Trading Places - Boss ME-70

So I did a trade recently, a Set of EMG 81 & 85 Pickups, for a Boss ME-70 Multi effects unit.

It was made in 2008, and while it's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact 2008 was 10 years ago, It's still very contemporary. All analog style knob controls. A full preamp, with varying amp models, Overdrives, modulations, delays reverbs, a looper, expression pedal. They were selling used at $170. I thought this might be a great pedal to use for my acoustic band. I could have a boost, delay, reverb and modulation in one simple box. Even better is it runs off of a standard Boss 9v power supply or a bank of AA batteries 

There's no Midi, or digital editing situation, just a bank of knobs, some footswitches and an expression pedal. Set them where you like them, hit one button twice, and it saves it to one of the footswitches. each bank, has 4 recallable effect and amp configurations, and if needed, can go into manual mode, turning on or off each individual effect.

I downloaded the manual from Boss's website and thankfully the English version of the manual is only 20 pages and It was super easy to edit. It's pretty easy to navigate, and work with. No layered menus and parameters. You want more bass, turn up the bass knob. It's pretty simple. I won't walk you through every facet of this, but for a unit made 10 years ago, it's still pretty contemporary. Yes the amp models and overdrives are a bit much for my tastes, but with some tweaking they are acceptable. They're kind of like the boss cube stuff. Not bad, but a little extreme sounding and over the top, and getting some natural tones, especially with headphones is kind of tough. But the headphone out is great for home practicing as well as an interface to a DAW. I really like the ambient tones, and it delivers some great chorus-y,reverb-y, delay-ish sounds that are really nice and spacious without a lot of tweaking.

I've used it at a practice for my acoustic cover band, it does the trick; boost, reverb, delay and some modulation for some nice imaging.

I'm planning on making a bank for acoustic:

1 - Reverb only
2 - Chrous, Reverb & Delay
3 - Chorus, Reverb, Delay, compression with a boost
4 - Dry with Compression and boost

And of course one for electric:

1 - Clean, with compression
2 - Clean with Chorus, Reverb & Delay
3 - Semi dirty, rhythm sound, with slight reverb
4 - Dirty, Lead tone, with reverb

Now there are multiple banks I can assign 4 presets to, but at this point these are the core versions that are applicable to my tastes/needs.

However, One really interesting patch I designed is really wild with come compression, a octave shift down, and some slight modulation and delay. It's kind of a modern Jack White kind of thing and It tracks very well overall, especially with a bridge pickup. Even my Mustang brings some mean low end. It's nice to get something extreme without a lot of pedals, cost wise and actually laying out all those kind of individual stompboxes for just one sound can be a pain, never mind the signal to noise ratio.

It also easily fits in my Timbuk2 backpack, so bringing it to gigs or to a friends place to jam isn't a big deal.

Overall it was a good trade, and will be a useful tool for my cover band, as well as a decent home demo and recording device. It's not super sexy or trendy, like one of the Headrush, Line6 Helix or even a Kemper, but it's a fraction of the cost and with it's ease of use, and the cost I really can't beat it. I recently gave my Line 6 Pod Pro HD to my cousin, and while I really liked that unit, editing was kind of a pain. It'll get a lot more use out of the ME-70 overall, and was a great and easy deal.

I've included a quick track/video I did with the Me-70. Nothing crazy or anything, I just banged both the audio and video out in a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon. I didn't really want to go crazy with the lead guitar/melody track, as I have some other ideas for it. the guitar I did it with was a neat Traveler Guitar I had for review this month. I'll have a review of this neat guitar in an upcoming in an issue of Performer Magazine (www.performermag.com)

Enjoy!

Sessions

Pretty much all of the time I spend on musical stuff, is my own material, my band’s stuff, or at the least a something I’m invested into for long term. I don’t often work on other people’s musical projects. Last year I was asked to help out on something and I wanted to share it with you. It’s not specifically guitar related, but more of an overview of the recording process, and how it related to my guitar playing.

