Da Death Metal

Here is the Digitech Death Metal Distortion, something I tried yesterday (because I was too bored). I did try it once last time but not thorough enough to write anything about it. 

As you can see, there is no Gain knob on it. This means you have no control over the intensity of the distortion. It is fixed. You may find it strange but personally, I find that this pedal can do without that gain control. Some of my friends would set the gain at a fixed position and never touching it after that. If you are one of them, maybe this might be for you. 

Instead of a gain, it has the mid knob there though. I think it is more useful that way. I've tried Digitech Grunge and at times, I was often annoyed by Grunge that it doesn't have a mid knob for me to smoothen the distortion. By having a 3-band EQ on a distortion pedal, it gives you a large spectrum of distortion tone. 

This pedal kinda sounds like my Metal End King. It doesn't not have a Amp simulator like Metal End but the distortion it gives is very much like Metal End. So if you are looking for alternatives of Boss MT-2 or find that Metal End King is too big, you may consider this. 

Price: S$107~110. If someone is selling at a price higher than that, don't fall for it. I once had someone trying to sell his Death Metal for $180. Yes.. such people exists.

Martin Lifespan SP

Actually, I do have something to write for today but econ essays won't allow me. So just a short simple update.

I was on my way to Hillsongs Concert at Suntec today. However, I arrived a little too early so I decided to walk to Bras Basah. I went to Guitar Workshop to look for some guitar parts (but didn't find any). I managed to grab a pack of strings before I left the place. Martin Lifespan SP. As usual, it is phosphor bronze once again. These strings have a different style of coating which make sure that it still feels like the uncoated ones. (Will talk about that next time)

This is Week 35

This week is Week 35 of 2011. Anything special about this week? Well, not really unless you are looking forward to new Cioks stuffs, DC8. Week 36 marks the release of AC8.

I am looking forward for its release. Some may argue that Voodoo Lab is better and so on. However, DC-8 is definitely more useful if all your pedals feed on DC supply. Another good thing about DC8 is that it can fit under Pedaltrain 2.

Back to D'addario

After trying many coated acoustic strings, I've decided that D'addario still works the best for me. Oh, Elixir is good, too. But D'addario EXP is more budget-friendly. :)

As usual, I've chosen phosphor bronze (again). In my opinion, it has the most balanced tone. Neither too bright nor too dark for my liking. And it always seems to work well with my dear acoustic guitar. 

Wampler's price revision

Are you looking for any of the Wampler? If you are, here is a piece of good news for you. SV Guitars has a price revision for all their Wamplers. 

Now... price revision may not necessarily mean price reduction. The prices may rise in a revision as well. However, for this case, it is a price reduction and it is only for a limited time period.

For more information, please contact SV Guitars or check their website. The price list should be updated soon.

Saving place: EQ + Tuner

If you are looking for a graphic equaliser and a pedal tuner and you have a very limited space on your board, maybe Artec SE-GEQ 8 band Graphic EQ might be a solution.

Or maybe not. A combination of the two pedals will indeed save some space. However, there are trade-offs as well. It only has a range of 10dB cut and boost. So it all depends on you. If you are looking for something of a larger range, it is better to invest on something else.

Marshall Major @ Stereo

I had a few friends asking me where to buy Marshall Major. Well, I am not sure if Davis has them (but they should since they are the distributor of Marshall products).

If you are looking for one, look no further. Stereo sells them at $120 for the Major. Now that is $80 lower than the price that was predicted by many before it was released. So I gave it a try. If you are to ask me for my opinion, I would say it isn't what I am really looking for if I am to listen to my music. But I bet it will work well as a gear for silent guitar practicing. It is kinda focused on its mid-range and a bit more bassy. For listening to music, I like my headphones to be less bassy and more of mids and highs. That's how I find that I can hear the guitar parts better. And yes, another important thing is the clarity of the tone. For the price, Major does give clarity. What I mean by clarity is that the tone isn't muffled like you get from those $10 headphones. A headphone that is too treble-ish is very jarring to the ears for guitar playing. 

