thcraymer's Reviews
39 reviews Back to thcraymer's Equipboard
910
Great keyboard, both as a simple keyboard, and for MIDI too!
When I left my parents' place, I needed a keyboard for my own place, preferably one that had MIDI too (this was my first MIDI keyboard, was curious to try it), but can be used both with and without MIDI. Also, I was originally thinking a full 88-key size, but needed something light and easy to store, so went with 61 keys. This keyboard was the perfect one for me to get, it works both with and without MIDI, is very light, portable, and fits easily in my cupboard when I'm not using it! It's also very easy to use the MIDI, simply plug it into your computer with a USB cable, it seems to be compatible with pretty much any DAW. It was also extremely cheap, at under 100 EUR!
The only two downsides are: there isn't touch sensitivity, as with a regular piano. As someone who's been playing piano for years, this was quite a limitation. Also, it's not possible to plug in a sustain pedal, which also acted as a limitation, there is a sustain option of course, but it's not quite the same as a pedal that you can use while playing. However, at this cheap price, and also the fact I'm sacrificing these aspects of a real piano to have MIDI instead, it's definitely a good deal, and would recommend it as a cheap portable MIDI keyboard!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
I sometimes use it with MIDI, sometimes without. With MIDI, of course the possibilities are endless, some of my favourite sounds include flute VSTs (that give a mellotron-like sound), Hammond organs, and strings, as well as natural piano of course. For without MIDI, I'm able to run it through some of my guitar pedals, and can get interesting effects with a fuzz and/or wah pedal on the inbuilt organ and string sounds.
910
Nice loud and versatile bass amp, both for home practice and for gigging!
I bought this bass amp second hand, as a replacement/upgrade for my previous one (a 20 watt Harley Benton bass amp). As this one is only 15 watts, and the speaker is the same size (8 inch), I was worried this one may not be as loud as my previous amp, however, quite the opposite is true! This small amp is extremely loud, and can be used both for home practice as well as small gigs too! As well as being loud, the tone itself remains perfect whatever volume you're playing at.
The amp itself is quite versatile, as you have several different modes: it can be used as a simple amp without any effects, but also has a "classic/vintage" setting (which adds some gain and seems to emulate a tube amp), and a "modern" setting (which has a built-in compressor). Love this amp, both for practicing, as well as recording, in fact I use it for both bass and guitar, it can bring out the best in any instrument!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
For recording, I've found running the guitar/bass through the amp, after all the pedals, gives a great tone! The built in compressor is a great feature, and saves me needing to use a compressor VST/plugin (which aren't always easy to get just right in the mix). Not to mention, it saves me needing to use an amp simulator, which themselves are not always easy to operate either, and having that classic Marshall tone while being so easy to use, it'll always be better than a VST/plugin for recording. As for practice/gigging, I haven't yet used it for a gig, but it's certainly got the volume and strength, possibly enough to even play with a drummer and still be heard!
910
Amazing effect pedal overall, much more than I expected!
Originally I bought this pedal for the sitar simulator effect, and wasn't expecting to use any of the other effects on it much. Also, as it was multi-effect and a discontinued pedal, it was difficult to find one at a cheap price. However, as well as using the sitar effect, it has also become my main drive and distortion pedal! The effects are very raw, and do a lot for my sound, especially combined with a fuzz pedal. It's also very easy to use, with only four knobs, much easier than any other sitar pedal I've seen. I'd highly recommend this pedal for all the effects it has to offer, truly a unique pedal!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
If using the sitar effect (or occasionally the phaser too), I'll usually run it clean (so just through this pedal, perhaps with a minimal amount of reverb and/or delay). I also often use the drive and various distortions, sometimes clean, but often run either before or after a fuzz pedal, for a very crunchy, heavy sound. It also sounds great combined with other effects (I've recently taken to using it with a tremolo pedal after it).
910
Great guitar for beginners!
This was the first electric guitar I got, and a great beginner guitar at a cheap price! Mine had the classic SSS pickup configuration, and it was a great strat for building up my skills on electric, as well as experimenting with different pedals, sounds, whammy bar, etc.! Perhaps the only "downside", if any, is that the sound could be tinny (this was especially noticeable when I upgraded with my second electric), but it's still great as a beginner guitar, and has potential of being great in general with the right mods!
I have since sold the guitar, though it would have made a great modding platform too!
910
Great interface, easy to use and has everything a home-recording artist would need!
