got myself a
copy of The Real Book and Patterns For Jazz by Jerry Coker, Jimmy Casale, Gary
Campbell, and Jerry Greene. I highly recommend that if you are very serious about
getting really good at guitar you should take the time to learn how to read music in
standard notation if you don't already know how. Being able to look at a piece of
music and then play it opens up all kinds of new possibilities of what you can learn
on your instrument to use in your improvisations.

If you are serious about getting really good at guitar I recommend that you
listen to as much music as you can get ahold of, even if it isn't what you normally
listen to. And actually listen to it. Get away from that computer and just sit and
listen. Pay attention to what the guitar player is doing. In fact I strongly suggest
that you go out and get yourself a stack of instrumental guitar records by folks
who know how to do it. If you want to get schooled find yourself some records by
Ted Greene, Phil DeGruy, and Lenny Breau. Those cats will give you an idea of
what can be done on guitar if you really put the time in and devote your life to your
instrument.

Of course what you decide to learn on your instrument is up to you. You don't
necessarily have to know a whole lot of stuff to get to a point where you can make
money playing guitar in cover bands. You can get by with your basic major and
minor chords and pentatonic scales. In fact many guitar players have built careers
on playing lead guitar based entirely on five note pentatonic scales. Nothing wrong
with that. In fact if that is what you want to hear in your lead playing you may not
want to know much more than that. Though you may reach a point where you find
yourself getting bored with your playing and the music you are playing. At that point
you may want to further your studies. You may find that you don't always have to play
tunes the same way each time. You might want to throw in some leads based on
diatonic scales. Or you might want to use some passing tones. You might want
to try some chord extensions like 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths. In fact you might
want to put some b5, b9, or #11 alterations in there. Or you might want to
reharmonize some of those chord progressions that you have been using over and
over again to bring some new life to what you have been doing. Maybe you might
like to try some chord melody arrangements of your favorite tunes.

All that information is out there if you take the time to look for it. Buy the books
and the records. Read the magazines, especially the good ones like Guitar Player
and Just Jazz Guitar. Listen to as much music as possible. Attend concerts by
other guitar players. And ask questions. Most importantly have fun. Now get to
work, soldier.

Roy Brooks is a freelance guitar player currently working in and around Charleston,
South Carolina. Roy is the author of The Guitarist's Manifesto.
recordgeek2004@yahoo.com
Guitar Manifesto with Roy Brooks

Ask the expert : Kevin Bolembach

2009-01-27T19:06:00.000-08:00

Questions by Andy Howse from Grand Rapids, MI

Kevin Bolembach heads up Godlyke distributing. Godlyke is the US distributor for Maxon, Hao,Guyatone and other fine effects.

1. When do the ultron and ultrem come out?

Unfortunately, there is no set release date on these models due to some major setbacks caused by the long illness and recent death of the chief design engineer, Hideko Shimizu. Basically, we had to completely reverse engineer these products from the existing prototypes, which took much longer than expected. We should be receiving revised prototypes within the next couple of months, and once these are appproved then production units won't be far behind.

2. How much will they cost?

At the present time street prices are estimated at $400 for the Ultrem and $450 for the Ultron, but this could change based on additional R&D costs.....

3. What are their features (ie. stereo, MIDI, true bypass)?

GUYATONE OPTICAL MODEL INFORMATION –

Short take: Guyatone optical models are analog/digital hybrids w/100% analog signal paths using custom-manufactured low-voltage photocouplers w/improved performance over past and current production optical components. The custom CPU controller section features a digital oscillator w/tap tempo speed control and 6 selectable waveform patterns with memory-assignable CV control of a variety of parameters. Note: These are NOT digital modelers, although they can perform many of the functions of modeling units in an analog domain. These units are designed to be professional-grade products and feature many performance options not available from any other products currently on the market.

Features Common to Both:

· Tap Tempo oscillator control displayed in BPM or milliseconds

· Expression Pedal control of various parameters (user-assignable)

· Six oscillator waveform options (user-assignable)

· LED display for tempo and control assignments (user-assignable)

· Heavy duty Hammond Chassis and ultra-high quality components

· True Bypass Switching

· 9-12 volt AC or 9-volt battery power

· Made in Japan

ULTRON – Optical Envelope Controlled Filter

Short take: Designed as an “improved” version of the vintage Musitronics Mu-Tron III, the Ultron takes the basic skeleton of the III and adds a wide variety of new and useful control features that set it apart from any other unit on the market:

l Selectable Manual, Envelope-Controlled or Oscillator-Controlled operation

l HP, BP, LP, and NOTCH Filters (determines what frequency bands are filtered by the unit)

l HI, LO, and MID Frequency operation Ranges (controls the overall range of the filter sweep)

l Threshold Control (determines how hard a note must be played in order to trigger the filter)

l Peak Control (determines overall intensity of effect)

l Frequency Control (Determines the frequency band the filter sweeps in within the selected Range)

l Speed control (controls speed of oscillator)

l CV control of filter sweep (manual mode), Threshold, Peak or Frequency (envelope-control mode), or Oscillator speed (oscillator mode) with 3-selectable pedal tapers (linear, audio, reverse audio). +5V expression pedal not included

l 6 Selectable waveforms in oscillator mode

l Selectable Toggle option between Envelope and Oscillator control using Tap Tempo switch

l Selectable Frequency Peak, Frequency sweep ranges and Input attenuation for multiple instrument use via internal DIP switches

l Price $450

l Availability: TBA

ULTREM – Optical Tremolo

Short Take: The Ultrem is designed to emulate any vintage or current production tremolo unit, as well as to create many all-new sounds custom-tailored to the individual user. Features include:

l Speed Control (determines speed of effect)

l Depth Control (determines degree of effect)

l Saturation Control (Adds mild overdrive to effect for vintage tones)

l Stereo Outputs

l Pan on/off switch allows panning of effect between two amps

l Attack on/off switch adds extra “edge” for more dramatic effect

l Selectable Manual or Oscillator control of effect

l Tap Tempo control of Tremolo effect displayed in BPM or Milliseconds

l CV control of tremolo Rate or Depth with 3-selectable pedal tapers (linear, audio, reverse audio). Can also be used as a volume pedal in Manual mode. +5V expression pedal not included

l 6 Selectable waveforms in oscillator mode

l Selectable Toggle option between Manual and Oscillator control using Tap Tempo switch

l Price $400

l Availability: TBA

4. Will there be any other similar pedals like, for instance, uldelay?

It is too early to tell - we are really just focusing on getting the Ultrem and Ultron units to market - anything after that is gravy....

5. How's that engineer's health these days?

Unfortunately, Mr. Shimizu passed away in July of this year. He was a brilliant man and it was a very sad day for the music products industry. I really enjoyed working with him and the release of these two models will be a legacy to his genius.

thanks for giving me the opportunity to ask these questions! -andy

No problem - sorry for the long delays in getting these pedals to market, but it was beyond our control. Death is the boss of us all.......

Cheers,

Kevin

Questions by Andy Howse from Grand Rapids, MI

Kevin Bolembach heads up Godlyke distributing. Godlyke is the US distributor for Maxon, Hao,Guyatone and other fine effects.

Feature Gear Review : Floyd Rose Discovery guitar

2009-01-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the future with the new Floyd Rose Speedloader bridge system. I was first made aware of the Floyd Rose guitars from talking with Greg Howard who was on the road with Aerosmith handling guitar tech duties for Brad Whitford at the time. Greg was raving about the quick change of strings on the Speedloader bridge and I knew at that point I wanted to investigate it further. Adam at Floyd Rose was kind enough to send me a Discovery series fixed Speedloader bridge guitar.The Discovery series guitar is the import model. The test model features a fixed bridge Speedloader system and 3 single coils pickups.This guitar incorporates proven classic guitar elements with Floyds vision of a better bridge system and a better overall guitar design. No more string stretching, no more wrenches and no more headaches that were sometimes associated with locking bridge systems, and that brings up another point, No more locks! It is hard to believe but changing strings is as simple as pushing on the bridge saddle, pulling a pin and removing the string. THATS IT. Please see the movies above and watch Floyd change out a string, it is incredibly simple.

The guitar can be tuned however you see fit. Drop D, half step down, 1 step down, there is no limitation on tuning. Your initial tuning is done with a small allen wrench on each saddle. Once the guitar is in the tuning you desire you can use the fine tuners on the Speedloader just like the Original Floyd Rose system. But here is the kicker. Once you are in tune, when the strings are replaced the allen wrench is not required. The strings are always within a quarter turn of the fine tuner of being in perfect tune evrytime. Let me be clear here, the allen wrench is only needed for your initial tuning, after that no wrenches are needed. Pop the string on, push down the saddle, fine tune and you are done. I was skeptical when I initially read about it. I sat in disbelief when i watched the video of Floyd doing it. I was pleasantly suprised when I tried it myself and had zero problems with it. I was one of those guys that loved the Original Floyd Rose but was not good at setting them up or restringing them. The Speedloader is a totally different beast and the learning curve I think is actually lower than restringing a standard bridge. A full set of strings can be replaced and in perfect tune within 5 minutes. If you doubt this please watch the videos above, it is truly amazing what Floyd has come up with.

Being a long time Strat player myself the guitar felt instantly at home in my hands. On initial inspection I was suprised that resting your hand near the bridge did not feel awkard like the original Floyd Rose. It was very odd looking down the neck and not seeing any tuners. The neck is very comfortable. I was assuming it would be a thin Ibanez type neck. Not at all. It sits in your hand like a vintage strat but has a little more bulk in the right place. It is one of the most comfortable necks I have played. Very low gloss on the back, actually a light satin finish allows fast play in all positions. This guitar has all the comforts of my older strats and then some. With the technical advances of the Speedloader bridge it makes it a best of both worlds for me and I am totally sold on the guitar.

Lets remember we are talking about an import guitar in the 400-450 range. I actually thought it was the US model until Adam let me know it was the import ! Stevie Wonders current guitarist was testing the Discovery series guitar and a US version and actually preferred the Discovery! He is using it live! You really have to play one and change the strings on it before you can come to any conclusions. I was very suprised how playable and comfortable this guitar is. I was in awe when I found out how simple the Speedloader bridge is to use.

I personally found the pickups not as hot as my double stacked humbucking single coils but I have played that set up for years. I dont use standard singles so I couldnt actually count that has a con, I am just used to more power. They sound great ripping off blues licks at lower gains. My current gig requires a higher gain so I will be replacing them with double stack hums.

The Speedloader bridge does require the Floyd Rose double bullet strings available at FloydRose.com and retailers all over the country.

As happy as I am with this one I will definately be looking at a Humbucker version with the Speedloader trem. It feels like a good strat youve been playing for years that has been reworked for a stress free future. Needless to say the Discovery will be gigging with me very soon.ReviewHave your own Custom Floyd Rose guitar built. Quotes within 72 hours!Click here!With his 1977 introduction of the Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo, Floyd Rose revolutionized the guitar industry.

After 25 years, Floyd has done it again.

Introducing the groundbreaking Speedloader Series, a radical advancement in guitar bridge and string design. The speedloader Bridge and Speedloader Strings build upon the legendary tuning stability, durability and versatility of the original Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo.

The integrated Speedloader Bridge and Speedloader String Design allows a complete set of strings to be changed in less than one minute by eliminating the need for tuning keys, wrenches, string stretching or major re-runing.
For more info please visit Floydrose.comDiscovery series with Speedloader fixed bridge

Feature Gear Review : Analogmans Guide to Vintage Effects

2009-01-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

Book Review: ANALOG MAN'S GUIDE TO VINTAGE EFFECTS by Tom Hughes
(c) 2004 Tom Hughes. 280 pages; For Musicians Only Publishing
Review by Howard Davis

Within the past several years some trends have emerged on the guitar
effects scene. Among these are informative books on the subject for
electronics-enhanced musicians. I can't say I've read them all, but this
book is the best I've read.

What makes this book unique is its broad perspective - it fills in and
rounds out one's knowledge of effects pedal-related information. Musicians
usually know the most about the actual effects of their effects - how they
sound with their instruments and amps. Engineers and techs are most
familiar with the electronic technicalities, but do not always know much
about the history of the effects industry or see the stompbox from the
musician's viewpoint. Manufacturers see things mostly from the business
perspective, and collectors also have their specialized view - value and
rarity.

The ANALOG MAN'S GUIDE TO VINTAGE EFFECTS opens one's eyes to the broad
role these devices play and have played in our music and culture. Here is
an industry of peace - one in which technology is applied purely for good,
for pleasure and entertainment. A wah-wah was never made to be a weapon,
nor a phaser turned into a hand-phazor. With these devices we create good
music, good vibes, good business. Let the malevolent and destructive go
elsewhere; we are about life, creativity, and joy!

The first four chapters give us the roots - historical, and particularly
fascinating to those that have lived through the evolution of electronics
from the radio and record player to today's music-oriented computer
applications. Individuals and companies that played a role in effects
development are discussed, as are landmark products like the Echoplex, Cry
Baby, and Fuzz Face. Electro-Harmonix, Mu-Tron, and MXR among others have
interesting histories, and whether still in business or not, have loyal and
appreciative fans that will enjoy the stories of their favorite music
industry giants and their creations. Musical pioneers like Jimi Hendrix and
Frank Zappa broke new ground with the stompox, and the stompbox evolved
with their historic careers.

There is much fascinating trivia as well as fact in this book. Did you know
that Clyde McCoy, the musician whose name was used for the very first
wah-wah pedal, was not a guitarist at all?

You can use stompboxes without understanding how they work, but without
such knowledge there would be no stompboxes. The illustrated EFFECTS
TECHNOLOGY chapter explains in simple, minimally technical terms exactly
how pedals do what they do. Good background information here for techs and
do-it-yourselfers! Following this is a directory of over 150 effects
manufactureres, most with lists of their products.

Chapter 7, "The State of the Stomp Today," discusses the burgeoning
boutique pedal market and some of the people making it happen. Sixteen
pages of color photos of pedals follow, some standards and some rare, an
illustrated list of "must haves" for the dedicated electronic musician and
the collector. "Mod Mania" details the increasingly popular trend towards
custom modifications that can greatly improve mass-produced pedals and
tailor them to individual tastes.

Ever hear of the EMS Synthi Hi-Fli, probably the very rarest of all vintage
pedals? Chapter 8, "Hen's Teeth," gives fascinating stories of many
rarities, some great and some duds, that give chronic GAS (gear acquisition
syndrome) to collectors and to guitarists seeking some lost-chord-like
sound they may have heard 20 years ago but just can't duplicate today.

Pedal naming is an art. It's hard to say who started with all the
outrageous names, but Mike Matthews of Electro-Harmonix is probably the
king of clever nomenclature. Among other things, chapter 9 raises the
question of how an EH Big Muff Pie would go with a Way Huge Swollen Pickle
or a Z-Vex Super Hard-On. Gotta love the music business, though some say
that you may go to Rock N' Roll Heaven, but this is Rock N' Roll Hell!

Towards the end of the book the information becomes even more practical. In
chapter 10 we are told how to date the manufacture of an old pedal from the
information on its parts - truly vital data for collectors or dealers in
used gear. Useful information on "tone sucking," bypass switching, power
supplies, and specific component part problems
follows, along with information on fixing noisy wah pots, purchasing parts,
and the specifics on a few known scams involving fake vintage pedals.

Interviews with famous manufacturers and design engineers follow,
reflecting a wide spectrum of personalities with but one thing in common -
success.

In the ANALOG MAN'S GUIDE TO VINTAGE EFFECTS one can find some over- or
underemphasis of particular topics, individuals, and companies, and
possibly a few minor omissions, but I know of no other published work that
treats the subject of electronic guitar accessories as comprehensively as
this one does.

For more information on this book go to: http://www.formusiciansonly.com/

Feature Gear Review : Eastwood Ultra GP guitar

2009-01-27T19:01:00.001-08:00

The vintage guitar market has gotten extremely exclusive in the last 20 years. Older guitars are literally selling for 5-10 times what they sold for in the mid eighties. This leaves a large segment of the guitar playing population out of luck as a lot of these vintage guitars are just out of reach price wise. Until now. Myrareguitars.com is bringing back to life a lot of the old favorites that have been out of reach price wise for the average player.

The Ovation Ultra GP is one of those guitars. Having only made 500 of the GPs in the mid 80s Ovation pulled the plug on them rather quickly. After a few years had passed folks began to seek out the GP as it was a Les Paul style guitar that was a great value and very few were to be had. Over a twenty year span and only 500 guitars in circulation the interest and collectability of the GP has grown many times over causing the GP to bring close to 3 grand on the used market. Josh Homme from Kyuss and Queens of the Stone age has been a major artist using the GP and making it an even more sought after part of 80s guitar history. Thats all fine and dandy Mr Reviewer but how does that help me you say?

So how DOES a musician on a budget afford one of these oh so popular GPs? At one point Eastwood founder Mike Robinson asked himself that same question and unlike myself and you came up with a solution. Enter Eastwoods take on the classic GP. The Eastwood Ultra GP is a killer remake of the Ovation classic. A Mahogany body and set neck and a carved maple top insure consistent singing tone and sustain for days. The cutaway on the back and the front of the guitar just seem to cater themselves to a real human body and is much more comfortable to play than a Les Paul style guitar. The wide open dual cutaway allows total access all the way to the highest positions on the guitar, something that is normally a bit of a challenge on a Les Paul and a major plus to a guitarist like myself that learned to play in the 80s. This access to the higher frets is critical to acheive the proper amount of "weedely weedely" in a proper solo. All kidding aside the roomy cutway rocks. The 5 ply binding and inlays are classy and make the GP a great looking axe without going overboard on aesthetics. No firebreathing dragons or jungles cluttering up this fretboard.

With 2 humbuckers designed after the Super Distortion 2s that the original GP had the Eastwood versions provide plenty of bark and bite and with slight tone control changes can sing like Santana, smooth toneful and balanced. A full step drop the the low E string and some dirt the GP can handle downtuned tight chunky riffs with best of them. Classic clean tones sound great in all pickup configurations with a warm fat tone in the neck pickup and the BB licks flowed right thru it. This guitar not only sounds amazing with a clean tone but handles high gain with ease and smooth tight rock tones are there in spades. The GP can lullaby or rock the house with toneful ease. This is not the most expensive guitar on the block but it is one that inspired me to play it, not all guitars do that. Think about that the next time you are trying out guitars.

The guitar feels and plays great. Its just one of those guitars that feels right. I might be in the minority here but I prefer the appointments, design and playability of the Eastwood to a Les Paul. If you've ever thought a Les Paul feels cramped and limited by fret access but need that fat humbucker chunk and big sustain the Eastwood GP is definitely worth a shot.

Myrareguitars.com seem committed to bringing back old favorites and bringing them within reach of the average player. The Eastwood GP is just one of many "tribute" guitars that myrareguitars has resurrected. You gotta give props to a company that brings it to the people. The Eastwood GP is a killer looking and inviting take on a classic that is worth checking out at a dealer near you or at www.myrareguitars.com

BODY: Mahogany with Carved Maple Top (Flames on Cherryburst and Heritage Cherry)
SET NECK: Mahogany with Rosewood Fretbaord, 5 ply binding on neck and headstock
SCALE: 24 3/4", 22 Frets, nut width 1 11/16", width at 12th fret 2"
PICKUPS: Dual Humbuckers modeled after Vintage Dimarzio SUPER 2's
BRIDGE: 3-way adjustable wrap-around, fully intonatable
RETAIL PRICE: $849 (case EXTRA) PRICE: $649
SHIPPING: UPS Airmail, only $49 Worldwide
www.myrareguitars.com

Feature Gear Review : Xotic BB preamp

2009-01-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

Taking cues from their AC and RC boosters Xotic effects raises the bar with the BB Preamp. Xotic is known for pedals that dont overpower your original sound but meld with it and enhance it in a very natural way.The BB sticks with this formula offering a 30db clean boost , not tojust make things louder but bigger and more 3D.

Even taking a lifeless clean tone into a guitar modeling processor the BB is able to enhance that sound and add rich harmonics and sustain to it.

For those not familiar with Xotic, the pedal is handmade in the USA one at a time. Extremely well built and clean as a whistle inside. True bypass switching is standard to knock it totally out of the loop when off. Xotic has also upgraded the stomp switch from the earlier AC and RC boosts to insure many stomps for years to come. Coming in at MXR pedal size the BB is very compact and is able to fit on virtually any crowded pedalboard.

Running low gain at 9 oclock gives a sweet slightly overdriven blues tone with great sustain. Running at almost full gain I was able to coax a nice overdriven Marshall type tone from it. A SOFT Marshall tone , not raging. While the BB is not a rude distortion pedal it can do the hign gain tones with the best of them smoothly.

If youve never tried a gain pedal with a 2 band EQ you will be in for a treat. Unlike say a Tube Screamer overdrive the BB offers a bass and treble control that you can not only keep your low end at unity but actually ADD bass into your sound. Try that Mean Greanie! This a very cool feature to use if you find your base tone is lacking and needs a makeover! We even tried it in front of a gain pedal woth no tone controls. It was like adding an eq, gain push and compressor to that sound, very cool ! This pedal could have easily been called the BB Enhancer.

Running the BB through the Hot Rod Deville I found the BB has found the perfect amount of compression. Alot of other drives can get too compressed and start to sound well bad. The bb has the right amount for a natural amp tone while still giving enough sustain to make your guitar sing at high or low gain levels.

If you are a fan of 3-4 thousand dollar amp tones and dont find yourself able to get one the BB preamp will get you in that sonic territory. The BB not only pushes a great guitar sound over the edge but can take a boring one and inspire it. The BB Preamp gets two big thumbs up. Check out the BB Preamp herePrice 195.00

The BB Preamp offers a wide variety of sound. It's capable of 30dB+ clean boost with adjustable ±15dB two band active EQ's which adds a wide range of harmonic content for your ideal sound.
The BB also utilizes a pre-gain stage which allows the pedal sounds a very pristine clean to a very compressed smooth overdriven sound.
True bypass for eliminating any signal interference when it is switched out.
All hand wired and hand crafted in the U.S.A.
Can be used with AC adaptor (optional) or 9V Battery.
" The BB Preamp is a great sounding soft Distortion and Sustain pedal. It really produces a great fat singing lead tone! The BB gives you a more sustained focused lead tone than the AC. Between the RC, AC, and BB, you can cover all your boost, overdrive, and gain needs!
Josh Smith"

Specs
Dimensions (W/D/H): 4.39" x 2.38" x 1.98" (112mm X 60mm X 50mm)
Weight: 0.6 lbs. (280g)
True Bypass Switching
Power Consumption: 9VDC/6mA
Battery Type: 9VDC (006P) x 1
AC Adapter (Optional): 9VDC, Negative Tips (Regulated recommended)
Input Impedance: 500k ohm (min)
Output Impedance: 10k ohm

Feature Gear Review : Gig-FX Chopper

2009-01-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

Looking for some inspiration? Ready for something different? Tired of the same modulation pedals being released over and over again? The Gig-fx Chopper could be the pedal that sets you apart from the masses.

With its built in expression pedal the Chopper from www.gig-fx.com literally slices, dices, and chops its way through your guitar signal making it the perfect pedal for those looking for something out of the norm. Not only new effects are present but classic sounds we know live in here also. Trems, Leslie and auto pan effects are in there and can be controlled with the built in expression pedal.

The Chopper literally chops your signal to pieces. In a stereo setup the chops can be panned back and forth in stereo for a dizzying, hypnotic sound.

Testing the pedal with a sustainer equipped guitar was a treat as I found myself writing an original riff in minutes. It was a lot of fun to try something new that inspires your playing, something tough to achieve these days and we give props to Gig-fx for this.

Adding other effects to the Chopper can open up sonic territories not available before on the electric guitar. The intros to Wont get fooled again and Teenage Wasteland by the Who can be had. Playing in stereo in blend mode with a chorus and a wah pedal rocked slowly back and forth you can nail the Wont get fooled again intro. How cool is that? It kept me busy for quite awhile until the wife was done hearing it. In shake mode you can get the Teenage Wasteland intro as in shake mode the Chopper oscillates a wave and the Chopper will give you varied rhythms. Word is that original inspirations for the Chopper were these synth driven Who riffs.

Getting between 2 amps with the Chopper in stereo is where this baby really takes flight. Stereo tremolo is the tip of the iceberg with this pedal. It is very easy to be inspired with your signal being flown back and forth. Having the built in expression pedal gives it ultimate control for a live setting.

It is worth mentioning that the Chopper is equally at home on a synth or really any instrument that gives a signal.

I can talk all I want but to really hear what this thing is capable of go to www.gig-fx.com and listen to the sound samples. For something that is a fresh idea and truly inspiring please check one out today.The Chopper is one of the most innovative and useful guitar effects of 2005.

Feature Gear Review : Automagic Silver machine wah

2009-01-27T18:56:00.001-08:00

Handmade one at a time in Germany, the SM-2 SilverMachine from Musician Sound Design knocked our socks off. When they say the casing is bullet-proof its not an exageration. Although MSD did deny our request to test it with firearms. It is dead solid stainless steel that looks ready for a lifetime of road abuse.

Sometimes the way a wah "feels" underfoot is overlooked. Its low profile, wide stance never feels like it could slide. Great easy to move throw underfoot makes for a comfortable wah experience. The SM - 2 just feels right.

Godlyke dist.was kind enough to send us a SM-2 unit to check out and we couldnt get enough. Ill say without hesitation it is the most versatile , noise free wah we have had the pleasure of using. The tonal options on this wah are endless. Sell your wah collection while you still can, this one will kill several birds with one stone.
A feature exclusive to the SM -2 is not only being pressure activated but can be switched to always on for the player that prefers to have his or her wah constantly on.

At a street price of around 275.00 it is right in there price wise with other wahs that only do one or 2 wah tones and frankly have the clunky click to activate switch.

The hassle free switchless system used on the SM-2 is worth the price of admission alone but when you factor in the tonal options and build quality on the SM-2 it is a wah worthy of the title "King wah".

Feature Gear Review : MOOG Murf pedal

2009-01-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

Review
Designed by electronic instrument pioneer Bob Moog, the Moog MuRF is not just another effects pedal. It is also not a synth. It is a chunk of analog circuitry that Bob has perfected into a size that is designed for guitarists and melds these 2 worlds together.Those familiar with Moogs work in the analog synth world understand his passion for pushing the envelopewith new creations for the music world.

While covering phasing , filter effects , strings , synths, trem, faux leslie and many other over the top effects, the MuRF is an analog instrument in its own right that will have you tweaking for months and possibly years to come. The MuRF in my mind should not be used to replace those time tested effects but is a melting pot of all of these and many other new effects in a single unit that can be blended together to create new unheard of sonic chaos and beauty. In other words discounting the MuRF as a replacement does the Murf an injustice and is truly in my eyes a beautiful instrument on its own merit. More importantly it is a part of Bob Moogs legacy that will live on for many years to come.

At home with guitar, bass or really anything that can trigger it , the MuRF features 22 preset rhythm sequences that are controlled by the Pattern knob that interact with the 8 filter sliders. These sequeces can be turned off so the silders can be used alone. It seems everything control wise is interactive and is a sort of "pandoras box" of sounds that could keep a tweaker happy for a very long time.

Alot of the technical aspects of the MuRF can be read in other articles and on Moogs website, I am more into the "wow" factor of this machine and frankly want to convey my excitement for the MuRF rather than a regurgitation of the manual which can be read at www.moogmusic.com.

If you really want to get a good feel for what the MuRF is capable of please do yourself a favor and go to www.moogmusic and listen to the sound files. You will not get those tones from a digital box. This is pure analog control of synth circuits that Bob had perfected in his 50 plus years of work and put into a portable box that a guitarist or bassist can manipulate in the studio or in real time on stage. An optional expression pedal can control 4 of the MuRFs main parameters< Rate , Envelopes , Mix, or LFO / Sweep> and is HIGHLY recomended for live use. If improvising and unique analog sounds are a goal or a staple of your live performance, the MuRF could very well be an indispensable tool for your live show. Moog also offers a tap tempo pedal that controls the animation rate if you need to sync up with another musician live.

