OVERDRIVE- GAME CHANGER AUDIO Plasma high voltage Distortion ...I know...but that is what it is ...LOL

 GAME CHANGER AUDIO PLASMA HIGH VOLTAGE DISTORTION 

projected price ?
$425.00 USD

Well full points for method! The pedal gives you the kind of sag you get from a saturated tube amp transformer and or a rectifier tube being  smacked with too much gain.

They do this by hitting the pedal with with high voltage discharges coming from xenon filled tubes.

It makes for a cool crushing and nasty distortion that gasps

out it's sound.

The French company
Celmo Labs Pimento Sardine   ($165.00 USD)
pedal has a similar sound but without the total grunge that this has.It still sounds like an overloaded Supro or other cheaply made amp made in the Chicago area in the early 60's.

Custom Tones Ethos TW-1   ( $225.00 USD)
also has a great sag but theirs is a dead on clone of what a Marshall pushed past nasty gives you. In short the Plasma goes way over what an amp would do.

But it is great fun.
Unfortunately you can buy  the other 2 pedals and still have change for McDonalds for the price???

This will have it's place but it is not going to get to far past a gimmick. You can not write a tune and say the Plasma pedal will sound great on the verse etc. Because it won't.

A lot of pedals now make such a dramatic sound that if you can use it once or twice in the night and after that it become just plain 'corny'. Once is cool twice is OK and 3 times it is tiresome for the audience to hear.

At $425.00 USD you can buy a serviceable MIM used Fender so how sensible is it to buy the thing???

OVERDRIVE- LUNASTONE TrueOverdrive 1/ TrueOverdrive 2 ....excellent transparent tone

LUNATONE TRUEOVERDRIVE 1 
& TRUEOVERDRIVE 2

          $160.00 USD

$160.00 USD

Both these pedals are very transparent. The 1 is neutral across the entire range where as the 2 has more gain and a very heavy low end. They both sound excellent.
If you love the clean sound of your amp you may really love the neutral sound they impart. I especially think either could act as Tube Screamer type boost but without the ts sound overlaying your sound with it's less then stellar and overused sound.

$100.00 USD

For some players that lean towards a Jazz or modern Fusion type vibe that have a really great single channel tube amp ...one or even both these pedals used as more channels could be all you need. Maybe add a compressor like the CKK Gears Compressor and your basic sound is beautifully not only covered but detailed.
The Gears Comp is very transparent with just a hint of a light sweet ambiance added.


CODA
This is the very best of any transparent pedals I have ever heard. All others either sound artificial or have very annoying anomalies in the sound. The coveted Zendrive and it's countless copies, clones and 'Me Too's' are all a case in point ...they sound artificial and worse yet have little in the way of sustain let alone such a smooth sustain without a trace of fizz.
The best of the others need to move into a noticeable Brit medium gain amp sound to even perform with any grace. Hell even the price is reasonable.
Finally they perform as well laid back as they do if you need some punch and aggression in your tone and without any adolescent 'look at me' vibe.
.
Definitely the best value for money. If not just simply ...THE BEST!!!

MARSHALL ORIGIN SERIES- ...NEW !!! ...REAL PLEXI AMPS ...gotta have one!!

 MARSHALL AMPS ???? THIS IS A PEDAL BLOG???? 

MARSHALL ORIGIN 50H 
50 Watt Head
$650.00 USD

Well the winter NAMM show is on any great new 'anything' shows up here first. Now ...if you are like me your fav OD is voiced to be MARSHALL. If you are a into the cutting edge Pedal thing you may be looking for a compact amp with a great clean sound for your pedals. The Origin series has a 5w combo, a 20 w combo and a 50w combo.The 20 and 50 also come as a head.
I for one was drooling over the 50 watt!!!
The Marshall Origin 50H.
The price is reasonable!
you can get it as a combo or head.



I prefer a combo with my own cab. For one thing I can keep my prize free from dings and marks that way.
In a perfect world I would love to see it offered in a 'lunch box' casing too.
Basically the amp is a Plexi ...trust me I owned a 50 watt Plexi head for years this sucker has nailed it.
So! How cool is that ?????????

MARCH 8/18 ....NEW VIDEO from Andertons

Go to 19:40... WOW ...I had a 50 watt Plexi in the 70's

and this thing has it nailed. I am expecting to get the Orgin 50 head any day now.

A beautiful demo with just a Les Paul and the amp that shows the total range of usable sounds. No pedals ...no overkill but nothing to take away its basic assertive tone.

