Effects Bay

Early on in EffectsBay history, I started Free Shirt Wednesday. Basically, it’s a way for builders, dealers and bands to get some exposure on the web site. They would send me a shirt, I would wear the shirt and I would talk about what they do. It’s been a fun thing, and a great way to get the word out. If you’re interested in being featured on Free Shirt Wednesday, click here for more info.

To the players out there that use picks with their instruments, know how important it is to get the ‘right’ pick. Right hand picking technique is very important and one of things that you don’t want to fight is pick movement and pick hand fatigue. I’ve gone through a few phases in my time. I changed sizes, changed gauges. I use to like the Dunlop Nylon picks for the raised writing for grip. I remember scratching picks for grip, etc. I’ve gone extra smooth and tried different materials. Picks are a very personal piece of equipment to the guitarist/bassists that use them and finding that perfect match can sometimes be a quest.

Here is where Pete from Swiss Picks comes in. Pete has been working hard to create a pick that addresses these issues with guitarist, specifically focusing on the grip. His Swiss Picks have various holes though the picks with raised outer edges. He was kind enough to send me a shirt and a pack of picks to try out. They definitely work as expected. You definitely get additional grip and I noticed no slippage while giving them a test drive.

I thought it would be cool to send Pete some questions and post them on this post.

- What inspired the Swiss Pick?

I was always looking for a pick with a better grip. My pick would turn in my hand during play, which drove me nuts, so I started by experimenting with different sized holes and locations for texture. It didn’t take long to see the Swiss Cheese image, and with a few side holes added, I knew I had something unique looking. However, it wasn’t until a year later that I figured out how to get raised edges, and ‘BOOM’, it was everything I’d dreamed of.

- How long did it take you to go from idea to product?

A couple of years in that department. I’ve been teaching guitar for 17 years, and the picks look gained interest from my students and fellow musicians to want to try them, and once they did, they begged to keep it. They loved it and wanted more. It was then that I knew that the public would totally dig these.

Then after countless prototypes, I figured out where the perfect hole placement would have to be. There’s a theory to this way beyond just putting holes in a pick. I experienced my proud Dr. Frankenstein moment of “It’s Alive!”

- Did you experience many challenges during that process?

Too many to list. Y’know, I’m just a guy who plays guitar and then I’m looking into manufacturing, and the only way to make these is by injection molding. They can’t be stamped. So, then I’m having meetings with mold makers and everyone I know is pushing me to outsource this to China because it’ll be a fraction of the price. Well, that wasn’t going to happen, and then I found the right guy here in Los Angeles to make it. Then it was all about using the best Delrin/Acytyl for the best possible pick tone. You won’t get that in a Chinese made pick. I promise.

Then there’s all the other costly issues, like Patenting, Trademarking, Artwork, Promo Materials, Price Sheets, Website Design, and Business Registration… Hell, I’m getting dizzy just typing this.

On top of that, I gambled by taking a loan on my ’59 Fender Strat.

- How did, and how do, guitarists/bassists respond to your picks?

I have people that absolutely freak out over them, but then again, some of the old school guitar players keep with their standard Fender Mediums and will not try anything else. But, the people who wanted something more in a pick have been diehard supporters and continue to spread the word.

- Is there a type of musician that the Swiss Pick appeals to? And why?

This is a great question, and here’s why… Different styles create different needs. For myself, I’m into Blues, Jazz Fusion, Classic Rock, to Shred and Metal, so I needed one pick that could cover all that ground. I knew it worked for me, but being in Los Angeles gave me a variety of very worthy test pilots.

First up, was Fusion/Jazz ace Julian Coryell, who was floored by it. This guy just glides over the strings, using a sweep/economy picking style like Frank Gambale. Julian put in his Swiss Picks order right there. He was sold.

Second in line was Terry Kilgore (ex David Lee Roth) who is THE definitive rock guitarist. How many guys could follow up Van Halen, Vai, and Jason Becker. What makes Terry so unique is that he’s not a gain nut. He plays with a cleaner tone and he needs his pick to ‘sound’ great. It has to ping off the strings. Terry’s review was that “It sounds great, especially for harmonics. It’s an easy pick to adjust to, and you sure as hell ain’t gonna drop it.”

