NAMM 2019: Ibanez TSV808 Vemuram Tube Screamer

This year at NAMM, Ibanez has unveiled a new pedal. It is a collaboration with a Japanese pedal maker, Vemuram. Vemuram has made a name for themselves by using high-quality parts and outstanding quality control. The TSV808 looks like a beautiful example of simplicity and elegance in aesthetics. This pedal might look spectacular, but what's new with the Vemuram Tube Screamer?

Nearly anyone who has ever made an effect pedal has made a tube scream., and I do mean everyone. It's almost a right of passage for budding pedal builders to make this simple circuit. I love a tube screamer in my rig, but I don't pretend to hear a wide range of difference in the different shades of green. I own a 1980s TS9 and it is still a toss-up between a decent clone. So, this is a pretty reissue of a TS808 made with a boutique pedal builder. If you like that kind of thing, then this is for you. It doesn't really speak to me, but this is more about a new twist on an old favorite.

Ugly Guitar Truth: Ibanez NTS Nu Tube Screamer

I almost didn't believe it. I almost had to make sure that today wasn't April first and not January first because I saw something that absolutely did not make sense. Ibanez has leaked some information about a new pedal.The NTS or Nu Tube Screamer has been making the rounds. At first glance, it seems like a new color pallet for a vintage TS pedal, but new tech has made its way inside an old circuit.

It's Pretty

The first time I saw this pedal I thought it looked sharp. I dig the white and green. I like the colors so much I missed the addition of a new knob, gaping window, and odd power supply placement. For such classic design, the aesthetic was enough to pull me away from these glaring changes.

Mixing It Up

I'll admit. I love a Mix knob. I want every pedal I own to have a mix knob. I think it's a control thing. I don't like committing to one sound. I don't want a pedal to completely take over the sound of my guitar. With a Mix knob, I tell the pedal how much it can have. This is the reason I don't get along with most distortion pedals. It also might be the reason why I chase "transparent" overdrives.

NuTubes

I love the idea of compact vacuum tubes. I want to see more pedals and amps use them. I hope that technology is as impressive as I keep hearing that it is. So far Vox's line of super compact heads is the only implementation of these NuTubes that I know of. I've heard good things about those. Although I have yet to use a tube base overdrive, I look forward to doing so. I'd love to see how the TC Electronic Tube Pilot and Ibanez NTS stack up.

Conclusion

I'm excited. How could I not be? This is the first "New Tube Screamer" in over a decade. I've actually seen a site sell this pedal for about 240 BSP making it something like 300 USD. So, in short, it is a pedal a hundred dollar more than the price of a 50-watt head using the same tubes. I guess we'll have to wait and see when Ibanez rolls out the hard launch closer to NAMM.

Ugly Guitar Truth: TC Electronic El Mocambo Overdrive

Upon the announcement of the new El Mocambo, Tore himself practically called the new pedal a Tube Screamer. Uncertain whether this is a TS-9 or TS-808 clone, the allusion to "the most ledgendary overdrive circuit ever designed" almost assures it is one of the two.

Why Do We Need Another TS Pedal?


Short answer is that we don't. But, when you are cranking out pedal after pedal for your corporate overlords, a tube screamer is a sure-fire win. It's a simple circuit, so all you have to do is give it a cool name and mount it in a decommission soviet tank and call it a day.


Who really Needs To Buy A Pedal


I own two tube screamers (a TS-9 and TS-808) but I have many more that give me that same feel. Honestly, I prefer an OCD to either of my TS pedals. But, I can't deny the fact that I have a morbid curiosity when it comes to this pedal. I want to know what it sounds like compared to my other mid-humped overdrive. I know it's going to sound the same... but the marketing it too strong.


Conclusion


If you are trying to move to all your pedal having top jacks, or if you need a pedal that you could break a car window or fight out an attacker with, then you might want to check out this pedal. However, if you already have a TS type people, maybe try before you buy. If you've never used a TS or you want a TS but want to spend a little less, then maybe this pedal is for you.

$10 Overdrive vs $200 Overdrive

I've had a small credit sitting around at a music store. I honestly had no idea what I was going to use it for. I'm fairly well off on picks and strings and all that, so it has been sitting their. I noticed they had marked a Behringer Tube Overdrive right in my price range. I purchased the pedal with zero money down. Armed with a new pedal. I took it home and wondered what I was going to do with. I hadn't even tried it out at the store. It hit me. I'll put it out against my vintage Ibanez TS-9. Similar pedals sell for $200+. I thought it would make for a great "David vs Goliath" (kinda like how the Anderton's YouTube channel does) show down.

Long story short, There was a noticeable difference. The difference was present, but surprisingly small. the pedals made similar sounds. The Behringer was directly related to the Tube Screamer if not directly cloned. The biggest difference in the sounds was the amount of bass. The Vintage TS-9 was just a lot fuller sounding. The low end got left out for the most part when the Behringer overdrive was on. Also, the buffer in the Behringer sucked a little top end off. Putting the Behringer in a bypass loop, I was able to hear a little high end loss when it was kicked on. (This was confirmed in a bind sound-test) 2/3 I was able to tel when the pedal was in the loop. I blame the single time I was able to do so to the fact that my tone controls were tuned down accidentally.

The biggest shock of the whole test was the fact that the 30 year pedal was actually more reliable than the brand new one. Turn the Behringer was a hit or miss affair usually taking a few attempts. The Ibanez had no such problem. I have had to replace the switch in the Vintage pedal, but there really isn't any reason to have to repair a brand new effect.

Conclusion:

Did the more expensive pedal sound better? Yes. It also worked better in general. Did it perform 20 times better? No, but there are many pedal that do an excellent job of sounding like an iconic Tube Screamer and performing reliably.

