G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)

Spring cleaning time!

2009-04-10T16:06:00.011-04:00

With a day off work and a growing pile of gear to unload in the basement, I decided today was a good opportunity to get a few things posted on e-bay. Check it out...

Behringer Ultra-G GI100 active DI's SOLD!
Behringer V-Tone BDI21 bass preamp/DI SOLD!
DigiTech JamMan Looper/Phrase Sampler w/ FS-300 footswitch SOLD!
ENGL E530 preamp SOLD!
Frenzel FM-800 preamp SOLD!
G&L ASAT Semi-hollow SOLD!
Mesa/Boogie Formula preamp SOLD!
‘95 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 grey black, 10-top, birds, Dragon II pickups SOLD!
‘97 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 cherry sunburst, 10-top, birds, gold hardware
Radial Dragster load corrector SOLD!
Weber MiniMass 50w attenuator SOLD!
+ a little camera gear: Sigma 15-30mm and Quantaray 135-400mm Nikon-mount lenses SOLD!

--B

VLOG: Virtual Studio Tour

2009-03-12T21:42:00.002-04:00

In an effort to show off a bit of the recording, guitar, and amp gear in the studio, here's a short video tour of how things are set up...

Getting pretty good use out of the video camera these days, eh? Aside from the fact that the upload to YouTube from the studio PC takes a small eternity, it's a lot less effort than writing small novels for every blog post!

--B

VLOG: Anatomy of a home recording - Never be Free

2009-03-08T09:13:00.002-04:00

In the spirit of things that are kinda useless and mildly entertaining (to me, at least), I present the following...

Having been working with the Sony HDR-UX5 camera for a few weeks, most of my videos have gone straight from the camera to YouTube with only a bit of trimming. But I knew at some point I'd actually have to learn how to use Adobe Premiere Elements, so this is my sandbox project... managed to get four videos sync'ed with an audio track and a few (minor) special effects thrown in.

For the most part, the gear in the video is actually the gear used on the recording, so it should give a good idea of what particular guitar/amp combinations sound like...

- Left rhythm guitar - PRS McCarty Korina into Egnater JTM45 head
- Right rhythm guitar - G&L ASAT Classic into Hughes & Kettner Edition Tube 20 combo
- Lead guitar - PRS McCarty Korina into Mesa Studio preamp + Randall RT2/50 power amp
- All of the above - through V30-loaded Randall R212C cabinet mic'd with Cascade Fat Head ribbon and Blue "The Ball" dynamic into Presonus DigiMax FS
- Acoustic guitar - Takamine EF-385 12-string mic'd with Kel Audio HM-1 and Audio Technica AT2020 condensers into Presonus DigiMax FS
- Bass guitar - G&L Tribute L-2500 direct into DigiMax FS
- Vocals - Studio Projects C1 condenser into DigiMax FS
- Drums - Drums on Demand

(OK, so technically I used the same McCarty for rhythm & lead tracks on the recording but used different ones in the video... just seeing if anybody's paying attention. :p )

--B

VLOG: New rig update #6 - filling in the empty spaces

2009-03-03T00:29:00.000-05:00

With a 20-space amp rack and only 12 spaces worth of gear, I naturally started looking for other cool pieces of amp gear to add to the rack, thinking "what other tones would be nice to have in the studio yet different from the tones already in the rack?" Here's what I've managed to fill in the gaps with over the past few weeks...

ENGL E530 preamp - The E530 is one of those preamps that seems to have a strong following with metalheads. While I don't play a lot of metal these days, it's actually a rather versatile preamp... 2 channels with independent EQ and switchable boosts (so it acts like a 4-channel amp). The higher-gain channel has a 4-band EQ (pretty uncommon) and switchable contour as well. What can I say... classic German (over-) engineering. I'm only using one tone out of the ENGL currently... the lead channel with the boost engaged and a scooped EQ for an over-the-top metal tone. (Honestly, the clean and lower gain tones have been less than inspiring... they sound a bit flat in comparison to the other preamps in the rack.)

Frenzel FM-800 "Rocker 800" preamp - While Frenzel mostly produces amp heads, the FM-800 is a dual channel preamp where the "F" channel is based on the Fender Bassman circuit and the "M" channel is based on the Marshall JCM800 circuit. And while I've never owned a genuine Bassman or JCM800 (for purposes of direct comparison), I was able to dial in some pretty convincing tones. Overall the design is pretty simple... each channel has its own gain, 3-band EQ, and master volume controls... no effects loops, no channel switching, no MIDI implementation. Overall, I've been pleased with the tones, though it did take me a while to dial in, as the Frenzel is relatively low output compared to the other amps in the rack and is comparably dark sounding.

