Chris Loeffler

SuperMegaUltraGroovy - Capo 3 With a company name that cool ... you have to check it out! by Chris Loeffler Billed as a tool for “Reverse Engineering Rock and Roll,” Capo 3.5 is a song learning tool that features phrase training with the ability to change tempo, pitch, and loop audio; it's also supported by enhancements such as automatic chord detection, a bar/beat grid, and region marking. It retains features from the previous Capo versions such as center-channel canceling, spectrogram display, and a powerful EQ and panning engine called Neptune. Capo 3.5 is available for MacOS devices, with a companion app available for iOS devices. It supports the AIFF, WAV, MP3, and M4A file formats, and can pull songs directly from your iTunes library. Capo 3.5 requires macOS El Capitan (10.11) or macOS Sierra (10.12) to run, and is not combatible with audio files protected by Digital Rights Management. What You Need to Know Opening a new song in Capo 3 is a seamless process, with only a few seconds needed to analyze and then create the waveform and spectrogram displays, as well as show the detected chords and their respective chord diagrams. Any information about the song carried in iTunes, such as song title and even album art, is displayed at the top of the music bars. There are two views available, Practice view and Tabbing view, which toggle between the most recent Capo view with chord and tablature displays or a more sophisticated Spectrogram display, where notes can quickly be drawn in. You select the playback speed either by dragging manually, or using one of the presets - 1/4x, 1/2x, 3/4x, 1x, and 1.5x. At even the slowest settings, there is little to no evidence of audio artifacts. Pitch is adjusted independent of speed in one cent (1/100th semitone) increments - handy for transposing songs to accommodate your instrument (if it isn’t guitar) or voice. There's a two octave pitch shift available in either direction. Like the speed settings, I didn't hear any particularly distracting audio distortion at pitch extremes. For users of previous versions of Capo, a new scrubber feature of interest is the freeze feature, which will hold a paused note so you can identify an individual note or chord without looping, it literally plays the millisecond audio snippet indefinitely until you unfreeze it. This is surprisingly easier to use than micro-loops, which can be distracting and require fidgeting to get just right. A handy grid at the top of the interface denotes where you are in the song, which is helpful - it's easy to get lost when focusing on a piece bar by bar, and feeds into the spectrogram area. The spectrogram area is no doubt visually appealing and gives a visual representation of the feel of the music, but is a bit deeper than it appears; the notes it contains are best estimates, so some vetting is required. In addition to pure playback manipulation options, there are three additional enhancement types to be applied to a song: Isolation (Neptune), Beats and Notes. Isolation (Neptune) enhancements: Neptune – Capo 3.5’s Neptune engine replaces the previous Effects enhancement and provides extensive audio isolation that allows users to pull individual instruments or vocals forward in the mix, or fade them out entirely so you’re only hearing what you want to hear. What makes the Neptune engine so powerful is that it uses panning width in addition to EQ for more surgical cuts that don’t cause funky EQing on the highlighted tracks. From karaoke-style vocal elimination to pulling out a backing guitar rhythm track, the uncluttering of sonic space is certainly a boon to learning the part. Beats enhancements: Tempo - Song’s BPM, accurate to one decimal place Time Signature - Displays time signature and denotes changes Metronome - Plays in time with the song Notes enhancements: Instrument - Selects the type of instrument being played Tuning - Based on the instrument, provides more than 50 alternate tunings to account for chord charting Chord detection was one of the features I was excited (and skeptical) to check out. The concept is that Capo 3 analyzes the song intelligently and creates what it believes to be the correct chord and fretting. Because no chord analyzing software is perfect, Capo 3 offers alternative chord suggestions when you click on a chord that isn’t correct. Better yet, by selecting among one of seven instruments included in Capo 3 (guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, and 4-6 string bass), the tab will be tailored to that instrument. So how correct was Capo 3.5 in identifying the chords? Depending on the complexity of the song, that answer varies from “pretty” to “not really.” On most rock and country music, if the chord it selected wasn’t correct, one of the suggested alternatives was, and the editing process was extremely easy and intuitive. Throw Miles Davis’ Pangea at it, and it's a challenge. While experienced transcribers might find the process less efficient than using their ears, less experienced players will likely find it helpful in sussing out mystery chords in a song. At the very least, I discovered a half-dozen or so chords to add to my vocabulary, even if they weren’t the correct ones for the song. As to why you'd want to correct the chords, once you do those chords will automatically transpose along with everything else when you adjust pitch or key. Limitations Capo 3.5’s audio is only as good as the audio you put into it. While the enhancements it provides are useful in getting you the final 10%, poor, compressed audio will start getting funky at extreme speed and pitch adjustments. Capo can only be used with purchased, DRM-free audio from iTunes and WAV, AIFF, MP3, MP4, M4A files. Conclusion Having reviewed other types of song-learning software, I can say that Capo 3.5 easily meets or beats the frontrunners, with an intuitive and attractive interface, satisfying integration into iTunes, and useful (if not always accurate) chord constructing algorithms. As a tool for learning, slowing down, looping, and pitch shifting, Capo 3.5 makes pretty much any passage accessible. The additions, such as distinct fretting recommendations based on instrument and optional chord recommendations, really enhance the experience as well. - HC- For a free trial or to purchase Capo 3 click here ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Acoustic Guitars – Dreadnought vs Concert vs Auditorium Not all Acoustics are created equal by Chris Loeffler Acoustic guitars come in many shapes and sizes, but most manufacturers tend to delineate them into families based on the size, design, and intention of the acoustic guitar. The exact sizes and specs of each acoustic guitar vary (even within theoretically similar styles) among manufacturers, so there are few hard rules to lean on when looking at the differing types of acoustic guitars. As a result, a recurring question we see throughout the Harmony Central forums is, “What is the difference between Dreadnought acoustic guitars vs Concert acoustic guitars vs Auditorium acoustic guitars?” Fortunately, guitar players can have a good idea of what to expect from an instrument based on its style. While there are many other styles of acoustic guitars, including Parlor acoustic guitars, Jumbo acoustic guitars, and “Grand” acoustic guitars - each built for a targeted sound and playing style - this overview will focus on the three variations of acoustic guitars mentioned above. Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar – The Original Classic The Dreadnought acoustic guitar style was originally designed by C.F. Martin & Company in 1916 to be bigger, bolder, and louder-sounding than the smaller acoustic guitars being played at the time. This robustness is reflected in the name, which is a reference to the HMS Dreadnought - a massive, modern gunship launched in 1906. The Dreadnought acoustic guitar quickly became a “go-to” style for acoustic guitar players. The Dreadnought acoustic guitar is still the most popular and commonly used acoustic guitar, proliferating in bluegrass, country, rock, and blues. Loud and powerful, the Dreadnought guitar is that rare acoustic guitar capable of standing up to an electric band without significant help. The aesthetic of a dreadnought acoustic guitar is a bit boxier (Gibson’s Hummingbird even squares off the shoulders) to achieve the desired projection, and the body of the dreadnought is a bit deeper. In addition to power and punch, a Dreadnought acoustic guitar typically produces strong lows and strong mids for a full sound that forms massive chords and kick to bluegrass runs. Auditorium Acoustic Guitar – A Modern Balancing Act The Auditorium acoustic guitar style is a newer shape to emerge in the acoustic guitar world. This acoustic guitar style was also an original C.F. Martin & Company design, and was intended to bridge the gap between the corpulent Dreadnought acoustic guitar and the petite, nuanced Parlor acoustic guitar. This “in-between” status gave the Auditorium acoustic guitar style a leg-up with fingerstyle guitarist and folk guitar players who sought the ability to jump between intricate picking and still keep up the low end when digging into chords. The Auditorium acoustic guitar has a markedly more pronounced waist, which some guitarist, especially smaller-framed ones, prefer over the Dreadnought acoustic guitar. There's a deeper cut against the knee to lower the guitar, and a deep cut on top for easier, more accessible arm clearance. On an end-to-end or side-to-side measurement, Auditorium acoustic guitars tend to be near or the same as a Dreadnought acoustic guitar. The Auditorium’s slightly more subdued bass and balance make it ideal for solo performers who have the sonic space for the more gentle and intricate playing to stand out. Balance is the name of the game with the Auditorium acoustic guitar vs Dreadnaught acoustic guitar. Concert Acoustic Guitar – A Bigger Parlor Unlike the Auditorium acoustic guitar’s middle-ground stance, the Concert acoustic guitar is very much an enlarged Parlor guitar, with a more shallow body, deeper waist, and shoulders smaller than its hips. Another relatively new body style, the Concert acoustic guitar was designed to make a bigger, richer Parlor acoustic guitar without abandoning its unique sounds or adopting the darker tones of larger-sized acoustic guitars. The Concert acoustic guitar’s smaller size and compact dimensions make it ideal for fingerstyle playing. The Concert acoustic guitar has an even more pronounced waist than the Auditorium acoustic guitar, which serves to keep overtones in check for a crisper, less harmonically dense delivery. While producing more bass than a Parlor guitar, the Concert acoustic guitar favors crisper highs and mids, but has a significantly reduced bass presence when compared to an Auditorium acoustic guitar or Dreadnought guitar. The Concert acoustic guitar is aimed at taking the unique but relatively low-volume Parlor acoustic guitar sound to performance volume levels for guitarist who rarely intend to strum out chords. Dreadnought vs Auditorium vs Concert Acoustic Guitar – Which is Right for Me? There’s a reason and a use for all styles of acoustic guitar and of course, there’s a lot of overlap and a few “can’t do that’s” between the Dreadnought vs Auditorium acoustic guitars. The booming ballast of the Dreadnought acoustic guitar is an iconic part of modern music and truly the best fitted, out of the box, to stand up to electric instruments and the most cutting with rhythm guitar. In the bluegrass world, the Dreadnought acoustic guitar is practically the first and last word in instrument options due to its drive and focus. On the other hand, the Auditorium acoustic guitar stands out in live solo performances and offers a unique tone that modern recording techniques are well equipped to capture. And for a brighter sound than an Auditorium or Dreadnought, but more bass than a Parlor acoustic guitar, there's always the Concert acoustic guitar. Shop current models of Dreadnought Acoustic Guitars at Sweetwater. Shop current models of Auditorium Acoustic Guitars at Sweetwater. Shop current models of Concert Acoustic Guitars at Sweetwater. -HC- ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Connecting Effects Pedals with Cables Avoid Cable Frizz by Chris Loeffler Wires are just wires, right? Well...not really, and there are several “best practices” to following when creating a chain of effects. Power down first. When adding or removing effects pedals from your signal chain, first power down everything in the signal chain to avoid potential damage to your gear. This can happen if, for example, the system’s levels are up and you plug an AC adapter into a stompbox—which could produce a loud pop or click. Turn up your amp last. Again, you want to avoid pops or clicks happening at loud volume, which can happen when you’re connecting or disconnecting patch cords or power supplies. However if you’re using a tube amp with standby, it’s perfectly acceptable to put the amp in standby when connecting and disconnecting effects. Check input and output orientations. Typically, the right-hand side of the stompbox has the input jack, and the left side the output jack. But any orientation is possible, and