February 8, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn
Ok folks here is the written review of the new ZT Club amp that so many of you have been waiting for including myself!! I received a Club amp to review back in early January and I’ve been putting it through it’s paces ever since. I tried a few different guitars with it, tried different effects and I’ve had it on some gigs already. It does not disappoint I have to tell you!
The package is small, lightweight and great sounding with a simple design that’s versatile enough for many different applications. The new Club amp will be a working musicians best friend, perfect jammimg mate with friends and stay at home players will love it for its great sound and ease of use.
According to the good folks at ZT Amplifiers the new Club amp should be available on or about February 20th, 2010 which is right around the corner!!!! I am PUMPED!!
Click here to read the full written review of the new ZT Club amp.
Tags: Club, Club Amp, Guitar, Ken Kantor, Lunchbox, ZT Amplifiers | 
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February 8, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn
If any of you guys are planning on receiving guitars shipped during the cold winter months then here are a few things to be aware of. These few tips can save your guitar from checking or other damage that could occur.
First of all when you receive your guitar from the carrier take it inside and just let it sit. I know, I know you want to freakin’ rip open the box immediately and start playing……I do too, trust me! You need to let the package sit for about 20-30 minutes so it can acclimate to the warmer temperatures inside. Don’t even open a flap!
After 20-30 minutes then you can open the flaps and take the case or gig bag out. Do not open it yet! Let the case or gig bag sit for another 20 minutes or so. If you see some condensation on the case or gig bag then wait until you see it start to dry off. Also feel the case or gig bag to see if it is really cold. The key here is to let the instrument warm up gradually.
If the case or gig bag does not have condensation and feels relatively warm then you can open the case about 1″ and let it sit like this for another 20 minutes or so. Same goes for a gig bag. Unzip it about 1/3 of the way and let it breath for a little while. Reach your hand in and feel the instruments temperature. Again if it is cold wait it out until it feels warm. Also see if there is condensation on the instrument. If there is then I would close the case and wait.
After all of this waiting and checking your new guitar, it should be ready to be unveiled. So go ahead and check it out! Make sure there is no damage from shipping or anything. By slowly letting the instrument warm up you will avoid finish checking, possible moisture damage to the finish and possible glue joints giving out. The name of the game is patience and it is well worth it when it comes to opening your new guitar from a very cold shipping carton.
Here is a related article about avoiding finish checking:
Click here to read the 300 Tip about Finish Checking and How to Avoid it.
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February 5, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn
Robert in Santa Rosa kept telling me about how great the V-Picks are and told me to check them out while I was at the NAMM show a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I did not hook up with Vinni who makes the V-Picks while I was out there. So first order of business when I got back was to get some of these much talked about picks and give them a whirl.
I have been playing with small teardrop jazz type picks made by Clayton. They are 1.52mm thick and I have gotten very used to them over the years. I asked Vinni from V-Picks what would be the closest thing and he suggested the small 1.5mm models. He promptly sent them along with some other samples to check out.
The bottom line question is “What’s the difference between the V-Picks and any other guitar pick available”? Averaging about $4.00 per pick are they that much better and worth it? Let’s take a look…..
First of all V-Picks feel comfortable….even the really thick ones. I found that all the sample gauges thick or thin felt very comfortable and did not slip around between my fingers. I felt that I had a good grip on the V-Pick which to me equals control. Also having a good grip on the pick means less dropping picks. It’s a real drag when you drop your pick.
So having established that they are comfortable and have a good grip how do they affect the sound of the picked string? Well, compared to my trusty old Clayton and a few other picks I had lying around here I noticed right away that the timbre of the picked string had much more focus and clarity. The notes have more of a pronounced fundamental. It is hard to put into words. The notes seem bigger and more whole on both the wound and plain strings. I really liked this aspect of the V-Picks. Strummed chords seemed to have more definition as well.
So, they feel good, have a good grip and sound great. Do they affect performance? Absolutely yes! The V-Picks have more of a “bounce” feel to them. Like the energy of the picking action is leaving the pick to create the string vibration unlike with the other picks I compared the V-Picks to. Years ago I was studying the martial arts. When I was breaking wood I would strike the wood and sort project energy into and through the wood not letting the wood absorb energy or bounce energy back. The V-Picks are somehow faster because of this same type of principle. I’m not saying that I played faster it just seemed to take less energy to get the string to vibrate…..almost like less effort with better results.
