New guitar - PRS Singlecut Satin Trem

For a couple months I've been on a mad hunt for a PRS Singlecut Satin Trem. I'm not sure why good Singlecut Trems are so hard to find... if it's because they were introduced later (compared to the original Singlecut), they were not produced for a couple years during the Gibson lawsuit, or they were recently discontinued when the SC245 and SC250 were introduced. On top of that, the Satin Trem models are even harder to find. So I was pretty pumped up to find a good deal on a 2006 Singlecut Satin Trem in emerald green with 10-top and bird inlays.

So how does it stack up to the other Singlecut I've got? For starters, it's a bit lighter due to the satin finish and slightly thinner body. Obviously, it has the trem, but it also has the PRS locking tuners (vs. the vintage-style tuners). Finally, the electronics package is different... there are two #6 zebra-coil humbuckers, only one volume and tone pot, and a coil-tap switch on the tone pot... just a touch simpler than the original Singlecut setup. It's different enough tonally to make a unique addition to the collection, and what can I say... the matte finish looks pretty sweet, too...

This probably marks the last guitar acquisition for a few months... I need to unload a bit of guitar, amp, and recording gear before I make any more purchases. Plus (gasp!) I honestly can't think of any guitars I'm in the market for right now. We'll see how long that lasts...

--B

New guitar - G&L Legacy Deluxe

Having my fair share of dual-humbucker guitars around here, recently I'd been jonesin' (for no apparent reason) for a guitar with an HSS setup. After looking briefly at the Fender American Deluxe FMT/QMT Strats, the Yamaha RGX-TT (Ty Tabor Model), and some old Ibanez Radiuses (Radii?), I found a good deal on a NOS G&L Legacy Deluxe. Based on the current (Legacy Standard + ASAT Classic) and past (ASAT Special + ASAT Deluxe) models I've owned, I had relatively high expectations. :)

The Legacy Deluxe has a mahogany body with flamed maple top (vs. the ash or alder body of the Legacy Standard), bolt-on maple neck, 22-fret rosewood fretboard, no pickguard (rear-mounted electronics), and G&L vibrato. This particular one is finished in cherryburst. It has an electronics package consisting of a Seymour Duncan TB-4 (JB) humbucker + 2 G&L single coils, volume pot, 2 tone pots, 5-way switch, and mini coil tap; before it arrived, I had already started plotting to replace the G&L single coils with a couple Seymour Duncan Vintage Rails, similar to the Yamaha Ty Tabor model.

Overall, the construction & craftsmanship is what I've come to expect from G&L models... tight tolerances, clean fit & finish, good attention to detail. Feel (neck profile, setup) is very similar to the other Legacy I've got (Strat-like)... it's not a shredding machine, but more of a classic rock machine. So it's probably a 10-out-of-10 for some folks, but not quite my style (what can I say... I need a humbucker in the neck position!)--I'm not sure how long it'll stick around here, once I realize I could cash it in towards another PRS. :)

Finally, for the record, here are a few pictures of the latest acquisition...

--B

New guitar - PRS McCarty Korina (Brazilian!)

Another recent addition to the ol' guitar collection is a 2007 Paul Reed Smith McCarty Korina model. This, like the 513 Mahogany and Mira, was one of the formally announced models at 2008 NAMM, even though some McCarty Korina's shipped prior to that. From a construction standpoint, it's basically the same as the now-discontinued McCarty Standard... carved body (slightly thicker than the PRS Customs), 22 fret wide-fat neck profile, PRS stop tailpiece, vintage tuners, and McCarty electronics package (2 covered McCarty pickups + 3-way switch + volume + tone + push-pull coil-split switch). The primary difference is that it is carved out of korina (obviously) instead of mahogany, which gives a slightly brighter tone and somewhat lighter weight. Also worthy of note is that the first ~500 McCarty Korinas were produced with Brazilian rosewood fretboards (vs., Indian rosewood), so this particular McKorina is equipped with the BRW fretboard. And, of course, it's finished in vintage natural with bird inlays. Can't forget about the birds...

