Monday, December 19, 2011

D'Addario EXP11 Coated Acoustic Guitar Strings, 80/20, Light, 12-53, 25 Sets

!±8±D'Addario EXP11 Coated Acoustic Guitar Strings, 80/20, Light, 12-53, 25 Sets

Brand : D'Addario
Rate :
Price : $169.99
Post Date : Dec 20, 2011 01:15:32
Usually ships in 24 hours



25 SETS EXP11 LIGHT

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Guitar Accessories? Which Ones Do I Need To Buy For My Guitar?

!±8± Guitar Accessories? Which Ones Do I Need To Buy For My Guitar?

There are a number of guitar accessories that you might want to buy for your guitar. Guitar accessories are relatively cheap and if you are buying a guitar, you might be able to pick up a good deal if you want to buy a number of accessories as well.

Here is a list of guitar accessories to consider (in order of the most popular):
Guitar bag or case Guitar tuner/pitch pipe Guitar strings Effects pedals/Foot Switches Amplifiers Guitar stands Plectrums (also known as picks) Guitar Leads/Cables Guitar straps Guitar Capo Guitar Slide Headphones Metronome Cleaning and maintenance (polish, nut file set, wrench set, fret file set) Footstool Stringwinder (also known as a pegwinder) Straplok set Power adaptor for effects pedals
Guitar Bags and Cases

If you plan on gigging a lot or travelling on planes/trains etc. I recommend buying a guitar case, otherwise a padded gig bag will do just fine. The Kinsman guitar cases and guitar bags are a very good quality and are also one of the most popular. The Kinsman guitar bags come in three grades.

1) Standard - hardly any padding and one small pouch for music books and accessories

2) Deluxe - quite well padded, with two pouches

3) Premium - extremely well padded, with large and small pouches and a shoulder strap.

The Kinsman guitar cases are made for Stratocasters, Telecasters, Les Paul shape, electric, acoustic or bass guitars.

Guitar tuner/pitch pipe

There are hundreds of guitar tuners to choose from on the market. The best brands in order of popularity* are:

Korg Stagg Yamaha Intelli Seiko Qwik Tune Boss Ibanez

The two guitar tuners that stand out from the rest are the Stagg Automatic Guitar/Bass Tuner and the Korg GA-30. These two guitar tuners are sold more than any other guitar tuner on the market.

Guitar strings

It's always wise to have a spare set of guitar strings to hand. You never know when one will brake and leave you in a difficult situation.
You will need to buy steel strings for electric, bass or acoustic guitars and nylon strings for classical, Spanish or Flamenco guitars

Here is a list of the top brands of guitar strings, in order of popularity*:

Ernie Ball D'addario Martin Fender Elixir GHS Augustine Earthwood Dan electro Gibson Markley Newtone Savarez Rotosound Darco Dean Elites Thomastick Tonesearch Maxima Warwick Rickenbacker PRS Legacy John Pearse DR
Effects pedals

For some groovy sounds you will need to buy an effects pedal. The two most popular are the Jim Dunlop GCB-95 Original Cry Baby Wah Wah Effects Pedal and the Ibanez Tone-Lok Series SM7 Smash Box Effects Pedal.

Here is a list of the top brands in order of popularity*:

Ibanez Jim Dunlop Korg DigiTech Vox MXR Yamaha Dan electro
Amplifiers

Amplifiers are used with electric guitars, bass guitars and electro-acoustic guitars.
You will need to buy a lead to connect up to your guitar.
There are many types of guitar amplifiers ranging from the smallest which is normally 10 watts up to 500 watts! or more:

Practice amps (these are normally quite small)

Standard amps (used for playing in bands or gigging)

Bass amps (used only with bass guitars)

Keyboard amps (used with electronic keyboards and stage pianos)

Mixer amps

Speakers and Monitors

Combo amps (also known as combination amplifiers)

Amp heads

Which brand of Amplifier do I choose?

There are a number of brands of guitar amplifiers, here is a list in order of the most popular*:

Marshall

Fender

Vox

Peavey

Laney

Line 6

Mesa Boogie

Kustom

Crate

Carlsbro

Ashdown

BB Blaster

Yamaha

Warwick

Dean

Crafter

Cruiser

Danelectro

All guitar amplifiers sound different. Some (like Marshall and Line 6) are good for Rock and Roll, others have a softer and less bright sound like the popular Vox amps and Mesa Boogie.

For beginners, I would recommend either the Peavey Backstage or the BB10 blaster amp.
The Peavey Backstage is by far the most popular and best value for money beginner's guitar amp on the market.

Guitar stands or Guitar Hangers

There are lots of different types of guitar stands, it really depends on which stand is more suited to you.
There is the standard guitar stand, the universal guitar stand, the auto grab guitar stand, the double and triple guitar stand and the wall mounted guitar stand. The standard guitar stand is the most popular and comes in three different types: i) electric/bass, ii) classical and iii) universal.

The most popular* brands are:

Stagg

Hercules

QuikLok

Giraffe

Warwick

Fender

String Swing

Ibanez

Plectrums (also known as picks)

Plectrums are very cheap and can be bought individually, or in packs.
Most commonly you can buy plectrums on the web in packs of 6.
Guitar plectrums come in different gauges. Usually the thinner ones are
used with Classical, Spanish or Flamenco guitars, the medium gauges with Electric and Acoustic guitars and the thickest ones with Basses.

