I’ve been buying expensive guitar effects pedals for years. Fulltone, Visual Sound, TC Electronics, Voodo, Boss, DOD – and I’ve always steered away from cheap pedals (like Axion, Yamaha, Danelectro, etc.).

So I’m surfing ebay earlier this year for new pedals, and I come across this pedal company called “Joyo” out of China I’ve never heard of and it caught my eye because it had a JRC4588 chip like the old TS808 Ibanez Tube Screamers (AND I was looking to replace my old Yngvie Overdrive by DOD).

I did some googling, and a half dozen videos and reviews later I had ordered the “Joyo Vintage Overdrive” for a paltry $38 + shipping (new). I figured if it sucks, for that money – I can’t go wrong. In the reviews I liked the tone, it was solid construction, with true bypass – and every review was stellar.

Even though it pisses me off (as an American) – I have to give it to those bastards in China, this GD pedal is every bit as good as any vintage Tubescreamer I’ve ever tried. The construction is every bit as good (if not BETTER) than the old MXR pedals from the 80′s – the thing is just quality.

So I plug this thing in on my pedalboard, and I use mainly my Visual Sound Route 66 for distortion, and then the Joyo Vintage Overdrive over it for leads. It just sings, and (in my opinion) it’s so much better than the Yngwie preamp overdrive was I’d had for years.

I also use it a LOT on it’s own. Say you want the stones dirty clean sound, run this pedal by itself with the volume rolled back a bit and your Brown Sugar and Honky Tonk Woman all day long!

You can View the Joyo Company website here

Here’s a Video review of the Joyo Vintage Overdrive with a Strat and an Orange amp:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLbBL365eic

Here’s a video of a Gibson SG Standard and the Joyo Vintage overdrive (excellent video!)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=u03sihuos_Q

Best place to find the Joyo Vintage Overdrive is on eBay (just like I did). Just know that because there are a lot of people wanting these now some people are overcharging. Beware buying directly from Hong Kong and China – you might get burned. There’s a guy I buy from San Diego called “Slide Meister” who’s the cheapest and in the US. If you’re international, there’s a buy in Australia who sells them for great prices, and always bundles free stuff with them.

Joyo JF-01 Vintage Overdrive Pedal "True Bypass" Free Priority Mail Shipping
	USD 39.89 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 14:26:28
Guitar Vintage Overdrive Effect Pedal JOYO JF-01 Green
	USD 41.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 07:45:49
New JOYO JF-01 Guitar Vintage Overdrive Effect Pedal Bypass Green
	USD 41.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 17:09:05

This is a video review and demo of my Butler Silver Hammer guitar amp – which is a PTP (point to point) hand wired Plexi style amp. It’s like a Marshall Plexi, but the difference is that this amp actually has 2 channels (one clean, one overdrive), AND this amp has a master volume control on BOTH channels!

In the video I do a full walk through, including the controls on the front and the back, before doing a demo on each channel (straight in), and then I demo it with my pedalboard. Sorry about all the banter (some people complain that they just want to hear the amp, not all the specs), but I wanted to be sure to include everything I could think of for somebody actually interested in buying one of the amps.

Here’s the video of the Butler Silver Hammer built by Max Butler of Eaton Rapids, MI. If you’re interested in seeing more about his amps, visit www.MaxButlerAmps.com

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaiQ9M8lisQ

I used a DOD digital effects pedal for years on a solid state amp, and one day a friend came over to jam – and he had his pedal board with him. He plugged it into one of my amps and we were playing some classic rock, and he was using this overdrive pedal that looked like home plate on a ball field. Actually, it had some scratchy pots – and he asked me if I would clean it for him.

Cleaning electronics isn’t my favorite thing, but I agreed to do it mainly just to have the pedal to play around with for a week or so. The version he had was from the 80′s or 90′s I believe, and the pedal was built like a tank. It looked like this one:

All I really did was take the pedal apart, and then spray the volume pots with De-Oxit (to take the scratchiness out), and then I tightened the input jacks a bit, and bent them in a tiny bit (to make the connections tighter). Then it was time to fire it up and check it out!

You can see in the image above that the Route 66 is actually two pedals in the same unit. You have an overdrive distortion pedal on the left, and a compressor on the right. Even though both pedals are in the same box, you just have one input and one output jack, and 3 separate pot controls for each, in addition to a switch.

First off, I want to point out that this pedal is still being made new (by Visual Sound) today, and it looks nearly the same, with the exception of the the raised backplate, and the broader foot control switches (that look like smushed mushrooms):

You can see in the image above that all knobs and controls are the same in both versions. I plugged the pedal into my tube amp, which at the time was a Carvin Legacy. I started with the overdrive side, and the drive and tone at about 2 o’clock, and the volume at 10 o’clock.

I have to say I immediately fell in love with the overdrive side of this pedal. Since testing this pedal, I have bought one for my own pedal board, and the settings are the exact same to this day. There is a “bass boost” switch (which I never use). You can swing the gain up or down and get from Tom Petty and ZZ top sounds, all the up to Metallica, Judas Priest, AC/DC – you truly have nearly every single American “classic rock” sound covered. With the volume you can choose to use it only as a straight overdrive, or to boost the signal for a lead / overdrive. Generally I use it as an distortion overdrive only – and I’ll tell you why next.

