The Ugly Truth About The Line 6 Catalyst Amp

 Something hit my attention in the last few days that I have’s been able to ignore. Line 6 has released a new budget priced modulating amp. No, it’s not the Spider VII, or whatever version they’re on now. It is a new model called the Catalyst. It is heavily influenced by the Boss Katana line of amps. If you are familiar with this blog, then you know I am a pretty big fan of the Katana amps. So is this a petty rip-off of the successful line of Boss amps, or is it a line of amps poised to dethrone the reigning champ of budget modeling amps.

Feature Set

I wont go into a exhaustive list of all the features, but it is safe to say, that they cover much of the Katana amps. You have your amp models, EQ, FXs, and Master controls. Out back you have DI out and FX loop (even on the smallest 60 watt version). You also get MIDI control on the larger units. Line 6 has done an amazing job with their modeling tech. The Helix line is impressive, so if there is any of that DNA in this amp, then I wouldn’t worry about any of the models or effect on-board.

Sounds

I haven’t had my hands on these amps. At the time of writing this, I don’t think they are actually on sell. However, I’ve listened to lengthy reviews and comparisons. I know that’s not saying much, but I do feel confident in saying that it holds its own. It isn’t a replacement for your boutique tube amp, but it would fair well as a bedroom or practice amp. I own and love my Katana 50, but the high gain sounds, I think, are just OK. If the Catalyst has a leg up on the Boss anywhere, It would be the High gain sounds. From the samples I’ve heard, the Catalyst shines with heaps of distortion. When compared to the Katana, the Catalyst thickens up, where the Katana can get a bit then. This may be attributed to the slightly larger enclosure of the Catalyst. However, there is a bit of mush/mud that can come with the higher gain settings.

Spider V Light?

So, Line 6 already has a budget modeling amp. In fact, they line has been going longer than I’ve played guitar. It is in its fifth edition. The Spider V was review rather harshly when it debuted several years ago. It was received as a luke-warm refresh to the previous generation with underwhelming performance. So, the Catalyst seems to be a descendant of the Spider, but with a striped down feature set that leaves the essentials and offers a real value proposition.

Conclusion

I’m really glad Line 6 has developed this amp. It is a no-brainer for just about anyone looking for an amp of this size. It covers a wide range of sound, and has a feature set longer than my arm. I also like that there is now real competition for the Katana. When there is competition, the customer wins. I think we will continue to see better and better amps in these lines. 

The Ugly Truth about Fauxelectro-Harmonix Lizard Queen

 Let’s get this out of the way right up front, It has been an terribly long time since I’ve posted. The list of reasons for why is long and equally useless. Moving forward. What has brought me out of this seemingly endless hiatus? The short answer is the Lizard Queen. If you look at my post history, and I hope you do, you’ll notice that I am quite a fan of EHX. Yes, it is because they are affordable clones, but also so many other reasons. 

Faux electro-Harmonix?

Yes, actually, no. EHX so far to my knowledge has nothing to do with the Lizard Queen. JHS, however, does. JHS’s YouTube channel posted a video explaining the conception of this pedal. Role playing as 70’s EHX employees. Josh, from JHS, and his friends explain why they are designing and building large form at EHX clones of a pedal that doesn’t exists. Rather, it doesn’t exist yet. In the video they gush about the format and aesthetics. What I won’t do is describe the entire video. You absolutely should go watch for yourself. The jist of this paragraph is that JHS, and friends, design a period correct 1970’s EHX octave-fuzz.

Is this a plug for a new pedal?

I don’t know. I figured it might be, but that would mean a collaboration between EHX and JHS. That just feels like a lot of alphabet soup. However at the end of the video, Josh asks about the interest in the pedal. This is what spurred me to write this post. I don’t have a huge audience here, but there is a beautiful group of people that come here. I need all of us to put our collective weight behind the production and release of this pedal. If I can’t convince, again, please watch the JHS video and listen to it. If that doesn’t move you, then that’s fine. 

Ugly Guitar Truth: Fender Acoustisonic

I'm not sure when it was that these guitars first hit the shelves. If I recall correctly, it was when I was starting my guitar journey. Acoustic guitars that were shaped like electrics. It made sense. If you played electric but needed to switch to acoustic for a song, or if you really didn't like playing a large-bodied acoustic, then these seem to be made just for you. Lots of people must have felt so because these hideous abominations were everywhere. Every six-string playing youth pastor in the bible belt had one of these in his office/chevy blazer. Not to mention that every 20-something, female "singer-songwriter" had one in her college dorm room. Why were these so popular? They were objectively awful. They sounded like wet garbage that somehow was let ablaze. Yet, I'm sure Fender could have paid everyone college tuition with the profits from this line. Then again, college was cheaper then.

