| userName | text |
| mdrs |
Hi Brian. Welcome to The String Network, and to this Sunday’s “Live Chat”. Before we start, I want to post the rules so members are reminded how this works!! |
| mdrs |
-When you check into the chat, make one post saying “ I have a question” …I will log your name and make a list based on the order in which you logged in with your “ I have a question” post. If after your question is answered, you have another question, or follow up on your original question, I will give you an opportunity to ask it right away. . Please remember Brian will be doing allot of typing, give him time to respond and this will go very well. |
| mdrs |
-I’ll ask a couple of preliminary questions to get us started off.
-Brian, can you tell us how you first started off in music…..what instrument did you start with? Do you have formal training? |
| indyguitarist |
Well - I started playing @ 7 or so. My brother was a drummer and was in a band and I thought that was pretty cool, but I was drawn to the guitar - a flying v. |
| mdrs |
Your first axe was a flying V??? |
| indyguitarist |
I don't have any formal training really - I've taken a lesson here or there when I hit a plateau but other than that it was by ear. |
| mdrs |
so, you learned STANDING UP!! LOL |
| Dr._Ellwood |
I have a question for Brian: |
| mdrs |
Brian, Do you currently play in a band setting? |
| mdrs |
gotcha Lee |
| indyguitarist |
yes - a couple of them actually. A country band (top 40 type stuff), a southern rock/classic rock band, and a heavier band |
| mdrs |
How many days a week do you play out? |
| indyguitarist |
btw - I'm getting some error messages |
| indyguitarist |
Anyway, I gig just a few times a month |
| mdrs |
ok...so far we're getting your comments no problem |
| indyguitarist |
More because of the scene in Indiana currently |
| mdrs |
Tell us about that.... |
| Greg_B. |
i have a question |
| mdrs |
gotcha Greg |
| indyguitarist |
Well, karoake is king here - bar owners see that as a cheaper solution |
| Zephyr |
I have a question |
| mdrs |
That's unfortunate. |
| mdrs |
Brian, How did you get involved in the electronics side of the business? |
| ChatBot |
/login soggybomb |
| indyguitarist |
about 2000 or so, a guy named Paul Weller gave me a boss ds-1 that he did a few simple mods on and I was floored by the difference. At this time, I hadn't ever heard of anyone modifying pedals - in fact, I had never really opened one up other than to change a battery. |
| mdrs |
Did you have any electronics background at all? |
| indyguitarist |
I asked him how he learned and he pointed me to geofex.com, muzique.com and Aron's forum diystompboxes.com. |
| indyguitarist |
no, not at all - I was purely a guitarist who always struggled with getting equipment that sounded like I wanted it to sound. |
| mdrs |
I see that you do some mods to amps as well? |
| indyguitarist |
I basically bought a bunch of books, read every bit of info I could get my hands on and taught myself. |
| soggybomb |
i have a question |
| indyguitarist |
yes - I like to mod the cheaper pcb amps - I like working on the cheaper equipment and making them sound better |
| mdrs |
gotcha soggy |
| Zephyr |
I have a question |
| indyguitarist |
I've always been good with my hands though. |
| mdrs |
-I see that you have worked with the amazing Brent Mason in designing some of your pedals. How did you get together with Brent? |
| indyguitarist |
Always been sort of a tinkerer |
| mdrs |
I've got Lee, then Greg, then Zeph, then Soggy...in a second....I'll let you know |
| indyguitarist |
yep - I was a HUGE fan of Brent's - I even named my son after him BEFORE I knew him - and I got the opportunity to meet him at a gig in nashville once. I gave him a bd-2 that I modded for him, though I didn't know if he'd even play on it. |
| mdrs |
I guess that he did!! |
| mdrs |
:) |
| indyguitarist |
He loved it and said he'd never liked any other bd-2's before, modded or stock, and he liked mine. |
| mdrs |
O.K., Lee, your question |
| Rampdog |
question |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Brian what is you personal favorite amp and cabinet, and have you worked on any mods for the new V series Crates |
| indyguitarist |
he then asked for some other effects to be modded... and on -- eventually he asked me to build a custom pedal for him - one unique to exactly what he wanted, which was the hot wired |
| indyguitarist |
Sure.. |
| indyguitarist |
first... you must know my tastes change CONSTANTLY. |
| indyguitarist |
this month, I'm using a hot rod deluxe, with a warehouse speaker - a veteran 30, which I love. |
| indyguitarist |
last month, a fender concert reverb. |
| indyguitarist |
before that, a v series v32 |