Modtone Current draw list

A few weeks back, I remember asking on Modtone's Facebook page for the current draw of Speedbox and Vintage Wah. They did reply me and gave me the information I needed. In addition to that, they had provided a whole list of current specification of their pedals. Here is the list.

ModTones and Mini-Mod (MT and MTM part numbers) Model Number Current    Model Number Current MT-WAH (Wah-Wah Pedal) = 3 mA  MT-SK (Stutter Kill) = 40 mA MT-VOL (Volume Pedal) = N/A MT-CH (Chorus) = 11 mA MT-CB (Clean Boost) = 2 mA MT-PH (Phaser) = 13 mA MT-FF (Envelope) = 12 mA MT-FL (Flanger) = 12 mA MT-DD (Octave) = 10 mA MT-BB (Fuzz) = 13 mA MT-EM (Extreme Metal) = 25 mA MT-RV (Reveb) = 76 mA MT-OD (Overdrive) = 6 mA MTM-CH (Chorus) = 13 mA MT-DS (Distortion) = 4 mA MTM-DLY (Delay) = 29 mA MT-AD (Analog Delay) = 29 mA MTM-DS (Distortion) = 4 mA MT-HT (Tremolo) = 9 mA MTM-FL (Flanger) = 12 mA MT-CP (Compressor) = 10 mA MTM-FZ (Fuzzer) = 13 mA MT-CT (Tuner) = 90 mA MTM-OD (Overdrive) = 6 mA Power Plant (MT-POWP) Version Port(s) Current Voltage 1.0 1-5 100 mA 9-12 VDC 1.0 6-7 200 mA 4-9 VDC 1.3 1-5 100 mA 9-12 VDC 1.3 6-7 200 mA 4-9 VDC 1.3 8 1300 mA 9-12 VAC Powered Pedal Board (MT-PB8) Ports Voltage Current 8 9 VDC 450 mA

The chromatic tuner draws the most current. Hmm... And indeed, it draws 3 times the maximum current drawn by Korg Pitchblack. And as usual, wah draws the 2nd least current (clean boost is the first, I expect it to draw more current). As for volume pedal, the reason why it doesn't draw any current is because it is a passive pedal. They also provide the information for its powered pedal board. 450mA for 8 pedals would mean 56.25mA per pedal. It wouldn't be a problem powering the Modtones though but how about the other brands?

The people can make better informed decisions before buying anything. 

The crate of rock.

Sometimes, listening to our amplifier screaming on the floor isn't what we want. The sound is not directed at you. I have a few friends who would keep their amps on a stool/table so that they can hear what they are playing much clearer. Maybe they might be interested in the Rock Cr8. 

Rock Cr8 is basically a crate which serves 3 different purposes, as a pedalboard, as a store place for your cables and pedals and also as a riser for your combo amps. You can call it as a guitar accessory organiser. They have a power strip inside so that you can power up your pedals with your Godlyke power supply, etc... The pedalboard is about the size of PT-2 (or slightly longer). You do have quite a lot of choices for the Tolex of the crate.

I have to admit that it is indeed cool. However, do I really need it? For me, I don't think so. I think I am quite organised when it comes to keeping my guitar stuffs. And this is not available here. 

Timeline @ SG

Finally, Timeline has  finally arrived.

If you have watched all the demos on Youtube, you know what this box can do. It is without a doubt a very good delay. But this is definitely not for me. SG$625 isn't in the 'affordable range' of mine, for now.

Available at SV Guitars.

Hardwires = true bypass

Hardwire pedals are usually mistaken to be buffered bypass. This is because it is built like Boss pedals and others of similar structure. Boss pedals are not true bypass, but I supposed everyone knows that. Another reason is Hardwire do not feature the normal true bypass switch like this.

Something different for Hardwire pedals from other true bypass pedals is that you can choose whether you like it to be true bypass or not. 

(This isn't my photo)

If you open up the battery compartment of a Hardwire, you will see a switch at the lower left corner of it. There is your true bypass switch. 

Striking resemblance (Episode 3)

This is Biyang Metal-End. 

And here is its brother from another father, Akai Deluxe Distortion.

Both pedals has the same features. 4-band EQ, Amp Simulator, High-cut and the Mode switch. They even have that steel chassis (which could serve as a mirror). The only differences are that Akai pedals are more 'pimped' compared to Biyang and they come in different names. These two distortions aren't the only case of 'striking resemblance' between these two brands.

