'Baby' Heads

We all know things are pretty tight money wise right now. Most of us can't go out and spend on top quality high end gear and then go to bed knowing your bank balance is still comfortable. No sadly it seems that once again that most big new guitar gear (by this I mean amps, guitars - ya know the really expensive stuff...) is just too much for us commoners to afford. In saying that though, there's a new craze coming in during these rather tough economic times, however you might not see them coming. Check it out.

You see a big 75w+ valve head is going to set you back a fair bit. A Marshall JCM 900 will cost you the best part of £800. Worth it? Well, those who write a cheque out for that much can be the judges on that. For me though there's a far far better alternative. Sometimes size and power really isn't everything. 

Amp manufactures are taking a step towards 'baby' heads and it would seem for many this is a step in the right direction. The key thing about an amp is tone - we all know that - and brands like Marshall and Orange are focusing on that as a priority for these amps. As a result what we end up with is something that sounds beautiful and is in comparison to the higher watt amps, pretty cheap.

So what we're looking at is something that is perfect for bedroom work. The beauty of them is that they're not  too loud but also, they can be cranked but if you so desire it can really split your ear drums as well. Jim uses an Orange Tiny Terror and it gets a great range of volume.

There is a slight problem with it though and its one found in most of the 'baby' heads. The tiny terror (same with the dark terror) needs a better EQ range. You have one tone knob and as a result you can't dial in a really exact tone. But I suppose its all preference? If you can afford something a little more pricey I'd highly recommend this - the Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister.

As you can see (and my days it looks so fly this head) its pretty small. However the crucuial thing about this is has a banded EQ and as a bonus an FX loop which is something certainly the Tiny Terrors really lack. You can switch it between 18, 5, 1 and 0 watts so if you want something nice and quiet for the bedroom and something that can kick out at a gig this is perfect. Its around about £100 more expensive than the Tiny Terrors (which im using as a comparison) but its not the only pocket amp out there so have a look around.

I've gotta say these amps are really handy bits of kit. Its a common mistake that you need a huge 100w amphead and a 2 4x12's to be a 'guitarist' who has a killer rig. Let me tell you something, these baby heads can kill. Oh yes.

We should say on a side note APOLOGIES for a real lack of action with Jim Studios at the moment but things are kicking back into gear as we speak. Thanks for reading as ever!
Peace, Linus

*Update* 16/08/11

Hey all :)

Exciting times indeed at Jim Studios, I just added a new blog post about, ooo, 30 seconds ago? And now here comes a little update. We've added to our collection on the Youtube Channel and another of our videos is on the EHX blog. All of you wanting chorus or some pi then head over there!

In other news, check out James Kuhnel, he's got some really cool stuff up on Myspace. Follow him on twitter as well - really great guitarist. Jim also tells me they'll some new videos appearing in the next day or so. Other than that that's all from me.

Peace, Linus

Techy Guitars

We live in a world now that is totally dominated by technology. Music itself is now full of tech, not just in the recording process and listening to music but in the playing. Instruments have been invented these days that rely completely on technology and now, its leaking into the world of guitars.

Most of you will remember a few years ago, back in 2007, when Gibson released their 'Robot Guitar'. Originally based on a Les Paul, they then went on to release it as an Explorer and as an SG. It had features such as automatic tuning and a crazy control knob that could do things only Steven Hawking could understand. They followed all this up with the Dark Fire guitar and the Dusk Tiger - I feel Gibson need to work on the names. But that's besides the point because this has been taken to a whole new level with the Firebird x (anddddd cue the outrageous vomiting)

Now I'm a fan of technological advances, things that make you step back and go, oh wow. But this? This is just wrong. What this does is it takes the soul away from a guitar. Filling a guitar with technology is like trying to fill Blenheim Palace with 48 inch TVs in every room and a KFC drive-thru by the kitchen window - ridiculous. The thing is just too mind-boggling and what you'll find if you try one is that it detracts from the playing. All the knobs and switches are simply too much and you can't focus on what you're playing.

The appeal in this guitar could be enormous and on the face of it (to someone who doesn't know an awful lot  about guitars) its a good buy. Lots of different tones, lots of different fx, lots of -and I quote- 'Revolutionary Features'. The pedals that come with this are linked to the guitar via bluetooth. It has 3 Piezo mini humbuckers that apparently can create 2,000 different pickup combinations using the guitar effects processing unit built into the back of the guitar.It even has a case that's been especially designed so it can be dropped from a six-story building. And there's a fantastic reason as to why that case has had to be developed because when you get home from your gig, you're going to head straight for the roof and hurl it as far as you can.

