# LLMs-Full.txt - Full Content for Project Pages # Generated on: 2026-01-27T20:56:57.813Z # Total pages: 37 --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/blog ### Title: Blog ### Page ID: 548223 ### Content: *Welcome to my Blog! Here you'll find my thoughts on a wide variety of musical (and non-musical) subjects.* - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - 1 - [2](https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/blog?page=2) - [3](https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/blog?page=3) --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/home ### Title: Home ### Page ID: 548224 ### Content: - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/music ### Title: Music ### Page ID: 548539 ### Content: "Manotheistic" is the latest single from my band Cockeyed Optimist. It's a song about the ego and hubris present in so much of society today. This song is the based around the first riff I ever wrote on a seven string guitar. This is the first single and title track from the first full-length Cockeyed Optimist album. Each song will be released as a single digitally before we compile them all with a physical album release. "All That You Were" is the second Cockeyed Optimist EP. All songs were recorded, produced and mixed at my home studio in Orange County, CA. All songs were written during the touring and promotion period for "Undocumented". It was released in August 2013. This is the debut EP from my band Cockeyed Optimist. Of the six songs on the EP, four of them were the first songs Cynda Renae and I wrote together. It was recorded at 4th Street Recording in Santa Monica, CA and I mixed the record at my home studio in Orange County, CA. The record was Mastered by Ted Greenberg, a man whose teachings I owe the vast majority of my audio engineering knowledge to. - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/videos ### Title: Videos ### Page ID: 548546 ### Content: # Demos to Inspire, Not Influence ***If you're looking for over-the-top jokes and "character work", look somewhere else.*** ***It has always been my goal to make in-depth and honest videos that are easy to follow and FUN!*** ***Check out the latest ones I've been working on here and don't forget to*** [***SUBSCRIBE***](https://www.youtube.com/seanpiercejohnson?sub_confirmation=1) ***to my YouTube channel.*** ***Outside of my own channel, I've been behind-the-scenes of many videos in partnership with various companies. If you'd like to talk about how I can help with content creation for your company, go to the*** ***CONTACT*** ***page and get in touch!*** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/merch ### Title: Merch ### Page ID: 548547 ### Content: **Have some merch ideas? LET ME KNOW! Use the Contact page and share your ideas.** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/contact ### Title: Contact ### Page ID: 548548 ### Content: ### Let Me Know! - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/one-stage-is-over ### Title: One Stage is Over, Another Begins ### Page ID: 548706 ### Content: Hello there friends! SPJ here and welcome to my new website. It truly feels like a new chapter of my career. But what exactly does that mean? Allow me to explain... It was back in August that I knew I NEEDED a break. Not a long one, just enough to get some rest and re-center myself to make videos again. But I also needed to do something that I've put off for a while: **build a website!** Why a website? Well, for one thing, a website is MY HOME on the internet. It's a one-stop shop for all the content I create. It will make it MUCH EASIER for me to deliver the work that I do to all of you. It doesn't show videos based on an algorithm...it's just there! Anyone can come here and watch whatever videos I've posted, view photos, read articles and get in touch with my directly. TL;DR: **NO MIDDLE MAN BETWEEN YOU AND ME.** So what can you expect as this site grows? My current plan for this website is to build it and treat it as a central hub for all the guitar and music related content I produce. This will include my YouTube videos, my musical projects, and articles on a variety of subjects. Once this basic set-up is in place, I want to be able to offer you all a way to directly support my content creation. This could be done either via merch sales OR a monthly "Patreon-style" support system. TL;DR: **NO MIDDLE MAN BETWEEN YOU AND ME.** When I made my first YouTube video over a decade ago, I had no intention of being famous or making a living. I just wanted to help guitar players like me. If I had a piece of gear that I didn't see a video of, I made it. My hope was that other guitarists would use these videos as a resource to help them make informed purchases of their own. But that was before "influencer culture" existed... As tech companies place more emphasis on their advertisers' interests "the algorithm" dictates the flow of information and content. It's like the "spice melange" in Frank Herbert's ***DUNE***: you control the flow, you have the power. So this website is a little bit of me taking some of that control back for myself. (if you haven't read ***DUN******E*** yet I highly recommend it) So with that in mind, I want to say I'm REALLY excited to have a website! My own little corner of the internet where we can have a good time and you all can find everything I do. Even though the site is public I see it a lot like Walt Disney saw Disneyland: it may never be finished and always be growing. But I see that as a good thing. - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/about ### Title: Bio ### Page ID: 568096 ### Content: **What's going my friends?! I'm Sean Pierce Johnson (that's SPJ for short) and welcome to my website. If you're here you most likely know who I am and what I do. If you don't, let me tell you about myself...** **I'm a guitarist, songwriter, recording engineer and YouTube Creator from Los Angeles, CA that you can currently find doing his thing in Orange County, CA. I've always loved music but didn't feel the pull to pick up the guitar until I was a preteen. It would make a good story to tell you it was "love at first strum" but it was not! I spent a couple of years fighting the guitar but once I stood on stage in front of an audience for the first time THAT WAS IT.** **Everything I did afterward was in service of becoming a professional musician.** **After graduating high school, I attended the legendary Guitar Institute of Technology at the Musicians' Institute in Hollywood, CA. I learned so much during my three years as a student there. In many ways, I owe my life to M.I. Not only did I gain a skillset and level of knowledge I NEVER anticipated having, I even met my wife while we were both students there.** **After M.I. I had to figure out what to do with myself. My wife Cynda and I had started our band, Cockeyed Optimist, but industry jobs were almost nonexistent.** **I never started my YouTube channel to become "famous". I just knew I had seen some guitar-related videos that were cool and showed me something new. I knew I had some gear no one had made a video about so I grabbed a camera and shot a video. Now, over a decade later, I've parlayed that into a career demoing and showcasing the BEST guitars, amps and pedals in the world! I've worked with so many great companies and have even gotten to work with some absolute LEGENDS in the business.** **These days, my whole life is music: I'm writing and composing songs for my band, Cockeyed Optimist, and my first solo record. I serve on the worship team at Oceans Church in Irvine, CA. I continue to host my pedal demo show "Stompbox Saturday" and partner with companies around the world to create video content. Life is busy to say the least...** **I'd love if you would take a listen to some of my music and watch my videos! There's so much more to come and I'm so happy you're here.** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/pedals-and-effects ### Title: Pedals & Effects ### Page ID: 647680 ### Content: - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/guitars ### Title: Guitars ### Page ID: 647681 ### Content: - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/spj-on-guitar ### Title: SPJ on Guitar ### Page ID: 647682 ### Content: - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/westminster-effects-augustine-clean-boost-v2 ### Title: Is "Hope Metal" A Thing? - The Augustine Clean Boost V2 ### Page ID: 733922 ### Content: The Augustine clean boost v2 by westminster effects "The desire for fame tempts even noble minds." - Augustine of Hippo, "The City of God" St. Augustine of Hippo: author, theologian and often considered to be the father of Western Christianity. So why is his name on a guitar pedal and why is there a hippopotamus in the artwork? The answer is a bit more comical than serious but the pedal itself is pretty serious business. What's going on my friends?! Sean here. I'm so happy to get "Stompbox Saturday" back under way! And I'm also happy that the return episode features one of the latest pedals from one of my favorite small builders: Westminster Effects. Cody (owner, President, and chief "doer-of-all-the-things" at Westminster) has become a great friend. Anytime I get a pedal from him I not only find myself looking forward to a good time but also a Wikipedia-induced rabbit hole of theology and research. Cody, like myself, is a Christian and his faith and theological nerdiness plays a large role in his branding. And this trend continues with the Augustine Clean Boost V2, his take on a "cult classic": the TC Electronic Integrated Preamp. Look forward to spending AT LEAST $500 for one of these... Thanks to a combination of YouTube influencers and its use by metal pioneers Meshuggah, the TC Electronic Integrated Preamp is seeing a surge in popularity. It was only a few years ago that vintage units were easy to find and reasonably affordable. Now, you'll be lucky to find one under $500...IF you can even find one at all! As the pedal industry often does, small builders have taken it upon themselves to replicate the circuit for the modern player. Some clone the TC unit outright while some add their own "secret sauce" to the classic recipe. *The Augustine Clean Boost V2 is a boost pedal INSPIRED by the TC Electronic Integrated Preamp.* *It is not a direct clone. It is not a replica. It is a pedal that take cues from the original and does its own thing.* *It's probably a good idea now for you to take a break and WATCH the demo...* Although it has the same controls as the TC unit I cannot say with full certainty if the Augustine V2 sounds like the Integrated Preamp. What I can tell you is the ability to shape tone with the Augustine V2 is fantastic! So many sounds can be had from this box that it's sure to inspire MANY guitarists, no matter what genre of music they play. I'm particularly fond of the amount of "Sample Tones" I was able to put in this video, many of which came about through pure "dumb luck". Case in point: the "Hope Metal" setting (you can find it starting at 9:40). Stoner & Doom Metal have very distinct guitar tones, characterized by detuned guitars and loud, saturated and fuzzy guitar tones. Though they also don't lack for clarity or punch. During one of my first rounds of exploration with this pedal, I just wanted to see how far I could push things. My favorite Les Paul was tuned down a bit lower than in the video and I just hit one LOOOOOOOOONG and droning power chords. The sustain, the saturation and the rumble was just awe-inspiring! So it begs the question: does this pedal make "Hope Metal" a thing? I mean, as a Christian you are meant to have faith and believe...which then in turn inspires Hope, not Doom. So if anyone wants to weigh in on that, leave a Comment on YouTube or hit me up on the Contact page. So why the hippopotamus? Well, St. Augustine came from a region called Hippo. No really, that's why. But why his name on a clean boost pedal? For that answer, I will give the floor over to Cody whose answer speaks for itself... "...Augustine has influence(d) so much of church history, including the Reformation 1000 years after he lived...you could say he BOOSTED it a tad." All this is great and all but I really enjoyed making the video. This pedal works SO WELL for my style of playing and I'm very happy that I have one. I know that many other folks who love heavy riffs and hard rock or metal will bond with this pedal too. - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/the-internet-specd-a-super-strat ### Title: Pink & Gold Or, The Internet Spec'd a Super Strat ### Page ID: 769036 ### Content: The Julien Rosenthal OZ JRM Signature Guitar by Vola Guitar Look, I'm not going to lie to you: I've wanted a Pink guitar for a LOOOOOOOONG time. But my pink tastes have always fallen towards the neon side of the color palette. I suppose it's my fandom of 1980's Shred Metal wizards **RACER X** and the incomparable **PAUL GILBERT** that fed that obsession... But a few years ago, there was a new pink in town. And this color caught on ***FAST!*** You couldn't turn your head without seeing ANOTHER post on a message board, Facebook Group, or Instagram profile of it. The color was Shell Pink; a slightly more pastel variation that caused a new wave of guitarists to embrace the more colorful side of life. And I liked it too... But then ***EVERYONE*** started making Shell Pink guitars. First it was the boutique builders, then the larger, niche brands and finally Fender started making shell pink guitars. Honestly, it got out of hand. I fully understand following trends to attract new and returning customers...I'm not dumb. But when something seems to catch on so quickly it's easy to write off some of the offerings as cash grabs. You could forgive me for saying things like: "Yeah it's shell pink but how does it sound? Is the neck comfortable? IS THIS GUITAR MORE THAN JUST A COLOR?!?". If you haven't heard of Vola Guitars you're missing out. And if you haven't gotten a chance to play one you're REALLY missing out! To me, Vola is a company capable of taking the best parts of old school guitars and combining them with great forward-thinking ideas to create a guitar that is as futuristic as it is timeless. Nothing about their guitars is too far-out to be called "strange" nor too traditional to be called "lame". This past November, I got a call from the guys at Vola's USA office with a proposition: to make some videos for the Vola YouTube Channel. I jumped at the chance to work with them because I already knew the guitars to be great but I was surprised to find out my first "project" would involve a shell pink guitar. And not just a shell pink guitar; a shell pink guitar spec'd out by one of their signature artists. That guy's name a Julien Rosenthal. Allow me to introduce him... Julien Rosenthal - French Guitarist par excellence! Based in Nancy, France Julien is a guitarist (duh), educator, and YouTuber. Although he excels in the neo-soul genre that has become quite popular amongst guitarists he is also a member of the French metal band Atlantis Chronicles. The dude has RANGE. And that means it can be hard to rely on ONE instrument for all your tonal needs. Trust me, I've been there...it's hard. But it seems the cats at Vola were quite ready to take up the challenge of making Julien a guitar he could 1) use for anything and 2) be proud of. The OZ is Vola's take on the Strat-style guitar. It's a shape that many players will easily bond with. There's no sharp edges and the body contours make for a cool, new silhouette of the classic body shape. The great thing about a guitar like this is that it provides a great "blank slate" for an artist to create their dream instrument. So what did Julien & Vola give us? **Let's first get the obvious out of the way: yes, the guitar is finished in a Glossy Shell Pink. It looks beautiful...yadda yadda yadda...** **But it's everything else about this guitar that makes it such a wonderful guitar.** **The Shell Pink is complimented wonderfully by the Gold Hardware. The color scheme of this guitar screams "luxury"!** **It has a roasted maple neck made up in Vola's Modern C shape.** **The Vola-designed pickups sound FANTASTIC and the electronics for combining the pickups make for one insanely versatile instrument!** This won't be the last you see of Vola Guitars on this website and my YouTube channel! I just got another guitar from them just before Christmas and I'm REALLY excited to show you this one. For now, I leave you with this guitar and video. I'd love to know what you think of this one! - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/reset-password-page ### Title: Reset password page ### Page ID: 870050 ### Content: - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/steel-string-supreme-srv ### Title: Fat, Mean & Kinda Clean - Vertex Steel String Supreme SRV ### Page ID: 870051 ### Content: Fat, Mean & Kinda Clean - The Vertex Steel String Supreme SRV On January 18, 2022 it was announced that legendary amplifier builder and designer **Howard Alexander Dumble** had passed away. Whether you've played his amplifiers or not you have no doubt heard his name. His creations have been used on countless recordings and by plenty of talented players. Robben Ford, Jackson Browne, Carlos Santana, John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan...the list goes on! Mr. Dumble was famously secretive and protective of his designs. As such, many builders over the years spent countless hours trying to replicate his circuits and create products designed to capture the essence of his amplifiers. And in my opinion, there's no company that does it quite as well as **Vertex Effects**. Dumble-in-a-box pedals are not a new thing in the pedal world. Boutique builders have been making them since the earliest "pedal boom". But even those early attempts were rather inaccessible. Starting with the 2017 release of the Ultraphonix Overdrive, Mason Marangella (aka The Rig Doctor) & Co. have been making the "Dumble sound" available to everyone. These pedals have been WILDLY popular for several reasons: This unprecedented access to the "real thing" has resulted in pedals re-creating the most popular Dumble amp, the Overdrive Special, and one of the most underrated: the **Steel String Singer**. **Dumble Steel String Singer currently for sale. Price? $220,000!