more than a few players have scratched their heads at why their signal isn’t coming through—only to eventually discover they accidentally plugged into the wrong jack. Set your amplifier’s “base” tone first. With all the effects bypassed, adjust your amp for the desired sound with respect to volume and tone. Introduce one effect at a time, starting with its volume control low and turning it up to match the amp level (or in the case of overdrive devices, exceed it somewhat) This will save your amp—and your ears—a lot of stress. Troubleshooting. If you find odd volume drops or crackling, chase the noise downstream from the guitar. Bypass or disconnect the first effect in the chain, then the second, and so on until you isolate the cable, jack, or effect that’s causing the issue. Try “playing with” (shaking/re-positioning) the cable between devices where you’ve found an issue, as this might reveal a shielding problem in the cable or soldering issue at the plug. If this happens, the cable is likely bad and should be replaced. If the cable is fine, it could be an issue with the effect; refer to “How to Repair Vintage Effects” later in this book for next steps. Tip: Half a cable is better than none. If you do have a bad cable, and are handy with doing your own repairs, cut the cable in half. The odds are only one half will have the actual problem and the other half will be okay. Attach a new plug, and you’ll be able to salvage at least part of the cable. Once you have these basics in place, you can begin experimenting to better find “your” sound. -HC- ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Electro-Harmonix Canyon Delay and Looper Pedal Effects as big as the Grand Canyon ... by Chris Loeffler Another day, another delay? Electro-Harmonix has one of the strongest delay effect lines in the pedal world, with nine dedicated delay units and four loopers in current production, so people tend to pay attention when E-H identifies the need for a new type of delay pedal. While their current delay line-up is 70/90s analog, Electro-Harmonix has returned to digital technology to cram 11 different delay types into a an affordable, small-format effects pedal called Canyon. The Electro-Harmonix Canyon creates delays between 5 milliseconds up to three full seconds, and a loop of up the 62 seconds in a convenient and clean interface. On the surface, the Canyon features Mode, FX Level, Delay, and Feedback knobs as well as a Tap/Divide soft push button. The Canyon requires a standard 9V adaptor (included) and can be run in true-bypass or buffered “trails” mode, where the delays decay naturally when the effect is turned off. What You Need to Know The Electro-Harmonix Canyon has 11 different delay, reverb, or looper modes: Echo- Digital delay Mod- Modulated delay Multi- Multi-tap delay Revrs- Reverse delay DMM- Deluxe Memory Man Tape- Tape Delay Verb- Reverb plus delay Oct- Octave delay Shim- Shimmer S/H- Sample and hold Loop- Looper mode w/max loop length of 62 seconds As with any multi-effect (even one dedicated to a single effect type), tackling each effect type is a bit of a challenge in a medium-length overview. So, the simplest way to describe the Canyon's sound quality for anyone familiar with similar pedals on the market (e.g., Boss DD-500, Strymon Timeline, or TC Electronic 4X Alter Ego) is to say that sonically, the Canyon holds its own against the big boys. I didn’t find any of the settings to be thin or to clip, and all have a solid baseline for the effect type they're emulating. Three effects that are a bit less obvious to delay users are the S/H, Shimmer, and Octave modes. The S/H (sample and hold) mode creates a micro-loop based on the last thing you play, effectively looping the last two repeats continuously until another note is played. Shimmer mode is more than just an octave up; it has filtering, swells, and modulation. The octave mode also varies from the standard octave up delay by also producing an octave down to mirror the octave up. The Electro-Harmonix Canyon hides a fair amount of control under the hood, so it's well worth reading through the user manual. For instance, the Tap/Divide switch sets the time division of the tap tempo when selected, and the LED color indicates the pedal's division mode: Red = Quarter Notes Orange = Dotted Eighth Green = Eighth Notes You initiate tap tempo through either an external tap tempo switch (not included) or using the built-in footswitch when the pedal is in tap tempo mode. Using the Canyon’s footswitch keeps the form factor small, but means you’ll be tapping the tempo every time you turn the delay (however, you can deactivate this mode by powering down the pedal, and holding down the footswitch for five seconds as the pedal powers back up). The other “hidden” feature is the secondary knob feature that redirects the Delay and Feedback knobs to control different features in all modes except the Echo and Loop modes. Here’s a breakdown of what additional parameters are controlled in secondary mode via the Delay and Feedback knobs: Mod- Delay controls modulation rate, Feedback controls modulation depth Multi- Delay controls the volume decay or swell from the original note, Feedback does nothing Revrs- Delay controls trigger sensitivity of the delay to the pluck strength of attack, Feedback does nothing DMM- Delay controls the modulation rate, Feedback controls modulation depth Tape- Delay controls tape saturation and distortion, Feedback controls modulation depth Verb- Delay controls reverb trail length, Feedback controls low-pass filter on reverb signal to darken tone Oct- Delay controls ascending octave, Feedback controls descending octave Shim- Delay controls low pass filter on the shimmer effect to darken tone, Feedback controls modulation depth S/H- Delay controls volume decay/swell, Feedback does nothing Limitations Using the internal tap tempo switch means you'll be tapping in the tempo every time you turn on the delay, so you’ll need to remember to start tapping a beat or two before you want the delay sound to activate. There's no stereo output. Conclusion At nearly half the price of similar “multiple delay modes in a box” pedals, the Electro-Harmonix Canyon is hard to beat if you aren’t looking for deep parameter tweaking, saved presests, or stereo output. With great-sounding and diverse delay types (both common and "out there"), nearly every sought-after delay tone can be yours for under $150. Resources Electro-Harmonix Canyon Delay Product Page Buy EHX Canyon Delay at Sweetwater (MSRP $185.40, $139.00 Street) ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Guitar Vibrato for Beginners And maybe for non-beginners as well ... by Chris Loeffler Vibrato is a very important technique for guitar players to learn, as it has a big part in creating “their” sound as well as conveying emotion. Most players will pick it up without intentionally studying it, but players looking to define their sound tend to devote dedicated practice to develop theirs. Vibrato is pitch modulation that animates the notes played, like a singer holding a note. There are three common techniques players use to achieve vibrato, although you can blend them for a hybrid-style of vibrato; standard, classical, and arm. There aren’t formal names for them, so we’ll go with those to describe and differentiate. The standard vibrato used by the majority of guitarists employs the same technique as string bending - modulating the note by bending the string horizontally to the fretboard. However for vibrato, there's a cyclical bend/unbend cycle where the player doesn't remove his finger from the string. The rate at which this bending and unbending occurs determines the vibrato speed. The mechanics to this are almost entirely in the finger. Classical vibrato involves pivoting your finger up and down on a held note, alternately toward the headstock and bridge, and uses the wrist to perform this action. Classical vibrato modulates the held note in a more subtle way than the standard vibrato technique, and is most common with nylon-stringed instruments and orchestra strings. Whole arm vibrato is a technique where the entire arm modulates the string while the finger stays locked on the note. It is achieved by holding a note and pulling your arm back and forth. It too has distinct modulation qualities, most noticeably in that it has the least fluctuation in volume. Like many things in life, you can apply the Goldilocks theory to vibrato. When vibrato is too fast it can be unpleasant and sound out of control. When vibrato is too narrow in range it makes the notes sound weak. Too little use of vibrato results in notes that decay too quickly and sound lifeless, but over-use can be fatiguing to listen to. Worst of all, inconsistent or out-of-tune vibrato can destroy a performance. Typically, the “ideal” vibrato approach for maximum expression is slow to moderate in speed and wide in range, but different situations may call for different amounts. These variances are exactly why vibrato is such an important and expressive part of playing, and practicing all three will make you a better player. Bring on the good vibrations! ... -HC- ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Effects Technology - Analog, Digital, and Software Modeling You have choices ... by Chris Loeffler A number of technologies can process tone electronically, and the options have expanded as digital technology in general lurches forward. Let's examine the pros and cons of each type of technology. Rise of the machine. The earliest days of attempting to add effects to instruments involved physical mechanisms such as mechanically driven rotating speakers, specialized physical spaces to create ambience, running the signal through springs to create reverb, leveraging vibrations in oil to create delay, physically recording the signal to tape and playing it back, passing the electric signal through a physical plate, and even placing a thumb on a playing tape’s flange to create flanging. These inventive approaches helped build the expectation of what an instrument could sound like once electrified, but they were often bulky, expensive, required maintenance, and were not always useable in a live situation. Analog electronics. Solid-state analog electronics started replicating many of these sounds in a smaller format, making many effects available to the average player in a compact, easy-to-use format. LEDs, FETs, and operational amplifiers (op amps) were put into service to recreate the amplification and distortion characteristics of a traditional guitar amplifier, while analog “bucket brigade” delay (BBD) chips like the Reticon SAD-1024 and Matsushita MN3005 allowed players to begin experimenting with time—it became possible to create true echo repeats, replicate the sound of multiple instruments playing the same piece, and create resonant, sweeping modulation. This excerpt from the Reticon SAD-1024 analog delay data sheet shows how it was used in a variety of audio applications Analog devices are prized by many musicians both for their being such an intrinsic part of electric instruments’ sound in popular music over that last 50 years, and because of their organic response to electric signals. Digital’s Debut. Digital technology came into its own in the early 80s, and converted the electronic instrument audio into 1s and 0s to apply the effects via digital hardware. Digital technology brought with it digital controls and storage, which opened up a world of presets and complex, multi-effect routing. As a result, players were able to dramatically increase the number and types of effects they could use at once, and switch them simultaneously. Digital technology also allowed delay and reverb effects to become longer and more complex. Whereas the typical analog delay effect could accommodate 300-600 ms of delay time, digital quickly took that to several seconds, added the ability to run multiple delay lines in parallel or series, and even assign digital targeting of expression pedals to different effects parameters like feedback or delay time. While the newfound freedom digital technology offered resulted in a proliferation of expanding rack setups and effects-drenched tones, many manufacturers at the time were dealing with inferior ADA (analog-to-digital-to-analog) converters that could degrade the incoming signal and add noise. Additionally, compared to today’s digital technology, resolution and processing was relatively rudimentary and wasn’t able to capture the full frequency of the input signal, sometimes creating thin-sounding delays or reverbs. The Line 6 Helix is an example of a digital unit that achieves an "analog" sound quality Digital technology has matured to where effects and recording are processed at a level of fidelity beyond the human ear’s ability to perceive the differences, meaning a well-designed digital circuit can meet or even exceed the audio quality of its analog counterpart. The virtual effects world of computers. As computer technology grew to a point where much of the work being handled by physical digital components was moving to software, effects manufacturers began creating modelling and sampling algorithms that either replicate signal chains in a software environment or process pre-recorded sounds to extrapolate how those effects would react to an analog signal. The resultant, pure software technology entirely removed physical formats from the effects process, other than controllers or graphic user interfaces. Furthermore, as RAM became less expensive and computers started measuring RAM in gigabytes, it was possible to reach another level of complex processing. Native Instruments' Guitar Rig is one of many popular amp and effects simulators for Windows and Mac Software effect technology is often found as plug-ins for DAWs, independent apps or software instruments, and in tradition effects formats like stomp boxes or rack units. They require a digital processor to run the modelling software, but the software, not the physical components, do the sonic processing and effects creation. And the winner is… All of the above. All these technologies continue to coexist and thrive, with none poised to overtake the others anytime soon. In fact, there’s an expanding attempt to overlap the technologies to get the best of all worlds, with analog effects makers using digital controls to attain the flexibility of digital routing and presets with the familiarity and sound of analog circuits, and digital effects introducing analog parallel paths to avoid ADA conversion of the dry signal. But remember that technology is just a means to accomplish your tone, so identify which options provide the most benefits (and fewest drawbacks) for you. Keep an open mind, and use your ears to judge what’s best. -HC- ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

