Total build time for me was about three hours. In comparison, I spent at least five hours soldering together the mighty TriBooster. Oh yeah, and BYOC just dropped the price on this kit by $10… it can now be had for $59, which you will agree is an absolute steal once you’ve heard this thing in action.

Populating The Circuit Board  OK, so let’s get down to business. First thing is to print up the full PDF directions from BYOC. You’ll want to keep the Parts Checklist handy, because it describes in detail what each of the components looks like, and if you’re like me you wouldn’t know a resistor from a diode if it bit you on the @$$.

This step is particularly easy––there are comparatively few parts to solder to the board, but don’t be in too big of a rush. The first step––installing the resistors––is probably the easiest one to screw up.

I say that because the resistors are absolutely tiny, and you can only tell which one is which by deciphering the miniscule color-coded lines on each component (left) and cross-referencing to the checklist. Take your time… I installed one of them wrong, and discovered that there is little I like less than de-soldering a tiny resistor from a printed circuit board (PCB.)

With the resistors in place, follow your printed instructions from BYOC, and in no time you will have your PCB almost completely populated. It should look something like the photo below right.

Installing The Hardware  OK, so now it’s time to install the jacks, potentiometers, and footswitch. This is pretty basic stuff, and if you follow the diagram in your instructions it should be fairly easy sailing.

The input and output jacks, and the footswitch can all be tightened in pretty good, but I wouldn’t tighten down the pots or the power jack too far yet… you may find that you need to adjust them when it comes time to wire everything up.

With everything in place you should be staring at an aluminum chassis that looks at least somewhat similar to the photo on the left here.

Wiring Her Up  As it turns out, this is the tedious part. You really need to take your time here, and make sure you understand the process BEFORE digging in. De-soldering ain’t not fun, so take a good look at the directions, run it through in your mind, and take a look at the photos to get an idea of how this is done.

Real estate is at a premium inside the OptiComp’s little chassis, and that means things can get pretty tight, and more than a little nerve-wracking when sticking a hot soldering gun in there. Just take your time and give it your best. I think this part took me about an hour.

OK, so here’s the BYOC Optical Compressor in all its full glory, right before you slap on the back plate and fire her up…

Hopefully, between the well-written directions from BYOC, and the photo here, you can pretty much make out how this thing goes together.

As you can see, the wiring gets pretty crazy, and it really is pretty tedious, but it’s also a fun challenge to get things soldered together without burning a hole through that purple insulation or accidentally melting the face of your printed circuit board.

Me, I kept the the tedious part interesting by watching (or more correctly listening to,) Futurama re-runs on Comedy Central… but that’s just me.

If all went well you should be able to plug a chord into the input jack, hit the footswitch, and see that lovely little LED light up. If all didn’t go well, the pedal will self-destruct in exactly 45 seconds… tick, tick, tick  ;)

Plug It In!  So there you have it… screw the backplate on, install the little rubber feet and control knobs, and you’re pretty much ready to rock.

Personally, I absolutely love the sound of this pedal… it’s fairly transparent, but even just a few minutes with this thing will show you why many guitarists absolutely can’t live without their compressors.

It may be a subtle effect, but it really does sweeten-up everything just right. Build Your Own Clone has definitely done it again…

I’ll try to post some sound samples ASAP.

Enjoy The Squeeze!

You can check it out in all its gut-wrenching glory over on Ibanez’s official Steve Vai Jemini page. Of course, you should never judge a pedal by its color.

M. Leonhart is at it again… this time getting deep (and I do mean deep,) into the workings and wonders of the new Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai. A nice in-depth look at what this pedal can do, but definitely not for the faint of heart…

» Win A Patriot Black & Kustom Amp - The good folks over at Michael Kelly guitars are giving away one of their new Patriot Black six-strings, along with Kustom’s cool new ‘66 DART Amp (yep, decked out in old-school “Tuck ‘n Roll.”) The Patriot Black is spec’d out for high-gain mayhem, with a pair of Rockfield Fat Ass Humbuckers, coil-tapped Volume & Tone knobs, strings-thru-body design, and a Tonepros bridge. Sign-up here.