This is just too perfect. Why would you need better? Is there a better choice or is it only a different choice??? I have said it many times 40 to 50 watt amps are 'gold' the only guy in a band that can not alter the db they put out is the drummer. In the real world you either do not mic up the backline or you mic up everyone. With a 40 to 50 watt amp you can crank it up to the 'right' tone and not drowned out or be drowned out. PLUS it is even switchable to two lower power settings without f...ing with the tone!!!
 YES you get 10 watt and a 1 watt setting without loosing the sound. At 1 watt you can kick on the boost (it is just for punch not for gain) to bring up the lows to better match playing on 50 watts.

Finally the damn thing will have a resale desirability equivalent to a Gibson LP.
How's that for assurance/insurance!!!


 An Original 50 Watt 60's Plexi and the new Origin Plexi 

 

Marshall OR150H

Only one minor quibble. They should have put the thin gold piping across the front under the logo.

 May 4, 2018 

The amp arrived! 
To the point ...I had to pull out my other and clear out an area
to hook it up to my Celestion Neo Creamback 12cab.
I turned on my board and quickly killed any pedals that were on.
I looked at all my guitars deciding which one to try. I quickly 
said to myself "What am I thinking about???" as I grabbed my Les Paul. "dah!" LOL
I switched on my amp. DEAD??? Oh...all the knobs are on zero
So I turn every one up to about 2. I hit a chord. WOW!!!!
It sounded fabulous!!! Perfect? No I had not hit on a lucky setting.
The bottom line.... the amp sounds great no mater how you set it up!!! Sure I soon gave it a few tweaks but I spend seconds on it.
I am sure I will eventually find that anal retentive just right sound. BUT...as I said the amp is 'IT' 
I am sure if I had a selection of all the big high end gourmet
amps I could find a great sound in all of them.
BUT... would they sound better. NO! They would sound different.
The Marshall Origin 50 is a PLEXI. The PLEXI was never broken yet everyone starts with its schematic then tries to fix it.

I have NEVER used the neck PU in my Les Paul ...it is a Soap Bar... it is harsh and nasty. Thru the PLEXI it is phenominal.
Nasty ...yes! But what a 'nice' nasty it is!

OCT.15/18
          new demo-

______________________________________________________

ORIGIN 50 H REVISITED ( NOV. 2019)
So the amp has been around awhile and any purist will want to know where it stands.

A. It is a basic 1987x ...50 watt. In fact knowledgeable repair guys can use the same                     schematic for basic trouble shooting. The phase inverter is tube. In short this is in no way       a hybrid amp. It is totally Plexi!!!
B. The output/db is the same with both amps.
C. The sound is slightly cleaner and smoother. This part I find fascinating because the 1987x was put down when it came out because it was 'modernized' with a bit more grit.
In short this makes the Origin MORE Plexi then the 1987x ...LOL.

Marshall new that at least half it's buyers would EXPECT the few little changes they made because they were not even born when these amps were first designed. The changes are a given on a modern amp. 
They also new the basic circuit had to be raw ...modern improvements would be considered radioactive. lol
The purist would be attacking it for the smallest change both real and imagined. It could not be 'improved' with a bit of high tech. It is truer to a basic Plexi design then the 1987x.
Considering what a fine line to walk ...Marshall did a bitch job.

A lot of guys that are in cover bands or tribute bands have scooped them up. The feedback is that they do a great job, and are even more reliable then the 1987x which many of these guys already owned. As a pedal platform the Origin works better as you can get it cleaner with a bit more headroom than the 1987x.

As for me I had a volume drop that came and went over a few weeks. I swapped out the tubes and it was instantly gone. So except for one tube ...I have a used set of perfectly usable tubes for backup. Having the amp serviced and the one bad tube changed would have cost me half the price of a whole new set of tubes. 
When I get some time I will find the one bad tube I have and replace it. At a gig swapping the whole set is much faster than trouble shooting.

The vibe is that a great speaker match is the celestion M65 Creamback. I personally use a neo Creamback 60 watt. It is just slightly brighter but it is half the weight. I like setting my tone darker for more desensity in the sound and the speaker compensates so it never gets  muddy.
I get a fat full sound that neither the bass or the drum kit seem to compete with. Cut is never an issue. I have a power trio!

SUMMARY
No beefs at all! I love the sound and feel. I have no desire to replace this amp.
In my book it gets a 10 out of 10. It meets my expectations but does not exceed them!!!
Even if it were totally destroyed it would not be totally devastating to replace it with a new one.

