Since 2015 NEW PEDALS EVERY DAY! Over 3300 REVIEWS!
I use other reviewers vids & then critique from them __ If a pedal appears killer I buy one __ I try it out & update the Post__ If the pedal is SH@T I literally say so!__ I publish the street price a no brainer but few do. __ I save you time finding the best pedals & you get a second opinion. __OVER A MILLION VISTORS__
NO ONE OWNS ME___ I MAKE ZERO $ FROM THIS
By now most of you know that do to illegal cutting of rosewood trees certain rosewood is illegal to own. Anyone with a rosewood neck can have their guitar confiscated at the border of most countries.
Fender charges a premium on rosewood necks and does not use rosewood on MIM guitars.
There is in fact legal and reasonably abundant rosewood in India but exporting and importing guitars is a lengthy and pricey process.Worse still without your own paperwork crossing a border is very bad idea. You can get the required documents but it is a frustrating lengthy and expensive process and being delayed at the border even with the right documentation is a very lengthy procedure.
Some companies are now switching to ebony. Oddly ebony was 'the' wood to have on your guitar in 50's. It was more difficult to work with and much more expensive. Jazz players would poke fun at players with rosewood as it was not considered pro. LOL
Others like Fender are using Pau Ferro. It looks like rosewood but is much harder. in short ...why bother no one is fooled. Some are using ebony. I feel ebony will eventually regain it's status of the 50's. it is just a matter of time.
Gibson during the 70's used maple on the Les Paul's. By a process of baking the wood they turned it dark enough that most player bought the guitars with no idea it was not rosewood.
So what about maple. Many players hate it. They hate the feel of both a very hard and finished wood.
BUT IS MAPLE ...A BETTER FINGERBOARD
Well I have 6 guitars 3 in each wood. I find the maple vastly superior. Why?
First it adds a nice crisp snap to your high end.
More important it does not have any drag. ...Drag??? Yes rosewood is very porous and when you bend a note or are using finger vibrato the grain causes friction and kills a better and smoother bend.
Go to 4:20 and let Eric explain his argument in favor of maple. Like Eric I found this to be true years ago. Bonus! I could buy nice old guitars cheap. LOL Not only that on many guitars maple just looks dead cool. Especially Black. red and the old 50's blues and greens.
It was formerly called the Ace 30 but the name was trademarked & the owner threatened to sue.
It is less of an OD then an analog amp simulator often referred to as modeled sound. Brian has built a Top Boost style treble booster in it and more gain then the amp for better lead work.
So everything from Beatles to Brian May is covered. Except for it's big footprint it is hard to fault this pedal.
According to the Wheebo there is a 'Balls knob. BUT??? LOL
(check out the old model below)
A very nasty and aggressive medium gain OD. Raw and rough. Made in Hanover Germany it appears that most of their product are OD's They are each meant to capture a different era Brit amp but personally I find collectively they are very disappointing. They all sound very 'samey'. There is even a dual version of the Hellfire called the Helldrive with a booster. This is not say that the Hellfire is not cool. It is. You have level, gain, treble, and middle plus a switch to change the focus of the mids. Inside are trim pots for presence and bass. The Hellfire takes the Wheebo sound and distills it to one perfect little pedal.
BALLS IS STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
IT HAS BALLS BIG TIME
WHATS NOT TO LIKE !!!
60's /70s HI WATT. The sound of the Who at 'Live at Leeds' still considered one of the best live albums ever.
The Mena Watt has one of the heaviest solid low ends of any pedal on the planet. This thing has Balz big time. At the time everyone followed the lead and dumped their Marshall Plexi for the clearer voice of the HI WATT.
The HI WATT was in effect the first ever gourmet Marshall. All the parts were audiophile and it had a negative feedback circuit to get rid of speaker distortion.This made it sound fuller.
Please go to the Menatone site for some great sound samples as the only video although excellent was taken down by the the guy that posted it.
The pedal does a very good 100 watt Super Lead Plexi that has the level and the tone controls flat across around 4 and the guitar plugged into the bright channel.
You can push it harder but the sweet spot will
sound like the above set up.
With a hummy you get a very good AC/DC Angus Young sound.
Not a bad sound at all! I think it would stack well too.
