Many pieces of my collection of instruments, amplifiers, pedals and more that I’ve enjoyed over the years are now being offered for sale. I’ll continue to list more as I can so do check back often. Contact me directly for pricing IF it’s not listed as the market always fluctuates, BUT I will always strive to provide both fair and often below-market pricing for these pieces. It’s time to let others enjoy them and I’ll note where there’s special provenance or history of use behind them. Contact me directly at [email protected] to discuss. Enjoy the list and photos!
Category Archives: Effects
Mr. Scary Mod – Handmade in USA, 100% Pure Tube, High Gain Module
Created in collaboration with George Lynch, the Mr. Scary Mod is a custom-modified version of the Hot Mod V2. Want to supercharge your classic Marshall (and many other!) amps with more gain without applying a permanent modification? Then read more below and welcome to the Mr. Scary Mod!
David Szabados Interview on GEARCAST Show
Check out the recent GEARCAST show on Kyle Bull’s YouTube channel where I had a great discussion about all things related to guitar tone and music.
Finding the Fuzzy Magic: Analog Man Mike Piera Mods and Demos our Fuzz Face
In the world of boutique fuzz pedal effects, Analog Man Mike Piera’s creations are among the most well-known and respected due to his attention to detail. His Sun Face fuzz is his most popular and based on the original Arbiter England Fuzz Face which was first introduced in 1966, but unlike the original which was built with a range of poorly matched components and haphazard quality control, Piera’s are built like finely tuned machines with every component being carefully measured and tested. Fuzz connoisseurs like Eric Johnson have reportedly gone through hundreds of Face Faces until finding just the right one. In any fuzz based around germanium transistors, proper matching, leakage testing, and biasing are all critical in order to get the most musical and harmonically rich fuzz.
Line6 Relay G10S Wireless Review
Wireless technology has come a long way over the past couple decades, and analog and digital units both are upping their game with improvements in sound quality, performance, and reduced latency. The Line6 G10S is the newest member of the Line6 Relay wireless family, which offers a broad range of wireless units for all applications and budgets.
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Boss Returns with Spatial Effects in Latest Waza Craft Dimension C Reborn!
In 1985, at the height of our world becoming ever more digital and complex, Boss bucked the trend and introduced its Dimension C DC-2 compact pedal, an analog spatial effect that was also surprisingly simple to use. With its four push-button modes, I remember at the time I scoffed at the simplicity and limited features being offered by Boss’ newest pedal.
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Ibanez Nutube Tube Screamer vs. original TS-808
In a market saturated with numerous different Tube Screamers in addition to various clones and modified units, Ibanez recently introduced a bold and unique entry with its latest Nutube Tube Screamer. The Nutube Tube Screamer most notably uses a Korg-designed Nutube module, which is said to work in a similar way to a traditional vacuum tube. However, as I’ll discuss later, this isn’t the feature that impressed me the most with the Nutube Tube Screamer, although the NuTube technology itself certainly will grab the most attention for prospective buyers.
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Analog Man Astro Tone Fuzz Review: The Fuzz to Win Over the Anti-Fuzz Player
Fuzz pedals are notoriously finicky. Not only can some fuzz boxes themselves sound different based on their own component variances and the environment or temperature they are used in, but they are always dependent on the gear that they are being used with as well. Case in point is the classic germanium Fuzz Face beloved by Hendrix. Sure, when it’s in front of a Marshall that is already overdriven, you’ll get some magic happening by adding those bits of germanium magic. But…
…stick that same Fuzz Face in front of a Fender blackface amp and you’ll hear a whole different, and very ugly, side to the Fuzz Face. And turn on the bright switch on your old blackface and you’ll be pummeled with an even more horrid and brittle sound.
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Mike Fuller Obsesses Over a New Version of the Fulltone OCD Overdrive and Introduces the OCD V2
The Fulltone OCD, otherwise known as the Obsessive Compulsive Drive, is not only one of Mike Fuller’s best-selling overdrive/distortion units of all time, it has also been heralded and awarded accolades by the media since its introduction 12 years ago. Along the way, Mike has continued to make mild tweaks to the circuits and I remember playing through and trying each version myself. Mike continued to be obsessive about his OCD and I enjoyed listening to the results.
Now in 2017, Fulltone has launched what it is being dubbed as the “final” version of the OCD, the OCD V2. The OCD V2 packs a number of new updates and features, so we took a look to compare it to its predecessor, the OCD version 1.7.
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Talkboxes and Vocoders Reviewed From BOSS and TC HELICON
Guitar effect signal processing has become more advanced in the past several years as DSP engines have allowed musicians to obtain more specialized, advanced effects that are easy-to-use and available in smaller form factors. Today we’ll look at two effects for guitarists and vocalists that enable classic talkbox effects as well as vocoder synthesizer sounds in convenient small stomp box-sized packages.
These two units from BOSS (the VO-1 Vocoder, $249 street) and TC HELICON (Talkbox Synth, $249.99 street) offer similar overall sonic features, but they each take different approaches with how they are used in a guitarist or vocalist’s system and also in how the talkbox and vocoding effects are processed and applied.
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