** The "clean" guitar tone is a funny thing. Most every guitarist wants a "good" one but rarely do the definitions remain the same for everyone. Since this is my blog, I'm going to tell you MY definition of a good "clean" tone: ***A clean tone should be loud without distorting, full-sounding with a well defined Low End, a SLIGHTLY scooped Midrange and*** ***a shimmering Treble that is neither harsh nor lacking in clarity of pitch.*** With that being said, I'll lay this out there for you: **the Dumble Steel String Singer is the PINNACLE of a Clean guitar tone**. The Steel String Singer was an amp that evolved from one of Alexander Dumble's earliest amp designs (called the Dumbleland). The idea was to create an amp capable of producing ***a full-sounding Clean tone that had SUSTAIN***. This is a hard ask for many amplifiers. Somehow, Mr. Dumble did it and it powered the sound of MANY prominent musicians: David Lindley, Jackson Browne, Eric Johnson and, of course, **STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN**. And it's Stevie's tones that have captured the hearts and mind of guitarists around the world, including Vertex Effects founder Mason Marangella. This is not Vertex's first "go" at a pedal designed to replicate the Steel String Singer experience. They've already released the hugely successful **"Steel String" Clean Drive**, going far enough with it to create a "Version 2" of the pedal. A little over a year ago, Vertex decided to up the ante on the Steel String-inspired pedal and released the Steel String Supreme. The Supreme version took what was just an "overdrive" pedal and turned it into a full on preamp. Folks quickly gravitated towards its ability to capture the classic Steel String tone; as well as help them sound like modern-day Steel String lover, **John Mayer**. But not one to rest on their laurels, The Rig Doctor & Co. got to work on a NEW Steel String Supreme...one more geared towards a more Texas-flavored tone. And so it was that on Black Friday 2021 the Steel String Supreme Slight Return Version was announced! In case you need some help, this is the **S**light **R**eturn **V**ersion. So it's pretty clear which guitarist this new version is seeking to most closely replicate. Stevie Ray Vaughan's Dumble amps powered MANY of his iconic albums and songs. He was able to carefully straddle the line, tonally speaking, of having a great clean tone that had sustain and having an incredibly dynamic overdrive tone that sang and sustained like nobody's business! So what exactly can you expect in this pedal? The **Steel String Supreme SRV** combines two slightly tweaked pedals in one package: the ***Steel String Clean Drive SRV*** and the ***Supreme EQ***. The Steel String Clean Drive SRV is more mid-pushed version of the OG circuit. Stevie Ray Vaughan's tone had a famously full midrange presence. As someone who favored the Fender Stratocaster, he was able to make a famously thin-sounding guitar sound like a damn MONSTER! The Filter control on this pedal has a much more present Midrange effect than the OG version of the Steel String pedal. And despite the label "Gain" on one of the knobs, this pedal isn't much of an "overdrive" pedal. You will get SOME grit, but this isn't a Tube Screamer. The Supreme EQ allows for more tone-shaping of the Steel String Clean Drive. You can adjust the pedals overall "fatness" (aka how full sounding you low end is) with the "Fat" control. You can also BLEND in your original clean guitar tone with the "Blend" control. This is a really cool layering effect that can preserve pick attack. And the Output control can drive the Steel String Clean Drive into MORE saturation than previously available. You're also treated to two 3-way toggle switches that provide for further shaping of the Low End and High End as well as the feel and gain structuring of the pedal. This is possibly one of the most versatile pedals I've ever played! Just take a listen for yourself... I've always been challenged by "clean" guitar tones. Most of the amplifiers noted for their clean sounds have not been my favorites. Why? it's because there's always something OFF about them. If the low end is right the high end is too sharp or the midrange is to full or the treble is far too bright. Now I will admit, EVERY amp and tone has its place and roll. But even the good ones feel like a compromise to me. But the Steel String Supreme SRV gets me as close as I've ever gotten to the clean tone I've dreamt of! Not only is the tone full and well-rounded, it has a midrange presence that doesn't scream at you through a dense mix. Instead, it announces itself politely and offers its services to you and your music. Chords and single notes sustain in a piano-like fashion. And the harmonic content it adds to your guitar sound is just an absolute pleasure to hear and feel! I truly enjoyed making this episode of "Stompbox Saturday" and I hope you enjoy watching it. Please feel free to get in touch with me via the Contact page and let me know what you thought. Thanks Mason! I can't wait to make more music with this pedal! - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") 1. ***They're very well made.*** 2. ***They're reasonably affordable. And...*** 3. ***They were designed alongside ACTUAL Dumble amplifiers provided by their friends and customers.*** --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/create-you-own-overdrive-lang-amps ### Title: Create-You-Own Overdrive: the Lang Amps Overdrive/Boost ### Page ID: 898144 ### Content: Create-You-Own Overdrive! - the Lang Amps Overdrive/Boost Overdrive pedals; you know them, you love them and you probably have A TON of them! The overdrive pedal is a dime-a-dozen type of effect. From Screamers, to Breakers, to 2-5-0s and Klones EVERY pedal company has dipped their toes into the pool. And it makes sense why: they're relatively easy to build and small changes can make MASSIVE differences to the sound. No better example of this exists in the pedal world than the numerous variants of the Tube Screamer that Ibanez has manufactured over the years! But in my experience, simply calling a pedal an "overdrive" does not necessarily give you an idea of what you're in for. And that's where **Lang Amps** enter our story... I first became aware of Lang Amps a little over eight years ago. I had been asked by Loni Specter, founder and producer of the **LA AMP SHOW**, to make video coverage of the 10th Annual event. If you're an LA native and have never been to the AMP SHOW, I highly recommend it! Every amp company participating gets their own hotel room (minus the beds and furniture) and fills it up with their latest and greatest tone offerings. Among all the builders I met at the show was **Daniel Lang**. One of the striking things about Daniel's designs is how unassuming his amps are; plain black tolex, a simple logo and ***ALL ABOUT THE TONE!*** There's nothing trying to fool you and you get back what you put into it! From that point on I was keeping tabs on Lang and wondering where they would go from there. And then I saw this photo... A pedal was coming! But what was it going to be? Well, I think you can guess by now; it was an overdrive pedal! **But it turned out to be much different than I was expecting...** The ***Lang Amps Overdrive/Boost*** is a 2-in-1 combo pedal. Each side can be run independently of the other OR used together. These kinds of pedals are great for consolidating your pedalboard, allowing you to get **MORE** sounds from less pedals AND downsize your rig if need be. The Overdrive section comes BEFORE to the Boost, so instead of the Boost increasing the saturation of the overdrive you'll get a volume Boost. This is great for solos or making a particular riff or part cut through a dense mix. But there's some interesting bits about each section of this pedal... First, the Boost is indeed a CLEAN Boost. This means that the Boost effect doesn't have it's own "clipping" stage (or, a portion of the circuitry that causes "distortion" of the signal). When run into a clean guitar amp your guitar sound will get louder. It can also drive an already distorted guitar amp into further saturation! But this clean boost isn't like most clean boost. While most clean boost pedals on the market try to stay as transparent as possible, the Lang Boost imparts a specific tonal coloration to the sound. To my ears, this Boost couples a Low End roll off and an added high mid presence. This coloration has several benefits and we'll talk about one in a bit but we really need to get to this overdrive! When I first clicked on the **Lang Overdrive**, I was surprised to find not another screamer, breaker or whatever. Instead, it was closer to a ***GREAT amp-in-the-box distortion!*** But if that's not the sound you're wanting you don't have to have it, thanks to the robust set of controls for the Overdrive tone. In addition to the normal "LEVEL", "TONE", and "GAIN" controls their are **two controls labelled "CLIP"**. These controls give you complete adjustment over the amount AND type of clipping created by the pedal. This means that the Lang Overdrive can be both an open, woody and fairly BROWN sounding pedal to a super-squished and fuzzy monster! You just have to watch the video to believe it...so go do that now. The real magic of this pedal comes from using BOTH sides of the pedal together. You can create a big, fat Overdrive tone and use it as your rhythm guitar sound and then kick the Boost on for your solo! Remember how I said there was a benefit to the Boost having a "tonal coloration"? This is one such instance: It's generally considered desirable to have a lead guitar tone that is full and CUTS THROUGH a dense mix. One way of doing this, and one of my favorites, is to cut out excessive Low End frequencies. This effect can be achieved in many ways, such as using an EQ or High Pass Filter, but many guitarists often use overdrive and boost pedals to do this job. The Lang Boost does a GREAT job of this as well as making your midrange more present, especially the area of midrange most associated with "cutting". It's been a while since Daniel and I began talking about demoing one of his Overdrive/Boost pedals. At least a couple of years. But I'm glad it took that time. ***In my opinion, the Lang Amps Overdrive/Boost is one of the most well thought out, useful and toneful pedals I've played in the last few years!*** You indeed get a lovely amp-in-a-box overdrive that can be as thick or thin as you want! It takes Les Pauls, Stratocasters, Telecasters and more like a champ. And the Boost lends a lovely shimmer to clean tones and can really tighten up your overdrive sound for staccato riffing! Now, all things being said, Daniel and Lang Amps did pay me for this video. But they aren't paying me to write this blog and don't pay for my opinion. I feel FULLY CONFIDENT in telling you that if you like what you hear YOU HAVE TO TRY ONE OF THESE! You won't be disappointed. - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/dsound-iceberg-boost-it-chugs ### Title: Chugs For Less | the D-Sound Pedal Iceberg Boost ### Page ID: 914940 ### Content: Many "modern" guitarists confuse me. They play seven, eight, nine and 10 string guitars. They use the Fractal Axe-Fx, Kemper Profiler, and Quad Cortex for amplification. Their guitars have fanned frets, Evertune bridges, and the latest active pickups. They embrace the latest guitar gear tech and eschew more traditional approaches (for the most part). But it seems that there's ONE thing even the most "advanced" guitarist holds onto from "the past": **a Boost pedal**. Why a Boost pedal? Well, to answer that question requires a little review of classic guitar pedals and guitar tone history with a quite surprising starting point: Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Ibanez Tube Screamer. SRV famously used the Ibanez Tube Screamer as a Boost effect. The Level was turned all the way up, the Gain was turned all the way down and the Tone knob was adjusted to taste. Somehow, this practice was adopted by several metal bands. I can't place who the first band was or when they first did it but it has become a common practice amongst the heavier music genres for at least 20 years. **Why exactly would bands who use such HIGH GAIN amps need a Boost?** In my opinion, it all boils down to the unique sonic character of the circuit: a midrange hump and a roll-off of the Bass frequencies. This give the guitar tone a tighter response, more presence in the mix and an added aggression from emphasized midrange. Other pedals have been used for a similar effect over the years, like the TC Electronic Integrated Preamp ([which inspired the Westminster Effects Augustine V2](https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/westminster-effects-augustine-clean-boost-v2)), but the principle is always the same: tighten the lows and add some aggression. This leads us to a group of pioneers in Metal: **Meshuggah**. ***Fredrik Thordendal of Meshuggah, a true pioneer of Metal*** It there's any band that has inspired the modern metal movement and its proclivities, it's MESHUGGAH. Since 1987 this band has pushed the boundaries of heavy metal but no record seems to cement their influence like 2002's "Nothing". This record saw the band adopted the **eight-string guitar** as their primary instruments, which became their calling card and a defining characteristic of their sound. It would take a while before eight-strings became widely available but when they did become available it seemed like EVERY metal band started using them. And with these new guitar came new challenges in achieving tone. But it seemed the Meshuggah boys already had it figured out... Amongst the various pieces of gear that helped define the aggressive sounds the band created was the TC Electronic Integrated Preamp. But like any guitarist, times change and new tools are needed. In 2017, **Fredrik Thordendal** partnered with **Fortin Amps** to release **the 33 pedal**. The concept was simple: a single-knob boost pedal that would provide the tightened low end and added aggression needed for the band's low tunings and music. It achieved the same results many metal bands were looking for in a simple package. But there were a couple issues when the pedal came out: 1) the pedal sold out almost as soon as they were made and 2) the price was close to $250. Both aspects left some guitarists feeling a little less than thrilled. Although the supply of the pedal seems to have stabilized (the Fortin website currently has them available for purchase) the price isn't exactly budget friendly. **Necessity is often the mother of invention** and those circumstances are the perfect setup for necessity. And here is where we meet D-Sound Pedals. This isn't our first encounter with **D-Sound Pedals**. Based in St. Petersburg, Russia my first experience with the work of D-Sound came in the form of a clone of the Friedman BE-OD called the Fisherman. I was very impressed by the quality of build and how close the sound was to the original. And to answer the question some of you are probably asking: no, I don't think there's anything wrong buying clones of pedals. Cloning pedals is a good thing. Cloning is how builders learn. But it also provides folks a chance to have access to pedals that might be out of their budget OR hard to buy in their region of the world. The **Iceberg Boost** is a definite product of necessity. Basically, it is **a clone of the Fortin 33 pedal**. A **single volume control** sets the level of boost. It's designed to be used with a dirty, high gain amp! While it does provide a significant boost for your dirty amp it also imparts the characteristic low end roll-off/tightening and added aggression for your low-tuned seven string (or eight string, or nine string, whatever) guitar. The one thing the Iceberg Boost lacks that the Fortin 33 has is an input jack that you can hook up to your amp's channel selector so you can turn the pedal On & Off and change channels with one switch. But that feature isn't a deal breaker for me. And considering the Iceberg is $100 as opposed to $250+...I call that a win! There's a **beauty in the simplicity** that the Iceberg Boost offers. It achieves so much with so little work. One click and BOOM you're tone is tighter and more aggressive! It's basically the perfect modern metal boost pedal. If you're playing low-tuned instruments or extended range instruments then you don't need to look any further. I played the Iceberg with my Orsmby SX GTR in Standard, Drop A and Drop G tuning...all of them sounded exactly