TEASER- the Friedman DP- OD ...a Deluxe BE-OD switchable from Crunch to Shred

 FRIEDMAN'S NEW STUFF from NAMM 2018 

Well that says it all! ...this stuff has just been unveiled so any in depth review will have to wait.

This little gem of a pic showed up on a Chinese website ???

TEASER- NAMM 2018 ...NEW!!! serious FENDER PEDALS!!!

 FENDER PEDALS 

I will review the new pedals asap ...but the show is on as I type this Post... so there are only these once over lightly vids  that showcase the products ....

The OD looks promising!!!

OVERDRIVE- JHS BONSAI ...9 Tube Screamers in one box?

 JHS BONSAI 

$230.00 USD

Yet another Tube Screamer to end all Tube Screamers. In fact 9 of them all in one box.
JHS took 9 different issues of the ts over the years and put them in one box.
My guess is you will choose one setting and stick with it.
I prefer the approach of KHDK with one sound and 7 ways to tweak it to work for the players taste and equipment.

The ts was always meant as a booster to a single channel tube amp to push whatever passed as crunch on that amp into a nice overdriven lead sound. For this they all do a pretty good job.
The trouble is many pedal guys get their sound from just their pedals and leave there amp on clean. For this setup most players would better off with an OD meant for that.

TREBLE BOOSTER- ANANASHEAD Byrd Song ...F.-ing unreal!!!! a '66 Vox 806 perfect replica!!! not just a clone as we all know that term is now meaningless!

Soon to be released!!!

 ANANASHEAD BYRD SONG TREBLE BOOSTER 

A 1966 VOX treble booster clone ...the original ones were only made for one year. They are rare and sell for a cool $500.00 USD.
An incredible high boost without a trace of distortion. Unreal. I own  prototype #1.
Roger McGuinn of the Byrds had one built right into his 12 string Ric and Tom Petty was never without his.
Soon to be released!
It has been a long wait because getting the exact parts is NOT easy!!!

I bought a Digitech Mosaic 12string FX pedal but not until I got this did I appreciate how damn cool this pedal is.


It works so good I bought a brand new Fender Duo Sonic and without even trying it out I had a Rickenbacker high gain PU put in the neck position Duncan hand wound  '55 Tele put in the bridge. The Tele PU when used with the Byrd Song going thru my Supro OD and the Ric thru the 12 String FX ....is to die for. Both PU with just a touch of OD give me 2 of Petty's best sounds!!!

FENDER RIC-O-TELE

So it will not be long. A price has not been set but I expect about $150.00 USD. If so because this pedal is an exact clone ...and being the only one still in production on the planet it is a total steal!!!!
I even tried it on my Strat thru a medium gain OD and got a really good Brian May sound. Since a lot of you guys have this combination you can get a damn lot of use out of it. What I love about it like the original there is nothing to tweak. The sound is perfection ...you just turn it on and Rock!!!
Guys with Ric's have drove me nuts with mail wanting to know when they can get their hands on one.
So stay tuned if you want one (and who wouldnt!!!) because the line up will be looooooong!!!

$46.00 USD

So if you want to take the sound all the way use a compressor ...I found a great one. What is even better it is cheap. The Mooer Yellow Comp. It sounds like a studio compressor because it is optic. How cool is that!

Better still you can get one on Aliexpress for $46.00 USD delivered free to your mailbox.
If you don't have a comp already this is dead cheap way that I feel you all can scratch together for your whole rig.

If you have tried a comp and did not like it you have absolutely tried an
'Operational Trans Conductant Amplifier' type better known as one based
off of the MXR Dyna Comp/ Ross compressor! Because 99% of all guitar comps are one of these!!! Optic comps do not have a nasty 'pop' when you hit hard on the strings, They are near transparent!!!

I already have a Wampler EGO compressor so I put the Mooer in front of my 12 string FX and the EGO after for double the compression which is what McGuinn does in the studio.
Oh my ...it gives me shivers to hear 'that' sound.

But lots of compressors work quite well.
The important key is the Vox  806 sound!!!!



The BYRD SONG is the key that unlocks that big locked door!
Stay tuned ...I will keep you posted with updates!!!!

MARCH 25/18 
Go to the Post ...TREBLE BOOSTER-Byrd Song FINAL UPDATE

OVERDRIVE- TOADWORKS Lil' Leo Pedal American OD ...as noted on the box a Bad Ass American OD

 TOADWORKS Lil' Leo American Overdrive 

A very good American sounding OD capturing the sound of overdriven
6L6 tubes in amps like Fender. In short NOT the Brit sound of an EL34 tube.
I have never been much for this kind of sound. But this of course is just my prejudice opinion.
One of the best examples of tweaking the 6L6 to get a nice warm sound is a Fender Bassman also used as the schematic for the Marshall Bluesbreaker the JTM45.

