solusash

This guitar was made for me. Like, they looked into the future, saw I was going to be born, would play guitar, and said "We're making this guitar, so he'll have it when he plays." Everything about it feels like it was tailor made for me. The neck is perfect, the string spacing is perfect. The tone is perfect. The colour is perfect. The balance is perfect. Look, if you're wanting an unbiased review, you won't find one. There are zero faults with this instrument as far as I'm concerned. It is literally the absolute perfect guitar. It holds tune well, it has a sound unlike anything else (that offset neck pickup gives the most amazing hollow, airy, wonderful clean tone you can ever imagine), and it is just. SO. DARN. PRETTY. I mean, look at it! JUST LOOK AT IT! Perfect in every way.

So this is basically a cross between some form of Martin and a Gibson Hummingbird. It was a cheap guitar in the 70s, now almost impossible to find. Made in the Matsumoku factory in Japan, it has a lovely three piece back with purfling strips separating the mahogany from the maple strip down the center. Basically, it looks every bit as good as it sounds. The double pick guard is reminiscent of a Gibson Hummingbird, and adds a touch of class to what was, in the 70s, a bargain guitar. I've been tracking this one down for 15+ years, my wife got it for me for our wedding anniversary this year. It is now my main acoustic guitar. For a ~50 year old instrument, it is in near perfect shape. It plays like a dream. Best tuning for it is DADGAD, it takes open tuning really well. And for the record, there are no stock pics of that guitar I could find. That's my actual guitar in the picture. Ain't it just a beautiful piece of kit? :D Well, one of the two I own, anyway!

So this guitar is amazeballs. Like, seriously, this guitar is the total package. It's loaded with DiMarzio Super Distortions (the original, from the 70s, so the ones that the "Vintage Super Distortions" try and imitate), which are just the best pickups DiMarzio ever put out (along with the Air Nortons). So it's got crunch, but it can also get smooth, creamy crystal clear chime tones for clean playing. Second, it's got a brass nut. A BRASS NUT. Let me say that again. This guitar has a nut made form machined brass--SUSTAIN FOR DAYS. It's string through the body, as well, so again, you can hold those notes all day long, and into the night. Third, look at it. I mean, seriously. Just look at it. It's BEAUTIFUL. The paint job, that translucent red with the natural stripe. Whoever thought of that was brilliant. Such a gorgeous guitar. So it's a Lotus/Morris copy of a Wasburn Falcon from their Wing Series of guitars. This is the L-400. And I love it. In case you couldn't tell. It's one of my top 5 favorite guitars. It's nigh on perfection for a humbucker loaded guitar.

Mine is #11 out of 50. This is an ABSOLUTE BEAST of an axe. Fitted with DiMarzio Super Distortions straight from the factory, this thing SINGS. It's got great weight, great balance, and lemme tell ya, that bridge is an absolute stunner for what it is. Locking nut stays in tune. And since it's not a string-thru bridge like a Floyd Rose, you can wail on it like Odysseus' Business (that's a bit highbrow, IYKYK). Not to mention the thing is just GORGEOUS. They go for between $1500 and $2500 if you can find 'em. I was lucky enough to lay hands on one when my wife found this for our 15th anniversary. She knows I love Lotus guitars, and have been looking for a Lotus explorer since my brother was given a purple burst one for Christmas when *I* was 12. Dude never even learned to play. Who's got the REAL beast of an axe now, Johnny? I DO! HA!

This guitar is THE guitar. When you think of the greats, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Eric Johnson, Dave Murray, Jimi Hendrix, even Yngwie Malmsteen--they all play Strats. The Made in Mexico Strat has been discontinued a while now, but you can still snag it used. If you can, you should. I myself am partial to the Midnight Wine colour, but that's just me. The maple fretboard is silky smooth, like butter on a bald monkey. The tone you can get from this axe is everything from soft clear just this side of acoustic all the way to hard hitting thrash. The hardware is top-notch, feels good, looks good. The vibrato tailpiece is solid, easy to use, and don't feel like it's going to break--even when you're a little harder on it than you'd maybe think you should be (I've played on Strat Knockoffs, the tailpiece usually feels like it's going to break). The tuning stability is just amazing--I've been wailing on the whammy (as it were) all day, and not really had to tune up. My advice? Pair this with a good tube amp, either a Vox AC15/30, or something with 6L6s in it. You won't regret it.

Doom Metal. Yes, Doom Metal. This guitar, it allows you to sit atop the Holy Mountain on the Dopethrone. Something about the reverb it gets, I guess. I don't know, man, don't look at me like I'm crazy, I'm just telling you what I heard! I plug this into my pedalboard, run all that into my amp, and man, I can doom for days. We're talking some heavy riffage, man. Then I kick off the dirt, crank the chorus to 11, roll the tremolo depth back to about 30%, and start playing 7th chords, it's jazz for the rest of the night. And I do love my jazz. Miles Davis, Prince of Darkness, show us the way!

Get this. This is basically the budget JEM. I mean, the only differences are the electronics, the Lion's Claw routing, the Tree of Life inlay, and the Monkey Grip. Outside that, it's the same guitar. And while the electronics are different (this has the Ibanez Infinity series of pickups, while I'm pretty sure the 2010s series JEMs had DiMarzio Evolutions or Breeds, can't recall), they're still very nice, high output, killer sounding pup's. So this was my main gigging axe for a while. Been 'round on some pretty hard gigs, it's road worthy as hell, sounds good, holds tune, you can REALLY lay on the trem arm like you're trying to break it off--I've done the Herman Li thing and used that to sling the guitar around with, and it's held in place. So the Trem is solid as all getout. Electronics, as I said, they sound good. The way it's wired is the exact way a JEM is wired, so Steve Vai is the guy that came up with that, so you can get Les Paul type sounds and Strat type sounds out of it. Basically, it's a nice cross between the two, with some other sounds thrown in. This'n, like other Ibanez guitars, has been discontinued. Either or, whatever this year's flavor is called, or the JEM Jr., do yourself a favor, and get it.

Classic Iceman looks in a smaller body, so it's a bit lighter. The pickups sound pretty good for what they are, and the neck is fast. Could use an extra couple of frets, but that's alright. Gets an excellent crunchy tone through a good valve amp, or with a proper drive pedal. I never take the stage without this in my arsenal. Neither should you.

