Winston Psmith

@surfergirl- New York, New England, anywhere next to the North Atlantic, the water is generally cold, but if that's your nearest beach . . .

@Caevan O’Shiteand @Dannyalcatraz - Thanks for the vote of confidence, brothers! However . . . I often think of Fripp, in a period between iterations of King Crimson, when he expressed his aspiration to function as "a small, mobile, intelligent unit." I share that aspiration, to the degree that it's possible. To that end, my live Novparolo rig consists of a small Guitar Synth (Roland GR-20) and just 3 Guitar pedals (OD, MOD, & Delay), and it all fits very neatly on a Pedaltrain 1 'board, in a hard case. @Dannyalcatraz referred to it as a "Grab-and-Go" rig, which describes it very well. What I do in the shadows of my Music room, however . . .

My garden beds are going nuts! The large Tulip Magnolia is just past its peak, but it's still impressive. The furthest back beds are full of Daffodils, so that whole area is full of yellows and whites. I have 10 out of 12 Peonies showing their tips in the Peony bed, and I've cleared all the weeds, Grapevines and other junk from my Raspberry bed. One side of the fence is lined with Forsythia, which I let grow tall, 8 to 10 feet. Some folks like to cut it down into compact shrubs, but I like the long branches, they're more dramatic, and full of color. Out front, in the Horseshoe Bed (named for its shape), the Hyacinths are blooming, Pinks and Purples, I have a couple of different Coral Bells coming out, a Dicentra that's already putting out flowers(?), and Sweet Woodruff taking over one side of the bed, while a dark-leaved Ajuga covers the other side. My Iris bed is also filling out, although everything is still very small, so it looks like a bed full of short greenery for now. Mid-season, the Bearded Iris get to be around 4-5 feet tall, with light Blue flowers, the bright Purple Liatris spikes are around 2-3 feet, the white False Dragonhead filling in among the Irises gets to be around 3 feet, and the low-growing hardy Orchids around the edge get to be 14-18 inches. The Lilacs are forming buds that look like tiny Grape clusters right now, smaller than an acorn, and I see some Daylilies that need to move from the back beds to the Iris Bed. I'll try to get some photos later on, however, my assignment for today is to make up 8 or 9 Flower Arrangements for a St. Patrick's Day lunch, so . . .

A couple of my local EM friends have tried to convince me that I really should have a Mood pedal, but at $400 . . . not anytime soon.

My take on this is kind of backwards . . . that one of the most sought-after and over-hyped boutique OD pedals ever made, in reality, sounds just like one of the least expensive, entry-level, mass-market OD pedals ever made. It's also a great example of how BS drives the "vintage" or collectible market. Those are the same Bad Monkey pedals that were selling for $60+/-, just a while ago. Nobody waved a magic wand, or circuit board, over them and turned them into Legendary Tone Machines overnight: some guy made a video showing that a lot of OD pedals sound pretty much the same, even the cheap ones that everybody overlooked at first. As Gomer Pyle used to say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" (Full disclosure: When I worked in Music retail, we had the Bad Monkey in stock, but hardly anyone took it seriously because of the name. The cartoonish font for the name didn't help. I don't recall ever selling one?)

I don't usually mark these occasions, other than when it's really NGD, but this one is a little different. Three years ago today, right before the world shut down, I brought home a used Taylor 110CE from my neighborhood GC, right around this time of day. It just happened to be Friday, March 13th, 2020. Make of that what you will . . . It's not one of the high-end, high-priced Taylors; it's an "affordable" model, which is to say, they originally went for under $1000. Solid Spruce top, laminated Walnut back and sides, satin finish rather than high-gloss, with Taylor's E-System Electronics. It's very nice to play, but it isn't pretending to be more than it is. Viewed strictly as an Acoustic Guitar, I love it. It makes me want to try one of the more expensive U.S.-made Taylors. As an A/E, however, it seems to have a surprisingly low output. I've seen this same criticism of the Taylor E-System from players with U.S.-made models, so I'm not sure why? I wasn't planning to get a "lockdown" Guitar, as such, because no one was planning for lockdown, or quarantine, if you prefer. I'd originally picked out the Taylor for the semi-irregular Hippie House Jams, with a rotating cast of old friends and former housemates, at a rotating series of friends' houses. When I first put money down on the Taylor, Covid was more of a rumor than a reality. We knew it was out there, somewhere, but that was about all. By Friday the 13th, Covid was no longer a rumor, and I decided I'd better go seal the deal and pick up the Guitar before things started shutting down. Within the week, on March 19th, our Governor shuttered all indoor malls as part of his initial response to the pandemic, and that was the end for this particular GC; it never reopened when the mall did. If I'd waited just a few more days . . . ? Since all of this started at the beginning of Spring, I had a lot of time to sit out in my backyard, playing the Taylor. While I can't say that it really inspired any new Music, I enjoy playing it enough that I often turn to it when I'm working on something new. The Hippie House Jams were put on hold for quite a while, like many things, and in that time, there've been some changes, mostly friends who've gone to the other side. Part of life, right? In thinking about this Guitar's anniversary today, I can't help thinking of them, as well; I was thinking of them when I first got it, after all. It may not be my favorite Guitar, but it has its own story, and its own sound, and I'm looking forward to bringing out to the next Jam, wherever that is, so Happy Anniversary, whatever its name is, and thanks everyone for indulging me.

