joe_kairis's Reviews

New Main Guitar

Solid guitar for the money. The only issue I had was the action was a little bit too high, so I lowered it. The matte black finish is really cool in person. Pretty decent output for Epi pickups. The stop knob was an interesting addition as well.

My New Main Amplifier

This amp came out at the beginning of 2018 I believe-or maybe the end of 2017. It was a bit pricey but anyways, after seeing multiple reviews and owning a Roland pedal and several boss pedals, I decided to make the leap to a Boss Amp. The ability to adjust between .5,50, and 100 watts is very useful when switching between the bedroom and band practice. It has multiple voice settings, I really enjoy the "Brown" setting (its full overdrive). The clean channels aren't bad, and the amp comes pre-loaded with effects which you can change online on Boss' website whenever they get that running. It looks pretty sharp as well.

The Waza-Craft speaker is great and I can't believe its only got one twelve inch speaker sometimes with how loud it gets! Awesome amp I would definitely recommend it to anyone who plays hard rock or metal guitar.

Super Slim Ibanez

The blue paint job is much nicer in person than in most pictures I have seen online. I purchased one through ebay a few weeks ago for a pretty good deal. The unfinished back of the neck feels nice to play on and looks cool against the painted headstock. The pickups (I believe they're "Quantum" ones) are much better than the INF ones I had in an Ibanez a few years back. They might even be better than the V7/V8's (another Ibanez pickup). I can't believe how thin this guitar is! Slimline is right!

Overall wonderful looking and sounding guitar, and the play ability is the cherry on top.

#1

Hands down best/only tuner I use now after a cheap clip-on tuner marked a headstock of mine. The Pitchblack is more accurate than any plug-in or clip-on tuner I have used in the past. The LED bars make for an interesting spectacle on your pedalboard as well.

Great All-Around Guitar

I had to buy another one, after buying one last year with a floyd rose on it with three pickups. This one is a two pickup, fixed bridge model in Red (the other one I owned was in Midnight). The pickups in the two pickup model seem to be better than the Ibanez INF pickups. Some of the pickups I believe were "Designed by EMG", these are V7+V8 (Vintage 7&8's I believe Ibanez made).

For the thin necks on them, they are built like a tank. The paint job is very sleek, a flamed maple with a blood finish. The binding is on par with most modern Epiphone fret binding and body-binding jobs (although I have seen shoddy from both). I wish there were more options for modding the fixed Ibanez bridges (Floyd rose too complicated, very stable tuning-wise, however time consuming) but you get what you pay for. Check it out if you get the chance, or any Ibanez guitar for that matter.

G&L ASAT better than a Tele

I used to dislike maple necks until a I owned a certain 90's Ibanez way back.. The neck on this one is solid and fast, with a fantastic look to it all around. This ASAT is on the heavy side, it reminds me of a LP almost. Crazy-sharp Candy Apple red finish and p90's in a Tele style body. I usually shy all the way away from axes outfitted with soapbox pickups. The P90's combined with the bolt on maple neck and hefty body results in a unique sound.

Of course its just aesthetics, but I think the G&L headstock is the coolest of any guitar company- Strictly Opinion. Definitely give G&L or Musicman a try if you like Fender Guitars!

Versatile Mid-sized cab with Open Back

I broke down and picked one up to downsize from using Fender Cabs and Marshall 4x12's my whole life. This one has a open back with what I assume are the regular low-grade celestions. It sounds great honestly and it seems to be able to handle the 100 watt head through it. Downsizing from four speakers to two I don't notice any real loss of fullness (full stack being a different story). Cool modern design face to boot.

Superb, several steps above Solid State Marshalls

I've owned one several months now, got it used in near Mint condition. Sounds great overall, nothing bad to say. I had bought it for the overdrive but now I'm in love with the clean setting. I went with this model after learning on a small marsh combo and then graduating to a Valvestate AVT. This all tube upgrade is based on the JCM 2000 series. Anyway check it out, it's killer.

P.s.- This thing is crazy loud. I believe it is the loudest amp I've ever owned, I have not gone over 5-6 on the gain channels.

Not a Floyd Rose guy but...

I kinda fell in love with this guitar a little bit. Well, love-hate relationship anyway. The action seems to manifest itself to different temperatures and climates. I digress. No pictures do this guitar justice that I have seen or taken so far. It has an almost smokey-burst finish to it. The head stock is done up like this as well, with a shiny, embossed "Ibanez" logo. The white binding is sort of unusual on an Ibanez, but it looks awesome. Solid finish, full binding, monster inlays, plays great.

This one is really cool for an Indonesian model I thought. But try any Ibanez, they make solid guitars for a variety of players.

Another Solid Mid-Level Axe by Epiphone

I have a December 2012 model briefly and the neck is like a baseball bat. It is a step down from the Pro models. It is a solid beginner or intermediate guitar. But be sure to be wary of the variance in neck sizes between models. Still a very decent guitar for the money for sure.