As a studio tool the MuRF could literally be used on multiple songs and have a totally different flavor. Its kind of like the model that never wears a dress twice unless she chooses to. A digital box in my opinion could never match the interactive and organic qualties the MuRF can offer and lets face it, turning knobs and tweaking is much more fun and satisfing than programming.

Moog has an ad that says "beyond words". After a little pondering and time with the MuRF , had I been chosen to write the ad copy and could only use 2 words I would use these two.

Be original.

Usually with a guitar effects unit the word " features" is a staple in a units description. With the MuRF I think the word " possibilities" is much more suitable and seemingly endless at that.For information on Bob Moogs history, legacy and his charitable organization, please click the pic to visit www.moogmusic.comFrom Moog
How many times have you wondered, "Why aren't there any NEW effects?" Whether you play guitar, bass, keyboard, make beats, or work in the studio - most effects boxes are based on the same old classics. The Moogerfooger MF-105 MuRF is the antidote to generic, boring effects.

MuRF stands for "Multiple Resonance Filter Array". What this means is the MuRF has 8 filters - their levels are controlled by 8 sliders. It looks like a graphic eq, but the sound of the filters are very different: warm and resonant.

What is really unique is the ability to animate the levels of the 8 filters in up to 24 preset patterns. The rate of the patterns can be set by a knob, expression pedal, or plug a footswitch into the tap tempo input to match the rate to the tempo of your song. Rhythmic variations can be created by adjusting the levels of the filters. The Envelope control sets the shape of the modulation, which can be set for percolating techno rhythmic modulation or shimmering timbral morphing. Other controls include Input Drive, Output Level and Wet/Dry Mix.

MuRF shares the musician-oriented features that are common to all Moogerfoogers. All the audio processing is 100% genuine analog, for warm, fat sound quality. Any line level or instrument level audio signal may be processed. Wide-ranging player parameters may be controlled from the panel knobs as well as from expression pedals or CV-compatible analog synthesis instruments. Components are rugged and long lasting, to withstand the rigors of stage and studio. The MuRF is housed in the classic Moogerfooger "double-wedge" enclosure that may be used on a table or on the floor.

Feature Gear Review : WCR SR single coil pickups

2009-01-27T18:52:00.000-08:00

Review
I was first made aware of WCR pickups through Greg Howard who at the time was on the road with Aerosmith handling the guitar tech duties of Brad Whitford. WCR pickups was kind enough to send us a set of their SR single coil pickups to drop in a strat and we were not a bit disapointed.

Jim Wagner winds the pickup sets one at a time by hand and takes the time to get to know the customers needs before selling them pickups. His attention to detail was apparent right upon opening the package. The pickups were mounted in order and very neatly adhered to cardboard. Every wire is color coded and very simple detailed instructions are included. They are not simply thrown in a box. Its very obvious WCR wants to make sure the customer has a hassle free installation.

Now its time to play them. If you are looking for single coils to make your strat sound like a Les Paul you are looking at the wrong pickups. The SR set is vintage strat tone to the bone! Ive always been a fan of the strat quack in the 2nd and 4th pickup positions and the SR set delivered that in spades. Clear bell like strat tone is available in all positions. I found that they are very responsive to my pick attack and that is my favorite part of the SRs.The SRs sound like a strat should, not noiseless, not active boosts but flat out vintage strat beautiful clear tone. The cool thing about the SRs is that they make me want to play clean. No need to mask the tone with gobs of gain they let my strat breathe like i want it to. To be blunt we were blown away with the pickups.

Not a huge company WCR pickups are made one at a time with care. My strat used to cover my humbucker duties with a stacked humbucker in the rear slot. Needless to say another guitar will handle those duties now. If you are into the vintage tones that SRV and Jimi had the SRs will do a great job in getting you closer to those elusive tones. I now have my strat back.

Feature Gear Review : Pigtronix Phaser

2009-01-27T18:51:00.001-08:00

This month we take a look at the Pigtronix EP-1. An all analog envelope controlled phaser.
Just as at home with DJs,keyboards,bass players and guitarists, we are focusing on its abilities with an electric guitar.

Upon first glance our first thought was hmm thats alot of options! Not only is it LFO controlled but it has a footswitchable EF section. Depending on how hot of a signal the EP-1 gets the more pronounced the envelope filter effect is. We were actually able to use very light dynamics on the guitar and not trigger the effects at all which to me is a plus. I use alot of dynamics when i play. Basically i can have the effect "on" and use my picking technique to turn it off and on. A very cool feature when you want to "turn the funk on" without stomping the box on and off. The envelope phase could actually replace a wah in your arsenal, its that expressive. Quack Quack.

The LFO side is a treat. As i stated before this review is focusing on using an electric guitar with the EP1. I have read reviews on the EP1 and feel that its "vintage" guitar effects capabilities have been greatly under appreciated. The EP-1 is a 4 stage Phaser as was the original UniVibe. Being a big Univibe fan my first mission was to see if the Univibe "throb" and "swallow" are in this box.Not only was it there but you can get it slower, faster and deeper than an actual Univibe. Not saying its better but saying the Univibe sound is there and much more flexable than a vintage or even cloned unit. Kicking up the speed and slightly adjusting the character and resonance BAM! theres a killer Leslie cabinet type tone. Using our Pigtronix speed control pedal we are able to ramp up and down the Leslie sound. Very cool! Calling this funky box just a Phaser we feel really does a disservice to it. It really is more than that. It can do phaser,univibe, leslie, and vibrato effects. It can replace ALOT of your pedals on your board.

The phase reminds us alot of the EH Small Stone phaser. Thick,liquidy, chewy tones are there and virtually noise free, something you dont get from the old vintage units.

Ever wanted a very slow phaser sound? Its in there! The EP1 is slower and faster than any other phasers i have encountered. Its very handy to have this much control. Some folks actually dont want or need this many options in a pedal but for the hardcore tone tweakers out there it is an unreal phase/modulation pedal.

We werent able to try out the trigger input but Dave told me you can actually plug in a drum machine or any other outside source and have it trigger the Envelope filter. Sounds cool!

One slight drawback for some might be the fact that the EP1 does not accept batteries. The required adaptor is included with the unit and posed no problem whatsoever for me.

Totally pro packing, box and manual are all very attractive. There are foam inserts on the inside that are professionally made/molded to fit the EP1 like a glove. The graphics on the box are spot on pro and look amazing. While these things are not a must have with any piece of equipment but they do show Pigtronix' attention to detail and putting out a great looking/sounding product.

Anything but a one trick pony we feel the EP-1 is a great product and lives up to the marketing press. Check out the EP-1 at www.pigtronix.com. There is a demo video and lots of great sound files there to check out.

Feature Gear Review : Musician Junkyard Screamer overdrive

2009-01-27T18:49:00.000-08:00

With its basic black and white screening offset with paduk hardwood knobs and bright orange LED the Musicians Junkyard Screamer is one strikingly good looking pedal. Based on the time tested Ibanez vintage 808 circuit the Screamer is tweaked to 2006 tone requirements and way beyond. To say that alot more is expected out of an overdrive in current times as opposed to when the original tube screamer came out might be an understatement. Denny Coleman has had years to look at the shortcomings of the 808 pedal that everyone loves but still had some major issues to deal with.

First issue would be the noticeable bass loss that happens. This was addressed in the Junkyard Screamer and keeping the original base guitar tone was not only a goal but an achievement with this pedal. Unlike the 808 the Screamer does not have that nasty bass cut off and keep your original tone in full force.

Next on the list is the bypass / tone loss issue issue. Old greenie seemed to never be happy being off and had to suck your tone even while it was off. Not only does Denny uses all true Bypass switching but uses the most expensive Fulltone TB switch on the market. Thats right, no corners are cut on this pedal. All top notch parts are used. Check our your overdrive, what switch are they using? Ok its True Bypass also and maybe might not be that big of a difference but wouldn't you think if all the best parts were used it would make a difference in the end when the pedal is completed? I am convinced top shelf parts DO make a difference after hearing this pedal. Not to mention the custom hardwood knobs that Denny has custom made for this pedal, they are stunning! When this pedal is off it takes itself out of a chain and retains all of your original tone. The Junkyard Screamer also totally eliminates that nasty compression that just never felt right in the 808.

My personal biggest gripe with the 808 was the horrible tone control. I think it should have been labeled "less blanket" or "more blanket." The tone control on the original 808 for me was almost hard to find a useable setting. Most of the controls sweep just sounded like mud. If I had to guess I would say this is where Denny spent most of his time designing. There is not a bad setting on the entire tone control sweep. Its a very open and uncompressed tone that sounds equally as well into a totally clean amp or to drive an already dirty amp tone. Being a big fan of "clean gain" overdrives like those offered from Hermida audio, Keeley elec., Homebrew Elec., Lovepedal and others I have really enjoyed the Junkyard Screamer as another great flavor of toneful overdrive.

Into a totally clean amp even at full gain its a low gain drive. The soundclip on Denny and Pattys site that I recorded has all the gain coming from the Junkyard Screamer. Driving a slightly dirty amp the Screamer keeps the original tone in the forefront and blends in with it to push it over the edge. If you are looking for a higher gain drive with the same attention to detail, Dennys GuitarBQ distortion just night fit the bill.

All in all I am really knocked out with this pedal, It adds the clean gain and harmonic sugar that is truly inspiring.

Check one out today at www.musicianjunkyard.com
Check out the Junkyard Screamer at www.musicianjunkyard.com
LISTEN to a clip of the Junkyard Screamer

Feature Gear Review : Timberline CRG Concert acoustic

2009-01-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

Quickly gaining the guitar industries attention for being the lower cost handmade solid top alternative Timberline guitars definitely impressed us with the CRG-7C-S++. High end features like a solid spruce top, solid rosewood sides, tortoise shell tuning keys and mother of pearl fret markers are all standard on the CRG-7C-S++.

Featuring 1/4 inch and a balanced XLR outputs having the choice of using a guitar cable or direct in with the XLR input is a great feature especially the XLR if you forget that direct box at home. Right into the snake or mixer it goes. A feature you might not appreciate until you get to the gig and forget your direct box. With these type of features Timberline is raising the bar for what is standard in this price range.

Big balanced focused tone was had right out of the case unplugged. The solid top, back, and sides play a huge role in this robust focused tone of this guitar. Putting it up against a laminate acoustic here at home there really was no comparison and the initial price difference between the 2 is not significant. Plugging it in and using it in a live situation was a real treat as the AGE-7 electronics let you dial in almost any acoustic tone you have in your head. 4 band EQ, notch filters and easy top load battery access. Having the battery access top side with the electronics is an easily overlooked feature until you are playing an acoustic with the battery hidden inside and it goes out while you are performing. Suddenly you will see the value of an easy battery change. These great features make the AGE-7 electronics perfect for any live situation.

Doing the initial testing thru a Bose PAS system the Timberline sounded brilliant and truly inspiring plugged in. Using this guitar for close to 8 gigs now with house sound systems with the Timberline I am very comfortable with this guitar as my main acoustic and has all but killed my interest in a guitar that cost twice as much.

Myself being primarily a lead guitarist being comfortable playing leads on an acoustic is a must. After slightly adjusting the action I was able to blaze thru Clapton style blues to Freebird outro solos with ease. This Concert model Timberline is nice and loud and actually had to back it off a little thru the small PA system. Loud and focused.

All in all a great value solid top acoustic that competes with guitars more than twice its price.

Feature Gear Review : Effectrode Tube Vibe

2009-01-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

With so many great Univibe pedals on the market to choose from its kind of hard to find something that is out of the ordinary and incorporates new ideas into the mix. Retaining the Univibes classic underwater sound effect that it is known for the Effectrode Tube Vibe takes it to another level with a pure tube signal path. Don't make the mistake of thinking the tubes are there forjust show. There is almost 300 volts running through them and these tubes get warm just like a tube amp. Phil was kind enough to send us one for review and this pedal has to be heard to be believed, it sounds that good.

As well as being the only tube driven Vibe on the market it is also the most adjustable. What does that mean to you? Well, if you are looking for your own custom vibe sound it means the world. If you are just looking for the original vibe tone there are others out there that do the job for less. The Tube Vibe is much more. Opening it up and experimenting with the DIP switches is where you control the magic.

The Tube Vibe was packed extremely well and included easy to follow instructions and its own power supply. The pedal is striking to look at. With its cream chicken head knobs, purple finish and chrome tube guards it will definitely attract the guitarists in the room asking "What the *&&%*^ is that ?"

The Tube Vibe has 2 modes. One for classic Univibe tone and one that does a wah type vibe. An original sounding effect that has to be heard to be fully appreciated. In Vibe mode you have 2 different voicings a square wave voicing that is similar to the original vibe as we know it and has that familiar vibe "throb." The second voicing in vibe mode is a triwave that is smoother and lends itself more to smoother lush tube driven phase and chorus tones. Next to the DIP switches inside the unit is also a width trimmer that can be user adjusted to change the intensity of the sweep to achieve a more transparent effected tone if so desired. The Tube Vibe covers a lot of ground.

Don't make the mistake of thinking this is just another vibe clone. Think of it as the first tube driven, analog, modulation multieffector and you wont be far off. The shimmering tones and user controlled parameters of the effected signal to be had from the Tube Vibe are outstanding.

Not only can the Tube Vibe beautifully recreate the classic Univibe sound but it also excels at chorus, phaser, trem and vibrato tones all adjustable with the internal trim pots as mentioned before. Lush organic tones blend in with your original base tone instead of taking it over. This can be suited to taste with the "blend " control. The "blend" control on the top of the unit controls how much of you original sound vs. effected sound you want. A very nice feature if you are into tweaking this pedal to suit your own needs.

Usually a volume control is not noteworthy but in this case it is. Unity gain is at the 12 o'clock mark on the volume knob. At full volume you actually are boosting the signal 6 dB. This is worth talking about as other vibes I have used just hit unity at full volume and when the sweep effect was at certain points it almost seemed like a volume drop was happening. Its great to have that extra push if you need it. It has an expression pedal jack that can be used to control the effects speed while playing live. A plain old passive volume pedal will work for this. A very handy feature to have that not all vibe units have.

Granted a tube driven Vibe in this price range is not for everyone but if you are looking for tube modulation that is highly tweakable , sounds amazing and is alone in its class look no further than the Effectrode Tube Vibe.

To read more about the Effectrode Tube Vibe and other Effectrode products please visit

Fature Gear Review : Cats Eye Hybrid fuzz

2009-01-27T18:44:00.000-08:00

With guitarists like Jake E. Lee adding Cats Eye pedals to their rig its great to be able to give the Hybrid Fuzz a good workout. The Hybrid fuzz utilizes the best of both worlds using Germanium transistors for their tone and silicon for its stability. Dean at Cats Eye really seems to take his time in finding what suits you best and is a great guy to deal with.

First thing out of the box I noticed its striking good looks and included power supply. That is something you don't see often and is a handy item to include. The pedal is HEAVY. Built like mini tone tank the Hybrid Fuzz is one of the cleanest built pedals we have ever seen. A durable powdercoat finish tops of the solidly built box for years of good looks to come. Striking good looks and the ability to withstand a nuclear explosion are just the beginning of the Hybrids positive attributes. True Bypass switching is standard and insures a strong bypass signal with zero tone loss. A bright Green LED sets it off nicely and there is never a doubt if its on or off. A mini plug for power is standard. While that is not a hugely common power source the included power supply eliminates any concern. If you use a dedicated power supply of your own you just need to get a plug adapter.

Plugging it into a clean Hotrod Deville its time to fire it up. Holy vintage fuzz tones! This pedal sustains for miles! Fat, harmonically rich fuzz is the name of the game. Plenty of volume is available. This fuzz sounds great. The thing I like about a good fuzz pedal is the ability to control it at the volume control on the guitar and the Hybrid Fuzz does not disappoint. Lots of shades of tone can be had once your tone is set at the pedal and amp simply by adjusting your guitars volume control. Fuzz tones reminding me of Eric Johnson lead line fuzz tones are to be had at lower gain settings. Bumping up that gain knob yields Santana like fat fuzz that never seems to stop sustaining. The Hybrid fuzz is equally inspiring running into the amp already breaking up gain wise. The mix of the amps gain and a fuzz push from the Hybrid yielded great results and still even more shades of great sound were had adjusting the guitars volume control. Using a single coil guitar lent itself to finding those famous vintage tones that are so sought after these days. Running a humbucker equipped guitar into this setup gave me big stack tone and a modern sound that can be used in any situation calling for BIG tone.

The Hybrid is a truly inspiring pedal that is fun to experiment with. This pedals sounds amazing and is perfect for anyone looking for something to cover both vintage and modern fuzz tones. If big fat harmonically rich tone on the fuzz tip is something you might dig the Hybrid delivers it bigtime.

If you are looking for a pedal to fill your fuzz needs and are checking out your options definitely give the Cats Eye pedals a look. Built to last, tone for days, great to looks and your power source included in the box make the Hybrid fuzz a great choice.

www.cats-eyeesp.com

Feature Gear Review : Diamond's Compressor pedal

2009-01-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

Review
Ever wish you could put your studio compressor in a blender and pour it into a foot pedal? Diamond did and they built it.
Diamond pedals first impressed us with the Fireburst and did not disapoint a bit with the new CPR-1 compressor.

There are no doubt some great pedal compressors out there. Two of my personal favorites are the Keeley and the Homebrew comp. Both give that magical sheen to a clean guitar sound and the endless sustain to an overdriven one. But what really makes one different from another besides the tone variation? Features not seen before thats what, but more on that later.

The CPR-1 from Diamond pedals not only performs guitar compression as well as the competition but has added features that a boutique pedal compressor has not seen before. A clean guitar tone never had a better friend. The CPR-1 adds the extra sparkle and sheen to a clean tone that needs to be heard. It also excels at Gilmour type liquid sustaining leads with an overdrive in front of it. The CPR-1 will add fullness and sustain to your tone that can literally make the difference between just being happy with your sound versus" grinning like Tommy Lee at a frat party happy" with your sound.

The most obvious new feature in an EQ knob. This feature gives you tone shaping options not seen before in a pedal comp. The EQ knob set to center is a flat EQ response. Too much high end for you? You can dial it out. Too much Woomph? You can dial it out. Need a Ric "Jangle" ? Turn it to the right. Need a warmer country lead tone? Turn it to the left. This type of EQ shift is standard on high end studio compressors but Diamond pedals is the first to put it in a compact pedal for guitarists. I wouldnt be suprised to see this feature on other comps on the market in the future. It really does open up your tone shaping options and makes it very hard to go back to one without an EQ.

Ready for the next "Diamond exlusive" feature? A 2 color LED that actually shows the level of the compression depth. I havent seen this on any other pedal before and is a very useful feature to have. Its been argued in the past but we are a very visual race. Would a Univibe sound as good if the LED did not throb in time? Sure it would but not having it just does not feel right. Same thing goes here , actually seeing the amount of depth with the LED change is a very cool " bell and whistle" that just sets Diamond apart and again will not be suprised if we see this used in other effects down the road.

Just like the Fireburst we tried before, the CPR-1 is built like a tank. Clean and very neat workmanship on the inside and only top quality parts are used here. Ture bypass switching is standard. This means when you switch the pedal off the effect is totally out of the signal. A very important feature to eliminate effect bleed thru.

It can handle voltage from 9 volts all the way to 24 volts. Can you say overbuilt ? Not only is this good if you have a voltage spike but you can also experiment with different voltages, alot of times it does make a tone difference at higher voltage. Even though most folks wont experiment the piece of mind of having the pedal built to handle higher voltages is comforting.

The CPR-1 is a great sounding and great built compresser with features not seen on a pedal compressor before. All these features at 179.00 makes the CPR-1 a serious contender for your compressor budget.

Feature Gear Review : Xotic RC and AC Boosters

2009-01-27T18:39:00.000-08:00

It is rare that a company that makes multiple pedals designs them to actually work together as a dual tone treat but Prosound has done just that with the AC Booster and RC Boosters.

AC meaning almost clean and RC meaning really clean both pedals shine in different ways and excel when being used together or driving each other.

Both pedals use 9vdc in power common to all pedal power supplies and the space saving size of these units make them ideal to go on a pedalboard and use very minimal space.True Bypass switching is standard to insure a total bypass when the units are off.

The AC Booster is an ideal soft edge overdrive. It does color the tone in a good way leaning towards soft edge drives reminisent of Carlton and Robben Ford type lead sounds. Plenty of sustain with a smooth cutting edge that makes the old tube screamer type pedals sound almost unusable. Featuring Volume , Gain , Bass, and Treble controls the AC is no one trick pony. Unlike the conventional tube screamer drive you can actually ADD bass to your signal not lose it, imagine that! This feature alone raises the bar on overdrives. Never muddy the AC is a smooth gain drive that is great for a cutting solo without relying on the huge mid hump of yesteryear. If you are into Robben Fords lead tone the AC Booster really is something to check out. With the gain backed down the AC can be used a great boost pedal with some coloration in the mix but its not always a bad thing. Backing off the volume control on the guitar cleans up the signal perfectly, the AC is very dynamic. I found the AC to really shine with single coil pickups but I could be biased as I prefer single coils. to me when using a tube screamer it sounds like an amp with a pedal on, using the AC booster sounds like you are adding a high dollar amp channel to your amp. The unit was tested with a Fender 4x10 Deville, Reverend Kingsnake, Peavey JSX head and Line 6 Flextone 3 2x12. It performed wonderfully with all amps except the JSX. The AC is not geared towards a hard rock/metal sound but is the perfect lead tone for playing blues, classic and current rock.

The RC booster could be one of the best sounding clean boosts we have heard and without a doubt the most versatile.The key to making it work with different guitars and amps is having the Bass and Treble controls on board. This makes it almost impossible to NOT be able to dial it in for your situation. If you are really digging your current tone now, play with an RC on top of it for 30 minutes and then turn it off!! Youll see. Maybe Prosound could call it the RC Challenge and have blindfolds and.......ehh sorry back on track here. It adds a great presence to your tone and just makes it sound better without changing the character of your tone.Talking to other RC users it seems like most folks use it as a leave on all the time pedal. Alot of clean boosts on the market do not have the EQ controls that the RC has and the RC has the upper leg on them because of this. Is your amp shy of the bass you would like to hear from it? Have no fear RC is here. The bass can be dialed in. Using the RC to boost other pedals yielded equally awesome results, it just makes things sound better and actually more versatile being able to dial in/out bass and treble. The RC can add a little gain especially if you amp is on the verge of breaking up to start with but it sounds like more of what you started with rather than a different color of drive on top. Another great pedal from Prosound.

Looking inside these 2, the AC and RC boosts are extremely well built and look like they were designed for years of use. The bypass switch is not a commonly used switch in effects but we were assured from Prosound that the RC and AC were designed to use these, are made to last and with Prosound standing behind them it is a non issue for me.

Running the RC pushing the AC creates an amazing tone and even using the RC to kick in just for leads over the AC is equally stunning. And quess what? It works equally as well the other way around! The EQ options and tones from these 2 pedals are enough once most folks play to pick them up and never look back.ReviewCreates a warm and pleasant sound by using the finest quality parts available.
The super wide range gain control can change the gain amount so wide that this pedal can work as a distortion pedal when it is turned all the way up.
Equipped with not only boost Gain but also Treble and Bass controls that allow you to adjust sound anyway you like.
True bypass for eliminating any signal interference when it is switched out.
All hand wired and hand crafted in the U.S.A.
Can be used with AC adaptor (optional) or 9V Battery
By connecting this pedal between your guitar and other effect pedals, this sustains the original guitar sound all the way to amp as well as emphasizing any effects sound characteristics.
This pedal also acts as a buffer that helps to fight against signal degradations caused by long cables as well as electromagnetically noisy condition.
Gain control has characteristic of a clean tube amp and, by fine turning it, you can create a bold and smooth sound which resembles the sound of amp with turned up volume.
Equipped with not only boost Gain but also Treble and Bass controls that allow you to adjust sound anyway you like.
True bypass for eliminating any signal interference when it is switched out.
All hand wired and hand crafted in the U.S.A.
Can be used with AC adaptor (optional) or 9V Battery

Feature Gear Review : Homebrew UFO Fuzz

2009-01-27T18:37:00.000-08:00

If a first impression is as important as they say, Joel and Terri at HBE have alot to be proud of.

The UFO is anything but a standard Octavia clone. The UFO by Homebrew electronics is a feast of fuzztones with a footswitchable octave at your feet.

You have a classic fuzz on one side and a modern fuzz on the other with a a handy toggle switch to select between the two. 9Vdc power in, 2 status LEDS< pedal on/off and octave on/off> and true bypass switching are standard. A tone control is also included.

Starting on the Vintage Fuzz setting it is very easy to dial in a classic fuzzface setting with the fuzz control set at 9 oclock! Not a rapsy thin fuzz but a huge fat fuzztone that screams Jimi. If you are brave enough to keep advancing the fuzz control a massive fuzz is on its way. Up into the 2-3 oclock settings huge fuzz is abound into Smashing Pumpkins territory.Anything beyond that is massive fuzz overload, in a good way.

Using the fuzz in the 9 oclock setting we activated the Octave circuit. A MAJOR octavia effect is present. Nails the Purple Haze solo. I have tried several octave clones and i can honestly say this one is one of the meanest, most up front and present i have heard. Using a Strat i used the neck pickup and rolled off the volume a little and the octave tones actually take over, it was very attainable to sound like a synth in this position.

Where as most octavia pedals have to be used with the neck pickup and volume rolled off , you can achieve this effect with the UFO even with the bridge pickup at full guitar volume.

Switching over to the Modern fuzz setting it seems that more midrange is present giving it a very usable present day take on the fuzz. Even modern distortion is attainable here. It honestly has more saturation than i think i would ever use. Although its always nice to have some of the gas pedal left. The octave effect sounds just as searing and present on the modern side.

I was very impressed not only with the broad range of tones available with this pedal but using the volume knob on the guitar in conjunction with the fuzz creates many more tones at your disposal.

As well as the features and tones of the UFO that impressed me, the looks of the pedal are also very striking. The tester unit is the Gold sparkle paintjob. The inner construction is very neat, clean and a pro job all the way around.

All in all we cant figure out why someone would want to buy several different fuzz pedals and a seperate Octave pedal when the world of fuzz- octave is all here in the UFO. We are proud to say that this one knocked us out.

The UFO is available at homebrewelectronics.com

Feature Gear Review : Maxon AD-999 delay

2009-01-27T18:34:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought you'd have to go digital, Maxon unveils the new AD999 Analog Delay. The newest member of the highly touted Maxon Vintage Series, the AD999 is the most ambitious and practical analog delay pedal to come along in well, ever!

A few years back the hopes of analog lovers the world over were dashed when Panasonic/Matsushita closed their BBD production line for good. Immediately the price of all types of analog bucket brigade IC's went through the roof, and many larger companies started buying up existing stock and hoarding it for the future. But Maxon is a tough company to hold down, and instead of making the switch to digital as so many other small manufacturers were forced to do, they took a very different approach to solving this problem.

With their vast knowledge of analog technology and their extensive network of contacts in the electronics industry, Maxon was able to source a completely different manufacturer of analog BBD's. After critical examination and testing of this company's product offerings, it was finally determined that these components were worthy to carry the Maxon brand name, and thus the AD999 was born!

Not a company to rest on its laurels, the AD-999 Analog Delay was created after careful examination of other analog delay units (including the AD900) in an effort to improve upon them. Each AD999 comes loaded with 8 yes, 8 Maxon MC4107D BBD's for a total of 900 milliseconds of pure, rich, organic analog tone. Like past Maxon analogs, the AD999's controls have been kept to a minimum to free the unit from unwanted noise and complex operation. Standard Delay Time, Delay Level, and Feedback controls provide a simple user interface and a wide variety of delay effects. To improve the unit's versatility, Wet/Dry outputs were added to allow for panning of the delay effect between two amplifiers or channels.

The AD999's tone is pure analog heaven rich, round and three dimensional, the AD999 is much more akin to the tone of vintage tape echo units than either the AD900 or AD9. In comparison to other Maxon delay units, the AD999's fat, vintage tone is closest to the nowdefunct AD80, but with the added benefit of triple the delay time, yielding many medium to long delay effects that the AD80 simply cannot reproduce.