like you'd expect: aggressive and heavy! But the real surprise is that this Boost actually sounds GREAT with a guitar in a "standard" tuning. In my time with the Iceberg there was only one aspect that I would consider to be a potential problem: the amount of low end the pedal filters out. I understand what exactly the pedal is meant to do, of course, but I was surprised at how drastic the effect was. I found that I had to adjust my amp's EQ settings in order to avoid such a drastic low end roll-off. And I found this to be the case even with my seven string. Call me a bit old-fashioned but I still like to hear and feel a fullness in my guitar tone. But I want to repeat, this aspect is ***POTENTIALLY*** a problem. Some players will want EXACTLY what the Iceberg offers and other should be aware of certain "compromises". With all of this said, I do enjoy the Iceberg quite a bit! There are some very good uses for a Boost like this and some unexpected surprises as well. And given it's affordable price tag I'd call this a very "low risk" purchase. Buy it, don't like it, at least you didn't go broke! Buy it, like it, you got "better" tone for less cash! Everybody wins. **And this isn't the last we'll see of D-Sound Pedals! Be sure to check in next week as we take a look at the D-Sound Revolution distortion. ;)** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/the-tiniest-muff-of-all ### Title: The Tiniest Muff of All: the Sonicake Fazy Cream ### Page ID: 941758 ### Content: If you've watched my videos for any length of time this statement should come as no surprise: And I love ANY variation/version of the circuit; NYC, Ram's Head, OpAmp, Germanium...oh boy. GIVE ME ALL THE MUFFED UP FUZZ YOU'VE GOT. As such, I'm ready and willing to try ANY pedal that clones, improves upon, or bastardizes the circuit and the sounds it has produced. I'm also cool with looking at the mini versions of the pedal. This isn't the first Sonicake pedal we've looked at on my channel. My demos of the [***5th Dimension***](https://youtu.be/2HnjqoHzNTY) and [***RockStage***](https://youtu.be/qlldhRhsFqo) have proven to be very popular videos and I really loved the [***Rude Mouse distortion***](https://youtu.be/9ytu9-2dlKY)! But this demo has a bit of a different angle... Shortly after I released my Rude Mouse demo, Sonicake reached out and offered me the opportunity to join their Affiliate Program! This sounded like a great idea since 1) I already liked their pedals and 2) you all could help support the channel by simply purchasing Sonicake pedals. But Sonicake makes quite a lot of pedals, a lot that I haven't tried before. And I'm not going to recommend anything that I haven't tried first. So I sent the crew at Sonicake a list of "most attractive" pedals and as a result we have four new demos of Sonicake pedals. With that out of the way, let's talk about the **Fazy Cream**. ***I can't tell what flavor of Big Muff the Fazy Cream is replicating***. I hear elements of many versions. It has a crunch like the OpAmp/IC Big Muff. It has a smoothness like a Ram's Head. It can get wooly and dark like a Green Russian. So if I HAD to put a description on it, I'd say the Fazy Cream gathers the defining characteristics of the Big Muff and puts it into a tiny package that ANY guitarist will love! And the price is hard to beat: you can get one of these for $29.99!!! Wow. It has all the normal controls: three knobs labelled Level, Tone, & Fuzz. On other Big Muff-style pedals, the Fuzz control is usually labelled "Sustain". But that's about all the changes you'll see here. Everything about this pedal is Muff! Wanna do the Siamese Dream thing? You can do it with the Fazy Cream. Looking to do a little David Gilmour thing? The Fazy Cream will do it. But it'll even do some other thing you may not expect a Muff-style fuzz to do! Two of my favorite tones are these kinds of sounds; the first is used sort of like a Fuzz Face in front of a crunchy guitar amp and the second actually has the Fuzz controlled turn (almost) all the way down. I can't believe how much you can do with a this $30 fuzz pedal! Please watch the video above. Man, this was fun! You can get one here: [https://www.sonicake.com/products/fazy-cream?sca\_ref=1438532.tlXYbNcej4](https://www.sonicake.com/products/fazy-cream?sca_ref=1438532.tlXYbNcej4) I'm not ashamed to say that I love this pedal! I'm in the mode of trying to find mini versions of my favorite pedals and I would happily use the Fazy Cream as my Big Muff sound. I love how small it is and how many classic Big Muff sounds I can get from it. It's very simple and isn't trying to be something it's not. And for $30...how could you beat this?!? I heartily recommend the Fazy Cream and hope you'll check one out for yourself! And remember, now you can buy a Sonicake pedal and support the content I make! Here's a link to my Sonicake affiliate page and a portion of the sale will be given to me: [https://www.sonicake.com?sca\_ref=1438532.tlXYbNcej4](https://www.sonicake.com?sca_ref=1438532.tlXYbNcej4) - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/walrus-audio-mako-m1 ### Title: Walrus Audio Does It AGAIN! - The MAKO M1 Modulation Pedal ### Page ID: 1104409 ### Content: Two years...that's how long it has been since Walrus Audio released the first pedal in their new MAKO Series. The MAKO Series was a big step up for Walrus. Although they had been releasing fantastic pedals for years, the MAKO pedals represented new frontier: **hyper flexible & compact digital pedals to rival the likes of Strymon and Line 6**. And when you look at the amount of guitarists (myself included) that have adopted these pedals are centerpieces of their rigs it's clear they succeeded in their endeavor. I knew it was only a matter of time before a Modulation-focused MAKO pedal came out. Lo and behold, 2022 was my year! If any pedal company makes a good modulation pedal it's Walrus Audio. Need evidence? Julia, Julianna, Monument, Lillian, Polychrome...there's your evidence. And the M1 continues the long tradition of GREAT Walrus Audio modulation pedals. Everything established with the MAKO Series is here: the enclosure, the control layout, features, etc. But the M1 has A LOT more "under the hood" than the previous MAKO series pedals. For example, each the D1 and R1 Mako pedals comes with six (6) effects programmed into the pedal. The M1 does indeed have six (6) effects programmed into the pedal BUT each effect program has THREE TYPES OF EACH EFFECT. So instead of just ONE type of Chorus you get two ADDITIONAL types of Chorus. The same is true for the Phaser, Tremolo, Vibrato, Rotary and Filter programs. And it doesn't stop there. In addition to all the typical controls for your modulation sound the M1 has a secondary layer of adjustments for lo-fi guitar tones! So at once you can dial in an 80's style stereo chorus and then make a super filtered and warbly "listening to my grandparents old phonograph records" vibrato. When I first got the M1 I immediately dialed in a Chorus sound similar to what is get from my Julianna and Chase Bliss Audio Warped Vinyl HiFi. And in less than five minutes I was rolling and having a great time! But then I wanted something more adventurous. I dove head first into the Vibrato and went for the most seasick and crushed sound I possibly could. It wasn't hard and it was so much fun. And of all the effects included on the M1, the Rotary speaker effect is just MIND BLOWING!!! Seriously, I've played quite a few "leslie type" effects pedals in my day and this one might be the BEST yet. Fast or slow, bluesy or grungy, it just sounds great! Truly, there's a lot to love about the M1. Now, go click the video on the right and watch the full demo. I was a little bummed to see there was no Flanger programmed into the M1. I generally like to have chorus, phaser, and flanger on my board so I was hoping the M1 would be a "one-stop-shop". If I had my druthers I'd replace the Filter with a Flanger effect. Don't get me wrong: the Filter is really good and very fun to use. But I don't view Filters as a modulation effect. But that's just me... You may also notice there's no "Mix" or "D-C-V" knob. There are a lot of great modulation pedals that DON'T have a control like this. The Phase 90, the Boss CE-2...classics! But more often than not, I use modulation pedals with a "Mix" control on my pedalboard and in the studio. I do this because it helps fine-tune the intensity of the effect. This extra level of adjustment can be handy when using modulation in a band context. The finer the adjustment the more likely you'll be able to use the effect on a recording or live. I'd like to see a control of that fashion implemented in a future firmware update. AND...it might just happen! Lastly, there is so much you can do with this pedal that it's easy to see some guitarists getting "option paralysis". So I wouldn't call this a pedal for everyone. But it is an option for a lot of players. **All in all, the M1 is a fantastic addition to the MAKO Series.** **Is it 100% what I expected? No. But what it does have that I didn't expect is great!** And now, some cool news: I'M NOW A SWEETWATER AFFILIATE. So you can use my links, shop as you like, and Sweetwater will give my a percentage of your purchase to support the channel. If you like what you heard from the M1, please consider buying once through Sweetwater using my link: [imp.i114863.net/oeveVW](http://imp.i114863.net/oeveVW) - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/westminster-spurgeon-v2 ### Title: A Pedal Befitting A Great Preacher: The Westminster Effects Spurgeon V2 ### Page ID: 1123918 ### Content: Reverb. It could be said that it was the first "effect" for sound. But man there are so many questions. Like, what was the first "reverb"? Was reverb there at the beginning? Is reverb even an "effect"? ***(this existential conundrum brought to you by my stupor from four hours of gardening before sitting down to write this...)*** Well I'm not here to answer those questions. BUT...I am here to tell you about a brand new reverb from **Westminster Effects** called **Spurgeon V2**. This Hall-style reverb pedal is both simple and a bit unique. But first, we answer another question... **Does a fancy name make a good pedal? Click the photo to find out!** **Charles Haddon Spurgeon** was 19th century English preacher. He is considered by many Christians and Theologians to be ***one of the most influential preachers*** of his time. His sermons are considered to be amongst the most thought provoking of his time. And above all else, he was ***a gifted orator*** who was said to be able to hold his congregation spellbound during service. Even after his death, his influence is such that many denominations refer to his works and sermons. All of this has given him the legacy as the **"Prince of Preachers"**. It must have been quite an experience to see Charles Spurgeon at the height of his career: preaching to thousands on any given Sunday morning. In my head, I can imagine Spurgeon's voice reverberating around the Tabernacle. The swirling reflections creating a wash that makes his voice sound grander with each syllable. Much like a great concert hall and a solo instrumentalist the mood is made greater thanks to the atmosphere. So it makes sense why a Hall reverb pedal would bear the name and image of the Prince of Preachers. The Spurgeon V2 is ***a great exercise in simplicity***: four knobs, one Two-Way toggle switch, Mono In & Out and a footswitch. And yes...**THIS PEDAL IS MONO!** Get over it...Stereo doesn't work live most times anyway. The controls are pretty self explanatory and do exactly what you would expect them to do. So if everything on the pedal is so simple, what is it that makes the tone of this reverb unique? It's all in the **REGEN** control and a little psychoacoustic phenomenon called The **REGEN** control is not something you'll find on other Hall reverbs. This knob controls a feedback circuit of the high frequencies in the Reverb's decay. As you turn the REGEN knob up more of the high end content is fed back into the reverb engine. What effect this has on the sound can be as subtle as a modulation to as extreme as an ***I-just-self-oscillated-my-delay-pedal-into-my-reverb*** noise! The range is very striking and the Voice toggle plays a large roll in how extreme the effect is. But then there's the early reflections... If you're not familiar with this term, don't feel bad. It's the kind of term only an audio engineer/nerd would use. But it's something you encounter everyday. In basic terms, **Early Reflections** can be seen as ***a "slapback" echo that gets heard before the full reverberation takes place***. You'll hear them almost immediately after the Direct Sound (aka the original note). Although many folks argue that Early Reflections are an abstract concept that doesn't need to be replicated in signal processing I found it pretty wild that I HEARD them in the Spurgeon V2. Not like a crazy in-your-face echo but something that isn't a washy smear is there. And I like it! It's different. It's unusual. And it's welcome. **I have ZERO issues with the Spurgeon V2!** It's easy to operate, sounds great and comes with a great story. Of course, the lack of Stereo capabilities will turn off members of the "Stereo Mob"...and that's too bad! I'm glad Cody always thinks of me when he has a new pedal coming out. Westminster Effects always delivers. If you haven't yet checked out any of the pedals he offers, do yourself a favor and check them all out! I certainly thinking ol' Charles would approve of his name being on this pedal. - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/walrus-audio-lore ### Title: The Sound of Bedtime Stories: the Walrus Audio Lore ### Page ID: 1426937 ### Content: **The Sound of Bedtime Stories: Experiencing the Walrus Audio LORE** Hey everyone! Welcome back to the blog. Apologies for the extended absence. When you're a one-man-show it can be tough to manage the whole "work/life" thing. But today is a good day to come back. This week, we delve into the dream-inducing sounds of the latest creation from Walrus Audio: Lore. But before we dive into the depths of Lore we should start by talking about ambient guitar sounds... Boy, where do we begin? I suppose it helps to answer the question: **WHAT IS "AMBIENT" GUITAR?** Like any question when it comes to guitar tone you're likely to get MANY different responses. **To me, "ambient guitar" is a style and a MOOD of playing guitar.** It is heavily reliant on effects such and reverb and delay to create a sense of LARGE spaces and evoke a sense of introspection. Ambient guitar can also be orchestral in nature. One player can sit and create sounds of many musicians either through use of dense effects or looping. A perfect example of this is the incomparable ***Robert Fripp*** and his innovative ***Frippertronics***. This ambient approach has also found it's way into many genres and has even birthed a few sub-genres. Amongst them is Shoegaze and the "patron saint" of the Shoegaze world would be ***Kevin Shields*** of the band ***My Bloody Valentine***. Having made a career out of this punk-meets-film-score style, Mr. Shields has amassed himself quite the pedalboard and guitar rig! **OOWEE! That looks like fun. But it does show a small..."problem" that comes along with ambient guitar tones: it requires A LOT of gear.** **And this is where we can bring Walrus Audio back into the story...** Lore is hardly **Walrus Audio** first entry into the ambient guitar realm. From the release of **Fathom** through the release of the stellar **MAKO R1**, an ambient strain has always run through Walrus Audio's catalog. Take a look for yourself... **And of course, all of these video are available to watch ANYTIME on my YouTube channel ;)** **Walrus Audio has always found a way to make their ambient sounds not only easily accessible but incredibly musical.** Lore is referred to as a **"Reverse Soundscape Generator"**. This means that there's quite a few "reverse" effects built into it. Of the FIVE Programs built into Lore, THREE incorporate Reverse Delay and FOUR involve a Reverse Reverb. But don't go thinking the five Programs are just variations of one type of effect. Lore is a sneaky 2-in-1 pedal. Each Program contains a dual effect combo of Delay & Reverb finely tuned to create large, ambient washes. **3 - Reverse Delay & Octave Down Reverb (possibly my favorite)** Although Lore's controls are very clearly labelled, they don't always adjust what you may THINK they'll adjust. When I first got Lore I spent quite a bit of time with the Manual at my side, referencing what exactly I was doing to the sound. You'll probably find yourself doing the same thing as I did. But after some time you'll get the hang of it and rely on a much better tool: Despite the initial need for the Manual, I've become quite comfortable with Lore. I can honestly say it's **one of my favorite releases of 2022!