In the end the V-Picks are just a better pick overall. More comfortable, they have a better grip so there is more control, less chance of dropping one, notes sound better and clearer and lastly they improve performance by requiring less energy to pick the strings. What’s not to like? There are many differentmodels to choose from and the man behind the V-Picks, Vinnie, is a super nice guy and answers every email promptly. I am now a V-Picks user……..thanks Robert!!!
Click here ot visit V-Picks for ordering and more information.
Tags: | 11 Comments »
February 4, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn
This question of the day comes from Max in Stanhope, PA. He sent me an email asking about how many watts his amp should be. In his email he told me he was looking to get a new tube amp and was concerned about the wattage. He was savvy enough to be concerned about having an amp that was too loud and would not give him the sound he wanted.
Lets start with a brief definition of watts. The watt is a unit of energy and is named after the 18th century engineer James Watt. There is more technical information about power but lets keep it simple because we are talking about a tube guitar amp not the Space Shuttle..! The Watt is actually just a measure of power. The next part of the scenario we have to look at is the decibel. A decibel is actually two words, ‘deci’ (meaning one-tenth) and ‘bel’ (named after Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone). A ‘bel’ is a unit of sound and a deci-bel is one-tenth of a bel…..(now you know)! The decibel is just a measure of loudness. So what do each of these have to do with the tube guitar amplifier?
From the above definitions watts and decibels are two different things. You can have a relatively low powered amp that is very loud and would be able to keep up with a drummer on a stage with no problem. Just because you have more watts does not always mean you are going to be louder and the watts increase is not directly proportional to the decibel increase. Take for example two Marshall heads. Let’s say one is rated for 50 watts and the other 100 watts. By looking at the watts you would think that the 100 watt head would be twice as loud because it has twice the power right? Wrong! The loudness difference between the 50 watt amp and the 100 watt amp is only 3 decibels (dB) which is not really a drastic difference. It would take 10 times the power of the 50 watt head to be twice as loud as the 100 watt head which is 500 watts! Ouch…..!
There is also the issue of speaker efficiency to consider as well. The efficiency of a speaker which is also called “sensitivity” is a measure of the speaker’s output (in decibels) with a specific amount of amplifier power (watts). Most often this is calculated by placing a microphone that is connected to a sound level meter at a distance of one meter away from the speaker. One watt of power is then sent to the speaker while the sound level meter measures the loudness in decibels. The output level results in a measure of efficiency. Another way to look at it is how efficiently does the speaker use the power. For example a speaker rated at 90dB will take twice the amplifier power to be the same volume as another speaker rated at 93 dB efficiency just like in our Marshall 50 watt vs 100 watt example. By the same token a speaker rated at 93dB will need ten times more power than a speaker with a 103 dB efficiency rating to be at the same volume. So you can now see how a relatively low powered amp with highly efficient speakers can be louder than a higher powered amp with much less efficient speakers. I’ve actually seen this situation a few times over the years.
That’s enough of the electronics textbook. Lets get back to our man Max. In a case like this with the question “how many watts should my amp be” you have to start by asking yourself…”What will the amp be used for”? Are you just going to play at home? Will you use the amp for some small clubs and rehearsal? Do you plan on playing a lot of outdoor events? The next question you should ask yourself is “Do I want the amp to sound perfectly clean or do I want it to break up a bit”? This opens up a bit of a can of worms because a Master Volume can tame a loud, high powered amp to sound overdriven at lower volumes. But lets say Max is looking at amps without a Master Volume so it will be easier to make a decision.