There are lots of brands of plectrums. The most popular* are:

Stagg Jim Dunlop Fender Gibson
Guitar Leads/Cables

Guitar Leads normally come in different lengths: The most common is the 15 feet/4.5 metre leads. This length is ample if you are playing in a band.

Popular* brands of guitar leads/cables are:

Ibanez Peavey Stagg
Guitar straps

If you want to buy a gift for a guitarist, there is nothing better than a nice leather guitar strap.

Levys and Gibson are the most famous brands of guitar straps, Levys have the most comprehensive selection.
Other guitar straps to look out for are Dickies and Wrangler.

Guitar Capo

A capo is a clamp that you can use on different frets of the guitar to change the pitch of the open strings. Each fret on the guitar is a half step. If you place the capo on the 1st fret, all of the open strings will sound a semi-tone higher than normal, this makes changing the key of a song easy.
Dunlop and Shubb are the most popular* guitar capos.

Guitar Slide

The guitar slide is a tube of some hard material about one to two inches long. Commonly, it's made from glass and metals. Each type of guitar slide has distinct characteristics, tonality, and overall sound. The guitar slide is pressed lightly against the strings so as not to touch the strings of the fret, producing a sustained tone which can be varied in pitch by moving the slide across the neck. A quick side-to-side motion is often used in this way to generate vibrato.
The most popular brand to go for is Dunlop.

Headphones

If you want to play at home but don't want to disturb your neighbours, then a good set of headphones is recommended.
Any headphones will do, so take your pick from any of the following leading brands:

Acer Acoustic Research Advance Advent Aiwa AKG Alpine Altec Lansing Amphony Apple Artwizz Audio-Technica Behringer Belkin Beyerdynamic Bluetake BoomGear Bose Bravo British Telecom Clarion Compucessory Cornbow Creative Labs Denon Design Go Direct Sound Dolphin Music Etymotic Research Fostex Franklin Gainward Gemini Sound Products Genius GN Netcom Grado Griffin Technology Grundig Hama Harman Kardon Hewlett Packard Jensen JVC Jwin Kenwood Kinyo Kondor Limited Koss Labtec Logic 3 Logitech Macally Maxell Ministry Of Sound MM Gear Nady Systems Nesa Vision Nike Numark Olympus Panasonic Philips Pioneer Plane Quiet Plantronics Power Acoustik Pyle Pyramid Roland Rosen Samson Sanyo Sennheiser Shure Skull Candy Sony Stagg Stanton Starvision Technics Toshiba Trust Ultimate Ears Ultrasone Unwired Vestax Vic Firth Vivanco Wharfedale XO Vision XtremeMac Yamaha Zalman Tech
Metronome

If you want to play your guitar in time then you are going to need to buy a metronome.
You can choose from modern electronic metronomes or traditional mechanical metronomes.
Traditional metronomes look very nice and are made from either plastic or wood, they are also known as pendulum metronomes because the ticking sound is produced by a small pendulum that swings back and forth, much like the old Grandfather clocks. The Traditional wooden or plastic metronomes tend to be a lot more expensive than the electronic metronomes.

The leading metronome brands in order of popularity* are:

Wittner

Korg

Yamaha

Seiko

Qwik Time

Cleaning and maintenance (polish, nut file set, wrench set, fret file set)

To look after your guitar you will need to at least buy some guitar polish. Gibson produce a good guitar polish and also Doctor Ducks Axe Wax is very popular.
If you are serious about guitar playing then you might want to have a nut file, fret file or wrench set. You can keep your guitar in top playing condition.

Footstool

The guitar footstool is used mainly by Classical, Spanish or Flamenco guitarists.
Their style of playing and the way they hold the guitar makes the use of a footstool quite important.

Stringwinder (also known as a pegwinder)

If you have lots of guitars, own a guitar shop, or tune guitars on a regular basis, the guitar stringwinder comes in handy as a real time saver. Instead of turning the guitar pegs by hand, you can use the stringwinder to speed up the process.

Straplok set

For replacing the bolt that holds on your guitar strap.

Power adaptor for effects pedals

If you use effects pedals then you will need a power adaptor to connect to the mains.

*Please note that the above article makes references to guitar accessories listed in popularity order. The popularity order of these guitar accessories is taken from http://www.Soundsmusical.com - the leading UK musical instrument website.

I hope this article has been useful and you are now more informed about guitar accessories.

If you are ready to buy some guitar accessories you can find a comprehensive selection here: Guitar accessories, tuners, bags, cases, guitar strings, stands and more...


Guitar Accessories? Which Ones Do I Need To Buy For My Guitar?

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Sunday, November 20, 2011

D'Addario EXL120-B25 Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings, Super Light, 9-42, 25 Sets

!±8± D'Addario EXL120-B25 Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings, Super Light, 9-42, 25 Sets

Brand : D'Addario | Rate : | Price : $74.82
Post Date : Nov 20, 2011 23:42:16 | Usually ships in 24 hours

25SETS EXL120 NICKEL SUP LIGHT

  • Super light gauges for maximum flexibility and biting tone, packaged in a convenient box for easy-access to 25 complete sets of strings at near bulk-rate pricing
  • Round wound with nickelplated steel for distinctive bright tone
  • Bulk shop packaging is ideal for workbenches or anywhere bulk packaged strings are needed
  • Made in the U.S.A. for the highest quality and performance
  • String Gauges: Plain Steel .009, .011, .016, Nickel Wound .024, .032, .042

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Monday, November 14, 2011

A Toolbox in Your Bathroom

!±8± A Toolbox in Your Bathroom

You are about to be amazed by the many different uses for the most common household "bathroom" items. Your medicine chest can be a toolbox to make some of the simplest household projects an absolute breeze, without running to the store for some special product or requirement.