My singer, Rob, has a really nice studio. Since I've known him, which is approaching 2 decades, he has always done his own recordings, and we’ve done about 8 official recordings for the bands we’ve been in together. He’s also done a lot of recordings for other artists. In most cases these projects usually have their own dedicated guitarist, so I’m usually not involved in those adventures.

However Rob was approached for an interesting project. A local author, Tony McMillen, had a book coming out, and it’s centered on the bass player of a fictional band, named Frivolous Black. The band is supposed to be very “Black Sabbath” esque. Tony had 2 songs he wanted to be available to download, as a companion piece to the book. Rob asked me if I wanted to play some lead guitar on it, and I was flattered.

Tony came down one night, and Rob set him up to play some rhythm guitar. After dialing in a great dirty rhythm guitar tone, using Rob’s Fender Hot rod Deluxe and Rat Pedal, Tony jammed along to a click track, outlining the song. Afterwards Tony did some vocal takes for reference.

Anytime when I record at home, especially when doing instrumental parts, I like to have a cue to signal a change is coming to the next part. It may not end up in the mix, but it’ll help me keep the flow. Tony’s vocal takes helped a lot in this manner.

Rob & I gathered on another night to map out some stuff that would help out the recordings in the future; arrangement tracks, as well as some clean-up. Some guitar parts had to be moved around, just to get them to line up more with the beat. It’s a lot of tedious stuff, but it makes adding other tracks in later easier if the source tracks are nice and tight with the beat. Rob ended up doing some rhythm guitar tracks to compensate and adjust for some glitches that sometimes occur when moving stuff around. It could have been done through cut and pasting, but it was easier, time wise, to do it this way.

The next session was Drums. Rob’s wife, Tia, plays drums in our original band “The Goodbye Theory”. Her style was a good choice for this 70’s heavy rock feel. They set up some mics on her drum kit one evening, and on the next day started to track her drum parts. Since everything was now aligned to a click track, all she had to do was play along to the Rhythm guitar and vocal tracks.

In the past we would try to track the drums, while putting down a rhythm guitar scratch track, and vocal scratch track at the same time. About 2 years ago we switched it the other way around. This gives the drummer a consistent backing track to play to, with cues. So far we’ve been able to do a couple of EP’s as well as other demo’s and recordings and get some great tracks this way. In a couple of hours Tia was done.

The next session our bassist, Jen did her bass parts. I had gotten some Ampeg Bass pedals, and we fooled around with them. The Fuzz bass pedal was nice, but a bit over the top. It was more Motorhead than Sabbath, so we used their bass preamp pedal, rather than a fuzz, and it gave that warm tone, with just a bit of grit.

After that it was up to me. I got one of Joyo’s “Californian” pedals for xmas that year. It’s basically a knock off of Tech 21’s Boogie DI pedal. We ran that into the DAW, and the only other effect I used was my Vox Wah. Tony had requested the feel of Faries wear boots by Sabbath. Thankfully My Wah pedal still worked. It hadn’t been on my board for a long time. One issue came up though: one of the songs didn’t really have a “solo” break, just a few parts between the choruses and verses. I put some stuff in those spots, each time playing a similar line that varied a bit. I tried to imagine 70’s Birmingham.

Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi lost his fretting hand’s finger tips just before they were to get signed, in a machine shop accident. Once he healed up, De-tuning his guitar to C# with light gauge strings, and some rudimentary fingertip prosthetics enabled him to play. I can certainly see how that made them sound different, and I tried to capture some of that. Slower guitar parts, bigger notes, not a lot of flash.

The next session Tony came up to add some rhythm guitar tracks and vocals to the completed bits. It’s a lot easier to play along to an actual backing track than a click track, and it certainly worked, bringing a lot more of the 70’s feel to it, while reacting off of a real rhythm section.

I showed up to this session, and brought my lil rig again, just in case he wanted something extra. It was a good idea, as he had me do some extra bits on both songs, as it’s his project, and I’m there to help bring his idea to life. I listened to some of his vocal takes, and he did some doubling that captured the essence of the early 1970’s in England’s industrial area. He doesn’t SOUND like Ozzy, but he really nailed that feel and color that comes to mind.

