Way Huge Electronics Ringworm Review

Where do you start with an effect like the Ring Modulator? It’s essentially the musical equivalent of Charlie from that ‘wildcard’ episode of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’; always unpredictable and always ready to destroy everybody else’s fun. Well that’s at least how it portrays itself on the surface.

For those of you unfamiliar with the effect, what it basically does is multiply your original signal with that of a modulated signal and reproduces them at harmonic intervals both regular and irregular. This in turn creates tones that range from bell like gongs, robot vomits, Bermuda triangle ride sounds, sci-fi nightmare squeals, alien computer jargon and most famously used by Dr Who’s nemesis The Daleks who would scream ‘Exterminate!’ .

As per usual with Way Huge Electronics, they give you control over many parameters. With the Ringworm we can select five different LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) waveforms:

- Envelope Follower (responds to volume/attack of playing)

- Random (unpredictably jumps between seven different frequencies).

- Square Wave (jumps between two frequencies)

- Step Sine Wave (Sequences up down through seven pitches)

- Sine Wave (Moves smoothly through two pitches)

We also have width and rate controllers that adjust the range and speed of the LFO accordingly. We have a frequency knob that adjusts the pitch of the internal oscillator and finally your best friend – the blend knob.

This is where this pedal and effect in general goes from the aforementioned alien/robot/Dr Who/See anything sci-fi related sounds to a very interesting tone sculpting tool. This is where the wild card goes from the guy who’s ruining everybody else’s fun by pissing in the pool to the guy that inspired the skinny dipping in the spa.

By fine tuning the blend control we can adjust these otherworldly and alien sounds to create underpinning tones that off set that generic guitar sound you might be working with. A perfect tool for sculpting those unique guitar sounds that can be heard on so many records – think Radiohead’s ‘Bodysnatchers’ or The National’s ‘Lemonworld’ as recent examples.

Patience is really the most important part of using an effect like this and Way Huge make a quite unpredictable effect about as intuitive and sculptable as it can be. So if you’re looking for pedal you can turn on a jam away then steer well clear.

If you like your guitar sounds thick and rich and accompanied with John Bonham drums then the Ringworm will probably make it hard for you to sleep at night. But if the idea of offsetting your standard guitar sound excites you and you fancy yourself a bit of a sonic architect then the Way Huge Electronics Ringworm might be the little shade of ‘field-gray’ you didn’t know you were after.

For anyone who wants to make peace with the aliens that bring our impending doom on December 21, 2012

Not for anyone who listens to John Mayer

Review by Gary Milk

8/10

Earthquaker Devices Hummingbird Review

I must confess I am a big fan of pedals that don’t typically do what you would expect them to and offer a unique point of difference and spin on what is otherwise a standard effect. The effect in question is Tremolo and this I can say is not your typical Tremolo.

Jamie’s designs at Earthquaker Devices follow this thought process of treating the effect in a non-generic way to create unique and interesting versions of effects that to me inspire a different approach to your playing and writing.

This “repeat percussions” device has been labelled as a more choppy and hard tremolo, similar in many ways to the old Vox Repeat Percussion. This was certainly noticeable when comparing it to my old Dunlop Tremolo; the Dunlop delivered slower and faster trem rates but didn’t have the definite character and more pronounced attack that the Hummingbird did.

The Dunlop had me playing your typical tremolo material which it works great for whereas the Hummingbird was making me want to write a new album or at least a small list of B sides.

The controls at a glance:

Depth- controls amount of modulation just a touch to full chop

Rate- speed of the LFO

Level- input/output level – Yes it has a level control!

Mode- fast/slow switch for LFO rate

I tend to steer clear of really fast modulation rates on most effects but the ‘fast mode’ on the Hummingbird was very interesting. I found myself far too often using this to shape really great guitar sounds similar to that of which you would achieve with a ring modulator pedal. With the level control at 11 o’clock the output delivered matched my Les Paul, which leaves plenty of headroom left to boost your signal if desired.

One of my favourite things about this pedal was that as you increased the depth control it moves the repeats into a very noticeable vintage synth style oscillation which gives this pedal its unique character unlike many other Tremolos on the market.

If you’re after a tremolo pedal which has more character than you can poke a stick at and confuse people as to what instrument you are playing this might just be the device for you.

For anyone who doesn't like tremolo

Not for anyone who has their name on the back of their underwear

Review by Danny Yoghurt

9.5/10

Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt Strings Review

ERNIE BALL SLINKY COBALT STRINGS 

First of all let’s knock the chemistry lesson on the head… Cobalt (Co), atomic number 27, is a chemical element found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal. So it’s not very often we see a new technology come along for guitar strings but Ernie Ball have done just that releasing their new Cobalt series strings.

