Amps I've Owned - Retrospective Power Rankings

Most guitarists I know continuously pursue an unattainable tone. With limits on money, space, and permissible volume, my quest has been more normative lately. What SHOULD my guitar sound like? Often, it feels like it should sound like something else; something my gear is incapable of achieving. However, the grass isn't always greener. Eliciting the widest possible range of tones from a limited gear setup is a rewarding challenge. Embrace It. Look at what Nels Cline, a known gear junkie, did with his amp du jur experience.


Additionally, it's nice to feel like your gear has been earned and not just the product of wiping out your bank account or maxing out a credit card. I haven't always had great gear. Looking back, even my lesser amps brought me a great amount of joy. Here's a retrospective, in descending order of rank:


Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue: (9/10)

The grass isn't always greener, but my top-ranked amp is one that I no longer own. The Deluxe Reverb has the best clean tone and the best tube spring reverb of just about any amp I've ever played. The footswitchable vibrato is also really nice. I loved that it had less headroom than a Twin so that it could get nice crunchy tones when cranked. It was also a lot lighter than the Vox! Ultimately, before moving and starting law school I had to sell one of my amps. I thought it would be easier to replace the Deluxe than the AC30, so I sold the Deluxe. You can't really go wrong with either, but I definitely miss the Deluxe Reverb. I without a doubt see another one in my future.

Vox AC30 Custom Classic 1x12: (8.5/10)

The chime, the look, the history. I went to Ye Olde Music in Charleston, SC for some strings and walked out with an amp AND a guitar! I traded the Pod, Tech 21 cab, and my Mexican Telecaster Thinline as a down payment on both the AC30 and an American Strat. Probably the most substantial and transformative gear upgrade I've made. Instead of having a ton of processor effects, I had NO effects pedals for the first time since 1996. Having just a guitar and amp, I couldn't hide my inabilities. I was forced to work on my technique, and I learned to get more tones out of my guitar knobs than I previously thought were possible. I finally learned how to use the master volume and gain control for a variety of clean to crunchy tones.

This amp is fantastic. I've heard some people knock the Custom Classic, but my only negative experience was blowing the recto-tube a few times. Amp whiz Bill Nance was able to work his magic, and I haven't had a problem in years. The reverb doesn't stack up to the Deluxe Reverb's (obviously), but it's much easier to get nice overdrive tones at a low volume. I use an Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb and an Aqua Puss Analog Delay with the AC30, which more than handle my reverb and echo needs. This is a great amp.

Line 6 POD - Tech 21 cab: (6/10)

I ditched the Marshall-Fender setup for the kidney bean and a 1x12 Tech 21 cab. I didn't need casters, had several effects available, and the Marshall emulation sound was actually better through this setup because the Fender cab wasn't involved. The POD was also convenient for practicing and using as a DI box for recording.

I had moved from punk to learning classic rock, blues, and some basic jazz. I didn't really have a stylistic direction, and the versatility of the POD was accommodated my exploration. By this time amp modeling had come a long way, but it was still sometimes obvious I was using amp simulation. Despite its shortcomings, I would have used this setup longer, but a great deal at Ye Olde Music led to a major gear overhaul.

Marshall Valvestate 100 Head: (6/10)

This would have been really decent if I wasn't using it with that godawful Fender speaker cabinet (See Fender, Infra). I might have even kept the Fender head if I had a better cabinet. At the time, that cursive Marshall logo was like the holy grail. My bandmate just bought a Valvestate half stack and a Les Paul Studio, and I had to try to keep up. The Marshall-Fender 4x12 setup gets a comedic boost for when it showed up in high school band room for the first day of jazz band. Classic.

I got the used Valvestate head for a reasonable price when I traded in the Fender head. It was actually a good middle ground between the out-of-reach JCM 900 and Marshall's low end offerings. It's a 3-channel (Clean and 2 Overdrives) hybrid amp with solid state components and a 12AX7 preamp tube. They are on Ebay now for $199, a good price for a starter Marshall.

