Saturday, February 22, 2014

I don't just buy guitar pedals

I'm pretty pop culture obsessed. I know it, and it's ok if that disqualifies me as a person of taste in your eyes.
But, I do lots of things that have very little to do with Music, TV or books, or what-have-you.
However, the purchases I want to talk about today are related to music.
First, I had misplaced my black hooded sweatshirt. I'm sure it's around somewhere, but I cannot function without a black hooded sweatshirt, so long story short, I went to K Mart to get a new one. While there I happened to notice a Faux leather jacket in a slim cut, vaguely Motorcycle style- exactly the sort of thing I've been looking for, so's I can look like Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo. It was only after I bought it ( for 12 bucks, pretty steep discount, there) that I saw it was part of Adam Levine's line of clothes for K Mart. It doesn't bother me that people might notice this. But, it wouldn't be the first time. I also bought a shirt that was part of Justin Timberlake's line for Target, and I've got a pair of glasses that supposedly Jason Schwartzman designed for Lookmatic. I don't think anyone will confuse me for some teen trying to cop their mojo. But I have noticed the trend of supposed Pop & Rock stars turned into barkers, a la Bill Hick's rant. I think it's a far cry from what guys like John Baizley of Baroness or Ryan Patterson of Coliseum do. They actually seem to be trying to express an aesthetic, not endorse a product, you know? So, that brings me to the  T shirts I got. I got Coliseum's "Decade" shirt for me, and got the Cat Skull T Shirt for my wife- because she likes Cats.
Maybe I'm a hypocrite for thinking it's different, but hey, there's also a pretty good chance that, at some point, I'll be wearing both the Adam Levine and the Ryan Patterson stuff at the same time. Also, both are heavily tattooed musicians, right? I'm also not so shallow as to think that Adam Levine is invalidated because teenage girls think he's sexy. I just think that it's far more likely that Adam Levine has a team of people, including someone who came up with a "co branding" idea to put Adam's name on merch to be sold at K Mart- and that his "design" experience was to say yes to designs that his  people told him fell in line with his image.
But, again, I don't really care. If I'm at a gig, and I wear this jacket, and some sneering 20 year old hipster looks cross eyed at me because he recognizes it as an "Adam Levine", I don't think I'll notice. I'll be too busy enjoying the gig. Hell, yes, it's important that I feel that I look good- but no, I don't really care if some people disagree with me on that count. On the other hand, I really hope that somebody asks me about the T shirt, because I'd love to turn people on to everything I like. And, I think the stuff Ryan does is Art- whether you're talking about visual or musical Art. So, yes, I'm excited by the T shirt, and I think I look pretty spiffy in the jacket, too...