Bottom line it does what it does and very well.
It's clean punch in the low end is excellent. It does a Fender high end better then any pedal I've heard.

CODA
I am glad Toadworks is there to give us choice.

I checked out their John Bull pedal. A Brit OD... to be fair there are hundreds of choices from the good to the sublime. Theirs is at best only good. The overtones are muddy and smeared so I will not waste your time with it. But as I said outside of Friedman most American type pedals are lame.
Leo Fender the leader in 6L6 based amps has never sought to have a great dirt sound. Jim Marshall had gone out of it's way since the first day to try to make the perfect dirt sound then to make it better and better.

I will never stop defending Fenders clean sound. Every amp they made got cleaner and cleaner until they reached the Silver Faced amps the ultimate being the Twin reverb in '68. Although it is generally agreed that the Black Faced had it nailed with a few nice warm mids left in the sound. Fender lovers will be happy to know Leo left Fender in '65. LOL

It was CBS that thought bringing in young engineers in to design the new amps was a great idea.
Keep in mind these engineers had been taught at university the ultimate amplifier is one that is free of distortion.

It was not until guys like Randal Smith came along about this time and understood why deliberately making a Fender style amp distort was desirable. He started by hot rodding Fender amps until one day it made sense to just make his own  ...and the MESA Boogie was born.

The most popular tube amp in the world is the Fender Hot Rod. It is also the cheapest at under a thousand. It is generally agreed it's clean sound is second to none. BUT...its dirt sound is crap!!! Everyone that buys one uses a good OD so do not be surprised if you are at a club and a guy that has one is getting a Marshall sound coming out of it. LOL

OVERDRIVE- GAMIN'3 Mustard Pot ....a totally unpretentious OD with loads of warmth & tone

$185.00 USD

 GAMIN'3 MUSTARD POT 

A very small Belgium company that has the good sense to make a low to medium gain reminiscent of a lot small '50's amps that had a very warm sound. It is awesome for tunes that need a very warm mildly distorted tone. Fortunately it is not another faux Tweed or the next 'big deal' that is really just part of an endless stream of ts and Timmy boxes.

The Mustard Pot uses germanium transistors not found in OD's but in the very early Fuzz units. By the time OD were being made everyone were using silicon transistors and within a few years FET's. Germanium transistors have a very warm sound and a lot of character. It is very clever idea to revisit and repurpose them. This is v.2 which has more gain and does both a great low gain  and medium gain sounds. One very cool thing.
It is usable through its entire range. Unlike a Timmy or ts that has only one sweet spot.

The simplicity or the vid is genius. You hear 3 distinct and usable sounds .
No grandstanding no noodling.
You just give the vid a few play thru's and study the tone.

NICE!
Laid back, but earthy ...

OVERDRIVE- GREUTER Germanium OD....the classic '60's tone ..NAILED!!!

 GREUTER GERMANIUM OD 

$350.00 USD

This Swiss made pedal is all about making an authentic
'60's sounding OD. Like most Swiss products ...it is all about precision engineering for those demanding the very best.
It is part Fuzz, part upper mid/treble booster, and part OD. Doing this well requires  least 3 accurate clone pedals. (Which I have). So having my big collection of toys allows me to say with authority that these guys have nailed the sound.
They have also designed a circuit so the overly sensitive germanium transistors do not screw up using a standard 9v adapter instead of a battery.
Add to that they have brought the noise floor down big time.
Pricey but extremely well done!!!

OVERDRIVE-T, JAUNERNIG ELECTRONICS Kollmanation ...CHUNK!

 T. JAUERNIG ELECTRONICS KOLLMANATION OD 

Massively Big fat chunky OD. This thing is huge but tight, tight, tight! If you love chords and tend to get busy with a lot of rhythm this will be your god of OD's.
It quite simply does this better then any dirt pedal
without having a metallic type sheering affect to the sound. It is odd to call this warm but for this type of sound it is!
Designed for Jeff Kollman. YES? Neither do I.

