I have had my Holy Stain for a while now and I love it! It’s a great tool that can help anyone be creative.

I really think the reverb sounds great, but I have to point out some of the negatives of this pedal too. The Fuzz and Drive are not adjustable (although they do sound good). Also the Pitch Shift effect doesn’t shift up or down a whole octave like I had hoped. There are still some really cool things you can do with the Pitch Shift effect though. Also, when the pedal first came out it was advertised in a way that made it seem like you could use multiple effects at the same time. Well you can’t. Between the hall and room reverb and the pitch shift and tremolo, you can only use one at a time.

But don’t get me wrong, this pedal is definatly worth the money, only $100 for some amazing reverb that sounds just as good as the Holy Grail, Go for it!

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This post was submitted by Seth Weber.

When you see as many pedalboards as I do, you’ve seen this tuner countless times. I was starting to wonder why I was the only person that didn’t have one! Plus, there must be something magical about it for every guitar/bass player I know to drop $100 on this pedal.

There isn’t anything magical – aside from the fact that it’s well built, tunes perfectly every single time, and you can count on this pedal to last. Both of my guitarists in my band use this pedal. They’ve had their for years and put them through everything. Tours, spilling beer on them, etc. Everything short of setting them on fire. And they still work perfectly. You can also use this pedal to power up to 8 others (cool feature if you need it).

Pluck a note, and it picks up the signal instantly and tells you flat/sharp. That speed is totally necessary when you have to tune on the fly (like between, or during songs!). Step on the pedal, your signal to the amp mutes, tune, step on it again. That’s it. It doesn’t get anymore simple. Plus, you don’t get the noise issues that my Planet Waves tuner gives me. I would recommend this tuner over a Planet Waves any day. Go get one!

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A friend of mine bought this pedal for me as a gift. Yeah, he’s a rad friend. $85 seems like a lot to pay for a tuner though. And at the time I was using a rack tuner. But lugging around rack gear along with the rest of my bass rig was getting old. So I made the switch and started using this pedal.

The first thing i noticed – this pedal is heavy! And in a good way. It feels like a solid brick of steel. Which is comforting when I think of all the abuse it takes in the back of my band’s trailer. There aren’t any flimsy buttons or knobs to break, and the actual foot pedal is solid as well. The LED is easy to read on a dark stage. But bring it out in the sunlight and you have a problem. A big one, I can’t even see what note it’s displaying.

Here’s the big bummer… when you step on the pedal to engage the tuner, it hums. My Ampeg rig has never hummed so loud in my years of using it. It’s so bad that a few sound guys have complained about the humming coming through the PA system. If you can deal with that, then this pedal is a decent deal. The solution to your humming problem is to use a separate power adapter (but I run it on a pedal board through the built-in power supply daisy chain). Your gear should be easy to use, not a hassle. So this tuner lost some stars for that reason. Overall, it gets the job done though. I mean, it’s not like I’ve bought a new tuner to replace this one.

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This amp is a steal for the price, but that doesn’t mean it’s the beast you’re looking for. Peavey is all about bang for the buck. If you have the buck, you may wanna look elsewhere. Now before you think I’m just being a jerk, realize that I have heard many amps pass through my studio. Marshall, Orange, Mesa, Peavey… All amps are not equal.

With this in mind, if you have $400 and need a tube amp for gigging, this might be your best and only option. But the tone is lacking, and Peavey’s 4×12 cab is not the cream of any crop. Maybe if you swap tubes, things could get better. A friend suggests soaking the preamp tubes, and using the power as the volume. Or vice versa – soak the power amp, use the preamp as volume. One of these should give you a workable tone slate… but still not incredible.

When given the opportunity to swap out amps, and after hearing a few alternatives, my friend ditched the Windsor and opted for some other tube heads. And I think the recording turned out better for it. Give this amp a shot at the local dealer before you drop the bucks. You may like what you hear, but if you have much experience… this amp will likely fall short of expectations (but did you really expect much to begin with?).

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This is not the kind of thing I would usually spend $150 on, but a friend gave me a deal I couldn’t refuse. This little blue beast is a godsend in the phaser world. To be honest, I never liked the sound of a phaser pedal so I avoided them. When I heard this Maxon piece, my mind was changed permanently. It sounds incredible, lush, fluid, smooth – in short: perfect.