» ProTone Sneak Peek - Oh yeah, and ProTone Pedals has been dropping hints about their latest stompbox creations, the Dead Horse Overdrive and Optic Tremor––if you’re lucky enough to live in the area you can check them both out at this weekend’s Arlington Guitar Show, but for the rest of us here’s a look at the Dead Horse anyways… no real word on specs, but ‘ya gotta love the design.

As a dyed-in-the-wool Electro Harmonix fan I came about this close to purchasing the POG on numerous occasions, but the unit’s sheer size and prize always kind of stopped me in my tracks.

Still, the dream of pounding out some badass organ parts on my guitar never really went away, so I’ve been keeping an eye out for a decent demo or review of the new Micro POG in the hopes it could really live up to its predecessor.

As it turns out, the pedal appears to be a perfect match for my pedal board, and the price, while not unsubstantial (hovering just over $200,) makes the unit dangerously attractive. Check it out…

Now, hot on the heel of last week’s POD X3 announcement, Line 6 has unveiled yet another new addition to their growing catalog of digital modeling and USB audio interface products––the TonePort UX8.

The Specs  Building on the popularity and general ease-of-use of the TonePort family (these things are deceptively simple to use,) the TonePort UX8 apparently raises the bar by offering recording ins & outs for a full eight simultaneous channels of studio-quality 24-bit/96 kHz audio.

Like earlier TonePort models, the UX8 comes bundled with Line 6’s GearBox digital modeling software, which includes models for 18 different classic and modern guitar amplifiers, 24 guitar cabinets, 5 bass amps and 5 bass cabinets, 30 stomp-box and studio-type effects, and 6 microphone pre-amps. I’m happy to see the new GearBox Plug-In is also included, for accessing all those great models in VST, AU and RTAS (Pro Tools) formats.

Other specs include eight XLR inputs with high quality dedicated mic pres, eight 1/4-inch line inputs, two 1/4-inch front panel instrument jacks, eight (1/4-inch balanced line output jacks, two stereo headphone jacks, and stereo RCA S/PDIF input and output––all packed into a new rack-mountable chassis.

You can hear the whole thing in action here. The TonePort UX8 is expected to fetch a street price of just under $500.

I’d been in the market for an envelope filter for more than a few months when Godlyke approached me about reviewing their new Guyatone Optical effects pedals… so needless to say I just couldn’t resist taking them for a test drive.

For those of you who aren’t already acquainted with this latest line of effects from Guyatone, the Ultron Auto Wah and Ultrem Tremolo are hybrid analog/digital stomp-boxes that promise the warmth of a 100% analog signal chain paired with the the accuracy and versatility of digital controllers… I’m happy to say they deliver decidedly well on both fronts.

Designed in part by renowned engineer Hideko Shimizu––who unfortunately passed away before the Optical Series reached its final design stages––the pedals were initially meant to be simple vintage-style optical effects (think Mu-tron III) but luckily for us, the “Opticals” would ultimately become high-end units capable of far more in the way of great guitar tone than their venerable predecessors could have ever dreamed of.

Ultron Optical Auto Wah  Picking up where the Mu-tron III left off, and then just running with it, the Guyatone Ultron is one seriously dangerous envelope filter––while many auto-wah type effects are built to do just one thing well, the Ultron is an entirely different kind of animal… it’s absolutely loaded with sonic possibilities.

In fact, the list of features is so incredibly long that at first glance the pedal can seem almost daunting in its options, but I found that spending just a few minutes with the included manual got me fully acquainted with the Ultron’s basic control layout. In no time at all I was creating very memorable tones, from classic wah-wah effects to downright spacey experimental stuff.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have an expression pedal on-hand to test out the Ultron’s “Pedal Wah” functionality (yep, it can function as a traditional, if highly tweakable, wah pedal,) but the other two effect types––Touch Wah, and Wave Wah––worked flawlessly, and offered the kind of variables you’d usually only expect from a rack-mount unit.

Exactly what kind of variables? Well, you’ve got access to Low-Pass, High-Pass, Band-Pass, and Notch filter effects via a rotary dial, not to mention a Threshold control, Frequency control, Peak control, and three top-mounted dip switches, which include a Range switch (M, H, and L,) Drive switch (for switching the travel direction of the wah effect,) and a TAP/PDL switch for adjusting the Speed ratio in Tap mode, or the Volume curve when using an expression pedal.