| indyguitarist |
I did mod my v-series, and am planning on releasing mods pertaining to that amp as well as the v16. |
| indyguitarist |
I don't like the new ones much - can't stand the dirty channel, I personally think whoever changed the circuitry needs a job reassessment. |
| indyguitarist |
;) |
| Dr._Ellwood |
great Brian!! ..thanks.. ok Doc thats it from me for now |
| mdrs |
LOL |
| mdrs |
O.K., Greg, you're on |
| Greg_B. |
i'm looking at getting an effects looper, like the loop master or the carl martin octa-switch. i have 6 pedals an only use a combination of more than one on a couple of songs, is this something that you would suggest or is it something that I really don't need and will it help reduce any sound degradation? |
| mdrs |
it'll be Zephyr, then Soggy, then Ramp |
| mdrs |
next |
| indyguitarist |
as far as true bypassing the pedals? |
| indyguitarist |
what are the 6 pedals? |
| Greg_B. |
yes' |
| Greg_B. |
tremolo |
| indyguitarist |
are they electronic switching? like a boss/ibanez? |
| Greg_B. |
BBE soul vibe, wah, marshall guv'nor, daneletro danecho, marshall supervibe, EH nano LPB1 |
| indyguitarist |
I'd say that in a best situation, yes - get a bypass box of some sort. however, it isn't the end all/be all - |
| indyguitarist |
... |
| indyguitarist |
one GOOD buffer up front and all true bypass is the best as far as signal goes... |
| mdrs |
Buffer??? |
| indyguitarist |
however, if you are playing in a bar band, you probably won't notice much once the amp is cranked up |
| indyguitarist |
yep - |
| indyguitarist |
mxr pedals are terrible bypass usually |
| mdrs |
like a power conditioner?? |
| indyguitarist |
no - an impedance buffer.. |
| Greg_B. |
i don't really notice any sound degradation, but havn't really tried it any other way |
| indyguitarist |
not to spam, but - http://www.indyguitarist.com/cubecart/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=107 |
| indyguitarist |
that explains it very throughly. |
| Greg_B. |
thanks |
| Dr._Ellwood |
post any link you want Brian! this is your time |
| indyguitarist |
basically, your guitar is being loaded by the cabling. you need a low impedance to stop it from loading |
| mdrs |
that's not spam. You are invited, and we want to be educated!!! |
| mdrs |
ok |
| mdrs |
Zephyr, you're on |
| Zephyr |
With mods on amps like the Blues Jr, what are you trying to accomplish? And are those mods simple or complex? |
| ChatBot |
/logout Geoff |
| indyguitarist |
the amp mods are basically like modifying a pedal, but to the next level... |
| mdrs |
I've got Soggy, and then Ramp after coming up......... |
| indyguitarist |
I like to teach people how to take an existing circuit, let's say a fender blues jr... |
| indyguitarist |
and tweak it to get the most out of the circuit with $10 in part. |
| indyguitarist |
parts, rather. |
| mdrs |
Follow up Zephyr? |
| Zephyr |
no |
| indyguitarist |
I mod my own amps to my tastes, but my diy stuff teaches how to get certain tones that are popular - fender/vox/etc. |
| Greg_B. |
i like cheap (or inexpensive would be a better word) :D |
| mdrs |
brian, do you do the mods on the amps for others? |
| mdrs |
or, you show them how themselves? |
| indyguitarist |
I do mod a bit for others - the worst part is that shipping an amp back and forth is expensive. |
| mdrs |
yea, especially these days..... |
| indyguitarist |
but I can mod it, or they can buy my DIY information on how to do it - it is getting ready to be put in one big book and sold through amazon.com |
| Craig |
Feel free to post up a link to that on the forums when it's ready. |
| mdrs |
WE'd invite you to check in with us regularly on The String Network, and let us know when your book is out |
| mdrs |
O.K., Soggybomb, you are on next |
| soggybomb |
have you considered getting into modulation effects, or are you going to stick with drives, compressors, and delays? |
| indyguitarist |
http://www.indyguitarist.com/ampmods.htm is the diy for the amps |
| mdrs |
thanks for that link! |
| mdrs |
Ramp is on deck |
| indyguitarist |
I have a chorus coming out soon - but the honest truth is that as a business I have to concentrate on the majority.. |
| soggybomb |
yeah, i am looking for a nice analog chorus pedal |
| indyguitarist |
and honestly overdrives and distortions simply sell more than envelope filters (for example)... |
| indyguitarist |
look at it this way... |
| soggybomb |
when's the release? |
| indyguitarist |
most guitarists have maybe one delay and one chorus, and they don't switch often. |
| indyguitarist |
but overdrives and distortions - guitarists LOVE those |
| indyguitarist |
and they use many different types. |
| mdrs |
:) |
| indyguitarist |