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Pretty Guitars From Ibanez At Summer NAMM 2016

Looking at Ibanez at Summer NAMM we see some nice looking offerings. Starting with a offset body shape with a P-90 in the neck. Amongst the other guitars in Ibanez's showing, this one stands out in a big way. The large cream P-90 serves as contrast to the flat black body. Matching cream pickup ring and binding together with a maple neck and board make this thing classy. Get all that under 7 bills and it starts to look very attractive.

 The next guitar that caught my eye was one from the Talman series. Here is a offset single-ish cut blonde. Like it or hate it, the Talman series is a mashup of Strat and Tele pieces that almost make you think you're looking at something familiar. This one is a signature model that comes in over $1,700. That's a lot considering the only other thing I can think of sporting Talman of the headstock was some very underwhelming acoustics.

 Next is something A little more fitting. It's a standard Talman Tele style in Sea Foam Green. If you are a tele fan with a thing for the weird, then this might be your thing. I like these guitars, but I've yet to play one. The fact that listed for what a Fender Standard Telecaster sales for has got me a little confused. When I was introduced to Ibanez they were just shaking off their "cheap" stigma and picking up some metal-cred. To me, this is a step backward. This isn't metal, but not affordable enough to sway me away from a Fender.

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Artwood Vintage Guitars From Ibanez At Summer NAMM 2016

 For the first time in my memory, Ibanez has product distressed folk sizes acoustics. I'm not sure how I feel about a oversea company making 'aged' folk instruments. But when I look at these guitars, I want to play them. They might have everything you'd want, but I am digging the finishes.

 The Line up is pretty solid with a '000', '0' and dreadnaught. The prices on these are sub 800 making it appealing to the serious cowboy acoustic playing. No electronic that I know of, and Ibanez doesn't have the greatest reputation with acoustics, so I wouldn't expect these selling like hotcakes. I'll keep an eye out when they show up on the used market in a couple years though...

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Pretty Basses From Ibanez At Summer NAMM 2016

Ibanez has done a great job at making a instrument that uses tried and true feature with unique looks and finishes that standout next to their more mainstream counter parts. What stood out to me was not their use of a P/J configuration or the offset body. It wasn't the coral color and stylish appointments that peaked my interest. It was that you wouldn't look at this instrument and assume it was under 3 bills.

 The next Bass that caught my eye was this hollow body with a distressed vintage finish. It's just pretty. Can I say that I'd play a bass like this? Probably not. But I would have one in my studio to show off.

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Ugly Truth About Vox Starsteam Guitar

From time to time Vox has released a select line of guitars. Many of these guitar of late have been vintage inspired instrument with a special flare. Vox has always hit the mark in the looks department, as far I'm concerned. That is, until now. But first, let's hear Vox's side of the story:

Created to provide a wide range of sounds including electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synths and other stringed instruments, the VOX Starstream Type-1 is the ultimate instrument for players looking to redefine the electric guitar and what it can do. Whether you are playing with a band, in the studio or practicing silently at night with headphones, the Starstream Type-1 offers exciting new possibilities.

Incorporating the AREOS-D system, the Starstream Type-1 is the latest evolution in onboard guitar electronics, furthering VOX’s reputation of breaking the boundaries when it comes to advanced guitar electronics.  Putting control over your sound at your fingertips, the system integrates several essential elements: magnetic pickups for authentic and classic electric guitar sounds; a piezo pickup system for rich-sounding traditional and acoustic instruments; a powerful DSP engine; familiar volume, tone and pickup selector controls and a Control Module that provides instant access to important tone-shaping parameters. 

The unique frame construction is three dimensionally contoured for maximum comfort, easily conforming to your personal style. Equipped with a smoothly shaped neck, unlimited upper fret access, warm-toned resonant wood body, specially voiced magnetic pickups and a balanced, easy to use tremolo system; this is the ultimate modern guitar.

• Exclusively developed AREOS-D system uses the guitar’s traditional magnetic pickups to create the electric guitar sounds for greater realism and accuracy.
• Nine banks of instruments, with three variations in each, plus two user banks to store up to six favorite sounds.
• Synth sounds track effortlessly and respond dynamically to touch, pick attack and vibrato.
• Simple, intuitive volume, tone and three-way switch make changing models and sounds quick and easy.
• 1/4” output for live performance or recording and 1/8” output for use with headphones for private listening and practice.
• Sculpted mango body; 22 fret maple neck with rosewood fingerboard; 2 x XLM humbucking pickups; 2-point fulcrum vibrato; sealed die cast tuning machines.

 Having that been said, let's talk truth.

Yes. It's Ugly

This is a striking looking guitar to say the least. I was on the fence, until I saw the video of a person playing it. It looks like someone strumming an over-sized electric violin, which no doubt was at least somewhat of an inspiration for the design. It is goofy looking, but worst of all the is the on board controls. They look straight out of the 90's. There is no attempt to blend them in with the look of the guitar. They stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe the thought was to make the guitar so distracting that you don't notice the honking bit of kit bolted to the guitar... Swing and a miss Vox...

There Are Others Out There

Maybe you like this guitar. Maybe you aren't a guitar player so much as an experimental-soundsmith. (you must be lost) If you want a guitar to sound like a bunch of other guitars, then take your pick. I'll just say it, Line 6 is you best bet. Their VariAX line has you covered. If you are into synth sounds, then prepare to be disappointed, because you get your choose of two sounds with this guitar and I was inspired by what I saw in the Vox promotional video. Looking for crazy sounds out of a guitar, then Ibanez made that weird Kaoss guitar a while back. That should take care of weird. (but why not look into Earthquaker Devices pedals. Lots of weird stuff for guitar and more...)

