Harley Benton G112 Vintage Cab Review

I recently did a review of the Harley Benton G112 1 x 12 Vintage Cab which has a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker in it (somehow!)....too good to be true? I think so! This has got to be a loss leader from Thomann, as the price is so good! I did a video for the product, so you can find out all I thought about it!Here are some of the specs

• Equipped with: 12" Celestion Vintage 30
• Power rating: 60 W
• Impedance: 8 Ohm
• Housing material: 18 mm plywood
• Semi-open back
• Carrying handle
• Dimensions (W x thomann H x D): 460 x 470 x 299 mm
• Weight: approx. 14 kg

The fact it has a Vintage 30 in it for me is the number 1 selling point! How did that do that? Plus being plywood instead of MDF at that price point is really interesting. I do think the handle might give out at some point and the Tolex is a bit rubbish, but hey you can easily fix that!! Find out more in the videoLove to hear your thoughts and experiences on the product.EnjoyPeaceNeil

Korg Monologue (Red) Analogue Synth Review (1st Impressions!)

So I have just got my hands on a Korg Monologue! I have been wanting something to add analogue synthesis to my tracks for a while (after selling all my analogue synths a while back....FOOOL!) and this combined with the volca series really matched the bill! So I thought I would do a quick unboxing video followed by a first impression video straight out of the box!This is not a full review, but literally my FIRST impressions on taking out of the box!!!Hope you enjoyPeaceNeilUnboxingFirst Impressions

Hercules GS525B Guitar Stand Review

SO I succumb to all the things I have heard about the Hercules GS525B Guitar Stand Review and gone out an brought one! I was really impressed, so I thought I would do  a quick overview of my initial impressions after opening the Hercules GS525B Guitar Stand.You can also get the expansion pack here EnjoyPeaceNeil

Line 6 Helix LT : First impressions

I have just picked up the Helix LT and I think it is amazing. So much so, I did a little video! Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.PeaceNeil

Choosing gear - How would you choose your gear if you didn’t have the internet?

How would you choose your gear if you didn’t have the internet?

Just imaging for a moment that there were no interviews, no magazines, no hundreds and thousands of user reviews, no online reviews (you know the kind that I do a lot of!). Are you imagining that?? I hope so, please go with me on this one!Firstly,  please understand that I'm NOT shooting down the reviewers or the reviews, they serve a purpose and they are doing a great job. It is just that I'm trying to throw out an idea of what would you do if none of this information existed? How would you choose something?

Well, I think it would go a little something like this....

You walk into a guitar shop, you have no idea what any of the pedals are, brands, types, components, you have no idea! So, how would you go about choosing something?Well, perhaps you go and look something that you are visually attracted to, nothing wrong with that. what would you then do?Well, you probably plug it in, turn the knobs, see (hear!) what happened, and I’m pretty sure you would be drawn to something if you liked how it sounds. I am going out on a limb here, but you probably wouldn't care about anything else.We get so side-tracked by other people's opinions, XYZ does this, it sounds better than this, etc, but if you didn't know any of this information, if you haven't heard the voices of the internet or magazines telling you all this, you would probably pick a product primarily on how it sounds, and how it looks, and that is something we forget about quite a lot.I am a big advocate now of just plugging into something and seeing how it sounds. Asking.....does that sound appeal to me? Can I change all the knobs? what does it do? Really getting under the surface of the piece of equipment and finding out what the hell it can do, and how it sounds, and if I like that sound. does that sound work for me? does that sound make me want to play guitar?The little nugget of advice I'm giving here is, that sometimes when you're looking for something, go into a guitar shop, forget the internet for the time being, as awesome as it is, but go in to that guitar shop, go in blind. Get the shop assistant to plug in a whole bunch of pedals that you can't see, and see which one sounds good for you. does it do what you want it to do? Does it make the sound in your head come to life? Does it achieve the sound that you are looking for?We are brainwashed at the moment into thinking XYZ says this, XYZ says that, some guy I've never met before (including me) says this is a great pedal, and it sounds better than this pedal because whatever, and it costs more therefore it must be better, does it really?Of course there are a whole bunch of other factors to factor in, there are some useful things about reviews, if you have a great pedal but it's in a case made of flimsy plastic and you step on it and it breaks, that's not a good thing, and it's probably worth noting that, but in terms of sound and what sound is and how personal it is to someone, if you like the sound of a metal zone pedal then buy one and make it work for you.If you hate the sound of a metal zone pedal, don't buy one, buy a soul food or Andy Timmons Angry Charlie, or something like that, but whatever it is you buy, make sure it works for you and not for some other guy on the internet who says it's a great thing and it works for them.PeaceNeil

Flare Audio ISOLATE Ear Plugs review

Flare Audio ISOLATE

I recently was made aware of a crowd funding campaign for these little ear plugs and I have to say it got me hooked. As some of you know I have a background in academic acoustics and psychoacoustic and thus the ear are something very important to me. I also an a huge advocate of protecting one's hearing from hearing loss in musician circle (as they can be the most immune and the least caring....until it's gone!).

