Posts belonging to Category Gear Blog

I had been looking at the Night Train since it came out last year. It had all the makings of a great little amp for worship settings. Sometimes my AC15 is a little on the loud side! But with the 7-15 watt switch the Night Train seemed to be the perfect solution. Well last week one of my buddies ordered a Night Train half, he like me had read the reviews and was impressed with the online videos and sound files. He had used my AC15 live in a club setting and had plenty of juice for whatever he needed to do. Well his amp came in yesterday, and I couldn’t wait for the call to tell me I had to get one of these. Well the call came during a coach pitch game so I when I called back I was surprised to hear total disappointment on the other end. I couldn’t believe it, hundreds of great reviews online, and Justin said it was useless for anything other than some studio work or bedroom practice. He still had my AC15 and said there was no comparison. So today we road out to his house for a little sound check. He wanted to make sure it was just him, and I had to hear this little amp for myself. Man was I shocked. It sounded so thin, no bottom end at all. Justin’s comment was “its toy like”. I mean you could work and get some playable tones but you would have to go back to the amp and EQ it if you switched pick ups on his Strat. Plugged up side by side the AC15 spanks the Night Train for any sound you want. Clean, Break Up, Loud, Quiet, doesn’t matter the AC15 keeps your tone and keeps it bite. The Night Train is boxed back up and going back to Musicians Friend as I type. I guess the point of this story is you can’t always believe everything you read online! Like any musical instrument, you better play it for yourself to be sure you like it. Looks like I will be sticking with my custom classic.

Got my picks in today from the pickguy.com.  Look great, feel great.  Super deal at only $38.00 delivered.  They even let me split my order up into two different pick gauges.  Sweet deal.  Thanks Pick Guy.  Also my first experience with the Grover Allman shape, and I really like it.

Ordered some custom picks from the Pickguy today.  Can’t wait to get them in they look really sweet.  Been playing the Snarling Dogs nylon brain picks for a while, played the Everly Star picks before that.  These are black delrin .80mm, matte finish, I can’t wait to get them in.

$38 delivered for 100 picks, split them up into 50 each .70mm and 50 each .80mm at no extra charge.  You can download the template from his website and create your own pick.  Send it back to them, and they will fix you up a nice mock up so you can decide if you like it.

Thank you twitter, Mark Lee’s SixStringLounge is great.

Hey guys if anyone has any old pedals that they would like to donate or sell cheap contact me. We had a Line 6 Floor Pod meltdown last night. So we have a teenager that needs some pedals in the worst way. I am gonna try to put together some stuff for him, but anything we can round up for all the pedal guru’s out there would be great. This guys is really talented, but he doesn’t have the money to go out buy a bunch of stuff.

Saint Blues launches World’s First Production Electric Washboard

Saint Blues Guitar Workshop has announced the launch of the Woogie Board, the first production electric washboard in partnership with Cody Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars.

The Woogie Board has been developed together with Cody Dickinson. Cody is the son of legendary producer, Jim Dickinson, who worked with artists such as the Rolling Stones, the Replacements, and Bob Dylan. “I had been playing guitar, drums, and piano, then one day my father literally hung a washboard around my neck, and said ‘Son, you’re going to play the washboard’ ”, says Cody. Although it was his father’s love of roots, blues, and folk music that introduced Cody to the washboard, electrifying it and marrying with traditional guitar effects, was all Cody. “The electric washboard, which is utterly Cody’s instrument, is a thing unto itself” Cody’s father Jim, said. “That wah-wah pedal does something to it that God never intended. There’s something really, really vulgar about what the wah-wah pedal does. It makes it sound like oral sex, somehow.”

via GuitarSite.com – Saint Blues launches World’s First Production Electric Washboard.

Vox announces expansion of its Electric Guitar line

VOX Amplification has announced a major expansion of its range of electric guitars. In addition to its acclaimed Virage models, VOX now debuts a selection of new solid-body and semi-hollow body guitars. With this introduction, VOX now offers a complete line of electric guitars featuring a diverse range of colors, finishes and price points.

