Wow, this blog is suddenly turning into the “It Might Get Loud” blog of sorts. But damn it, I’m excited. Just found another sneak peak video, but this time it’s featuring the Edge from U2. I’m really curious about his set up. I know it’s insane. It seems insane. So I’m really looking forward to how he manages it all.
Enjoy the clip:
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I came across a sneak peak of the upcoming movie “It Might Get Loud” which will be premiering this Friday in Los Angeles and New York. This video snippet of Jack White was from the Blender Blog, and like the trailer.. is quite cool. I’m expecting this movie to be fantastic! If you’re a guitar nut or like music or musicians in general, this movie should hit the spot!
Enjoy!
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I have to first start off saying that I’m a big fan of Fuller’s Fulltone pedals. They are well made, and he makes a wide range of quality effects. Today, I wanted to talk about the Fulltone Fulldrive 2 MosFET overdrive pedal. I have to say this is one of the best overdrives you can get. It’s similar to the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9 but you get WAY more control and more meat to your tone. You definitely can dial in a TS9 sound if you’re wanting that, and you can get a very large amount of sustain without huge amount of gain or noise. To me, that is very important. The Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9 is a little brighter and thinner in the low mids than the Fulldrive 2, which is not a bad thing at all, just pointing out some differences.
The boost setting comes close to the the Maxon 808 with Big Muff in the line, giving you some serious punch and sustain for rhythm or leads. The pedal gives you clean boost or wild overdrive.
The pedal has volume, tone, overdrive and boost knobs along with footswitches for selecting vintage/compcut modes and MosFET/standard overdrive. Having the knob controlling boost is something very cool in my opinion.
The MosFET/standard mode adds more low end and roundness to your tone. Use the tone knob to control presence and smooth out upper harmonic frequencies. Vintage/compcut gives you the classic midrange bump.
The pedal was named “Best Stompbox of 2006″ by Guitar Player magazine, so you know musician’s are digging this unit.
You can currently pick this pedal up for $179.00 new at Musician’s Friend, or you might find a better deal new/used on eBay via Pedal Nerd.
Below is a great demonstration video of the Fulltone Fulldrive 2 MosFET overdrive pedal. Shows various settings and played with different guitars.
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Over the years, I’ve played in several bands and owned a small recording studio in my time. During this, I’ve seen countless musicians on stage, studio and even counting myself using crappy instrument cables. Early on in my guitar playing days, I understood the importance of a good amp, good guitar, but never put much stock in the cables combining the two. I was poor, just like many musicians today, and could not understand the logic of paying $30+ for a cable, so I always opted for the cheap $5 cable.
The problem with buying a cheap guitar cable is.. you get exactly what you pay for, a $5 piece ‘O crap connecting your guitar to your amp. Problems that would often arise with a low quality cable are:
I remember having to buy cables often to replace the bad cable or having to pull the soldering iron out to repair jack connections, that would inevitably break down the road anyway.
About 10 years ago, I thought I would shell out $40 for a 20′ guitar cable by DiMarzio. I thought that was a little crazy, but after reading about the cymbal test (where they drop a cymbal guillotine style on a cable.. and passing) I figured it would be a good cable. My particular DiMarzio had the ‘fat’ plugs (I can’t remember what those plugs are, but I’m pretty sure they’re Switchcraft) and has treated me well. That cable has been my primary instrument cable over the next 10 years. I have NO problems with it. No cracking, no signal loss. I have never touched the jack wiring. I know I would have spent WAY more money buying crap over the years instead of shelling out for a decent cable. I’ve bought several other DiMarzios over the years (primarily so I don’t have to unplug between instruments or connecting to other heads) and have no problems with them. Looking at Musician’s Friend, I’m seeing they have a sale on these DiMarzio cables, but they don’t seem to make the ones with the fatty plugs any longer.
The other cable that I would have to recommend because a good guitarist friend has been using them for years with similar experience is the Monster cable.
I have to mention that the quality cables should not stop with your instrument cable but also should include your ‘jumpers’ between effects unit. This is a area that is very easy to skimp on, but you have to consider that you’re building a chain where your tone is in the balance. You don’t want any weak links in your tone chain, so buy some good jumper cables. These cables usually hold up pretty well since they’re not stepped on or moved very often. I like to make sure that the input jack seat tight in the stompbox.