Hiwatt Series 2000 PRE-1 preamp - While I hesitate to call things "rare", I'm not afraid to call something "uncommon". The Hiwatt preamp is one of those items... not too many folks are aware of it and, of the few who have actually tried it, reviews were pretty mixed. Nonetheless, after one seller described it as a "British-sounding Mesa Mark I", I was intrigued and had to give it a try. It's a 2-channel preamp with shared 3-band EQ and an FX loop. This one's a keeper (in the sense that nothing I own will probably ever be a "keeper")... channel I is a pushed, chimey clean; and channel II makes a great alternative lead tone compared to the Mesa Studio preamp.

Mesa/Boogie Formula preamp - In theory, the Formula preamp is derived from the old Mesa Heartbreaker heads/combos... it's probably as many knobs, switches, and tubes as you could ever hope to squeeze into a single rack space. The Formula's got 3 channels... a green channel (with pull boost on the gain control) and its own 3-band EQ plus orange & red channels which have independent gain & volume controls but share a 3-band EQ. In addition, it's got a parallel FX loop and a switchable 5-band graphic EQ. For a Mesa preamp, it takes a lot of heat... perhaps because it doesn't sound like any of the "standard" Mesas (e.g., Mark, Rectifier). That said, I've been using it for lower gain tones and really digging it... the green channel is a bright clean tone, the orange channel is a darker/warmer blues tone, and the red channel (with the graphic EQ engaged) has a more biting blues tone.

When all's said and done, I had to add a second Rolls/RFX RP-93 Patchwork to handle the routing and switching for the new preamps. I've still got two empty spaces in the rack, though no more available loops on the Rolls... not sure what's next, but I'm pretty sure I won't stop until I find one or two more pieces of rack gear to finish the job! Maybe it's time to pick up a couple of FunkLogic units...

So here's a new video clip of me demoing the ENGL, Frenzel, and Mesa Formula preamps...

And here are a couple of pictures, both of the updated rack as well as the complete amp/cab collection...

--B

VLOG: New guitar - PRS Starla

2009-03-03T00:14:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I made a field trip to Sam Ash and had a chance to play a PRS Starla. My initial impressions were pretty positive... I thought it would be a great addition to the studio, so I started searching for deals on a Starla. Just last week I managed to hunt down a deal on a like-new Starla in vintage orange with the new (hollow) bird inlays.

(Since I talked a lot about the Starla's features last time, I'm just gonna cut right to the chase...)

Here's a video clip of me playing the Starla (and a G&L ASAT Special Deluxe) through a Vox AC30CCH head...

Also, here are a couple pictures of the new acquisition...

There's probably not much on the acquisition horizon... having picked up a few guitars and amps over the last few weeks, it's probably time to get serious about selling a few guitars and amps that haven't been getting so much attention lately.

--B

VLOG: Truly new guitar - G&L ASAT Special Deluxe

2009-03-03T00:06:00.001-05:00

The latest acquisition as part of my recent obsession with G&L's is a USA-made G&L ASAT Special Deluxe. The Deluxe has several of the standard ASAT features (large MFD pickups, saddle-lock bridge) but with a mahogany body and maple top (plus no pickguard!). This particular Deluxe is finished in blackburst and has a rosewood fretboard and chrome hardware.

While I've totally fallen in love with my ASAT Classic for recording, I've tried several ASAT Specials in the past (alder body, ash body, semi-hollow ash body) and none of 'em have quite done it for me... they all sounded a bit too thin & sterile for my taste. The ASAT Special Deluxe, however, is just the trick... the mahogany body gives a warmer, thicker tone, and the maple top adds a little extra bite. Not to mention, it plays great and looks sweet in person.

Here's a video clip of me playing the ASAT Special Deluxe (and a PRS Starla) through a Vox AC30CCH head...

And as always, here are a few pics of the new ASAT...

Pretty sweet, eh?

--B

VLOG: New amp gear - Vox AC30CCH and Tonelab

2009-03-02T23:55:00.001-05:00

So it's officially Vox week in the studio... picked up a couple new (to me) amps and finally got a chance to put 'em through their paces...

Vox AC30CCH head - Having played guitar for close to 15 years, I've had plenty of Fender-ish designs and Marshall knock-offs that have been relatively convincing, but I've never had anything that's delivered a convincing Vox sound. The AC30CCH is part of the Vox Custom Classic series... upside is that it's got a lot of cool features, downside is that it's produced in China (which, granted, usually isn't a big deal for me, but there's just something about Vox's English heritage that's hard to shake on this one). While the AC30CCH inherits several features from the old school AC30's (4xEL84 power section with GZ34 tube rectifier, tremolo, normal & top boost channels), it adds several more modern features including channel blending, spring reverb, master volume, switchable FX loop, and various voicing switches (brilliance, standard/custom EQ, warm/hot output bias, smoothing). I wasted no time putting it to use in the studio... it dishes up the stereotypically chimey cleans and overdriven grind that Vox amps are famous for. The AC30CCH, much like the Egnater JTM45 head and Mesa Studio preamp, will probably get used on virtually every recording project I do from now until the day I quit playing.

