I have a Crate GX15X, which has a gain channel and a lead channel with a built-in graphics EQ. I wasn’t pleased with the amp’s distortion, so I bought a Danelectro Fab Tone fuzz pedal. Now I can get decent distortion when practicing on my own, but I can’t get a suitable tone when I crank up with my band. Any answeres?

Mitch
xxxx@aol.com

Gain, or distortion—whichever you prefer to call it—can be tricky. Over the years I’ve learned that increasing the level of distortion in a signal reduces the definition and punch of the source tone. This is especially true with amps that have a rather limited power rating, like your Crate GX15, which pumps out a meager 12-watts RMS. And although distortion usually sounds quite pleasing on its own, a highly… Continue reading

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ANNOUNCED: There is a free BOSS-DS 1 Distortion pedal giveaway competition on the forum of Gear-Monkey, which will continue from July 17, 2008 through August 31, 2008. This is really a considerable amount of time to get you all ready and geared up for this jamming contest. The contest consists of points system which members earn 1 point for each post. Pretty simple huh? Now members can receive 100 points for getting friends to join the site. The only requirement is that the new member makes at least 20 posts. Whoever reaches the most points within the time frame stated gets to take home the FREE BOSS DS-1 Distortion Guitar pedal.

So you all you guitar gurus who want totally free guitar gear sign up… Continue reading

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Sherman Custom Guitars are manufactured in the U.S., Sherman Custom Guitars features bolt-on necks, 25.5-inch fingerboard. The guitars are available in a variety of body shapes and neck styles, and all feature the Sherman Tremolo System, each piece of which is machined from high-quality tool steel and hardened. List price varies for the Sherman Custom Guitar.

Take note in Sherman’s patent Tremolo System

Gear-Vault Classifieds is an eBay alternative.

Gear-Vault Classifieds is aneBay alternatives

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SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “KRAMER GUITAR JOINS VINCE GILL FOR THE VINNY PRO-CELEBRITY …”, url: “http://gear-vault.com/blog/kramer-guitar-joins-vince-gill-for-the-vinny-pro-celebrity/” });… Continue reading

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“I’ve always wanted to be known as something more than a blues guy,” says Doyle Bramhall II, a guitarist still known for his teenage association with Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Double Trouble’s first post-Stevie outfit, the ARC Angels. But his heavy blues past notwithstanding, Bramhall is starting to look like he’s on the right path. Back in 1999, Bramhall handled the guitar chores for Roger Waters’ touring outfit. The Texan was playing in support of a new decidedly blues-free solo album, Jellycream. “It might have been easy to go in and cut 12 blues songs,” says Bramhall. “But it wouldn’t have been so easy to come across as if I were 100 percent into… Continue reading

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From Canada like a cool blast come two new electric guitars with some refreshingly independent features and approaches to construction.

Godin’s Radiator is a simple yet different take on what a budget instrument can offer, particularly in the looks department. In addition to that bigger-than-yours pearloid pickguard, there are pearloid-buttoned enclosed tuners and pearl-capped Tele-style chrome knurled knobs. The colorful “Tele-meets-Les Paul Junior” body is so immaculately finished that it seems a shame to hide it beneath a sheet of plastic.

A look underneath the pickguard, though, will show one of the Radiator’s real surprises. Most of the maple body has been routed away to create a tone cavity for lighter weight and a more acoustic response. The pickups and electronics all mount on… Continue reading

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I read that Eddie Van Halen waxes his pickups and boils his strings. Can you tell me why he does this and how I can do it myself?

Tim
xxxx@cs.com

Winding in the pickup tend to become loose over time. Waxing (or “potting”) a pickup prevents loose windings from vibrating and becoming microphonic, a condition that results in squealing and feedback. Waxing involves immersing a pickup (except for the surface closest to the strings) in hot, melted wax and allowing it to seep into the windings. After cooling and drying, the wax holds the winding securely in place. Almost all modern factory and replacement pickups are waxed during modern manufacture, but older pickups may require special attention. If you have a pickup that squeals or feeds back, call Seymour Duncan’s custom

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Hamer Artist Vanguard Electric Guitar Review

Depending on how you look at it, Hamer guitars has built their reputation as either the guitar world’s custom shop or its smallest production line. Whichever view you choose, the bottom line remains that Hamer produces a limited quantity of amazingly well-crafted instruments with unique custom details at (or below the cost of most generic “big name” manufactures. The Artist Vanguard is proof that the Hamer crew know what they are doing when it comes to their craft.

Hamer’s Artist series is based on their time-tested “uptown LP junior” design. A three-piece mahogany neck is contoured to classic Gibson proportions—well rounded, perhaps even plump—and fitted with a rosewood fretboard and 22 medium frets… Continue reading

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One of the most successful hard rock acts in the 1980s was Def Leppard, who by the end of the decade had sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. Tragedy struck the band in 1984 when, as a result of a car accident, drummer Rick Allen had his left arm amputated. Nothing, however, could have prepared Def Leppard for the morning of January 8, 1991, when guitarist Steve Clark was found dead in his London flat from an accidental overdose of alcohol and prescription drugs.

Stephen Maynard Clark was just 19 years old when he joined Def Leppard in the winter of 1978. Like the rest of his band, Clack saw rock and roll

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