There are so many guitar learning/instruction sites. Here is just a few ones I found pretty cool.
T-Bone Walker I like this site. Guitar instruction related to someone. Basic Blues, yes, but basic blues can be awesome.
Guitar Dreams A wide variety of lesson here.
Chord Book A cool interactive fret board applet scales too.
99 Way to Play Better Guitar Player article with some good general tips.
Guitar Trainer A little thingy to help you learn the notes on the fret board.
Jay Toups A good and quick run down of CAGED theory.
Maker: Analogman
Type: Booster.
Years: Currently in production.
Fame: Of of the biggest names in boutique pedals.
Mojo Factor: A boutique pedal with “Bean-O” in the name has to have some mojo.
Price: Expensive but cheap than a vintage range master. $165
General Sound Description:
The classic sound of a Rangemaster like germanium booster with a 3 way EQ switch.
Who it’s for:
If you want that classic British treble boost sound a la Clapton this could be the way to go. Cheap and more practical than an original.
Manufacturer’s Sales Pitch:
This is the Analog Man Beano Boosttm, a simple looking yet effective pedal.
This pedal is based on the 1960s British Dallas Rangemaster, which was needed at the time to give a treble boost to the dark British amps. This allowed them to get a sound more in tune with the time, as guitars were starting to become a loud, bold, lead instrument. This pedal is a type of BOOSTER, not really a distortion pedal nor a clean boost- it does modify your sound quite a bit. It excites certain frequencies and pushes your amp to allow it to create rich tube distortion. The pedal colors your tone, with a crunchy overdrive, boosting certain frequencies, and warming the tone with NOS germanium transistors. It does not have a lot of compression and sustain like most OD pedals, but a more open, raw sound.
This pedal has three tone settings from the tone switch, Center is a treble boost, the same as the original Dallas Rangemaster. UP is more of a full frequency mid range boost (MID setting). Down is a LOW range, also quite a full frequency sound. Optionally we can install a push/pull switch (built into the volume knob) for 2 tone selections (treble and mids).
Video
Maker: Pigtronix
Type: Phaser/Envelope
Years: Currently in product.
Fame: Not to well known.
Mojo Factor: It is boutique, weird and has a lots of controls.
Price: Expensive but feature pack and just try a comparable unit. $220
General Sound Description:
A little weird. Has the funk of a envelope follower and the spaciness of a phaser. Sound analog a capable of of a wide range of sounds of the very strange to semi-normal.
Who it’s for:
If you are looking for a funky different effect this could be for you. Not only is good for guitar or bass but built for other audio sources as well.
Manufacturer’s Sales Pitch:
Pigtronix EP-1 Envelope Phaser features an incredibly fat and vocal, touch sensitive envelope phaser as well as a deep and chewy, univibe style rotary phaser with enough controls to dial in your own special sauce. The EP-1 is an expressive, flexible, dynamic effect with a warm analog personality, versatile tone palette and a stage friendly interface. EP-1’s trigger input allows your instrument’s sound to be phase modulated by an external audio source, such as a drum machine or laptop beat. This side chain input can even be used as an FX loop for maintaining accurate nvelope response when using other effects in line before the EP-1. The Envelope Phaser also features footswitchable phase inversion, expression pedal speed controlfor mind bending rotary speaker effects and can even be used as a clean analog fat booster.
Info:
TCG review
Maker: Fulltone
Made in: USA
Type: Booster/OD
Years: Currently in product.
Fame: Much admired by pedal heads.
Mojo Factor: Cool, extinct and used by famous users equals a big hunk of mojo.
Price: Expensive but not outrageous for this type of thing. List at $179.00
General Sound Description:
Can just work as a clean boost. A second channel can an nice crunchy OD to the mix.
Who it’s for:
If you need good clean boost and OD you can get it in one durable box.
Manufacturer’s Sales Pitch:
Chosen by Guitar Player Magazine as one of the all-time top 50 effects ever! We are the first to offer a switchable “Boost” Channel in an overdrive and manufacture our own Super-Duty 3PDT footswitch allowing True-Bypass plus LED Housed in a beautiful powder coated Blue 16ga.steel enclosure, the first channel is the “Overdrive Mode” capable of Clean Boost or non-compressed overdrive or choose light to medium softer Overdrives all while retaining your guitar’s original tone. The Tone knob is a very effective Presence control that can smooth out or add upper harmonics.. There’s also a footswitchable second channel “Boost Mode” with its own separate Distortion control for medium to higher gains with a more singing violin-like sustain!
Info:
Users of Note:
Rolling Stones
Robin Trower
The Black Crowes
Ian Moore
Steve Stevens
Pete Anderson
Peter Frampton
John Abercrombie
Trevor Keith
Tracii Gunns
Maker: Lovetone
Made in: England
Type: Fuzz
Years: 1995-2001
Fame: It has a host of famous loyal users and a cult following.
Mojo Factor: Cool, extinct and used by famous users equals a big hunk of mojo.
Price: Expensive. It was boutique to start with now out of production.
General Sound Description:
This not a ordinary fuzz. It does the typical fuzz sounds but can get more aggressive or unusual.
