The guitar thread

The guitar thread


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I wish the tuner was a buffered bypass. The "click" of the true bypass is ruining my toanz, man.
 
Now i want to find the rack mounting kit for the sr40 and put it in a rack-case with the bass amp.
It would make it easier to lug around!
 
Picked up 3 pedals recently.

EHX POG - it's a lot of fun, and I find myself using it quite a lot, but the "octave up" notes seem a bit shrill, and a bit warbley. Supposedly there is a "nano" version coming soon, at least according to a brochure at NAMM, that has a new algorithm. I am may pick one of those up at some point if it sounds any better than my current, with its smaller footprint.

Walrus Audio Iron Horse overdrive - The amount of gain in this pedal surprised me. When turning the game from what you think is 1 to 10, it really goes "one, two, 8, 8.1, 8.3, 8.5, 8.8, 9.1, 9.5, 10." I really really want a three or four, but the gain is so sensitive that turning it anything above two instantly kicks it into "too high" gain. The pedal seems well-built, this finish is great, and love the graphic design. I especially appreciate that the glowing LED is the horse's eye. However, the box came with no instructions. The pedal has a switch: what does the switch do? I have no idea. It seems to be clipping modes? But I don't know for sure. It also came with no rubber feet, or a power adapter. For the price, I feel like it should've come with both. It sounds pretty good, but now that I have the next pedal down on this list, I'm not sure how much longer this will stay on my board.

EHX Bass Soul Food - This. Pedal. Is. Amazing. Up until now their original soul food pedal was my favorite overdrive pedal based on samples from online. I hadn't had a chance to try one out yet when I saw preview video for their new bass model. In other YouTube videos I've seen people play the bass guitar through the original soul food and sounded terrific. When they describe the bass soul food it sounded like it was designed for a thicker low-end, which helps both bass players and guitar players looking for a little more "meat". In addition the bass soul food pedal has an additional knob: blend. Now that I have this pedal, I don't think I would have enjoyed the original soul food as much knowing that this was out there. The knob adds so much control!

Anybody know if the convenience outlet on the Voodoo Pedal Power 2 can handle another fully-loaded Pedal Power 2?
 
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Hot damn, that EHX Bass Soul Food is good. There is no better name than "Soul Food." It's gritty, yet oh-so-creamy. It's creamy grits, y'all!

This is how much over-thinking I'm doing for my first pedalboard: I just bought a $9 tin of mints as a cool-looking alternate to the ubiquitous/clich? Altoid tin. :lol:

For those who have reverb on your amps that you like...would you still recommend a pedal? I don't have a combo, so I can always have my amp nearby, anyway. Thoughts?
 
NAMM releases have given my GAS a major flare-up.
Charvel Warren DeMartini and Fender Dave Murray sigs for less than 1000??
Marshall finally reissue the Silver Jubilee?
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Gee...I wonder what kind of music you like to play. :)
 
Dubstep.
:|

- - - Updated - - -

I'm actually in a couple of covers bands nowadays.
[video=youtube;IXR05d_3XYg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXR05d_3XYg"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXR05d_3XYg[/video]
 
So...here's where I'm at so far.

To the left of the tuner, I will be putting in a JHS buffer. The Ibanez Power Lead is a pedal I've had since about the mid-90s. The switch is mostly shot, but I tell you what...it's not as terrible as you might think. It'll stay until I can find a better heavy distortion for da brootalz. The Digitech RP350 is only staying until I can replace it with a MXR Carbon Copy (won on Ebay this morning), and possibly a Strymon Mobius. Underneath will be a VooDoo Pedal Power 2.

The Dunlop wah is kind of a pain.The rubber feet on the bottom of the pedal are too tall so the Velcro on the bottom of the pedal, it doesn't reach the board...but when you take the rubber feet off, and try to put the screws back in, the screws are too long. You will end up needing washers for those screws, but then the Velcro still isn't tall enough to grab the paddleboard. Even if I got shorter screws, the heads would still cause issue, me thinks. I think I will go shopping for some washers shaped like a number eight so that I can screw this down directly on the sides...not ideal, though. It's the heaviest, so it'll probably be okay getting screwed down tight so it doesn't fall off when the pedalboard gets moved.

EHX announced a Nano POG at NAMM, so I MAY swap out for it, as long as it sounds at least as good as this one, just to save pedalboard real estate.

I may move the RP350 to the bottom. The expression pedal might be easier to use up front, as that would put the last pedal in the chain at the top, so the last cable to the front of the amp would be easy-access...however, I was planning on using the RP350 in the effects loop, and having it up at the top would be easier for plugging it in...but then again, if I use it in the loop, it won't be heard in the looper...hmm...

Current front-of-amp signal path:
Tuner > (soon) JHS buffer > EHX Micro POG > Dunlop 95Q Variable Wah with soft switch, auto return and 15db boost > EHX Bass Soul Food overdrive > Walrus Audio Iron Horse overdrive > Ibanez Power Lead distortion pedal > TC Electronics Ditto Looper X2 > Carvin V3M amplifier

Effects Loop signal path:
Digitech RP350 > (Soon) MXR Carbon Copy delay (or, it might all just go at the end of the front-of-amp chain...)

