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GEAR 408 • TC Electronic Trinity Reverb T2

Gear, Pedals, , , , , ,

Here is my three part demo of the TC Electronic Trinity Reverb T2. The “T2” means this is the second version of the pedal, which comes loaded with nothing but ambient reverb presets. (The first version had a mix of ambient sounds and stock Hall of Fame presets.) The presets are mostly based on church / cathedral and long plate type algorithms that feature unusual modulation of the reverb. Some of the sounds are nice and lush; others are just plain weird. In fact, at least half of the settings are a little ‘too much’ for my taste, but there are several that I do like. And while I demo a few short room / slap back sounds, this pedal really excels at long, washy reverb sounds. People who are into ambient sounds, shoegaze, worship music, etc. will probably like this pedal. Yet, also keep in mind that you can get some nice ambient sounds from the Hall of Fame pedal’s stock church and modulated settings, as well as the tone print slot. This is a 3 part demo (because it’s the Trinity, of course), where parts one and two explore stock settings on the dial. Part 3 compares the T2 to the ambient sounds you can get from the Hall of Fame stock settings plus the Sigur Rós tone print, and also pairs the T2 with the TC Electronic Alter Ego V2 (the T2’s sister analog / tape delay pedal). The playlist embed below has all three parts of the demo.

This demo was recorded with a Fender MIM Strat (w/ Texas Special pickups) and a Fender Champ II (Rivera, with Eminence Ragin’ Cajun speaker) amp miked with a Sennheiser e906 dynamic microphone.

TC Electronic Pages:
Trinity T2: http://www.tcelectronic.com/t2-reverb/
Hall of Fame: http://www.tcelectronic.com/hall-of-fame-reverb/
Alter Ego V2: http://www.tcelectronic.com/alter-ego-2-vintage-echo/

GEAR 407 • Seymour Duncan Vapor Trail Analog Delay

Gear, Pedals, , , ,

Here is a demo and review of the Vapor Trail Analog Delay from Seymour Duncan. There are a lot of analog delays on the market now, and this one really stands out with its unique features and easy usability. Features I like include: battery door on the back and delay modulation controls on the top – you don’t need to unscrew the back to get to either; bright blue led; flashing led inside clear delay knob. Overall, this has a nice clear sound – it’s a little brighter than MXR Carbon Copy, but still has analog warmth. In the demo, I try the clean sound first and then pair it with the Hoof Fuzz from Earthquaker devices.

This demo was recorded with a Fender MIM Strat (w/ Texas Special pickups, Ernie Ball Classic Rock-n-Roll nickel strings) and a Fender Champ II (Rivera, with Eminence Ragin’ Cajun speaker) amp miked with a Sennheiser e906 dynamic microphone.

Seymour Duncan page for the Vapor Trail: http://www.seymourduncan.com/pedals/vapor_trail_analog_delay/

Earthquaker Page for the Hoof Fuzz: http://earthquakerdevices.com/shop/Hoof/cat/13100

TIPS 103 • Freshen Your Guitar Case with Altoids?

Tips, , ,

Can you freshen your guitar case with Altoids? Well, no, but you can organize it and you might freshen your breath along the way. Altoids tins – once emptied of the mints – can be used to store things like picks, capos, allen wrenches, and batteries (as shown). Note with batteries, as mentioned, you want to make sure they are still in the package or the contacts are otherwise not exposed. So a few things that don’t fit in the tin are – most guitar slides, spare strings, wire cutters, most string winders. Still, they can help you organize your ‘small stuff.’ You can also use the small Altoids tins as pick holders, and these are great to throw on top of your amp for easy access. Hope you have fun organizing your guitar case with Altoids tins. If nothing else, your breath may be fresher. 😉

Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altoids

GEAR 406 • Electro-Harmonix East River Drive vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer

Gear, Pedals, , , , , ,

This video compares the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer to the electro-harmonix East River Drive. The TS9 is a well known commodity; the East River Drive is a clone of the TS808 circuit designed in conjunction with Analog Mike of Analog Man fame. The East River Drive’s 808 style circuit means it has a slightly smoother sound and a little less gain than the TS9. Overall, though, the two pedals sound similar. Both have the JRC chip and come in green. The East River has nice graphics, a nice green led, is true bypass, and is less expensive. Also, my version said “Made in NYC, USA.” The Ibanez pedal is made in Japan, has easier access to the battery, and has heftier construction than the East River Drive. The led on the TS9 is not very bright, though.