At this point I was done, and as always it falls on to Rob to sift through and mix. It’s not the most exciting part to me, it takes a trained ear, and a lot of perspective to deliver a great mix. it can be a lot of work, not just getting levels, but making sure the EQ of each instrument doesn’t intrude on another. Even more daunting is making this have the feel and approach of a 70’s British proto-metal band. My hat’s always off to him in this arena.

Overall it was a fun project to work on. I never knew Tony before this so, it certainly adds to any stress of “am I giving this guy what he wants?” element. Thankfully I have worked with everyone else before, so that eased things a bit.

Here’s a link to Tony’s book, and a link to the tracks we did.

LINK - Book

LINK - Music

I don’t think this project will turn me into a session player like Steve Lukather, or Mike Landau, but it was fun working with Tony, as well as going a bit outside of my comfort zone.

Gigging Practically

 

 

 

So we have a gig coming up, Saturday, March 17th at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston. It's been a long time since my original band, The Goodbye Theory has had a show, February of 2015. It was right in the middle of a series of blizzards and snowstorms that dumped about 5 feet of snow in less than a week. Climbing the snowbanks with my gear, felt like I was climbing Everest.

 So I'm boiling down everything to what I really need to bring to a show. My pedalboard usually has a couple of drive pedals and a boost, and some odd noise making device like a Sub N up, Synth 9 or some filtery pedal. Stuff that I like to have, but yet haven't found a place for in my bands tunes yet. My bandmates  gives me an "oh really" look whenever I try to find a way to get that into a song, especially the B3 organ sound. I know it's out of love though. As much as i Love gear, and all the extra tones I love to have access too, practicality wins out. I'll have 15 minutes to get my stuff on stage, get it running, and 40 minutes to play through some post-2000's rock music. I need a rhythm sound that works with a boost, and a way to engage my chorus and delay for some parts that require some ambience. That chorus and delay probably only gets used 3 times in a set, depending on the songs in it. As orgasmic it is to have a pedalboard with all that other stuff on it like my EHX Synth 9, or TC, or extra drive choices, this is going to be down and dirty.Overall, it's less stuff to go wrong. How much gear do I really need for less than 3/4 of an hour's of music?

2 Guitars are coming along for this, as I have a need for a drop D guitar for certain songs. In the 3 years Since our last gig, I've gotten some new guitars, and while I do love them, I'm planning on taking my tried and true PRS's to the gig. They both play well, and their sounds compliment each other in the set. I was planning on bringing my Fender Mustang, but the 24" short scale compared to the 25" long scale is pretty wild, especially if I'm playing them both in the same set!

Right now the most important item I'm planning on bringing is a Guitar stand, Yeah I'm looking for a Dual electric one. It's no longer a good idea to have a guitar resting against an amp, waiting to slide off and go smash on the floor.I've been to gigs where I've seen that happen to other musicians, and it's not pretty.

I always seem to forget something when I finally get to a gig. A cable or something like that, nothing that would stop me in my tracks. The singer for one of my old bands once forgot his guitar amp, but that's another story..

Silver Sky Blues

So the big news recently within the guitar community is PRS Guitars releasing a 3 Pickup, bolt on guitar, designed with John Mayer, The Silver Sky.

Love him or hate him, John Mayer has become a very big guitar and pop culture presence. Personally I like his stuff, but I'm not an expert. But, what I have heard, I like. His appearance on Chappelle's show is hilarious. I also hear he's got a pretty good sense of humour, even when he's the focus is on him:

John really became a modern day strat hero, with a few various signature models, some factory, as well as some custom shop and master built versions. In October 2014, he ended his association with Fender. When an artist/endorser leaves a company, it's not like a race car diver loosing a sponsor. They can still play a guitar, they might not get compensated, or they don't get the support from the company. 

Enter PRS. Name a guitarist, any guitarist. Regardless of any endorsements they have, more than likely they have a PRS in their collection. They may not use it live, but they have/had one.

