Guitar and Vocal Humidification

Oh yes! Winter is fast approaching and the humidity in the air is already doing a nose-dive. Low humidity,(below 40%), can wreak havoc on your instruments causing soundboards to crack and strings to go quickly out of tune. There is another instrument that we all own but often take for granted. That is our voice. Nose, ear and throat specialists have identified a condition known as Environmental Laryngitis. The symptoms of EL are: nasal and chest congestion, cough, watery eyes and constant throat clearing which often leads to the loss of your voice. Dry air can also leave mucus membranes in the nose and throat unable to defend themselves against airborne germs and pathogens. This need not happen if you use both an air cleaner and humidifier in your studio.

If you have a large studio area and don't want to have to refill humidifier tanks daily, we recommend the AIR-O-SWISS 2071 Combi-Unit. It is both a humidifier and air cleaner combined. This professional quality unit has two HEPA and one active carbon filter plus two water tanks for carefree operation. We have used this in the larger area rooms and found an almost instant improvement in air quality and humidity. The active carbon filter eliminates odors instantly. The HEPA filter traps the smallest micron sized particles such as dust, dander, dust mites and pollen. It has three settings and offers silent operation on low which makes it perfect for use in your recording studio. Silence is golden! Photo right: AOS 2071 Air Cleaner & Humidifier Combined.

What about a small studio or bedroom? AIR-O-SWISS has solutions for adding humidity to these areas as well. For smaller studio spaces up to 860 sq feet, the AOS 7142 Digital Warm & Cool Mist Ultrasonic humidifier is perfect. This unit offers everything. A mineral cartridge which eliminates the "white dust" often found with other humidifiers. An ion silver stick which keeps the water in the unit clean and bacteria free. A warm mist setting which heats the mist exiting the humidifier to a comfy 104 degrees. This means it will not lower the ambient temperature of the room. It is recommended that you keep your instruments between 40-45% humidity. The AOS 7142 has a digital hydrometer and shuts off when the selected humidity level is reached. With a unit like this, you can have your instruments out on their stands and they will stay in tune longer because the room itself is properly humidified. Good for you AND your instruments! Photo right: AOS 7142 Ultrasonic Humidifier

If you have a smaller bedroom or area of up to 650 sq feet, the AOS 7144D can handle it. This is perfect for vocalists especially who may need a smaller unit in different work areas but still want many of the same features offered by the AOS 7142. Therefore AIR-O-SWISS has a model of humidifier / air cleaner for every space need. Since using them, I have recovered more comfortably from colds and hoarseness. In fact last year, despite a terrible upper respiratory infection, I did not lose my singing voice. That was a first for me. After using the AOS 2071 Air Cleaner & Humidifier combination unit, my breathing is completely clear and I no longer suffer from congestion, coughing and constant throat clearing which was causing my vocals to be strained. These are the best solutions I've found to Environmental and cold related Laryngitis. If you value your musical instruments and your voice, take a hard look at your home and studio's air quality and humidity. You'll never know how good you could sound unless you address these important environmental factors. Photo left: AOS 7144D Ultrasonic Humidifier

Visit the AIR-O-SWISS banner ads to your left or online at: http://www.airoswiss.net/

Just in Case....

Obviously you can't take your pollen free, perfectly humidified air with you on the road! You'll need another solution to keeping the humidity at just the right level inside the guitar case. Planet Waves makes perhaps the neatest solution to in case humidification that I've seen so far. Simple, easy to use, it is their Acoustic Guitar Humidifier. Wet the little sponge. Slip it back in the holder. Place unit between the strings down into the sound hole. Close the lid. That's it! Depending on the ambient or surrounding humidity, it will keep your guitar humidified for about 4 days. It is great for trips and gigs out of town where you can not be sure of the surrounding mositure levels. Planet Waves does it again! I keep one in both my acoutsic guitar cases and found that when I take them out to play, they are not way out of tune. A couple of minor tuning tweaks and I'm playing! Photo left: Planet Waves Acoustic Guitar Humidifier.

http://www.planetwaves.com/

In the Works: "Makin' a list, checkin' it twice..." It's that time of year again! Yes, we are making our final selections for our list of 2009's Best Guitar Accessories! Wait till you see what we've found for you, just in time for the Holidays. Gift giving time is almost here so check our review first. Right now you can check out 2009's Top Gifts for Audiophiles over at the Best Picks BLOG by clicking here: http://www.angelfire.com/ak/anakee/drmiczak/index.blog/1345195/2009s-top-gifts-for-audiophiles/

BOSS GT-10 and DigiTech's RP-90

The BOSS GT-10 road-ready to rock!

Case by Tarcase Co., custom made in the USA

On the Floor...in Your Face!