Alka-Seltzer or the like:
• Have stains in the bottom of a vase? Just put in water to the level of the stain and add a tablet or two. Let it sit for five minutes or so and then wipe it out and rinse. It works as well as CLR and costs a lot less.
• Got an itchy bug bite? Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and then dab the bug bites with a bit of soaked cotton or a q-tip. It soothes the sting.
• Does your toilet need cleaning? Toss in 2-tablets and then wait about 20-minutes and brush and flush.
• Have a bit of fun with the kids. Head outside. Fill a 35-mm film canister (if you can still find one) about 1/3 full with water. Drop in a tablet and then replace the lid and quickly flip the canister over on its top. Stand back a safe distance and in 5 to 10 seconds the gas pressure that builds up will pop the lid and shoot the canister into the air. If you can't find a film canister, then you might try it with one of those small Tupperware Midget containers. If the lid is really snug, you may need two tablets.

Dental Floss:
• Hang a lightweight picture. If you have a painting or other artwork that is not in a heavy frame with glass, or even 8X10 framed photographs, you can use dental floss instead of picture wire. It is much more flexible and easy to use.
• Don't have a rubber band or hair tie handy? Use dental floss.
• Have you got photographs stuck together or stuck to an album page? Use waxed dental floss to slide between the photo and the page or between two photos in order to separate them without damaging the picture(s).
• Slice any soft layer cake (even cheesecake) with unwaxed and unflavored dental floss. It works much better than a knife.
• Did you break a strand of beads? Use dental floss as a quick fix; its sturdy enough to last the evening if need be.
• Take a step back in time during the holidays and use dental floss to string popcorn and cranberries for garland for your Christmas tree or to wrap your stairway railings. The kids will love doing it and dental floss is much stronger than thread. Just thread it through a needle just like thread.

Baby Oil:
• Got a ring stuck on your finger? Baby oil is much more effective than soap and won't dry your skin.
• Remove latex paint from your skin, or that of your children. Just use a cotton ball and generous amounts of baby oil to "scrub" the paint off. It is not as irritating as a wash cloth or another type of paint-removal product.
• Necklaces in knots? Just use a dab of baby oil on the tangled knot and then use a straight pin or needle to gently pull the tangle apart. A dab of patience is needed also. 
• Avoid the "ouch" of pulling the band-aid off. Simply rub baby oil over and around the adhesive parts of a band-aid and then pull gently.

Cotton Swabs:
• Clean the vents in your car. Use some alcohol or vinegar on the end of a q-tip and rub away all the dust, dirt and grime. Keep rubbing until a fresh cotton tip is dirt-free. You can also get into those tight corners on your console, around your gauges and on your dashboard.
• Going formal? Rub a couple of q-tips in concealer and eye shadow and put them in a small plastic bag in the bottom of your clutch purse. Lightweight, just pull them out to touch up your face without stuffing your purse with your heavy, overstuffed make up kit.
• Cell phone not staying charged? Use q-tips dipped in alcohol to clean the battery contacts on any of your electronic devices. Maintaining the battery connections means your device will stay charged longer.
• Use it as a paintbrush. If you have touch-up to do on cabinets or furniture, use a swab and your favorite scratch concealer. You can also touch up paint on walls and cabinets and apply wood stain or paint to elaborate carvings on frames or other woodwork. They work great for applying glue in small spots too.
• Deep clean your silver. Use a swab with your silver polish or cleaner to get into all the crevices and scroll-work on your flatware, coffee and tea services or platters and serving dishes. They won't scratch and the cushiony tip goes where fingernails and rags won't.

Based on the uses above, I'm sure that you will find many more for these medicine cabinet products. Instead of running to the store, look first in your own bathroom.


A Toolbox in Your Bathroom

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Thursday, November 10, 2011

Classical Gas - A Musical Legend

!±8± Classical Gas - A Musical Legend

In an episode of The Simpsons called "Last Exit to Springfield" Homer leads the workers of the nuclear power plant in a strike to regain their dental plan. As they picket the plant, Lisa plays an appropriately dismal protest song. When she is finished, Lenny says, "Play Classical Gas". Lisa begins to play and everybody watching the episode on TV goes, "Oh, yeah, THAT tune!" Classical Gas is inevitably requested whenever a bunch of people and a nylon string acoustic guitar are in the same room. In fact it is not a great showpiece for finger style guitarists but it is an ideal vehicle to show off the sound of the classical guitar.