AD999 switching is handled by a Fujisoku 4PDT mechanical switch for transparent, noise-free true bypass operation. Lastly, the AD999 has been designed to run off 9 volts DC for easier integration into players' pedalboards. An internal, replaceable fuse protects the circuit from voltage spikes as well as the accidental use of incorrect adaptors.

When you're ready for the ultimate analog experience, the Maxon AD999 is the only serious choice in an otherwise digital world!
Specifications

Input Impedance 500K Ohms
Output Impedance 10K Ohms or less
Residual Noise -95 dB (input shorted, IHF-A weighted)
Delay Time 40 mSec 900 mSec
Control Delay Time, Repeat, Delay Level
Switch Normal/Effect (4PDT mechanical true bypass)
I/O Input, Output (Mix in mono, Wet only in stereo), Dry Output
Current Consumption 46 mA at 9VDC / 48 mA at 10VDC
Dimensions 117 (W) x 150 (D) x 60 (H) mm
Weight 600 Grams
Standard Accessories Maxon AC210N adaptor (we strongly urge the use the Maxon AC210N only. Other adaptors may trip the internal fuse, requiring professional service of the unit and voiding the warranty)
Review

So you are looking for a vintage delay you say? You dont want to deal with chasing obsolete tapes down? Youre afraid your older unit might break down and dont want to subject it to road wear?

We think Maxon has your solution.

The AD-999 delay is one of the few true Analog delays being produced today. With seemingly a market full of "analog sims" out there the AD-999 is the real deal analog delay pedal.

Improving on its own AD-900 Maxon took the AD-999 to a higher level with a longer 900ms of delay and a Wet / Dry Output to be able to pan the delay effect with a dual amp setup. Another great feature over the AD900 is the 999s use of a 9v power source instead of the 12v.

With so many effects going the digital route it is refreshing to see a pedal that is a true analog design especially a delay pedal. While it does come at a slight premium most things that take this kind of time to build, design, and high part count are not inexpensive and we feel it is worth every penny. A tone savy player that isnt happy with his tone until its 100 percent will gladly pay this premium to get "the" tone they are after.

Ever notice some of the best sounding amplifiers and pedals in history are very simple and rarely feature laden? There is a good reason for this. Alot of the digital delays seem to have mega features but lack in one area. TONE. This is where the AD-999 shines. With only 3 knobs it can retain the signal path and deliver spacious, beautiful, toneful delay with True Bypass switching and plenty of delay time .Alot of tone purists agree that the least amount of circuitry between the guitar and amp the better. That seems to be the case here and the delay really is the warmest, most natural sounding delay we have heard.

From rockabilly Sun Studios slapback to Van Halens follow the leader Cathedral delay to huge David Gilmour stadium leads with warm delay circling behind and putting the crowd in a trance, the AD-999 delivers classic warm delay just like a true analog delay is supposed to.

For those not wanting to drag out that old tape delay this is the perfect solution.

After playing a delay the caliber of the AD-999 Maxon makes it very hard to go back to an "analog sim" pedal. Its kind of like test driving the Corvette just for fun while you are buying a minivan. Sure the minivan does the job but you fall asleep everynight dreaming of that Vette.

Needless to say we are knocked out with the AD-999. There is a downside though. It has lead to us wondering about that Rotary Phaser and Chorus in that series.

Dang Vette.To purchase your own Maxon AD-999 please visit your local dealer or www.maxonfx.com

Feature Gear Review : Visual Sounds H2O pedal

2009-01-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

Joined at the hip

Incorporating 2 great effects together is not an easy thing to do but the guys at Visual Sound seem to be doing just that.
At first glance its a very attractive blue, pro graphics, heavy duty casing, road ready for sure.It came in a professional box with an info sheet with sample settings that was very helpful in the testing process.
One really nice feature is the battery cover. It can simply be flipped to the side for a quick battery change before a gig. A very handy feature.

Another unique design from Visual Sound is the footswitch placement. The 2 on/off switchs are placed close enough together to turn both off or on at the same time with ease. Thats a great feature to me as i find myself using delay and chorus at the same time alot. As the Visual Sound president Bob Weil explains "I designed the switches to be close enough together so you can hit them both with your foot at the same time if you want to. That means you can turn them both On or Off, or if one channel is already On, hit both switches at the same time to turn the one Off and the other On. Simple, isn't it?" Well said Bob.

The H2O features a second output for an uneffected signal. In the included info sheet there is a simple mod to make it an effected output. Its nice having a choice.

Lets take a look at the echo side first. You get Echo time,Repeat control, and effect level knobs as well as a short or long delay switch. While it is a digital effect it is analog voiced and more analog sounding than any other digital Ive tried. I was assuming since it was an echo it would do some cool slapback stuff and maybe a short delay. Up to 800 ms of sweet warm delay! The H2O not only excels at slapback/ Echoplex type echoes but nails some long analog delays as well ! I was very impressed with the delay side, from lush Echoplex like echoes to long trailing delays I could easily see using this as my only gigging delay with no qualms whatsover. The really spectacular thing about the H20 is that with other Echo pedals when you dial in a good Echoplex like delay its missing that chorus warble that alot of the old units have. The H2O has the perfect chorus right there to add to it to get that chorus warble happening for a really beautiful echo tone. Not a bit harsh and warm analog delay tone in droves. If this unit was only an echo and priced where it is I would still consider it a great value.

The chorus in the H2O really is a great sounding one. Alot of times a chorus will sound great great but is NOISY! Not the case here. Dead quiet and adds a beautiful shimmer to your clean tone. I kept finding myself playing old Police songs and nailing the tone. Bump up the speed control and it gives a nice rotary speaker/ Leslie type effect. It also does the seasick underwater tone. Not something i would use but Im sure it could be used somewhere! All around a killer chorus that deserves to be heard especially with a world class echo attached to its hip. Its worth noting that in June 2004 Visual Sound updated the Chorus in the H20 to get a faster rate and improved overall tone.

The thing that really knocked me out about this pedal is how QUIET it is. Even with both effects engaged it is virtually noise free. Power was supplied by a ONE SPOT power adaptor, again noise free.

Seems alot of folks these days when you start talking about a pedal the first thing they ask is
" Is it true- bypass?" Well the answer on the H2O is no. I truly believe the "true bypass" issue to be a little funny. If you have a quality pedal with a quality buffer installed it actually helps drive the signal on the other pedals in your chain and keeps the strength of your signal strong. There is a pedal builder to the stars that has thousand dollar pedals that has the same thoughts. A bad pedal is a bad pedal. The H2O worked great with other pedals and sounds wonderfull all the way around. Heres Bob Weils thoughts on the subject when asked if his pedals are True Bypass.

"No, but for some very sound reasons. And they have something which may be better: Pure Bypass.
First, the switches required for "true-bypass" are far more expensive than ours and are less reliable in the long run. This would make our pedals in the $200+ range (list price) and they wouldn't last as long. Our unique electro-mechanical switching system with heavy-duty switches and a "switch chip" should last a good long time.
Secondly, the buffering system in the pedals was taken from our Pure Tone pedal. This pedal was built originally for guitarist Neil Zaza who needed something to clean up his bypass tone for all the pedals he used (VOX wah included). Pure Tone, when placed first in the chain, made it sound like you were plugged straight into the amp even when going through notorious tone killer pedals. We ended up selling about 200 of these to very happy tone conscious guitar players before we put it into Jekyll & Hyde as an added feature. So, if J&H or Rt. 66 is first in your chain, it will buffer everything that follows it as well as itself. Even if it's in the middle of the chain, it will still work to some extent.
Thirdly, the Pure Tone buffer also keeps the Hyde circuit (in Jekyll & Hyde) stable. In the early stages of design, I noticed that the Hyde circuit was prone to occillation and feedback until I put the Pure Tone circuit before it. Somehow, it left all the good characteristics in tact and eliminated the ugliness."

In closing I absolutely love the H2O . Super quiet operation and truly inspiring tones are to be had here. At only 199.99 retail a bargain for sure. The pedal is built like a tank and backed up by Visual Sounds great customer service and warranty.

See www.visualsound.net for more info or to order your very own H20. From Visual Sound

Visual Sound H2O:
H2O Chorus Mod: As of June 2004, the H2O Chorus Channel has an even sweeter sounding chorus, and a faster leslie speed potential.

H2O Liquid Chorus & Echo continues the Visual Sound tradition of combining two professional quality effects into one reasonably priced pedal. First, you get liquid analog chorus created by using rare NOS BBD ("bucket brigade") chips. With controls for Speed, Width, and Delay Time, you can get an endless variety of chorus sounds from subtle to lush to under water. Then there's the echo channel. Up to 800ms of analog voiced, digital echo. You can switch from short to long echo times on the fly and dial in just the right settings with the familiar controls: Echo Time, Repeats, and Effect Level.

H2O even has a second output jack for sending a dry (uneffected) signal to a second amp.

Like other Visual Sound pedals, you can use either channel by itself or combine them together. Just stomp on both switches at the same time to switch from one channel to the other or to turn them both on or both off. Come on in, the water's fine!

Feature Gear Review : Keeley Katana Boost

2009-01-27T18:31:00.000-08:00

Keeley Electronics Katana preamp boostThe Keeley Katana is a cutting pre-amp. It delivers a wealth of tone and clean boosting. Want to keep your original tone with just a dash of sparkle and shimmer added, then have the control to boost it to any volume? This is it. The Katana is a fat, harmonically rich boost. Use it all the time to push your amp harder, or as an occasional boost to cut through the mix.

Two modes, Pure Clean and High Gain

* With the Speedo knob pushed in, think of it as a volume control that goes to 20.

** With the Speedo knob pulled out, it's a cutting boost with a bit of gain. Not quite an overdrive, just some grit and edge to the tone. In this mode you get a cutting shimmer added to your tone. Perfect for Humbucker Guitars!

Features

* 9 volt DC jack or Battery operation. DC jack at top of unit like Boss or Ibanez effects.

* Internal Power Supply Boost - turns your 9 volts into 18!!! The power supply's high voltage is what leads to this super clean headroom pre-amp.

* JFET design - clean tones, tube like when they overdrive or clip.

* Push-Pull Speedo Knob. Gain controled by side mount knob so it can be adjust with your feet. Pull out the Speedo Knob for higher gain and crisper tones

* All Metal Film Resistors and Caps. Low noise Design.

* Blue LED, a Keeley Trademark!

* True-Bypass

* 5 Year Warranty

A clean boost with an available 20 db of pure clean tone. Your sound only louder. A true loud, clean flat boost. That Gibson like speedo knob that you see pulls out to give you a tube like grit that really drives your amp. Not a full out lead boost but a gritty boost. We used a strat into a Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10 amp. Playing the amp on the verge of breakup we kicked in the Katana with the gritty lead boost engaged . Speaking of the speedo knob on the side, this now makes it possible to be controlled with your foot onstage! I was scratching my head wondering why noone else has come up with this idea.Very handy feature!

To have a pure clean boost the higher the voltage the better. Most boosts on the market are a standard 9 volts. The Katana requires 9 Volts DC in like other effects but is converted to 18 inside. Don't apply more, you can damage the unit! Keeley bumps up the voltage internally by using a charge pump.

Huge, pure, clean headroom with tube like response!

Any Keeley pedal we have tried in the past has been SUPER quiet. the Katana is no exception whatsover. One of the only boosts we have tried that adds virtually no noise. And adds no EQ change which is a rare find. A true FLAT boost with no treble spike as heard in other boosts on the market.

Not only was it the perfect lead boost but it added a presence that really impressed us.This is not the standard tube screamer type lead sound. You can add total clean volume or with the speedo pulled out a little extra grit WITHOUT an EQ shift like a tube screamer does. A tube screamer accents and pushes the mids when engaged. The Katana i feel is the perfect lead pedal for someone that is totally happy with their current amplifier tone and just need more of it in some cases and more of it with a gain push in others. Its great having those 2 choices there with the speedo knob. Think of the Katana as an expensive imported chocolate that goes on top of your favorite ice cream. The ice cream is great but so much better with the chocolate .

I have used several Keeley electronics products in the past and have never been disapointed and the Katana is a very impressive pedal.

True Bypass switching is standard to ensure no tone loss when the pedal is not being used. Bright blue LED is a Keeley trademark and looks stunning against the bright white Katana when its on.

Upon opening the Katana the first thing you notice if you have looked inside other handmade pedals is how clean the work is on the inside. Very neat detailed work. The work inside reminds us of some 2-3000 dollar amplifiers ive looked inside. Clean, neat and professional are the name of the game at Keeley electronics.

First rate customer service and a pedal that is built to last and guaranteed for 5 years are just a couple of reasons to look into Keeley Electronics. The pros using them speak for themselves.

Available now from www.keeleyelectronics.com
Available from Keeley electronics www.robertkeeley.com

Feature Gear Review : Retroman Wolf Tone Machine

2009-01-27T18:28:00.000-08:00

In the world of octave up type guitar effects the Octavia is the most recognizable one out there. But those in the know know that the Tone Machine was the meaner of the two. The WTM is not just a clone of the original Foxx Tone Machine but an up to date version with more features and top notch build quality. An Octavia with an attitude problem if you will.

Ive said this before but first impressions mean alot and I was very impressed when opening the WTM.First off the box was sealed with a gold sticker. Just that little assurance that no grimy paws werre touching it before you. A relief to some of us pedals freaks. Upon opening the box the pedal was inside a soft velvet bag. A very classy touch. The pedal was painted in a medium blue with creme knobs and black writing. The black writing is a little hard to read at any more than an arms length. But a very impressive package and presentation that you dont always see with hand made pedals.

The build quality is top notch, very neat and clean wiring, no messes whatsoever here. They say the devil is in the details and Joe Wolf spared no expense, from the packaging to the build quality high marks all around.

Unlike the original Foxx version the WTM has 2 footswitches. One to turn octave off and on and bypass totally. So you can just use the fuzz or the fuzz and the octave at a click of the switch. An Octave LED lets you know if it is on even when you are in bypass mode. Very slick. True bypass switching and power in jack are standard.

A great feature that I have never seen on another pedal is the on/off switch in the tone control. The Tone control doubles as an off off switch when turned all the way to the right. For you battery users it means instead of yanking the cord out everytime you can just switch it off bypassing the battery drain.It might be a challenge to remember where you had the tone set before but I am a big fan of this feature as I usually use batteries.

If this pedal was a stand alone fuzz only it would still be a winner. A nice fat thick fuzztone is here. Very smooth Big Muff type almost, will keep alot of fuzz freaks very happy. Kicking in the Octave effect brings forth a very mean upper octave. Forget the Octavia the WTM is mean. I tried it wait single coils and was very close to the original Octavia sound. Hitting it with humbuckers you can actually get an ALL octave tone. Alomst totally bypassing the original note. This can be adjusted with the guitars volume knob. Less input the more the original note can be heard. This was ALOT of fun to play around with. It will basically do the classic Jimi octave tones but will get alot meaner and is VERY responsive to the guitars volume knob.

A mean upper octave pedal that could eliminate a few of your fuzzes and upper octave pedals. Tons of features and attention to detail make the WTM a hands down winner in the upper octave market. Retroman

Have you ever heard one of these? Now you can!

Originals of this ultra-rare (and very cool) pedal are demanding eyeteeth as down payments - I have seen them go for $500+ ... nuts!

We can all agree that the prices on most vintage and many "boo-teek" pedals is plain crazy. That's why is here - high quality "boo-teek" + reasonable pricing = your best value.

I use only the original spec (now obsolete) "Button Top" 2N3565 transistors, fully tested and sorted for gain. The other components are also of the highest quality: retina frying Ultra-blue LED indicators, high quality 3PDT switches (for TRUE BYPASS), metal film 1% resistors, silver solder, New Old Stock 1N34A germanium diodes, cool powder coat finishes, and the build quality is second to none.

Check out the controls:

VOLUME – Careful with this one….go much above 9:00 and you are dealing with a volcano!

TONE – Extremely versatile, dishing up just the right amount of bite or growl – A bit of play and you will find Jimi or Bachmann (Or you!).

SUSTAIN – this thing can go for days….and very useful and very cool interplay between the Volume and Sustain controls.

Note that there are TWO footswitches! One is your TRUE BYPASS WITH INDICATOR – Hard not to notice when this baby is steaming, but just in case your ears drop out, I have included a eye-searing blue LED to remind you “Hey! It’s on!” The second footswitch allows you to add an OCTAVE ABOVE! Yes, just like the original….only better! You can kick it in or out on the fly!!!! And to top it off, I HAVE ADDED ANOTHER LED TO INDICATE “OCTAVE IN”! As an added bonus, this lamp will stay on when the beast is bypassed, so you know what you’re in for when you stomp it in….

Here's what some folks have to say:

"Well now, after I plugged in the Wolf Tone I spent the next five hours lying on my floor in the fetal position. I'm just now recovering. This is one scary sounding pedal. I have recorded with an old Foxx before but could never imagine having one in my pedal board. I love the fact that guys like you are taking old designs and making them in a more modern and rock-solid way."

"You are one sick puppy!. This thing is obscenely great! God, do I love this pedal. Thank you SO bloody much for the Tone Machine! I just KNEW it was gonna be huge!"

I received the Wolf Tone Machine .... it is utterly amazing. Jaw dropping amazing! I was able to dial in those early Belew settings that I have always been seeking. This thing replicates the Foxx dead on! I can't really can't thank you enough.

Due to the incredible amount of detail in the WTMtm pedals, I can build only 2-3 of these pedals per month. Every one gets the attention to detail that you deserve.

Feature Gear Review : Kaden Fluttertone

2009-01-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

From Kaden effects
Fluttertone Tremolo
The Fluttertone provides high quality vintage tremolo effects in a convenient compact box. From slow, shimmering tube amp swells to fast pulsating waves, this tremolo provides plenty of depth and speed for the practical player.

It features a side-mounted volume knob for easy access and manipulation of front panel controls. And includes top-mounted quarter inch in/out jacks to conserve space and allow better access on pedal boards.

Equipped with true-bypass switching to help preserve your tone.

Power: 9v battery or a/c adapter (negative tip)

$139.00 USD

Review
Vintage amp tremolo has been tough to find in anything other than an amp until the recent boutique pedal boom hit. I have always loved the tremolo in my old Kustom amp but have never found anything in this size of a pedal that could duplicate it. Until now.

Alot of pedals sound like pedals and the Fluttertone blends in with the amp beautifully. The Fluttertone can do the slow swampy tremolo that I really love. The vintage throb is there and can be set very subtle or in your face using the depth control. Ramping the speed up and diming the depth can give you the hard choppy trem as fast as I could possibly need. The slow subtle swampy tremolo is where its at for me and the Fluttertone excels at it. Very happy with the sound of the pedal, no complaints at all. Other than trying to get my voice to sound like Fogerty after playing the pedal.Vintage amp tremolo lives inside this little pedal.

There are quite a few features to the Fluttertone that make it a winner for me. Starting with the top mounted jacks. This can save alot of room on a pedalboard and I am always happy to add a pedal with this feature. The size of the Fluttertone alone can be a good reason to purchase it. Not much bigger than a MXR size pedal the Fluttertone can save alot of room on the pedalboard nad you just dont see em this size very often.

A side mounted volume control! What? A volume control on a tremolo pedal ? Yes another feature that sets it apart from others on the market. The inside work is very neat and clean. Throw in a 9v power in jack and true bypass switching and it really has every feature and is the ideal size to make it a perfect tremolo to put on the pedalboard.

The only suggestion i could think of is to make the LED throb with the time of the trem. It seems trivial but there is something about seeing the light throb in that makes it seductive. This could possibly be done on the current production models, I will update the review if thats the case.

All in all a great vintage sounding, handbuilt tremolo pedal that has the features that I would want if I had one built.

Feature Gear Review : TC Jauernig DGTM pedal

2009-01-27T18:21:00.000-08:00

Review
Tim at T.C. Jauernig was kind enough to send us a DGTM to check out when we interviewed Greg Koch. I was half afraid to open the box fearing a water squirt or blast of baby powder to the face after interviewing Greg, the guy is a character. Sense of humor aside, Greg Koch knows tone. The guy is playing nonstop and heck I even use some of the Hal Leonard books he writes for my guitar students. The DGTM is his signature overdrive. Needless to say I was very happy to try one out.

First checking it out I noticed it has alot of visual things in common with David Barbers pedals. The size and layout are the same and extremely neat wiring and build quality. Tim does pro work for sure.True bypass switching and 9v power in are standard.

Overdrive to me is gain that is best suited on top of an already cooking or on the verge of cooking amp. Just like a tube screamer is meant to be played over a driving amp the DGTM shines in this situation. The DGTM also sounds great thru a sparkly clean amp. We used a 4x10 Deville and Peavey JSX clean channel and the DGTM is smooth and fat even at low volumes, something I could not get out of a tube screamer.So far this only with the lower gain side of the toggle. It pushes a tube amp very well and doubles as clean boost with the gain down. Work that volume control on the guitar and all your tones are there. A very dynamic pedal that works and responds at its best at gig volume and through a tube amp. The DGTM has more gain than a standard TS pedal at the lower gain selection on the toggle. The higher gain setting is not in Metallica territory but a nice heavy crunch that will peel paint at gig volumes. It is very nice to have both options in a convienent package.

It absolutely screams on the crunch channel of my JSX amp. Like i said before as with any TS type pedal it does its best when pushing a driving amp. It loves a strat and adds a little body to the tone as well as a smooth gain.

I like this one better than the TS mods I have tried, the toggle option is a huge plus and it just has a bigger cleaner sound, a little more open if you will compared to the ol mean greenie.

At 139.99 it is less than alot of popular TS mods, you get the toggle option, hand built quality, and not to mention Greg Kochs mojo.

I have been reading great things about a twin tremolo pedal that Tim is also building, check out the DGTM and Tims other pedals at www.TCJeffects.com

If you see Greg out on his Fender tours and you see the DGTM on the floor please tell him Tony said " I like The DGTMs Gristle fo shizzle"

Interview : Zvex's Zachary Vex

2009-01-27T09:29:00.002-08:00

Interview by Chris Camm

MGS: Mr. Vex, thanks so much for taking the time to sit and chat with us.
With NAMM just behind us, another one on the horizon, and the new
products coming out from ZVex Effects, I'm sure you're a busy guy.

Vex: I try. 8^)

MGS: So give us some background, if you will. Born and raised where? Was
music prominent in your family as you grew up?

Vex: Born and raised right here in Minneapolis. My brothers both played
guitar and were influenced very heavily by the Beatles, CSNY, Neil
Young, Zeppelin, the Stones... I used to listen to them play and sing
late into the night. Blackbird was one of my favorites... they could
play it just right, with all of the harmonies. My brother Jim had a
rock band in the 70's and I think that was my main influence in getting
into electric guitar. My cousins had Gibsons and a little practice
amp, and the first effect I was exposed to, which sounded intensely
exciting... it was a Jordan Bosstone. stuck out of the guitar, had
little cracked controls in a bakelite housing. I thought it was the
coolest thing ever. My Uncle would play his ES-335 and the kids would
play along on a red SG...

MGS: Did you ever play in any bands? Was guitar the instrument you picked
up originally?

Vex: Yes, I had a band called Fauna in Minneapolis for a few years in the
90's. We put out two records, very noisy pop. About the time I
started the pedal business I started another recording project called
Ova which used a lot of the effects (plus some prototype devices that
eventually were adapted into things like the seek-wah.) That material
remains unreleased.

MGS: And so what triggered this desire to fiddle and mess around with a
guitar pedal?

Vex: I think that Jordan Bosstone really got me going. I ran into someone
who had one of those re-housed when I was in 10th grade, and it
inspired me to build a guitar pedal, so I went to the library and got a
schematic from a Popular Electronics magazine and built one up in an
old plastic fishing tackle box that was about 8 inches long. The thing
was completely haywire and didn't work right, but when it did, it
really screamed. The guy who owned the Jordan Bosstone bought it from
me. I wonder if he still has it? 8^)
I could hear guitar effects all over the music I liked... I guess I
always wanted to be a part of rock and roll somehow, so with my
electronics hobby it just seemed to fit.

MGS: Do you have any hobbies outside of music?

Vex: Yes, I collect old 16mm movie gear, physics demonstration equipment
like Wimshurst machines (high-voltage static machines), and build
magnetic levitation devices. I have a Moviola, an old-school Star Trek
communicator replica (that works), a Tricorder, and I have a bunch of
original paintings by people I know and love. I'm an avid fan of sushi
and other fine food, so I try to hunt down great restaurants wherever I
travel. Man, I sound like a real nerd!

MGS: What kind of car or cars do you drive?

Vex: The company car is actually a Cooper Mini with the John Cooper engine
package. I need to put another 600 miles on it before I can really
open it up though... dang. I don't even know how much acceleration it
has because I was warned not to take it over 4K RPM until 1200 miles.

MGS: Any pets?

Vex: I have two gorgeous Egyptian Maus. One is a few months old, and he's a
silver. The other is a bronze, and I've had him for a few years. They
have the highest land-speed of any domesticated cat (30MPH) and can
run up a full-sized Oak tree to the very top in about 5 seconds. I let
the older one go outside, and he brings me full-grown bunnies (as big
as he is) and flying squirrels, which I didn't even know we had here.
It's like having a miniature leopard in the house. They're the only
naturally-spotted breed, so they look like leopards too.

MGS: I've read the AnalogMan Guide to Vintage Effects, where Tom touches
on the boutique builders a little, and I did chuckle reading the part
about you painting in the alley and the old lady yelling at you. Did
you ever think it would become what it has? Did you tell all your
family and friends you would end up making a living producing this
tiny little noise makers?

Vex: Absolutely not. I never thought it would last... I always warned my
painter and assembler that the business might just go away someday...
now they're trying to figure out how to keep up with it all. I feel
very lucky. I guess it was a matter of very good timing. After trying
so hard to get signed with my bands and trying to make it as a
recording engineer/producer, this seems too easy... I guess it's the
thing I must be good at.

MGS: I love the videos on the website. They are not too serious, yet they
show interaction with the knobs and give us a really good idea of what
a particular box can do. What prompted the videos?

Vex: Amada, my long-time administrative assistant and sales person told me
one day that we really needed video demonstrations of the pedals so she
wouldn't have to explain what they did and how to use them over the
phone, which is pretty brilliant, really. I owe that all to her. I
guess I'm a natural joker, and I find the videos entertaining to make.

MGS: If you could go back in time to any date and could change something
what would it be and why?

Vex: I'd go back to my early teens and nerd out more. I dunno, that
question doesn't make any sense to someone who knows it's not possible.

MGS: I rarely hear anyone say a Wah Probe or Fuzz Factory was just
"Okay." People either LOVE them or HATE them. Why do you think there
is such passion involved with ZVex Effects?

Vex: Probably because they're so weird! The interfaces, the textures, the
look... I try to be very different. I think I've succeeded with some
of the products. In some ways, I'm trying to carry on the work of one
of my favorite instructors from the University of Minnesota, Bruce
Eaton, who designed the physics lab experiements in the deep
sub-basement of the Physics Building. If I could put high-voltage arcs
and levitating magnets in my pedals, I would. 8^)

MGS: It did take me three tries with the Fuzz Factory, but I finally got
it right! Its amazing how many fuzzes really are in there. I had to
sit and learn that pedal.

Vex: Me too! Just when I think I've heard them all, someone records
something new with it.

MGS: And you don't rest on your laurels..NAMM brought the new Ringtone
(sequenced ring modulator) and the Tremorama (sequenced tremolo with
random switch), a sneak peek at the Box Of Rocks too, which I can't
wait to try. You've got a great new artist in Laura Bennett, and the
Vexter Fuzz Factory selling like hotcakes.
Is it still fun or has the business end taken alot out of your daily routine?

Vex: It's a blast! I love making pedals. I'm always working on solving some little . production problem. Today I spent a few hours in front of a drill press trying
to make a perfect prototype and then duplicate it. My business is like a
hobby where I get paid to be as weird as possible!

MGS: I see you shared a booth with Mike Fuller from Fulltone recently. Are
you guys friends?

