6 Of The Most Popular Guitar Effects Pedals Explained

Flanger Pedals, which are also called stomp boxes, are used by the musician to change the sound of their guitar. Stomp boxes get their name because of the "stomping" action needed to make the effect work. When the pedals are off, you are playing with the guitars clean (unaffected signal) sound coming out of your amp. When you step on it to turn it on, the signal that goes to the pedals are changed creating the desired effect.
You can also connect more that one effects pedal to your guitar. Simply use patch cables (short cables) to connect them to each other using the imput and output jacks. You can individually control which effects you want on and off at any time just by turning (stomping) them on or off. When a pedal is off, the signal will bypass it and go through anyone that is turned on.
For the best possible sound, you should place your gain and tone based effects at the beginning of your line of pedals. Gain and tone based effects include distortion, volume, wah and EQ. Next you should put the pedals that change the pitch or color of your sound. Then at the end of your chain, you can put the pedals that affect your timing such as delay, reverb and flanger.
If you accumulate a large amount of effects pedals, you can keep them all organized and protected by using a pedal board. Pedal boards are basically a flat board that all of your pedals can be placed on all connected together. You can even get them with covers, transformers and power cables to make it a breeze to pack up and move from gig to gig.
One thing to be aware of is that connecting too many pedals together can cause a lot of humming and unwanted noise. To fix this problem a noise gate pedal can be used.
With so many different types of Boost Pedals on the market today, I couldn't possibly list them all. So I'm doing the next best thing and will explain some of the more popular ones.
Distortion:
Distortion is used in many popular musical genres especially metal, rock and hard rock. The distortion pedals job is to clip the signal, giving it's distorted sound.
Chorus:
Chorus pedals give you a thick and lush sound by duplicating your original sound; adding some delay to it and then mixing it back with your original signal. This ends up making your guitar sound like a bunch of guitars or a "chorus of guitars" if you will.
Flanger:
Just like the Chorus pedal, the Flanger duplicates the signal, adds a short delay and then mixes it back with your original signal. The difference here is that the Flanger's delay includes several repeats that get longer and shorter at a steady rate. This produces a thicker sound compared to the Chorus pedal.
Wah-wha:
The Wah-wha pedal kind of looks like your cars gas pedal and you rock this pedal back and forth to allow lower and higher frequencies to pass though. This then produces the "wah-wah" sound. Jimi Hendrix in the late 60's and funk music in the 70's made this effect famous.
Reverb:
The Reverb effect emulates natural acoustic spaces by producing an echo making your tone sound like it's being played in a big concert hall.
Talk Box:
Last but not least is the Talk Box. The Talk Box pedal has a small speaker in it that plays the signal loudly up an airtight small plastic tube. This tube is taped to the side of the microphone where it sticks out just enough to be able to send the sound into the AB-Selectors Pedals mouth. The guitar player then makes shapes with their mouth to change the sound, which is then picked up by the microphone. Many performers have used the Talk Box over the years but one of the most famous was Peter Frampton who used it on his song "Do You Feel Like We Do" off his Frampton Comes Alive record.
Hope you have enjoyed my explanations of some of the guitar effects pedals that are out there. This is just a small fraction of the effects that are available to you. A good tip would be for you to do a little research on some of your favorite guitar players and find out what effects they use that give them "their sound" the most. For example if you were into hard rock or heavy metal, it would be a good idea to start off with a distortion pedal. Rock On!

Don't Make A DIY Pedal Board Case

Why making your own case is a bad idea
Would you make your own case for your guitar?... Would you make your own case for your amp? Probably not and why not? Because they are expensive, easily damaged and they are valuable to you, that's why you invest in a case that will keep it in good condition. So why would you make a DIY pedal board case instead of investing in a quality soft case?
I have spent the time reading about various guitarists/bassist who are trying to or looking for advice on making their own DIY pedal board case. As you probably know, musical equipment is expensive and you don't want to repair it too often, this includes effects pedals, which on average range from $100 - $400 per pedal. If you have half a dozen pedals in your set up, that's worth a bit of money.
It amazes me that people spend hundreds of dollars buying effects pedals for their guitar/bass and then they do not want to buy a proper case that will protect it, instead they try to make their own DIY pedal board case for it and if this is not made correctly, it can end up damaging their pedals. If you just got a brand new Gibson you wouldn't try making a case for it would you?you would just invest in a case that would keep it in mint condition!
Alternative Cases
From what I have read, one of the main reasons musicians try to make their own DIY pedal board case is because its cheaper. However, if you take into consideration the price of buying all the materials and spending the time trying to make a DIY pedal board case, a quality soft case/gig bag would not be much more expensive and it would give far better protection and security for your pedals. Unlike a DIY pedal board case a soft case is much more durable, easy to transport around and you wont be worrying about fixing your case all the time, as it will probably break often
If you are still considering making a DIY pedal Board Case, I would suggest that you spend some time researching the internet for other options before you decide. Although you may have the ability to construct your own case from scratch, it will probably not be anywhere near as good as a case made by a professional company like Gater, Pedaltrain, Odyssey etc.
What I use
I use a 24" Gater soft case for my boss GT8 and I have used it for the past year. I gig most weekends and it's still does a great job, no complaints! I would strongly recommend investing in a quality soft case to protect your pedals because lets face it they don't come cheap and its well worth protecting them in the long run, to prolong their life and keep them in mint condition so you can re-sell them.