So why have our helical spring loving friends at Ernie Ball felt it necessary to start using this new formulation to make guitar strings? The idea is to create a stronger magnetic pull between the strings and the guitar pickups, which yields two important benefits over standard nickel & steel strings:
1. Higher output
2. Increased frequency response

So what did I discover? I cannot but mention upon opening the hermetically sealed packet the heavy scent of cobalt metal that wafted from within compared to your more standard nickel & steel offerings. I was not thrown, but it did give me the idea of perhaps some scented string options in future? The strings themselves felt different to the touch not unlike when you spray finger ease on your strings, this did leave me curious as to possible playability differences.

The strings delivered on all fronts, Cobalt is highly magnetic compared to steel & nickel which certainly translated in a livelier, punchier, brighter output on both clean and dirty tones. It seemed more noticeable on single coil pickups namely the wound strings giving increased low end response, as you pushed gain levels in the upwards direction they seem to retain more individual string clarity when playing chords and give you an apparent difference in output through the pickups.

On hum buckers the difference was less noticeable however delivered a sense of increased touch sensitivity, bass response and output. The strings stabilised really well and tended to hold very good tune, with a satisfyingly nice silky feel and playability.

In summary if your single coil pickup guitars are lacking excitement or you’re a rock & metal player looking for an easy enhancement to push your preamp harder the new Ernie ball cobalt’s might well be the string you’ve been looking for.

8.5/10

Review by Danny Yoghurt

Click here for more info 

Maton ER90C Review

MATON ER90C ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

We’re proud folk us Australians.The kind of proud folk that claim constellations as our own and get them permanently stained to our bodies to make sure everybody else knows exactly how proud we are. The kind of proud folk who at sporting events crown the successful competitors ‘Honorary Australians’ because if we’re not going to win, it may as well be the honorary Aussies.

And the kind of proud folk that will buy Australian made over US made, regardless of the price.  Depending on the person, some of these characteristics will be viewed in a positive and some in a negative light but one thing rings through regardless – we like to think we’re the best and the luckiest folk in the world.

Any Australian who reads this can relate to having at least once walked into a pub around the country to hear some guy in the corner, acoustic guitar in hand singing something along the lines of ‘My Happiness’ or ‘Eagle Rock’. On almost all of these occasions you may or may not have noticed that this person was holding an Australian made Maton guitar.

By a long stretch Maton Guitars are the most widely gigged instruments in Australia and this isn’t purely due to patriotic Australians refusing to explore different options. They are fantastic working guitars.

Maton guitars characteristically have a focused mid-range that really cuts through in a band environment. That accompanied with their AP-5 pickup and really solid build quality make for the perfect working instrument. What Maton’s do lack however is depth. The guy singing ‘Working Class Man’ in the corner of Bridie O’Reilly’s immediately exchanges his Maton for his Martin or Gibson the minute he goes into the studio, as these classic acoustic guitars offer a richer and grander tonality along with huge character that goes a long way in the studio.  This is where Maton’s new model comes in.

It’s a rarity in Maton world that a new model comes along, so we were a touch excited when we got the news. Their new ER90C offers an acoustic guitar with a solid AA spruce top, AP5 pickup and solid Indian Rosewood back and sides; the characteristics of Indian Rosewood being the key ingredient here.

This timber is generally regarded as the most popular ‘up-range’ tone wood with characteristics that are dark but very rich. The low end is very pronounced and full but also with very clear tops, overall an extended EQ spectrum to that of other timbers.

Maton already offer a few different models with solid Indian Rosewood but at higher price points. The idea with the ER90C is that it fits the budget of the working musician but also has the rich tonal qualities that make it the perfect crossover guitar to take from the gig to the studio.

So does it hold up?

Whilst there is a deeper bellow to the guitar and it does host a richer tonal flavor than its closest sibling the ECW80C, it still doesn’t have the character of the aforementioned Martin’s and Gibson’s that are so often favored in the studio environment.

But it also doesn’t sell for nearly as much, nor do those guitars have a pickup and therefore aren’t useable in most live scenarios. So next time you’re finishing off ‘Most People I Know’ and are flustered by knowing you have to run home to get your other guitar before going to your studio session in Fairfield, maybe consider investing your Friday night residency cheque on an ER90C.

7.5/10

Review by Gary Milk

Click here for more info

Steinberg CMC Transport Controllers Review

STEINBERG CMC TRANSPORT CONTROLLERS

Being a long term Cubase user I was a touch excited when my Steinberg brethren informed me of the new CMC Transport series controllers for Cubase software.

There are 6 different controller configurations to choose from, all taking care of a range of functions for mixing and production.  These are a welcome addition to the seemingly expanding Steinberg hardware range of products.

