I get the opportunity to try out quite a few guitars. Some are good and some are not. I have found that when it comes to guitar models in the $100 - $500 range which are made by not so well known companies, most are substandard beyond even being playable. However, every once in awhile there is a gem that seems to come out of nowhere. In this case, my newest surprising acquisition came in the form of a CraigsList guitar that caught my attention recently.

This particular guitar is a copy of the ever popular Les Paul style guitar. The strange thing is that I can not seem to find any information about the manufacturer. This guitar is called the "Panache" and says San Antonio, TX on the headstock. I searched for a website for this company and came up with a single webpage that simply said "Coming Soon". Further research revealed that these guitars have been getting rave reviews from players who own real Gibson Les Paul's. Everything I read told me that this guitar had the sound, playability, and feel of the real deal. It also seemed that the price paid for these guitars was ranging from $150 - $350. The strange part is that nobody seems to know who is making them, or if they are really coming out of San Antonio, TX as the headstock implies. I use the word imply becasue it does not say “Made in San Antonio, TX”. There is nothing anywhere on the guitar with the country of origon.

Based on the reviews I read, I decided to get this guitar to check it out. I have to admit that I was very surprised by the quality. For a guitar in this price range it definitely went beyond any expectation that I had. I wouldn't put it on par with a LP, but it is a great guitar nonetheless, and at a fraction of the cost. The low E string had an intonation problem, but a simple setup would take care of that. Also, the tuning keys and one scratchy pot were the only hardware issues I found. The tuners seemed a little lackluster in quality and seemed to slip a little on the mid range strings. These are easily replaceable with higher quality machine heads. The scratchy pot will be easily replaceable if contact cleaner does not work to solve this issue. The pickups had great output, and overall the guitar sounded incredible. The action and playability were awesome.

I would be interested in finding out who is behind this instrument. Whoever they are, they are turning out a great guitar, especially if you take the time to do a few small and relatively inexpensive upgrades. I do have to admit that I have a hard time believing that a guitar company could be building a guitar of this quality in this price range in the United States. The mystery remains unsolved. If you have any further details or contact information for the San Antonio Guitar company, please feel free to pass it on to me.

Gary Allen

GuitarGearHeads.com Washington Test Facility Control Room

Over the years, I have been a steadfast advocate of protecting your musical equipment investment. I have reviewed several items on this site specific to safeguarding guitars and other gear from the rigors of the road as well as minimizing the risk of blown electronics due to power surges and overloads. One area I have never touched on however is insurance policies that cover your instruments on the road, and in your studio.

About a year ago my wife and I cataloged all of the equipment I had in my studio and gear testing facility. I then took the list and figured out how much it would cost to replace all of these items in the unfortunate event such as a fire or flood. The final number was mind boggling to say the least. Being that my studio is home based, I always thought my homeowners insurance would cover me adequately, but the truth of the matter was simply that using my entire policy for only my studio would not even scratch the surface of what would need to be replaced.

With this new found knowledge I called my insurance company to find out what I could do. The result was an offer for a separate and very complicated policy to cover just my studio and gear. The special rules that would be a part of this policy would also place an incredible amount of restriction to my studio space. For instance, I would not be allowed to let anyone in my studio even if I was present. Therefore I could not record any other musicians, even for my own projects. In fact I could not even have a few guys over for a jam session.

My wife recently did a search for insurance companies that specialized in policies specific to the entertainment industry. The companies she found have policies for home studios, offsite studios, tours, and regular gigging musicians. Some policies even cover the recordings you do in the studio for other bands in the event that data is lost or compromised.

I have contacted all of these insurance companies with a request to do an interview to talk about these policies and get more information for those of you who may be interested. These types of policies are probably not as important to the hobby player with a single guitar and amp, but if you were to catalog your gear and add up replacement value, many would probably be astounded by how much you have spent over the years.

Very few people ever think that anything will happen happen, but the flooding in New Orleans and the more recent flooding in Nashville should be a wake up call to all of us that things beyond our control can happen in an instant and it could end up being quite costly.

Gary Allen

I can not count the times that I have bought an amplifier only to find that the footswitch was sold separately. To add insult to injury, the local music store does not carry the footswitch and needs to order it. What about about the effects pedals that are designed to run on batteries or a power cord, but the power supply is not included. Often times the power supply will cost up to a quarter of the price of the pedal, and once again, it will need to be ordered.