Hell the damn sound of the pedal stuck in my head for days. I do not think it is better then
the Menatone Menawatt or the Rothwell Tornado ...they all have a steel string glassy sound. Most OD go for a very warm sound but I love to hear those steel strings come slashing thru.
I love both kinds of sound. LOL
But very few of the kind of sound these pedals make are available.It is ironic that I recently found three.
OK I gave in with 3 great pedals bombarding me with similar sounds I had to have one.
With all my OD's it is always best to get a sound that I do not have and better still will suit the kind of voice that a tune I will write or have written needs.
The key thing is that the attack on this pedal is percussive and has an amazing transient response. In short there is zero delay from hitting the string and hearing it.
No I am not saying you, I or anyone else hears a delay on a great OD ...but we actually do. The result is the attack is softer...it will tend to actually sound like just for a split second we had our high end turned way, way down even thought rest of the sound after it may be quite bright.
THIS GUYS is the main selling point of this pedal.
Now put on the vid and listen for it!!!
So my pedal has arrived ...it is as good as the video makes it appear to be. My review above has nailed it. Another pleasant surprise it also does a spot on Hendrix clean sound. My radio had on Little Wing... a live version to commemorate the tune being 60 years old. Ouch!! If I did not know better I would think I was hearing the Mr. Black! How cool is that. Sometimes clean is too clean for a part and no mater how clean or transparent an OD you have it is too much. This kind of thing happens a lot . YES??? Well you can transfer an acoustic guitar part to an electric then put it thru this pedal and without changing your parts or your technique it will give you a clear and clean sounding tune but with a thick rich powerful sound. This is a 'must have pedal' for anyone.
have been spotty. Some quite good some crap always cheap but cheaply built too. A lot of flimsy plastic boxes.
The new line are aiming to keep the quality up. They are made in robust metal boxes. One would have to judge the tone as each pedal comes along. One cool thing is Dano has always gone for an Art Deco late 20's thru 30's look and these are no exception.
The over all sound is reminiscent of a Tube Screamer.
But it definitely sounds much smoother even creamy
The treble can go into the stratosphere but even so it is very glassy not harsh.
Check out 4:30 on the first vid ...you can hear that you have an excellent amount of dead clean sparkle. On pedals like a Tube Screamer and hundreds of pedals based mostly on
chips with the number '4558' in them the highs are just plain nasty and unusable when you are doing chord work with gentle strumming and arpeggios.
in short in the lower gain stages the sound is too gritty even fuzzy.
The level is more then ample to act as a boost.
It appears both the treble and bass are active too.
It has that very clean breakup of a mid to late 60's Fender combo like the Twin Reverb
I would love to hear it scooped ...the video available doesn't show you clearly what the bass can do.
Everyone that reviews it seems to agree that it has it's own unique sound and although it is not a 'ts'...it is in that family of sounds.
I think I have solved the mystery.
Pride of Texas? ...how about Albert Collins?
the pedal has a Fender Twin reverb like breakup...
how about Albert Collins choice of amp the Fender Quad Reverb it is in the same family.
...and what about that mystery resonance in the mids?
Well the Quad came with four 12' Eminence speakers custom made for the amp.
they were nicknamed 'tubby' LOL
So the Pride of Texas is an emulation of a Fender Quad Reverb. How cool is that.
I ordered one!!!
OK...HANDS ON
Well my Dano has arrived. The first thing you are going to notice is the box. The fit and finish is stellar!!! It looks great! Trust me it makes the vast majority brand box look cheap. Yes you will be taken back by the casing ..big time.
The sound? Well both vids cover it well ...there are no hidden surprises.
WELL? Maybe one.
The level this box can put out is about double of even the loudest dedicated booster. So when you try one do not put all the knobs on 12 o'clock. Put the level on 9 o'clock. I had mine on 12 and I could not find any really decent tones I liked. I wasted a lot of time and was beginning to think I had bought a turkey!!!
If you use it as a boost you can have that boost dead clean. Some guys just might leave it on all the time because it puts you clean sound on steroids,
It is a unique sound and many may feel it sterile. It should be easy for most to find a shop locally with one you can try first.
I was reading about a new fuzz that is supposed to be the best for 2017.
So I checked it out.
The Rabbit Hole FX Merkin Fuzz
So I gave it a listen and thought it wan't anything special
but it was not bad.