This is my second interface (my first being a Roland VS-20), and a vast improvement! I actually received it as a gift, so was never planning to buy it, but am so glad to have one, it's vastly improved both the quality and quantity of my recordings, as I'll explain.
First thing that struck me is the bright red metal casing, and how compact it is. It has two jack inputs (making it easy to record eg. vocals and guitar at the same time for a demo, or record in stereo), as well as two MIDI inputs (I've never needed to use these though, as my MIDI keyboard works with a USB, but could be useful). It's very easy to adjust the settings on the interface (eg. recording and playback volumes, switching on/off Phantom power supply, etc.).
The DAWs included are Ableton Lite and Pro-Tools (I personally prefer Ableton, as I will explain). I found that my output musically became better quality, due to the good recording quality of the interface itself, as well as the numerous plugins/vsts available (ranging from the most simple ones such as compression or EQ, to more complex stuff like MIDI instruments and stereo delays, etc.). The quantity also vastly increased due to the fact that this interface and DAW have also made mixing and mastering so much easier.
All in all, I'd highly recommend it for any musician who records at home, rather than paying every time to record at a studio!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
The Focusrite Scarlett includes two DAWs, Ableton Lite and Pro-Tools. I personally prefer Ableton by far, even though it has its limitations (for example only 8 tracks per project, I get around this by making around 2-3 projects per song, as it's too expensive to upgrade to the full version for now). The reason is that I find it much more user friendly, as well as being faster and having less issues with bugs. Pro-Tools often tends to either lag or crash, and probably requires a very fast computer to run it, while Ableton works flawlessly on my laptop.
910
Perfect tool for installing your Bigsby B500
For me it's quite important to have a whammy bar on all my electric guitars, and had to have one on my Les Paul too. However, Bigsbys tend to be rather expensive, so I opted for the cheaper counterpart, the Bigsby B500. This tool, the Vibramate V500, allows you to install the Bigsby B500 with ease onto any Les Paul, SG, or similar guitar with a tune-o-matic bridge, without drilling any holes! Even better, not only is it cheaper to get this and a B500, but it comes in black too, which is exactly what I was looking for!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
It's installed on my Cort Les Paul, with a Bigsby B500.
910
Perfect pedal for creating abient guitar effects!
I bought this pedal for making ambient guitar swelling and swirling, this pedal does the job perfectly! It's simple to operate, just rock the foot pedal back and forth and hear the volume swell and decrease. Works best combined with reverb and/or delay. Also, it doesn't need a power supply, saving power on your pedalboard.
Preferred Settings + Usage:
A useful pedal to have! I'd put it after drive (though I use little to no drive with this pedal), and before time based effects like reverb and delay.
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910
Great versatile bass, perfect for any style!
This was my first bass, I got it as a birthday gift from a second hand store, and played this monster for around 10 years! It's a very versatile bass, you can play anything from classic or psychedelic rock to punk or metal, it sounds great in any context! It's also easily customizable, and easy to find replacement pickguards, control plates, etc. As well as sounding great clean, it sounds amazing run through effects like fuzz, especially with the right strings!
I have since sold the bass (the reason being that I switched to playing short scale more often as my bass lines became more complex, and I needed the money), but this bass will always have a place in my heart!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
As well as some aesthetic changes such as changing the pickguard and volume/tone knobs, one significant change was changing the strings to Rotosound '88 tapewounds. It's as if those strings were made for that bass! The feel became way more comfortable, and the sound was significantly improved, it became more "bass like", dark and punchy, and also eliminated all fret buzz (if anything, the bass' only weakness is that it can be prone to fret buzz, so the action may need to be set higher than average to eliminate this with regular strings)
910
Great quality ukelele!
I originally bought one of these for a friend, but was so captivated by it, and also the fact it was on a huge discount, that I got one for myself too! It's a great quality instrument as ukeleles go, very comfortable to play, stays in tune well, and doesn't hurt your wallet too much, I'd highly recommend getting one!
Note: If you're taking it as luggage in your suitcase on the plane, be sure to buy a hard case! I've brought acoustic ukes in soft cases before, tucked between my clothes and they were fine, but when I brought it over for my friend, the electronics compartment got damaged... I was able to fix it somewhat into a playable condition, but it'll never look the same with the huge crack around the battery container... so it's definitely worth getting a hard case if you'll be travelling with it, it's much more delicate than your average uke, especially around the electronics
Preferred Settings + Usage:
I run it through a condenser mic when recording, also it's the perfect travel instrument if I'm travelling light (but don't forget the hard case!)
