Stuart – Page 21 – HomeToneBlog.com

16th August 202114th August 2021

First Impressions: Vox’s GIULIETTA VGA-3PS Guitar

You probably haven’t heard of this guitar. We certainly hadn’t. But once we’d tried one, we were sold.

This is an official product photo of Vox's Giulietta guitar.

It's a top-down view of an archtop guitar, in a natural finish. There are f-holes on either side of the top, a floating bridge, and black pick guard.

No pickups are visible. — Vox’s new archtop guitar, the Giulietta. Official product photo.

14th August 2021

Studio Diary #27: A New Lease Of Life To My Old Amps

I’m supposed to be rehearsing the four (possibly five) songs for acoustic guitar that I’m aiming to record by the end of the year. However, for the last few weeks, I’ve been lured away by the seductive purr of my guitar amps.

Here are three short narratives on the sirens that have waylaid my acoustic adventures …

31st July 202130th July 2021

New Arrivals: July 2021

This month has been a very special month. A couple of purchases I’ve been working towards unexpectedly all came together at the same time. And then I learned that you really do need to be careful what you wish for!

The second-hand market remains pretty flat. I did miss out on one of my bucket-list pedals though. It’s going to take me a while before I stop kicking myself over that one. I managed to pickup another great BJFe-designed pedal instead, so it wasn’t all bad 🙂

30th July 202127th July 2021

First Impression: Bearfoot FX Emerald Green Overdrive Pedal

The photo is a top-down view of the Bearfoot FX Emerald Green OD guitar effects pedal.

Input and output jacks can be seen on the right and left side of the pedal casing, respectively. The power input jack can be seen on the right hand side, just below the input jack.

On top of the pedal, there are four black control knobs. Clockwise from the top left, these are labelled Volume, Drive, Treble and Voice. — The Bearfoot FX Emerald Green Overdrive pedal.

I recently picked up another Bearfoot FX pedal: the Emerald Green OD. Read on for my first impressions.

29th July 202127th July 2021

First Impressions: Fryette Power Station PS-100

My new Tweed Deluxe amp is a bit of a dream come true. Being a vintage amp circuit, it’s also a bit too loud for regular use at home. If I’m going to enjoy it, I need a way to turn it down.

My tool of choice for the job? Fryette’s Power Station PS-100. Why did I pick this over the considerable competition? And does it actually do the job? Read on for my research notes and First Impressions.

28th July 202126th July 2021

First Impressions: B&G Little Sister P90 Crossroads

Earlier this month, I took a trip up to Birmingham to try out a couple of B&G Little Sister P90 Crossroads guitars. I liked them so much, I brought one home with me and named it Merrang! (The exclamation mark is part of the name.)

Why did I get it, and what is it for? Read on for my First Impressions.

27th July 202125th July 2021

First Impressions: Fender 57 Custom Deluxe Amp

I’ve finally done it. I’ve gone and bought an actual 5e3 circuit tweed amp. I wasn’t planning on getting one, but when a different planned purchase didn’t happen, I went for it. And then, by an amazing stroke of luck, the amp arrived months earlier than expected – right when I’ve got a short break from work between jobs.

This is going to be one of the longer First Impression posts. I’ve got a lot of notes to share with you, even though I’ve only had the amp a couple of days.

18th July 2021

Second Bite: NABLA Custom Black Tweed Overdrive Pedal

This photo shows my Marshall DSL20HR amp head on a shelf, and my pedal board on a second shelf below.

The Marshall DSL20HR is on the clean channel, and the controls can be seen as follows:

* reverb: off
* resonance: about 8 o'clock
* presence: about 12 noon
* bass: just below 10 o'clock
* mids: about 10:30
* treble: about 1:30
* volume: about 10 o'clock
* gain: about 11 o'clock

On the pedal board, we can see three pedals: the NABLA Custom Black Tweed, the MXR Sugar Drive, and the JRAD Archer Ikon. — My rig for exploring the Black Tweed, second time around.

First time around, the NABLA Custom Black Tweed overdrive pedal just fell a little bit short of what I was hoping for. While I loved the feel of playing the pedal (honestly, it’s like playing an amp), I struggled with the EQ controls and the lack of top-end presence in the overall tone.

That was last year. Six months or so later, do I still feel the same?

2nd July 20211st July 2021

First Impressions: The MXR Sugar Drive

This photo shows three guitar effects pedals on my pedal board.

On the left is the Sweet Honey Overdrive pedal. In the middle is the MXR Sugar Drive (the subject of this blog post). On the right, a somewhat dusty Klon KTR. — The MXR Sugar Drive, sat between the Klon KTR and my beloved Sweet Honey Overdrive.

Back in June, I picked up an MXR Sugar Drive. How does this mini Klon klone compare to the real thing? And is it a cheaper alternative to any of the other klones that are in my collection?

1st July 202125th January 2022

New Arrivals: June 2021

I’m still recovering from surgery in April, which really limited how much time I could spend with my guitar this month. On top of that, the medical bills came due.

And then I ended up having a second (completely unrelated and unplanned) procedure this month too. I’m still recovering from that at the time of writing.

But I did get about a week in between all of this to try something new (to me).