GluBoost GluDry, Fit n' Finish, and MasterGlu Instrument Finish Repair Can this stuff really repair a damaged guitar finish? by Chris Loeffler Instrument repairs, like vehicles, are typically something I leave to professionals. The chance of a shoddy job or even doing more damage far outweighs my confidence in my untested repair skills! As a result, anything short of a major issue tends to go unaddressed on my instruments. With that as a background, I agreed to check out the GluBoost line of finish repairs and wood adhesives. I was sent the following products to review: GluDry, Fill n’ Finish Pore Filler, Fill n’ Finish Thin, MasterGlu Thin, and MasterGlu Ultra Thin. The Fill n’ Finish formulas (Regular and Thin) come in 2 oz. bottles and are intended to address dings, cracks, and dents in any wooden instrument finish, including Nitro, Lacquer, Poly, and even water-based formulas. GluBoost engineers recommend using the standard Fill n’ Finish formula on porous woods, such as rosewood or mahogany and the Fill n’ Finish Thin for less porous woods, such as maple or Koa for appropriate penetration. I used the Thin n’ Finish to address a pretty dramatic gouge in the back of the neck of an Epiphone Les Paul and smaller ding on the side of a Breedlove acoustic guitar. Armed with no previous finish repair experience and a few instructional videos from the GluBoost site, I was able to quickly and cleanly fill both areas. The adhesive pours fairly viscous from the bottle and sets very quickly. I found the flow very easy to control and was impressed that it kept its height and didn’t dimple in as it dried. The end result was a transparent, bubble-free, smooth finish with no transition lines. Evidence of the original damage was still visible on close inspection from certain angles, but that spoke more to my need to have better prepped the area before application. GluDry is a non-blush drying accelerator for cyanoacrylate finishes (such as the formula used in the Thin n’ Finish), and is sold in a 4 oz. spray can. The goal of accelerating the drying process is not only to reduce repair time but also to provide a quick set to reduce the chance of dust adhering to the drying finish or accidental impressions on the surface due to premature physical contact. To see how big a difference GluDry made to the process, I only used it on one of the dents I addressed with Thin n’ Finish. My initial concerns that the GluDry might displace the setting finish or cause spotting were entirely unfounded, as the adhesive nearly immediately hardened, transparent and smooth. I also had none of the frosting I experienced in my uncured attempt that I needed to buff and polish out. MasterGlu is the wood adhesive formula meant to address repairs such as setting inlays, bindings, refretting, and other true and permanent repairs to an instrument. MasterGlu is sold in 2 oz. bottles and comes in two formulations, MasterGlu Thin and MasterGlu Ultra-Thin with varying levels of viscosity. MasterGlu Thin, the thicker of the two, was noticeably thinner and easier to apply than generic purpose cyanoacrylates like Krazy Glue, and had a way of seeping into the right area without needing too much manipulation. I used it to tighten up a couple of loose appointments on an old beater acoustic, securing the pick guard and securing a loose jack. The glue dried transparent and smooth and didn’t swell out beyond the application area as it dried. MasterGluUltra-Thin was noticeably less viscous and worked well in invisibly securing loose binding on the aforementioned acoustic. Conclusion GluBoost turned out to be an easy, affordable solution to the problem of minor instrument repairs that I had avoided addressing the last couple of decades. A semi-steady hand and some time with their instructional videos resulted in like-new repairs and a more playable instrument. Finding out, after the fact, that GluBoost is used by companies like Reverend Guitars gave even more credibility to the long-term effectiveness of their formulas. -HC- Resources GluBoost Website ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Fender PM-2 Acoustic Parlor Guitar A little acoustic that goes a long way ... by Chris Loeffler Parlor-sized acoustics (and similar small acoustics) have been stepping out of the shadow of their bigger brothers in recent years, and have been a part of Fender’s growing Paramount series since its introduction. Expanding on the core line, Fender has added an eye-catching, all-mahogany version to its PM-2 line and sent one out for Harmony Central to review. The Fender Paramount Series PM-2 Deluxe Parlor ships strung and tuned, with a deluxe hardshell case and a humidifier. What You Need to Know The PM-2 features solid Mahogany top and sides and is a “vintage modern” take on a petite acoustic. The open-pore finish looks and feels great, and does a good job of visually representing the instrument's organic, woody tone. The top is reinforced with scalloped x bracing to balance strength and projection. The short scale length sees the joint at the 12th fret, and the C-shape neck has rolled edges for a "worn-in" experience. The vintage tuning keys give the guitar an antique vibe, but are more robust and stable than many of the true vintage tuners I’ve played. Additional cosmetic appointments, like the checkerboard purfling and rosette and distinctly shaped pickguard, further contribute to the guitar's vintage vibe. The PM-2 is also extremely light, making it a good option for smaller-framed players. “Warm” is probably the best way to describe the sound. Acoustically, it has a rich midrange that is tight and focused for strong note separation, making it well-suited for fingerpicking. It’s louder than I expected, and easily can hang in with higher-priced parlors I’ve played from dedicated acoustic guitar brands. I found full chords to be articulate, but not quite the cannon shot you’d get from a larger body style. The PM-2 sustains well, adding a fullness that complements the instrument's tone as a whole. I replaced the factory strings with my favorite set, and found it added a bit more high-end sparkle. The harmonics on the guitar really sustain well, without the overtones or brittleness I’ve experienced in other small format acoustic guitars. Again, fingerpicking is really where the PM-2 shines, and it's easy to get lost in some pick 'n grin bluegrass when you bond with the instrument's tone. Limitations The smaller body size means less bass and volume than a full-sized Dreadnought. Conclusion The Fender Paramount Series PM-2 Deluxe Mahogany Parlor is a visually striking, acoustically balanced guitar that will appeal to players looking for an affordable, professional-sounding “small body” acoustic guitar. -HC- Resources Fender Paramount Series PM-2 Deluxe Parlor Product Page Buy Fender Paramount Series PM-2 Deluxe Parlor ($599.99 Street) ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

How You Listen to Music Matters These days, two tin cans with a string between them might actually be better by Chris Loeffler I was recently approached to provide initial feedback for a website/service startup that was based on a very interesting user model I’m not permitted to share (NDAs ruin everything). However, one of the things that most stood out to me as a business-model risk was an underlying assumption that most listeners are actively engaged in the music listening experience. This ran counter to my observations, so I decided to dive a little deeper to see what’s happening with music listening. According to Nielsen ratings, the average American listened to 25 hours of music a week. While 75% of those polled claimed to actively listen to music, more probing questions reveal a different story. 25% of music listening time happens in the car, 15% at work, and 15% while doing chores. This means that, on the average, more than half of our time we spend listening to music is done as a background activity to something we need to do. As technology continues to pull us forward, with experiences unimaginable even two decades ago (think of how underpowered your desktop in 1997 was compared to an iPhone that can slide into your pocket today), dedicated consumption of media is becoming rarer and rarer. Families watch television together on the same couch while each person has their own supplementary experience with their personal mobile or tablet device. As such, the thought of sitting down in your living room and “putting on an album” sounds quaint. Decades of audiophiles assembling insane hi-fidelity sound systems to tease every nuance out of a recording has slowly given way to convenience and quantity. While televisions and video media have been pushing to become progressively more high-fidelity with increased resolution, imaging, and sharpness, the general population seems content to watch audio quality slide into lower resolution than the source material - while subjecting the music to more compression for the sake of fitting more music on their devices. Just as we started hitting a point where storage was getting cheap enough for people to start upping the quality of their music, streaming started taking more and more of our listening time. As of March2017, major streaming services such as iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify use compressed file formats (256 kbps AAC files on iTunes, 320 kbps on Spotify). Compare these to a standard CD (not exactly held up as the epitome of high-fidelity) at 1411 kbps and it’s clear we’re sacrificing 4-6x the information of a CD. To compare this to current hi-res audio, a 24-bit/192 kHz file transfers at a rate of 9216 kbps (yep, more than 6x the quality of a standard CD). Why all this nerding out over numbers? Unlike video, which consumers have continually insisted improve even if it required jumping technology platforms, music audio quality just doesn’t seem to have the same priority, and a big part of that seems to be tied to the way we listen to music. Sure, a good song is a good song… many people remember blasting Kashimr on a third-generation cassette tape through a crappy stereo system and thinking it was amazing. That said, artists and recording engineers strive to create an audio experience that can hold its own, without distraction. The proliferation of overly-compressed recordings, cheap headphones, and the general mobility of music makes it easy to dismiss music listening as a stand-alone experience, but there’s an undeniably soul-satisfying experience to be had in putting an album on in your living room, gathering a few friends, and simply experiencing the piece from beginning to end. Take time this week to respect the music you love, and give it your full attention. -HC- ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