What do they do? They are a series of controllers that allow you to edit and manipulate different functions within your recording software in real-time. However I do say ‘recording software’ rather loosely. Although these controllers can essentially be assigned to any software you like their layout is very Cubase specific and therefore much more functional with this than anything else.  The functions allow you to control different features such as play, stop, record, loop, jog etc (depending on which unit) with the idea of streamlining the entire process.

The main unit in testing is the transport control version.  Installation proved simple and upon opening up a previous Cubase session my controller was ready to go. The illuminating lights were very pleasing to the eye and the soft yet convincing button touch was of a solid standard.

Can I run multiple CMC controllers you ask? Of course you can but I would seriously recommend a USB hub, there is in fact no way of linking units internally and the only possible way of connection is via a single USB socket per controller.

Unfortunately I fail to see how you could realistically only get away with picking one particular unit to cover a majority of Cubase workflow which to some may seem a negative, however Steinberg are offering extension frames for grouping multiple units together which will keep your environment tidy and your mum happy.
In summary, will you have to wrestle me away from my mouse? Well maybe not just yet…

6.5/10

Review by Danny Yoghurt

Click here for more info

Earthquaker Devices

Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster Review

SQUIER J MASCIS JAZZMASTER
 

“Hi how are you going I’m thinking of learning how to play electric guitar”
“Well great you’ve definitely come to the right place, did you have a certain budget in mind?”
“I do, as little as possible”
“Ok no worries, first we’ll start with what kind of sound you’d like in a guitar. Do you prefer the classic rock sounds of guitarists like Angus Young and Jimmy Page or maybe the bluesy tones of Eric Clapton and John Mayer?”
“Not really any of those guys to be honest”.
“Metal? Punk?”
“Nope. I’m actually really into the warped tremolo arm sounds of Kevin Shields and feedback laden experiments of Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo”
“I’m sorry sir, when these guitars were bought by your heroes they were relatively cheap. The cheapest one I have now is $1000”
“That’s bulls*#t!”
“Correct”

For years the budget conscious guitarist has been denied access to some of rocks most iconic guitars – Fenders offset waist Jaguars and Jazzmasters. “But what about the Squier Vintage Modified series and Fender Blacktop series?” I hear you say. Yes, whilst these do host the name of these guitars, they are far from the actual guitars we know and love. They have different bridge setups, pickup configurations and are often without their most well known feature – the tremolo arm. We often hear stories of the iconic Jag and Jazzmaster players of old picking up these guitars for mere pocket change at thrift stores. These days though guitarists need to shell out $2500 (street price) for the USA Vintage Reissue guitars and even over $1000 +  for the Mexican Classic Players and Japanese issue instruments. You’d think then that a budget friendly Chinese made Squier Jazzmaster wouldn’t stand up against its more glamorous siblings. Well then think again…

After already having his own ‘Fender’ branded Jazzmaster, its quite clear in the build quality of this guitar that for Dinosaur Jr frontman and alt-rock guitar hero J Mascis, if he was going to have a Squier branded instrument, it needed to be pretty special. It’s stated on Fender’s overview of the guitar that Mascis has specified the “pickups, hardware and finish”. On this note the vintage white finish with anodized gold pickguard have a much more traditional look to that of Mascis’ previous Purple Sparkle Jazzmaster and the specs of this guitar alike are sure to please those traditionalists out there.

The guitar is equipped with vintage style tuners with split tops for string insertion that hold there tune quite well even when using the tremolo arm. The floating tremolo on this guitar is without the trem-lock switch, which does mean the guitar will go out of tune if a string is broken. In the same vein as the Blacktop and Classic Player Jazzmaster’s the tailpiece is shifted forward closer to the bridge. Whilst this does remove some of the overtones that helped characterize that vintage Jazzmaster sound, it does increase sustain and decrease the likelihood of strings jumping out of their saddles due to the heightened string angle. This accompanied with the Adjusto-Matic bridge enhance the usability of this guitar which is a huge plus on an entry level instrument. The satin finished C neck plays beautifully and the 9.5” radius and jumbo frets once again do make this guitar a bit more user friendly. Traditionally basswood is a relatively dark sounding timber, however even acoustically this guitar sounds quite resonant. The pickups are bright and lively, not too dissimilar to the ‘hotter’ pickups found in the Classic Player Jazzmasters. They do lack a little in the low end in comparison to the aforementioned model and are definitely not as warm and vintage sounding as the US model. The difference between the neck pickup and rhythm circuit also isn’t as varied as some of the other guitars. That aside, they are still quite characterful and definitely are more tonally rich and usable in higher applications than the price point suggests.
This is without question the best Squier guitar I’ve played. The Classic Vibe series Strat’s and Tele’s are fantastic but I still question whether they would hold their own in a ‘pro’ environment, this will be no problem here. It feels nicer to play than the Japanese issue Jazzmaster’s and the difference tonally between these and the Mexican Classic Player’s is minimal at best. Whilst the USA 1962 reissues still reign comfortably supreme over the J Mascis Jazzmaster, you also expect they would at more than four times the price. It’s been a long time coming for a guitar like this and now those who want to experience the unique world of Fender offset guitars on a budget price can. I’m sure Fender are going to be selling these by the truckload and one can only hope there’ll be an equivalent Jaguar model in the pipeline soon as well. With the 50^th anniversary of the Jaguar this year and Johnny Marr and Kurt Cobain signature models being recently released maybe it’ll be sooner than we think. Maybe they’ll honour an Australian. Roland S. Howard anyone?

