Nov

5

Gibson Les Paul VOS 1960 vs Edwards Les Paul LP130

Filed Under audio clips, music, musical instruments | 2 Comments 

In an effort to decode the mystery between high-priced Gibson Les Paul’s and their lower-priced Japanese siblings manufactured by Edwards, we are comparing a Gibson Les Paul VOS 1960 with a Edward Les Paul LP130.

We recorded four clips with each guitar, playing essentially the same riffs/changes through the exact same amp & volume settings in order to get a truly fair comparison. To that point, example 1 is a riff (same one that I used to demo the Egnater seminar head last February for Premier Guitar), example 2 is a series of distorted chords, example 3 is a brief solo/lick and example 4 features some changes played clean through the neck pickup (all other examples feature the bridge pickup). Each clip is short so you can go back and forth between them for comparison purposes.

Edwards Les Paul

http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibson-vs-edwards/Edwards-1.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibson-vs-edwards/Edwards-2.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibson-vs-edwards/Edwards-3.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibson-vs-edwards/Edwards-4.mp3

Gibson VOS 1960

http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibson-vs-edwards/Gibson-1.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibson-vs-edwards/Gibson-2.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibson-vs-edwards/Gibson-3.mp3
http://www.petelacis.com/music/gibson-vs-edwards/Gibson-4.mp3

A few interesting points to note. First off, the Edwards was considerably lighter in weight and rang much more loudly when strummed acoustically. The body seemed to just resonate much more than the Gibson. To that point, when I bought the Gibson, it was after playing about 30 Les Pauls and this one was the lightest and most resonant of the bunch, so take that into consideration. The Gibson did feel more solid to the touch…..but dare I say it was like the “solid” you feel from late 70’s and early 80’s Les Pauls by comparison…..they’re solid, but they don’t sustain well acoustically. Point for Edwards.

The stock Burstbucker 1 & 2 pickups in the Gibson are clearly hotter than the Seymour Duncan Antiquities that are features in the Edwards, but I think that was certainly a plus for the Edwards (for my tastes), especially when the neck pickup was concerned. When plugged in, the Gibson appears to have more “ass” to the sound (i.e. low-end) which I found surprising, because I’ve found that guitar to sound much brighter and less “thick” than many other Les Pauls, and I have since been interested in finding a LP with more “ass.” I had recently played a Warren Haynes model that had the same pickups as my VOS 1960 and it just sounded so much thicker…..still kicking myself for letting that one go.

From a playability standpoint, the action and set up on the Edwards (out of the box, actually) was fantastic. The fretboard radius on the Edwards appears to be flatter than that of the Gibson. As a result, I’d dare to say that the Edwards played better with lower action than the Gibson could. At first glance, one concern about the Edwards was that the tune-o-matic bridge was set up rather high. However, after close inspection, it appears as if the neck angle on the Edwards is considerably more steep that that of the Gibson VOS. Not sure what that means….just found it interesting. You can see examples regarding this in the pictures which will follow below.

Bottom line is that I would be impressed with the Edwards if it was as $2,000 guitar…..but its a $800 - $1,200 guitar and that’s just fantastic. If anyone was hesitating to give these guitars a try, I don’t see what could possibly be stopping you now. I wonder if they make a non-reverse all mahogany Firebird!

Aug

9

How to record off your Motorola DVR with OS X and Firewire

Filed Under apple, technology | Leave a Comment 

If you’re running a mac with OS X and have a Motorola DVR with Firewire ports on the back (such as the popular Motorola DCT3416), recording digitally from your DVR to your computer is very simple if you follow these steps:

1.  Download and install the latest Firewire Development Kit from Apple.  The download is free, but you do have to register first.  This download will include AVCVideoCap.app which is the software you need to capture and/or record from your  FireWire connected HDTV-tuner or DVR.

Once this file is downloaded and installed, when you connect your computer to your DVR or HDTV tuner via firewire and launch this application, the DVR should be automatically detected.  Simply press “capture from device” and whatever is playing on your DVR or HDTV tuner will automatically be recorded on your computer.

2.  If you just want to play back the file that AVCVideoCap.app creates (which is a *.m2t file), you can download and install VLC which is a very handy video player for many formats.

However, if you want to export and convert the file for use in another way (i.e. sharing with others as a quicktime move for example), you’ll have to do two more things:

3.  The MPEG-2 Playback component is required if you want the capability to convert the *.m2t file into another format (such as a .mov).  Its available from Apple for about $20.

4.  Once you have the MPEG-2 Playback compondent installed, you can download and install MPEG Streamclip.  This software will then enable you to not only watch the *.m2t file that AVCVideo.app created, but also enable you to “Save As” or convert to a number of other file types including *.mov

I would also suggest if you don’t already have it, purchase the upgrade to Quicktime Pro for about $30 so that you can export Quicktime movies for the web in the excellent H.264 format.