Description of the Different Types of Effect Pedals

Electric guitarist seldom just use the amp along and play, they make use of different types of effects to make good music. Some effects that i will talk about include distortion, chorus, phase shifter, pitch shifter, digital delay, wah-wah pedal, reverb and tremolo. A good multi effects pedal brand is ZOOM.
Distortion
This effect makes the sound driven too hard for the amp. Most guitarist will make use of this effect because it creates a musical pleasing way. Distortion can be anything from fuzzy to a screaming chain-saw fuzz used by bands who play metal.
Chorus
This effect makes the overall sound sound fatter, which sounds like the sound of many guitarist playing all at one time.
Phrase Shifter
This effect allows you to play in harmony alone through splitting the signal into two paths. It is really useful when practicing a song alone as it allows you to play in harmony.
Digital delay
This device produces a repetition of the sound, just like echoes. It also created rhythmically timed repeats of the notes you play. One famous band that uses this is Guns N' Roses.
Wah-wah pedal
This effect plays with the frequency. You can control the sound by raising and lowering the pedal. The world famous dragonforce makes use of this pedal to make all sorts of weird sounds.
Reverb
This effect reproduces the natural echo sound produced. It is sometimes included in amps. While the ones include in amps are not bad, having reverb as a separate will give you more variety and control.
Tremolo
Similar to reverb, it is included in many amps. Tremolo is the rapid wavering of the volume that makes your guitar sound as if you are playing it through a slowly moving electric fan.

Recreating Lindsey Buckingham's Signature Sounds - Big Lovea

One of the less well known guitarists of the last entry is Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac. Newer guitarists may not be familiar with Buckingham, but his style and sound inspired several generations of guitarists. He's probably most well known for hist signing, songwriting and production skills, but his guitar playing was instrumental in Fleetwood Mac's success, so it's worth taking a look at. I'm going to take a look at his sound and give you an idea of the kind of setup that's required to reproduce some of his signature sounds.
The first thing that makes Buckingham so unique is the fact that he uses a fingerpicking style. Originally a Banjo player, Lindsey Buckingham made the transition to guitar, and his virtuoso performances are a signature sound of Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham plays bass lines with his thumb while he uses the other fingers to voice melodies and sweeping arpeggios. The resultant music is truly original and inspiring.
Looking at his setup, one thing that you'll notice is that he has a truly unique axe. His Turner electric is not a guitar that has much fame, outside of Lindsey Buckingham. It's shape, distinctly violin like, is one of the most unique features of the guitar. You will also find Buckingham playing an acoustic on various tracks. There's nothing especially important to be said about his acoustic, other than the way he plays the instrument.
There's one performance in specific that I'd like to analyze. During one particular Fleetwood Mac reunion, back in 1997, Buckingham performed the song "Big Love", playing a Gibson Chet Atkins sold-body nylon string guitar. The reason that I've chosen this one is because of the unique sound that he got using that particular guitar. You can actually recreate this sound, even if you don't have this particular axe. Using your acoustic electric guitar, I will show you how to simulate this sound using your guitar and a few simple effects.
In order to simulate this sound, you're going to need delay and reverb. If you have an amp with these effects built in, that will do just fine. For the delay time, you're going to want to set it around 125 milliseconds. You'll need to be able to adjust the blend on the delay, adjusting it to be mostly the direct signal. This is important because when you're soloing and playing intricate melodies, you don't want the delayed notes muddying down the sound you're trying to create. If you're using a delay unit, such as those built in to some amplifiers, that only allows you to adjust the delay time by tapping a button, you may find it difficult to get the exact sound that I'm trying to teach. You can play around with the settings to see if you can get a sound that's similar or just use this guide as a way to get ideas for new sounds.
Another adjustment that you may want to consider, if you have a nice delay, is to roll off some of the high end from the delayed signal. Again, this is to make sure that your original notes really sing through. As for your reverb, you're going to want to reduce the size of the room to around 35 percent. If you're not allowed to change the room size, don't worry, just know this is going to be more of a creative exercise for you, rather than an all out recreation of the original sounds of Buckingham. Finally, you're going to want to roll out a good bit of the midrange from your amplifier (or board if you're going directly into one). This is going to keep things crisp and clear when you're really laying on the notes.
While using built in effects are limiting, you can get a unique sound using this guide. For those with a nice effects board or pedals that allow them to adjust all of these settings, you'll find a deep airy sound is the result of these settings. This is great to add some depth to a track where the main guitar part is played on an acoustic. If you haven't heard the version of "Big Love" that I'm talking about, get on the net and look for videos or recordings from the '97 Fleetwood Mac reunion show. It's truly worth your time & is a great performance! Good luck & happy guitarring!

Confused by Guitar Effects: Clean/Boost, Compressor, Distortion, Overdrive, Fuzz?

