polonavarro's Reviews

Great tone

B.C. Rich ST-III 1987 made in Korea is a model stigmatized by a culture where the popular notion of quality / price prevails. In this case, since it is an accessible guitar, the idea of an erratic or failed instrument is immediately associated with this guitar. However, another truth is this: the neck is one of the finest you could ever have on a mid range guitars, and the stock pickups (probably a version custom made by dimarzio for BC Rich) have much more thrust even than some mid-range Ibanez and Fender, and maybe you can't belive it but this model don't make "hiss noise". The tuning stability depends a lot on the maintenance of the system (springs from 30 years ago do not fulfill their purpose as well as some of current technology just released on the market).

Nice guitar

The Ibanez GAX70 was my first guitar that I could buy, and it was a pleasure to support my learning on it. I think it is an instrument that allows the configuration of a "low action", have a very nice comfortable neck, and, its tone is versatile. I sold it because in those days I didn't really know what I needed and wanted for get in the music style that i like. However, compared to many other guitars (low-range price and thas include some mid-range price to) even after twenty years, i can say the Ibanez GAX70 its a good guitar to get start.

All the gain you need to always get good sounds its rigth here: Guv'Nor 2+

This was the first stopmbox I acquired, I just liked its sound from then until now. If you do not like the stock version, you should know that this pedal greatly improves all its sound properties by replacing the diodes involved in generating the distortion effect. The ones that it brings installed from the factory are not bad, but those of Germanium give it a more spectacular sound, and I honestly believe that this is the real propuse of any stompbox: define our best sound.

This pedal is something that I always carry in my pedalboard, I like this pedal because its price is accessible, its quality is good, its sound qualities are positive, but especially: because in almost any amplifier it usually sounds pretty good. There is no incompatibility with other pedals.

In my chain of effects, I used the Guv'nor 2+ just as if I had a "mid gain" Overdrive, but I know that if I need to get a plus/extra drive there is a little more, there is still some levels to keep pushing on the gain knob.

I occasionally add an EQ or some other pedal that serves as a "Booster", without being a "Booster" as it could be according to the musical context: a "Fuzz" with the attenuated drive, another more aggressive distortion, a compressor to rescue the lost signals and generate the illusion of greater volume, a fixed "Wah Wah" Jimmy Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Slash, Zakk Wilde, Kirk Hammett, Jimmy Page, or just a very subtle "Phaser" Van Halen's style.

Do you need some jazzy dark flow in your music?

This CREATE GFX212 amplifier is a controversial creature, I can not consider it as something fantastic because its sound is actually somewhat bleak, [I hope my opinion is not misunderstood].

"I like its sound", I used with a "ST III BC Rich guitar", but however, it has something that In spite of the equalization, it makes that the guitar tone connected to him feels heavy, fat, [could be the speakers, the wood of the drawer, or the simple fact of avoiding problems at ground level].

I currently like the clean channel on it with 1/3 of Reverberation. It is definitely an amplifier made to play in open environments, becuose easily starts to providing too much volume. The effects included in general are not very good, although I use some times the Delay to add it a "cascade fallen sensation" with a Analog Delay [Short Configuration] and another Digital Delay [Long Configuration] and thus try to generate a Lead Tone for "jazz fusion" characteristic of 1980.

By the way, some of these amplifiers over the years usually generate background noise [hum, crack, ziz] and it is very difficult to remove them by your own [require technical intervention]. Even if this happens, with a Noise Gate pedal the problem is done [but it is not solved with this trick, and if you don't hear it anymore, i can shure it is still there].

It is a good amplifier, to play live in medium places, open squares, kiosks, parks, theaters, or wooded terraces like Irish pubs.

It needs some free space to optimally develop its sound.

A better tone for any moment "maybe you need something like this"

This "TC Electronic" Sustain Parametric Equializer toy has very little time involved in my life, I bought it without expecting anything exceptional, I just needed a little hold for a Soloist LE 400Q guitar that has two humbucker pickups that supported based on Alnico V Custom, whose configuration eat off a part of the natural sharp of my instrument in exchange for offering my ear a better tone-to-volume ratio. But I have decide don't move the screws for any reason.

So, that's "the why" I included it in my basic chain until I found an optimal site [which after several days in the experimentation phase, quickly began to claim its site after the gain pedals]. And from then I feel that when get "turning it on" everything in my sound vibes seems to be very different.

I don't know exactly how to explain what this pedal does, because, on a technical level, too many things are happening. I know that we all probably need the function of an audio signal compressor, and this "TC Electronic" (SPE) is not promoted as a mere audio signal compressor, although it's and it does, and perhaps the reason for this is because [in its own way] this stompbox performs at least the five stompbox task:

1. Compressor/Sustainer
2. Parametric Equalizer
3. Noise Gate
4. Booster/Reinforcement
5. Signal Enhacer/Improvement

It really surprised me, because with this toy I was able to approach the sound of some guitarists that I admire, and not so much for what can I use to mimic his lead tones, but yes because “now I can really enjoy some benefits that also all of them enjoy it in some moment in his musical career".

Compressor / Sustainer to level the sound when doing "skip string" and project a better feeling of "legato" in the notes.

