bandchat

[bandchat]

Need a leg up? Try a "Booster Seat," courtesy of my new DOD BiFet Boost 410.

[bandchat]

Here's a new demo for y'all, "Edge of Breakup".

[bandchat]

These days the humble distortion pedal tends to get overshadowed by overdrives and fuzz(es). But nothing gets the guitar community riled more than the Boss DS-1. It's good! It's terrible! You're using it wrong! It has to be used into an amp on the edge of breakup!

I was ignorant to all this when I bought my DS-1 back in 1993. At the time I was using a DOD American Metal and Peavy Special 130 amp, looking to branch out into different sonic territory. Since two guitarists I dug, Dave Navarro and Kurt Cobain, used it, I said what the hell, and bought one.

My first surprise was how different it was than the DOD pedal. While perhaps obvious to most, at the young age of 23, and having only played guitar for four years, I still wasn't quite aware of what all this different equipment did. It took some mental adjustment to get used to the overall less gain and different tone profile, but after a while I grew to enjoy those changes.

This brings me to my main point: explore what a piece of gear can do, and focus less on what you want it to do. The DS-1 has a very specific sound, and is always going to sound like a DS-1, so set expectations accordingly. But it is easy to forget that since every musician has unique gear, the DS-1's tone will vary depending on that choice of gear and how each of its options are set. This is one reason why some people say it's great and others say otherwise.

This doesn't mean that the DS-1 can't be tweaked, so don't be afraid to shape its sound! The obvious thing to do is to use the tone knob on the pedal for this. But don't forget about the EQ knobs on your amp. On my Fender Twin Reverb the "treble" and "middle" dials immensely change the sound of the DS-1. One can change the DS-1 tone further with additional EQ, usually provided by a pedal like the Boss GE-7. One complaint people have about the DS-1 is it's too mid scooped, and using EQ can add those frequencies back in.

Another trick I've recently used is to boost it with another pedal. I use an Ibanez Tube Screamer for this, and find it gives the DS-1 a little extra punch, even with the Screamer's overdrive set all the way counter-clockwise.

So what's going on with all the people who say it has to be used with an amp on "the edge of breakup?" It's worth noting that Boss themselves say otherwise ("It's great as a prime distortion for clean and mildly driven amps and works equally well with higher-gain amps."). My take is that this statement comes from people who don't like the general tone of the DS-1, and thus find it works better as a boost into their preferred tone. This will add some frequencies that their main tone is lacking. It also adds compression, which will favorably accentuate certain aspects of their playing. Single note riffs, which previously felt a bit lifeless, will now be punchy.

I knew back in 1993 that Dave and Kurt didn't like junk. If you take all that I've written here into account you'll likely conclude the same thing. Happy riffing!

[bandchat]

This video from Andertons, which blindly tests various fuzz pedals to see which is most pleasing to a guy who enjoys playing "doom metal," does a good job showing how expensive is not always better. It's not a large leap to my contention that once you have a base amount of gear, you can get just about any sound you want. Has JHS's video on the Bad Monkey taught us nothing (hint: spend less time trying to achieving a specific sound, and more time nailing the performance)?

To help prove my point, I quickly recorded myself playing the main riff of Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath." I started with my Triangle Big Muff Pi clone (Azor AP-303 Fuzz, $24.50) as a base, boosted it with my Tube Screamer, and EQ-d it via my Boss GE-7. Main gear used is my PRS CE-24 and Fender Twin Reverb, recorded with my iPhone. It sounds great!

[bandchat]

"Fifth Gear (Kowalski's Journey)" is now released. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed writing, performing, recording, and producing it!

[bandchat]

It's been a while since I've posted new music, but those days are coming to an end. I've been busy polishing my songs, and the first to near completion is "Fifth Gear." It now exists as a proof of concept: all parts are completed. It will be tweaked until...I'm tired of tweaking it! To hold you over until that day comes, here's a tiny sample for your listening pleasure.

[bandchat]

A few years back John Mayer had JHS Pedals reverse engineer his a box later effects loop pedal by Dumble, then build a clone, so he could gig with that instead. JHS recently took this schematic, added a clone of the Zendrive (which models an overdriven Dumble amp), and put it all in a pedal for the public they christened the NOTADÜMBLË. And that's where the fun begins…

It seems that Josh Scott didn't remember that they actually reverse engineered two pedals for Mayer, and the design they put into the NOTADÜMBLË isn't the coveted one that Mayer uses on his effects board. The video above details how this mistake occurred.