The Guitar Player Repair Guide is also one of my go-to Guitar books. Find yourself a copy, and dig in.

"What language is this?!?!?"

Fortunately, my wife knew what kind of Musician she was marrying, long before we got married; a crazy one. At one point, I lived in what was essentially a Music Room, that also had a bookshelf and a bed. Priorities, you know?

Quick update, in the interest of fairness - While the Amps have been disappointing, to say the least, Korg/Blackstar's Customer Service people deserve a 5-star rating. Having sent an email to Korg/Blackstar, regarding the replacement Fly 3 Amp, I got an email today, from James at Korg, apologizing for the recurring battery issue , while informing me that they're sending yet another FLY 3 Amp, and this time, the shipping department is to check and make sure there are no batteries. FWIW, I deliberately didn't ask for a replacement for the replacement, so I wasn't expecting one, and didn't feel like they had any obligation to send me one. I have yet to see, or more properly, hear, what the Amp sounds like, but I had to speak up about the response I've gotten from their customer service department. Maybe, with any luck, they'll wind up going through the current stock to deal with the battery issue, and just maybe, find someone else to make the Amps.

@Scott Fraser- We got a quick blast of not-quite-Winter weather a few days back, and I was worried that the blooms would get soaked and frozen before they every got to open, but we slid through. This tree is one of my favorite signs of Spring.

Tulip Magnolia, right outside my back door. Must be 45-50 feet tall? IMG_1143.mov

Seconded. In fact, it you want to save a good bit of time and effort, EMG offers a complete pre-wired "Gilmour" pickguard, $329 pretty much wherever you find it.

I'm a Guitarist who uses Guitar Synths, and Tony Banks's sound has long been a touchstone for me. I can recall going to a Genesis concert at an outdoor venue, where they started the set with "Eleventh Earl Of Mar" and that swirling Keyboard opening seemed to come rushing up the aisles like flood waters! One of the most amazing things I'd ever heard, and that was just the song opening.

@Old Music Guy- My favorite of the Boss Chorus pedals was the mid-80's CE-3, which allowed you to send the Chorus effect through one Out jack, and the direct Guitar, Or KB, through the other. Can't swear it would give you the same sound as a JC-120, but they weigh a lot less, and I still see them for reasonable prices.

@Caevan O’Shite- Korg/Blackstar never asked me to return the item, nor to provide any proof of my damage claim, other than to forward them a copy of the original receipt, so yeah, I think they've heard this story before. The 1-star reviews came from most of the globe, including Europe, the UK, Canada, the US, and India, all with the same leaking batteries. As it turns out, I'm not the first person who got one with a bad batch of batteries, and then got a replacement Amp with the same battery issue. Like I said, at least they're consistent. @KuruPrionz- My first piece of Blackstar gear, AND my last. OTOH, I have quite a few pieces from Korg, both older gear (WaveStation SR) and recent gear (MonoLogue, MicroKorg, etc.), and I've been very happy with all of them. I think this is more of a cautionary tale about licensing a company's name, to put out an entry-level product, but I've had enough fun with this one, I'm done. @surfergirl - You got it. Usually the batteries are tucked into a side compartment, not IN the device itself, except with compact effects pedals. Still, I can't recall ever buying a brand-new Guitar pedal where the battery was leaking, and from my time in Music retail, I can't recall ever having to return or trash a stock item because of leaking batteries, never mind an entire product line where this is a known issue? I held back from making a public post when I got the first Amp, in order to give Korg/Blackstar time to make things right. At this point, I feel like the Cust. Service department tried their best, but they don't make the product.