While I do understand the position of the manufacturer who offers these parts as additional equipment so they can make more money, I also wonder if they realize how often such a minor detail can cost them the sale of the main item. For instance, if I am going to pay $1000 or more on a high end amplifier, I want to be able to use it to its fullest potential when I get it home. I don't want to wait for a footswitch to be shipped. Sure, I can change channels via the front control panel on the amplifier, but who really does that? You have to quit playing to reach down and make the change. It's just not efficient.

In the last few years I have found a few companies who have gone against the grain and included additional equipment in the package. A few examples would be "Crate" which includes footswitches with amplifiers that are designed to use them. "BBE Sound" includes not only the power supply for their effects pedals, but also a new battery waiting to be hooked up in the battery compartment. I recently received an effects pedal from "T-Rex Engineering" that even came with a power supply that had interchangeable blades to fit almost all power outlet styles from US to European styles. All of these mentioned companies offer their main products at around the same price point of their comparable competitors. In reality, there just does not seem to be a price increase for the extra options.

Here is my call out to musical instrument manufacturers around the world. If you build an amplifier that is designed to switch channels with a footswitch, then give me the footswitch. If your effects pedal is made to run on batteries or a power supply, then give me the power supply. It is my choice if I want to use it or not, but at least I have the option. I won't go so far as to ask you to throw in the first battery too, but I really appreciate that BBE Sound does that for me. You might want to think about that if you are trying to get my business.

There is a lot of good musical equipment on the market today that I find myself passing up because they are not fully functional out of the box. There are too many other companies that seem to understand this frustration of consumers like myself. These are the products that I find myself leaning toward these days. When possible, I will usually support the manufacturer that gives me what I need to use their product offerings to their fullest potential right out of the box.

Gary Allen

Last weekend I decided to catch up on some guitar restringing. I noticed that the strings on my G&L ASAT Special Semi-Hollow Body were getting a little rough from the corrosion on the unwound high end. I grabbed a set of strings from my stash and proceeded through the changing process. As I got down to the last string (the high E), it became apparent right away that something was wrong. As I reached into the paper envelope to pull out the string, it didn't feel quite right. When I looked at the string, there were spots of rust colored corrosion in different areas along the entire string. This was a brand new string right out of an unopened package.

I have to admit that I was slightly frustrated, but not overly so. I realize that things like this can happen, even if I only had this set of strings for a couple months. Since I did not have another set of the same strings on hand, I unstrung the entire guitar and threw the whole set away. I am kind of a perfectionist, and I don't like to mix string brands or gauges. I grabbed another set of string of a different brand which had the same plastic sleeve packaging with paper envelopes holding two strings each.

I was getting these strings out of the package while thinking about what could have happened to cause such a rare case of brand new string corrosion. This time I didn't even get the flap opened on the paper sleeve when I saw it. I immediately noticed a somewhat circular rust colored stain on the outer packaging paper. I was stunned! I pulled the string out of the sleeve only to find that this one was even worse than the string from the previous set I had just thrown away. I went back to my music room and started going through the rest of the strings I had with this same unsealed plastic sleeve packaging. Out of the five sets on hand, only one set was good.

My music room is a very dry place, and there is not a lot of humidity in the area. There is no reason whatsoever that I can think of in which two month old strings would corrode like this, especially in the environment they were stored. I am not sure what went wrong, but I can tell you one thing. I will only use strings that come in sealed packages from this point on. I made this decision based on the fact that I have fifty or so sets of D'Addario strings which are packaged in vacuum sealed plastic bags. I have had some of these sets for over two years, and these were what I ended up using on this guitar in the end. They were in perfect condition, as if they had just come off the factory floor.

This blog is not meant to be an endorsement of D'Addario strings. I understand that there are a lot of great strings on the market, and many players prefer different brands. It is my opinion however that some string makers need to rethink their packaging methods. They need to realize that even though their product is relatively inexpensive in comparison to other guitar products, in the long run, an average player will probably spend as much on strings as they did on the guitar itself. No player deserves to open a set of bad strings unless they spilled liquid on them, or stored them improperly. I just threw out about twenty-five dollars in bad strings from two different companies. I have purposely not mentioned the companies here, but I assure you that I will be sending them my complaint in writing.

