I realize I'm no fashion plate, hipster, or dandy. However, I generally look acceptable, and get compliments from time to time. So, I don't think a little fashion advice is completely unwarranted. Specifically, young men pay way the hell too much money for jeans. Now, my primary advice is "They're just jeans, buddy"- meaning that if you take too much stock in what brand, dye or cut they are, you're investing more energy in them than they will produce in positive ways for you.
That having said- I do think that Selvedge, dark dye premium jeans look masculine and spiffy. Usually, they look best in a classic photograph of some heroic young man from the late 1950's through the mid 1960's. I think it's spectacularly ridiculous for me to try to look like one of those heroes. But, the lesson is there- go for a classic cut and fit, and treat them like trousers more than pants, and you'll look like you're wearing nice jeans.
There are quite a few "classic" jean makers out there. I've tried several, and, really, the best are the older brands- Levi, Lee, Wrangler, or the particular brand I'm getting around to- Sears' Roebuck jeans. They'll price right below Levi, but above most Wranglers, and about the same as Lee. However, if you get them in the slim cut, dark dye, and a bit too long, they look pretty much identical to the 200 dollar selvedge denim at the hipster store. As a matter of fact, people have asked me about mine, thinking they were imported Japanese denim. Nope- fourteen dollar denim on sale at Sears.
That's the sweet spot, you see? They're just jeans. Mass market, bought from the OG big Box store.
...And yet, that's what these guys in the 200 dollar hipster jeans are trying to evoke, right? Something that your grandfather would've bought from the Sears catalog? Worth considering, right?
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Monday, December 29, 2014
Holiday Post #3- Modtone Aqua Chorus
Ok, so I love the Buzz Boy. I was eager to try out their other pedals. I'm going to cut out any suspense and say this is nowhere near as good. Oh, it's still a decent chorus- but that's all it is. It's voiced similarly to, and functions like a Boss CE-2. So, considering you can easily purchase it for much less than the CE-2, and it definitely looks cooler than the CE-2- so it's worth what it costs, and if you're looking for a perfunctory Chorus, here you go. I, however, am looking for magic. I was raised on Dave Fielding and his Roland RE-301, and Geordie Walker and his Bell ADT - both of which are basically high end delay units, but both of which had chorusing features. They say that tone is in the fingers, and yes, there's a lot of truth to that. But, closer to the truth is the notion that sound is created by humans finding a perfect tool for their purpose. So, I'm still looking for my magic tool. I partially have it- I have a Danelectro Fab Chorus that has the perfect amount of depth and sweep. It just has a volume boost and horrible form factor. I'm working on perfecting it- but, in the meantime, I'll try out anything. Between the Modtone and the Donner, I've got decent Chorus tones. Again, if that is what you seek, I would seek no further. So, call it a three out of five.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
2nd of the Holiday posts- The Little Bear R.Attack
You know that debate about Chinese pedals, clones and counterfeiting? This is pretty much the whole shebang in one pedal.
I mean, first there's the name of the "company"- Little Bear. This is a pretty transparent reference to Small Bear Electronics, a reputable company that sells components for making your own pedals. I bought all the parts, except the enclosures, for my homebrewed distortion pedals from them. The actual name for the company is unknown, and efforts have been made to make it appear to be a single individual, hand making these. If that were true, the guy drives himself like a sweatshop worker- he's always got 25-30 offerings on Ebay, Amazon, and Aliexpress. I have a feeling it's a front for a company that doesn't want trouble for obvious copyright infringement. Based upon components, I think it may be Motorola. Then, there's the pedal, itself. It's a Proco Rat- toggling between the "You Dirty Rat" "Turbo Rat" and "Vintage Rat" modes means this is a clone of the Mooer clone of the Rat- with a key difference- it looks like a Turbo Rat, and it has a Motorola LM308 chip- the exact chip used by Proco in the late 1980's and early 1990's. So, this is a no-bones-about-it clone.
On top of that, I tried to buy one on Ebay for quite awhile and was thwarted by last second bids- literally within the last 10 seconds a bid would come in that brought the price to just above the "buy it now" price on a parallel auction. This would, again, indicate to me that there's something dishonest going on.
But, I had indicated my interest, and the person who bought it for me is a much more masterful wizard at the Electronic Auctions, so I suspect that this was purchased for less than thirty bucks.