I'm not just having a pop at Gibson here. They are arguably the joint top greatest guitar makers in the world. And that my friends is a good note to leave you on. If they are so great, what possessed them to do this?

Peace, Linus

*Update* 10/08/11

Hey all. Just a quick update and a proper blog post will appear sometime in the next few days. If you want to discuss anything or know anything or want more info on anything please let us know and we'll try and do a blog post on it. Comment on the youtube videos, twitter or on this blog!

The free pick giveaway is still going all you have to do is hit the subscribe button on our youtube channel. That'll also give you all the updates from youtube via email. There's a couple of new videos up on the channel. They can all be found here as well.

New videos will be filmed fairly soon hopefully and some other cool new stuff. In the mean time, keep an eye on here for my 'words of wisdom' (pfft) and try not to riot too much ;)

Peace, Linus

What the hell ever happened to a bit of rock and roll eh?

What up good people! You know after 3 months worth of revision and exams, I finally turned off the radio. Its my company whilst I'm revising when most of the time you feel like testing out the strength of your walls with either your head or knuckles (I prefer head generally although it can counteract all that revision you did). Anyway, I realized something horrific in those 3 months - what happened to the radio

Flash back a couple of decades. I wasn't alive then (sadly) but the radio and record stores were full of rock and roll. Led Zep, Queen, The Clash, Nirvana, Metallica. Need I go on? Alright they weren't on all at the same time but my days would they not have been the BEST thing that came on the radio? Can you imagine just hearing the chilling beginning of Enter Sandman or the power behind Bonham's drums as the intro to Rock and Roll makes every hair on your body stand on end?

You just don't get that anymore and I feel like we've been robbed or certainly people of my generation have. I didn't even really listen to the punk rock days of Blink, Sum 41, The Offspring because I was only about 8-9. The first band like that I heard was New Found Glory and by the time I'd really gotten into all that, it'd just faded out. And what are we left with? Dance, Hippidy Hop, Rap. Where is the soul? Where is the passion? Where is the drunken guitarist who despite being completely off his head still brings out the most blistering solo? I'm sorry, where is the music?

Call this a rant but it's just not the same listening to the records knowing these bands will never make them again. Today we're left with an incredibly sorry period in music where most look to people who in years to come will never go down as 'greats'. The Gaga's and Beiber's of this world will never be great musicians; merely over produced junk. It is left to the likes of Foo Fighters to wave the now lonely flag of Rock n Roll. Music like all good things in this world appears to be dying a little bit. Perhaps one day, one day the great times will return. Perhaps not.

A sad day for all.

Peace, Linus

A bit of home recording

Apologies that this is the first post for 3 weeks, I've been away, but here's a bit of info on home recording. Recording is every musicians best friend. The ability to record yourself playing and then listen to it back is one that is highly useful but also highly underrated. And to further this the ease and quality of which home recording can be done these days is fantastic. So how do you get started on it?

First things first you're going to need something to plug everything into. In a pro studio this would be the mixer but unless you've got a spare few thousand lying around we'll be talking about using something called an interface. These come in either a USB form or a firewire form. USB is slower than firewire and can cause problems when recording but should do you fine. However if you've got the money go for the firewire. You're looking at something between £180-£250. That'll be more than adequate and you can get them cheaper second hand and it'll be great quality (these things are pretty damn solid). In short terms, and interface is your controller. You plug XLR's and jack to jack's into the inputs (some will have preamps, some may not) and then use the outputs to send to your monitors.

So next you're going to need something to pick up your sound. At this point in time im talking about doing vocals, bass or guitar (or any other instrument that requires a single or two mics - in other words not drums). If you don't have mics already then you're probably best of buying a dynamic mic as oppose to any others simply because they're sturdy and versatile. Shure's SM-57 is a great buy for anyone. When micing up, be experimental with positioning and amp volume levels. You can get a very wide range of sounds in doing these things. Always record something and then listen back to it because it wont sound exactly the same as you listening to your amp (if that makes sense). You'll also need to purchase some XLR's (microphone cables) and probably a mic stand although you can work around this with some stacks of books etc if you're very short of money. You can also skip out the mic issue if you're a guitarist and go straight into the interface but BE CAREFUL with this because it sounds pretty poor in comparison to micing up. I'll be writing a post on microphones sometime soon so if you want more information then keep an eye here.

You'll be glad to hear the next bit requires no money at all so if your bank is broke then things are all good! You're gonna need something to record to, so with your computer (and you can't say you have to buy one because you're reading this) look into downloading FREE recording software. I've tried numerous ones. Audacity is a popular one but quite frankly its useless. Me, JC and Adam here at Jim Studios all use Reaper and its fantastic and the demo doesn't run out. You don't need to go around buying anything like Cubase or Pro Tools and if you have a Mac, garageband will do you brilliantly.

