Guitars

Why do we constantly scour want-ads and craigslist looking at the guitar stuff for sale?. Why are we always on the lookout for new pickups, pedals, machines, strings etc.? Why do we need more than one guitar? If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand.

Amplifiers

God bless the amplifier! Without them we would never be heard. They even have them for acoustic guitars. There are so many available that it boggles the mind. But one thing is for certain, we each have our favorite brand and type.

Components

Between the guitar, the amp and the stomp boxes, the number of components that goes into each of them is staggering. but that just gives us more to change, upgrade, modify, and tweak. Even repairs can make for a great day at the work bench

FX Pedals

We all love our stomp boxes. From overdrive to delay to vibe some of us are borderline obsessed with them. In fact they have become a major part of the musical instrument industry. They all fill a need and they can be modded which comes in handy when off the shelf ain't gettin' it..

DIY MODS

Tube amps are amazing creatures especially once you discover the endless possibilities through modding. Depending on the topology you can alter the voicing to suit you. These kinds of mods require at least a basic understanding of electronic circuits and a clear understanding of the lethal voltages they carry.

Resource Links

Links to websites full of resources for guitar slingers. This isn't just gear, you'll also find tablature (check out Tab Pro), guitar backing tracks, tons of guitar software for your computer (freeware as well as shareware) and other necessities you didn't know you couldn't live without till now.

Resources

Articles

To see all posts use the sitemap from the menu at top.

Soldano SLO Mini 30 Watt Killer Amp

I have never gotten excited about ANY solid state amp. Ever. Until now. The new SLO Mini 30. It’s a solid state 30 watt unit that actually replicates the sound of the iconic Soldano SLO-100 tube amp which is arguably one of the most well known and sought after amps ever created. Unfortunately for most […]

Leslie West Mountain of Tone Pickup

When it comes to electric guitars, it’s common knowledge that the single most impactful change you can make is the pickups. There are other changes you can make as well that can change the flavor of your tone, but pickups will produce the most drastic change. This post is focused on humbucker pickups. For years […]

the BEST Guitar Tuners Ever

Over the past 20 yrs. it’s safe to say I’ve used every brand of guitar tuners made. Grover, Schaller, Sperzel, Gotoh, Planet Waves, Musiclily etc. And to be honest most of them are really good tuners. But when I tried Sperzel it was my first time using locking tuners. I loved them so much that […]

Dean Leslie West Signature Model

Leslie West gained fame the world over during his 30-plus year career as one of the most innovative and influential musicians in the history of rock music. He is most noted for his role as leader of the explosive hard rock trio, Mountain, which was named by VH-1 as one of the Top 100 Hard […]

Tributes to Leslie West

I’ve been playing guitar since 1973 and Leslie West was my lifelong guitar hero. The first time I heard “Mississippi Queen” I knew at that moment I had to learn to play guitar. And my obsession with guitars has been with me my whole life. I’ve followed Leslie’s career non stop. From Mountain, […]

New Laney Cub Super12 Combo Review

So after several years Laney Amplification has released a new version of the Cub 12R all tube amp called the Cub Super12. They’ve made a few changes which I will cover here. First a disclaimer: This is a review of the changes in the new model as compared to the previous version. I have not […]

Laney Hot Transformer Updated

Now that I’ve been using the transformer cooling fan mod to control the transformer heat issue, and I know I’m keeping it, I figured I may as well go ahead and make the install a better and quieter one. So I ordered a couple of special PC case fans. Noise Blocker XM-1 Black Silent fans. […]

seismic luke-1x12TR speaker cab to amp cab

Seismic Speaker Cab Becomes Cab For Laney Tube Combo

Laney Cub 12R gets a new home Ever since I found out the Laney was basically made of cardboard (read about it here) it’s been buggin the shit out of me. So I fixed it. It would take too long to build a custom amp cab from scratch so I decided to convert an existing […]

First Time DIY Modding Tips

So you want to get into diy modding your own gear You’ve probably seen the forum conversations of dudes talking about modding their own gear or even building some themselves (like stomp boxes) and you think you’d like to get into some of that diy modding stuff too but don’t know how to get started. […]

Cub 12R Gets a Celestion V Type

Heard some demo clips of the Celestion V Type 8Ω speaker and really like what I heard. In the demos it sounded like a good cross section of a Vintage 30 and a Greenback and maybe something else as well. So at the price they are going for on Amazon I grabbed one. $97.00 and […]

Laney Cub 12R Hot Transformer Fix

I had some doubts about this little combo since I discovered the cab is made of compressed cardboard or some shit which was a shocker (read about it here). But I love the tones I’m getting out of it so I’m hanging in to improve the quality as much as I can. So after recovering […]

Laney Cub Tube Amp Made With Cardboard

Looks like the GAS still has it’s hooks in me because I’ve been eyeballin the Laney Cub 12R tube amp for a while now. Judging from the demo clips on line it’s pretty versatile with great tone and it’s a combo which is something I haven’t had in a while now because I’m a head […]

Tools & Equipment

You’ll also find posts covering some of the tools needed for your DIY projects so you can work smart, not hard. (and much safer and easier too)

Images

I try to use images wherever I can because if you’re like me a visual aid can make the difference. The downside is that my digital camera is getting old and it keeps getting harder to get a sharp clear image, so sorry about the low image quality on some pics.

Music

Can’t have a guitar site without guitar driven rock n roll, and there’s some good stuff on here featuring some “SMOKIN” guitar work.

Listen

Electronics

Electronics are covered in several ways on this site, but my DIY posts on pedal builds are written to help anyone just getting into it. Lots of tips and how to’s to get you past the rough spots you’ll run into just like I did. And I’m always happy to answer questions.

Videos

Some tunes, some how-to's, some lessons, but all guitar (and some cartoons)

Humor

Because sometimes you need to laugh. It's good for you.