The bullseye

The title might give you a hint of what I am trying to talk about. Indeed, it is about Zakk Wylde. If you are a loyal fan of Wylde and wanted a guitar like him, Swee Lee has an Epiphone version of his signature guitar.

The models available are both Custom Plus. The Camo version comes with a maple fretboard, which is something you don't normally see on a Les Paul. Both comes with EMG-81 and 85 unlike the Buzzsaw version: it comes with passive EMGs. 

Go LP with Swing

Swing's LP-shaped guitar, Classic II. I always see them in the product list at Swing's website and finally it's in SV. 

I have yet to try it and I've only seen it in photos. There are 4 choices of colour altogether. It is priced at $640. More expensive than the Rally GL300/400 but it is still cheaper than an Epiphone LP Standard Top Plus. Some may find it rather expensive (compared to Rally) but I believe you are not paying that price for nothing. I am sure Swing's craftsmanship is worth paying that amount. 

What I am more interested in is  Swing Korina-X.

It is in satin black finish but looks aren't what I really care. I just need more exposure to korina guitars. I have so far only tried 3 guitars made of korina.

Cioks DC10 and PT2 Issue

I had a friend who just got a Cioks DC10 and when he tried to fit beneath his Pedaltrain PT2. Normally, this shouldn't be a problem for PT Pro but for any other Pedaltrains, U will find the whole board pivoting on the DC10 instead. Mounting it on top of the board is easy however it is very space-consuming.  

There are many ways to make the DC10 fit beneath the board though. 

1. Cut off some part of the rail like what this picture suggest.

The owner cut of part of the rail so that he can mount the DC10. This is definitely the solution but the task is difficult if you don't have the appropriate tool to cut it.

2. Replace the feets of Pedaltrain with a higher ones.

A much simpler solution. Cioks sells these feets in their DC10 mounting kit. Pedaltrains are more Voodoo Lab friendly. 

Or you could just wait for DC8/AC8. They will fit in the board according to the manufacturer. 

Syn's special inlay

I am not sure how many people listen to Avenged Sevenfold (A7x). Here is something I've spotted from their MV for the song 'So far away'. It is a song written my Synyster Gates to commemorate the passing of James Owen Sullivan (aka The Rev). So many of the things featured in the MV are for The Rev, even the inlays.

The signature inlays of Syn gates would be the Death Bat and the words S.Y.N. But this time, it is R.E.V instead. Now, I just spotted that a few days ago. I hardly watch MVs, which is why I never notice it.

This is also one of the first songs which Syn Gates actually made a breakthrough. 

Go wireless

AKG wireless transmitters are now available at SV guitars

These are just a few items which they had updated on their web. Anyone who have any experience with AKG headphones would probably know that AKG stuffs are quality stuffs. Their headphones can buy you are Rally GL300.

Ernie Ball Coated Slinky? Not for me

My Squier is currently strung with a set of Ernie Ball Coated Slinky (Gauge 9). After 5 rounds of playing my Squier, I've concluded that Ernie Ball isn't the string for me.

Here are my personal opinion on this set of strings.

Good

It is very nice to bend. Usually for strings with 9 gauge, I tend to over-bend them since I'm too accustomed to the normal gauge 10 on my Fernandes. However, I don't seem to have any problem bending on my Squier with this set of strings. It could be me having more control over gauge 9 or could be this set of strings doing magic. The titanium reinforced technology isn't a bluff as well. At least the strings do not break at the ball end (like the Gallistrings did last time).

Bad

I've got very sweaty palms. I could rust a set uncoated strings in 2-3 plays. There are ways to solve this sweaty palms problem like using certain lotion but I can't be bothered to buy it and apply it on my hand every time I am to play guitar. Though I've never used it, 'lotion' implies that they will be sticky feeling. 

So what I would look for in a set of coated strings is simply this: long-lasting. This coated Slinky set started rusting after 5 plays of 1.5 hour each round. With one set costing me $15 each, this is definitely not going to work for me. After all, I am just a JC student and not an working adult.