Beg, borrow, steal – just get one of these pedals right now. You’ll use it every chance you get. And as a studio owner, I know how often I pull this pedal out for sessions. It’s simple (one knob) and can fatten up any guitar mix. Playing something poppy? Put this over the chorus. You’re teenage fans will drool.

With a name like Maxon on your pedals, you command instant respect. They are legend, and so are their products. Try them all, buy them all, and earn mega coolpoints for sure. So that’s it, get this damned pedal right now!

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A few years back I had the pleasure of working with a guitarist who used this amp. Fender came through on the Hot Rod DeVille 410 – and if you haven’t played through 10″ speakers recently, you might want to try it. Oh the punch! What a pleasure. You really need to sit down and play through this amp for a while. The tones are varied and beautiful. The tubes warm up and crank out smooth sounds galore.

I know a lot of people don’t love Fender amps. It’s not for everyone. But for clean tone, I think a Fender is the only option. Vintage if possible, but this new beauty can get the job done anyday.

Plus the cabinet is well built. Weighing in at 50 pounds, you might need to lift a few weights. But you can tell it’s a sturdy piece. Oh yeah, you might want to give the Groove Tubes the old boot – unless you like that sort of thing! Try something else, and you’ll start to love this amp more. What more can I say? 60 watts, 4 ten inch Eminence speakers, classic black tolex/silver grill.

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Orange has been putting out there own brand of amps since they broke away from Matamp some 20 years ago. The Rockerverb is the amp that i would have to recommend to any guitar player if any kind. I bought mine a few years back and i have to say there is no amp better on the market right now. Orange has been known to build amps that aren’t the most versatile amps in the world but this one can do almost anything you ask it to, From the classic Rock sound of the 60s to those who wish to go with a more metal high gain and lots of bass sound, even if you are playing blues or jazz you cant go wrong with this amp. Orange is one of the only companies will has a tube driven reverb and fx loop, so you will never lose any tone you might even add some.

Orange Rockerverb 100 In My Studio

This post was submitted by Kilian.

This has been my number 1 acoustic guitar for about 5 years. It’s been used in countless acoustic recordings, shows, private jam sessions, fireside performances, and parties. With all of that use, it’s still intact and still sounds amazing. This guitar is a favorite amongst my friends.

Takamine makes quality products that sound great live or in the studio. Throw an Earthworks mic on this baby and listen to her shine! If you know anything about acoustic guitars, you should try this one and see how it feels. Take care of it like a child, and it will be around forever to delight.

The neck feels like heaven, it stays in tune, and the little aesthetic touches are perfect. Nothing too showy, just subtle and beautiful. Seriously, try one out – you’ll take it home for sure.

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I’m picky about my gear – all the way down to my cables. The way I see it, there are two types of people when it comes to instrument cables. There’s the guys that use whatever junk cable they can get their hands on. And then there’s the guys that buy $100 cables because “it’s the best of the best.” Well there is another way. Monster’s S-100 cables are top notch, for a modest price, and come with a full guarantee. That’s what you can expect from a company like Monster – the best.

These cables come with a guarantee. But I’ll admit that I’ve never used it. This cable is a hoss. As long as you keep it rolled up right, it will last forever. I’ve been using the same one for the last year. I only replaced my old one because someone stole it!

Here’s my final word: if you need a pro quality cable, but can’t imagine shelling out big bucks for a piece of wire, get the S-100. It’s the best investment you’ll ever make.

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When Epiphone released the Valve Junior head, I was baffled. Why would anyone want a 5-watt tube head? Especially one made by Epiphone? My curiosity soon become intense enough for me to throw down some bills and take it home with me.

After letting her warm up for a minute, I turned up the single volume knob and went at it. What an experience! I must have had a smile on my face for a week. My friends play on big Marshall and Orange stacks, but when they heard this little 5-watt beast, I could see the jealousy in their eyes. It’s truly a bewildering experience.

The tones are incredible. It’s real tube tone with manageable volume – perfect in the studio. I play mine through a Mesa 1×12 cab and it’s a real delight. Even with only one knob, I yearn for nothing more. Plus this thing loves pedals! So throw anything you got in front of it, and you’ll be amazed. For $130, how could you be disappointed?

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My Epiphone Valve Junior Head - 1st Day @ the Studio

EVJ Hanging With The Big Boys!