** **I find the most inspiration from** Programs 3 and 4. They seem to work best for my style of playing and the "ambient" tones I'm going for these days. But I also love the exploratory nature of the pedal. It works well with so many of my favorite instruments! Les Paul, Telecaster, Strat, Bass VI...I can't wait to try it on vocals! You may have noticed a fair amount of ***FUZZ in the video***. That came courtesy of the ***Way Huge Smalls Swollen Pickle***. I can't think of a better fuzzy friend for Lore! But there's ***another pedal*** I used throughout the video ***that I can't quite tell you about*** yet. Something special coming next month...so stay tuned! Or better yet, JOIN THE EMAIL CLUB! The video link will get sent to the moment it goes live. I hope you enjoyed the video! Looking forward to sharing many more cool things very soon. - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/revv-tilt ### Title: Full Gear: The REVV Tilt Overdrive ### Page ID: 1469589 ### Content: It could be said that the "bread and butter" of any pedalboard is the overdrive pedal. Don't believe me? Go ahead and look at your pedal collection. I'm certain the majority of you have more than one overdrive. And I'm willing to bet that some of you have WAY more than just two. I know that I personally have AT LEAST 10 overdrive pedals. And I'm not even counting distortion, fuzz or boost pedals... So with this type of pedal being such a ubiquitous piece of our rigs, how could we possibly get excited when yet another one is released. Well, I can only speak to the Tilt in this case: when it's made by an amp company whose gear sounds incredible and tuned to the ear of one of the finest modern guitarists currently active, that makes you take notice. **Revv Amplification** is, in my opinion, one of the finest modern amplifier companies around today. Their flagship **Generator 120** amplifier is quickly becoming a go-to amp for the modern-minded guitar player. It excels at the pristine cleans and roaring high gain tones that define modern metal music. But this obviously leads to Revv being typecast is a "metal amp" company. But if you REALLY listen to their amps and pedals, you know Revv doesn't make "one trick pony" gear. Enter Shawn Tubbs... If you ask an "aware" guitar player of who some of the finest players are alive today, **Shawn Tubbs** is a name that will get brought up MANY times. A veteran session and touring guitarist, Shawn came to prominence in recent years thanks to his wildly popular YouTube channel and gear reviews...not to mention his smokin' guitar style! **It wouldn't be a stretch to refer to Shawn as a "player's player"**. It may surprise you to learn that Shawn Tubbs and REVV have fostered a very strong relationship. Shawn regularly hosts videos and livestreams on Revv's YouTube channel. Shawn regularly uses Revv's amps to great effect (the D20 being the one I've seen most recently). So it was only a matter of time before the Revv team and Shawn put their heads together and came up with something fun. The **Tilt Overdrive** is the result of the collaboration between Shawn and REVV. At it's most basic ***it is the sound that Shawn heard in his head***; achieved via a two-in-one overdrive & clean boost pedal. The **overdrive is a medium gain overdrive** with plenty of smooth saturation that is equally at home playing solos of rhythm. The Bass & Treble EQ controls are finely tuned to provide exactly what you want for guitar: fatness and articulation. Then, there's **the Boost section**...the true secret weapon of the Tilt Overdrive. Although its a "clean" boost it is made far more versatile thanks to the inclusion of a **Tilt EQ.** This "Tilt EQ" control allows you to tune the frequency response of the Boost to favor either a boomier, more bass-heavy Boost tone or a thinner, more focused sound. In addition, a three way toggle switch labelled "Tight" allows access to three levels of Bass roll-off on the "Tilt EQ". This makes an incredibly handy pedal that can fatten up thing single coils or shave off excess low end from humbuckers. And then you can play both side together and the REAL magic starts to show itself! I'm going to come right down and say it: ***the Tilt Overdrive is one of the FINEST overdrives pedals I've played!*** The Overdrive is very sweet but can easily be made to sound articulate and crunchy. And the Boost, thanks in part to the Tilt EQ, is a huge winner! I would TOTALLY take the Boost side of this pedal as its own pedal. Separately, both sides of Tilt are great examples of their style but together they are tone-shaping juggernauts. And best of all, Tilt is a pedal ANY guitarist could get along with. I've pulled great classic rock, blues, alternative and rootsy tones out of it and even used the Boost for metal tones. I highly encourage you to check it out for yourself...maybe even consider buying one with my [Sweetwater](https://imp.i114863.net/jW055b) affiliate link. **I hope you enjoy the video and would love it you left a comment telling me your favorite sound with Tilt!** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/chase-bliss-habit ### Title: Every Note, Every Where, All At Once: Chase Bliss Habit ### Page ID: 1602610 ### Content: # **Every Note, Everywhere, All At Once:** # **Habit by Chase Bliss** Every once in a while, **a pedal comes along that challenges me**. These pedals can, on the surface, appear to offer very little to a player like myself. (I play heavier rock styles and less avant garde styles, in case you're wondering) And given my station and reputation, I have to meet these pedals head on and discover the what lies beneath the surface. Most times I'm surprised. ***But rarely do I get inspired***. **This time it's different**. This time the magic is real, sustainable, tangible. And the inspiration is new every time. If you've been watching my videos for any length of time, I should not have to introduce you to **Chase Bliss Audio**...or is it just **Chase Bliss** now? Regardless, since the first time I played a Warped Vinyl mkII pedal I have sung the praises of Chase Bliss over and over. Every time CB puts out a new pedal I immediately take notice and look forward to the day I can hold one in my hands. My love for this brand runs so deep that they've released my "Pedal of the Year" for the last two years! But that's not to say SOME of CB's pedals have left me going "what the hell?!". I've never played a Blooper...it just doesn't seem like something for me...and when I first got Thermae and had no clue how to EFFECTIVELY take advantage of the magic. So don't think I'm some dude who just JUMPS in and makes videos without REEEEEAAALLLY being about to make some music with a product. (BTW...I have yet to make a video about Thermae, even though I have one and love its weirdness) And Habit certainly seemed like it was going to fit into the whole "this is gonna be tough" category. But then the pedal arrived and I was pleasantly surprised. But first, what the heck is Habit? **Chase Bliss calls Habit the ECHO COLLECTOR**...which sounds pretty cool and tells you more than you think. But allow me to break that down: **ECHO** - at it's core, and *SIMPLEST* mode of operation, **Habit is an adventurous digital delay pedal**. You get clean echoes to add to your guitar sound and delay times from as short as 1ms to as long as 60 seconds. You even can get Infinite repeats for crazy pad generation. In addition, Habit gives you six (6) different "special effects" (MODIFIERS as they're called) you can add on to "flavor" you echoes. If you want to stop here, you can have A LOT of fun with Habit. But then there's... **COLLECTOR** \- Habit contains an **internal, 3-minute long "tape loop"**. This tape loop records EVERYTHING you play into it and, using Habit's SCAN and SPREAD controls, allows you to layer ANY portion of that three-minute loop back onto your echo sound. It's like a constantly working sampler & looper. A digital delay & looper that can randomly, or strategically, play back parts of a loop to layer onto your guitar sound...gee, sorta sounds like you could make music JUST using Habit. Hey, what do you know YOU CAN DO THAT! One of the things Chase Bliss has been pushing quite a lot with Habit is the idea that the pedal can be used as a compositional tool. And I can attest: it's all true! With this video, **I did my best to illustrate what you can do with Habit right out of the box**. What's great is that it's VERY easy to get something fun out of the pedal without diving TOO FAR into the manual. But I must say, Chase Bliss did a wonderful job creating the **FIELD GUIDE** for Habit. It's laid out in a concise and logical fashion that explains the information in a "plain English" kind of way. Chase Bliss really did the homework for you. I think it's because of this Field Guide that I was able to effectively make something fun with Habit's song creation and looping features. Combine all that with the delay Modifiers and I was supremely inspired. As a matter of fact, I released a few composition that centered around my usage and exploration of Habit and it's capabilities... As you can hear, there's a TON of inspiration in this pedal. It might even be the most inspiring pedal I've played this year. But it's only August...so who knows where the year will take us from here. Having said that, Habit is NOT a pedal for everyone. Your old-school rock n rollers won't find much here. But hey, I wasn't so sure I would get anything out of Habit...and here we are. Much like MOOD, I highly recommend you take the leap and try Habit for yourself. And remember, you can always hit me up in the comment section with question OR email me through the Contact page here on my website. I anticipate a lot more Habit seasoned music coming throughout the rest of the year. Thanks so much for checking out my website, my videos and for your support! - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/mission-engineering-529i ### Title: Go Off Grid! - Mission Engineering's 529i Pedalboard Power Supply ### Page ID: 1713547 ### Content: **Go Off Grid! - Mission Engineering's 529i Power Supply** **If anyone knows a thing or two about "dirty" electricity...it's me! My neighborhood's electrical grid is a mess and I'm constantly hearing electrical noise and interference in my guitar rig. Needless to say, I'm ALWAYS looking out for things to mitigate noise in my home studio.** **One big thing I've gotten into is rechargeable power supplies. They are pretty great but have some short comings. Thankfully, Mission Engineering is doing everything they can to make this kind of gear the BEST it can possibly be.** **Mission Engineering** is possibly one of the most ***forward-thinking*** companies in the gear world. From their expression, wah and volume pedals to their speaker cabs and accessories they are a modern guitarist's best friend. And, I might be wrong, but I'm certain their 529 USB power convertor STARTED the rechargeable pedalboard power supply idea! ***The Mission 529 was a game changer*** for me when I got one several years ago. It immediately found its place in my home studio providing clean and consistent power for my pedals when I would shoot demos. As a proof-of-concept, the 529 was a great "first step". I always wondered what the "next step" in the evolution would be. And thanks to my friend at [**Sweetwater**](https://imp.i114863.net/c/3417903/1447492/11319), we get to find out... Whereas the 529 power supply required a USB power pack in order to power your pedals, ***the 529i has it's own built-in rechargeable battery***! Having everything self contained makes for a very clean and streamlined package. And what's great is that even with a built-in battery the 529i weighs less than most every other power supply on the market. All the cables you'll need for connecting your pedals are included...even a nifty voltage doubler cable for those 18 volt juggernauts! **Capable of powering up to EIGHT PEDALS for over THREE HOURS the 529i is an absolute winner**. It has more than enough juice to power your most power-hungry effects pedals. Every pedal plugged into it sounds precisely as it should without power dips, shorts, or excess noise. Even pushed to its limit, the 529i holds up. And the wonderful thing? ***The 529i only costs $175 USD***! And that's the kind of gear I like: stuff that performs well and doesn't cost a premium. I'm very excited that such a great power supply is so affordable! For less than the price of a good pedal you get excellent power for your pedals. So are there any problems? Well, for an effects pedals obsessed guitarist such as myself ***I would need a second 529i*** to power everything I'd want on my pedalboard. Oh well...no big deal! A huge thanks to my friends at Sweetwater for sponsoring this video! If you'd like to grab yourself a 529i or ANYTHING guitar-related (because it is GUITAR MONTH) please consider using my affiliate links to not only get great deals but support my content. Every purchase you make gives me a small commission and it doesn't cost you any more cash. So save some money this month and support your old pal SPJ! Click below and celebrate GUITAR MONTH. **THANKS FOR READING & WATCHING! Join my Email List and be the first to see all videos.** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/pedals-i-regret-selling ### Title: The Ones That Got Away ### Page ID: 1722215 ### Content: **The Ones That Got Away, or, Why Did I Sell These Pedals?!?** **Let's be real for a moment: ALL guitarists have bought & sold pedals throughout their lives. It's okay. There are plenty of reasons why.** **These are just MY reasons why I sell my pedals. Everyone else has their reasons and motivations. But regardless of what the reasons may be, we all inevitably regret selling some of those pedals. Today, I'm going to tell you about the ones I wish I still had.** **Why in the world would I sell this? When I first got the Kangra I was very much taken with it. It combined a wonderful, modern interpretation of a vintage octave fuzz with a sweepable and envelope controlled Filter. By themselves they are fun but COMBINED they are something else entirely!** **The big reason I wish I still had the pedal is because of the "Freq" control. I've been getting into using static filters to accentuate parts in songs and the Kangra is the simplest one I've found. Plus, the Filter's "Q" is perfectly tuned. It's not overly resonant or honky; it just WORKS!** **So why in the world would I sell it? Well, I didn't use it AND I needed the cash. Oh well...maybe ONE DAY I'll get it back in the arsenal. We'll see...we'll see...** **Aaaaahhhh...look at young and spry SPJ! Man, what a throwback. This was one of the first episodes of "Stompbox Saturday" I shot. At the time, the Suhr Riot was a veritable "internet darling" of the effects pedal world. Suhr came out swinging with their first trio of effects pedals and the Riot quickly found favor with a wide swath of guitarists...including myself. I actually bought mine at the LA AMP SHOW when Suhr made an appearance.** **And at the time I shot this video, the Riot was on my pedalboard.** **The Riot was viewed by many as an "OD-100 in-a-box" pedal. It was amongst the best (and probably was THE best) of the amp-in-a-box distortion offerings of the time. It's nuts to think how far pedals have come in just 10 years. At the time, I was using mine as more of a "crunchy" distortion for a mid-gain sound. Since I used my Rockerverb 100 for my main high-gain sound, I wanted something that would keep a similar character BUT would be less saturated.** **Looking back, I really wish I still had this pedal. It sounded so good. But it's nice to know that Suhr has increasingly upgraded the pedal so I can only imagine it would be BETTER than I remember!** **Woah! Another video from 2014! Was that just a bad year for me? Nah, it was much better than my 2013...anyway AIRPLANE FLANGER!** **I'm a huge PAUL GILBERT fan and when Ibanez announced this signature Flanger pedal for Paul I was very excited. Paul has long used the ADA Flanger for some of his more memorable modulated sounds...specifically his "Jet Airplane/Laserbeam/Divebomb" sound.** **And of course, this pedal has THAT sound...BUT it's FAR more than a "special effect".** **The Airplane Flanger borrows heavily from the ADA Flanger BUT does also share some sonic character with the Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress, both of which Paul Gilbert has used over the years. I had mainly been used to the MXR Flanger and the Airplane Flanger offered me a different "color". The sound of the flanging was more "watery" and "swirling". I could even lapse it into a mode that was a bit like a chorus effect...just like Andy Summers of The Police.** **So why would I get rid of it? Well, I stopped needing a flanger for much of my music AND all our gigs required me to use a VERY SMALL pedalboard. So I listed it on Reverb and, lo and behold, a close friend bought it AND he's still using it! So all ended well...** **I've only been playing in the Praise & Worship world for a couple of years now. In that time, I've learned plenty about what kind of sounds the guitarists in that genre use.** **Naturally, ambient guitar sounds are the "bread & butter" of the PDubs guitarist but I've noticed a huge influence from country music and Americana guitar tones. That means warmer clean sounds that break up a bit, tremolo, slap-back echo AND warm and slightly grungy overdrive tones that are smooth one minute and more biting as you dig in!** **Greer Amps has made quite a few pedals church guitarists love. Yet I have not seen the Tomahawk on their boards. In my opinion, they're missing out! The Tomahawk is meant to capture the sound of a cranked Fender Tweed Deluxe amplifier. The sound is wildly dynamic and can get fuzzier the harder you push it. It responded well to many different guitars and was quite touch-sensitive. Had I been playing in church all those years ago I would have immediately put this on the board for a distinctly "American" overdrive flavor! Sadly, it is no longer with me but we can hope for its return sooner or later.