This demo was recorded with a Fender MIM Strat (w/ Texas Special pickups, Ernie Ball Classic Rock-n-Roll nickel strings) and a Fender Champ II (Rivera, with Eminence Ragin’ Cajun speaker) amp miked with a Sennheiser e906 dynamic microphone. Also note, the Tube Screamer has the JRC 4558D chip.

Ibanez page for the TS9: http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/u_effect_page14.php?year=2014&cat_id=6&series_id=153&effect_id=5

EHX page for the East River Drive: http://www.ehx.com/products/east-river-drive

Analog Man – http://www.buyanalogman.com

You may also want to check out my comparison between the Tube Screamer and the Soul Food: GEAR 402 • Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer vs Electro-Harmonix Soul Food

For additional reading, here is an interesting article about the history of Tube Screamers with Analog Mike. He mentions the East River Drive too: https://reverb.com/blog/inside-the-overdrive-overlord-an-ibanez-tube-screamer-primer-with-analogman

GEAR 405 • Park Fuzz by Earthquaker Devices

Gear, Pedals, , , ,

Here is my demo and review of the Park Fuzz by Earthquaker Devices. The pedal is a reissue of the original Park Fuzz pedal, which apparently dates to the 1960’s (not the 70’s, as mentioned in the video).
Park is a recently resurrected brand that used to be owned by Jim Marshall (no affiliation with the current Marshall amp company though), and the reissue has been designed and manufactured by the fuzz dudes at the Earthquaker facility in sunny Akron, Ohio. The pedal has germanium transistors and the warm (though sometimes finicky, often beloved) sounds they produce. Though I don’t have an original Park to compare it to, the pedal sounds like a good vintage style fuzz that can be appreciated on its own merits. The form factor of the pedal is smaller than the original, and is similar to other Earthquaker pedals with top-mounted jacks (i.e. the Hoof Fuzz), although the knobs are different. The pedal has a really nice blue finish, and appears generally well built like other Earthquaker pedals. Overall, this would be a good option if you’re looking for a quality, American made boutique germanium fuzz.

This demo was recorded with a Fender MIM Strat (w/ Texas Special pickups, Ernie Ball Classic Rock-n-Roll nickel strings) and a Fender Champ II (Rivera, with Eminence Ragin’ Cajun speaker) amp miked with a Sennheiser e906 dynamic microphone.

Earthquaker Devices page for the Park Fuzz: http://earthquakerdevices.com/shop/Park%20Fuzz/cat/13096

SLACK 401 • Coffee Bean Slack Key – Lesson on How to Play

Open Tunings, Slack Key, Songs, , , ,

Coffee Bean Slack Key is a simple, slack key tinged song that I wrote so that you could have fun learning to play it. 😉 It works well at a variety of tempos: beginners can play it slow and more advanced players might have fun improvising around it. To that end, I’ve recorded several versions of the song for you to check out (links below). Feel free to play along, though I didn’t use a click track or metronome so tempo varies a little. Also note, most of the example versions are just played with an A-B-A format, however you can play longer versions of the song (i.e. A-B-A-B-A). I hope you have fun with this song.

All rights reserved to the song “Coffee Bean Slack Key,” however students are allowed to perform the song in public.

SLACK 401 • Coffee Bean Slack Key – Lesson on How to Play

SLACK 402 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Slow)

SLACK 403 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Slow)

SLACK 404 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Fast)

SLACK 405 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Fast, with some improv)

SLACK 402 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Slow)

Open Tunings, Slack Key, Songs, , , ,

Coffee Bean Slack Key played at a slow tempo. This song was written as a study piece, however it works as a fun, simple song in its own right.