For those who are struggling to find any string behind the bridge on a Telecaster.
Not for those who think Yngwie Malmsteen’s ‘Rising Force’ album is a landmark point in the history of guitar playing.

4 Cardigans out of 5

Review by Gary Milk

http://worldofmusic.com.au/Products.asp?ProdID=3146&CatID=6&SubCatID=182

DVK Goldtop Review

DVK TECHNOLOGIES GOLDTOP FUZZ/VIBRATO PEDAL

“I love this pedal! It’s the best fuzz I’ve come across, including my old Arbiter England Fuzz Face from the ’60s!” – Carl Verheyen (Supertramp)

With more boutique pedal companies floating about these days than you can shake a stick at, it’s integral for any maker to have a unique stamp that holds their own. It’s fortunate then that DVK Technologies do exactly that. DVK are a two man pedal producing project out of Melbourne whose shtick lies in the manufacturing of dual function guitar effects and in this instance we’re looking at their Goldtop unit.

This is DVK’s take on a vintage fuzz and vibrato and is a fine addition to any pedal board geared towards sonic psychedelia.  Controls are as follows:

·         FUZZ SIDE (Fuzz, Level, Tone, Shape)

·         VIBRATO SIDE (Rate, Depth, Chorus/Vibrato Toggle Switch)

·         EXPRESSION PEDAL Input for controlling Vibe rate

Sticking to its psychedelic themes, DVK have housed the pedal in a glossed bright yellow, orange and purple casing equipped with Alice in Wonderland imagery.  With the added touch of the Mad Hatters eye being an LED light that flashes in time with the vibe rate it is a far cry from anything resembling an attractive looking pedal but it does have a solid build quality. Where its features get really exciting are with the addition of a switch that allows you to change the stacking order of the pedal, so fuzz before vibe or visa versa. This enables a plethora of sonic variety and opens up a wide range of modulating fuzz tones and machine gun feedback chaos.

Sonically this pedal is geared towards the whole late 60’s – early 70’s thing. The vibrato side is very musical and has a really smooth edge to it even at higher settings. You can channel everything from lush spaciousness in chordal passages to a heavy pulsing wobble. The chorus side being just as tasty with leslie-esque rotaries and organ like gleams. The fuzz side is based off a classic big muff design with a few of their own modifications. At higher settings it doesn’t seem to get as woolly as a big muff and therefore at lower settings is probably more of a distortion than a fuzz. The shape knob allows you to dial in more mid-range and tends to have more scope depending on where the tone is set. The tone control is wide and allows a broad range of sounds that stay usable across the board, everything from thick and creamy Pumpkin-esque fuzzes, rat like distortions and even MC5 like silicon fuzz tones. As a straight fuzz it doesn’t get quite as vintage sounding as say a fuzz face or some of the Fulltone range but it does have more scope in modern applications and allows those thick chunky distortion sounds as well as vintage ones. Enabling the fuzz and vibe in sequence then opens up the tonal palette even further.  It sonically opens up different colours that weren’t initially available, therefore pushing the psychedelic vibes to new levels. We now have access to swishes and washes of noise akin to Hendrix or Yo La Tengo as well as new sonics that border into Fuzz Factory world. The stacking order switch is also a very welcomed addition as it really just extends that flexibility to an already extremely versatile pedal.

Of all the boutique pedals available now, fuzz is probably the effect targeted the most – some companies even focusing on almost this alone.  It’s always going to be a hard task to come up with fuzz that holds its own among the rest but the Goldtop manages to do just that. This is an extremely versatile little unit that can be a welcome addition to players in many applications. Having already made its way on to the pedalboards of Dweezil Zappa and Carl Verheyen (Supertramp), I’m sure it won’t be long until DVK Technologies become more than just another little boutique pedal company.

For those who see kaleidoscopic visions of multi-coloured zebras whilst playing guitar.
Not for those who like make making MOR records with guitar sounds you can take home to Mum.

4.5 Cheshire Cats out of 5

Review by Gary Milk

http://worldofmusic.com.au/Products.asp?ProdID=2931&CatID=22&SubCatID=234