Finally, you need something so you can listen to all your wonderful work. Headphones and monitors are your two options. With headphones these are great to have whilst your playing so you can hear just what the mic is picking up but dreadful to mix on. Always go for noise canceling headphones as well, just so you get the extra clarity. Monitors are very different to stereo speakers, or an ipod dock or your bog standard computer speakers. They will all slightly skew the sound by adding some kind of EQ. Monitors are designed to keep the sound flat so you hear exactly what it sounds like. Position them at ear level if you can and do go around spending loads on them either.

With home recording, the key is to buy quality but not expensive products. You're going to be limited as we're only talking about a little set up in your bedroom. But it is so helpful to have. If you're in a band you can do demo tracks to send to your drummer or vocalist to work on their parts or if you want to hear what you sound like when you play. We use all this gear to record our videos so its worth buying as there's plenty you can use it for.

Thanks for reading as ever. Leave a comment if you want to ask anything, check out the new videos and tell your friends.

Peace, Linus

Signature Guitars - Part 2 (Building your own)

I doubt anyone reading this has a signature model and if they are then i'd say Jim Studios is going pretty damn well. Sadly, the chances of a guitar great following this blog are slim. All guitarists want a guitar tailored for them - the perfect neck, pickups, looks, EVERYTHING. Oh my. But you have to be realistic in life sometimes...or do you?

Alright its not actually going to be a signature as such but it is made exactly to your spec. What I'm talking about is 'modding' or 'customizing' or 'doing up' a guitar how you want it. I'm going to talk you through my experiences of doing all this (and believe you me it was an experience), tell you how to avoid a few pot holes and a few more tips.

Buying the guitar - 4 words. GO FOR SOMETHING CHEAP. You're going to end up throwing most of it away in the end. I bought my 'Tele' for £55-60 about 3 years ago. Brand new and it was just a starter electric. Unless you own a more expensive guitar that you want to modify DON'T go out buying an expensive one because if it goes wrong or you can't be bothered to finished it you haven't lost too much money.
Changing Appearance - Once you have the actual guitar you might well want to change how it looks. I'd strongly advice settling on something you want and then sticking with it. Also, something simple is a good idea don't go for any extravagant paint jobs unless you have the ability to pull it off - I speak from experience on this front as well. Altering the overall shape of the body is generally a bad idea as well. It can be done but can change the sound and the strength of the wood. Throughout the build try and be careful not damage the body. It's going to take a bit of abuse with sandings, resprays, possible routing etc etc.
Changing Parts (guitar geek time!!) - this is probably the reason you wanted to modify it. Lets start with the pickups. You have a wide variety of choices in brands and what they sell. The biggest choice is of course going to be humbuckers or single coils. For all parts of the guitar im not going to talk in huge depth because otherwise this post is going to be catastrophically long. The pickups are absolutely crucial. Listen to audio samples of the pickups before looking into actually buying them and check that they'll fit your guitar (if not you'll have to get holes routed - most guitar shops will do this). Do plenty of research into pickups and if you're not confident with wiring them in send them to a guitar shop or someone who trust who could do it. You then have the neck which you may already be satisfied with but if not they are rather expensive so again do lots of research. If you've got the money Warmoth necks are a great buy, if not you can pick up a decent one from between £30 - 80. However, be prepared for it needing a refret. Choose wisely, take into account the wood, the fretboard and how many frets it has. The bridge is the final big part. Again it is absolutely crucial because the bridge is at the heart of the guitar being in tune. There are a million and one bridges out there but some work best on certain guitar. I.E don't go wacking a tele bridge onto a Les Paul - bad idea. A few other little things like machineheads, (locking or standard - your choice but good machineheads are well worth the investment) electrics (you may want to upgrade to a higher quality of electrics. By this I mean better tone and volume pots etc) and possibly a new body (unlikely, and yes its not little, but if you're not satisfied with the one that then new ones will cost you a similar price to the neck)

Phew. Bare in mind that this will go wrong and its very very time consuming and you might not like it at the end. But this guitar will have your heart and sole in it and call me a romantic but thats the biggest part of an instrument. You have other options - guitar packs are also a possibility or if you're feeling very inventive building the neck and body yourself. Jim did this and it worked out quite nicely. If you're wanting to do this but want to know more leave a comment here and I'll get back to you on it right away. Its a great project and you learn an awful lot but it costs a lot as well. THINK IT THROUGH!!

Peace, Linus