This video shows me putting the AC30CCH through its paces with a couple recent guitar acquisitions... a G&L ASAT Special Deluxe and a PRS Starla...

Vox Tonelab - This isn't the first Tonelab I've had... A couple of years ago I had one of the Tonelab SE floor-based units, which I used primarily as an FX box & MIDI controller (and secondarily for any recording projects). This one, however, is the desktop version, which I picked up for the studio to put down scratch guitar tracks on demo recordings. Overall, I've been really impressed with the Tonelabs... the tonal quality of the amps and the effects are top notch, probably closer to the tone/feel of a real tube amp than any other modeler on the market. The downside is in flexibility... it has nowhere near as many effects as a Boss GT-8, not as fancy of routing as a Digitech GSP1101, and not as many models as a Line 6 POD. But simplicity has its advantages, as it's a lot quicker and easier to dial in good tones using the Tonelab than the competition. And at the end of the day, it's all about the tone, right?? I bought this to replace the Line 6 Gearbox that I've been using in the studio for demo/scratch tracks. While the Gearbox has tons of options (amps + cabs + effects), it's just never "felt" quite right to me.

As always, here's a picture of the new toys...

Stay tuned... in the next week or so I should be posting a couple of studio-quality tracks that feature the AC30CCH in action.

--B

Post-Dramatic gig recap - 2/24 Music Cafe @ Fitton Center, Hamilton, OH

2009-03-02T23:29:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday we had our inaugural gig as Post-Dramatic (formerly known as Polarity, also formerly known as Necessary Distraction) at Music Cafe, held at the Fitton Center for the Performing Arts in Hamilton, OH. We were one of the five acts that performed, and we played about half an hour of original tunes (many of which have already been posted here, including "This Way for Good," "Rock of Gibraltar," "Perspective," "Empty Walls", "Never Be Free," and "Undone." Overall the gig was a success... there was a decent crowd and we received quite a few positive comments on our songwriting and musicianship afterwards. Score!!

From a gear standpoint, I kept it relatively simple considering the short length of the set and quick set up/tear down times: I took two of my PRS Custom 24's (whale blue w/ trem and violin amber burst w/ fixed bridge), though one never made it out of the case--always gotta have a backup! For an amp, I used the Bogner Alchemist 1x12 combo--no extra pedals or cabs necessary, though I did put the Alchemist's built-in boost, delay, and reverb to good use. Sounded pretty good, although I probably didn't crank it up much more than I have during the past few weeks of practice at home.

Of course, here are a couple pics from the gig...

While there's nothing else on the gig horizon at this point, this has inspired us to get a bit more proactive about booking gigs, so hopefully we'll get something on the calendar soon.

--B

VLOG: Several guitars for sale

2009-03-02T07:56:00.002-05:00

In the spirit of doing some preliminary spring cleaning (or at least selling off a few items to cover recent acquisitions), here are a few guitars up for sale. Check out the YouTube videos for a run-down of the specs and condition of each guitar.

'97 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 - cherry sunburst, 10 top, bird inlays, gold hardware, tremolo, wide/thin neck $1,750 shipped/PP'd

Danelectro 56-U3 - black sparkle finish, 3 lipstick pickups w/ 6-way rotary + 2-way toggle switches, fixed bridge, chrome hardware, Gotoh tuners $275 shipped/PP'd

If you're interested in anything, shoot me an e-mail. Not really looking for anything in trade at this time since I'm really trying to thin the herd. :)

--B

VLOG: New rig update #5 - a tour of the rack with sound clips

2009-01-20T22:53:00.001-05:00

In an effort to get more familiar with the new Sony HDR-UX5 camcorder, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to create a few videos walking through the rack rig. The rig is pretty much unchanged since the last update, with the addition of a Hiwatt Series 2000 PRE-1 preamp and some minor reorganization of items within the rack (to make space for more stuff!).

The first video talks through the components, what they do, and how they're wired up...

The second video has sound clips of the four preamps in the rack (Mesa Studio, Mesa Recto, Soldano SP-77, and Hiwatt)...

And the final video has sound clips of some of the Lexicon MPX-G2's effects...

The sound quality isn't too bad for using the built-in camcorder mic, though at some point I'll figure out how to "do it right" by mic'ing the guitar cabs, recording separate audio tracks on the computer, and marrying up the mic'd guitar tracks with the video. But for now, this'll do...