Vex: I don't know what you mean... was that in Frankfurt? I didn't go
there, and I doubt Mike did either, but I might be wrong. Perhaps
someone who sells our stuff put both brands in the same booth or
something... let me know where you saw it so I know too. 8^)
I talk to Mike from time to time about what's going on in the world of
pedals. His company is twice as big as mine, as far as I know, so he's
a lot busier with production. I do know that he only works 4 days a
week and they're closed Fridays (which is an exceedingly good idea if
you can afford to do it), and he's changed some things about his
business recently, like he doesn't sell direct anymore.

MGS: Have you ever gotten starstruck when an artist talks to you about
your pedals?

Vex: Billy Gibbons, a little. He was so personable that I felt pretty
comfortable, though. Even the biggest stars typically are very amiable
when it comes to gear. They just turn into regular guys who have
questions about batteries and settings and ideas for new pedals like
anybody else. And they like to eat good food and drink beer, which is
pretty normal... Usually I get over the star-struck feeling pretty quickly.

MGS: Have you ever had to take a competitior or copy cat to court or close
to it?

Vex: There was a guy in Japan making hand-painted copies of the SHO and
selling them to my dealers there. When we found out who he was, a
resident alien from the UK, we threatened to inform Interpol that he
was forging artwork... he had the audacity to sign Jason Myrold's name!
What an idiot. He stopped making them immediately, and he would have
had to anyway because we warned all of the dealers about him.
No, I haven't had to get involved with court stuff. I did call up Line
6 and yell at their president for using my name and Jason's art in
their promotional materials for the FM-2 pedal. Their ripoff of the
Seek-Wah is idiotic... you can't adjust any of the settings! They
completely missed the point. His response was "well, our lawyers tell
us what we're doing is perfectly legal" blah blah blah blah. Screw
that. Bad karma for those dudes.
Basically, nobody in their right mind would copy my stuff in the US or
Europe because they know I'd tell any dealer carrying their products
that they can't sell mine, and I have 20 pretty interesting pieces that
a lot of dealers would miss if I dropped their dealership. I've seen
copies of things in places where I have no penetration, like Brazil,
but remarkably they've copied products that I sell very few of anyway,
which makes no sense to me! Why someone would go to such lengths to
sell a handful of pedals is beyond me, when they could just do
something original and actually get some interest, reviews in
magazines, and find some real brick-and-mortar dealers!
When I first got started I contacted every dealer that carried Fulltone
and asked if they were interested in even more unusual boutique pedals,
and let them know who was carrying my stuff already. That's the way to
make money... get into the dealers with legitimate new products. Not
hide in the bushes in some far-off country and sell a handful of crappy
knock-offs to unsuspecting victims. Where's the fun in that?

MGS: Tell us a little about Laura too please. Amazing color and detail,
yet quite different from Jason Myrold (who has painted what 15,000
pedals now?). How did you get her aboard? What does Jason paint now?

Vex: I think Jason Myrold is up around 25,000. Laura has probably painted
about 1000 pedals so far. She's just getting up to speed... Jason
didn't paint that many in the first two years we worked together, but
we're making about 5000 units per year now.

MGS: What will summer NAMM bring for ZVex, besides more robes?

Vex: I don't do summer NAMM. I don't think we'll be doing the pajama theme
again. It was completely silly, and those robes are way too hot.
People kept asking me if I'd locked myself out of my hotel room, or if
I was okay.

MGS: Where do you see the state on the industry headed? 20 years ago you
could only get gear in stores, then the internet hit and that
exploded. Now it seems that folks want to bring it back to the stores.
Thoughts?

Vex: I think more and more major companies are going to attempt to develop
boutique lines and probably miss the mark, like usual... I hope. 8^)
I haven't signed up any internet-only stores for years now. I only
open brick-and-mortar dealers because they are where people can try
things in person. Internet stores are fine if you know exactly what
you want already... but that's pretty hard to decide from watching a
video, I think.

MGS: What are your long term goals for Zvex?

Vex: Yes, but if I say that stuff out loud it never comes true! The same
thing about new pedal designs I'm still working on... if i talk about
it, it jinxes it somehow and slows down or kills my progress. I'm a
very secretive person when it comes to the future. 8^) It helps keep
people from being disappointed, I hope... I personally hate vaporware
and equipment that is advertised for months before it hits the market!
Even the NAMM show causes trouble for me... I showed three prototypes
there this year and the phone rang off the hook for 2 months before we
could get two of them shipping regularly. I don't like causing trouble
for myself and my coworkers, so I have to keep it "close to the vest."
Or, "close to the Vex" if you will.

MGS: How about a quick YES/NO to send us off:
Do you eat breakfast?

Vex: Sometimes. I eat lunch sometimes, and I always eat dinner.

MGS: Do you have your own pedalboard? If, YES..what's on it?

Vex: You've seen the pedalboards I use for the NAMM show. There's pictures
on the site. I don't wish to discuss my personal gear. 8^) It's... personal.

MGS: Do the older Fuzz Factories that you made sound different to you than
the ones coming out today?

Vex: Some people think so. They all sound a little different to me...
every single fuzz factory has a slightly different set of knob
positions to get similar sounds, so at the extremes they all sound
slightly different from each other.
The early "spam can" fuzz factories used a transistor that was custom
made for a Minneapolis company back in the 50's. Only 100 or so
transistors were made, and I used all of them up during the first few
years making it... I think I ran out in 1997. Those earliest units had
a slightly "fluffier" tone. The new ones are more edgy and cut through
better, I think.

MGS: Will we see anymore Vexter models coming out?

Vex: Yes, the next one is the Box of Rock coming out this year. I think
I'll release a hand-painted version of that first... Amada is insisting
that we need one.

MGS: Will we see a ZVex delay pedal in the future?

Vex: I'm not sure. I like delays, but so far my ideas for making one have
been too insane. I hate to even describe what I'm thinking about
because it will reveal the technology to anyone smart enough to
understand... but it involves technology from the 20's mixed with some
from the 50's.

MGS: Will the DRIP Guitar ever be re-released?

Vex: Not if I have any say in the matter! I wasn't cut out to make guitars,
I don't think.

MGS: What effect are YOU most pleased with?

Vex: I'm not satisfied yet. I want to make something so remarkably weird
but usable that it raises eyebrows just looking at it. The nano is
close, and the iMP is pretty cool, and as far as sounds go, I love the
lo-fi loop junky and the machine.

MGS: Will I someday have a ZVex Home Stereo System to go with my Nano and
iMPAMP?

Vex: Like turntables and stuff? I don't think so. Maybe an attenuator box
and a headphone breakout box. Not cd players or anything.

MGS: Does ZVex Effects have a day job I can do from my home here in CO?

Vex: Hah! We just got our first intern... that's a sign that we need more
help but can't afford to pay anybody! 8^)

MGS: Thanks again Mr. Vex, for your time. Its been a real treat picking
your brain and hearing about the history and future of ZVex Effects.
All the best wishes in the future

Vex: Sure! Anytime at all... zack
Feature Interview

Zachary Vex - Zvex effects

by Chris Camm

Interview : Gary from Backline eng.

2009-01-27T09:29:00.001-08:00

MGS - Welcome Gary from Backline to musicgearsource.com
G - Thanks. Glad to be here.

MGS - First off can you give us a history of how you got into guitar effects?
G - I was always interested in music. When I was about 17, I started playing guitar and also built a synthesizer using parts from an old Vox organ. I formed a band with my best friend who also played the guitar. We played 70’s rock so I bought a 1970s 50 watt Marshall head and build a replica Marshall 4x12 cabinet for it and loaded it with some used Greenbacks. I also build a homemade guitar floor effects pedal with distortion, compressor, flanger and delay. The thing weighed a ton!

After collage, I took a job designing semiconductors and stopped playing. Fifteen years later, I felt that it was time to renew my love of guitar and guitar electronics. I bought some Line 6 gear, and that got me interested in the endless possibilities of digital guitar effects. I wrote a free software editor for the Line 6 Vetta amp and then decided to form Backline Engineering based on an idea I had for a new type of looper.

MGS - What was it in the current crop of loopers out there that drove you to make your own?
G- Since I play guitar at home in my spare time, I thought it would be great to be able to lay down a rhythm part to play over, so I bought a Boss RC-20. With this type of looper (and many others on the market), you need to time your footswitch press to your playing at exactly the right time in order to avoid a glitch when the loop repeats. I found that I could do this only about 30% of the time.

MGS - What were the main things you wanted to fix about loopers?
G - First of all, I wanted to focus on playing live. If you want to record things ahead of time and store them, you could do this on a laptop or personal multi-track recorder. Triggering pre-recorded loops live, does not give the audience a good sense of your talent. Playing something live and then having it repeat shows that you have the talent to play it all. Who knows where the pre-recorded stuff came from?

Next, I wanted it to be easy to use in a live situation. People do not want to add a large pedal board to their current set of floor effects so I wanted to make a small unit. Also, people do not want to tap dance on foot pedals while they are playing. I wanted to minimize that.

Finally, the most important thing was to always achieve accurate loop timing. I wanted the looper to recognize the notes or chords that you play, and use the time when you play a note or chord as the trigger point for loop timing. I applied for a patent on this idea.

MGS - Tell us about the Riffbox and its features.
G - RiffBox has many different ways to capture loop timing. You can time it to a footswitch press, just like all the other loopers on the market. You can time the loop to when you play a note or chord. Or, you can close a loop when you play a certain note since RiffBox can also recognize the value of single notes. RiffBox can also recognize repeated rhythm or note patterns and start the loop playback automatically when these patterns are repeated. These various loop capture modes allow you to focus on your playing without thinking about the next time you need to hit a footswitch.

There are 76 different loop playback modes that can be stored in 100 preset locations. For example, you can use manual or automatic layering, you can have the loop fade away while you record another layer, you can have the loop playback automatically stop after a certain number of measures or you can have the loop length automatically multiply when you record a new layer. There are also other modes such as reverse and half-speed. It has up to 80 seconds of loop time with CD quality audio.

The extensive MIDI capabilities allow you to do some other interesting things. If you have an existing guitar effects pedal board with MIDI outputs, you can control the looping functions of RiffBox from that pedal board. For example, selecting a rhythm patch on your pedal board also arms RiffBox for loop recording. When it is time for your solo, press a lead patch on your pedal board. This also stops loop recording and starts loop playback on RiffBox. No tap dancing required. RiffBox can send MIDI output clocks to an external drum machine which will be perfectly timed you the loop playback. Since RiffBox remembers when you played each note or chord in the loop, you can use MIDI commands to shorten and then lengthen the loop playback timed to when you played these notes or chords.

MGS - Why should someone buy this instead of X looper?
G - Again, it is intended for people who want to loop in a live situation. Unique features such as loop closure based on note timing and loop control from other pedal boards allow you to concentrate on your playing and not your equipment. No other device has as many loop playback modes that can be stored as presets for recall during a live show. The relatively small size compared to other loopers allows you to add it to your existing pedal board. Also, you will not find loopers with the extensive MIDI capabilities that are available in RiffBox.

MGS - The FX tracker looks really great. Please tell us all about it.
G - The idea for FX-Tracker came out of RiffBox. With RiffBox, you can create delay effects with the delay time matching the loop length. I wanted to take this one step further with FX-Tracker by having the delay time continuously adjust to your playing speed. This evolved into having chorus, tremolo, flanger and filter effects with periods or envelops timed to your playing. It also has a pitch shifter like effect that allows you to trigger whammy like dive bombs or change arpeggio intervals every time you play a note. An additional delay can be placed before after or in parallel with the other effects. You can also send MIDI waveforms, envelopes and arpeggio patterns to other devices based on your playing. Too much to describe here, you should check out the web site.

MGS - Do you play live?
G - Not anymore. Although my son is a drummer so we play together sometimes.

MGS - Do you use your pedals live?
G - No, but I do have a blast playing with RiffBox where I can be a one man band.

MGS - Do you have anything on the bench that you are working on?
G - I do have a lot of ideas for future products such as rack mounted pro versions, but I have invested so much money up to this point and I need to spend time on the marketing front to get these products off the ground before I invest in new developments.

MGS - Have you had any high profile players check these pedals out yet?
G - I have shipped RiffBox to the Woven and Spiral Arms for them to check out. No famous name players yet. But I do see a trend with some players such as Tom Morello of Audioslave to experiment with new sounds.

MGS - Where are these pedals made and how many people are involved in the construction process?
G - These pedals are made in California and are fairly simple to assemble. I designed them with no wires; everything is attached to the PC board. I use one company here in Camarillo to fabricate and paint the chassis and another local company to fabricate the boards. My son helps me assemble and test them.

MGS - What are your thoughts on true bypass vs. buffered?
G - I have mixed opinions on this. If you have just a few pedals and cables that are not too long, true bypass might be a good thing. If you have long cables or many effects, you will need to buffer the signal at some point to avoid high frequency loss. I would beware of the super expensive cables with the ‘magic’ ingredients.

MGS - Are retailers catching on to these pedals yet?
G - We currently have three retailers carrying these pedals and are always on the hunt for more.

MGS - Where do you see looping/loopers headed in the future?
G - My view is that loopers are intended for enhancing live performances with additional backing parts. Down the road, I could imagine loopers that analyze what is recorded in the loop and then lay down other appropriate instrumental parts such as a bass line or a drum part. Loopers could be integrated with other technology such as intelligent harmonizers or drum machines to create all kinds of interesting possibilities.

MGS - Thanks so much for chatting with us and best of luck to you Gary.
G - Thanks for putting this together.

Feature interview

Gary from Backline EngineeringFor more info on the Riffbox please check out backine-eng.com

Interview : Tremol-No's Kevan Geier

2009-01-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

Interview by Chris Camm

MGS: Mr. Geier, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us today. I'm sure excitement is building as the release date for the Tremol-No closes in?

KG: No problem! Yeah, AllParts and I are very excited, and very ready.
BTW- "Mister" is my dad. I'm just Kevan.

MGS: Could you give us some personal background information? How old were you when you started playing music? Was guitar what you first picked up? Was music heavily influenced in your family?

KG: Let's see...I've always been into music. I think the first memory I really have is back in 5th grade calling the local radio station in Gettysburg, PA and requesting the song "about a fire on the mountain and granny's dog that doesn't bite". Hey, cut me some slack; I was 9. I started playing music in the 5th or 6th grade, with my non-chick-digging trombone. I learned to read music, but was never really good at playing trombone. I still listened to lots of music though, every chance I got. I remember saving my allowance to buy all 4 of the KISS 'solo' albums (when they were still together, but did solo records...however that works.). I wore down my Ace vinyl until it was a mirror.
I didn't start playing guitar until very late, about 18 or 19. My first guitar was a red Kramer Model 620. Why? Well, because I was going to be the next Eddie Van Halen of course! As we can see, that didn't happen. That guitar was swiftly stolen by my guitar teacher (odd story for another time), and so I was left to fend for myself and ended up building my own neck-thru Strat-style guitar...with a Wonderbar trem on it! That's pretty much when I started getting into dissecting guitars and tremolo systems.
My parents? Well, let's just say that my dad has probably bought Zamfir (master of the pan flute) a house somewhere. He has ALL of Zamfir's albums, on cassette. My mom actually asked the dealer if they could remove the stereo from her last new car when she bought it. She didn't want to pay for something she will never use. She doesn't hate music; she just never listens to it. The only records I remember around the house growing up were from ABBA, Neil Diamond, and the soundtrack to "A Star Is Born". I wish I were kidding.

MGS: What gear do you play through right now?

KG: My main guitars are Ibanez J-Customs. The RG-ART and the RG-7-CST are my number 1 and 2, respectively. I have a few other types of guitars as well: a MIC Strat, an EB/MM JPM-6, a Belshe Custom Tele.
For amps, I have a Rivera TBR-2SL (320W, all tube, "The Neighbor Hater") paired with a Digitech 2101 Pro running through a Peavey 4x12 . I also run a Line6 Vetta II half-stack, which is a tweakers dream. When I'm feeling 'old school', I plug into my stock '68 Fender Bassman. It's lots of fun to play through. The pickups I use are the ones that sound best to my ears. And lastly, I've strung my guitars with DR strings for the last decade-plus, and my picks are the blue Dunlop Tortex ones. Oh, I almost forgot: up here by the computers, I have a little Line6 Spider 1x12 for those late night and inspirational moments.

MGS: Tell us some technical data on the Tremol-No, if you will. What separates it from the other tremolo stabilizers out there?

KG: It's made from 6061 T-6 aircraft aluminum and 304 stainless steel. In simple terms: it's really, really strong. The thumbscrews used to lock and unlock the Tremol-No are made from 360 brass. The screws are brass for two reasons: 1) to prevent galling between the metals, and 2) to be softer metal than the Tremol-No shaft which allows it to release if too much pressure is applied. Yes- the Tremol-No will slip if you have it locked down and try to use the bar to move your trem. Why? Well, the only thing that sucks more than trying to dig a broken trem arm out of it's socket, is filling in the holes that the claw screws just got yanked out of. It's a safety feature that I designed into the unit.
The other devices out there are fairly decent, though they all require drilling or modification to the guitar body. Some involve a few heavy duty modifications! The Tremol-No is the only one that doesn't require drilling, routing, or any other modifications to the guitar.

MGS: And so give us your "flux capacitor" moment? When did you design the Tremol-No, and what prompted its design?

KG: There wasn't really a single moment. It happened over a long period of time. I was hearing from lots of players and friends about how 'I wish it was a hardtail', or 'my trem sucks; because when I bend a note the rest of the strings go out of tune', 'I wish YYYYYY guitar company would make more hardtails' and the ever-unpopular, 'when I break a string, everything goes out of tune.' There was no shortage of bitching. There was, however, no one actually doing anything about it. So, I did something about it. I researched all the prior designs, and got to work on my own, in my shop (aka the kitchen!). I would take my guitar with the first prototype in it to gigs and open-stage jams. Guys would stare in amazement as my guitar with a floating trem would remain in tune during double-stops and after string breaks. They couldn't figure it out! As much fun as it was to play David Copperfield, I knew this was something that people would like to have, so the (long) process began.

MGS: So how long has this taken? I've never invented anything, so what steps are necessary to obtain patents, licenses and finally distribution?

KG: It's taken years and years. Licensing is a difficult process in itself, but the biggest hurdle has definitely been the US Patent Office. It's not that they're lazy; it's that they're overloaded. I'm simply amazed at how long it takes to get numbers from them.
Licensing was initially difficult, but only because I'd never done anything like that before. My first attempt was going along fine, but then eight months into the process, the whole thing died a grizzly and painful death. A couple of days after deciding against that initial deal, I got an email from a company in Japan interested in licensing. WooHoo! Note: Japanese translations of product licenses are NOT cheap. About a week after the Japanese company got their copy of the licensing agreement, I got the call from AllParts. When the Japanese company found out about AllParts getting a license, they said, "That works out great. We have an account with them, so we'll get units from them." Ugh...so much for that translation I just spent big bucks on. It does make for some cool artwork though.
By the time I was talking with AllParts, I had the whole licensing thing down pat. We whipped through the license in about a week. Done.

MGS: And so you teamed up with AllParts, pretty much the biggest musical instrument parts dealer in the world. How did that come about and how have they been to work with?

KG: I got a phone call from the owner of AllParts about a week after my first attempt at licensing had fallen apart. I've know about AllParts for years, and knew they were at the top of the guitar parts world. The owner and I talked for about an hour, then I emailed him a copy of the license agreement. About a week later, we had a worldwide license agreement signed and ready to go. It sounds easy, but there were hundreds of emails and phone calls during that span of time. We both wanted to make sure our asses were covered.
AllParts has been FANTASTIC to work with. Every aspect has been virtually painless. Even with difficult issues (like who gets paid!), they were willing to work with me and didn't scoff one single bit. From advertising to quality control, we were able to work everything out and make sure everyone and every aspect is covered. They are a really nice group of folks over there and I'm VERY happy to be working with them.
Oh yeah, and they're also #1 in the parts world. :-)

MGS: You're the vice president of Jemfest, the largest annual guitar-based charity event in the world (www.jemfest.com), you're a full-time co-administrator at Project Guitar (www.ProjectGuitar.com), and you "improved" on the Ibanez Double Edge piezo-equipped guitar wiring, which they actually incorporated the following year (http://www.jemfest.com/Misc/kevan/dewiring-full1.jpg).
My question is: DO YOU EVER SLEEP?

KG: My girlfriend, Rachel loves this question! I usually only sleep about 3-4 hours a day. I've been doing this since I got out of high school, so I'm pretty used to it. On occassion, when I'm REALLY tired, I'll get 6 or 7. It's just how I operate.
Jemfest is such a great event. We've been doing it since '99, and have raised thousands of dollars for Steve Vai's "Make A Noise Foundation". Not bad for a bunch of guitar geeks, eh? We have established artists and feature some up-and-coming artists, and do a webcast of the entire event. There are a bunch of uber-rare guitars on display, tons of raffle items, and the hotel room jams have to be seen to be believed. It's a great time and I thoroughly enjoy it.
ProjectGuitar.com started back in '99 or 2000, and the owner asked if it'd like to moderate on his new forum. It looked like fun, and was nice and small, so I agreed. Well, things have changed a little since then. There are now almost 6000 members, and some of the work those guys and gals display is amazing. We have a good time over there.
The DoubleEdge wiring I did for Ibanez was kind of funny. I bought this gorgeous guitar with this incredible tremolo system, but when I got it, I could only select between the two pickup systems- magnetic and piezo. I couldn't run them both at the same time. I was bummed! So, I dove right into the electronics and got to work. After speaking with the tech guys at both Ibanez and L.R. Baggs, I had all the info I needed to wire it up so I could run both systems simultaneously. I drew up a quick diagram and sent it off to the tech guys at Ibanez. They said, "Wow! That's great! We get a lot of calls about doing a setup like that. Mind if we send your drawing out to customers?" I said "No problem.".
Today, when you call Ibanez or L.R. Baggs with questions about the DoubleEdge systems, they usually give you my number. I don't mind at all, and I like that players are trying to get the most out of their guitars. I never expected a check or anything like that. I just thought of it as sort of my 'foot in the door' to the guitar industry. Well, I guess more like a toe nail.

MGS: Now you actually took the Tremol-No design to some players, both big and small, to get hands-on, on-stage feedback. How did that alter the T-No's design, or did it? And how about a small list of people who've had experience with the T-No so far?

KG: Oh yeah- the players added to the design! Nothing major, but they all made great contributions. One player asked for nuclear-powered miniature electromagnetic fields to hold the trem block in position while they used a brain-wave interface to adjust between the modes. I did work on this idea, but permits for unobtanium are hard to get!
Kidding aside, all of my testers have sent back info on what they'd like to see changed or added (or subtracted) from the Tremol-No. Most of the suggestions are in the final production model. When your world is the size of a trem cavity, it helps to have folks that take a step back and look at it differently than you do.

MGS: What hobbies do you have outside of music? Any pets?

KG: Hmmm....hobbies. I like playing guitar. I'm not very good at it, but I do enjoy playing. I like Concorde (incredible engineering). I like computers (a lot). I enjoy working on my vehicles. And of course, Rachel! She's my favorite hobby!
As far as pets go, we have 3 prairie dogs: Maximillian (named after the scary robot from the movie "The Black Hole"), Loki (named after the Norse God of Mischief), and Chamonix (named after my favorite valley in France with some excellent skiing!). They're fun pets. Always busy.

MGS: And you were at NAMM, correct? Last summer you were in somebody's booth with a few prototypes and this year you were in the AllParts booth, if I remember correctly? How was that experience as far as getting feedback and seeing some well known players get their hands on your product?

KG: NAMM is so much fun- when you're not working. I never realized how much actual work goes on there. My first few years, I went and just drooled over all the kickass new gear. Now I'm actually doing real-live business. It's still fun, but it's definitely different than it was before.
My first "working" NAMM was Winter NAMM 2004. I had a meeting set up with one of the big guitar makers who wanted to talk to me about an exclusive licensing deal. They decided against it, but since I was there, I took the opportunity to talk with other guitar makers. They all liked it, but wanted me to let them know when I had 10,000 units. *sigh* For Summer NAMM 2004 in Nashville, I was at the booth with the first company I was working on a licensing deal with. I didn't attend Winter NAMM 2005, because that first deal had fallen through, and AllParts hadn't signed on yet. Summer NAMM 2005, I attended, but did not have a booth. I met with lots of companies and had a great time with friends. Winter NAMM 2006, I was at the AllParts booth. You'd be amazed at who comes by that booth! I had a great time with the AllParts guys and did probably 5000 demos of the Tremol-No.
I'll be back at the AllParts booth at the Summer NAMM 2006 show in Austin. Should be lots of fun!

MGS: Ever get starstruck meeting some people you've been listening to for years?

KG: Heh heh...yeah. I'm such a fan-boy. I'll give you my two favorites.
My most starstruck moment was when I was sitting down to dinner with Rachel after a very long day for both of us, and had literally *just* pulled the first forkful of food toward my mouth when the phone rings. I'm *sure* it's a telemarketer. Man, are they going to get a piece of my mind! I answer the phone...
"HELLO?"
"Hi. Is Kevan Geier there?"
"This is Kevan."
"Hi Kevan. This is Joe Satriani."
(now, at this point, I think it's a friend of mine having some fun with me, so I play along....)
"Mr. Satriani. How are you this evening?"
"I'm doing just fine. I'd like to talk to you about the Tremol-No I just received..."
(after that sentence, I recognized his voice and immediately realized it wasn't my buddy playing a prank. I went from being uber-pissed, to fan-boy, to Mr. Professional in the span of about 3.5 seconds)
"Yes Mr. Satriani. What can I help you with?"
...and our conversation went on for a few minutes. Of course, after I hung up with the Obi-Wan of Legato, I did some sort of crazy dance around the block, chanting "Satch called me! Satch called me!". If my neighbors didn't think I was a freak before, they certainly knew the truth after that little display.
The second moment was when I got a call from Mr. Jol Dantzig. For those that don't know, he's basically Mr. Hamer Guitars. Mr. Dantzig has built some incredible instruments in his day, and continues to do some amazing custom guitars (check out any of Rick Neilsen's stuff).
One of Mr. Dantzig's customers had ordered a custom guitar from him, and included a Tremol-No on the build sheet. The guitar was about to ship out to the customer, but Mr. Dantzig had no idea what a Tremol-No was, or where to get one. He went on the website, checked it out, and then contacted me.
For a guitar geek like me to have one of the premier builders in the world call...man, that was so cool. He even said he liked the product and it's design! That was huge in my book. I don't remember exactly, but I think I told him about 36 times know how honored I was to speak with him. Too much fan-boy?
(The custom guitar did get a Tremol-No prototype installed in it at Winter NAMM 2006 and the owner has informed me he loves it.)

MGS: What are your hopes with bringing the Tremol-No to the public?

KG: I hope that people will realize that after 50+ years, there *is* something they can do about the inherent problems that come with trems....without a ton of tech hours or drilling or modifying. I hope to inform the new players that a tremolo system isn't a curse or a hinderance; it's a wonderful tool.
And I hope all those people that have told me that I'm going to make a million dollars are right.
Feature Interview with Kevan Geier

by Chris Cammmusicgearsource

Interview : Shred King Joe Stump

2009-01-27T09:24:00.000-08:00

MGS - Welcome Joe Stump to MGS. Thanks man for chatting!

JS - Happy to do the interview. Thanks a ton for having me.

MGS -What have you been up to lately?

JS -Well I`ve been recording a new record with my power metal band (or should I say one of the power metal bands I play with ) . The name of the band is Holy Hell and we`re currently working on the debut record that`ll be released in the fall by Magic Circle/SPV worldwide. After the release on the record they`ll be a world tour with power metal heavyweights Manowar and Rhapsody. In addition to that I`ve also got a new solo record in the pipes. I`ll probaby start in on that after the Holy Hell thing `s finished up. My heavy touring schedule doesn`t start until the fall of this year so I`ll have enough time to complete both projects. before all the live dates start in.

MGS - Are you teaching alot these days?

JS -Yes a fair amount, I`m on the guitar faculty at Berklee College of Music so I`m there 3 pretty full days a week. And I also give some addition private lessons outside of Berklee and to additional Berklee rock and metal players. But I spend alot of time playing, practicing and composing on a weekly basis to I try to keep plenty of time open for that and try not to overextend the instructional thing.

MGS - Do you teach any beginning students or all advanced?