You do not need a very high powered amp for at home only use. The good ol’ Fender Champ which is rated at about 6 watts is perfect for home use. Just ask Jason Isadore at myfenderchamp.com about them. Some of the newer low powered amps like the Blackheart’s are perfect for home jamming and some recording. Doing some club work will require some more power though. Get on a stage with a drummer and a few other instruments and you will need to step up the wattage into the 20-40 watt range. This will give you enough volume and punch for many situations. Obviously the 20 watt amp will probably break up a little sooner so if you like that sound that’s the way to go. The 40 watts will give you some more clean headroom and a clearer, cleaner tone. Playing outdoors can be challenging because your 20 watt amp that sounded unreal in the small to mid sized club could potentially sound like a popcorn fart outside. I know, I have been there and do not want to go there again. I had that experience once and now when I play outdoors I bring a pair of 45 watt 4×10 amps and I’m usually totally cool with that. You could afford to move up again to the 50-100 watt range if you are playing large venues and outdoors. Generally speaking a lower powered amp will have to be turned up louder to the volume necessary for a live gig but will be pushed into overdrive and not play too clean. Some players really like this and others do not. It is all subjective.
So there you have it Max. Ask yourself the two questions: “What will the amp be used for”? and “Do I want the amp to sound perfectly clean or do I want it to break up a bit”? Answering these two questions and going by the general guidelines I laid out should make it easier to choose the right amp for you. The next step would be to try the amps you are considering and see which one works for you. Thanks for hitting me up and I hope this helps. As always please feel free to ask me more questions if you have them…..I’m always happy to help!!
Tags: | 9 Comments »
February 3, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn
Orange Amplifiers has released the new Rockerverb II. It is based on the previous Rockerverb models with some improvments in both design and features.
Some of the new specs and changes include: An enhanced all-tube transparent sounding effects loop,improved tone of the Reverb, addition of a Middle control on the “clean channel”, re-designed combo models with controls in front and a new Rockerverb 50 watt (EL34) 1×12 model. The new Rockerverb II is built with the Orange top build quality as well.
The Rockerverb 50 head, Rockerverb 100 head and Rockerverb 50 (2×12 and 1×12) combo’s will be launched in March 2010 with the new upgrades.
Click here to visit Orange Amplifiers.
Tags: Amplifier, Orange, Rockerverb II | 3 Comments »
February 3, 2010 | Posted by admin
Rate some of my favorite guitars!
You all know me as being an avid guitar enthusiast….even a guitar maniac at times (like at NAMM..)! I have posted 5 favorite guitars on bubbalon.com for everyone to look at and rate for yourselves.
You can rate each guitar on it’s page on Bubbalon.com, it’s really easy and fun, plus if you have a facebook account already you can get signed in very quickly.
When you click on each guitar link below you will be brought the bubbalon.com page for that guitar. Click the “Register” button on the top right, if you have facebook you can just click the “Sign in with Facebook” link, or you can enter and e-mail and password to get started. The links on this page will open in a new window in your browser, that way you can easily come back to this page to find the next guitar to rate.
Also, if you want to add another item to this list, then you can add it to the bubbalon.com website. I did find out that you need to have 80 “Karma” points on bubbalon to do that, but if you add me as a friend there, username “Billy Penn” of course!, I can add to your karma by voting your ratings as useful.
If you have any trouble with this, feel free to e-mail Todd, for help. Click here to get help from Todd.
I will post the results next week and then we can discuss!
Tags: 6120, Chet Atkins, Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Les Paul, SG, Stratocaster, Telecaster | 1 Comment »
February 3, 2010 | Posted by Billy Penn
Hey everybody!! JP over at Stratoblogster.com suggested to the moderator at Jemsite.com to include me in their “Recommended Reading” section. Thanks JP!!
The Recommended Reading section is a part of Jemsite.com where you will find a list of some cool sites and blogs (btw-Stratoblogster is there..!).Each site or blog can be voted for to bump them up to the top of the growing list.
If you have a minute and feel like casting some votes I’d surely appreciate the support. And while you are there give the Stratoblogster a vote as well. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind……! Just click on the badge in this post or the one on the sidebar. When you get to the gateway page just click enter and vote. Find 300guitars and Stratoblogster and click on details. At the bottom of the details page you click on rate and review this site. And that’s it!!!
Thanks again everybody…I appreciate it more than you know!!!! -Billy
Tags: Jemsite.com, Stratoblogster | No Comments »