Gary Allen

Here is a little money saving tip for running cables to powered monitors and PA speakers. In the past it was a firm rule that you should only use "speaker cables" for these applications. Speaker cables are built heavier to carry the boosted signal coming from a power amplifier where as line level cables such as instrument, patch, and microphone cables are not designed to handle this increased load. Since most of the studio monitors as well as many of the PA main speakers on the market today are self powered, the rule does not apply in powered speaker applications.

Since the signal in powered speakers is not amplified until after it reaches the speakers internal amplifier, you will money and get the right connection by using line level cables instead of the generally more expensive speaker cables. I personally prefer to use balanced XLR cables since their signal is stronger and much more resistant to unwanted noise and interference. If you do decide to go this route, you will want to make sure your speakers as well as your signal source are set up for XLR input or output. If this isn't the case, a TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) cable will work just fine.

If you are upgrading from unpowered speakers to powered models, you really should consider switching out your old speaker cables for line level cables. Speaker cables will still work, but have an extreme likelihood of affecting the sound quality in adverse ways. Using the correct cabling for the appropriate hookup will always yield the best result in every musical application.

I would like to note that if you are still using unpowered speakers with a power amplifier, you will still need to follow the important rule of using only quality dedicated speaker cables to make the connection.

Gary Allen

Just a few weeks ago, I meet a guitar player by the name of Rikk Beatty while doing some research for a review I was working on. Rikk is a talented musician who is endorsed by well known companies such as Orange Amplifiers, Ibanez, DigiTech, Dimarzio, Scott Dixon Cases, PedalsSnake, IT Guitar Picks, and Dean Markley Strings. In addition to being a "Maurice the Fish Records" recording artist, Rikk travels the country doing clinics for DigiTech. Rikk recently released an album called "Guitar Farm", and he sent me a copy to check out.

On my first listen through the album, I got the impression that Rikk must have worked through the advanced levels of fretboard roadmaps. He has great technique and his timing is impeccable. I usually hear many players trip up in sudden bursts of speed, but Rikk seems to handle them with ease leaving you with that final note that seems to hang in the air forever. On this album, Rikk demonstrates not only his mastery of rock instrumental guitar, but also jazz and classical styles. He was able to seamlessly merge these styles into an album that flows easily from the first song "Guitar Farm" to the last. "Lamb Jam" which is a very cool tribute to the great SRV. Some of my personal favorites are "New Jazz", "Mountain Twin", and Rikk's version of "Amazing Grace". I can guarantee that you have never heard "Amazing Grace" like this.

I have to admit that I was not only impressed by Rikk's dynamic solos, but also by the dead on accuracy of every player in the Rikk Beatty band. Kenny Wood (rhythm guitar), Tim Hogan (bass), and Chris Korzin (drums) are a shining example of how a band should work together to bring out the best of everyone in the band. Their tight focused rhythm lay down a perfect foundation on which Rikk Beatty builds well thought out lead guitar instrumental solos. You have all probably heard me preach on how bands need to be a team, and check their personal ego's at the door. These guy's get it!! You could learn a lot from them.

I plan on doing an interview with Rikk in the near future, and gain some insight into his playing style, influences, and the gear he uses. In the meantime, you might want to visit Rikk's website at www.rikkbeatty.com and order a copy of "Guitar Farm". When you visit the site, make sure you have your sound turned on so you can listen to the Rikk Beatty band tear through their distinctive version of "Amazing Grace".

Gary Allen

One of the great benefits of the NAMM show is the opportunity to see not only new products from well known companies, but also the chance to meet people who are just beginning to make a name in the industry with a new company. In January I had the pleasure of meeting Larry Post who was showing his brand new product at the GuitarGuard(TM) booth. Larry is the CPO (Chief Protection Officer) at GuitarGuard(TM), and his product is an eco friendly sleeve for your guitar which protects the finish. Larry was very excited and passionate about his product, so he gave me a sample to take home and test out.