--B

VLOG: Several guitars + amp for sale

2009-01-19T23:23:00.005-05:00

I'm trying something new this time... instead of posting dozens of pictures or writing lengthy descriptions for each guitar/amp for sale, I've put together some short videos walking through each item's condition. Here's what's up for grabs...

2007 SC250 - Platinum metallic finish, bird inlays, 9.5 condition SOLD

G&L ASAT Special semi-hollow - Honey finish, ash body, MFD "soapbars", rosewood fretboard ~9.0 condition $900 shipped/PP'd

Hughes & Kettner Switchblade 100 head - includes MIDI controller, power cable, original shipping box & paperwork SOLD

If you're interested in anything, shoot me an e-mail. Not really looking for anything in trade unless it's a PRS Starla (vintage mahogany with bird inlays--picky, I know) or maybe a 57/08 model.

--B

Videography-induced G.A.S. - Sony HDR-UX5 HD camcorder

2009-01-19T16:20:00.000-05:00

While I didn't get many Christmas gifts directly related to music, somehow I managed to find a good deal on an HD camcorder during some of the post-Christmas sales, so I kinda bought myself a gift. :) While I've never done much with video production outside of work, with my interests in both digital photography and audio recording, it feels like videography should be somewhat natural (although I've pretty much acknowledged that the time investment in good video work is probably equivalent to the amount of time I'd spend on photo editing times the amount of time I'd spend on audio editing... net, a considerable time investment).

So my weapon of choice is a Sony HDR-UX5 HD camcorder...

While there are far more feature-laden camcorders out there, this one had several good points (in addition to a remarkably low price)... HD 1080i & 5-channel surround support, easy integration with the other Sony components (TV, receiver, PS3) in the home theater, and simple software for pulling video clips from the DVD down to PC for editing.

This, of course, meant a few upgrades to the studio PC to turn it into a video editing machine... I added a second GB of RAM, picked up a Seagate FreeAgent 1TB external hard drive, and installed Adobe Premiere Elements.

While I haven't read the manuals for anything yet, I've managed to figure out how to record videos, do basic editing, and get them uploaded to YouTube (which means I probably won't be reading the manuals anytime soon). This means, of course, that you can expect to see some of the blog posts accompanied with videos in the not-so-distant future. Ah, the transition from BLOG to VLOG...

--B

G.A.S. makes Wikipedia...

2009-01-09T07:45:00.002-05:00

While surfing around this morning I noticed there's now an entry about Gear Aquisition Syndrome on Wikipedia. And no, I did not post it there...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_Acquisition_Syndrome

My favorite snippet:

GAS hasn't received any major medical attention. GAS is not a clinical, but a psychological condition. However, numerous articles address GAS issue and try to propose an methods to plan one's desires, incomes and expenses better.

--B

New rig update #4 - some assembly (& programming) required

2009-01-04T11:40:00.000-05:00

It's been a few months since the last update on the new rack rig... I've been pretty busy with recording, so haven't had as much time to work on the guitar rig recently. But nonetheless, here's what's happened...

First, I picked up a new rack case arrived courtesy of Hybrid Cases... it is a 20-space latchless ATA rack with casters. I mounted all the gear in the rack, plugged it all into a Monster Power 900 power conditioner, and connected it with George L's red cables. Looks a little bit (or actually a lot) like this...

I also picked up a second Randall R212CS cabinet loaded with V30's to match the other R212CS (loaded with CL80's) that I already had...

Pretty quickly, I realized that the idea of running multiple preamps/power amps/cabinets in parallel was probably more of a pain than it was worth... so I simplified (yes, a rare event) and sold the Mesa 20/20 power amp, opting instead to use the Rolls RP-93S to switch between the 3 preamps (Mesa Recto, Mesa Studio, and Soldano SP-77) instead of running in parallel.

Last week was the first chance I got to sit down and do some serious programming... it consisted of programming the loops & relays in the RP-93S as well as creating a few patches for the Lexicon MPX-G2. Again, I kept it relatively simple, building three patches... one for clean tones (touch of plate reverb with switchable wah, overdrive, chorus, tremolo, and delay); one for crunch tones (touch of chamber reverb with switchable wah, overdrive, flanger, tremolo, and delay); and one for solo tones (delay + plate reverb with switchable wah, overdrive, flanger, and detune).

So what's next for the rig? First, I'll be putting it through its paces at this week's band practice, so I'll probably be making a few "tweaks" to the Lexicon patches. Also, I've got a couple other rack preamps on the way (more details coming soon) that I'll be adding to the mix.