Maybe there are some good sounds in there

I know that's not an "ugly truth" but come on, I've been slamming this thing pretty hard, and it's kinda sad that I have to say 'maybe'. The 12 string and 'banjo' sounds in the video that Vox put out themselves, sound terrible. It might have something to do with the fact that the guitarist playing in the video was probably on par with my own playing, meaning it was nothing special. Nothing in that video made me want that guitar. However, I didn't hear the acoustic sounds. Those might be surprisingly good, but probably not, because they never are. there just isn't much about this guitar to get excited about. And I love Vox...

Maybe they will develop this line in the future, but right now it's a hard pass.

Is The KLON The New Tube Screamer?

Most of us that have peered behind the curtain of our guitar effects have noticed a trend that seems as old as the electric guitar (and its little effects buddies). People have been 'cloning' gear before 'cloning' was even a thing. Before the commercial success of the electronic effects industry, guitarist have been emulating one another in a myriad of ways. In the time before solid-bodied electric guitars, modified arch top guitars plugged into amplifiers were stuff full of rags to eliminate feed back. Amplifiers were modified with 'master' volume knobs to push the unit into situation. Beer bottles were used to emulate the sounds of a African folk instrument call the 'diddly bow'. These ideas were popularized and improved upon. We now owe solid-body guitars, overdrive and slide guitar to these trends. As we think back to a time when the lowly Tube Screamer was introduced, before the host of modifications were made common. One of the greatest guitarist famously used the Tube Screamer to shape his legendary sound. Fast forward thirty years and we see the trend again, only with a new name.

The Klon has an epic back story. Back in the mid 90s Bill Finnegan built the first Klon Centaurs. From there the popularity and mythos behind the pedal blossomed. Many popular players picked up on the pedals lure. The used value of the pedal skyrocketed when production of the centaur stopped. In the following years Bill, in partnership with others, developed the KTR to have the same effect while using surface mounted components. The trajectory of the klon follows that of the Tube Screamer. If we apply the same logic, what does this mean for the Klon? Well, if history serves: clones, mods, and and reissues.

Clones... There are tonnes of clone of the Centaur. A list would be academic, but makers have been producing these since the original has gone out of production. The replications haven't stop since the introduction of the KTR either. Wampler just released the Tumnus which puts the Centaur in a tiny package. Mods are common as well. The originals are still too sacred to tamper with (they are also covered in epoxy). But many mods have become popular for the clones and facsimiles. Reissues my just be an inevitability. At the moment, Finnegan seems unmotivated to produce any more Centaurs in any large amounts.

5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying A New Pedal

Lately I've run into a problem. My pedal board is full of great pedals. I know. That is a horrible problem to have, but hear me out. I may or may not have GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). I like to buy and try new gear, a lot. So when I see something shiny, or new, or cheap, I feel like I have to buy it. However, I just can't seem to figure out why. I love the way my rig sounds. Would it get better if I had the new/shiny/cheap pedal that has caught my fancy? Most likely not. But I still want it. For a while this would cause me to buy the gear and then ultimately regret it and sell it. Is this just part of pedal board evolution or is it the symptom of a great issue. Either way, I've devised a list of question to aid in determining whether your gear purchase is warranted. (Disclaimer: this is only a guide. This works for me, but ultimately you gotta do you and make your own decisions)

Do I Already Have One Of Those?

Jump on any guitar forum and you'll see that the new, spiffy pedal that is coming out is only a clone of another pedal that has been a around for ages. Take the Tube Screamer. The Tube Screamer lives in so many variations that it is hard to even compile an accurate list of all of them. Just assume anything made by Ibanez and painted green is a TS. Other companies have made their versions as well. Boss has the SD-1, EHX has the East River Drive, Digitech has the Bad Monkey, BBE has the Green Driver and just about any Boutique builder has their own take on the old circuit. So if you have a mid-hump overdrive that you like and the pedal you are salivating over closely resembles the one that you own... maybe think twice before throwing down your money. At least A/B them to decide if the differences are even noticeable.

Do I Need Another One Of These?

Similar to the first question, this question deal with the category of the pedal in question. For instance. My board is a little heavy with dirt pedals. I have to cover a lot of bases when I play, so I like to be prepared for just about anything. I have 6 different dirt pedals to cover anything thing from transparent OD to Fuzz. Overkill? Sure. But I can choose a different voice for each sound if I needed to. In the past few weeks I've been temped to get googly-eye over some pedals. The DOD 250 reissue has been temping. The Wampler Tumnus is another that is just too cool not to dig. But I have those bases covered. There are others that have really tempted me, like the Visual Sound/Truetone VS-XO and the JHS Sweet Tea, not to mention the VFE R(ainbows U(nicorns & )P(uppies). The Question goes like this:

"Man, that _______ looks awesome!"
"Do I need another ________?"
"YES!"
"Really?!"
"yes...?"
"..."
"no." (feeling sorry for myself ensues)

Will I Use This?

There are some weird effects out there. I love weird effects. I bought a Line6 M5 just so I could make weird noises with my guitar. One of the most talked about pedals right now tries to turn you guitar into an electric piano. There you have it, weird noises are cool, but do you really have a place to use that weird noise in your Top 40 cover band? Probably not. If you have the means and you want to make weird noises, then by all means buy the darn thing, but if you are like me and don't have a ton of disposable income to blow on a pedal that seems fun, then think again. Some things are gimmicks. Novelties don't hold up. You get tired of them quickly, aren't helpful, and will be cast out in short order. The M5 makes lots of cool noises, and I use it, but I most just use the reverb or some other subtle effect. That Step filter, that I thought was so cool, has yet to make a appearance on stage.