Noisemaker Effects Donner Party

So, after checking around, in several ways, I bought my super-high gain Fuzzbox. I went with the Donner Party from Noisemaker Effects.
Why this pedal? Because I've noticed that a lot of high gain Fuzz pedals either sound like a Big Muff with a dying battery or they sound like digital noise. I wanted something that was high gain, but emphasized the upper mids- in other words the frequencies that the electric guitar was actually made to make. See, I might like sludge metal bands, but a lot of them- even ones I like, make their guitars sound like basses, or possibly violas. Fair enough, but listen to an unprocessed electric guitar- humbuckers, P-90's, or single coils, the frequencies you hear first are in the upper midrange . As distorted and maxed out as I like the guitar, ultimately, I'm about the guitar, not the effect pedal. So, I wanted a fuzzbox that did that. The Donner Party stands out in that fashion- sure the harmonics are HUGE, and yes, this sucker is high, higher, highest gain, no one will think of Black Sabbath, here. Might I someday get something from Devi Ever, Dwarfcraft, or Earthquaker? Sure, I might, but this definitely has scratched the high gain fuzz itch, without resorting to sounds I've heard too often.
So,  the very first thing that captured me, before I even completed the purchase was the phenomenal commitment to customer service that Matt has. Seriously, this guy goes way above and beyond what you could and should expect.
But, then, I got it.Before it shipped I noticed the price- for a boutique ( i.e, "hand made") item, it's priced competitive to the mass market stuff- compare the Donner Party at 66 bucks to a Boss Hyper Fuzz (between 80 and 150) or the aforementioned Bug Muff  (70-90) .
But service and price are only worth it if the product is good. This is a good product. High quality components, with a great modern design- it both looks good, and is built well.
But the reason to get it is the sound. I could dial up everything from crunchy to glitchy in seconds of trying it out.
The thing is this- I'm not sure, because I haven't opened it up, but it acts like a kind of outrageous pre-amp. Very, very loud, with a fair amount of noise artifacts- I can't put the level up much past 9 AM on the dial without serious input frying volume boosts, so I paired it up with an attenuator (an EHX Signal Pad ) . Even then, you definitely do not need a line boost with this. With even my beloved MXR script logo Distortion +, there's some volume loss- so, again, this operates more like a pre-amp on crack, and with the extra volume control of the attentuator  - it's kind of like chaining an Amp into your amp. I can see how all the cliches about nuking the speakers, and bleeding eardrums might be possible with this thing but this isn't really a problem. I'm just trying to give you a heads up to avoid any potential problems.
The advantage of this model is the responsiveness- By adjusting my guitar's volume knob, I can go from noisy, fizzy overdrive to what-sort-of-8bit-nonsense is this? in less than 4 beats. That makes it pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Have you heard Aeges' Southern Comfort? Well, the noise they get on the bass ( I think. Could be a really down-tuned guitar)  is the floor of fuzz I was looking for- going from grainy to glitchy and back. But, don't take my word for it- listen to it. If I'm not mistaken my very pedal was used for the demo.
So, I know I've said things about boutique pedal makers, and etsy sellers, and makers of all descriptions that might seem to contradict this. I told you that I think it's complex. Noisemaker Effects and Matt are a standout. He genuinely is making something different, and his business practices are sound, and the amount of BS is kept below the minimum threshold. What I'm saying is this- yes, let your own tastes dictate, but if you want my example of someone getting it right, here it is.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Ever consider that the little guy may have a Napoleon complex?

