Effects Bay

I’m super psyched about today’s Free Shirt Wednesday. This week, it’s Fat Tone Guitars! Phil from Fat Tone Guitars has been a friend of EffectsBay.com from the beginning. He sponsored the first EffectsBay.com give away and has offered his support in many ways. I also deal with Phil on a personal level with buying various pieces of gear, and I have to say this, every time.. and I mean every time I call, he answers the phone has time for me. I’m not sure where you’re from, but where I’m from.. that means something.

Fat Tone Guitars has an impressive selection of pedals, amps and guitars. Obviously, I have a thing for the effects…so I spend most of my time in that area. Along with his site, he has a blog, and a active Facebook page. You definitely need to follow Fat Tone Guitars on Twitter and Facebook since he does offer give aways, and you don’t want to miss out on cool free gear.

Physically, Fat Tone Guitars is located in Northbrook, IL, so if you’re in the area you need to stop in. His show room is quite.. awesome.

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: 1%

This week’s Free Shirt Wednesday goes out to Black Cat Pedals. A few weeks ago I reached out to Black Cat Pedals to see if we could possibly do some things together in the future. I really like contacting builders and developing a great network for possible new reviews, promotions, etc. Anyways, that led to a shirt in the mail, and a new pedal business to research, so here we go.

Looks like Black Cat Pedals was originally founded in Texas by Fred Bonte in 1993.  He later discontinued production in 2007 and Black Cat has restructured, but using the same designs that Fred created. All their pedals feature high-quality components and PCBs and are hand-wired.

They have a pretty impressive list of Black Cat players – Eric Johnson, Billy F. Gibbons, Trey Anastasio, Scott Henderson, Steve Lukather, Michael Landau, etc. Not a bad list.. not bad at all!

They have four main pedals with number five (Vibe and Ring Modulator) coming out soon.

Bass Octave Fuzz
Super Fuzz
OD-1
OD-Fuzz

Here is a video by gearmanndude demo’ing a OD-1

If you want to learn more about Black Cat Pedals, please check out www.BlackCatPedals.com, join their page on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

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%

I was excited to see there was a new shirt submission last week, but even more excited to see a couple of CDs in there. This will be my first ‘band’ related Free Shirt Wednesday submission and I’m stoked!

With the shirt and discs there was a album press release for their “Movin On” album. I’ll quote a little…. “It’s a 10 track, 52 minute epic musical journey of songs about living the good life, fire, growing beards, girls, aliens loneliness, pirates, love and so much more.” Well, after reading that line… I’m already liking these guys.

Trippy Wicked is a 3 piece band from the UK in the heavier rock/stoner genre. Layered SG guitars and a vocal style reminiscent of Alice in Chains.

Dropping the disc, I immediately liked their opening track “Movin On”, but I also really dug the third track called “Fire”. After checking out their site, I see that they had a video for this, so I’ll include it here as well. If you’re liking Trippy Wicked, please buy their disc on their site.. or on Amazon

I also wanted to say “Thanks” to Chris for sending me the shirt and discs. Also, check out Trippy Wicked on the other various social networks…

Trippy Wicked on:
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
MySpace

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: 2%

Today’s Free Shirt Wednesday submission is from Jim Dunlop USA, but specifically for Way Huge Electronics. Everyone should be familiar with the Dunlop brand (obviously the Dunlop Crybaby Wah comes to mind), but they also own and produce the popular MXR line as well as the Way Huge line. Way Huge has some great pedals – Fat Sandwhich, Swollen Pickle Fuzz (which was our first pedal demo), Pork Loin, the recently re-issued analog delay, the Aqua Puss, and the Angry Troll (which we’ll be demo-ing soon!).

When I talk about Dunlop, I also have to mention two things that I have to check out on a regular basis. They are the Dunlop Blog and Dunlop TV. I absolutely LOVE Dunlop TV and featured some of their videos on this blog. Great stuff, and great insight about gear and what goes behind the scenes of popular bands and artists.

