Wigglestix: A Rambling Attempt at a Gear Review

Over the past couple of years I have become increasingly interested in various tremoloing devices on my six string companions.  For a number of years, I had played a Tele equipped with a nice vintage-style brass bridge as my only guitar.  Oh, how I could sling that slab of wood around like a promenading unicorn for hours without having to tune it.  Being content with hardtails for years and despondent of vintage tremolo systems, it wasn't until acquiring a Johnny Marr Jaguar last January, that I fell in love with the idea of a tremolo system.  I now had the ability to vibrato my pretentious diminished 7th chords (2nd inversion, of course) ever so softly, all the while, my pants becoming increasingly tighter.

Is it just me or does he make quite a bit of duck face?

My next rational conclusion, was that I now had to have a trem on everything.  I am a huge Keith Richards fan, and have always had copious amounts of guitar envy for his famous ebony ES-355 guitar.  So after doing some research and easily succumbing to the peer pressure of my friends, I decided that I wanted to throw a Bigsby B5 and V5 Vibramate kit on my Gibson ES339.  

I will recite some famous words attributed to a good luthier friend of mine, that the Bisby is the epitomy of "yesterday's technology, at tomorrow's prices".  Given, I understand name brand theory and the fact that the sheer amount of metal content in a Bigsby is worth it's weight in gold, I already knew this would be a costly endeavor.  So, being a stubborn nancy, I waited almost a year until I was able to jump on a deal of $100 for the whole shebang.  

After receiving the Bigglesby in the mail and installing it, I was immediately happy with the aesthetic of the tremolo.  Cause hey, who actually plays their guitar anyways?  After a minor set up by myself, I stroked my first chord and went for the bar on the wiggling device, only to be greeted by a horrible creak.  I removed the strings and meticulously filed the nut and saddles of my guitar.  With strings returned, I tried again.  "PING!".  The sound resulted in a conditioned response for me to want to strike the nearest person in the room.  Since no one was around, I unleashed my rage on my beloved life-size cardboard Elvis cut out.  

Poor guy, never saw it coming.

With my knuckles bleeding from the cement wall conveniently placed behind Elvis's beautiful head, I lay on the floor regaining my composure.  What was I to do?  I began to investigate my stock bridge, only to discover that when the Bigsby was engaged the stock ABR1 bridge on the 339 wiggled back and forth.  This also caused the guitar to fall horribly out of tune.  

So I began researching ways to remedy this bridge issue, (as well a DIY handbrace for my recently broken hand).  I came across various remedies for the stock bridge, most of which only seemed to create new problems.  

Finally, I came across a handful of notable companies that made a "locking ABR1".  The concept of this device is to pin a modified ABR1 bridge between your thumbwheels with screws that come down from the top, and screw into the bridge.  I sent out identical inquiries to each of these various manufacturers asking them what they would recommend for my situation.  One manufacturer was quick to respond, but rather than be helpful, he took the smug route and told me I was a moron for putting a Bigsby on a Gibson.  Scratch one from the list.  I finally received a very helpful reply from CV Guitars that sells the Faber Locking Bridge.  

Quick Gibson 101 lesson:  Gibson currently uses shotty zinc as the metal for their tailpieces, posts, pins.  As a result, sustain and low end are lost.  Many people recommend upgraded to aluminum, steel, or brass parts.  

Anyhow, the Faber locking bridge has (*edit) nickel plated brass saddles, locking mechanism, and is about $50 cheaper than the previous smug manufacturer's.  The CV website also claims to "Sell Tone", and since everything on the internet is true, I decided to order their locking tailpiece and steel bridge pins (for further theoretical increase in sustain).  After receiving the parts in the mail, I handed my guitar off to my favorite guitar repairman for a professional set up.  Once back in my arms, it was time to test out all this hard work (and money spent on all this business).  There was an immediate difference in acoustic sound.  The 5th and 6th string retained a significant amount of bottom end, there was more sustain, and overall the guitar was a lot brighter.  Now if you don't know me know that I actually like a darker sound from my Gibsons, (cause treble is for p*&@ies) so the increased brightness (wasn't bad) had to be accommodated for.  Personal preference.  After playing (not wanking) for a solid 6 hours this weekend, I think I have everything dialed in. The main fix is that the guitar stays in tune wonderfully, and THERE IS NO F$%#ING PING!

Overall, I'm very happy with how everything worked out.  It ended up costing more than my poor wallet wanted to spend, but you win some you lose some. 