Last, I knew I needed a really different player, so I chose Josh Landau from The Shrine. Picture power of The MC5 and Black Flag, mixed with high octane classic rock riffs. Their new record ‘Primitive Blast’ will surely blow your minds. Now, Josh really digs in live, riffing like a madman, soloing like Hendrix, sweating heavily, and beating the shit out of his guitar. After his 45 minute set Josh said, “Man, the grip is like super glue”.

Ted from More Music in Santa Cruz, CA is also a guitar teacher of 25 years and said “Finally, somebody got it perfect” and refers it to all his students. That really meant alot to me.

So, I think it’ll cover most styles. Hey, do you play any Country, Hank? (Yeah, I live in Montana and my name is Hank… but I don’t play country music. I respect those musicians though.. they’re damn good.)

- Where are you located?

Swiss Picks is located in West Los Angeles.

- How do I buy?

Please check your local music store. If they do not carry the line yet, ask them to carry it, as we are open to non-corporate dealer inquires, or order direct from our website, www.swisspicks.com

- How much are they?

A bag of 6 should be no more than $3.99

- Do you offer different gauges and shapes?

At the moment we have a Regular, .80, but in the near future I will have a Thick, 1.10, and last a Thin, at .60. As the company progresses, there will be different smaller jazz style shapes available.

- How does the future look for Swiss Picks?

I think it looks great. Though some of the store owners are skeptical, as they always are when a new product is released, the guitarists and musicians have really gotten behind the pick, and I’m grateful to them all. My current dealers are amazed at how fast they’re moving off the shelves, most notably Guitar Asylum in New York.

In closing, I just want to keep the company growing and keep playing guitar as much I can. After all, that’s what it’s all about, right?

So, if you’re looking for a change in your pick department or looking to fix your slipping pick issues, definitely check out Swiss Picks!

Popularity: 1%

Early on in EffectsBay history, I started Free Shirt Wednesday. Basically, it’s a way for builders, dealers and bands to get some exposure on the web site. They would send me a shirt, I would wear the shirt and I would talk about what they do. It’s been a fun thing, and a great way to get the word out. If you’re interested in being featured on Free Shirt Wednesday, click here for more info.

This week’s Free Shirt Wednesday is brought to you by Brady Cases. Having a nice case can go a long ways to keeping your gear like new. You beat up your gear enough when you play it, might as well protect it during transport. Those of you that follow this site know my friend, Jimmy does the demos. Around 1999 we both bought Rivera Knucklehead amps. A few years later he bought a nice road case to protect… I did not. Now when you look at the two heads, one looks like new, and one is starting to shows it’s age. If I had a time machine, I would have bought a road case as well.

Brady Cases is out of Abilene, Texas and focus on building quality custom cases for musicians… as well as other industries like sports, military and medical. They definitely make any case imaginable, and they look like they’re built right and focused to protect the gear inside. If you’re looking for a quality guitar case, amp/cab road case or a case for your pedal board, these guys are worth a look.

Additionally, what got me to Brady Cases was their true bypass strips. They make some very nice true bypass strips that are very popular with big boards. Here is a great example of a hot board with a Brady Cases true bypass strip:

As you can see, they’re into making some great stuff. Be sure to visit their website, follow them on Twitter, and give them a ‘like’ on Facebook!

Popularity: 3%

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Early on in EffectsBay history, I started Free Shirt Wednesday. Basically, it’s a way for builders, dealers and bands to get some exposure on the web site. They would send me a shirt, I would wear the shirt and I would talk about what they do. It’s been a fun thing, and a great way to get the word out. If you’re interested in being featured on Free Shirt Wednesday, click here for more info.

This week’s Free Shirt Wednesday is brought to you by Casper Guitar Technologies of South Florida. What’s interesting about Casper guitar is their use of “smartwoods” for their guitars. Smartwoods are reclaimed lumber or sustainable / rapid growth lumber. A good example of a smartwood is Poplar and is often used as an alternative to Alder and Ash. Casper guitars focuses on high quality, individually hand crafted guitars while being environmentally conscience – zero impact guitars. I like it!