What Are Weight Relief Guitars? Sometimes you just need to shed some weight ... by Chris Loeffler Guitars and basses are often played standing upright for player mobility and showmanship, which means strapping 6-12 pounds (or even more for a double-neck) over your shoulder for the duration of a practice or performance. As such, certain type of players encounter or develop issues that make extended guitar playing in a standing position untenable; smaller-framed players, people with extreme posture or back issues, and people who just don’t want to build the resilience needed to carry that much weight on their shoulders. Guitar companies, such as Gibson or the recently announced Michael Kelly Enlightened, have found several ways to lessen the weight of guitars in various ways without negatively impacting the tone of the body. Here’s a brief exploration of weight management in guitars and basses. Wood Selection The type of wood selected for the body will of course impact the guitar's sound and weight, and while wood, like any natural commodity, has a general range of tolerances within a species, it’s safe to assume the type of wood used is a good clue as to how heavy a guitar will be. Common examples of lighter woods to choose from include Swamp Ash and Alder as well as more exotic woods like Black Limba (Korina), Paolina, and Spanish cedar. Heavy woods commonly used, like Maple, Walnut, and Mahogany, tend to be denser and brighter in conjunction with their extra weight. Chambered Bodies Chambering a guitar body means routing out much of the material that isn’t required to bind the guitar or hold the neck and hardware. This frame is then sealed with a solid wood top so it looks visually identical to a non-chambered guitar. The material removed in chambering can be as little as 15% and as much as 50%, resulting in a significantly lighter instrument. Although some claim this can sound a little thinner at lower volumes than a non-chambered solid body, this is highly subjective. Traditional Weight Relief Bodies Similar to chambering, what many companies refer to as “weight relief” is holes drilled either front-to back of the guitar (also called “honeycombing”) or from the side of the guitar body inward (also called “ports”). These typically result in less material removal than chambering and a more concentrated area of weight relief. Gibson “Modern” Weight Relief Gibson released a new weight relief philosophy that walks the line between chambered and traditional weight relief by removing material from the edges of the guitar body inward for more balance and the same amount of weight relief of a traditional weight relief routing, but without the “only what matters shall remain” ethos of true chambering. Other Considerations Hardware is typically made of steel, but some manufacturers, like Michael Kelly, use aluminum hardware where applicable to further shave off ounces. Gibson's HP (high-performance) electric guitars use titanium hardware, known for light weight and strength. And don't forget that a big ol’ Bigsby vibrato system will likely add ½ to ¾ pound of weight, and even active electronics with batteries will add up to ¼ pound. If weight is an important variable in choosing your instrument, you’ll need to be ready to invest a bit more time into finding the right instrument…usually by visiting a brick-and-mortar retailer to determine how light you need to go. Once you know that, you can then consider shopping online if a dealer is willing to weigh the instruments you are considering (this is common with higher-end guitars, but likely available only on request). Whatever your road to get there, you deserve to be comfortable playing your instrument, and we live in lucky times when so many manufacturers are addressing specialty markets. -HC- ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Signal Chain Philosophy with Effects Daisy Chaining can be your friend ... by Chris Loeffler One of the most common questions asked in the early stages of exploring effects is “what is the best order for effects?” There are many different answers to that question, for very different reasons…but if you understand the way individual effects work, you can start to see logic in a fairly standard signal chain “best practice.” Here’s what many players would recommend as a starting point: Filters, Compression, Gain, Modulation, Volume Pedal, Delay, Reverb. The reasoning is as follows. Filters before gain sound more natural and organic, whereas filters after gain tend to narrow the frequency band and create a synthesized-type tone many players find too over the top. Compression before gain. Compressors tend to raise the noise floor of gain devices. This gives a noisier signal and depending on the design, can darken the tone through soft high-end rolloff. With multiple gain devices, there are typically two schools of thought: Highest gain to lowest gain allows high-gain devices to increase sustain, while lighter-gain devices control the tone shaping. Lowest gain to highest gain is ideal when you want to overdrive a light-to-medium gain device with an increased input signal (boost). Most modulation devices are placed after gain because their effect becomes swampier and less pronounced when run into distortion. This is especially the case with time-based modulation effects, however modulation effects that use phase shifting or resonance, like a phaser or flanger, are often placed before gain to make them more subtle. The reason for placing a volume pedal after modulation but before delay is because the modulation would be considered a core part of your tone. The most common use of a volume pedal is to control the overall output volume of the signal or create swells; placing it after delay would mean your delayed notes would also be choked or boosted. Delay is typically near the very end because it’s meant to create reflections or echoes of the core tone, so it’s going to want to see everything in the signal chain. A notable exception to this is when you use of modulation on the delays, but not the direct signal. This makes it more of a modulation effect. Reverb is almost always last, as it’s the effect that creates the space in which your signal sits. However, always remember the biggest rule of signal chain order is to do what sounds right to you! Understanding the way different effects interact with each other makes it a lot easier to obtain the sound you want and saves unnecessary experimentation, so there is no “wrong” way to order your effects. Anything before distortion will sound more like a part of the instrument’s sound, as the ear is trained to hear gain as the amplification of the instrument, and anything placed afterward will sound more like post-production work. So go ahead - daisy chain away -HC- ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Artnovion Acoustic Treatment (Absorbers and Bass Traps) Sometimes you need to get the sound under control ... by Chris Loeffler Acoustic room treatment has come a long way from the “staple a rug to the wall” garage aesthetic of the 60s, thanks to our continually evolving understanding of acoustic science. That said, even in recent years there has been little that fills the price gap between black acoustic foam squares and the expensive, fine-wood rooms created on a custom basis. Artnovion of Portugal has filled that gap be providing a mid-priced acoustic treatment that is as visually appealing as it is sonically sound. For the purposes of this overview and to touch on the different types of technology, I chose to review the Artnovion Azteca and Petra absorbers and the Agad bass traps. Artnovion Agad Bass Traps Artnovion foam solutions (the Agad family) are affixed via Artnovion’s GluArt adhesive system, while the rest of their products use either the FixArt Tube or FixArt Metal mounting systems. The FixArt Tube system involves installing tubes running horizontal on the walls for the length of sound treatment needed, which makes for easy flexibility for fine tuning or panel swapping over the run of a wall. The FixArt Metal system, by contrast, is a bracket system for individual panels, making for a superior “once and done” experience, but offering less flexibility in easy panel relocation. Artnovion Agad Bass Trap Frequency Specs The Agad bass traps are similar to other foam manufacturers in style; lightweight, black foam wedges that affix via glue adhesive to corners. They reduce sonic energy in the 70 Hz and 350 Hz frequency range to tame the lox end flub of a room. Typically placed between walls or between the wall and the ceiling, the Agad bass traps dampen low frequency sound energy that tends to gather and amplify in 90 degree angles. Artnovion Azteka Absorber Panel in Cerise and Frequency Chart The Petra and Azteka absorbers I reviewed were both the W models in Cerise, meaning they're made of furniture-grade wood with foam insets, along with a light Cherrywood hued stain. Other color options include Blanc (white), Marron (blonde), Noir (flat black), Rouge (red), and Wenge (black with grain), and all colors are available in furniture grade or FR+ (class 1 fire retardant for commercial facilities) woods. Besides the visual differences, the Petra offers slightly more pronounced mids and more attenuation in the 4-5K area as compared to the Azteka. Even on paper, the differences are slight, but as you introduce more treatment to the walls (Artnovion owner/designer Jorge Castro believes 50% coverage is almost always optimal) it becomes more pronounced. Artnovion Petra Absorber in Cerise with Frequency Chart While not necessarily a feature that would matter to most people beyond opening and mounting, it’s worth mentioning how economically packaged the absorbers were. Because they're larger, heavier items it’s understandable that getting efficient in the space they occupy would be important for retailers, but the way the pieces stack and interlock in their factory packaging is no small feat of engineering. Limitations With such a large assortment of colors, styles, and acoustic specificities, selecting the right solutions for an individual user could be a little daunting. Suggesting some standard room kits might be helpful for neophytes who want to have a starting place before fine-tuning with an a la carte menu. Conclusion The modular mounting system is a fantastic concept for people who want to tune their rooms in different ways to accommodate specific recording settings, and even the once-and-done static system is easy and requires minimal wall perforation. I didn’t get a chance to check out their tunable bass trap lines, but their application and value is easy to imagine when you’re really a stickler or you have a dicey room. Artnovion acoustic treatments are undeniably eye catching, and it’s hard to imagine someone not finding a configuration that fits their aesthetic and sonic needs once they get their heads around the entire lineup. -HC- ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

How To Choose A Pedal Board No... not a paddle board ... by Chris Loeffler Many guitar players who want to use effects in their performances prefer the pedal stomp box format to rack units because this lets them tailor their tone in a modular way, one piece at a time. While many are happy to throw a handful of pedals or on the floor, cable them up, and go, more and more players are turning to some form of pedalboard—a dedicated platform on which they can mount their pedals. Here are some reasons to consider creating and using a pedal board: You have more than a few pedals You are (relatively) happy with your pedals and their order You use a power supply to power the effects You want to reduce travel stress on your pedals’ input and output jacks, as well as preserve your cables Once you’ve identified whether or not a pedalboard makes sense for you, there are a few considerations to help you identify what will best fit your needs. DIY, COMMERCIAL, OR BOUTIQUE? Choose one of these options carefully, as your choice will influence what you spend, and how well the pedalboard will meet your needs. DIY. Making a pedalboard isn’t hard. At the simplest level, all you’d need is a flat surface like plywood or plexiglass and a way to mount the pedals. Creating an angled board for better visibility and foot reach is as simple as adding another piece to the back that raises up the back somewhat. The benefit is that DIY pedal boards will cost you less than commercial or custom options, the downside is that the DIY approach requires time, tools, and skill. DIY pedal board from HC community member ChaseA17 (not the cat—the cat’s owner) Commercial. There are over 100 different commercial pedalboards available through music retailers like Sweetwater, Guitar Center, etc. These can be as small as a three-pedal setup, or so sophisticated they look like they belong on the floor of a space shuttle, with bypass looping and a built-in power supply. Commercial pedalboards are pre-built, the mid-priced of the three options, and available in enough configurations that nearly any player should be able to find a solution that fits a particular set of needs. The only skill these boards require is mounting and wiring your pedals, and solutions vary from standard Velcro® to special ring assemblies that mount your effects through the screws. Buying a commercial board likely will cost you more than the materials to buy one yourself, and you will be confined to the available formats. Photo of HC community member HickorySMOKES's Gator pedal board. Custom. Go big or go home, right? Companies like Trailer Trash and West Coast Pedal Board will build a pedal board to your exact specs, including materials, effects lighting, and audio routing options—and if you provide your pedals, even mount and wire them to the board. These don’t come cheap ($300-$700, depending on how large, complicated, and blinged-out you want to go), but they come with a warranty and the knowledge that an experienced set of hands were involved in securely mounting the pedals for travel to ensure cables won’t be stressed or introduce noise. This is a great option for someone who has more money than time. and wants the best possible home for their pedals. The biggest downside to these are you are paying