- Stonewall

Copies, Cloning and Modding. Ethics?

I apologize for falling off the map for a few days.  The weekend hit, and my other job translating Keith Richard's everyday speech into understandable dialogue caught up with me.  I was able to get back to the ol' interwebbing machine and catch up on some music news.  However, it seems the air of music news has been fairly stagnant as of late.  Aside from, Scott Weiland getting fired from his band (again, and apparently is the only one who hasn't realized it) and Lamb of God vocalist being acquitted of murder, not much has happened.  Yet, on a more guitar-related note, one idea caught my attention this weekend which concerns the topic of pedal modding and cloning.  This topic has been beaten like a dead horse into Jack Link's jerky, so I could care less whether you're for or against it. After coming across a few interesting threads recently, it sparked me so to write about it.  Insightful and/or angry reader feedback on this topic is much appreciated.

These are just a couple of observations.  Enjoy!

On Cloning and Reincarnations
Like it or not, it seems to be that pedal cloning (like venereal disease) is here to stay.  Point to point recreations of your favorite pedal can be found in any color for an affordable (or pretentiously inflated) price.  While many snobbishly devalue the authenticity of sound produced by these units (while ever so softly stroking their golden Klon), it seems that a majority of people have embraced cloning with open arms.  However, what line should be drawn where cloning becomes blatant stealing of a manufacturer?  Is everything fair game?  This topic also dances the legal line with reproductions.  Clearly, basic circuits such as T808's, Fuzz Face, Rat, etc. can be easily replicated by even the most intermediate of electrical wizards.  I believe most people have accepted the fact that these are going to commonly available from your favorite boutique manufacturer with their own flavor (such as the toggle switch that engages better playing).

However, what about recreations of circuits that are fairly new (ie. Klon, OCD, Timmy)?  Since the Klon KTR has finally emerged from Bill Finnegan's womb after fermenting for multiple years, many Kloners are believed to be tightrope walking on the line of ethics.  To be honest, I could care less either way.  I peacefully and comfortably rest with the fence firmly lodged between my cheeks, and no intention of moving despite all the tomatoes being thrown.  Personally, I like buying from the original manufacturer.  I'm a big fan of the "if you made it, you deserve the $$$" ethic.  However, I can appreciate the fact that some independent pedal builders recreate famous circuits and take it to the next level.  Aside from the obvious replacing of cheap resistors and chips for nicer ones, I love it when builders add others features that aren't present on the original version.  Sometimes those are necessary to get the sound out of your head, through your amp.  Shelf EQ, clipping options, runaway feedback, pig squeals, etc are great usable features I love to see on clones.  This brings me to my next topic.

Pedal Modding
This topic isn't so much an ethics question as an observation.  Pedal modding has made "life" so much more convenient by simply adding custom features to your favorite pedal, instead of having to buy a second pedal for the niche function.  Since the emergence of popular modders such as Analogman and Keeley, the number of pedal modders has exploded.  So many in fact, that it has become difficult to sift through some of sh%* to find the corn.  How does one possibly pick what builder to go with?  The answer my friend, is reputation and research.  Reading reviews are helpful, but sometimes you have to read between the lines about a builder.  Here's a personal story I'd like share, with moral to follow.  In proper Stonewall fashion, I will leave names nameless.

(**Disclosure:  I have nothing against repairmen (save maybe this one).  In fact, most of them I adore because they fix my stuff.  I trust them, and I have a couple really fantastic friends that are the only ones I will trust them with my stuff.)

Once upon a time, I received a big box EHX Deluxe Memory Man in trade for some various gear.  The previous owner had it modded by a notable EHX pedal modder. I will call him X. The mod was neat, but I never really used it's extra features aside from the increased delay time.  Eventually, I started getting some weird noises that occurred only with the repeats.  I brought the DMM to my favorite certified electronics wiz. He looked at it, did some poking around, but gave it back to me saying that I should send it to the gentleman who originally modded the DMM to be properly fixed. So I sent X an email, explaining the ordeal and that I had someone previously look at it. X replied saying that without looking at the pedal he estimated (also known as a blind guesstimate, which does not bind a repairman to a price) around $100 to fix it, which I thought was a reasonable guess. So I sent it to X. X opened it up and shot me a reply shortly after that which said it was looking at costing more like $200 (also known as a quote, which IS binding to a repair man). Yikes. Expensive, but I loved the pedal and I was ready to be done with the problem. 