Kramer KA22R: (5/10)

My first amp ever, so some sentimentality points are due. It showed up under the Christmas tree in 1995. It was part of a guitar/amp set from Sam's Club, and that Christmas I was the luckiest kid on Earth. There's one on eBay right now for $35. Maybe I'm sentimental, but I remember this being a decent starter amp. I thought I discovered reverb. Then, I thought I blew out my speaker and was bummed out. Instead, the guy at the local music store explained what the "boost" channel was. I didn't really understand how it worked, but I proceeded to do injustice to more Nirvana songs than you could possibly imagine. That's when my parents pointed me to the headphone jack.


Peavey VT Classic 50w: (5/10)

I cut grass all summer for (1) this bad boy and (2) a Hondo Flying V. They were both for sale at Monck Corner's best, smokiest, and only guitar store. I made my way through the cloud of Marlboro smoke and saw this Peavey amp on the far wall of the store. What's this?? Multi-colored knobs? TWO speakers? That had to be better. I didn't know what a tube was. All I knew was this amp was louder than mine, and that made up for the fact that it took "longer to turn on." It was $200, a life savings at that point. I thought the amp was nice, but when I was shown the footswitch, it became essential.


This 2x12 amp had multiple channels that could be blended (I could NEVER get this to work right), but the highlights were the footswitchable reverb AND phaser. Why doesn't every amp have a built in phaser? I probably could have made this amp sound halfway decent, but I was too preoccupied with the awesomeness of my new 4-button footswitch.


I used this amp when I joined my first band in high school. I remember something in it blew up when I was playing at a Relay For Life, and I had to run my Kramer amp through the Peavey speakers, creating my poor man's half-stack. I honestly can't tell you whether this amp is capable of making good sounds. I'm going to err on the side of no, but bonus points for the footswitchable phaser.


Fender Roc Pro 1000 Half Stack: (3/10)

Getting two speakers (See Peavey, Supra) was a slippery slope. Before long, I needed a 4x12 cabinet. In 10th grade, certain aspects of the band became a status symbol. Half-stacks, multiple cassette demos, and double bass drum pedals were are signs of bands on the way up.


So, I finally got a half stack. It was a joyous occasion when I came home from school to a massive Musician's Friend box on my front porch. It didn't matter that the speaker cabinet boomed, woofed, and sounded flat out terrible. Instead of covering the speakers with a grille cloth, Fender just screwed a metal screen on the front. I wanted it to sound like a Marshall for my punk band, but I could have lived with anything serviceable. Unfortunately, this didn't even meet my modest tonal needs at the time.
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The takeaways from the amp shuffle are that finding the right gear is a  process, that joy can be found with "substandard" gear, and that ultimately you must live within your means. Don't blow your money, but don't be scared to experiment either. There are great deals on used gear, but use a reputable seller. In retrospect, some of my purchases were unnecessary and comical, but I loved every minute of playing and exploring the capabilities of new gear. I still do!

Coming Soon:
My new music, culture, and law blog to help pay off my student loans. Not to be confused with Caine's Arcade, another awesome cause!
My PayPal account is active, and I'll have lots of good content up right after finals.

For now, I've added some of my previous guitar lessons. Enjoy, and let me know what you'd like me to cover.

Also, any donations that exceed my student loan debt will be donated to Caine's Arcade! Thanks everyone!

Learning the Lead Style of Kings of Leon

It’s obvious that one of the best ways to develop your own style is to combine the styles of musicians you like. Instead of merely learning solos you like note-for-note, however, look to the theory and patterns behind the solo you’re studying. To learn more of an artist’s style, analyze solos or riffs from different songs to see if there is an overarching pattern, or distinct patterns used for different applications.

Today we’ll look at the style of Kings of Leon:

No, not their fashion preferences, but rather their riffs...