Very Cool looks wise, functionality slightly below average.

I bought one used for like $25-$35 to put either my SG or RG in. I'm not sure about the uniformity between Coffin Cases (minus Bass cases), if they only make one or two sizes and so forth. Anyway, my SG flopped around way too much, and I deemed it unfit to protect it. LP - would have worked, but it still made me nervous. Long story short, it is best suited to the RG, and likely any strat body style variants.

I added one bonus star because closed or open it makes a cool room/stage decoration! Also, the interior padding is way too nice to warrant a two-star rating. Test one first, as the fit can sometimes be poor with some body-style guitars.

Top Purchase for $250-$500 range guitar.

I think I paid about three for this one used. It was in almost mint shape, there was some tarnishing on the p-up covers but no major scratches/ dings. If you blindfolded me and handed me this Chinese Epi and a Gibson LP, it would be near impossible to tell them apart. The pickups could be hotter I suppose, but man its built well. Good to great tone, stays in tune well also. The only negative thing I have to say about it is that there are a few semi-noticeable drops in the binding in a couple spots.

If I had to use only one low- mid end guitar, it would be an Epiphone, Ibanez, or a G&L.

Slightly Disappointed, Still a Good Guitar.

I purchased this G&L Tribute brand new though a Stupid Deal of the Day awhile back. Not a bad purchase. The overall quality and look of this guitar is average or above average. I actually like the painted head stock. Anyway, the back of the neck is unfinished which is unusual for me (also neat feature). Good mix of sounds with this HSS pickup configuration. The only gripe I have is that the whammy bar just slides into the slot on the bridge, and if you tilt the guitar forward at all, it is going to fall out. In addition, the bar makes a decent bit of noise when trying to depress the tremolo arm.

I'm still fairly satisfied with it. Would recommend.

Necessity

These are my favorite strap-locking system. A must-have for any guitar or bass you care about.

Five Stars

This was the first pedal board I ever owned/assembled and its great. I picked this one out due to the slant, all the pedal train ones I could find were flat. The underside allows for cord concealment via zip ties or twist ties at your discretion. It has a mounting bracket to secure your power source to the underside of the board. This saves you precious board space (no frontal power source mounting required). I've only got a few major pedals but this thing is a tank. Comes with a soft case as well!

The Only Pedal you Need!

I was apprehensive about pulling the trigger on this but I'm glad I did! It is an analog multi-effects pedal with a moderate footprint. It sounds great, I think my favorite-sounding effect oddly enough is the chorus. Anyway, it is a simplified version of three EHX pedals, the Memory Toy, Neo Clone, and Metal Muff. It is really about all you need effects wise in my mind (maybe add a Wah pedal too). The Metal Muff may require some tweaking to get the distortion sound you want, especially if your actually using it for metal. The Metal Muff Section also has a built in Noise Gate which can come in super handy. The Neo Clone section has a depth switch which allows you two distinct chorus sounds. Actually one of my favorite pedals, give it a try.

Overall Great Pick

Currently my favorite pick. The protruding logo and words definitely help you grip it when your hands become sweaty. The plastic seems fairly rigid as well.

Thirty Dollars All-Inclusive

I had a 1-spot daisy chain I acquired for free that I had considered using to power my new board, or maybe going in the opposite direction and shelling out $100 or more for a voodoo labs supply. I opted for this thirty dollar unit from Amazon instead. Not only does it work very well, it is small enough to be mounted under the slanted Gator boards. It also lights up blue so that your board looks cool. I was worried it wouldn't power my Digitech Whammy DT, however it powers it fine on the higher dc inputs. As an added bonus, this comes with nine or ten dc cables (didn't have to buy separate/ pay extra)! Great buy, highly recommend.

Very Average Tuner

Response time seems to be fairly average, the colors are cool though and the design is the coolest factor over all. That counts for something right? Kind of reminds me of a designer clothes/purse manufacturer for some reason. D&G? Not sure, haha.

Better Than Dunlop

I bought one used about two weeks ago, and it squeaked and creaked like an old wicker rocking chair. Wrote the Morley tech guy and long story short, between my dad and him, I ended up taking my skinny fingers and a flat head screw driver and coating the spring in it and it worked like a charm! (Previous to this, it squeaked over a solid state 100w Blackstar head through a 4x12 Marshall cab at three-four on the volume knob)... Do NOT use WD-40 unless you take it apart and have some knowledge as to what you are doing, contrary to popular youtube-belief...

Anyway, as for the review.. I love it! I wasn't sure about it at first, but the switch-less (contour Wah switch is to activate the knobs, which lets you dial in your preferred sound) design is really innovative. The knobs and switch are cool and all, but in the grand scheme, it doesn't compare to not needing to go forward and down on the stomp switch with the pedal to deactivate it (like a Dunlop Crybaby Wah). It has come to replace both of my crybabies in two short weeks. Cool pedal, give her a try!