Tone. At Home.
#CoffeeAndKlon is my (irregular!) Sunday morning magazine series, where I talk about whatever’s on my mind right now. There’s always coffee, and there’s normally chat about the Klon and its many competitors.
Today, I want to talk klones, and specifically the most important klone pedal ever released: Electro-Harmonix’s Soul Food. Make yourself your favourite morning drink first. This one is going to be a #longread … with audio demos.
Continue reading “#CoffeeAndKlon 33: The EHX Soul Food”Shane’s had a lot of interest in his Danelectro ‘84 since introducing it on his YouTube channel. So he’s done a shootout against his Mexican Strat.
The two guitars sound quite different. The Danelectro has a lot more twang, without sounding like a Tele. It’s also a little thinner sounding, but not in a bad way. The overall result is a guitar which looks like a Strat but has its own thing going on. Very cool.
Watch the video to hear for yourself, and then please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
Shane has taken a look at one of the high-end, Japanese-made Gretch guitars: the Duo Jet.
This premium guitar looks like Gretch’s answer to Gibson Les Paul reissues. It has that fat Les Paul tone when the amp’s nice and dirty, but it also offers very usable clean tones – something I’m hard-pressed to say about any modern Les Paul!
Watch the video to hear how good this sounds, and then please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
Shane over at In The Blues has finally (his words!) gotten his hands on a Vox AV30 hybrid amp to demo.
The Vox AV30 is an affordable two channel hybrid amp. It features a real valve preamp section and a solid state power amp section to keep the cost right down. There’s built-in modulation, delay and reverb settings – very handy if this is your first amp or your spare practice-at-home amp.
Watch the video for Shane’s full demo and discussion, and then please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
Shane is currently looking at the new-for-2018 Fender pedals, and today he’s looking at the Pugilist Distortion Pedal.
I’ve featured a number of Pugilist demos on the blog now, and one thing I’m struck by is just how different this pedal sounds when it’s running into a Hot Rod Deluxe mk 4 vs just about any other amp. The tones that Danish Pete got out of this pedal convinced me to go and get one for myself. None of the other demos had that impact on me.
Anyway, have a listen to Shane’s demo, and see what you think. And then, as always, please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
Over at In The Blues, Shane has posted his demo of Fender’s new Santa Ana Overdrive pedal.
This is a really good demo of this pedal, showing off what this pedal can do for a Telecaster, Stratocaster and for a Les Paul. Shane also points how the Middle EQ tone control is the crucial one for shaping the tone with the pedal.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Shane’s video,
Shane’s posted a demo of the new-for-2018 dual humbucker Squire Contempoary Series Telecaster. Check it out.
A Squier with a satin finish neck? That alone is likely to make it a popular choice. Squier necks are known for having thick glossy finishes that can be a little sticky for some players.
It’s hard to say how good this guitar sounds. The clean tones, and the dirt tones with the volume rolled down sound nice and clear. The full fat tones? Not so much. Shane does say that he thinks the guitar does sound clear, so maybe what we’re hearing is the effect of YouTube’s audio munging.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Shane’s video.
Shane’s been teasing us about the Kemper Profiler that he borrowed from Sky Music of Melbourne … and now we have his thoughts on it.
I’m going to save my thoughts on the Kemper until I’ve had time to sit down and record my own Kemper demos. For now, I agree with what Shane thinks about the Kemper – especially when it comes to pedals – but I have a lot more to share about profiling accuracy soon!
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Shane’s video.
Shane’s posted a first look at Squier’s Contemporary Series Telecaster. This demo is a bit different, as we get to hear it alongside live bass and a live second guitar.
We can’t all play Custom Shop guitars, and the days of “budget brand” guitars being utter trash are long gone. Whether it’s Squier, Epiphone, PRS SE, or other budget brands, these are perfectly usable instruments to learn on and use as a home hobbyist. And they’re getting better and better each and every year.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Shane’s video and Ryan’s playing.
Shane’s got his hands on a Hagstrom Super Viking. Does he like it? Let’s find out.
I loved the tone he got for the opening track, and indeed throughout the demo. I thought it’s one of the best sounds he’s had on the channel to date.
And I’m not surprised. Hagstrom did a demo evening at my local guitar shop AStrings, and every single guitar that night sounded fantastic. They were really nice people to talk to afterwards too. If you’re looking for guitars that’ll go head-to-head on sound with the top-dollar gear, Hagstrom should be on your list.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Shane’s video.