raucusbacchus's Reviews

Sounding Outstandingh!

The V-Moda Crossfades are not only the best wireless headphones I've ever had, they are THE best headphones I've ever had. Hands down. I listened to my 3 all-time favorite albums. Albums I know inside and out. I was suitably impressed. You can lose yourself in these headphones with albums like these: 1) Al diMeola: Kiss My Axe. The album spills over with rich, electrified jazz with intricate, ever-changing rhythms & subtle ambient cues spread through out. Sound: Clear and Bright. 2) Roger Waters: Amused to Death. A Concept Album that is on par with the Wall, yet exceeds it with musicianship. The nuances are all their even at low-volume listening. 3) Frank Marino: Juggernaut: Guitar God Rock and Roll that covers so many genres its hard to count. Acoustics are rich and warm. Shredding is blazing and clear. Doom anthems are deep & bass laden. The Crossfade's are incredible and the music is superb. The audio quality is truly exceptional! The form factor is really something. Italian design. Metal and Leather. The look is a reflection of the quality in these headphones and it runs through and through. Beyond music, the audio quality is excellent with a full, well rounded bass. The headphones are a little heavy in the hand, but so comfortable on the head that weight is no problem. The ear cups are fully enclosed and very comfortable. I wear glasses and they still fit nice and snug, but not so snug as to pinch the temples into my meaty head. The ear coverage is excellent at blocking external noise as well. I work in a small space with 2 office mates and a boisterous crew in near proximity and I lose their talky noises and chatter even with no music. They come with a nice sturdy audio cable but with our without, the audio quality holds its own. Wifi is super easy to use. I bounce back and forth between my PC and iPhone during the day and it is seamless. I use the headphones in conference calls as well and they beat the pants off the room pc speakers. Now to qualify what the "Best Ever" really means. I've had many quality headphones in the past. Most recently, to include Sennheiser to Sony Studio Pro. Where those were good, they weren't great. The V-Moda product is exceptional. ~m

And Then There Were Two

I purchased a white Capri Henry Heller 1st. Happy with the comfort level, and liking the purple aesthetic, I opted for a second Heller. Very comfortable. Soft, supple leather. ~m

Nice Strap

I've purchased Levy's in the past. This was an alternative when the Levy's was not available. I've found them to be very much the same. It has me questioning if they aren't from the same source. The color selection is broad. White Leather was my choice. Nice, supple and very comfortable. I've also purchased the purple in the same style. Overall, pleased with the price, style and comfort of Henry Heller. ~m

Cheep'O Guitar

I bought this for fun and a bit of nostalgia in the office having worked on a Hannah Montana game in the past. At a purchase price of $50 it, it cost 3-times that much to get it setup! Ouch!!! Lesson learned. The action was super high, the nut needed to be replaced and the neck was warped which required some fret work at the higher register once straightened. The materials are cheap as you'd expect. It still doesn't hold a tune, but its playable now. We get a kick out of it. Its fun to plink on casually as its 3/4 scale and certainly gives the team something to chat about laugh about my poor purchase choices. ~m

Love Deluxe

It has been a very long time since I bought a new guitar and the Shiflett has left me with no buyer's remorse. This is an incredible guitar. I'm running D'addario 10's and the tone is fantastic. Lots of mid-range & bottom end. The neck pickup gives brightens the tone where the bridge pickup provides a really warm, full tone. The guitar had a pro setup and the action could not be better. The whole neck is approachable with every note being clear and clean. Purchased used, this guitar came to me in great shape. A little tarnished on the pickup covers but otherwise in fantastic shape. I could not be more pleased with the look. I've had this tele on my wish list since 2015. The price kept me away as it books for well over the original MSRP. I found this one on Reverb and at a bargain price. Now with the guitar in hand, it feels as though I got it for a steel of a deal. It is a truly inspirational piece of gear. I love it!

Woman Tone is Real

The Hot Cake is my second dedicated OD and it stomps the crap out of the Plimsoul's narrow range. As such, I've pretty much dropped the Plimsoul for the Hot Cake given it's broad range of usability and the luscious tone that results from this box in the mix. As I have used it, I've found a really harmonic tone that sings. Classic. ~m

Meh

I bought this pedal new and have never really liked it. Maybe for some, its the bomb but for me, its always been a warbly, whacky mess. And yet, I still have it after all these years. I guess I have a hard time parting with anything. But this is one, I rarely include in the signal chain and usually only tap into it when I've forgotten how extreme the result is. Not a fan.

I Adore the Toothsome Tone

The Lex fast becoming one of my favorite pedals. Interestingly, the overdrive is perhaps my favorite feature as it adds awesome tooth to the mix. Even though this pedal 1st and foremost a rotary emulator, I tend to go subtle with the modulation and finding it fills out my tone with an wonderfully organic tone. Like a reverb or soft echo, it simply fills in and plumps up the overall result. I'm feeding a Blues Cube starting with a Musicman EVH, I've thrown in a Hot Cake after the Lex and finished with an Empress Compressor at the end of the signal chain. The Hot Cake really punches up the harmony & sustain when tapped and it certainly delivers the "woman tone". Overally, I feel I could spend hours tweaking and futzing with the Lex in an attempt to get the sound of an organ via guitar, and maybe in time, I will. But for now, I'm loving the simplicity of the signal described above.