There are so many guitar effects pedals on the market and it is hard to know what the difference is between them. Categorizing effects pedals has been difficult. There has been little consensus on how to do this. There are six common classifications: Dynamics, time based, tone, filter, pitch/frequency, and feedback/sustain. This article will focus on the Dynamics Classification and the Tone Classification.
Dynamics Classification: Clean Boost/Volume Pedal, Compressor Pedal, microphone amplifier.
Clean Boost/Volume Pedal; Amplifies the volume of an instrument by increasing some aspect of its electrical signal output. These types of effects are usually used for "boosting" volume during solos and preventing signal loss in long "effects chains"
Examples: Fender Volume pedal, Dunlop MXR Amp effect, Visual Sound True Tone Clean Boost
Compressor Pedals; stabilize volume and smooths a note by dampening its onset and amplifying its sustain. Compression is achieved by varying the strength of a signal to ensure volume stays within a specific dynamic range.
Examples: Dunlop's MXR custom Comp pedal, Erockson Compressor/Sustain pedal, Boss CS-3, Aguilar TLC Compressor, BBE Benchpress pedal.
Microphone Preamplifier or "preamp"; Increases a microphones low voltage output to levels that can be picked up and used by equipment such as mixing consoles and headphones.
Tone Classification: Distortion, Overdrive, Fuzz, Lo-Fi
Distortion and Overdrive; distort the tone by adding "overtones" creating different sounds such as "warm" "dirty" "gritty" types. Distortion effects produce the same amount of distortion at any volume. Overdrive units produce "clean" sounds at a lower volume and distorted sounds at louder volumes.
Examples: BBE GreenScreamer, Dunlop MXR Distortion III, MXR custom GT overdrive, Dunlop Zakk Wylde Overdrive Pedal, BOSS Bass Overdrive, Pigtronix Aria Distortion pedal, Pigtronix Disnortion, Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde Ultimate Overdrive, and Route 66 American Overdrive.
Fuzz Pedal or " Fuzzbox"; A type of overdrive pedal that clips a sound-wave until it is nearly a square wave resulting in a heavily distorted or "fuzzy" sound. The Rolling Stones greatly popularized the use of fuzz effects.
Examples: Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, Visual Sound Angry Fuzz Octave, Boss Fuzz, Dunlop MXR Blue Box Octave Fuzz.
Boost, Compression, Distortion and Fuzz are the most popular class of effects. Usually, if a guitarist only owns one pedal, it is one of these. Many musicians have several of these types and use two or three at a time to get the many different sounds that make music so wonderful!

Single or Multi Effect Guitar Pedals: Which Is Best?

The common argument is "multi effects sound harsh and digital". This may be true with some older models, however, with the right setup, the latest units can produce sounds equally organic and soul-full as most single effects pedals.

If you spend some time on the guitar forums, and review pages, you will find countless opinions on what is better - Multi effect units, or individual effects pedals. The actual choice in the finish comes together with your ear.

Line 6 is also known for their amp modeling expertise which they include in their multi effects such as the Floor Pod And, HD500, and Pod X3 Live. Several of these pedals also now include XLR in/outs and vocal effects to let you run a microphone through the unit in to a PA. It is all about generating versatility!

The latest Digitech units for example (RP-500, RP-1000) feature an amp bypass capability, defeating the internal amplifiers and cabinet models, giving you a straight up stompbox pedal board. A pedal board that features every pedal known to man, without any cables!

I personally use the RP-500 through a 70's Fender Twin Reverb, and it sounds great! This goes against everything I read about multi effect pedals before I bought it. I also owned a wide selection of single effect pedals including the BBE Soul Vibe, Boss Blues Driver, Dunlop Cry Kid Wah, etc... All of them sounded great in their own right, but I can basically duplicate all these sounds, and more with the RP-500. You can also take it to the next level by jogging it to amps in stereo for an fabulous, lush sound, only available to the professionals in the recent past.

4 Reasons Why Ear Plugs Will Improve Your Rockstar Vocals

Everyone wants to be a rocker these days and everyone wants to step in front of the microphone. Some people actually do it. They get the courage, the practice, the gigs, and then they unleash their rockstar vocals.
However, most untrained singers have a difficult time identifying pitch and balance within a band. It's not really common sense so you shouldn't expect to be an expert on it.
However, wearing ear plugs during shows, rehearsals, and performances can do wonders. Ear plugs are simple, yet awesome and I have four reasons why you should wear them the next time you perform.
1. You'll learn better pitch.
Immediately, this is a very good thing. Every good singer should sing in pitch. It's like saying every good batter should be able to hit the ball. So, why are you going to develop better pitch for your rockstar vocals? Because you can hear yourself now.
Have you ever noticed how much clearer your voice is when you plug one ear? Plug both of them and see what happens. This is a natural reverberation that happens inside your skull. Take advantage of this. Soon, you'll be hearing the pitches exactly as the audience does. Hopefully, you'll find out that you're not that far off.
2. Hearing other instruments is easier.
Whenever I suggest ear plugs to musicians sometimes I get responses like "I can't hear anybody" and "Everything is too soft now." This is just baloney. The reason things appear that way is because your ears are not used to them. It's like turning out the lights after you've been staring at a radiating bulb. You're gonna see those harsh light circles for awhile.
If you wear ear plugs from now on, at each band rehearsal, your ears will adjust, and you'll begin to notice the real melodies of the instruments and not the piercing white noise from too much distortion on guitars. After your ears have adjusted you can let your rockstar vocals cut through, creating a much rounder, balanced sound.
3. You won't lose your voice as often or ever again.
Losing your voice shouldn't be an option for a singer. Your body is telling you that you're doing something wrong. You're pushing your rockstar vocals way to hard. If you wear your ear plugs, you can develop a much better attuned awareness of how much effort you're exerting when you perform. It's due to that inner reverberation I mentioned before.
This also helps when you happen to perform in a club or bar with bad monitors. With your naked ears, you may not hear so good, so you overcompensate and kill your voice. Wear your ear plugs and you'll realize just how much effort you really need to give to have rockstar vocals.
4. You won't lose your hearing.
This is the most obvious reason to wear ear plugs. Sure, wearing them is going to help your awareness of your own voice. However, your hearing is equally if not more important than your voice. Have you ever come home from a band rehearsal, or club, or rock show and heard that constant ringing in your ears? That means you've experienced hearing loss.
I'm not saying you're deaf now, but I am saying if your hearing was split into 100,000 partitions, every time you heard that ringing that means you lost between 50 to 100 partitions each time.
Do your ears and your rockstar vocals a favor and get some plugs.
I know for a fact that I've lost quite a bit of my hearing since I neglected to wear ear plugs when I first got into rock bands. I also know that my singing was pretty terrible.
Wearing your ear plugs is going to help develop better pitch, hear your band mates clearer, strengthen your rockstar vocals, and save your hearing.
If you happen to catch my band perform sometime, check my ears. I wear ear plugs every time and they're blue. That's for the ladies.