** **Compression is a weird effect. Not because of WHAT it can do but because of HOW it has been presented. Most guitarists see a compressor as a "sustainer" pedal that makes notes sing and sound out longer than normal. That is a by-product of what a compressor does but not the whole story. This confusion has caused many guitarists to avoid compressor for YEARS. And in 2008, I was one of them...until I went to Nashville and ran into the Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone.** **And it was this pedal that introduced me to the magic of a compressor.** **Now, the Philosopher's Tone CAN do that whole "sustainer" thing. But it does the job better than most any compressor because the sustain effect doesn't create any unwanted distortion. But it can also do what a compressor is MEANT to do: control your dynamics and even out the transients! But Pigtronix was never a company to rest on their laurels. In addition to the clean sustain they also added a blend-able, highly compressed distortion via the "Grit" control. A truly unique sound that I used for years! Eventually, I parted with it because I came across other compressors that suited my needs better...looking at you Keeley Compressor and Orange Kongpressor...but I still think I should have kept the PT. I can see it working REALLY well for those ambient volume swells I love.** **If this were all the pedals I wish I hadn't sold, I could live with it.** **BUT...there are TWO pedals I parted with that I regret SO BADLY I'm currently scouring Reverb** **The Fuzz Factory & Super Duper 2-in-1 by ZVex Effects** **Why do these ones hurt so much? Well, for starters ZVex Effects was the company that TRULY kickstarted my obsession with small, boutique pedal builders.** **And it didn't hurt that both pedals came HIGHLY recommended by a band I admired.** **I bought the Fuzz Factory for myself as a High School graduation present (the same day I bought my first tube amp). Boy, was I in a fuzz-laden heaven!** **And very shortly after this I bought the Super Duper 2-in-1...and boom! Aggressive distortion and bright clean boost dreams abound.** **Both pedals served me INCREDIBLY well over the years. INCREDIBLY well! As you can see in the picture above, the Super Duper 2-in-1 was on my board for some of my earliest gigs. And once again, we have another old-school "Stompbox Saturday" episode that shows off the beauty of the Fuzz Factory!** **NOW WHY IN THE HECK WOULD I HAVE SOLD THESE TWO PEDALS?** **When I first moved out of my parents' house and struck out on my own (with the future Mrs. SPJ alongside of me) I struggled big time. I had held a series of unfulfilling part-time jobs for many years and despite being a two-income household we were always short on cash. Couple that with a failing effort to teach music lessons and a house flood and it just was NOT good times. Back then it was common for a used ZVex pedal to fetch quite a good sum of money.** **And in one of those moments where cash was short, I made the heart wrenching decision to let go of these two pedals.** **Looking back, it wasn't exactly a "hard choice" to make seeing as both pedals hadn't been used in some time. But it was hard considering what they had meant to me. I associated them with some of my earliest inspirations and a time in my life that was full of musical wonder and discovery. They were with me through college, through meeting my wife, through starting Cockeyed Optimist and finally moving out and getting married.** **Hey! Did you enjoy the blog and video? If so, sign up for my Email List!** **You'll get priority access to ALL my new content including Demos, Blogs and other videos.** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/bring-em-back ### Title: BRING 'EM BACK - Pedals I'd Like To See Reissued ### Page ID: 1722606 ### Content: **By my count, I've been paying attention to the effects pedal world for 20 years of my life.** **That is a LONG time to be focusing on something and let me tell you...I'm starting to feel the effects (no pun intended).** **The more I learn the more I realize that I missed out on SO MUCH. Pedals, amps, guitars, companies, brands...oh my!** **And despite the fact that we have no shortage of shiny and new effects pedals I can't help but feel like some of the pedals I missed out on should make a comeback in some way, shape or form. So join me for the journey and let's dive in!** **If you came of age in the early part of the 2000s, then I'm sure you came across Arion pedals nestled in the back of the Musicians' Friend catalog. By that point, Arion pedals could essentially be described as a "budget" brand. I remember seeing several of their effects be priced around $50-90 USD back in 2003. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that this budget brand wasn't merely some off-shore, OEM company but a quite well loved brand with a history that went back farther than I could have ever thought possible.** **You are most likely familiar with the Arion Stereo Chorus. Both versions of this pedal (the SCH-1 & SCH-Z) have been used by some of the greats including Michael Landau and Eric Clapton. Several companies have mod'ed the Stereo Chorus for True-Bypass and added a 3PDT footswitch. But Arion did FAR MORE than just make the chorus. Some of their pedals are quite similar to Boss pedals (which doesn't hurt). But what I find most interesting is the fact that SO MUCH of their catalog is STEREO. Even effects that are not typically stereo are given stereo versions** ***All photos from*** [***http://arion-ukc.co.jp/english/effects/lineup/***](http://arion-ukc.co.jp/english/effects/lineup/) **With so many players keeping their budget in mind, I don't think there is a reason to NOT bring back Arion Pedals in some way as a budget option. Some of the circuits are well loved and could expose new players to fantastic tones.** **You know them, you love them...or maybe you don't. But this is MY blog and I know them and I love them! The Danelectro Food Series pedals were a hallmark of my early days exploring pedals. I would always see them in guitar magazines and ALWAYS wanted to buy some of them.** **Luckily for me my uncle starting playing guitar shortly after I did and he bought up nearly all the food series pedals! So I was exposed to the beauty of the Pepperoni Phaser, the Tuna Melt Tremolo, the PB&J Delay and the Black Licorice Beyond Metal!** **And I also loved how small they were. Oh, and how about those cool "pedal packs" with the black plastic pedalboard!** **Mini pedals are all the rage these days and despite the fact that their iconic enclosures are bigger than your typical mini pedals I believe there's a place for the Food Series. First off, the sounds were very good and the pedals were very affordable! What more could a guitarist want? And even if Danelectro chose to change the enclosures of the pedals (which would be an absolute travesty IMHO) they would still find homes.** **With Danelectro constantly changing out their pedal lines these days it's time for them to have a constant, ever present pedal line that is uniquely THEM.** **Picture a pedal that's built like a tank. And it LOOKS like a tank!** **Now, imagine the knobs are FLUSH with the enclosure. How are you going to make any changes to your settings? Why, PUSH DOWN on the knobs and the knobs POP UP from the enclosure! Make you changes and then PUSH DOWN again. BAM! Your knobs are now recessed and your settings won't be mistakenly changed when you stomp on your pedals. Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, those pedals already existed! And they were made by Ibanez!** **Yup...Ibanez did WAY more then just re-make the Tube Screamer over and over again.** **I first became aware of these pedals by way of Mike Einziger of Incubus. He had a DE7 Delay/Echo on his pedalboard and when I first heard it...MAN that was some magic right there! Then I got myself an AW7 Auto-wah. Man was I having some fun! Many years later, while working Artist Relations for Neunaber Audio, I met the band For Today whose guitarists BOTH used the LF7 Lo-Fi for filtered portions of their songs. I was immediately drawn to how effective that pedal was in building energy that I immediately started looking for an affordable used model.** **With that in mind, I think the Tone-Lok pedals are due for a reissue. But instead of reissuing them outright, I just think the format need the comeback! Sure you could easily bring back some of the "classics" by why not try some new sounds? Maybe refine the distortions for modern metal/djent tastes? Or a compressor that can do studio-grade OR classic guitar compressor styles? And MAYBE put the Flying Pan in a Tone-Lok enclosure??? See, ideas people! Not that hard.** **Any fuzz fiend knows this pedal! It is one of the most desired vintage Boss pedals. It has been on many famous players' pedalboards for decades. And even a poor-condition one will cost you a nice sum of money on the used market.** **$300 for a scuffed up pedal with no box or manual? NO...THANK...YOU!** **And with the rise of Boss' WAZA CRAFT series, I think it's time for Boss to dive into creating an FZ-2w!** **Based on the Univox Super Fuzz, the pedal is a both a classic and modern favorite! It could please both the dad rocker and the stoner metal druid! And considering that it was only available for five year AND was made in low numbers I could see a triumphant return for this fuzzy behemoth. Let's be honest here: we don't want to buy the Behringer clone because it's a cheap facsimile. Give us the real deal Boss!** **But that's not the only Boss pedal I want to see make a comeback...** **Most players are quite familiar with the GE-7 Graphic Equalizer but did you know that BOSS release TWO PARAMETRIC EQ pedals?** **Well they did and if you ask me, more players need to experience the power and flexibility of Parametric EQ.** **If you're not familiar with what Parametric EQ pedals are, let me tell you: Parametric EQs work on the basis of being able to Boost and Cut frequencies as well as adjust the width of the the frequency range being boosted or cut. It's a great device for surgically removing problematic frequencies OR creating special audio effects. Both pedals were only available for around four years so their numbers are limited and they rarely come up for sale on the used market. Both those points add up to ONE conclusion: those who have them LOVE them and WE (the ones who don't have them) are the ones missing out!** **It seems like Fender has bad a bit of a pedal r****enaissance in the last few years. They're clearly wanting to invest in their image amongst pedal lovers on the guitar world.** **But before then, Fender's pedals were...uh...not very good. There were cheap overdrive pedals. There were cheap pedals under the Starcaster brand. Cheap plastic pedals you could buy at Target or Best Buy.** **This pedal was a bit of a sleeper hit for many, many years. I can't think of any "famous" players who have used it BUT what I can say is that some of the old folk LOVED them some Fender Blender. Vintage units were prized amongst the old-school rockers and several studios kept one in their pedal closet. Because of this, Fender reissued the pedal in the early 2000s and its arrival was welcomed with open arms! Of course, like every good thing it wasn't meant to last forever and it eventually was discontinued. And now, even reissue units START at $300 on the used market.** **So hear me out Fender: reissue the Fender Blender and put it in your new pedal enclosure. Maybe you can modernize the circuit, add some new voicing, and most importantly PUT THE INPUT AND OUTPUT JACKS IN THE RIGHT PLACE!** **I'm sure I'm missing several other pedals but these one are the ones I want to see come back soon!** **What pedals do you want to see reissued? Let me know!** **Hey! Thanks for reading my blog and watching my videos.** **Sign Up For my Email List and get all my content DIRECT to your Inbox. Thanks for your support!** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/less-is-more ### Title: When Less Is More: Downsizing My Worship Pedalboard ### Page ID: 1822300 ### Content: **When Less Is More: Downsizing My Worship Pedalboard** If you're like me you've seen the deluge of worship pedalboard photos populating social media. They're beautiful, aren't they? The wiring is neat and tidy, the pedals are arranged in the most PERFECT formations, AND the pedals are the "best that money can buy". The amount of money worship guitarists spend on their rigs is silly. How do I know? Well, during my time working for gear companies (as an employee) I heard SO MANY JOKES about worship guitarists and their rigs. We could snoop out a "church player" a mile away. Imagine my surprise when, in November 2020, I began playing for my local church. Had I become what I made fun of? Kinda...maybe a little... This week's video focuses on my decision to downsize the pedalboard (really the whole guitar rig) I use for church. My goal is to show the value of simplicity and how the sentiment "less is more" can lead to better tone. To get you started, I recommend watching the video above FIRST and then come back here and read the rest of this blog. Watched it? Cool. Let's do it! I had very little time to prepare for my very first Sunday morning playing at church (btw, I play regularly at **Oceans Church** in Orange County, CA if you're wondering). How little? Between 36-40 hours...all to practice the songs and get the rig situated. And what you see to the right is the first board I used. Something you may notice is that some of the pedal choices are decidedly **NOT** what a typical worship guitarist would use. Keeley Fuzz Bender? Please, I haven't heard a fuzz tone in worship since Delirious? was together. Revv G4? Most worship guitarists I know are afraid of high gain. I made do with this pedalboard for quite a bit of my first days playing at church, which included a set backing up prominent worship artist **Lindy Cofer**. It served me well but I decided some changes were needed to fit the genre better... The next evolution of my worship rig was this behemoth. Built onto my **Warwick Rockboard Cinque 5.3**, this rig was built out of frustration. I was tired of having a rig purely for playing at church and NOTHING for working on my own music. So the goal with this pedalboard was simple: make it **an all-in-one solution for all my playing situations**. From this not-so-great picture you can see there are many different options to do ALL THE THINGS. By this point the **Walrus Audio MAKO Series** had found a firm spot in my regular rotation and the Revv G3 had become my go-to high gain dirt box. And the **Ibanez Session Man** proved to work VERY well for more saturated guitar parts at church. The Keeley Fuzz Bender still occupied a spot on the board and the Strymon Compadre became a new "go-to". I also decided to go with my **Line 6 wireless system** so I wouldn't trip over my cable. This board actually proved to be VERY useful. Most of the time I would leave it set up in my home studio, ready and waiting for me to use it for songwriting. When it came time to play at church I would load it into a flight case and roll it into the tents for the weekend. But as the subtitle for this section says: it was a real backbreaker! Once the board was fully stocked **it weighed a TON**. The bonus was that, by this point, I was running purely off the DI and I didn't need to bring an amp. But after one too many days of nearly crushing my toes loading it in and out of my car I decided to say "enough". Like this stereotypical "Instagram ready" photo? Me too; this was a fun board. This evolution my worship rig was an interesting one, mainly because my **GigRig G2** went from the floor to the bridge of my **Waggi** pedalboard. This was done when I switched to using MOSTLY soldered cables again, as opposed to solderless cables in the first build. The shaft of the straight Switchcraft mini-plugs were too long to fit underneath the Waggi's bridge. When the bridge was locked in place, it would clamp down on the plugs. This placed unwanted stress on the G2's 1/4'' loop jacks which could potentially damage them after time. **By now, I had been playing at church for a year or so and was feeling fairly confident in what would get me the best and most consistent sound.** The Session Man truly cemented itself as THE go-to distortion pedal for worship and the JHS Bonsai set to the TS10 mode was a great "crunch" box. Periodically, I'd add the CXM 1978 from Chase Bliss to the rig for more emotive sounds. I believe, at the time, I had the Keeley mod'ed CE-2 under the Waggi's bridge and it was the ONLY pedal that would fit under the bridge with the power supply I was using. I also wired an audition loop in case I wanted to add anyone "pre amplifier" pedals to the rig. In one case, I found myself using my Morley George Lynch Signature Wah pedal! Still going with the wireless, this set up was pretty dang consistent and lasted quite a long time. This was the last iteration of the twin-tier pedalboard before it all went wrong. And it's kind of a shame too because for a while **I really enjoyed this board**. I experimented with a few new gear choices as well as some routing ideas. First, I ditched the Keeley Hydra in favor of the DDR. This decision came as a result of a few strange audio phenomena I encountered which we'll talk about in a bit. But this took care of putting two pedals on the board while only taking up the space of one! Plus, the DDR's Blues Breaker-style distortion circuit sounded REALLY good. I added the **Chase Bliss Warped Vinyl HiFi and Tonal Recall** to the board...mostly because I wanted to rep my CB love! But the real kicker of this board was **the routing of the ACS1...