AND THEN I SAW THE PRICE $239.00 USD
Some of the best classic Fuzz pedals had as little as 7 parts in them.
So I said to myself WHAT THE F. ARE THINKING OF!!!
ANANASHEADS SILICON FUZZ
So I wandered over to the Ananashead site to
see if we can get something that does the big fat low thing but substantially cheaper. $85.00 USD
Surprise ...Surprise a Fuzz that does a 'Merkin' thing but a damn lot more too.
Hand made as well !!!
PART 1
The demo doesn't start at 6 feet under but
...just go to 3:40 to get crushed with the sound.
PART 2
In part 2 you find unlike the Merkin
This pedal is more then a one trick pony.
now listen to the second vid.
SO...
Just skip a trip into McDonalds and a night out
and you can get this fuzz with a sound with more weight then a front End Loader with it's shovel
full of gravel!!!
Malcolm Young has just died ...and just a few hours ago ...11/18/2017
from dementia. He was just 64.
Bummer!!!
It was Malcolm who kept the band together over all the years.
Angus sometimes wanted to quit when times got tough.
Even if AC/DC was not even in your top 10 favourite bands ...when they played an AC/DC
tune on your radio. Admit it ...you cranked it up!
No?
YES YOU DID!!! F. the pedals check out the vid.
GNI are a Brazilian company that make a very traditional chorus.
They manage to capture that nice crisp sound of a modern chorus but keep the rich sumptuous sound of the classics.
The second switch allows you to set up two different speeds.A beautiful sound. the only downside is that it just a bit greedy when it comes to taking up real estate on your board.
An all J-Fet low to a medium gain pedal. J-fet transistors often just called FET's are the closest thing to a tube.
Rothwell have been around since 1987 making primarily very high end home audio products.
They have for half that time been making pedals too.
They use the same high end audiophile components for both.
Their product prices are ridiculously low for the quality of both build and components. I do not think they 'need' us players to keep the company going. The guys there just love doing this sh_t. lol
The pedal is so crisp and clean with the gain down that it kicks up your clean sound by double.
You get that same glassy clean even with the gain up to 'Brutal'. Boosting the gain automatically tighten the pedal.
Actually this sounds a lot like a LANEY amp
Tony Iommi's (of Black Sabbath) preferred choice. How cool is that!
You have a switch that changes the mids between a nice boost or a useful scoop as well.
So many of you have been hitting on both of the Friedman Posts I thought you would really like a look at this. If I did not have either I would get the SHIRLEY but I have the BE-OD in fact I ordered it on the 3rd day after it was posted. I have yet to make up my mind on the Shirley as I have a one Hell of a lot of choices already on my board for a good medium gain OD. Hell my CMAT Mods Brownie just arrived this afternoon and it is still in the box. LOL
I truly believe the Shirley is a better pedal incredibly fat and the master of the power chord of which I use a lot in my writing for aggressive accompaniment for vocals. The BE-OD is a better solo shredder... but I have several pedals for that. To day the 'Shirley' arrived. The thing that most impressed me about the BE-OD was it's dynamic sensitivity and it's easy ability to 'swell' a note so that it headed into some lovely acoustic feed back.I was delighted to find that the 'Shirley does that equally well. It could be that there is an expander in the circuit.This would imitate what playing an amp loud would do by introducing some feedback back into the pedal. If so the idea is genius!!! The basic difference is the Shirley has a classic Marshall sound ..fat and full of rich harmonics where as the BE-OD pushes the gain right into Metal territory.. What gets lost with the BE-OD is the fatness and the richness. The BE-OD is at it's best for soloing and and long sustains. The 'Shirley is best at power chords and vocal backings. I much prefer the Shirley. I have pointed it out before. Most of the night most of us are playing a structured tune so 80% of the time the 'Shirley' can jump right in. If you find you are only doing the odd 8 bar or 16 bar solo then the Shirley is more than adequate. IMPORTANT ALTERNATIVES ???