Jun

29

Phaseous on foxbusiness.com

Filed Under marketing, pete lacis, public relations, technology | Leave a Comment 

Check out this article by Nancy Colasurdo on foxbusiness.com in which my company Phaseous was featured discussing the virtues of Search Engine Optimization, branding and putting users in control of their online communications.

“You Are Your Website”

Jun

1

Danelectro Cool Cat! Pedal Sound Clips

Filed Under amplifiers, audio clips, musical instruments | Leave a Comment 

Through a relationship I’ve built over at the Huge Racks Inc Forum, I was asked to participate in a pilot program to help test out and launch the new Cool Cat! pedals from Danelectro.

Pedals tested: Vibe, Fuzz and Metal II Danelectro Cool Cat!

In attempt to keeps things equal, I played each pedal via a Suhr Classic (alder body, Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, Suhr V60LP single coil pickups and Suhr SSC system) through a Custom Audio Amplifiers (CAA) OD100 Classic Plus. Cabs are CAA 1×12’s with Eminence Governors and I mic’d one of the cabs with a SM57. There are two clips for each pedal: one through the clean channel of the amp and one through the overdrive channel. Each clips begins with an un-effected riff for two bars and then alternates between effected and un-effected each two bars after that. Some clips have a little extra “stuff” going on at the end to demo the pedals a little further.

Danelectro Cool Cat Vibe - Clean

Danelectro Cool Cat Vibe - Dirty

Danelectro Cool Cat Fuzz - Clean

Danelectro Cool Cat Fuzz - Dirty

Danelectro Cool Cat Metal II - Clean

Danelectro Cool Cat Metal II - Dirty

Out of the three pedals, I dug the vibe pedal the most. That said, it had a rather pronounced (or perceived) volume boost when the pedal was engaged. It was the only pedal I tested that does not have a volume control (only mix).

Being that these pedals were true-bypass and of solid construction, I’d say that they would make a solid addition to any pedalboard. I’m certainly interested in checking out more of their product line. So far, so good.

Mar

20

Baker B1 7 - my entrance into the world of the seven string guitar

Filed Under music, musical instruments, musician, pete lacis | Leave a Comment 

Baker B1 7During the mid 90’s when it wasn’t cool to be good at guitar, I eschewed the grundge movement and threw myself into the world of jazz. Being a big fan of “Birth of the Cool” music up through the heavy, funky grooves of Medeski Martin & Wood, I decided to focus my efforts on playing bass with my organ trio (sometimes quartet and quintet), Thique. It wasn’t long before I discovered the power of the bass in music, and the bassist among musicians. Truly, the bassist has the power to subvertly (or overtly for that matter) influence the entire rest of the band through changes in groove, rhythm or harmonic structure. I was truly in awe of this awesome responsibility.

Fast forward more than 10 years later, I found myself looking to influence the music and the musicians I play with in a new way. I wanted a way to extend the range of what I was doing without playing a completely different instrument. I like the way guitar can influence harmony and rhythm. But I wanted a little of that subversion back. Enter the seven string guitar.

Steve Vai can be thanked for bringing the seven string solidbody (seven string guitars archtop hollowbodies have been popular with jazz guitarists for many years) to the masses in the early nineties via his solo album “Passion & Warfare” along with Whitesnake’s “Slip of the Tongue” (the latter gig which he took to fund and promote the prior). The seven string solidbody then experienced a renaissance in the late 90’s/early 2000’s when nu-metal bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit. However, because of its extended range and ability to be significantly down-tuned plus the addition of more modern amplification options with solid state rectifiers, most seven strings found their way into metal, nu-metal, nu-nu-meteal, etc.

Since the music I enjoy and play is more of an extension of jam bands (fusion of rock, funk, jazz, electronica, etc), I thought it would be really cool to bring the new sonic capabilities of the seven string to that sound…..to the best of my knowledge it hasn’t been done before. Only problem was most seven strings were designed for extreme metal. That certainly wasn’t going to do.

So enter January 2008. At the NAMM Tone Merchants party I had an opportunity to play a seven string Vigier through a Cornford MK50 II. Wow! What a sound! OK, now I confirmed that I wanted to explore this further. Then, after Suhr Guitars debuted their new “Modern” 24 fret model, there was talk that they might offer a seven string model. Being a fan of Suhr’s work, I was very excited about the prospects. However, that hope was short-lived as the Suhr guys soon found themselves overwhelmed with demand for their new products that had been developed, let alone any items that they might develop. So my dream of a seven string Suhr would have to wait for some time.

