Enter the camera mount. I forgot which brand it is, and it’s in my car in the garage so I’m not about to go look to see. What I can tell you is that it works great and using the camera in my car is quite fun now. For now it’s living inside the car mounted to the windshield. Come summer it will probably spend some time on the left front fender.

So where’s the footage? Patience, I have a master plan. It requires more than just uploading raw video to YouTube. It will also require me to get going on my drum machine and recording programs. Yeah I think you know where I’m heading with this…

Fuzz is an effect. I’ll keep this basic: It kinda started with the Fuzz Face and the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff. Yes, I know there are others, so don’t burn me because just because I didn’t include. This isn’t a history of fuzz post, this is a “I want more fuzz pedals” post. The point is…if you’ve listened to any music with a guitar since the late ’60s I will bet you any money you’ve heard a fuzz pedal on an album.

You know how people always ask “are you a Beatles or Elvis guy?” Well the same can kind of go for fuzz: “are you a Fuzz Face or Big Muff guy?” I have found that I’m a Big Muff kinda guy. That said, I’m open to anything. Currently I have the Red Witch Fuzz God I (link is to version 2, which is a bit different but my version isn’t made anymore). I love the Fuzz God…it’s probably my most used pedal, as long as you don’t include my T.C. Jauernig Luxury Drive boost, which is never turned off.

Anyways, I want more fuzz pedals. No, not to replace the Fuzz God…just to have other flavors to choose from. You don’t always want to drink cherry Kool-Aid do you? Sometimes you want black cherry instead haha. Here are a few choices I’m looking into:

Blackout Effectors Musket Fuzz:
This thing is based on a Big Muff. From the demos I’ve listened to, it sounds great and is extremely versatile, thanks to all the knobs like “focus” and “pre”. This is a strong contender.

EarthQuaker Devices Hoof Fuzz:
I’ve read good things about this fuzz, but have yet to find a really good demo of it. It’s based on the old green russian muff (variant of the Big Muff). I’m keeping my eyes out for more demos on this one.

Stomp Under Foot:
This guy makes a bunch of different Big Muff pedals. Civil War muff, Ram’s Head muff, green Russian muff…they’re all there, and the demos sound good. The biggest problem with these pedals is I can’t decide which one I like the best.

Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi:
I’ve always been one to just go for the original, and this is it. But is this too easy? Some say current EHX Big Muffs are like Fender Amps: the were great back in the day, but cheap manufacturing makes them crappy now. Another thing to consider, the Musket IS much better than this…is the price difference justified though? Maybe I should get this muff instead…

Audio Menagerie Timber Wolf:
This was the only photo I could find of this online. I actually played this pedal at another shop in Portland called Old Town. It’s a nice pedal. Concerns: for the price would the Musket be better? Also, is it too close to the Fuzz God? Still would be a neat addition I think. I don’t think this one is purely based off a Muff, but that’s not a problem (variety is great).

Bigfoot F.X. Spaghetti Western Fuzz:
Oddly enough, just like the Timber Wolf builder, this builder is in/near Portland, OR too. This one is a bit different…it even says in the description it’s not based on a Fuzz Face or a Muff. This could be very nice because it would be different from my Fuzz God. Here’s how much I like this pedal: I never see people talk about it, I don’t see advertisements for it, but yet I keep going back to the website every now and again just to hear those wonderful sound clips. hmmmm it’s too tempting.

Wattson FX Classic Fuzz:
I’ve had my eye on this one for a long while. Listen to the demos…it’s amazing. So why don’t I already have it? For one, price. Another reason, it’s a bit huge…but the main reason is price. ouch.

Z.Vex Fuzz Factory:
Yes, the handpainted ones are pricey, but there’s always the Vexter series, which is the same effect, minus the handpainted case. This fuzz is awesome. If you were ever wondering, this is what the guitarist in Muse uses (he likes it so much he has it built into his guitar). My only hesitation is that it might be a bit similiar to my Fuzz God. Not a huge problem, but since there is a variety available, maybe a different sound would be better.

