NEW - MXR Super Badass Distortion custom thru Gibson Traditional Les Paul and Fender Eric Johnson - Two Rock and Carr Impala

Jim Dunlop has just released a new pedal that sounds mighty nice and has a lot of zombie killing range.  In one of the videos below they have couple the pedal to the Carr Impala amp to get a wide range of pedal distortion. The Amp is set to a low volume clean setting and the pedal is run up, down and sideways to mutate the signal from ear love to impending doom. You can hear the classic 80's crunch, scooped out mids, or heavy sustain distortion. Supposedly this pedal is to be the jack of all trades, mulit-trick pony, and as cliche' as it may sound, MXR just may have pulled one out of their hat. The box is a sturdy unit that won't take up too much room on your pedal board and will run on AC/DC. The output is super responsive to the tiniest of tweaks. The unit is very dynamic and allows you to turn down your guitar volume and get slightly distorted bluesy grit and grime while allowing you to spin your guitar volume and feel the burn with it's touch sensitive electronics. Turn down the mids and up the distortion and hello evil vampire runs...... Wha Hooo! This pedal is just in time for summer and once you get it the neighbors are going to reach for the phone to call up the technology police because this thing is going to burn up the electrons and maybe cause a local sonic power outage. It's your turn to burn, check this pedal out and bring a fire extinguisher and some ice. Flame on brothers and sisters!

Here the MXR Super Badass Distortion paired with a Gibson Traditional Les paul and a Carr amp


Here the MXR Super Badass Distortion is paired with a Two Rock Schoefield and a Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster.


Link to Jim Dunlop MXR Superbad ass Distortion here!

Jim Dunlop USA - link

Jammin' Johns - This is Exceptional!

Ok, Reading my latest version of Rolling Stone magazine back section - The Shop I found the following "music to your rears," and thought I'd give ya'll a shout about this!

Click here to view the Jammin' Johns Shop!
Super creative seat for solving world hunger, despair and economic meltdowns!

Gibson Les Paul Frets - I prefer the following.....

Let me start this off like this: I do not like frets that fail to span the width of the fret board.

So this places me at odd's with a lot of guitars manufactured by Gibson. I can replace frets well regardless of the length but for a few reasons, which I will outline, I prefer the longer frets.

Why does size matter in this case?

Eh hem, wood shrinks and expands. This process is all encompassing and you can take your pick - humidity, temperature, time, wood preparation blah blah blah... So if the guitar you own has a contracting or expanding surface, the frets can be adjusted easier. If the guitar fret board contracts you can file off the excess. If the fret board surface expands the fret could be removed and replaced with a new wire. Oh, and frets don't chip or break as easy as plastic binding fret nibs.

With the "nibs," a gap is created between the fret board and the binding. I've often filled the gaps for customers so their string doesn't snag in the gap. Replacing the fret is much more laborious.

Click this link to see a great illustration of the steps required to replace frets and binding (with nibs)!

I don't like the binding "frets" !

I prefer fret ends that extend to the edge of the fret board. See photo below.
Regardless of the system you choose, your frets will wear out if you play the instrument enough. On a high note; some of the less expensive Gibson Les Paul specials have the frets I like and honestly these guitar play well and deserve your attention. So, before you take your hard earned cash and buy a fancy Les Paul Traditional, Traditional Pro, Standard, Standard Pro, SG, et al, you might be better served with a Les Paul Special and spend the money you save on a nice amplifier or effect pedal.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS FOR NASTY NIB GAPS! (getting your string caught is a show stopper nobody wants!!!!)

I've received some excellent feed back regarding how to span the gap between the frets and the binding nibs on Gibson Les Paul necks. There are two methods that I've used; one is an inexpensive solution, the second remedy is more expensive but also better.

• Method 1 - I take a 600 grit sand paper and sand some stock from a white piece of plastic or spare piece of binding (binding stock link). I take the plastic chad/plastic dust and mix it with thick cyanacrylate cement (Stew-Mac link). Next, I carefully apply the mixture with a toothpick or similar object. I've found that you can carefully manipulate the cement but start by applying conservative portions. Take your time and DO NOT RUSH THE JOB. I let the patch set for 24 hours. Clean up the ends with fine grade fretting files.
• Method 2 - Follow the same instructions above but use 3M Light cure (instead of plastic chad) composites. You will also need a VERY HIGH INTENSITY visable blue light to cure the adhesive. This is the same tools and supplies Dentists use. Each gap can be filled and cured in about 10 seconds. This is super high tech and probably not a inexpensive alternative. However, it works GREAT!

Tyranny of small decisions - Buying a Guitar or Equipment

I'd like to pontificate about something that is called the tyranny of small decisions. This is a series of small decisions individually small in size and time perspective, cumulatively result in an outcome which is not desirable or optimal. Moreover, small rational decisions can negatively change the context of subsequent choices, even to the point where desired alternative are irreversibly destroyed. Simply stated, analysis paralysis. This is when you seek only information that seems relevant but lack the knowledge at this time that would make other information relevance clear, so you don't look for the information. Then cogitate and torment yourself over fear of being short sighted - only to find you are in a paradisaical situation. So, what do you do? Shut up and buy yourself a guitar!

A while ago I wrote up a long essay about how to buy a guitar. That article is available at this LINK. <<<<

To prevent a tyranny of small decisions and analysis paralysis, you should quickly follow the thought process outlined in this article.

Scenario: You've earned a new guitar and you've determined a cost. You must decide the following options.

• Electric or acoustic
• Humbucker, single coil, or combination of pickups
• Neck scale - long or short
• Guitar body - solid, hallow, semi hallow
• Maple, rosewood, or ebony fret board

If you start analyzing color, types of wood, types of tuners, bridge material, fret material, type of finish, wire manufacturer, resistor or capacitor type, potentiometer type and all of the variables available for a guitar. You will discover that you are wasting valuable time unless you are going to work in the music industry.

It's sort of like meeting a lover, wife, husband etc.... You have to take a certain risk. If it feels right it probably is right. Trust intuition because buying a guitar is not an irreversible decision. Guitar Center is very good about returns that are in good condition - Most retailers are fair in order to keep a good reputation. So avoid analysis paralysis. At least nail down most of your decisions before bugging a sales person, try it and buy it because while you are vacillating over infinitesimally small features, the best friend who couldn't play is now better than you on his Teisco Del Ray. Sometimes more is less! The more time you spend deciding to get a guitar means you have spent less time practicing!

Now get to it and stop procrastinating!

.... Should I get a Gibson Les Paul Reissue or Les Paul Standard?
Better question to ask yourself is what can you afford? You have to be optimistic that one day you will be able to buy that expensive guitar. Meanwhile it is important to play and practice because without practice you will NOT get better!

We all like to experience "new guitar day's," where we pick up that guitar we've had our eye on, placed on lay-away or fell in love with at first site (or strum). We bring it home like a new baby and play with it the first chance we have available. Maybe take a few pictures for posterity and send those pictures to our friends and family. This type of behavior is odd because most people don't  faun over groceries, clothing or furniture. On the contrary those people who collect and use cars, guitars, and other mechanisms of fascination certainly get spend a lifetime gawking and photographing their prized possessions.

If you can't make up your mind about a guitar then you will have hell to pay when you meet a beautiful woman!