Tone. At Home.
What do I think about a piece of new (to me) gear at first? We all know first impressions don’t last, but at least this way I can look back and see how my opinion has changed from when I first tried something.
Earlier in March, I picked up an unbranded pedal from eBay. It was sold as an AZABACHE pedal by TH Custom Effects. Does it live up to the hype of “the best sounds [sic] Fender Tweed Amp simulator I ever heard”?
Read on to find out my first impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: TH Custom Effects AZABACHE Overdrive Pedal”A couple of weeks ago, I bought a second-hand Leo Jr overdrive pedal.
I’ve been after one of these for a long time. Now that I have it, was it worth the wait?
Continue reading “First Impressions: ToadWorks Leo Jr American Overdrive”This year (2021), I’m on a mission. I’m learning how to record acoustic guitar at home, so that I can record some of my older, original music.
Earlier this month, I picked up the Roswell mini K47 large diaphragm condenser. Now, I’ve added a set of Neumann KM184’s to my mic locker too. How am I getting on with them? Read on for my First Impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Neumann KM184 Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphone Matched Pair”
As regular readers will know, tweed-tone pedals are kind of my thing. Good, bad, or indifferent, I’m always on the lookout for an opportunity to try as many of these pedals as I possibly can. The Catalinbread Formula 5F6 is one of the few that’s in regular production.
The day this was delivered, I was pretty down on it over on my Twitter account. Has anything changed now that I’ve had a bit more time with it? That all depends on what kind of guitar you play …
Continue reading “First Impressions: Catalinbread Formula 5F6 Drive Pedal”The Roswell Audio Mini K47 is a large diaphragm condenser (LDC for short) microphone. I was looking for a microphone to help me record acoustic guitar, and I saw this one recommended quite a bit on YouTube.
How did I get on with it? Read on to find out.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Roswell Mini K47 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone”
This arrived all the way back at the start of December, and since then, it’s barely been off my practice pedal board at home. Although that sounds like a really good thing, the reality is a little more complicated than that …
Continue reading “First Impressions: NABLA Custom Black Tweed Overdrive Pedal”
Late 2020, Wampler Pedals launched the Wampler Belle, which comes in a fetching green. They also did a limited run of these in the Claymore finish, as a tribute to the late Alex Abernathy Clay. Same circuit, just a different finish.
Here are my (long overdue) first impressions of this delightful overdrive pedal.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Wampler Belle Overdrive (in Claymore Finish)”Here’s a pedal from (probably) my all-time favourite designer, made by one of the classic American boutique pedal makers, that chases one of the three most famous archetype amp sounds of all time.
Read on for my first impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Bearfoot FX Emerald Green Distortion Machine Overdrive Pedal”Here’s something you don’t see every day. I recently picked up a second-hand Manticore v2, and spent a full week with it on the practice board at home.
How did I get on with it? Read on to find out.
Last week of August 2020, I bought myself one of Squier’s limited-run Esquire guitars (think single-pickup Telecaster), and I’ve been having a right blast with it.
It might be a cheap and cheerful guitar, but it’ll comfortably hang with anything out of the Fender USA factory line-up.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Squier Esquire in Butterscotch Blonde”