Death By Audio Fuzz War
In the clips I’ve heard, this sounds like a brutal fuzz…amazing. D.b.A. pedals are sometimes quite expensive, but this one is quite reasonable. My only question is, do I want something a bit more “musical/less intense” or do I want the destruction? This is another strong contender because it does sound pretty great.

Delay pedals:

First is the Empress Effects Vintage Modified Superdelay. This thing is somewhat of a powerhouse…able to do more things than a guitar player could even think of. Sadly, it comes at a somewhat of a powerhouse price as well…$449. Ouch.

I’m also interested in the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy. It’s quite a different animal in that it’s analog delay, and EHX isn’t considered “boutique”…whatevs. Why do I like it? Options like tap tempo. It’s also quite different in price…around $179.

The third is the TC Electronic Nova Repeater. It’s sort of the middle between the first two…digital with a few different settings like the Superdelay, but cheaper like the D.M.B. at only $169.

Interface:

I want to record music using my computer. I need an interface to do that. First option is the Presonus Firestudio Mobile. It’s a firewire interface. It comes bundled with StudioOne Artist software, which is made by Presonus.

The second option is Focusrite Saffire Pro 24. This is also a firewire interface. It’s the same price as the Presonus…actually the only difference I can find is the bundled software. To be honest, I have a feeling the Presonus software is better…I’m not sure why I’m still debating this.

Car:

I want a new car. I wanted a 2010 VW GTI. I had all my options picked out and was ready to order one at my local dealer, only to find out VW stopped orders on the 2010 and only started 2011 model orders. Problem is, I’m hearing rumors about package changes and this and that, but nothing has officially changed on VW’s website. I keep telling myself I can’t order a car until I’m exactly sure what I’ll get.

The other option is the VW Golf R20. This car may very well not exist…I’ll explain. It was at a car show…basically it’s a superpowered Golf (the GTI is also a tuned up Golf…but the R20 is more powerful even). Every online publication I can find claims the R20 is coming to the USA summer of 2010 (NOW!). Sadly, my local dealer says there’s no such thing coming. hmmm, what now?

My third option is say screw VW for adding stress to my life and start my search all over for something else.

Phone:

I need a new phone. At first I was waiting for the new Apple iphone. It looks quite nice. But then of course there were all the opening day problems: discolored screen, people holding their phones wrong (WTF), etc etc. Not to mention, I’d need to switch to AT&T (not a huge problem…just annoying switching to another carrier…if there’s even an AT&T store in this town). But, I do think Apple has the best designed App store.

My other option is the yet-to-be-released Motorola Droid X. It’s on Verizon (no changing stuff). It’s also a Motorola…not that I love the company, but I’ve had 3 mobile phones in my life, 2 of which (including my current phone) have been Motorolas. Also, the design is everything I wanted the original Droid to be: a phone without a keyboard! I think I like the actual phone better than the iphone, but I don’t trust the Android market as much as Apple’s ap store. ugh.

I have a Maxon PH-350 phaser. It’s quite nice, but I had a problem with it…a huge pop when turning the pedal on or off sometimes. Yep, sometimes. One time the switch would be silent; the next time turning it on or off I’d hear a big POP through the amp. ugh.

True bypass pedals can do this sometimes because of being out of the circuit and then jumping into it when turned on. So what’s a good solution to the problem? Buffer it! Boss pedals are not true bypass; they have a buffer. This means when the pedal is off the signal stays strong, but there’s also the chance the pedal/buffer can colour your sound a touch, while a true bypass pedal doesn’t touch your sound while it’s off. People can say what they want about Boss pedals, but I must be honest, they aren’t as bad as people want to make them seem. I also think that the bypass isn’t too bad in them either. Of course I could just get or build a tiny buffer, but this was quicker and cheaper.