Why Do I Want This Pedal

This question can only be answered by the person asking it. (that sounds pretty meta, right?) It the world of guitar effects, there is a lot to be said for hype. The Klon (and all it's copies) has had a long life due to the crazy amount of hype that accompanies the pedal. Boutique builders and modders will tell you all that great things they've done to familiar circuits to make that so much better. But all the fancy words about NOS parts and HIFI mods and so on, are just that, words. Side by side most of these boutique creations are hard to discern from the original product. Pretty boxes and trendy names might sound appealing, but it doesn't translate into a better sounding pedal. This might be the hardest question to answer, because you have to be honest with yourself. Sometimes a good price will temp me to throw down some cash, but just because it's cheaper at Store B than Store A doesn't mean you need that pedal any more.

Can I Afford It

Maybe the simplest question on the list. It is possibly the most important as well. It should always be the last one to ask. After you have past all the other questions, you then need to ask yourself whether or not it is a smart financial decision. I have a budget that limits my pedal buying. I make special exception now and then, but for the most part I try to limit my pedal buying, because if I don't, it will get out of hand. I often stretch my budget by buying used pedals and by trading. I'm fortunate to have a large group of great musician that are almost always willing to swap and trade (sometime even loan out gear). This is invaluable. If you don't have a group like this, then try to start one. The internet is a great place, but you have to read past the sales pitches. (that's why I'm here). A good group of musician-friends should be straight up with one another.

So those are my 5 question to ask yourself before buy a new pedal, or any gear really. I have to ask myself those same question quite often. I don't always like the answers but it helps me sleep at night when I think about all those pedals I could have. When funds are low, it helps to remember that I probably don't need that pedal anyways. When I have funds it helps me choose the best pedal to spend my money on. I hope this help you guys deal with your GAS!

Ugly Truth: Vintage TS-9 Tube Screamer

Some time ago I was going through the bargain bin at the local music store and found a Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer. I already had a TS-9DX and wasn't all that impressed by it, but I figured that I would compare the two and see if there were any major advantages with one or the other. On a lark I traded bit of gear for a $0 transaction. One home I played the two Tube Screamers side by side. The TS-9 did seem to have a little more high-end on tap, but the two were very close. Weeks past and I wanted a project, so I decided to do some mods to the TS-9. The bottom plate was covered in Velcro covering the bottom. I peeled the Velcro off to access the screws and the bottom label came off. Usually I don't care about such things, but I stopped and peeled the label away from the Velcro. To my surprise it was not a contemporary label. To the internet I went to find out when this pedal was made. It could be vintage. So using the label, battery door, and some of the actually PCB components, I was able to determine that this pedal was made in 1983. It was one of the earliest TS-9s ever made. I was holding a $200-300 pedal. I was excited by the find, and I also decided that I would mod it, obviously. The picture isn't always pretty though.

Pedals Don't Get Better With Time

There is a big to-do about vintage pedals, but the reason that vintage pedal are popular isn't really based on fact. We owe most of our desire to vintage effects to two things: discontinued effects (the real reason) and vintage instruments. For as long as I can remember, people have said that violins better with age. The oldest and finest violin was Stradivarius. Fast forward a few hundred years and people still clamor over Pre-CBS Fenders. So people apply a subjective thought about violins to modern instruments and that spills over into other gear. There are some reason that some people go up in value. The Boss Slow gear is a pedal that has gone out of production and are hard to come by. They can be seen as high as $500. But people who care still rave about replacing passive components with vintage counterparts, spending time and money to replace something with objectively no difference. The truth is that many of components worsen over time. Metal rusts, Pots get scratchy, years of exposure cause degradation.

Much Of The Difference Is In Our Heads

I did a shootout with several Tube Screamer and Tube Screamer like pedals. After A/B-ing each combination with each pedal in its own loop, I was only able to discern slight differences between the pedals. They ranged from a $40 Bad Monkey to EHX's East River Drive to my vintage TS-9. I'm not saying that I could replace one for another and there be no difference, but the difference there was made little impact to the overall sound. No one casually listening would be able to tell the difference from the cheapest to the most expensive. Just knowing which pedal I was playing probably accounted for most the difference that I "heard".

The Coolest Thing About Owning A Vintage Pedal Is Owning A Vintage Pedal

The only time that people know that my TS-9 is vintage is when I tell them, and every I do, I feel like that guy. There is nearly no reason to own vintage gear than to brag about it. I wouldn't have picked up this pedal if the seller actually knew it was vintage. I do run a TS pedal on my board, but it's not the vintage one. I run an East River Drive because it sounds good and it has True Bypass and a brighter LED (and the pots aren't scratchy(and yes, I've tried contact cleaner)). I've considered sell a number of times. It would be nearly all profit, but I've decided that having a somewhat rare pedal around isn't a bad thing. Its more like a neat collectible than a pedal that I use. On the one hand, it's a good working pedal that deserves to be used, on the other hand, it is a semi-rare and valuable piece of gear.

Conclusion

The thing I like most about the pedal is the story that I get to tell of how I acquired it. I also like to see people reaction to the value of the pedal. Yes, I brag a little bit, but mostly I just think it's cool.

The Ugly Truth About The Ibanez RGKP6 Kaoss Electric Guitar

If you were alive and going to small shows ten years ago, you might have noticed that once in a while there would be a band with a strange little device that made even stranger sounds. Most people would just shrug and thing that was odd. A gear-nut, such as my self, would then go online and find out what made that sound. The device is a Kaoss pad. It is made by Korg and get gained a lot of traction in Screamo/Metal scene (as well as others). Now they can be heard in much of todays pop music and EDM. This device has tons of filters and sounds built in and can be manipulated with a track pad. This makes it extremely intuitive, with as many variants as there are swipes of the finger. In the right hands, they can become a very expressive tool. It was only time that someone stuck one of these things on to a guitar. Thanks Oba... I mean, Ibanez.