for essentially permanent placement—dropping pedals in and out of the board becomes arduous, and could even undo the custom work for which you paid. Trailer Trash custom pedal board built and wired for HC community member rareguitar As with most things in life, selecting the type of pedal board you want depends on balancing an investment of your time and money to achieve what you want. For more specific advice or to ask about your specific situation, drop in the HC Effects Forum and post your question. The forum is populated by thousands of effects experts who are always happy to talk gear! -HC- ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Gibson Memphis 2017 ES-LPC Black Beauty Electic Guitar Because sometimes...you just gotta play the Blues...and beyond! by Chris Loeffler The Gibson Memphis ES-LPC Black Beauty is a thinline semi-hollowbody Les Paul Custom limited-release for 2017 that features three Memphis Historic Spec humbucking pickups, along with a Bigsby B-6 vibrato bridge. A part of the VOS (Vintage Original Spec) family, the ES-LPC Black Beauty’s hardware and finish are given an aging treatment to make them appear to be an extremely well-maintained instrument that is several decades old right out of the (included) case. This means the metal has a subtle patina of age and soft wearing in areas where hands would often make contact, from the bridge to the pickup cover to even the gold milk bottle Grover rotomatic tuners and black top hat knobs. My first impression was that it looks like a guitar that had been carefully played for a few years, cleaned up, and then forgotten in a closet long ago. The ES-LPC Black Beauty’s body is made of a solid maple top, back, and sides and is bound with seven-ply triple binding on the front and three-ply binding on the back. As a one-off limited model, the Gibson Memphis ES-LPC Black Beauty is available exclusively in an Antique Ebony nitrocellulose finish, which perfectly captures the look and depth of a decades-aged ebony paint job. The black is somewhat muted and has a richer, lived-in depth that glows more than shines. The hardware is a gold-plated buffed nickel that's gently rubbed with a dead-on gently oxidized look. The mahogany neck features a Richlite fingerboard with 22 frets, a 24 ¾” scale length, and full block mother of pearl inlay and a true bone nut. The Black Beauty’s three humbucking pickups, which are Memphis Historic Spec and wound slightly differently than modern Gibson pickups to best fit the tone of the semi-hollow body, sound fantastic and compare favorably to the handful of well-regarded vintage-voiced humbuckers I had around to which I could compare them. The clean tones are clear and well-balanced with a noticeable sweetness in the lower mids, but the pickups really shine with the volume knob dimed into an amp that has a bit of breakup. There’s a rich bark in the bridge position that rides the line between jazz and classic rock tones, and the neck pulls warmer, darker tones. The middle pickup is an excellent balance between the two, but I found myself choosing to commit to one extreme or the other. The Bigsby B-6 is about the perfect fit for the ES-LPC body, stays in tune, and has the right feel and tone for a vintage-era guitar. While you’d be hard-pressed to do multi-octave dive bombs, the girth and fluidity of the hardware is a satisfying, controlled vibrato that someone like Neil Young or Jimmy Page could appreciate. Brad Whitford peforming on his 2017 Gibson Memphis ES-LPC Black Beauty Limitations The Gibson Memphis ES-LPC Black Beauty is such a specific guitar; it’s hard to say objectively there are any limitations to it for the crowd its feature set attracts. It’s a high-end, limited-run guitar built to vintage specs. Conclusion The Gibson Memphis ES-LPC Black Beauty is a near-perfect substitute for a vintage model. In truth, the closest thing to a visual cue that it isn’t a vintage guitar is the slightly-brighter-than-one-would-expect-but-still-aged-looking white in the pickguard center ply. The guitar plays beautifully, sounds exactly like one would expect who knows the specs, and has a solid build all the way through. Often time part of a reviewer's job is to help position gear to help players decide whether or not what’s being reviewed is something that fits what they seek, but a guitar like the ES-LPC Black Beauty has a ready-built audience that really only needs one question answered… does it live up to the high standards of a vintage guitar? Hell yes, it does! -HC- Join the discussion! ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Guitar Effects Formats Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese ... by Chris Loeffler Effects come in many different formats, physical and virtual, to accommodate different needs. While there are hybrids and always exceptions (see the EMS HI Fli), most effects can be placed in the category of stomp box, rack/console, or software plug-ins. STOMPBOX/PEDAL The original, most widely used effect format is a “stomp box” (also called pedal), where the effect is a discrete piece of hardware for sonic processing placed on the floor, and activated via foot switch. Potentiometers mounted on the case typically control of the various effect parameters, although some lesser-used, “set and forget” parameters use trimpots that are accessible only by opening the pedal. Additionally, some stomp box effects use LED display menus and toggle switches or buttons to access various parameters. Strengths: Hands-free activation Quick access to adjusting physical parameters Easy to mix and match pedals from different companies Small size Limitations: Possible signal loss as the signal works its way down a line of pedals Opportunity for increased noise The need to create a “pedalboard” to mount multiple effects Specific and sometimes confusing power requirements for each stomp box A handful of stomp box pedals from newer HC community member Mick96 RACK PROCESSORS The rack format standardizes on the height (a multiple of 1.75”) and width (19”), allowing rack units to be placed in a common box. (Note that the panel for a rack unit is slightly less than 1.75" high to prevent binding against units above the panel.) A rack unit typically sits away from the player, and is controlled by a foot controller that generates MIDI control signals to activate effects and often, alter their parameters. Many rack processors are multieffects devices, meaning that they incorporate several effects in one box. Effects parameters and presets are dialed in (“programmed”) on the rack unit, or sometimes, with external software applications. Strengths: Preset sounds can almost always be saved in the unit’s memory for later use With multieffects processors, settings and configurations of multiple devices (preamp, effect 1, effect 2, etc.) can be changed simultaneously on a per-patch basis, so a player could go from (for example) a lush, reverb and echo clean to a crushing distortion with octave down and a harmonized 5th delay with a single touch Unlike pedals, there’s a common power supply for all effects You don’t have to pay for multiple, separate boxes Neater setup—no patch cables Limitations: Not conducive to on-the-fly tweaks in live settings, as most are menu-driven and the rack is typically a distance from the performer If you don’t like one of the effects, there’s nothing you can do about it Generally requires a MIDI controller to get the most out of it Can be more tedious to create sounds HC Hall of Famer Etienne Rambert's monster rack FLOOR MULTIEFFECTS These are like overgrown stompboxes, with multiple effects. They have the same basic pros and cons as rack multieffects processors, with two major differences. They include footswitches and often, one or more footpedals—no need for a MIDI controller They’re in close proximity to the performer, which may allow some degree of tweaking The Line 6 Helix being reviewed in Craig Anderton's Pro Review VIRTUAL (SOFTWARE) PROCESSORS This newest effects format removes traditional hardware, instead relying on loading software into a computer, tablet, or even smartphone, which then interfaces with your instrument and amplifier. The software provides emulations of common effects, amplifiers, cabinets, and the like. While traditionally used as a post-recording studio processor, musicians have been playing through laptops directly into a PA since the turn of the century. Pros: Software can make a huge number of effects and other emulations available—way more than would be physically (or economically) possible Software may be upgraded with new features or emulations Useful on stage and in the studio Easy, visual preset programming Limitations: The potential for latency issues (e., you hear the note a fraction of a second after playing it) in underpowered computers A “closed ecosystem” that depends on a computer’s operating system; if the operating system changes, compatibility issues may arise if you upgrade your computer Most computers have sketchy onboard audio, so you will likely need an external audio interface Laptops are not necessarily designed for the rigors of the road Guitar Rig from Native Instruments (screenshot from Craig Anderton's Re-Amping article) WHICH IS BEST? There isn’t a single, superior format for effects. Besides, the technology of effect creation crosses platforms: there are all-analog rack devices, and software-based or digital pedals. They also aren’t mutually exclusive. For example, a digital multieffects may have an effects loop where you can patch in your favorite analog stomp box. That said, understanding the effects platform format that best suits your need is a strong first step to building out your rig. Here are some subjective, and not universally applicable, points to consider: Reliability: Floor-based and rack processors tend to be the most reliable. Stompboxes are somewhat less reliable because of the numerous patch cords and power supplies. Computer-based setups were not designed for the road, and need to be “babied” somewhat. Cost: The price of software is low, but factor in a computer and audio interface, and the price adds up. For simpler setups, though, a tablet or smart phone may be sufficient. The cost of a stompbox-based setup depends on how bad your stompbox addiction is, and whether you want to put together an extensive pedalboard. In many ways, a floor multieffects can be the most cost-effective. Flexibility: Hands down, software gives the biggest range of sonic options, with multieffects coming in second…although there are some pretty heavy-duty pedalboards that seem to have one of every effect in the universe. -HC- Join the conversation! ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

What's the Difference Between Single Coil and Humbucker Pickups? The clean and dirty nitty gritty ... by Chris Loeffler Guitar pickups first began appearing in the 1930s in response to the need for louder instruments to be heard by large crowds. These first pickups were single-coil pickups, which did an admirable job of recreating the sound of the guitar in an electric way, but as volumes continued to get louder, a flaw of the single coil pickup became clear. A 60-cycle hum, due to the open transmitting nature of the pickup design, started to cross the acceptable signal to noise ratio in loud environments. Humbucking pickups were created to address the noise by pairing two coils out of phase with each other to cancel out the hum picked up in the winding. Today, both single coil and humbucking pickups are the standard, with significant improvements in technology addressing much of the single-coil hum. Pickups are one of the most impactful influences in the voice of an electric guitar or bass, serving as the primary component that captures and translates the tones of the instrument electrically. By utilizing magnets wrapped with coils of wire that react to the guitar’s metal strings, the pickups are able to produce a low-powered electronic signal in response to the string’s vibrations. This signal is considered the “core” tone and is what is eventually amplified. Single Coil from a Fender Stratocaster Most modern pickups designed for guitar or bass are passive (non-powered) and contain a magnetic pole for each corresponding string positioned above it (six for a six string guitar, five for a five string bass, etc.). Less commonly, some have a single bar magnet, also wrapped with wire windings, or even a combination of the two, like Railhammers. While there are many common-use pick-up formats, like the P-90 or Mini-Humbucker, those are all variations of a theme of a single coil or humbucking pickup. So what’s the difference? Traditional single coil pickups tend to have thinner, bright tone when compared to a humbucker, with more articulation and a flatter frequency range in the 2kHz -20,000kHz range. Their attack is often sharper and the decay quicker, with a fuller frequency push in distorted amps that can create a gritty breakup with more high-end content. Humbuckers, by contrast typically have a fatter, thicker tone that is perceived as sounding rounder and warmer due to a robust output in the lower to upper midrange. This hump creates the “snarl” or “grunt” that gives humbuckers their vocal quality, and results in a more focused, compressed