JS -All fairly advanced players, it`s all involving the style that I play, meaning high-tech shred/speed metal /hard rock. So it`s all serious players, no beginners or kids or anything like that.

MGS -If you could go back in time and learn something about guitar or music alot earlier on what would it be ?

JS -Looking back in the developement of myself as a player and musician I`d have to say that one thing that comes to mind is direction. Meaning when I was a kid growing up in New York I played all hard rock and the metal of that era in the 70`s. I loved Deep Purple, Hendrix, UFO , ealry Jeff Beck , Led Zeppelin, old Aerosmith. Then I discovered Al Dimeola before attending Berklee and while at Berklee got heavier into the jazz fusion type of thing. I played all kinds of things from straight jazz to classical to jazz rock fusion and still retained my hard rock roots. After a few years of study I came to realize that what I truely loved to play was European tinged hard rock and metal and haven`t really waivered from that since. My point being if I had taken my stylistic direction maybe a bit sooner earlier on in my developement it might have helped me evolve into the player that I`ve become a little sooner.

MGS -I see some new DVDS on the site. Can you get us up to date?

JS -Yes I`ve released 4 instructional dvds total. One through Berklee Press/Hal Leonard which is a chop/technique building dvd for rock/metal players. Two others have been released independently through my website. One is a sweep-picking arpeggio dvd which a great dvd for all levels of players and quite helpful and comprehensive as far as the whole sweep-picking thing goes. The other is entitled Neo-Classical Guitar 1 and that `s got a lengthy classically tinged etude made of up several sections with each section demonstrating a different type of technique.The 4th one is entitled Neo-Classical Guitar 2 and that one is pretty advanced with one of my more complex neo-classical tracks serving as the main topic content of the dvd. I take you through several sections of the track and demonstrate how the sections are played and the combinations of techniques used in each section of the tune. That one`s been released by a new company called the Shred Academy. I just shot another dvd and that one will be released sometime in the next couple months. All the dvds contain a ton of instructional content along with me performing entire tunes of mine (with a backing track) and of course loads of gratuitous shred footage .

MGS -Anything inspiring you these days?

JS -I pretty much listen to all of the stuff that I listened to for many years. Meaning all of my favorite players and heroes. I love Blackmore , the Rainbow stuff and all the Purple stuff with him. Uli Jon Roth,his solo records and the early Scorpions material he played on. Yngwie Malmsteen of course it`s no secret the impact he`s had on my playing . I also love Michael Schenker, Gary Moore , Frank Marino, Hendrix. I also love classical music,J.S. Bach , Antonio Vivaldi (Vivaldi is one of my very favorites) Paganini , Beethoven, CPE Bach, Mendelson , Mozart. Anytime I need to inject some inspiration I usually turn to what have been my main sources of inspiration for years now.

MGS -What`s in your CD player these days?

JS -I just got a Deep Purple live 4 cd box set. It`s live in Europe from 1993 from the Battle Rages On tour. It`s right before Blackmore left the band for the last time and he`s playing great on it. It`s probably his best live electric playing captured on cd in recent years. I ve also been listening to Uli Jon Roth`s Metamorphosis record, which is him and an orchestra performing all of Vivaldi`s 4 seasons plus Uli adds a 5th season , one of his own compositions to it. Just a brilliant record. A cool Tommy Bolin live bootleg of various live dates back from his solo stuff in the late 70`s , a good friend of mine from Europe gave it to me as a gift. Bolin really stretches out and plays great on it. Also the brand new Blackmore`s Night disc which contains some really nice acoustic and electric playing from Ritchie. While I`m not heavily in to the Blackmore`s Night thing all that much his guitar work on it is really stellar.

MGS -If you could start a dream band what and who would be in it?

JS -I`ve been asked that question a bunch before so that`s an easy one. On vocals of course Ronnie James Dio , on bass Phil Lynott , on keys Jon Lord and on the drums Mr. Cozy Powell.

MGS - Thanks for the update Joe and thanks alot for your time.

JS - Hey Tony thanks for the interview, sorry it took me a little bit to get it to you.

Thanks and all best , Joe Stump

musicgearsourceA chat with Joe StumpFor more info on Joe Stump and his work see www.joestump.comJoe Stump is one of the leading lights on the modern neo-classical scene, having built up a manic fan base around the world thanks to his solo albums and band The Reign Of Terror and his latest project Holy Hell. Joe is also the Metal specialist at the world acclaimed Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. Look for exclusive merchandise including instructional DVD's with Joe himself at joestump.com.

Joe's latest album Speed Metal Messiah is available now on Leviathan Records.

Interview : Greg Koch

2009-01-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

MGS - Thanks for taking the time Greg to speak with us.
GK- Sorry it took so long. I've been pummeled by the forces of
domesticity and the world of low stakes rock!

MGS - Start us off with a history if you will. How did you get started
in the biz?
GK - I started playing when I was twelve and I did my first gig 9
months later and never looked back. I've run various bands of my own,
played in everything from pit orchestras, to Elvis impersonators. I
went to college for music at a state school in Stevens Point Wi but
really majored in beer...unfortunately....kind of. I've been doing my
own band, doing sessions, clinics, books and/or whatever ever since!

MGS - Did you have a musical family?
GK -My Mom plays a mean piano but no one else plays. We are all quite
looney though.

MGS - You seem very diversified. Not a word us guitar folk use very
often. Lets see Author, solo artist, clinician,
comedian, whats left for Greg to conquer?
GK -All I can say is, ya ain't seen nothin' yet! If my band ever gets
to go on the road in front of some crowds it will be a whole new
chapter. Trying to get that to happen has been almost impossible
because, in part, of the diversity and the marketing hurdles it
creates. But, that is not going to stop me!

Also, I've been doing lots of comedy on a local morning radio show
and it has given me some great ideas for a potential TV show that I'm
fixin' to get started......

MGS - Ok man its time to spill the guts on the gear you are using.
Live and studio please. Dont spare any details, our readers are gear
freaks......or is it geeks?
GK - I use a bunch of different stuff. I use the Fender Cyber Twin SE
(and that is not a paid endorsement) for quite a bit of stuff.
Sessions, dvd shoots, pickup gigs etc. It is the bomb for that stuff
because of the versatility, convenience and the fact that it sounds
damn good. I also like a bare bones rig of a Fender Custom Vibrolux
and a '65 Reissue Super Reverb. I am most likely to use this rig when
gigging with my trio Greg Koch and the Tone Controls. With this rig I
use a overdrive pedal that a buddy of mine makes that he named using
my verbage...it's called the Diabolical Gristle Tone Manipulator by TC
Jauernig Electronics....it's the best Tube Screamer there never was. I
also use an old Boss DD-3 delay and Fulltone Clyde Wah. I may augment
that pedal rig with a Fulltone Octave Fuzz and Deja Vibe if I'm in the
mood. Lately, I'll use the Vibrolux for smaller gigs and for the
bigger gigs I use the Super.....on Ten and use the volume on the
guitar to go between rhythm and lead and then hit the Gristle pedal
for the over-the-top tone. I recently bought a Dr. Z head for all my
class A needs. It kills for studio filth. I also use a Fender '65
Twin and occasionally a Carvin Legacy Hd that Steve Vai gave me (sorry
for the name dropping) in the studio for really distorted things.

My main axes as of late are a refin '63 Strat....a mutant blue green
that is a daphne blue gone wrong. It's been refretted but everything
else is original and it sounds BUTANE. It was once the property of
Jesse Johnson of The Time so it is funk approved. My Custom Shop
Strat that is the same color but with a maple neck has been my main ax
for over a decade but with the new acquisition, it has been in dry
dock. It's basically a hot rodded '56 with a huge neck with jumbo
frets and fat fifties pickups and currently sporting a Seymour Duncan
JB Jr. in the neck. I also use a two tone sunburst Fender American
Deluxe Series Strat with the new Bill Lawrence pickups for all my
traveling gigs and I use it a lot on the home front as well. A Custom
shop B-Bender Tele is often in the fold. It rocks. Another blue green,
ash body, maple neck having weapon of doom. A Fender American Series
Tele with a Humbucker in the Neck and wired like Albert Collins'
guitar is often used. I also have recently acquired a Gibson Custom
Shop '58 Historic Les Paul Standard that I use when needing my girth
fix.

MGS - Ive never been to one of your clinics. Do you use a DAT backing
track? How the do the Fender clinics work? Walk us thru a clinic day.
GK - I have been doing trio clinics for Fender lately with Roscoe Beck
on bass and my drummer John Calarco. For the Hal Leonard clinics I'll
use a c.d. to play along with. I typically do about six tunes in a
clinic supplemented by irreverent dialog and anecdotes about the gear
being used and the techniques being displayed. They usually last about
two hours total with questions and swag giveaways. I guarantee they
are different from any other clinic you are likely to see and/or hear.
Mainly because they're FUN!...if I may be so bold in saying it.

MGS -Please answer the following accordingly.

1. Strat or Les Paul? Strat always, Les Paul sometimes.

2. Funniest thing to happen performing?

A train going by at the exact right time next to a stage when I was doing the Folsom Prison Blues.

3. Britney or Christina? Gwen Stefani

4. Locking trem or standard? Standard!

5. Neopolation or Rocky Road? RR

6. Tubes or transistors? Tubes

7. Mac or PC? Mac

MGS - What are you currently working on?
GK - A new record that is a bluesy endeavor. I'm recording it down in
Alabama at Johnny Sandlin's studio. It will be my best effort to
date....or else.

MGS - If you could gig with anyone on the planet who would it be?
GK - Allman Bros.......Page/Plant........The Meters.......BB
King.........Jerry Reed

MGS - If you had to gig with Hanson would you die your hair blond?
GK -I'd shave it all off.

MGS - Ok being serious for a second what are you listening to and what
players do you look up to these days?
GK - I listen to old shit 90% of the time. Les Paul to Earl Hooker,
Django to Albert Collins, Grant Green to Chet Atkins, Hendrix to Mike
Bloomfield .Cream to Ravi Shankar. Beatles to Cornell Dupree.
Zeppelin, Zeppelin, Zeppelin. Albert King, BB King Freddie King etc.

My fave new guitar player is Derek Trucks...........he stretches but
never forgets blues.

MGS - Tell us about this new pedal you are using and selling on your
site.
GK - Ah, I mentioned it earlier. Tim Jauernig is making some great
stuff and I had used his Luxury Drive and Twin Tremelo pedal but his
new overdrive pedal that he used my verbage to describe is all that
and more. I had been using a Maxon OD-808 which is my favorite tube
screamer but this thing is smoother at any volume and has more milky
gain. I love it and I champion this savage unit!

MGS - Own any guitars you have an emotional attachment and wont sell?
GK - My Custom shop Strat that I ordered back in '92 will never be
sold....nor will the Tele that matches it or, of course the '63.

MGS - What do you do in your down time?
GK - With four kids under the age of 10 and being the only money maker
in my home, I literally have no down time. I love to read history
books (I go in phases from the Civil War to the Napoleonic period
etc.) and I drink coffee in mass quantity as I gave up my chandelier
swinging partying years ago. I go to museums and battlefields when on
the road..........I listen to blues music more often than not.

MGS - Do you want to ask me anything?
GK - Are you still mad at me for taking so long to finish this?

MGS - Whats in your CD Player and DVD player right now. And please
dont lie.
GK -Mike Bloomfield collection and The Battle of Britain

MGS - Ok describe these players in 2 words max.

Eric Johnson - New Batteries

Ted Nugent - Latent Vegetarian

Tony Cole - Prying Savage

Eddie Van Halen - Stop Smoking

Tom Wopat - Where's Dixie?

John Tesh - Security!

The Edge - Delay Anyone?

Esteban - Please

MGS - OK Greg its plug time. Let er rip. Rememeber to thank the nice
folks.
GK - Thanks for reading my filth. Visit me on line at gregkoch.com and
come see us live. We'll rock your brain.

MGS - Thanks for chatting Greg its been fun. See ya down the road.
GK -Thanks for having me!

4-17-05 Interview by Tony Cole all rights reserved MGS 2005
Greg Koch's virtuosity, sense of humor and ability to articulate his thoughts through music, has led to a successful career as leader of his own band, a studio musician (heard on dozens of national T.V. and radio advertisements), author, magazine contributor and artist/clinician for Fender Musical Instruments. musicgearsource.com

Interview : Hellcaster Will Ray

2009-01-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

MGS - Thanks alot for taking the time to answer my questions Will I greatly
appreciate it.
WR - My pleasure.

MGS - I think most of our readers are familiar with your history and youve
covered that in other interviews. What have you been up to recently, what
fills
your day?
WR - These days you have to be multi-tasking to survive in the music world.
I own a studio and produce a lot of local artists. I also do a lot of guitar
clinics across the country, write songs, do session work, write a column in
Guitar Player Mag, design my own model guitar for G&L, teach guitar lessons,
have instructional videos, have an internet sales business - I do what I have
to do to make a living.

MGS - Can you tell us a little about the internet business? `Feel free to
plug what you like.

WR - It's really just selling my CD'Sand merchandise on ebay as well as on the Hellecasters site. My wife Gayle handles the sales parton Ebay while i fill the orders. On the Hellecasters site our managerJim Cowenhandles the details and i get a monthly check from sales of my stuff. It's just another way to have income coming in. In the not too distant future, most artists will be handling their own sales rather than letting a label do it and never get paid.

MGS -I teach 4 days a week and gig but it doesent seem to be enough. How
about we colaborate on a rap track together. Do you you think we can get G&L to
make us matching bling blinged out guitars?
WR - Heck Im open to almost anything that has a possibility to have fun and make some money. Rap doesnt have to be bad. I think with a little imagination It could be really interesting. Who knows...

MGS- Ive been reading your column in the guitar magazine, its lots of fun.
So
youre an Ebay sniper eh? How did the column come about?
WR - I was an eBay fanatic from day one, and thought a column about
internet auction strategies might be cool.
I went to GP with the idea, they turned me down, and I kept pestering them
every couple of months until they finally gave me a column, probably to get me
off their backs. Persistance pays off I guess.

MGS - Whats the last 3 gear purchases you made on ebay?
WR - A DVD Player battery, a cassette walkman, and an old epiphone 60s Olympic with a repaired broken headstock.It was a Buy It Now for $190.

MGS - Its good to know you are a gear hound just like the rest of us.
WR - I love technology. I love little toys to play with. Musicians are just
big kids who never grew up.
I also think guitars, amps and effects made today are better and cheaper
than stuff made in the 50's. Don't get me wrong - the old guitars and amps still
sound great to me, but they're not as consistent as stuff made today.
However, they had access to nice woods back then, and nothing sounds quite like a
nice piece of aged wood. But give the new guitars time to age, and they will
be smokin' in 30 years.

MGS -Can you give our readers a rundown of your currect gear? We are really

into pedalboards. Have you caught on to this boutique pedal craze?
WR - My gear is always evolving. There was a time when I wanted to sound
like everyone else, out of insecurity I suppose. But then when I got to a
certain stage in my career, I wanted to sound completely different from everyone
else. Currently, my pedalboard consists of a Boss CS-3 compressor, Boss VB-2
vibrato, Boss PS-2 pitch shifter, VooDoo Labs Sparkle Drive distortion , Boss
DD-2 digital delay and Maxon OD-9 Tube Screamer. I have tons of other pedals
that I will sometimes take to sessions.

There are a lot of boutique pedals that I like out there, but they are way
too pricey for a bottom feeder like me.

MGS- With those guitars of yours I imagine that you have this 32 Coupe with
flames and skulls on it. I can see you putting on your racing gloves and
goggles and roaring down the highway. Ok give it up whats in the garage?
WR - You'll be disappointed. A 1999 Toyota Camry and a 1991 Honda Accord.
I'm a practical guy when it comes to driving, and I love Japanese cars. Just
get me to the gig and back without breaking down. That's all I ask.

MGS - Tell us a little bit about your G&L guitar.`Has it changed over the
years?

WR -Not really. Just give me great sounding pickups, a nice comfortable neck & skulls on the fingerboard and Im a happy camper. No need to change things.

MGS- Please tell us about the current CD.
WR - I'm currently finishing a CD on a group I play in called "The
Buzzards". It's a fun little band where I get to write and play a lot. Someone else
sings, which is a load off me, and I can concentrate more on guitar. It's
sorta like Roy Orbison meets Johnny Cash in Bill Monroe's garage.

MGS -Wow Will it sounds very cool. How will we be able to find out about
release info etc?

WR - Check on the Hellecasters web site or do a search on Ebay. Like the Hellecasters stuff, Itll have kinda spotty distribution.

MGS - Anything in the works for the Hellecasters?
WR - Not really. We're all taking a haitus at the moment working on our own
projects. Jerry Donahue and I are about to release a live Duo-casters kind
of thing we did a few years ago. It'll have some Hellecasters stuff as well as
some of our solo things.

MGS - You three seem to be the type to play practical jokes on each other,
anything of note? Also what is the funniest thing thats ever happened to
you on
stage and off.
WR - John, Jerry and myself are always playing jokes on each other. For
instance, when we're on the road taveling in a van, if anyone falls asleep with
their mouth open, they're likely to wake up and find things like banana peels
or little pieces of paper in there. You learn to sleep with your mouth
closed. The song "Major Troutage" comes from a term we use for how you look when
you're asleep on tour - like a trout with its mouth open.

MGS - What do you listen to currently? How about your top 5 CDs and top 5
DVDs?
WR - Hmmm. I'm really bad about listening to new music. The problem is that
radio sucks and won't play cool music anymore. So it's getting harder to
find good new artists. But currently I listen to Cheryl Crow and Amie Mann CD's,
but they're a couple of years old. I kinda live in the past I guess.

MGS - Dont well. Not much great new music out there these days is there? Im
sure there is but thanks to Clear Channel we will never hear it.
WR - Ah yes, Clear Channel. The Microsoft of the radio waves.
I do go to iTunes and download songs. But the last one I downloaded was
(gasp) "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin. Kinda sad, isn't it?

MGS - Naaaa. Did you see the Kevin Spacey movie about him? Hey that reminds
me of an old JJ video of him playing City without shame I think its called with
some pastel Matchless amps behind him. You guys ever do that live together?
WR - Nope. We've never done Annette Funacello songs either. Or Duke Ellington songs. It's still wide open out there.

MGS - Is there a player out there now that scares you?
WR - Yeah. Jerry Donahue waking up on a tour bus in the morning before he
has his coffee.
Seriously though, I'm not as scared of players the way I used to be. Not
because I'm so good now, more because I just don't care anymore. I do my thing,
and let other players do their thing. There's plenty of room for all of us.

But one guy who can really play in that Danny Gatton style is Johnny Hiland.
And Danny was the scariest mofo of them all in my opinion. I gave up guitar
for a while after seeing Danny play in the early 80's. It was the wrong thing
for me to do, but sometimes you need a little scare to start woodshedding
again. I had to build extra woodsheds after seeing him.

MGS - Yea i hear you on Gatton but you are definately on my scary list. Well
maybe not so much now that I found out you dont drive the 32 coupe. But
seriously your playing and music are extremely inspiring.
WR - Well thanks. I like inspiring people. Inspiring people is almost a religious experience to me. The inspired eventually become the inspirer. God knows I sure had alot of people who inspired me, from Danny Gatton to Charlie Christian to Peter Frampton to Jerry Garcia.

Interview : Reverends Joe Naylor

2009-01-27T09:20:00.000-08:00

MGS - First off Joe thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us.

JN - No problem. I'm honored to be featured on such a unique, tone-centric website.

MGS - First off for those that don't know can you give us a history of how you got into the musical instrument biz?

JN - Ok, here's the long version! I started playing in 1980, my first year in college, and shortly thereafter purchased my first electric guitar. It was a used Japanese Epiphone Crestwood ET-290 cherryburst, wish I still had it. Within one hour of owning it, I had it completely dissected, right down to the last screw. As a kid, I used to build those flying wood airplanes, and I was a professional bicycle mechanic since I was 16 years old. So ripping the guitar apart was no problem. I was fascinated and knew right then I had to be in the guitar business one way or another.
What followed was several years of intense information gathering. Back then there were no instructional videos, no local guitar shows, and very few books. Hands-on was the only way to go, so I'd hit the music stores and junk shops and buy their crap... if it was under $30, it was mine. I had piles of Japanese necks, bodies, pickups, and parts that I'd assemble into mutant guitars. I would try odd combinations just to see what would happen. One of my favorites had a fully-hollow Aria ES330 body, Cort strat neck, Bigsby trem, Dimarzio bridge humbucker and no-name neck single-coil. The pickups were out-of-phase with each other, but the thing sounded amazing! If you really want to learn about guitars, you gotta get destructive... preferably on cheap instruments.

I also used to hang out at Pete Moreno's repair shop in Kalamazoo. He's one of the best, and has a very interesting shop. He worked at Gibson, and when they closed he bought a bunch of stuff at the factory yard sale. He had stacks of unfinished flame-top Les Paul bodies and necks; build-it-yourself Explorer and Flying V kits with real Gibson bodies and necks, for like $200. I bought a full box Gibson pickup coils off him for $5... just insane stuff. Anyhow, the first time I went there was to get a quote on a guitar refret. I couldn't afford it, so I asked him how to do it. He hammers one fret in, hands me a roll of fret wire, and tells me to go home and do it. I come back the very next morning, with the guitar completely re-fretted, and he's looking at me like "man, this kid is nuts". So over the next few years, he'd help me out if I couldn't do something on my own.

After I got my Industrial Design degree, I headed out to Phoenix and attended the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery. It was a 3-month course, 40 hours a week, studying traditional luthiery techniques for acoustic and electric guitars, as well as wiring and pickup winding. After that, I returned to Kalamazoo and worked out of my basement, specializing in repair, custom guitars, and pickup winding.

In 1992, I moved the operation into a Detroit area storefront, where I expanded into sales of used and vintage guitars and amps. This was an incredible learning experience, as I played through and analyzed every single piece of equipment that came through that shop, whether it was a vintage Telecaster or a solidstate Gorilla amp. The day-to-day buying and selling also forced me to study vintage guitars and amps in detail, as far as history, features and value.

In 1993 we introduced the J.F. Naylor Special Design 50 speaker, one of the earliest 12" Jensen-style, upgrade replacement speakers. In 1994 we closed the retail and repair side of the business, and introduced the Naylor amplifier line. In 1996, due to differences in business philosophies, I sold Naylor to my business partner, who ran the business into the ground after about a year. We produced the first Reverend guitar in early '97, and have been going strong ever since.

MGS - I remember Naylor amps as the first "boutique" amp out there to my knowledge at the time. I rememeber seeing the local bands Slam Circus, Solid Frog and Sugarbuzz using the amps. They are still highly sought after. How did that all get started?

JN - It all evolved from the music store. We had successfully introduced the Naylor speaker, and I was getting burned-out on the retail/repair side of the business. Kendrick, THD and Matchless were already in business, so we figured if they can do it, we can too! I already had a background in design and manufacturing, so we decided to go for it. Our amp repair guy, Dan Russell (Blitz Amps, 810-772-4458) was doing all these outrageous amp mods, so we commissioned him to design the amp circuit to our liking. We also later worked with Guy Hedrick (www.guytron.com), who designed the circuit for the reverb-equipped series of Naylor amps.

Our first model, the Superdrive 60 head, was possibly the first high-gain, Marshall style, point-to-point wired boutique amp on the market. It's still the most highly sought model, I've seen them recently sell used for more than the original list price.

MGS - Do you have any old Naylor amps at home or at the shop from the old days?

JN - I have a Superdrive 60 head here right now that belongs to a friend of mine, it used to belong to Mike Cross from Sponge. It brings back memories... that amp was on MTV, Letterman, etc.

Unfortunately, Naylor was ahead of its time. Back then, selling a $1500 head was no easy task, especially a high-gain one, because the original boutique amp market was mostly traditional blues guys who had no interest in a master volume.

MGS - The new line of Reverend amps look great. Can you tell us about them? They look very versatile.

JN - After Naylor, I vowed I would never get back in the amp business, because Naylor essentially failed as a business. So out of the blue, one of my sales reps tells me he knows this guy who designs tube amps, and has overseas connections to get components built at a reasonable cost (our amps are assembled and tested in our facility, using American and imported components). It turns out the designer was Dennis Kager. Dennis was head of repair service and quality control at Ampeg in the mid-sixties, and was involved with design as well. He owned Sundown amps in the eighties, and now operates Central Jersey Music Services, one of the country's largest amp service centers. He's also a consultant/designer for hire, who's worked with all the big-name companies. Dennis and I hit it off real well, and I figured if I could build a good tube amp at a price the average person could afford, I'd give it another shot.

The basic concept is simple... make an all-tube design with the simplicity, reliabilty, and tonal purity of a single-channel amp, but make it affordable, versatile, and light weight. Our secret weapon is the 3-position Schizo switch, which changes the pre-amp gain and EQ for three distinct voicings: US which is Fendery, UK which can do a good Vox, Marshall or Hiwatt imitation, and LO-FI which is reminescent of vintage Supro and Silvertone type amps. If you know how to tweak the controls, you can really nail a variety of vintage tones. We have excellent sound samples up on the website that really demonstrate the possibilities (www.reverenddirect.com/reverend/sound_samples.html).

All our amps have a 1/3 power reduction switch, Electro-Harmonix tubes, Accutronics reverb, and super-light neodymium magnet speakers... our 60 watt 112 combo weighs 32 pounds! I think it's the lightest 60 watt, all-tube 112 on the market.

I'm really into single-channel amps right now. There's less stuff to go wrong... and what if you don't like the second channel that you just paid for? If really need to footswitch, there's now an endless variety of high quality pedals with every flavor of distortion imaginable. Our amps are very pedal-friendly, especially in US mode. On the other hand, if prefer to simply ride your guitar's volume control for clean and dirty, they'll do that to.

MGS - What was your inspiration for the design of the Reverend guitar?

JN - Right after I got out of Roberto-Venn, I bought an exceptionally great sounding Silvertone 1448 guitar, the single lipstick pickup, amp-in-case model. I originally bought it for the cool case, but was shocked when I plugged in the guitar. I even remember my roomate saying, "If you build me a custom guitar, it has to sound is good as that one", and he was a keyboard player! It just sounded great, even after I routed it for a humbucker and added a tremolo!

The masonite and pine Silvertone defied conventional logic, and I wanted to crack the code. I began building bodies out of non-conventional materials such as aluminum, formica (phenolic laminate), Masonite (hardboard), and various plastics and rigid foams. I once built a semi-hollow body with a center block of rigid foam and balsa wood, with a thin aluminum top and back... it had so much resonance and treble harmonics, it sounded like a 12-string! It's amazing what you can do to the tone with alternative materials and modifed internal body structures.

After about 10 years of experimentation, I ended up with the Reverend High Resonance Body Design, which was granted a U.S. Patent in 2000. The design allows us to manufacture a body that consistently produces the resonance of a semi-hollow, but with the attack and sustain of a solid-body. It also eliminates conventional body painting procedures, which lowers my labor costs, and in turn allows me to sell a pro-quality, USA made guitar for under a $1000. It's hard to verbally explain the construction, but there's a good cutaway view at our website (www.reverenddirect.com/reverend/guitars/about_guitars.html).

MGS - For those not familiar with Reverend tell us what makes the guitars different than what's been on the market for 50 plus years.

JN - Mostly the patented body construction, the combination of materials and the internal structure are unique. It's unusual to have this much resonance in a semi-hollow body this small. It's also unusual to have so much resonance, with great sustain and attack.

Otherwise, the rest of the guitar is fairly traditional, with aesthetic and functional elements borrowed from classic designs, and then tweaked to my liking. You gotta keep in mind, by 1958, the Strat, Tele, Les Paul, ES335, Flying V, Explorer, and all the essential Gretsch guitars already existed! Much of the heavy lifting had already been done.

MGS - Lets also touch on the 2005 guitars. This new pickup bass contour knob looks very cool.

JN - I'm very proud of the 2005 line. We built the first Reverend guitar in '97, and have continually improved the same basic design since. So the 2005's represent a very highly evolved instrument, with 8 years worth of tried-and-true refinements in construction, hardware, and electronics.

