2022 Summer Philly Guitar Show - the lefty Report

 

We took our twice-yearly religious pilgrimage to the guitar show. It's always best to go an hour or two after they open, at very least, because the line is beyond belief, and slow. As I pay, it flips me out that the blonde lady taking my money used to be a little squirt of a child, running around behind the table. Yeah, I've been going to guitar shows for quite a while. This one is run by Bee-3 Guitars.

It was a bit smaller than normal and the hall was changed. Whoever put up the signs has a drinking problem, so it took us a while to find the right hall. It was fun, as these things are supposed to be. There was something for everyone, from beginner Hello Kitty guitars to $45,000 vintage Stratocasters. Lots of new and old amps, from the latest Line 6 digital to the oldest Fender tweed Champs. Pedals, pickups, straps, screws, pickguards, and soda. There were even women. The history of women and guitar shows is long and storied. It was only really fun when booths hired hotties to walk about with guitars, but it went downhill from there. Sometimes you can spend hours looking at guitars without seen a single woman. Sometimes there are many. I was shocked talking to a female vendor, MUCH younger than me, about one of my guitars. The girl knew her stuff. It was nice to see someone who knew her stuff and was a female. It's only recently that this has started happening and I say go for it, provided you know your stuff. I'm speaking strictly professionally. As more people go to the shows, they bring their wives.

I was laughing with a vendor about a really expensive Komet head he had, and he suggested I throw 'the girl' in. The girl was Mrs. lefty, who thought it was hilarious. Other women might not. That's one of the reasons I married her. Mrs. lefty was very popular at the show. I stood back and watched people looking at her; it was kind of funny. I knew if I wanted something, all I had to do was send her to get it. I may get ignored, but she doesn't.

There was a huge used pedal dealer. I spent some time looking over his inventory and asked his opinion on how a certain artist got a certain tone - was it an envelope follower? He said yeah, that guy uses all sorts of distortions and filters. Ok then, I guess you don't have anything to sell me. He sure had a lot of pedals.

As far as lefties go, this was considerably better than the last show, where there was approximately one. While I didn't fall madly in love with any of them, there were two I liked, a Taylor acoustic and a Fender AVRI Strat with a killer soft-V neck. After discussions on this neck and a 58 Strat neck, I'm told I want a softer V neck - not regular V. My only choice in Fender is to go through Custom Shop (or find an affordable lefty 58 Strat - yeah, right).

Here's what I saw...

SG and Les Paul

a pair of Univibes with cases - pure unobtainium

Fender Masterbuilt SRV Lenny - $12k

you don't see a lot of lefty Bigsbys

lower line Martin

Tele, AVRI I liked, Player Strats

Taylor 214 CE xx12Uwhatever - great guitar, great neck

older lefty P-Bass

60th Anniversary Strat

how many lefty Gibson ES335s do you see?

used Martin DT1216GT(?)

Orville Les Paul

J-Bass

tiny Marshall

breathtaking inlay on Gibson J200

Ricks, Strats

John Lennon Epi

check out the color on this newer Tele

If you haven't been to a guitar show, you need to attend. If you have, you need to attend again. 

Guitar Show Calendar

BEE-3 Vintage guitar shows

On Buying Cheap [Guitar Content Only]

Another segment (ok, the first segment) from the 'experience speaks' guy.

When we start out, we're generally kids, without a ton of disposable income. This requires finding used equipment or good deals or trades. There's little choice and we learn from it. I certainly went through it.


I built most of my own computers until fairly recently. The last time I did it, my wife kept telling me to buy really good/fast hardware. I asked why and she said because I spent an awful lot of time at them, so I needed good hardware, and I tended to keep them for a while, so I needed fast hardware. I was going to cheap out, but she made incredible sense. And she's not even a musician!


As I collected more and my ear got better, I realized I needed better sound and quality. This is essential if you're playing out in any form, even for no money. You need to show up professionally, with all your reliable gear and some backups in case of failure. You'll show your professionalism with your playing and your equipment. You'll also get a reputation for both. I stopped buying cheap, and saved for better equipment. I'm now a wonderfully-equipped player who never leaves his couch. To put a finer point on it, I stopped buying guitars just because I could afford them, and saved for nicer guitars and equipment. Now there's very little junk in my stable, and I could go into the studio well-equipped to sound like whatever's needed. This also meant, as I was growing up, that I watched others with nice cars, but my money went to equipment.


