Sorry for the slight delay with this post, but the recent heatwave has really put a cap on my playing time. Plus, since I had some new equipment to try out and get used to, it's probably best it took me a while. Anyway, let's got on with some guitar playing and tech talk!
PLECTRUM THICKNESS
Over the years, I've come to prefer a hard plectrum to the soft kind and, since settling on that, I've never even considered going soft again. However, since I've been taught new skills as a guitarist and been trying to alternate between strumming chords and plucking scales, I've found the harder plectrums just a bit too tough for the former. In general, I was worried that a softer plectrum wouldn't work for scales and arpeggios, but last night I dug out a softer pick and - low and behold! - it seemed to work just fine. I've involuntarily accrued a supply of the softer ones over the years, so hopefully I won't need to stock up next time I'm in the music shop. Shall let you know how I get on.
VOLUME/TONE BALANCING
I was stressing last weekend over balancing the volume of my signal chain. I currently have four volume knobs to deal with - my guitar's, the compressor's, the overdrive pedal's and the amp's. I usually have my guitar volume all the way up and tweak it as I play, then work on the amp volume, then the compressor's (I'm new to compression, so I'm not too sure how to best use it still) and then the overdrive's. But last weekend, for some reason, I wasn't getting the tone I wanted. Not only that, but I kept getting an unpleasant fuzz from whatever overdrive pedal I was using. So, dear reader, which volume do I prioritise? I guess it's all subjective, but the recent addition of a compressor has really thrown a spanner in the works. I'm tempted to remove it altogether. What do you think?
THE NINTH JAM
After a couple of weeks of heavy power chord riffage, I've suddenly fancied a change and have begun looping jazz-tinged 9th chord combos and improvising scales over them. Shall try and get a recording at some point. There's some freaky stuff going on in Jim's music nook.
MAXON CHORUS
So I finally picked up those three new pedals I had reserved for a few weeks and they're all GREAT. I've rolled back the mix on the chorus, as I only wanted a subtle warbling effect. It's set to a fast rate, as I don't like the slow swirl of 90s grunge. I wanted the retro 60s Leslie thing. While you can't hear the pedal's intended effect strongly on chords, it does add a metallic shimmer, which is very satisfying. On scales, however, the Leslie effect comes through loud and clear. One thing I don't like about the pedal, however, is how difficult the mix knob is to reach and turn on the back of the pedal. It almost needs tweezers or a wrench to use.
ECHOES... FROM SPACE!
Along with the Maxon chorus, I picked up the Boss (Roland) Space Echo. It's a compact, digital version of the analogue tape delay/reverb from the 70s. A secondhand of the original will set you back about a thousand pounds and much effort (due to the machine's required upkeep). While I've always avoided heavy delay and reverb effects until I was a good enough player not to rely on them, I think the Space Echo is going to motivate me to start having some fun. I think I'll keep the delay off when using the chorus pedal, as their effect is sort of similar and seem to cancel each other out. Shall keep you posted!
RADIO HAVANA
I. Love. This. Pedal.
Want your guitar to sound like a cheap-ass transistor radio? Then look no further than the Heavy Electronics Radio Havana! And, yes, I do want my guitar to sound like a cheap-ass transistor radio. The Radio Havana works not only as a lo-fi fx emulator, but also as its own overdrive. Two birds. One pedal. Bet you could probably knock a bird out the sky with it for real. But don't do that. Just buy one and play guitar through it! Initially I had a problem where my 9v power tree was creating a horrible hiss/whistle, but after trying an independent power supply, I found that it now sound golden. I was legit freaking out for a while there, thinking the pedal was faulty.
That's all for now, you funky rock chicks! Keep in touch!
Rock on.