So, before I talk about the pedal, itself, there's a discussion to be continued, here. So far, I have sided pretty heavily with the Chinese, and the Cloners. The continuation would be if a blatant rip off of an already mid-priced device would change how I felt, in any way. Truthfully- it doesn't, but it does strike me as something different. Now, if I'm wrong, and this really is one dude in China, making and selling clones of various pieces of gear to satisfy his creative urges- then all this is moot. The majority of the evidence points more towards piracy and counterfeit. I don't think that's what Joyo, Donner, Biyang, Mooer, or Modtone is about. I think they're more about the same thing as every other company on the market- make money by building a better "mousetrap". The difference is that this is building somebody else's mousetrap, behind their back to sell in place of their mousetrap.
So, will I give my pedal up? Nope. It was a gift, and quite frankly, it's better at being a Rat pedal than most Rats out there. About the only thing a Rat can do, that this won't is that highly compressed nasal sound that Mike Campbell got on his back in the 1980's. I'm really good without that, thanks!
So, what should I do? I've decided to just be dead honest about it- It's a Rat clone- both words.
I cannot find fault with the build quality. This sucker really is a flat out tank, probably better than most Boss pedals. The powder coat is even applied better than most automotive parts. The LED's which are key for the optical clipping on the Turbo Rat setting ( my favorite setting- it's like a Rat on Mid frequency steroids) are hearty and strong.The battery compartment is snug and sturdy- heck the dials are firm, and metal. I will put this thing up against ANY pedal out there in terms of build. To get the hype out of the way- yes, like almost every pedal out there, it's point-to-point hand wired, and hand soldered. The difference is the shielding on the leads is thicker than most, and the solder points are finer. Truthfully, this is better work than I've seen on most electronics. If the "Little Bear" folks got it together to do their own designs, they'd be sought after, easily.
How does it sound? Well, depending upon the mode, I have everything from Jeff Beck to Johnny Greenwood. It's a hard clipping distortion with some fuzz characteristics. Which means- you've got more articulation than, say, a Fuzz face, or Tone Bender, but still not so much clarity and piano tone as a modern distortion pedal. Like my Buzz Boy, the MXR Distortion +, or a Metal Muff, it's in that strange place between fuzz and distortion. Which means I can't get enough of that sound. But, in all modes, Violin tone is easily reachable, and full bore molten crunch is a no brainer. The only curveball is that, like a good rat- there's no "tone" control, per se- instead there is a Filter dial, which filters out brightness by shaving off treble frequencies- in a stacking fashion- so, when you have the filter all the way down- no frequencies are filtered out. As you dial up the filter, you are cutting frequency after frequency off, starting at the highest , and working your way down, until, at full filter, you've just got the lowest end mids, and bass frequencies left. I prefer just to filter out the very top, so I've rarely got the filter up past the third position.
I'm not saying you should go out and get one- but, I am saying I'm glad I've got mine.
I mean, first there's the name of the "company"- Little Bear. This is a pretty transparent reference to Small Bear Electronics, a reputable company that sells components for making your own pedals. I bought all the parts, except the enclosures, for my homebrewed distortion pedals from them. The actual name for the company is unknown, and efforts have been made to make it appear to be a single individual, hand making these. If that were true, the guy drives himself like a sweatshop worker- he's always got 25-30 offerings on Ebay, Amazon, and Aliexpress. I have a feeling it's a front for a company that doesn't want trouble for obvious copyright infringement. Based upon components, I think it may be Motorola. Then, there's the pedal, itself. It's a Proco Rat- toggling between the "You Dirty Rat" "Turbo Rat" and "Vintage Rat" modes means this is a clone of the Mooer clone of the Rat- with a key difference- it looks like a Turbo Rat, and it has a Motorola LM308 chip- the exact chip used by Proco in the late 1980's and early 1990's. So, this is a no-bones-about-it clone.
On top of that, I tried to buy one on Ebay for quite awhile and was thwarted by last second bids- literally within the last 10 seconds a bid would come in that brought the price to just above the "buy it now" price on a parallel auction. This would, again, indicate to me that there's something dishonest going on.