Having said that, to use my Corporate-speak, buying equipment is a whole new paradigm since the Web became popular. If you want a pedal, you can check out the reviews, talk to a few experts, visit some social media groups, then listen to it on YouTube.

Historic Note: when I started playing, there was no net. We heard about things through Guitar Player magazine or our local mom+pop guitar store, then we tried them out.

So if you've been playing for a while and you intend to play out, it's time to go pro - don't cheap out. With Ebay, Reverb and all the commercial music sites, guitar shopping is 24/7. This can be a real problem for some, but it's ok, I can quit whenever I want. I started to see pedals with weird names... really weird names. I started checking them out on YouTube. So I have Reverb in one browser tab and YouTube in the other. Granted, you're not always getting an exact idea of how a pedal will sound, but you'll at least get in the ballpark.

I started to see the tiny effects, like Mooer, Donner, and others. They're all made in the same factory, so there's no difference. I was naturally suspicious because of their overseas manufacturing, but after listening, had to admit they sometimes do a hell of a job (ripping off other successful designs and selling them for peanuts). Rest assured the parts are substandard, at very least the hardware, so at some point the jacks will become intermittent, the controls will get dirty, or the switch will fail. If you're at a gig or audition, this won't go well. This is one reason to buy the more expensive pedals (or guitar).

As your disposable income increases (or shows up), you can also go on a Mission, becoming crazy about testing a bunch of pedals to find the right one for you. You do some research, then buy 5 or 10 of the top overdrives or distortions. Or do it 1 at a time. Pass on your observations socially, and make a YouTube video with a sample of the units and your conclusion. Swap a pedal for another, and so on.

After a ton of research, I bought a Hughes&Kettner Tube Rotosphere (Leslie pedal). It sounded the best in the reviews and shootouts. Plus Jeff Beck used one, and he never let me down before. Then a 'The Dude', Dumble-style pedal, which you should listen to if you don't have one. I'm building a few, and the next purchase will probably be an MI Audio Crunchbox. It's a great-sounding, balls to the wall, high gain Marshall pedal.

So keep the quality and tone in your mind when shopping (once you pass beginner phase).



YouTube Demo Rant

I've found the demos from big retailers, like Sweetwater, very accurate but not too deep. The real tone monsters put up YouTube videos, going into depth (sometimes sickeningly in-depth, to where you want to suggest they take medicine). Or better yet, the shootouts, where they compare 2 or more pedals in the same group. The overdrives are a great example, because there are so many of them, making so many claims. The worst of the overdrives are the 'transparent' ones, that don't mess with your tone too much.

The problem is with reviewers not using something vaguely normal to demo the pedals. One guy demos everything with a late 50s Strat. Because all of us have a late 50s Strat. Or a custom builder's Strat - Suhr is popular, but at least these are Strats. Some expensive guitar with a P90 pickup in front and a Tele pickup in the rear isn't likely to be common in anyone's house except the guy making the video. Another popular trick is drop-D tuning. Your ear might pick it up, but it's not indicative of what your average guitar player uses.

Then there's amps.
This guy's demo features a Dr Z amp. I think Dr Z amps start around $2,000. This will make it less likely people watching it will get a good idea of the sound.

If I were going to make a video, i'd probably use a Strat and a Les Paul, through a Deluxe Reverb. The Deluxe Reverb is a standard, clean, well-known amp, so you're getting a good representation of the pedal. It's also not a dirty amp until you get it painfully loud, so it's a good indication of what the pedal will sound like into a clean amp. Some pedals sound better into a slightly dirty amp, in which case I'd try something with a bit more hair on it.  The Strat and Les Paul are for obvious reasons. Maybe a Tele.


The YouTube demo field is seriously in need of some self-parody and sense of humor. It would go something like this:

Hi, I'm lefty, and today I'm doing a pedal shootout between the Klon Cantuar ripoff from Mooer and a secret pedal. The signal chain starts at my stock 1978 Strat, with all pickups replaced with all hand-wound units from the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop. Then I custom wired it for different combinations. I use a Live Wire ROCK cable into the Klon, then a JAZZ cable into my 1959 tweed Fender Champ, with the tweed redone, a ceramic instead of alnico speaker, and the output 6V6 substituted with a custom-made adaptor to use an EL84. From there I mic with a Telefunken U67 (with leather) and a regular old SM57 into my Focusnot 8 channel USB converter, into my computer, running my 47 track linux digital audio workstation software (cuz this guitar player don't do Windows or Mac). Video was edited with a lot of screaming and help from the dog.