overdrive when run with gain. Disassembbled Gibson Humbucking Pickup Having covered those generalities, pickup technology advancement has made it progressively harder to pigeonhole a pickup’s characteristics just by its pole configuration! Hot single-coils can equal or even beat humbuckers in terms of output, and new ceramic and magnetic metal alloys in humbuckers are delivering signals so hot they could be mistaken for an active pickup. To add to the overlap, some humbucking pickups offer coil splitting, which cuts the “humbucking” coil to create a more traditional single-coil sound. Furthermore, Gibson's "tuned coil tap" provides a variation on the traditional "split" sound without requiring active electronics, and some single coil pickups are finding sneaky ways to use magnets to tame the noise without using a full humbucking counter. So Which One is Better? Trick questions get non-committal answers! Both have their strengths, and both have places where they aren’t the optimal tool to get the tone you are seeking, but there’s nothing that can’t be done on either. Fender guitars are widely known for their single-coil Tele and Strat tones, but they’ve employed humbuckers in hundreds of different guitar runs. Gibson is known how its humbucking pickups, but they’re equally respected for those in the know for their P-90 single coil SGs. While a humbucker may not be the first pickup style that comes to mind for 60’s Surf music, why not try it if that’s what you have! -HC- ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Each instrument has a general sound it is known for, based in large part on its construction and the way it’s is meant to be played to generate it’s tone. A guitar’s primary tone is that of fretted notes being strummed or plucked and amplified through acoustic means, while a piano’s sound comes from mallets striking tuned strings. Jumping from pure acoustic to electric introduces additional sonic elements that build on that tone, typically introducing post-instrument EQ and introducing varying levels of distortion as part of the amplification process. Following the electrification of instruments as a way to make the instrument sound larger (a necessity to reach volume levels appropriate for larger audiences), it is a logical extension that eventually other aspects of the instrument playing experience, such as replicating the space and sound of a room and natural refractions, would find electric solutions. That’s where “effects” come in. Like most technological advancements, though, sonic pioneers quickly found that they could go beyond replicating natural acoustic elements of an instrument’s core tone and go into the realm of hyper-real effects impossible to recreate acoustically, such as phase and pitch shifting, flanging, modulation, and infinite decay. The general preference expressed by teachers is to learn your instrument first, and get into the gear side of it later. That said, with nearly 50 years of instrument (especially guitar and keyboard) tonal vocabulary, it’s harder and harder to separate the two. If you’ve heard a budding guitar player try to play through “Come As You Are” without a thick, liquid chorus effect you understand that effects are no longer necessarily an aside to the instrument, but a part of it. Some players state the only thing they need between their guitar and the audience is an instrument cable and an amplifier, while some have embraced effects and incorporated them to such a large degree in their playing and songwriting that they wouldn’t be recognized if the effects were removed. Whether playing with less is “pure” or drenching your instrument in effects is “creative” is a philosophical non-starter; they’re different means to achieve the same end… making music. We use effects to give our instruments’ tone additional elements to fit the instrumentation or musical vision of the player. -HC- ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Michael Kelly Enlightened Collection - Weight-Relief 1955 and Patriot Electric Guitars A new approach to a heavy problem ... by Chris Loeffler Harmony Central has reviewed several Michael Kelly electric guitars in the past, including their 50s, 60s, and Patriot series, generally favoring them for their bang for the buck, out-of-the-box setup, and flexible pickup configuration routing. Michael Kelly reached out to us for feedback on their newest electric guitar series, Michael Kelly Enlightened, and offered Harmony Central early review access to their first line of production models being created for their Kickstarter campaign. The Enlightened guitar series’ stated goal is to reimagine the classic Michael Kelly designs from the body to the tuning pegs to create the lightest possible instrument available without sacrificing tone or balance. The Michael Kelly Enlightened series was designed to address consistent customer feedback that smaller frames, injuries or age were preventing them from playing their instruments as long as they would like/need. While some high-end guitar manufacturers address weight relief with chambering the body, or creating empty pockets within the body, there is no denying chambering changes the instrument's fundamental tone. While final configuration and options for the entire line were not available at the time of this review, by reviewing two very different guitars in the Enlightened line I was able to quickly get what was common throughout. What You Need to Know Visually, the Michael Kelly Patriot Enlightened and Michael Kelly 55 Enlightened electric guitars are nearly identical to their standard-weight brethren. For thorough reviews of the original instruments’ sonic and physical attributes, please see the 1950’s Series review and the Patriot Instinct Bare Knuckle review. This review will serve to compare and contrast as well as assess the instruments on their own merit. While most guitars weigh between eight to ten pounds, the Enlightened series has a stated goal of having all instruments weigh in at six pounds or less (a 25-40% decrease in average weight) across the line. All Enlightened guitar bodies are built from a member of the mahogany family specially selected from dozens of trials for its balance of weight and traditional guitar tone. The body on both guitars is slimmer than their standard counterparts, but not to a degree that they feel obviously different. To avoid the added expense and tonal variance of chambering, the Enlightened series guitars have four ports at the heel of the guitar, removing material (and weight) from the part of the guitar body that has the least impact on tone. The strap buttons are located slightly differently than on the standard models, obviously relocated for ergonomics and neck balance. The guitars themselves were both light enough that I was prepared to deal with neck-heavy issues, but the strap button placement obviated that concern. In a sitting position, both the 55 Enlightened and Patriot Enlightened displayed the familiar balance of a standard solid body guitar. The hardware on the 55 Enlightened is aluminum, as opposed to steel, for greater weight relief, as are portions of the Patriot Enlightened. The pickups, while using the same pickup technology as the standard line, have been specially voiced and wound to further compensate for any tonal variations that occur from the weight relief solutions, and I found them to be as full and sustained in the 55 Enlightened as the 55, with the same Great 8 Mod push-pull coil tap in the bridge humbucker and new mini-humbucker. I was unable to do a direct comparison between the standard Patriot and the Patriot Enlighted because the standard Patriot I reviewed featured Bare Knuckle pickups, but the Patriot Enlightened certainly had the thick, punchy round tone one expects from humbucker pickups and I was pleasantly surprised at the sustain the guitar achieved. Limitations Less a product limitation than an output of the distribution model, but early adopters likely won’t be able to check out the Enlightened series in a store for some time after the Kickstarter campaign, which might be a barrier for “need to play it first” potential customers. Conclusion The Michael Kelly 55 Enlightened and Patriot Enlightened electric guitars feel, play, and sound exactly how you would expect a guitar of their individual makeups to perform, but with a demonstrable weight reduction. If you’ve ever played 3+ hour shows, have a smaller frame, have back or posture issues, or just flat our want to give your body a break, the Enlightened series will get you there easily and without compromise. -HC- Resources Michael Kelly Enlightneed Series Product Page ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Peavey XR-AT Mixer with Auto-Tune Who says pitch correction is a tool of the devil? by Chris Loeffler Peavey’s XR series monitors have always represented a solid, mid-level powered mixer solution. They're flexible and simple enough to use as a DJ or karaoke rig, but include the features and audio quality that allow bands to play small-to-medium sized venues with pro quality sound for a very reasonable price. Given Peavey’s past engagements with Antares, it seemed inevitable that they would eventually bring Auto-Tune technology into their live sound assortment; that day is here. The Peavey XR-AT powered mixer is a top-box design with 1,000 watts RMS (1,500 maximum) and 9 channels with built-in Auto-Tune on the first three channels, digital effects, dual 9-band graphic EQs, compression, Bluetooth streaming for audio, USB MP3 playback, and monitor and sub outs. What You Need to Know The first eight channels of the Peavey XR-AT accept ¼” or XLR inputs with pad and include independent controls for compression, high, Mid-Morph (which boosts 4k after noon and cuts 250 below noon), low, monitor out, effect blend, and output level. The first three channels also include Auto-Tune from Antares, which can be activated on the mixer or through an optional foot controller. A ninth channel is included for RCA inputs for audio playback devices. Global controls include built-in KOSMOS-C LF enhancement for increased subs and highs, digital effects assignment, and independent 9-band graphic EQs for the monitors and mains. The XR-AT is incredibly small and light, weighing 16 pounds and measuring t 9/5x9.5X18”, so portability is definitely a selling point. The construction feels sturdy, the grab bars are a nice feature to encourage appropriate toting, and all the knobs and sliders on the unit I reviewed travelled solidly. The XR-AT is relatively loud, can sound pretty natural and clean once dialed in (or not, if you prefer to exaggerate the subs for dance music/DJ applications), and is noise and buzz free with clean power. Even when I plugged it in to a dirty power situation it stayed quiet and relatively unaffected. With an acoustic guitar and vocal channel for a singer-songwriter set-up I found it incredibly easy to get crisp, detailed audio that carried space and dimension. Playing with different speakers confirmed that the Peavey XR-AT can achieve exceptional clarity, and 1,000 watts (500 per channel) is plenty loud. The Auto-Tune feature, the raison d'être and feature that distinguishes the XT-AT from the rest of the XR line, sounds exactly like what you’d expect. If can go from extremely subtle to the robotic, stepped pitch jump hip-hop and pop stars have been using for over a decade. Having used software versions of the Antares Auto-Tune as well as comparable hardware units by TC Electronics, the controls were straightforward (you still need to know the key the song is in to get the best effect). There was an odd doubling at some points, but I suspect that’s the nature of the effect doing its thing in real time. The effects, like reverb, are utilitarian… they get the job done and sound good enough. I did notice some physical (i.e., not in the audio signal) noise from the internal fan, but it wasn’t enough to be distracting and certainly wouldn’t be heard from six feet away when no signal was present. The Bluetooth connection and USB drive are nice additions for including backing tracks or playing recorded music between sets Limitations With all the Bluetooth control I’ve seen pop up in the last few years, having an app with some control of the digital parameters would have been even more helpful for people who are used to popping their systems up quickly and making tweaks on the fly. Conclusion The Peavey XR-AT powered mixer excels at providing power, clarity, and basic sound enhancement features at an incredibly affordable price ($799.00 Street) in a very small package. -HC- Join the conversation in the HC Live Sound forum! Resources Peavey XR-AT Mixer Product Page Buy Peavey XR-AT Mixer ($799.00 Street) @ Sweetwater ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Elixir Optiweb Nickel-Plated Electric Guitar Strings Like they're not even there ... by Chris Loeffler Coated strings can be a polarizing proposition for players; some swear by them and enjoy the slicker feel in addition to the longer lifespan, while others prefer the rawer, more resistant feel of traditional nickel or steel. Following the successful launch of their Polyweb coated strings, Elixir came out with the Nanoweb series to meet traditional string players in the