Effects Bay

Okay, so a friend of mine pointed this cool tool to me. It’s the Keith McMillen Batt-O-Meter. In a nutshell, it’s a battery tester, but why I’m bringing this up.. it’s super convenient with pedals and active pickups. Basically plug in the 1/4″ jack into the pedal and it will tell you the status of your battery. Don’t have to take the battery out, etc. As you can see… very cool.

Here is the official description of the Batt-O-Meter:

The Batt-O-Meter from Keith McMillen Instruments is the first battery tester for musicians. Test the remaining hours of battery life and voltage of 9 volt batteries while they are still inside gear through a 1/4-inch plug. The Batt-O-Meter works with almost any active instrument pickup or effects unit (stompboxes and other floor effects) that requires a 9 volt battery to operate, and is turned on when a standard 1/4-inch cable is plugged into it. The Batt-O-Meter works by automatically placing the battery under an appropriate load to simulate real world usage. A micro-processor within the unit allows the device to intelligently determine the different loads that can be put on the battery and calculate the power in hours remaining. This eliminates the need for extra buttons and adaptors, and makes the Batt-O-Meter simple to use. The Batt-O-Meter can test stand-alone batteries: 9V, 1.5V (AAA, AA), and 3V. It works with Alkaline, Rechargable, and old school Carbon-Zinc batteries. The Batt-O-Meter requires its own 9 volt for operation, which it can self-test. Located in Berkeley, California, Keith McMillen Instruments (KMI) is an intimate company that makes innovative technology for string instruments. A portion of each KMI sale is donated to the BEAM Foundation for research and provide commissions for new musical works. Visit www.Batt-O-Meter.com for more product information, including videos, documentation and support.

Also, here is a great video showing it’s capability:

You usually see this tester in the $30-$40 range, but I found it on Amazon for only $19.87!!! That’s a great deal.

Popularity: 3%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• line 6 tap tremolo repair
• 1/4 jack pedal connect
• wet loop pedal diy
• diagrama chave dpdt footswitch
• odc fulltone
• 1/4 inch 9v battery checker
• looper volume pedal mammoth
• loud buzz line 6 tap tremolo
• MXR Carbon Copy Delay diagrama
• repair fulltone wah switch

I was visiting some guitar forums earlier this morning. Not sure if I was coping a little attitude from my illness or I’m experiencing a mild Turkey withdrawal or what, but I saw an ad for Shred Necks. I’ve never heard of such a thing, so I was obviously curious and wanted to investigate further.

Long story short, or short story long, it’s a tool to help guitarists warm up. It’s a miniature neck where you can practice scales or ‘strumming’ if you’re guitar is unavailable for some reason. I usually like guitar aides, but this just seemed weird to me. Am I missing something? Does this seem practical to everyone else? Do any of you use this tool?

I don’t know, for me, if I wanted to practice guitar, I would grab… my guitar. I play dry all the time. I work in my office and have it next to my desk at all times. If I get burnt out or frustrated.. it’s time for a rock break. I don’t get it, please enlighten me if I’m missing the point.

Here is a video I found which still makes it confusing to me.

Popularity: 2%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• diy guitar shredneck
• diy shred neck
• diy shredneck