In the video, I show how parts of “Taper Jean Girl” and “The Bucket” build on my past lessons about major chord inversions and the major pentatonic scale. The following examples are more detailed and have been tabbed out for reference. Get the Guitar Pro or .PDF.

“Ragoo” – Key of D

The solo for this song is based around the D major chord shape at the 14th fret, and moves to the D major chord using the “F shape” at the 10th fret. Notice the use of arpeggiation and double-stops with unison-bends in the 14th position and half-step bends in the 10th position (bending from the major 3rd to the 4th).

“Velvet Snow” –Key of C
This is an up-tempo song. The solo is all harmonized-3rd double stops.

“Notion” – Key of E
Here, the intro riff uses the ringing open high-E string as a pedal tone. Another good example of this technique is The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.”

“Fans” – Key of E

Similar to “Ragoo,” “Fans” outlines an E major chord (F shape on 12th fret) with a few unison-bends. Notice the barred chord at both the 4th and 16th fret is like a “D-shaped” E major 7th chord.

Once you get a feel for these riffs individually, it is helpful to put them in the same key (E major is a logical choice) to better visualize how they relate to each other. By now, hopefully you can move through a few E-major positions, using double-stops, bends, hammer-ons, and arpeggios, to not only sound like the Followills, but to develop your own style through chord embellishment.

So I have to apologize for the increasing trend of explaining why I haven't been posting guitar videos rather than simply posting said instructional lessons. My recent engagement and the process of applying to law school have not left me with much free time for music. Keep living the dream and in a few weeks I will teach you how to play some tasty licks as well as OWN the LSAT!! If I can answer any specific questions feel free to shoot me an email. Thanks!

Long time no typie

If you've been holding your breath for a new post for the last 6 months or so, my apologies. I have to say it's no coincidence that this post is appearing one day after regular season City League Basketball ended.

I came across this stellar interview with Nels Cline that covers many aspects of his approach:



In other news from my personal realm of music, I bought an Akai XR-20 drum machine to use in my new project with Rebecca Brown called the Young Architects. It has been so helpful for writing, practicing, and for generally providing a lot more sounds than two people can make at one time! If you don't spring for a drum machine at least use a metronome for practice because playing the right notes are only half the battle at best...it's all about the feel baby!

Getting down to the minute details, I tried the D'Addario half-round strings for the first time. I had previously wavered from regular .11 round-wounds to .11 flat-wounds on my Jazzmaster. The flat-wounds definitely have a jazzier, darker sound that helps make the Jazzmaster my anti-Strat on occasion. When I gigged with the Kentucky Shoes often last year, I was using the round-wounds for a brighter sound and easier bending. So far, both types of strings have been well-suited for slide playing. I am hoping the half-rounds (or half-flat depending on your perspective) will be a happy middle ground. I really dig the tone I get from them, but the store only had .12s at the time of purchase. I have used .12s before but my Jazzmaster has relatively high action so this week I felt like a crying newbie with sore fingers and wrists after a couple hours of playing! Don't let this deter you from trying these strings though; if you are looking for something different, or want a warmer sound without venturing all the way into flat-wound territory these puppies are a good place to start. I like to keep my action fairly high for clarity and for slide use so I am thinking some .11 half-rounds will be my new choice pack-o-strings.

I'll leave you with a parting video of a nice jazz lick to work on til next time:

Combining Chord Shapes

Almost-Seasons Greetings to you! It’s been a busy month in the Holy City and the holidays are just getting started. This past Saturday I had the privilege to play at the Annual Cold Heart Revival, a festival concert at the Pour House featuring several regional and local bands that fall somewhere in the alt-country vein. In addition to local favorites Lindsay Holler's Western Polaroids, there were great sets from Joel Hamilton & Owen Beverly (The In-laws), Sadler Vaden, and Bill Carson. This concert also always seems to fall on the weekend of the USC-Florida game, which usually ends up more lopsided than it did this year…



Our latest video lesson should start to tie together some of the ideas we’ve previously been working on. By applying the chord fragments we learned in the first lessons, we can start to get a feel for rhythmic comping. We will later learn the major scale in each chord position, and that will open up our lead playing tremendously.