@Caevan O’Shite- My first move was to email Blackstar, because I didn't know where my bandmate got the Amp, and I didn't want to start out by telling her it was DOA. The folks from Blackstar put me though to Korg, the parent company, so that's who I've been dealing with. As I say, their Customer Service folks were very responsive, but the product!?!?! At least they're consistent, I'll give them that; all the 1-star reviews, and there are PLENTY, have the same QC issue with the batteries. FWIW, the first DOA Amp came from Musician's Friend, where it may have been sitting in storage since IDK when? The replacement, however, came directly from Korg USA, which means that when retailers go to re-stock these Amps, they're likely to be getting product from the same batch that this one just came from, pre-loaded with leaking batteries, even before it hits the retail shelves. There's an expression from the computing world, "direct to trash", that seems applicable here. The batteries themselves are labeled "Aellex" (never seen them before, except in all those 1-star reviews), "Made In PRC", and "AV 12 2023", which I expect is their expiration date. Makes me wonder how long these things have been sitting in storage, if they expire 10 months from now? There's also a warning printed right on the label; "May Leak Or Explode If Recharged, Improperly Connected, Or Disposed Of In Fire." At least they got that part right. I'm somewhat disappointed the whole thing didn't just explode; at least that would have been somewhat entertaining, and the only sound I'm likely to hear from one. Anyone got any leftover fireworks?

Oh, man, this . . . Here's the short and none-too-sweet version. Back in November, my bandmate ordered a little Blackstar Fly 3 Amp from MF, as a Christmas present for me. It was the model with the Green Sugar Skull motif, which she thought I'd like. One got lost in transit, and somehow wound up going back to MF. Neither of us ever even saw that one; so much for Christmas. MF sent a replacement, which my bandmate brought over during our session right before my birthday, middle of last month. I opened it, and found the ugliest cluster of leaking, corroded batteries I have ever seen, with corrosion reaching down into the guts of the little Amp. I didn't even think about trying to pry them out and clean up the mess, it was that bad. I quickly and carefully repacked the toxic mess, washed my hands thoroughly, and emailed Blackstar. So much for a late Christmas/early birthday present. I can't fault Korg/Blackstar's Customer Service folks. They responded quickly, and about a week ago, I received an email telling me that they we're shipping a replacement Fly 3 Amp, in red instead of green, because they were out of the green model. All good, right? Yesterday, I received a replacement Fly 3 Amp from Korg USA, the red Sugar Skull model, as promised. I opened it up, looked inside, and found that two of the batteries in it had already started leaking. Once again, I just re-packed the whole thing, and set it aside for the hazardous waste pickup. I did email Korg/Blackstar, to thank them for yet another box full of toxic waste. After opening the first Amp, and finding the horror-show inside, I went looking for reviews online, and it only got uglier. Amazon has 1-star reviews from all over the world, with photos of the same leaking batteries in the same model Amp, and on the MF site, there are two reviews describing the leaking batteries. Oddly, the same model Fly 3 Amp with a different graphic or color motif has gotten lots of fair to good reviews, so I have to wonder why one version of this Amp is essentially pre-packaged toxic trash? AFAIK, my bandmate hadn't yet heard back from MF, so I don't know if she finally got a refund - I certainly hope so - or if they're going to send yet a FOURTH Fly 3 Amp? I can't say I'm looking forward to it. OTOH, @Sharkman, I may yet have a video for you, but it will be of me smashing the Fly Amp instead of the Viola.

I like the little tardigrades . . .