OCT 13/18
TIME MOVES ON ...AND OTHER MAKERS GET BUSY!!! DAWNER PRINCE RED ROX DISTORTION KILLER OD. GIVE IT A LISTEN... IT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF!!!! EVERY PLAYER HAS A PICTURE IN THEIR MIND OF WHAT THE PERFECT OD WILL SOUND LIKE. THIS IS MINE!!! I DID NOT EVEN ANALYSE IT I HEARD IT AND ORDERED IT MINUTES LATER!!! NOW I HAVE IT AND IT IS ALL THIS AND MORE... IT CAN SUSTAIN A LOT LONGER THEN BE-OD AND IS AS FAT AS the SHIRLEY!!!! IN A BLINDFOLD TEST OF 35 OF THE BEST OD's ROB CHAPMAN PICKED THE RED ROX AS THE BEST!!! LIKE THE GUY OR NOT IT IS NOT A RECOMENDATION TO BE IGNORED!!!
OK kiddies gather around and listen carefully to your Uncle Paul.
You probably are playing a modest combo amp Yes?
Your amp may not be the best but eventually etc. But best or not it could be great to turn it into Vox or a Fender or a Marshall just by dialing up the name.
OK...the video is comprehensive but damn confusing if you just want for example pick out a tank like 4x12 cab stick it on the end of your board ...turn it on and send the lead out to the input of your amp.
Part of the sound when you get the pedal is a generic amp sound in your Radar pedal. If you are using it to record direct fine.
BUT IF YOU HAVE THE PEDAL BOARD AT THE END OF THE CHAIN OF PEDALS THEN TURN OFF the Amp sound in the Mooer Radar!!!!
Now you can scan through the choose amp sound that you want to preceed your amp that is set clean and neutral so it becomes the generic substitute in the pedal that you just turned off.
As Mooer says just stick this pedal on the end of your board.
You can use a Fender Twin or Vox AC30 for clean and perhaps a 4x12 for a Marshall Plexi pedal.
Is it convincing.
I expect in comparison NO.
But at least one of the choices will improve your sound measurably over not having this pedal.
The Marshall 4x12 Marshall cab does not have the resonant thump I was hoping for but it makes setting up just the right sound for a tune both faster and much better then an EQ.
Some may recall that I ordered a HOTONE XTOMP Mini. Although it is an all bells and whistles pedal that you can download a very good 'digital' anything ...OD, chorus, flanger, delay etc. etc. I wanted it for it's a nice Marshall 4x12 cabinet.patch.WITH THE CLASSIC THUMP. I still will be getting this too.
First this pedal is so new on this side of the pond that the paint is wet! The Pete Thorn video just came out today!!!
(Nov.11/2017)
The CTC in house video is dated September so if you did not visit the site itself (and I haven't since March damn it)
you missed the scoop.
Not a lot to explain. Just a basic standard set of OD knobs.
So what is the big deal. It sounds like a tube amp?
Not many really do but this one wins the prize.
By cheating. LOL IT HAS A 12AY7 TUBE IN IT!!!
It takes a 350 milliamps to run it and it has a... voltage modifier in it to up the power to the tube.
It comes with an adapter.
Your average 9 volt jobbie is too weak to power it.
In short this is the REAL DEAL!
Not a new idea but I haven't heard anyone do it better.
It is a remarkable achievement for it's size
Tube pre's usually need to be large and have a
...weighty transformer and need to be hard wired to get the punch this has.
It has all the dynamics and touch sensitivity of a very good tube amp. It also has one of the best range of OD sounds I have heard all from one pedal. It covers all the bases from a very usable low gain that has a tone that I can not but think of any other word then melancholy to describe it. The medium gain has a bit if chunk to it. The high gain has a classic 80's vibe to it.
You can change the tube to a any standard dual triode tube/valve like a 12AX7, 12AT7,12AU7 or 5851 to get different distortion characteristics. I would have loved to have heard the differences.
CTC feels that the 12AY7 shows it at it's best.
It is not like a Fender, Hiwatt or Laney etc. with a very defined attack. It is more like a Marshall Plexi in the attack. Great for huge fat leads and smooth Jazz Fusion tones.
FIRST IMPRESSION
My first impression was that the overall effort on video was that of a very good but average sound.
Fender type sounds are generally agreed as bullet proof for clean distortion. It does not have those
and a real Marshall has an overly aggressive thump
that gives it an very empowering sound.
It is not quite there either. It does have more then a bountiful amount sumptuous and very rich real tube harmonics that saves it from even the cynic.
A FET transistor at its best can not touch the real thing. This is definitely the real thing.
.
Still transistors will accept a lot of manipulation
to get a good sound whereas tubes are fragile in that department.