910
Great Les Paul that has served me well over the years!
A true veteran in my gear, I've had this guitar since my teens. It was my second electric (my first was a cheap strat), and a huge improvement! The flamed amber maple top looks amazing, the pickups have a warm creamy feel to them, the sustain is relatively long, this guitar is very versatile for playing both clean, mellow style, as well as heavier distorted/fuzz, and sounds great on both! I'd highly recommend it!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
Over the years I've made several mods on this guitar. One was adding a Bigsby (using a Vibramate adapter, having a whammy bar is quite important for my playing style), another was changing the stock pickups (which could sometimes get muddy) to similar sounding Toneriders (which were somewhat cleaner), and added a coil split option, as well as making some aesthetic changes (changing the bridge, pickup rings, and pot meters for black ones, as well as the Bigsby and Vibramate being black, which goes great with the amber body). These changes made it even more versatile, I can get pretty much any tone I want on this guitar now!
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910
Great fuzz pedal, and at such a low price!
At the time when I bought this pedal, my songs were relatively clean on the whole (in fact, most of my releases up till then had been acoustic), I did want fuzz for some of the heavier parts of a new album I was recording but didn't want to spend too much on a pedal I didn't think I was going to use so much, so this pedal seemed a good deal. When I tried it out, I was surprised at how heavy and fuzzy it was, as well as being versatile, it could go anywhere from a subtle and almost clean fuzz, to a complete dirt packed fuzz, and the sound quality would be amazing either way. It also seems to have some kind of inbuilt compression as well as the fuzz, and easily cuts through any mix regardless of what instrument it's being used with (it sounds great on bass and keyboards as well as guitar!) It's become one of the core aspects of my guitar and bass sound on heavier songs, over the years I've been using this pedal more and more as my songs get heavier, and it's aging well!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
Often this pedal will be the first in the chain, before any additional drive or distortion. However, it sometimes could also sound good after the reverb near the end of the chain, for a real shoegazey sound!
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910
The definitive wah pedal!
This was actually the first pedal I bought, back when I was a teen, I was quite intrigued by that '60s wah sound and just needed to get one. Over a decade later, it remains one of my main pedals, the sound is as great as when I got it, it's durable and I believe these pedals last forever. Also as pedals go they're not that expensive, especially considering the fact it's a classic pedal that the best have used!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
I often use this pedal relatively clean, with some reverb and delay after it (those 3 effects combined have become part of my "signature" guitar tone). It works just as well with a bass or keyboard, and you can get some interesting sounds with any instrument you use it with! Also I occasionally add some dirt (usually fuzz) before the Crybaby, for a very raw and classic '60s style sound, and have recently taking to doing the same (fuzz and wah) on keyboard too!
910
Great 12 string guitar, would recommend!
Inspired by bands such as Big Star and Amon Düül ii, I was looking at buying a 12 string guitar at an affordable price (not an easy thing to find). It was my first Harley Benton guitar, I was amazed by the high quality and great sound for such a low price! I have listed the pros and cons below.
PROS: - Classic 12 string sound, sounds amazing both plugged and unplugged - Nice glossy finish, beautiful instrument - Lightweight and still has a solid feel to it - Action level is perfect
CONS: - Strings break easily, especially the high G which broke the first time I played it. Would suggest thicker strings especially for the high G (the stock strings are 0.008, but 0.009 for the G should be fine) - Large distance between paired strings near the saddle (can be fixed once you re-string) - Plastic bridge pins are terrible quality and difficult to pull out the first time. I replaced them with ebony ones eventually, which was needed.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with this instrument, I'd highly recommend it for anyone looking for a budget 12 string!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
It comes at a low price, and naturally must be set up as soon as you get it. For one thing, the strings must be changed, or at least adjusted on the saddle, and the bridge pins must almost certainly be changed to ebony ones. For recording it works best when played into a condenser mic
910
Best short scale flats around, and for a good price!
Currectly using these on my Jolana Kolorbass (vintage Czechoslovakian bass). These tend to be more bright than your average flats, while keeping the thumpy vintage sound of flats, and have vastly improved the bass' sound. Would highly recommend them for any short scale bass!