The first real song part in this lesson is from Betty Wright’s “Clean Up Woman.” This a quintessential R & B number when it comes to layered rhythmic guitar parts. In the video we learn the basic rhythm part in the key of G (for continuity from the previous lessons) even though the original song was in the key of F. This is okay because you should learn how to use these chords in all keys anyway! An easy was to start navigating the chord shapes to is remember the “D shape” is always 4 frets (a major 3rd) higher up the neck than the “F shape.” In our example the “F shape” G major chord is on the 3rd fret and the “D shape” G major chord is on the 7th fret.

I hope you enjoy the lesson, next time I will teach you all the parts to ‘Clean Up Woman.” There is another great video lesson on this topic in Jeff “Skunk” Baxter’s (of Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers fame) video series called “American Guitar.” This is a great, yet humorously dated ("We are in the 90's Ladies and Gentleman!") video series in which Baxter teaches whatever the “American guitar style” encompasses to an apparent Japanese audience. Be sure to check it out, and that’s all until next time. Peace!



Download the Guitar Pro .gp5 or the tab of this lesson here.

Music Ed. on a Budget

Let's face it, most working musicians don't have much much extra cash to burn. We all want to improve our skills, broaden our horizons, and buy the occasional steak (or veggie burger) dinner.
Even if we're fortunate enough to have some regular gigs paying for day-to-day bills with our music revenue can be hard enough; let alone financing further music education and the upkeep of our gear. While you guys are soaking in my last few lessons I will take this time to share a few ideas I had about maximizing some inexpensive resources so you can save your cheddar for your...well, your veggie burger.

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY IS YOUR FRIEND!!
I have recently been expanding my library of jazz recordings. Instead of forking out lots of money for new cds (The Definitive Vince Guaraldi and the new Julian Lage album not withstanding) I have been using the wealth of cds at the Charleston County Library as a FREE way to hear and learn many new things. I did the same thing at the Richland County Library when I lived in Columbia. From Skip James to Joni Mitchell, Drive-By Truckers to Herbie Hancock, there are so many quality albums available it's not even funny. The Charleston Library even has a Lindsay Holler and the Dirty Kids album which is awesome. Except for the occasional late fee you have almost-free access to so much music it would be wrong to not take advantage of this opportunity.

BECOME A REGULAR AT YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY

RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUY!!
If you read my post about Gear Acquisition Syndrome you might have been led to believe that I'm a Harmony Central hater. My point was that you shouldn't obsess about your gear, but if you are ready to buy something for your rig then you should most definitely research before you buy. There is so much information out there about virtually any guitar, amp, or pedal (including product demos on Youtube) that there is no reason these days to buy gear on a whim without learning about it or trying it out before hand. Ebay and Craigslist can also be your friend for value-priced gear as long as you take the right precautions.

DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR COMMUNITY!!

Just last week the recto-tube in my VOX AC30 blew out again. I have relied on local amp guru Bill Nance for a few years now for all my amp questions and repairs. Instead of being left amp-less for a weekend gig and a week's worth of rehearsals Bill was generous enough to lend me one of his class-A hand built tube amps while mine was being fixed. My point is being loyal to those in your local music shops can pay dividends when it comes time for repairs and purchases. Mad props to Bill and BILCO AMPS!!ONE OF BILL'S GNARLY COMBO AMPS

These days your dollars have to stretch pretty far. If you've heard the old joke:
Q: How does a guitarist make a million dollars?
A: He starts with two million!

then you know it can be true too often. Try to save your money for when it counts. Hold out on pedals unless that new one is absolutely necessary because they can be a money-pit. Meet people in your music community and develop relationships, and don't forget your library card!