Well another couple of weeks went by, and I was beginning to wonder what was up. Finally, X got back and said that my repairman had "undone his mod", and that he was going to charge me full price to remod the pedal AND charge me a service fee for "repair". The NEW price he quoted me was $400. I was absolutely astonished, I told him that I wasn't going to pay that much.  Like most repair places, I was under the understanding that if price was anticipated to rise above the quoted price, I would be notified.  X told me that my pedal was already fixed, it would sit on the shelf for a couple weeks, and if I didn't pay he would just sell it on eBay for $450+.

I didn't have a choice but to give up the pedal. I didn't have $400, and I could find a used one for less (since I wasn't using the mod feature). To be honest, I was fuming angry. Typically I don't get angry, I let things go or get very smug.  I understand that a preliminary quote over email doesn't count until they've looked at your item. However, I already received a new quote AFTER the pedal was looked at. The third and final price was a ridiculous amount, and came out of nowhere.  There wasn't enough evidence to follow with any legal action.  I also made the "mistake" of saying in one of my first emails (before the 2nd quote) telling him "to do whatever he needs to get it rolling again".  I guess I didn't see that as an invitation to double his fee at the time.

After this debacle, I did some looking into X on a couple of the forums.  Most of the X's posts on these forums were defense posts or excuses for shotty work, or blaming pedals that were returned not working on shipping companies.  Standing behind your work (without bad excuses) as a builder/modder is a good way to set yourself apart from every other Jabroni out there.  I find this to be excellent advice for any independent pedal builder/cloner/reduplicator/cat lover out there.  The lesson to be learned is to do proper research before sending your pedal somewhere.  Although I don't have any endorsements or affiliations (I actually currently don't own any of his stuff), I think it is an excellent idea to shoot Analogman an email and pick his brains about the mods you want.

-  Stonewall

Being a Consumer, and Being an A$%*@#!

Up until recently, I had been employed by some form of retail work, dating to the dark ages of age 16.  I was a strapping young lad, eager to prove to the world that I could be an exceptional salesman.  Eventually, I landed a sales job at my favorite brick and mortar guitar shop.  Oh, how the excitement coursed through my body.  I would get to spend a majority of my week surrounded by these magical instruments we all love, helping seasoned guitarists, scoffing at hipsters, and squandering all of my cash.  However, being a salesman teaches you how to be a better customer.  Why?  Because it makes you realize when you're being an a$%*@#!, because you deal with some.  So here are a few tips on how to be a better customer.  Enjoy:

(Disclaimer:

I will say this, I did not work on commission.  Most people never believed me when I told them, but I never got an extra dime for selling a Squier Bullet or an R9.  When I was being helpful it was for personal satisfaction.  Maybe that would've changed my outlook on this?  Doubtfully.)

If They Put in the Time, Give Them the Dime

This really should go without saying, yet, you would be surprised how many braggarts would do this to a salesman or a store.  A good salesman will be able to "feel you out" (a mental version of feeling you up) and see if you prefer to be walked through your purchase, or if you like to be left alone with your own disgusting thoughts to make up your mind.  If a salesman gives you excellent service and answers all of your questions (correctly) or gives you a great deal, don't be a prick and buy it somewhere else.  (Example below) However, if you have to buy something online from your favorite store, but need to try something out locally,  try not to waste people's time.  I strongly recommend buying locally, but you do what you gotta do. 

Example:

Customer X walks in.  Says he wants a Multi FX processor because he plays in a cover band and needs lots of swirly wiggly sounds.  X wants something decent, so he's willing to spend extra the nickels for it.  I give him three choices because I don't want to sell him more than he needs, but also give him a quality piece of equipment.  X begins to take interest in the Line 6 M13 spaceship I've shown him.  Now X wants to give the unit a go (also known as third base with the ladies).  I get him all plugged in, show him the basics of editing and saving presets, then cut him loose on it.  Soon a plethora of delayed arpeggios, warm wiggly vibrato sounds, and perplexing ring modulant sounds fill the air.  I return to customer X who's grinning from ear to ear.  X excitedly asks me if this has the ability to switch his amp channels (X owns a mystical MIDI controlled H&K amp) so he can just bring one piece of gear to a gig and be done.  Since I don't know, I tell X that I will do my best to find out.  I find my Line 6 support number and wheel it in to my rotary phone.  After a disgusting wait, question answered (finally), I return to X telling him the good news, that the M13 spaceship will do what he wants.  We start talking price.  Although there aren't any sales going on at the store, I snip some off that price tag for X, because he's a gigging musician like myself.  X tells me he's going to the bank to get a check cashed for the device.  I'm proud because I've sold a Line 6 spaceship, and fulfilled another customers needs.  Not long after he leaves, the phone rings and the caller ID displays "Evil Empire" (GC).  I answer the phone, and I am greeted by the grunting of some form of chimpanzee pretending to a customer, asking me what my bottom dollar is for a M13 spaceship.  I give him a clever answer that gives our pretend customer a go around (I know it's him because he's called before with the same clever pseudonym).  I'm suspicious of X, but I know he'll come back because I occasionally have faith in humankind (no more). The day ends, X never comes back.  I see X a few weeks later when he pops back into the store.   After some small talk, I come to find he cashed his check, and took his filthy money to the Evil Empire and purchased the M13 spaceship for the same price I quoted him.  Wonderful.