Along with custom guitar and bass builds, Casper Guitars also offers custom effects and effect repair/refurbish and rehousing services.

Definitely check out Casper Guitars and view their gallery. Some very nice guitars have come out of that place, and is definitely worth a look. You can also visit Casper guitars on Facebook and please follow them on Twitter!

Popularity: 4%

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Early on in EffectsBay history, I started Free Shirt Wednesday. Basically, it’s a way for builders, dealers and bands to get some exposure on the web site. They would send me a shirt, I would wear the shirt and I would talk about what they do. It’s been a fun thing, and a great way to get the word out. If you’re interested in being featured on Free Shirt Wednesday, click here for more info.

This week’s Free Shirt Wednesday is Diago. Diago is a great company out of England that are making some cool things the guitarists and bassists out there. Their primary product is a very cool pedal board. They offer three primary versions – Gigman, Showman and Tourman. They sent one here for a demo (that will come soon) and it’s very nice.  Here is their brief description of their pedal boards:

It combines a lightweight and roadworthy pedal board and hard case, making it ideal for transporting your gear between home, gigs and practices. It makes set-up and take-down quick and easy, and is great for storing your pedals at home, so that they can be neatly hidden away from your wife/mum/significant other.

Diago also offers pedal power solutions focusing on low noise offering 9V and 3000mA (they also offer a smaller version 9V at 1000mA) and quality adapters.

Finally, they make the “Little Smasher” which is a compact guitar amp (head). It’s 5 watts, but packs a punch. This is NOT a pedal that you would put in your signal chain, but is truly an amp that can power at 4×12. Here is what they have to say about the Little Smasher:

A fully fledged amp head, its four analogue modelled cascading gain stages adjusted by Gain and Volume controls give a range of tones from chimey clean to plexi-esque rock crunch, and it’s designed to work especially well with pedals up front if you need to push it further or want multiple channels.  It also has active Bass and Treble controls with a massive 15dB boost and 30dB cut available on each.

Diago has dealers all over the world. For a dealer near you – check out their dealers page.

Be sure to check out Diago at their website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Some sweet products for sure!

Popularity: 4%

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This week’s Free Shirt Wednesday post is brought to you buy Rock Cr8. I was pretty excited to get this shirt in the mail the other day. Scott Johnson, owner/operator of Rock Cr8 has been an EffectsBay friend for a long time now, and he definitely has a great product to offer the gear heads out there.

Early on in my guitar playing days, I use to lug around a milk crate – wadded up my cables and throw my pedals in there. It usually was over flowing and over all was a mess. I “upgraded” to some brief cases, which did improve things, but I’m still lugging a lot of pieces. With the Rock Cr8, Scott has remedied a few things here. The Rock Cr8 does a few things. First off it’s a larger container, that is Tolexed (39 styles of Tolex available) with casters. You can get a lot of misc stuff in there (additional cables, pedals, straps, picks, etc). It has a built in pedal board that is removable from the Cr8. Due to the size, it would work great for a amp stand. There is also a light within the Cr8 for seeing during low light.

Here are the specifications of the Rock Cr8:

Standard dimensions:  26.5″ Length, 13″ Depth, 15″ Height.  Custom sizes available
Hinges:  18″ Nickel Piano Hinge or Detachable chrome butterfly hinges
Handles:  Fender or Vox style handles standard, many others available.
Fender Style removable Casters and sockets.Feet:  4 (fender style) Chrome Glides, (4 extra with detachable hinges)
Corners:  6 Chrome Corner protectors
Tolex, your choice of many options, some require upcharges.
Original Velcro brand loop 1000, with industrial strength #119 adhesive, on pedalboard, and inside RockCr8
40+ Stainless Steel Screws
Durable frame (combination of MDF and Poplar in the door and hinge areas.)
6 port Power Strip
Pop up LED light on the inside

I found this video by larraysoulcactus talking about the Rock Cr8:

Please check out Rock Cr8 for more. You can find them here:

On the web: http://www.rockcr8.com/
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rock-Cr8-Pedal-Boards/221647301184001
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/rockcr8

Just in… 10% off on RockCr8 if you mention EffectsBay. Good for the month of February! Thanks Scott!