Guitar Multi Effect Pedals: Finding Your Sound With Pedal

Like they always say, you get what you pay for. Except in this case, you get more.

 saying "multi effect pedal" a few years ago would have got you thrown out of most bands, but oh, how times have changed. My first guitar multi effects pedal was the Zoom 505. Honestly, it was a piece of hissing, digital shite, but it made me recognize the potential that lay there within its cheap, semi-transparent blue housing. I actually brought it to of my band practices, & I can tell you, that pedal combined with the roaring power of a cranked, 70's Fender Twin Reverb was painful to say the least, for my band mates. So I returned to my "snake pit", home-made pedal board consiting of the usual guitar pedals (distortion, tuner, delay...).

Then, last year I started researching new guitar pedals on the net, & found a new opinion developing regarding multi effect pedals. Experienced guitarists, with a massive collection of expensive, boutique single effects pedals were beginning to sing the praises of multi pedals by brands like Digitech, Line 6 & Boss. Either these players had reached an advanced stage of hearing loss, or they liked these multi effect pedals!

With this thought in mind, I did some research on single effect pedal prices. I picked 9 of my favourite single effects, that are also produced by most new multi effect pedals, & priced them out. This is what I found:

I was surprised with reviews of the new Digitech RP line of pedals (RP500, RP1000). Guitarists were going off about how great the sound was, the quality of the effects, & the ease of use. None of these qualities had historicallyin the past been associated with a multi effects pedal. These pedals (& others by Line 6 & Boss), have such a wide palette of great sounding effects, that its hard to understand why you would buy single guitar effects any more.

This would give you a impressive pedal board! in size. My elderly pedal board had half this lots of effects, & it was a beast to deal with. You would be taking a look at 11 patch cables, 9 power connections, & the board itself.

Dunlop Crybaby 535Q multi wah: $125.44 Visual Sound Volume Pedal: $139.95 Proco Rat Distortion: $67.49 Boss CH1 Tremendous Chorus: $89.00 Boss FRV-1 '63 Fender Reverb: $129.99 Boss DD7 Digital Delay: $169.00 Boss RC-2 Loop station: $189.00 Boss TU-2 Tuner: $99.00 MXR M-102 Compressor: $69.95 Total cost: $1077.83

I now own the Digitech RP500. It's all of these effects built in, with a total of 125 effects, a looper, all metal construction, & stereo output. But honestly, the best thing of all is its ability to close off all digital modeling, & basically become a pedal board. This feature, through my elderly Fender Twin Reverb tube amp sounds awesome. Better than any single pedal, or combination thereof I have ever owned. The only thing that sounds better than my RP500/Twin Reverb combo, is an RP500 through Twin reverbs in stereo! Immense, lush, shimmering sound. All that, for $300 bucks (the pedal that is).

So if your looking for a single, or multi effect pedal, do your research. Despite their digital sounding names, the latest in multi effect pedals can produce brilliant sounds, at a reasonable cost. They basically let you explore more creative sound ideas.

Finding the Perfect Guitar Tuner

In the dark ages, musicians had only one choice for tuning their instrument. The tuning fork was all they needed to get the guitar sounding right. We too often think that our fancy electronics make things easier, when in fact they can do the opposite. When relying on a device to 'listen for you' it gets easier to become lazy in our critical hearing skills. The tuning fork has no visual feedback, which forces the guitarist to listen intensely. This is the missing link between becoming a better player.

We now live in modern world with about a million guitar tuners to choose from. From big boxes to tiny clamp on devices and even suction based tuners. If your a live musician, it may be best to use one that is discreet and easy to access in a loud environment. I tend to use the clamp on tuners when traveling but at home may even use the built in tuner in Pro Tools. Adventurous types may opt for a chromatic tuner, which allows for access to every single note. Going even deeper are those who stray from the standard 440 tuning. Modern research has found that tuning everything to 432 can bring healing frequencies to the listener. Many of those hit songs from the 60s and 70s used this tuning across every instrument. You may also want to try 425 which is great for drones.

Regardless of which guitar tuner you choose, it's important to also get a simple tuning fork. I try to always keep one of these in D and E. This will keep your ears laser sharp and aware of the slightest changes. This does require a quiet room but you'll be a better listener for it. Even when using a modern electronic tuner, you can be aware of the aural disconnect. It kind of goes without saying, but be sure and have some fresh backup batteries. This can be a lifesaver in live or studio situations. If you are flat broke, there is still a free solution. Some have gone to great lengths to create a free online guitar tuner that can be accessed from anywhere. This means that your smartphone, tablet or laptop can be used as a tuner. The tuner is currently a flash based app but will soon be HTML5.

Best of all, this online tuner forces you to listen and get it right. After tuning by ear, try and follow up with a digital tuner to see how close you were. Keep doing this and over time your hearing will improve and this effects musicality as well. If you are interested in trying this then use our free app at 123 Guitar Tuner. It works on any computer browser or mobile browser.

