Rich_S

Several pedals for sale. $10 shipping for individual pedals, I'll combine shipping if you order more than one. Behringer CC300 Space-C: Good-sounding clone on a Boss Dimension in a plastic box. $20 Boss DS-1: Older DS-1 with through-hole PC board, making it a good mod mod platform. Previous owner swapped out the in-line op amp for a socketed DIP package. Other than that, I believe it's stock. $25 Zoom MS-80IR+: Amp models and IRs in a pedal format. Great practice amp or as the "amp" in a all-pedal modeling rig. Like new, includes box. $95 DOD Overdrive Preamp 250: Like new in box. Modern reissue to the DOD classic. As you can see, I ended up with two of them. Whchever one sells, I'll keep the other. Like new with box. $70 Mooer Yellow Comp: Great-sounding clone of the Diamond Compressor. Optical-style compression. $45 DOD Overdrive Preamp 250-X: Like new in box. Modern reissue to the DOD classic, with added 3-way clipping switch. As you can see, I ended up with two of them. Whichever one sells, I'll keep the other. Like new with box. $80 Dean Markley Preamp: Relic from the '80s, preamp/boost with active 3-band EQ. Designed as a preamp for acoustic guitars, but it's a great booster for electrics, too. $30

As an expat Philly boy, Kotzen’s accent is music to my ears.

After 30 years acting like a responsible parent/homeowner/employee, I returned to gigging with an ‘80s new wave cover band, averaging about three gigs per month. Lifting my 42-pound DIY 18 Watter clone (1-12” combo with an unbelievably heavy Classic Lead 80) out of my Camry’s trunk was hurting my back, so I switched to a Quilter Superblock UK and a cab with an Emi neo 12”. That cut the weight of my heaviest piece, but I still have to carry two Teles in gig bags, the cabinet, a toolbox full of the amp and cables, 16” x 11” pedalboard in a hard case, big bag of misc cables and power cords, an amp stand, and a mic stand. I recently discarded a 10” powered monitor in favor of in-ears but it’s still a lot of gear to load in and out. Given all the “other” crap I have to lug, I’m wondering if the 20 pounds I saved switching from the tube combo to the Quilter was actually worth it. I might switch back to the 18 Watter this year.

We’re expecting 5-10” of snow tonight so I’m going to wake up to cold stairs. The band has a great swagger.

Just one new guitar this year. I wanted an all-purpose guitar that I could use for an entire gig, slotted in between my two other two Teles, one normal-ish with two single coils and one 2-humbucker Schecter PT partscaster. My employer has this silly system of brownie points that you get occasionally for going above and beyond, but I got a big slug of points for selling a couple of projects (even though sales is not my job). From the online catalog of quality merchandise, I selected a 3-color sunburst Player II Telecaster. To make my vision a reality, I installed Duncan pickups - a Hot Stack bridge (with series/parallel switch) and an SM-1 neck. Throw in an aged white pickguard from Guitar Fetish, and we have my new #1 gigging guitar. Does a pretty good job of covering all the bases for my '80s mostly-new-wave cover band, including the occasional half-assed foray into hair metal territory. Other than that, my focus in 2025 has been streamlining my pedalboard for the '80s thang. The two Wazas and the OD-3 are new, as well as the HX One "Swiss Army" pedal.

… for example, before I bought an HX One as my Swiss army pedal.

Back in spring of ‘24 I started gigging regularly with a band after a 40-year layoff. I quickly decided that lugging my 40-pound DIY 18 Watter clone (combo with a Celestion Classic Lead 80) was too much for my 65-year-old back. After consulting a couple of forums, I bought an Emi Texas Heat Neo, put it in a DIY 1-12 cabinet and powered it with a Quilter Superblock UK. I use the “plexi” voicing, run the line out to PA with the built-in cab sim, and get more stage volume than I’ll ever need through the 1-12 cabinet. I couldn’t be happier with the sound and the new rig weighs 1/2 what the old one did.

I’m not usually a PRS guy, but that’s a very pretty guitar.

Justin Hawkins did a piece on these (non-) guys and showed a lot of their band “photos”. They’re far less convincing than the music. One of the guys has too many knuckles. AI doesn’t know how to string a 3-on-a-side headstock, but there are plenty IRL who don’t, either.

I can’t tell from the photos. Is that tone wood?

I vote for two more strings.

If the mudflap girl farts, will it damage a lacquer finish? What about poly?

Keep it away from John Elder Robison.