So I've gotta start by saying... I've heard a lot of people rant & rave about Brazilian rosewood fretboards & necks over the years, and never knew if any of the hype was justified (or if it was simply a matter of folks thinking "I spent $xxx more for a guitar with Brazilian rosewood, so I've got to talk it up to make myself feel better"). Well, after playing the guitar for a whopping 5 minutes, I'd say the hype is well deserved... BRW has the smoothness of ebony with the warmth of Indian rosewood. Slides, vibratos, bends are effortless, and there is less loss of sustain when doing so. It plays like the whole fretboard has been greased down. Very cool! After playing the guitar for 30 minutes, I was already plotting... "If I sold all the PRSi I have now, how many could I buy with BRW fretboards/necks?" But that's a topic for another day...

As always, pictures are in order...





--B

Studio switch-up - another Presonus Digimax FS

About 9 months ago I picked up a Presonus Digimax FS to add to the studio rack. It gave me the ability to record up to 24 simultaneous tracks (which I don't think I've ever used more than 16 simultaneous tracks), but also, gave me the ability to patch in the ART MDM-8L compressor/limiter for a little extra protection during the recording process. In an effort to make things a bit more consistent from a studio setup standpoint, I decided to sell both my Focusrite Octopre LE and Presonus Digimax LT and pick up a second Digimax FS. So while I've dropped from 24 to 16 simultaneous tracks, all 16 channels are now identical (all XMAX preamps with compression/limiting in the inserts).

I spent a bit of time on Saturday afternoon re-wiring the studio rack... removing the Octopre & Digimax LT, installing the Digimax FS, patching in the ART MDM-8L, and verifying that everything's wired up correctly by recording some test tracks in Sonar.



While I don't have any big (full band) recording projects on the horizon, I am planning on doing a bit of solo recording over the next few weeks, so that will be a good opportunity to put the new Digimax FS through its paces.

--B

The dust has settled...

And after buying & selling close to 30 pieces of gear, here's where I netted out in amp-land...

• On the amp front, I'm actually up to five amps from four amps but somehow ended up putting $ back in the bank. How did that happen? I've got three heads in the studio (Egnater JTM45, H&K Switchblade, Zinky Superfly) and two combos in the living room (H&K zenTera 2x12, H&K Edition Tube 1x12). Tonally, each has its niche... The Switchblade and Superfly are ultra-modern high-wattage tube amps. The Switchblade has a bit more edge along the lines of Marshall/Soldano, while the Superfly is extremely smooth along the lines of Fender/Mesa Mark-series. The Egnater JTM45 head and Edition Tube combo represent the other side of the spectrum... relatively stripped down designs with high gain at relatively low tube power levels. In this case, the JTM45 is smooth and Marshall-esque (an atypical combination) while the Edition Tube is raw, gritty, and Vox-esque. Finally, the zenTera fills in the gaps with a wide variety of modeled tones that sound good at a variety of power levels with no tubes to be found.


• On the cab front, I've downsized a bit, putting the Rocktron 4x12 up for sale to pick up a Randall 2x12 (loaded with Celestion CL80's), which is a good fit with the Randall 4x12 XL (loaded with V30's) that I already owned.


• On the effects front, I sold the Digitech GSP1101 processor, Control Two footcontroller, and a few random pedals. While I still kept a few pedals (Fulltone wah, Sparkle Drive, Carl Martin compressor), all the digital multi-FX I have now are integrated into the zenTera and Switchblade amps... no more rack gear, no more massive pedalboards!


• Net, I'm now (with the exception of a couple random modules to sell) completely out of the Egnater modular amp system. Clearly things have been simplified a bit, as I also have a giant bag of unused George L's patch cables that were previously used to wire up the rack and/or pedalboard.
  
• Finally, in addition to having the new amps available in the studio, I traded in the Behringer V-AMP on the Line 6 Gearbox Gold bundle, which includes both a direct box and software plug-ins for amp & effects modeling. It'll definitely come in handy for recording demos & scratch tracks, and who knows... maybe it'll show up on a few finalized tracks as well.

What's next? Certainly no more amps! I've still got a few pieces of amp gear, a couple guitars, and a bit of recording gear to sell. So over the next few weeks I'll be focused more on unloading some gear on e-bay, craigslist, and other forums and less focused on getting new toys. But, of course, once everything has been sold, I'm sure there will be some new acquisitions on the horizon. In the mean time, here's a pic of a mountain o' amp love piled up in the studio...

--B