As if that weren’t enough, in Wave Wah mode (which produces effects via the Ultron’s digital oscillator) you’ve got access to not only six different wave forms––allowing for an incredibly wide range of tonal possibilities––but also a highly accurate tap-tempo mode, which makes syncing-up envelope effects to the tempo of your tunes a real breeze.

Where the Ultron really shines though is in Touch Wah mode… this is the classic Auto-Wah effect, which produces envelope filtering based on your picking attack.

Needless to say, any effect that varies its parameters based on your own playing dynamics is going to take some time to master, but trust me when I say it’s well worth the effort… the Ultron easily produces the kind of squashy, rhythmic wah effect that would make any funk aficionado smile.

I particularly enjoyed experimenting with the Ultron’s Drive switch––in UP mode it offers straight-up traditional wah functionality, but in DOWN mode you can coax your guitar into all kinds of crazy space-age lounge tones circa the 1970s. Mmmm, this is really good stuff.

Of course, Guyatone has armed the Ultron with True Bypass circuitry, ensuring your guitar’s tone will stay pristine when the effect isn’t in use, and like its sister pedal the Ultrem, this bad boy is packed into a truly road-worthy chassis––the pedal was definitely built to last.

Overall, the Guyatone Ultron is easily one of our favorite envelope filters to-date––with a 100% analog signal path, and a staggering number of customizable parameters on-board, the Ultron truly brings new meaning to the word versatile. If you’re in the market for an auto-wah that’s head and shoulders above the rest, you’ll definitely want to give the Ultron a look.

Ultrem Optical Tremolo  Of course, the Ultrem is no slouch either… just as loaded with options as the Ultron––and capable of actually syncing up to its sibling pedal via those digital oscillators––the Ultrem offers all the old-school analog tremolo you’ve ever dreamt of, along with a host of new options you didn’t even know you wanted.

In fact, in spite of its numerous options, I think you’ll find that once you’ve got a hang of the Guyatone Ultron pedal you’ll have no problem at all finding your way around the Ultrem––both boxes are built around the same hybrid analog/ditigal technology, and both boast very similar control layouts, so while they produce vastly different effects, your skills at tweaking one pedal should easily translate to mastery of the other.

Once again you’ve got easy access to six different wave forms, multiple tremolo effects modes (Wave Tap, Momentary Wave, and various Expression Pedal modes,) and numerous other options, including tap-tempo, Pan and Blend switches, and the incredibly cool Saturation knob, which allows you to dial in a bit of distortion to better emulate the tonal characteristics of classic tube driven tremolo units.

Added extras include both Mono & Stereo outputs (a must-have for truly great tremolo effects,) and like the Ultron, a big, bright red LED display. Oh yeah, and there’s an Expression Pedal input jack for bringing control of your Ultrem’s parameters right to your… toe tips?

Tone-wise the Ultrem is an absolute no-brainer––if you’re enamored at all with vintage-style tube amp tremolo you’ll be more than satisfied with what the Ultrem can do for your guitar’s tone… not only does the Ultrem bring authentic optical tremolo to any guitar player’s rig, but the wide array of wild tremolo effects that it offers will keep even the most die-hard gearhead happily tweaking knobs and switches for weeks to come.

Final Word  All in all, it’s easy to recommend either of Guyatone’s Optical Effects Pedals––by themselves, the Ultron and Ultrem are very formidable stompboxes, but side by side I’d say they’re as close to an unbeatable pair as you’re likely to find.

Early on I was told that Guyatone’s pedals were all about warm, organic, analog tone, and I have to say that I wasn’t at all disappointed… these are great pedals, with gorgeous tone, and either one would make a worthy edition to your effects arsenal.

Now check out these sound samples––

EGR Sound Samples
Recorded direct via Line 6 GearBox

• Ultron - Talking Slow
• Ultron - Kinda’ Jazzy
• Ultron - Reverse Wah
• Ultrem - Distorted Sweep
• Ultrem - Picking
• Ultron & Ultrem - One-Take Spacy

While the two products have entirely different form factors, it appears that both the POD X3 and POD X3 Live share a common set of digital models for tweaking your guitar’s tone, including a whopping 98 different stomp-box and studio effects models, 74 amplifier models, and 24 cabinet models.

