VLOG: New rig update #5 - a tour of the rack with sound clips

In an effort to get more familiar with the new Sony HDR-UX5 camcorder, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to create a few videos walking through the rack rig. The rig is pretty much unchanged since the last update, with the addition of a Hiwatt Series 2000 PRE-1 preamp and some minor reorganization of items within the rack (to make space for more stuff!).

The first video talks through the components, what they do, and how they're wired up...


The second video has sound clips of the four preamps in the rack (Mesa Studio, Mesa Recto, Soldano SP-77, and Hiwatt)...


And the final video has sound clips of some of the Lexicon MPX-G2's effects...


The sound quality isn't too bad for using the built-in camcorder mic, though at some point I'll figure out how to "do it right" by mic'ing the guitar cabs, recording separate audio tracks on the computer, and marrying up the mic'd guitar tracks with the video. But for now, this'll do...

--B

VLOG: Several guitars + amp for sale

I'm trying something new this time... instead of posting dozens of pictures or writing lengthy descriptions for each guitar/amp for sale, I've put together some short videos walking through each item's condition. Here's what's up for grabs...

2007 SC250 - Platinum metallic finish, bird inlays, 9.5 condition SOLD

G&L ASAT Special semi-hollow - Honey finish, ash body, MFD "soapbars", rosewood fretboard ~9.0 condition $900 shipped/PP'd

Hughes & Kettner Switchblade 100 head - includes MIDI controller, power cable, original shipping box & paperwork SOLD

If you're interested in anything, shoot me an e-mail. Not really looking for anything in trade unless it's a PRS Starla (vintage mahogany with bird inlays--picky, I know) or maybe a 57/08 model.

--B

Videography-induced G.A.S. - Sony HDR-UX5 HD camcorder

While I didn't get many Christmas gifts directly related to music, somehow I managed to find a good deal on an HD camcorder during some of the post-Christmas sales, so I kinda bought myself a gift. :) While I've never done much with video production outside of work, with my interests in both digital photography and audio recording, it feels like videography should be somewhat natural (although I've pretty much acknowledged that the time investment in good video work is probably equivalent to the amount of time I'd spend on photo editing times the amount of time I'd spend on audio editing... net, a considerable time investment).

So my weapon of choice is a Sony HDR-UX5 HD camcorder...

While there are far more feature-laden camcorders out there, this one had several good points (in addition to a remarkably low price)... HD 1080i & 5-channel surround support, easy integration with the other Sony components (TV, receiver, PS3) in the home theater, and simple software for pulling video clips from the DVD down to PC for editing.

This, of course, meant a few upgrades to the studio PC to turn it into a video editing machine... I added a second GB of RAM, picked up a Seagate FreeAgent 1TB external hard drive, and installed Adobe Premiere Elements.

While I haven't read the manuals for anything yet, I've managed to figure out how to record videos, do basic editing, and get them uploaded to YouTube (which means I probably won't be reading the manuals anytime soon). This means, of course, that you can expect to see some of the blog posts accompanied with videos in the not-so-distant future. Ah, the transition from BLOG to VLOG...

--B

G.A.S. makes Wikipedia...

While surfing around this morning I noticed there's now an entry about Gear Aquisition Syndrome on Wikipedia. And no, I did not post it there...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_Acquisition_Syndrome

My favorite snippet:

GAS hasn't received any major medical attention. GAS is not a clinical, but a psychological condition. However, numerous articles address GAS issue and try to propose an methods to plan one's desires, incomes and expenses better.

--B

New rig update #4 - some assembly (& programming) required

It's been a few months since the last update on the new rack rig... I've been pretty busy with recording, so haven't had as much time to work on the guitar rig recently. But nonetheless, here's what's happened...

First, I picked up a new rack case arrived courtesy of Hybrid Cases... it is a 20-space latchless ATA rack with casters. I mounted all the gear in the rack, plugged it all into a Monster Power 900 power conditioner, and connected it with George L's red cables. Looks a little bit (or actually a lot) like this...



I also picked up a second Randall R212CS cabinet loaded with V30's to match the other R212CS (loaded with CL80's) that I already had...



Pretty quickly, I realized that the idea of running multiple preamps/power amps/cabinets in parallel was probably more of a pain than it was worth... so I simplified (yes, a rare event) and sold the Mesa 20/20 power amp, opting instead to use the Rolls RP-93S to switch between the 3 preamps (Mesa Recto, Mesa Studio, and Soldano SP-77) instead of running in parallel.

Last week was the first chance I got to sit down and do some serious programming... it consisted of programming the loops & relays in the RP-93S as well as creating a few patches for the Lexicon MPX-G2. Again, I kept it relatively simple, building three patches... one for clean tones (touch of plate reverb with switchable wah, overdrive, chorus, tremolo, and delay); one for crunch tones (touch of chamber reverb with switchable wah, overdrive, flanger, tremolo, and delay); and one for solo tones (delay + plate reverb with switchable wah, overdrive, flanger, and detune).

So what's next for the rig? First, I'll be putting it through its paces at this week's band practice, so I'll probably be making a few "tweaks" to the Lexicon patches. Also, I've got a couple other rack preamps on the way (more details coming soon) that I'll be adding to the mix.

--B

Tuesday's G.A.S. field trip - auditioned a PRS Starla

Having the day off work Tuesday, guitar-player Dave and I took a road trip to check out the new Guitar Center as well as check in at Sam Ash. While neither of us bought anything, there was a rather intriguing Ibanez at Guitar Center (a semi-hollowbody EX-series ?? with real Duncan pickups and Grover locking tunes for $200--clearly priced at less than the sum of its parts). And Sam Ash had a new vintage mahogany Paul Reed Smith Starla in stock, so I jammed around on it for about 20 minutes to see if it would be purchase-worthy.

The Starla is one of the guitars introduced at this year's PRS Experience. It's one of the more vintage PRS designs, following in the footsteps of the Mira last year. Some specs are similar, such as the solid mahogany body with set mahogany neck and pickguard-mounted electronics. But the Starla comes with a few unique features... Starla pickups, a Bigsby vibrato with tune-o-matic bridge, and 24.5" scale neck (compared to 25" on most PRSi). At first glance, it's definitely inspired by Gretsch guitars in the same way that the Mira appears to be inspired by some of the Gibson SG/Les Paul DC designs. Some folks would say the Starla is the Ugly Duckling of the PRS lineup, but based on how much I love my Mira (last year's Ugly Duckling), I knew I had to check a Starla out in person...

Initial impressions were quite positive: The 24.5" scale makes for slightly easier chording & string bending. Tonally, the Starla definitely is Gretsch-derived... it was the brightest, sparkliest sounding PRS I've ever played, which contributed to great clarity for both chords and lead lines. Granted, it's no shredder... the neck is chunky, the Bigsby bridge is "quirky" (was a bit hard to keep in tune, though it could've just been old strings, or perhaps I've been spoiled by the relative tuning stability of the PRS trem and locking tuners on other PRSi), and the pickups are on the vintage/low output end of the spectrum. As always, attention to detail (finish & setup) were top notch, and I was surprised by how much I appreciated the subtlety of the simpler vintage mahogany finish.

Overall, the Starla's got a lot of "vibe"... if I was trapped on a desert island, it wouldn't be the one guitar I'd take. But if I was locked in a studio with 10 other guitars, it would be cool addition to the collection... it's probably one I'll keep an eye open for on the used market (that is, once a few more Starla's reach the used market).

--B