Parametric EQ to give body to the sound of the instrument without changing the characteristics of its own nature [wood, strings, components].

Noise Gate to reduce the sound produced by the rubbing of the thick pick [almost inevitable in the leading guitar profile].

Booster to reinforce the signal in the important arrangements of our execution or give that extra little push to the most intense parts of our solo time.

Signal Enhancer for those moments when it is not possible to have a premium amp, this device brings spirit and life to any modest amplifier.

It's a very complex pedal, and it can take a long time to find a configuration that works correctly for your musical style.

** Warning **

If you do not adjust it well, you will have everything opposite to the benefits that I mentioned: lose down the tone of everything that is hooked before, low volume, robotize the signal of your guitar, channel noise, and could even generate interference [especially near an analog fuzz].

A "Wah Wah" for build a "Lead Tone"

The "Bad Horsey" [from my musical bubble] is one of the most fabulous devices that Morley has launched. From my point of view, it has great advantages over other mechanisms that emulate this same effect. "The wah" is not a noise or sound filter, but "it’s a frequency filter of those sound or noise produced by our instrument signal". And the game between the lowest range and the highest range that our pedal can offer is part of the key to being satisfied with its sound projection.

In this case, the Bad Horsey is a pedal that has a good dynamic range of action. You can play quite well with the medium frequencies [which are the ones that usually give us notoriety and distinction at the time of the main arrangements].

Apparently, this particular effect, was designed to preserve the feelness contained in the amazing tone of "Steve Vai", and so, what I try to highlight is that, specifically, it is not a stuffing stompbox.

So, the character of the "Bad Horsey" is absolutely leading: then, once you crush it, nobody will ignore what comes out of it, good or bad sea. And this aspect protagonic could represent a disadvantage at some point if you still have doubts about the configurations prior to this stompbox [especially: overdrives, distortion, fuzz, and booster].

This "Wah" is not dark, it is not clean, it is not environmental, I mean it is not an additional element that improves or worsens the original signal of your instrument. Only the project merged with the range game that we control with the foot, resulting in the sound we all know as "Wah Wah".

This "Wah" is especially bright, crispy, vibrant. And once you press it the original signal of your guitar merges almost completely, although in a very interesting and attractive way, highlighting the loudness of the "Wha": even above other sounds in the chain of effects.

There is no need to press an on or off switch. There is no signal loss in the chain. It is not exactly "true by pass", but it behaves as such. It is not damaged easily. It is a battle tank. There is no internal potentiometer to take care of. There is no potentiometer wear.

The big little one amp "Lead 12" Marshall

This unit has all the profile and character that musisians can feel in a good Marshall amplifier, it is definitely not comparable to those other Marshall premium units, however, it does its own thing: "and it does what it does in an excellent way" [even better than other units of the same range / range]. This is perhaps the most remarkable element: its performance is of good quality. And if you get a good EQ set-up shurly you going to feel like a real rockstar.

I can assure you that it does not project any unique or magic sound as the units that work on a tubes base usually do, but "definitely" does have that lovely roar [apparently due to Mosfet transistors]. And we can get this kind of sound especially using it in a "Clean Crispy" [maybe Vol. 8 / Gain 5, adding "optionally" the frequency range of a smooth Mid Range overdrive stompbox].

I have put it to the test in several musical contexts and it is an excellent ally for a "Protagonic Profile" drawn with a Stratocaster [with shiny strings: Elixir type] equipped with a sort of a Jazzer setting: semi-off tone between 5 and 6, EQ "Lead 12" with medium to full range, low 1/2 and sharp 2/4, using the (ST) medium pickup as a "Principal Tone".

But it also served me with a Les Paul [with hard strings: D'Addario type] some sort of Bluesy setting: bright tone between 9 and 10, EQ “Lead 12” with low range 3/4, medium to 3/4, treble 3/4] using the (LP) Rythm's option as a "Principal Tone".

If you can give yourself the chance to get one, do not hesitate so much. The "Lead 12" is better than many beyond. I name mine "The Reliable".

The only modification that i made on this amp [without being necessary] was to change the original Celestion Speaker on it for another variant of the same brand: "Celestion Seventy 80" just because this ones are more of my personal taste.

Nice Amp

It is an amplifier that I can describe as versatile. You can get sounds for any musical genre you are wishing to interpret, and even better, you can customize your own sounds [although this is a bit complex].

As if that were not enough, you going to need read the manual maybe several times. However, it is worth the effort. In addition, it has high quality effects. Of course, the configuration requires spending time [months] to obtain a more natural / organic sound. In this follow all is about a test-based adjustment: success and error. Kick hard despite having 60 watts. It doesn't sound like bulbs in any way or form, but it really sounds very much better than other transistor amplifiers [even than does are more expensive].

Anyway, if you are not too picky about the sound you should know that the factory presets will work without any problem, especially the cleanest FX: Comprsor, Chorus, Reverb and Delay.

It should be noted that it is also a bit complicated to operate the setting that simulates amplifiers and cabinets [especially those that operate in a dual function / mode of the main knob]. However, in my own experience this occurs with all amplifiers that have many functions. It is definitely an excellent quality device, a good price.