Classical Gas appeared in the world in 1968. A song by The Doors stopped it from becoming a number one hit but it stayed in the second spot for two weeks. Forty years later it is among the most easily recognized tunes of all time and, along with The Anonymous Romance and Leucona's Malaguena inextricably associated with the classical guitar. And nobody can say why. Classical Gas is way more than the sum of its parts. There are very few musical ideas in the tune. It is basically repetition of a theme consisting of a few notes. There are some parts that are unforgettable "surprises" making use of syncopation, scales, strums, and abrupt time signature changes. Somehow all the bits link together like pearls on a string and the final note adds a sublime resolution.

The composer, Mason Williams, states on his website, "I didn't really have any big plans for it, other than maybe to have a piece to play at parties when they passed the guitar around. I envisioned it as simply repertoire or "fuel" for the classical guitar, so I called it Classical Gasoline." Mason Williams was, in fact a comedy writer and stand-up comedian who had many other projects on the go besides writing a classical guitar instrumental.

It was Mason Williams' work on the Smothers Brothers' "Comedy Hour" which gave him the opportunity to have his composition heard by the public. The original score of the piece called Classical Gasoline shows only chords and a few notes. Mason Williams had a twenty-three year old composer named Mike Post finish out the piece.

It won Best Instrumental Composition and Best Instrumental Performance for Mason Williams and Best Instrumental Arrangement for Mike Post whose latest in a career of triumphs is the theme(s) for the "Law And Order" series.

Classical Gas has been used as the theme music for several news programs, the background music for the Apollo 4 movie, and featured in many other movies and TV shows. Many people have mistaken Mason Williams' solo version of the tune for a cover by Eric Clapton.

Classical Gas is a very easy piece to play, the challenge is to play it with passion and dynamics because it sounds, to non-guitarists, more complicated than it is. Maybe this is the reason it is among the most requested guitar pieces ever.


Classical Gas - A Musical Legend

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Thursday, November 3, 2011

Electric Guitar Tone: Pickups, Strings, Speakers and Tubes

!±8± Electric Guitar Tone: Pickups, Strings, Speakers and Tubes

I. Electric Guitar Tone: Pickups and Strings

There are basically two types of pickups for electric guitars: single coils and humbuckers; and they sound completely different. Single coils tend to be softer and brighter (and electrical interference will cause them to hum); humbuckers tend to be louder and have much stronger midrange and bass response (and they don't hum). In addition, single coils tend to have better clarity than humbuckers when played clean, but humbuckers tend to work better with overdrive or distortion (because they are more powerful). Single coils also tend to sound better in the neck position, and humbuckers tend to sound better in the bridge position (again because of the midrange response and the additional power).

There are a number of pickups marketed as single coils that don't hum, including Fender's Vintage Noiseless pickups and Lace Sensor's "Holy Grail" pickups. For the most part, those types of pickups are actually tiny, bright sounding humbuckers. They are made to look like single coils by stacking the two coils on top of each other, instead of laying them side by side. No matter what anyone tells you the only thing that really sounds like a single coil pickup is a single coil pickup.

I think a better way to solve the hum issue is to get a reverse wound reverse polarity (rwrp) middle pickup (Fender Custom Shop Fat 50's have a rwrp middle pickup). That way, if you have a Stratocaster, for example, you will have single coil tone in positions 1, 3 and 5, but you will have no hum in positions 2 and 4. Alternatively, if you have a Les Paul, you could get humbuckers that allow you to split the coils, so that you can convert each humbucker to a single coil with the flip of a switch (Seymour Duncan JB Model humbuckers have four conductor leads, so you can use them with a coil splitting switch). Either way, you can get the best of both worlds.

Among single coil pickups and humbuckers, there are many variations in how they are constructed and how they sound. Basically, a pickup is a row of magnets wrapped in copper wire. So changes in the magnets and the wire affect the sound. Alnico V magnets are commonly used in single coil pickups, like Fender's Texas Special pickups for Stratocasters and Telecasters; they are stronger magnets and have a sharper sound. Alnico II magnets are more common in humbuckers, like Gibson's Classic '57 pickups; they are softer magnets and they have a smoother tone.

As for the copper wire, "overwound" pickups tend to sound louder and have more midrange and bass; pickups with less windings tend to sound softer and brighter. One of the reasons humbuckers sound the way they do is because it takes more wire to wrap the two coils. The thickness of the wiring and the type of insulation that is used are additional factors that affect the sound (e.g. Fender's early Strat pickups had Formvar insulation instead of enamel; insulating them that way gave them a clearer tone). Today most humbuckers are also wax potted so they won't squeal at high gain, but the wax potting hurts the clarity a little too (Gibson's modern Burstbucker pickups and Seymour Duncan's Seth Lovers attempt to reproduce the clearer tone of early humbuckers by eliminating the wax potting).

Another thing to consider with single coils is how the construction will affect the way the pickup responds to electrical interference. You may love the way a big, fat single coil like a Gibson p90 sounds, but you may also find the extra wiring that makes the pickup sound so good makes it hum louder too. So there is a trade off if you like that sound (more wire = louder, fatter sound = more hum).
The other primary factor in determining the tone of an electric guitar is the strings. Electric guitar strings are made of nickel and steel. The more nickel, the warmer the sound; the more steel, the brighter and louder the strings sound. Also, the thicker the strings the more volume they will produce. That's why some players like to use heavy strings; they have more tone. If you try them and find they are too hard to play, you can always tune down a half step or more to compensate.

