Boy it's been awhile. Cleaned up the blogs. Clips and what nto are next as I'm getting a mic so I can use a real amp to record, not a crappy Behringer multi effector.
Meanwhile, I've developed the ultimate cure for GAS or Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Unfortunately, for this to work you need to give into it a few times. Each week, use a different guitar. Use it all week. Then, the next week, move onto the next. You won't get bored with it as fast, and the guitar will feel new eahc time, particulary if you have 3 or four guitars to cycle through. With amps and pedals, try different soudns out of them rather than the same old thing. You may be surprised how versatile your current stuff is if you spend time playing with it. If you have a guitar that has a pickguard, try changing it to freshen up the look. Finally, save or put your money out of sight. If it's burning a hole in your pocket, use it to upgrade things that often go neglected due to GAS, small things like cables, speakers, and tubes. It's better however to save, so that way if you see something cool and nice you can afford it. I am CJRocker and I have beaten GAS.
On other notes, I've noticed something recently; newer metal bands playing Dean. ESP used to be the brand to whore out endorsements, but Dean is catching up.
Also, the new CHARVEL Production series is out. These seem like a pretty good option for a shred guitar well under $1000. USA made with DiMArzio and Duncan pickups, hard rock maple necks, and (Korean, but still made of hardened steel) Floyd Roses. The retail is about $999, but actual MAP is likely to be around $700-850. Definately a line of guitars to watch.
In getting to tremolos... Yeah I know. well, I'm going to give a run down of whats hot and whats not, so listen up n00bs.
JACKSON TREMOLOS (Modern): BLACK JT580s : Good, solid LP trems. Pretty good for an LFR, though it won't knock your "sawks" off. Should give you years of whammy fun. CHROME Jt580s: Avoid like the plague. Poor quality, and tend to have issues down the road
Older Jackson/Charvel Trems: Jt580 (1996 and earlier): Read above for the BLACK JT580s JT500: Some weren't bad, most were crappers. If its still around, chances are its fine, and nothing to worry about for a while JT590: Made by Schaller. Nice trems, on par with the OFR. JT570: Single locking POS Takeuchi JT580: Great trems. mine is 15 years old and holding up great JT6: Love it/Hate it. If you find one in good shape, keep it, but if its not, replace it with an OFR
IBANEZ:
Im only doing Modern units as they're the only ones Im familar with.
EDGE III: Good for moderate abuse, just don't give to heavy with it. The key to these is keeping the knife edges well lubricated and kept up, but if you don't, you're in for some issues very fast.
ZR: These feel a lot like a Kahler to me. Pretty good, but they don't feel like a Floyd. I get the feeling they would be a pain to work with and fidn parts for, as well as finding someone to fix them, so keep that in mind
Edge Pro/Lo Pro/Etc: Excellent trems, and though they aren't quite as good as some early 90s units, they are probably the best licensed Floyds out there, though they are more sensitive imo.
ESP/LTD:
They only have one licensed trem I know of. My exprience showed it had issues staying in tune. My friend also had a ESP/LTD with one and found the strings kept coming out of the saddles. Avoid it.
Kramer:
Modern: They're medicore. I don't have much expereince, but they remind me of some of the ESP/LTD licensed trems and cheaper JT580s by Jackson. be ready for issues down the road.
Older: Floyd Rose II: Pretty good trem, you see a lot of them out there, and they feel pretty good. Just be sure to check the condition of the knfie edges
Floyd Rose IIIs: I believe these were single locking like the Jackson JT570s. In other words, they're junk.
Schaller Floyds: What do you expect? Great.
Schecter: Sad to say, I don't have much experience with Schecter trems, though the licensed oens I've used seem to be on par with the good JT580s by Jackson.
KAHLER TREMOLOS: These have a class all their own. I don't have exprience with these, but I can give you some basics:
Hard to work with when they break, and can be hard to get parts Well built Not too common, but a lot of Jacksons and Charvels had them. some Fame by Hondo and Aria Pro IIs used them as well. They feel a lot different then a Floyd, and are looser and have more travel to them.
This may well turn into the only rant ever on UG to piss off just about every member. Its about amps and pickups and the ignorance around them. I'm putting my flame suit on right now before we even got started so I can finish this without burning to death.