One of the most outrageously fun things we've done this summer is check out the NEW BOSS GT-10 and DigiTech's RP Series of on-the-floor guitar multi-effectors. Having had experience with the BOSS DR-3 Drum & Bass Machine plus their BR1200CD Digital Recording Studio, this was an easy transition as the GT-10 is light-years more simple to use than any other BOSS gear I've worked with. The same goes for my owning DigiTech's VL2 and VL4 Vocalist Live line of signal processors. Kudos for both companies for making their units user-friendly without hauling out the phone book sized manuals BOSS is especially known for.

So how do these multi-effectors stack up, especially since in our last issue, we showed how to construct your own pedal board? I'll be honest. No multi-effector can replicate the tone and subtle nuances of your favorite pedal. On the up-side, these multi-effectors offer something of their own but you need to appreciate them for what they are and what they are not. First off, they are not boutique pedals. The Keeley Compressor and Fuzz Head boxes we tested are in a class all their own....really. You can even tweak the Keeleys for even more control over your individual sound. These are the originals upon which the analogs in the floor multi-effectors are based. In other words, manufacturers will try to approximate an electronic copy of the sound of your favorite effects pedals, cabinets, amps and pickups. They can get close but there's nothing like the real thing!

Well, what are you getting with a multi-effect unit like the GT-10 and the RP-90? Quite frankly, a lot. The GT-10 offers something like 198 presets with storage space for 400 of patches giving you everything from dirty to clean to weird with some effects I've never even heard of. One of the other students in my guitar class brought in his DigiTech RP-70, (a model below the RP-90), and it made his guitar sound like a pro-recording studio demo. The effects that he got from that little box were off-the-hook, incredible. Now while I really respect a tone snob's right to be picky, I think the floor multi-effectors have a place in a musician's arsenal of gig-tricks. For

example, you have an early morning radio show and want to

play live on the air with the station's DJ. Good enough but I know from experience that most radio station sound booths are very small. There's barely enough space for the broadcasting equipment, let alone you. If you think you are going to bring your full rig in to set up, think again! In this case the DigiTech RP-90, shown here to your right, would be perfect. It is very small but gives you 12 amp/cab models, 6 distortion models and 32 effects, 50 presets plus a drum machine. The sound quality of your multi-effector, like anything else is going to depend on your amp. We used a Behringer 45 watt amp, a Roland SA-300 Stage Amp, (350 watts) and a Crate GX-20M guitar amp, (20 watts) for a stereo mix. Therefore we had plenty of top and bottom end to allow them both to fully express themselves. I've done an instrumental recording with the GT-10 and it was as easy as plugging in the 1/4 jack cables into the back of the recorder. The results were impressive.

The GT-10 has the advantage of being a bit more box than the RP-90 but it is also cost about $400 dollars more! The GT-10 also has USB/MIDI capabilities, a parallel effects chain and a sound on sound 38 second phrase looper. I recently heard Phil Keaggy use a loop station in his performance and all I can say is you need to get one! The GT-10 is also quite heavy, built like a tank and something you'll appreciate in the long run. You'll need a serious flight case for the BOSS unit while the DigiTech RP-90 can be popped into a padded gig bag without much fuss. The sound of both pedals was quite impressive, (each has an onboard tuner), and I would not hesitate to gig with either in a live concert. In fact, I've seen a BOSS GT-8 on stage at a major rock concert and it was doing the job. In practical terms, if you like to experiment or cover music that requires more than a few pedals, either of these would be a great investment with a strong lean towards the GT-10. You're getting so many boxes and effects in one easy to use unit. We recommend Spectraflex braided pedal cables as their shielding helps prevent problems before they start. We used them to connect a send-return effect, that is a Keeley Compressor to the GT-10 showing that you can insert an individual pedal if you want. For more information, visit the websites below or check the banner ads on your left.

BOSS GT-10 Price: $499.00 http://www.bossus.com/

DigiTech's RP-90 Price: $99.95 http://www.digitech.com/

Spectraflex Cables Price : $17.99 http://www.spectraflex.com

Fall Features: We're currenlty on the road through Christmas but will be doing our "Best Guitar Gear for 2009" list and "Your Home Recording Studio" due out this autumn!

Revelation Generation's 2008 Concert

Photos by Dr. M: The Newsboys rocking out with 'That's Where the Party's At', 'Something Beautiful', 'The Mission', 'Shine,' and many other hits from their 'Go' album. These Aussies offer amazing showmanship and light show effects coupled with a positive message of hope. We will be featuring Peter's, (pictured above on guitar), interview with insider tips on his recording studio and song writing experiences in our article, "Your Home Recording Studio".

All Photos by Dr. M. Above:Tobymac and his Diverse City Band settin' it off at the Revelation Generation Concert! Doing cuts from Portable Sounds & Diverse City, they were perhaps the most rockin' show of the evening. Right: Toby at our press conference where he discussed his latest project, the album "Alive and Transported", a DVD and CD combo which we will be reviewing right here.