Excuse me a moment while I bang my head against my Music desk. There, much better, thank you . . . Forgive me if I'm about to go over things you already know, or have researched on your own: I just want to offer a through response, including information that any teacher, or knowledgeable sales person, should go over with you. My first piece of advice would be NOT to sign up with any teacher who tries to limit or diminish your potential before you even start out. If you already have an Instrument, the first thing your teacher should do would be to look over the Instrument with you, to see if it's suitable. If you don't have an Instrument, they should help you find one that does suit you. I've seen young children, with very small hands and small fingers, who managed to find their way around a Guitar neck. My second piece of advice: There is NO One-Size-Fits-All Guitar, anymore than there is one size, shape, or style of Guitarist. Sure, players with really long fingers, like a Jimi Hendrix or an Adrian Belew, have some advantage in reaching for extended intervals, or chord forms, but the Guitar wasn't designed just for Jimi or Adrian. For a player with small hands, there are a few things to consider. I recommend that you never buy any Guitar you haven't held in your hands first. The body size and style, or in the case of a soldibody Electric, the shape, all make a difference in how easy or comfortable the Guitar is to hold, and to play. (Watch someone try to play a Flying V while sitting down.) You want a Guitar that feels good when you hold it, one where you can comfortably reach around the body, and all up and down the fretboard. On any Guitar with Electronics, you want the knobs, switches, or sliders out of your way when you play, but accessible when you want to change settings. Next, and more crucial, are the neck dimensions, and scale length. Scale Length refers to the distance between the Nut and the Bridge. For example, Gibson Guitar have a 24.75-inch Scale Length, while Fender Guitars have a 25.5-inch scale length. This means that the string tension on a Fender Guitar is slightly higher than on a Gibson Guitar, so you need somewhat more pressure to fret notes or chords. It also means that some chord forms will require more of a stretch on a Fender neck than a Gibson neck. Nut width and Neck Radius combine to give you a sense of how wide and flat the fretboard will be. Nut Width essentially = Neck Width. Neck Radius refers to the dimensions of a hypothetical circle, represented by curvature of the fretboard. Classical and Nylon-string guitars have no Neck Radius; their necks tend to be somewhat wider than Steel-string necks, as well. One recommendation for a solid body Electric for a player with small hands, would be the current model Fender Mustang, with a 9.5-inch neck radius and a 24-inch scale length. For an Acoustic, look into some of the Parlor Guitars. And finally, find a teacher who encourages you. An unsupportive or unenthusiastic teacher can be more discouraging than a poorly-made Instrument.

@Caevan O’Shite- Much as I've enjoyed Knobs' videos over time, I find them somewhat misleading, as well. Very often, Knobs is running prerecorded loops of processed sound through the effect being demonstrated, as in this video. Knobs' emphasis on artistry can detract from the usefulness of the information provided. For example, the slow attack (SV-2, Bumblebee, Slow Gear) sound in much of this video isn't produced by the Space Spiral. I'm not sure what else Knobs is using to produce that effect, but the video could easily give you the impression that it's the Spiral. It's not, although it sounds lovely being processed through the Spiral. (Another argument for having a Volume Pedal right before your Delay effects in the signal chain, for "Volume Swell/Fade" effects.) One thing this video points up, without saying so directly, is that the Spiral really could have used an EXP In jack. Many of the more interesting sounds in the video are the result of turning the control knobs IRT, which is hard to do with both hands on your Guitar, Bass, or other Stringed Instrument. Finally, right around the 6:45 - 6:46 mark, you'll hear the "POP", when Knobs presses the footswitch. I'm glad that showed up in the video, although Knobs makes no mention of it when it happens, and I'm not sure how many viewers will notice it.

@KuruPrionz- Some of the early "stereo" Chorus pedals did exactly what you describe, sending the Modulated signal through one Out jack, and the Dry signal through the other. Sounds like you've condensed your rig down to one folding rolling cart. I wonder if we have the same model? This is the rig I had for a live radio show, some time back. The Rolls Headphone Amp strapped to the top is something the radio station gave me to cannibalize for parts.