Research and Compromise

Most intelligent humanoids research the value of their gear before they perform a trade-in, to protect themselves from getting a thumb in their tush.  There are smart ways, and there are idiotic ways of doing this.  

Idiotic Way:  Doing a generic Google or eBay search, finding the highest price listed, and assuming that's the value.

Stonewall's Way:  Looking your item up on eBay and one other source (TGP, Blue Book, Online Used Gear Retailer), clicking on "Completed Listings", and finding an average sale value for the instrument.  

Why is this important?  There's nothing more frustrating for both parties, than for some moron to bring his old Kay archtop with a broken bridge in, and demand $500 in trade because "Jack White played this same guitar in some YouTube video that they saw".  So please, keep cretinism within the walls of your own home.

The next step is to understand that 90% of the time, you're not going to get that value.  Why?  The store will want to sell it for that value, meaning they need to give you less in order to make something called "profit".  "Blasphemy!" you say to me.  Well guess what, you just failed Stonewall's Business 101 course.  So what does it mean then?  Should we all just start throwing our old sh*% away?  No.  The next step is to see if they can work on the other end of the deal and clip some off the price of what you want to buy.  From here on out you will have to use your own defective judgement to decide yea or nay.  If you can't fork it over, you'll have to try your hand at selling or consigning.  In most cases, I personally say to hell with it and do the trade in.

Don't Be a Fart

This one's short and sweet.  It's fine to kill an hour or so at a guitar store.  But don't waste people's time pretending to buy something if you're not.  If the store isn't busy, use your own discretion.  However, staying from open til close is like lingering flatulence, no one's enjoying it and you can't pretend you didn't do it.  One last thing, the items at a music store aren't yours yet.  So it's fine to try high dollar guitars out, but don't bring your crafted lead guitar pick and your hammer hands and bang on stuff.  That's just rude.  I don't go to your house and rub my hairy chest all over your pillows, so stop, or I will.

Remember, a music store isn't a grocery store or a gas station.  You don't go to it because it's a chore or because you simply have to, you go to it because it's an enjoyable place.  

- Stonewall

Envy, Gluttony, and the American Spirit of Hoarding

Thanks to traditional American values, the art of acquiring music gear in hopes of inspiring the creative muse, has been refined into a glorious form of gluttony.  I'm still scratching my head at the hard left turn that I took somewhere along the way in which my love of music transformed into brazen hoarding.  In an attempt to debug this debacle, I have come to three conclusions:

1)  Simple needs transform into overkill

2)  Pedalboard envy (similar to another type of male envy)

3)  Chemical imbalance within my brain

Since #3 is obvious, I was left with scrutinizing #1 and #2.  The first conclusion seems a no-brainer, but is the result of search for a simple tremolo turning into owning the latest Strymon spaceship with MIDI capabilities.  My search always starts out the same, locating a couple units within my budget and within specific guidelines.  Next comes the reviews, because buying something without reading a review is downright silly.  Some are more helpful, but some turn out like as such:

So let's break this down.  The OP (operational poster-child) wants a slapback delay in the range of $50 - $70.

So logically, an online humanoid recommends a $150 delay.

...followed by a $200+ recommendation....

Again, most people would ignore this advice.