The other side of this pedal is a “compressor”. A compressor is an effect that “compresses” the signal and makes it louder. You can think of it as a boost, but it also gives it a bigger, fatter, rounder character as well. The compressor also has it’s own sustain, tone, and gain knobs. The switch is whether the tone is on or off. The sustain knob controls how compressed the signal is, the higher it is the longer the notes “sing”. The gain isn’t exactly an overdrive, but it does make the signal more dirty. So you can choose if the compressor is more of a dirty or clean boost for your signal.

The reason that this pedal is so unique, is because you can just use the clean channel on your amp, and then use the compressor to get a rolling stones type dirty sound. It’s also great for country, and even blues. On the other hand, you can use the overdrive side for an entire song “on”, and then hit the compressor for leads. This is great for that “little change in your pocket, going jang-a-lang-a-lang” type songs, or even heavier stuff. I also own a Tubeworks Realtube pedal that I use a lot that is more Bluesbreaker-ish – and I like to play with that on blues songs, but then use the Route 66 overdrive (with the Tubeworks pedal still on) for just searing, stinging leads.

I think it’s unbelievable that you can get the Route 66 for only $149 brand new, and compared to all the boutique pedals on the market, this thing is priced quite affordably for what you get. I’m a pedal addict, but I can’t get rid of this one no matter what I find. It just blends with any amp I use (solid state or tube), it sounds great with every guitar I own, and combines well with all other pedals I try it with. In the future I’ll review the other Visual Sound pedal that’s on my board.

You can get the Route 66 Pedal at Musician’s Friend:

Visual Sound Route 66 Effects Pedal
	USD / 99.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 00:19:23
Visual Sound Route 66 OD / Compression Pedal PD-3598
	USD / 80.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 18:25:46
Visual Sound Route 66 Overdrive Compression EFFECT PEDAL
	USD 99.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 06:45:05
Visual Sound Route 66 OD / Compression Pedal PD-4193
	USD / 106.25 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 18:04:00
Visual Sound V2 Route 66 OD / Compression Pedal PD-4335
	USD / 122.50 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 20:22:49
Visual Sound Route 66 (V1) Overdrive/Compression Pedal
	USD 55.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 04:25:43
Visual Sound V2 Route 66 OD / Compression Pedal PD-3823
	USD / 113.75 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 19:43:03
NEW! Visual Sound Route 66 Overdrive Pedal W/FREE CABLE
	USD 149.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 18:55:15
NEW AC Adapter For Visual Sound V2 Route 66 Overdrive Guitar Pedal Power Supply
	USD 13.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 06:36:37
Visual Sound V2 Route 66 OD / Compression Pedal PD-4526
	USD / 125.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 20:34:18

This is my new Fender Thinline 72 RI (reissue):

The image is stock, I’ll post one of my playing it soon. I used to be a Gibson man, and I was kind of “anti-Fender”. I liked classic rock, metal, 80′s hair bands, modern rock. But the last couple years I’ve been heavy into the blues. It’s funny sometimes – as you age you learn to appreciate different types of music more. For the first time in my life I pretty much (now) understand how and why players use different configurations of Fender and Gibson guitars and amps. Now I use my volume knob (on the guitar), and I used to just play on “10″, and the only use the amp volume. Then again – I used to have solid state amps, and now I have really good boutique tube amps.

I like the Telecaster sound, by my main instrument for awhile now has been my Mexican Tele with a Seymour Duncan little ’59 in the bridge, and a single coil in the neck. There’s something about that configuration that just suits me. It’s not too light, dirty when I want it, but not muddy like a Les Paul. It’s great for nearly any type of music.

Last week I saw a guy on the local Craigslist had a ’72 RI Thinline Tele for sale, but he was willing to trade for the right guitar. One of the guitars he wanted was a Reverend, and I just happened to have one that wasn’t getting much use. In 1972 Fender put out a Thinline Telecaster (that I’ve been able to find) in 2 different types – “deluxe” and “custom”. The deluxe ’72 Tele is unique because it has 4 knobs (like a Gibson), 2 volume, and 2 tone – in addition to 2 “wide range” humbuckers. That, and the fact that the thinline has the signature F-hole tonebox on top for a slightly brighter sound.

So, I decided to setup an appt for a guitar swap – and the guy like my Reverend, and I liked his Tele. It had a C shaped neck a little fatter then my Mexican Tele, but was actually easier to play (for me). So I took it home and cranked it up, and if there’s anything I’ve learned the last few years it’s the fact that every guitar is different. The guy I bought it from said that he switched the pots out for 500K because it was (in his opinion) too “dark”. I don’t know about dark, but I like guitars with the 500K mod because the gain rolloff is different than with standard 250K volum pots.