A lot of current hipster/liberal/indie kid thought is centered around what I consider to be a fallacy. This myth that it's somehow automatically more noble, more ethical, and more pure to support the little guy.  From Grateful Dead parking lots, to Etsy to Farmer's Markets this idea has been tenacious- but it's not true. Buying crap is buying crap, regardless.  Sure, you can dress it up in words- be it "Luxury" or be it "Fair Trade"- but the naked fact is still- you're exchanging money for goods and/or services. Now, your job in this transaction is to meet your demand- to get the best, and most for your money that you can. The seller's job is to get as much of your money as they can. How each of you do that is up to the individuals involved. So, if to you, it's more important that you buy a hemp watchband than that you buy a cheaper nylon one- that's your demand, not anything else, right? So, when sellers use a term like "hand made" or "local" as marketing terms- they are preying upon demand every bit as much as the proverbial used car salesman using the words "cheap" or "sale".
I'm pretty self aware, and, yes, environmental concerns are pretty big for me- I do try to eat fairly local, because I don't think it's a good idea to ship corn across the country to put it on my plate- and I do try to keep my own driving down. But, if I were to only shop local for say CDs, I wouldn't have much to choose from. My solution to this is to buy a lot of downloads from Amazon, and Bandcamp and so on- but that means it's a little less direct than going out to see the bands, and buying CDs from them- but at the same time- sometimes that can be a good thing too- ever meet some rocknroll guy who comes across all kinds of "right on" on the record, but is a total ass in real life? I bet you have. Because it happens a lot. The same thing goes for buying local, or hand crafted. For every gem, there has to be at least 50 jerks.
So, an example- recently I conducted an experiment- I wanted to gauge the customer service for several boutique guitar effects companies. So, I wrote and called several. Guess what? I found a goodly percentage to be utter jerks. Some never contacted me back, some were rude in their replies, some gave out prefabricated "form" responses. So, how would that be better than going to the guitar store, and paying less to get the same metal box, that does roughly the same thing as their little metal box? Now, there was an exception-as I said last post- Noisemaker Effects. Oh, and they charge roughly the same as the mass market folks- maybe even a little less But, again, it's the exception that proves the rule. Likewise, I used to go to the "Crafty Bastards" giant craft fair in Washington DC. No longer. I got tired of being herded around like I'm shopping at Best Buy on Black Friday, and being overcharged for "Art" that came from a kit. I used to go, to see some friends- but now, I'd prefer to just chat with those friends, and buy crap online.
Think about Ebay- supposedly, sometimes you're buying from an individual, right? Ever have one of them rip you off? Or, how about this- ever have one of them bid on their own item at the last minute, to raise the price beyond your perfectly reasonable bid? Individuals suffer from greed and dishonesty at least as often as major corporations.
So, your hemp watchband? You got that because you wanted a hemp watchband. The nylon one probably has about the same moral weight as your hemp one.
This same thing applies towards services, by the way. I've watched, with frustration, as my Parents have gone to a string of bad mechanics because those mechanics were "friends" I've seen many a young girl get just horrifically bad tattoos from their boyfriends who are "apprentices" at some parlour or another. I've watched neighbours get ripped off by their "christian" plumber.
What I'm saying is that if you really wanted the nylon watchband, don't let anyone guilt you into the hemp one. I'm saying if you really wanted to go to the Ke$ha concert, not the Neko Case one, go and do. Most importantly, don't put up with a seller who tries treat you badly, like there's something wrong with you, unless you buy exactly what they want you to. It's up to you to satisfy your needs. Don't let people tell you that you're bad for it. Unless you're eating Big Macs. Those things are horrible!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Next in Line

I can't review it, yet, but I got a new War Fuzz. It's a Noise Maker. So far, I'm here to tell you that both Matt & his company are pretty damn awesome. I will be saying more, because it's the fruit of an experiment I was doing, but that will come with the review which won't be for at least a week. Probably longer.  Needless to say, though, once again, I got the scoop.
You want to know how I do it? how I am ahead of the curve, all the time? How I know what the next new thing is, whether it be getting a CD before it's on shelves, or finding the best new restaurant trend, or whatever? It's really simple, and it's no trick- I talk to people. I send countless emails, I'm on the phone, I chat with folks in line at starbucks, you name it- I keep the lines of communication open. So it's not about just buying crap, or trendwatching or whatever it is that "cool hunters" do- I consider it all as part of a larger interaction with the world- and guess what? If you talk to folks, they talk back. If you express an interest, they respond to your interest. Next thing you know, you're invited to the party, you're on the mailing list, you're allowed to cut the line, and people start to think you've got something special- because you do- an actual human connection. So, I might be right, or I might be deluded, but I think Noisemaker are gonna be the next big deal in stompboxes- the next Earthquaker devices, or the next Dwarfcraft, at least...

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Chinese Pedals and the big debate