The final and most common diagnosis I have made about excessive gear purchasing, is what I like to call Pedalboard Envy.  It comes from seeing a fellow musician's gear online, in a studio, or in the bathroom (a quick glance never hurt anybody).  There's something that's aesthetically pleasing about the brightly colored boxes and lacquer sprayed guitars we all seem to lust after.  In frequent cases, it's subliminal.  For example, this morning while drinking my sewage water store brand coffee, I came across a video on the Moog site of Helado Negro and Tom Selleck locking themselves in a studio for two days.  As in most situations, the result was pre marriage conception, and the slippery birth of a song.


Shaking Through: Helado Negro from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

As I watched the video, I began meticulously scheming all of the delicious Moog products and CV routing options displayed before me.  I've always been cursed with the affliction of Moog lust.  Beautiful stained wood panels, with matte black finished aluminum housing.  And the knobs, OH! THE KNOBS!  After loading up my credit card with a Voyager XL, Taurus, two of every Moogerfooger, and overnight shipping, I realized I had just fallen into the clandestine trap of Pedalboard envy, of Tom Selleck.

Tom has apparently been using the pseudonym "Mikael Jorgensen".

It's best to be aware of these problems when buying gear.  You'll thank me later when you're selling off half your stuff to pay for your divorce.


- Stonewall

Stereotypes

As with most training, to fully understand the textual slap(s) on the wrist(s) that I will be handing out, certain terms must be defined.  In any sort of teaching (or parenting), a student must understand why they are being beaten, before (sometimes during or after) the beating has occurred.  Over the course of my music career, I have studied guitarists and their habits and have developed classifications for the different types that have emerged.  Not everyone falls into these categories, but many fall into one or two of them in some way or another.  Enjoy.

The Wookiee  (woo - key)(like cookie, with a "w")

Look at them, lingering.  

Wookiees spawn from interest in various metal and hardcore music, but also from Classic Rock bands of the 70's (Pink Floyd, Zeppelin).  Long greasy hair, faded black "Maiden" or "Floyd" shirts, and plain wranglers.  They are one of the most frowned upon guitarist types, not because of musical tastes, but due to lack of personal hygiene.  Although Wookiees despise Hippies, they have much in common with them (i.e. no job, horrible musk, lack of ability to properly communicate).  The main difference being Hippies do more drugs, and Wookiees play more video games.  The Wookiee will always travel in packs, and communicate through a form of grunting to one another.  Once a Wookiee pack migrates to a guitar store, they tend to linger long past the point of being welcome.  It's very common to see a Wookiee hunting for EMG pickups, and an amplifier with the utmost amount of gain.  Once comfortably seated, they dial the master volume of an amplifier well beyond tolerable playing level, and furiously pick 32nd notes.  Despite their impressive playing speed, their technique is rarely clean, and resembles the ascending and descending of basic scales.  Once satisfied (or kicked out), the Wookiee pack leaves, buying nothing, leaving a disconcerting aroma behind.


The Prattler (aka The Pretentious Snob) (pratt - ler)

Prattlers are a less common species of guitarist.  The average Prattler has a 6 digit income and a European made car, or a rich wife.  It is common to find a Prattler at a boutique music store, or a church.  They get along with most P&W guitarists, but despise everyone under the age of 35.  Be warned, being cornered into a conversation with a Prattler is inescapable.  However, most Prattlers are much too pompous to talk to anyone, being preoccupied with deciding which R9 to play at church next Sunday.  It is common for a Prattler to casually instigate conversation about an extremely swank boutique company (which shells out a grand total of four units each year), then scoff at you for having never heard of it.  Prattlers tend to spend long amounts of time, even days, playing high end instruments in stores.  Despite being well financed, they will always ask for bottom dollar on an instrument.  Very rarely do they buy the instrument.  On such occasions, they typically bring them back the following week with the remark, "It just wasn't the sound I was looking for."


The Hipster (vag - uh - bond)

Mmm, Starbucks.

Hipsters are a young form of guitarist, and usually evolve into a Prattler or an Academic.  In its early form, a Hipster commonly will commonly play P&W, John Mayer music, or the ever vague "Alternative" genre of music.  Being independent thinkers, they hang onto every word spewed from the newest Rolling Stone or AP magazine.  Since they are easy to spot (sporting a cardigan and a scarf in the summer), they are subject to quite a bit of ridicule.  A Hipster has to have the latest effects pedals with the most options (especially ones they will never use).  It is common for a Hipster to be on the waiting list for the latest Strymon spaceship pedal, with their old Eventide spaceship for sale with a pretentious price tag.  If you're not sure whether you're looking at a Hipster or an Indie Rocker, check his/her pedalboard for a JHS brand pedal.  That's a dead giveaway.