** I was never much for running in stereo...still not crazy about it. I couldn't help but feel like I wasn't using the ACS1 to it's fullest. Knowing that the two channels of the ACS1 were isolated, I wondered if I could get MORE amp tones without MIDI. I **took each channel of the ACS1 and plugged them into their own loops on the back of G2. Doing this allowed me to set up different amp tones to each channel and switch between them using G2.** That meant I had a clean, Fender Twin-style amp on one channel and a crunchy, chimey Vox AC30 on another...heck even a crunchy Marshall if I wanted! Plenty of weekends were played at church using this board AND it was great. Until it wasn't. **So what happened to ruin the good time?** I had been running all my time-based effects AFTER the ACS1 and for some reason, I would hear **an audible "chirp"** in the sound when using Hydra. Then, whenever I would switch to using the Session Man it was as if the **power being fed to my pedals would sag**. My overall level would drop and the tone would get all squishy. And the weird thing was the level would come back up if I stopped playing for a bit. What was the cause of all of this? I can only guess but **I'm certain the problem was my power supply.** The power supply wasn't bad, it just wasn't enough to handle the amount of "power hungry" pedals I had AND the number of pedals plugged into it. Once the problems showed themselves, they became hard to ignore. And that's how we got here... Sometimes it pays to go **back to the basics**. Whoever said a guitar, plugged into some pedals and then into an amp wasn't "sexy" enough to be a cool rig? And should any of that matter in worship? No, it shouldn't! **God doesn't care how well stocked and cool looking your board is.** And with that I mind, I downsized. Every pedal on this board works and sounds great. The power issues are non-existent AND I've even been able to rediscover how much I like certain things. You've already watch the video on this one, so I don't need to say too much. But I will add this: I've used this for a month already and the ease of use is off the charts! Downsizing my worship board not only did wonders for my guitar tone, it also has made my time serving on the worship team a lot more enjoyable. Without the endless options I can simply focus on the music and enjoying the experience helping lead the people on Sundays. Every guitarist could benefit from the practice of downsizing. You don't have to play at church to do it. So next time you pick up your guitar to play, try plugging straight into your amp or using less pedals. The results might surprise you! Having said all this, don't think for ONE SECOND that this board will stay the way it is right now. I have no doubt that it'll be refined and improved over time. But as it is right now I'm one happy camper! ***If you enjoyed it, and want me to send them directly to your Inbox, sign up for my Email Club.*** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/glory-and-majesty-the-keeley-halo-andy-timmons-dual-echo ### Title: Glory & Majesty: the Keeley HALO Andy Timmons Dual Echo ### Page ID: 2033449 ### Content: # halo \[ **hey**\-loh \] **Andy Timmons. The name alone should conjure an aural "picture" in your head. The touch, the smoothness, the sustain...somehow it's just perfect!** **Robert Keeley. The name alone should conjure an image in your head of an innovator and a brilliant designer. I'm lucky enough to call him "friend"!** It was only a matter of time before these two tonal titans had a meeting of the minds to craft something wonderful. And wouldn't you know it; they'd been quietly doing EXACTLY that for the last two or three years. The end result: the HALO Andy Timmons Dual Echo. By now, you've probably seen MANY videos about this pedal...and hopefully mine was one of them. But in this blog, I want to do a bit of digging to find the potential origins of Andy's HALO sound and how his execution of it has evolved into the HALO. So let's start by answering THIS question: when did I first become aware of Andy Timmons? Back in the day (and by "day" I mean 2010-11...maybe) Xotic Pedals had a fairly active YouTube presence with "Reality Web Video". These videos featured prominent players that used their pedals and were MOSTLY posted to their website. At the time, Xotic were THE pedals to have for "those in the know". And on the BB Preamp page...this Andy Timmons video was there. I didn't know the name of the song he played at the beginning (it's "Electric Gypsy" in case you're wondering) but I loved the phrasing, the melody and THAT TONE! Andy does a small rundown of the rig in the video but nothing too detailed. But it was clear that Andy had an ear for good tone. There must be something in the water down in Texas... You'll hear in the clips that Andy is indeed using a good amount of delay in his sound. Knowing what I know now, the Halo sound IS there! The echoes envelope the guitar and cascade in such a way that it's as if he has a dense reverb on as well. I don't know EXACTLY what he's using to create the delays but he does mention the TC Electronic G-Force. But there's also a Line 6 Rackmount POD in there as well... **The most likely "true" Halo sound may have come a bit later and with far less complicated equipment.** ***At 3:57, Andy highlights his Dual Memory Man setup!*** I don't remember when I first saw this video but I think this is really where the Halo echo sound was at it's most refined. Andy uses two "big box" Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man pedals in series. Doesn't it look like he has door handles or drawer-pull handles affixed to the knobs? Those who know will get why he went for the dual 4Memory Man setup. Bucket brigade-based delay pedals have a vibe and the Memory Man has long been favored for it's uncanny ability to blur the line between BBD and Tape-based echoes. As Andy mentions, he's achieved this sound also using tape echoes. But Tape -based delay is not the most road-friendly. They're bulky and temperamental. Hence, using the pedals. One of the things the Memory Man did NOT have, and in some versions still doesn't, is Tap Tempo. Although the hard-set BPM for the dual echo is a relatively universal sound sometimes there is a need to switch up the BPM of the delay time. And it appears that those handles mentioned earlier are indeed strapped to the Time knobs of the Memory Man pedals. Not exactly "gig friendly". Though I'm sure Andy had it all worked out. **But as technology evolved, so too did Andy's rig...** This may be what some would consider the "end" of the search for the Halo sound. I would debate that but that's beside the point. In this early episode of That Pedal Show, Daniel Steinhardt visits Andy before a gig in London. This is where I first got to REALLY hear the Halo sound, thanks in part to well recorded audio for this video. Thanks to technology, in the shape of Strymon's Timeline pedal, Andy Timmons was able to take his signature "halo" sound on the road in a more compact way. Sure, the Strymon Timeline is one of the "big" Strymon pedals but it's quite a bit smaller than two Memory Man pedals and significantly smaller than two tape echoes. The package in and of itself is more friendly for touring; a big time plus! And, during the video, Andy does explain that he sets it up to sound like his Dual Memory Man setup. Perhaps this was the moment where Andy realized he could achieve his tone with a GOOD digital pedal? I can't say. I don't know Andy, nor have I gotten a chance to ask. But recent interviews suggest that Andy may have been feeling like he was compromising or carrying around more than he needed. Despite his mind-melting technique, Andy very clearly likes to keep his rig simple and straight-forward. The Timeline was too much. After putting their heads together, Keeley & Andy Timmons gave us the Halo; a pedal with Andy's signature Dual Echo dialed in PERFECTLY from the minute you open the box PLUS a few other beautifully tuned tricks up its sleeve! With it's five delay "Rhythm" settings (I prefer to think of them as Modes), the Halo is a toolbox of the tried-and-true delay devices: digital, BBD analog and Tape. The format is similar to that which is used for the glorious Eccos Delay & stunning Hydra Reverb/Tremolo: full Stereo I/O, expression pedal input, remote switching capable AND a secondary layer of Alternate Tone-shaping controls. It's entirely possible to create pretty much and "standard" delay tone you want! And when I say "standard", I mean that you're not going to get pitch-shifting repeats or sweeping filters...it's all killer, no filler here baby! **If you've read this far but haven't taken the time to watch MY video yet I would recommend that you watch it first before reading on. I'll give you some time...** When I say that Halo might be the perfect delay pedal I don't say that flippantly, I say it with sincerity. From the moment you call up Preset 1 and turn of Side A you are swimming in Andy's Halo tone, repeats dashing back and forth across the stereo field and decaying in a uniquely musical way that never intrudes on your playing. You know from that first strum you're in for a GOOD time. Once you leave the warm embrace of the Halo and explore modes like the Dotted Eighth Digital or Stereo BBD you get a sense of how much work went into tuning each mode to sound not only like the "real deal" but maybe even better than them. I had a lot of fun trying to create a "broken" analog delay sound with the pedal and have my own Digital preset saved alongside the Halo sound. I don't need a massive amount of delay sounds for what I do (at least not yet) and the Halo covers all of my current needs. Everything is so easy to navigate and dial in. There are no menus or complicated MIDI messages needed...just turn the knobs, press & hold, and save! What could be better?! **You simply must try it for yourself! You will have so much fun.** **If you enjoyed yourself, Subscribe to my email list and get new Blogs & Videos sent direct to your Inbox.** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") 1. Also called **nimbus** . a geometric shape, usually in the form of a disk, circle, ring, or rayed structure, traditionally representing a radiant light around or above the head of a divine or sacred personage, an ancient or medieval monarch, etc. 2. an atmosphere or quality of glory, majesty, sanctity, or the like: --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/giveaway ### Title: Giveaway ### Page ID: 2399642 ### Content: This year we got to check out three of the hottest guitars of 2024! One lucky winner will receive their choice of one (1) of these three (3): **JUST ENTER YOU EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE FORM ABOVE AND YOU'RE ENTERED! And get bonus entries to further increase your chances of winning. IMPORTANT THING THOUGH: this sweepstakes is ONLY OPEN TO RESIDENTS OF THE USA. Sorry, the cost of shipping a 15 pound package is really expensive for a small operation like mine.** Good luck my friends. Wishing you Great Tone & Happy Stomping! - the Fender Tom Delonge Starcaster, - the Epiphone DG335, or - the EVH SA-126! --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/email ### Title: Join SPJ's Email Club ### Page ID: 2705922 ### Content: When you join, you'll be **entered** into ***Club Exclusive Giveaways,* sent Early Access to brand new gear reviews and more.** I'm Sean Pierce Johnson. I've been lucky enough to spend the last 10 years of my life as a guitar YouTuber. I demo pedals, amps, guitars...anything gear related. Since I started making gear demos I've only had ONE goal: **to help guitarists better understand the equipment they use**. Flashing lights and loads of knobs mean NOTHING if you can't use the gear! I strive to make every demo and review easy to follow and, most importantly, fun to watch. Each video goes in-depth on how the gear works, what makes a piece unique and provides musical and creative examples of it in action. I'd love to have you as part of this journey! My goal with this Club is to provide you with the cool perks of a pay-per-month Fan Club without you having to pay a dime. Early Access to videos, exclusive giveaways and even the chance to guide what content gets created for my YouTube channel. If you'd like to become one of my email "Legends" fill out the form above or click the button below! --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/chase-bliss-mood-mk-ii ### Title: MOOD for a Day: The Next Chapter of Chase Bliss' Ambient Dream Box ### Page ID: 3834567 ### Content: Just so there's no confusion about this, let me make this abundantly clear: Since the first one I got back in 2016 (a Warped Vinyl mkII in case you're wondering) I have become a FIRM fan of the pedals AND the company. Joel is a total sweetheart and the crew I've met over the ensuing years (shoutouts to Zach, Tyler and Courtney) are wonderful folks. But there was ONE Chase Bliss pedal I wasn't immediately sure of... On June 17, 2019 I received an email from Chase Bliss head honcho **Joel Korte**. The subject line was simple and immediately attractive: "new chase bliss". Then I read ONE line and began to wonder "is this going to work for me". Joel's words were just like his subject line, simple and attractive: **"...it's a weird one..."** What was I about to get myself into??? When that "weird one" arrived I was greeted with MOOD, a peach, purple and red box of ambient awesomeness! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Nothing I had in my pedal collection sounded like it or was capable of doing what it did. The key to the weirdness, in my opinion, lay in two features: The Micro Looper was ALWAYS listening to what you play and only records FRAGMENTS of what you play. It was a unique approach to sound-on-sound that I had never explored. The Clock control was multi-faceted...controlling fidelity, tonality, time stretching, loop record time to name a few things. I don't think any pedal at the time gave you that much control! ***Check out my old "First Five" video w/ the OG MOOD.*** Although I loved MOOD, there were still aspects that made it difficult to use on the regular. The biggest problem came from the Clock control. As you turned it counter-clockwise, the fidelity would degrade in a very fun way ***but*** introduced a significant amount of noise. Adjusted carefully this noise could be used as a layer but with the pedal bypassed the noise persisted. I also found the delay repeats to be a bit erratic. But that worked for shorter delays like Slapback. Depsite the "shortcomings" I still managed to put this on **MANY** a pedalboard over the years. And I was content. But some others weren't. It didn't take very long for the usual question to come out: why didn't they make this stereo in the firstplace?!? Let it be known I generally prefer Mono over Stereo. One signal is easier to place in a stereo field that a stereo signal. Mono gives you options. Monos is direct and punchy. Stereo is wide and deep but gives you none of those options... Well, it seems Chase Bliss had their ears to the ground on this one and had something up their proverbial sleeve. ENTER MKII... MOOD mkII is definitely deserving of its "V2" designation. Not only are the effects we know and love STILL in tact but they've been refined and improved thanks in part to Tom Majescki (mastermind of the Generation Loss & Cooper FX). Gone is the sometimes unbearable clocking noise, the delay repeats are quantized, the pitch shifting is more accruate AND everything is NOW IN STEREO! So, stereo maximalists be happy and shut up. But, if you still desire the more quirky effects of MOOD they're all still here in the CLASSIC mode. Plus, secondary controls allow for more tone shaping, ramping options AND level balance between the micro loop and direct signal. Not only that you can now OVERDUB with the micro looper! I can confidently say that **MOOD mkII is my new favorite Chase Bliss pedal**. Everything I loved about the original remains and everything I wasn't crazy about has been fixed! And don't even get me started on pairing the MOOD mkII with other Chase Bliss pedals like the Generation Loss mkII and CXM1978...MOOD mkII loves to play with others! In case you were curious, here are both my OG AND mkII demos side-by-side. Watch one, watch the other. Compare and contrast. Join me in some tonal explorations... Having said all this, MOOD (in both forms) is not for everyone. It's quirky and erratic; adventurous and mysterious. But if you have a mind to explore and dig deep the sounds you'll unlock are worth the time spent. You may find yourself composing music you wouldn't expect...or even letting go and have MOOD compose it for you. If you're on the fence, ***PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch the demo***! This pedal is $400 and it is not a good idea to go into such a sizable purchase without some foreknowledge of what you're getting into. If you have ANY questions, please feel free to [**CONTACT**](https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/contact) me and I will do my best to help you out. **Hey! Thanks for reading my blog. Don't forget to enter my MOOD mkII giveaway!