Keep in mind though the nickel is only on the wound strings. The thinner, higher pitch strings are all steel. Also, with the wound strings, it's not just the nickel content that determines the tone, it's also the shape of the windings. Roundwound strings are brighter, but flatwound strings have much more bass response, and so- called "rollerwound" strings, like GHS popular "Nickel Rockers," have a tone that is somewhere in between the two (i.e. they sound darker than roundwounds).

So what you can do by pairing different pickups with different strings is try to get a nicer, balanced tone from the guitar. For example, you might find that rollerwound strings go well with brighter, vintage style single coils, like Fender Custom Shop '54's. But the same strings would probably be way too dark for a Gibson Les Paul equipped with '57 Classics or Burstbuckers (i.e. roundwound strings would sound better). On the other hand, if your Gibson is something like an ES-175 with the same classic humbuckers, and you are looking for a smooth jazz tone, you'll probably like flatwounds better.

Here are some suggested combinations of strings / pickups / amplifiers / speakers that I think work well:

1. Roundwound Strings / Humbucker Pickups / Tube Amp. (6l6 tubes) / 15" JBL Speaker (clean sound)
2. Rollerwound Strings / Single Coil Pickups / Tube Amp. (6l6 tubes) / 10" Jensen Speakers (blues tone)
3. Roundwound Strings / Humbucker Pickups / Tube Amp (el34 tubes) / 12" Celestion Speakers (distorted rock and roll sound)
4. Flatwound Strings / Humbucker Pickups / Solid State Amp. / Eminence Woofer (jazz tone)

It's all about the combination and the way the components work together. If you put flatwounds on a Gibson and plug in to a Polytone, you'll see why so many jazzers love those amps. But if you try the same amp with a Stratocaster and a set of roundwounds, you'll wonder why anyone would ever buy a Polytone. An amp that sounds good with one guitar may sound terrible with another guitar. And the reason may have nothing to do with the amp. The pickups and strings on the guitar may just not be a good match for the components of the amp.

Another thing to consider is the wiring harness (i.e. the tone and volume controls, and the pickup selector) inside the guitar. You can swap out cheap pickups to improve the tone of your guitar, but you won't be able to get the most out of the change if you have a cheap, low quality wiring harness connecting the pickups to the output jack. The harness consists of two or four potentiometers, one or two capacitors, a switch and the wiring connecting them all together (and any shielding inside the control cavity or around the wires). The best components are US-made CTS pots, Sprague caps, Switchcraft switches and jacks, etc. The controls reduce volume or treble by introducing resistance and capacitance into the circuit. If the quality isn't there, the tone will be negatively affected even when the controls are turned all the way up; and the pickups may hum more or less depending upon how well the harness is shielded. So if you are replacing your pickups to improve the sound, it usually makes sense to also check the wiring and see if it needs to be upgraded or additional shielding needs to be added.

And, last but not least, any effect pedals you use between the guitar and the amplifier will also tend to dominate the final tone. Some pedals are more transparent than others, but obviously if you rely heavily on pedals for the tone you want, then the type of pickups and strings you use will have less of an effect.

II. Electric Guitar Tone: Speakers

There are basically three types of vintage speakers: (1) Jensen speakers, (2) JBL and Electrovoice drivers, and (3) Celestion speakers.

Jensen Speakers

Alnico Jensen speakers came standard in Fender tweed amplifiers in the 50's, including the famous Tweed Bassman, which had four (4) Jensen P10R speakers (Jensen labeled alnico speakers with a "P" and ceramic speakers with a "C"; the "10" refers to the speaker size (10") and "R" means the speaker is low powered, while "N" would refer to a higher powered speaker). Ceramic Jensen speakers are sometimes associated with the later Fender tolex years, but the alnico speakers were included in those amps too. If you have ever heard anyone talk of an "American" sounding speaker, it's probably the tone of Fender (i.e. the tone of Jensen speakers in an amp powered by 6l6 or 6v6 tubes) that they are referring to. Jensens are generally bright sounding speakers (they have smaller voice coils and resonance frequencies around 100 Hz), and they have a very clear tone with great sensitivity. As a result, they work especially well with single coil pickups, like those found in a Fender Stratocaster.

The original Jensen speakers were made in the United States, but the current re-issues that Fender is putting in its vintage reissue amplifiers now are made in Italy. Excellent Jensen clones are also made by Weber and Eminence. The Webers are called the "Vintage Series" and the Eminence speakers include the 10" alnico Legend 102, as well as the higher powered "Patriot Series" speakers. To my ear, the Italian reissues sound good at low volume, but the Webers sound better at full volume, and they handle overdrive better as well.

JBL and Electro Voice

JBL and Electro Voice speakers are additional important American speakers. Unlike Jensens, JBL's and EV's are very powerful sounding (they have large voice coils and resonance frequencies around 50 Hz), and can handle a lot of volume. The JBL's were well known for their aluminum dust covers, and some of the early EV's came that way too (I think the purpose of the aluminum was to help extend the frequency response). The 12" JBL d120f's were famously paired with the Fender Twin Reverb for blues and jazz. The 15" JBL d130f was also a great speaker for the Vibroverb. Electro Voice speakers are mostly popular with heavy metal players. The original Mesa Boogie amplifiers were known for having a single EVM 12L speaker.