Here's muh clean tone. Here's the effect.
I have adjusted the settings for flat gain in the local humidity, taking the dew point into consideration, on a Tuesday, which is always the best day to do demos. Let me set it so the gain knob is at zero, because we all use our overdrives for zero gain, then I'll play with the tone control, because you always wanted to know what it sounds like at zero. As we turn the gain up, the signal becomes more gainy. As we turn the volume up, it gets louder.  Note that after every phrase I wank on the whammy bar. This won't help you hear the pedal any better unless you wank on the bar too, but I like doing it. It ups my Douche Credibility. Then I spaz out a bit, moving the neck to and fro. It doesn't have any effect on the tone, but it makes me feel it does, plus I look super into it.

Now let me introduce the special secret pedal we'll compare the Klon with.
It's a 1972 Maestro phaser, one of the earliest phasers ever. If you saw Led Zeppelin's Song Remains the Same, you saw one on top of John Paul Jones' Fender Rhodes on 'No Quarter.' Why would I compare a transparent overdrive to a ancient 3 button phaser? Because I can.

Since we might want to hear this with a little more grit, I'll plug in the 1969 plexi-Marshall that Jim Marshall gave me from his personal collection, when I visited, the week before he died. It has the Eddie Van Halen mod, on board computer tube biasing, and I'm using it with Eddie's personal variac, at 88.7 volts.

So that's my video.
Subscribe and like this, and I'll be back next week with a comparison of the original Klon ($3,600 used) and a small twig I found outside.

2016 Fall Philly Guitar Show

As it is written, we battened down the hatches, battened up the car, and got off to the Philly Guitar Show, Fall version. As is traditional, is it held nowhere exactly near Philthydephia. Also traditional is making that stupid location reference. Ah, where would we be without tradition?

For health (and sanity) reasons, Mrs leftystrat could not make the trip (she had to wash her hands and couldn't leave for a few hours). The weather was just at the point where a jacket wasn't necessary for us over-padded medium-size manly men. That strange light was in the sky again.

The state has always done interesting things with the roadways in Pennsylvania, the PA Turnpike and Rt 422 being real Standouts of Stupidity. Although PA residents aren't actually sure of WHAT the state does with roadways, we are assured and reminded via almost monthly increases in tolls. Just to make things a little more interesting, the use of EZ-Pass combination tracking device and toll payer is being Highly Encouraged, in the form of many EZ-Pass lanes and a diminishing number of cash lanes. The turnpike exit in question (I am not kidding - this is the butt of jokes nationwide) is King of Prussia. The area has undergone such a ridiculous amount of growth that there have been many road-surgeries to widen ramps and install more toll lanes. This creates yet another excuse for Bad Driver Behavior. There are about fifteen lanes, fed by several distinct ramps, which causes people to veer, cut off, and race at high speed to any of the jumble of strangely-plotted EZ-Pass or a few cash lanes. The only exceptions to this are at rush hour (5:30am - 6pm), when it's the largest parking lot in the state.

Naturally, the exit from fifteen toll lanes boils down to two actual lanes, thus weeding out the men from the women, the children with BMWs purchased by their parents, and any 18 wheelers that can't accelerate fast enough. And people going to guitar shows. Hopefully you took the correct ramp, because if you didn't, you will simply never get to your destination or home. You'll be doomed to wander King of Prussia for several years, or until the next State Improvement that will take five years to build a small ramp that is already overcrowded when it is opened (like all roads in the area).  While you're lost, all roads may or may not lead to the King of Prussia Mall, one of the biggest in the country. Also one of the strangest, due to an asymmetric layout, where the first floor isn't set up like the second floor, plus there are actually three malls joined together by a caterpillar the size of Rhode Island.