Should have come with a bleeding gig bag at the very least. I mean, we're talking this is a $400 axe (on sale), and while it looks as good as it sounds, it comes with a cheap little cable. They could have thrown a cheap little gig bag of some kind instead. Right, anyway, that's why it's 4 starts instead of 5. So the sound is rich, full, and fills the small rooms. Sounds good plugged in, sounds good unplugged. As I said, looks as good as it sounds. Or sounds as good as it looks. Whichever. The strings what come on it are in need of changing when you get it. They're pretty dead. Stays in tune pretty decent. Onboard tuner for when it goes out. AND the tuner does a pretty good job. As far as the onboard preamp, it does what it says on the tin. I was running it through my Vox Pathfinder, and it sounds bangon-spot just like it should. Had everything dime'd out, then rolled back to nickles just to get the "natural sound." All said, you could do a lot worse for $400 than this guitar.

I would give it 5 starts, but you can never find the damn things in stock, so rather'n get 'em for the $130 MSRP, you end up paying $200+ for 'em, plus a rather silly amount of shipping. They come in all manner of colours (I have the Catalina Blue model, like in the stock photo), from Green, to Black, Salmon Pink (they call it orange), even a natural sunburst. They're beautiful to look at. But looks aren't everything. The necks on these things are where they really shine. They play like a dream (with a proper setup job--you do have to do a little work out of the box--but let's be fair--outside of Fender, Gibson, and Ibanez, most guitars you buy require at least a little fine tuning right out of the box). The fretwork is really well polished, there's no burs, they just feel *really* great under your fingers. The neck shape is about perfect for a Fender player like me. It's a gloss finished neck and maple fingerboard, so it's really fast to move around on. Pickups are about what you'd expect to find on a midrange instrument (think Mexican Fenders, Epiphones, $300-500 Ibanez). They sound really really nice. Not too hot, nice warm vintage tone. Push 'em through a tube amp with a bit of saturation, and you're going to be able to get some really nice sounds. Personally, I think this guitar should be paired with an Orange Tube Amp, but that's just my preference for *any* Telecaster style guitar. In summation, you could do a whole hell of a lot worse for the money. This is an absolute must have for any fan of a Telecaster, and an absolute no brainer for any fan of inexpensive guitars!

So the next price up the ladder costs twice what this does, and it's about on par with it, from what I've played. As with any off-brand/cheaper instrument, you've got your setup work you have to do yourself, Johnny. Don't play around. You know that. Truss rod adjustment, proper strings, maybe a bit of intonation. I can't knock points for that though, not at this price range--you *know* you're getting a guitar in this price range, you *know* you're going to have to do that work. It's part and parcel to the job. So, after the setup: Fit and finish: Pretty OK. The glue work on the nuts was a bit sloppy, so I docked them points on that, and I had to do some work on the volume and tone pots, they were a little loose. So I docked them on that as well. It came with a chintzy gig bag, rather than a case (like the Harley-Benton, but the Harley-Benton costs twice as much), I want to dock 'em on that, but it DID come with a case. Sound is nice warm vintage vibe. You run this thing through a proper reverb or delay, grab a bow, play some Zeppelin, you're going to be rocking. I'd be remiss if I **DIDN'T** shout out to Gear4Music the company and their *excellent* customer service. There were... issues getting my guitar to me, and they were with me every step of the way via email, and even refunded my shipping costs. Can't speak highly enough of them. Great lot of chaps, they are. So yeah, 4 stars because it required a bit more work than it should have out of the box, but it plays good, sounds good, and looks *killer.* And for £250? Yes please!

Great travel guitar. Great tuning stability. Great fun to play. Great sounding when plugged in. Zero regrets buying. Love this guitar to death. Been having a blast with it. Basically, bought it to give me a way to practice daily again, since my job don't allow for much free time--but with a hopeful promotion, that'll give me some free time coming up, and I can use this guitar to fill that free time, by taking it to work with me. Fit and finish could have been a bit better, won't lie. One of the frets (the 11th, specifically) is a bit raised, could have been polished better. But it's a sub-$500 guitar, and it's a post 2015 Gibson offshoot brand. I didn't expect jawdropping quality. Pickups are a bit underpowered, but I wasn't expecting high output, metal up your arse, MELT YOUR FACE sound out of 'em. I was expecting about what I got--vintage-esq voiced, medium powered, decent sounding pickups. Neck feels good, man. Plays fast. Fretwork, apart from that one fret, is pretty good. Not crazy about the trem. Won't lie. Could have been better. Out of the box, you'll want to give it a proper setup job. I would have given it 3.5 stars, but that don't seem to be an option.

OK, so this is *not* for beginners. I can't think of a single headless guitar that is. The tuning machines on it alone would cause consternation for many intermediate guitarists, and beginners? Forget it. Anyroad, this instrument is *nice.* Beautiful colour, beautiful sound, and plays like a dream. Now, it *is* a £220 guitar. So it's not perfect. The frets could use a polish. You can feel bits of sawdust caught under the satin coat on the back of the neck. The switch is a bit sub-par. The pots could be higher quality. It *looks* like a .strandberg*, but it's not. It does not have the .strandberg* neck, and *gods* I wish it did. All that said, it's a £220 guitar! It looks great! It plays great! It sounds great! It doesn't need too much setting up, it holds tune really well, and while it doesn't have the .strandberg* neck, it *does* have the rest of the ergonomic design, so it's just a *pleasure* to play. It can do everything from jazz to djent, and do it with ease. But it *is not* for beginners. Don't get this for Johnny or Jenny if they're first starting off, unless they are just *dedicated* to the craft. If they are, then by all means, get it! It *inspires* you to pick it up and play it. Don't worry about the pitting on the top of the guitar--it's spalted, so that's going to happen. Bloody love it, will be buying another from a different source, one that *has* the .strandberg* neck. Costs a bit more, but I need that for the tendon damage I have.