Especially as you are using a lot of brute power.
Some high wattage transformers in a tube amp weigh in like a barbell!!!
COMPROMISE ?
So the bottom line is I have several pedals I prefer for my dirt sounds
some cost as much as this. You can get a passable dirt box for $30.00
so $300.00 plus pedals have a lot of tech and refinement. Refinement you can hear!!!
I am sure that it would be really a blast to play.
perhaps stacked with a favorite transistor pedal it could be really amazing.
Perhaps ?
CRITICISM ASIDE...
GO TO THE SECOND VIDEO AND CLICK IT ON AT 1:40 then at 4.20
It shows the pedal's tone with a very transparent low gain. Pete is taking a rhythm guitar role first on the Tele after the les Paul stops ...then on the second spot first the Strat & then on the Tele.
THIS IS INDEED INTERESTING!
The content of this chord work is going thru the pedal with the gain so low it enriches the clean tone. It does not blur or make the cords mushy or indistinct.
This kind of sound was the wish of transistor pedals like the Timmy the Klon and many others but the results were abysmal. I bought and sold them all.
As an 'always on' pedal with the gain set very low this may be the perfect clean sound preamp to push my other OD's thru???
With this setup you could use any amp and get a great sound ...even a cheap transistor amp may make the grade
if you can get a faux Fender sound from it.
My Bluguitar Amp 1 is very good ...the amplifier driver is tube ...but the pre is solid state. It is good but no way near tubes. It cranks out 100 watts RMS like any tube amp likes to be pushed. Anything less than 30 watts of it coming into the speaker and it ain't happening...so this could put the icing on an otherwise good cake.
.
I wrote to Pete Thorn ..hopefully I will get some feedback.
AT $260.00 USD plus shipping etc.....OUCH!!! THINK $300.00 USD Still ...this pedal just jumped onto my shortlist!!!! BUT ...AT THE END OF IT FOR KNOW!!! .............at the moment I am depending on Pete. I have the same problem as all of you... I think that is the key reason some 47,000 of you come here. I can not try the pedal until I buy it. Just like you! With my experience 5 minutes tells me when a pedal has hit somewhere on the target.
VIDEO DOES NOT EXPOSE THE BIG PROBLEM$ FIRST they feature what is the most exciting sound the pedal makes. Often not the most useful sound. SECONDLY a great 'feel' and some drama in the 'dynamic range' does not come thru. THIRD ...artifacts and really annoying clicks buzzes and non musical noises can pass the smell test FOURTH ...the best reviewers have a lot of integrity ...but they too have to pay the rent or even worse they have a family counting on them. I DO NOT ENJOY THE LUXURY OF CASH OR FREE PEDALS FROM THE INDUSTRY I PAY FULL POP JUST LIKE YOU... I HAVE OVER $10,000.00 IN PEDALS ON MY BOARD. I HAVE PROBABLY LOST A COUPLE OF THOUSAND SELLING THE LOSERS! I WILL NOT WHINE ABOUT IT ...I DO HAVE CHOICE. BUT I CHOOSE TO GO WITHOUT ANYTHING NON MUSICAL. I CAN LIVE WITHOUT THE LUXURY OF A SMART PHONE HOOKED TO THE WEB. I DO NOT SPEND ANY MONEY ON ENTERTAINMENT ...I EAT OUT AT A CHEAP RESTAURANT AT $10.00 A MEAL ABOUT TWICE A MONTH. ETC!
Bricks & Mortar stores can only afford to carry a limited amount of gourmet pedals. You can't blame them. Hell...Venezuela alone has 96 brands of them. That blew my mind!!! ONE THING WORTH REMEMBERING. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY PEDALS. YOUR GUITAR IS ONE HALF YOUR SOUND. YOUR AMP IS ONE HALF OF YOUR SOUND. ADD ONE PEDAL AND THE PEDAL BECOMES ONE THIRD OF YOUR SOUND. THE PIE IS THEN CUT IN TWO> NO MATER WHAT YOU PAY FOR A PEDAL ...IT IS NEARLY ALWAYS NOT ONE THIRD OF THE COST OF YOUR AMP & GUITAR. HENCE A PEDAL AT $500.00 CAN SOMETIMES BE A BARGAIN.