OVERDRIVE- COPPERSOUND Foxcatcher Boost/OD ...turn a 'basic' Fender into a 'basic' Marshall

  COPPERSOUND FOXCATCHER BOOST/OVERDRIVE  

$200.00 USD

There are a lot of great OD made to stand out big time. Not this pedal.
It is really meant as a sound to turn an amp that lacks any serious balz into the one that has a massive crunch.
Yes this is all about making a fat chunky sound. Most players into it love to leave it on all the time. It reminds me of a Plexi set on a volume level of 3 or 4. It is especially good at turning the basic tone of a Fender into a Marshall. Damn handy as a basic sound tool more then what one thinks of as a dirt pedal or boost.

OVERDRIVE- CELMO Pimento Sardine OD ...the first to add 'sag' to a pedal...impressive

 CELMO PIMENTO SARDINE OD 

$165.00 USD

Celmo are a French pedal maker. This is the first OD to address the 'sag' of a real tube amp. A situation where the amp's transformer runs out of head room and overly compresses the signal which drops the signals level for a split second then creates a nice 'swell' when it regains it's headroom on the next second the pick hits the strings. The affect can be felt by the player as well as heard. I always think of it as the amplifier gasping for air. lol
It reminds me of a battered old PLEXI or a grungy voiced cheaply U.S. made amp in the Chicago 50's era. Capture that sound in a box and you have a great sounding pedal. Well maybe not great but big time fun!!!
Build the thing in a faux sardine can and you get to smile every time you click the switch.

b

  WELL I GOT ONE!!  So it's HANDS ON  time. 

So how is it?

My first Amp!!!

Well all that sag and what not is there. It has a deep gnarly voice with the lows and lower mids of a 50's era cheap American amp or a 50 year old Plexi.
It sounds like my first Amp a cheesy National!!!
It is a big pedal. Dead cool looking but it uses up space. Definitely a one trick pony ...but the trick is so good I love playing it.
The first vid gives you a very good idea of what it really sounds like.
There will be places it shines and places it just doesn't work. Definitely for those who want something different. A great second or third OD in your kit but not your main dirt pedal.

I have had one for a few weeks. It has a lot of breadth to the sound. Great chunky chords and will produce expressive riffs that just snarl back at you. LOVE IT!!! it has quickly become a fav.
One tip. NO COMPRESSION! It has all it needs and any comp or boost kills its amazing expression.

THIS IS A KEEPER ...a world class BEST!!
It does it's own thing ...and if you you marvel at at some of the sounds of dirt from the mid 60's thru the early '70's you will love it.
Hell I love the best gourmet Marshall pedals but every time I get one I sell for the next...
.... 'New Improved' that shows up. That's OK too.
But it is always nice to have a quirky but bullet proof keeper sitting permanently on my board to play as I watch my other OD's on my board come and then go. LOL :-)

OVERDRIVE- VFE Distortion 3 ....but is it??? ...and does that matter?

 VFE DISTORTION 3 

$145.00 USD

Well it sounds perfect ...3 of the most used voicing modes in one pedal. All else being equal I find the basic sound to be all about a bright sound with an emphasis on the upper mids. Fat is about lower mids and bass and this is one area that not much is happening.
Still it has a very nice very tube like warm sound. In short it is really just your average one sound pedal with a nice extra switch to tweek just that much more than a lot of other pedals.
At $145.00 it could be a welcome addition to add ...as an only dirt box there are a lot of other choices I prefer.

OVERDRIVE- VISUAL SOUND Garagetone Chainsaw Distortion...a very cool gem but not many left

 VISUAL SOUND GARAGETONE CHAINSAW DISTORTION 

Designed by Bob Weil who designed pedals for Reverend
Guitars in 2000. The company seems to have come and gone. A few new ones are around but even used ones are not going cheaper.
At $50.00 these things are cheap. They even come in a nice steel enclosure not the usual aluminium box.
The pedal has a sound of it's own which is refreshing.
As much as love a Pexi this is a nice change
With it's yellow paint and red lettering it has the look of some obscure '60's dirt box that quietly disappeared and was forgotten. Dead cool

OVERDRIVE- WAMPLER Plexi-Drive...is it still King of the Plexi's

 WAMPLER PLEXI-DRIVE DELUXE 

$240.00 USD

Brian Wampler spent years making one variation of Plexi pedal after another. He felt he nailed it with this one and it is hard to argue he has not.
Although it has been around we all tire of even the latest choices in time so before plunging into another Plei this is really worth a second ...or for some of us a first look.
It is hard to criticize such a great sounding pedal with such a huge amount of features and what seems endless variations.

OVERDRIVE-J. ROCKETT PEDALS 10 Ton Hammer... it is!!