On my Tele with the lil ’59 Seymour pickup it starts to get dirt around 5 or 6, and progresses up all the way to 10 until it’s full bore. On the new Thinline 72 I don’t start to get dirt until about 8 (on the same rig and pedals), and the sound at “10″ on the volume is a bit different (slightly more harsh). The “widerange” humbuckers are not what you’d expect. You’re not going to get a Gibson sound, but it’s not a single coil either. It’s not exactly like a P-90 (or as dark). The best way to describe it is a humbucker that has more clarity (and is more defined). The bridge is really bright, the neck pickup is really deep and ambient.

I love my Tele with the little ’59, but the thing about this Thinline is I can set the bridge pickup at one volume, and the neck pickup at another. Then I can go from neck rhythm to bridge leads with ease. With my other Tele it’s one volume for all.

There’s another Thinline back on the market now called the Thinline 69 RI:

You can see in the image above that the Thinline ’69 is a traditional Tele in both pickups and controls. It has the F-hole cutout, but the neckplate is a 3 bolt (where the ’72 RI is a 4 bolt neck).

I’m grateful to have this as a new addition to my guitar collection, you can find it at musicians friend for about $800 bucks:

Check Musician’s Friend Price for ’72 Thinline RI Deluxe

There are some decent auctions on the Thinline as well:

Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe NEW!!!!
	USD 429.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 03:45:35
FENDER TELE THINLINE PICKGUARD LOADED WITH DELUXE PICKUPS,
	USD 160.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 16:26:40
Fender Classic Player Tele Thinline Deluxe Guitar Black
	USD 799.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 13:11:45
Fender Classic Player Tele Thinline Deluxe Bundle - Maple Fretboard, Black
	USD 799.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 07:14:15
Fender Classic Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe Electric Guitar Black
	USD 799.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 15:46:22
Fender Classic Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe - Tele Guitar (Black), NEW!
	USD 799.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 17:26:22
Fender Classic Player Telecaster Thinline DLX
	USD 789.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 02:24:03
Fender Classic Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe Guitar
	USD 799.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 19:34:04
Fender Classic Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe Guitar
	USD 799.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 19:32:20
FENDER TELECASTER DELUXE THINLINE HARDTAIL BRIDGE PLATE
	USD 7.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 19:51:26

Fender '72 Telecaster Thinline Electric Guitar
	USD 410.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 21:02:17
Fender Squier Classic Vibe Tele Thinline Floor Model
	USD 285.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 17:12:52
'02, FENDER TELECASTER THINLINE,'72 Tele Thinline Reissue, SHELL PINK
	USD 650.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 03:49:45
Fender '69 Thinline Flame Telecaster Electric Guitar
	USD 900.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 22:17:15
Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster Thinline Electric Guitar with B-Bender
	USD 375.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 17:19:03
1972 Ash Double Humbucker Fender Telecaster Thinline Hollow Body Reissue w/case
	USD / 725.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 20:39:07
Fender 60th Anniversary Modern Thinline Telecaster American Tele bration USA
	USD 1550.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 23:17:22
Fender Telecaster Thinline Made in Japan
	USD 450.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 06:38:10
Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe NEW!!!!
	USD 429.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 03:45:35
One month old Fender 72' Thinline Electric Guitar
	USD 500.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 06:02:38

To practice guitar quietly you need a “headphone guitar amp”.  In the privacy of your own bedroom or basement you can have an entire Marshall stack between your ears!  There are bunches of headphone guitar amps on the market right now, and many are just, well….very cheap!  That’s why we recommend a couple different units for you to check out..

It’s not just a chinsy personal guitar amp, it’s a “modeling” headphone amp.  It’s got effects that include Reverb, Chorus, and Delay.  It even has Phaser, Tremelo, and Wah!  In as far as amp models you can get a jazz combo all the way up to balls out metal crunch. 

The Vox Amplug

The first one is the “Vox Amplug“. The first time I saw this a friend brought it band practice. He actually had purchased a Vox amp, and got this headphone amp for free with it. He lived about an hour away from our practice space, and he came right from work to practice. His work was 30 minutes from his house, so he didn’t want to go home and load up all his gear (traveling one way in the car) and then double back to practice (traveling another way in the car). And he didn’t want to leave his amp his car all day. So he used to leave one guitar in the practice space, and then bring this headphone amp in his pocket.

I thought it was pretty funny, actually, at first. He would plug his guitar into the Vox Amplug, and then we’d use a 1/4″ to 1/8″ converter and plug it directly into the PA. Guess what – it worked just fine! I was always amazed with the preset channels how easy it was for him to just plugin and go. He could sound like Red Hot Chili Peppers one minute, and Metallica the next. This unit I personally recommend for bedroom practice or situations like the one we had at practice. It’s nice because it plugs directly into your guitar, and you plugin the headphones into that. As an added bonus, it has a mp3 or 1/8″ aux input – so you can plug your mp3 or CD player and practice alone with the music!

