strachowyj's Reviews

More than good!

The good side: Tons of presets, amp and effect pedal models, really nice sound, it can actually feedback with your guitar a bit. User friendly app. Easy to save up to 8 tones in the amp and forget about the application.

Limitations? Needs more pedals :) (auto wah, detune, etc.) and actually a built in LED panel for chromatic tuner would be useful. Now you need a Spark phone app for that.

Worst amp ever had

So I bought this practice amp long ago when starting up playing and I can tell you - don't do this as the sound is truly horrible and completely useless! Totally not suitable for hard rock or metal. Maybe good enough for Wonderwall by Oasis if it floats your boat. Anyway... to give this one credit... it looks good and has a nice and easy to read tuner. You may use it as a tuner or fancy decoration but definitely not as an amp. To avoid!!!

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Horrible

Horrible sound, truly terrific and completely useless. Please don't buy it.

Very good

Easy to use, good talk box sounds, handles Livin on a prayer well. Use small amount of amp gain and max out the pedal settings. Then, for verses and solos turn off the Boss and use additional distortion or overdrive pedal. I use my biyang mad driver maxed out in normal or bright mode to nail all the pinch harmonics. You can also try to use overdrive pedal along with Boss - just be sure not to make it too messy! Voila!

Talk boxes are a hassle

Well, I remember I bought it just to check it out and decided to resell few days later. I asm still waiting for a no-nonsense user friendly no no-tube solkution to play all those talk box songs at home. Just to get close enough, I know the real sound is a legit, real unit.

I remember this talk box had own amplifier and it theoretically didn't require separate PA system but still woithout a tripod it was very uncomfortable to get good sounds and focus 100% on your guitar. So wait and see, maybe one fine day we will se a good faux talk box with no pipes, microphones, etc.

Good for the price

This was probably my first ever effects pedal. I vaguely remember that it was a heavy distortion and I used it to make my crappy Orange Micro Crush usable for hard rock. And it worked! My first palm slide harmonics were played using this one. Naturally felt cheap and I didn't know much about pedals and knobs back then, so I can't give you an honest opinion how good or bad this pedal really is.But it definitely was a good choice for a beginner. Worth every penny.

Used to own - decent one

I usually feel TC pedals a bit sterile - and this was exactly the case with this one. The biggest plus was the abilkity to get the zero flanger setting -useful for those Jimi Hendrix cuts. But overall i think that this line is better for tinkerers uploadingand downloading all those "cool" presets to enjoy. I am a plug-and-play guy.

Decent but not really a talk box alternative

I used to own it and remember it was decent but not good enough. The wah sound were ok and the talk box emulation was mediocre while convenient. The plus is that you have an expression pedal and can somehow alter the faux talk box sound but the sound itself is really satisfactory only in case of sustained notes or chords. As for the build quality - felt cheap but worked fine without issues for a few months before I decided to sell it.

Possibly too good and too advanced for me :)

I used to own it and frankly speaking it was too complex for my needs, a snow I mostly used a built-in amp delay. But I remember it was a great pedal that even allowed you to get a Van Halen's Eruption ending oscillation noise on the spot with just one click. Quite bulky and cool pedal with lots of complex settings, such as dotted eight delay. Just not really for me...and a bit expensive too naturally.

Nice strap

Leather-made medium to long length strap. I used it for like three years now and no wear and tear so far. Nice padding. Feels comfortable and secure. Highly recommended!

So far no complains

Supposedly 100% leather. Keeps neck diving issues away. It is cheap. Made in Poland. No issues for now. Time will tell if it stands the test of time.

Bad one.

One to avoid. Extremely bad sound on "crunch" setting. The only good thing about it is the built-in chromatic tuner. Still, you can't really get much worse than MicroCrush.

Looks sharp!

Well its a combo of a Kramer Pacer body and Kramer Baretta Vintage neck. Made for the looks. Still plays great. Make your dreams come true and don't be afraid of mutts and projects. Sky is the limit!

So far so good

I always liked the X/star shape. It was love at first sight the very moment when I saw the WACF album by Van Halen. However, the EVH shark was always a bit over the top for me - turnbuckles, too weird shape, golden/silver tuners... So I was naturally attracted to this EVH TOM star. I have only played it once so I need some more time for a more in-depth review. However, I will point out some key observations below:

Lightweight, it is actually lighter than my Jason Hook Epiphone, which is, on the other hand, way, way lighter than e.g. Kramer 1984 or my Baretta/Pacer mutt.

Neck dive is not as heavy as some claim - it is passable, I am not using strap locks, just a solid, wide leather strap with felt padding

High fret access is fine - no problem with bends at 21st fret or so; out of my guitars, past and present, the 1984 had the worst high fret access I ever witnessed.

String action is ok, I don't use as low as possible approach, maybe I'll lower it a bit but no biggie, now it is under 2mm on the low E and under 1.5 on high E, I know it is a bit on a high action but no issues for me as I am not really playing complex stuff at lightning fast speeds.

Intonation was ok straight from the factory, no fret buzz at all, too.

Pickup does the job, sounds different from e.g. Duncan JB, but I don't mind it. It's a single-pup guitar, but still it's got what it takes.

Killswitch works fine, but it really is useful only at higher volumes, as playing at low volumes, it's really useless, because the button is not noiseless and it kinda overshadows the effect and misses the point.

Neck is very comfy, my first compound radius neck, so you know...

I do believe that the guitar goes out of tune between playing sessions, but frankly speaking, I haven't put on a new set, so maybe it's a question of stock strings (hope so). I know, lame and lazy - like me, but hey, only fools rush in.

Color is cooler than on most pics, it's actually yellowish, kinda lemonade-like, no need to add any stickers/stuff. Looks cool as is.

Good

Very cheap, does the job, and looks good. Green LED :) What's the job, you might ask? Getting the early 90s overdriven, yet warm Santana tone. Three settings. Ocassionally, i also use it for solos when my amp is not overdriven enough. What's not to like? I admit I use it only occasionally, but that's another reason for choosing a cheap alternative.

good

Pros: It is not purple. It works. Made in Japan. Cons: have to wait 10 seconds after disconnecting to engage. Sometimes you can disconnect the pedal accidentaly.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

The grip is great!

The printed side provides a nice grip and it just feels right on the strings. Nice and cheap. I love these picks!!! These are the best trust me ;)

Hold on

Believe me or not I bought it solely for the HOLD function. This mode is for a sound of a car that crancks but won't go.

Well it didnt stand the test of time!

Red color wears off. Terrible quality. So, sadly I can't recommend this strap.

Great for fast passages nice lookin'

The grip is very good they slip well on the strings and have a smooth feeling between the fingers. Need I say more? I can only stress that they are great for fast passages. I used to use 1mm picks, but now I see that 0.60-0.80 are the best for me when it comes to licks and solos. However, as of today I stick to these Grover Allman picks (0.80) when playing fast stuff. Maybe because of this Polycarbonate material??? Highly recommended!