Well first it is a total waste of money to buy an entry level one. The jack plugs can easily break and it will have cheap shielding. The shielding is a wire mesh that is wrapped around the hot wire. The hot wire acts like an ariel and picks up all kinds of signals in the air that presents itself has hum.
If the guitar cables is noticeable a little fatter you can be reasonably assured the shielding is adequate.
As for the jacks if they are any 'brand name' they are probably robust. Fortunately this is all visual.
Just have a good look for some thickness to the thing. Better still many cables now include a Lifetime warranty against breakage.
WHAT ABOUT SOUND?
Sound quality is really how little capacitance a cable has. In short a cable can not 'ADD' to the sound it can only suck up the highs.
One average Brand Name Cable in a 10 foot length is pretty well the same as the next.
Nevin Douglas of the 12th Fret does a detailed analysis. Check it out if you want all the chapter and verse.
According to Nevin there are a few winners.
Like the under $10.00 Elixir cable.
$20.00 USD
Ignore the Atlantic Quality Zerocap ...it has a Buffer built into it. In short it is active.You can buy a cheap buffer pedal if you want to go that route the Mosky is only $20.00 USD.
It will do a very nice job.
One cool thing though is the Waves Cable Station cables. They are a solderless Kit cable. The custom cable makers despise them. No wonder! They prove that solderless cables are just as good. LOL
Now lets get into the REAL WORLD. Even one half decent pedal and more than 10 feet of cable will suck up the high end. LOL
If like me you have learned to hate noise and are using a noise gate anything better then an average brand name is a waste of money.
What about Gold Tip cables? Zero for sound except they take longer to tarnish. All cables oxidize over time. They can be easily polished up with a bit of emery cloth. Once a year is fine.
Gold does nothing for the sound. They are basically B.S.
PEDAL BOARD FRIENDLY JACK PLUGS
I have found that the cheap HOSA very short $5.00 pedal patch cables with the pancake mono plugs are ideal for a pedal board. On a pedal board you want as little protrusion of the jak as possible and they have as good as it gets. Unfortunately they are very wide and can bump into the inputs for other cables on your pedals so on those the smallest wireless are often needed.
Where Possible the solderless DIY jobbies are the way to go.
As for solderless they are never cheap. BUT!
I have found the Protaitone 10X Solderless Mono Plug very promising. At $25.50 USD for a pkg. of ten. That works out to only $2.50 a pop. This price smokes the competition.You have to get them on-line from Protaitone on AliExpress. Shipping is Free.
Robust ...not to chubby and not nano therefore not fiddly to assemble. TIP
You will need some cable. Yes?
It is often cheaper to buy a 20 foot long standard guitar cord
and cut off the plugs then to buy raw cable,
Make sure it does not have an oversize covering and can not fit into the solderless plugs.
WHAT SHOULD YOU BUY?
-A brand Name on Sale.
-A brand Name cable you like because it comes
in a cool colour or with a equally cool fabric cover.
The Proco Rat introduced in 1981 was the very first OD distortion.
It proceeded the Tube Screamer that many think of as the first.
Sales people in the music stores and players called it a Fuzz as it was so new. In fact I was working retail & I thought it was a fuzz
everyone came in to replace their Big Muff with the RAT.
It is now identified as the 'Big Box'.
Ananashead is a faithful reproduction of the 'BIG BOX'
Not only is it the first OD.
But it is still one of the fatest sounding OD's ever!!!
Only $95.00 USD
This a killer pedal!!!
I remember playing the original! This is definitely it !!
You can not help but love it. A Fat chunky sound that you can pound out a rhythm that will sound like the galloping hooves
....of a charging bull!
Stacked with your favourite modern OD will take your dirt sound to MASSIVE+ !!!
Ananashead hasn't made an OD it has made a DEMOLITION MACHINE!!!
It is on this guys short list. Definitely a GOTTA HAVE !!! At only $95.00 it is a STEAL !!!
and a GOTTA HAVE SOON !!!
IT EVEN LOOKS COOL IN THAT SLEEK BLACK!!!