You might be able to find one used on eBay too:

VOX AMPLUG AP-TW AMP PLUG TWIN COMPACT PLUG IN GUITAR HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER
	USD / 39.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 18:56:37

VOX AMPLUG AC30 AMP GUITAR HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER AUX JACK
	USD 20.00 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 22:38:06

VOX amPlug AP-JS JOE SATRIANI Headphone Guitar Amp NEW
	USD 49.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 19:04:46

VOX AMPLUG AP-NT AMP PLUG NIGHT TRAIN COMPACT PLUG IN GUITAR HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER
	USD / 39.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 19:48:32

VOX amPlug Lead Headphone Guitar Amp
	USD 49.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 20:34:56

VOX AP-CAB amPlug Guitar Amp Cabinet
	USD 33.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 20:54:17

Rockman Guitar Ace

My next choice would be the Rockman Guitar Ace. I don’t know how long they’ve been making this model, but I can remember Rockman headphone amps as far back as the 80′s. I don’t know for sure, but they might have been the first to make a guitar headphone amp. In any event, these are awesome units, they remind of of an 80′s walkman tape player. The only caveat here is with the Rockman you don’t have as many settings as the Vox Amplug. You get compression, volume control, and clean, or semi or heavy distortion.

ROCKMAN BASS ACE headphone practice amplifier amp new
	USD 93.41 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 19:40:48

ROCKMAN Ace - AC Adapter - 12 Volts DC
	USD 14.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 22:53:24

ROCKMAN GUITAR ACE headphone practice amplifier amp new
	USD 93.41 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 23:16:43

Rockman Guitar Ace Headphone Amplifier DUN-GA pratice-Travel Amp
	USD 93.41 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 00:01:39

C Tech Pocket Rock-It S1

The last recommendation is the C Tech Pocket Rock-It S1 headphone amp. It’s a little cheaper than the rest, and it has a 1/4″ jack right on the back so it plugs right into your guitar. The advantage of this is that you can now plug your headphones into that, and you don’t need a cord at all to practice. It has the least features of the 3, but you do get one clean and 2 dirty channels, with EQ sliders for highs and mids. It’s a good deal for about $35 new.

If for some reason you didn’t like one of those 3 – like I said there are cheaper headphone amps out there, and you can get good deals on most of them on eBay – check out these auctions too…

Dunlop ROCK-GA Personal Guitar Headphone Amplifier Clean & distortion overdrive
	USD 97.86 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 17:58:05

New Concept3 Headphone Guitar Amp - with Headphones
	USD 16.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 03:01:04

Brand New CTECH Pocket Rock-It V2 Headphone Amp C Tech
	USD 69.69 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 18:52:34

VINTAGE TOM SCHOLZ ROCKMAN SOLOIST GUITAR HEADPHONE AMP W/ ROCKMOUNT RM-10 CASE
	USD 239.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:51:53

ROCKMAN BASS ACE headphone practice amplifier amp new
	USD 93.41 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 19:40:48

Dean Headphone Amp Stack In A Box Practice Amplifier
	USD 44.46 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 19:46:33

Tronix Portable Mini Guitar Headphone Amplifier Amp
	USD 26.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 20:30:53

VINTAGE ROCKMAN X100 TOM SCHOLZ GUITAR HEADPHONE AMP BOX AMPLIFIER X-100 EFFECT
	USD 79.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 20:28:24

Vintage Tom Scholz Soloist Headphone Guitar Amp * WORLDWIDE SHIPPING
	USD 94.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 05:40:06

ROCKMAN GUITAR ACE headphone practice amplifier amp new
	USD 93.41 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 23:16:43

Seems like everyone and their brother has a “signature guitar” anymore. You seem them from time to time in Guitar Center or the latest Musician’s Friend catalog, but never all at once. The kind of seem to come and go. I decided to list my favorite signature guitar models all at once for you to check out. These are my favorites from Eddie Van Halen, Dave Mustaine, Dimebag Darrell, Michael Schenker, Tony Iommi, Zakk Wylde, George Lynch, Kirk Hammett, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck, Slash, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Randy Rhoads, John Petrucci, Angus Young, and Steve Morse. I wish I had them all!

Van Halen Wolfgang Signature Guitars

Peavey Wolfgang with Herc Fede swirl
	USD / 1700.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 04:21:56

PEAVEY WOLFGANG EVH SPECIAL EXP BLUE 6 STRING GUITAR WITH CASE EDDIE VAN HALEN
	USD 835.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 19:40:16

Peavey EVH Wolfgang USA Special Deluxe RARE
	USD 999.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 15:16:10

PEAVEY EVH WOLFGANG SPECIAL USA PURPLE MINT WORLDWIDE SHIPPING
	USD 710.00 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 02:00:51

Dave Mustaine Signature Guitars

Dean Dave Mustaine Zero Angel Of Deth II Signature Electric Guitar, NEW!
	USD 499.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 17:28:34

DAVE MUSTAINE PINUP CLIPPING W/ guitars In Studio Megadeth
	USD 1.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 15:41:59

2011 Dean Dave Mustaine VMNT Angel of Deth Electric Guitar, OHSC -- Nearly New!!
	USD 999.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 00:08:35

Dean Dave Mustaine V Electric Guitar Metallic Silver
	USD 260.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 18:56:51

Dimebag Darrell Signature Guitars

Washburn Dime "V" electric guitar. Dimebag Darrell Flying V
	USD 375.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 16:56:34

Dimebag Darrell washburn 333 guitar
	USD 375.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 05:59:23

