DIY Fretcam

          What's that strange wooden device there?  Why, it's a guitar headstock fretboard camera mount of course!  A "fretcam" mount like this is a simple device (like a tripod) for mounting a camera to the headstock of a guitar, allowing a camera to video down the fretboard as you play.

          Construction was simple, just three pieces of wood cut and sanded to 1/2" x 1 1/2" x either 4 1/2" (shorter two pieces) or 5 1/2" (longer piece).  The two shorter pieces are held together by bolts and work as a clamp to hold on to the headstock.  The longer arm at 90 degrees holds the camera by it's threaded mount.  I drilled five different holes through the longer arm, which allows the height to be adjusted, and the camera can be tilted to the desired angle.

          It's not perfect, but it's easy to make and quite effective if used right.  Below I have some examples of the fretcam in action.

Pedal Chain

Current pedal chain

          Here's my current footpedal setup, though it's extremely simple.  I'm currently only using three pedals, two of which I only occasionally use.  From left to right:

Joyo JF-2 Ultimate Drive - Very nice overdrive/distortion pedal for just $30.  Only used sometimes because I can get plenty of different overdrives and distortions from the amplifier.

Homemade Passive Signal Modifier - Has a couple different, mostly subtle, effects.  This functions like an extension of the tone and volume controls in the guitar, with a more variable tone knob that can cut either treble or bass, but reduces the signal greatly.  Also has a passive diode clipping control to allow a slight natural overdrive.  Honestly the best part is that it is entirely battery and power source free.

Homemade A/B Selector Switch - This is the most basic footpedal possible - and also my most used pedal.  Made from an old hard drive case, it's just an input jack and on/off switch.  This allows changing between two presets on the amplifier.  Extremely useful.

Graphtech TUSQ Nut (42mm Strat)

          A brief review of the Graphtech TUSQ nut, installed as an upgrade to the original nut on my Squier Bullet Stratocaster.  An overpriced but very functional upgrade to almost any guitar in regards to tuning stability.

Full review right after the break.

Custom guitar pick design

          Clayton USA manufactures guitar picks and other accessories, and will even make custom picks, great for advertising your band.  I decided to check out their custom pick designer and made this simple Skyrim designed Acetal pick.  The price is $0.50 per pick, and this is on the low end of costs, so it's not cheap, but I'd definitely consider buying some for inexpensive advertising.

Into the Void Drop G

          A classic heavy metal riff.  Recorded in drop C#, I took it to the next level and played in drop G, nearly a whole octave down.  Enjoy!

Mr Crowley Cover

My cover of "Mr. Crowley" by Ozzy Osbourne.  The solo over the intro is original improvisation.

Credit to Ozzy Osbourne and especially Randy Rhoads for creating this awesome song.

Some Blues Backing Tracks

Here's a couple jazz/blues/funk backing tracks to satisfy your need for soul jams.

More after the break.

Skyrim Tablature

Skip the Bard's college!  Here are some of the most popular Skyrim songs with lyrics and chords from Ultimate Guitar, formatted and sized for printing.

More after the break.

Sweet Home Alabama / Jameson Thinline Acoustic Guitar Demo

          Here's a bit of Sweet Home Alabama to demo the Jameson acoustic-electric guitar that I got for Christmas. I hooked it up to an amp on low volume just for a little extra reverb, ambiance, and all that.

Overall it's a pretty good guitar, I'd give it 9/10 stars for an inexpensive instrument.

Full review coming in the next few days!

Satch Boogie

      My little cover of part of "Satch Boogie" by Joe Satriani, from the album "Surfing with the Alien". Recorded entirely with my homemade fretboard camera mount. It was zoomed in a little much but the battery was low so I only had one take, and plus it's a really hard song :P