Photo left: Matt Wertz and his aqua Fender Strat giving a breakout performance of, "The Way I Feel". Look for Matt's latest album, 'Under the Summer Sun', to be released in September 2008.

Other fantastic performances of the day included sets by acoustic guitarist, Phil Keaggy, Kutless, (Sea of Faces) metalcore Skillet and Sixpence None the Richer, (Kiss Me). With attendance nearing an estimated 30,000, concert goers were well behaved and the event staff very much on top of it. Most memorable performances of this event were by Tobymac with his no holds barred, R & B flavored Hip-Hop. Great old school style funk with some fresh twists, these guys were off the hook for dance, vocals and musicianship. The Newsboys capped off the evening with a steller performance which included lightshow effects reminiscent of the Backstreet Boys shows we've attended. In its 3rd year, the Revelation Generation Concerts are billed as a "Christian" music festival, but these high powered performances rival any of the secular concerts I've covered.

There was a wide range of musical styles represented from Industrial Metal to Hip-Hop and everything in between. This is also great venue for fresh, innovative talent such as Matt Wertz, Shawn McDonald and Bethany Dillon while offering the public a family friendly farmland space to enjoy a day out. We can't wait to see what Revelation Generation has to offer for 2009!
Next up! Guitar multi-effectors vs individual pedals, the pros and the cons. Plus the best on the floor multi effect boxes for every musician's needs and pocket book.

Guitar Pedals...Get the Effect Part III!

PHOTO: Custom road cases like these allow you to transport your individual pedals or floor multi-effector unit safely and securely. Once at the gig, simply lift the lid, plug in and play... right out of the case. Easy! Left to right: BOSS Digital Delay, BOSS Super Chorus, Keeley Fuzz Head, Keeley Compressor, Ibanez WD-7 Wah, BOSS TU-2 Tuner, in the back VooDoo Lab's Pedal Power II Plus. Fatso Flex Silent Plug Guitar Cable & Pedal Cables by Spectraflex. Pedal Board Case by Tarcase Co. USA. Guitar, Fender Strat.

Now we are going show you how to set up and transport your own custom pedal board with the individual pedals we're reviewed in Parts I and II. Likewise, you'll need to know the best way to power your individual pedals and effects rather than constantly buying 9 volt batteries or dragging along an adapter for each effect.

The Chain of Effects:

Now, you have these great pedals, distortion, phaser, digital delay, reverb, etc. ready to rock. Maybe you started out with a few but now you have a small herd you'd like to put to work. There are some basics, (not written in stone mind you), that will make sense as you daisy chain these pedals together. So from your guitar to your amp, you're going to have a set pattern in mind so that each effect can shine and allow the others to do their job as well. Here is a common set up for your pedals according to what they do:

----------------------------------------------------

Guitar > Buffer, i.e. TU-2 Tuner > Wah Pedal > Compressor > Distortion/Overdrive> Chorus/Tremolo/Flanger/Phaser > Delay / Reverb > Amp

----------------------------------------------------

If you use a volume pedal, that would fit in before your delay or reverb or next to last effect in your effects chain to the amp. This is so the fadeouts continue to decay after the volume is cut. Compressors are actually amplifiers and will increase the content of whatever is before them in the signal chain. Modulation pedals include chorus / tremolo / flangers and phasers. Since chorus likes to work on the entire tone, putting it before the overdrive or distortion will end up distorting the whole sound. When used after the distortion / overdrive, the tone is balanced. This is a basic set up according to many touring pros. You can and should experiment to switch things up for your own signature effect. Still, to optimize the individual characteristics of the effects you are using, this is pretty much the way it goes.

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Pedal & Guitar Cables

Your pedal cables are just as important as your guitar cables. Noisy, poor connections will rob your guitar from the tone all these stomp boxes want to offer. That doesn't have to happen. I use Spectraflex's, Fatso-Flex Silent Plug guitar cables which were voted into the winner's circle of best cables in this year's Guitar Player Magazine. I use their Right Angle Pedal Cables between the boxes. They are fully shielded and colorful just like the longer guitar cables which helps me to organize my pedal board. For example, you can hook up red cables to your distortion and overdrive boxes to quickly identify them visually. Sort of like zoning your effects by color. Made in the U.S.A. Very cool!