But, I had indicated my interest, and the person who bought it for me is a much more masterful wizard at the Electronic Auctions, so I suspect that this was purchased for less than thirty bucks.
So, before I talk about the pedal, itself, there's a discussion to be continued, here. So far, I have sided pretty heavily with the Chinese, and the Cloners. The continuation would be if a blatant rip off of an already mid-priced device would change how I felt, in any way. Truthfully- it doesn't, but it does strike me as something different. Now, if I'm wrong, and this really is one dude in China, making and selling clones of various pieces of gear to satisfy his creative urges- then all this is moot. The majority of the evidence points more towards piracy and counterfeit. I don't think that's what Joyo, Donner, Biyang, Mooer, or Modtone is about. I think they're more about the same thing as every other company on the market- make money by building a better "mousetrap". The difference is that this is building somebody else's mousetrap, behind their back to sell in place of their mousetrap.
So, will I give my pedal up? Nope. It was a gift, and quite frankly, it's better at being a Rat pedal than most Rats out there. About the only thing a Rat can do, that this won't is that highly compressed nasal sound that Mike Campbell got on his back in the 1980's. I'm really good without that, thanks!
So, what should I do? I've decided to just be dead honest about it- It's a Rat clone- both words.
I cannot find fault with the build quality. This sucker really is a flat out tank, probably better than most Boss pedals. The powder coat is even applied better than most automotive parts. The LED's which are key for the optical clipping on the Turbo Rat setting ( my favorite setting- it's like a Rat on Mid frequency steroids) are hearty and strong.The battery compartment is snug and sturdy- heck the dials are firm, and metal. I will put this thing up against ANY pedal out there in terms of build. To get the hype out of the way- yes, like almost every pedal out there, it's point-to-point hand wired, and hand soldered. The difference is the shielding on the leads is thicker than most, and the solder points are finer. Truthfully, this is better work than I've seen on most electronics. If the "Little Bear" folks got it together to do their own designs, they'd be sought after, easily.
How does it sound? Well, depending upon the mode, I have everything from Jeff Beck to Johnny Greenwood. It's a hard clipping distortion with some fuzz characteristics. Which means- you've got more articulation than, say, a Fuzz face, or Tone Bender, but still not so much clarity and piano tone as a modern distortion pedal. Like my Buzz Boy, the MXR Distortion +, or a Metal Muff, it's in that strange place between fuzz and distortion. Which means I can't get enough of that sound. But, in all modes, Violin tone is easily reachable, and full bore molten crunch is a no brainer. The only curveball is that, like a good rat- there's no "tone" control, per se- instead there is a Filter dial, which filters out brightness by shaving off treble frequencies- in a stacking fashion- so, when you have the filter all the way down- no frequencies are filtered out. As you dial up the filter, you are cutting frequency after frequency off, starting at the highest , and working your way down, until, at full filter, you've just got the lowest end mids, and bass frequencies left. I prefer just to filter out the very top, so I've rarely got the filter up past the third position.
I'm not saying you should go out and get one- but, I am saying I'm glad I've got mine.
First of the Holiday posts- two Donner Pedals
So, my family knows what I do, and sometimes, they even support it. They got me stuff for Christmas. Good stuff, mind you. But, it does give me a quandary- can I be respectful to my friends and family, and still give a fair assessment of the stuff? That's why I'm starting out easy-
my son bought a Donner Jet Convolution and a Donner Harmony Tri Chorus.
Now, I have already gone on record for how much I like their Yellow Fallout delay pedal. The Jet Convolution is, essentially to flanger pedals as the Yellow Fallout is to delay pedals. You've got your Mooer/Eno/TWA/ TC Electronics mini-pedal form- which is awesome, and possibly my favorite form factor for effect pedals. At about 32 bucks, it's definitely on the low end of the price spectrum, so the sacrifice you make is that two of the dials are plastic, and... that's about it. I'd put this up with Boss, EHX, Ibanez and MXR in terms of build quality. The small form factor eliminates some areas of error- primarily, the power source must be via an external DC adaptor. But, that's not what makes this an equivalent to one of my favorites- it's the range of sounds. I've had a vintage Ross Flanger for 25 years, that I modified quite extensively, and this little pedal reminds me of what that Ross sounded like. There is a subtle, and slight delay on the effect to simulate a "stereo" sound, the sweep and range deep and full, and the noise is minimal. It does everything a vintage analog effect does, but, because it's digital, it's far more reliable and convenient than any analog pedal ever will be. Basically, I can get first album Chameleons on it, no problem.