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I was reading the blog at Never Too Late Guitars, and I saw he posted a update about release dates, and I had to blog about this as well.
First of all, if you’re not familiar with this movie, it’s a documenary project where they interview three great guitarists (The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White). To me, they couldn’t find three more different musicians to interview. They vary on how they influence other musicians, their philosophies about guitar and sound in general and their general styles of contemporary ‘rock’ music. I think it’s a great blend, and I’m very interested to see what they have to say.
Beyond just interviewing the three guitarists, they’ll be joining each other face to face to “talk shop” and maybe make some music. When you hear the phrase “Wouldn’t it be cool to be a fly on the wall in that room”.. well with this movie you can. Every musician I know that knows about this movie is super excited
Here is a link to their official site with trailer, press kit, and release dates.
Below are the release dates and locations for the movie:
| Theater Name | City | State | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMC Empire 25 | New York | NY | 8/14/2009 |
| Sunshine Cinema | New York | NY | 8/14/2009 |
| The Landmark | Los Angeles | CA | 8/14/2009 |
| Arclight Hollywood 15 | Hollywood | CA | 8/14/2009 |
| Town Center 5 | Encino | CA | 8/14/2009 |
| Lammle’s Playhouse 7 | Pasadena | CA | 8/14/2009 |
| University Town Center 6 | Irvine | CA | 8/14/2009 |
| Embarcadero Center Cinema 5 | San Francisco | CA | 8/28/2009 |
| Shattuck 8 | Berkeley | CA | 8/28/2009 |
| Sequoia Twin | Mill Valley | CA | 8/28/2009 |
| Aquarius Twin | Palo Alto | CA | 8/28/2009 |
| Century Five | Plesant Hill | CA | 8/28/2009 |
| Camera Stadium 12 | San Jose | CA | 8/28/2009 |
| Hillcrest Cinema Five | San Diego | CA | 8/28/2009 |
| Century Centre Cinema | Chicago | IL | 8/28/2009 |
| Cinearts 6 | Evanston | IL | 8/28/2009 |
| Renaissance Place Cinema | Highland Park | IL | 8/28/2009 |
| Kendall Square Cinema 9 | Cambridge | MA | 8/28/2009 |
| Embassy Cinema 6 | Waltham | MA | 8/28/2009 |
| Harvard Exit Twin | Seattle | WA | 8/28/2009 |
| UA Stonestown Twin | San Francisco | CA | 9/4/2009 |
| E-Street Cinema | Washington | DC | 9/4/2009 |
| Bethesda Row Cinema | Bethesda | MD | 9/4/2009 |
| Shirlington 7 Theaters | Arlington | VA | 9/4/2009 |
| Lagoon Theater 5 | Minneapolis | MN | 9/4/2009 |
| Ritz East | Philadelphia | PA | 9/4/2009 |
| The Magnolia Theater | Dallas | TX | 9/4/2009 |
| Angelika Film Center and Cafe | Plano | TX | 9/4/2009 |
| Angelika Theater 8 | Houston | TX | 9/4/2009 |
| Luxury Shea 14 | Scottsdale | AZ | 9/11/2009 |
| Osio Plaza Theater | Monterey | CA | 9/11/2009 |
| Cinemas Palme D’or | Palm Desert | CA | 9/11/2009 |
| Stadium 9 | Palm Springs | CA | 9/11/2009 |
| Promenade Stadium 13 | Rolling Hills Estates | CA | 9/11/2009 |
| Tower Angelika Film Center 3 | Sacramento | CA | 9/11/2009 |
| Palm Theatre 2 | San Luis Obispo | CA | 9/11/2009 |
| Rialto Lakeside Cinemas | Santa Rosa | CA | 9/11/2009 |
| Century Downtown 10 | Ventura | CA | 9/11/2009 |