The Guitar Makes Me Sad




These guitars are in the RG series, which means they are the second to last rung of the Ibanez ladder. They aren't anything to look at. They have one single coil sized humbucker in the bridge position. As far as traditional controls, it have a single volume knob. If this was all it has, I'd call it a California style set up, but it has a build it headphone amp. That's neat, but the controls are in a very awkward spot (at the back of the body) and includes some fizzy distortion built in. The body of the guitar is nothing to look at. It's listed as "Mahogany" but I have my doubts. The finish look like a thin coat of paint on top of bare wood. I like minimal aesthetics as much as the next guy, but this just looks cheap. Maybe some cost cutting due to fact that they are plugging a $150 effect into the body of the guitar.




The Whole Thing Says Gimmick




Don't get me wrong, I love innovation and weird sounds, but this is a little suspect. I don't know if this is an attempt to sell guitar to synth guys or sell synths to guitar guys. In reality most people who seriously want a Kaoss pad have the full sized Kaoss III. Guitar player have an abundance of choices when it comes to making weird sounds that don't involve buying a completely new guitar (that looks and probably feels like a cheap starter guitar). The Kaoss mini is a very interesting piece of gear on its own. It has a huge library of sounds, drum machine, built-in microphone, and real-time touch pad control. The question we have to ask out selves is, "Does a neat device warrant the purchase of a sub-par guitar?




I Kinda Want One




I'm not going to lie. At first thought I dismissed this thing faster than Fez after he has already said "good day.". But then I saw something. A video, that I almost dismissed just like the guitar. It was Rob Champman of You Tube fame, and they were review a Ibanez guitar. This is not something I'd normal watch. I'm not interested in Ibanez guitars. Not that they're all bed, but they aren't my cup of tea. The video description guaranteed that I'd want one if I watched the video till the end. Sure enough, I enjoy the video so much that I too want one. It seems more like an expensive toy than anything else. Something that guitarist break out when friends are over and they want to muck about. Think about when the last time a piece of gear made you laugh. That why this guitar exists.

5 Best Electric Guitars Under $300

The couple posts I've made have been somewhat budget conscious. This one is no different. Their are lots of people looking to add an instrument to their lives. Like me, these people want to make the best decision they can because guitars cost lots of money and it's going to be a decision that they have to live with for a long time. Over the years I've grown fond of some particular types of guitars. I'll try to set all that aside and do the most good for those of you who might be seeking to satisfy other taste.

1.Yamaha Guitars

Yamaha has been making instrument for a very long time. I've played many instrument made by Yamaha. Let's take a quick look at some of the instruments they produce: Pianos, keyboards, Brass, woodwind, drums and percussion, and guitars. In nearly every category Yamaha is considered one of the top manufacturers. Yamaha Guitars are no different. Their precision and attention to detail is present in their manufacture of guitars. They offer several models under the $300 mark. Their Pacifica line stands up to any guitar at the price. Yamaha has earned a reputation for producing quality instrument, so don't discount this line. Although they heavily resemble the Stratocaster, They have a feel and sound of their own. Production and sale of these guitars are somewhat limited. Finding one of these might pose a challenge, but keeping an eye out for one of these just might pay off.

2.ESP

This guitar company has built a reputation for making quality guitars and selling them reasonably. The big selling point that ESP has is that there are many choices under the $300 mark. There are LP and SG styles, plus many unique shapes in their line up. I might suggest someone look at purchasing one of these guitar instead of Epiphone. While Epiphone have near-exact replicas of their parent company Gibson, They tend to be proud of the instruments. This makes other brands more attractive. When shopping without considering the name on the headstock, ESP might be the way to go. ESP has a great selection under the $300 mark so it make picking the right one a little more fun.

3.Ibanez

Ibanez is another company that has risen from the bargain bin to make a name for its self. Looking at the sub $300 offering is a treat because not only are there several body styles, but many interesting finishes. The GS series offers a wide range of colors and options, There is a single cut-away GART60 model that takes a stab at the LP shape. There is even a few hollow body choices in the Artcore series that make the budget, But the real deal is in the RG series. These guitars are nicely finished and come ready for any performance. The feature found is these guitars make it seem well worth the investment.

4.Jackson

I have own a Jackson guitar (it wasn't under $300), but I do remember that the fit and finish on them were excellent. While I was researching for this post I came across a fact that I was unaware of. Jackson has a lot of options in this range. Most being in the Dinky series, but also offering some more agressive shape like the "X" and "V". Also, Jackson is one of the only makers that offer Floyd Rose on there sub $300 guitars. On top of all this, some of these guitars are absolutely beautiful. Jackson! Who would have known, right?

5.Squire

So Here it is. My personal favorite. Squire makes Strats and Teles for the rest of us. Many people bought a Squire as their first guitar. They are prolific and affordable. Chances are if you played guitar for any period of time, you have played a squire at least in passing. The true beauty of  Squire's line of instruments is that they stay faithful the the original and offer custom features for hundreds less that the real deal Fenders. The best bang for your buck being the Standard series. It may sound lack luster, but it faithful replicates the look, feel, and sound of the big boys. Sticking a new set of pickups in a Squire in many ways just as good as have a guitar with Fender on the headstock. For those looking outside the Strat and Tele box, there are Jaguar, 51', and Mustang models that fit in our budget too. Squire. My favorite for a reason.

Bonus: Davison

I am cheap, so I try to find the cheapest things out there that fit a need. When looking for a banjo I came across a website that imports for overseas and sells very cheap instruments. How cheap? Under $200 dollars. I took a chance and ordered my banjo from them and well very pleased. I have ordered any thing else from this retailer, but if I expearence is typical then I feel perfectly fine recommending them. Here we have a source of set neck SG's and LP's for less then $200. Not bad in my book. In fact, I'd like to pick one of these up for my self, but adding to my collect right now would be hoarding. I look forward to getting around to actually purchasing one and writing a review soon(ish). Also they have Strat copies for less the $100 (What!). Just saying...

