When we put together our acoustic band, I immediately started looking for a way that I could bring some extra percussion to the table. One of the coolest gadgets I came across is my searches was a stomp box. There are many different flavors, but the one enduring concept is that it’s a block of […]
Category: Gear
All the wonderful toys that a boy could possibly want. Write-ups of my favorite instruments, amps, effects and computer gear.
Rode NT-1000
I was rather surprised to realize that I’d never written up anything about my main microphone, the Rode NT-1000. It doesn’t have an elaborate back-story like a lot of my other gear. When I was putting together my recording rig, I decided that while I needed a good microphone, I wasn’t going to spend a […]
I’d been needing a bass cabinet for ages. The original plan was to buy one before I stopped driving a truck, but that didn’t work out. So I’d been scrambling ever since, trying to figure out I was going to get back into playing when I didn’t have a bass rig. So I was more […]
Rotosound JK 12 Acoustic Guitar Strings
Not long after I first tried Rotosound guitar strings on my electrics, I decided to try them on my acoustic guitar, as well. I was even more blown away by the acoustic strings. At first I thought they sounded a little thin. I wasn’t used to acoustic strings that were that bright, and I thought […]
Rotosound RS668LD Swing 66 Bass Strings
When I bought a 12-string bass, I never really thought about the logistics involved in buying strings for the thing. I quickly discovered that no one I care for sells a set of strings for the 12-string bass. This left me only one option; to buy two sets of Rotosound strings for an 8-string bass, […]
Rotosound RS66LD Swing 66 Bass Strings
Although I’ve tried other strings through the decades, Rotosound Swing 66 bass strings are all that I’ve ever used. The only reason other bass strings have ever been on my instruments is because I couldn’t find Rotosounds at the time. I’ve never been happy with anything else. There’s good reason for it, too. If you […]
I was wandering around Sam Ash in Charlotte, North Carolina some time in the early 2000’s when I noticed a damned odd sight. They had some guitar strings that were labeled “Rotosound”. I was dumbfounded. I don’t know why, but I didn’t think Rotosound even made guitar strings. In my 20 or so years of […]
Elixir 14102 Nanoweb Electric Bass Strings
I decided to break tradition and not use the traditional Rotosound strings on my fretless bass. The fingerboard on the fretless is soft rosewood, so there was no doubt in my mind that standard bass strings would chew up the fingerboard. Someone suggested that I try Elixir strings, because they’re coated with some magickal elixir […]
This is one of my favorite wacky gadgets. It allows me to play play rock god without waking up the neighbors. The best way to explain what this things does is to ask a question. Have you seen the many hundreds of rock videos in which the designated guitar hero is playing through an amp […]
DOD FX62 Bass Stereo Chorus
When writing up things like this, I always try to keep in mind that not everyone who visits these pages will know what this stuff is. The short definition of a chorus pedal is that it makes things sound fuller. Hence “chorus”. In a choir, the blending of many voices sounds much richer than the […]