Now, if you want to be featured on Free Shirt Wednesday.. it’s really quite simple. Send me a shirt, if it’s music related (ie: guitar builder, band, pedal builder, guitar shop, recording studio, etc) I’ll dedicate a blog post about your biz, band, etc. I’ll take a photo with my aging, slightly pudgy mug and post it. Great simple, cheap form of advertising. Still interested? Then check this page for more info

Popularity: 5%

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Today’s Free Shirt Wednesday is brought to you by Custom 77.

Custom 77 is an interesting company out of France that has their hands in multiple aspects of musical gear. They build guitars, basses, acoustics, cymbals and effects. As you can see, they have a lot of things going on. When Paul from Custom 77 sent over the shirt, he sent over a couple of pedals to get demo’d as well. He sent over a Push Me Pull Me Overdrive and a King for a Day Boost. We recently shot the videos for these (will post down the road after they’re completed), but my expectations were fairly high…. and I was not let down, both of these pedals sounded really, really good. They really focused on practical tone options and offering some features you normally don’t see in a stomp box. I’ll definitely get into more of that on their individual demos coming in the near future.

When you get a chance, check out their site – they definitely offer some high quality products and they ship to the United States as well. You can learn more by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter as well.

Now, if you want to be featured on Free Shirt Wednesday.. it’s really quite simple. Send me a shirt, if it’s music related (ie: guitar builder, band, pedal builder, guitar shop, recording studio, etc) I’ll dedicate a blog post about your biz, band, etc. I’ll take a photo with my aging, slightly pudgy mug and post it. Great simple, cheap form of advertising. Still interested? Then check this page for more info

Popularity: 5%

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Today’s Free Shirt Wednesday is brought to you by Walrus Audio. A little while back they sponsored a give away for the Voyager Overdrive which was very popular with a TON of submissions for that thing.

Walrus Audio is a group of musicians out of Oklahoma creating pedals that they’re into, plain and simple. They basically do everything from circuit design, build, and the art work (including silk screening the graphics). Very DIY.

They basically have three main pedals in their line so far (but also do some great pedal modifications) – Voyager Overdrive, Deep Six Compressor and the Iron Horse.

Be sure to check out their website, like them on Facebook (I really enjoy their Facebook posts personally) and follow them on Twitter!

Here is a great video that gives you a sense of what they’re all about. Enjoy!

Now, if you want to be featured on Free Shirt Wednesday.. it’s really quite simple. Send me a shirt, if it’s music related (ie: guitar builder, band, pedal builder, guitar shop, recording studio, etc) I’ll dedicate a blog post about your biz, band, etc. I’ll take a photo with my aging, slightly pudgy mug and post it. Great simple, cheap form of advertising. Still interested? Then check this page for more info

Popularity: 4%

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GIVE AWAY  IS CLOSED

I’m digging today’s Free Shirt Wednesday, which is sponsored by Spaceman Effects. Spaceman Effects is a company that is getting some great buzz out of Portland, OR. We were fortunate enough to demo the Spaceman Aphelion (which I later bought for myself) and I put in a order for a Spaceman Gemini III fuzz… and we’ll be sure to demo that when it arrives.

Spaceman prides itself on building quality effects using quality components. I can attest to the quality of the enclosures and components, they’re great. Obvious attention to detail. I also like how they do limited runs of *styles* of enclosures.. making them collectible, etc.

To me, you can tell when a boutique builder is doing the right thing when you start seeing these pedals on the floor of bands. I mentioned I saw an Aphelion on the floor at the recent Appleseed Cast show I went to. Jimmy, who does the demos here at EffectsBay already had one on his board before we even demo’d the Aphelion (Frankly, if it’s on Jimmy’s board.. it’s a pedal to take a look at).

Spaceman Effects offers 5 basic models of pedals – Gemini III fuzz, Space Rocket, Rumble Fuzz, Aphelion Overdrive and the Mecury III boost. You can purchase different variants depending on what’s available.