--B

Tuesday's G.A.S. field trip - auditioned a PRS Starla

2009-01-04T11:30:00.000-05:00

Having the day off work Tuesday, guitar-player Dave and I took a road trip to check out the new Guitar Center as well as check in at Sam Ash. While neither of us bought anything, there was a rather intriguing Ibanez at Guitar Center (a semi-hollowbody EX-series ?? with real Duncan pickups and Grover locking tunes for $200--clearly priced at less than the sum of its parts). And Sam Ash had a new vintage mahogany PRS Starla in stock, so I jammed around on it for about 20 minutes to see if it would be purchase-worthy.

The Starla is one of the guitars introduced at this year's PRS Experience. It's one of the more vintage PRS designs, following in the footsteps of the Mira last year. Some specs are similar, such as the solid mahogany body with set mahogany neck and pickguard-mounted electronics. But the Starla comes with a few unique features... Starla pickups, a Bigsby vibrato with tune-o-matic bridge, and 24.5" scale neck (compared to 25" on most PRSi). At first glance, it's definitely inspired by Gretsch guitars in the same way that the Mira appears to be inspired by some of the Gibson SG/Les Paul DC designs. Some folks would say the Starla is the Ugly Duckling of the PRS lineup, but based on how much I love my Mira (last year's Ugly Duckling), I knew I had to check a Starla out in person...

Initial impressions were quite positive: The 24.5" scale makes for slightly easier chording & string bending. Tonally, the Starla definitely is Gretsch-derived... it was the brightest, sparkliest sounding PRS I've ever played, which contributed to great clarity for both chords and lead lines. Granted, it's no shredder... the neck is chunky, the Bigsby bridge is "quirky" (was a bit hard to keep in tune, though it could've just been old strings, or perhaps I've been spoiled by the relative tuning stability of the PRS trem and locking tuners on other PRSi), and the pickups are on the vintage/low output end of the spectrum. As always, attention to detail (finish & setup) were top notch, and I was surprised by how much I appreciated the subtlety of the simpler vintage mahogany finish.

Overall, the Starla's got a lot of "vibe"... if I was trapped on a desert island, it wouldn't be the one guitar I'd take. But if I was locked in a studio with 10 other guitars, it would be cool addition to the collection... it's probably one I'll keep an eye open for on the used market (that is, once a few more Starla's reach the used market).

--B

Today's recording project - Last Forgiveness (2008) + mastering work in progress

2008-12-21T20:44:00.000-05:00

The latest recording to surface from depths of the studio is Last Forgiveness, which (if memory serves me correctly) is the first song I brought to the table in Necessary Distraction. This is a slightly modified version... while it begins (laid back) and ends (gratuitous solo) similar to the original arrangement, the second verse has been re-worked with a new heavier guitar riff--in retrospect, I don't know how we managed to play the song for close to 2 years without that riff!

Enough reading... start listening: Last Forgiveness 2008

Here's the breakdown of the gear used on the recording:
- Left rhythm guitar - PRS McCarty Korina into Mesa Recto preamp + Randall RT2/50 power amp
- Right rhythm guitar - G&L ASAT Classic into Egnater JTM45 head

- Lead guitar - PRS Standard 24 into Fulltone Clyde Deluxe wah + Mesa Studio preamp + Randall RT2/50 power amp

- Slide guitar - Hamer Eclipse into Hughes & Kettner Edition Tube 20 combo

- All of the above - through V30-loaded Randall R212C cabinet mic'd with Cascade Fat Head ribbon and Blue "The Ball" dynamic into Presonus DigiMax FS

- Acoustic guitars - Guild F47M-CE and Takamine EF-385 12-string mic'd with Kel Audio HM-1 and Audio Technica AT2020 condensers into Presonus DigiMax FS

- Bass guitar - G&L Tribute L-2500 direct into Line 6 GearBox

- Keys - Fatar Studiologic SL990-XP into Korg Triton rackmount

- Vocals - Studio Projects C1 condenser into DigiMax FS
- Drums - Drums on Demand

Once we finished recording this one, I made a few edits & mix changes to the other tracks and started the mastering process. I loaded all the .WAV files into Cakewalk Pyro, fixed the fade-outs, adjusted the timing between tracks, and then discovered that Pyro didn't support the plug-in I wanted to use for mastering. Ugh! So I loaded the .WAV files back into Sonar, applied the plug-ins I needed (VintageChannel for light EQ and iZotope Ozone for loudness maximization & such), exported new .WAV files, and loaded those .WAV's into Pyro (once again) to fix the fade-outs and adjust timing between tracks. It took a few hours to finish (a couple more hours than I originally estimated). Now I've got a couple of CD's that I can listen to in the car, at work, etc. I'm giving one of the copies a test run on the home stereo now, and it sounds pretty good... just a touch louder and brighter than the original mixes. Of course I've already found a handful of things that need to be fixed, but for a first attempt, not too bad. I probably won't get around to tweaking things until after the holiday, but at least it sounds good enough as-is to make copies for folks as stocking stuffers.