I'd typically put a picture here, but If I grabbed a promotional image of these it would just make me angry.

They've brought them back, dear God, They've brought them back. But these aren't the instruments that were back then. These are not meant to help people learn, or be a stand-in for your electric for a bedroom jam. These are priced well beyond any entry-level instrument. A quick price check revealed $2000 price tags. I couldn't believe it, so I checked around a little more. I'm not dreaming, the product of a luthier's fever dream is now demanding thousands of dollars.

I actually saw these for the first time on an Andertons' video probably a year or so ago. I didn't think much of it because if I did, then I'd just get angry. What surprised me, though, was that they didn't sound nearly as horrible as I remembered. I mean, from what I could tell, the electronics on board were putting out what I guitar only describe as "guitar noises". Some of the features are actually welcome. Magnetic pickups and output blending are smart options. It looked as though Fender had put a little bit of thought into these guitars this time around. I gave it a pass. I can honestly say that I haven't given it a second thought since then, but now they've put out the Acoustisonic Strat. They've doubled down. That's when I looked a little further, saw that they were asking as much as a professional instrument, and decided to write (or scream into the void of the internet) my thoughts.

They asked if they could, but never stopped to ask themselves if they should. These guitars are better in every way than the ones that came before. I wouldn't blame anyone who has seen one and considered purchasing one. These are perfect guitars to be sold on-line and demoed on YouTube. They are capable of sounding pleasant. They look well made and attractive. The satin finishes and appointments are top-notch. I'm sure from a stage, these guitars are impressive. However, the acoustic noise that emits from the guitars is the same awful, thin, and stale sounds that the originals had. You know what else the originals had? Horrible balance issues. These guitars would neck-dive harder than SG basses making them a terrible stage guitar. Seeing the price tag of these guitars mad me angry and physically ill. Unless they put a counterweight in the body of the guitar (which I'm sure is just great for acoustics) then I'd rather hurl one of these across a stage than have to play a set with it.

In conclusion

Don't buy one of these. There are so many alternatives that aren't an affront to God. If there is some millionaire out there that wants to do something good for the world, then please buy every one of these and put them into those barrels that homeless people warm themselves by.

Turning a Metal Zone to an Overdrive

A few years ago Brian Wampler made a few videos that demonstrated some mod ideas. Brian Wampler Might be my spirit animal because the first mod he posted to his YouTube channel was one that changed a BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone into an overdrive. Where are the monuments for this man? He is doing the lords work. However, I know that I'd never perform this mod because I'm not going pause and back up a video the thousand times I'd need to follow his instructions. So I went to transcribe it down.

All credit to Brian Wampler. Please Follow, Subscribe, Like, Comment and generally stalk him on all social medias

link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6aoE3wId3Y&t=627s

Converting MT-2 Metal Zone to overdrive mod:

Remove C35, C25,
Change C34 to .047mf
Remove D003, D004
Change R41 4.7k
Change C30 .047mf
Remove C17 Q007 C25 Q008

Replace C37 with 1n4148 diodes (two inline for asymmetrical or you can make a devils triangle for symmetrical) and cross those with a 100pf Cap

Refer to Brian's video in the link above for additional help/demo.ect.

The Ugly Guitar Truth: Rob Chapman

I assume my experience with Rob Chapman is about the same as many others. I was watching YouTube and noticed a video, probably about a guitar pedal, and decided to watch. A charming British man proceeded to shred and turn knobs for a few minutes. Some time passed and I had watched countless videos featuring Rob, Lee and many others. These videos were entertaining and informative. I still watch Rob's and Anderton's videos from time to time, so when I noticed that Rob had produced a response video addressing some other video that made some claims I was surprised.

Chapman Guitars had held quite a lot of appeal. I had seen and heard loads about them simply because I watched a lot of early Andertons videos that feature Chapman and Victory frequently. So when I finally got a chance to play one at an LGS I was excited and then somewhat disappointed. The instrument was completely playable, but it didn't do anything for me. I'm glad I was able to pick up and play one as I had considered buying one online a number of times. The fit and finish were fine, but the guitar didn't suit me. Oh well, I guess I'll just buy another Tele then. Since then, I've been able to play a number of Chapman Guitars. They're fine. I think that CG did help innovate the market. That or CG was small and nimble enough to adopt trends closer to real-time. I don't really want to do a review or anything here, but I have played a single-cut, double-cut, and Ghost Fret model. They were all fine.