Air Compressor Safety Guidelines

Air compressors have become widely used, not only in industry, but in the home too. They are used for everything from running industrial equipment to powering air tools in the home, paint sprayers and more. One of the most popular types is the Ingersoll Rand air compressors range. However, whilst these are often found in the home they need to be respected because they can be dangerous.
Using Ingersoll Rand air compressors safely mean that you can enjoy the benefits of an air compressor safely at home.
Compressed air should never be directed at the skin or at another person. Even a low pressure can cause injury. No matter how tempting it is, you must never use compressed air to clean dirt from yourself or another person.
When cleaning with compressed air, the OSHA regulations state that the pressure should not exceed 30PSIG for safety reasons. Always wear goggles or an appropriate face shield when cleaning to protect your eyes from damage.
Using compressed O2 can be noisy so you should wear ear protection. Some air compressing units can be fitted with mufflers to reduce the noise.
Always treat your pressurized hoses with care. Never crimp, uncouple or couple any hose that is under pressure. Ensure all valves are switched off and make sure you bleed down the pressure before connecting or disconnecting any hoses.
You must always use the correct fittings and clamps on air hoses. Use of the wrong fittings could prove very dangerous.
Check your hoses before you use air. Make sure there is no damage to the hoses before you start using it. Hoses should be stored away from heat and direct sunlight, ideally on a reel to minimize damage to the hose.
Make sure the end that the compressed air is coming out of is held securely. If you drop the hose it can whip around and harm you or someone around you. Always make sure you open the valve carefully as there could be particles in the hose that will come out at speed. Never look down your air line as you are opening it.
Compressed air should never be used for breathing or inhaled unless it is from a system that is specifically designed for this purpose and has the proper air filters and regulators in place. Trying to breathe compressed air could prove fatal.
An air compressor can be a useful addition for any home improvement enthusiast, but be aware that compressed air can be dangerous if it is not respected. Use it properly and it can be a good friend and a handy helper in the jobs around your house.

My Quest For a Quiet Air Compressor Has Finally Ended

I had great hopes for my Thomas T635-HD air compressor after I got it a number of years ago. At the time, it was considered the most quiet compressor in its class. When it came time to purchase a rebuild kit, I was SOL. Appears like the company went out of business or merely stopped providing support for the line. While I am generally good about obtaining a difficult to find part, I made the decision it just wasn't worthwhile trying to bring a well used air compressor back again. I do what I typically do and checked out Sears, Home Depot, as well as did some research online.

Introducing the Rolair JC10

Shortly after doing my homework, I selected the JC10 to replace the Thomas and WOW am I amazed. Initially I assumed it was my error as it made so little noise. You really have to (not) hear it to believe it. The compressor oozes quality. This unit gets to full capacity (125psi) in about a minute and recovers in mere seconds. This really is by far and away the quietest 1HP unit you will find. I am not going to tell you that one could run it underneath the dining room table while you eat and never detect it. Having said that, I will say that it runs below my work bench in my garage as I happily tinker away without annoying me in the slightest.

It isn't quite as ergonomic as the DeWalt 55141 I had been also contemplating and a little bit more heavy but produces more air flow and I am hoping it will fill the gap that I've had for 8 years between light, portable and quiet and a do-everything compressor. Very good quality guages and fittings. Effortless enough to transport upstairs and no-one will complain if you utilize it inside their house. The grip on the handle needs an upgrade, and I've already fitted a 90 degree brass elbow so the pressure gauge points up in order to see it without tipping the compressor on its side, yet it is certainly a keeper. Only time will tell if it does almost all I need. It isn't a shop or 2 man compressor though.

I have had it for 2 months and can wholeheartedly "Highly recommend" this unit for anyone needing a small and incredibly quiet compressor that appears long lasting. A great compressor (for me) is occasionally the main difference between a great day and a frustrating day at work yet unfortunately, one can find excessive shoddy compressors available on the market. I am hoping this Rolair JC10 lives up to my expectations.

Guitar Effects Pedal

Lots of guitarists are obsessed with stomp boxes which are another name for guitar effects pedals. You will tend to find that many guitar players have a least five or six pedals in their collection. A pedal board (a board usually made out of wood which houses a certain amount of pedals) is useful to keep your stomp boxes in order. They can be used in the practice room or on stage. A useful gadget that some musicians own is a zip up pedal mount which makes transporting and keeping your guitar effects pedals together much easier.
The focus of this article is analog Joyo Pedals but other kinds of effects are available including digital effects processors which are generally representations of analog effects. Guitar modeling as become much more popular in recent years and the technology itself as become much better in terms of sound quality and picking dynamics and response. Nowadays you might find that some amplifiers are built around amp modeling software and hardware whilst others have effects units built into them. The circuits in analog guitar effects pedals can be integrated into valve amplifiers and can, therefore, act as an extra overdrive channel. It is not uncommon for reverb (short for reverberation) to the built into amplifiers. Spring reverb can sound very natural whilst digital reverb in generally of lower quality. The discerning musician usually has a good ear for music and will be able to tell the difference whilst a newbie guitar player might not mind the lower quality alternative. Some stomp boxes have great reverb which can sound like the real thing. This can be extremely useful if your guitar amplifier did not come with spring reverb built in or as a particularly low quality sounding reverb or the wrong variety of reverb for the sound that you are trying to achieve.
The most popular types of guitar effects pedals are overdrive, distortion and delay. But the types of effects that are available are many including compressors, phasers, flanger, chorus and even an acoustic simulators.
Compressors can be used to even up your sound and add sustain.http://www.donnerdeal.com/
Phasers and flangers are similar sounding modulation effects pedals. The flanger has a more pronounced sweep.
A chorus pedal can be used to add a full sound to your mix and is heard in many professional recordings.
An acoustic simulator can make your electric guitar represent similar tonal qualities to an acoustic guitar.