Thoughts?

Oh, and it's all mounted on a PedalTrain 3. They just announced a whole revamped product line for 2015 launching soon...they told me that they were raising prices soon for the first time in almost 10 years, so get yours now! Sure, the bags for the new ones are supposedly a bit nicer, but as they are already pricey, I don't feel like I would get more value out of the new line.

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Put the delay in the loop. If you use amp overdrive, delays and reverbs will sound a lot less muddy in the loop.
 
Bits arrived, time to begin;

Before:
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Scallopping:
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Got a belt sander for this, this thing is srs bsns. Even with the lightest grit paper on it, it goes through the paint in seconds and starts re-shaping the wood...
20150202_102455.jpg


When sanding down a cheap 70s Japanese strat copy - be prepared for it to not be alder at all, but an alder veneer on top of a 5 piece basswood body... I half expected this, in fact, I thought if anything it'd be plywood. Unfortunately the transition between the alder and basswood is a bit ugly:
20150202_103640.jpg


Also be prepared for the dot "inlays" to actually just be painted on under the clearcoat, and disappear entirely with the scallop (this is a good thing btw, I prefer inlayless fretboards):
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The tuner holes are too narrow for the new Wilkinson EZ-Lok tuners, so had to bore them out:
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Was a bit worried about how crap the alder/basswood multi surface looked, until I mock assembled it, and I actually love this look:
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First round of walnut stain done, will give it one more, then tung oil:
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Not sure what to do with the fretboard once it's sanded down - the unfinished maple is so white. I may consider oiling it to darken it a little.
 
Looks like a fun project! Not going to scallop the whole fretboard?

Actually, Carvin has been experimenting with forearm contours exposing the body wood on a couple models.

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Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. On yours, I think it blends in enough, and I think adds to the "road worn" look. I always liked walnut-colored guitars with black pickguards like some old strats and SGs.
 
Yeah I'll do the whole fretboard, just takes so long I'm going to have to do it over a few days. Then go back and even up the earlier ones, they're a bit lumpy haha. I guess it doesn't matter since the point is you don't feel the wood.

Yeah I'm seeing this like Stevie Ray Vaughs guitar now, which I like the look of. I like the worn look. I was originally going to leave the fretboard unfinished so it'd wear up and darken nicely where I play most, but it's just so white. I put some tung oil on one fret and it darkens it back down to the yellow nicely, so I may do all the frets like that. I presume it won't wear the same, then :(
Scallop + wear looks great, as inspired by Takayoshi Ohmura's ESP Snapper (I choose the Seymour Duncan Classic Stacks based on his guitar, too)
 
Just ordered this. Between this and theMooer Acoustikar, this one does sound a bit more convincing. Of course, it's not really like an acoustic, but it's close enough for a few bits in a couple songs, and it can also add a nice sparkle to other clen tones.
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Acoustic simulator does what I expect. It adds enough of a sparkle to the electric guitar's clean sound, that it doesn't sound out-of-place in songs with sections where you expect an acoustic. It has to be the ugliest color for a pedal, anywhere. Yuck. :)

Mooer Lofi machine comes next week, along with a 2nd Pedal Power 2 Plus.

Picked up a Hardwire Phaser yesterday. Haven't had a chance to plug it into my rig, but the build quality is quite terrific. I love the feel of "notched" knobs, love the knob-protecting rubber block cover, and appreciate that it comes with the glow-in-the-dark pedal sticker and Velcro sticker, even though I won't use them.

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And it's done. Well I say done. I'll level and re-crown the frets next time I'm changing strings, got some high-spots around 15-17.
The scallop does make it harder to play - you need to be more precise with your fretting fingers to really get a good contact on the string, because there's no wood underneath to stop your finger if you're slightly off. You have to grab the string.
The resonance and sustain of open strings is fairly immense from the stainless steel + brass.

Wilkinson locking tuners.
Brass nut.
Fully scalloped fretboard.
Seymour Duncan Classic Stack pickups.
CTS pots.
Gold strap locks.
Wilkinson stainless steel bridge.
Gold jack plate.
Walnut stain and tung oil finish.

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Heck, I can't even play jumbos without my poorly-trained gorilla grip pulling everything sharp. Ha!
 
Heh yeah I'm finding it demands higher accuracy - with a flat fretboard, if you don't fret perfectly on the string with the right bit of your finger, it's ok because your finger stops against the wood anyway and the note frets comfortably. With no wood under, you have to make sure your fingertip makes good contact at the right point on the string, or it starts to slide over the side.
I think I have a really un-light touch, but even with 9-42s I'm not noticing intonation problems from fretting too hard, which I was worried about. So that's something at least.
 
Received the Mooer Lofi Machine. Rediculous and fun. Worth the price i paid for it used, but wouldn't buy it new.

On the way home from work, i stopped by Starving Musician and picked up a used (as good as new) MXR 10-band EQ. $69 not a bad price. Once i get the voltage doubler cable for the PP2, i'll likely use it as a clean boost.
 
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