PHOTO: Spectraflex Pedal Cables

Price: $18.95

http://www.spectraflex.com/

Power it Up

The next and perhaps most important box on your pedal board is going to be your power supply. There are many on the market but the one that I see most consistently on the

pedal boards of the touring artists is VooDoo Lab's Pedal Power II Plus. Unlike some of the others that claim to take up only one outlet, the Pedal Power acts like 8 separate adapters. What this means is that there is less of a chance of loops forming between your pedals because they are essentially sharing one power source. This is not the ideal set up for your pedals. The Pedal Power II Plus comes with all the cables to connect up to 8 individual stomp boxes or effects. No noise, no hum. Packed in your pedal case, it looks like one of the gang but you'll find better performance from properly powered effects. Handmade in the USA.

Gotta Gig!

Undergirding all of this is my custom made Tarcase. Made in the USA, these individually designed pedal boards can accomodate individual pedals, wahs and floor multi-effectors. These are really well made and the fit is impeccable. It even has a built in rise for your volume or wah pedal. As they can be built to your exact specifications, the sky is the limit for your pedal board set up. Your stomp boxes, wah, volume pedal and power source can all stow neatly for safe transport to your venue. Lift the lid, plug in and start playing! Contact Jay at Tarcase Co. at: tarcaseco@comcast.net for more information on his custom road case pedal boards. You can check out all of the gear featured in this article by clicking on the banner ads to your left.

Next up!: The floor multi-effectors are coming! See what BOSS and DigiTech have been up to in the way of guitar and guitar/vocal multi-effectors. We're also going to discuss the pros and cons of using single pedals vs. a floor multi-effector. Don't miss this one!

Fender Strat Gets N-Tune!

Fender's Standard Stratocaster in Chrome Red

is North American made with lots of classic tone!

Just in case you wanted to know what we're using to test our pedals and multi-effectors with...here it is, our Fender Standard Stratocaster. Otherwise known as the "Pedal Meister"!
This is a rock solid, all time favorite with a fast maple fretboard, three pickups and tremolo bar. The Chrome Red finish has a semi-metallic look without being flashy. Its just a good, straight-forward axe! To make it even sweeter, we had the NEW N-Tune onboard tuner installed. This is a lighted, battery powered tuner from Zero Crossing, that fits under the volume knob of your Strat. It will even fit the volume knobs of other models, with different colors to match or contrast your pickguard.

N-Tune On Board Tuner

by Zero Crossing

List $99.99 - Street $79.99
http://www.n-tune.com/

We road tested the N-Tune Fender Style Package. The N-Tune onboard tuner installs under your volume knob. Offers a quick and very accurate tuning, (we compared it with the BOSS TU-2). Now you can tune up anytime, anywhere, even on a dark stage, without having to pack an extra tuner. A definite must if you are on tour or playing lots of consecutive concerts. You will need to be able to solder two wires and installation / battery changes require removal of the pickguard and strings. We suggest you use Duracell 9 volt Procell Alkaline batteries, (PC1604) and coordinate changing the tuner's battery with replacement of your strings. I do this with my Martin D-16 which has a battery powered, under the saddle pickup and it's no big deal. To prevent accidental draining of the battery, there is even an auto-power off feature designed into the N-Tune. If the tuner does not detect a note being played for 3 minutes, it automatically powers itself OFF to save battery life. Excellent!

Meet our Pro Guitar Tech Team, Ian West, (left) and Randy Cauvanaugh. They are known as the "Fender Experts" and keep all of our road gear in top, gigging shape. We rely on their expertise and knowledge of electric guitars, pedals and set-ups. They actually did the installation of the N-Tune on board tuner for us. Here's what they had to say:

Ian: "Very cool idea! I especially like the true bypass feature."

Randy: "It works great. The only thing I don't like is that you have to remove the pick plate and strings to replace the battery. Just like a pedal, don't leave your guitar cabled into your amp after playing or it will drain the battery."

Many of the top named guitar companies are installing onboard tuners on their newer models. I've seen a few in action and was not too impressed. They seemed to be hard to see and not very accurate. The N-Tune onboard tuner works as if it were custom made for your guitar as it fits unnoticably under the volume knob. Pull the knob, it lights up and flashes green when you're in tune. Push it back in and its true bypass feature lets your guitar perform business as usual. I really like this feature and the freedom of being able to tune up, even on a dimly lit stage, with ease. It was very close in accuracy to my BOSS Tu-2 which is in my opinion the best tuner on the market. So now I can leave all my tuners in the studio. With my N-Tune onboard tuner installed, I'm good to go!

Fatso Flex "Silent Plug" Guitar Cables

By Spectraflex

Price: $42.95 (10 ft) - $57.95 (25 ft)

http://www.spectraflex.com/

Spectraflex guitar cables are the cables we use for both performing and recording. I've used Spectraflex for years now. In fact, this was the cable I purchased when I brought my first electric guitar, the Aria Pro II. What impressed me then as now was the quietness and beauty of these braided guitar cables. All of them are still going strong after all these years. The Fatso Flex, shown here, was voted among the Winner's Circle of best guitar cables this year by Guitar Player Magazine. Not surprising. Spectraflex makes incredible sounding cables! Ultra quiet and reliable now with "Silent Plug", I have the ability to switch guitars quietly without disconnecting from my stage amp. The best of both worlds. This is hands down, the best guitar cable I've ever used. Made in the USA, Spectraflex does it again!