The Ugly Truth About Outlaw Effect's Dead Man's Hand

A little while ago, I wrote a post about Outlaw Effects. Turns out I got some of the details wrong. This led the guys over at Outlaw to politely respond. Turns out they are from Canada and not France, so I guess these guys are more into hockey and beer than... French... stuff. These guys are more likely to say "aye" than "ooh la la" than I previously thought. When the guys were setting me straight I figured I'd slip in a request to try out some of their pedals, which goes to show you what can happen if you just ask because they actually said yes. Let's take a look at the Dead Man's Hand from Outlaw Effects.

Standard micro pedal setup. I've already spent a good deal of time describing the physical pedals here, so now we will mostly look at the sounds this makes. I spent a lot of time with this pedal. I used it as my primary OD on my pedalboard for a set I played a few days ago. It kicked my East River Drive by EHX. I played my 72 reissue Telecaster through my board and into a Fender tube 1x12 amplifier. I found it to be very usable. Most sounds that the ERD made the Dead Man's Hand can follow while taking less than half the real estate. If space and weight are an issue, and when is it not, then the Dead Man's Hand is a great pick. Also consider that the Outlaw's OD is less expensive than the EHX's pedal and you have a real competitive product. In practice, the Dead Man's Hand was able to serve just as well as my main Tube Screamer clone. But how does in stack up against other Tube Screamers head-to-head?

TS Shootout:

Above is a picture of the competitors. From left to right: Digitech Bad Monkey, Outlaw's Dead Man's Hand, a 1985 vintage Ibanez TS-9, and Electro Harmonics' East River Drive.

Round 1: DMH vs ERD

On paper, these two stack up quite well. Both have true bypass, bright LED, heavy duty switches, nice sturdy metal cases, and comparable prices. When played they are very similar as well. They are both chock full of the classic tube screamer type sound. Warm, gritty, tube-like break up at home with lead and rhythm roles. Both pedals matched each others' sounds. This is until I flipped the switch. My assumption was that the switch was there to flatten the mid-hump. It does a lot more. It acts almost like a frequency boost for the highs and lows. There is a big difference in the output when put into the "Aces" mode. The level is boosted as well as the lows. In fact, the biggest notable difference was with the bass. The lows were much more prominent. The ERD left the bottom end behind when the tone knob was cranked. When in "Eights" mode, so does the DMH. But when put into the "Aces" mode, this pedal reaches a territory that the ERD couldn't follow.

Round 2: DMH vs Bad Monkey

The Bad Money is a pedal that many hold in high regard, and yet others dismiss at a cheap copy of a tube screamer that doesn't stack up. I would mostly be in the second camp. This is actually one of the first pedals that I ever bought. It was inexpensive enough for me to afford, and sounded like something I could use. Love it or hate it, this pedal actually stacks up with the other in this list. The biggest noticeable difference with the Bad Monkey is that instead of a tone knob, it has adjustable highs and lows. Set at 12 o'clock the DMH is much more transparent, but with adjustment (lows at 2 o'clock and highs nearly pegged) the Bad Monkey was brought close enough that I had to try hard to hear the difference between the two. Needless to say that there was a lot of territory that the Bad Monkey couldn't explore like the DMH.

Round 3: DMH vs Vintage TS-9

So, it's time to bring out the big guns. Many collectors and modders hold the vintage pedals as a bench mark, something to shoot for. That's why no test is complete without putting the real deal beside the up and comer. Again, both pedals went blow for blow, producing very similar sounds at nearly the same settings. With everything dimed, the TS-9 had a little more high end and transparency. But the same problem was present with the lows. The bottom end just wasn't there anymore. It's the same story with the DMH until you hit the toggle.

The Conclusion

The Dead Man's Hand is a great pedal from Outlaw Effects. I have stated some of my dislikes about how the pedal is put together, but for the sound this pedal is an amazing value. Great Tube Screamer like tone at a fraction of the cost and space, plus the added benefit of a useful boost feature. Don't dismiss this pedal for its affordable price, it easily stacks up to anything in its class.

5 Pedals That Every Guitarist Should Own

There are large number of pedal in this world. It is hard to know where to start. Basically, you have to find out what your needs are. But sometimes we need something that helps us expand our sonic range. If you don't have and use these pedals already, then you need to do your self a favor and look into them. They are pretty much awesome.

1)Wah-Wah

The mystic box of funky sounds. The most prolific of course being the Dolup Crybaby. There are endless varities and flavors of this effect. Most large pedal makers have an option. Some boutique guys have had a swing at making there own rocker pedals. Most of us have used if not own some type of wah. It is endlessly entertaining and super expressive. Its not so much which one your use, but that do use one. No two pedal use there wah the same. Find your voice and experiment. It makes you standout. If your play a set and employ this pedal, you'll always get a comment usually starting with "Whoa!"

2)Delay

Again, this is one of those pedal that people can use in countless ways. Some people just set it and forget. You can use it like a type of reverb, or help make your sustain sound endless. There are some genres that are built around this effect: Rock-a-billy and soundscape. Short, long, slap-back, infinite loop, they all have there place and you'd do you're self a favor by picking up one of these. You can get started with an investment of about $50. Behringer, Dan-electro, Rouge, or a use boss unit will be good bets to get you started. Currently I use a Boss DD-20 and it does tons of things, most I've yet to use live. Needing something to seriously expand you sound? Delay.

3)Fuzz

Fuzz is one of the sounds that everyone does a little differently, but they all have very distinguishable sound. Fuzz is not shy or timid. Its made to be in your face. It says look at me. You kick it in when you solo, or want to sound like Jimi. You are basically making noise that is barely recognizable as music. It is the musically equivalent of a push-up bra. This pedal is very polarizing. Some people love it and other hate it. Some people spend their lives searching for the "Holy Grail". There is no such thing as a "bad fuzz". There is only a fuzz you don't like and ones that you do. Go find one that you enjoy, and use it when you want a little attention.