Although the Reverend design was inspired by the lowly Silvertone guitar, our guitars are designed for the professional or serious hobbyist looking for something visually and tonally unique. We use high-end appointments such as Sperzel locking tuners, custom-designed pickups, string-thru-body bridge, dual-action truss rod, graphite nut, stainless steel neck screws, and custom-designed circuits.

The new Bass Contour is a passive bass roll-off, which can go from a slight bass cut, to totally re-voicing the pickups. Passive bass roll-off controls for guitar are nothing new. What's unique is that our control taper and component values were specifically selected to allow re-voicing of the pickup, not just simple bass reduction. And of course there's a few sneaky-tweaky things I did, that I'm not free to discuss at this time.

You can back off the Bass Contour just a little bit, to tighten up the low end. Or you can roll back further, which reduces the gain and thins the tone for a cleaner, brighter and more percussive sound. It'll make a full-size humbucker sound like a single-coil... I think it sounds better and is more usefull than any coil-tap I've ever heard. It will also re-voice a P-90 to sound like a Strat pickup. The cool thing is, because it's a variable knob, you can create your own hybrid tones by using settings in-between the two extremes.

MGS - I noticed Rick Vito now has a signature model guitar. How did that come about?

JN - Well, Rick has used Reverend guitars since '99. For those who don't know, he's probably the top sideman in the biz, having worked with Bonnie Raitt, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Jackson Browne, Todd Rundgren, John Mayall, Hank Williams Jr., John Fogerty, Roger McGuinn, and many others. His best known track is that bad-ass slide solo in Bob Seger's "Like a Rock".

When he's not working with the big-shooters, Rick records his own solo blues CDs (www.rickvito.com). It just so happens that his upcoming release is about 90% Reverend guitar, in particular the P-90 equipped Slingshot model. When I heard that, I proposed we collaborate on a Vito Slingshot. I figured we'd co-promote it along with his new CD, and we'd both benefit. We were already sandblasting Hawaiian scenes on to aluminum bodies, so we decided to do a similar thing with his artwork, which has a very New Orleans/voodoo vibe. The original Slingshot I built Rick years ago had over-wound P-90's, so we incorporated that into the Vito model, as well as the new Bass Contour control.

For the new CD, he's also using our Kingsnake amp and a Dumble amp that Jackson Browne gave to him... he thinks it's the one Stevie Ray Vaughan used on his first record, which was recorded in Jackson Browne's studio. Rick claims the Kingsnake holds its own next to the Dumble, which of course I was elated to hear!

Rick will make an appearance at the Fall Philly Guitar Show, June 25-26 (www.bee3vintage.com). He does a very cool slide clinic, which is educational and entertaining... his feel, touch, and phrasing are spine-chilling. We hope to bring him to several of the bigger guitar shows this year.

MGS - We would like to give you props for being a USA company. It seems a lot of the bigger builders out there are outsourcing close to 100 percent of their products. Is it possible to do a little outsourcing, like say a more affordable Reverend guitar made in Korea, but keep the core biz and manufacturing in the US?

JN - That's exactly what we plan on doing. We will keep making the USA guitars as our flagship line, and we plan on introducing a Korean-made line late this year. These will be solid-body and semi-hollow guitars using conventional wood-body construction.

There's a couple key things to a great import product... the company bringing them in has to have some design chops, and has to be willing to enforce quality control. I have personally designed and spec'd out everything on these guitars, and all the guitars will be set-up and QC'd here at our Detroit facility. We're not talking about cheesy Les Paul knock-offs, these will be Reverend pedigree all the way! Totally high performance, very consistent, and with some unique features.

MGS - What's the biggest hurdle in being an American company and staying strong?

JN - The hard part about running a business in the USA is the high costs... labor rates, taxes, health insurance, etc. You always have to think about efficiency, producing something fast, but without compromising quality. And the marketing is just as important as the product. You have to know how to present your goods to the right group of customers, along with an appropriate product/company image. Don't even think about getting in this business without some marketing and sales background. The guitar gear biz is brutally fickle and unforgiving.

MGS- I remember the Kid Rock ads with Reverend guitars. Did he bring his posse with him? When you met him did you say, " My name is JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOE NAYLOR! BAWWITTABAADADANGDADANDIGGYDIGGY"? Sorry, I hope you can appreciate the sense of humor. Tell us how that came about.

JN - Dude, that's exactly what I said! Then we downed a couple fortys of Ol' Mil' and burned a few blunts. Just kidding!... it was actually Strohs.

His lead guitarist, Kenny Olson, endorsed Naylor amps and Reverend guitars. Well, Kenny got a big money deal out of Fender, so he dropped us like a rock. I think he felt kinda bad about it, so he told Kid Rock that he should be playing Reverend. Kid Rock called me, and explained how they're gonna be this huge group, and that he's all pro-Detroit, and that I should hook him up...well, the rest is history. I think he has a Gibson deal now, but I'm not complaining... the guy took great care of us for a couple years, gave us a lot of exposure, and he's even holding a Reverend on the cover of "History of Rock".

MGS - Why were the Drivetrain OD pedals discontinued? They had quite a following. Are you still working with Bob Weil?

JN - It became no longer feasible from a business standpoint. Our minimum production quantities were very high, and they weren't selling fast enough, so it became money sitting on the shelf for too long. I'd rather invest that money into another part of the business. In the last couple years, everybody and their brother got into the pedal business. Drivetrain sales dropped radically... there's just so many overdrives on the market now, and a lot of good ones.

I'm not doing any projects with Bob now, but we do sell all his Visual Sound pedals, which I'm real happy with. Maybe we'll do the Drivetrain again if the timing looks right, and if I can get it done in much smaller quantities.

MGS- I know you have been back and forth on the direct vs. dealer issue over the years. Where do you stand on it now?

JN - We originally had dealers, and that grew to about 100 dealers. We had a sales rep company that would sign-up just about anybody. Our big mistake was that we didn't control territories, pricing, store inventory or the internet sales. Stores would have one Reverend guitar, and call themselves a dealer. Internet stores would sell them for $10 over cost. There's still over $10,000 owed to me from ex-dealers who bounced checks and never paid me!

Consequently, sales to dealers dropped off, because Reverend no longer was a priority line in most of these stores, just a name to have in case somebody wanted to special order one. So in 2002, we dropped all the dealers, fired the sales rep company, and went direct. In retrospect, I should have kept the 10 or so dealers that actually supported the line, but at that time I was frustrated and wanted nothing to do with dealers.

Fast forward to 2005, and we're signing-up dealers again. Only this time, it's a totally different program! We are more selective about whom we bring onboard. We want medium-size stores who are going to stock the product, and have a high level of knowledge and service. In return, we give the store an exclusive territory which is the total area within one hour's driving distance. We don't sell into that territory, and they don't sell out of it.

There's also price consistency... dealers sell at the same "Direct" price shown at our website. Customers don't have to worry about getting ripped-off, and the dealer's profit margin is protected. It's a win-win situation for everybody involved. And I know it's working... the 9 dealers I currently have are selling more Reverend product than the 100 dealers I had before!

MGS - Ok it's time to sound off. Lots of folks in the gear community will read this. Think of it as your State of the Union address. Tell it like it is Joe. Also a special thanks.

JN - Keep America Cool... support small companies!Reverend Kingsnake and Goblin series 2005 amplifier line.Get one of the very last workhorse series special edition Reverend guitars now! Click the pic for details.

Interview : Rick Vito

2009-01-27T09:17:00.000-08:00

MGS - Welcome Rick Vito to musicgearsource. Thanks so much for taking
the time to chat with us Rick.
RV- Thanks, it's my pleasure.

MGS - Looking at your bio it seems you have played with a ton of great
bands and musicians. Can you name the top 3 favorite gigs and why?
RV - I think I liked most of them on some level, but I've had some of the best nights of playing my own music with my current touring band, which has Rick Reed on drums, and Charlie Harrison on bass. I work mostly in Europe right now where I have an appreciative and growing fan base. Fleetwood Mac was probably the best, most complete professional experience I ever had. I was not a sideman there, but a member of the band. When I joined I received overnight recognition, made a great living, and got to travel all over the world with one of the greatest bands in history. In retrospect now, it all seems like a dream. Third would probably be a tie between John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Bob Seger, and Jackson Browne. All three involved significant contributions to the creation of a new recording followed by major tours. I have kept in touch with all three guys.

MGS - It had to be pretty surreal to be up onstage with the Mac in a
spot Peter Green used to occupy. That had to be a blast.
RV -Yes it was, because I had seen the band with Peter in late 1968 in Philly, and it was a turning point for me musically, in that Peter was completely inspiring to me. When I took over as lead guitarist in 1987, I was able to resurrect a few old Mac tunes from the Green/blues era in the show. The fans loved that, and it gave a well-rounded circumspective of Fleetwood Mac as a band which had gone through many stages of evolution, from a blues band all down through the pop stages.

MGS - Quite a few of your songs have appeared on national TV shows. How
does one break into that kind of work? I am assuming its the old "Its
all in who you know "
RV -I met a fellow in L.A. who is in the business of pitching songs to TV shows. I'm his official "blues guy," and he has been able to land some good spots for my songs which benefits both of us. So yes, it's a case of knowing someone who is connected. A lucky thing for me.

MGS - What are you focusing on these days career wise?
RV -I have a new finished CD, "Rattlesnake Shake," and coincidentally, it's the Peter Green song as the title track. I am currently offering it on rickvito.com only for those who keep in close touch with what I'm doing. I think I have a deal in place with a new company that will "officially" release it early in 2006. I also just completed a deal with the Hal Leonard Corporation to release my new "Slide Guitar with Rick Vito" instructional DVD. I'd like to try more slide guitar seminars along with more live band work next year. There will also be a new CD release in Europe only in spring 2006 that I'm working on now. So, I've been fairly busy.

MGS - What were a few players that were major influences for you growing
up?
RV -A big standout for me was Keith Richards on all the early Stones records. Learning from him gave me a sense of direction during the tenuous teen years. The weird thing was, as I was doing my first pro session in L.A. in 1971, who walks in but Keith Richards! The first thing he said during playback was, "Who's the guitar player?" Talk about being in heaven! I already mentioned Peter Green who was just terrific. He and Jimi were to this day the best live blues-rock guitarists I've ever seen. Mike Bloomfield was great too. From there guys I also learned about the first generation blues and swing players, Django, slide guitar, and so many things that had to do with the philosophy of one's playing.

MGS - We love to talk gear. Can you first give us a detailed overview of
your effects used live and in the studio?
RV -Well, nothing out of the ordinary stands out. I just use varying degrees of echo, reverb, compression when needed, and sometimes some tremelo and overdrive from the amps. No big deal. It's more about the right sounds for the song and the emotional impact of what you play to align with that.

MGS - I read somewhere you own a Dumble amp. For those of us that just
see them on ebay and buy pedals to emulate them, what makes them
different? Can you give us the history on yours, model, etc.?
RV -Well I have had a couple but I don't have one currently. I found that over ten years went by without my using it. I kept finding just as useful a sound with something else. I think a lot of the Dumble lore is a little hyped up by one thing or another. My main Dumble amp was really great, but I don't really think it was necessarily greater than my '59 Bassman, my '64 Deluxe Reverb, or Supro, or Reverend for that matter. I had some great success with a Dumble, but I'd choose the mind and fingers as more important tools to achieve one's sound. There are many great amps out there today that will help you get where you need to go.

MGS - Your signature guitar offered by Reverend guitars
looks very cool. Can you tell us how this came
about?
RV -Thank you. Sure, it came about as a result of Joe Naylor suggesting that we do a guitar with a sort of "voodoo blues" vibe based on images I had hand-painted on a stage coat of mine. I wore the coat on the cover of my "Lucky Devils" CD, and also on the DVD release of "Rick Vito in Concert," and Joe always liked the images. So I sent them to him and he sandblasted them onto black anodized aluminum on the front and back of the basic Reverend guitar shape. I hope people will like them because they're great guitars. The pickups are wound hotter than usual, the weight is perfect, and the necks are completely easy to play. Reverend is also soon coming out with my signature guitar without the images, in just plain black.

MGS - I see you also are a fan of the Reverend Kingsnake amp. Lots of
great tones in that amp.
RV -Yes it's very versatile, fits well into recording tracks, and sounds great live. The problem is that very few people will get to know these amps because Joe Naylor has already made the decision to stick primarily to guitars and won't be making any more. Too bad, because these are fantastic amps. All you smart ebay people should snap one up if you can because they are certain to become collectible. Mark my words.

MGS - Do you have a big vintage collection? What are some of the nicer
guitars or amps that you have?
RV -I have a modest vintage collection, but it happens to include three or four "holy grails" in it. I have '59 'Burst, a '58 Flying V, a '58 Explorer, a '54 Strat, and a small assortment of Gibsons, Valco-made guitars, Fenders, Gretsch, and such. I mentioned a couple my amps, and I also have a few Nationals, Ampegs, and other Fenders. I have owned many, many guitars over the years but have let too many go. I am extremely fortunate to have what I have and so I use them all.

MGS - Have you checked out any of this amp modeling stuff out there?
RV-Yeah, I have a Line 6 Pod and have gotten some excellent sounds using it in stereo with a line to a real amp, then blending the two.

MGS - What's in your CD player right now?
RV -Dean Martin.

MGS - Any funny Fleetwood Mac or any other projects stories?
RV -Once I got a job to do the "Midnight Special" TV show and a tour with Little Richard who was also hosting the show. This was in 1974. I rehearsed all week with him and was relishing the experience of working with one of my idols. Then he pulled me aside and told me to visit his tailor to be fitted for my "stage outfit," which turned out to be a skintight bright lavender one-piece jump suit with a "Superfly" open collar, bell-bottom pants, and an accompanying gold medallion. I told him, "No way," but he said if I didn't wear it, there would be no show and no tour. I had no money, so I had to swallow my pride and wear it on national TV! During the show, and on camera, he brought me to the front of the stage to jam on "Irene, Goodnight," which we didn't even rehearse, so I was pretty completely humiliated. Next day his brother called to say, "Ah, Rick...ah, Richard can't afford to bring you with him on his tour after all, but he says thanks for doing the show." I've been told that they still occasionally air that show on cable, ha-ha!

MGS - I have your slide solo from Segers "Like a rock" burned into my
psyche. Do you remember the gear rundown for that one? Slide and all?
GREAT tone.
RV -Thank you. That was the Dumble, my '56 Les Paul TV Jr., a Sears 5/8" socket for slide and a cord. The reverb and echo was added by the engineer, David Cole. It was a first take, done in 1985. I earned TV replay royalties for over 10 years for that solo that took about 10 minutes to record!

MGS - Where did you record that song? Was Bob there?
RV -At a place called Rumbo Studios in the San Fernando valley in L.A.. Yeah, Bob was there. I met him, he put the song on and I suggested slide which he didn't want at first. I asked to just give it one pass, and that was the one, except for having to punch in the final three chords because I didn't know where it was going to end. It was just a good match of a guitar sound with the right song. It brings to mind the fact that, even though I composed that solo on the spot, a musician surrenders his creative work to the owner of the copyright when you accept payment for a recording session. If I had received even partial credit as a co- writer of the music portion of the song, I would have earned millions of dollars as a result. Something for all you guys who want to be session players to think about.

MGS - The Dumble on the "Like a Rock" track, what model was it? Have you ever had any personal experience with Mr. Dumble ? Hes made out to sound like a paranoid recluse.
RV - It was a late 70's era Overdrive Reverb that I had since the Jackson Browne days, around '83. I knew "Howard" back then, but have not seen him for many years. He is a little eccentric I guess, but when I first knew him he was very nice. I was the first one I know of to review an Overdrive Special for a magazine article in the early eighties. Can't remember which one. I once thought I sold him my house but apparantly he was not serious and never applied for a loan!

MGS -Wow a 59 burst and 54 strat. Mind if I stop over and jam? Ill bring new strings.
RV -Come on, but bring the heaviest NOS 50 year old LaBella strings you can find.

MGS - Are you using a pedalboard with your solo band? If so can you detail your live rig? Guitars, amps, pedals etc.?
RV -Yes. It has some Boss pedals for analog delay, digital reverb, tremelo, tuner, then there's a secret pedal, and a Stamps Drive-O-matic pedal that I keep on the lowest setting almost like a jazzed up volume boost with a little edge.
I alternate between the Reverend Kingsnake, Deluxe Reverb, or the old Bassman. I used to also have a Dr Z Maz 38 but it got lost. I like Jensens, Celestion Vintage 30's, Mojotones, and Peavey black speakers( whatever they are). I like either one 12, two 12's, or four 10's. Never more than that.

MGS - Do you think Bob will tour again? It doesnt seem that will happen. Does he record at home? I would think even outof the spotlight the desire to make music wouldnt go away.
RV -I gave up trying to figure that a long time ago. I recorded a whole new CD with hime, I guess three years ago, but I've heard he scrapped that one and a few more that he's cut since then. I know he records in Nashville sometimes, but I don't know about home. Probably not. He still makes a lot of music, but no one knows if he'll be happy enough with anything to release it. Maybe that's where his title, "It's A Mystery" comes from.

MGS - Ive always liked the guitar work on " Somebodys baby" by Jackson Browne. What gear did you use?
RV -Thanks. again, the Dumble, and a new (then) Tele-style guitar with Humbuckers in split coil and a tremelo unit. Simple set-up.

MGS - Im sorry Rick but that story about the Little Richard gig was hilarious. At least it wasnt a chicken suit. I would have kicked his teeth in. How did you handle it?
RV - There's something about being hungry and dead broke that came into the equation. He wasn't trying to embarras me. It's just that this was how his band dressed at the time. There was no need for the two bass players in the band though!

MGS - Wow so you didnt get anything for the Chevy commercial? That slide is the main audio focus in that commercial. I live fairly close to Bob I think , I could stop over.....
RV -No, I said that I earned performance royalties for ten years for it, and that was good. There were no writer's royalties involved because it was an improvisation on a record, and that's what much of session work is all about--you coming up with something that makes the artist's song sound good. You run the risk that your work will be a driving force in what ultimately makes the song a hit. It's not necessarily a bad thing, and I'm sure that my guitar work on that song has led to many other good opportunities for me. I just did not happen to be one of the guys who made a fortune from the Chevy commercial. Better stay away from Bob though, I hear he's locked and loaded.

MGS - Ever think about trying to call Gary Moore to try and buy Peters Les Paul ? I would imagine it crossed your mind when you were a member of Fleetwood Mac being the vinatge guitar guy you are.
RV -Funny, because once with Fleetwood Mac, he opened for us in Belgium and he had the guitar with him. Mick and I asked his roadie if we could see the guitar and he pulled it out of the case. I got to hold it play a few licks on it, and Mick and I just sort of looked at each other. It had such meaning for both of us. Of course it's none of my damn business, but I personally think that Gary Moore (whom I think is a great blues player) ought to drive over to Peter Green's house, hand back the guitar and say,"Thanks for the lessons and the loan."

MGS - If you could choose one gig today as a sideman and one as a member, what projects would you choose?
RV -I'd be a sideman in Muddy Waters' band and a member of the Rolling Stones. What better gigs could there be?

MGS- What's the history on the 59 burst and 54 strat? Can we see pics? What are the stories behind them? Any other gear that has a good story attached to it?
RV -I got my first 1958 'burst around 1978 from Norm's Rare Guitars in Reseda Ca.for $3500, which was really expensive then. Norm and I used to have a band together called the Angel City Rhythm Band and I hung out at the store all the time, playing poker, and watching the parade of "guitarded" characters come through. I've been around vintage guitars and guitar-nuts all my playing life, so I felt right at home there. Through Norm and his partner Dan, I bought, traded, and sold, just about every rare guitar imagineable-I've had them all at one point or another. I wrote an article on Norm and the vintage market that appeared in Guitar Player in 1976, and many say that this was the "official" beginning of worldwide consciousness that a vintage "market" existed. His business went through the roof after that came out, and you started seeing "vintage" stores opening all over. There were tons of guitars available back then. Anyway, I kept that 'burst about six years, sold it at Norm's, and then around '88 I got a 1959 model (at 25K by now), then another 1960 model in '89 I sold both of them when I saw my present 'burst that I also got through Norm in '92. This one had the mojo I'd always been looking for, good flame, not too heavy, not perfect, but very cool. Sounds amazing, of course. I'm very lucky that I was in a work force that allowed me to invest in these type instruments. I do wish I'd kept them all, because I always knew that they were among the best investments anywhere, and time has proven me correct. The '54 Strat came as a trade from a guy who liked my '59 hardtail Strat. He had another Strat also and was not in love with the '54. They ('54's) were not as sought after in 1980 as they are now, so the fact that it was a '54 didn't really matter any more than a '59. It's the only one I have. I'm not generally associated with Strats, which is fine because there are already enough guys who publicize that they use them. It's great though, and again, it's not perfect but it's mojo-filled.

MGS - I remember reading about Dumble being involved with Jackson Browne and Lindley I think it was. Was this the time you were with them?
RV -Yes, I was asked to join Jackson's band after David Lindley left, and he had a slew of Dumbles. I really respect David, who is quite an articulate and witty guy both personally and in his playing. Dumble first came to prominence through Jackson and Lindley, that's for sure. Jackson set Dumble up with a workplace in the "Abbey," which was the Browne's family house that his father hand-built out of stone, a really incredible place in L.A.. So he was like this mad scientist tucked away in this gated old house. It suited him perfectly. This was where the amps started to get expensive, and he devised his set of conditions or whatever you had to agree to before he would build you an amp. We always got along fine though.

MGS - Ok you only get 2 words per person...... GO!

1. Bob Seger -enigmatic, rocker
2. Jackson Browne -poetic, compassionate
3. Lindsey Buckingham -no comment
4. Stevie Nicks -charismatic, sister-like
5. Little Richard -classic, crazy
6. Howard Dumble -solitary, innovative
7. Tony Cole -incredibly handsome
8. Eric Clapton 1967 -inspiring, groundbreaking
9. Eric Clapton 2005 -icon, survivor
10.Robert Redford -retired, hopefully
11. Fred Sanford - my hero
Ricks 59 burstmusicgearsource.com

Interview : Roger Mayer

2009-01-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

Feature Interview with Roger Mayer

MGS - Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us Roger.

RM - I am glad to answer any questions you may have and hope that I might be able to give some insight and direction to those who have an interest in sound. I would like to however point out straight away that I personally endorse the future and do not live in the past and always have encouraged musicians to seek individuality and pursue a fresh and novel approach to their art.

MGS - I'll get my only Hendrix question out of the way so we can find out what is going on today. The wah mods that you did for Jimi, can you elaborate on them?

RM - Jimi probably did more to popularise the use of a wah pedal than anyone else and at the same time hasn't left much room to play something that will be heard and remembered of as unique.
I get a lot of questions of the mods we used and I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight as there is so much misinformation around about wah pedals and in particular the ones Jimi used.
We used to buy our wah pedals from a shop whenever we needed them and it soon became very obvious that there was a large difference in performance between the various units. Jimi and I discussed this and I began a scientific approach to carefully analyse the differences in the various units and the way they were interfaced into our set up. Once we found a pedal that Jimi was particularly fond and suited a particular situation it then became important to understand what made that one outstanding. Once the analysis was complete it was then possible to modify the operational parameters further to enhance its use. At that time the tolerances on the components were large and this in turn caused quite an appreciable difference in the tuning of the circuit. Now because the wah circuit is basically a swept filter there are several important parameters that will affect it's sound. The frequency of the sweep is dependent on the value of the inductance of the coil and the associated capacitors. There are an infinite combination of L and C that will give the same exact resonant frequency. Each combination exhibits a different Q or shape to the curve and it is important to know how these interact and sound. A different Q with the same frequency centre will produce a different sound. The input impedance of the standard wah was not that high and this factor loaded the pick ups down thus loosing valuable high frequency detail forever so I experimented using a buffer before the wah or drove the wah from a circuit that had a low output impedance to allow the full range of the pick ups to be available if desired. The use of a buffer before the wah has now become the de facto standard since I introduced it and is featured on the standard Dunlop wahs now. We never used a buffered output however. The resistance taper of the potentiometer makes a difference to the way the wah feels in operation and can be deliberately chosen to limit the actual width of the sweep whilst maintaining a more human feel. You don't always want full sweep from bass to treble all the time but want a more controlled action. The size and type of magnetic material will effect the detail and overall frequency and transient response even when tuned to the same frequency. Nowadays I have noticed that people are just focussing on one component part of the wah as the magic cure and path to Jimi's tone but I can assure you that this is not the case. The pot itself will not make a badly tuned wah sound good nor will a coil. It is the careful selection of all the inter dependent parts that makes up the overall result. Then of course the most important bit is where does the wah sound fit into the music and how do you want to tune it. It would be untrue to imagine Jimi used the same wah sound for all his tracks because after all why wouldn't you change it if you could. This flexibility has become my driving force in offering the most complete and varied range of tuneable wah circuits that I can make. I have also addressed the playing ergonomic issue with the ultra low profile Vision Wah that also has a Blending Control between the original sound and the wah sound. All these tuneable features go a long way in obtaining your particular sound and after all we did not copy we invented new sounds and I myself would never claim to give somebody Jimi's wah sound as you would have to qualify the musical moment you are talking about as Jimi was always experimenting daily to improve his sound. Nothing worthwhile stays still! So in a nutshell you have your answer. There is no one Jimi wah sound only a range that he used and I continue that tradition by offering tuneable wahs that have genuine roots and heritage that reflect the best we used.

MGS - What does your day consist of? Do you build at all or just for R and D?

RM - I am very lucky as virtually every day for me is different. As I am a the designer of all my products including all the engineering and pattern work for the castings and CAD CAM for extrusions, PC Cards and artwork my work load is high but very enjoyable and varied. I come from a family, which has always owned engineering factories, and I grew up around machines and watching my Dad create tooling and prototypes so for me it is natural to surrounded by this type of environment. I build all the initial designs personally and supervise the manufacture of them as they progress into production. As my name is on the products I obviously take great pride in making sure the end result is as good as it gets and I always have tried to be on the cutting edge of technology. I personally inspect and test all of the products before shipping using the most up to date equipment and techniques available. We use a large percentage of our resources on R&D and do not believe in sitting back and following or copying trends.

MGS -What's the is the product you are most excited about offering right now?

RM - We recently have introduced a new extrusion enclosure for the Vision Series of pedals. The Vision Series have both buffered and hard wire outputs and these features have been so popular that we are now improving the very successful Voodoo Range by moving them to exactly the same enclosure with the added features of the Hard Wire and Buffered Outputs. We have also updated our Voodoo- Vibe enclosure for easy battery access. So it's good bye to die cast boxes and taking the back off, loosing the screws all to change the battery and hello to the future with instant battery access and both types of output. After all it's all about making life easy for the player.

MGS - Tell us about this new guitar strap switching system from RM effects.

RM - The Mission Controller system brings to the player remote switching of his effects. We are the first manufacturers to do this and break new ground in bringing to the player total freedom from having to be at the pedal board to change the effects. So if you are using a radio link for the guitar audio signal you can also use a Mission Controller Transmitter that will fit onto your strap to give total freedom on stage. Even when using a guitar lead the advantage of not having to be near the pedals and tap dance has real benefits.
We are starting with a simple system that has two effects loops that are implemented with reed relays of recording studio quality. So you can channel switch an amp or switch in two independent loops
in your effects set up. All switching is passive and click free with no amps buffers or any electronics in the signal path. Just pure switching in a vacuum by the best method possible using the optimum material for the switch contacts. It's not the cheapest way to accomplish this but it's the best.
The future capability of the system is enormous as up to 15 commands can be sent from the transmitter and configured into all manner of control paths.
The heart and security of the system lies in the code hopping radio transmissions that ensure freedom from interference and hacking. This is a further development of the technology as used by top automobile makers for keyless entry. Our system uses a refined and long-range transmitter that also transmits a signal to the receiver to show you when to change its battery, which incidentally should last a year.
We are introducing 3 models of transmitter and pictures and details of these will be on our web site.

MGS- Its odd almost 40 years later alot of folks are still chasing Jimis tone. What are your honest feelings on that? What should folks be doing to find their own tone?