Testing one...two

I have also been very fortunate over the years working in the Acoustic department at the University of Salford to have taken part as a subject in numerous hearing defender tests which are conducted in the department for a variety of companies. I have lost count of how many times I have had gunk squeezed into my ears to make moulds! So, as I am sure you can guess this is an area close to my heart.....and something which I am very 'preachy' about to other musicians and engineers when I know they are in danger.So, I have tried out my fair share of ear plugs over the years and currently favour either the ACS 15 Pro Custom molds, or in low level situations something as simple as the Pro Plugs which work well. The problem is (and I totally get this!!!) that as soon as you put something into the ear canal, you are having a direct impact on the frequency response of the ear and for some instrumentalists this can be fine, say drummers or bass players where the low end isn't attenuated as much and they aren't totally reliant on the mid's to get a feel of what they are playing.

The guitarist

As you might have guessed (or know) as a guitarist, your instrument sits slap bang in this frequency zone, as such any attenuation can make you feel disconnected from the actual sound coming out of your amp. I am sad to say that currently no ear plug I have tried can bypass this issue, but some are better than others and over time you get 'used' to the sound.FlareAudio's ISOLATE are no exception and I have put together two video reviews for you to watch to get a feeling for the issues and plus points encountered using these new plugs in a live environment.First ImpressionsFollow up reviewSo, in summary.....

Pros

• They are amazing and offer a fantastic level of attenuation.
• They are very reasonably priced.
• They come with a great range of earbuds (and the packaging is awesome!)
• They offer a greater level of bass attenuation than most plugs and thus the resulting sounds is less muddy.

Cons (And these are probably just for me!)

• The amount of attenuation can not be adjusted (i.e. like changing filters in the ACS)
• They still attenuate and affect the frequency range of my instrument, but that will be a problem with anything inserted into the ear canal.

In short, they are pretty awesome for the money and have SO many uses, I will always have a pair with me and will be the backup for my ACS's at gigs.Enjoy.Peace,Neil

Atomic Amplifire 12 Review

Amplifire 12 Release Thoughts

How very exciting that news of this product has just been released at the LA Amp Show. I guess this is as a result of so many users requesting more footswitches rather than wanting to pair it up with an external midi controller. I have to be honest as say that since the implementation of multiple options per footswitch which came along in version 3 of the firmware, I have ditched the midi controller and found that all I really need are 3....but obviously the potential with 12 is pretty cool if you can do the same kind of assignments as you can with the 3 switch one.

That is yet to be seen, but I can't believe that you wouldn't be able to!

On the surface it looks pretty much exactly the same as the lovely red Amplifire in terms of functionality, amps etc. and I think this makes total sense, I am not sure it would be good to potential alienate buyers of the original Amplifire in creating a 'better' version, so soon after the launch. To be honest, not that there could be much more which would make it better. Well maybe an autowah effect, pitch effect and well maybe a few more amps :)

So what do we get...

• Two external expression pedal sockets, this is a pretty big one, as you can now use your expression pedal without needing a bodged up cable and loosing your effects loop....so that is a win!

• An on/off switch, as simple as it seems...that is a big one for me, I am not sure why, but I do actually like to turn something of from a designated switch, rather than letting if loose power randomly when you unplug it. I know you might think me strange, but hey it is another win for me.

• A bigger display...well I used the editor mostly, so to be honest that is a Meh from me.

• 1/4 Jack socket for phones, that is pretty cool, but I don't tend to use it with headphones, so not fussed really but 1/4" is more inline with the headphones I own.

Atomic Amplifire 12 Review

     So on the whole this is basically an extended foot switch version of the original and that is a really good thing for some. I am SO happy with my Amplifire (see review below) that I can't see myself upgrading (although I do like the Expression pedal option!), I think these are very exciting times for Atomic. I guess that given that the firmware is the same for the two units we can hope to see some additions coming along in the future which is pretty awesome too.

