Steve, Dave and Jim return (with some pedalboard planning)

I recently had too much time on my hands and wasted it by putting together a small Instagram storyline that featured three Lego men I decided to call Steve, Dave and Jim. Not one to dwell on that wasted time, I wasted more time and wrote a Blog article about it all and put together a downloadable PDF booklet of the story. If you’re going to waste time, do it properly I say.

Well, because I do say that, I went ahead and did it all over again. So here is Steve, Dave and Jim Issue 2: Pedalboard planning … Steve, Dave and Jim return (with some pedalboard planning)

Guitar

52 Amplifier Heads, week 35—Kustom Defender 5H

Last week’s wishlist amplifier head had two knobs. Minimalistic is cool. But maybe two knobs is one too many. What do you really need?! Volume and tubes. That’s all you need. If the amplifier head can be around $100 then your wallet is also happy. The Kustom Defender 5H ticks all those boxes by providing perhaps the most simplified amplifier head around. If my wife was picking the amplifier head for me, she’d pick this one. … 52 Amplifier Heads, week 35—Kustom Defender 5H

Guitar

52 Amplifier Heads, week 34—Diamond Amplification Positron

Did you know that a positron is also called an antielectron? Did you also know that when a low-energy positron smashes into a low-energy electron that annihilation occurs? Awesome right? That’s the kind of brutality that appeals to a true metal-head like me. Also positron is just a cool sounding word. Cool … Sounding … Surely that translates into an awesome amplifier if you’re the Diamond Amplifications Positron 18 watt head. Let’s hope so, because I want one. … 52 Amplifier Heads, week 34—Diamond Amplification Positron

Guitar

The adventures of Steve, Dave and Jim

The other day I decided to post an image on my Instagram account of a few Lego characters in and around the pickup cavity of an electric guitar of mine. I hadn’t put a lot of thought into it, but it was fun. In fact, it was so much fun I decided to take another shot at the end of the day. The next morning I took another shot. Before I knew it, I was creating a dialogue of sorts and the characters—I’d named them Steve, Dave and Jim—began to take on a life of their own. I bit like Pinocchio, but cool. … The adventures of Steve, Dave and Jim

Music

The Zombie Horror Picture Show—Review

Recently I posted an Instagram photo of my newly acquired Rob Zombie Live BluRay disc The Zombie Horror Picture Show. I’d purchased it with the Megadeth Countdown to Exctinction Live DVD (it seems near impossible to get that one on BluRay). When posting the image to Twitter I was asked politely to review the concert movie. When I say politely, I mean there was talk of flash mobs and burning Gibsons. I couldn’t allow that. I love Gibsons and I hate crowds. So, here is my own review/opinion of the Rob Zombie live concert movie that is … The Zombie Horror Picture Show.

I freaking loved it.

Pretty simple really. But perhaps I should expand on that. Oh OK, I will. … The Zombie Horror Picture Show—Review

Graphic Design

Dialtone Pickups logo

My involvement in the creation of the Dialtone Pickups logo was minimal to be honest (the core components were already in place). Having said that, I did work with the Dialtone Pickups team to tweak their existing logo to get the placement of elements just as they wanted them. The font was changed as well to one that better suited the brand.

From a pure graphic design perspective, the brand now has a logo file that can be used on any platform and in any colour.

…

Guitar

52 Amplifier Heads, week 33—Carvin V3M

Week 33 already. Wow, we’re carvin’ through this year. I feel this week’s amplifier head needs to pack more punch than usual. Perhaps I should allow an amplifier into the series that is way over the usual wattage I’m looking for. But it has to still be suitable for my home playing/recording needs. I know … the Carvin V3M. OK, I may have hinted at what the amplifier would be with the intro sentences to this article and the article/page title does give it away week after week, but I enjoy putting these introductions together all the same.

Sometimes I surprise myself. … 52 Amplifier Heads, week 33—Carvin V3M

Guitar

52 Amplifier Heads, week 32—Hayden Mini MoFo Head 15W

Seriously. What’s with all the amplifier manufacturers in the United Kingdom? Why are there so many? Why do they all seem so cool? Why are they making it so difficult for me to choose the all-tube amplifier I will end up buying? I don’t know the answers to these questions I but I do know that Hayden Amplifiers are now on my list. Damn them and their Mini MoFo Head (15W).

I was tempted to throw in some cursing there, but figured the amplifier’s name covered all the swearing this article needs. … 52 Amplifier Heads, week 32—Hayden Mini MoFo Head 15W

Guitar

Dialtone Pickups NAMM coverage

There has been some really good video coverage from the Summer NAMM recently and I was really happy to see people like Premier Guitar and Shnobel covering the innovative Dialtone Pickups. In other Dialtone Pickups news, they’ve received their metal casings for the first batch of pickups (see image below). The metal casings look awesome. Mine will be in there too I imagine, so I’m excited! … Dialtone Pickups NAMM coverage