Greatest Riffs of All Time (Second Edition)

          Many different lists have been compiled of the "best guitar songs" to learn, but I thought I'd put in my 2 cents on this everlasting debate by putting out my personal list of best guitar riffs.

          This list is now in its second iteration and while is still subjective of course, has added some more riffs to make it more encompassing and cover more types of music.

Awesomeness after the break.

Yet another legendary Fender Fuse tone

This particular preset that I made is my favorite of any preset that I either have found or made.  It is for soloing or playing anything other than full chords really, and has an overdrive pedal, sine chorus, reverb, and delay with a light echo filter.  You don't have to know what all that means to hear how awesome it is though.

https://fuse.fender.com/mustang/presets/6553665536-fxmetal/

If you have a Mustang amp, this will make it ten times better, and believe me, that's a lot of awesome.

How to Restring a Guitar

             A humorous and slightly useful process analysis essay I wrote for AP English class... enjoy!

Altoids Headphone Amp

          Here we have another simple LM-386 amp I made, this one made in the style of all the Altoids tin amps out there, though I used an aluminum gift card case instead of an actual Altoids tin.  I really like this one because it is so simple, sturdy and portable.

          I didn't draw out a schematic but it is pretty much another Smokey amp.  The differences are that it has no switches, power is turned on and off by the input jack, it has a 220 uF cap on the output, has a cluster of resistors on the output to reduce volume, and uses headphones instead of a speaker.

          So what is special about it?  Well, while it's not unique, it does have some nice features.  The casing was perfect because it was exactly the right height to accomodate the two 1/8" jacks and the 9v battery.  Pressure from the lid actually holds the battery from sliding into other stuff it shouldn't.  Also, the casing is all aluminum so acts as shielding and conducts the ground between the two jacks.  And fits into a pocket ;)

          The cluster of resistors is the simple volume control I made by experimenting around with resistance.  The resistors are a mix of three 39,000 ohm resistors and four 22,000 ohms which puts total resistance at 3,864 ohms.  If you had four 10,000 ohm resistors in parallel that would work well.  I just added resistors until it was loud enough without being obnoxious.  Another plus side of using lower volume levels and running through headphones not speakers is that there is nearly no audible noise or hum, no doubt helped by the shielding.

          One last thing that I like that makes a headphone pocket amp more fun than a speaker amp is that you can use whatever headphones or earbuds you like and it gives a different tone with each one.  It makes a good judge of headphone quality as well, since higher quality speakers use energy more efficiently and play louder than others.

         That's about it for this amp, there really isn't much to talk about, but it is really great and was a fun half-hour project.  I'd suggest something like this for a great first build, or an easy side project for more experienced engineers.  Pictures coming soon, peace out.

Synth of Legends

          This one is for any of you with Fender Mustangs - I spent a long time tweaking this preset for maximum over-processed electronic 80's style synthesizer sounds complete with a touch of envelope filter, tape delay, and way too much flanging and chorus.  Like it or not, here it is.  Synth of Legends on FUSE

          If you don't already have a Mustang, get one.  ;)

Greatest Guitar Riffs List

          Many different lists have been compiled of the "best guitar songs" to learn, but I thought I'd put in my 2 cents on this everlasting debate by putting out my personal list of best guitar riffs.

Note - The second edition list is now up!

Awesomeness after the break.

Works in Progress

          I am in the middle of quite a few different projects right now and I would like to let you all know about some of the projects I am currently working on.  These include a completely passive pedal, an amp made of vintage speakers, adding phase switching and clipping to my Strat, and an all new amp design, pictured above.

Schecter Omen 6 Review

          Schecter Guitar Research makes this beauty available for just $300.  Too good to be true?  It doesn't seem that way.


More after the break.

Science Fair Experimental LM386 Amp

          You may have seen my "Souped-Up" amp already - my first shot at DIY amp building, cloned from the Smokey amp.  I did mention how these projects are addictive, and now here we are with my science fair project.

          In case you have no idea what you're looking at (it is a pretty weird little amp) it is the son of a Noisy Cricket and a cigar box amp.  Put together one LM386, one 4" speaker, six potentiometers and a wooden craft box and this is what you get.

Lots more after the break.

Blank Tab Sheets

         My XL blank tab sheets I use for writing out music.  Easier to read because of the size and labeled strings on the side.  Enjoy :)

My "Souped Up" Amp

          One part of being a guitar player that can get really interesting is exploring the DIY amp and stompbox route.  As part of a science fair project I built this amp and another one coming up soon.

Picks

          Picks are generally a pretty minor detail in a guitar player's equipment setup, but they are necessary and are more important than a beginner might realize.  I have no difficulty in choosing picks - personally these Dunlop Max Grip Carbon Fiber picks are the very best.  I recommend these to anyone - they are small but grippy and last forever.  Try them and never need to use any other picks ever again.  (End unpaid endorsement)