Dunlop Crybaby Jerry Cantrell Wah

So I have been through a few wah's in my time, mostly because I have a tendency (yes believe it or not) to break them. Not the pedal casing etc of course as most wahs will stand the test of time and a nuclear explosion! But the potentiometers and/or internal gubbings tend to go. I have been gigging pretty intensely (and rehearsals, recordings etc) with the Vox V847 Wah for well over a year and a half now, and it is starting to crackle and drop out. I am sure I can fix it easily with some contact cleaner and a bit of soldering.....but the Jerry Cantrell wah caught my eye when it came out, and I really really like the fact you can change the voicing with the control knob on the side, you can set it with across the spectrum featuring at the top end, more...well top end and at the lowest point a much more deeper wah sound, which when you add bit of dirt, you get a lovely vocal wah (and of course it sound very Man in a box at the low end of the sweep). With the control in the middle it sounds to me like a classic crybaby. It is possible to imagine that this wah provides you with not only a classic wah, but a talkboxy style wah and then a high frequency boosty type wah, which could be used to give a nice sound to a lead break.I should add that after all these years of playing this is my first 'signature' piece of gear purchased. Generally, signature pedals, amps, guitars etc are not for me, and personally I guess I see them as a bit of a marketing ploy to get you to spend more cash on what you could pick up much much cheaper (with a few tweaks, which if we are honest relate to the player in question, in their set up, with their gear, playing stadiums etc). But then, why did I break the rule of a lift time, well, because this pedal is fantastic, in a sense Jerry Cantrell isn't an obvious 'signature' player choice, so you know there is a purpose behind this instead of labelling something EVH or Vai because the marketer's know that those guys have the most massive of followings and people will just by a Phase 90 because it has EVH and some stripes on it. (Sorry I should stop being cynical!).Pros

• The range of sounds possible
• Personally I love the 'vocalish' tone you get at the low end of the sweep
• Looks fantastic
• You can't stop playing the Man in a Box riff
• Guthrie Govan uses one :)

Cons

• It is much more expensive that other wahs (unless you manage to get a deal....which I did and I think there are a few about at the moment)
• Let's see how long this one lasts

Video review coming soonPeaceNeil

New live music video - Groovething UK Party and Function Band

What do the Trammps, Donna Summer and Madonna all have in common? Why not check out live concert mega mashup from a recently charity event for the Moon and Stars charity in Cheshire. Currently working on a whole series on videos from the event and a new promo video. We have also recently created a new soundcloud page abd we will be updating it weekly with new tunes!! Hope you enjoy!The songs included are : -The Trammps - Disco InfernoDonna Summer - I feel LoveMadonna - MusicEnjoy and if you are looking to book us then pop over and visit the website here.PeaceNeil

Steve Vai - Back in black

Came across this new video of Steve Vai and 2Cello's doing a cover of ACDC's back in black and I had to post a link to it as it certainly made me smile, it took me back to being 15 again, just joyously appreciating rock and roll and it's simplicity! The same feeling I remember when I first saw the video for Steve Vai's The Audience is listening, which was how cool it is to simply just rock out on the guitar!Hope it brings a smile to your face too.EnjoyPeaceNeil

10 uses for a tablet and the gigging musician

Tablets are pretty fantastic aren't they! I currently have a Google Nexus 7, and it is the perfect size for taking to gigs and using it in a gig related capacity. There are so many things tablets can do, but what about for us guitar players and gigging musicians? Well, I have put together a list of 10 things that I think make a tablet indispensible for the gigging musician and guitarist, that is without looking at guitar apps1) TuitionSo we all have lots of time sitting around waiting at gigs before we go on, sitting wondering what to do. So it could be a great time to do a bit of practice and learning. Thankfully, there are no end of little tutorial applications available for tablets, everything from learning scales and chords, to full on theory apps! Personally, I particularly enjoy watching youtube tutorials or dvd tutorials I have copied to mp4 on my tablet, I can place the tablet where I want it, get comfortable and learn.2) Jamming (warming up)It is always pertinent to warm up before a gig, why not copy over a few tracks onto the device and then jam along, without having to switch on computers etc etcBut what other things for the gigging musician?3) SetlistsHow could would it be if everyone in the band had their set lists on their tablet, all controlled by a master document, saved on something like Google Drive, or something which auto updates. Then, if you decided to make a change, then this could be sent to everyone! Failing that, they do look really cool if you have want to have your set list on the screen!4) Sheet musicChords and crib notes...for those one or two songs you are quite sure about :) Seems like the perfect application!!5) Click tracksIf you or your band play to a click track, then something like this could be invaluable. You can set up your whole set worth of tempos and setlist and bang you are ready to go. If a song changes order, it is quite simple to swipe to the relevant one!6 ) Contacts, Contracts and documentsMight seem obvious, but it is so much easier to read a spreadsheet of relevant contacts details relevant to a gig, rather than scrolling through an address book, on a large screen. It is also possible to have a pdf of the gig contract on the tablet that you can show the relevant people (should you need to!), also you can have pdf's of any relevant insurance or PAT testing documents on the screen to show the one person who wants to see them!7) Manuals I would suggest downloading all the manuals and equipment guides for all of the gear you use in pdf form - then if got a problem at the gig, whip out the manual and rectify the situation!8) Performance recorderThis might sound like a bit of a strange one, but as a learning and improvement tool, it is always useful to record gigs to find out where you are making mistakes and any issues with your technique. The built in video camera means you could point the tablet at you and record you whole performance, watch it back later and look for where you can make improvements! (TIP : make sure you set the input level very low, as stages can be very noisy!)9) SPL monitor and Spectrum AnalyserSometimes it can be quite useful to know what kind of SPL (roughly as any tablet device won't be fully acoustically calibrated) your band is knocking out, particularly is you come across the bane of any bands life....'the sound limiter'. It might not be able to help you prevent the thing from kicking in and powering down all your gear, but it should give you a rough indication of how loud you are, and with a spectrum analyser you should be able to also see where most of the energy is coming in the frequency domain.10) Recording the funny things that happen (and then sharing them on social media!)Gigging can be a funny old business, with a tablet you can record, video, notate all the funny goings on, pre, during and post gig....and then share them on facebook or twitter! Rock and roll!What are your uses for your tablet?PeaceNeil

A couple of Groovething gig pictures

Just thought I would post a couple of pictures from a fantastic Groovething (North West premiere function and party band for hire!) corporate gig we had this weekend. These are screen grabs from the video I was shooting, so watch this space as it should be coming along soon!

EnjoyPeaceNeil

TC Flashback Delay x4 - more information

TC Electronic have now put up a website page about the FlashBack X4 with some very cool videos and sound clips. I am really excited about this product and can't wait to get my hands on one. The only product that could excite me more is a new TC Nova System, or Nova System II. What would make it perfect...a filter section, polytune included and toneprint capability. Are you listening TC, you are really innovating with some fantastic products at the moment, really looking forward to seeing what you come up with next to take away my hard earned money.Watch this space for a video review of the original TC Flashback delay which I am currently editing!PeaceNeil

TC Electronic Flashback X4 delay and looper

Wow, just seen this video!! TC seem to have done it again, the flashback delay is awesome (I haven't done my video review yet), but this pedal is four times as awesome and with the looper too!! I think I am going to have to raid the bank to get one of these. I would certainly  put it down as a major competitor to the Line 6 DL4, but having owned one and as an owner of the flashback, I sold the DL4 as I couldn't get on with it, but love the Flashback! Very cool work TC!! Hope the price is good too!!PeaceNeil