As if that weren’t enough, for this latest batch of PODs Line 6 has included a full 28 bass amplifier models, 22 bass cabinet models, and 6 vintage and contemporary microphone pre-amps.

Other stand-out features include: a new and improved LCD display that allows you to visualize your entire signal chain on just a single screen (a first for the POD family,) dual tone modeling for splitting your guitar’s signal into two different amp/effects chains or processing two signals at once (vocals/guitar, guitar/bass, etc,) and of course full USB 2.0 connectivity, as well as S/PDIF output for sending an ultra-clean signal to your DAW.

If you check out Line 6’s website they’ve got a pretty decent video demo to give you a better picture of the POD X3 line in action (though I’ll warn you it’s hella’ slow to load.)

The POD X3 is expected to sell for a street price of around $399, while the POD X3 Live while fetch just under $500.

Decked out in Gibson’s Satin Antique Walnut finish, and bearing a 1950s rounded profile mahogany neck, this newest Les Paul appears to otherwise be carrying pretty traditional LP Standard specs.

Features include a carved maple top w/single-ply binding, mahogany back, rosewood fretboard with 22 frets (24 3/4” scale length,) trapezoid inlays, single-ply fretboard binding, gold “top hat” knobs, and nickel-plated hardware to include a tune-o-matic bridge, stopbar tailpiece, and green key tuners.

Electronics include a topless ‘57 Classic humbucker w/nickel polepieces in the neck position, ‘57 Classic Plus humbucker in the bridge position, dual volume & tone controls, and 3-way pickup switching.

The Les Paul Standard 50’s Neck will ship with a black reptile pattern hardshell case with white plush interior, and will of course be available in a Limited Edition run of just 400 instruments.

The Pocket POD is an extension of Line 6’s popular POD line of digital modeling effects boxes, and is apparently battery operated, and so small it can fit in the palm of your hand.

According to Line 6 you can use the Pocket POD as a traditional effects box, in between your guitar and amplifier, or you can just use it to drive a set of headphones, allowing you to shred at full-volume without driving your roommates to drinking (as if they needed an excuse.)

The Pocket POD comes loaded with 300 artist-created presets, but if you can’t find something in there you like you can hook it up to a USB port and use either the free Vyzex software to tweak your tone, or log onto customtone.com and download your pick of some 3,000 other presets from guitarists around the globe.

If you want to dig a little deeper, check out Matt’s coverage––he’s done a bit of a comparison between the POD 2.0 and the new Pocket POD.

The TonePort GX is the latest addition to Line 6’s TonePort family of USB audio interfaces, but unlike its larger brethren, the GX is built specifically for guitar, and appears to be small enough to fit in your pocket.

TonePort GX includes just a single 1/4” input jack––for guitar, bass or microphone (you’ll need an adapter for XLR)––a standard USB-out jack for porting those virtuoso guitar licks over to your computer, an 1/8” headphone jack, and a volume control.

In spite of its diminutive size, the TonePort GX appears to be built for professional-quality results, offering over 100dB signal-to-noise ratio, and recording modes consisting of 16 & 24-bit at 44.1 & 48KHz, and a 96KHz mode with built-in sample rate conversion for simultaneous input and output.

TonePort GX also comes with Line 6’s incredibly fun (I know, I own it,) GearBox 3.0 digital modeling software, which boasts a full compliment of effects, including vintage and modern amp models, speaker cabinets, stomp-boxes, and even studio effects for guitar, bass and vocals.

Anyways, Tim Cole over at the colartz.com blog has recently purchased the unit and has already gotten around to posting a quick review. He writes––

Is it cool? Yes I think this is a neat unit. It is about the size of 2 packs of cards side by side, and very light. Initially a bit tricky to get your head around the button controls. Some nice sound FX and drumbeats making this a useful and versatile battery powered tool for mobile music making.

If you’re one of the many who have pored over BOSS’s rather lackluster online documentation for the Micro-BR digital recorder you’ll definitely want to give this one a read. Tim has also promised to add more info in the comments section as he gets farther into the ins & outs of this promising little device.

