Santa brought me a Boss BP-1w 🙂
What do I think of it? Read on for my (lengthy!) first impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Boss BP-1w Booster / Preamp Pedal”First Impressions: Boss BP-1w Booster / Preamp Pedal
#TeleTuesday: Bridge Pickup Comparison – Part 2: The Reveal
#TeleTuesday is my occasional series where I share my own feelings and experiences with Fender’s original solid-body electric guitar … warts and all.
Last time, I ran a blind test: seven demos of bridge pickups, but only four were Telecasters. Now it’s time for the reveal, and to share my thoughts on each bridge pickup.
Continue reading “#TeleTuesday: Bridge Pickup Comparison – Part 2: The Reveal”#CoffeeAndKlon 32: A Digital Klone In The Axe-FX 3?
#CoffeeAndKlon is my occasional Sunday magazine-style series, where I talk about whatever’s on my mind about guitars, gear, music and yes, sometimes my love of both coffee and the Klon pedal.
Fractal Audio recently released a digital Klon klone pedal for the Axe FX 3. Knowing Fractal’s reputation, it will have been meticulously modelled against a real Klon Centaur pedal – either one they own, or one they were able to borrow from the community.
Can a digital klone be a stand-in for the real thing? Let’s find out together.
Continue reading “#CoffeeAndKlon 32: A Digital Klone In The Axe-FX 3?”First Impressions: Bare Knuckle Pickups True Grit Telecaster Bridge Pickup
Last year, I picked up Hedgehog (my Squier Esquire 60’s Custom), and it quickly became one of my firm favourites. I’m on a hunt to find the right bridge pickup to bring out the best in it.
I’ve already given the Seymour Duncan Antiquity II a go. Will I be any happier with the Bare Knuckle Pickups True Grit? Read on to find out.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Bare Knuckle Pickups True Grit Telecaster Bridge Pickup”Second Bite: Wampler Paisley Deluxe
Back in March 2020, I picked up a second hand Paisley Deluxe (Paisley Drive Deluxe? Even Wampler’s own marketing uses both terms …), and really struggled with it. And that has bugged me ever since.
A lot has changed since then. Will that make any difference, or will it still be a pedal that just isn’t for me? Details below 🙂
Continue reading “Second Bite: Wampler Paisley Deluxe”2021 Review: Guitars For Home Playing
Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I’m going to do a rundown of what guitars I’ve had my hands on, and what I’ve learned from the experience.
This post covers guitars I play at home for fun. I’ll cover the guitars that I gig with tomorrow.
Previous articles: [2019][2020]
Continue reading “2021 Review: Guitars For Home Playing”New Arrivals: November 2021
You know the old joke about how you wait ages for a bus, and then three turn up at once? It’s been a bit like that with second-hand gear.
Five of my bucket-list items turned up on the second-hand market this month. I could only snag one of them. The three guitars and the amplifier were well outside my budget atm, and the only sensible thing to do was to hope that they bring joy to the people who have bought them. It just isn’t worth going into debt for a hobby, not to me anyway.
What was the one bucket-list item that I did get this month? And what else found its way to the Hermit’s Cave? Read on to find out 🙂
Continue reading “New Arrivals: November 2021”First Impressions: Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Telecaster Bridge Pickup
I recently picked up another Antiquity pickup, to go into my other Squier Esquire. The guitar’s now back from the shop … so what do I think? Is this another great mod?
Read on to find out.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Telecaster Bridge Pickup”New Arrivals: October 2021
Towards the start of the month, something in me snapped. That’s the best way that I can describe it. I looked at three guitars that have fallen out of favour this year, and said to myself, “why am I not sorting this out?”
All three guitars have the same issue: I just don’t get on with their pickups atm.
One of them (The Squirrel) has a stock pickup that can’t compete with its sister guitar (Hedgehog). One of them (Dexter) has stock pickups that just deeply disappoint. And one of them (the Charvel) is already on its fourth or fifth bridge pickup, and I’m still not happy.
So this month, it’s new (to me) pickups all around. Is this going to be money well-spent, or an expensive disappointment? Read on to find out.
Continue reading “New Arrivals: October 2021”First Impressions: Seymour Duncan Antiquity Tele Bridge Pickup
I recently bought a new bridge pickup for one of my cheap-and-cheerful Esquire guitars.
How did I get on with it? Read on for my First Impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Seymour Duncan Antiquity Tele Bridge Pickup”