The song can be played at a variety of tempos: beginners can play it slow and more advanced players might have fun improvising around it. To that end, I’ve recorded several other versions of the song for you to check out (links below). Feel free to play along to these recordings, though I didn’t use a click track or metronome so tempo varies a little. Also note, most of the example versions are just played with an A-B-A format, however you can play longer versions of the song (i.e. A-B-A-B-A). I hope you have fun with this song.

Please see the related lesson for this song (link below), as well as other lessons on my channel.

All rights reserved to the song “Coffee Bean Slack Key,” however students are allowed to perform the song in public.

SLACK 401 • Coffee Bean Slack Key – Lesson on How to Play

SLACK 402 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Slow)

SLACK 403 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Slow)

SLACK 404 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Fast)

SLACK 405 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Fast, with some improv)

SLACK 403 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Slow)

Open Tunings, Slack Key, Songs, , , ,

Coffee Bean Slack Key played at a medium-slow tempo. This song was written as a study piece, however it works as a fun, simple song in its own right.

The song can be played at a variety of tempos: beginners can play it slow and more advanced players might have fun improvising around it. To that end, I’ve recorded several other versions of the song for you to check out (links below). Feel free to play along to these recordings, though I didn’t use a click track or metronome so tempo varies a little. Also note, most of the example versions are just played with an A-B-A format, however you can play longer versions of the song (i.e. A-B-A-B-A). I hope you have fun with this song.

Please see the related lesson for this song (link below), as well as other lessons on my channel.

All rights reserved to the song “Coffee Bean Slack Key,” however students are allowed to perform the song in public.

SLACK 401 • Coffee Bean Slack Key – Lesson on How to Play

SLACK 402 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Slow)

SLACK 403 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Slow)

SLACK 404 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Fast)

SLACK 405 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Fast, with some improv)

SLACK 404 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Fast)

Open Tunings, Slack Key, Songs, , , ,

Coffee Bean Slack Key played at a medium-fast tempo. This song was written as a study piece, however it works as a fun, simple song in its own right.

The song can be played at a variety of tempos: beginners can play it slow and more advanced players might have fun improvising around it. To that end, I’ve recorded several other versions of the song for you to check out (links below). Feel free to play along to these recordings, though I didn’t use a click track or metronome so tempo varies a little. Also note, most of the example versions are just played with an A-B-A format, however you can play longer versions of the song (i.e. A-B-A-B-A). I hope you have fun with this song.

Please see the related lesson for this song (link below), as well as other lessons on my channel.

All rights reserved to the song “Coffee Bean Slack Key,” however students are allowed to perform the song in public.

SLACK 401 • Coffee Bean Slack Key – Lesson on How to Play

SLACK 402 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Slow)

SLACK 403 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Slow)

SLACK 404 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Fast)

SLACK 405 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Fast, with some improv)

SLACK 405 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Fast, with some improv)

Live, Open Tunings, Slack Key, Songs, , , ,

Coffee Bean Slack Key played at a fast tempo, with some improvisation. This song was written as a study piece, however it works as a fun, simple song in its own right.

The song can be played at a variety of tempos: beginners can play it slow and more advanced players might have fun improvising around it. To that end, I’ve recorded several other versions of the song for you to check out (links below). Feel free to play along to these recordings, though I didn’t use a click track or metronome so tempo varies a little. Also note, most of the example versions are just played with an A-B-A format, however you can play longer versions of the song (i.e. A-B-A-B-A). I hope you have fun with this song.

Please see the related lesson for this song (link below), as well as other lessons on my channel.

All rights reserved to the song “Coffee Bean Slack Key,” however students are allowed to perform the song in public.

SLACK 401 • Coffee Bean Slack Key – Lesson on How to Play

SLACK 402 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Slow)

SLACK 403 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Slow)

SLACK 404 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Med-Fast)

SLACK 405 • Coffee Bean Slack Key (Fast, with some improv)