JBL and Electro Voice speakers were both made in the United States. The Electro Voice speakers are still available, but the JBL's are no longer being made. Fortunately, Eminence makes a speaker called the "Commonwealth," which is an excellent copy of the JBL e120 (12") and e130 (15") speakers (those are the ceramic magnet versions of the d120 and d130 speakers). Weber also makes a speaker called the "California," that sounds similar to a JBL, and another called the "Michigan," that sounds similar to the Electro Voice. If you want bullet proof reliability at high volume, you cannot go wrong with a JBL or EV speaker. They weigh a ton but they can handle a lot of power. Also, they handle bass sounds well and produce a smooth treble tone that is especially well suited for guitars with humbuckers, like the Gibson Les Paul and Es-335.

Another interesting spinoff of the JBL / EV sound is provided by the Eminence line of woofers, including the lower powered Alpha and Beta speakers, and the high powered Delta (the Delta Pro 12A is marketed as similar to an EV 12L). Jazz amplifiers like Polytone and Evans (and Raezer's Edge cabinets) use Eminence woofers for a smooth solid state jazz tone. The Alpha's have better sensitivity and sound like the old Polytone speakers, while the Delta's have a more modern tone with a strong bass response that will not disort, even at high volume. In my opinion, they sound particularly good with humbuckers and flatwound strings.

Celestion Speakers

Celestion speakers are famous for their inclusion in classic British amplifiers like the Vox AC30 and various Marshall amplifiers, including the 2x12 "Bluesbreaker." If you have ever heard anyone talk of a "British" sounding speaker, it is probably the sound of a Marshall or Vox amplifier (i.e. el84 or el34 tubes and Celestion speakers) that they are referring to. In terms of tone and construction, Celestions are in between the Jensens and the JBL / EV's. They are not as bright as the Jensens, nor as powerful as the EV's (they have resonance frequencies around 75 Hz; and better midrange response); and they are made with British cones and voice coils that are not as small as the Jensens or as big as the JBL's. Not surprisingly, Celestions tend to sound well with both single coils and humbuckers, especially if you play with a lot of distortion.

The only alnico Celestion is the "Alnico Blue." That speaker is the 12" speaker that came in the VOX AC30. It is generally regarded as one of the best speakers you can buy, but it is also one of the most expensive speakers you can buy, and it can only handle 15 watts. The rest of the Celestion line, including the 25 watt, G12M "Greenback," are ceramic magnet speakers, mostly 12" in size, and all known for their excellent rock tones. My favorites are the Greenbacks. If you need more power handling, the G12-65 is also a great sounding speaker. Like they say in the ad, the sound of Celestion is the sound of rock and roll.

Although Celestions were originally made in England, the current reissues are being made in China (like the Italian Jensens, the Chinese Celestions sound pretty good to my ear). In addition, Weber makes some great "British Series" Celestion clones, including the "Blue Pup," which is a copy of the Alnico Blue (except the Blue Pup comes in all different sizes, doesn't cost as much, and can handle much more power). And Eminence has the Legend GB-12 Greenback clone, as well as a new line of excellent "Red Coat" speakers that are Celestion clones too. The "Red Fang" is a copy of the Alnico Blue, and the "Private Jack" is another copy of the Greenback. Both those speakers also sound great, cost less and handle more power. And, of course, the Webers and the Eminence speakers are made in the USA.

In my opinion, the speakers are the primary thing that determine the tone of an electric guitar. The tone starts with the strings, and depends upon whether they are nickel or steel, roundwound or flatwound, heavy or light. Then the tone is governed by the pickups, which could be single coils or humbuckers, underwound our overwound, alnico V or alnico II. If you put a chain of effects between the guitar and the amp, the sound of the effects tends to dominate the tone and override everything else. Otherwise, the tone is then determined by the type of amp you have (solid state or tubes, and the type of tubes) and how you set the dials (bass, mid, treble, master volume, etc). But what has the biggest affect is the speakers (the type of cone, the magnet and the size of the speaker and voice coil). The speakers are the last link in the chain; the speakers are what actually move the air to produce the sound you hear.

If you have a guitar with single coil pickups, you can't go wrong with Jensen style speakers. Single coils have an extended treble response and great clarity; and Jensen's are perfect for capturing that tone. If your guitar has humbuckers and you want a smooth, jazzy clean tone or a speaker that has a big bass sound for heavy metal distortion, then JBL or Electrovoice speakers will make you happy. Any of those American speakers will work well with American power tubes, like 6l6 or 6v6's. If you don't like the sound of American speakers, either because the Jensens are too bright or the JBL's and EV's are too bassy, then Celestion likely has a speaker you'll like. Celestions have the best midrange response; the tone of Britain is less "scooped" (i.e. more even in the treble, bass and midrange) than American style speakers. Not surprisingly, British speakers will pair well with British tubes, like El34's or El84's.

Yet another thing to consider is mixing and matching different speakers in a multi-speaker amplifier. For example, if you have a Super Reverb or Bassman, which has 4 x 10" speakers, you can put two bright sounding Jensens on top (like Weber 10A100's or Jensen P10r's); and then try to balance the sound with two bassier sounding speakers on the bottom (like Weber10A150's or Jensen P10n's). Another popular set up is to have a Celestion G12M on one side and a G12H on the other side of a Marshall Bluesbreaker 2 x 12 amp.

