Category: Guitar Gear

Guitars, Effects, Accessories, Amps and more

Make Equipment Hauling A Breeze With A Mini Cart

The rock n roller mini cart makes loading your musical equipment in and out of a venue a breeze.

Rock n Roller R6 Mini Cart
Rock n Roller R6 Mini Cart

One of the biggest things I dread about playing in a live band is hauling equipment in and out of the gig venue. I have hauled more equipment up stairs and ramps than I care to remember. I always hoped I would get rich enough one day to afford my own roadies to haul my equipment. That’s only happened a couple of times so it’s usually me that has to carry my gear in.

That’s why today I’m recommending to you an excellent mini cart designed to fold extremely small for stowing in your vehicle yet is still strong enough to have a hauling capacity of 500 pounds. This cart is called the Rock n Roller R6 Mini Cart and it’s a real back saver for all you live musicians out there.   Continue reading “Make Equipment Hauling A Breeze With A Mini Cart”

Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups Video Demo

Video demo of the Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster with Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups.

Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups
Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups

   The other day I wrote a review about the Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups that I have in both of my Fender American Deluxe Stratocasters. I love the sound of these pickups and they’ve been a huge success onstage in my live band.

   They are a bit warmer sounding than the classic vintage single-coil pickups but the fact that they are noiseless puts them way ahead in terms of live functionality than standard single-coil pickups. When you’re dealing with varying power conditions at every venue that you play in, not having to worry about your noisy single-coil pickups gives great peace of mind.

   Today I’m posting up a couple of really good demo videos that feature the Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster loaded with the SCN pickups. These videos are both really great examples of how the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups sounds. You can also hear the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups in the clips on my Fender Cyber-Twin SE Preset Patch download page.      Continue reading “Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups Video Demo”

Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Guitar Pickups Review

Get exceptional noiseless single-coil pickup tones from Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless guitar pickups.

Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups
Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups

My favorite electric guitar which I use as my main guitar onstage with my live band is the Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster. I have two American Deluxe Stratocasters. One is the 2004, 50th Anniversary American Deluxe Stratocaster and my other is a 2006 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster. They’re both equipped stock with Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups.

One thing that I’ve always hated about traditional single coil pickups is the irritating 50/60 cycle hum that plague them. If you use a high gain amplifier or use any kind of compression, the hum is amplified and sounds even worse. I play a lot of high-gain, compressed sounds so the hum that comes with a traditional single coil pickup is unacceptable for a lot of what I play. Simply for the noiseless design, I have been very happy with the Fender SCN Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups.    Continue reading “Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Guitar Pickups Review”

Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone Compression Pedal Demo Video

Very good demo video of the Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone compression pedal that lets you hear sounds generated by the pedal.

I recently added a Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone compression pedal to my guitar rig that I use in my live band. I recently wrote a review of the Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone pedal on Live Musician Central. I have been very well pleased with this compression pedal.      Continue reading “Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone Compression Pedal Demo Video”

Behringer FCV100 Dual Mode Foot Controller Expression Pedal

The Behringer FCV100 Dual Mode Foot Control pedal works perfectly as an expression pedal with the Fender Cyber-Twin SE amplifier.

Behringer FCV100 Footcontroller
Behringer FCV100 Footcontroller

In my live band, the guitar amp I use and love is the Fender Cyber-Twin SE amplifier. I’ve been using this amplifier for a couple years and it has never let me down. I program my own custom sound preset patches for the Cyber-Twin SE. The sounds the Cyber-Twin SE is capable of really are amazing!

I also love the MIDI capabilities the amp gives you with control over preset switching as well as control over many parameters in the amp controls and effects parameters. The MIDI controller I use is the Fender Cyber-Controller which has switches for controlling presets, the tuner, and effects on/off. The Cyber-Controller also has two controller pedals that I use to control various sound parameters such as Gain or effects levels.     Continue reading “Behringer FCV100 Dual Mode Foot Controller Expression Pedal”

Why Are Some Guitars Priced So Low And Some Priced So High?