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: 2%

Today’s Free Shirt Wednesday submission is Tone Factor! Tone Factor is definitely a go-to place for guitar/bass effects out there, and have really created a name for itself. I’ve dealt with Brad Fee over there in the past – previous EffectsBay.com sponsored give-aways and recently the Mojo Hand Gyro review, and he’s been absolutely great. Every time I call Tone Factor, Brad is there and available to take my call… I definitely respect and appreciate that!

If you’re unfamiliar with Tone Factor, here is their brief ‘about’ statement:

ToneFactor.com – We’re dedicated to bringing you the finest in hand-made, boutique effects. Not a corporate superstore … we specialize in custom analog effects made one at a time by real people. Looking for TONE? Look no further.

We carry many pedals that you won’t find at other music stores. Our goal is to introduce new and upcoming effect makers to the market. We also carry some the best and most unique in “production” pedals (including Electro-Harmonix and HAO),as well as accessories.

If there’s something you would like to see, contact us. If we can’t get it will gladly point you to someone who can.

Thanks for visiting!

Brad Fee – Owner ToneFactor.com

Tone Factor is great in how they offer many of the well know manufacturers as well as some obscure builders. For example, I use a Audio Crowther Hot Cake.. which I love and they carry that. That pedal can be hard to find at times.

Tone Factor also has a great YouTube channel where they demo their pedals (they have over 3,000 subscribers!). Also, check them out on Twitter, since they do announce new arrivals and deals often there.

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%

Today’s Free Shirt Wednesday is brought to you by Casper Guitar Technologies based out of Leisure City, FL. I thought it was interesting that Casper Guitar Technologies builds custom guitars from sustainable or ‘smart’ wood sources. Steve Casper mentioned that this is a environmental responsibility he has, and I dig it!

Since the late 1980s, Casper Guitar Technologies has built guitar using FSC certified lumber, RoHs components and electronics in the tone and volume circuits and use low VOC finishes, solar powered battery chargers and low voltage LED lighting in some of his work areas at the shop.

Currently, Casper Guitar Technologies has 5 completely customizable models. All have bolt on style neck joint which gives lots of freedom to change neck and fingerboard materials.

He mentions that the S-Series Classic (The RetroCasper) is the most popular guitar he offers. It’s constructed using poplar, a sustainable wood that carries the same tonal characteristics as alder and is easy to acquire. Along with custom guitar building, he also winds and sells hand would pickups!

When you get a moment, please check out www.Casper-GT.com and tell Steve EffectsBay.com sent ya!

Also, Steve is on Twitter as well at @0ImpaceGuitars

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: 2%

I was stoked to get this shirt last week. Mark from Lava Cable hooked me up with a shirt, and I’m honored to wear it for Free Shirt Wednesday this week. A few months ago EffectsBay.com had a give-away where Mark donated a Lava Cable Kit to a lucky winner. That give-away was a great success.. and hope to work with Lava Cable again in the future!

For those of you who do not know about Lava Cable, they are producing a very popular  solderless cable system. The combination of innovative ‘plug’ system and ELC (Low capacitance) cables they’re definitely on to a good thing.

Here is a quick description of their cables:

Lava Cable along with G&H Industries has designed a revolutionary DIY solder-free plug specifically designed with tight tolerances to match the Lava Mini ELC cable. The Lava PlugTM is first solder-free DIY plug on the market not to use a set screw to make the ground connection. Instead, a sleeve making 360 degree ground and outer jacket contact is us

I personally use Lava Cables on my pedal board and have been very pleased. No issues of shorting, and tone is clean and bright. I would highly recommend the Lava Cable kit for anyone looking to wire up their pedal board.

If you have a few minutes, check out LavaCable.com and check out their other products. They have a lot more to offer than just the cable kit, I was actually surprised. Item of possible interest is their Lava CPS (Configurable Pedal Board System).

Thanks Mark for sending the shirt my way. I’ll definitely be wearing it proudly!

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: 2%

I was stoked to receive a package from Source Audio last week containing a shirt for Free Shirt Wednesday! I’ve communicated with Will Cady of Source Audio via email and twitter and he’s always kept me in the loop of what’s been happening at the Source Audio compound.