Eventually you may or may not stumble onto Rt 422 West, so-named because it doesn't go east. Well, at least until you come home. The state was much more subtle about improvements on 422. Here, to keep attention away from the unbelievably poor condition of 2 two lane highways, they simply installed bumps every few car lengths. Who is going to comment on a few Cadillac-sized holes when your ride goes BUMP..BUMP..BUMP. It's sheer brilliance in a way that should qualify for an award at the National Alliance of State Stupidity Awards. I was passed by a very loud Harley with two very loud riders, straight out of Central Casting. They were mad that I was only going 20 over the speed limit. Seconds later they completely disappeared, probably into a hole under a bump, where they have to keep paying rising tolls every day.

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Opening the main doors is fun - you never know what you're going to see. Whatever you see, it's great because this is the damn guitar show; two times a year that I'm likely to have left the house and seen guitars and amps and Stuff. Drop a few bucks in the Greyhound Rescue hat. They always bring a dog or two and they're beyond mellow for dogs that have been thrown out after they're no longer useful for racing. Support your local dog rescue group - all of ours have been rescues.

There were lots of things to see and try out, which was a great improvement over the summer's deathly feeling. All vendor spaces were occupied, including some surprises. You could see all kinds of vintage guitars, incredibly vintage guitars, celebrity-owned guitars (Danny Gatton, Johnny Winter, etc), amps, effects pedals and even a few new things and cheap stuff for beginners. There was a really popular guy who had unfinished guitar bodies but also small (6") bodies, hollowed on top to put picks or business cards in, as well as guitar-shaped cutting boards. Accessories galore.. handmade leather straps, garish straps (my favorite), colored strings, and very interesting people.
 Word to the wise: go for fun. If you go to purchase something, know what you're looking for and what it's worth.

Let's get down to some good old-fashioned visual stimulation, or , as I call it, Guitar Porn...

this is a 1956 Telecaster in mint condition - 3rd year for Teles

yes, it's backwards, but if I had one, it would be in this finish exactly

DHR is a large lefty dealer, which chose to only bring a few non-standard guitars

Danny Gatton (RIP) Fender prototype

1979 Les Paul - weighs more than my car but a hell of a player

1979 Rick 4001 bass

very old Gretsch, maybe a Chet Atkins model

newer Martin - a little stiff

very used Martin

ever been frightened to be near an amp? even before you saw the price? This is more of a megalith than an amp. Orange/Matamp stack.

Reverend had a ton of guitars, plus a pair of lefties. Good value, good guitars, just not for me.

saw a number of Taylor 314s. As a rule, they play better and have better top end than Martins.

a Fender '52 repro Tele, unlike the American Vintage series '52 Tele, also half the price. I'd still go with the the American Vintage for the baseball bat neck.

Last but never least is my dog, Marshall (aka Muppet Paws), and the amplifier named after him (Marshall Code 25).
They both shred but my Marshall shreds tissues.
They both scream but my Marshall screams for people food and dog cookies.
Marshall the Amp is covered in black tolex. Marshall the cocker in black fur.
The amp has a 10" speaker. The dog has two large flaps covering his ears.
We are unsure about getting him an endorsement from Marshall Amplifiers but hope for at least a cover shot and story.
Missing from the shot is a 1974 Marshall half-stack, formerly on tour with UFO and possibly Robin Trower.

And there you have it - the show, minus most of the backwards (right-handed) guitars, which comprised 99.5% of the show.

Lefty Goes Delay Shopping

Guitar Center is usually a place I go when I know I want to be disappointed.  The area of lefty guitars has been well-trodden in this blog.  Every time I show up, there seems to be fewer of them.  But this time was different.  No, there were no more lefties... I'm just shocked that I did so well.

The topic of the month is delays, specifically analog delays.  For a while I relied on a Boss RV-3, which is a combination reverb/delay.  I discovered it had very low output level and I have no idea how to go about fixing it (no tubes), so I needed a new one.  I got a great hamfest deal on an ADA multi-fx box, which does flanging, chorus and delay.  It sounds ok, if a bit dated, but it's a rack mount device so it's not well suited for carrying around.

I did a lot of YouTube shopping.  YouTube is the greatest thing to happen to guitar in a long time.  If you want a guitar, amp or effects, odds are someone has a video featuring it.  Some even have comparisons.  After asking around further, I decided I wanted to try out the MXR Carbon Copy and the Electro Harmonix Memory Boy.