910
Perfect item for recording guitar and bass
It's a very subtle difference, but you notice it after recording: this box eliminates most of the unwanted hum! This is especially useful for parts of the song where the guitar or bass drops out (especially if you're using a guitar or bass that has single coil pickups or a coil split function). I'm going to use this on all of my recordings from now on. At this price, it's definitely worth it for any home-recording musician!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
It works best as the last thing in the signal chain before your interface (in my case a Scarlett Focusrite).
910
Amazing fretless violin bass!
I had been looking at this bass for a while, as I really love the sound of Höfner-style violin basses but did not own one yet, and seeing a fretless one, at such a cheap price, I just had to go for it. This instrument did not disappoint!
The instrument is very well made down to every detail (finish, binding, etc.). Additionally, the pickups and strings themselves are even of great quality, and you can easily get that classic thumping tone heard on so many Beatles albums without any modding, as well as having the freedom a fretless instrument provides (such as sliding and playing microtonal). The short scale also makes playing fretless much easier than on a long scale fretless bass. If you have the treble high enough, you'll get the classic fretless "mwah" sound, so you have the best of both worlds!
Perhaps the only downside is that the E string can get muddy sometimes, but this is a common issue with hollow or acoustic basses and easily fixed with the right eq. (Update: I have fixed this issue with adjusting the EQ)
I'd easily recommend this instrument to anyone, especially if they want that classic Höfner-style violin bass tone, as well as experimenting with fretless playing.
Preferred Settings + Usage:
This has become my main bass, both for live performances and recording. Depending on what style you're playing, adjust the settings accordingly (I've found having the neck pickup louder works better for walking bass lines, while having the bridge pickup louder works well for sliding along the fretboard and making "mwah" sounds).
910
Great full mahogany acoustic, at a cheap price!
I've been using this guitar for many years now, and it's just as good as when I bought it! It was my first acoustic that I bought for myself (I started on my mother's old acoustic, but wanted to get one of my own). The first thing that hit me is the comfort! Having a smaller body than a regular sized dreadnought, it is extremely comfortable to play. The sound is very distinct, thanks to the mahogany body, it has a rather warm and mellow sound. Also it's a real looker, the dark brown mahogany grain with the satin finish looks amazing, and the merbau fretboard has a nice warm colour to it too. It's perfect for both gigs and recording, and I got it at a very cheap price, will likely keep this guitar for life and never replace it as it's the perfect acoustic for me!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
A recommendation: it sounds good whatever strings you use, also the fretboard is made of Merbau which looks amazing (and is said to be better than rosewood). However, the only weakness this guitar has, if anything, is that the fret sounds can be quite loud, which can be a pain when recording. For this reason I recommend using some noise-cancelling strings (the best for this are Elixirs in my opinion, not only are they coated for hum cancelling, but also they keep their tone very well, so you rarely ever need to change them).
910
Does its job very well, and at a much cheaper price than other noise reducers!
A noise reducer is a must for pretty much any guitarist using single coils. This one is cheap, simple to use, and does its job perfectly!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
Normally I will keep both thresh and delay quite low (9-10 o'clock) for a clean tone or light distortion. If I'm applying a heavier distortion, fuzz, or both, I'll go up to 11-12 o'clock, but rarely over that.
910
Amazing guitar, would higly recommend it (if you're lucky enough to find one in good condition)!
As a psychedelic/shoegaze musician based in Hungary, this guitar was among the best (and cheapest) purchases I've ever made! It's a vintage guitar from early '70s Czechoslovakia, and is a sort of cross between a telecaster and a jazzmaster/jaguar (having the form, pickups, and simple switch plate system resembling the telecaster, and the bridge with a tremolo system resembling the jazzmaster/jaguar, so at least in my opinion, is the best of both worlds). The sound resembles that of a telecaster, is extremely clear (even when distorted), and just as versatile as a tele (more so in fact, because of the tremolo system). For a guitar that was almost 50 years old when I purchased it, it was kept in amazing condition by the previous owner, and keeps in tune better than some of my newer guitars, while having an extremely comfortable tremolo system too. It's now become my go-to electric guitar!
Preferred Settings + Usage:
The combination of telecaster sound and jazzmaster/jaguar type bridge makes it perfect for playing psychedelic rock and shoegaze, and makes it among the most versatile guitars I have ever played! So far, my most used setting for it is the middle position (both pickups), and run it to the amp/interface through a light distortion (sometimes with fuzz too), a noise reducer, and a light delay, giving a gritty but clear tone.