So to fix the Maxon switch pop: I was usually running HotCake –> DGTM –> Maxon PH-350. The chances of Maxon popping when turning on/off were greater because of the true bypass pedal in front of it. I wanted to buffer the signal right in front of the Maxon. My new chain goes: DGTM –> HotCake –> DS-1 –> Maxon PH-350. By simply putting the DS-1 in the signal just before the phaser, I have eliminating the POP sound I heard everytime I turned the Maxon on or off. Do I use the DS-1? Eh, I tried it a couple times, but chose to not use it for the most part.

It was a good day…

1. First there was the band Kill Hannah. Now a band named I Hate Kate. If I were to name a band after a girl I’m upset at, would I keep changing the band name as the years went by? On the other side of things, at least the Bouncing Souls have a song titled “Kate is Great”.

2. Which would you rather have: a guitar that is known throughout the industry to be the ‘standard’ for which everything else is judged (Stratocaster, Telecaster, Les Paul for a few examples), or would you rather have a high-quality instrument that noone else is likely to have which you’ll probably end up describing to everyone that “it has the clarity of a Strat but with the fullness of a Les Paul, yet retains that trebley jangley sound of a Tele”?

3. Formula 1 is about to start. Driver lineups have changed at nearly every team (except BMW Sauber and Red Bull). It will be a great season no doubt. I just remembered I forgot to write my annual Preseason preview. I still have a day or two to do it…

4. When will Yamaha release sound clips of their new Pocketrax 2g mini recorder? it looks so nice and small and portable. Yamaha, are you really going to make me wait until April for sound reviews? booo. It’s still the Pocketrax vs Zoom H2.

5. My computer sounded like it was about to blow up tonight the fan was running so hard. Then it started working super slow. Makes ya wonder when I’ll break down and buy a new machine.

6. Thanks to the WIAA state basketball playoffs last week I still haven’t watched last week’s episode of LOST. I’ll bet $100 it won’t be aired again tomorrow thanks to the girls WIAA basketball. blah.

7. DIY effects pedals seem so fun at the moment. Too bad the easy-to-build pedals are a bit useless to me….boosters and fuzz pedals. How bout a DIY phaser, flanger, or delay…but make it easy to build. I guess that’s why there are pedal companies that build pedals haha.

8. NRL (rugby league) starts this weekend too. My Warriors travel to Melbourne to take of the Storm…who just happened to win the title last season. To make matters worse, one of Warriors’ key players got injured during a preseason game and is out for the season to recover from surgery…and the season hasn’t even started yet. It will be a long season.

9. Keeping with sports, Premier league is getting towards the final part of the season. Fulham better start winning…NOW.

10. That’s all for now. Just as I’ve said every other time…photos and new features etc etc are coming soon haha.

Friday I went to the Twin Cities. Reason for the trip? To pick up the old Kalamazoo Reverb 12 amp I took to Savage Audio for repairs. Yep, that’s right. Somehow I found a way to add to my usable gear collection without buying new stuff…simply repair the old stuff that didn’t work.

I bought the amp along with a guitar from a kid at high school over 10 years ago for the whooping price of $30. Total cost of repairs for the amp at Savage? Over $300 with tax. Being that these amps usually sell on ebay for $200-$250 I think I’ll be keeping it. I’m just happy the amp seems to be quite good now. I did a quick playtest at the aunt’s house before leaving MN and it seemed fine. After the first night playing back home, I’m satisfied with it…lets hope I keep that opinion.

Before leaving the Cities I couldn’t resist driving downtown to Lyndale Ave. to find Twin Town Guitars. It’s a small shop with a fair amount of used Fender and new Vox and Marshall amps. The guitars are mostly the slightly less main-stream brands, like Hagstrom, Burns, and DePinto. The store also has loads of effects pedals, from the mass marketed Boss and E.H. to small private companies. My reason for going? Red Witch effects pedals.

Red Witch is a small company out of New Zealand. They make analog pedals, which like many small private companies, means they cost alot. I couldn’t resist leaving without the Fuzz God pedal. I never paid $215 for a pedal before. So after a night of playing, was it worth it? I’m not sure yet. It is a cool pedal that can make some weird sound effects. The bad thing is I’m not sure how regularly it’s sounds can get worked into songs. But then again, isn’t that the problem with all effects pedals…they all seem like “must have” pieces, only to actually be used not too often.