The expanded VOX guitar lineup encompasses the following:

SSC-33 Standard, Solid-Body, Single Cutaway

SDC-33 Standard, Solid-Body, Double Cutaway

SSC-55 Deluxe, Solid-Body, Single Cutaway

SDC-55 Deluxe, Solid-Body, Double Cutaway

HDC-77 Deluxe, Semi-Hollow, Double Cutaway

Virage SSC, Premium, Semi-Hollow, Single Cutaway

Virage SDC, Premium, Semi-Hollow, Double Cutaway

via GuitarSite.com – Vox announces expansion of its Electric Guitar line.

Guitar stuff from around the Net

• Goosonique’s Seventheaven High Gain Distortion Pedal (Effects Bay)
• Pedal Line Friday – 2/5 – Jimmy Rolle (Effects Bay)
• Black Cat Tone Bender MkI Americano (What’s that Dude Play)
• This Little Piggy Has Fuzz (What’s that Dude Play)

Head over to Cotyroberts.org for an updated list of all the gear the Hillsong guys are using.

Here is a quick look at Nigel’s gear:

Amps:
Matchless Spitfire 15
Vox Ac-15

Fender 2 x 12 Box

Guitars:
Duesenberg Starplayer TV Blue Pearl with Tremolo
Gretsch Duo Jet G6128T Black
Fender Stratocaster 57 reissue (1982 made) Tobacco Burst
Gibson Les Paul Supreme Maple Cherry Burst
Larivee C-05 Acoustic Guitar
Godin Multiac Nylon
Fender Stratocaster (Japan)

Main Pedalboard:
Timon Klein Industries Custom True Bypass Looper
Boss TU-2 Tuner
Ernie Ball Volume
Fulltone Clyde Wah

Robert Keeley Compressor
Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive
Maxon OD-820 Overdrive
Jekyll & Hyde Overdrive/Distortion
Expandora

Timmy Drive (new addition)
Line 6 MM-4 Modulation
Fulltone Choral Flange
Boss DM-2 Analog Delay
Boss DD-5 Digital Delay
TC Electronic Nova Delay
Diago Power Supply
Cusom Made Junction Box

All wired with George L’s .155 & .225 cable and plugs.

Check it all out at Cotyroberts.org

Just wanted to do a quick update on what my pedalboard is looking like right now.  Lost all the previous updates when I crashed the server.

Pedal Order (Input to Output)

1. Korg Pitchblack Tuner – visibility is never a problem with pedal
2. MXR Dynacomp – I am not a big compressor guy, mainly use this with just the amp and no other pedals on.  Occasionally use it for some intro’s.
3. Morley Power Wah – I really like the on/off button feature of the Morley wah’s, really handy when you are just trying to filter out for one specific tone.
4. Visual Sound Truetone Clean Boost – great clean volume boost, I use this pedal to help give me a little breakup in our church services without blowing up everyone’s ear drums.  Maybe the old folks can appreciate that, LOL.
5. Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive – Pro Guitar Shop Video Demo – My number one favorite pedal.  Mine has the Keeley Mod.  Great, Great Pedal.  Lots of pro’s use this pedal.  Love the clean boost feature, almost creates the sound of two different guitars.  Would not have a pedal board without one.
6. MXR Distortion 3 – classic hard rockin’ distortion pedal.
7. Snarling Dogs Blue Doo – picked this up dirt cheap on Ebay, what a steal.  This is the older model, great sounding pedal.  Great blues tones.  Really good 60′s sound, really vintage.
8. Visual Sound Route 808 – classic tubescreamer type of overdrive, basically a hopped up TS-808
9. Ernie Ball VP Jr
10. MXR Carbon Copy – don’t play a lot of delay but when I do, this is where I go.  Get that classic U2 sound in a easy to use analog pedal.

All mounted to my Pedaltrain and powered by my Onespot.

BBE Free FUZZ (pictured but not being used)

Amps/Cabinets

• Vox AC-15
• Avatar G212H Custom Cabinet with a Celestion G12H30 Anniversary and one Celestion Vintage30 (Excellent Cabinet)
• Marshall Valvestate 8100 Head
• Fender 4×12 Cabinet

Guitars

• G&L Asat Classic S – G&L Hot Rail Neck and Bridge, G&L S500 MFD in the middle
• Washburn HB30
• Greg Bennett Fastback FB1 with P90′s

Working on getting some video clips up here, but you can check out our Youtube channel to hear some stuff, my rig is used by TJ Senter in Cross-Eyed during Souled Out on Wednesday’s and by me at Connect on Sunday’s.