Clean and Easy

The Snarks are fine for tuning onesee-twosees and I generally look to them when on acoustic, but the HT-6 has been indispensable when running through an amp. Running the EVH through this box, and having the precision tuners to dial things in, the HT-6 is perfectly suited to tune the entire guitar in seconds. The foot switch cuts off output signal for tuning in isolation regardless of the ambient noise level. The display is easy read and I love that the full spectrum is displayed. It is worth noting that the HT-6 can also accommodate alternate tunings; however, my Musicman is a PITA when it comes to modified tuning on the fly so I don't use the feature. ~m

NOTE: After time, I've had the center LED drop out on the C chord. I can still tune, but obviously the pedal has some durability issues. I'm not gigging so to say the cause is wear and tear would be laughable.

6 & 12

I was so impressed with the 6 footer that I bought a 12 footer. Pricey but worth it. ~m

First Pedal I Ever Bought

The CE-3 is straight forward and super simple. I keep it tamped down as a subtle means to filling out and softening the harmonics especially when strumming the Ovation. I do not enjoy the chorus it in conjunction with the FL-9 flanger. Personal taste. ~m

Ingeniously Flexible, Sound and Solid

I was drawn to the Cooperstand Pro G for its compact footprint, elegant design and material quality. It's a bit pricey when compared to other guitar stands, but the ease of setup and stowing coupled with the fact that this wooden stand is sturdy yet unobtrusive make the cost justifiable. The Pro G works veritably well with both electric and acoustics; however, if you've got an odd-shaped or bulky beauty on your hands like my big-bowled Ovation, it's a dicey proposition. The stand does hold my Custom Legend, but just barely. That precarious pose will test your nerves, so for that, I recommend finding an alternative cradle for your baby. Overall, this rig is excellent. I'm very pleased and definitely impressed at the ingenuity and effective form-meets-function in design. ~m

Easy and Unobtrusive

Small, simple and reliable. Easy to use. Easy to read. Small enough that it's never in the way. ~m

Dig the Sweet Spot

I really can soak in the sound from this pedal. It has a very narrow range of awesome in my setup, but I've found the sweet spot and it is a languid pot o' honey. Such a narrow range... having spent more time with this pedal, I rarely use it. Perhaps with another rig it would reach its full potential, but with my current setup, not so much. ~m

Not Impressed

I was really excited about getting this compressor, but the build quality was bad. @ $299, it would have been the most expensive pedal I've ever bought. So bad, I ended up sending it back which was a serious downer. Sound wise, the Keeley was good out of the gate, but I was also getting a lot of clipping and stutter so really not happy with audio quality either. All said and done, I could kick myself for not following my original inclination with an Xotic SP. Keeley's sexy newness, simply failed in its promise. ~m

Available: June 2016

I've ordered mine, but gratification... suspended. I'll just be listening to Kirk Fletcher in the meantime. ~m

Mid-70's Goodness

I grew up playing this (my mother's) guitar and it's still my go-to for kicking around the house. It is an easy player. Good tone. Built to last. Spruce top. Mahogany back. Nothing fancy but sounds great. I love it. ~m

Love the Suede

This strap suits my posture perfectly. The Suede's soft surface also prevents slippage. This is my favorite strap. ~m

The Chrome Plated Sound of Silence!

To qualify this review, the Decimator II his is my first foray into using a noise gate. From the outset, I was actually aiming to buy the MXR SmartGate. When it came down to it, I was talked into getting the Decimator II. "It's a little more, but worth it." said the salesman. Regardless, I am very impressed. This addition has killed this hiss and I love it. This difference is positively stark. It's like magic. Doubly so given that with a single knob, you can hear when the hiss is gone. It really has provided a simple, no fuss solution.

I am running with a light touch on a Fulltone PlimSoul for distortion, but really haven't pushed this much. I lean into clean for sound so we'll see how things progress as I get deeper into distortion. For now, I'm very pleased.

With regard to price, the difference when compared to the competition was negligible in my book. A little more yes, but nominal. Even still, you have to wonder how much the chrome finish has to do with the dollars vs the technology & circuit. The box looks bad ass & shiny, but still... is it the chrome that makes it so good?

All-in-all, I am so happy with this addition that I can't see a future playing without it. Regardless, I will keep the MXR on my wishlist to try on the off chance that upping the distortion level introduces any tone suck or clipped sustain at the extremes with the noise gate. Until then, with the Decimator II, I'm ready to rock! ~m

Ovation Tone in Beautiful Glossy Black

The Custom Legend is a really nice guitar. Black with Mother of Pearl inlay, its a great looking guitar. The tone is great and of course, has that iconic Ovation sound, but The bowl is big. Light it may be but the awkward bulk means a strap is required even when seated. For that, it ding the rating. The Custom Legend holds tune & tone extremely well. We live in a dry, high desert and the neck on Ovations are rumored to bow towards convex if not cared for. I've had mine since 1992 with no problems. I really enjoy this guitar. ~m