middle, with a smooth feel and a slightly brighter tone. Taking their line extension to the logical conclusion, at Winter NAMM 2017 Elixir debuted their Optiweb series of strings, which feature a coating so thin they claim there is little discernible difference in feel or tone from an uncoated string - while still maintaining a longer life. The Elixir Optiweb series electric nickel-plated steel strings are currently available only for electric guitar, and are available in Super Light (.009 - .042), Custom Light (.009 - .046), Light (.10 - .046), Light-Heavy (.010 - .046), and Medium (.011 - .049) gauge sets. What You Need to Know To cut to the chase, the Optiweb strings I evaluated indeed felt and sounded like uncoated strings of similar specs from major manufacturers I’ve played like Ernie Ball regulars and D’Addarios. I probably wouldn’t have identified them as coated has I not known beforehand. Unlike the Polyweb coating, which has a glassy feel and a warm tone that endears it to jazz players and people who prefer their sound on the dark-side, or the Nanoweb, which offers a slightly faster but balanced feel with brighter tone that sounds fantastic with single coils and bright guitars, the Optiweb has enough snap and sparkle to make vintage-style humbuckers growl. The break-in period of the strings was pretty standard; within an hour of light playing they were holding pitch even with multiple whole-step bends. Probably the most notable things about them was how unnoticeable the coating was. I received a couple pairs of Optiweb electric strings to evaluate in late December, as Elixir knew their biggest value proposition, extended string life, needed a fair amount of time to prove itself. As someone who is in the habit of changing my strings every month or so (my body chemistry tends to dull strings pretty quickly, and I’m not always as diligent about washing my hands before playing as I should be), I can attest that as of the publication of this review (March) there is no noticeable deadening of tone or loosening of slack. Limitations It doesn’t appear they offer individual strings at this time, so if you break one string you’re buying a whole new pack. Conclusion Strings are a pretty personal preference, and what works great for one player can be considered “unplayable” to another. What I can attest to is the Elixir Optiweb strings feel and sound like a good set of uncoated nickel-plated strings. They are bright enough to make even the darkest pickups come alive, have the comfortable, familiar play of traditional strings, and certainly do last longer, even with less-than-ideal maintenance and care. -HC- Join the conversation in the HC Electric Guitar forum! Resources Elixir Optiweb Nickel-Plated Electric Guitar Strings Product Page Buy Elixir Optiweb Nickel-Plated Electric Guitar Strings ($12.99) ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Gibson 2017 EB5 Bass Get the low down ... by Chris Loeffler Bass players have always been a bit more adventurous than guitar players when it comes to the gear they’ll play, with diverse instrument shapes in particular being something they’re ready to embrace. Part of this flexibility no doubt comes from the realities of creating an instrument that has the physical size and construction to support bass strings. As such, even though Gibson EB series basses have been overshadowed by their Thunderbird siblings they have cultivated a faithful following over the years for several reasons. What You Need to Know The Gibson 2017 EB5 bass sent for review had a natural satin finish with a tortoiseshell pickguard, and showed up in a standard Gibson gig bag. It's a 5-string model, but a 4-string is also available. Originally inspired by the SG shape, the EB series has a significantly rounder, offset double-cutaway shape to its solid ash body that provides better balance and extra access to the glued-in maple neck’s 24 medium-jumbo frets. The rosewood fretboard is unbound and covers the entirely of its 34” scale length. The EB5 drives two Alnico V pickups that can be coil-tapped via their individual push/pull volume controls and share a master tone control, effectively giving the EB5 eight distinct, different voices without active electronics. The Babicz Full Contact bridge creates full contact between the vibrating string and the instrument body, with over 50 times the contact surface per saddle for improved tone and sustain. Compared to much of the Gibson line of guitars and basses, the 2017 EB5 is incredibly stripped down visually; you could even say it's a little plain looking. The swamp ash body is an appealing blonde color with nice figuring that screams “acoustic,” and it plays well visually against the black and chrome hardware. A transparent nitrocellulose lacquer finish lets the wood breath a bit, and in theory will continue to improve with age. I’m pleased to report the satin finish has neither the tackiness nor raw feel that turned me off from similarly finished instruments in the past. The entire instrument seems to be constructed to wear in well. The EB5 is lighter than I expected (around 8.5 lbs.), especially considering all the metal and wood involved in its construction, and the extended horn seems to have hit the perfect balance for an average strap wearer. The body is extremely resonant (even unplugged, the instrument sings), creating an incredibly comfortable and expressive playing experience even after an hour or two of playing. Tonally, I found the 2017 EB5 to be much more versatile than most American-made basses I’ve played. Whereas many basses have “a sound,” the EB5 really has quite a few sounds to dig into. Running with the neck in humbucker and the bridge split, I was instantly in the world of classic P sounds with a growling midrange. Reversing that configuration to a split neck and humbucker in the bridge created a satisfying J-style tone that had the classic articulation of a strong low end, slightly hollowed mids, and bite in the high end. The neck and bridge pickups sound fantastic individually, and together and I found more classic bass tones available than I would be able to pull out in a live performance. Limitations The EB5’s design is based on getting the best playing and sounding instrument, but to keep the price point low, there's little visual flourish. The term “doesn’t look finished” came to mind, and others who spent time with the bass articulated similar first impressions. Fortunately, that doesn’t translate to its feel or performance, and the moment someone played it an eyebrow would raise, their head would nod, and they would get a big grin. Conclusion A lot of the under-the-hood tech details of the EB series were documented thoroughly by Craig Anderton in an earlier article, in which he gives his take on changes to the 2017 models and provides his impressions of the various pickup settings. My take on the Gibson 2017 EB5 bass is they knocked it out of the park in terms of comfort, playability, tone, and versatility. Sacrificing high-end visual appointments is a bold move that anyone with a preference for function over artifice can appreciate, and speaks to the workhorse ethos that’s made the EB series an under-sung hero of the bass world. An amazingly playing, amazing sounding, incredibly versatile bass that’s made in the USA for just over $1,000? Yep. Join the discussion here! ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

The Great American Songbook - What it Says (and Doesn't) About American Music Come fly with me ... by Chris Loeffler The story of a culture can often be read better through the art it creates than the historical facts it documents. In the United States, there is a body of work known as the Great American Songbook that highlights and gives keen insight into first half of the 20th century in the United States. The Great American Songbook isn’t an explicit collection of songs (although publishers have used that title for their collections of sheet music), but rather a conceptual catalog of popular music that formed in, and dominated American popular culture in, the early 20th century. These songs, typically originating from Tin Pan Alley, were prominent in theatre and musicals and written by a combination of iconic composers such as George Gershwin and Cole Porter, or captured and “legitimized” by songwriters and publishers from the creative commons of the time. They're also categorized as “American Standards.” This music, mostly created between World Wars I and II, tended towards optimism and progress against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the migration of rural Americans into major metropolitan areas during a time when sheet music and performing music in your own home was a primary method of music consumption. One of the most strikingly American aspects about the makeup of the Great American Songbook oeuvre is how the music represents the melding of several different genres of music from very different cultures within the United States. Ragtime, blues, jazz, and Broadway musicals are all represented and cross over into each other, with an emphasis on rhythm and “speech”-like vocal patterns in place of pure melodic singing. This rhythmic and conversational delivery, played against the structure, musical content, phrasing and details of classical music, created something uniquely American, the pop music of its day, and arguably, American Classical. Another uniquely American trait of the Great American Songbook collection is witty banter and vocal delivery, unexpected rhymes and notes, and a general playfulness of the melody and message. These songs were written to engage listeners and create earworms that would stick around their heads for days later. Many of these songs were written in 32-bar form for musicals, and often included introductory verses that take the vocalist from speech into song. These tended to follow a standard AABA structure, and be written around universal themes to accommodate inserting or removing songs from plays. As always, the cultural side of the evolution was significantly informed by social and technological advancement. In the late 19th century, copyright protection laws were greatly strengthened in the United States, leading to a consolidation of publishers, songwriters, and composers first in Boston and various East Coast metropolitans before settling in New York City and forming the Tin Pan Alley. Prominently enterprising Eastern European immigrants would purchase and publish music from aspiring songwriters, sometimes neglecting attribution in order to gain a larger percentage of ownership/royalties in sheet music sales. Today, the Great American Songbook is alive and well in the jazz world, which leverages the form and outline of these songs as an anchor for musical explorations of substitutions, comping, and improvisation. Modern-day crooners also lean on the deep catalog of the Great American Songbook, and popular artists will still occasionally lend their take to a national classic. Theatre and musicals continue to rely heavily on the Great American Songbook, but even there classics are giving was to modern forms of music, or reinterpreted in exciting new ways as the next generation tackles them. Want to learn more? Here are some recommendations crowdsourced on Wikipedia: Harold Arlen (with Y. Harburg "Over the Rainbow," "It's Only a Paper Moon"; with Ted Koehler "Stormy Weather," "I've Got the World on a String," "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues," "Let's Fall in Love"; with Johnny Mercer "Blues in the Night," "That Old Black Magic," "One for My Baby," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive," and with Ira Gershwin "The Man that Got Away") Irving Berlin ("Alexander's Ragtime Band,” "When I Lost You,” "How Deep Is the Ocean,” "God Bless America,” "White Christmas,” "Always,” "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody,” "Blue Skies,” "Cheek to Cheek,” "Puttin' on the Ritz,” "Let's Face the Music and Dance,” "There's No Business Like Show Business,” "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm") Nacio Herb Brown with lyricist Arthur Freed ("All I Do Is Dream of You,” "Broadway Melody,” "Pagan Love Song,” "Paradise,” "Singin' in the Rain,” "Temptation,” "You Stepped Out of a Dream,” "You Were Meant for Me,” "Good Morning") Hoagy Carmichael ("Stardust,” "Georgia on My Mind,” "Lazy River,” "The Nearness of You,” "Heart and Soul,” "Skylark") Cy Coleman (with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh "Witchcraft,” "The Best Is Yet to Come,” "Hey, Look Me Over,” "I’ve Got Your Number"; with lyrics by Dorothy Fields "If My Friends Could See Me Now,” "Big Spender") Fred Coots ("I Still Get a Thrill (Thinking of You),” "Love Letters in the Sand,” "Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” "For All We Know,” "A Beautiful Lady in Blue,” "You Walter Donaldson, mostly with lyrics by Gus Kahn ("My Baby Just Cares for Me,” "My Blue Heaven,” "Love Me or Leave Me,” "Carolina in the Morning,” "My Mammy,” "What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry?,” "Yes Sir, That's My Baby,” "Makin' Whoopee,” "You're Driving Me Crazy,” "Little White Lies"") Vernon Duke ("April In Paris,” "Autumn In New York,” "I Can't Get Started,” "Taking a Chance on Love") Duke