Spectraflex Pedal Cables

Price: $18.95

www.spectraflex.com/

This is our choice for pedal cables. These link up your individual pedals with the same noiseless quality you get from the Spectraflex line of guitar cables. Shielded, braided, high quality cables made just like their big brothers. Made in the USA. Multiple colors and patterns help you to organize your pedal board...in style! See how we put it all together in our next installment of Guitar Pedals...Get the Effect: Part III

PRO TIP OF THE DAY:

Always disconnect your pedals and instruments with onboard battery powered devices such as preamps, pickups and tuners, after use. Even if they are shut OFF, leaving them cabled will cause the batteries to drain! Simply disconnect all your cables when you're done playing and you'll be fine. Duracell's PC1604's are cheaper than the consumer marketed "Copper Tops" and can be purchased in bulk packs for less. Best choice is to use a single power source for all your individual pedals. We'll tell you which one the pro touring bands use and why, up next!

The Eve of Distortion

Photo: Dr. M. with the Keeley Fuzzhead on the right and DigiTech's Artist Series, Scott Ian pedal on the left. Rolling Stones promotional "Shine a Light" tee courtesy of Fender

Guitar Pedals Part II: Distorted Ideas & Wah-ing for fun & profit...

Distortion is by far one of the most distinguishable sounds of rock and heavy metal. It's what gives us the soaring leads we've come to identify with killer guitar solos and riffs. If you are into these styles, distortion and overdrive are going to be your best friends next to a decent electric guitar and amp. I play a Fender Strat coupled with a Crate GX-20M which is a very tough box, (I'm actually standing on top of it in this photo!), and has built in overdrive, chorus, reverb & eq. Another essential effect you'll want to include is a wah pedal. As the name implies, it gives your guitar a "wah-ing" or crying sound made popular by funk and other styles.

Keeley Electronics Fuzz Head

List: $250.00 / Street: $209.00

This is an amazing distortion pedal which is very unique in its design. In fact, it won Guitar Player's Reader's Choice Award for best effects pedal with good reason. This box sounds incredible! It couples a serious sustain and unbelievable boost for your leads with a rich blend of fuzz and overdrive. It will also drive other modulation pedals such chorus, phasers, flangers and tremolo which follow in your effect chain. Add another distortion pedal and it will sing forever. Keeley's trademark blue light and custom paint job assures it will stand out on your pedal board.

Internal Gain Control offers additional tone customization not found with other pedals. Externally you have a two knobs, "no waiting" approach with the Fuzz controlling the amount of distortion and the Head for volume control. The Si/Ge switch offers even more access to transparent tones and increased sustain. Built in the USA, Robert Keeley stands behind his equipment with excellent customer service and product reliability. Sound and quality wise, this is the best distortion pedal I've used. Prepare to be rocked!

http://www.robertkeeley.com/

DigiTech's Artist Series - Scott Ian Pedal

List: $166.65 / Street: $ 99.99

Do you have a cover band or are you just into a certain artist's tonal vibe? DigiTech's genius with Audio DNA2 & Production Modeling has produced a series of pedals which can offer the same "flava" of effects used by Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Dan Donegan and Scott Ian as shown here. These pedals allow you to dial in the lead guitar sounds on these artist's top recordings.

The Scott Ian pedal we tested featured the tones from Scott's Black-13, (Anthrax), recordings. Seven settings on the fourth knob offer the lead guitar sounds for: "I am the Law", "Madhouse", "March of the S.O.D.", "Protest & Survive", "Room for one More", "What Doesn't Die" and "Finale". Metalheads, needn't only apply. I've found these distortion settings to be seriously fired up and off the hook. I especially liked the phaser on Model #7. Very cool!!! A beautiful pedal in shiny metal, (of course!), but built like a brick. Definitely roadworthy and a great addition to those who want to pull off those blistering leads heavy metal is known for thanks to legendary artists like Scott Ian. Thanks Scott!

http://www.digitech.com/

Ibanez WD-7 Wah Pedal

List:$179.95 / Street: $99.90

The WD-7 by Ibanez is a revolution in freeing your feet to control your wah and not the other way around. The WD-7 has a large sideswitch and is built to avoid the usual "clicking in" required of most other wahs. The Auto SW mode allows the wah to automatically turn on when you depress the pedal slightly. A spring tension adjuster controls the return of the pedal. It also sports an Auto Off Delay and a true bypass with no hum added to the signal chain.

