www.premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2009 119
YouTube
The latest online phenomenon (aside from
social networking) is that behemoth streaming video entity known as You Tube. Videos
good and bad alike can be found demonstrating all types of musical gear, and people
just can’t seem to get enough of it. It’s interesting to see (via the You Tube hit counter)
just how many people will watch someone’s
crappy cell phone video on that little viewer
with the super compressed audio. But if it’s
a demo of that cool new pedal you’re gassing for, you somehow find yourself watching it, and watching it again, and again …
and again. Fortunately, there have been
some good video demos made, and more
are being uploaded every day. Yep, you can
pretty much find anything on You Tube.
Not Quite as Hot,
But Still Smoldering
Expensive Boutique Overdrives
Although still very popular, the boutique
overdrive market reached its zenith some-
time in 2007, and has since throttled back
from sheer insanity to healthy enthusiasm.
The Clay Jones Overdrive (only 52 made),
Landgraff Dynamic Overdrive, and Klon
Centaur with the Gold Horseyman were
among the most expensive at anywhere from
$500 to over $1,000 used. The Zen Drive,
Tim/Timmy, and King of Tone were de rigueur
among The Gear Page set, consistently fetching more on the used market than they were
new. But the recession seems to have tempered that “I gotta have that now” mentality,
and used prices have stabilized and become
more reasonable.
Not Even Close
Rackmount Multi-Effects
We hate to disappoint anyone, but these
have yet to make a comeback. This may
come as a shock to a few headbanging hair-metal shredmeisters, but it’s true. Hey, don’t
kill the messenger, I’m just telling it like it is.
Maybe in a few years things will be different. I mean, who would have guessed that
Fenders and Gibsons from the ’70s would
actually become collectible?
Today’s Typical Pedal User
One of the most striking things about the
average modern guitarist is the amount of
attention and importance he places on his
gear. Choices about every facet of a player’s
rig are considered, from instrument to amp
and everything in between. Nothing is overlooked, including cables and other accessories that players didn’t think twice about 20
or 30 years ago. To a large extent, this was
already happening at the time the book was
published, but in the intervening years since,
it seems almost as if many players have put
their tone under a microscope.
To a large extent, the average guitarist now
owns a whole lot more gear than in earlier
decades. Items that were once deemed
luxuries are now indispensible. In addition
to owning several different types of guitar
pedals, it’s a fairly common practice to own
two or more of the same type of pedal, particularly when it comes to dirt boxes. It’s not
enough to get a crunchy or distorted sound,
JMI MKI “Wooden Case” Prototype Tone Bender D*A*M Fuzz Sound