Ellington ("In a Sentimental Mood,” "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing),” "Satin Doll" (with Billy Strayhorn and Johnny Mercer), "Mood Indigo,” "Sophisticated Lady,” "Take the 'A' Train,” "I'm Beginning to See the Light,” "Don't Get Around Much Anymore") Sammy Fain ("I'll Be Seeing You,” "That Old Feeling,” "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing,” "April Love,” "Tender is the Night") Dorothy Fields ("I Can't Give You Anything But Love,” "Exactly Like You,” "On the Sunny Side of the Street,” "A Fine Romance,” "Pick Yourself Up,” "The Way You Look Tonight,” "Big Spender,” "If My Friends Could See Me Now") George and Ira Gershwin ("Someone to Watch Over Me,” "'S Wonderful,” "Summertime,” "A Foggy Day,” "But Not for Me,” "Embraceable You,” "I Got Rhythm,” "Fascinating Rhythm,” "The Man I Love,” "They Can't Take That Away from Me,” "Love Is Here to Stay,” "Strike Up the Band") Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields ("A Fine Romance,” "Pick Yourself Up,” "The Way You Look Tonight"; with lyrics by Ira Gershwin "Long Ago (and Far Away)"; with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II "All the Things You Are,” "The Folks Who Live On the Hill,” "Ol' Man River,” "The Song Is You"; with lyrics by Otto Harbach "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” "Yesterdays") Johnny Mercer (four-time Academy Award-winning lyricist: "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening,” "Moon River" with Henry Mancini, "Fools Rush In,” and "Days of Wine and Roses"; wrote music and lyrics for "Dream,” "Something's Gotta Give,” and "I Wanna Be Around"; wrote lyrics for "Midnight Sun,” "Day In, Day Out,” "Laura" and "I Remember You") Cole Porter ("Night and Day,” "I've Got You Under My Skin,” "Begin the Beguine,” "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love,” "What Is This Thing Called Love?,” "Too Darn Hot,” "Love for Sale,” "You're the Top,” "Just One of Those Things,” "All of You,” "I Get a Kick Out of You,” "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye,” "In the Still of the Night,” "It's De-Lovely,” "My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” "I Concentrate on You,” "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To,” "So in Love,” "Anything Goes,” "You Do Something to Me") Rodgers and Hart ("Slaughter On 10th Avenue [ballet],” "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” "With a Song in My Heart,” "Falling In Love With Love,” "My Romance,” "Have You Met Miss Jones?,” "My Funny Valentine,” "Blue Moon,” "Blue Room,” "I Could Write a Book,” "It's Easy To Remember,” "It Never Entered My Mind,” "Manhattan,” "The Lady Is a Tramp,” "Little Girl Blue,” "Mimi,” "My Heart Stood Still,” "Spring Is Here,” "A Ship Without a Sail,” "Thou Swell,” "Lover,” "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” "I Didn't Know What Time It Was,” "Isn't It Romantic?,” "Where or When,” "Glad to Be Unhappy,” "You Took Advantage of Me,” "This Can't Be Love,” "Mountain Greenery") Rodgers and Hammerstein ("You'll Never Walk Alone,” "Hello, Young Lovers,” "Younger Than Springtime,” "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin',” "People Will Say We're in Love,” "It Might as Well Be Spring,” "If I Loved You,” "Happy Talk,” "Some Enchanted Evening,” "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” "I Have Dreamed,” "Shall We Dance?,” "My Favorite Things,” "Something Wonderful,” "Climb Every Mountain,” "Edelweiss,” "I Enjoy Being a Girl,”"The Sound of Music,” "A Wonderful Guy") Arthur Schwartzand Howard Dietz ("Dancing in the Dark,” "You and the Night and the Music,” "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan,” "Alone Together,” "Haunted Heart,” "That's Entertainment!") Al Sherman ("Dew-Dew-Dewey Day,” "For Sentimental Reasons,” "He's So Unusual,” "Lindbergh (The Eagle of the U.S.A.),” "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight,” "Nine Little Miles from Ten-Ten-Tennessee,” "Ninety-Nine Out of a Hundred,” "Now's the Time to Fall in Love,” "On a Little Bamboo Bridge,” "On the Beach at Bali-Bali,” "Over Somebody Else's Shoulder,” "Pretending,” "Save Your Sorrow,” "You Gotta Be a Football Hero") Jule Styne ("Time After Time,” "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry,” "I Fall in Love Too Easily,” "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend,” "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” "People,” "Don't Rain on My Parade,” "Just In Time,” "Saturday Night [is the Loneliest Night of the Week],” "The Party's Over,” "Everything's Coming Up Roses") Jimmy Van Heusen, mostly with lyricists Johnny Burke and Sammy Cahn ("All the Way,” "Swinging on a Star,” "Darn That Dream,” "Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” "But Beautiful,” "Come Fly with Me,” "Imagination,” "Like Someone in Love,” "Call Me Irresponsible,” "I Thought About You,” "Here's That Rainy Day,” "It Could Happen to You,” "[Love Is] The Tender Trap,” "Ain't That a Kick in the Head") Fats Waller ("Ain't Misbehavin',” "Honeysuckle Rose,” "Squeeze Me") Harry Warren ("At Last,” "There Will Never Be Another You,” "An Affair to Remember (Our Love Affair),” "I Had the Craziest Dream,” "The More I See You,” "42nd Street,” "Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” "Lullaby of Broadway,” "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me,” "I Only Have Eyes for You,” "This Is Always,” "Jeepers Creepers,” "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” "September in the Rain,” "Lulu's Back In Town,” "You're My Everything,” "Chattanooga Choo Choo,” "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” "This Heart of Mine,” "You'll Never Know,” "My Dream Is Yours,” "I Wish I Knew,” "Serenade In Blue,” "Nagasaki,” "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo,” "That's Amore,” "Innamorata") ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Chord Buddy Guitar Learning System Let your fingers do the talkin' ... by Chris Loeffler Learning to play an instrument is a challenge. Building the muscle memory and attempting to master the physical symmetry of the instrument as it relates to musical scales is no easy task, especially with audible feedback of every flub. While there is no way to entirely circumvent the onboarding curve of learning guitar, the ChordBuddy guitar learning system offers some creative tricks and shortcuts to get new students on the road to playing. The ChordBuddy learning system for guitar is comprised of a specialized capo-style mechanism called the ChordBuddy, an instruction book, companion DVD, and a songbook with over 100 songs. What You Need to Know The ChordBuddy program breaks learning guitar down into stages, and decouples learning strumming rhythm from chord fingering by having the ChordBuddy do the chording work so novices can focus on strumming first. The ChordBuddy capo, mounted without tools to the top of your guitar, features four brightly colored buttons that, when pressed, form a C, D, G, or E minor open chord through a collection of forked contact points that fret the strings. The ChordBuddy methodology lets the player focus on strumming and rhythm, without being distracted by how to form chords with their left hand while still building some finger strength for holding individual notes and dual-handed dexterity. By pressing different chord buttons, novices also get to practice transitioning chords and how that feeds in to strumming. After getting a strong handle on strumming, the ChordBuddy system incorporates the color coding of the four buttons on the ChordBuddy into their music notation, so both chords and their corresponding button colors are used to in their instruction book and accompanying song book. The benefit of this is it builds confidence and more quickly expands the student’s repertoire, which increases the likelihood they’ll stick with the learning process. The final step in the ChordBuddy system involves removing the buttons, one at a time, to begin practicing fingering the actual open chords individually, with the other three buttons keeping the music flowing. Both the instruction book and song book are filled with simple, clear instructions and a good mix of classic and modern music of various genres, and the DVD is well produced and an excellent supplement to reinforce and support what the books are demonstrating for visual learners. Limitations The paper quality of the printed materials varies from “ok” to sub-standard… it's not of the material nor print quality one finds in typical Hal Leonard or Alfred publications. Players will need to commit to a left- or right-hand version…they aren’t interchangeable. Conclusion As someone who has been playing for a couple of decades now, the frustrations of trying to learn so many different things at once when I first picked up the guitar are a distant memory. But working through the materials, ChordBuddy certainly seemed like an easier way to become proficient with guitar. The greater test will be to place it in the hands of a new starter, which is exactly what I did. While my budding tester is only a few weeks into the program, she has made quite a bit more headway than I expected, confidently playing through songs with a rhythmic accuracy and smooth(ish) transitions with only 15 minutes of practice a day. I’ve also noticed her left-hand finger positioning on strings is surprisingly well-developed due to the ergonomics she formed using the ChordBuddy buttons, so forming those pesky callouses is the next step. She says she feels more confident because the guitar "sounds right" so she can focus on technique, not how the chord sounds. Bottom line: It looks like ChordBuddy is well on its way to adding another member to the family of guitar players. Resources ChordBuddy Product Page Buy ChordBuddy @ Amazon.com ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

NAMM Expert PreView - Quilter Labs Micro Block 45 Pure, raw, unadulterated fun! by Chris Loeffler ________________________________________ un·a·dul·ter·at·ed ˌənəˈdəltəˌrādəd/ adjective not mixed or diluted with any different or extra elements; complete and absolute. ____________________________________________ As the owner of a Quilter 101 amp, the Quilter MicroBlock amp caught my eye at the show. Purportedly using the same Class D design as the Tone Block series in a pedal enclosure, I'm curious to see how far 45 watts of solid state will get me. Lacking only the Voice and High cut controls, it will be interesting to hear what Quilter Amps decided was "their" voice now that they had to stip down to the basics. I'm especially curious to see if this, plus a cabinet emulator pedal, are convincing enough to make "everything on the board" a sonically viable option for guitar players tired of lugging giant amplifier stacks but not quite willing to go digital. I'll be doing an Expert Review on the Micro Block 45 in the near future to find out! In the meantime, this was my pick of the show. Enjoy the video clip Dendy shot by on the show floor.... ____________________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

MXL announces the release of the new DX-2, 770X, and CR20 microphones at NAMM ANAHEIM, CA - MXL Microphones announces the release of the new DX-2 Dual Capsule Variable Dynamic Microphone, 770X Multipattern Condenser Microphone Package, and the CR20 Tube Emulation Condenser Microphone at NAMM, January 19th through 22nd, 2017, in Anaheim, California. The MXL DX-2® is the first dual capsule dynamic microphone that allows you to tailor the sound from one capsule to the other and all points in between, so that you can easily customize your sound. The front of the microphone is a flat-faced, side-address design which places the microphone capsules close to the sound for optimal pickup, while the opposite side has the crossfade knob, making adjustments a breeze. Capsule 1's super cardioid large capsule design captures the warmth and fullness of your instrument while Capsule 2's cardioid small capsule offers superb mid range and high end detail. The MXL DX-2®'s flat-face design and higher SPL handling allows for optimal placement directly in front of guitar cabinets. The sturdy all-metal body construction delivers enhanced durability to withstand the rigors of the road and internal MOGAMI® wiring provides unmatched clarity. The MXL DX-2 is now shipping. The 770X Multipattern Condenser Microphone Package offers flexibility and performance for the studio in an all-in-one recording bundle, complete with balanced XLR cable and shockmount with integrated popfilter. The 770X improves on the popular MXL 770 Studio Condenser Microphone with an upgraded large diaphragm gold-sputtered capsule and three selectable polar patterns: cardioid, figure-eight and omni-directional, optimized for recording vocals, instruments and all your recording needs. The MXL 770X is now shipping. The latest addition to the eye-catching MXL CR Series, the new CR20 Tube Emulation Microphone offers two microphones in one, at the flip of a switch. The CR20 features a unique tube emulation switch that instantly changes the tonality and sonic signature from the clear and natural frequency response of a solid state mic to the added warmth and character of a classic tube microphone. The MXL CR20 is now shipping.