Tips for Using Silicone Earplugs as

Silicone earplugs are a popular type of hearing protection due to their low cost, high efficiency, and ease of use. For the consumer, the ease of use may be the most appealing of silicone earplug's properties. This ease is because of the usage of silicone itself because of its memory quality. This particular trait makes them easy to insert and dependable in its effectiveness. The following will give you specific instructions in regards to the use of this type of earplugs:
1) Inserting a
Before inserting silicone earplugs, you should clean both hands to prevent germs from infecting your ear. Roll one of the earplugs with your hands up to the point it is shaped as a fat cylinder or perhaps slight cone. Insert the earplug in to your ear and hold the earplug there for 10-15 seconds. This is exactly when the memory trait is most useful. The silicone will naturally fill your outer ear canal, blocking your inner ear from harmful sound waves and making a water tight seal. Do this procedure with the other earplug in your other ear.
2) Removing
Be careful while removing silicone earplugs. Though removal has a high level of safety, often times there are risks. Should the seal made between your plug and ear canal is not broken before removal, damage to the inner ear may occur. Also, the plug itself may rip, leaving behind a piece in the ear canal. Before removing silicone earplugs, pull the outer edge of the plug and pull it toward the ground or the back of your ear. This will break the seal. You can then pull the plug out of your ear canal.
3) Cleaning
This type of earplugs are reusable, however make sure you wash them frequently. The easiest way to clean silicone earplugs is by using soap and warm water. Be certain they are thoroughly dry before reuse.
Though these earplugs can be easily cleaned, they should be replaced frequently to avoid risk of infections or irritation in your ear. Also, due to their size, silicone earplugs can be easily lost. For everybody who is buying them yourself, it is smart to buy in relative bulk.
These earplugs are a great choice especially if you're looking for something comfortable to use while sleeping or if you do heavy water sports. Swimmers benefit especially from using silicone or wax earplugs because they provide the most aerodynamic and complete water seal of all the types of earplugs available.

The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason

Edgar Drake is a piano tuner and is the principal character of Daniel Mason's novel. Based in late nineteenth century London, he is also something of a specialist. No doubt he will tune any instrument, but Edgar Drake advertises himself as a specialist the Erard, the brand of piano that Franz Liszt had chosen for its special, perhaps unique qualities. And so, perhaps, Edgar Drake is not just any piano tuner: he is a tuner of Erards, a star performer of sorts, though personally he aspires to no sort of stardom.
He is clearly not short of work. He and his wife, Katherine, live a thoroughly middle-class life from his earnings. They could afford to support a family, but after several years of amorous marriage they have no children. It appears that Erard pianos might just be Edgar Drake's children, so dearly does he care for their well being, their present and their future, there being no space left for any other concerns.
A letter arrives to disrupt this professional and domestic blissful stability. It's a request to tune, re-voice and perhaps repair an Erard piano. There is nothing special about that, perhaps, but the letter domes from Surgeon-Major Anthony J. Carroll from his outpost on the very edge of the British Empire, deep in the jungle highlands of Burma. Anthony Carroll, Edgar Drake is told by a gentleman in the War Office, lives in the highlands of the Shan states which span the Burma-Siam border, an area noted for its political and military insecurity. How on earth did an Erard grand piano make its way to such a place? And why? Is it a mere plaything of a serviceman stationed far from home? And why is the request to repair it being handled through official channels? Edgar Drake will be well rewarded if he accepts the commission, but he will be away from home for months and, unfortunately, such a journey is not suitable for a woman.
Well, of course he accepts. Edgar Drake's journey by steamship via the Mediterranean, Egypt, Arabia and India form the first part of The Piano Tuner. Some of those whom he meets along the way - especially a man who tells every traveller just one tale - play a part in the book's story, but these roles are revealed much later, and subtly. The true significance of any event or claim by any character in The Piano Tuner in never immediately apparent.
Edgar Drake is hosted by the colonial military during his stays in Rangoon and Mandalay. He is reassured that the official, thoroughly British establishment is behind his venture. But as time passes it becomes clear that the task that he is being asked to accomplish is not considered by anyone with an opinion as being a simple, technical job on a musical instrument. And it is not just the threat of raiding bandits, the trials and tribulations of a river journey, the oppressive climate and threatening diseases, or even a visit to the politically unstable Shan kingdoms on the edge of imperial influence that provide the complication. There is clearly something that Edgar Drake is not being told.
The piano tuner grows ever more frustrated while he waits to start his assignment. When he eventually travels, it is unclear whose support he retains or whose commission he is undertaking. It is then that the place, its beauty, its culture, mysticism and promise begin to bewitch Mr Drake. The more he is exposed to the stimuli of Burmese life, the more he becomes absorbed by his surroundings and obsessed with a task that he does not want to end. Soon he finds himself at the centre of events and relationships he could never have imagined when he first read the letter that explained his commission back in London.
Edgar Drake is very much at the centre of The Piano Tuner's plot. It is his story, his perceptions and reactions as life reveals itself to him that are described. The book unfolds from his consistent point of view, but Drake's views are changed by experience and we live through these experiences with him. He becomes a competent, reserved hero who responds to surroundings and experience and is changed by both. The true success of the novel is that the reader feels these same transforming sensations as the story unfolds.