Damageplan Dimebag Darrell Guitar Pick Necklace Pantera
	USD 14.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 17:06:34

Dean Dimebag Darrell Razorback Explosion Electric Guitar with Case - New
	USD 860.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 18:56:51

Michael Schenker Signature Guitars

Young Guitar Magazine Extra #6 Michael Schenker RARE tab MSG Scorpions UFO
	USD 25.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 17:55:09

Dean Michael Schenker MS STD 6 String
	USD 179.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 06:25:32

Dean Michael Schenker Signature Standard V 6 String Electric- B Stock
	USD 275.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 19:18:02

Dean Michael Schenker V 1 Signature Model #11 - Mint Condition
	USD / 3499.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 22:06:21

Tony Iommi Signature Guitars

Epiphone Tony Iommi Signature Model with free case
	USD 325.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 20:46:47

2002 Gibson USA Tony Iommi Signature SG Guitar
	USD 1999.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 02:05:27

HEAVEN AND HELL 2007 Tour Guitar Pick!!! TONY IOMMI custom concert stage Pick
	USD 7.98 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 22:08:35

Epiphone Tony Iommi Signature G-400 Electric Guitar
	USD 350.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 05:56:54

Zakk Wylde Signature Guitars

Black Label Society Guitar Pick Necklace Zakk Wylde BLS
	USD 9.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 17:01:37

Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom Bullseye Electric Guitar W/ Hard Case Nice!
	USD 599.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 09:05:04

Jackson RR Randy Rhoads Guitar Ghost Flame Zakk Wylde EMG 85 Active Floyd Rose
	USD 143.50 (23 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 20:16:42

Black Label Society Nick Catanese Guitar Pick Ozzfest 2000 Kiss Zakk Wylde
	USD 4.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 20:51:58

George Lynch Signature Guitars

George Lynch Sunburst Tiger GL-500T W/ Signed Autograph
	USD 750.00 (8 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 18:57:13

LTD/ESP GL-200K KAMIKAZE GEORGE LYNCH CUSTOM GUITAR W/SEYMOUR DUNCAN/INLAYS/ETC
	USD / 449.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 19:01:04

GEORGE LYNCH PINUP CLIPPING Sexy 80's Dokken Guitar
	USD 1.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 20:05:52

GEORGE LYNCH PINUP CLIPPING Shirtless Concert Guitar DOKKEN
	USD 1.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 21:18:01

Kirk Hammett Signature Guitars

Lot of 4 Guitar World Metallica Magazines Guitar tablature Kirk Hammett
	USD 4.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 14:28:07

ESP Custom Shop KH-2 KIRK HAMMETT Sig. Electric Guitar
	USD 1329.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 02:44:14

Lot of 4 Guitar World Kirk Hammett Magazines Guitar tablature Metallica
	USD 4.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 14:31:47

JAMES HETFIELD KIRK HAMMETT PINUP CLIPPING recent W/ guitars Metallica
	USD 1.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 15:58:09

Buddy Guy Signature Guitars

MAGAZINE Guitar World 91.07 Jeff Beck Buddy Guy Slide
	USD / 6.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 02:35:34

*NEW* Fender Artist Series Buddy Guy Stratocaster Strat Electric Guitar
	USD 869.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 18:34:57

MAGAZINE Guitar Player 94.11 Peter Green Buddy Guy Otis
	USD / 6.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 02:58:35

MAGAZINE Guitar Player 96.06 John Lee Hooker Buddy Guy
	USD / 6.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 03:00:03

Eric Clapton Signature Guitars

Eric Clapton Signature Strat Stratocaster Mia Frankenstrat
	USD 499.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 14:00:22

2011 FENDER ERIC CLAPTON SIGNATURE STRATOCASTER ELECTRIC GUITAR UNPLAYED
	USD / 1195.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 23:53:18

ERIC CLAPTON 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival guitar picks collection - SEALED
	USD 25.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 19:08:19

ERIC CLAPTON GUITAR FEST~PBS CONCERT DVD~ROBERT CRAY, JOHN MAYER, B.B. KING+
	USD / 19.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 20:05:05

Eric Johnson Signature Guitars

Fender ERIC JOHNSON STRATOCASTER Artist Series Electric Guitar AMERICAN Strat!
	USD 1697.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 23:25:50

Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster (Candy Apple Red) TRADES ACCEPTED
	USD 1700.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 20:50:42

Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster in Sunburst Finish with case
	USD 1035.00 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 23:38:51

Fender Strat Body Eric Johnson
	USD 203.50 (9 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 00:26:28

Jeff Beck Signature Guitars

Fender USA Jeff Beck Stratocaster Tremolo back COVER Strat 3-ply White
	USD 0.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 18:56:55

Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Jeff Beck 1954 Oxblood Reissue Aged,Signed Played
	USD 17450.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 23:10:31

GUITAR PLAYER Mag. April 1993 Jeff Beck, Albert King
	USD 8.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 23:46:43

GUITAR WORLD Magazine 10/99 Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen, Metallica
	USD / 4.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 02:21:14