Conclusion

I should stick back to GHS coated Boomers. It is so far the long-lasting strings. Of course, I'm not saying GHS strings has the best feel but what I am looking for in a set of string is how long they can last. They are also the cheapest coated strings I've seen so far.

The "Reflex".

While my friend was busy getting his Apogee One, I was busy with this guy. Musicman Reflex. The picture shows a rosewood fretboard. What I tried was a maple version of this.

The first impression I got from playing this is 'it feels like the '72 Deluxe Telecaster. The '72 deluxe sports a maple fretboard just like this one. The chambered body of reflex gives it a very pleasant tone. Reflex's main feature is its various pickup configuration. You have a 5-way pickup selector and you have a toggle switch to choose between a series or a parallel circuit.

Something to take note: What I tried is a Musicman Reflex guitar and not the Game changer, which has far more sophisticated controls.

Available @ Sinamex.

Digitech @ SV

Digitech effects are now available at SVGuitars.

They do not have a whole range of Digitech pedals such as the stompboxes but there are Digitech RP-series multi-efx available at a very tempting price. HERE IS THE LIST OF RP-SERIES THEY HAVE.
And guess what, they also have the famous Whammy DT.

One of its famous feature is the drop tune feature. Choose how many steps you want to shift down or up and there, you get your drop tuning without messing with the tuner. Quite a neat pedal for those with Floyd rose bridges. For those with a very tight budget, Whammy DT is out of the league. ($510) 

The 'One' and only

Today was the National Day Celebration in school. This also implies that school ends early. So me and keyboardist went down to Sinamex to get this. 

 Behold! The Apogee

Apogee One is an audio interface that is specially made for Mackintosh users. You can plug your mics and instruments through it (as the picture suggests). It also comes with a built-in condenser mic, a feature which its bigger brother (Apogee Duet) doesn't have. It doesn't come cheap but you are paying for quality. It may be small (after all, One is made for portability) but you shouldn't judge a book from its cover. This small block can do wonders.

How big is it? It is slightly large than an iPod nano. Is it heavy? Well, unless you find your handphone heavy.
Reason for getting: it is for our band!

Sing along with my guitar!

I now have a pedal which will sing along with my guitar. I got it from Swee Lee sales yesterday. The queue was 'awesomely' long. I took me 2 hours before I can pay for my item.

Here's my purchase (and some fries from McDonald's. I haven't taste them for nearly a month.)

What pedal sings along with you? Boss Harmonist PS-6

Now, PS-6 is basically a pitch shifting effect. It has the harmoniser, pitch shifter, detune and special feature called Super-Bend. S.bend allows you to get those 'dive-bomb' effects.

Inside the box. The safety precautions is largest among all the other stuffs in it. Pictures explain that the best!

The PS-6 is preloaded with a GP Alkaline 9V battery. It is said that PS-6 runs on alkaline battery for a maximum of 8 hours or so. I don't need the battery. Maybe it will come in handy elsewhere.

Once again, the Harmonist PS-6. PS-6 is not a very difficult pedal to use but it is not very friendly to any beginner though. I am still at the point of exploring this pedal. The detune and pitch shift are currently my favourites.

"I should be allowed to pay first."

Jumping queue, something I don't like. During my secondary school years, I was a Prefect and I was supposed to make sure people behave when they are getting food (stop them from cutting queue, etc..). 

Every Swee Lee sales is accompanied by a super long queue and crowds. I came late today so I ended up rather far behind the queue. The man behind me looked super 'pek cek' (frustrated). After queuing for only 3-4 minutes, he called out to one of the sale assistant. This is what he said.

Man: Hi, could I ask you something?

S.A: Yes? How many I help you.

Man: I come from Malaysia and I came here to get some stuffs. But the queue is barely moving and I'm in a rush. My wife is waiting for me at the hotel to check-out at 2 pm. (It was 11:45 at that time.)

S.A: I'm sorry if the queue is very long but everyone is doing the same. I can understand that you are in a rush but there is nothing I can do to the queue.

Man: Can you go to the counter to allow me to pay for the stuffs first? I am buying about 3.5k worth of stuffs. I should be allowed to pay first. 