III. Electric Guitar Tone: Vacuum Tubes

Changing the vacum tubes in your guitar amplifier can change the tone just as much as changing the speakers. Many people claim the best 12ax7 preamp tubes and 6l6 power tubes are the American made RCA tubes that were produced in the 1950's and 60's, like the short, ribbed plate RCA 12ax7 and the black plate RCA 6l6GC, as well as the European made Mullard ECC83. Those tubes do sound great but they are expensive and dwindling in supply, since they are no longer being made. Fortunately, there are also a number of high quality current production tubes that are available to upgrade the tone of your amplifier.

12AX7 Tubes

There are five (5) types of 12ax7 tubes being made today, and the same tube is often sold under multiple different labels. If you want to know what you are buying, the best thing you can do is become familiar with the construction of the different types, so you can tell which is which regardless of the label each is being sold under.

Three (3) of the five tube types have a short, fat plate structure where the two plates are so close together you can't see the space in between them. The other two (2) tubes are made more like the way the RCA 12ax7's and Mullard ECC83's were constructed in the 60's. They have two thin plates that are separated, so you can see the space between them, and the plates have a ribbed imprint on them that looks like a ladder.

Sovtek is the primary OEM supplier of preamp tubes today. Sovtek tubes are made in Russia. As you can see above, they have a spacer below the short, fat plates, a gap between the plates and the second upper spacer, and a "dimple" getter over the top. If you see a tube that looks like this, it's a Sovtek, regardless of the label. Sometimes they are marked as Sovtek 12AX7's but you also see them marked as Groove Tubes 12AX7-R's and Fender 12AX7's. You will also see them marked 12AX7 WA, WB or WC. I'm told the WB version has a little more gain and the WC version is a little quieter. Regardless, these tubes all have an edgy (bright) tone that is popular with Fender amp owners.

The second common OEM tube out there is the Chinese Shuguang 12AX7 (Groove Tubes also sells this tube as the 12AX7C; Tube Amp Doctor has also sold this tube as a TAD 7025; and it has also been sold by Mesa Boogie). The Chinese 12ax7's are constructed with short, fat plates, like the Sovteks, but they have an extra spacer above the tubes, a big nickel colored brace connecting the plates, and a "halo" getter on top. Again, if you see a tube made like this, it's a Chinese tube, regardless of whether it has Groove Tubes or Mesa Boogie or TAD written on the glass. These tubes have a warmer tone than the Sovteks and more gain (volume). As a result, they work well in high gain amps.

The third OEM tube is the European JJ ECC83 (ECC83 is the British name for a 12AX7; JJ's are made in the Slovak Republic). They are constructed with short, fat plates and a halo getter, like the Shuguangs, but they have only two spacers and a metal disk above the plates that is connected to the getter. You may see these sold as Groove Tubes ECC83's but the label doesn't matter; they are still JJ ECC83's. As for the sound, they have a more linear tone than the Sovteks or the Shuguangs, and a more prominent midrange. Personally, I think they sound best with Marshall or Vox amps that run EL34 or EL84 power tubes.

If you want an nicer, vintage style clean tone or slightly distorted blues tone, the newer tubes Sovtek makes for Electro-Harmonix, Svetlana and Tung Sol are better choices. Each of those tubes has thinner plates that are separated, so you can see the space between them just like the original RCA 12ax7's. To my ear, the Electro-Harmonix 12AX7 is the best sounding lower priced 12ax7 out there (the Svetlana 12AX7 looks like the same tube, but I've never tried one). If you don't mind spending a little more, I think the Tung Sol 12AX7 "reissue" is even better (unlike the Electro-Harmonix version, the Tung Sol has a "halo" getter, just like the RCA). If you want premium tube with a real nice American tone, I'd recommend the Tung Sol 12AX7.

The second option for a more vintage sounding preamp tubes is the long plate tubes Sovtek makes under its own name as the 12AX7LP (the "lp" stands for "long plate"), and the tube Sovtek sells as the Mullard 12AX7 "reissue." The two tubes look identical, except for the name, but the quality of the Mullards is much better, I think.

In addition to Sovtek, Groove Tubes also sells a US-made 12AX7M, and it looks like TAD is now selling this tube as their new TAD 7025. Also JJ has a new long plate tube called the JJ ECC803.

All of these tubes have long, thin plates that are separated, so you can see the space between them just like the original Mullard ECC83's. To my ear, these vintage style tubes tend to have a fairly flat eq, which I associate with a more European sound, as opposed the Tung Sol's, which accentuate the highs and lows more and have more of an American tone.

The problem with these long plate tubes is they tend not to do well in high gain amps and combo amps, if they are not very well made. The only one I have found to be reliable in a guitar amp is the Mullard 12ax7 reissue. It costs a little more, but if you want a premium tube that has more of a European tone, that's the one I'd recommend.

Another thing to consider is the location in the amplifier of the preamp tube you are replacing. The preamp tube that is located the furthest away from the power tubes will generally have the greatest effect on the tone of the amp; and the preamp tubes that are closer to the power tubes will have the least effect on the tone. So you could put a premium Tung Sol or Mullard in V1, but then a less expensive JJ or a Chinese tube might make more sense in V2. Even if you find a long plate too noisy for any of those positions, a long plate tube might still make a good phase inverter tube for the V3 position (or whichever position is closest to the power tubes).