The Harmony pedal, on the other hand... Well, let's get the negatives out of the way-
- Build quality is nowhere near up to snuff. The footswitch is weak, the knobs are loose, and the selector switch is nearly unusably tiny.
- For all the switches and dials, there are few effects that are both musical and forceful.
- Several of the dials have no purpose at all.
- In one of the settings, the volume cut is enough to make it nearly a kill switch.
Significant problems, yes, but, even this has two really good uses- when coupled with a volume boosting distortion pedal- I can dial up some "Geordie" tones. As in- that watery "Eighties/ Come As You Are" tone and "The Beautiful Dead/ Black Moon" heavy Gothic tone. Those are some useful sounds to have in the arsenal. Unfortunately, there are cheaper, and more direct routes to that sound. So, while I appreciate the gift, this will be a back up pedal for me.
my son bought a Donner Jet Convolution and a Donner Harmony Tri Chorus.
Now, I have already gone on record for how much I like their Yellow Fallout delay pedal. The Jet Convolution is, essentially to flanger pedals as the Yellow Fallout is to delay pedals. You've got your Mooer/Eno/TWA/ TC Electronics mini-pedal form- which is awesome, and possibly my favorite form factor for effect pedals. At about 32 bucks, it's definitely on the low end of the price spectrum, so the sacrifice you make is that two of the dials are plastic, and... that's about it. I'd put this up with Boss, EHX, Ibanez and MXR in terms of build quality. The small form factor eliminates some areas of error- primarily, the power source must be via an external DC adaptor. But, that's not what makes this an equivalent to one of my favorites- it's the range of sounds. I've had a vintage Ross Flanger for 25 years, that I modified quite extensively, and this little pedal reminds me of what that Ross sounded like. There is a subtle, and slight delay on the effect to simulate a "stereo" sound, the sweep and range deep and full, and the noise is minimal. It does everything a vintage analog effect does, but, because it's digital, it's far more reliable and convenient than any analog pedal ever will be. Basically, I can get first album Chameleons on it, no problem.
The Harmony pedal, on the other hand... Well, let's get the negatives out of the way-
- Build quality is nowhere near up to snuff. The footswitch is weak, the knobs are loose, and the selector switch is nearly unusably tiny.
- For all the switches and dials, there are few effects that are both musical and forceful.
- Several of the dials have no purpose at all.
- In one of the settings, the volume cut is enough to make it nearly a kill switch.
Significant problems, yes, but, even this has two really good uses- when coupled with a volume boosting distortion pedal- I can dial up some "Geordie" tones. As in- that watery "Eighties/ Come As You Are" tone and "The Beautiful Dead/ Black Moon" heavy Gothic tone. Those are some useful sounds to have in the arsenal. Unfortunately, there are cheaper, and more direct routes to that sound. So, while I appreciate the gift, this will be a back up pedal for me.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
ModTone Buzz Boy
I've tried. I actively tried to find a "boutique" hand-crafted, American- made Fuzz Pedal that truly meets the need. Here's what I've found-
1. Most boutique pedals are made for a one use gimmick. Yes, I said gimmick. Devi Ever, Dwarfcraft, Earthquaker Devices, etc- a lot of the hip names? I could find one setting on any given pedal that was cool, but it was only good for a certain application. For example- I tried out the Earthquaker Devices " Tone Reaper"- I could get a great upper mid boosted, treble rolled off sound, Like a trumpet, and it was great for if I wanted to do a fanfare, trumpet type single note line. Which even blue moon or so, I want to do. Similarly, The Devi Ever Soda Meiser? Smashing Pumpkins tone. Done. That's it. I never want that. You get the idea.
2. Hand Crafted is a great bit of marketing, but this isn't Whittling, nor framing. Electronics actually are better made by machine- except for the soldering, and here's the deal with that- absolutely every pedal, most amplifiers, most radios, basically everything but video games, phones, and Mp3 players, is hand soldered already. In that respect, there is no difference between your Klon and a clone.There is no artistry in putting together a PCB- only in selecting components, and quite frankly, the mass-made stuff quite often- but not always- has better components.