Perhaps the best additions to the WD-7 are the most over-looked by manufacturers. That is the depressable control knobs. Dial in your settings, depress the knobs and no worries about your values being altered! Even without using the Wah pedal, the preamp on the WD-7 is fantastic. Suggested settings are included such as Vintage Wah, Funky Rhythm, Fat Lead and Bass Wah. My pick is the Fat Lead which offers just enough spank to the mix of my other pedals. Extremely well built, (I've seen flimsier tanks, really), this pedal is very heavy and would need serious Velcro-ing onto your pedal board. Also you might want to use an adapter as this thing eats 9 volt batteries like popcorn. Still, it offers a great quackin' - funk sound and is truly a gig worthy pedal.

http://www.ibanez.com/

Next Issue: Part III is going to pull it all together for you! We'll show you how to build your own concert-ready pedal board for the road. We'll also show you the latest in floor multi-effectors that prove you CAN take it with you!

Guitar Pedals...Get the Effect!

Photo: Beach Boy- Al Jardine and his Surf City Allstars

on tour this summer. Fender Strats and pedals down the line.

Notice the EWI Direct Box in lower right hand corner.

Hear them in action with "Surfin' USA" on the left.

PART I

One of the things nearly every guitarist wants to explore is how to expand on tone. Even acoustic guitars utilize boxes that bring out their unique, pure sound so that you can hear the "wood's" subtle nuances. Whatever you may be looking for, we've put together a short list of some the best stomp boxes in the business. In fact, many of them are used on professional recordings and by performing artists. I have been checking the pedalboards of bands like Carlos Santana, Los Lonely Boys, Jewel, The Jonas Brothers, Al Jardine of The Beach Boys, Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, Billy Squier, Hamish Stuart, (both of Ringo's Starr's 10th All Star Band) and many other pro guitarists, live in concert. I see what works on stage and which boxes hold up on tour due to construction and reliability. Here's our list of must have effects for both electric and acoustic guitars:

BOSS Super Chorus CH-1

This is the standard chorus by which all others are judged. BOSS Chorus pedals have been used by many top bands and recording artists since its release in the 1976. This is what you hear on most classic rock albums.

The CH-1 adds extra dimension to your guitar's sound almost like a watery washing of harmonics through your chords. Swells the impact of both electric and acoustic guitars. Stereo capable, it offers a light, transparent tone when played through a clean amp. Built like a brick, this box is truly road worthy and tour compatible.

List: $139.50

Street: $89.99


Marshall Amps RG-1, Stereo Modulation

The Regenerator offers five effects in one pedal. It is probably one of the most sought after pedals in the industry because if offers a lot for one slot on your pedalboard.

A vintage and modern chorus, flanger, phaser, step phaser and vintage vibe are what this box is capable of. This stereo pedal is not heavy handed but very light in its tone coloring. VERY well built in a classic retro design with a tough button switch.

List: $199.00

Street: $119.99

BOSS DD-3

Slapback to echo! The BOSS DD-2 premiered in 1984 so the DD-3 is second generation digital delay. Three different delay times from 12-1/2 to 800ms. Digital Delay is one of my favorites and is usually added towards the end of your chain of effects pedals. Endless repeats on demand in HOLD mode.
Turn the level down and set the delay time back to short for a light echo. Reliable box with all metal, solid construction.

List: $209.50

Street: $109.08

These three pedals are a good place to start if you are just beginning to delve into sculpting your tone. All of them can be used with electric or acoustic guitars that have an onboard pickup installed. Experiment with positioning them in your chain of effects but most pros will have the delay at the end closest to the amp. Use something like a BOSS TU-2 tuner as a buffer higher up. Chorus is generally placed in the middle. You can also power your entire chain of pedals with an all-in-one unit such as Voodoo Lab's Pedal Power II Plus.

Next up!!!: Part II of our series will show you how to build THE perfect road-kickin' pedalboard. We'll also go a little deeper into effects which are more genre specific. We're talking rock, heavy metal, funk and blues. This is the land of electric guitar distortion and Wah so hold tight for some serious leads! You ready?

Guitar Cables that Rock!

Dr. "M" Unplugged
Photo: Snap-Jack Guitar Cable
Fender Standard Stratocaster

Cables! Unless you plan to go wireless anytime soon, you're going to need them. Still the pops, cracks and squeals that occur when you try to disconnect from a live amp are enough to send you and your audience running. Not only that, repeated noises like that can permanently damage your amp and your guitar. Not good. What's a working musician to do?