When Zak (lead astronaut) sent over a shirt, he thought it would be cool to give one away to an EffectsBay reader as well. I’ll make this really easy, you can enter by filling out the form below. I’ll pick a random winner on Friday(1/6). I’ll contact the winner to get a shirt size and I’ll relay mailing information to Spaceman Effects and get the shirt on it’s way to you.

Make sure you ‘like’ Spaceman Effects on Facebook to see what’s to come as well!

Popularity: 4%

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December 7th, the day that will live in infamy. I have a few relatives that joined the military the following days in 1941 and were some of the lucky ones to survive WWII. It was a crazy time in the world and should be remembered.

Today’s Free Shirt Wednesday is sponsored by BassEFX.com out of Seattle, Washington.  Chad Beeler over at BassEFX.com is the real deal for bass knowledge, and he created a website to focus on effects for bass players out there. His knowledge in the field is quite extensive, he’s definitely been around the tone block and can really be helpful when thinking of effects and your bass tone. For more information about Chad and BassEFX, please read my October interview with him – “Talking with Chad at BassEFX.com”

Here is a nice snippet from BassEFX.com that describes it perfectly:

BassEfx.com provides the widest selection of bass pedals and bass effects available. That’’s it – no guitar effects, no instruments, no amps. Our singular focus (and our special relationship with manufacturers) enables us to offer bass players the biggest selection, the most competitive prices and the best service.
Personal guidance — from a pro

Bass players of all styles work to find their individual, original voice.  That “voice,” of course, is tone. Too many bass musicians don’t realize that the right bass effect can help you create your tone –and share it with an audience.

When it comes to effects, some bass players benefit from one-on-one guidance. At BassEfx.com, you get it. Chad Beeler, a seasoned bass professional, can help you find, modify, or augment any sound.  Whether you want just the right amount of balls, anger, funkiness or beauty, Chad gets what you’re talking about. He’s played bass for more than 30 years, used every effect imaginable, and equipped some of the world’s best known bass players.

Over at BassEFX.com there is a great selection of effects from multiple manufacturers including some great boutique builders. They cover all the ‘types’ of effects from filters to distortion to delays to function pedals like EQs and DIs as well. BassEFX.com is also involved socially with Facebook and Twitter, be sure to like/follow to receive updates on sales and news.

Now, if you want to be featured on Free Shirt Wednesday.. it’s really quite simple. Send me a shirt, if it’s music related (ie: guitar builder, band, pedal builder, guitar shop, recording studio, etc) I’ll dedicate a blog post about your biz, band, etc. I’ll take a photo with my aging, slightly pudgy mug and post it. Great simple, cheap form of advertising. Still interested? Then check this page for more info

Popularity: 3%

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Today’s Free Shirt Wednesday is brought to you by Divine Noise (Portland, OR)! I’m excited to talk about Divine Noise again. I’ve dealt with Gil Divine for a few months. I own a couple of patch cables and a speaker cable… and we’re talking high quality cables. They’re built to last, with solid connections and quality wire and housing.

Gil also understands the requirements for guitarist/bassists. He is also a guitar tech and frequently goes on the road with bands like Yo La Tengo, Lucinda Williams, The White Stripes, Cat Power, Super Furry Animals … And you will know us by the trail of dead. Being on the road with acts like these, he understands the requirements for a quality cable on stage. Failure is not an option. He hand solders EVERY cable and offers a lifetime warranty on all of his cables.

If you’re looking for some cables, definitely give this guy a look. You can see what he’s up to on the web and on Facebook. His cables are also starting to appear at a few dealerships – click here for a listing of dealers that carry Divine Noise Cables.

For this particular Free Shirt Wednesday, Gil is offering to give away a T-Shirt to a lucky EffectsBay.com reader. Simply fill out the form to enter and I’ll select a random winner on Monday (10/31). After the winner has been selected, I’ll get your size, and Gil will ship it out to you. Please ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. This is also open to all submissions.. so international entries are fine.

GIVE AWAY IS CLOSED

Popularity: 4%

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