Tone. At Home.
Go and see this amazing content from elsewhere on the Internet! We’ll still be here when you get back.
Over on the Andertons YouTube channel, Joss has built his ultimate metal rig – and it sounds epic.
The basic premise is that this is the kind of rig that Joss would use both to record with, and to gig with. It’s a straight-forward, no-nonsense rig that will handle both lead and rhythm duties in one. If heavier tones are your thing, it’s well worth a watch.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Joss’s video.
Over on their YouTube channel, mega-European retailers Thomann have taken a look at 5 great dynamic microphones for singers.
Here’s the list of the microphones covered:
You get to hear both talking and singing through each microphone. Very cool.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoy Thomann’s video.
Mary Spender has uploaded the first of her on-the-floor vlogs from NAMM 2018:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8BxIvzlDQ4
This is a really good look at the changes to the St Vincent guitar model for 2018. Looks like the solid rosewood necks have been replaced by flame roast maple instead. There’s also a more traditional two-humbucker configuration available, along with some new colours.
And a cool recap of the history of this unique guitar.
Please head on over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Mary’s video.
Over on In The Blues, Shane has posted a tasty demo of the PRS J-Mod 100 amp through its matching 2×12 cab.
The J-Mod 100 is John Mayer’s signature amp. Current asking price for one in the UK is around £6,500 (!!) Sadly, the price doesn’t include John Mayer coming along to make you sound like he does.
This demo video is full of tasty playing by Dr Ric and Ryan, showing off both the clean and overdrive channels. They also run some pedals through it. Sounds like a great pedal platform for the person who can afford a genuine Klon Centaur 🙂
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Shane’s video.
Over on In The Blues, Shane has posted a demo of Fender’s new Original Series 50’s Stratocaster.
You can always tell when Shane’s got a great guitar in his hands by the look on his face, and in this video, I don’t think he stops grinning once. He gets some great tones out of this guitar, that’s for sure.
Fender Original Series has replaced the Fender American Vintage line. Instead of trying to recreate instruments from specific years, the new Original Series instead focuses on the key characteristics from the 50s and 60s. Another important change is the finish, which has been changed to help ensure that the guitar reaches you in the same condition it left the factory in, even after months sat in shipping and warehouses on the way.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Shane’s video.
Back in January, Rhett Shull posted a demo of his Divided By 13 amp, the FTR37. Even if you’re not interested in the amp, it’s worth watching the video just for the opening track.
I’ve seen Divided By 13 amps on a bunch of YouTube demos over years, especially Shawn Tubbs’ videos. They have a striking design, and seem to be an amp of choice for pros. Definitely curious to learn more about them whenever I can,
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Rhett’s video.
For those of us recording at home, drums are a major challenge. We just don’t have the space, nor enough mics to do it justice, nor a great-sounding live room to capture it all in. It’s no surprise that drums went digital first.
So this video from Steven Slate really grabbed my attention tonight. He starts by setting up a drum kit in the middle of the office, and mics it up with only 3 mics. See what he manages to achieve from that.
This has to be one of the better showcases for modelling microphones that I’ve seen so far. I get the whole thing with them and vocals – and I have a small collection of vocal mics because there’s no such thing as one mic suits everyone – but somehow, watching Steven using different models to bring the drum recording to life really turned me on to just how much can be done with modelling today.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supporting comment if you enjoyed Steven’s video.
Johan Segeborn is back with another of his comparison videos – and minus his beard. Today, he’s comparing the difference between bridges and saddles from the 50s and 2008.
There are whole sections of major Les Paul forums devoted to the endless discussion – and decrying – of trying to capture that legendary 50s Les Paul burst tone with modern instruments. (Yours truly might be a lurker and occasional contributor *cough* to those debates …)
Johan’s comparisons are always interesting, and certainly add fuel to the debate 🙂
I don’t chase that 50s tone per se. I’ve never played an original Les Paul burst, and likely never will. And if I did, I’d need to have it through my rig (that I’m most familiar with) and have the chance to A/B it with my own Les Pauls to really understand the difference anyway.
The key thing I chase is the 3D aspect of those old vintage tones. That’s the magic for me. My own experience is that sometimes a pickup upgrade will unlock that without any other changes at all. How much of it is the pups, and how much of it is the guitar they’re going into, I don’t know.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Johan’s video. Or if you miss the beard – which seems to have generated the most comments so far!
Ben’s back with his weekly look at what’s being built down at Crimson Guitars in Dorset. These videos need no further introduction 🙂
https://youtu.be/AQ4A7Iu3Qpg
One of the things I love about these regular videos is watching how Ben’s business has evolved over the years. And it’s great to see guitars being designed and built here in the UK.
They’re currently hiring for an apprentice. As Ben says, it’s a proper UK apprenticeship. Check out the video for more details.
Oh, and many of the guitars shown in the video will be at the Birmingham Guitar Show at the end of February. A great opportunity for you to check out their work in person.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a comment if you enjoyed Ben’s video.
Shane’s back, with a demo of Donner’s Green Land Pedal. Even if you’re not interested in the pedal, it’s worth watching just to listen to Shane tear it up in the opening jam.
This pedal reminds me of the Mooer micro preamp pedals that came out last year or the year before. They were designed to offer two channels from classic amps, complete with built-in cab sim for direct recording.
With this pedal, Donner has done something a little different with the concept. Instead of offering two channels from the same amp, this pedal offers Fender and Marshall tones all in one box. It’s also got built-in reverb. I don’t remember that being on the Mooer preamps?
Fender vs Marshall are two classic tones. Having them both available with the press of a foot switch sounds like a winning idea. How come no-one else has done this before?
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Shane’s video.