Looking for a late october release. |
| soggybomb |
nice! |
| soggybomb |
:) |
| indyguitarist |
I DO build 'one offs' for guys though |
| Dr._Ellwood |
I have a quick question |
| mdrs |
go, Lee, with a followup, then Ramp |
| Dr._Ellwood |
what will the name of the new effect be Brian? |
| indyguitarist |
I'm not sure honestly - |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ok thanks let us know.. |
| mdrs |
Rampdog |
| indyguitarist |
you'd think I would!! but it is the last detail that get's nailed down |
| Rampdog |
You said you modded a BD-2 for Brent...simple version, what exactly did you do? Or is it posted somewhere that I missed? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Hey we will help you name it |
| mdrs |
Yes!! |
| indyguitarist |
I did release the info on a forum...hmmm... maybe http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/ ? |
| indyguitarist |
either that or www.freestompboxes.org |
| indyguitarist |
basically it is just subbing a few parts to change the pre and post eq, as well as make the pedal more 'open' so it is more natural overdrive. |
| mdrs |
Follow up, Billy? |
| indyguitarist |
sure - I'm all ears for names! |
| Rampdog |
I'm good ... thanks |
| soggybomb |
i have a question |
| Rampdog |
I'll check out the sites |
| mdrs |
Brian, how is the pedal market these days? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Doc did you ask DAVES question? |
| mdrs |
comming |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ok |
| indyguitarist |
it's weird... when the economy in the US is bad, international markets are booming. |
| mdrs |
Really? |
| indyguitarist |
so here in the USA, I'm still doing very well, but the international markets are taking advantage of the weak american dollar value |
| mdrs |
There seems to be a lot of competition out there for effects pedals too, isn't there? |
| indyguitarist |
basically, the pedals are cheap for them right now...or "inexpensive" ;) |
| mdrs |
yes! |
| indyguitarist |
yes, tons of competition. |
| indyguitarist |
the key is to be different than what others are doing. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
I have a question |
| mdrs |
So, how do you get your name and pedals out there? |
| mdrs |
Lee on deck |
| indyguitarist |
for me, that means no clones. I get irritated when I buy pedals and it's a tubescreamer clone (for example) |
| indyguitarist |
for marketing, it's all about building great pedals and getting them in the hands of guitar players who know other guitar players... |
| mdrs |
Brian, can you tell us about your newsletter?? |
| indyguitarist |
what this means is that as a business, i customize alot of pedals for guys, trying to provide great service |
| indyguitarist |
well, here's the link: http://www.indyguitarist.com/free |
| indyguitarist |
basically, that allows a person to purchase my products at a discount - |
| mdrs |
What kind of a following does your newsletter have? |
| indyguitarist |
for example a pedal that lists at $249 on the website, they may be able to get it on sale for $159 |
| Craig |
I have a question |
| mdrs |
gotcha Craig |
| indyguitarist |
very big following for effects - about 11,000 members |
| Rampdog |
8o |
| indyguitarist |
not including my myspace 'friends' |
| mdrs |
Wow!! |
| indyguitarist |
which is about 4000 maybe? I don't notice to be honest! :D |
| mdrs |
do you have a link for your myspace? I suspect you'll get a few more friends today... |
| indyguitarist |
sure http://www.myspace.com/indyguitarist is my myspace, |
| Zephyr |
I have a question |
| indyguitarist |
http://www.youtube.com/user/wampcat is my youtube account which has a ton of pedal videos |
| mdrs |
Thanks, Brian. I see I have a lot more research to do.....I have to say, that as I've listened to your videos, I've ended up with a long list of pedals to buy!! |
| mdrs |
O.K., Lee, you are on |
| indyguitarist |
lol - thanks! |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Brian can you tell us more about your company..how many employees... a separate building or your house etc. do you use sub suppliers say for boxes etc ..do you do any metal work yourself ..bending forming etc. do you use any lazer cutting of blanks? |
| mdrs |
Craig, then Zephyr on deck in that order |
| indyguitarist |
well, i have an odd business structure... |
| Greg_B. |
i have a question |
| mdrs |
gotcha Greg |
| indyguitarist |
I am very big on helping others if at all possible, I like win/win situations... |
| indyguitarist |
so my assistant, cathy, works from her house but we are connected via the web all day |
| indyguitarist |