Two more pedals, to talk about, today- my Donner Yellow Fall and my Joyo Ultimate drive. Both of these are Chinese pedals, and both are probably knockoffs. The Ultimate Drive is supposedly based on the  Fulltone OCD, and I can hear that. The Yellow Fall looks like it's based on nothing, but sounds quite a bit like the Mooer Echolizer, which itself has been accused of being a clone of a Maxon AD-999 analog delay.
I really like both. The Donner is a tiny micro pedal, along the lines of what Mooer does. The logos, the builds, and several other factors make me think that several of these brands are actually one and the same.- Donner, Mooer, Joyo, Caline, Nux, and Biyang, they all seem like they might be made in the same places by the same people. So, I think it's more honest to just call in a Chinese digital echo pedal that's voiced with some distortion so it sounds Analog. I have reviewed it a bit more fully elsewhere.
Then, there is the Ultimate Drive. If you read blogs, forums, news-sites etc about Guitar Effects, chances are good you've heard some of the controversies about this little bad boy.  
Part of the debate is the question of the ethics involved in purchasing an object. I come from a punk rock/Hardcore background so I’m used to these strange neurotic debates about the ethics of actions most folks don’t think about twice. However, such debates are becoming more commonplace vis a vis  Mp3’s and piracy. See, the question comes down to- who deserves my money? Now forgive me if I’m mischaracterizing this, but the idea  gets argued something like this- one side says I should spend the money to support an American/Independent/Small Business because I’m an American/they had the original idea/they support my local economy. Another side says I should save my money, and buy the cheapest product/ the easiest product to find/ the product they’re selling because it’s my money/there are no original ideas/I should support the business model that benefits me.  Confusing enough?   There are those that say I should buy a Fulltone OCD pedal, and those who say I should buy a Joyo Ultimate Overdrive, and those who say I should buy another stompbox entirely- maybe an Ibanez TS9, maybe a Boss DS-1, heck maybe I should homebrew my own. Now, it should be said- I’ve done all of the above- bought the overpriced “craft” and/or “Boutique” item, and bought the knockoff, and bought the old standard from the mass marketer, and made my own. I see it as a mostly morally “Flat” decision. I don’t think there’s a more or less ‘moral” decision, here. The fact is that whatever good you might be doing by supporting the ‘craft’ choice is offset by paying too much for what amounts to “cachet”- it’s the same thing as buying for the label. Whatever copyright evils you may be committing by buying the knockoff are offset if you buy it from a decent place- either an honest, and fair online retailer, or an equally fair and honest local retailer. I think there are far too many rabbit holes to fall into, with this sort of thing, so making it yourself just breaks the decision down into the components- where did you get the materials you made it out of? So, ultimately, the ones that I’ve done the most are buying the big name, and buying the knockoff. Why that is comes down to other decisions- for example, how much I value my time, and how much I can budget. I realize that there are other ways of looking at it. But, ultimately, I can live with that more easily than I can live with spending more money on a craft item that may or may not be made by better people, and may or may not be made under better conditions, and may or may not be better made. For example- Can I verify that the OCD pedal is made by a better person than the Chinese worker who made my Joyo Ultimate drive? Better in which way? I can verify that the build quality is extremely similar, and I’ve been around a fair number of circuits. Did the Joyo folks steal the idea? Possibly, however, if so, then, the Fulltone folks stole the idea from the TS808 mod on the TS9. As far as working conditions go- I have made stuff, and I can tell you right now that you do not need to go to China to find a sweatshop. I’ve taken jobs at “Fulfillment centers” in America that are definitely sweatshops. I trust that no one has truly fair working conditions.Like I said- rabbit holes. 
But, if it's all about getting an object to fulfill a specific goal, then, these debates go away, right?  I don't think so. What if we were talking about Fur? If I had a dream of wearing a Baby Sealskin  jacket, would all the ethical debates just go away? So, yes, I do have to look at the controversies- and I think I side more with those who say that the boutique stuff is a racket. i know I'm on dangerous ground here, but it has to be said- a lot of the "craft" renaissance going on in multiple venues- everything from Beer to Etsy to musical equipment- is a scam meant to prey upon our pretentious vanity. Is the T shirt you bought on Redbubble necessarily better than one bought at Target? Really think about this- because the T shirt, as in the material, itself, most likely came from the same place, in either case. So, you're just talking about the design on the T shirt. You might prefer the design on one or the other, but I fail to see how one or the other is necessarily a "better" decision, and can make you a "better" person- but let's face it- you want an easy way to pretend that you're a better person. So, rather than actually researching who has the best labor practices, and where your T shirt comes from, and who the Artists are that designed the picture on the Tshirt, you just assign a nonsensical value upon "craft", right? I've been to these hipster craft fairs, and I know some of the people selling "craft" items, and to get right down to it- not all of them are worth a damn. To bring it back to Effects pedals, I will say that some, not all, but some, are outright bigots and con-artists. Not to name names, but I think that some "makers" think it's OK to rip off other people, if those other people are "other" people. Like, if, say, a Japanese person designed it, it's ok to rip off that design, because it was a Japanese person. More concretely, I know of some "builders" who have a real problem with gay people, Asian people, and Latin people. So, is better to buy from a bigot who is hand-wiring his stuff, but all his designs are minor tweaks on something designed in Japan? Likewise, I know that lots of people find it ok to put down Devi Ever because of who Devi Ever is, nothing to do with the idea in her pedals. So, again, where I end up is saying that there are way too many rabbit holes to purchase anything feeling fully clean about it. It's morally, and ethically "flat" in that regard.
This already huge, and really is just an opening salvo on the topics. But, I'm hoping to give you an idea of why I find it  interesting. If you found all this boring, seriously, I think it's only going to get worse from here. 