Steve Vai Signature Guitars

STEVE VAI AUTHENTIC ULTRA ZONE TOUR GUITAR PICK
	USD 8.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 08:00:32

Ibanez Mikro white mini electric guitar used very clean Steve Vai looking
	USD 89.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 02:14:33

Guitar Player Magazine Feb 1989-The Art of Improvisation-Steve Vai
	USD 6.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 13:50:38

Guitar Player / Steve Vai / Oct. 1986
	USD 2.75 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 14:08:22

Joe Satriani Signature Guitars

Ibanez Joe Satriani Crystal Planet Guitar Limited with Case Super Shape
	USD 5699.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 12:40:33

Ibanez JS2PRM Joe Satriani Chrome Boy
	USD 9999.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 12:55:39

STEVE VAI JOE SATRIANI PINUP CLIPPING recent W/ Guitars
	USD 1.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 15:49:04

Peavey JSX Joe Satriani Signature All Tube Guitar Amplifier Head 120 watts USED
	USD / 715.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 18:34:20

Randy Rhoads Signature Guitars

JACKSON JS30RR-FR RANDY RHOADS Electric Guitar w/Blood RED Bevels
	USD 395.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 02:46:56

Jackson RR Randy Rhoads Guitar Ghost Flame Zakk Wylde EMG 85 Active Floyd Rose
	USD 143.50 (23 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 20:16:42

GUITAR WORLD Magazine 3/02 Metallica, Fugazi, Randy Rhoads, Kid Rock & more.
	USD / 4.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 02:21:14

GUITAR WORLD Magazine 8/04 Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Los Lonely Boys
	USD / 4.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 02:21:14

John Petrucci Signature Guitars

*DEMO MODEL* Ernie Ball John Petrucci BFR JPXI Music Man Onyx *NO RESERVE*
	USD 1799.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 17:11:32

Music Man John Petrucci Hand Signed Signature Guitar w/Case USA JP 6 Ernie
	USD 1695.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 22:13:24

Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci BFR 7 Tobacco Burst, Quilted Maple, Piezo
	USD 1999.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 21:06:14

DREAM THEATER - JOHN PETRUCCI NEW SIGNATURE GUITAR PICK
	USD 9.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 23:08:55

Steve Morse Signature Guitars

Guitar Player Oct 1989-Steve Morse-Just the Magazine
	USD 4.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 13:50:38

Ernie Ball Music Man Steve Morse Signature Guitar - No Rsv - Mint!!!
	USD 1299.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:16:46

Guitar World Sept 1994-Pink Floyd, Steve Morse, Helmet, Woodstock, and Lynyrd
	USD 5.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 13:50:38

Musicman Steve Morse BFR BLACK SUGAR Roasted Guitar
	USD 1949.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 18:02:59

John 5 Signature Guitars

Kerry King/ John5/ Mick Thompson Autographed BC Rich Revenge Warlock
	USD 650.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 01:34:56

Squier by Fender John 5 Telecaster Black Tele J5 Electric Guitar New in Box!
	USD 379.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 16:05:04

Marilyn Manson guitar pick John 5 foil red on black
	USD 6.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 21:26:58

Marilyn Manson guitar pick John 5 satanic logo on red
	USD 6.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 21:27:02

Angus Young Signature Guitars

Guitar Parts Custom Engraved Truss Rod Cover Fits USA GIBSON - ANGUS YOUNG ACDC
	USD 9.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 04:51:05

AC/DC Angus Young IP Signed SG Electric Guitar PSA
	USD 749.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 18:25:02

Guitar Parts Custom Engraved Truss Rod Cover Fits EPIPHONE - ANGUS YOUNG AC/DC
	USD 7.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 04:52:51

AC/DC Angus Young Celestion Speaker Guitar Promo Ad Voice of Rock & Roll
	USD 9.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 15:31:48

This is the information I wish I would have had about new fangled guitar modeling pedals versus traditional stomp boxes (before I burned up 2 amps!).

I’m 39 years old, and I grew up in the 80′s when effects mainly consisted of a Boss Distortion and maybe a chorus or a flanger. I knew guitar players that had more money that maybe had a delay or something, but many of us just plugged straight into the amp. Most of us had Peavey or Crate amps, there was only one guy who had a Marshall – and he was the local “guitar god” if you know what I mean. When I was 25 I quit playing and sold my equipment to pursue family, career, and the American dream.

Fast forward to 2003 when, at the age of 35 – I decided it was a good time to get back into music. At first I had a cheap guitar and a practice amp. Not much different than when I was a kid I guess. Then I bought a Marshall (Valvestate) 65W combo amp and just played straight through that. It had some built in chorus and reverb effects – so it wasn’t so bad. It even had an overdrive channel.

I started a cover band and that setup was ok at first, but in a cover band there are so many songs in different genres that you need a lot of different tones and sounds to make it sound right. I was in the store looking for some new stompboxes when the owner showed me a Digitech “modeling pedal”. He explained that the little computer chip inside contained nearly all the effects one could ever need – it was like 50 stomp boxes in one. He also talked about 50 “amp models” – something I really didn’t understand. It seemed like quite the deal for $89 (basically the price of a single stomp box) – so I bought it and took it home.