Cost me 40 quid. Came with a violently neon yellow "gig bag." Was really more of a dust cover, really. I still have the guitar. It's not 3 meters away. I've modded it with a killswitch, added some different electronics, and honestly, for how much it cost, it's not a terrible guitar. You could do a LOT worse than a Lyon. Like a First Act. In fact, I say a Lyon isn't a bad guitar at all. They're inexpensive, easy to work on, and they don't play half bad. Heck, they don't SOUND half bad for what they are. Just give 'em a proper setup job, and they'll be fine.

Could be better, could be worse. The guitar I have is 23 years old. It's not horrible for what it is. I didn't pay a dime for it, so I can't rightly complain about it. It has a *plastic* bridge. Don't know what Aria was thinking when they did that. If it were *any* kind of wood, this would be a much better guitar than it is. It *looks* nice, standard curvature of a dreadnought guitar, but the pickguard has that little flare to it that sets it apart. Holds tune for years. Literal years. Just that damn plastic bridge. I've thought about replacing it, but that's just so much more trouble than it's really worth on this guitar when I've got my Kay KDG-70, which is 1000x the guitar this one could *ever* dream to be. Still, if you ever come across one for a c-note, you could do a lot worse! Also, interesting note here--the interwebs is shockingly *bare* of information about this guitar. I know it exists, it's less than 3 meters away from me as I type this on my triple guitar stand with my ICX-120 and my Lyon Strat knockoff--I *know* it exists. It's physically in the room with me. But there is little and less information on the interwebs about it. And fewer and far between are any pictures of it! Even Aria doesn't seem to have much info on the guitar. The maker of it. Weird and strange times we live in, folks. Ah well. Closed tuners, not sure what wood the body is, plastic bridge, bridge pins, rosewood fingerboard, plastic nut. As I say, if you find one for a c-note or less, and you want a cheap banger of a guitar you don't mind knocking about, this'd be the one I'd say snag. But be minded that plastic bridge gives a fairly artificial sound. Not a *bad* sound--it's a truly unique sound, but it's artificial none the less.

I bought the one I bought because mine is absolutely exceptional, unique, and special. I mean, Jerry was bored one day, and painted mine. You don't get cooler than that. The one I have, unfortunately, has rather sharp fret edges needs proper dressing. The tuning pegs are rather high up, as if they're coming OUT of the headstock. The nut also needs a good file job. I paid £120 shipped for a piece of art, not for the guitar. YMMV. But hey, the bridge at least doesn't seem to be made of plastic--it's got that going for it, which is nice.

This is the instrument that started me off down this long, dark road towards insanity. Mine is midnight wine. I love it. I cannot be unbiased. There are no downsides. This instrument is perfection. There is nothing wrong with it. Zero flaws. The balance is perfect. The colour is perfect. The tone is perfect. The feel, the look, the sound, the way it plays. It is, quite simply put, the best instrument on this or any other planet.

I've got an 04 in Midnight Wine (matches my Strat and my Precision Bass--just need the Tele to round out the set). It has amazing tone, smooth neck, plays easy, and with the flat wound strings on it, slides are just so much fun. It stays in tune for ages, has that classic J-Bass tone we all know and love, and is just so mellow, man. Like, this is the bass I've been after since I started playing more'n 20 years ago, and I finally laid hands on one for my birthday this year. I'm happy like hell.

So even after asking around on here, no dice on just exactly who makes this instrument--it was listed on Reverb as "Maestro BL52 Fretless Bass," and said it was custom. Well, that's a lie, as I have one as well, except mine's black, not blue. So the BK52? I dunno. Anyway. The spouse got it for me for Father's Day some many years ago. Believe it or not, for being a cheap instrument (she gave less than $120 for it at a hole-in-the-wall music store, now defunct), it's actually decent quality. It plays better than it looks. Fingerboard is my biggest issue. It's non-radiused at all, so unless you like playing on a totally flat fingerboard, it'll mess with you. It's also a right proper pain to tune. But once you get it in tune, it doesn't easily come out of tune. Has a nice thick heavy sound to it, very heavy low end. I actually really like the tone you can get out of it. In summation, not a bad lil' axe if you can find one. You COULD do worse. Try searching up "Batwing bass," "Fretless triryche bass," and even "Maestro Fretless Bass." You may yet find one. Also, if ANY of you know just what the devil it is, feel free to let ME know.

One of the middle of the road 5 strings out there. Not terrible, not great. Does what it says on the tin. Needs a bit of adjusting to start, but once you get that done, it plays pretty well. Has a decent sound for what it is, the offset jazz pickup is particularly nice. Mine has active electronics, which I'm not crazy about, but it does allow it to cut through the mix a bit easier. Anyroad, if you can find one, you could do worse than pick it up

And you get what you pay for. It's not great. It's not terrible. It's a beginner instrument. I got mine trading a $30 USB PC controller. Can't complain. I mean, other than the fact that here, nearly 15 years later, the fingerboard is coming off the neck. So yeah, it plays just OKAY. It sounds just OKAY. It's got a P-bass style pickup and a J-bass style pickup, you can turn one or the other down (or have both on) to get whichever sound you want. The frets are pretty well dressed for an instrument in that pricerange. The fit and finish in general, for an instrument in that range, isn't all that bad really. But still, at the end of the day, it's not nearly as good as 90% of the other basses that are $50 more. Do yourself a favor, skip Rogue entirely, put an extra $50-100 with the $100 you'd spend on this, and get yourself a Squire or even a used Fender.

Guys, this pedal. Oh my giddy aunt. Oh my giddy aunt, this pedal, this pedal oh my giddy aunt this pedal. This pedal, oh my giddy aunt. I can't say enough good things about it. It looks good, it sounds good, it's easy to use, it has one of the best fuzz circuits I've ever played on. The delay has a full second of delay time. The reverb is rich and creamy. Oh my giddy aunt. This pedal. Yes, it's £250. Yes, that's a lot of dosh. Yes, you could just as easily buy a low-to-midrange guitar or amp for that. Yes, that's a week's groceries, half an auto payment, or a quarter month's rent. But Hel's HOLIEST of Bells, mates, this pedal. It. Is. *SO* good. Much like with the Vox V241 Bulldog Guitar, if you're looking for an *unbiased* review of this pedal, look elsewhere. You won't find it here. Everything this pedal does it does great, and then some. It works together in harmony, three effects that you'd think when you throw fuzz in reverb and delay would be harsh and unwelcome, instead it blends into this perfect just... So good. Check out the Knobs review on the YouTubes if you don't believe me. Then go buy this. It's MMMMMMMMMMM good!