RM - The interesting comment that I always make to people is that you are hearing a recording of Jimi probably from a CD and in a particular room setting and at a sound pressure level that is comfortable to you. The CD pressing is at least 7 generation away from the original and the signal has already passed through various production stages before your laser in the CD player gets to decode the signal and send it to the power amplifier and then to the speakers. So as to chasing Jimi's tone. Is the aim of your quest to emulate the sound coming from your Hi Fi loudspeakers or do you want to make a record to sound like Jimi or do you want to sound like him playing live. The answers to each of these questions would be completely different and to be honest not appropriate to discuss here as each case in point would only apply to an individual and his style of guitar playing. Listening to a recording even of a live performance has only so much relevance and should only be used for inspiration and enjoyment not as some benchmark that is set in stone. I always try to tell a musician that using the same equipment is only part of the story and can so easily work against you in thinking subconsciously that it will be a substitute for real talent and inspiration. Obviously having a good equipment helps and should be used to eliminate the bad workman blaming his tools syndrome. I specialise in producing equipment that has the capabilities to produce the sounds that can be recorded to make hit records and some devices are designed expressly for live stadium type gigs at maximum volume with the back line amplifier then being miked up and distributed with a massive house PA. I do not make pedals that are primarily designed to be used at low volume in a bedroom
as many people will tell you when they move to a real gig that the sound they thought was great at home just does not cut it in front of an audience and used in anger. The situations are completely different and require the correct solution. Dedication and daring to be different is the path to finding your own unique tone. So the next time you hear Jimi try to capture his musical spirit and put your own twist to it and not try to copy him note for note.

MGS - On that same note how do you feel about the builders that are still
cranking out the same tired circuits? Not many things that are different
these days. What builders actually impress you as doing or trying to be different?

RM - Those people who only copy or re package would probably design something new if they could. It's very sad that many leading manufacturers have no new ideas and push the past as if it's the future. It's the only industry I know where this is tolerated and you can catch a cold by being too advanced. I really do not have any contact with any other designers or builders except at trade shows but see as much live music as I can and ask my associates and musician friends to bring to my notice anything new that they think I should know or hear. I do however associate with designers in other fields who are on the cutting edge of their own speciality and that keeps my faith for the future.

MGS - Where do you see the effects industry heading and how do you see RM fitting into that?

RM - The sound effects industry could be very important if it takes a path similar to that of the film industry in pioneering new techniques and FX. The two industries might become more linked as home cinema and 5.1 sound gets a strong foothold in the home. It's only a matter of time before this will happen and all recordings will be using 5.1. We intend and are already committed to following an aggressive development path in the future of sound FX.

MGS - Have you seen the new Jimi modeling pedal? What are your
thoughts on that and modeling in general? I played it and thought it was
pretty bad to be brutally honest.

RM - My opinion of the Jimi pedal is not important. The public have ears and let them decide with their wallet.
As to real time modelling I would like to make an analogy to your readers. Imagine you are beside a lake with an unpredictable wind blowing across the water and are holding a stone that you intend to throw into the lake. How could you possibly predict exactly what the pattern from the splash of the stone would be before you threw it into the lake also taking into account the effect of the unpredictable wind. You couldn't possible compute it ever. There are too many unknown variables involved. One definition of music is that it is not a repetitive waveform and therefore cannot be analysed in real time, only after it has occurred. So there you have it. Game over. Always remember analogue is continuous information and digital is maths. Digital recording and processing is a case of not continuously recording or processing signal information but slicing the signal up as a series of ones or zeros. The subject of digital modelling tries to make itself credible and believable by conveniently forgetting the fact that you are trying to simulate or model something from basically an alien source that might or probably does not contain the necessary information you are trying to simulate. It is not possible to accurately extrapolate information from the various sources that do not contain it in the first place. All you can do is make global decisions about what has already passed and then apply various mathematical algorithms to them after a sufficient time or number of cycles has passed with no idea of what will happen next. This is what latency is all about. This applies whether you are trying to simulate a valve, loudspeaker or any effect, as you cannot possibly instruct you digital modeller what to do if nothing has happened yet. It must wait until an event has passed or idle in some state that was previously determined by a past event. Now also remember that the speed of processing is not the answer to all the problems as in the case of musical instruments or vocals you will have to wait for zero crossings of the wave form before you have any idea of what the frequency is and therefore what possibly to do. This brings us back to the lake and not being able to possibly predict the splash pattern.

MGS - I am alot bigger Trower fan than Jimi. You did a rack vibe for him
early 90s didnt you? Can you elaborate? Anything else for Robin? Id love
to find one of those rack units.

RM - I used to make a rack model called the Supervibe which was an upgraded evolution inspired by the old Univibe chorus pedal and contained the tuning selection and other information that I gained from playing and analysing Jimi's units which by the way were not particularly stable and suffered from an unregulated power supply. SRV also used the Supervibe with the same type of filter sections with improved components and circuit features. Robin also uses a few of my distortion boxes including the Mongoose as well a having a modified wah with the 9090 series card.

MGS - We have a mutual friend Calvin "fuzzy" Samuels former bass player
for well you name it. For the record can you tell me when your relationship
started? Did you know him when he was in the studio with Jimi for the first
Stills solo album?

RM - We both have a mutual friend Junior Marvin who went on to be lead guitar for Bob Marley and the Wailers and Fuzzy and Junior brought us together a long time ago in the 70's.

MGS - I get the feeling that RM effects does a ton of business in other
countries besides the USA is that the case?

RM - Yes that is true and Japan has been our biggest customer since 1985. I really like the way the Japanese embrace new technology and have real excitement for new ideas. They love rock guitar and music and it's refreshing to see enthusiasm for music.

MGS - If Jimi was still around do you think he would still be playing
the same gear or something totally different?

RM- There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Jimi would continue his
quest to improve and follow his vision of the sound landscape that he
wished to create. As to the gear he would now use I feel that in no way
would he remain static in that area and we often discussed the ways you
can make sound appear to come from different spaces and this was carried
out to the best of our ability in the studio recordings that were
produced. I know the direction we were taking in making the music have
lots of movement and texture and this is the area I feel Jimi would have
moved into. This would lead naturally into having the ability to cross
fade sounds live and add echo and any other effect live and this is what
we were always trying to do from day one. Being able to get instant
feedback from instant control was important to us and is the fuel for
creation, like bending a string but taken several steps further. As to
the type of guitars, amps and pedals, Jimi always used what suited him
on that day. So it's pretty obvious that unless there was nothing new or
better he would remain true to his favourites but knowing Jimi and his
love for change he would have made sure somebody out there listened to
him and made something better.

From Guitarist Magazine Dec 2004For more info on Roger and his products see www.roger-mayer.co.uk
Interview by Tony Cole 6-15-05 musicgearsource.com All rights reservedFrom Roger himself

Roger Mayer first started making guitar effects in 1964 for his friend Jimmy Page. Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Big Jim Sullivan featured these early models on many hit records by various artists as they all played on a lot of sessions and of course their own bands like the Yardbirds. Big Jim Sullivan in fact had two hit record that featured a fuzz box solo "Hold Me" and "Together" both by P.J.Proby Those were the first British records to have that sound. At that time I was working for the British Admiralty in the field of vibration and acoustic research which was all to do with naval underwater warfare in a lab that was next to the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington. My interest in sound and the way it acts has fuelled my career ever since. This scientific background has led me to approach acoustic problems from different angles and I think it is fair to say that most of the effects that I produce have an original and unique flavour. I met Jimi Hendrix first in 1967 in a club and in two weeks time we were in the studio overdubbing the solo to "Purple Haze" using the Octavia that I had invented. My association with Jimi grew and grew at a rapid pace and I spent a lot of time going to gigs and in the studio creating new sounds with him. I was present with him at Olympic studios for nearly all the session for his next album "Axis Bold as Love" and of course you can hear the unique tones I had a part in creating. After recording Axis Jimi invited me to go on the upcoming winter 1968 tour around the states. This was my first trip to the states and after the tour I left the Admiralty and went to work for Olympic Studios building and designing the custom audio devices and consoles that they manufactured for themselves. Studios in those days built their own equipment to gain an edge on the competition. I moved to the States in 1969 and formed my own company, which specialised in Studio equipment. I designed Limiters, Equalisers and complete recording studio consoles that were used by all the top studios in New York and the rest of the world. The success of these studio devices led me to meet many top name artists that I have had the pleasure of working with. I designed and built a great deal of the analogue synthesiser that was used by Stevie Wonder on the albums "Music of my Mind" "Talking Book" and "Innervisions" that were all recorded at Electric Ladyland N.Y. After working with Stevie I met the Isleys and worked on 8 albums with them. 1978 brought me to Jamaica to meet and work with Bob Marley until he so tragically passed on. The first album for Bob was Exodus were you can hear the sound used both by Bob and Junior Marvin clearly. During this period I was still making mostly studio equipment with the occasional pedals for my friends and famous artists and it was not until the early 80's that the demand and pressure for others encouraged me to reissue the last version of the Octavia that Jimi used. This was the debut of the futuristic looking Rocket casting which did not exist before then. From the death of Jimi until then there were few guitarists with the exception of Ernie Isley and Junior Marvin who were in a position to exploit the realms of new sounds. Jimi's death had left a great gap and disco and Glam rock were kings. The reissue of the Octavia and it's success led me next to put my version of the Fuzz Face the Classic Fuzz in the Rocket Housing and this signalled the start of the Rocket Series that is produced today. The Axis Fuzz was next and then the Mongoose thus completing the series. The Supervibe my update of the Uni-Vibe was produced in a rack mount version. I returned to England in 1989 where I have specialised in making and developing guitar effects. The Voodoo-Series followed by our latest device the Crossroads. My return here to England has led me to meet many of the new and upcoming young guitar players and all I can say to you is it's not over yet. There will be many more new and futuristic effects to leave the drawing board.

Interview : Carl Verheyen

2009-01-27T08:59:00.000-08:00

musicgearsourceFeature Interview with Carl VerheyenInterview

MGS - Hey everyone, we are here with Carl Verheyen. Thanks so much for chatting Carl, its an honor.

CV - Thanks for checking in.....I'm proud to be in the company of some of my favorite contemporary guitar players.

MGS - Its safe to say most of our readers know who you are and your history. < If not please visit www.carlverheyen.com >. Lets talk about gear and your current projects. I have a feeling talking gear wont be a problem.

CV - Not a problem at all. I have a simple motto: If it sounds good don't sell it. Even if a couple of years go by and I'm not using a certain piece, I hang on to it because someday I know I'll need it.

MGS - Ive been watching the Rumor Mill DVD set non stop on my computer. As a matter of fact its on right now. That had to be a major undertaking. Its far above a live set and credits. I think its one of the most well laid out DVD sets Ive ever seen. How much planning was involved in that project?

CV - The two dual disc box set concept was Mark Waldrep's idea. He is the president of AIX Records, a company considered to be the most cutting edge in DVD production and home theater content. Besides the 11 song live set we included 4 songs filmed at soundcheck and 7 songs played with acoustic instruments on a different day in the same theater. So there's a lot of music! Mark wanted to film a Master Class I did at USC, and I wanted to get some footage of me playing a lot of different guitars at my house. We also got some backstage interviews and rehearsal footage, so when you add all that up it's over 3 hours of video. But the planning was easy: every idea we tried we liked!

MGS - The cool thing about your stuff is that I found myself drooling over your solo acoustic studio stuff just as much as the full electric rig shows. I liked the story about how your dad asked you to play him something and after playing him some parts of songs he didnt understand why it didnt sound like the record. It seems like that drove you to really become a musician instead of just a guitarist. I have a student who said his dad did the same thing to him. I think I am going to record us playing things together so he can hear it.

CV - The guitar is one of very few instruments that can accompany itself, and the art of solo unaccompanied guitar, whether it's jazz, classical, Chet Atkins style or acoustic fingerstyle is a noble goal to strive for. My problem is that I love all those styles! And it's true, my Dad was instrumental in getting me to "just play something" when I pick up the guitar. I guess he got tired of the endless noodling!

MGS - Does it ever bother you some folks only get to see one side of your playing and dont see the whole picture? You cover alot of ground extremely well.

CV - Thanks for the compliment! The answer is yes, but on the other hand I don't want to come off as a "look at my chops" kinda guy. I would much prefer to have someone's initial impression of my music be deep and musical, even if it's only 1 tenth of what I can do. Maybe that's why I was a studio guy for all those years. There's a certain self-righteous feeling about being the well-listened craftsman. As a serious fan of music, you become a music historian with respect to your particular instrument, and those skills are most valuable in the studio. You get to play country music in the morning and heavy metal that night so you're never bored!

MGS - As a guitar teacher I find myself always looking for new ways to present the same thing so different folks can grasp concepts. What advice would you have for starting a student at square one? What would you do and how would you advance ?

CV - My advice to everyone at square one is avoid limiting yourself. Learn everything you dig and let it influence your musical upbringing and eventually your style. Along the way you'll be able to make a living playing guitar and experience the joys of an artistic life.

MGS - Ok time to talk gear. Watching you give the Master Class on the Rumor Mill DVD was a treat. Your rig is a dream for alot of players, myself included. You covered it all in that section except for the THD rig that was on stage right. Is that just for slide? I saw it was a Flexi and that rack. What did you use to continue the slide loop when you switched over to the strat? Just a delay? Could you go in detail on this second rig?

CV - That rig is my old (but updated) studio rig that I've been using since the early 80's. These days I mostly use it for film scores and record dates where they want my "Ethereal Man" sound. I used it for the slide sound on "Slingshot" with the THD Flexi amp. I think it was an Infinite Reverb program in the Lexicon PCM-70 that created the loop. I also have a PCM-81 in there and a lot of other time-tweeking devices....

MGS - The Stamps verb unit in your main rack, is that the same Drive O Matic Stamps? Not made anymore correct?

CV - Yes, Robert Stamps was around LA for many years with a repair shop called the Amp Shop. He was next door to Norm's Rare Guitars for a while, then got a bigger store in the Sherman Oaks / Studio City area. I used to hang there a little and one day I talked him into building me a rack mounted reverb unit that sounded like my old Fender Reverb tanks from the early 60's. He also put a great sounding 2 channel tremolo in it and it's done some serious time on the road with me. I remember him finishing it just hours before the gear shipped to Europe for a 7 month Supertramp tour! But Stamps disappeared a while ago, and mine was getting kinda noisy. By chance I found his old partner named Jim Wigle working at Groove Tubes and he totally updated it for me. Unfortunately they are not made anymore, but a very nice substitute is the Victoria reverb and tremolo unit. It's the size of a large amp head, but well worth the real estate it takes up.

MGS - If I heard you correctly thats a Lexicon PCM41 you use for distorted delays into your wet Marshall rig ? Also no longer made?

CV - Yes......I've been through the Echoplex phase, and although I love tape delay, I'm happy with the old PCM-41 sound. It's not digital sounding at all. Fat and warm is what I need for the distortion lead tones, although I like the pingy high end delays for my clean rhythm sounds. The more you get into your tone, the more you want different speakers, different amps and an entirely different signal path for clean and dirty sounds. I even tested all the cables made today and chose instrument cable AND speaker cable that sounds best for clean tones and best for distortion.

MGS - What model is the Lehle switcher you use? I got the feeling from watching the Master Class you had a hand in designing it.

CV - I got to know Burkhard Lehle during one of my annual European tours. When he showed me his A/B switching pedals I asked him to modify mine so that the same button toggles between A and B. When I'm at the mic singing, the last thing I want to do is look down to find the lead button during my chord rhythm part. A much more organic approach occurs when I can play and sing, and if I hear a lick or a quick little lead part, I can tap the button and play it with my distortion tone, immediately switching back before the delays and reverb of the clean rhythm part ever die out! So the sound never cuts off like MIDI or channel switching, instead it's always continuing and maintaining it's fluidity.....This is great for a trio!

MGS - Alfonso Hermida is friend of our site. I read you just picked up his Zendrive and have been working with it. Of course a pedal is just one part of the puzzle but once in awhile I stumble across something that inspires me to play well, Alfs pedals are one such thing for me. What are your thoughts on it so far?

CV - It took me awhile to get it figured out, but I like the control and natural sounds of that pedal. I think it's about to make a move to my main pedal board, and to bump something off of that one is a major accomplishment!

MGS - It must be hard to store all those vintage guitars and amps. Ive got some room in my computer room if you ever need some space. Seriously though do you ever sit back and go wow I could open a vintage store ! I know, I know they are tools but its gotta feel like Christmas sometimes.

CV - I'm pretty passionate about guitars! I just bought a Flying V that is really fun to play live, and I've used it a lot so far on my new CD. Each instrument has it's own inspirational vibe surrounding it and I'm very lucky (like Rick Vito) to have jumped on board the vintage train before it got out of control. I've had people offer me $30,000.00 for a guitar I paid $3500.00 for, but I'd rather have that guitar than their money! Initially I just hoped to have a good working example of every important guitar in rock 'n roll history so I could sound authentic in the studios. But as my solo career took over I began to acquire the guitars that sounded like I want music to sound like. This led me into things like Gibson SGs and the Flying V, which is NOT a good studio guitar because you can't sit down with it!

MGS - Myself having a gear website I talk gear alot but I believe the quickest way to sound better is learning new things on the instrument and practice. How often do you practice when at home?

CV - I'm a serious practicer! I get some time in almost every day. I love to explore new harmonic ideas, write my lines down, experiment with pedals and amps, play over changes and vamps and write songs. If I go a day or 2 without practicing I don't feel good about myself. I think I find my center as a person during those solitary times with my guitar. My favorite times are when I don't have to work on an upcoming show and I have nothing specific to practice. Playing anything you hear right off the top of your head is a form of meditation I'm sure, and it's taken me to some wild places and back!

MGS - New album eh? Anything recorded we could share with my readers? Just a
little clip?

CV - Nothing is mixed yet, I'm right in the middle of overdubs. The music is leaning more towards high energy world fusion with a blues rock base. The entire CD seems to be centered on a 12 minute epic piece called "The Bells of April" that I've been adding guitars to for 2 years! Although there are 4 different solos, most of the song is a through-composed orchestrated piece using layers and layers of guitars like my "Partington Cove Suite" on the Solo Guitar Improvisations CD. For drummers I have the best: Bernie Dresel on half the CD and Chad Wackerman on the rest. The nice thing about this CD is that we were able to play the music on the road for a month before recording it, instead of the other way around. You can really see what works when you run the music before an audience night after night. And I like luxury of honing my guitar parts and lyrics until the day before we record them!

MGS - I always have a way of screwing up a serious interview so here goes. The Tiffany sessions, did you know how big that record would be when you were recording it? Did you ever say to yourself "Man I should have gone for the Debbie Gibson gig instead" ? Any funny stories from that time ? Im sure that record ended up paying for a guitar or two for you.

CV - That was a very strange session. My main rig at the time had just been shipped to England in advance of a month of production rehearsals for a Supertramp world tour. This was 1986 and I didn't have a warehouse full of gear so I scraped together what I had and borrowed a few things to make the date. The producer was a really mean guy! Immediately he told me who he usually hired (a famous guy) but since that guy was busy...... I thought he was kidding so I shot right back "hey, I just came from Capitol Studios where I wiped all his tracks!" He put on a Steely Dan CD and said "this is what we're going for" even though the vibe of his tune was a little bubblegum pop ditty! I couldn't tell if he was serious or not, and I got the feeling he didn't like me, the artist, the music or his job! When I got back from the tour it was a huge hit record. I got a platinum record from it but I keep it in the garage......

MGS - OK heres one that should be tough for you. Ill put you in my shoes for a minute. If you only had 1500.00 total for a rig that you had to gig with what would you seek out?

CV - I would probably find a reissue Fender combo amp with reverb (like a Twin or a Pro) and a Mudhoney pedal from T-Rex for distortion. Or a Landgraff Perfect Distortion. I can't play clean without 'verb and I can usually get over the top with a Strat if I have a warm and fat distortion pedal. The Vox AC-30 reissues are quite good, too. If there was any $$$ left over I'd get a delay pedal of some kind, as well.

MGS - I remember you playing a Reverend guitar. Do you still use it ? Joes got a a Vito model thats out.... Id love to see a Verheyen model also.

CV - I used it extensively in 2002 on tour. My favorite model is the one with the P-90s. I take it out as a modern road substitute for my '54 Les Paul Gold Top with 53 year old P-90s!

MGS - What is the current status of Supertramp? Any plans?

CV - We just released a compilation CD including the A&M and the EMI years called "Retrospectacle." I'm surprised at how well it is selling and that there is no tour supporting it. But there's a possibility of another huge tour in 2007........

MGS - When can we expect the new CVB cd? Can you tell us a little about it?

CV - Right now the plan is to release it in late summer, in time for a lot of fall touring. This CD will be a dual disc with some "making of" footage on the other side. Other extras might include some live demo versions in my practice room with just guitar and bass.

MGS - I need to pick up your book, I have read its very helpful in breaking out from the same old licks. When did you sit down and try to play these wide intervals as opposed to the box playing? Did you have a teacher that steered you that way?

CV - In 1976 or '77 I began studying with Joe Diorio, a great man and musical mentor of mine for 30 years. He was teaching me to tap into the creative pool that is limitless, no matter what stage my technique was at. He pointed out the obvious to me: that all guitar players learn their scales up and down the neck, organize their pentatonics into little boxes and proceed to play them endlessly from then on. I read interviews with Pat Martino from the late '70s where he said "stop studying to become a musician (with your scales and arpeggios), be a musician by playing lines." Your own lines. So for the last 30 years I've been composing and writing down my musical ideas, expressed as melodic lines over tonal centers, and I can draw on this melodic information in any musical situation. I took these basic ideas from master jazz players and simply applied them to rock, blues and other popular forms.

MGS - When you sit down in front of the computer, what are the top 4 websites that you visit?

CV - I wish I had time to surf around the web. Mostly my time at the computer is spent answering fan mail or players questions. Occasionally I go on the message board at carlverheyen.com and check the pulse of the guitar players out there........

MGS - Any funny stories from the road?

CV - Many! But new comedy is happening all the time that makes the past pale in comparison. On the road a band becomes an insular brotherhood where it's just us and then everyone else. Especially in foriegn countries. That's when the inside stuff gets deep. I flew from Hong Kong, China to Dublin, Ireland last year and the culture shock was almost as insane as the time zone displacement. When you're in that state of craziness....anything can happen!

MGS - Can you tell us about your signature guitar and strings? I emailed them about reviewing a set of strings but they didnt respond.

CV - The CV Signature strings are basically my gauges from the Thomastik-Infeld Power Bright series, but the added value is my Strat setup. I can make a vintage or modern Strat vibrato bridge float and stay perfectly in tune. I give detailed step by step instructions on how to do this inside the package, complete with pictures. The final result is the most musical vibrato setup possible, because the intervals remain constant with each string. The Avalon acoustic guitar I designed is a high quality instrument built exclusively for playing live. I was frustrated using the acoustic guitar on stage with a hard hitting drummer, I was either sacrificing tone or volume or both. But the Avalon sounds great at high volume and is a pleasure to play. I even use it for solo acoustic shows because it's a double cutaway which gives me access to everything and a gorgeous tone all the way up the neck.

MGS - Oddly enough Rick Vito said he uses the Stamps Drive o Matic. A pedal that seems to be looked down on in the boutique world. Its amazing to me sometimes that bedroom players seem to demand more than a real pro. I guess sniffing the cork is another way to put it. Thoughts?

CV - Probably because the serious player has his tone in his hands........ the pedal matters less. I never could get Robert Stamps' pedal to work for me, be he did an amazing job modifying my Rat pedal. The Drive o Matic was born from the mods he used to do on Rats, but sounded nothing like them. Disappointing in a way, but I still have and use my Rat all the time, so I don't care!

MGS - Do you have any other collections like the guitars? Stamps? Cars?

CV - No....but I do have a hobby: Washing my car. I like to wash my car.

OK you get two words for your feelings on these words...Go!

Chet Atkins - Lives on
Dr. Atkins - Still dead?
Steve Vai - Business man
Pork Pie Hat - Deep Blues
Tony Cole - Interview kingpin
Billy Gibbons - Sincere Respect
Gear Sluts - Sound great
Brian Setzer - Hollowbody rock
Tiffany - Tiffany who?
Jim Marshall - Tone Yoda

MGS - Thanks so much Carl its been a pleasure speaking with you!

If you enjoy reading musicgearsource for free please visit our sponsors and check out what they have to offer.Bio

Carl Verheyen is a major presence on the guitar. Growing up in Pasadena in Southern California, he began a lifelong study of the instrument at age 10. Even in his early teens Carl practiced guitar every day, a tradition that continues to this day. Four or five rock bands down the road, he decided to pursue his musical education at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Although his formal training was to last less than a year, the experience proved invaluable, broadening Carl's musical influences and introducing him to jazz , blues, classical and country music.

While living near the University of Massachusetts, Carl got the opportunity to work with the innovative jazz drummer, Max Roach. After a brief taste of the road, he returned to the Los Angeles area and began leading his own group, which included bassists John Patitucci and Dave Marotta and drummers Chad Wackerman and John Ferraro.

Early in the 1980s, Carl was also a sideman in many groups, including the Victor Feldman Generation Band and keyboardist Dan Siegel's group. He played on five of Siegel's records and was the most prolific songwriting contributor to the first three Richard Elliott records (especially Trolltown, which contains five of Carl's songs, and Initial Approach which contains the Verheyen penned hit “Gretchen's Theme”). He also worked live with the saxophonist for five years. Carl played 2nd guitar in a group led by Robben Ford, and early in his studio career he recorded with Stanley Clarke, Dave Grusin and Little Richard. Soon he was getting called to work on many pop records including Tiffany's multi-platinum selling debut. He performed live with jazz saxophonists Joe Farrell and Ronnie Laws, and over the years worked with singers Carl Anderson, Christina Aguilera, Melissa Manchester, Leanne Rimes, Michael Damian, and Eagle Glenn Frey. He played on the Tonight Show with country music artists Tom Wopat and Shelby Lynn, and recorded a movie soundtrack with Dolly Parton and a few records with Cher.

In 1985, Carl became lead guitarist for the British rock group Supertramp, replacing the departing guitarist Roger Hodgson. The band played stadium shows all across the U.S. and Canada . In 1986 the group toured Europe , selling out huge arenas in eight countries. This tour finished with a command performance for Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

After those tours, Carl slipped into the enviable position of being one of L.A's first call studio guitarists. He has played on over 200 different television shows as far back as “Happy Days” and “Laverne and Shirley” and including “Cheers”, “Suddenly Susan” and “L.A. Law.” Soon Carl's CD collection became full of the movie soundtracks he was doing like “Stand and Deliver,” “ Moscow on the Hudson,” “L.A. Story,” “Dusk ‘til Dawn,” “Mr. Wrong” and the soundtrack Oscar winner “The Milagro Beanfield Wars.” Due to the anonymous nature of studio work, not a day goes by when you don't hear Carl on one thing or another: in the movie theaters, on TV, or over the radio.

But studio work alone wasn't enough for this artistic soloist. In 1988 Carl released his first album entitled No Borders , featuring Dave Marotta and John Ferraro. Over the years it has obtained “cult classic” status and still sells consistently, in part due to the unique collaboration with guitarist Allan Holdsworth. In January of 1992, Carl's recording of the pyrotechnic guitar display of “The Big Shuffle” was included in a compilation CD entitled “Guitar on the Edge”. This “underground” recording of the hottest new talent eventually gained cult status. Two more editions (volumes 3 and 5) were subsequently released containing some of Carl's bootlegged live performances.

Later in 1992 Carl was asked to make a video for REH/Warner Bros. Titled “Intervallic Rock Guitar,” this advanced instructional primer has had guitarists working on Carl's ideas and techniques for many years. In early 1993 an innovative computer-guitar educational interface company called G-Vox commissioned Carl to write three interactive libraries along with Steve Morse and Adrian Legg. Available since spring 1993, these interactive computer guitar lessons provided more insight into the Verheyen style.

In May of 1994, Carl's second CD Garage Sale was released to very positive reviews and critical acclaim. Before long Carl became internationally known as a unique improvising voice on the scene. Guitar magazines began asking him to detail his innovative style. Quite a departure from the typical guitar sound, it interests people all over the world, from Japan to Finland to South Africa. A few examples of the publications that have featured interviews, profiles, transcriptions and CD reviews:

• Guitar Player has featured many articles on Carl including
a 12 page interview with 2 pages of musical examples in
1990.