3. American made- I'm no longer certain that's a virtue. We're incarcerating at Chinese and Russian rates. We're top three, for pollution. Our social net is terrible, our politics are corrupt, most of our businesses are criminal- I'm struggling to find a reason, here. I've heard the "jobs" argument, but show me the booming boutique instrument, effect pedal, or "craft" item maker that employs more than 5 people. There are things to buy American, and good reasons to buy food locally ( transportation is a big one) but I really cannot think of a truly good reason to think that buying a Klon Centaur is necessarily a better thing than buying an Electro Harmonix Soul Food.
Now, certainly there are exceptions- most notably Matt, with Noisemaker Effects, is a good human being, who is bringing well made products into the marketplace, and isn't trying to rip you off. Likewise, PureSalem guitars are trying to bring something heartfelt into the marketplace- even if I can't say they're truly "American Made". But, as a rule, I think a lot of this is trying to conflate the really good indie business model- like Jon Wye with simple snobbishness, trying to justify the rip off of paying 20 times or more of the material costs ( seriously, the components to make a muff style Fuzz will set you back less than 10 dollars. Buying a Fuzz pedal for over 200 dollars is like a Government Contractor Pork Barrel scam ).
So, enter Modtone. I've been digging the way a lot of their stuff looks ( just look at this pedal. Look at it!) and I've been thinking that the design seems like a good middle ground between Boss and Electro Harmonix, and MXR/Dunlop. You've got the solid footswich and small footprint of MXR, with the pretty graphics and warmth of EHX, with the super-solid construction of Roland/Boss.
But, 100 bucks for a Chinese pedal, seems a bit much, to me, when Joyo and Donner, etc can do just about as good, for half or less.
That changed- from Youtube clips, and pictures, The Buzz Boy was bar none my favorite pedal of their stuff- and it got dropped. Now, it was showing up on clearance and discount sites. So, for 30 bucks, I got one.Let me just say- HELL TO THE YES!!!!- this is a great fuzz pedal, exactly the opposite from my complaints regarding the boutique stuff- I'm able to dial up everything from sustain boosted overdrive to buzzing, crunchy kill-fuzz- and it fits! I never hear a musically displeasing tone, I can use it for a variety of styles from stoner to garage, to noise, and it works. I think that's because it's not a pure Fuzz tone- more like a Distortion/ Fuzz hybrid. Furthermore, it plays extremely well with other pedals- so, I can add a mid-cut in a separate overdrive, and I get Metal-style distortion, or I can add reverb with a slight treble boost, and get garage madness, no problem.
So, while "Change my life" might be a little strong, here- it's definitely crystallized a thought for me- screw 99.9% of that trendy boutique bull- I'm sticking with the stuff I like, and I think the stuff getting downvoted is better- I think the Chinese stuff, like Joyo, Donner, Hotone, Mooer and Moen is innovative in the form factor, and competitive in the sound category. I think the mass market stuff- Boss, Digitech, and MXR kicks the butt of finicky, unreliable stuff like Dwarfcraft and Catalinbread. I think a lot of people are falling for hype, and I'm done with it. Look, there are some boutique folks making quality stuff- you'll note I've not bad-mouthed Wampler, or Z Vex, or TC Electronics, but the price point on that stuff is still pretty high, and quite frankly, I'm not going to spend 250 bucks to get inches further towards some sound I like, when 50 bucks gets me most of the miles- I don't think there's enough utility in that. I mean, for example- My Biyang baby Boom tri-reverb doesn't sound 100% as good as the TC Electronics Hall Of Fame. But, I'd put it at 90%. So, is it worth the extra 100+ dollars? I don't think so. I could( and did) run the Biyang with another reverb, and I hit that 100% mark, and still spent less. Or, the big example- my Joyo Ultimate Overdrive might not be able to hit that dark, clear overdrive sound that the Fulltone OCD does- but it gets so close that a minor goose on the Amp's EQ gets me the rest of the way- and it cost about one quarter as much. But, I will put my Donner Yellow Fall delays up against any delay on the market, and I bet none of them will get that voice that they have- an analog, low-mid boost that sounds like a well-used tape echo, with a patina of wear- I actually prefer their sound to just about any delay ( the only exception is a vintage early 80's Memory Man) - and how can you argue that the design is great?
