GuitArcher

The guilt is overwhelming... I've never really bonded with this, or any, Les Paul.  I want to love them, but they're just not my bag.  Back when I picked this one up for a steal though, my daughter named  it. It's like animals - don't let the kids give them a name unless you're going to keep them. And for a long time I stuck to this premise, until I came across a Paisley Jazzmaster that gave me the fizzy feeling James May so often invokes. I needed to get rid of some guitars, and this one was near top of the list. Sorry Lassie, it's time to go out behind the shed and turn you into glue. I may have just confused 3 different animals and movies... At any rate, I posted locally and within two days I received a number of inquiries, the most promising of which was a gentleman from north of me who was willing to drive down (about an hour) to check it out "as soon as possible", but was also very clear on his desire to "do this at your ( my ) co

I successfully exchanged the Boss BF3 Flanger for the TR2 Tremolo yesterday.  Unfortunately, while Drew got a pedal replete with box and manual, I only got a pedal. On the face of it, Drew got a steal of a deal. Truth be told, I'd had the flanger for much longer than I wanted to. There is a lesson somewhere in here, and it goes something like: "The list price of a piece of gear is not the only factor in determining it's value on the used market." With the in mind, I'm fairly satisfied with the trade... though a box would've been nice. Of greater concern now is incorporating the TR2 onto my board, becuase I've been very happy with the current setup, and worry that changing anything will throw the universe out of balance. Anyway... Peavey Bandit - Silver Stripe - $200 I can't ready the words "Peavey Bandit" without hearing the voice of Jay Cross of The Guitar Nerds in my head.  It's not just the voice that sticks like a bad

The first thing I noticed about the Fender Super Champ XD I recently picked up was the country of origin - China - and I'm not really sure if I'm bothered by this or not.  After all, my Epiphone Les Paul is Made in China, and maintain that it is superior to every Korean LP I've played from Epiphone. ...This reminds me that I've yet to plug that guitar into that amp... Strictly speaking, I'm not a believer in a product's country of origin having anything to do with quality - if proper time is taken to train (knowledge/experience transfer), and proper equipment and materials are provided, the quality will be there.  Sure, experience counts, which is why the longer you produce something somewhere the better it should  get, but seeing as we're talking cookie-cutter production, I don't see that as the fundamental part of the equation. What does all of this have to do with anything?  Well, I've come across some used amps I think are pretty intere

I was recently watching That Pedal Show's video with Joey Landreth , and the minute I saw his Suhr, I knew it was time to drop that new pick guard into my Blacktop Stratocaster. The tortoise shell pick guard I bought was for the purposes of finding a home for my EMG 81 and SA (no middle), so the tones are obviously going to be VERY different.  This could be a lot of fun though in combination with the Metal Zone I recently bought.  EMG pickups and a Boss Metal Zone? So. Much. Suck? I'm actually kind of interested in debunking this concept.  Just a few minutes with the Metal Zone led me to the conclusion that it isn't THAT bad.  What if I built two similar rigs from very different pieces and A/B'd them. The first rig would be the Eric Johnson Maple Stratocaster, which has a Tone Zone S in the bridge, into a Fulldrive 2, an Angry Charlie, a Quickdraw delay, and finally int the Dr. Z Maz 8. The second would be the Blacktop Stratocaster, with EMGs, into a Noa

It's Monday.  Ugh.

There seem to be a lot of lower wattage tube amp oddballs on the market right now, and Peavey isn't the only maker.  Check this out - A Fender Champ 25 SE.

An aside: What the hell is with all the Peavey stuff lately?  Is this the season they migrate or something? So I saw this post a few minutes ago, and was pretty unimpressed. Here it is.  I'll see if you have the same reaction: Peavey Bravo Tube Amp for Sale This is a 22-watt (rated) 2 x EL84, 3 x 12AX7 amp.  New JJ EL84s.  2 channels: 1 clean, 1 dirty with PULL for more on Gain control.  In very good condition, small chip (see photo).  Right off the bat that looks like a typical Peavey solid state amplifier.  The picture on the right pretty much confirms it (or so I thought).  No glass hanging from the back?  Probably not a tube amp. Except this one is exactly as the seller has indicated.  Check out THIS picture: Add caption Yup, those are a complete compliment of tubes mounted INSIDE the chassis.  Notice the holes below the EL84 on the left, and the exhaust fan on the far left of the chassis.  Weird. The exhaust fan would blow out hot air, as well as crea

There are quite a few charms that come along with moving to a small town: People are friendlier, everything is closer, it's darker and quieter at night, etc.  There are also less charming aspects: The occasional feeling that you can hear the banjo playing as you walk by a family in the local grocery store, the smell of fresh manure in the morning, etc. When it comes to gear, the drawbacks are obvious.  A smaller population typically means fewer guitar players, which means fewer opportunities for used gear.  That isn't necessarily a problem for me, as our town is within an hour or less of some much larger communities, and I work in a fairly populated centre that puts me in an ideal location to wheel and deal. Is it possible that being in a small community can be an advantage though?

Someday, when my oldest daughter asks me what the first song was we ever played together, I'll get to tell her it was "Another Brink in the Wall, Part 2." I think we could have done a lot worse. Truth be told, the first song she ever sang along to while I played was "Let it Go", from Disney's Frozen, because of course it was.  That doesn't count though.  She was just singing.  This time, she was actually playing drums... Kind of.  She was hitting various drums and cymbals to the rhythm, so in my book that counts. Seriously though, everyone should go out and buy a TC Electronics Ditto.  For such a low price, you can have a creative tool that allows for jamming all by yourself as well as layering opportunities that might arise when you've got a 5 year old eager to become a rock star. Why so Angry? Years and years and years ago, I remember going into the local music store and asking my favorite guy for a recommendation.  It was probably one tha

Nothing quite like picking up a new guitar to get you shopping for more guitars. I didn't say it made any sense... Get more, want more? More guitars, more problems? That Buddha guy may have been onto something… Ibanez SA160 - $250 If you're looking for a good all around guitar for not a lot of money, I think you'd be hard pressed to do better than this these days. Although the same $250 got me an Epiphone Les Paul Standard with some negotiating and travel, you could do a lot worse if you're looking for something to cover the maximum number of bases. I almost jumped on this one, before jumping at the Squier 51 - Call me crazy, but not that crazy. In one of the more recent Anderton's videos, Rob Chapman passed on this in favour of a Yamaha Pacifica. No doubt that this looks better than that, but it does make you wonder... Actually, no it doesn't. Pass. 1986 Fender Contemporary Stratocaster - $350 I've developed a soft spot for Contempora