I have 3 people that help me build, one is family, they build from their house and send me populated pcb's, another friend wires the pcb's into their box with switches and everything, and they bring them to me and I test them one by one for about 30 min's each (making sure there are no weak switches, loose components, etc) |
| indyguitarist |
I also have another friend who lives in washington who builds strictly for me - basically, these are all people who work from home but get to do what they love |
| mdrs |
follow up, Lee? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
thats great Brian!! |
| Dr._Ellwood |
nope all done for for now thanks... |
| indyguitarist |
i pay them better than what most others do as well - I give them profit sharing and such |
| mdrs |
Ok Craig, you are on |
| Craig |
Speaking of distortion, are you seeing the trend in distortion pedals heading toward a "saturated" metal tone or back to a more natural "classic" sound? |
| indyguitarist |
you know craig, it's all cycles... |
| indyguitarist |
for a few months, people like fuzzes... then 'open' distortions... then light overdrives...then compressed distortions...it's weird. |
| mdrs |
Everyone's looking for the next big thing |
| Dr._Ellwood |
I have a question again LOL!! |
| indyguitarist |
it's like everyone decides as a group "we want overdrives this month"... but literally it's very cyclic..the emails I get |
| mdrs |
Greg, you are on. |
| mdrs |
Lee on deck |
| indyguitarist |
are definitely very similar |
| Zephyr |
? |
| indyguitarist |
on a month by month basis... hope that answers your question. :) |
| Greg_B. |
i have a '70s crybaby, do you have a mod to make it run on a wall wart rather than a battery. |
| Craig |
It does. Thanks Brian. |
| mdrs |
Zephyr on deck |
| indyguitarist |
yes, that's fairly simple - basically, I just get a jack for a power supply, hook up the power to the inside, and to the battery and that's it ... |
| indyguitarist |
however.... |
| mdrs |
Make that Zephyr on deck, than Lee |
| indyguitarist |
usually, it's best to go ahead and get true bypass and and a led on/off light since it isn't that much more. |
| Greg_B. |
do you have it on your website? |
| indyguitarist |
no - most of that type of stuff I just do when someone emails me and asks - reason being because there is just SO MUCH that can be done to pedals - it's hard to even begin to put everything on one page |
| mdrs |
Zephyr, you are on!! |
| indyguitarist |
I just lump that in with "custom mods" |
| Zephyr |
On pedals like the Plexi-drive, do you try to follow the design of the amps' circuit, or is it your own design? |
| mdrs |
Lee is NOW on deck :) |
| Greg_B. |
i'll check it out, thank you |
| Zephyr |
*of the Plexi circuit rather |
| indyguitarist |
both, actually zephyr - I want to mimic the amp's original design as much as possible but due to the voltage differences (and tubes vs. jfet transistors), some parts must be changed to mimic the response and the sound |
| Zephyr |
ah, cool |
| Dr._Ellwood |
stand by please |
| mdrs |
Lee, you are on, then ME |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Brian do you go hear your effects being used by players, and evaluate them in a live gig situation? hearing your effects in the band mix? |
| indyguitarist |
yes, as often as possible - whenever a band comes into town and they are using my effects I try my hardest to get out and go see them... |
| indyguitarist |
I want to hear their sound both up close during soundcheck, as well as after the crowd is there, in various places in the room so I can tell how it's working in the context. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
that's excellent and do you ofter get engineering ideas from what you hear |
| indyguitarist |
For example, cranking your amp eq's bass all the up, mids down and treble at half will sometimes sound HUGE, but may get lost in the mix. |
| indyguitarist |
same with pedals |
| indyguitarist |
some stuff sounds GREAT when you are in the bedroom practicing, but run it through a loud amp with a band and it can get lost in a hurry. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
that is SO TRUE!!! thanks Brian! |
| Dr._Ellwood |
done doc |
| mdrs |
Brian, with a pedal like your "Hot Wired", can/do you customize it to match specific amps? Or, is that even necessary? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
I have another question Doc... |
| indyguitarist |
I can (and do sometimes) but most of the time I try to account for that with the pedal - for example, this is why the plexidrive has a 'bright' switch (and the pinnacle) and the plextortion has more knobs than the space shuttle ;) |
| mdrs |
gotcha Lee |
| mdrs |
LOL |
| mdrs |
Lee......go for it! |
| Zephyr |