Based on my own tonal explorations, I knew I wanted a guitar with a mahogany body, mahogany neck, maple top and Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. The trouble was finding one. There weren’t any mass-produced models that met my needs. Ibanez is probably the most well know main stream seven string manufacturer, but there guitars always had maple necks and I can’t say enough about how much I dislike the sound of a maple neck on a mahogany body. That, and well, I’ve never cared for Ibanezes. I soon realized I would have to go boutique if I wanted anything that was of quality and with the woods that I wanted. I new Gene Baker make a few sevens years ago, but his old company was since out of business and his new pursuits were focusing on more “conservative” models. Luckily I’ve been following the muses of Matte Henderson for some time (extreme seven string enthusiast). I’ve kept in touch with him over time in case he ever wanted to sell any of his custom seven string beauties and he had one for sale…..but it was korina. I learned not too long ago (through a couple of Gene Baker BX3’s) that I greatly preferred the tonal qualities of mahogany over korina…..though they are within the same ballpark. However that interaction brought to mind another Baker seven string that I became aware of at least a year earlier.

My friend Dave Kaplowitz had acquired a fine Baker B1 7 from Joe Gamble (in of all places, about ten miles from where I live in Colorado). As fate would have it, Dave wasn’t really playing the Baker and a deal was struck to bring her back to CO.

While I would have preferred a trem and 25.5″ scale length, I’m more than happy with the quality, sound and playability of this 25″ fixed bridge Baker B1 7. I’m going to experiment with new pickups (the stock Dimarzio Airbuckers are way too dark and hot for my tastes) and some different string gauges (the low A is an .080!), but all in all, I’m very excited about the prospects of developing some new sounds with this guitar. Look out jamband scene of Colorado! This is not Jerry Garcia’s kind of guitar!

Mar

7

Fox News, Cosmopolitan & my wife Erin Weed

Filed Under life | Leave a Comment 

As I’m awaiting my flight to Chicago at DIA, I received word that my wife Erin Weed was featured in a piece on Fox News Business.  As if that wasn’t enough, as of today she’s also in the current issue of Cosmopolitan.

Mar

5

Steve Jobs kills hopes of flash on the iPhone

Filed Under annoyances, apple, technology | Leave a Comment 

iPhone Douche BagWith the release of the iPhone SDK just around the corner, many in the tech community were surprised (read: bummed) to learn that there will be no flash support on the iPhone (source: Steve Jobs CNN article). While there are arguments with respect to flash using up too much power (thus prematurely discharging the battery), I’d put my money on Adobe not capitulating to the financial pressures that Jobs is infamous for. Looking forward to the back-story on this one.

Feb

27

Egnater Amp Building Seminar, Premier Guitar Magazine & Video Feature of Yours Truly

Filed Under amplifiers, audio clips, music, musical instruments, pete lacis, technology | Leave a Comment 

This past weekend I had the priveledge to attend the Egnater amp building seminar outside of Detroit, MI. It was an amazing experience to build my own JTM 45 - inspired amp, let alone to learn about all of the theory behind how and why these things work. I was amazed at seemingly how few of the amp’s components actually let to it sounding like a Marshall, Fender, Vox, etc. The amp sounds great as is, but I’m psyched to get back under the hood and start some tweaking!

In related news, Premier Guitar Magazine’s Joe Coffey was in attendance to participate and document the class. Afterward he asked be to demo my completed amp (with my Suhr Standard). I just learned that the magazine decided to put that video up as a feature on their site! Check it out:

Feb

16

The annoying thing about upgrading to OS X 10.5.2

Filed Under annoyances, apple, technology | Leave a Comment 

While overall I’ve been very happy with the results my new 200 GB hard drive, OS X 10.5.2 and Office 2008 install, I’m a bit annoyed that capability I had with my MacBook Pro out of the box with OS X 10.4 are now missing……namely iDVD, iMovie and iPhoto.  Sure, I can regain those capabilities via $99 family pack upgrade.  However, its the principle of having to pay for capabilities I already had (and had already paid for) that is just not right.  First the $200 penalty for iPhone early adopters, now this.

Feb

15

Upgrading the Hard Drive in my MacBook Pro and installing Leopard

Filed Under apple, technology | Leave a Comment 

As a musician and multimedia creation expert, I’ve run into trouble attempting to maximize performance and storage space.  Specifically, my 17″ MacBook Pro had 90 GB hard drive at 7200 rpm.  It was speedy for sure…..but it was so loaded with apps that I had little to no room for data.  Being that I have almost three terabytes of external storage, somethings were just not as efficient as I would have liked (namely Native Instruments sample libraries for Komplete 4 had to be housed externally).  After much frustration and a bit of research, I recently pulled the trigger on a 200GB Seagate drive that runs at 7200 rpm.  After backing up things the old fashion way (I was running 10.4.11 on the old drive), I’ve replaced the drive and installed Leopard.  Stay tuned for how well the migration goes….Entourage 2004 is my primary concern (upgrading to Entourage 2008), but I have a LOAD of apps to install including NI Komplete, Ableton Live 6, Adobe Creative Suite, Macromedia Studio 8, MS Office 2008 and then some.

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