Our solution was to find quality guitar cables that can cut the signal at the instrument jack. Both cables we tested were also featured the May issue of Guitar Player magazine among the 49 they reviewed. We took two guitar cables on the road and into the studio for our own test drive. Here's what we found:


Snap-Jack Guitar Cable by ZZYZX (15 ft.) The simplicity in this design underlies the genius. Tough, thick, PVC jacket, braided shield cable with gold plated contacts and 2 oz of solid metal nickel plating in its shell. The beauty of this cable is that the neodymium magnet only disconnects at just the right tension. If you have a busy stage with lots of wires going every which way, (who doesn't), then this cable could be a life-saver. I had it plugged into a live amp and tripped on the cable. Yes! It disconnected and saved me from a pretty nasty fall. Better still, there were no horrible cracklings in my amp as it separated. In guitar class, I simply brought along extra magnetic tips which can be purchased separately as straight or right angles. Everybody was able to disconnect and switch guitars instantly without cutting the power to the amp. Sweet! For fast changes while performing or recording, just leave a tip in each guitar you'll be playing. Break off the Snap-Jack Cable at your guitar jack and you are ready to attach another instrument without running back to your amp to shut it down! Saves a lot of time and energy especially when you're trying to adjust your boxes & equipment on stage.
PROS: The Snap-Jack is a high quality, thick guitar cable. Our tests for sound quality, durability and construction gave the Snap-Jack very high marks. Easy to use, no guessing about whether or not you're "live"! It performed flawlessly as advertised in the studio and out.
CONS: If you use the extra tips, they can be a bit difficult to remove from your guitar jack. We got around that by simply using the cable itself to retrieve them.
Snap-Jack Guitar Cable MSRP $53.49
Visit ZZYZX (Jodavi) Online at: www.zzyzxsnapjack.com



The Circuit Breaker by Planet Waves (10 ft. Right Angle Plug) Planet Waves is well known for their quality guitar accessories. 24K gold-plated plugs, copper braided shielding and 8 compression springs that allow the plug to lock securely in the jack. The Circuit Breaker is a performance capable guitar cable with a signal cutoff switch. This means that you can cut the signal from your guitar without having to cut your amp.
We were able to test the Circuit Breaker during a live performance. My amp was connected to a direct box so "my sound" could be played over the house PA. The soundman, (picky fellows, they are), was very impressed and when the set was over, I disconnected the Circuit Breaker cable without blowing up his system. No pops, squeals or cracks! If you need to change instruments on the fly, simply depress the button, remove and insert into another instrument. Press the button again and you're live! I found the right angle plug to be especially useful in the studio when recording and practicing. I like to switch between my Autoharp and acoustic guitar so I can tweak the same arrangement on different instruments. The Circuit Breaker allows me to do this seemlessly without the need to shut off my monitor or recording equipment.
PROS: This guitar cable offers great sound conductivity. Rugged construction makes this cable roadworthy and reliable. The attached cable tie shows Planet Waves was thinking of us musicians down to the smallest details.
CONS: If you're not careful, you could disconnect yourself by accidentally pressing the "short" button during performance.
Circuit Breaker Guitar Cable MSRP $53.99
Visit Planet Waves Online at: www.planetwaves.com

UPDATE!!!:

The Original Braided Cable! Spectraflex, a top maker of professional quality, low noise guitar cables also makes a cable with a "Silent Plug" that can be shut off to allow for quick guitar changes without disconnecting from your amp. The Fatso Flex Guitar cable was voted among the best cables this year by Guitar Player Magazine. This superior quality cable is also available with a 1/4 inch Silent Plug, straight or angled. Made in the USA. Have it all!

Fatso Flex Silent Plug Guitar Cable (14ft) MSRP $49.95

Visit Spectraflex Online at: http://www.spectraflex.com/

Coming up next! We'll see what Keeley Electronics, BOSS, Marshall Amps, Digitech and Ibanez have going for them in the way of guitar effects pedals and processors. Learn how to daisy chain your pedals for the best effects. Take a quick preview right now by clicking the banner ad photos to your left!

Bluegrass Season is Here!

Martin D-16GT with Fishman Ellipse Martix Blend under the saddle pickup and custom pearl inlaid bridge pins. Picks by Strum 'n Comfort. Concho Western Straw Hat by Dorfman-Pacific

Now is the time to get your guitar ready for those warm weather concerts and jam sessions! My Martin D-16 is back from the shop with a set of new phosphor bronze strings, a new pickup battery and custom pearl inlaid bridge pins. I also had some cosmetic work done to the soundboard and the repairs are completely invisible. That's one of the reasons why serious musicians buy C.F. Martin guitars. They make beautiful, high quality guitars and stand behind them. I'm also a member of the Martin Owner's Club. We will be having Owner's Club Day this coming August 1st in Nazareth PA so check out the banner ad to your left for more details.