Paging through this week’s Best Buy newspaper flyer/advert they are really trying to sell the hell outta Vista. I also noticed they sell Apple computers; I knew they sold ipods, but not Apple computers.

Keep paging through…TaxCut…digi cams…TVs…gaming systems…blah blah blah ah here we are, page 34, CDs.

It’s so nice of Best Buy to point out that I listen to old music. They have albums released 30 years ago, 1977, with Pink Floyd, Sex Pistols, and Boston. 20 years ago, 1987, Def Leppard-Hysteria, Guns N’ Roses-Appetite for Destruction, Beastie Boys-Licensed to Ill. 10 years ago, 1997, Radiohead-OK Computer, Foo Fighters-The Colour And The Shape, Prodigy-The Fat of The Land, Green Day-Nimrod.

Blimey, I’m old.

A couple years ago I was checking the Millencolin site, which had a link to BBC Radio 1. The station is great. Plus, not only can you listen to it live on-air, but you can also listen to each show anytime for up to one week after it’s airing. Of course, if you don’t like Radio 1, BBC has numerous stations covering every musical style. Another bonus: BBC stations don’t have adverts…just the occasional BBC promo. cool.

Recently an online friend from New Zealand mentioned The Breeze to me. It’s an easy-listening station. I was happy to find a “listen online” icon. Then, I was almost surprised to hear regular adverts. Wow! I gotta admit it was actually fun listening to ‘em…I guess that’s the ‘media’ person in me…just like when I travel somewhere I always make sure to watch at least one local newscast.

Anyways, back to NZ radio. After the Breeze, I was told about Mai FM. This station plays “Auckland’s Hottest Music”. Sadly I can’t agree or disagree because I couldn’t listen. Yeah, the station has a “listen online” button, but 1) you have to register first, and then 2) it tried to play through Windows Media Player and had some error (the server was down). boooo. Maybe it’ll work someday. On to the next one…

I was then told about More FM. I can’t say for sure, but More FM seems to be the “big guys” that all the other stations are up against…kinda like the BBC vs everyone else in the U.K. I say this because More FM has 21 stations throughout New Zealand. I chose to check out the Auckland More FM station. Of the three NZ stations, it was the best one…I say this without being able to listen to Mai FM. This station also had adverts…again, fun to listen to.

All these NZ stations got me thinking again about KTCL and KROQ. I was pleased to see that you can now listen to both stations online! Maybe it’s been that way for awhile…I haven’t checked for at least a year. I had a few problems with KTCL having volume surges…sometimes really quiet, then loud again, right in the middle of a song…but for my taste the music was great. It was good to hear Bouncing Souls, R.A.T.M., and ‘Longview’ by Green Day on the radio again.

We all know “pro models” or “signature series” items fetch more money than the standard-line products. This is true for snowboards, shoes, and well, pretty much everything…including guitars.

Gibson has made the Les Paul Junior for years and years. It’s a simple, quality instrument, and is also one of the least expensive Gibson electrics available.

Recently Gibson started building a Billy Joe Armstrong Signature Les Paul Junior. It’s a nice signature which offers a few different finish options from the regular Junior. But besides the finish the guitars are pretty much the exact same. Same pickup, bridge, and even body/neck woods. So, the big question: is a different finish (with two, white and ebony, actually being cheaper to make than the regular Junior’s sunburst) and the signature of Billie Joe (actually I’m not even sure if there’s a replica of his signature on it) worth $720 more than regular Junior? For the price of the Billie Joe sig. Junior a consumer could almost buy two regular Juniors! And material-wise they are the same guitar!

I’ve seen prices raised due to items being “signature”, but never nearly double the price. So what’s the secret behind the Billie Joe guitar, or has Gibson just lost it when it comes to pricing?