Philip Spires is author of A Search for Donald Cottee is a comic tragedy about individualism.
Donald, nicknamed Donkey, is an internet Quixote, bent on doing good works. Donkey Cottee and his wife, Poncho Suzie, have retired to Benidorm from their Yorkshire mining village. Don has left behind his incessant self-education and Suzie has turned the corner of her illness. Their new life is parked on the a campsite from where they pursue their ambition of eternal holiday. To record the precious experience and make its potential paradise available to all, they blog. But they can never escape their Yorkshire origins, Don's environmental campaigning and Suzie's quest for business success as a nightclub boss.

The Most Important Guitar Effects Pedals for Aspiring Rock Musicians

There's a mind boggling amount of Tutti Love Chorus effects pedals about and they come in all different shapes and sizes. What is an effect pedal you may ask? An effect pedal is a tool that is put between your guitar and the amplifier to adjust the output sound. A pedal is made up of numerous parts put in to a case. The sounds that you can accomplish from various effect pedals are strange.

Guitarists today use more effects than ever and are evident to the sounds of bands such as Pink Floyd and U2. Numerous effect pedals are used in succession to complicate the sound. There's main pedals out there. is the multi effects processors and these contain numerous built in to a single tool. Alternatively, individual pedals focus on giving you sound and not over. Such pedals involve you fooling around with settings in order to get your intended sound. Plenty of amplifiers these days have built-in sounds for you to make use of but they are not as versatile as pedals. This is because it is hard to utilize over sound simultaneously on amps.

Pedals cost from $60 or £40 upwards and include a broad range of prices. Specialist brands include Boss, Marshall, Pete Cornish, Electro Harmonic, Yahama, Dunlop and Digitech. As a budding guitarist, you could basically wipe your bank account tidy on purchasing guitar effects pedals due to the countless variety out there. What I recommend is that you only purchase pedal for each main sound.

Recommended guitar effect pedals

Delay and Reverb sounds give a powerful echo sound and is great in the event you are playing live. This sounds professional like and is very convincing. Distortion and gain  are widely used with electric guitars and are definitely used in lead and solo guitar playing. This adds crunch and meat to your sound and definitely does sound sweet. As said historicallyin the past, multi effects processors are a great for beginners as they have access to all the different possibilities right in front of them. All of these mentioned are the essential pedals that you must have in order to sound great.

After you have gotten hold of the main pedals, you may need to look for a few more to sound even great! A wah-wah effect allows the sound pitch to be constantly changed through the use of a pedal. This was heavily utilized by Jimi Hendrix. Added effects include Flanger, Chorus and Phase shifter also know as a uni-vibe. These pedals sound slightly similar to each other, however they do sound pretty. Chorus and Flanger pedals sound very sweet and made famous by David Gilmour and created the sounds of Pink Floyd. Most of these sound best with small to no gain or distortion.

Choosing a Custom Jazz Archtop Guitar

Do you play the jazz guitar? It is such a wonderful instrument! In fact, many would say there is something awesome about the sound of a jazz guitar, because it adds fullness and life to a piece of otherwise drab music. But if you have never given any thought to purchasing a custom jazz archtop guitar, and now find yourself considering it, what do you look for? Is the most expensive jazz archtop guitar the best one to purchase? Is one body style better than the other is?

Well, like many things, the answer to these questions is not a straightforward response. It depends much on what style of music you want to play, how much you can afford to invest and what your preferences are. So, if you are deciding what will be the best custom jazz archtop guitar is for you, then here are a few tips to keep in mind.

· The solid body - Ideally, you will want one with a solid body as this is the type of guitar used not only jazz guitarist like John Abercrombie, J. McLaughlin and Mike Stern, but it is also a very popular guitar for country, blues and rock music. A solid body guitar produces a very consistent tone, has a high volume output and is nearly 100% immune to feedback---a common occurrence in other types of guitars.

· The semi-hollow body - Made famous by guitar greats like Emily Remier who played a Gibson ES-330, Larry Carlton who preferred the Gibson ES-335, Ben Monder and John Scofield, the semi-hollow is viewed as the middle ground of jazz guitars. It is of medium size, adds a nice sound and has a great deal of versatility. However, it does have some feedback concerns, which will have to be dealt with when playing.

· Archtop guitars - This is an exemplary jazz guitar has been used by numerous jazz guitar legends like Joe Pass who played the Gibson 175 and American archtop player, Craig Wagner. The archtop guitar is not just seen as a key part of a band, but is also an item that is coveted by many collectors and those professionals who can afford the higher end instruments. However, the average musician can enjoy many styles, such as Gibsons, Gretsch, Ibanez and others.

If you are considering purchasing a custom archtop guitar, then talking to those you know who play the guitar will be the best thing you can do. They will be able to help direct you towards a guitar that will help you achieve the sound you want at a price you can afford.

Many websites provide additional information on the topic of custom jazz archtop guitars. One such site worth visiting is

Janet Slagell independently authors articles for WebDrafter.com, Inc. for search engine marketing. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those solely of the author, and not of any other person, company or organization. No guarantee or warranty, express or implied, is made regarding the accuracy, fitness, or use of the content herein.

