November 11, 2008 by John.

Straplocks, a string winder or two, a chromatic tuner or an extra if you only have one, a couple of tuning forks, a metronome, earplugs (there! I said it!), and maybe a footstool. These are some things that should be on your shopping list for the next time you are at your local music store. Let me give you some thoughts on each item.
Straplocks: $15 - $25. This could very well be like cheap insurance for your guitar. These simple gizmos could save your precious axe from taking a bad fall and becoming seriously damaged. I like Schaller straplocks and use them on all of my electric guitars.
String winder: $.99 - $6. Who wouldn’t want to spend a buck to save time and wrist cramps when changing strings? Also most string winders have a notched edge, which is needed for the string pegs on acoustic guitars.
Chromatic tuner: $10 – 100. I have one in my rig at home, one in my acoustic guitar case and one in my gig bag that has all of my small stuff. As far a small, trustworthy chromatic tuner goes, I like the Korg CA – 30 for about $20. They are accurate and the interface is easy to use.
Tuning fork: $5 - $7. You can find them in all sorts of sizes to fit your budget. It’s good to be able to tune with a tuning fork. It develops your ears and they never lie!
Metronome: $10 - $100. Anything more than the Korg MA – 30 for $30 is too much in my opinion. I’ve never used any of the fancy features that some metronomes offer. Just get something that is easy to listen to. A drummer I worked with had one that was the size of a credit card. I thought, “Wow, cool!” until I heard it. It chirped like a smoke detector on a low battery. It was awful. I could never use it. Keep it simple and it should last you decades. I just bought a new MA – 30 to replace the Quick Time dial operated metronome that I’ve had since 1983!
Ear plugs: $1 - $20. I don’t really have to get into this do I? You can get some “foamies” for around a buck a pair or even less, or get the ones with the special filter for around $20. Foamies will block noise and protect your hearing. I use them at the Indy car races or when I want to sleep on an airplane. They are great for softening loud noises. I also carry the ones with the specialized filter on my key ring. That way I will never be without them. I use those at concerts and band rehearsals. They have the effect of lowering the volume while protecting your ears. Sound is clearer with these as opposed to the foamies, which makes listening to music sound like you have a pillow over your head. Please, protect your ears. You can’t buy new ears anywhere, so protect the ones that you have.
Footstool: $7 - $10. This is a nice idea to help make you comfortable when playing for long hours. I’m not suggesting that you sit like a classical guitar player. If you want to, then do it. If not, at least try using a footstool to help with your posture. Raising the foot that your guitar rests on will tuck the instrument into your body and help to stabilize it. Give it a shot.
Hopefully these ideas will help. I’ve found them to be great investments. For a small price, you can protect your guitar from dropping out of your hands, save time and energy when changing strings, stay in tune, keep better time, and save your hearing and your back! Rock on!

Posted in Gear: Buying, Setting it up, etc. | 1 Comment »

November 11, 2008 by John.

Consider the direction amp companies are going today. Digital amps are really popular, and for a reason. To keep this discussion down to a reasonable length (I could go on and on about this stuff!), I’ll try to give you what I think are benefits and drawbacks to each category of amp – tube, solid state and digital.
First let’s talk tube. The good news for us consumers is that there are more and more amazing amp companies coming out these days. Every year at the NAMM show I walk the floor with my right hand man Pete, and we see and hear more and more fantastic amps every year. If you want that warm, rich distortion and bold clean tones, then a tube amp is for you. Well known tube amps include the likes of the Marshall plexi, Marshall JCM 800, Fender Twin, Fender Blackface, Mesa Boogie, Vox AC 30 as well as many boutique amps like Soldano, Bogner, Deizel, and more. Tube amps generate their big rich tones from the heat of the tubes. This makes them slightly more fragile than solid state or digital amps. They also require a little more maintenance, but if you ask me it’s well worth it!
Solid state amps tend to offer sizzling saturated distortions and sharp clean tones. They are a little more physically stable than tube amps since you don’t run the risk of damaging any glass tubes. Dimebag Darrell from Pantera was well known for using solid state amps to get his trademark tone.
Digital Amps. Now that discussion could go on for a long time! I think they rate high on the “bang-for-the-buck” scale. Many of them can “model” or imitate many classic and modern amp tones. You even have many onboard effects to enhance your tone. Many of them offer onboard reverb, delay, phase or flange, and other standard effects. They are great for recording. You can plug direct into a board or interface and you’re done with your set up. No fumbling with trying to find a good mic placement. No need to crank your amp up to 10 just to get a good tone out of it. Of course the purists reject the idea of modeling an amp through digital technology and say that the modeled sounds don’t sound like the real amps. Here’s my angle on this view. I agree. They don’t sound exactly like the amps they are trying to model. But they come pretty close. How close? Say 75%? 80%? Now let’s do a little math. If a digital amp offers 16 or more amps that are modeled and they sound about 75 – 80% like the real thing, they have onboard digital effects and is programmable, that sounds pretty good to me.
As for my gear, I love my Line 6 Flextone 2×12 amp. I use it for recording, performing and when working with clients and students. But don’t get me wrong, I love my Marshall JCM 800 and wouldn’t trade it or sell it for anything. Some of my friends sold their JCM 800’s when the rack mount pre-amp phase hit. Now they regret that decision. There’s nothing like the sound of a JCM 800 or any other great tube amp for that matter. I also have a Laney HD 100. The Marshall and Laney are great rigs, but they are big. When I want variety of sounds and effects in a compact package, I use the Line 6.
It’s a great time that we are in. There are lots of choices, maybe too many! I think that it makes it better for us, the end user. We have many options to choose from. Think of what is most important to you. Is it versatility? Is it pure rich tones? Built in effects? Easy to use when recording? Keep these factors in mind when shopping for a new amp and please, play as many different amps as you can. You’ll be amazed at the sounds that are out there!

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