If you’re one of those folks who was looking for more information, you should know that Roland now has a mini-site for the MICRO BR, and while final specifications are still sadly lacking (which audio files are supported? what about recording resolutions?) the site does contain a pretty impressive video demonstration of what the unit is capable of.

I’d say that if you’re considering purchasing the MICRO BR when it becomes available (it’s expected in stores in late December ‘06) you’ll definitely want to check out the new site––this tiny piece of equipment seems to pack a pretty big punch. Let me know what you think.

Maybe it’s time you put some in your guitar case as well!

Shred Head guitar picks from Hot Picks USA… what more can I say? It’s Halloween!

This electric guitar, which features an alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard and a trio of single-coil pickups, is apparently so collapsible you can fit it into a standard sized briefcase… as you can see from the photo, Stewart’s Clip-Joint neck connection system allows you to remove the entire neck and stow it right in the back of the guitar.

Which got me thinking: pair this baby with a Pignose and you’ve got a full-on guitar/amp travel combo… sweet!

Its BOSS’s new ultra-portable Pro Digital Studio, the MICRO-BR. Just a bit bigger than an iPod, its apparently got everything you could want in an on-the-go recording device, including two-track simultaneous recording, four-track playback, and up to 32 virtual tracks – that’s a lot of tracks for a piece of equipment that fits in your pocket.

According to BOSS the MICRO-BR also sports its own on-board digital drum machine with nearly 300 patterns (a really nice touch for the practicing guitarist,) and also some built-in effects, though at the time of writing I couldn’t find a list of which effects were included.

The MICRO-BR can also play MP3s (which can be uploaded to the device via USB,) and you can even play them back at a reduced tempo without effecting the pitch – perfect for dissecting your favorite tunes and really figuring out what makes them tick.

Features include–

• Ultra portable, only slightly larger than an iPod
• 4-track playback, 32 V-Tracks
• Loads and plays MP3 files
• Multi-effects onboard; dedicated guitar input
• Time-Stretch and Center Cancel features (including MP3 files)
• 293 rhythm patterns
• Built-in tuner and microphone
• USB port for data transfer
• SD Card slot for recording media, 128MB card included

The BOSS MICRO-BR uses SD (Secure Digital) media to store all data, so just like your digital camera, when one card’s full you should be able to just swap it out for an empty card. The unit is just 5-3/8“ x 3-3/16” x 7/8“.

These truly unique leather guitar straps sport Sailor Jerry’s original, now classic, designs, and according to the website are being made available in an extremely limited-edition of just twelve – you heard me right… twelve!

That explains why they are selling for $170.00. Ouch! That’s a lot of scratch for a guitar strap…

Still, nothing say rock & roll like a tattoo, right? And these ones can be removed without leaving a scar ;)

Well, it looks like Electro-Harmonix has done it again – they’ve apparently just updated their venerable line of distortion pedals (whose pedigree starts way back in the ’70s with the classic Big Muff,) with the newly-released Metal Muff – a distortion pedal aimed squarely at the metal-head demographic.

The Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff is said to sport three separate EQ bands, allowing for some serious sound sculpting, including the ability to produce what EH refers to as “commanding bass and defined top end” and a thoroughly “sculpted” mid-range.

Add in wide-range, fully-controllable overdrive settings, a Top Boost button that allows for an extra “boost” of sound with just a click of the footswitch (gives you user-controllable punch right when you need it,) and you’ve got what will almost assuredly turn out to be another classic distortion pedal from the *Kings* of the stomp-box.

Sounds like some good, noisy fun…  Via [Harmony Central]

The effect can be downright creepy: in fact one of the EBow’s most famous and dedicated users is Daniel Ash, guitarist for legendary goth band Bauhaus, not to mention the incredible Tones On Tail, and later Love & Rockets.

The EBow, and it’s new & improved sibling the PlusEBow, can produce sounds you’ve never thought possible from an electric guitar — all through the vibration of the string. Theramin-like wails, lamenting whale songs, soaring crescendos… these things are crazy-fun.

And the new PlusEBow adds a harmonic setting, which according to their website “causes the string to vibrate with rich upper harmonics.”

You really have to try one yourself to see what you’re missing!