At first this was a real piece of work, I plugged my guitar into the box and ran it out into the effects loop in the back of my Marshall. Most of the preset effects were awful, and just made my amp feedback and squeal no matter what I did. The way these units work, there are preset “patches” with loaded sounds you can try. My digitech unit had 64 patches, 32 – each loaded twice. You were supposed to program over a set of them with your own preferences. When I started creating my own patches, I just set some up with individual effects, like chorus, delay, reverb, trememlo, etc.

After about 6 months of playing that way I discovered some of the “amp models”. I found that if I took the one that emulated a Fender Hot Rod Deville amp and cut the volume (in the pedal) down to about half, and through the effects loop of the Marshall ran the effects blend volume at 60% I could get an absolutely awesome classic rock sound! About a month later I added an overdrive pedal and connected the digitech to that, so I had both running together through the effects loop of the Marshall.

I had a lot of intermittent problems with my Marshall for the next 6-12 months. Sometimes it would quit working and it would “come back” minutes later – and sometimes I would have to turn it off and back on before it would. After about a year it just died, and when you turned it on it either squealed or just had nearly no volume at all. I bought a Marshall (Valvestate) head and a 4×12 bottom and began to use that instead. After a few months it started giving me trouble too. I took it in and had all the pots cleaned (which helped), but then it started cutting out and clipping a lot. I took it back in and they said they fixed something, but when I took it home and plugged everything in to practice it started to smoke big time! I turned it off just before it appeared to nearly catch on fire. When I took it back the next day – they replaced all the main transistors.

I didn’t play it as much for awhile, and took my Valvestate combo back to have it revived from the dead. The amp tech told me the preamp was burned out and needed to be rebuilt – so I had that done. When I went to pick the amp up I started asking questions about whey the preamp would go out and described my setup to the tech. It was during that conversation that I realized I had blown up 2 amps – and didn’t even know it.

A traditional effects pedal or stompbox can be used in an “effects loop” or direct through the front of an amp. Straight through the front the effect is just added to the total sound. But by using the “effects loop” you add the effect to only the pre-amp, and you can choose the level of the effect before it gets to the main portion of the amp. This is great if you want to choose how mild or harsh the effect will be added into the total sound. What I didn’t know and what the “modeling pedal” (and Marshall) instructions failed to say was that – modeling pedals aren’t meant to be run through effects loops – EVER! Modeling pedals are supposed to go straight into the front of the amp – ONLY!

The problem is this, in a modeling pedal the “patch” contains both an amp model and effects. These together, going through an effects loop “drive” (or overdrives) the pre-amp before the signal even gets to the main part of the amp. The end result sound is great, but too much for the amp (slowly burning out the preamp!). In a tube amp, it would just get hot and start clipping. Once you turn it off and it cools down, you could turn it back on and do it again over and over without damaging the amp. But my (Valvestate) amps are solid-state, and while there’s a governer in the main part of the amp that protects it from burning up during clipping, the pre-amp doesn’t have one. Hence the reason I burned up my pre-amp!

So, once I learned this when I went home I plugged my digitech modeling pedal straight into the clean channel of my Marshall and started to play around. All the pre-set effects now sound great with no squealing! I even downloaded some patches from the Digitech forum and using the amp models was able to get some great Van Halen, Weezer, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Ozzy, and U2 sounds!

After doing some research online about modeling pedals, and now having gone through the good bad and the ugly with them – I can honestly say that as a guitar player they take a lot more getting used to than a traditional stomp box. With stomp boxes (other than the settings for each box) they are either “on” or “off” and that’s it. In a modeling pedal you have a “patch” that is basically a pre-set that can contain your amp model, an amp cabinet (speakers), the intensity of the amp model, the volume of the patch, any effects (chorus, delay, reverb, etc), and even some EQ – like bass, mid, or highs. You may have to setup a dozen patches for sounds you like, one for lead, one for rhythm, one for clean, etc. I found that I had 2-3 for different classic rock songs, some for harder rock, and quite a few for clean.

Guitar modeling pedals take TONS more time to setup at first, but are much more versatile in the end result. The CON is that if you love the natural distortion or tone of your amp – you won’t get to hear it using the modeling pedal. Having said that – having a good amp with quality speakers is kind of key to getting a good sound with a modeling pedal. If you have a cheap amp with cheap speakers, a modeling pedal will not make it sound good. You’ll just have a good sounding model through tinny speakers. So you still need a quality amp, it’s just not as important that you have a $3,000 Mesa Boogie or Bogner, a lower end Marshall or Fender will do just fine.

There are dozens of options for modeling pedals, and in the coming posts I will review them all – starting with the end all be all of live modeling rigs – the POD XT Live and POD X3 Live – which I now use, all coming up in the next post.

What would classic 80′s rock be without Motley Crue? Nikki has a signature bass that’s both affordable and that sounds great, he calls it the “Blackbird” (fitting eh?). If you love it louder than Hell, then you’re never too young to fall in love with Epiphone’s Nikki Sixx Blackbird electric bass guitar. The original, “DeepSixx” humbuckers are directly mounted for more crunch, and, combined with a simple on/off toggle switch, help you recreate the distinct sound of Motley Crue!