The GuitarGuard(TM) product is a very durable sleeve that fits over the back and upper bout of a Strat® of Les Paul® style guitar body. Larry told me that other body styles will be available in the future, but for now these two are the only ones available. This skin protects the finish on your prized or coveted guitar from the scratches and abrasions that can happen with constant use. The fabric used on the GuitarGuard(TM) is extremely durable, and is billed as being waterproof, scratch proof, and dent proof, as well as gig proof. The material reminds me of the substance used in wetsuits. There are holes in the skin for the strap pins, and this holds the GuitarGuard(TM) in place so that it will not slip or come off while you are playing.

I received the Strat® style GuitarGuard(TM), and decided to put it on my G&L S-500. I noticed right away that the skin was very tight on this guitar, but the body is a little thicker and heavier than most Fender Strat® models. It did fit, but was a little harder to put on than I expected. I decided to try it on my American Deluxe Stratocaster® and the results were a much better fit and ease of installation. The GuitarGuard(TM) conforms to the shape of the body including the contours on most guitars. With the skin on, the Fender still fit in the molded case, although it was much tighter, however, the G&L did not quite want to fit in the case with the GuitarGuard(TM) installed.

For the most part, the front of the guitar remains uncovered, and access to all of the playing surfaces and controls remain easily accessible. My biggest concern however was whether the GuitarGuard(TM) was going to affect the resonance of the instrument itself. Surprisingly, I could not discern any affect on the overall sound of the guitar. This is pretty incredible for something that seems like it could have a smothering affect on the guitars body.

My assessment of this product is for the most part very positive although I feel I would be remiss to not mention two minor details. First off, the fat that it is a relatively tight fit on some models. Secondly, because the GuitarGuard(TM) takes some space on your strap pin, it is hard to attach straps that have thicker fabric or leather at the strap holes. This can easily be overcome if you use the Dulop Straploc® system which I highly recommend anyway. I would have to say that the GuitarGuard(TM) is a great product for anyone who wants to preserve the condition of their guitar while still being unafraid to take it to a gig. www.guitarguard.net

Strat®, Stratocaster®, Les Paul®, and Straploc® are Registered Trademarks of their respective owners and are not affiliated with GuitarGuard(TM).

When it comes to guitar playing and effects, compressors have been one of the most controversial issues for many years. Each guitar player has his own ideas on whether a compressor should be in the signal chain or not. One thing I have noticed is that no matter which side guitar players take on this issue, they are very passionate on their opinions. In fact they become so strong minded in their opinion that they sometimes come across as being very critical of other players who do not share their view. I should point out that this is not just a guitar player issue. I have read interviews with record producers and engineers where they came across as downright rude toward their colleges in the business who did not hold their personal belief. The key word here is "personal".

With these very strong opinions flying around, it can be confusing for a new guitar player to know what to do when they are working on building their effects pedal board or rack. It really comes down to personal choice, and what sound you are trying to achieve. I was fortunate enough to talk to a couple guitar players over the years that landed in the middle of the great compression debate. One player put it to me this way. "If you can use compression in a way that allows your sound to still be musical, and gives the results you are looking for, then by all means use it. If compression takes the musicality away from your tone and playing, then turn the dang thing off."

Taking this advice on my guitar playing journey, I have learned that compression like any effect is a tool that is not intended to define your sound, but to augment it. I use compression in some of my music, but I use it sparingly for the most part, and only when it enhances the sound. Compressors are a balancing act that is learned over time. They can be used to give more gain to a distortion or overdrive pedal, but they can also ruin many of the dynamics in your playing style. Finding that balance of dynamics and compression is something you learn over time, and sometimes you will find that compression just will not work for certain musical parts you create.

In my humble opinion, everyone should have a compression pedal in their signal chain, but they should also not be afraid to turn it off when the opportunity for more lively performance can be achieved without it.

Gary Allen

I’ve noticed a pretty cool trend out there on Portable PA systems lately. You are now starting to see pretty powerful setups coming in small, easy to manage, gig-worthy packages. I’ve selected three that I think represent the best range of options.