--B

Today's recording project(s) - I'll Find You Hiding / Through the Years

2008-12-21T00:22:00.002-05:00

Today was a good music day... I spent the morning jamming around with some friends, worked on a couple new song concepts in the afternoon, and spent most of the evening recording final tracks and mixing songs down.

Through the Years takes the cake for both "newest composition" and "least like anything else we've written or recorded": "Newest" in that all the music and lyrics have been composed during the past month (compared to many of the songs that we've been playing in one form or another for a couple of years); "least like anything else" in that the song is all acoustic, mostly down-tuned 12-string with a couple 6-string tracks added for additional texture.

The second song is I'll Find You Hiding, which is a tune we've been jamming around on with Necessary Distraction for just over a year now. This is probably one of the more "odd" songs we've got... rather dark & droning compared to everything else we've written & recorded recently. (I think I wrote the music after re-discovering Heart's Mistral Wind.) The wide-open nature lends itself to layering of different textures, so there are probably more audio tracks in this song (and more gratuitous use of effects like phaser & delay & reverb) than anything else we've done. Oddly enough, the guitar solo was a scratch track that I ended up liking more than any of the "official" takes that followed.

Through the Years:
- "Lead" acoustic guitar - Guild F47M-CE mic'd with Kel Audio HM-1 and Audio Technica AT2020 condensers into Presonus DigiMax FS

I'll Find You Hiding:
- Left rhythm guitar - G&L ASAT Classic into Egnater JTM45 head
- Right rhythm guitar - PRS McCarty Korina into Hughes & Kettner Edition Tube 20 combo
- Lead guitar - PRS McCarty Korina into Hughes & Kettner Edition Tube 20 combo
- Slide guitar - Hamer Eclipse into Mesa Recto preamp + Randall RT2/50 power amp
- other "texture" guitar - Ernie Ball JP7 into Mesa Recto preamp + Randall RT2/50 power amp
- All of the above - through V30-loaded Randall R212C cabinet mic'd with Cascade Fat Head ribbon and Blue "The Ball" dynamic into Presonus DigiMax FS

Common gear:
- Acoustic guitar - Takamine EF-385 12-string mic'd with Kel Audio HM-1 and Audio Technica AT2020 condensers into Presonus DigiMax FS
- Bass guitar - G&L Tribute L-2500 direct into Line 6 GearBox
- Vocals - Studio Projects C1 condenser into DigiMax FS
- Drums - Drums on Demand

As of now, we've got nine songs complete, one more song that's 90% complete, and a handful of concepts in the hopper... hopefully we'll get two or three of those concepts finished by the end of the year.

--B

New amp gear - Egnater Rebel 20

2008-12-12T19:44:00.002-05:00

The latest amp to join the ranks in the studio is the Egnater Rebel 20. Obviously (if you take a quick look around the blog) I've long been a fan of Egnater gear, having owned a real Egnater (M4 preamp) and a small mountain of other amps designed by Bruce (hot-rodded JTM45 head, Randall RH50T/RM20B/RM50B/RM100C/RM4/RT2-50, Rocktron TOL100/Vendetta). So, once again, I took advantage of the Microsoft/e-bay 30% cashback offer to pick up a practically new Rebel head.

The Rebel, considering its small size and low weight for a tube amp, is packed with cool features... two of the coolest have got to be the "tube mix" and "watts" controls. Tube mix allows you to blend the two EL84's and two 6V6's in the power section in pretty much any combination--the 6V6's provide a smoother tone compared to the edgier nature of the EL84's. Watts is essentially an attenuator that allows the wattage to be dialed down from 20w to 1w--this is in addition to a standard master volume control, which has a different impact on the amp's tone and feel. Of course, it's finished in the standard Egnater "black & tan" tolex.

Admittedly, curiosity got the better of me on this amp... lots of folks on different forums were raving about the tone, but nobody could offer up a good comparison. Hot-rodded Marshall? Hot-rodded Vox? Hot-rodded Fender? All of the above? None of the above? (well, at least with Egnater, you know it's hot-rodded something) Needless to say, with the Egnater JTM45 head around, I was hoping it was more hot-rodded-anything-else than hot-rodded Marshall. Turns out the Rebel's still got a Marshall-esque vibe, but it's a bit thinner sounding (more like a real Marshall) than the JTM45 head. With the bright switch engaged and the EL84's full-on, it does a great sparkly clean/overdriven tone. Yet with the gain cranked up, tight switch enaged, and mids dialed down, it can pull off metal tones. A little fiddling around in the studio has proven that it'll sit nicely in the mix with the JTM45--distinctive enough to be distinctive, but not too distinctive.