John Mayer connecting with PRS wasn't a surprise. They collaborated with 2 guitars that he's ended up using in his tenure with The Dead & Company, the Super Eagles:

Above - Super Eagle I

Above - Super Eagle II

The prices on these were not cheap, at 5 figures. Does PRS make guitars that are worth that much? Well I have some experience with PRS, and their workmanship is fantastic. Apparently others agree, as these were pretty much sold out before they hit dealers. So there is a demand. Maybe not for you, maybe not for me, as I personally can't justify a guitar at half that price for myself at this point in time. Oh and by the way, lets not forget the John Mayer J-Mod amp that comes in at $6k.

The Silver Sky clocks in at about $2200-ish. Now what does a new top of the line Fender come in at? The Fender professional Stratocaster is listed on their website at $1499. Personally I think that is a bit much, even for Fender. I don't doubt the quality of the work of the men and women there at Fender, I just think they've been making strats for so many years, it probably doesn't cost that much to make. I always think that G&L makes great Fender style instruments, with excellent production quality and options that don't drive the cost up, and are an excellent alternative to Fender.

With companies like Suhr, Nash, LSL, Danocaster as well as others making great strat style instruments, that come in at around the same price point as the Silver Sky, I don't see what people are up in arms over PRS releasing a Strat style guitar, for one of their endorsers that made his name playing that style of instrument. They've done some tweaks to make it their own, and in some ways kept things as they were.

PRS also has had experience making guitars like these in their past: The EG series.

They were meant to fill the hole in the marketplace that Fender players flocked to: USA made, Bolt on neck, Pickguard, and a tremolo. From what I understand, PRS lost money on these, after all their design, engineering and cost to make, they would be as expensive as their set neck models, which would be an issue as they were meant to be a cheaper alternative. There was every possible pickup variant possible, even using Lindy Fralin's Domino style pickups.

In the late 1990's I personally skipped out on buying a USA made EG that had 3 Single coils, in black, with a black pickguard. Think if Sting or the Edge replaced their Strat with a PRS. it was $599 with a case. I went back the next week and of course it was gone.

So the Strat style guitar isn't really anything new for PRS. Even a few years back they had a version available as an SE for a reasonable price. I kind of regret not pulling the trigger on one of these, but at the time I couldn't find a local dealer that had one.

Personally I'm hoping this re-launches EG inspired variants like we had in the past. 

I do think that the internet's humour is pretty good regarding this though. I laugh because it's funny, and I'm not offended as a PRS and a Fender owner.

I have a vintage-ish styled Made in Japan Fender Strat. I love it. I paid $325 for it in the late 90's and really enjoyed it. In the past 2 years I upgraded the bridge to a Mann Made PRS style tremolo, and put Seymour Duncan stacked single coils in it. All in all I have just under $1k into it, including the initial purchase cost. A super deal overall, and it's a Strat done to my specs. I have a 1993 PRS CE 24 Bolt on Maple top that I've had since 1995. I also have a 2008 PRS Mira (core) Maple top. 

Will I buy one of the Silver Sky guitars, replacing my strat, just to add to my PRS collection? Probably not. Do I want one? After seeing the specs and the details, Not really. Maybe my mind will change once I have one in my hands, I dunno. I know that when players connect with an instrument, nothing else matters at all. Some people think the silver sky is goofy looking or too expensive, and that's ok. With $10K super eagles, with all of their unconventional electronics and switching options selling out at their announcement, I'm guessing the price of the Silver Sky with a traditional and more popular style will be worth it to the players that bond with them. At this point in my development as a player, I'm kind of indifferent. I'm much more concerned with my personal instruments and my own musical projects, rather than obsessing over all of this. I know there are people up in arms about all aspects of this situation. I'd rather focus on the positive things, as I have to spend so much time not playing an instrument, and when I do get to play, I want it to be fun, and not a heady debate with critics that probably don't play beyond their bedrooms, or where they post to message boards from.

I know one player that really likes the Silver Sky already, and I don't think he's worried about the guitar critics. His name is John Mayer.