Guys, if he wants a new guitar, eh wants one. I would rather play a great guitar thats keeping me playing through a meh amp then a piece of crap I hate through a stack. To a new guitarist, the guitar means more then the amp, as its where the sound starts and the piece of gear you pour your heart and soul in. And if little joey likes his MG he likes it. Or if he wants a Valve State, don't tell him not to because you don't like it. You wouldn't want to be treated like sheep would you now? And lets face it, stacks own combos. Once you get past the investment, you'l lalways have that cab. and heads are a lot cheaper then combos. And "Wel lwhy do you need a cab" Because half stacks kick ass you idiots. Who doesn't want a screaming line of stacks behind him? People also need to realize amps do some things better then others. A Crate Palomino isn't going to do Metallica, thats why you get a Peavey Valve King. Or you get aren't going to play death metal on a Valve Junior; a nice solid state head will do that fine. By the way, gig with that ValveTronix and tell me how it does.
Now here is my next rant. "Well its your amp not your pickups". Pickups make a lot of difference through most amps. The pickups are perhaps the most important part of your sound. They are what makes it. the higher the pickup quality, the better the sound through the amp will be. Pickups make a huge difference on most amps. If a person decides thats what they want, thats what they want. New pickups can also have a psychological effect, and thus maybe make you more proud or inspired.
Now Im not down playing the amps role, but people are sheep and do what everyone tells them to do or buy. And it pisses me off. Just buy what you want and like people, and don't do what other people say because you think they're right. Do what YOU want and what YOU think will get you clsoer to your tone.
Welcome to my new blog, which will probably be updated once a month, so don't hold your breath for new installments. Also Firefoxs spellchecker doesn't work in this dumb thing, s0 prden teh misteaks. This will contain music and gera related tidbits, as well as my (often politically incorrect and sure to offend) rants. So lets get started shall we?
WHY do people make these "What guitar should I buy?" topics. I can see if you can't get out and play them, but c'mon, that many people can't? And its always the same suggestions. A crappy Indonesian Ibanez RG series thats made from the all mighty bASSwood. Or the Schecter Hellraiser, which 9/10 people that reccomend it probably never have touched on in their lives yet feel its the coolest thing since everyone else has one. Seriously folks, see that guitar over there? It's called a Jackson try it. Or see that, oh whats that, look a Washburn whats that no name brand? And what ever happened to used? That used guitar is just as shiney as that new one by the way. And its cheaper. And is made better. Lets get the new one! By the way, EMGs suck, and Duncan Blackouts are the 1337 thing because my favorite guitar player and everyone whos never played non says they own!
God, people. What happened to going into shops and playing everything on the wall and then picking your favorite? How I bought all mine. Amps a bit different. You see MGs and Spiders and every store, but none of the good stuff. And the good stuff, like your JSXs have been fwopped over by every Billie Joe wannabe and his hundred dollar Epi there. And retailers, try to carry an amp over $1,000 that isn't Peavey or Marshall, kthxbai.
Glad thats off my chest. Now lets see... Ah yes, recording. Christmas and my GT-8 can't come soon enough. I tried recording with my Behringer (happens to be I got another for free from a friend). Its crap. It always has this kinda half open wah sound to it. I've heard distortion pedals right into a mixing board that sound better. Despite this, I have some clips up, check them out, but don't blame me for sucky tone. I need to get around to getting a mic for my amp.
Now then, on to our final topic for today class. The Wah. The icon, the pedal, the mystery. Its my view they all sound pretyt much the same. Sure one may have true bypass or a fasel, or some slight changes for a different EQ range, but they're pretty much the same. Thus, the tone is not the wah, but the foot using it. It makes a world of difference between taking time to develope technique to make it sound good and your own voice on it. So yes, it makes more tone then "wacka wacka wah wah wah".
on a side note, I hate ignorant guitarist. I want to take them and have them shot behind a shed and thrown in a ditch, but thats for another time. So when you're done flaming me, be sure to come back and see how I found yet another way to hack you off
| My Profile
CJRocker's blogs, last updated : June 25, 2008