** **Just give your name and email address and you're entered. You're also entered into future giveaways!** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/grace-design-rex ### Title: REX Sono Magnus: The Great Tone of Grace Design's Preamp in a Pedal ### Page ID: 4038111 ### Content: In the last few years, more pro audio companies have been dipping their toes into the pedal world. It's easy to see why; pedals are smaller, less expensive items that can fill a spot in their product line that will create create new customers. And, let's face it, not all of us are building top-dollar recording studios. It makes sense. Having tried a few of these "pro audio pedals" I can say that they are quite good. They bring quality and specs of their high end pieces to the pedalboard. The prices also reflect this...they don't always come cheap. But at the end of the day, the pedals are just...pedals. They're just their "flavor" of certain effects like EQ, compression and maybe a preamp. They don't exactly bring anything "new" to the table... well, not all of them. I always get a little excited when my pal Ryan from [**Sweetwater**](https://sweetwater.sjv.io/VyLMeA) emails me. Sometimes he's sending us Sweetwater Affiliates tips and news. Other times (my personal favorites emails) he's emailing about gear; companies come to Sweetwater looking to partner up with video creator to showcase their gear! This time, the list had a pedal from [**Grace Design**](https://sweetwater.sjv.io/oqPP3O). I had known Grace for their high-quality studio gear but in the recent years they've added a host of preamp pedals to their line. But something about REX was different. I decided I HAD to check it out! **Click the photo to visit the Sweetwater page for REX** [**At its core the REX is a pedal-based microphone preamplifier**](https://sweetwater.sjv.io/oqG06n)...aka a mic pre. These are what you plug microphones into on your mixing desk or audio interface in order to bring the \*tiny\* output level of microphones up for recording good audio. REX does exactly this: it has a Mic Input, a Line/DI Output (for connecting to a sound mixer or interface) and even has a two-band (2-band) EQ with Low and High controls. There are some other cool features as well like a footswitch-able Boost circuit, built in Phantom Power and even a Mute switch. So really, the REX is a simple channel strip. And all of it requires no more power than a big Strymon pedal (500mA @ 9volts DC...to be exact). But there was ONE feature in particular that I got REALLY jazzed about... FINALLY I'll able to mic up my favorite acoustic guitar and use pedals with it...without needing a bunch of extra stuff! And for those thinking it: yes, I know I could use an acoustic-electric. But I neither have one nor the money to buy a GOOD one. And anyway, you don't just have to use the REX for acoustic guitar. I go their first because I make guitar videos! (duh) But you could easily use REX with vocals, woodwinds, brass, drums and foley sound recordings. Although I love mic pre's with "character", **the REX preamp is clean and high fidelity**. The tone is clear and present and, thanks to the additional EQ and High Pass Filter, plenty of great tones can be recorded down without issue. But once you plug in some pedals the fun really begins! I tried MANY pedals with REX and filmed three of them for the demo: the [BOSS DC-2w (OMG)](https://sweetwater.sjv.io/6eXX9q), the Sonicake Wave Crush, and the Chase Bliss Amongst them, the DC-2w was an INCREDIBLE pairing! Dialing out plenty of the Low frequenices, emphasizing some Highs and putting the DC-2w into the SDD-320 mode (setting 4) felt like a was back in the 1980's recording a big old power ballad or an intro for a metal record! And dare I say how lush a super lo-fi reverb from the MOOD mkII sounds on solo fingerstyle guitar? I think I dare: it sounds just wonderful! But I don't see REX as a wholly "guitar-oriented" product. Live-streamers can get a lot out of the Mute and Boost functions. Podcasters can use the MUTE switch as a foot-activated "cough button" for recordings. Stage performers will love the low profile form factor. And I think I know a vocalist who would love the simple user interface and possibilities of adding pedals to her vocal chain. ;) I'm very excited I got to check the REX out and so thrilled Grace Design loved the video! I hope you enjoyed it as well. I can't wait to bring MORE acoustic guitar into future demos! It should be fun to get down to more experimentation. Who know what will come out of it? I want to say thanks to Ryan and Josh at Sweetwater for putting this little partnership together. I don't think I need to tell you all that I love Sweetwater and I know they take good care of many musicians across the U.S.A. If you ever need anything from Sweetwater, please consider using my affiliate links. The links are connected to me and if you use them for a purchase it generates a small commission to me. It's an easy way for you all to support my content without any extra cost. Bookmark the following link and use it every time you shop: [**https://www.sweetwater.com/**](https://sweetwater.sjv.io/VyLMeA) Hey there! Thanks for reading my latest Blog. If you enjoyed it, consider joining my Email Club. Members get all my content delivered direct to their Inbox and are even entered into giveaways open ONLY to Email Club Members. Just fill out the form below! Thanks again and Happy Stomping! - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/single-pickup-guitars ### Title: More From Less: Maximizing the Single Pickup Electric Guitar ### Page ID: 4045567 ### Content: After making guitar-related videos for over a decade I feel like I've found the ONE THING all guitarists can agree upon: versatility is key! We want our gear to do more stuff rather than less. Yet, we also seem to want gear to be simple. Both factors don't always go hand in hand. But is it in any way possible to get more from less? Of course it is...and I had a particularly mind-altering experience recently that caused me to, as Apple computers used to say, think differently. Although Cockeyed Optimist remains on hiatus, I haven't JUST been making videos. My main gig has been playing at church...Oceans Church to be specific. And for that gig my main guitar since April has been the Vola Vasti KJM J2. It's an incredible guitar and was designed with the idea of only being able to bring one guitar to the gig in mind. HSH pickup configuration, 5-way switch, coil tap switch, Volume, Tone...it's a straight-forward set up with a lot of options. And I've used the options...then came the summertime. **The Vola Vasti KJM J2; an incredible instrument that is now ONLY $1200 USD!** It was the first weekend of June and California was unseasonably cold. Maybe it was my mood that morning or the weather but I wanted some HOT tones that day! After finishing the two Sunday services I went back and watched the livestream from that morning. I was surprised by several things that week but the most important thing was this: I NEVER USED ANY OTHER PICKUP THAN THE BRIDGE PICKUP. All my changes in sound can from using the Volume and Tone knobs to make adjustments. Not once that day did I feel like I wanted something else. I was happy. And, more importantly, I was having fun! I began to wonder: what I could do if my guitar ONLY had one pickup? It was at this point I fired off some emails to my friends at Gibson. Thanks to my buddy Cam (who also happens to be the brains behind Gibsunday) I got two guitars to help me in my experiments: the USA Les Paul Jr. and the Kramer SM-1H. Check out these links if you want to know more about these guitars: Ultimately, I had ONE goal for this video: **how could I help other players maximize the potential of single pickup guitars?** If you've already watched the video, you should know the tips. But if you want me to expand on them, read on! This tip may seem obvious. But if it's SO OBVIOUS why is it that lots of players don't use them? Now, I'm incredibly guilty of neglecting my knobs. For my heavier music, I rarely make adjustments but the Tone and Volume knobs are fantastic on the gig and in the studio! If your guitar's electronics are wired properly you should have no problem taking a fairly saturated and crunchy sound down to a mild crunch, edge of breakup or pristine clean! Not only that, subtle adjustments to the Tone control are capable of subtle softening effects to getting you a close-to-kinda-could-be fuzzy tone. And yes, worship music could use more fuzz...just saying. I feel silly admitting that, in the past, I have not taken this advice to heart. Thankfully, that is changing. But I think one of the key things that opens up the Volume/Tone box is getting the right sound for it. On that day at church, I used one particular pedal combo that just worked! The Signal Path went like this: guitar > NuX Queen of Tone > Revv Tilt > Walrus Audio Slö > Keeley ECCOS > Keeley Hydra > Walrus Audio ACS1. I'm quite impressed by what the Revv Tilt's overdrive sound responds to touch and guitar knob changes. Even with a crunchy sound going I was able to achieve a plethora of usable and enjoyable sounds! And in the video, the "clean tone" you hear in this portion is JUST the guitar turned down to "3" on the dial...the Revv Tilt knobs never change. This one is a little "extra" tip...consider some of the minimally invasive mods out there! Mods like coil tap/coil split, treble bleed or series/parallel options are not only easy to do, they also are nearly impossible to detect. You won't need to hack up your favorite guitars to get a little more out of your favorite single pickup guitar! The Treble Bleed mod adds a capacitor in line with your volume knob that allows you to maintain the high end of your tone as you turn the volume knob down. It's a handy mod that helps those who love to ride their Volume control for tonal versatility. Another great mod, like on the Kramer SM-1H featured in the video, is the Series/Parallel switch! Essentially this switch changes the orientation of the coils of your humbucker. In Series, the output of one coil runs into the second, then to your Volume knob and finally to your output jack. Parallel wiring sees each coil running the your volume knob and then output jack at the same time. The result is one humbucker tone with more lows and midrange and another that has the tone and character of a single coil BUT has no hum! If you're reading this you probably love pedals. And I will tell you, pedal choice is indeed a VERY important part of helping get MORE TONES from a single pickup guitar. Personally, I feel that the most useful pedals in this scenario are Compressors, EQs and gain pedals (OD, Distortion, etc.). Dirt and gain pedals are an easy one: the more you have, the more versatility you have! I personally keep between 3-5 gain staging pedals on my board at all times. These days I rely on the Revv Tilt for my main "crunch" tone and will boost it for extra gain with the NU-X Queen of Tone. I do use the Queen of Tone for another "crunch" flavor from time to time. It's not as squishy as the Tilt, it's a bit more stiff. And then finally is my beloved Ibanez Session Man! This is my most saturated pedal and I keep it on the dark side...however, I can use my volume knob to clean it up as well! Compressors are generally a misunderstood pedal type. I blame pedals that label Compressors as "sustainers". Yes, a compressor can indeed give your tone some perceived sustain but they are really meant to control the dynamic range of your instrument. Because of this you can use them to maintain the cleanliness of your guitar tone! This is what I like to use compressors for: keeping the "loudest" parts of my signal from clipping my signal so my tone is "cleaner". A nice by-product of that is that a get more string separation in my tone! Then there are EQ pedals...the red-headed-stepchild of the pedal world. I don't know how these pedals got such a bum wrap! Over the years, most of my most favorite and used pedals have been EQs of all types. Whether they're parametric, graphic or other types they can prove to be far more than JUST EQs.One of my FAVORITE uses (that I showed in the video) for a graphic EQ pedal is re-voicing pickups. Connecting the pedal in-line with your guitar and then into the front end of an amp can lead your to many different possibilities. I personally like using them to make my humbuckers sound a lot cleaner by dialing out muddy frequencies and emphasizing highs. So do yourself a favor and choose those pedals wisely! Some are more versatile than others. At the risk of sounding like a cheesy motivational speaker: you must remember that YOU are the player and it's only a guitar! You are in control of the music you create. You just need to tap into the potential that you're missing out on. Picking position, picking style, playing dynamics, fretting hand control...the options are limitless! Off all the tips I've shared in this blog, this one is the hardest to illustrate and teach. They're concepts that require a certain level of commitment to "master". Even still, I would highly recommend that you consider making and spending the time to get comfortable with them. Once you get even remotely "okay" at them you'll see how valuable these skills are. Let's dive into a couple: What are the differences between the two above photos? Don't see it? Take another look. In the photo on the left, my picking hand is closer to the Bridge on the guitar. In the photo on the right, my picking hand is closer to the neck of the guitar. By picking closer to the Bridge the tone is brighter and more "punchy". You could also say that the tone has more "twang". Picking closer to the Neck produces a warmer, more "rounded" tone. Some would say the tone is "darker". Could you imagine the vast tonal palate available to you by combining this idea with working your volume and tone knobs?!? This may just be the HARDEST thing a guitarist will endeavor to learn. Yet what fascinates me is how the concept of Dynamics is a BASIC skill of musicians who play instruments like violin, cello, viola, saxophone, flute, etc. I suppose the blame could be placed on the "electrical" aspect of our chosen instrument. We tend, as electric guitarist, to "set and forget" our tone. And, if we're being honest, most popular music has been guitar-oriented since the dawn of the rock n roll genre in the 1950s. But that was then and it's time for us to be BETTER guitarists! So, how can we practice our picking control? Well, I'm not sure. Here's some of the things I did to get better: With all of this said, should you ditch your HSH Super Strat and go for a Les Paul Jr. or an 80's shredder axe? Absolutely not. A lot of these ideas will work with ANY guitar you choose. Instead, my goal in making this video (and by proxy this Blog) is to share some of my own musical journey and guitar revelations. I want to open your eyes to the possibilities outside of our immediate vision. I never would have thought I'd enjoy a single pickup guitar as much as I did while making this video. The many times I used the Les Paul Jr. in a band context were some of the BEST times! And for the first time in a long time, I felt like a really PLAYER. I think we all could use more moments like that in our lives. **Hey there! Thanks for reading my latest Blog. If you enjoyed it, consider joining my Email Club. Members get all my content delivered direct to their Inbox and are even entered into giveaways open ONLY to Email Club Members. Just fill out the form below! Thanks again and Happy Stomping!** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") 1. Practice with an acoustic: since the volume of an acoustic guitar is entirely dependent on how hard you pick, this is a simple starting place. Just start picking lightly and try to gradually increase your force. 