| Mayan Three | Denver | CO | 9/11/2009 |
| Shadowood Square 16 | Boca Raton | FL | 9/11/2009 |
| South Beach 18 | Miami Beach | FL | 9/11/2009 |
| UA Tara Cinema 4 | Atlanta | GA | 9/11/2009 |
| Harbor East Cinema | Baltimore | MD | 9/11/2009 |
| Century 14 | Albuquerque | NM | 9/11/2009 |
| UA Devargas Center 6 | Santa Fe | NM | 9/11/2009 |
| Fox Tower 10 | Portland | OR | 9/11/2009 |
| Arbor Cinemas at Great Hills | Austin | TX | 9/11/2009 |
| Dobie Four | Austin | TX | 9/11/2009 |
| Nickelodeon Four | Santa Cruz | CA | 9/18/2009 |
| Century 16 | Boulder | CO | 9/18/2009 |
| Main Art Theater 3 | Royal Oak | MI | 9/18/2009 |
| Tivoli Theater 3 | St Louis | MO | 9/18/2009 |
| Village Square 18 | Las Vegas | NV | 9/18/2009 |
| Bijou Art Cinema | Eugene | OR | 9/18/2009 |
| Modern Art Museum Theater | Ft. Worth | TX | 9/18/2009 |
| Oriental 3 | Milwaukee | WI | 9/18/2009 |
| Loft Cinema 2 | Tuscon | AZ | 9/25/2009 |
| Gainesville 14 | Gainesville | FL | 9/25/2009 |
| Jupiter Stadium 18 | Jupiter | FL | 9/25/2009 |
| Hollwood 20 | Sarasota | FL | 9/25/2009 |
| Miracle Five | Tallahassee | FL | 9/25/2009 |
| Kahala Mall 8 | Honolulu | HI | 9/25/2009 |
| Fluer 4 Theaters | Des Moines | IA | 9/25/2009 |
| Flicks Four | Boise | ID | 9/25/2009 |
| Keystone Art Cinema | Indianapolis | IN | 9/25/2009 |
| Canal Place Cinema 4 | New Orleans | LA | 9/25/2009 |
| Nickelodeon 5 | North Falmouth | MA | 9/25/2009 |
| Cinemark Palace 14 | Kansas City | MO | 9/25/2009 |
| AMC Studio 30 | Olathe | KS | 9/25/2009 |
| Riverside 12 | Reno | NV | 9/25/2009 |
| Gateway Theater | Columbus | OH | 9/25/2009 |
| AMC Quail Springs 24 | Oklahoma City | OK | 9/25/2009 |
| Darkside Cinemas | Corvallis | OR | 9/25/2009 |
| Ridgeway Quartet | Memphis | TN | 9/25/2009 |
| Green Hills Commons 16 | Nashville | TN | 9/25/2009 |
| Fiesta 16 | San Antonio | TX | 9/25/2009 |
| Broadway Centre 6 | Salt Lake City | UT | 9/25/2009 |
| Westhampton Theater 12 | Richmond | VA | 9/25/2009 |
| City Center Cinema 12 | Vancouver | WA | 9/25/2009 |
| Fireweed Seven Cinemas | Anchorage | AK | 10/2/2009 |
| Trussville Cinema 16 | Trussville | AL | 10/2/2009 |
| Fiesta Square 16 | Fayetteville | AR | 10/2/2009 |
| Beach Blvd. Cinema 12 | Jacksonville | FL | 10/2/2009 |
| AMC Indian River 24 | Vero Beach | FL | 10/2/2009 |
| Manor Twin | Charlotte | NC | 10/2/2009 |
| AMC Oakview 24 | Omaha | NE | 10/2/2009 |
| AMC Southroads 20 | Tulsa | OK | 10/2/2009 |
| Pilot Butte 6 Plex | Bend | OR | 10/2/2009 |
| Regal Downtown West Eight | Knoxville | TN | 10/2/2009 |
| River Park Square 20 | Spokane | WA | 10/2/2009 |
| Mindframe Theater | Dubuqe | IA | 10/9/2009 |
| Browning Cinema | Notre Dame | IN | 10/15/2009 |
| Cine | Athens | GA | 10/16/2009 |
| Ragtag Cinema | Columbia | MO | 10/16/2009 |
| Wilma Four | Missoula | MT | 10/16/2009 |
THEATERS AND DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
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Over at Never Too Late Guitar, he posted a great post where he compares the EHX Big Muff Pi (Wicker Switch Version) against the Analog Sun Face NKT 275. He played his 1957 Reissue Gibson Les Paul Goldtop and a Vox AC15CC.