NIKKI SIXX EPIPHONE BLACKBIRD THUNDERBIRD BASS EMG HSC 80's COVER BAND
	USD 399.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:05:11

Esp has been making these LTD series guitars for awhile now, and you can’t beat what you can get for the money. They look great, play fast like a dream, and their resale value is pretty high. I’m sorry, you don’t get half of the guitar for the same money in an Epiphone.

The LTD EC-Cobweb is based on custom artwork by designed by groundbreaking UK artist Sam Shearon (a.k.a. Mister-Sam). His style, often referred to as “dark surrealism”, is reflected in the Cobweb, which will have a limited production run of just 100 guitars. Each guitar will include a Certificate of Authenticity signed by the artist. The guitar is based on ESP’s popular LTD EC-500 model, which has a set-neck single-cutaway design at 24-3/4″ scale, a mahogany body, a mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, and EMG-81 (bridge)/60 (neck) active pickups.The famous single-cutaway guitar body style never looked better! The mahogany body sounds as good as it looks. Featuring an Earvana compensated nut so your tuning is spot on in every key and a thin U-shape neck with 24 extra-jumbo frets, you’re going to sound amazing and feel great playing this guitar! With an EMG-81 JB pickup in the bridge position and 60 active pickup for the neck, your crowd won’t miss a single lick!

LTD/ESP GL-200K KAMIKAZE GEORGE LYNCH CUSTOM GUITAR W/SEYMOUR DUNCAN/INLAYS/ETC
	USD / 449.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 19:01:04

ESP/LTD EC-1000 FR ELECTRIC GUITAR
	USD / 600.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 08:49:25

2011 ESP LTD EC-256 Electric Guitar, Vintage Black -- Nearly New!!
	USD 349.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 01:00:28

ESP LTD EC-401FM with ESP case
	USD 629.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 12:36:40

ESP LTD EC-401 Olympic White Electric Guitar. EC401OW, EC-401OW
	USD 524.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:32:36

ESP LTD EC-1000QM Deluxe Electric Guitar "Beautiful Green"
	USD / 550.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 17:55:22

ESP LTD PH-600MG Page Hamilton Solid Body Electric
	USD 499.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 15:07:56

ESP LTD EC-401 Black Electric Guitar - New w/ Warranty
	USD 649.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 18:09:20

ESP LTD Viper 300FM ONE OF A KIND!
	USD 300.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 16:56:08

ESP LTD EC-401VF Tobacco Sunburst Electric Guitar - New w/ Warranty
	USD 649.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 18:09:20

Kerry King is the god of the speed metal guitar, and he’s been using BC Rich guitars for year to melt the faces off all his fans! That’s probably why BC Rich has been known for years a basically a “metal” guitar.

The B.C. Rich Metal Master Kerry King V features a maple, bolt-on neck; solid, beveled basswood body; widow style headstock; a rosewood fretboard with white pearloid dot lnlays and 24 jumbo frets; a wrap around fixed bridge; and 2 BDSM humbuckers.Bolt-on Construction The Metal Master Kerry King V uses a classic Bolt-on construction. The maple neck is bolted on with 4 screws to the body. This construction offers some added flexibility in the instruments adjustment and provides the option to change the neck in the future.B.C. Rich BDSM Pickups B.C. Rich designed their BDSM humbucking pickups to provide a solid sound and to be durable while delivering high output. BDSM stands for Broad Dynamic Sonically Matched. That simply means the pickup is designed to reproduce a wide range of frequencies accurately (broad dynamic). Then they are tested and matched in pairs (neck and bridge) by their inherent individual and signature tonal and output characteristics to give a solidly balanced tone (sonically matched).Beveled Top The Metal Master Kerry King V employs a beveled edge around the shape. In many ways, bevels on a top are similar to facets on a cut stone. They catch the light and reflect at different angles giving the instrument more of a three dimensional look.

BC Rich Kerry King Sig V Generation 2 Electric Guitar
	USD 450.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 18:17:46

BC RICH Kerry King Warlock Wartribe GUITAR with Fire Graphic & Kahler KKWGW1
	USD 379.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 05:42:55

B.C. Rich Kerry King special edition warlock / tribial flames
	USD / 109.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 18:31:57

BC RICH KKV Kerry King Flying V Guitar in DLX Hard Case
	USD 267.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-02 21:05:04

Slayer Kerry King "God Hates Us All" signature guitar pick RARE!!
	USD 20.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 00:16:57

Kerry King/ John5/ Mick Thompson Autographed BC Rich Revenge Warlock
	USD 650.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 01:34:56

B.C. Rich Kerry King KKV "V" Guitar, Black w/White Tribal Graphic; Deluxe Case
	USD / 699.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 03:50:02

Signed Guitar World Magazine BIG 4 Special - Kerry King Anthrax Metallica
	USD 19.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 02:37:39

B.C. Rich Kerry King Signature V Electric Guitar with Kahler Tremolo Black With
	USD 713.93 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 21:01:17

Slayer Kerry King "King of Hell" profile signature guitar pick
	USD 0.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-03 23:09:09