Category Archives: Guitar gear
ProCo RAT 2, rebuilt
As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of my favourite bits of guitar gear is my trusty RAT 2 distortion, which I’ve had for a number of years and was even used as my main dirt box when playing live. It was one of the reissues that had a different IC chip from the originals of the 80s and 90s though, and the control pots had bothered me right from the day I bought it so I eventually decided to have it modded to the ‘original’ spec.
the poor light at this time of day messes with the colour balance. My carpet’s green and the LED’s blue, honest
The gain, filter and volume were really sensitive at the lower end of the range but if I tweaked the knobs above around a third of the way I couldn’t get any changes at all. It didn’t alter the sound of the pedal, but it made finding the right settings tricky. Fortunately I tracked down a knowledgable UK-based pedal tech who mods and builds FX boxes in his spare time and after some helpful e-mail exchanges he agreed to work on it.
New amp day
My live playing is on a bit of a hiatus at the moment (all members of our semi-serious band are still preoccupied with Real Life things) so I’m concentrating on solo stuff for now. I’ll be ordering a copy of Cubase Essential at the end of the month assuming nothing expensive hits me in the meantime (I MOT’d the car last month…what more can go wrong?!) but I was in need of a new amp that’s built for home recording/practice rather than a higher wattage performance amp.
My Marshall DSL 401 does have a line out socket but that sounds a bit sterile and thin; the general sound of the amp isn’t really suited to the style of music I play anyway. A bit of shopping around helped me decide on a piece of kit that’s right for the job (see above).
Getting an old companion restored
My recent attempts at resurrecting a knackered old second-hand guitar pretty much failed after I realised I couldn’t fit the bridge and keep the thing in tune. It’s a shame to throw a musical instrument onto the woodpile (not literally in this case…yet) so I turned my attention to another half-broken thing I had lying around.
This is a 1989 Korean-made Squier Bullet that has much more sentimental value: I bought it second-hand at the age of sixteen with money from a part-time job. It’s the good old First Guitar that you can never bear to part with, no matter what happens to it. Despite various things going wrong on it I kept the thing regardless with the hope of making it playable again some day. And y’know what, I finally did.
My pedalboard is (almost) complete
Lately I’ve had a bit of spare time (and, thanks to some overtime at work, a bit of spare cash for a change) which gave a good opportunity to get my guitar rig updated. I haven’t given up on the guitar restoration project and I’m still looking around for a new amp but if nothing else I don’t think my effects pedal collection is going to grow much more than this. At least, I hope not.
Click on pic for larger version
I’ve covered the distortion pedals already and I’m pretty happy with what I have at the moment. I’m either going to change the switch on the Big Muff to a true bypass (it sucks out some of the treble out of my sound, which is annoying) or swap it for a Fender Blender reissue or a Danelectro Fabtone for the more chaotic fuzz moments. As for the rest…it’s about right for me now.
Confessions of an FX pedal addict: gimme some distortion!
I must confess that I’m a guitar gear junkie. I’m a victim of that continual search for ‘your sound’ which drives so many musicians to distraction; even when I think I’ve found the setup I’m looking for my personal tastes have changed and another trawl through numerous music stores follows. At the end of 2009 the array of boxes sitting in front of my amp looks something like this:
This doesn’t include my Boss flanger and Electro-Harmonix Small Stone phase shifter, because I rarely use them. The pedals above (yes, all seven of them) get pretty regular use. I believe there’s also a condition known as Pedalboard Envy, which is brought on by the epic rigs from the likes of Mono’s ‘Taka’ Goto; seriously, what the hell?! Anyway, I have settled on a setup of distortion boxes in the mix which do the trick for me…for the time being at least.
Guitar gear: 1980 Ibanez Artist
While my main instrument for both practice and live is my trusty Gibson SG, my most prized possession at the moment is a guitar I picked up second-hand nearly ten years ago. I was looking at the time for something with a Gibson-esque sound but back then my student budget wouldn’t stretch that far. The next best thing, I was told, was one of the Japanese copies but to go for a used instrument to get more for my money.
My beloved Ibanez and my cheap-and-cheerful Tanglewood acoustic
The money in question was £400 iirc, although I’ve been told since then that similar models go for considerably more than that these days. Basically it’ll gain value the longer I keep it as long as I look after it but quite honestly I’ve no intention of selling it just yet.
My guitar DIY modification project part 3: circuitry
Now I’ve decided to go for a Fender Jazzmaster circuit and pickups, I’ve begun to sort out the electrical components required. Since this is a first-time project I’m not very confident in my own skills; furthermore I have a smaller Squier Stratocaster body to work with, and don’t really feel the need to have the full Jazz circuit with all those separate rhythm and lead controls. It’s going to be a configuration of two pickups, a master volume and tone, and a three-way selector switch; similar to the Telecaster I suppose, but with those distinctive pickups (which will be the most expensive and therefore will probably be the last parts I’ll buy). With the structural aspect of the instrument up to a satisfactory standard (that annoying bridge screw exempted) I now feel ready to start the wiring.
My guitar DIY modification project part 2: replacing the bridge
Here’s a healthy tip for anyone who is thinking about replacing a guitar’s vibrato bridge: before you start, for your own sake check the dimensions of the trem block, string spacing and positions of bolt/screw holes. Not all companies’ parts are made to the same specs which I’m sure is obvious but even bridges made by the same company can vary. That’s right: my “All Fender’s parts are standard size and shape, from guitar necks to cutlery in the factory canteen” assumption was a bit optimistic. It’s a simple enough design but they can’t resist making variations on the theme…
The positions of the six screws that hold the bridge plate in place on my Squier Strat are actually a tiny bit closer together than the replacement, which I’m guessing is made to fit the bona fide Fender instruments. This made fitting the bridge plate a nerve-wracking experience, which I hope won’t affect the sound or tuning stability; fortunately everything else went (more or less) JUST AS PLANNED but it’s something I’m quite annoyed at myself about.
My guitar DIY modification project part 1: Before
I was all geared up to write another guitar review but I’m currently planning something that is hopefully interesting enough to be worth sharing. I’ve decided that the second-hand ’98 Squier Affinity Stratocaster that has been my ‘second guitar’ (read: my backup when my main one goes out of tune/breaks) is the ideal subject for screwing up modifying to be better suited to the music I’m playing. I’m a complete novice to this sort of thing, beyond the regular changing of strings and a recent pickup switch repair to my old Ibanez (more on the latter at a later date) so I’m deliberately working on an inexpensive and mainstream instrument. Because it’s such an average ‘off the shelf’ guitar the replacement of parts will be affordable and relatively straightforward too.
This is roughly what it looked like, before the onslaught
Guitar gear: the Gibson SG
This is the first of what I’m expecting to be an ongoing series of musical equipment reviews based on my current home setup. Needless to say I’m only an amateur enthusiast with a number of other interests (DVDs and CDs among them) so my rig’s pretty limited. Anyway, I’m sure there are fellow guitar geeks around who are only too happy to discuss/compare/brag about the various bits and pieces they have stashed away in attics, studios and spare bedrooms.