Seriously. If you're not using 270 Degrees, and throwing the Rate Knob to 3 o' Clock, you've missed out. There's something about that slightly off, slightly... It really does feel weird, ya know? But I love it. I snagged this on MF's SDotD, and boy am I glad I did. It's been a staple of my board ever since. Hell, I don't even know if the Boss equivalent would replace it at this point--and that's saying something, since I eat, sleep, and BREATHE Boss!

So it does what it says on the tin. And that's about it. It's not horrible, but it does have some tracking issues. That said, it does everything it says it's supposed to, it works on guitar, bass, and keyboard. I have not tried it with other effects yet, but hey, for £20, it's not terrible, yeah?

Dime everything. Get legendary tone. But seriously, I use this for Doom/Stoner Metal, and believe it or not, don't actually crank everything to 11. You CAN do that, but if you tweak the colours, you get a really wild distortion that, when mixed with an Akai Phaser set to 270 degrees and a fast repeat, is ball-trippingly freaky. Everyone should have one of these. Or the Berhinger clone, but it don't sound the exact same--you have been warned.

So the trick with this pedal is, no one really knows how to use it. It's one of those weird pedals that's like "What was Boss really thinking with this one?" The answer? "FAT DISTORTION." The instruction pamphlet has settings for everything from some grungy basic tones, to BALLADS (yes, ballads), to what literally says "The Fattest Distortion." This is one you've got to play with. I mean, you've really got to play with it. And it's worth your time, if you don't mind noodling. You can get some creamy fat tone out of it, and with the doubling effect and stereo out, one guitarist can fill the room with sound. Question is, are you willing to put in the work?

So with shipping, this comes in under £55 Making it cheaper than even the EHX Soul Food, and one of the 5 cheapest Klones around, that I'm aware of. If you don't know what I mean by "Klone," then you probably don't need this pedal. I'm just going to shoot straight with you. So what is this pedal? It is a transparent overdrive that most people won't actually use as an overdrive, they'll use it as a clean boost, with the tone and gain set to *very* specific settings, to drive their tube amps into just a hint of breakup, so they can use the volume knob on their guitar to roll back just a bit. And that's what this pedal does. And it does it in spades. It sounds every bit as good as the pedal it copies, and personally, since it has a bit more headroom, *I* think it sounds better. I like being able to crank it a little louder, being able to push the gain stage a little harder, and being able to get that creamy breakup while still retaining note definition at higher volumes. You can't do that on the one that costs $2800. Build quality is bang-on-spot. This bugger is built like a tank. Solid metal construction, with knobs that knob, and a footswitch that switches very switchingly. It also has LED lights that you can set to synchronize, always be on, or always be off. So it's got a nice ambient glow to it, as do all the Joyo R Series of pedals. So you can have a little light show going on your pedalboard. Great if you're into Shoegaze. But uh... this pedal isn't really great for Shoegaze. Unless you're putting it in front of the Joyo Aquarius, on Galaxy. It sounds like Pink Floyd and Incubus got together for some kind of Vann's Warped Tour... I don't think that's a *good* analogy, but you just gotta try it. Anyroad. If you're looking for a Klone under a C-Note, this is the one. If you're looking for a Klone that's *not* the Tumnus, this is the one. Otherwise, just get the Tumnus/Deluxe, because really, that's the only other one worth thinking about.

Can't complain. Once again, does what it says on the tin. Three knobs, easy to work with, stereo chorus effect. Sounds about as good as the Boss equivalent. Didn't pay a cent for mine, so I really have no room to complain. Sometimes it sounds a bit washy, but when I got it it looked pretty hard used. So not sure if that's just the SC10 or just the fact mine was ran hard and put up wet. Still, not a bad box, does what I need it to, sits between my HM-2 and my TR-2, perfect spot on a Doom/Stoner Metal Pedal Board.

There's really not much to say about this. It's got Rate, Wave, Depth. That's it. Rate controls speed, Depth controls volume, and the wave is what kind of a soundwave the tremolo effect will take. The cool thing about this pedal, and what I use it for, is I'll crank the Depth all the way up, set a fairly fast rate, turn on my Phaser, set the wave to a pretty sharp cut, and then play in time with it like a metronome, and I get a pretty neat staccato effect.

So this thing had both delay *and* a looper in the same pedal. And it's a looper that goes on for 5 minutes of recording. That's bloody well impressive in a £75 package, that is. It's got 8 different types of delay, from analog and digital to lo-fi and "Galaxy," which is the reason you buy it. Just be honest, that's the reason you buy it. Sure, reverse delay is nice, and tube delay with the gradual breakup is pretty fun--but Galaxy steals the show. It's just plain fun. It's got tap tempo. It's got a looper. It's got 8 types of delay. And it's cheap. Why are you reading this? Go buy it!