The first is the Mackie SRM 150: Click Here for Product Page

Street Price: $300

Features:
o Extremely portable active loudspeaker system
o Built-in Mackie mixer for superior sound quality with:
- 3-channel mixer with 3-band active EQ
- Two high-headroom Mackie Mic/line preamps with 48V phantom power
- Instrument-ready input (no DI required)
- Dedicated stereo channel for keyboards, CD, MP3, iPods, etc.
- Neutrik® Combo “line in” for linking or adding inputs
- XLR “thru” with mic/line switch for linking more SRM150s or direct send to main PA
o 150-watts of high output, Class-D power
o 5.25" premium-quality, full-range neodymium driver
o Frequency Response: 100Hz to 17.5kHz
o Complete system protection with built-in limiter
o 120 dB Maximum SPL@1meter
o Built-in top carry handle
o Integral aluminum heat sink
o Mic stand integration system for use with stand and boom
o Tough, impact-resistant, polypropylene enclosure

The second is the Fishman SoloAmp: Click Here for Product Page

Street Price: $1000

Features
o Compact line array
o 6×4″ cone midrange drivers (200W)
o 1″ neodymium soft dome tweeter (20W) with tweeter level control
o High-excursion custom drivers and servo power amp
o Two mic/instrument channels with 3-band EQ, phantom power
o Independent reverb level and effect loops on each channel
o Per-channel phase and notch filters
o Auxiliary stereo input with level control
o 4 digital reverb effects with master level
o Balanced XLR D.I. outputs for both channels and main mix
o Monitor I/O for better onstage ensemble monitoring
o Channel mute with remote footswitch input
o Tuner output
o Stand and padded carry bag with wheels included
o 41.5″ H x 5.6″ W x 6.6″ D
o 25 lbs. without stand

The last is the Roland Mobile Cube: Click Here for Product Page

Street Price: $160

Features

o Battery-powered amplifier for anyone, anywhere, anytime
o 5W (2.5W + 2.5W) stereo power with two high-performance 4″ speakers
o Inputs for microphone, stereo-instrument, and stereo AUX; headphone output
o Center Cancel function for karaoke
o Built-in stereo reverb/chorus, distortion and more
o Dedicated strap included for easy carry around
o Mic Channel: Input Jacks (1/4″ phone type)
o Keyboard/Instrument/Guitar Channel: Input Jack L/MONO, GUITAR (1/4″ phone type), Input Jack R (1/4″ phone type)
o Aux In Jacks (Stereo miniature phone type, RCA phono type)
o Phones Jack (Stereo miniature phone type)
o Accessories - Strap, Dry Battery (LR6 (AA) type) x 6
o Power Supply - DC 9 V, Dry Battery (LR6 (AA) type) x 6 or AC Adaptor (optional)
o Size and Weight
Width - 11-1/16″
Depth - 4-1/4″
Height - 7″
Weight - 5 lbs. 9 oz.

I have long been a fan of having as many "useful" options available as possible in my musical equipment. This probably stems from the fact that I do not have one particular style that I play, so having muti-functional guitars and amps makes it much easier to transition between genres.

This penchant for options has continued into my personal recording studio, and even to my monitoring environments. For example, if you have ever tried to record, I am sure you have seen the frustration of players who felt that they could not hear themselves well enough. I recently received a very cool headphone amplifier from Mackie that I believe is one of the most useful pieces of equipment that I have seen to date for headphone monitoring.

The HMX-56 6-Channel High Output Headphone Matrix Mixer/Amp, offers incredible flexibility for each individual in the studio recording environment. You can route the main outputs of the missing board to this amplifier, but furthermore, by using the subgroup outs, you can also route 4 sub mixes consisting of individual instruments, or groups of instruments to the HMX-56. This gives that ability to set up six separate headphone mixes, so each player can have the ever popular "more of me!" in the mix. Each mix will have the main mix, but each of the four subgroups can be turned up or down on each channel individually to each players preference. This is such a cool tool for the studio, and can cut down on a lot of frustration. It will also allow each person to hear what they need to hear, thus allowing them to give their best performance. Overall, the quality of musicianship will be better in your overall recording once it has been mixed down.

The other great part of this amplifier is that it can also be set up to run stage monitors in live situations. It is the same concept, except you would be taking the outputs to individual stage monitors instead of headphones. While each person again hears what they want to hear, the main mix for the audience retains the integrity of the mix created by the soundman.

While all of this sounds great, there is a problem. The HMX-56 will be discontinued soon, if it has not been already. I could not find it in the major online stores anymore, but it is still on the Mackie website, so I suggest that if you want one, you better find one and purchase it soon, or go to e-bay to find one. If you run a studio and need a headphone amplifier, this is my choice and my recommendation.

Gary Allen