Tag: Guitar Gear

Line 6 X2 XDS95 Wireless Guitar System Review

Line 6 X2 XDS95 Wireless Guitar System

I’ve recently been playing in a live band with my Son’s called Bonne Nuit and they were quite envious of my Shure wireless guitar system. I decided to get them their own wireless guitar systems and decided on the Line 6 X2 XDS95 Wireless Guitar System. I got two XDS95’s, one for my bass player and one for my rhythm guitar player. My choice was based mainly on the low price and the fact that this is a full digital wireless guitar system. I have been extremely pleased with this wireless guitar system in terms of reliability and especially in terms of sound quality. It’s one purchase I have never regretted. The following review was written by my son Erik Rushton. (more…)
Planet Waves Auto-Trim Locking Tuners For Gibson Les Paul

Planet Waves Locking Tuners For Gibson Les Paul

One of my favorite guitars is my Gibson Les Paul BFG and I use it in my live band regularly. It sounds great and has very unique tones for a Gibson. It’s also got fairly cheap parts on it thanks to Gibson building it as more of a budget Les Paul. Recently I was stringing it up and as I was putting on the low E-String the string windings lifted the post right out of the tuning machine! I couldn’t believe it because I had never had a problem with Grover Tuners before. Let’s just say I’m less than impressed with the Grover Tuners build quality. (more…)
Fishman FT-1 Digital Clip-On Guitar Tuner Review

Fishman FT-1 Digital Clip-On Guitar Tuner

One thing I’m always looking for is a way to make things more convenient in my live band. The Fishman FT-1 Digital tuner is a great tuner to use if you want a quick, easy and fast tune. While not as accurate as some other tuners such as my Peterson 490-ST Strobe Tuner, the FT-1 is a great tuner to use if you need a quick tune on the fly. It’s great for tuning before practice or mid-song at a gig and is easily clipped on and off the guitar. You can also use this tuner on both your acoustic guitar and your electric guitar. (more…)
Turn Your iPhone, iPod Or iPad Into A Guitar Amplifier

iRig for iPhone, iPod and iPad

I’m always looking out for tools to help me practice or to help me out in my live band. One of the coolest things I’ve seen lately is the new Amplitube offering from IK Multimedia for the Apple iPhone, iPod and iPad. In a nutshell it will give you the ablility to plug your guitar into your iPhone, iPod or iPad and use it as a guitar amplifier. You’ll be able to make your guitar sound like a multitude of famous guitar amplifiers.

If you’re unfamiliar with Amplitube it’s basically a software based guitar amplifier simulation that takes your guitar signal and processes it to sound like one of many different famous guitar amplifiers. Your guitar will sound like it’s being played through a Fender blackface amplifier and with the press of a button your guitar can sound like it’s being played through a full Marshall stack. You’ll get bluesy tones, metal tones, country tones and jazz tones using Amplitube’s guitar processing. (more…)
Danelectro FAB Chorus Pedal Review

Danelectro FAB Chorus – Excellent Sound, Incredible Price

I’ve been playing guitar in a live band for a lot of years now and I’ve come to rely on some basic guitar effects to help shape my sound. One of the most important effects you can add to your guitar effects collection is the Chorus effect. If you don’t know how a chorus works its quite simple. Chorusing makes your guitar sound like multiple guitars being played, hence the name Chorus. It accomplishes this effect by putting a slight delay and modulating the original signal then mixing the modulated signal with the original.

Today I’m going to talk about an incredibly affordable chorus pedal called the FAB Chorus by Danelectro. The FAB Chorus is a colored a metallic blue, has an on/off indicator light, an on/off button and 3 knobs that control Mix, Speed and Depth. The FAB Chorus is a mono chorus as opposed to more expensive stereo chorus effects. As you know, a stereo chorus effect will yield a wider and more ambient chorus effect split between two stereo channels. The FAB Chorus is made to be used with a mono guitar amplifier. (more…)
Line 6 POD Studio KB37 USB Audio Interface Review Update

Line 6 POD Studio KB37

A while ago I wrote a review on the Line 6 Toneport KB37 Audio Interface and MIDI Controller. I really love this little audio interface and it’s been an invaluable tool for my music recordings. I have a larger setup in my main studio but the KB37 goes with me when I need to work on my recordings while on the road. That being said, I have to admit that I use the KB37 in my big studio a lot of the time because it’s so simple to use.

When I got my KB37 it was called a Toneport and came with basic Line 6 amp simulation software. I had to purchase Reason 4.o and Sony Acid separately to get my portable recording setup running with the KB37. That added up to quite a few dollars to get a decent mobile audio workstation going. (more…)
A Bridge Pin Puller Is A Perfect Acoustic Guitar Gift Accessory

Dunlop Bridge Pin Puller – Bottle Opener

I’m sure a lot of you are asking for or giving an acoustic guitar as a gift for Christmas this year. I still remember when I was 13 years old and I got my very first acoustic guitar. I loved it and it brought a whole new dimension in music to my life. Getting my acoustic guitar as a Christmas present was literally what launched my career as a musician playing in live bands.

I remember learning how to play on that acoustic guitar and playing it until I broke a string. That brought me to my first string change on an acoustic guitar. Let me tell you, it was a learning experience and I learned a hard lesson. Acoustic guitar bridge pins are a real pain in ass to get out of the bridge! Naturally I grabbed a flat blade screwdriver and began prying against my beautiful wood bridge mount which I immediately chipped by prying on it. (more…)
Musician Gift Guide Suggestion – Top 50 Guitars, Amps & Effects Under $100

The Christmas shopping season is in full swing and if you have a musician that plays in a live band on your list then here’s your chance to shop for some great gear at low prices. Musician’s Friend has compiled a list of the top 50 guitars, amps and effects priced under $100. There are a lot of items that would make great gifts for musicians. The nice thing is they’re under $100 which makes them affordable this Christmas.

If you have a youngster that is looking to become the next great guitarist there are also some decent starter guitar packages on the list as well. Whether you’re looking to pick up and acoustic guitar or an electric guitar you can find either one on this list of deals.

All you have to do is click on the banner and start looking for that perfect gift.
Make Equipment Hauling A Breeze With A 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. (more…)
Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups Video Demo

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.      (more…)