I bought it when it was £33. To answer the questions on the sidebar there, I'm a former gigging musician, have some airplay under my belt, and have a small home studio. What motivated me to buy it was seeing a shiddload of YouTube musicians buying a bunch of Micro Pedals and Combi Units like this one, saying they were the bee's knees, and figuring it's £33. What's the worst that could happen? And that's £6.60 per mode (it's technically 5 effects). With that in mind, I provide the following review: Durability: This thing is built like a tank, it feels like. Solid metal housing, the stomp switches feel sturdy, and the knobs, while tiny, also feel like they're attached to something worth having in the device. Even the (very tiny) switches to swap between the Reverb and "Roto Engine" (modulation) modes feel pretty stout. Sound: Delay: The delay is great. It's a digital delay, fairly self explanatory. I'd have liked a slightly longer delay time, but hey, £6.60 delay pedal. Ocean Verb: It's the exact same circuit as all of the mini pedals branded as "Ocean Verb" over on Amazon, with a slightly duller sound. Probably because of the power drain from being in a multi-effect unit. Instructions say it has a memory mode you can save a setting to and recall, that does not work on the "Ocean Verb" setting. Just like the mini pedal version, the Shimmer setting has harsh harmonic overtones that I don't personally care for. YMMV. Roto Engine: This SAYS it has Phase, Vibe, and Chorus (like I said, 5 modes). What it really has is Leslie Emulation, borderline-but-not-quite Tremolo, and Chorus. It D**does** have a recall mode that functions. As someone who uses phase shift, tremolo, and chorus religiously in their setup, I can say the phase shifter is just garbage for a phase shifter. If you want a rotary speaker emulation, it's marginally better, but still not really all that great. The trem doesn't go nearly deep enough on the volume cut, so you'll never be able to get that choppy staccato effect you can with something like the TR-2, but you CAN make use of it. The chorus is about on par with what you'd find at the low end of chorus units, it's serviceable, but I don't see it replacing my SC10 any time soon. Summary: I give it 3 stars because at the end of the day, while it's **one** unit, it's technically 5 effects built into one unit, which means it's a sub-£10 pedal on each effect I'm reviewing. They get sounds better'n I would expect in that price range. The delay was great. I love the delay. Is the delay, reverb, and chorus worth £33? That is one I'll have to play with it a bit more and decide. It may be good for like a knock-about board, but I really don't see it becoming part of my regular kit. It'd be a **great** pedal for someone starting out wanting to explore sounds for cheap. But for established players who know what they are looking for? Not so much. Still, you could do a lot worse.

Loops for days. And days for loops! I've never really mastered the whole loop thing, and since there seems to be a slight (few millisecond) delay between the loop start/stop with this pedal (or my timing is slightly off, could be that, I won't front), that's made it a bit harder on me to get used to looping. Still, this thing, when you do get it going, it goes and goes and goes! You can do all kinds of crazy things with it! Got a drum pad set? Play some drums, then loop a bass line over it, then play your guitar and sing. You're a one person band! Don't have drums? No problem! Use your acoustic guitar as a drum set! Bang on the body for the drums, use the strings as a snare and cymbals! The possibilities are endless with this station. And with the new ones? Dude, just go get one. Or the new ones. Or the RC-1. Or just SOMETHING that's got a looper built with it.

For the dosh you pay, needs more room. Needs better power solution. Needs better cable management. In a nutshell, this case is not worth the price you pay considering the other options out there. I'm lucky, mine came with rather valuable pedals and gear with it, far outweighing the cost of the board, or else I'd have given it one star. Because seriously, this is not a great board, guys.

Not too shabby for the price. I mean, it's not the earth shattering jaw dropping goodness of a Fender Twin Reverb, but it's also less than $150. It'll drive most small venues. I've gigged with this baby more times than I can count. It holds up pretty well. Has a nice overdrive sound too, if you want to do that (you know, turn down the volume, crank the gain, then turn the volume back up). It's not the best combo amp in the world, but for the price, it's pretty tough to beat. You'll notice that's a theme with my reviews--"For the price, it's hard to beat."

I've blown out two of already. Yes, blown out. Because gigs. Because I ran them hard. These are the best small gig amps in the world. Even Feist has used them (pretty sure she's got two of right now her own self). Look, I'm not saying you have to buy a Vox Pathfinder 15R. I'm just saying if you DON'T, I'm going to be really, REALLY frustrated, OK? I mean, seriously, I know it's discontinued. I know they're hard to track down. But check Reverb or something. They should be less than $150. They're great for practice, bedrooms, garage bands, and small venue/coffeehouse gigging. They sound good, they look good, and the built in tremolo sounds GREAT. Just do it. OK? Just do it. I'm only trying to help you!

Former gigging musician, have live and studio experience, radio airplay, did commission work, all that fun stuff. Chose to buy this set after a mate of mine snagged 'em some decade before I did, and I used 'em in a recording of mine when my oldschool bongos died the death. Build quality is everything you'd expect from MEINL, absolutely solid. Body is made from Rubberwood, playing surface is Siam Oak. Has a really great resonance to it, sounds just fantastic, great resonance to it. This thing is **LOUD**. Takes a mic really really well. Sounds really good in the mix. Easy to hold between your knees or on your lap, goes good on a bongo stand as well. Just a really fun lil' thing to play. I genuinely have zero complaints about it. They even have a snare string version I'm debating snagging, though at that point I'd probably just snag myself a traditional cajon... I do need one for my collection, after all.

And it's STILL my Go-To. For the price, it can't be beat. It's right there with some other ones, sure, but the warmth, the clarity, the just plain goodness this one has... Oh man, it sounds so good. Put a decent preamp between it and your recording interface? Maybe something with a tube in it? Yeah, you're going to have a blast recording. I honestly can't think of any downside to it. Other than the crappy micstand ring it comes with being made out of the cheapest quality metal I've ever seen in my life. But it also comes with an MXL branded microfiber cloth, and as someone who wears glasses, that's just GREAT! So 5 of 5 stars, best hotel ever, would recommend!

You know they named it that for a reason. I know they did. THEY know they did. And now I can say I have Blue BALL. This mic sounds amazing in and out of the studio. I use it to mic up amps with, to record really loud vocals, and sometimes just doing voice over work. It's a phantom powered dynamic mic. Yes, a PHANTOM POWERED dynamic mic. Why? I don't know. Ask Blue. They're weird that way. I just know it works. And it's built like a tank. And it sounds friggin' amaziballs. I'll see myself out after that one. I'm not proud of it.

So for $30, you can get this, and "Decent Microphone Accessories." Those accessories include a crap cable, a crap "interface," and a pretty alright desk boom stand, pop filter, shock mount, and windscreen. It also has a "Seven Day No Reason to Return Policy." Nice. So here's the deal. You need a mic. You don't have much scratch. This is the mic for you. Even the crappy little USB interface and cable are not bad if all you have is $30 (though if you've got a bit more, the BandLabs pocket interface (which is also $30) is far superior to the crappy interface this set comes with). It'll get you started, and with a decent DAW (like Cakewalk, by the aforementioned BandLabs), you can take out most of the hiss. And yes, there will be hiss unless you have something to get phantom power to the mic, because it's a cardioid condenser mic and they need phantom power. Anyway, for the price, you're not going to find a better mic. And yes, I have one sitting on my desk right now. And plan on buying a few more.