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Neil

Line 6 G30 Wireless system battery compartment update

Here is a follow up to my review of the fantastic Line 6 G30 Wireless system, and it's slightly poor quality battery compartment. I did a video to show what happened at a gig to the battery compartment when I opened it. This was NOT a result of it being dropped, I take great care of my gear, and especially this piece as it had already broken the very rubbish plastic clip meant to hold the battery in place (this was the reason for the cable tie closing mechanism!). I do think that this is an AWESOME piece of kit and I wouldn't be without it, but it is such a shame that this couldn't have been made a tiny bit better!!Original review can be found hereEnjoyPeaceNeil

Atomic Amplifier Firmware V3 Uploaded

Some very exciting news today courtesy of Atomic Amps, they have just announced a rather large update to the already amazing Amplifire. I am currently downloading it as we speak and once I have updated my Amplifire I will post another update review. But what is not to like? They took something awesome and made it even more awesome!!These are the updates posted on the Atomic Website.

AmpliFIRE Firmware Version 3.0 / System 1.10 Release NotesBefore proceeding, backup your AmpliFIRE using the editor. This firmware has been tested rigorously both internally and by our beta team but if for any reason (as unlikely as it may be) you need to revert to an older version you’ll need it since presets saved in the new firmware will not be backwards compatible. Current presets should sound the same after the update.That being said, we are very pleased to have a BIG update for you with many new features, amps and some critical bug fixes.

•  Marc IV Lead and Marc IV EQ amps have been added to the arsenal and have quickly become a go to favorites with our in house and beta teams. This one’s going to leave a “marc”. Did I just write that?

•  Rumble & Rumble Bright This instant AmpliFIRE classic inspired a certain “steely” guitarist to purchase the little red box on the spot after playing just a few chords and lines. After listening to some customer’s preference for a version with more bite we made it happen. All D style amps are unique so this is fitting. Thanks to “D” amp expert Scott Lerner for all your help!

•  Echo Block: Some have called AmliFIRE’s delays great sounding but somewhat basic. No longer! The Echo block has been completely reworked to be a 4-tap delay that can be run in series or parallel mode. Each tap having dedicated time, feedback, mix and pan parameters. We’ve added a highly accurate Bucket Brigade mode to make analog delays as cool and quirky as the real thing. In addition, another cool aspect of the updated Echo block is the ability to blend your favorite echo characteristics into one effect to create delays that can’t be recreated on their dedicated real-world counterparts. For example, you can put tape flutter on an analog (bucket brigade) delay. The options are limitless.

•  Effects Block: Check out this power move: The Effects block has been broken out to individual blocks. Previously, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser & Trem effects shared the same block and parameters which was pretty simple but very limiting. Now, each effect has its own dedicated block with more parameters that are specific to the effect. The chorus can now be a super lush quad chorus, the flanger has a dedicated regeneration parameter and a though-zero mode and much more. The clincher is that they can all be run simultaneously with no regard to resources!

•  Reverb Block: Spring2 has been added to provide classic D’Luxe lovers a very familiar experience. Reverb is a deep and broad effect and we’re still just scratching the surface. More on that later. 

•  Footswitch management just got a whole lot more fun and flexible. How about being able to assign any number of effects to one switch with the click of the button? 3.0’s got it. Want to turn an effect off when turning the other(s) on? Done! The inverse feature covers it. Check out the new “Footswitches” tab in the editor but make sure to set the Global Switch to “preset assign” to make it work. For those of you who prefer the old way, that’s still intact. Or you can mix and match on a per preset basis!

•  Copy & Paste: Editor now has ability to copy and paste block parameters so you don’t have to go crazy setting up your favorite reverb (or whatever effect) parameters in a different preset

•  Levels: Interestingly, one of the most requested features has been to make the main Level control assignable to main outputs, aux outputs, and headphones independently. Check!

•  MIDI Clock Support for Tap Tempo: Not much else to say but Amplifire’s got it.

•  MIDI CC AmpliFIRE now offers a continuous controller’s assignment page that lets you choose what MIDI CC number controls each assignable parameter (wah, volume, effect enables etc.). External controllers have never been so easy to set up.

What am I looking forward to most??

Well, there is a lot to digest there, but what jumps out instantly is....well the Mark IV model, really really excited to try this.The improved delay functions sound AMAZING!! I love delay so much and this has really excited meFootswitch management. Wow, I has always thought it would be awesome to be able to use one switch to switch on various different effects, i.e. you have your boost with delay sound switch on together rather than having to create a new patch or switch on both, That is a massive one for me!!Love the fact the modulation blocks have been broken down an separated out, that is pretty fantastic and the fact they can be run simultaneously!I do already like the reverbs, but I am a sucker for reverb, so looking forward to trying that out!Okay I need to get on with this, I am about to enter the rabbit hole!EnjoyPeaceNeil