Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
Dana Hall’s VVR3 PCB kit. Power Scaling (a London Power trademark) and VVR, which stands for Variable Voltage Regulator, (Dana Hall of Hall Amplification’s version of Power Scaling) are currently two of the hottest topic’s in the Guitar Amp world. Both are methods which allow you to scale back the voltages within your amplifier to … Read more
The EMG 81 is now ranked as a “classic” humbucking pickup – for years it has been the go-to choice for Shred and Metal guitarists thanks to it’s monstrous voltage output (making it a doddle to overdrive a preamp!) and searingly smooth high frequency response which allows guitarists to cut straight through all the sludge of the … Read more
Blackstar Amps have quickly established themselves as one of the forerunners of the “new to the scene” amp manufacturers. Some great amps twinned with some really interesting tech have really helped push Blackstar to the front of a pretty saturated market. One of their most interesting innovations is their patented “ISF Control” (“ISF stands for … Read more
Humbuckers Dissected – image from StewMac.com [1] So, we’ve all played guitars with humbucking pickups right? The warm, chunky yet still cutting tone humbuckers can produce has lead to some of the greatest guitar tones in Rock ‘n Roll. Just imagine; where would the world be with out Angus Young’s signature humbucker equipped Gibson SG along with his … Read more
Germanium transistors – be them the work of God or the evil creations of Satan – people still love them for their Fuzzy goodness 30+ years after they went out of production and general use. So, lets say you’ve managed to get hold of some germanium transistors, they look all right, nice and shiny, but then you … Read more
Here’s a great article by Dirk Wacker that has been online for a while over at http://www.premierguitar.com. It’s basically a discussion of the most popular mods that can be performed on your good ‘ole Tube Screamer – op amp changes, fatness mods, tone shifts, clipping options e.t.c. Here’s the link, check it out: http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2007/Jan/The_Ultimate_Tube_Screamer_Mod_Guide.aspx