There are several things that factor into guitar pricing. Find out why intruments that share the same name have such a wide price range.

Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster

One question I get asked all the time is “How come this Stratocaster costs so much more than that Stratocaster? Aren’t they both Fender Stratocasters?”. I get asked the same questions about various Gibson Les Paul guitars as well. As a matter of fact, every instrument that you find used in a live band such as drums, bass, guitar or keyboards have huge price ranges for instruments, that on the surface, appear very similar.       Continue reading “Why Are Some Guitars Priced So Low And Some Priced So High?”

Gibson Les Paul BFG Demo Video

Gibson demo video of the Gibson Les Paul BFG guitar. It demo’s how the guitar sounds, the wiring and the controls.

Gibson Les Paul BFG
Gibson Les Paul BFG

   The other day on Live Musician Central I wrote a review of my Gibson Les Paul BFG guitar. I use the Les Paul BFG in my live band all the time because it has fantastic tones and it can stand up to all the abuse I dish out onstage. I’ve had my Les Paul BFG for over a year now and it continues to play very well. In fact, the wood has aged nicely as the guitar has broken in and I think it sounds better now than when it was new.

   I wanted to put up a Gibson demo video of the Les Paul BFG so you could check out the amazing tones this guitar can produce. Here it is and it’s a very good example of what the Gibson Les Paul BFG is capable of.         Continue reading “Gibson Les Paul BFG Demo Video”

Gibson Les Paul BFG Review

The Gibson Les Paul BFG is an American made Les Paul that has some very unique features and sounds great!

Gibson Les Paul BFG
Gibson Les Paul BFG

   As you know, I’m a Fender player and the Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster is my main go-to guitar. But I do play some other guitars regularly onstage with my live band. I also believe that there are just some instances where a Gibson Les Paul is the best guitar to get a particular sound that the Fenders can’t do well. The Gibson Les Paul sound to me is buttery and creamy without a lot of the pop that you can get with a Fender.

   About 10 years ago I added a Gibson Les Paul Custom to my collection of guitars. I love that guitar but because it’s price has continued to climb over the years, I just can’t risk taking it out onstage anymore. I could never afford to replace it at it’s current market value so it stays home, cased up most of the time. I think that’s a sad, sad commentary on these outrageous guitar prices from Gibson and now Fender. It’s just a bummer to have an instrument that’s so expensive that nobody will ever see it played live onstage except in an arena.    Continue reading “Gibson Les Paul BFG Review”

Fender Deluxe Player’s Stratocaster Review

The Fender Deluxe Player’s Stratocaster is loaded with custom features at a bargain price. It’s the best MIM Stratocaster you can buy.

Fender Deluxe Player's Stratocaster - Transparent Blue Finish
Fender Deluxe Player's Stratocaster - Transparent Blue Finish

Even though I’m a skilled keyboard and bass player, I play electric guitar in my live band and the guitar is my main instrument. If I could, I’d buy a new guitar about every month. I can’t afford that so I get out and shop for them always looking for that next great instrument.

I like brand new guitars and I certainly haven’t bought into this whole “vintage instrument” craze. I believe that new guitars are being built better than ever before. It’s a lot more fun for me to get a new guitar and play it than to collect a vintage guitar and keep it in it’s case, un-played.    Continue reading “Fender Deluxe Player’s Stratocaster Review”

Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone Guitar Compressor/Sustainer Review

Review of the Philosopher’s Tone compressor/sustainer guitar effects pedal from Pigtronix.

Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone Pedal
Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone Pedal

   Last week I picked up the new effect pedal from Pigtronix called the Philosopher’s Tone. It’s an analog compressor/sustainer that gives you the ability to sustain your held notes for a very, very long time. I had the opportunity to use it in my live band at a gig this past weekend and figured I’d let you all know how the Philosopher’s Tone performed.    

   I picked up my Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone from a webstore called GuitarX. I worked with Gary and the customer service was excellent. E-mails were responded to very quickly, shipping was super fast and the pedal arrived in perfect condition. It was a very good buying experience.     Continue reading “Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone Guitar Compressor/Sustainer Review”