• Guitar Techniques (England.... including a transcription of
the title song, an interview and an audio CD in 1995, then
in 1998 Carl made the cover with his long time hero BB
King)

• Total Guitar (England ...including an audio CD)

• Guitar World

• Rhythm

• Vintage Guitar Many reviews and interviews
over the years.

• Gig

• Musician

• Jazztimes

• Jazziz

• Guitar & Bass (France)

• Fuzz (Finland)

• Chitarre (Italy)

• Axe (Italy) (multiple features including the cover in
November 2003)

• Guitar and Bass (Germany, multiple features incl.
an ongoing how to column)

• Guitar Player (Spain ...cover story)

• Young Guitar (Japan)

• Ad Lib (Japan)

• Guitar for the Practicing Musician (Japan)

• Guitar (Japan)

• Mojo (England)

• Music (Netherlands)

• Acoustic Guitar

• Living Blues

• Guitar One

• Recording

• 20th Century Guitar

• Guitar calls Carl one of the “Top 10 Guitar Players in the
World”... April 1996. The following month Carl began
writing a monthly column entitled “ Studio City,” an
ongoing account of his experiences in the L.A. studio
scene and on the road.

• Guitar Shop A full page schematic of Carl's live rig
describing a few of the many sounds he wrings out of a
Fender Stratocaster... April 1995. And in June 1996 a
twelve page pictorial of his various recording and live rigs
and his extensive guitar collection.

• “Best Studio Guitarist” award from Guitar Player
magazine's reader's poll.

• “Best Guitarist of Los Angeles ” from the LA Music Awards
in 1997.

In the mid-90s Carl continued to work consistently in the LA studios, playing on such interesting records as Chad Wackerman's “The View” with Allan Holdsworth and Jimmy Johnson, and Steve Bailey's” Evolution” with Greg Bissonette, T. Lavitz and Yes vocalist Jon Anderson. He played on 3 of trumpeter Rick Braun's top selling jazz CDs and “Free Zone”, an album featuring Alphonso Johnson, Ralph Humphrey, Larry Steelman and Ernie Watts. Carl has contributed guitar solos to both of Gordon Goodwin's acclaimed CDs, the latest one featuring Michael Brecker and Take 6. He worked on the number one soundtrack album (Billboard charts) from the movie “The Crow”, and the edgy, dark 1995 film “Strange Days.” Further soundtrack work has included “Crow II, City of Angels”, “Endless Summer II”, “The Negotiator”, “Blow”, “High Crimes,” “Collateral Damage and “Walking Tall.”

May 1996 saw the release of Carl's third CD. Entitled Slang Justice , This blues oriented project prompted the best reviews ever. Guitar Magazine wrote “Slang Justice establishes Verheyen as one of the top modern virtuoso blues interpreters of our day.” This record also marks the first time Carl's music is available worldwide, with retroactive releases of the first 3 CDs on European and Japanese labels.

Later in 1996, while working an average of eight to ten recording sessions a week, Carl still found the time to teach (CCR guitarist/vocalist) John Fogerty guitar lessons. In the fall of that year Rick Davies reunited Supertramp and Carl was asked to rejoin the legendary band. They recorded another classic ‘Tramp album entitled

“Some Things Never Change,” which went gold or platinum in many countries all over the world. During that period Carl played on the BeeGees hit record called “Still Waters” and had his songs placed in the movies “The Usual Suspects” and “Apt Pupil.”

On the educational front Carl continues to be a presence. Besides the video and G-Vox libraries, Fender Musical Instruments commissioned him to be the on-screen player for their first instructional CD-Rom entitled “Guitar 101.” This basic learning aid was included with all of the student model guitars sold by Fender! And Carl has been a guest lecturer at the following institutions:

• University of Southern California (Los Angeles...
yearly since 1996)

• Musician's Institute (Los Angeles.... yearly since 1988)

• Berklee College of Music (Boston...
Guitar Week headliner, 1995)

• Duquesne University Guitar Camp (Pittsburgh...
yearly since 1998)

• Berklee College 's West Coast Music Camp
(Los Angeles.....yearly since 1999)

• National Guitar Summer Workshop
(Los Angeles.....1999).

• LA Music Academy (Los Angeles... .2001, '03, ‘04)

• Leeds School of Music (Yorkshire , UK... 2002)

• Hull College (Yorkshire , UK... 2002)

• Guitar Institute of London (London, UK...
yearly since 2002)

• Bath International Guitar Festival (Bath, UK… 2003)

• Music Academy International (Nancy, France… 2004-05)

In 1997 the Carl Verheyen Band began the first of many overseas tours, playing to new fans all over Europe. Directly following the last show in Copenhagen, Carl flew to Paris, France to begin an extensive world tour with Supertramp, eventually playing in 17 countries. That year saw more touring with the CVBand in late summer, followed by another Supertramp tour which resulted in the record “It Was the Best of Times.” This double live CD was recorded during a 5 night stand at the Royal Albert Hall in London, 11 years after first performing there with the band in 1986.

Early in 1998 Carl began recording his 4th CD Slingshot . This record was entirely conceived and written during the backstage downtime in the various stadiums and arenas of the ‘97 Supertramp World Tour. Following in the blues-rock tradition of “Slang Justice,” the focus is on serious guitar playing and soulful vocals. The result is a masterful take on a timeless art form. Augmented with Chad Wackerman on drums, the group embarked on another European tour in the spring of that year, playing to sell out crowds in Germany, Holland, Belgium and Denmark. The band was filmed for television at the Leverkusen Festival just outside Koln, Germany, and later Carl returned to Europe to play the Blues and Jazz Festival in Vienna, Austria.

-------------------------------------------------------

In the new millennium Carl continues to be at the forefront of the modern day guitar scene, touring Europe and the US yearly. In early 2000 sessions began for the next record from the Carl Verheyen Band, entitled Atlas Overload. This recording featured the road tested touring band of Cliff Hugo (formerly with Ray Charles, Manhattan Transfer and Melissa Manchester) on bass and Steve DiStanislao (formerly with Joe Walsh and currently with Dave Crosby & Graham Nash, and Loggins & Messina) on drums. Essentially a live in the studio recording, it captures the intense energy of a CVBand performance. All the sounds were created by the trio with as few overdubs or fixes as possible. Carl once again proved himself a great songwriter and with his virtuoso band mates, he masterfully pulled off the challenge of trio playing. It should be noted that this band, playing constantly since 1997, achieves a Zen level of musical telepathy and their jams are an amazing event to witness live. The level of musicianship transcends any stylistic pigeonholes, with blues, jazz and rock fans enjoying the performances equally.

Soon after that he recorded Real to Reel, an instrumental record with European jazz guitarist Karl Ratzer. Released in the 2002, this live CD has become a cult favorite among guitar players. While continuing to tour 3 to 4 months out of the year, Carl still does a fair amount of studio work in LA and master classes at various universities and music stores. And three books written on the subject of recording the guitar feature Carl extensively:

• The Essential Studio Guitarist by Chris Standring.

• The Recording Guitarist by Jon Chappell.

• Studio City by Carl Verheyen... the anthology compiling
all of Carl's Guitar magazine columns.

In 2001 he began work on an entirely different kind of project, an acoustic solo CD. Called Solo Guitar Improvisations, it was released in early spring to outstanding critical acclaim. After extensive touring with the CVBand, Carl began a series of solo acoustic shows supporting the new recording. In September Supertramp was again reunited from all over the world to record their best album in many years. Called “Slow Motion” and released in March 2002, it is another timeless chapter in the band's rich musical legacy.

In February 2002 the CVBand braved the English winter for their first UK tour that saw Carl and Cliff reunited with saxophonist and Supertramp band mate John Helliwell for the last show. Next came Supertramp's "One More for the Road" World Tour, another massive stadium endeavor that touched down in 12 countries in 6 months. Upon returning to LA, Carl then scored a movie during this time called "The Metro Chase." Using techno sounds and incorporating Django Reinhardt style acoustic guitar with upright bass, violin, accordion and drums, the music was the opposite extreme of the new CD the CVBand was simultaneously bringing to completion.

Entitled SIX , this latest recording is the most fully realized disc the band has made. With extra help from keyboard wizard Jim Cox (Ringo Star, Aerosmith, Mark Knopfler, BB King), the sound is full and fat. Once again the songs were written backstage in the bellies of the stadiums and arenas during the previous Supertramp tour. At the beginning of 2003 the CVBand hit the road again, embarking on an 8-country tour celebrating this new release. And in the UK Carl and the band headlined the Bath International Guitar Festival and played two sold out shows in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Between concerts with the CVBand in LA and solo performances around the USA, Carl scored an edgy motorcycle film for the Discovery Channel. In February of 2004 drummer Bernie Dresel (Brian Setzer, Andy Summers) joined the band as they embarked on a series of 3 tours: Europe in the spring, the UK in the summer and the west coast of the USA in the fall. While home in Los Angeles Carl wrote and produced 2 songs for BB King and 3 for Jose Feliciano for a CD benefiting the Diabetes Foundation.

January of 2005 saw the long awaited taping of RUMOR MILL, the live DVD from the CVBand. This was released in May 2005. And in March Mel Bay released Carl's first instructional book entitled Improvising Without Scales. This text and CD package contains examples of Carl's style and includes the philosophy behind his unique improvisational line development. Carl's signature guitar strings made by Thomastik-Infeld contain his unique Stratocaster setup instructions that enable the guitarist to duplicate his uncanny ability to stay in tune with a floating bridge. And Avalon Guitars now produces the Carl Verheyen Stage Model acoustic guitar, a high end double cutaway instrument specifically designed for live performance. It produces the most natural acoustic sound available for live application.

In May of 2005 the CVB departed for a very successful tour in Europe with legendary drummer Chad Wackerman once again on board. After a month of sold out shows and sun drenched European festivals the group collected in Los Angeles to begin recording a new studio CD, due out next year………Stay tuned!

Interview : Frank Gambale

2009-01-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

MGS - Thanks for chatting with us Frank it’s an honor.

FG – My pleasure…..

MGS - Hows the tour going?

FG – Van, white lines on the freeway, set up, play, tear down sleep, eat, shower…the fun part is playing that’s for sure…as I always say, I get paid for the traveling, the playing I do for free…enthusiastic people but it isn’t theaters or big venues…very small time here in the USA…small group of hard core fans.

MGS - How do you keep yourself entertained on the plane?

FG – That’s what laptops are for…or a good novel…that’s my two modes pretty much…although the only flights on this tour are at the beginning and end of the tour…the rest is endless hours in the van…we all get along really well so there’s entertaining banter amongst the guys…then we get into our own things with Pcs and headphones, novels etc…

MGS - I got to see Vital Information play about 6 years ago I think it was, in Toledo Ohio. Very cool stuff. The guy in front of me had your autograph on about 20 CD covers. I was waiting for you to kick him to the curb but you were cool as ice. Anything crazy ever happen with a fan? Ever have to boot someone from the stage?

FG – I think you’re asking a jazz fusion musician rock and roll questions…people that like this kind of music are pretty cool and appreciative and understand what we’re doing…mostly they’re musicians…if someone has 20 of my Cds the very least I can do is sign all of them and shake his hand in appreciation. No one ever jumps up on the stage at a jazz concert!!

MGS - Can you tell us about the Frank Gambale Yamaha guitar and the Carvin preamp?

FG – My Yamaha AES-FG model has just been discontinued. It was a beautiful guitar but it was a bit expensive because Yamaha had to use a third party factory to build it…it was a complicated guitar. So we’re about to start working on another new instrument soon…it will probably be semi-acoustic…I find semi-acoustic guitars way more versatile than solid bodies at the moment.

The preamp is called Tone Navigator and it has been very popular. It took 2 years to get it right but it was worth it…sweet tone and no tubes…I’m a bit of a contrarian when it comes to guitar amps…most guitarists like tubes…but not me, and I definitely don’t like tube power amps…they just sound terrible mostly…I use a PA power amp ( 1000 watts ) just for head room…I like clean power…you never see PA companies using tube power amps now do you?

MGS - Do you ever use or still own the old Ibanezes? Those are still pretty sought after.

FG – I still have them gathering dust in my closet. I’m under contract with Yamaha so I don’t play Ibanez in public. I still love my GB-10 and some of my old FGM-400s…they are beautifully made instruments…I guess those and the Yamahas are going to be somewhat collectable.

MGS - Can you give the details of your current live rig. Amps, pedalboard, picks, cables etc.

FG – OK…4 space rack with TC Electronic G-Force, Tone Navigator – Carvin Preamp, Carvin 1000 watt power amp. Rolls midi pedal, Ernie Ball volume pedal, Planet Waves by D’Addario cables, Yamaha guitars…planet wave big triangle picks regular heavy.

MGS - Please tell us about the new DVD and CD.

FG – Concert With Class ( Alfred Publishing ) has been out for a while now..it’s a 90 minute concert with Steve Smith drums, Ric Fierabracci bass and Steve Tavaglione on two sax in two songs as special guest. Then there’s an instructional part for 60 minutes plus it includes a book with transcriptions of many of the tunes I played in the video…pretty cool product.

My newest CD is called Natural High. It’s all acoustic with Alain Caron on bass and Otmaro Ruiz on piano and Mike Shapiro on occasional percussion…the album is burning and you don’t even notice the absence of drums…which gives the acoustic instruments more space. We just completed a tour in Europe and it was really well received.

The album before my latest one is called Raison D’etre. It featured Billy Cobham on drums…I invented a new tuning and Yamaha made me a double neck guitar so I could have standard and the Gambale tuning available at all times. Some very fresh sounds from the guitar. There are transcriptions and an explanation on my website. www.frankgambale.com

MGS - Do you write much on the road? How do you record your ideas?

FG – I used to write on the road…but I rarely do nowadays…there’s just no time…we’re doing 18 shows in 19 days…no time…I’d rather take a month off and write and prepare in peace and quiet rather than drag a bunch of gear, set it up in a hotel room and try to come up with something when you’re dead tired…not generally productive. If I do get an idea I do it the old fashioned way, I write it down on music paper!! Imagine that!!

MGS - I recently saw some riff raff on Harmony Central bootlegging one of your DVDs. I think this younger generation doesn’t quite get it. Thoughts?

FG – It’s a real sore point with me…sometimes makes me want to quit the whole business of music. If people only knew how much work goes into conceiving, writing, recording, selecting the musicians, paying the musicians, choosing studios, artwork expenses, pressing costs, distribution costs…people say they think it’s a rip off to pay $19 for a CD when you can copy it for 50 cents. Well, let me say this, they have never been a record company. My latest album had a modest budget of around $30,000 which I paid for…that’s all up. My until cost is around $9.00….just to make the CD. I sell to my distributor for $8.75. That’s all they will pay because at that cost the retail is $18.99…now is that a good business to be in?? Hell no…it’s madness…I can afford to do this because I make money elsewhere, but as a pure business model, the recording business basically sucks right now. The circle has been broken, not enough money is coming back to the artist because people are copying, file sharing etc etc…that’s all well and good but it’s killing the industry…you don’t go to a hardware store, fill up your cart and walk out…you must pay for your items….there’s a whole chain of events that goes into bringing a product to market…the producers must be paid otherwise the system fails…people lose jobs etc…well with intellectual property it’s so easy to steal, a few moves and buttons on a computer and you can copy something that cost a lot of money to produce and basically, it’s stealing…yes STEALING!!! It’s so hard to police it that it goes on and people have very little conscience or moral fiber these days to stop and think, hang on a minute, this is somebody’s hard work here and I’m stealing it…no…I’ll go out and buy it. That rarely happens. The argument is always, well, people discover an artist that they wouldn’t normally buy and then go out and buy it legitimately..that’s crap, once someone has it they don’t go and buy it. Just look at the statistics on CD sales..it’s falling and there’s no end in sight. The jazz world is such a small market to begin with…sales are what I would consider pitiful at this point in history.

MGS - Has Vital Information ever busted out a Journey tune? When I saw you guys, Steve was doing a clinic and explained the Don’t Stop Believing riff. Sometimes clearing the room of guitarists and having screaming chicks might be a good thing.

FG – I’d rather see chicks screaming at fusion or jazz and I have seen it many times so I know it’s possible. What’s wrong with playing what we play that we would have to “break out a Journey tune”….to me it’s the difference between reading the cat sat on a mat as opposed to a great work of literature…just because something is popular doesn’t make it better…and I’ve accepted that many “chicks” will most likely never understand or dig jazz because there’s mostly crusty guys playing jazz and there’s no video with perfect, beautiful people partying…playing jazz is almost a religious experience…it’s not about fashion or popularity…it’s art.

MGS - I totally agree Frank.

MGS - Do you use a MP3 player?

FG – Itunes and an Ipod…I love mp3s. I have most of my music available on my website for downloading as mp3s plus music minus one, pdf charts etc etc.

MGS - What are you currently listening to?

FG – Monk and Coltrane Live at Carnegie Hall, Morph The Cat – Donald Fagen, Transition – John Coltrane, A Time 4 Love – the new Stevie Wonder album, Faces – Earth Wind and Fire…Police – Message in a Box..to name a few.

MGS - Have you tried any of the guitar amp modelers? Thoughts?

FG – Hmmm….no. I guess if you use your imagination you can start to believe that it’s a vintage Marshall or a black face twin…I think most people that use the modeling computer simulated amps use them more for the convenience more than the sound…it’s good enough for most folks…let me see…simulation verses the real thing…I know which one I go with…

MGS – I’ve only seen pics of the double neck Yamaha, how do you utilize both necks?

FG – I had it built for the Raison D’etre album and tours. I invented a new tuning for guitar…I think it’s revolutionary…it will probably take a few more years before people cotton on to what I’ve done…if you play any keyboard as a guitar player you envy the liberty that keyboardists have to play any notes together they choose…guitar is very limited in that sense…we’ll my new Gambale Tuning brings us VERY close to the chordal possibilities and liberty of keyboards. Long overdue…it only took 40 years to think of it! I reckon it could easily become another standard tuning.

The best thing about it is that you don’t have to learn any new shapes…if you play open D it still comes out as a major triad…so you don’t have to start over…it’s voiced differently but that’s the whole point. I can play almost any voicing I want to for 4 and 5 note chords and I can play that cool voicing in all keys comfortably…it’s awesome.

The double neck guitar allows me to have the standard tuning on one neck and the Gambale tuning on the other…check out Raison D’etre at my website and hear some new sounds from the guitar. I also have the entire album transcribed and available as pdf with music minus ones for that album going up soon. The pdf charts tells you how to tune the instrument.

MGS - Can you tell our readers about your website and what you offer there?

FG – Well I’ve mentioned it a lot already but what the hell. I don’t know of any other guitarist/ artist website that offers what I am offering…albums for downloading, then the music transcribed for that album as music/TAB in pdf format…then the actual album mix minus guitar, drums, bass and keyboard to download as practice / play along backing tracks…I’m also going to offer extended 20 minute versions of my latest album so folks can practice the changes…plus the usual news and information and tour info and a message board…I’m going to revamp the look of the site soon to incorporate pics of my new hairless head.

MGS - If you had beginning guitar students what would be the first 5 things you would start them on to get a good foundation?

FG – Intervals, chord construction, modes and the harmonized scale.
Understand these things and you understand all you need to know. Music theory isn’t hard…all students can understand it cerebrally…if a student can count to 13… that’s as hard as the math is…now…applying it to the instrument may take the rest of your life….

Feature Interview

Frank GambalemusicgearsourceCheck out www.frankgambale.com for CD/DVD info and download songs per track.

Interview : Al Estrada

2009-01-27T08:57:00.000-08:00

MGS - We are here with Al Estrada guitarist with the countries premiere Roth
era Van Halen tribute band. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Al ,
I was floored when I watched the videos on your site www.eruptiononline.com

AE – Cool, glad you liked the videos. We are editing some new footage right
now that includes our new singer, we hope to have some new clips up within
the next week or two. The audio and video clips are just a small
representation of what the band is like, the sound is much better when
you’re there in person.

MGS - How did you first get into music? When did VH come into the picture?

AE – I started playing guitar around 1977 and of course VH came on to the
scene around 1978 with the 1st album so it was a no brainer that Eddie would
be a big influence on myself growing up as well as every other rock guitar
player at the time. I was lucky enough to see VH on their 1st tour and to
this day it was one of the greatest concerts of all time for me.

MGS - I grew up a huge van of VH also. Was it tough to find other members
that had the same goal as you?

AE – Not really, I’ve been friends with the guys in the current lineup for a
long time and we all have a lot of the same influences and the same favorite
bands in common with VH being thee favorite. Eric Smith is the bass player
who also plays guitar himself so Eddie and Van Halen music has been one of
his favorites. Michael Thompson, the drummer has played with me in various
cover bands and we’ve always included VH in our setlists so it was a perfect
match to have him on board. Our new singer Brad Mcguire is a big VH and Dave
fan also, how could you not be a fan of the David Lee Roth the greatest
frontman of all time. It makes it easy when you love the band that you’re
paying tribute to.

MGS - Has it always been Van Halen or did you have other influences? I gotta
tell you, your technique, tone and look are VERY close to the real thing
back in the day. I hate to say it but compared to now you do Eddie better
than Eddie.

AE - Well besides listening to all of the Roth Era studio albums I’ve
listened to many audio and video bootlegs of the band. Live is where Eddie’s
playing really shined so I do my best to try to capture the live feel that
he had back in the early days. Besides Van Halen my other guitar influences
include Gary Moore back when he was doing the “rock” thing not so much his
blues era, loved his tone and aggressive style. Uli Roth the early Scorpions
guitarist was also one of my favorites, killer vibrato and great feel, I had
the pleasure of meeting him this year after one of his shows and I even
covered one of his Scorpion’s era songs “Sun in My Hand” on my solo
instrumental CD “Riffage”. I’m also a big Allan Holdsworth fan, the guy is
just incredible I can see where EVH was also influenced by him especially
around the 1984 era with the wide intervals and legato technique. Besides
those guys I love other players like Schenker, Dimeola, Lukather, Satriani,
Lynch….

MGS - Can you explain what you are doing at the beginning of Atomic Punk
effects wise and technique wise?

AE – It’s the magic of the MXR Phase 90! Just rubbing the strings with the
palm side of my right hand while muting the strings with the left hand and
setting the Phase 90 at a slow speed. The Phase 90 was a huge part of
Eddie’s tone for the early era stuff, that and occassional step of the MXR
Flanger.

MGS - Can you give us a complete breakdown of your live gear including all
effects, amps, and the parts used on the VH guitars?

AE – The guitar rig is pretty simple, the guitar plugs into my pedal board
which includes a Reissue MXR Phase 90, Reissue MXR Flanger and a Fulltone
tape echo then straight into a 100 watt SPLAWN Quick Rod
(www.Splawnguitars.com) then out to 2 4x12 cabs loaded with 2 EVM12L’s in
each cab, I’m currently experimenting with some different celestion and
eminence speakers, I usually run a cab on each side of the stage and play
very loud!. I’ve recently ditched my TC 2290 delay for the Fulltone tape
echo, the Fulltone is the modern day version of the Maestro Echoplex which
Eddie used in the early days.

The main guitar I use is a replica of Eddie’s red guitar with the black and
white stripes. It’s a hard ash body and maple neck both made by Warmoth
(www.warmoth.com) it has a original Floyd Rose with the D-tuna and the
pickup is a Seymour Duncan custom shop EVH model (www.seymourduncan.com)
This guitar was given to me as a birthday gift by the guys in ERUPTION and
painted by Eric, the bass player, he did a great job and got every little
detail of Eddie’s original guitar. I also have a 2nd EVH replica of Eddie’s
white guitar with the black stripes, this one has the same specs as above
except that the body is swamp ash instead of hard ash. I also have a 3rd
guitar in the works which is the replica of Eddie’s bumble bee strat guitar,
black with the yellow stripes, it is currently being built by John Suhr and
Suhr Guitars (www.suhrguitars.com) can’t wait for this one!

MGS - What is the setting on your delay?

AE – It’s roughly around 320 milliseconds, the Fulltone tape echo doesn’t
give a readout so you have to approximate it by ear. It’s just a slap with
maybe 2 repeats and very little echo volume.
For “Cathedral” I crank the echo volume so it’s even with the dry signal.

MGS - Did you build the guitars you use?

AE – Bodies and necks bought from Warmoth then I usually have Joel Grant of
Grant Guitars assemble and set up the guitar, I’ll do little tweaks like
swapping out pickups, action and neck adjustments myself.

MGS - What the in funniest and coolest thing that has ever happened to you
guys live?

AE – Well the funniest would have to be at a show with our previous singer.
He wore a wig and was rocking out next to our bass player, all of a sudden
the headstock of the bass ripped his wig right off! It was classic, you
couldn’t help but not laugh and without missing a beat he picks it up off
the floor and continued on with the show -now that’s rock and roll!! As far
as cool things well it doesn’t get much cooler than just playing the
greatest rock songs and guitar riffs of the greatest band of all time, other
than that having half-naked women come up and dance on stage with the band
is pretty cool! It sure doesn’t suck, it’s a tough job but someone’s gotta
do it -ha, ha….

MGS - Do you find it harder to book a tribute act or is it easier than a
regular cover band?

AE- Booking a tribute act is a little tougher, only because the venues are
somewhat limited especially locally, a regular cover band can pretty much
play anywhere where as a our tribute band prefers to play venues with good
size stages, decent p.a. and lighting this way we can put on the best show
possible and not come off as a lounge act. On the other hand a tribute band
can be a little more viable as far as booking shows out of state, the demand
for tributes has increased and it makes it possible for a band like us to
travel outside of California.

MGS - What do you enjoy doing at home when not gigging?

AE – When not gigging, musically I spend my time writing and recording my
original instrumental music, you can check it out at www.AlEstrada.com I’ve
just released my 3rd CD this year called “Riffage” it was released on a
independent label called GrooveYard Records. In my free time I’ll catch up
on some movies or watch some tv, I’ll ocassionally catch a concert if anyone
good is in town. I also enjoy running and working out, I like to keep
healthy.

MGS - You guys just picked up a new singer?

AE – Yes Brad Mcguire, the guy has got some pipes!! He has the Dave look and
personality which made him a perfect fit for the band. He has a lot of vocal
experience and is also a guitar player so he understands music, rhythm and
harmony. He has previously been in a few original signed acts including
Bedwild and Sycoman.

MGS - Any Eddie songs that still baffle you how to play? Im guessing no but
I thought I would ask.

AE – No not really, I would have to say that the song “Top Jimmy” was one of
the last songs that I learned and is a little tricky to play only because of
the weird alternate tuning it uses. We actually played it a few times with
ERUPTION at shows and it’s a lot of fun, the only bummer is that it requires
a extra guitar specifically tuned for that song. I think it was one of the
only songs that Van Halen never played live.

MGS - Any close encounters with any VH guys?

AE – I got to meet Eddie very briefly once, it was at a TOTO show at the
Whisky in Hollywood around ’91 or ’92? I just shook his hand and told him
that I played guitar and that he was a big influence on my playing. He was
there with his wife and I know he’s buddies with Steve Lukather who I’m also
a fan of. I also got to meet Jeff Beck that same night, Jeff was very cool,
a little more approachable. I’ve seen Michael Anthony around town at a
restaurant having dinner with his wife and kids but I didn’t want to bother
him, he lives in the city of Glendora I believe, not too far from where I
live. Our bass player Eric has hung out with Michael Anthony a little at the
river near Lake Havasu he seems like a very down to earth guy.

MGS - In wrapping up and cool stories from the road you’d like to share or
any shout outs?

AE – Just like to invite everyone out to the shows. If you’re a fan of Dave
era Van Halen music come and check us out and say hi. We’ve got some big
shows coming up in Vegas and a casino near Phoenix and we’re usually playing
in the Los Angeles area a few times a month, check out our schedule page on
our website at www.EruptionOnline.com , we hope to see everyone there.

MGS - Thanks again Al we really appreciate your time and insight.

AE – Anytime, it was my pleasure.
Feature Interview
Al Estrada from the Van Halen Tribute band EruptionTo learn more about Al Estrada and his band Eruption please visitwww.eruptiononline.com