Me: (what? -.-) 

S.A.: Sir, everyone is doing the same thing and there are people spending more than that. I can't do anything about it.

Man: Try first then talk. You can try

S.A: Well, why I bring you to the counter and let you talk to them?

Man: Fine.

The above isn't exactly how the conversation goes but you get the idea. To be frank, I would call him barbaric for something like this. Common senses tell you that cutting queue is a selfish thing to do. Anyone in the right mind would know that. I really wonder.. what was that guy thinking back then?

So don't jump queue. Or....

Well, maybe that's what happened to him since he was never in the line again.

The 'train' day (Episode 2)

The PT-2 is now velcroed. All the pedals are mounted. Power supplies are hooked as well. My rig is still half-done so I don't want to reveal it here yet. Will do so when I've gotten everything.

Why does PT-2 solve the problem of messy cables? You can wired up everything from beneath. This is how it should looks like. You can tie all the cables together like this so that it will look neater. Damn, I like this. 

Oh, all the patch cables can be connected from beneath as well. No more cables over the pedals or stuck at the switches.

Modtone Chromatic Tuner

Something else I got today. A Modtone MT-CT Chromatic Tuner. It is simply a pedal tuner. That's all.

I often get questions like 'What is so special about this?' and 'how is this different from Korg Pitchblack'. 

Here are the similarities:

1. True bypass
2. Silent tuning. When you switch on your tuner, your signal will be muted. The good thing about this is that you can use your tuner as a momentary killswitch as well. 
3. Calibration is adjustable from 436 - 445 Hz

Differences:

1. Modtone is very hungry for power. It draws 3 times as much current as pitchblack. (Ptichblack's max current draw is 30mA
2. Blue LED instead of RED and GREEN. One of the main reason why I get this. My eyes can't stand red lights. 
3. Smaller tuning range of A0 - C8. However, it is more than enough to tune any guitar or a 5 string bass.
4. Slightly smaller
5. No D.C. out. This tuner CANNOT supply power to another pedal.

Modtone items can be purchased at SV Guitars.

The 'train' day

I used to use a pedalboard and often find that those people paying $200 for pedaltrains with hard case are stupid. Yes, that's how naive I was. Now I'm one of the 'stupid' people.

Got it fresh from Ebenex. The customer service at Ebenex is as superb as ever. I didn't get it with the hard case as I don't see the need for it. Soft case should be more than enough for me.

Which model did I get? The tag says it all!

Unzip the bag and this is what you see inside it (there is some piece of paper there though).

'Undress' it further and you get the Pedaltrain-2 (non-stealth mode). Why do I get a pedaltrain? After using a pedalboard for months, I realised that I hate messy cables and wires. Pedaltrain solves all that problem. I'll talk more about it on the next episode.

NOTE: THE PRICES OF PEDALTRAINS ARE SLASHED. PT2 SC would normally cost $200. I got mine for $180.

Tomorrow is the day...

Tomorrow is the day I'll be getting quite a few stuffs after selling away all the pedals I don't really need. Please stay tuned to find out more about it. =P

Words finally materialized

My CCA teacher said we will be getting a new drumset since last year. After how many months later, those words have finally materialized.

A Tama Swingstar. Quite a neat set. So as for the old drumset (which is falling apart), it's time for it to retire after 6 years of use (and abuse).
Now, I wonder why he didn't wait until Sunday to get the drumset. But again, Tama Swingstar is priced on its NETT price, so the 50% discount probably isn't valid.

2 in 1: A pedal case, guitar stand or both?

If you are looking for a guitar stand for multiple guitars and a pedal board at the same time, take a look at what Gator has to offer.

This is what I would call 'killing two birds with one stone'.

Block the Noises~! (Episode 2)

The title may already give you a hint on what I've got today. Need more hints? It is a pedal.
Well, obviously, it is a noise gate. I got Beta Aivin NG-100 for my noise gate.

This is not new though. It was preowned by someone else for at least 2 years. However, the pedal seems to be underused since it is still in a perfect condition. Or the ex-owner takes real care for his stuffs. Well, either way, thumbs up for the good condition and for the price I paid for it. I got it at almost half of what it costs.