Saturday, February 1, 2014

The digitech Digiverb

So, reverb. Of all effects pedal, it might be the most redundant; reverberation is what sound-creating devices do. Sound, as you know is a series of waves that bounce off of things, thus reverberates. So, some amps even include a reverb tank to duplicate the sound of something reverberating more than what it actually does. That means a pedal is a duplication of a duplication of a naturally occurring phenomena. Hence, the most redundant. Why would I spend money of a reverb pedal? Several reasons- first off my favorite amp is old, and the reverb tank on it is broken ( and not easily replaced), and I don't play my guitar in the kinds of places that get a lot of natural reverberation. But, I also dig neat sounds, and a digital reverb pedal is essentially a specialized kind of delay (echo) pedal, and hence, can generate sounds not found in nature. This is where the digitech digiverb comes into play. See the complaint about it- that it sounds unnatural, and not very much like a spring reverb, the kind found in fender amps, is a feature, not a glitch, if what you're looking for is unnatural sounds, as I always am. There are seven modes on this, and I've been playing on three: Church, Reverse and Spring. Church involves a long reverberation, and a significant alteration of the signal- like a fuzz pedal, you end up making lots of noise besides the note- pretty good for a certain kind of shoegazer- the more noisey end, like Jesus and Mary Chain. Reverse is meant to sound like a volume swell into a "wet" echoey sound. But, like I said, this thing doesn't do "natural', so, instead what it sounds like is a delayed upper-mids volume spike about a half beat behind your attack, which means it's instant dubbiness. I like that. Finally, the much maligned 'spring" reverb. Maligned? Well, there's no purist like an old purist- Spring reverb is one of the aforementioned reverb tanks, designed by Fender, and used by mid sixties surf bands. No digital pedal will ever sound like a spring reverb, and by labelling this mode as such, baby boom, and wanna-be baby boom musicians ( i.e. most of the dudes with money who play guitar) HA-AA-AATE this. I mean real rage. But, if you throw out notions of sounding like Dick Dale, and forget trying to sound natural, what you're left with is a perfectly good "Cramps in a Box"- as in, put the pedal in this mode, crank the treble, overdrive the amp, and play primitive blues licks, and people will ask you which Cramps song you're playing. I dig that. Yes, it sounds cheesey. No, it's not particularly tasteful, and no, it will win me no points with the somewhat douchey "Musician' crowd, but they're not in my crowd, anyway.
Now, there are other modes, and other uses- for a bit of slapback, or a bit of a rockabilly sound, yes, you can dial it in. For a slight thickening, and other tasteful uses- sure. I'm pretty much uninterested in that. If I were, I'd get an actual Fender Reverb tank, or a Hall of Fame. But, How about a bit of love for the screwed up, glitched out mess? Because I much prefer that. Sure, I have an ear, and yes, I know how to be refined, but in my heart of hearts, I'd really rather be playing  "The Goo Goo Muck" at top volume.