4)Tube Screamer (of some kind)

In a world filled with overdrives and distortions, there is one that spreads like a virus into almost every like of pedal. You can buy the real deal (reissue) for Ibanez, or buy any of the copies that are out there. You can even buy a kit to build your own. Basically a Tube Screamer is a symmetrical distortion with a boost to the mid frequencies. There are serval: Green Screamer, Bad Monkey, Joyo Vintage Overdrive, Route 808, Boss SD-1/BD-2(ish), EHX East River Drive. Everyone has their favorite one, but its fun to take that trip down the rabbit hole and see how far you can get. The best thing I can recommend is to go your your local music store and spend time trying there selection of these, and other, pedals. Have fun and get inspired.

5 Guitars That Every Guitarist Should Own

There are a lot of guitars out there. If you've been playing for a while then you've no doubt found what you like. It take little more than a trip to the music store to see what you like and what works for you. For me it is the Fender Telecaster. There is something comfortable about the shape and weight. For others it might be a SG or something from Ibanez. There is nothing wrong with any of these, but sometimes we gravitate toward a particular shape and style. If you are the collector type, like myself, then one guitar is never enough, nor is one type. So, how do we go about being a well rounded guitar owner? Diversity.

5) The Pawn Shop Special

There is something about find a diamond in the rough. Sometimes you have call them like you see them. If the guitar is a dud, its a dud. Sometime you find a guitar that was made for about five minutes by a company that doesn't exist any more. Other times you find a guitar that has been loved a little too hard, but despite the looks, the guitar of a soulful tone machine still lives. The best part is that prices are usually pretty flexible. This is a great idea that for the collector with limited cash. It can also serve as a great platform for mods and experimenting.

4)The Classic

We are talking the big four. Strat, Tele, Les Paul, SG. Many of these are made and lots of people make clones. It is actually hard Not to own one of these guitars once your collection reaches a certain size. There is not a lot to say hear. There are some icons that should be experienced. If you do not already like one of these options then look into these guys. Many people like at their choice of guitar as a reflection of themselves, and to an extent it is, and getting one of these classics seems to cliche. There is a reason that these are so prolific.

3)The obscure

Just like owning a classic is important, owning a guitar that no one really knows or has ever thought about since the last one rolled off the production line. Often times these are terrible guitars, but every once in a while these surprise us and end up being fantastic guitars. The pawn shop is a great place to look, as is craigslist.

2)The "Out of your comfort zone"

Get weird. Get way out there. BC Rich is a great place to start. Maybe a flying V or Explorer for the more timid. A seven or eight string guitar will challenge you in many ways. Perhaps it as simple as losing the low E string and tuning a guitar to and open tuning. You should also consider extended range guitars such as a baritone. Resonator or slide guitar could be your "walk on the wild side". Everyone has their own comfort zone, try to find something that is definitively not typical for you.

1))The Fixer-upper

With a little luck and a few tools, you can take a guitar that others would pass up and make it into an absolute player. Maybe this a low-end model that could use some new guts, or a used unit that needs a nice set up. In any case, there is nothing that connects you to your instrument like putting honest work into bringing it back to life. This is a great experience for any guitarist. Working on a guitar and improving its status is good practice for when your main ax develops a hiccup. Skills like soldering and wiring take practice to perfect, so working on a guitar that isn't already an important part of your emotional well-being might be preferable.

The Case for Another Tube Screamer (EHX East River Drive)

So if you haven't heard, EHX has been cooking up some new dirt. There has been some backlash since a few of their "ideas" haven't been quite original. I posted my hands on review of their Mosfet (OCD) overdrive. This, if you couldn't tell be the extreme use of green or the title of this blog, is a tube screamer close. Cloning the TS-9 and it's derivatives have been copied so many times and ways that it is hard to keep track. Why on earth would anyone put another of the same thing into the world. Ibanez has cornered the market on their green box. They have the TS-9(the old stand-by $100), TS-7,  TS-5(all plastic), TS-9DX(TS with an extra knob), and the TS-808(an expensive all metal TS with a couple different resisters). They all share the same circuit. So it makes it hard to stand out in the middle of such a crowd. What makes The ERD different? It has a sexy boutique-style case, true bypass, mechanical switch, and a slick decal.

What about the sound? Those who follow the world of pedals know the name aNoLoG.MaN. I name synonymous with quality tone. He is the one who made the DS-1 into something so sought after that he was once backordered for a year. EHX bought the MaN himself in on the design of this pedal. He himself admits that it is explicitly an 808 clone. He consulted on the design of the circuit and the parts used in the build. Hopefully some of his Mojo rubbed off in the process. Everything I've read from EHX fails to mention the pedal guru by name, so kudos I guess for not name dropping. I would have been skeptical if I had not read the forum that he actually participates in.

So it looks like the ERD is a TS-9 with all the popular mods installed in it already in a pretty little boutique package designed by the "King of Tone" himself. Oh yeah, it's $58 and made in the USA. So there's that.

Music Store Finds Are What Give Me Hope...

All of us that are lucky to live near a great local music store know what greatness can await us in the discount bin. Lately I had a great find in my local store. I've been looking for a deal on a pedal I could tinker with, so when I noticed an Ibanez TS-9 sitting in the used gear bin I got a little excited. The guys at the shop gave me a fair shake on the price so I came home with the pedal. After giving the pedal a good going through. I decided to tweak it. So I sit down with my new find about to get busy with a soldering iron and, on a whim, I peel the velcro that had covered the bottom plate. Of course the label peels off. I decide I want the label on my pedal so I try to separate the two. This is almost impossible. Just getting a corner start was frustrating enough, but I kept going. I notice that the label read, "Made In Japan". Interesting, most pedals are made in china, except the vintage ones of course. So now I look up the history of the TS-9 and how to tell if it is vintage or reissue.