A FINAL NOTE
I remember when the MXR Distortion came out it was the cool thing to update to it. Many guys said the MXR was a whimpy gutless pedal and were keeping their RAT Damn it!!! They were right. ... thanks to Pedro Garcia you can get it back!!! By the way...there are 47,000 guys reading SDS So order yours yesterday!!!! or sooner. LOL
- 24 " slim fast maple neck w/ rosewood fingerboard
- basswood body
- 2 generic humbucking PU...probably Ceramic
- std. volume & tone & toggle switch
- stop tail piece passable but molded of a cheap alloy (not made of the std. steel plate)
- cheap generic tuners THE BAD NEWS
- much of the hardware will have a short 'Best Before' date.
- the pickups are hardly stellar - the tuners are hardly the smoothest but OK
- many feel a basswood body is inferior
THE GOOD NEWS
- only $150.00 USD
- the bridge adjusts well
- the tuners do not slip
- the guitar has unusually good pots and output jack and very neat wiring. The shielding is poor but passable.
- there are a lot of decent replacement parts to upgrade it if you feel compelled.
Korean parts rival American parts.
Nothing should cost over $50.00 an item including
a good bridge and better tuners.
- A good choice of colors Surf Green,
Arctic White, Imperial Blue and Black - basswood is used on Steve Vai Ibanez guitars costing major big bucks.
Great reassuring video. Even with stock PU's
It appears the guitar can pull it's weight!
CODA... Right out of the box you get a passable second guitar...good enough to gig. Up grade the PU's for $30.00 USD (and free shipping from Beijing Palace musical Instruments in Shanghai on the AliBaba ...a wholesale site) They will sell you a set of Wilkinson Korean made PAF's NOW LISTEN UP!!! These are the ones with Seth Lovers original PAF spec and his endorsement. Yes...He OK'd them!!! (Note: coded as Wilkinson WVC ...extended letters are for info like bridge,neck or a set. Or gold or nickel covers etc. So as long as it says WVC your'e rockin'.) Yes these are the real deal!!!
OR..(Feb.2018) you can get the OEM Duncan Korean PU's made for Asian made U.S. brand guitars. White PAF '59's for $38.00 USD A cheap price for the confidence it will give you. This PU design was in LP's...Flying V's and SG's and all Gibson's with hummies in the 50's. The PAF sounds great in all these guitars so they are just about bullet proof for the Mustang!!! With a small guitar and a light basswood body it should sound damn close to a Gibson SG. Which means it would have reasonable highs and upper mids but a weaker bass and high end then say a Les Paul. Think AC/DC's Malcom Young or Toni Iommi Black Sabbath ...both with an SG. If you like a lot of distortion this guitar will have a tight sound and work great. Think Steve Vai.
THE DIY THING Alternatively you have a decent guitar to try your hand at obtaining some minor repairs and setup skills or maybe a bit of modding. Check the youtube vid 'Modding the Mighty Bullet'. It includes doing a simple fret job and refining the sanding on the neck to a very good level.It would not take much to remove the decals. You could have new ones made to make it custom guitar. Personally done correctly you could double the resale value. Custom guitars are famous for losing their value. But they tend to be $1600.00 or more new. So one going for under 5 or $600.00 may just sell fast. On the other hand perhaps you would like a cool colour. If you do a nice job lightly 'scuffing' which is just taking the shine off it you could well get a nice finish. Where? The local vehicle collision repair shop.If you go for a popular colour they can stick it in with a car being done that day in the same colour and they can often use the left over paint in their gun to do yours. so don't pay over $50.00. Yes you can not get picky about which red,white or silver they use that day but.
I would love to go one step further. The Mustang has a very large headstock I would love to have the old early 60's Kay headstock shape used as a template but modded to be just a bit smaller. Draw it out on the Fender then cut down the Fender headstock. Put on a decal with an original name & you get serious looking custom guitar !!!
Hard not to be tempted? Yes? With guitar and PU's you get a serious pro guitar for $180.00 USD Tip: So back to the real world. Just change the PU's yourself. If soldering in a PU is daunting just cut the wires from the old PU a little away from where it is attached to a pot etc. Strip the wire ends and screw the 2 wires together with a Marette (also called a Mar connector) All you need then is a screwdriver. One of those razor sharp dollar store retractable box cutters, and a small bag of tiny maretes. Oh yes ...do not forget to bring some patience.
Some companies are now switching to ebony. Oddly ebony was 'the' wood to have on your guitar in 50's. It was more difficult to work with and much more expensive. Jazz players would poke fun at players with rosewood as it was not considered pro. LOL
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