 J. ROCKETT PEDALS 10 TON HAMMER 

This is an 80's Style Brit OD....a very aggressive hard rock early Metal kind of sound. Thick and punchy and very,very aggressive. It has some nice heavy breathing resonance in the low end that make you feel it is coming out of a stack ....even if you are listening to it on a  5 WATT bedroom amplifier.
Nothing tricky here. It is just a big balzy amp tone !!! It sounds great.

$200.00 USD

.

OVERDRIVE-KHDK Goul Screamer ....the best Tube Screamer ...ever!!!

$230.00 USD

 KHDK GHOUL SCREAMER OD  

The name gives it away. This ts has got all the bugs out of the trad ts.
It has the standard gain tone and level controls. The weak bass is beefed up at the flick of a switch, improved highs and a nice boost in the mids. Finally a built in compressor.
All the fixed tones are ideally suited to this classic ts voice.

The additions give you a richer & smoother and fatter tone.
I haven't heard better!







$

OVERDRIVE- IBANEZ NTS Tube Screamer ...TOTALY NEW with a NuTube???

$260.00 USD

IBANEZ NTS TUBE SCREAMER OD

Yes ...NEW!!!
Korg who owns Vox designed a substitute for the standard tubes that players love.
The NuTube.
It showed up last year in the Vox MV50 head.
Korg have decided to licence it. The first to jump on it is Ibanez.
So what more obvious then to make another Tube Screamer.

So this is in essence a Tube Screamer with a tube.

The Namm Show is in just a couple of weeks where I expect the 'unveiling' and I am sure some serious videos will follow.

First impression?
Damned if it doesn't sound like Tubes!!!!

No doubt about it ...Korg's NuTube might change the whole OD market. I am really curious about what other makers with some serious medium  gain and high gain pedals could do with it.

ALL ABOUT YOU ???

So.... if you are toying with New Years resolutions about your playing I advise you to
 sit down and figure out how to make it fun. Find a teacher on line that just shows you some simple hot licks and learn a few.
The best way to judge your choices is to check your emotions. Before you start ...do you feel apprehensive, fearful, or defeated? Then find a vid where that doesn't happen.
One of the best things I ever did was cancel my TV subscription. Suddenly overnight ...time to do
all that sh@t I promised myself.
It worked BIG TIME.


YOU ARE NOT LIMITED BY LIMITATIONS
Some of the most admired players in the world have many techniques they tried but still can not do.
They do not care...they took a different route to the top. They found out what their strengths were and perfected them.
Check out David Howell Evans better known as The Edge ...listen carefully to how simple his playing often is. BUT... a big part of his sound is his use of 'Delay'. Before you sneer get a delay and try and copy it. GOOD F-ING LUCK!!! It is'nt easy. LOL
One last thing ...he taught himself this before we all had the advantages of a pedal where we can 'tap' out the tempo or preset the timing.

How about Jack White??? his playing uses a limited technique. BUT the composition of what he  plays is stellar, Listen to is his use of dynamics and expression. He always knows where he should leave rests and when to add even more notes ...this is not just dumb luck. Look at his tone ...it is original and refreshing. It too did not happen by magic.

Who hasn't heard of Johnny Marr. By rejecting a Marshall stack and a Les Paul he reinvented what rock guitar can be. Can you imagine the ridicule he got from players like you and I with our dirt tones when he started???
Just remember when you start on your musical journey.

"Those who are beyond ridicule are nobody's"

So this year why not Re-Event yourself. Instead of trying to be Hendrix, Van Halen. or_____.
Try the useful challenge of being YOU!
I look forward to watching an interview of you on-line. I might learn something.

REMEMBER
The players I just showed you in this Post are hundreds of times more famous AND RESPECTED...then 99% of all amazingly skillful Fusion players and guys that can shred at light speed.
WHY! maybe because that most of the players with the pyro technique have nothing new to musically say?
Perhaps people who do not play but love to listen wish to be musically spoken to ...not shouted at. Perhaps they also wish to hear something fresh and new and above all understandable.
Perhaps.. you need to be musically articulate...and take your listeners by the hand on your musical journey ...not bulldoze them with flash and self indulgence.

Wynton Marsellis
Perhaps the best trumpet player alive who does serious classical dates and Jazz, Said much the same thing. He said that the young players coming up can play precise phrases at lightning speed but give them a Louis Armstrong tune and it turns out they have very lame timing and phrasing and a serious lack of tone.
I have to admit I heard Wynton's ideas and it made may look at rock guitar players more closely.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

WYNTON MARSALIS