Likewise, the Modtone Buzz Boy. I think it looks better than anything Earthquaker has made, and it's more ear-pleasing than anything Devi Ever has made, and it's more usable than any fuzz pedal- save for the Z Vex fuzz pedals- and here's something novel- if it ever breaks- I probably could find a one-to-one replacement. Think about that, the next time you're tweaking your Tym's stompbox.
1. Most boutique pedals are made for a one use gimmick. Yes, I said gimmick. Devi Ever, Dwarfcraft, Earthquaker Devices, etc- a lot of the hip names? I could find one setting on any given pedal that was cool, but it was only good for a certain application. For example- I tried out the Earthquaker Devices " Tone Reaper"- I could get a great upper mid boosted, treble rolled off sound, Like a trumpet, and it was great for if I wanted to do a fanfare, trumpet type single note line. Which even blue moon or so, I want to do. Similarly, The Devi Ever Soda Meiser? Smashing Pumpkins tone. Done. That's it. I never want that. You get the idea.
2. Hand Crafted is a great bit of marketing, but this isn't Whittling, nor framing. Electronics actually are better made by machine- except for the soldering, and here's the deal with that- absolutely every pedal, most amplifiers, most radios, basically everything but video games, phones, and Mp3 players, is hand soldered already. In that respect, there is no difference between your Klon and a clone.There is no artistry in putting together a PCB- only in selecting components, and quite frankly, the mass-made stuff quite often- but not always- has better components.
3. American made- I'm no longer certain that's a virtue. We're incarcerating at Chinese and Russian rates. We're top three, for pollution. Our social net is terrible, our politics are corrupt, most of our businesses are criminal- I'm struggling to find a reason, here. I've heard the "jobs" argument, but show me the booming boutique instrument, effect pedal, or "craft" item maker that employs more than 5 people. There are things to buy American, and good reasons to buy food locally ( transportation is a big one) but I really cannot think of a truly good reason to think that buying a Klon Centaur is necessarily a better thing than buying an Electro Harmonix Soul Food.
Now, certainly there are exceptions- most notably Matt, with Noisemaker Effects, is a good human being, who is bringing well made products into the marketplace, and isn't trying to rip you off. Likewise, PureSalem guitars are trying to bring something heartfelt into the marketplace- even if I can't say they're truly "American Made". But, as a rule, I think a lot of this is trying to conflate the really good indie business model- like Jon Wye with simple snobbishness, trying to justify the rip off of paying 20 times or more of the material costs ( seriously, the components to make a muff style Fuzz will set you back less than 10 dollars. Buying a Fuzz pedal for over 200 dollars is like a Government Contractor Pork Barrel scam ).
So, enter Modtone. I've been digging the way a lot of their stuff looks ( just look at this pedal. Look at it!) and I've been thinking that the design seems like a good middle ground between Boss and Electro Harmonix, and MXR/Dunlop. You've got the solid footswich and small footprint of MXR, with the pretty graphics and warmth of EHX, with the super-solid construction of Roland/Boss.
But, 100 bucks for a Chinese pedal, seems a bit much, to me, when Joyo and Donner, etc can do just about as good, for half or less.
That changed- from Youtube clips, and pictures, The Buzz Boy was bar none my favorite pedal of their stuff- and it got dropped. Now, it was showing up on clearance and discount sites. So, for 30 bucks, I got one.Let me just say- HELL TO THE YES!!!!- this is a great fuzz pedal, exactly the opposite from my complaints regarding the boutique stuff- I'm able to dial up everything from sustain boosted overdrive to buzzing, crunchy kill-fuzz- and it fits! I never hear a musically displeasing tone, I can use it for a variety of styles from stoner to garage, to noise, and it works. I think that's because it's not a pure Fuzz tone- more like a Distortion/ Fuzz hybrid. Furthermore, it plays extremely well with other pedals- so, I can add a mid-cut in a separate overdrive, and I get Metal-style distortion, or I can add reverb with a slight treble boost, and get garage madness, no problem.