Who it’s for:
Those seeking something different and more control that your average fuzz. Its versatility can save you from needing more than one fuzz box though with it’s size it may not save any space on your pedal board.
Manufacturer’s Sales Pitch:
The BIG CHEESE is a loving homage to the nasty, buzzy yet gorgeous and harmonically rich early fuzz. While having many of the classic characteristics that every fuzz fan will relate to it goes beyond to create an absolutely distinct character of its own. Its innovative and interactive controls can take it from almost “gated” break-up to overkill of shred proportions.
Far from being just a guitar pedal however the Big Cheese™ is eminently useful for seeing to any sound with the temerity to be naff or boring (with particularly amusing consequences in the lower regions). To lovers of that extraordinary spectacle known to some as “furrrzze bass!” it offers terminally thunderous, ripping yet glitch-free and buttock-clenching
mayhem that can only be described as Larry Graham on steroids (as demonstrated to devastating effect by the man himself!).
The Big Cheese™ works exceptionally well in the fx loop of the Meatball™ creating some of the squelchiest curdled sounds ever - particularly true of the “cheese” setting which gives the signal huge dynamics thus cutting through a mix like the fattest, raspiest analogue synth. Coupled in this way with an octaver it can perform an uncanny impersonation of a guitar synth with no delay or tracking worries.
Info:
Users of Note:
J. Masics
Jimmy Page
The Edge
Colin Greenwood
Jeff Tweedy
Bootsy Collins
Larry Graham
Nixx Stix
Bill Duff
Sigur Rós
Maker: Maestro
Made in: USA
Type: Echo/Dealy
Years: The Ep-1 came out in the early 60’s later models were sold as late 1991 under the Harris-Teller name.
Fame: This is the why people talk about tape echo.
Mojo Factor: Tape and a tube verson! It is old and and looks it. This thing is dripping with mojo.
Price: Expensive being vintage and all but surprising modern alternatives like the Fulltone TTE can go for more. But buyer beware these are old electro-mechanical devices that can have problems.
General Sound Description:
This is most likely the device people are think of when the speak the words, “tape echo.” Of course it has that famous tape sound. Very capable when it come to that 50’s slap back or more spacey echo’s of late decades.
Who it’s for:
If your into vintage and don’t mine a hassle you might love it. It vintage so it pricey. If you wonder why these cool boxes feel out of favor it is because the are a pain. You have to clean the tape often and pray the tape of anything else doesn’t break.
Info:
More Info & samples
Video
Users of Note:
The Edge
Eric Johnson
Jimmy Page
TAL has the U-No-60 which of course is an emulation of the Juno 60. It does a convincing job of it so if you are into the vintage thing you should give it a try.
Acusticaudio recently just released Nebula HS Reverb . It big brother Nebula 3 is a convolution effect capable of emulating just about anything. The HS Reverb just does reverb and has 18 preset that need to be downloaded separately. I am a big fan on convolution effects especially reverbs. Even other good software reverbs tend to sound like hardware reverbs gather than a real space. I know I can’t really a afford to build a Cathedral to record a single drum part in so this kind of thing is great. I think convolution is really the wave of the future. As process power & storage become more available plus technology itself improving we will see more and more from this area. Nebula 3 seems very appealing after using this Reverb.
A while ago I finished up my DS-1 Star Wars Mod. The always seems to be alot of interest in modding this pedal. Most likely because it is so common and a lot of people have heard of the Kelly mods. It it really is a good pedal even unmodded. Anyway here is some video of the pedal in action.
Lip Twitch or I am Tony Wilson
Today of course is the 30 year anniversary of the death of Elvis. I am not really an Elvis fan. Some of his early stuff is OK but I usually prefer the original version. Those we the days of “race” music of course. What an icon though. So, so many images associated with him the lip twitch, sequined jump suits, pompadour, the most requested national archives photograph, and of course the pelvis thrusts. I always thought of Elvis a wholly American symbol and reflection of the country. We have become bloated do to over consumption, proclaiming of faith as we strayed, and drifted toward a parody of our former selves.
The death new I missed was that last week Tony Wilson passed on. Being in the United States it was easy to miss. I knew of him being a Joy Division fan and interested in the history of music. And of course I had heard the legend of the June 4, 1976 Sex Pistol Show reportedly accurate at the Lesser Free Trade Hall that he attended. I always felt like I have owed a debt to him for what he helped do. Being thousand of miles away and very young at the time I never really knew of him during his most influential time. Never seeing him on television I really think of Steve Coogan portrayal of him(which reportable captured the essence if not all the facts) in 24 Hour Party People which is one of my favorite movies and performances. And also a favorite bit of dialog:
Yvette: And what do you do?
Tony Wilson: How do you mean?
Yvette: You know, your job?
Tony Wilson: Well, I’m Tony Wilson.
I guess it is equivalent to many people hear the word Patton and vision of George C. Scott appear in there head rather the the Old Blood and Guts himself.
An interesting life he had. He played a part in bring us punk, post-punk, and the birth of electronica and rave culture all in his home town and somehow never managed to make any money. Cool enough that as a United fan I can like him. That says something.