2. Practice with a crunchy tone: don't go clean or high gain. Go for the middle-of-the-road crunchy tone. You can do the same thing like with the acoustic but this time you'll be gradually increasing your tone's saturation. --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/protected-collection-item ### Title: Protected Page ### Page ID: 4443736 ### Content: In order to view the page, please enter the password below: - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/keely-4-in-1-pedals ### Title: The Four Horsemen: Keely's New 4-in-1 Series ### Page ID: 5123954 ### Content: King Solomon of Israel once mused that there was nothing new under the sun. And it's hard to disagree with this sentiment...ESPECIALLY in the pedal world! Everything that has been made has been made over and over again. So what really is "new"? I don't think I can adequately answer that question here. Despite this existential conundrum I still get excited when a new pedal shows up at the door. And I get REALLY excited when that pedal comes from the legend that is Robert Keeley! Before I was even ready for my 2024 to start, I had FOUR demos lined up with Keeley. That task, although ultimately a fun one, was certainly daunting. Being that all four pedals are essentially distortion/overdrive/fuzz pedals how could I showcase them in a way that let's their strengths shine through. I think I did a pretty good job BUT I'll let you all be the judge of that. So let's explore the four pedals and see what they can do... This pedal combines a ProCo RAT with a BOSS SD-1. Both are very strong interpretations of the two pedals with the RT mode being the "stand out" of the two...in my opinion, at least. But I will give props to the SD mode. Although it could easily have been just another "TS-style" mode, this one feels like its a bit more aggressive. It certainly would serve Zakk Wylde well...if he were still using the SD-1. On that note, it is pretty cool to do the Zakk Wylde thing with the SD mode and the Nuno Bettencourt thing with the RT mode! Although I'm mainly using the Super Rodent as for the RAT sound (the BEST I've played, mind you) my FAVORITE hybrid mode on the Super Rodent is this: put the Drive in SD mode and the Tone in RT mode. I find that this sound is great for getting a smooth gain boost for liquid lead tones. I'd recommend running the Level control fairly high, putting the Drive between 11 & 2 o'clock and adjusting the Tone control lower than 10 o'clock. Take this setting and run it all in front of a crunchy or fairly distorted amp. The idea is to make the Bridge pickup MELT and sound smooth and buttery! It's a heckuva sound that I think you'll love. These days, the Super Rodent is on my church pedalboard and serves as the highest gain sound I use. It's fantastic for single note lead lines and the highest energy rhythm sound for chords. AND...I can even roll my volume knob back a bit to get less compression from it. Next, the Muse Driver or the Mk3 Driver. Yes, the name was changed LITERALLY the same day I'm writing this blog. So what's the deal here? Another successful partnership between Keeley and Andy Timmons, the Muse/Mk3 Driver is the be-all-end-all Blues Driver! I've played the BOSS BD-2 more times than I can remember and I've NEVER loved it as much as I do in this form. What's cool here is that the modes are not two circuits but two flavors of the same circuit. The AT mode is Andy's preferred Blues Driver tone, tuned for his humbucker equipped guitars. And the RK mode is a Germanium fueled beast that keeps the full range of the OG circuit. Both are stellar! It's hard to NOT go overboard in my praise of this pedal. As a humbucker player, I often feel like pedal companies neglect me. Not out of any malice or dislike for humbuckers but more because I feel lots of builder just prefer single coils. That's cool. I get it. But with Andy spearheading this new take I'm happy to have a great mid-gain overdrive MEANT FOR HUMBUCKERS! And more than that, this thing cleans up like a freakin' champ. Between the two clipping modes, I'm 100% an RK fan. That germanium clipping is just BONKERS good! A little extra hair and compression with a very pleasing clean up...man, I could vibe with that for hours. This one is also currently on my church pedalboard. I set it up as a colored boost that will crunch up if I really smack the guitar string. It's a different flavor of clean tone that helps differentiate parts in a song. Now onto the pedal that will prevent you from wasting money: the Blues Disorder. Inside this pedal you'll find circuits inspired by the Fulltone OCD and the Marshall Blues Breaker. Even though Fulltone is back and the Blues Breaker was reissued, this is a great option. I find the Blues Breaker side of the pedal (the BB mode) to be FAR SUPERIOR to the classic Marshall pedal. Whereas the Marshall is notorious for its measly output level the Blues Disorder fixes this significantly. Not only that, there is FAR MORE gain available on tap. You can easily get Blues Breaker sounds but even get closer to old-school Marshall sounds like the JTM45. After playing this, the Marshall Blues Breaker reissue is irrelevant in my book. So how does the OC mode sound? Well, it sounds great! Does it sound like an OCD? I don't know. I have yet to compare it to my v1.4 OCD from 2008...but I will very soon. I will say this: the OC mode is fantastic on its own BUT is made more versatile when you pair the OC Drive mode with the BB Tone mode! The BB Tone-stack softens some of the "harsher" frequencies for a smoother sound that doesn't lack for cut or articulation. It's this combination that I use most of the time. I generally run the Drive around 1 o'clock and adjust the Tone and Volume to the amp I'm using. Some amps need darker settings and lower volume levels. I'm not surprised that most folks are excited about this one. It seems to be the most popular amongst players. And in this case, the crowd is well founded in agreeing. It's a fantastic pedal. Lastly, the Angry Orange; a pedal for that is ALL ABOUT THE DIRT! One side is a BOSS DS-1 and the other is an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff. The result? A dirty, nasty and gigantic sounding pedal! If you think you dislike both of these pedals...you're wrong. Every shortcoming of the DS-1 and Big Muff has been addressed here. The DS mode has a USABLE Tone control and the MF mode is full without imploding on itself. This does not in any way mean the Angry Orange isn't good. While it isn't my favorite of the bunch it is certainly the most fun! Whenever I feel the need to riff around I plug into this. It doesn't currently fit into my church playing needs. But could it one day be incorporated into a Cockeyed Optimist setup? Ab-so-lutely. Thick, meaty...a veritable wall of sound. If you want to have the best DS-1 you've ever had, get this. If you want a new flavor of Muff, get this. This pedal shows that when it comes to refining mods, Keeley's still got it! **Hey there! Thanks for reading my latest Blog. If you enjoyed it, consider joining my Email Club. Members get all my content delivered direct to their Inbox and are even entered into giveaways open ONLY to Email Club Members. Just fill out the form below! Thanks again and Happy Stomping!** - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/namm-2025 ### Title: Dear NAMM, We Need To Talk... ### Page ID: 6764545 ### Content: **Disclaimer****: this blog post should be read and taken as a “open letter” to NAMM the organization, its leadership and the show organizers. The views expressed within are my own and are not associated with any of my partner companies within the MI business.** I want to start this off by granting you a hearty congratulations on a successful 2025 show! Having begun my attendance of NAMM during the 2008 recession and continuing through the post-pandemic years, I have witnessed NAMM’s resilience in the face of economics woes and public health crises. It is something to be admired and emulated by other industries and I thank you for it. As admirable as this resilience is I feel it may have created an atmosphere that may be resistant to change or evolution. As a long-time attendee, and one who hopes to continue attending for many years to come, I believe now is the best and most crucial time to consider what NAMM can be in the future. First, let’s talk about what the NAMM show has done well. The NAMM Show is a celebration; not just of Music but also of the people who make, play and love it. With society as a whole diminishing the value of Music, it is refreshing to be in the presence of people who place so much value in it. If the greater Music Business is to survive and thrive in the years to come, we must continue this spirit of celebration. The artists, craftsmen, creators and innovators should all be celebrated for what they bring to the fold. The NAMM show also does a wonderful job of equipping its member for success. Seminars, workshops and lectures give all positions in the industry a chance to “up their game”. Having attended many in recent years, I can attest that the knowledge base within our industry rivals that of “more stable” professions. As a creative industry, our colleagues often look at things differently and find unique solutions to common problems. In short, NAMM serves its business and membership quite well. But with this good comes some bad... The NAMM show has a few flaws that are worth highlighting and maybe in the future the smaller ones can be addressed. But there’s one that needs to be acknowledged that could very well dictate the future survival of the conference: the NAMM show and its relationship with the consumer. One of the by-products of the “internet age” is the creation of online communities. These communities usually have a single unifying factor that brings its membership together into a “fandoms”. This is most prevalent in what we call “Nerd Culture”. From toy collectors and comic book fans to movies and TV shows, communities spring up on a regular basis and the music industry is no different. One needn’t browse Facebook long to see the list of guitar pedal groups, amp owner forums and Pages dedicated to specific builders and their creations. And for many, the central event of the year is the NAMM show and it’s yearly announcements of new gear. But what does that mean for NAMM? It’s time to recognize that the consumer can bring more value to the show than ever before. And to extract that value, NAMM must embrace itself as BOTH a business-to-business conference AND a fan convention. So how can this be accomplished? The first step into achieving this goal is to split NAMM 4-day festivities into two distinct periods: the Industry Conference and the Fan Convention. The Industry Conference would take place during the first two days of the weekend and would ONLY be open to NAMM members, exhibitors, press, artists and Content Creators. The Fan Convention would take place during the final two days and would be a publicly open, ticketed event. It is my opinion that this split of the time would accomplish two (2) primary goals: These goals ultimately speak to the common challenges exhibitors face. The more NAMM can do to help exhibitors achieve success, the better. But simple splitting the time in half is not enough. NAMM must re-tool their focus for the “Fan Convention” portion of the weekend. One big thing that would benefit a “ticketed NAMM” event is a Marketplace component. This would entail allowing exhibitors to not only take orders placed by distributors and corporate buyers but private consumers and individual buyers as well. Many companies that exhibit at NAMM have already embraced e-commerce and are no strangers to taking pre-orders for new product releases. In years past, some companies have “secretly” taken pre-orders from customers but by openly encouraging it the fans will feel more engaged with exhibitors and their products. Once a consumer plays something they like, they can immediately turn to an exhibitor and ask to place an order. And why stop at pre-orders? Why not allow exhibitors to bring a small stock of product to see in the “NAMM Marketplace”. What is “NAMM Marketplace”? The “NAMM Marketplace” would be an on-site (possibly on the on the 3rd floor of the Convention Center) shop with exhibitor product available to purchase RIGHT THERE AT THE SHOW. This would allow exhibitors to generate revenue that would help them pay their staff or pay off the expenses incurred by exhibiting at the NAMM show. And you could even open up this idea to allowing exhibitors to buy out the booths of the gear exhibitors bring! Payment solutions have gotten so simple to use and unobtrusive that it only makes sense to begin allow people to buy product on the show floor. Finally, a fan NAMM must embrace what San Diego Comic Con uses as a Main Attraction: event panels, signings and keynote debuts. SDCC is not alone in its use of such events but they’ve become the best example of how to effectively use them to create buzz and anticipation. One need only walk by the San Diego Convention Center during Comic Con weekend to see just how effective this all is. Whether its keynotes from key exhibitors to announce new products, live concert performances or panel discussions NAMM could easily do the same. NAMM reaches far into the music business and the well of talent is seemingly endless. Why not use these events to make NAMM feel as big of an event as it was in the 80s and 90s? And should it not be the goal to get NAMM back to the level of prominence and importance that it had during that time? Now, you are free to take or leave these suggestions. But before you leave, please understand this: I love the NAMM show. I love music. The two go hand-in-hand and I have a vested interest in both succeeding and thriving far past my lifetime. I would be happy to discuss any of this with you publicly or privately. You only need to reach out and ask. Thank you for all you do and I look forward to being back with you in Anaheim next year. - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") 1. Decrease show floor foot traffic. This decrease not only will make it easier to move around the conference but it will decrease ambient noise, providing a better environment for B2B transactions and potentially resulting in higher business turnover. 2. Exhibitor morale and satisfaction. By Day 3 of the NAMM show, most exhibitors are exhausted and ready to go home. My theory is this is, in part, thanks to the vast amount of walking, standing, yelling and being dragged from one conversation to another without rest. Splitting the time will allow exhibitors a chance to adequately staff their booths rather than having all hands on deck all weekend. A rested crew is a happy crew and is a successful crew. --- ## URL: https://www.seanpiercejohnson.com/operation-reclamation ### Title: Operation Reclamation, or, The Dream is Alive ### Page ID: 7413896 ### Content: “I want my band back, and my songs, and my dreams. In this desire I feel I have come home again." on his plans to revive The Smashing Pumpkins in June 2005 I remember when I first read the above statement from Mr. Corgan. I was aware of the impact The Smashing Pumpkins had on alternative music but I wasn’t emotionally invested in the revival of the band. However, the statement hit me like a ton of bricks. Who can’t relate to having a dream? Who can’t understand the desire to reclaim things that have been taken away? I was only 17 at the time but I knew a thing or two about dreaming. I’ve always been a dreamer. My dreams have always been vivid. I’ve dreamed of what I wanted my life to be, what I wanted my career to look like and the people I’ve met in my day-to-day. And my greatest dream is simple: to make music, play concerts and inspire others with my band Cockeyed Optimist. Sadly, in the last several years, that dream had felt like it was slipping away from me. From the founding of Cockeyed Optimist, the band was always the brainchild of my wife Cynda. As our friendship & relationship evolved, Cockeyed Optimist became OUR band and OUR vision. We wrote the songs, financed the recordings, invested in rehearsal time, booked the shows, designed the packaging, etc. Make no mistake: Cockeyed Optimist is our band and anyone who suggests they lay any claim to a portion is an outright liar. Many of the members that came through our ranks over the years have done much to dilute the vision and purpose of the band. To make matters worse, we did everything to keep those members happy. From paying them for gigs and sessions to being a chauffeur, purchasing equipment, and even giving songwriting credits to members who contributed nothing to any piece of music…in our dreams, Cynda and I came dead last. The truth hurts but the truth has set us free. We’re not putting ourselves, our creativity, our values and our dreams last anymore. We’re taking back our band, our songs, and our dreams! This week, we made the greatest stride in reclaiming our dreams in some time: we’re recording drums for our first new music in seven years. It goes without saying that we are incredibly excited and grateful that a long-prayed prayer has been answered. Where a way seemed shut, God made a way. I’ll never let anyone tell me again that there isn’t a God and that he doesn’t answer prayers... I’m grateful He brought us a drummer who is not only INSANELY talented but whose mind and heart are in the right place. This drummer has brought a level of excellence to the sessions that is, sadly, far too uncommon amongst his peers. It has been a genuine pleasure to sit in the control room as I listen to what he’s bringing to these songs. While he is not a member of the band in the traditional sense, he is certainly a musician who will be on our “first call” list for some years to come. I can’t you give you any idea of **when** or **how** you’ll hear these songs. I can tell you is this: we are NOT going to be doing it the way we’ve done it before. The modern music business is woefully unkind to new acts and it’s clear that they care very little about insuring the artist is fairly treated or compensated. "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." I’m not saying we’re going to do it better right away. What I am saying is that we're going to do everything we can to build a better system for you to hear our music and support us as we make more of it. And, most importantly, build a new model in which NO ONE stands any chance of destroying or stealing our dream ever again. Join my Email Club so you don’t miss the next one! You’ll also receive updates on new videos, giveaways and upcoming streams! - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact") - [Home](/ "Home") - [Bio](/about "Bio") - [Music](/music "Music") - [Videos](/videos "Videos") - [Blog](/blog "Blog") - [Contact](/contact "Contact")