Because of this, JHS will be discontinuing this version of the pedal. If you are desperate to get one, the remaining stock goes up for sale on Friday May 23rd, 5 pm Eastern.

[bandchat]

My good friend Mark Yarm recently interviewed Gene Simmons and a dude that paid over $12k to be his "roadie for a day." Have a read over at the New York Times.

[bandchat]

Here's a live run through my original song, "Fifth Gear," to determine if there are any major issues prior to recording multitracking sessions. Lyrics will be over the less busy riff, and rhythm tracks will be under the leads. Recorded as an iPhone voice memo, with a metronome, using my PRS CE 24 into my Yamaha THR5 set to "modern."

[bandchat]

Last week R.E.M. released a brand new remix of their original "Hib-Tone" version of "Radio Free Europe" to benefit said organization (which has recently lost their government funding). Jacknife Lee shortened the song, pushed the bass, pushed the guitar during the chorus (now it's a driving power chord stomp), and found an annoying wood block percussion track. The song deserves a listen from today's audience, and this in an interesting "modern" version that may grab their attention.

[bandchat]

KMFDM's Nihil turns 30 today. Although "Light" may be my favorite KMFDM riff, and their sample of Slayer's "Angel of Death" in "Godlike" is inspired, Nihil is, by far, my favorite album of theirs. From the snarly slide guitar in "Ultra," to the techno beats of "Beast," and the thrash-y stomp of "Search & Destroy" and "Trust," it's a perfect ride. Get aboard by clicking above!

[bandchat]

Filmmaker David Lynch recently passed away after a battle with emphysema. Not only was his filmmaking groundbreaking due to his artist's eye, presenting a unique commentary on how he saw the world, but the music he'd use was noteworthy as well. It introduced me to bands like Rammstein, who I got to know via Lost Highway (prior to their big hit, "Du Hast"). One of my favorite sequences is depicted above. Suffice it say without watching Lost Highway up to this point it's a bit hard to understand why, but the combination of love, longing, loss, plus a hint of recognition, filmed in slo-mo and tracked to Lou Reed's unique cover of "This Magic Moment," gets you part of the way there.

[bandchat]

I'm always annoyed when I come across videos like this one, where it, and the comments, indicate that the Boss DS-1 is a terrible pedal. Then why is it used effectively by so many musicians, and is a best seller year after year? Maybe because it works well if you don't set its knobs either all the way clockwise, counterclockwise, or at noon? Here's my rendition of Nirvana's "School" using the DS-1. While the tone has a base that's screams Bleach, my style (metal!) and equipment setup gives it a sound that's uniquely me. So while "sound like your favorite player" videos like this are interesting, please take my advice and find your own sound! End note: no, I did not run my amp "at the edge of breakup," like so many others claim is critical to getting good sound out of the DS-1...

[bandchat]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joey Dalton (@joey_dalton100)

This clip of the wrestler "Steven Flowe" imitating Eddy Vedder is going to be the best thing I watch all week. Note: the lyrics to his theme song are not just his name; that's the chorus. What we can hear of the song before the chorus is priceless: "Heyyyyyyy yeah, Steven is somewhere, I don't know where, he is though"

[bandchat]

I dig the new Marilyn Manson record. It's shorter than recent releases (both song and total album length) and thus gets to the point fast. Even though in that way it reminds of albums like Portrait of an American Family and Antichrist Superstar, it has some additional flavor to it. Of particular note is "Nod If You Understand," which reminds me, via both riffs and singing style, of late 80s Ministry.

[bandchat]

It's been too long since I've last posted, so back to Tumblin', and playing music again. As a boost to all my guitar playing friends out there, here's some words of wisdom from Yngwie J. Malmsteen (edited for clarity): So I see a lot of these comments where people are saying, "I can't be as good as you," or "I gave up playing the guitar after I saw you." Music and playing the guitar is not a competition, even though since the beginning of my career, that is what they wanted to portray. That's why they have all these, "Best guitarist that guitars," blah blah blah. Music and guitar playing comes from within, and it's to be enjoyed at any level, no matter where you are in your life. Even if you are making a career out of it, if you play with the thought that you're going to compete with another guitar player or another musician, you will be miserable. Competition is for sports and athletes, not for guitar playing, period. It's not a competition; the instrument of the guitar is to be played and enjoyed at any level. Now go pick up that guitar! 🎸💪

[bandchat]

This isn't my first rodeo with Jane's Addiction breaking up. As a reminder of the fact that good things can come out of crummy things, here's Dave playing after the first JA breakup, on "Warped," the best Red Hot Chili Peppers song ever written.