In the simplest terms, I think Chapman is dealing with YouTube drama. I've noticed an uptick in video essays that expose people. It easier now to complain and rail against someone/something than it is to support. I understand that some complaints may be legitimate, but someone's misstep is hardly a reason to create a 20-minute rant about that person. I mean, I rant about a pedal that I don't like but that's different, somehow. I think a lot of the attention that Chapman is getting is because he is a large YouTuber. If you mention a large channel in a video then the all-mighty algorithm might put you in front of the large YouTuber's audience, thus increasing your audience. It's people trying to game the system and faking outrage. Honestly, it's preying on peoples' naivety. The only part of the drama that I think is the least bit concerning is that these established, adult people are responding to it. Maybe they were having a slow day and couldn't think about anything else to make content about, but people who own businesses and hold hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars worth of assets respond to people saying something about them online. It saddens me that we as people aren't better than this.

Is Chappers in the right? Well, that's a simple question with a complicated answer. You have to get specific about what it is your talking about. Did he send his audience to go harass people online? No. He didn't tell them not to, but that in no way means that he endorsed or implied that they should. People are going to people. Unfortunately, that means that they abuse their perceived anonymity and say something that is wholly unacceptable. Did he cause Riff City to go under? No. My LGS closed after decades of business. I was sad, but it happens. The market has evolved over the years. It turns out that investing in an internet celebrity is pretty risky. What about his Guitars, Pedals, Ect? They're fine. I haven't used any Snake Oil pedals, but from what I can tell is that they are takes on established circuits. The custom shop British Standard stuff was interesting, but it seems like that ran into some sort of issue. Either way, I'd probably never invest in one. I just don't need a custom guitar like that. Chappers and Lee did a video on how there is a diminishing return on instruments like that. It's a good watch.

So all this drama is baseless and wrong? Again, no. I mean, there is some petty stuff mixed in with some larger implications. Rob and his bandmates had their gear stolen. That's horrible. There was an organized effort to collect money from those wishing to help the band recover their losses. This may not be a good look for someone that looks like they have a large YouTube channel, owns a business and is assumed to be well-off. The optics may have been bad, but there could have been good reasons for it. If his other bandmates needed help, or if there were individual offering to help, I'm sure they wanted an organized way for people to donate. People shouldn't have to help Rob or his band buy new instruments, and exactly zero people were forced to do so. They just made it possible. Is this really something that upsets people? Has Rob Chapman lied to his audience? Yes, but he'd have to be an idiot not to paint himself in the best light possible. Let's be real though, If you ever hear a statement that begins with, "I've never", or "I always", then that statement is can usually be disproven rather easily. Picking apart these statements shouldn't be taken as if the entire foundation of a person's credibility is compromised. He is so closely related to his company that saving face is important for his company to continue. So making a strong, emphatic, absolute statement is imperative. These statements are always suspect. Plus, he is trying to sell us something. Maybe I'm just cynical...

Just in case this gets a little traction, I'm just a dude on the internet that writes about the crap that I think about. These are just my opinions. I put them here so I don't annoy the people that I talk to that don't really care about any of this stuff. So if you disagree with me that's fine. That's good even. Go and write about what you think, or you could make a video about how I'm wrong. That way I could write a response and have a twitter war and they could make a subreddit about it or hashtag.

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.

NAMM 2019: Fender American Acoustasonic

NAMM is upon us again, and I think the thing that everyone has an opinion about is the new Acoustasonic guitars from Fender. The early 2000s were a pioneering time. One of the standout products for the guitarist from that time is the Acoustasonic. You can probably think of someone you know that know that owns one. I know so many people that had one. this guitar is like the product of a love affair of Ovation guitar, with its round, composite back, and a Telecaster. I honestly can't stand them. They are neck heavy, bulky, awkward and dead sounding. In short, I hate them.

Enter, NAMM 2019. Fender has had hit after hit. The new line of effects is stellar and growing. Their limited artist tribute series must be making money hand over fist. It seems like Fender can do no wrong. Then there is this. The concept is a compromise. It must have been designed by a committee. It's like someone asked, "How do we get an electric guitarist to buy an acoustic?" then people started shouting out ideas at random. The end result was what we know today. It looks like they got the band back together to brainstorm again. This time they thought that exotic woods, an oddly sized soundhole and randomly place pickup should be added. I don't know what the street price is on this, but I'm sure I wouldn't pay half of whatever it is.