have we asked Dave's question yet? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Brian, how is the quality control issure going? how has the product held up in road work? |
| mdrs |
Thanks for the reminder, Zephyr |
| indyguitarist |
like anything else, there are ALWAYS going to be QC issues - for example, I got a bad batch of switches a while back. While they tested out fine here, they prematurely failed... |
| indyguitarist |
stuff like that you have no control on, but it sucks - believe me, I know!! |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Oh yes I know LOL!! |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ok done doc |
| indyguitarist |
so I do what I can - I fix all of my pedals for lifetime - regardless of if you bought the pedal secondhand or not |
| Zephyr |
I have one last question |
| mdrs |
In that regard, where are most parts made? And, does that come into play with the failures you've seen? |
| indyguitarist |
everything is built like a tank though - never a problem with the labor aspect. |
| mdrs |
gocha Zeph |
| indyguitarist |
the 3pdt switches (which are what everyone uses for true bypass) are made basically by the same company. Even though there are a few different 'types' out there, from what I understand they come from the same factory and are 'rebranded' by other companies. This is due to the fact that with more and more electronics going to digital, analog is dying in a way... |
| indyguitarist |
sources for analog parts are drying up.. |
| indyguitarist |
so that creates a sort of monopoly |
| indyguitarist |
it's similar to what electro harmonix has gone through with their previous tube dilemma i believe. |
| mdrs |
O.K., Brian, here is a question for one of our members, Dave, who could not be here |
| mdrs |
Is there are any inherent problems with an EFX like his Plextortion with a small, low power Class A tube amp like the Epi Galaxie 10 Combo I'm going to pick up (no EFX Loop). It has a RCA 6L6 power tube and GT 12AX7 PreAmp tube that will very shortly be swapped out for a JAN Tungsol 12AY7 with B, M, T tone controls, Gain and Volume. |
| indyguitarist |
you buy alot of stuff and sort through the bad pieces |
| mdrs |
zephyr is on deck |
| Rampdog |
sorry |
| indyguitarist |
no, actually the plextortion does very well through the epi - also through the blackheart amps and valve jr.s too... |
| indyguitarist |
the main thing to remember is what you want... if an amp is spongey and has a loose type of natural overdrive to it, usually you'll want a more compressed and tight pedal |
| indyguitarist |
for example. |
| indyguitarist |
and vice versa |
| mdrs |
Zephyr, you are on. |
| Zephyr |
Some people swear by overdrives that employ pre-amp tubes, what are your opinions on those designs? |
| mdrs |
I have one next |
| indyguitarist |
well... the tubes in that instance are NOT being used like a tube amp.... |
| indyguitarist |
tube amps run tons of volts and amps (amperage) through them in order to clip the signal more and more with each stage, a little at a time. |
| indyguitarist |
pedals with tubes usually 'starve' the tube of voltage, giving it a fuzzy type of distortion. |
| mdrs |
Here's the last formal question....... |
| mdrs |
Brian, do you have a pedal that would make me PLAY BETTER?? :P >:-D |
| mdrs |
LOL |
| Zephyr |
Thanks for answering all my questions, I look forward to possibly owning some of your products :) |
| indyguitarist |
there are other pedals that boost the voltage going to the tubes with the use of special circuitry, but it isn't the same - you aren't supplying a good enough power source to it - in order to REALLY do it effectively, you need a big ol' freakin transformer like you see on amps - basically a rack preamp ;) |
| Dr._Ellwood |
I will have a announcememt for the membership and for Brian also: |
| indyguitarist |
but then, you have another problem - tube amps clip at various places - the preamp, the phase invertor, the power amp, the transformer, the speakers, even the cabinet - it all adds up to a special sound and 'feel' |
| indyguitarist |
also,yes, I have a 'talent booster' coming out soon lol :D |
| indyguitarist |
thanks! |
| mdrs |
Brian, on behalf of The String Network, Craig, Lee, and myself, and all our members, we THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. |
| indyguitarist |
totally my pleasure - anytime! |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Brian I have opened a thread for follow up questions for you when you get a chance to check back in: here is the link, in our DOC'S PUB area: http://www.thestringnetwork.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1144 |
| mdrs |
Feel free to hang if you have the time, for more questions and such. |
| indyguitarist |
sure thing, thanks |