So, while "Change my life" might be a little strong, here- it's definitely crystallized a thought for me- screw 99.9% of that trendy boutique bull- I'm sticking with the stuff I like, and I think the stuff getting downvoted is better- I think the Chinese stuff, like Joyo, Donner, Hotone, Mooer and Moen is innovative in the form factor, and competitive in the sound category. I think the mass market stuff- Boss, Digitech, and MXR kicks the butt of finicky, unreliable stuff like Dwarfcraft and Catalinbread. I think a lot of people are falling for hype, and I'm done with it. Look, there are some boutique folks making quality stuff- you'll note I've not bad-mouthed Wampler, or Z Vex, or TC Electronics, but the price point on that stuff is still pretty high, and quite frankly, I'm not going to spend 250 bucks to get inches further towards some sound I like, when 50 bucks gets me most of the miles- I don't think there's enough utility in that. I mean, for example- My Biyang baby Boom tri-reverb doesn't sound 100% as good as the TC Electronics Hall Of Fame. But, I'd put it at 90%. So, is it worth the extra 100+ dollars? I don't think so. I could( and did) run the Biyang with another reverb, and I hit that 100% mark, and still spent less. Or, the big example- my Joyo Ultimate Overdrive might not be able to hit that dark, clear overdrive sound that the Fulltone OCD does- but it gets so close that a minor goose on the Amp's EQ gets me the rest of the way- and it cost about one quarter as much. But, I will put my Donner Yellow Fall delays up against any delay on the market, and I bet none of them will get that voice that they have- an analog, low-mid boost that sounds like a well-used tape echo, with a patina of wear- I actually prefer their sound to just about any delay ( the only exception is a vintage early 80's Memory Man) - and how can you argue that the design is great?
Likewise, the Modtone Buzz Boy. I think it looks better than anything Earthquaker has made, and it's more ear-pleasing than anything Devi Ever has made, and it's more usable than any fuzz pedal- save for the Z Vex fuzz pedals- and here's something novel- if it ever breaks- I probably could find a one-to-one replacement. Think about that, the next time you're tweaking your Tym's stompbox.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Breaking a promise, but hear me out.
So, I bought more guitar gear. It's still this year, so, yes, that violates my promise to ease up and buy no more gear, this year.
BUT- I bought a guitar that went to my wife. Then, I bought a guitar that kinda matches, for me.
Both of them are First Act. Now, I wouldn't say they're top quality. Not even close. However, my wife's is a prototype one-off from the custom shop, and it shows- much higher quality cut of wood for the neck- a really good chunk of maple, with a decent rosewood fingerboard. The frets need a little dressing, and I've done that for her. The tuners are comparable with a decent Squire- meaning they're workmanlike, but not horrible. I'll replace those for her, but it's not crucial. I can't tell the body wood, but it feels pretty lightweight , so I'm guessing poplar or basswood. The single pick up is actually pretty sweet, and sounds more like a Fender humbucker than a midrange heavy Gibson. The Tone and volume controls are good, solid speed dials. The hardtail bridge is decent, along the lines of a Korean Strat copy, as opposed to Chinese. The paint job is fairly thick, with a couple of flaws, and the pickguard, though purely ornamental is pretty chintzy. Adding all that up- I'd say I feel good about giving this lavender beasty to my wife as a first guitar.
So, I went out and bought a First Act ME1980 to go with it. It's a righty, so, yes, mods must happen to make it playable. But, again, the neck is really good, the hardware is a downgrade from my wife's, and so must be replaced, I was expecting to replace the pick up, but it's got a nifty zing- I've not heard a hot humbucker voiced in this range before- it's got tons of upper mids- like a Japanese Hot Humbucker- put through a treble booster. The pickguard is so terrible that I removed it immediately- it's a piece of plastic that feels like packaging, not part of the instrument. I can see from the screwholes this is a very cheap light wood for the body, but heavier than my wife's so I suspect it's a plywood body. So, call it a Korean made Danelectro take on a Melody Maker, and you're not far off . It will be changed, mark my words. So, here's a Pic of my wife's and a link to mine. Yes, that's a Toys R US link. Deal with it.Oh, and I spent less than 100 bucks for both.
BUT- I bought a guitar that went to my wife. Then, I bought a guitar that kinda matches, for me.