Along with my mission to pick up the Viola the other day, I got myself a new, used Delay pedal, an EQD Space Spiral V1 Delay. Earthquaker discontinued the Space Spiral a while back, so I was glad to find one in nearly new condition. It's a Modulated Delay, which isn't quite the same as a classic Memory Man-style Delay w/Modulation pedal. The Space Spiral doesn't add a Modulation effect to the repeats, like the Memory Man, or the Carbon Copy ; it modulates the Delay Time, which can produce extreme Pitch-Bending effects at extreme settings, or something more like a Chorus effect, at lower settings. Turn on one of your favorite Delay pedals, and turn the Delay Time knob back and forth. You'll hear the echoes change pitch and duration while you're turning the knob; that's sort of what the LFO in the Space Spiral does. First up, it runs off of a Princeton PT2399 chip, a Digital chip that can sound "Analog", which is to say, it's not a pristine-sounding Delay. You can generally tell which pedals are likely to have the Princeton chip, as they'll often tout "Analog-like" sound, will usually have some form of Modulation or Filtering added to the Delay, and they tend to top out somewhere between 300 and 600 milliseconds. I've seen some very cagey promo copy using phrases like "Analog warmth" without specifically saying that something is an Analog circuit, and at least one line (Modtone) calling their Delay pedal an Analog Delay, when it's not. You can push a PT chip near 900 milliseconds or so, but the sound quality degrades quickly. Catalinbread's Bicycle Delay, J. Rockett's Immortal Echo, Mojo Hand FX' Mirror Ball, and JHS' Pink Panther are just some of the pedals using the PT chip. There are a LOT more than you may expect. One issue with many, but not all PT-based Delays; when you hit the switch, you'll hear that old familiar "POP" that some of us remember all too well from our first pedals back in the 70's. It's a feature, not a bug, to use the current phraseology. My Bicycle Delay does it, the Space Spiral does it, and I've read reviews of other PT-based pedals that do it. Some players have them in a discrete loop, which seems cumbersome. For my purposes, it'll be an always-ON effect, so I'm not concerned with the noise. The controls are pretty simple and straightforward. The top row has knobs for Time, Repeats, and Mix, which are self-evident. The bottom row has Depth, Shape, and Rate. The Shape control takes the Mod waveform from a fairly smooth Triangle Wave to a choppier Square Wave setting. The pedal can go from subtle to seasick, depending on the Mod settings, and the Delay Time. Long Delay times with slow, deep Triangle Wave Modulation will have you heaving over the rails. You can use it as a more-or-less conventional Delay pedal, if you dial back the Depth & Rate controls to Zero (around 7 o'clock), but why bother? PT chip-based Delays aren't noted for their sound quality, even beyond the switch-popping issue. I got this for my live Novparolo pedalboard, which held a Quantum Drive (local boutique Dual OD/Distortion), a Keeley Seafoam Chorus V1, and a Malekko 616 Analog Delay (a personal favorite), in the S/R loop of a GR-20 Guitar Synth. In that board, I keep all three pedals ON, as "thickeners" for the Guitar signal. It really makes a difference in how they blend with the Guitar Synth tones. For now, I've swapped out the 616 for the Space Spiral, for a more textured sound. If anyone is interested, I've found that a completely Dry Guitar signal just sounds anemic when blended back in with the Guitar Synth tones, while heavy Distortion or over-processed tones wind up sounding like I'm in my own way. Getting the two signals to play nicely together is part of the fun, and an essential part of the technique. FWIW, there were 2 versions of the Space Spiral, and mine is a V1. V2 had what EQD calls a Variswitch; tap it for normal On/Off function, or press-&-hold for Momentary function. Not a critical feature for my purposes, but I can see where it might be very useful, especially in something like the Rainbow Machine, where you might want to bring that sound in briefly for an accent effect, then have it drop back out.

Thanks, everyone! Brought it home early this afternoon, and tomorrow, I'll start looking for some introductory online instructions. I also have a truly great resource nearby, in that one of my local Musician buddies is a Luthier, with his own Violin shop and studio. He asp happens to LOVE the Viola over the Violin. His shop is also right up here in my neighborhood, a long walk, but still, within walking distance. When I get to where I can find at least a few notes without causing anyone pain, I'll take some real-life lessons with him, or whichever of his teachers he recommends. FWIW, I would gladly have bought an Instrument from his shop, but even his student-quality Instruments are wa-a-ay out of my price range. BTW, @Sharkman, I appreciate, and even endorse your suggestion in general - some Instruments are only fit for someone commit Art upon them, preferably with power tools or incendiary devices. (I was very fond of 80's Industrial Music, like Art Of Noise and Test Dept..) However, if I fail with this Viola, it's already worth more than I paid for it, so I'd probably sell it or trade it in for something useful. It really is a decent Instrument, so at the very least, it should go to a good home if I can't care for it properly.

I've had it in my head for a while to take up a new Instrument, something I don't already know how to play. (Anyone else remember Portsmouth Sinfonia?) It's partly looking for a new sound, but it's more about challenging my brain and my hands to take on something unfamiliar. Among the contenders, I'd considered Lap Steel, Fretless Bass, something from the Violin family, maybe a Theremin? I saw a lot of junkers and wall-hangers, among lots of things I can't afford, and then I turned up a very nice student Viola, at the Folk & World Music store where I used to work. I went to look at it, and some folks there were kind enough to play it for me, so I could hear it. The owner, whom I've known for over 30 years, was there, and offered me an even better price than the posted sale price, for an "old friends" discount, and the sale price was already enough to have brought me into the store to look at it. The Viola originally came from a local Violin store that we know, so I knew it was a decent Instrument to begin with. It's a 14-inch Viola, which means it's much closer to the size of a 4/4 Violin, with a slightly deeper body. The price is right, it comes with a case, bow, and shoulder rest, and when I sent the link to a Luthier buddy, who builds and plays the Viola, he said, "Go for it." FWIW, I turned 68 last month, so I have no illusion that I'm going to live long enough to master this thing, but that's no excuse not to try something new, while I can. It'll be Spring here soon, so I can spend some time sitting outdoors, sawing and scraping away at it until I start to find where all the notes live. Be glad you don't live next door . . . That's my mission for today, friends, so wish me luck. I'll need it.