It's easy to use, easy to set up, and easy to manage. Only real issue is just how much backing noise it picks up with minimal gain. That said, the Sherpa software from Blue helps cut all that out. With that, you can fairly effectively dial in exactly what you need, for podcasting and streaming. I do not recommend this mic for vocal work, voice overs, or recording music. Get even a barebones basic XLR mic of ANY kind for that. Even the cheapest on Amazon will be better suited for that than a USB mic. No, this is not prejudice, I have both, and have ran side-by-side in a quintuple blind (or would it be deaf?) sound shoot out, and 7 out of 10 times, the Yeti lost to XLR mics. THAT said, if it's what you've got, don't let that stop you from making music!

I have zero experience with MIDI controllers heretofore, but it does what it says on the tin--it controls MIDI, it has faders that fade, knobs that knob, pads that pad, and keys that key. It's affordable to most any level of musician, it has weighted keys that actually register velocity in your DAW (and it works with Cakewalk by Bandlab, so it should work with anything), so it's got some nice features. The keys feel nice. They play well. The faders feel almost like a real console. The knobs are the best knobs I've ever hobknobbed with. Not really faffed about with the pads yet. It also comes with a few extra software programs, all of which are really nice. LOADS of synth sounds, Abelton Live Lite, and uh... I forget what the other one was. But for less than $300, you could do a lot worse. And it's all powered by a printer USB Cable! Come on, buy it. You know you want to.

Love the concept, the layout is terrible. Pads are too close, and they're too sensitive. You hit one, you may trigger any other around it. That said, it's got MIDI out, and can be used as a controller. That, and the fact it'll sit on a snare stand, is why it's not a 1 Star rating.

If you can get it on sale, go ahead. But for the price, there are far better options. At the time I got it, there wasn't many choices for what I was doing (I needed portability, and this one can function off of a 9v battery), but now? The market has many, many superior options. Save yourself the trouble, avoid.

As soon as you get it. I threw a Rube 12AX7 in mine. Yes, OK, I know, Ruby isn't the most popular choice. But for the voicing I wanted, it was what I needed. You replace the tube, this little preamp is about as solid as they come. I've had mine near on a decade, and it's never once let me down. Ever. Just remember, it converts your signal to LINE LEVEL, even if you go XLR IN, you're going to be going a guitar cable OUT. Save yourself hours of headache trying to figure out where all that hum is coming from, and just run LINE OUT.

This'n's a winner. It does what it says on the tin. Most days, anyway. Sometimes you get weird distortion, audio dropouts, and just choppy playback. Not sure what the culprit is, as I've tried all the things online to "fix" it, including the BIOS fixes, the buffer fixes, and the driver/ASIO/MME fixes. Ah well, it works pretty decent for the most part, and since it's free, who am I to complain about dropouts/choppy playback, eh?

Won't lie, not crazy about the interface, and it's on that reason alone they don't get the 5th star. I managed to snag it at a time they were giving out Analog Dreams full for free as well, so mine's a bit more loaded. Great starter set, great introduction to the NI suite of sounds. And again, it's free. No reason to not get it, and as Geddy Lee said, don't be afraid to give 'er!

But once you learn it, it's pretty powerful. You can synthesize all kinds of sounds. It's also free. But if you're using it a LOT, I suggest paying. Again, it can get some pretty crazy sounds--from bell chimes to 808 beat dropping madness, it's all there if you play with it enough.

Ever since hearing Tarkus, I've wanted that organ. And when I got my Keylab Essential, it came with Analog Lab 4. One of the presets is called "Tarkuss." Lo and behold, it's a Hammond B3. I was so happy! It's also got a Vox Continental in there, as well as a Roland Jupiter. This thing is a fully loaded package of just straight up goodness. Worth every penny, but I suggest getting an Arturia controller and snagging it that way. The Keylab series of controllers are amazing--wouldn't trade my Essential 61 for anything.

If you do any kind of MIDI anything, you need Spitfire Audio LABS. They have so many free libraries up, you can do so much with them, if you don't avail yourself of their free stuff, you're doing it wrong. Frozen Strings, Scary Strings, Hand Bells, Moon Guitar... Those are the backbone of my song "Rain Under the Waves." And let me tell you, they sound phenomenal. Loads of sounds, all for free.

This is my 'verb. This is how I get my space. This is how I widen my mix. I can use other reverbs, I can use other sounds to get a similar effect--so it's not AS essential as Reel ADT--but it's not far behind it. What this plugin does, it simulates being in the room at Studio 2. And let me tell you--it does it well. You have almost complete control over it--and with automation, you can change values on the fly in the track. If you like rich, deep reverbs, this is the plugin you've been looking for. If you like super saturated, wide open spaces, this is the plugin you've been waiting for. If you want to elevate your mix a cut above the rest, this is the plugin you've been waiting for.

I could not record without this. This is more than just a way to avoid having to double track for me. It's more than just a way to widen my mix. This is a way of bringing a whole new kind of effect to my music. I use this as an effect, not just as a process, something akin to what Syd Barrett would do with Pink Floyd. So essential is it to my sound that my standard DAW template opens up with a bus already set up with this loaded. Have to have it. If I could only ever have ONE plugin, ever again, it'd be this one.

Does what it says on the tin. Has a pretty decent valve modeling software side of things. Most people can't tell the difference after I've done my post processing, so that speaks volumes (if you'll excuse the pun). Comes bundled with Cakewalk these days, so I've no reason *not* to use it. Good little plugin. Have seen worse. Have seen better. Free though, so it gets better'n average rating out of me.

These are great for listening to music, not so much for mixing. They have great bass, and they do great to isolate you from the outside world. I love them to death (they're also really solidly built). But don't try mixing on them. It don't work so very nice. The mic on them is crap. Just... Don't.

But not great, either. Kind of bassy, but mine were free. So I can't really complain. They also sit ON your ear, not OVER your ear. So after a while they pinch. Outside that, they're not terrible.

Great keyboard for the price. Can customize the colours of the backlighting, so you can map out your keyboard shortcuts to different colour combinations. Very useful. Very quiet keystrokes, as well. So that's a big plus. Comfortable to use for long periods of time. Pleasant feeling to type on. One of the best non-mechanical keyboards I've used.