Here's a pic of the Rebel on top of the JTM45 head from the first Egnater amp building seminar...

Since the Vox-like tone is unique compared to the other preamps I've got in the rack, I've been debating wiring the Rebel into the rack... basically taking the speaker out from the Rebel into a Weber MiniMass attenuator, then feeding the line out from the attenuator into the Lexicon FX section and Randall power amp. Overkill? Perhaps... but in the true spirit of G.A.S. and "rig complexity," I think I'm gonna have to give it a shot at some point. Though I think I'm gonna need more cables... rats!

--B

New amp gear - Bogner Alchemist 1x12 combo

2008-12-12T19:30:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I had the chance to audition a Bogner Alchemist 2x12" combo at Guitar Center. Since I was rather impressed with what I heard and have been looking for a compact living room amp for a while, I jumped on the Microsoft/e-bay 30% cashback offer to pick up an Alchemist 1x12" combo. The Alchemist 1x12" is similar in specs... only considerable difference being that the two Celestions (G12H30 and Greenback) have been replaced by a single Vintage 30... otherwise it's got the same switchable 20/40 watt power section, two channels with independent EQ and voicing switches, footswitchable boost, and digital delay/reverb.

Here's a pic of the new Alchemist...

Overall, it's turning out to be a great living room amp, especially compared to some of the more powerful (read: obnoxiously loud) living room amps I've tried. Right now I've got it dialed in for a crisp clean tone and borderline-heavy-overdriven tone, but I know it'll work well for jazz gigs (fat/thick cleans & leads) with a bit of tweaking.

--B

You know you've got too much gear when...

2008-12-12T19:16:00.001-05:00

...you clean out the closet in the studio, pull out 23 guitar cases, then realize there are still half a dozen guitar cases hiding in the other closet...

--B

New guitar - PRS SC 250

2008-11-26T10:06:00.002-05:00

Ever since I saw the Collective Soul Home DVD, I've had a strange desire to pick up a PRS Tremonti in platinum metallic like Dean Roland's. Only downside of the original Tremonti model, though, was the eye-sore "Mark Tremonti" inlay on the 12th fret. So when I managed to find a deal on a PRS SC 250 in platinum metallic, I jumped on it.

The SC 250 is similar in construction to the original Singlecut model with a few updates, including a weight-relieved body, hotter (uncovered) pickups, adjustable stoptail bridge, and locking tuners; technically, this makes it closer in specs to the original Tremonti model than the original Singlecut model. Compared to the newer vintage-inspired SC 245 model, the SC 250 is geared towards modern rock players. This particular SC 250 has the wide fat neck profile, bird inlays, and the platinum metallic finish with "scraped" natural binding around the maple top.

As always, here are a few pics of the new acquisition...

All in all, it's a sweet addition to the collection... it's definitely one of the most "modern" sounding guitars I own. There's something about it that makes me want to tune down to drop-D and chug away.

--B

New guitar - Hamer Eclipse

2008-11-26T10:03:00.001-05:00

For a while I've been talking about learning how to play slide guitar (perhaps even lap steel), though slide guitar has always been a challenge since all of the guitars I've got are set up with obnoxiously low action. I decided, therefore, that it may be a good idea to pick up a relatively inexpensive guitar and set it up for 24x7 slide. While doing my daily poking around on e-bay, I found a relatively clean Hamer Eclipse on deal. The Eclipse is about as straightforward as it gets... solid mahogany body, fat mahogany neck, wraparound bridge, (2) Seymour Duncan minibuckers with volume + tone + 3-way switch... not a lot of sizzle, but an extremely solid American-made guitar for the money.

In addition to the standard "guitar readification" that all incoming guitars go through (e.g., setup, polishing, fretboard conditioning), the Hamer received a few special treatments: First, I installed a Golden Gate resonator guitar extension nut, which raised the action on the fretboard to ~1/4" (gasp!). Next, I restrung the guitar with a set of GHS acoustic slide strings, which are specially polished (ground wound?) to reduce slide noise and provide ridiculously high tension (16-56 gauge) across all strings. Finally, I picked up a real steel slide, a Shubb-Pearse SP3. The difference all these treatments make is considerable... the Eclipse is now officially a slide machine (and unofficially not good for much else!).

As always, here are a few pictures of the Eclipse:

Inspired so far by how much difference a small investment has made in my electric slide playing capability, I'm now thinking about buying a second Golden Gate extension nut and pack of GHS acoustic slide strings to install on my old Gibson Country Western acoustic so I can get my acoustic slide on without investing several hundred $$$ in a true resonator guitar.