6l6 Tubes

6l6 power tubes not only have different size plates, they also come in different size bottles. There are basically three (3) types. The small bottle "stubbies" modeled after the original Tung Sol 5881, the tall bottles based on the original Sylvania 6l6GC STR, and the clear tops that have the side getter construction of the famous black plate RCA 6l6GC.

The most common OEM 6l6 is the Sovtek 5881WXT, which is sort of an anomaly. The Sovtek is a short plate tube in a tall bottle. It's called a 5881 but it's really a 6l6. It can handle high voltages like the other 6l6's but it has the lower output of a 5881. And you will see it branded both ways. Sovtek calls it the 5881WXT but Groove Tubes sells it as a 6l6GC, Fender calls it a 6l6GC, and a Mesa Boogie sells it as a 6l6GC STR. Regardless of the name, the Sovtek is a very reliable, inexpensive tube, but it doesn't have the best tone.

The only true small bottle 5881 currently in production is the Tung Sol 5881 reissue that is also made by Sovtek. Like the Sovtek 5881WXT, the Tung Sol has lower output than most 6l6's. But when it comes to tone, there is no comparison. The tone of the Tung Sol is head and shoulders above the 5881WXT. The problem is, unlike the Sovtek, the Tung Sol apparently cannot handle the high voltage of most modern tube amps. As a result, most people looking to upgrade the standard Sovtek 5881WXT will do better with a 6l6 tall bottle or one of the new clear tops.

In addition to the Tung Sol, Sovtek also has a premium tall bottle 6l6 called the Sovtek 5881WXT+ (not the 5881WXT, the 588WXT"+", which is a very different animal) and the Electro-Harmonix 6l6EH (near as I can tell, the WXT+ and the 6l6EH are the same). Both the 5881WXT+ and the 6l6EH have longer plates, more volume and a much nicer tone - with more harmonic complexity - than the Sovtek 5881WXT.

The highest rated 6l6 tall bottle is probably the SED 6l6. SED a/k/a "Winged C" is the company that was previously known as "Svetlana." The SED is a great tube with a brighter, more detailed tone, but it has a big downside, and that is that it typically costs about twice as much as all of these other tubes.
The "Svetlana" brand name is now owned by Sovtek. In fact, Sovtek makes a copy of the SED "Winged C" 6l6 which is sold as the Svetlana 6l6. The SED and the Sovtek Svetlana are not the same tube (the getters are different), and they don't have exactly the same tone (the Svetlana is not quite as bright). But the two tubes are very similar, and the Svetlana costs almost half as much.

In addition to the SED and the Sovteks, there are two other 6l6's that have a little different tone but are also a big improvement over the standard 5881WXT. JJ makes a tall bottle JJ 6l6 that has a unique plate structure and a powerful clean sound. Like the SED, the JJ has been around a long time and has enjoyed considerable popularity. More recently, Tube Amp Doctor started selling a Chinese TAD 6l6GC STR that has become very popular. I think the TAD sounds more like the JJ than the SED or the Sovteks.

You really can't go wrong with any of these tall bottles. If you like big and beefy, try the JJ or the TAD. If you want a brighter tone with more detail, go for the SED or the Svetlana. If you would rather have something with a little flatter eq and smoother sound, I'd recommend the Electro-Harmonix 6l6EH or the Sovtek 5881WXT+. I especially like smooth overdrive tone of the 6l6EH and 5881WXT+ in a master volume amp.

But if what you want is the closest thing to the original RCA 6l6 clear top, there are a number of other 6l6 tubes you may also want to give a listen to. Groove Tubes makes a clear top GT 6l6GE, Sovtek has a clear top Tung Sol 6l6GC STR and Tube Amp Doctor also sells a clear top Chinese made TAD 6l6WGC STR. These are long plate, high output tubes, but they come in medium size bottles; and they have the clear top, side getter construction of the original RCA and GE 6l6's. The TAD and Tung Sol versions have the "black plates" the RCA tubes had; and the Groove Tubes version is mostly American made. But the tube with the best tone is definitely the TAD 6l6WGC STR. The TAD is a nice, warm tube with a sweet, silky high end. To me, it is the perfect choice for a vintage series Fender amp, like the Super Reverb.

Keep in mind the market for vacum tubes is constantly changing. It used to be that the JJ ECC83's and SED "Winged C" 6l6's were the best tubes available. But then Sovtek was bought out by New Sensor and started working with Electro Harmonix to develop new tube designs. Chinese tubes were notoriously cheap, but then Tube Amp Doctor and Groove Tubes started working with them to develop some top quality glass.
It also used to be that you needed to get tubes from a reseller who tested them thoroughly because they were notoriously unreliable from the factory. But now Sovtek, for example, seems to be testing their own tubes more and selling the good ones under brand names like "Tung Sol" or "Mullard." The other thing the tube manufacturers are doing now is selling "gold pin" versions of their tubes (often for twice the price of the regular versions). I think it's worth it to buy the brand name versions, especially if you are buying direct from the manufacturer, but I don't think the gold pins are worth twice the price.

In my opinion, there is no one tube that sounds best, it all depends upon what you like and the other components you are using.

Ben L. Fernandez


Electric Guitar Tone: Pickups, Strings, Speakers and Tubes

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