Along with his description of settings, he provided a nice little video with audio clips of the two different effects. Personally, he did the clips the way I like them. Simple. Play the same ‘simple’ thing with one pedal, then play it again with the other pedal. I thought it gave a great interpretation of what the pedals sound like in the real world. Obviously, different guitar and amp can change this as well, or the application of the pedal… meaning do you use a fuzz to ‘wool’ up your lead tone, or is it stand alone for rhythm or specific lead tone. I personally have a few pedals just for ‘wool’ (not sure if that’s a official term or what), but I use them for giving body to lead. I don’t particularly like the pedal by itself, but love it after the TS9 for example.
Anyway, kudos to Never Too Late Guitar. Great comparison. You should check it out!
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Got some Guitar Center coupons if anyone is interested. All coupons expire on 8/31
10% Off Purchase at Guitar Center.com (coupon: ANV1, exp:8/31)
$25 Off Purchases of $200 or More at Guitar Center.com (coupon: ANV6, exp: 8/31)
$50 Off Purchases of $350 or More at GuitarCenter.com (coupon: ANV8, exp: 8/31)
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I was originally going to start a review post about the Big Muff Pi, but I started thinking, which one should I review. There have been so many variations with the circuits over the years. This pedal is one of the most popular distortion pedals on the planet, now-a-days with the ‘heavier’ crowd.
I remember being introduced to this pedal when, I believe – and could be mistaken, the re-issue when it was the USSR Big Muff Pi Distortion / Sustainer back around 1998 or so. It was in a black chassis, 3 knobs and single switch. Knobs controlled volume, sustain and tone. I remember stepping on this box, and the distortion/gain was ferocious! The ability to crank massive amounts of gain causing unnatural ‘mean’ breakup was very appealing to me. But you don’t have to go fully in that direction and create a nice overdrive sound with it as well.
Now there are various versions of the Big Muff (Bass Big Muff Pi, Classic USA Big Muff Pi, XO Big Muff Pi w/Tone Wicker, Classic USSR Big Muff Pi, and the XO Little Big Muff Pi).
There are also collectors finding vintage Big Muffs and using them since the circuits changed throughout the years. I was able to find a interesting YouTube video showing some of the variations in tone. I thought it was very interesting to hear the changes and noise level
Some of the draw backs to the pedal. I think it’s pretty dang noisy (at least the USSR version is). The box is fairly large as well, but it’s nice to see the ‘Little Big Muff’ now. Same circuitry but small chassis. The prices for Big Muffs is nice. They usually range from $50 – $90 depending on what you get. Obviously this doesn’t include vintage pedals. At this cost, they’re worth having around.
If you have any thoughts about the other Big Muff models or have any experience with the vintage models, please comment!
Below are a few Big Muff Pi listings at Musician’s Friend.
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This is a major major sale!!
The sale event of the year is here with HUGE discounts across the board in every product category. Save hundreds on gear from Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, Marshall, Line 6, Ibanez, Pearl, Roland, Yamaha, Tascam, Korg, and many more top brands. Whether you want to upgrade your stage rig, step up to a better instrument, or create a computer-based studio, you’ll find deep discounts that’ll help turn your dream into reality.
Okay, this sales is pretty impressive. I sold a Les Paul Studio a few years ago, and regretted that, and I’m seeing LP studios for $799 right now. Sick!!! I would get on this, I am. Visit the sale promotional page at Musician’s Friend.
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Hello All
I’m interested in publishing guest posts. If you have a blog or site that you’d like to promote, this could be a great way to reach out to new readers. Obviously I’d like the post to be effects and/or guitar related, but depending on the topic, I might be interested in other areas (amps, shows, musicians, etc).
Please fill out the contact form if you’re interested, I’ll obviously include your bio and backlinks within the post.
Thanks!
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