Step one: The Label

If the label is black then it is the oldest edition of these pedals, meaning it was made in the very early 80's. This doesn't mean that a silver label is not vintage, just that its is made after the first ones with black label. The Silver label has a couple clue to the age of the pedal. If it says "Made in Japan" then your off to a good start. In the upper right hand corner there should not be the familiar "CE" symbol. This was added later, and its a dead giveaway that the pedal in more recent. The more recent reissues' serial number begin with "00", vintage units should not. The first number in the serial number should be close to the year of manufacture, ie 3xxx means the pedal is made in 1983.

Step two: The Guts

Getting into the pedal, the inside of the battery cover should say "MAXON". Looking at the PCB the capacitors should be green in color and the IC may be a few different types, but the JRC4558 is the one that most people look for. If all these things check out then you can feel pretty confident that you are in possession of a vintage Tube Screamer. Congratulations!

This was the case with my find. I couldn't believe it. I found this pedal in the discount bin and come to find that it is actually worth several times the price I paid. Sometimes it pays to do you homework.

The New Visual Sound VS-XO Dual Overdrive Pedal

So here it is. I have to be honest. I've been geeking out about this one. There are a couple of videos up on Visual Sounds' YouTube channel that make it sound very appealing. I have actually been a pretty big fan of Visual Sound in the past. I have had their Route 66 pedal in my set up, but I decided that the OD/Comp combination was good, but I wanted to be about to control my sounds a little more. The overdrive in that pedal sounded great and the compressor did a good job of being useful without being obvious. There are some speculations that this is an 808 and Open Road OD combo. I actually think it might be mentioned in one of the videos, but another view is that the way the tone is shaped suggest that the non-TS side is base on the Drivetrain pedal from the same maker. What the videos do well is show the versatility of this pedal. In addition to the basic three knob configuration that most of us are familiar with, the pedal has a bass knob on the left-side channel and two three-way, sliding selectors for the clipping section and bass frequencies. For a sound-tweaker such as myself, these fun little knobbies have gotten me foaming at the mouth.

Can't wait for this pedal to debut. Having said that, if anyone at Visual Sound would like to send me one of these pedals so that I can review it for them, then by all means do so. Anyone able to get their hands on one of these before the rest of us regular Joes? Let us know what you think. Big thanks to http://www.tdpri.com for always having useful info and insightful members.

What Order Do Effect Pedals Go In?

I've asked myself this question so many times, and over the years I'm become inclined to set up a pedal board in certain ways to create particular sounds. There are some general rules to follow or completely ignore, whatever your case may be.

1. Volume.

Volume pedals are very handy tool in a guitarist's bag. It allows you to adjust your volume on the fly, mute your signal for tuning or guitar changes, boost you signal (provided that you running less than full volume) and create swell effects. Personally I like my volume pedals first. Why? Because it create to same effect as the volume knob on your guitar. If your volume runs into you overdrive/distortion then you can manipulate to distortion by changing your volume (ie you'll have a cleaner sound with lower volumes). If this is not the effect you desire then I suggest running the volume after the distortion. This will allow you to change the volume of your signal without changing the distortion level.

2. Wha

I know that this is not typically the wha pedal would fall, but Its where I put it. A wha will manipulate certain frequencies in your signal, mostly the lower-mids to the upper-mids. Your main concern with wha pedals is the voicing and pronunciation of the effect. I've played enough in bedrooms and stages to know that there are huge differences in how the sound is received. I've sat in a bedroom and thought that my digitech rp100 muti-effect pedal sounds great, but when I used it live it sounded like I was playing out of a tin can. ( by the way, never mess with multi-effects. just say no kids. Learn from my mistakes) What you will notice between have your wah before and after your dirt boxes is the presence of the effect. For the most part, the OD and Distortion will want to change your signal frequencies just like the knobs on your amp. The "tone" knob of your Overdrive with play with how your wah opperates. (given that it is on while your using your wha) A wha before the dirt will be less noticeable (more organic sounding). While a wha post dirt will take your whole signal for a ride. This may be what you want. I like a mellow wha, but sometimes you need to be out in front of the sound and make that effect stand out.

3. Dirt

There are many different ways to get your dirty signal, but if your using a stomp box, this is where I put it. Having your Volume and Wha before these pedal gives you more control over the entire sound. I like control. Maybe thats why I have so many choices when it comes to my Dirt Boxes. I have a lot to say about OD/Distortion but you can catch most of it if your follow that link there.

4. EQ  (and other signal processors)

Again, this isn't exactly would you should do, but this is how I like it. Remember how I said I like to control my tone? Well, this is a little part of that. I use my EQ as more of a boost. I set it up to give me a little mid-hump action and maybe a overall volume boost. Some people like to set their EQ and forget it, just let it do its thing for your tone. That's fine, but everything is trying to change your frequencies. If you run a Compressor or Noise Gate of some sort, here is where I would put them as well. Be aware that your Compressor and Volume pedal are not going to play well with each other. Basically, they are doing the exact opposite of each other. If you want comp on your signal and swells. then you have to run your volume after the comp.

5. Delay

I had a Boss DD-3 that absolutely hated be overwhelmed by a distortion. Other than that particular Combo, delay is best left near the end of the chain. I'm not a big delay user. I will use it from time to time to fatten up my sound, but for the most part I like a nice straight sound.

6. Filters

I don't mess with delay much, and I use filters less. In theory, filters behave better at the end of the chain. That way they can have their way with your sound and change it as they see fit. If you are a fan of these then have at it.


So there you have it. I encourage anyone interested in effect to play with them as much as your can. There really is no wrong way to set your rig up and I may be doing it all wrong as far as you are concerned. If you disagree with any of this then leave me a comment below. If you want to see what else I have to say about all things musical then subscribe. Let me know someone reads this mess!