JamUp Pro is a fantastic, easy to use app.
In conjunction with the JamUp Plug I reviewed last month, Positive Grid have provided me a copy of their premiere guitar amp and effects modeling iOS app, JamUp Pro.
JamUp Pro is one of the newest guitar apps to appear in the iTunes app store, and it has really taken off with a bang. With 6 multi-stage amp models and 14 studio grade effects available from the launch date, and more to come according to Positive Grid, it is great value at $19.99.
The JamUp Plug is a great little iOS interface at a great price.
Nowadays there are a range of instrument interfaces available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. With so many available, and a wide range of prices and connectivity it can be hard to work out which one is best for you. Most connect through the headphone jack of your iOS device, and they all provide an audio connection for your guitar or bass with varying degrees of success.
One of the latest players in the iOS instrument interface is Positive Grid, with their JamUp Plug. Like many of the other interface manufacturers Positive Grid have their own iOS app to use with the JamUp Plug – JamUp Lite and JamUp Pro. I’ll be reviewing JamUp Pro soon. (more…)
"The Axis of All Things", Chris Brooks latest guitar feast.
Chris Brooks is an immensely talented guitar player hailing from Australia. I’ve heard a little of Chris’s playing in the past, and thought it was quite impressive. So when he asked if I would be interested in reviewing his latest album “The Axis of All Things” I could not say no. This is the first music review I’ve published on my blog, and I hope you like it.
Let me start off by saying I’m always a bit apprehensive when it comes to listening to solely instrumental guitar albums. I quite often find that many guitar players in this realm, whilst extremely talented musicians, have a habit of trying to make their music either far too technical, and/or too quirky, and miss things like melody and harmony. Everything sounds like a massive exercise, and I end up feeling exhausted after a few tracks. I always feel that the sign of an excellent instrumental guitar album is when a non-guitar player can appreciate it. This, I believe, always comes from the music having strong melody and harmony first and foremost, and any acrobatics and craziness is just the icing on the cake. (more…)
The String Stretcha makes the tedious task of stretching strings much eaiser.
Changing strings can be a bit of a pain at times. You get your new strings all wound on and tuned up, but then your guitar just keeps going out of tune. Strings need to be stretched before they hold tune. The standard finger and thumb stretching technique works, but can be a bit cumbersome for newer players and experienced ones alike.
The String Stretcha is here to make the tedious task of stretching strings a whole lot easier. No longer do you have to risk breaking your new strings from accidentally over-stretching. (more…)
The Nunchucker Humbucker is an extremely versatile pickup, perfect for many styles.
Ormsby Guitars, based in Western Australia, build awesome guitars with pretty much any spec you may ask for. Perry Ormsby, the owner of Ormsby Guitars also makes his own range of hand-made pickups. Perry was extremely generous and sent me two of his pickups to review. The first of those is the Nunchucker Humbucker.
The Nunchucker Humbucker is a moderate output bridge humbucker with 9.3K resistance. It can come loaded with an AlNiCo 2, 5, 8 or ceramic magnet. The model I have to review came with an AlNiCo 5 magnet. It comes with 4 conductor wiring, so you can wire this up which-ever way you want.
I loaded the Nunchucker into my custom Ibanez RG/JEM style guitar, which has an alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, and Gotoh licensed Floyd Rose with a Floyd Upgrades big brass block. Acoustically this is a fairly bright sounding guitar, and I felt this would be a good base to test the Nunchucker Humbucker.