Both of them are First Act. Now, I wouldn't say they're top quality. Not even close. However, my wife's is a prototype one-off from the custom shop, and it shows- much higher quality cut of wood for the neck- a really good chunk of maple, with a decent rosewood fingerboard. The frets need a little dressing, and I've done that for her. The tuners are comparable with a decent Squire- meaning they're workmanlike, but not horrible. I'll replace those for her, but it's not crucial. I can't tell the body wood, but it feels pretty lightweight , so I'm guessing poplar or basswood. The single pick up is actually pretty sweet, and sounds more like a Fender humbucker than a midrange heavy Gibson. The Tone and volume controls are good, solid speed dials. The hardtail bridge is decent, along the lines of a Korean Strat copy, as opposed to Chinese. The paint job is fairly thick, with a couple of flaws, and the pickguard, though purely ornamental is pretty chintzy. Adding all that up- I'd say I feel good about giving this lavender beasty to my wife as a first guitar.
So, I went out and bought a First Act ME1980 to go with it. It's a righty, so, yes, mods must happen to make it playable. But, again, the neck is really good, the hardware is a downgrade from my wife's, and so must be replaced, I was expecting to replace the pick up, but it's got a nifty zing- I've not heard a hot humbucker voiced in this range before- it's got tons of upper mids- like a Japanese Hot Humbucker- put through a treble booster. The pickguard is so terrible that I removed it immediately- it's a piece of plastic that feels like packaging, not part of the instrument. I can see from the screwholes this is a very cheap light wood for the body, but heavier than my wife's so I suspect it's a plywood body. So, call it a Korean made Danelectro take on a Melody Maker, and you're not far off . It will be changed, mark my words. So, here's a Pic of my wife's and a link to mine. Yes, that's a Toys R US link. Deal with it.Oh, and I spent less than 100 bucks for both.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
The Problem of Leisure
I have a question rolling around in my head. Even if we're "poor" most of us, in America have something that we spend money pursuing, even though it serves little practical purpose. For some, it's a sport, for others it's collecting something, and for me, it's guitar-related stuff. I know, from my own hobby, that it really isn't about "thwarted dreams". I could play guitar in a band, if I wanted to, probably within the day. I always know musicians, and I know how to get gigs, and I even know how to make it marginally successful. But, I really don't want that. I'm sure it's the same for, hmmm, as an example, my brother-in-law who, later in life discovered Motorcycles. I'm sure he could either develop a couple of exhibition bikes to show around, or could take up racing, or otherwise turn it into a business. I have a friend who loves rugby. He's a big burly type, who is unafraid of pain, and has the discipline that I'm sure he could turn semi-pro ( professional rugby in this country doesn't really happen- but, now that I think about it, he might be good enough that he could emigrate to say, Greece, and play professional- but I'm too ignorant of the leagues to know how realistic that is) but he doesn't. I'm fairly confident that there are those with thwarted dreams, but I think for most of us, it's just a hobby. So, with that being the case, a question arises: How much is too much? I don't really have an answer, but I'm trying to work that out.
Let me clarify: I cannot justify buying a vintage left handed Jazzmaster guitar, and a full sized Orange Amp, because I'll never use it professionally- that equipment belongs to, and should be owned by a professional musician, and it would be an obscene extravagance for me to spend 10 to 20 thousand dollars on a hobby, when I have people who need me. But, with the extreme out of the picture, how about this- would an 800 dollar guitar, and a thousand dollar amp be too much? How about five hundred, each? Where's the line? Likewise with time: I know that playing 6 hours a day is ridiculous, and would leave little time for other needs, but is it too much to spend say, 2 hours a day? At what point does the time investment become absurd?
Again, I haven't fully answered this for myself, and I think the answer is necessarily a bit "fluid". For example, now that I have no children living in my house, yes, it's ok to spend a little more time playing esoteric scales on the guitars I already own, and yes, it's ok to buy an extra guitar or three, because I have the space and money, but if that conflicts with my wife and her writing hobby, that would cease to be ok. So, I'm not looking for a hard and fast answer. I'm looking for an outlook, or a philosophy.
This is a blog about spending money, or not spending money, so I figure this is as good a place as any to work this issue out. Granted, very, very few people are reading this, but I'm open to input.
There will be more about this. Hey, maybe it'll become my own little sub- hobby: a "how to" on having a hobby....
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