Guitar Center shocked the hell out of me by having the Carbon Copy, Way Huge Aqua Puss and a 4 knob red (T-rex/reptile?) Tap Delay used.  There was also a new Memory Boy.

Test rig was a generic white lefty Strat and a Blues Deluxe amp (close enough to my rig).  The Aqua Puss and Tap Delay were ok but failed to distinguish themselves.  The Carbon Copy was cool.  It had a nicer tone and more range as an effect.  Plus that cool, metallic green finish :)

The Memory Boy is one of the newer Electro Harmonix pedals.  They really have come a long way since the Big Muff and Memory Man.  They're doing very interesting things, including the Memory Boy.  I really liked this pedal the moment I plugged it in.  It's a normal analog delay but it also features modulation, so you can achieve anything from a slight chorus to an insane pitch change and vibrato.  It's almost like two pedals.  The tone, however, sold me.  It's not pure and it's not digital.  It's a little thick and colored.  The pedal was compact too.

My wife, who is not a musician, said there was only one choice: the Memory Boy.  Of course we know that my wife is easily entertained (by her choice in husbands).  She's also correct; it was the best of the bunch (for my application).

Financially it was an interesting decision:

• Tap Delay (used) - $99
• Aqua Puss (used) - $139
• Carbon Copy (used) - $90
• Memory Boy (new) - $139

Any of the delays would have performed adequately.  Had I purchased the Carbon Copy, I would not have been disappointed.  The Memory Boy just aced the others tonally, plus it had the added benefit of modulation.  

If I played a different instrument, I might have gone in a different direction, as the MB's output is definitely colored.  But this is exactly what I needed.  Aside from playing around with a chorus setting, the delay is probably going to be Set It and Forget It.  Others might like a more accurate (sterile) tone from their delay.

Your mileage will definitely vary - shop around, listen to the boxes on YouTube and play them in person.  Ask questions if you have them.

lefty Goes Guitar Shopping

I don't get out much.  When I eventually get out, I am reminded of why I don't get out much.

Today it was guitar and mall shopping with the wife, nephews and a niece.  First stop, Sam Ash.  Someone was wanking away and I looked over to behold a guy playing a lefty Firebird.  This is a totally unprecedented site, as Gibson has never made a lefty Firebird.  Even the Custom Shop refused to make one.  Apparently they changed their minds.

After the wheedly-ing wound down I took my turn at the Firebird.  I don't plug guitars in much anymore; it has to feel good and play well first.  This one felt decent.  It appeared to have two covered mini-buckers and was black.  The tag indicated it was a Firebird Special at $899.  I played a bit and it felt decent.  Might be a decent deal at a bit cheaper but it didn't call my name.

The problem with Gibsons is that I'm spoiled by my Historic Reissue Les Paul.  Nothing feels the same, which tends to save me a lot of money on Gibsons.  Nothing has compared to date, except the higher end reissues.  Since there's no chance I'll ever see one lefty where I shop, I'm safe.

They did have a number of lefties, which was a pleasant surprise.

Guitar Center was next on the hit list.  These stores were in New Jersey, so I don't get there often.  Upon opening the door, I spotted a lefty PRS, at the bargain price of $3514.  I picked it up, hit a few strings, and put it back.  It was ok but nowhere near the magic I keep hearing about when people mention PRSes.  And not close to my Les Paul.

There was an 80s lefty LPjr for $1700, which was ok.  A couple of Strats and a Tele and that was it.  Still more lefties than my local Guitar Center.

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My nephew was looking for another guitar.  His tastes are..... not as `refined' as mine.  He likes metal guitars with pointy headstocks.  As such, he picked up a few Ibanezes and found one with which he fell in love.  He bought himself a closeout 420 and his girlfriend bought him a Mustang I amp for his birthday.  They all loved my Mustang amp when I lent it to them; I had to ask for it back.  So he's a happy fellow at about this point.  No word on his landlord as yet.

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I saw an Epiphone 335 for a decent price.  Does anybody own one?  I'm afraid of the Epiphone name.  I had a Gibson 335 but sold it because it was a fight to play it.

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Walking through the mall, I came upon an Apple store.  I knew it was an Apple store because everyone was drooling and on their knees; wallets outstretched.  Nephew said it was an Apple store because people were saying, "I don't know what I want.  Just give me what everyone else is getting."