Get Online to Purchase Effective Exercise Equipments

The exercise equipment assists the individual to remain fit and healthy. Nowadays, people with their hectic schedule don’t get time to frequently visit the gym. This is the precise reason for the popularity of these various exercise equipments. People can work out in their home to remain in good physical and mental state. It can help to save lots of time and money. Individual can successfully workout in regular basis. There are wide ranges of equipments available for the user to take huge benefits. Exercise equipments such as Bicicleta eliptica (crosstrainer), Bicicletas de spinning (Spinning bikes), Multi função and many more available. Online store are the perfect platform to purchase these equipments.
At present, the user can get the exercise equipments from online at affordable price. Therefore, it is more convenient to buy these equipments from online store. The equipments are available in different size and shape. It is simple to find the product based on the requirements of the people. Bicicletas de spinning is one of the most sought out exercise equipment for many users. The equipment offers great and health and therapeutic benefits. It helps to keep the individual to remain fit while staying or working out indoors. With the use of this bike, it eliminates the worry of being injured by falling. Hence, people can work out to achieve their prime objectives. The Bicicleta ecstatic (bike) helps to lose weight, but the individual can gain huge strength.
While pedaling on the spin bike, the person can burn the calories. All major muscles group in the body will get a workout. Pedaling for a long period of time will result in increased in the stamina. Bicicletas de spinning reduces the risk of injuring your joints that may cause pain. It is relatively a safe equipment to use. Bicicleta eliptica (crosstrainer) is incredibly flexible exercise equipment. The equipment helps to build upper and lower muscles in the body. The machine is designed to encourage exercising with less force on the joint parts. As compared to other equipments, this is far more convenient and useful. Person suffering from knee pain or lower back problem also can exercise on the crosstrainer.
People or individual who cannot take out time from their busy routine to hit the gym daily should opt for these exercise equipments. This is a best way to make home gym with fantastic exercising machines and equipments. They are easily available in market at reasonable and affordable prices. The home exercise equipments offer the chance to manage time for exercise without any compromising on daily schedule. People can easily visit the trustworthy online store to purchase Bicicletas de spinning, Plataforma vibratoria (vibrating platform) or Passadeira de correr (Running Passadeira) according to their needs. On the website, there is complete and comprehensive information about the equipment. All equipments come with a warranty and with no extra shipping cost. The users can read all reviews to get fair idea about the equipments. Make sure to buy the right equipment to work out in proper manner to get the desired result.

Best Ear Plugs

Earplugs are devices capable of Bluedio R+ the wearers' ears from noise, water, foreign bodies, dust and excessive wind. They offer perfect protection from the elements, More often than not, headaches and migraines in today's population is triggered by excessively loud noises, in scenarios like that a device that can protect the user from such noise when he needs peace and quiet is of utmost importance.
Research has shown that for people who have trouble concentrating, using ear plugs becomes as much as a 16 hour a day affair. In such a scenario where earplugs are such an important part of the life of so many people it does not hit anyone as a surprise that there are tonnes of options available in the market, but which one is the best for you?
The first step is to decide if you are willing to shell out a substantial sum of money for absolutely professional grade earplugs which are custom designed to fit your ear or do you want to save on the cash and buy off the shelf earplugs, the answer to that will boil down to your application needs. Unless the user utilizes earplugs for a very extended duration of time and needs absolute attenuation they may not need custom designed earplugs.
Once the decision has been made on the nature of the earplug it is essential to start testing the basic elements that make up an earplug. The first is effectiveness, ear plugs come with an NRR, which is their noise reduction rating. This should explain to the user as to how much will it be able to muff out the external noise. This should be chosen according to the required application of the same. After effectiveness comes comfortable fit, since many users simply use them to sleep a peaceful sleep, it is absolutely essential to make sure that they are comfortable to use for extended hours, in this field, the custom molds earplugs which were previously discussed have an edge over off-the-shelf. Durability is the next item on the list, they should essentially be washed and cleaned regularly, so it is important to make sure that they do not lose their shape after repeated use and can stand a good cleaning. Finally comes value for money. This too shall depend solely on the users' requirement.
Once a market survey armed with these points is done, a user can comfortably narrow down a choice that suits their need and budget and hence becomes the best ear plug available for them.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5619274

Clipless Pedals- How to Get Started with these Excellent Set of Accessories

When planning to buy your first pair of clipless pedals, some people do not know how to get started with it and what to expect. Again, for some the thought of using clipless pedals for the very first time can be frightening.

These set of accessories are a great asset to any rider and come with excellent ability to actually pedal in a circular motion, which will apply more power to all parts of your stroke, for an easy and faster ride, which in turn will help you to become a better rider.
Every new user must accept that the chances of falling are quite natural, however most new users will only experience some sort of discomfort for the first or second use while using clipless pedals, but it is a part of the learning procedure. When you are all set to go with these accessories, you need time to fine-tune and get familiar with the new arrangements. The best way to do is to begin with the right approach and you start with planning your route, paying a lot of attention to your starting and stopping point.
It will take you time to be acquainted with the clipless pedals and its functioning. Even after this if you are still worried with clipping in and out then merely practicing this without moving off will let you find your feet and the required control without risking injury to you and others around you. This can easily be done at your leisure while listening to music or watching TV by using a doorway or a wall to support you, ensuring that you have enough space around you to stay away from household objects in order to avoid injury.
The major benefit of riding with your feet clipped in allows you to make more use of your leg muscles and pedal in a circular motion which is in turn more efficient than pedaling in just downward motion. This allows you to climb effectively and faster with less fatigue. Now, for the beginners it is better to start out with confidence and little tension. This will allow you to easily control the pedals and can help you wipe out tension as you gain more confidence with your new setup. Day by day as you learn to take control over the pedals, you will soon find it easier and will be clipping in and out with ease.