Honestly, this is the best mouse I've ever used. The changable sidepanel makes it so useful for everything, you can use the Synapse software to hotkey everything, so there's no more hunting things up on the keyboard to find your tools or whatnot. It's all right there on the side of your mouse. Would give it 5 stars, but it's $70-100.

These are what are on all my electrics. I mean, I'm not sure what you can say about this, other than they're amazing strings. They have a great sound, they feel great to play on them, they don't die for AGES... And as a bass player mostly, these let me do my bends on a guitar without fear of a break.

Have for nearly 20 years. Regular rounds. Not the triangles, not the small teardrops. They feel good, and they don't break easy. They have just enough give in them to fall through the string nicely. Great picks, and they're inexpensive as well.

It's an amazing capo. It truly is. Does what it says on the tin, and you can flip it upside down and have a half capo, for alternate/open tunings! Love it to death, can't leave home without it. Also, you can clip it to a shelf/curtain rod, and you've got an instant coat hanger!

Seriously, made a huge difference in the acoustics of my audio. Goes right in behind the MXL V250, keeps the room noise out, and keeps my voice from reflecting back. Bloody well couldn't do without this. Not a substitute for proper acoustic foam, but should ABSOLUTELY be used in conjunction with it. Great gift idea for the recording artist in your life. You're welcome.

No nonsense, does exactly what it says on the tin. Works absolutely as advertised. No plosives get through with it, cheap, effective.

But a bit noisy. Also a pain to work with. Does not like fine adjustments. But it's inexpensive, so what do you expect? Mine came with a 20 quid microphone, so I can't complain (I mean, I can...). Clips right on the edge of your desk, holds everything in place like a charm. Mine's clipped in 24/7/365.25. Eventually, I'll upgrade to a proper boom, but until then, this one does the job fine.

This mandolin is LOUD. I mean, it barely needs to be mic'd if the amphitheater is built worth a darn. It projects better than any A-or-F-Style mando out there, and it has a much richer midrange. Holds tune really well, too. More importantly, it takes ALTERNATE tunings really well. Not every mandolin does. It's been out of production for a long, LONG time now, but you can still find 'em on Reverb and eBay if you keep a weather eye out. The downside? 9 out of 10, you don't get 'em with a case. And finding a case for a bowlback is a pain in the neck. So hope you're handy with some tools, because you're going to be making your own, most like. Seriously though, this mandolin sounds better than a £20,000 Gibson. I'm not just blowing smoke, either. Feel free to look up sound clips on the YouTubes--there's a video of this mandolin, and there are plenty of videos of various super expensive Gibsons. You decide for yourself, but this one has richer midrange sound, and way warmer and deeper projection. In summation/TL;DR-if you can lay hands on one of these, you should. If you can't, you should be sad.

Bright sound, stays in tune for literally years, plays pretty good, strings are nice for what they are, can't comment on restringing it as I've never had to do that. But yeah, not bad. Not bad at all. For $50, you could do a whole lot worse.

You get 7 Harps. I got mine on sale, so can't complain. They wear out fast, though. Still, as the other user said, great case. And the harps are not all that bad. Just keep 'em clean, and they'll last a while. I've had mine going on 10 years now, and they're still all functional, so I mean, that's pretty good.

One of the more solid pedals in the Tone-Lok line, there's a reason this thing is so pricey on the second hand market. Had one for years right after they first came out, nifty little feature being able to change it from a digital delay to an analog circuit style echo, as well as setting the min/max time between three ranges with a switch. The real selling point with this pedal, as with all the Tone-Lok line, was the push-lock knobs. Set it, forget it. They're also built like a damn tank. Traded it for an Ibanez SC10 Super Chorus and Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal (yeah, 2-for-1 trade, and both pedals worth as much or double what the DE7 was at the time). Best trade I ever made.

First off, the good: It has a button that buttons, knobs that knob, and a switch that switches quite satisfyingly. It's got three different reverb modes, "room," "spring," and "shimmer." It uses a 9v 100mA power supply instead of a 9v battery, so there's less waste. It gets really good sounds from two of the three reverb modes, and the third is fun to play with, and *may* be useful in certain settings. Construction: It's built pretty solidly, it's in a metal chassis, metal stomp button, metal switch, and the big knob is metal, while the two smaller are pretty high grade plastic (or at least they feel like it). I was scared to drop it on my toe, it has good weight to it--my grandmother once broke her toe dropping a can of soup on it, this would likely yield similar results. Is built quite solid. Button: The button buttons very well. It's got a satisfying click, if the barrel is somewhat loose (as these style buttons sometimes are). It turns the pedal on and it turns the pedal off. You can't ask for much more of a button than that. Knobs: The knobs knob in the most satisfying way. The decay knob (sets how long the reverb tail is) is just a pleasure to turn, very solid feeling, very nice, smooth turning, and a wide range of reverb tail to set it to. The Mix and Tone knobs (which adjust the wet/dry signal and the well, tone of your sound, respectively) are also quite pleasing from a tactile standpoint, with a smooth and even turn. I find with the Room setting, everything set to noon, you get a nice general purpose reverb sound. Switch: The switch switches. It does so with an audible click, it's not loose in the housing, and feels like it will hold up to hundreds of switchings over the life of the pedal. Not much more you can ask from a switch, really. Sound: The room and spring settings are both very well done for this price point. The spring setting, with the right tweaking, you can get your Telecaster sounding like the James Bond theme. And really, isn't that what we *all* want a spring reverb for? The room setting is just a good all purpose reverb, adds depth and dimension to your sound. The not so good: The shimmer. I just can't really find a place for this in my sound, and I'm a prog/jazz guitarist. It adds a harsh overtone that you have virtually no control over, and there's not a lot of finessing it. With the Collision Devices Black Hole Symmetry, you can set the overtone to be between a semitone and a whole 5th above your note, so you can dial in how it sounds, and really make it work. With the Ocean Verb, it just kind of is there? I mean, with some more playing around, I may can find a place for it, but right now, that setting is just kind of meh. Outside that, it's a darn good pedal for the price, and the spring 'verb sounds better than the reverb tank on my amp. You could do a lot worse than this'n, folks.