Source Audio is a company that is making some interesting and great pedals for the professional musician. Designed for the studio or stage, they’re built with innovation in mind. I’ve posted a few videos about their products in the past, and they’re definitely worth a look. Some of the interesting pedals would be the Hot Hand Wah, which is controlled by some type of laser on the hand, or mounted on the headstock of the instrument. A different approach to wah control by using something else other than your foot. The other pedal that really got my attention is the Soundblox Pro Multiwave distortion. This distortion pedal is insanely versatile. Also, for you bass heads out there, they make the Soundblox Pro Multiwave Bass distortion.

Will Cady is a damn fine bassist, and it’s great to see someone that understands the musical requirements or necessities of a pedal while having the ability to actually create and meet those needs.

If you get a chance, check out their website, where they have a few other pedals I didn’t mention. Check out their video clips – they sound great and are quite thorough. Also, check out their dealer page for information on where you can buy some Source Audio gear!

Thanks Will!

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: 2%

Last week I was checking out Jeremy’s site (GearPipe.com) and came across a great little podcast, where Jeremy interviews Mindy Abovitz of Tom Tom magazine. I gave it a listen, and I was liking what I was hearing. Basically, Mindy (who is a drummer) has passionately created her own print magazine (and a website) that celebrates female drummers out there. I like to hear about stories of people into what they do.. and make something of it!

I have a 4 year old daughter, and she loves banging on the drums. She can also maintain some time, which I’m still quite surprised with. I often think it would be cool if she got into it, and just like guitar, it’s good to have role models to help inspire and encourage your dream of playing a instrument. There are not many female drummers out there (I only know of one personally) so it’s great to have a place where they can share a voice.

After hearing the podcast, I immediately checked out their site, and sent Mindy a email letting her know about Free Shirt Wednesday, and she was into it. Shortly after, a shirt arrived (and a issue of Tom Tom!)

So I’m really happy to help spread the word of Tom Tom! If you have a few moments, please check out TomTomMag.com and tell Mindy that EffectsBay.com sent ya!

Visit Tom Tom Magazine on Twitter and Facebook.

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: 2%

Today’s Free Shirt Wednesday post, is actually not a shirt.. but buttons. Remember, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a ‘shirt’. This weeks Free Shirt Wednesday is featuring Cordinated Cables “Cables that Compliment”. A couple of weeks ago Juli @cordinatedcable mentioned that she didn’t have a shirt and asked if I would accept buttons.. so I said “Sure!”.

So what’s deal with Cordinated Cables? They’re taking a unique and modern take on vintage cloth cables from the 50s and 60s. These cables are quality built, hand soldered and hand wrapped with durable yarn. The yarn is Scotch Guarded to protect against dirt and grime, etc.

They offer a couple of varieties of cables – Top Notch and Classic. Top Notch is their boutique line. Highly shielded and low capacitance. Top Notch also use Neutrik X-Series or C-Series 1/4″ plugs. Classic cables are built using industry standard cord stock and standard 1/4″ plugs.

I asked the following question to Juli – What got you into doing this?

Dan and I (Juli) have both been musicians for over 15 years. I am a graphic designer (as well as a super cable wrapper) and was really disappointed with the look and feel of a lot of the music that is available. The design of most musical equipment is dull, unaesthetic and / or marketed to boys. Being a female bassist I am not usually inclined to buy a bass cab that looks like it was forged from a monster truck. I just feel that music is an art and the tools we use to make it should look as good as they sound. Also music tends to be a very visual medium as well as auditory (Album Art / Stage Productions / Show Posters, etc.). Why not carry this visual medium over into our equipment?

Cordinated was started with this philosophy in mind. I was an avid knitter and had tons and tons of yarn lying around my house and at the same time Dan (an engineer by trade) was starting to build amps and effects pedals as a hobby. One day it all just clicked! Dan had ordered some supplies to make his own cables since he was already a soldering pro. He made me one and I wanted to make it more unique and noticeably my own. I pride myself on being unique and this new idea was something I had never seen or heard of before. Cordinated combines my love of design with my love of music. I just thought it might work, and I’ve been making these cables ever since.

Please check out Cordinated Cables on the web:

ETSY: http://cordinated.etsy.com
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cordinatedcable
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/cordinated
MAILING LIST: http://eepurl.com/fLEx

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%