The Indie Rocker (saw - Nick - you - th)

This territory is fairly shaky, since the term "independent" can mean anything you damn well please.  This type of guitarist can be very innovative (mostly awful), and are downright weird people.  Indie Rocker and Electro Harmonix are commonly used together in speech when describing each other.  In many instances an IR is a niche shopper, looking for odd devices that turns a guitar signal into an 80's pad synth, or sets their amp aflame.  It is common to see Indie Rockers wielding an Offset Fender, slew of fuzzboxes, and quite possibly a mullet.  IR's have much in common with Hipsters, but don't like being called one.

The Academic (ack - uh - dem - ic)

The Academic is a guitarist that is more concerned technique and playing, than the gear itself.  In many cases,  an Academic will be able to outplay you on a broken guitar with no strings.  Due to most of its life spent practicing, the Academic is socially awkward.  Academics are friendly creatures, but sometimes can be competitive and territorial when in the vicinity of a formidable scholarly foe.  Due to fluctuating hormones, Academics will go through violent mood swings of sheer cockiness to utter depression, questioning their own ability as a musician.

P&W (Praise and Worship)(Disclaimer:  Nothing to do with religion)

Due to the ever growing trend of worship music sounding more and more like U2 and Coldplay, the emergence of the P&W guitarist came to be.  A typical modern P&W guitarist has 4+ delay units on their extremely tidy pedalboards.  They litter online forums with questions that they think only apply to themselves such as, "I need a direct box for P&W music, help!".  (In all of my research, I have not been able to discern a secular or religious DI box company, but I'll keep looking).  It is common for a P&W to speak of themselves as a full-time musician, believing that making whale noises for 15 minutes in church once a week counts them as such.  P&W guitarists are friendly.


This was a brief overview, and there are many sub genres which I may delve into someday (but probably not).  Frankly, if you don't fall into any of these categories you probably actually play guitar outside of your house.

Until next time.

- Stonewall

Controlling the Insatiable Lust: Delay

Due to the growing pedalboard envy (similar to the other type of male envy) of the middle class bedroom guitarist, planks of wood covered in shiny colored boxes have grown to substantial sizes.  It has become a trend for guitarists to spew forth boastful prophecies of the unlimited capabilities of their new noise making spaceships.  Forums once dedicated to making fun of Eric Clapton's latest haircut, are now flooded with threads variably titled "Is X or Y Delay Better For My Niche Use Of It?"  On a few occasions, I have spotted pedalboards in the wild that are completely covered in 5-6 Echo devices.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say, no one will never need that much delay.  Ever.  *waits*


Now that all the Coldplay fans have angrily tightened their scarves and left the room.  If you've got that many echo boxes on a pedalboard, you've either:  A) wasted a lot of money, or B) don't leave the house. Most "textural" guitarists would argue this with me, but I would simply counter-question them if they can actually make a record or move out of their mother's basement.  Every time I read that someone is "needing" a delay for a specific niche function, my brain immediately assumes they are too lazy to bend over and turn a knob.

With that much echo or reverb EVERYTHING SOUNDS THE SAME.  Congratulations, you've made a post rock song, now make another that doesn't sound just like it.  Reverb and Echo can be useful to create depth if you're clever.  Ever notice how dry everything on a Radiohead record is?

 Listen to Thom's voice (pronounced th - Ah - m)  around 1:00.  Next listen around 2:03 for when echo is used on his voice.  It's very subtle but it sounds huge.  Why?, because it's not clashing with all that useless noise you've already made.  As much as we all dream, not everyone can be Ed O'Brien and get paid to stand around, tap delays, and do nothing.

"What key are we in guys?!?!?"

So when you're trying to decide how to fit your M13, Timeline, Timefactor, and Space all on your Pedaltrain Supreme, just remember, you're probably making whale sounds.  So, please stop.  One of the turning points for me in using delay was limiting myself to one that has a limited range (DM3, Maxon AD9) and seeing what cool things I can do with it.  Long quarter notes echoes are boring, and dotted 8th delays should be left to the Edge/P&W guitarists.


You may be asking yourself, "So now that he's trashed everyone, what does he use?".  Well to answer your question:  3 Echoplex's with a single tape being strung through all of the units (counts as one long delay), and a spring reverb tank which I have replaced the stock springs with slinkys.

(I'm just kidding, it's only a double.  The third was photoshopped)

- Stonewall