This is probably the highest gain pedal I've ever played. It's great for Nu-Metal (in fact, the Tone Lok line was "endorsed" by Korn, as I recall--then again, that's been near on 15-20 years ago, so I could be misremembering) sounds, but if you roll off some of the drive, and put an EQ in front of it, you can make this pedal really shine. I'm a bit biased, as it's the first effects pedal I ever bought for myself. I needed a quick distortion pedal, and the shop I was in was out of DS-1s, so they said "Hey, this is close!" No. No it is not. It is not even remotely comparable to the DS-1. Still, it's not a bad distortion unit if you want super high gain that borders on fuzz. Actually, if you're looking for fuzz, this is probably a good way to get it. Because it's a very, VERY hard clipping pedal.

This guitar is THE guitar. When you think of the greats, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Eric Johnson, Dave Murray, Jimi Hendrix, even Yngwie Malmsteen--they all play Strats. The Made in Mexico Strat has been discontinued a while now, but you can still snag it used. If you can, you should. I myself am partial to the Midnight Wine colour, but that's just me. The maple fretboard is silky smooth, like butter on a bald monkey. The tone you can get from this axe is everything from soft clear just this side of acoustic all the way to hard hitting thrash. The hardware is top-notch, feels good, looks good. The vibrato tailpiece is solid, easy to use, and don't feel like it's going to break--even when you're a little harder on it than you'd maybe think you should be (I've played on Strat Knockoffs, the tailpiece usually feels like it's going to break). The tuning stability is just amazing--I've been wailing on the whammy (as it were) all day, and not really had to tune up. My advice? Pair this with a good tube amp, either a Vox AC15/30, or something with 6L6s in it. You won't regret it.

So with shipping, this comes in under £55 Making it cheaper than even the EHX Soul Food, and one of the 5 cheapest Klones around, that I'm aware of. If you don't know what I mean by "Klone," then you probably don't need this pedal. I'm just going to shoot straight with you. So what is this pedal? It is a transparent overdrive that most people won't actually use as an overdrive, they'll use it as a clean boost, with the tone and gain set to *very* specific settings, to drive their tube amps into just a hint of breakup, so they can use the volume knob on their guitar to roll back just a bit. And that's what this pedal does. And it does it in spades. It sounds every bit as good as the pedal it copies, and personally, since it has a bit more headroom, *I* think it sounds better. I like being able to crank it a little louder, being able to push the gain stage a little harder, and being able to get that creamy breakup while still retaining note definition at higher volumes. You can't do that on the one that costs $2800. Build quality is bang-on-spot. This bugger is built like a tank. Solid metal construction, with knobs that knob, and a footswitch that switches very switchingly. It also has LED lights that you can set to synchronize, always be on, or always be off. So it's got a nice ambient glow to it, as do all the Joyo R Series of pedals. So you can have a little light show going on your pedalboard. Great if you're into Shoegaze. But uh... this pedal isn't really great for Shoegaze. Unless you're putting it in front of the Joyo Aquarius, on Galaxy. It sounds like Pink Floyd and Incubus got together for some kind of Vann's Warped Tour... I don't think that's a *good* analogy, but you just gotta try it. Anyroad. If you're looking for a Klone under a C-Note, this is the one. If you're looking for a Klone that's *not* the Tumnus, this is the one. Otherwise, just get the Tumnus/Deluxe, because really, that's the only other one worth thinking about.

Guys, this pedal. Oh my giddy aunt. Oh my giddy aunt, this pedal, this pedal oh my giddy aunt this pedal. This pedal, oh my giddy aunt. I can't say enough good things about it. It looks good, it sounds good, it's easy to use, it has one of the best fuzz circuits I've ever played on. The delay has a full second of delay time. The reverb is rich and creamy. Oh my giddy aunt. This pedal. Yes, it's £250. Yes, that's a lot of dosh. Yes, you could just as easily buy a low-to-midrange guitar or amp for that. Yes, that's a week's groceries, half an auto payment, or a quarter month's rent. But Hel's HOLIEST of Bells, mates, this pedal. It. Is. *SO* good. Much like with the Vox V241 Bulldog Guitar, if you're looking for an *unbiased* review of this pedal, look elsewhere. You won't find it here. Everything this pedal does it does great, and then some. It works together in harmony, three effects that you'd think when you throw fuzz in reverb and delay would be harsh and unwelcome, instead it blends into this perfect just... So good. Check out the Knobs review on the YouTubes if you don't believe me. Then go buy this. It's MMMMMMMMMMM good!

So this thing had both delay *and* a looper in the same pedal. And it's a looper that goes on for 5 minutes of recording. That's bloody well impressive in a £75 package, that is. It's got 8 different types of delay, from analog and digital to lo-fi and "Galaxy," which is the reason you buy it. Just be honest, that's the reason you buy it. Sure, reverse delay is nice, and tube delay with the gradual breakup is pretty fun--but Galaxy steals the show. It's just plain fun. It's got tap tempo. It's got a looper. It's got 8 types of delay. And it's cheap. Why are you reading this? Go buy it!

I've blown out two of already. Yes, blown out. Because gigs. Because I ran them hard. These are the best small gig amps in the world. Even Feist has used them (pretty sure she's got two of right now her own self). Look, I'm not saying you have to buy a Vox Pathfinder 15R. I'm just saying if you DON'T, I'm going to be really, REALLY frustrated, OK? I mean, seriously, I know it's discontinued. I know they're hard to track down. But check Reverb or something. They should be less than $150. They're great for practice, bedrooms, garage bands, and small venue/coffeehouse gigging. They sound good, they look good, and the built in tremolo sounds GREAT. Just do it. OK? Just do it. I'm only trying to help you!

Seriously. And I've played a LOT of guitars. This is the worst guitar I've ever played. The action is too high, the frets were not dressed properly, the sound is horrible, the strings it comes with are garbage, it doesn't hold tune for anything, it has zero redeeming qualities. I bought it on a whim thinking "Oh, hey, a nice cheap guitar, says it's made by Gibson, so should be a decent enough guitar to travel with!" let me tell you was I EVER wrong. Avoid at all costs.