If you are a little rusty from not playing very much over the winter, the best thing to do is to put a new set of strings on your guitar. This will improve the sound greatly and encourage you to play more. If you haven't already, invest in a good electronic tuner. Being a little off is o.k. when strumming at home but if you get with a group, well, let's just say you'll stand out but not in a good way! I use a BOSS TU-2 which also offers chromatic tunings for my Autoharp. It will also do dropped D tunings and the LED lights are easy to see on a dark stage. The next best thing I can recommend is a DVD that will ease you back into playing at those Bluegrass Jams. Homespun Tapes has a variety of DVD's that will help you do just that. No matter what songs you play, you'll find yourself needing to know how to play backup for other musicians. If someone is soloing on a break, this is the back up rhythm that allows that person to shine.

Basic Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar taught by Steve Kaufman is the DVD I chose because it is very specific to that skill. Steve is the only three time winner of the National Flatpicking Championships but delivers step by step instruction of rhythm guitar and moving bass lines in a non-threating way. You will be playing the way he does very quickly. This is because Kaufman breaks everything down yet tells you it doesn't have to be done his way. Therefore he encourages the player to allow his or her natural musical intuition be the deciding factor. Examples of that are the walking bass lines and keeping up when the going gets fast. This was so well done, I am looking forward to seeing his Lead Guitar Breaks for Bluegrass Songs DVD.

Kaufman's approach is refreshing and liberating. After all, you are supposed to be having fun at these events, right? DVD's like this help to get the essentials under your belt so you can actually have a good time playing with other musicians without concentrating so much on technique. I especially appreciated his exercises for muscle memory so that chord changes are smoother and more accurate. This DVD offers 70 minutes of instruction with Music and Tab enclosed. Retails for $29.95

http://www.homespuntapes.com/

http://www.martinguitar.com/

Coming Up Next......

Guitar Cables! Love 'em, hate 'em but you've got to have them. We'll take a look at some new guitar cables that are on the cutting edge for sound quality and even changing instruments on the fly while performing.

Audio-Technica's NEW ATH-ANC3 Quiet Point Earphones

ATH-ANC3 QuietPoint

Active Noise Cancelling

In Ear-Earphones

List $169.00

www.audio-technica.com

Ah yes! Spring is here and we're out and about, hopefully taking our music with us. One of the most important pieces of equipment us musicians will have in our gig bag is a comfortable set of earphones for our MP3 players. Audio-Technica is indeed a company that is always listening so following on the heels of the award-winning ATH-ANC7, A-T released its latest gem in their in-ear, earphone line at the NAMM show this year.

The ATH-ANC3 QuietPoint™ Active Noise-Cancelling In-Ear Headphones actively cut out background noise by 85% without any compromise whatsoever in sound quality. These in ear, earphones are so comfortable to wear due to the pliable, interchangable earpieces. This is one of the ATH-ANC3's best features as fit is always a problem for iPod and MP3 users. I have taken the ATH-ANC3 on my morning jog and they stayed comfortably in place for the whole run. Even better is the quality of the sound either with the noise cancelling option on or off. The secret is a miniature microphone in each earpiece that picks up ambient noise (such as traffic, speech, instruments, etc.). Electronics in the control box create a noise-cancelling wave that is 180° out of phase with the ambient noise. This wave acts like a virtual noise eraser: it cancels out the annoying sounds that surround you without taking away from the the audio you wish to hear.

I've also found these to be very useful in the recording studio and guitar class where there are other musicians tuning up or playing. This is often a problem because you are sharing the same space with other musicians who are not working on the same material as you are. Still with the ATH-ANC3 Quiet Point Earphones, you are able to take your music with you as if you were in your own "isolation sound room" during the session. This is very important when you do not have the luxury of your own separate practice booth. It is also great for replaying your uploaded, previously recorded music files. Work on your own recorded sessions anywhere you want. Listen to your sound creations or other music files any place, anytime—on a busy subway, in a noisy practice session, or settling in for a long flight. The quality of the ATH-ANC3 is unsurpassed. Check out all these excellent features:

• Ultra-compact in-ear design is ideal for travel
  Advanced electronics cancel up to 85% (20 dB) of background noise
  



• Innovative ANC circuitry delivers an exceptionally pure audio signal in noise-cancelling mode
  



• Ideal for use with all audio sources, including MP3 & other portable players
  



• Soft interchangeable ear pieces (small, medium & large) provide a custom fit
  



• Monitor switch deactivates noise cancellation/audio so you can listen outside when you need to Audio functions (in passive mode) even without battery
  



• Sleek control box offers on/off and monitor switches and clothing clip
  



• Two-pin airline adapter connects to in-flight entertainment
  



• Hard carrying case protects headphones & accessories
  



• Y cable includes an adjustable sleeve and extension for secure, comfortable fit
  



• A single AAA battery powers noise-cancelling electronics
  



• Gold-plated mini-plug provides exceptional corrosion resistance, superb conductivity and low noise