--B

Traditional pre-holiday gear purge

2008-11-26T09:09:00.011-05:00

In an effort to move a few things I've been tripping over before the holidays (and capitalize on e-bay's half-price listing sale), I posted the following gear on e-bay last night. Check it out:

Boss PS-5 Super Shifter pedal SOLD
B.Y.O.C. 5-knob compressor kit SOLD
B.Y.O.C. Triboost kit SOLD
Digitech GSP-1101 FX (NIB) SOLD
Focusrite OctoPre LE w/ ADAT card SOLD
G&L Legacy Deluxe SOLD
Hughes & Kettner Edition Tube 20th Anniversary 1x12" combo SOLD
Hughes & Kettner Switchblade head SOLD
Hughes & Kettner zenTera 2x12" combo SOLD
Presonus DigiMax LT preamp/AD converter SOLD

--B

Today's recording project - Rock of Gibraltar

2008-11-25T13:36:00.002-05:00

Here's the latest track to emerge from the studio after adding a few final touches and doing a bit of mixdown this weekend... The tune is called Rock of Gibraltar, and it's a song we've been jamming around with Necessary Distraction on for just over a year. It's probably one of the more uptempo, straight-ahead rock songs we've got. Oddly enough, while the majority of the tracks were recorded during the past couple weeks, the guitar solo was flown in from a scratch track recorded in January 2008 to showcase my long-gone Egnater M4 preamp... I always liked the tone and feel of that solo take and figured it was easier to steal it from myself than try to nail it again.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the MP3: Rock of Gibraltar

Also, here's the rundown of the gear used:

- Left rhythm guitar (distorted) - PRS McCarty Korina into Egnater JTM45 head

- Right rhythm guitar (distorted) - G&L ASAT Classic into Hughes & Kettner Edition Tube 20 combo

- Left/right rhythm guitars (clean) - G&L ASAT Classic into Carl Martin compressor + Hughes & Keggner Edition Tube 20 combo

- All of the above - through V30-loaded Randall R212C cabinet mic'd with Cascade Fat Head ribbon and Blue "The Ball" dynamic into Presonus DigiMax FS

- Lead guitar (recorded during a previous session) - Voodoo Guitar Works custom archtop into Egnater M4 preamp (EG3/4 module) + VHT 2/50/2 power amp + V30-loaded Randall RA412XLT cabinet mic'd with Cascade Fat Head ribbon and Blue "The Ball" dynamic into Presonus DigiMax FS
- Bass guitar - G&L Tribute L-2500 direct into Line 6 GearBox

- Vocals - Studio Projects C1 condenser into DigiMax FS

- Drums - Drums on Demand

This week I've been working on revamping Last Forgiveness and putting down scratch tracks for a couple new concepts... more to come soon.

--B

This week's recording project(s) - Empty Walls / Perspective

2008-11-22T22:11:00.000-05:00

Here are this week's tracks from the depths of the basement studio, hot off the press, er, mixer: First up is Empty Walls, which is a tune we wrote earlier this year with Necessary Distraction that was pretty much forgotten about until the past few weeks. We've been jamming around on Perspective for just about as long; however, the chord progression is about 10 years old... turns out it was one of the first songs I wrote and attempted to record in my apartment back in 1998.

Empty Walls:
- Left rhythm guitar - G&L ASAT Classic into Egnater JTM45 head
- Right rhythm guitar (clean) - Gretsch G6120 into Hughes & Kettner Edition Tube 20 combo
- Right rhythm guitar (distorted) - PRS Singlecut into Mesa Recto preamp + Randall RT2/50 power amp
- Lead guitar - PRS McCarty Korina into Fulltone Clyde Deluxe wah + Mesa Studio preamp + Randall RT2/50 power amp

Perspective:
- Left rhythm guitar - PRS McCarty Korina into Egnater JTM45 head
- Right rhythm guitar - G&L ASAT Classic into Hughes & Kettner Edition Tube 20 combo
- Lead guitar - PRS McCarty Korina into Mesa Studio preamp + Randall RT2/50 power amp
- Harmony guitar - PRS McCarty Korina into Egnater JTM45 head

Common gear:
- All of the above - through V30-loaded Randall R212C cabinet mic'd with Cascade Fat Head ribbon and Blue "The Ball" dynamic into Presonus DigiMax FS
- Acoustic guitars - Guild DC5E-NT, Guild F47M-CE, and Takamine EF-385 12-string mic'd with Kel Audio HM-1 and Audio Technica AT2020 condensers into Presonus DigiMax FS
- Bass guitar - G&L Tribute L-2500 direct into Line 6 GearBox
- Vocals - Studio Projects C1 condenser into DigiMax FS
- Drums - Drums on Demand

Next up... I'm taking the week off work and am planning on spending a good chunk of time in the studio. There are three more tracks that need to be finished up (Last Forgiveness, I'll Find You Hiding, Rock of Gibraltar) and several new song ideas to be explored.

--B