Why I love Guitar

To most people, the experience of playing guitar, whether for yourself or in front of an audience is a mystery.  For those of us that have this experience we know what we know.

I’ve often said that those of us who have the gift of music should share it with the world. Not everyone has this gift and we should not take it for granted.  This is part of the reason I love playing guitar.

The feeling of creating something out of nothing.  The feeling of hitting that right note that just sings to you.  the feeling that nothing else exists in that moment but you and a chunk of wood and steel.


I also love the visual aspects of the guitar.  The curves of a strat or Les Paul.  the clean lines of an Explorer.  The wild shapes from companies like B.C. Rich or Jackson.  There is something primal about seeing that six string work of art that makes me want to pick it up and play my heart out. 


I wish I could channel this experience and share it with people who have not yet been able to go down the path of guitar bliss. I wish I could share the emotion, joy, angst, and euphoria that goes with playing guitar. 


I also love the feeling when I’ve created something totally new. Yes, I know nothing is totally original in the music world but when I create something new to me, I feel like a proud parent.

With the technology available today I don’t see why more people cant pick up a guitar. YouTube as well as other online outlets and DVD lessons make it easier than ever to learn to play guitar  Guitar Center has offered pretty low prices on entry level guitar packs too.  For around $200 you could get a beginner guitar pack and use the internet to start learning the ways of the six string. 


I’m challenging the internet to go out there and start playing guitar.  Make some noise, jam with some friends, write a song that speaks to you. The world can only be a better place when this happens. Go make some noise!!!!

Plutonium Fuzz….Meltdown in a box

Fuzz pedals have been around for over forty years now. They were among the first pedals us guitarists had to use to create the distorted rock and roll sound we all love. A few years ago while learning the ropes of pedal building I built the Plutonium Fuzz. It was based on Fuzz Central's Axis Face which was a Fuzz Face variant. I did some tweaks based on information found on the various DIY sites and ended up with a really cool pedal.

I've had the schematic and perf board layout on the DIY stompboxes forum for a while but I think it's time I put it here for everyone to see.


The Schematic

The Layout



The Lowdown

This Fuzz is not subtle. It is not completely out of control either. It has lots of gain but with careful tweaking of the controls you can get a great maxed out fuzz sound while still maintaining some clarity and minimizing noise.

When building this there are a few things to be careful of. Make sure your input and output wires are as short as possible. Also don't let the input and outputs cross. Nor should you let any signal carrying wires cross the power supply wires.

 Fuzz circuits are a magnet for noise and you will be faced with some ugly hum, his and oscillation if your are not careful.

Here’s a link to a video demo from my old guitar blog days…..yes I probably talked too much
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDbTzIldEY4

Halloween fun

It’s that time of year again.  All the ghouls and goblins come out of hiding to scare all us mortal beings.  As a kid, we all had that fear of the dark, or the monster in your closet.

A few years back I employed my wife and my son to help me record a family Halloween song. It was a great experience and it captured my son at an awesome period in his childhood.  That age where you live for Halloween and Christmas.  My wife is also immortalized as the calming reassuring voice of mom, the person who makes everything OK.


“Monster in my Closet” is a fun, slightly scary, retro Halloween song for all ages.

Enjoy

Danelectro Chicken Salad Vibe pedal

The Original Uni-vibe pedal is one of the  most sought after effects in the world.  It's think swirling modulaiton made famous by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Robin Trower are distinctive and mesmorizing.

For most of us, an original isn't an option.  They are pricey and somewhat noisy and cumbersome. Fortunealy Danelectro has produced a nice compact alternative that will fit nicely on the pedal board and wont break the bank.  While these aren't made any more, you can find these on ebay for around $30.  I myself own three.  :)

Check out this short little video of this awesome modulation pedal.

Santa Clara River Bridge Remains

The St. Francis Dam failure in 1928 was devastating.  The loss of life and property extended for miles.  The remains of the dam still exist but there are some other ruins from this terrible event that can be found as well.

The Santa Clara River bridge was part of the original ridge route which extended from Los Angeles to Bakersfield.  It crossed the Santa Clara river at what was then Castaic Junction.  The bridge there was washed out when the flood waters from the dam failure came through but the concrete supports and some evidence of the old ridge route still survive.

I decided to venture out and find this historic site.  It's amazing that after all these years this site still exists.


Below is a postcard depicting the bridge while still in tact.


The same area today.



This is the asphalt from the original ridge route where it would have met the bridge





Bridge supports

Danelectro Rocky Road Rotary Speaker Simulator

Danelectro’s Rocky Road Rotary Speaker pedal is a great little option for those who are looking for that signature Leslie sound without taking up too much real estate on the pedal board.  For such a compact pedal it packs in quite a few features to faithfully recreate the classic rotary speaker sound.

A speed knob, ramp button, and switchable fast or slow ramp speeds allow you to dial in the right amount of warble and switch between the underwater sounds on the fast side of things to the thick slow pulsing on the slow side of things.

The drive knob allows you to dial in a little grit simulating the power amp distortion often associated with the Leslie’s sound.  From a little dirt to full overdrive and everything in between.

Below is a short video demo of this awesome little pedal

Abandoned Oil Refinery/Beale’s Cut

These days the Santa Clarita Valley can be accessed from the south via the 14 and 5 freeways or The old road and Sierra highway. Back in the mid 1800’s the first path through what is now the Newhall Pass was Beale’s Cut.  A crude path cut through the mountain but an important throughway that allowed people to gain access to the Santa Clarita Valley.

Beale’s Cut still exists although it is somewhat challenging to get to.  Access from the south is somewhat available although it has become increasingly overgrown.  Access from the north requires you to pass through what is left of the Newhall Refinery property which is connected to the Elsmere Canyon open space. 

To find out more about this historical site please visit http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/bealescut.htm


Below are some photos and video of my trek to this historic site.

Newhall refinery in the 50s                       and today






Beale’s Cut today

A link to a photo of the same area in the 1870s http://www.scvhistory.com/gif/ap0625.jpg


A view looking north from inside the cut

And a view looking south from inside the cut



A little video of the decent from Beale's cut back through the refinery.

MXR Phase 45 Reissue

Back in the 70’s MXR produced a number of pedals, the most famous of all the Phase 90 which was used generously by Eddie Van Halen.  A lesser appreciated pedal (at the time) was the little brother, the Phase 45. 

The Phase 45 was a two stage phase shifter which had a more subtle effect which to my ears is a little more musical.  The pedal was discontinued and seemed lost to musical instrument history with vintage examples popping up occasionally.  The circuit did find some life in the DIY world with many schematics and layouts for the original circuit.

MXR eventually decided to reissue a faithful recreation of this awesome little swirly sounding pedal.  The SCP105 ‘75 Vintage Phase 45.

From subtle slow swirl to fast warble this pedal produces some really great modulation that to me sounds more like a Univibe type sound rather than a phase shifter.
Check out a short demo  of what this pedal can do.